MAUI, Hawaii — Most of the Memphis basketball team’s opponents cite its defensive style and philosophy as what sets the Tigers apart.
Auburn coach Bruce Pearl doesn’t see it that way. Speaking to reporters after his team’s authoritative win over No. 13 North Carolina late Tuesday, Pearl was more concerned with Penny Hardaway’s Tigers’ offense than anything else.
The two sets of 6-0 Tigers will clash in the Maui Invitational championship game Wednesday (4 p.m., ESPN) at Lahaina Civic Center.
“Our ability to guard is going to get really challenged tomorrow,” he said. “Our perimeter defenders are all going to be challenged. Memphis is a very tough cover.”
Memphis’ backcourt has generated considerable buzz this week, with Tyrese Hunter, PJ Haggerty and Colby Rogers combining to average 58 points per game in wins over No. 2 UConn and Michigan State. Another primary concern for Pearl is the aggressiveness and physicality that Hunter, Haggerty and Rogers employ as big parts of their games.
“Memphis will drive in, they’ll initiate contact. They’ll fall on the floor. You know, the game is really hard to referee,” he said. “They’ve got three guards that are really hard to stay in front of. They can all make great one-on-one plays. They can all make tough twos and threes, and they all shoot a lot of free throws.
“So we’re going to have to stay down. We’re going to have to stay up. We’re going to have to continue to guard with verticality. And when they drive into contact, we hope that we’re able to maintain our position on the floor.”
Pearl also seemed impressed by the success Memphis has had thus far against the level of competition it has faced. KenPom ranks Hardaway’s Tigers’ non-conference schedule as the 11th-most difficult in the country. Five of their six wins have come against top-100 KenPom teams, and they are 6-0 for the first time since 2010-11.
“And they had North Carolina in the preseason,” said Pearl. “And Penny always plays a tough schedule. A lot of guys transferred from a lot of big-time places.
“He’s got ‘em playing just great, great basketball.”
Pearl acknowledged he had not had enough time yet for a deeper dive into Memphis. But he said it would be reasonable to assume that his team will be at a slight disadvantage from a freshness perspective. Auburn’s game ended around 9 p.m. local time, while Memphis wrapped up with Michigan State about eight hours earlier.
“Obviously, fatigue will be a factor. What time is it now? It’s 9 o’clock,” he said. “What time did Memphis get done playing today? So, we’re trying to get our guys back off their feet as quickly as we possibly can.”
Reach sports writer Jason Munz at jason.munz@commercialappeal.com or follow him @munzly on X, the social media app formerly known as Twitter.
This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: Maui Invitational: What concerns Auburn’s Bruce Pearl most about Memphis
