The Memphis Tigers, ranked 23rd in the AP Top 25, have secured a decisive 77-54 victory over the 22nd ranked Virginia Cavaliers, marking their third consecutive win over a ranked opponent and the second loss of the season for Virginia. This victory continues the Tigers' impressive 8-2 start to the season. The Tigers' victory was led by a 26-point performance from David Jones, who has now scored over 22 points in five straight games, including 14 points in the first half of this match. This was the first time in over nine years that a ranked Memphis team played a ranked opponent at FedExForum. The last such match was on March 8, 2014, when the then-20th ranked Tigers beat the then-18th ranked SMU. The Tigers' coach, Penny Hardaway, and Virginia's coach, Tony Bennett, had previously met four times during the 1993-94 NBA season, with each winning twice. The match saw a strong crowd at FedExForum, continuing the trend from the previous Saturday's game against Clemson.
Penny Hardaway: “What an unbelievable situation for us to be able to play a team of Virginia’s (caliber) at home. … This is storybook for me, because I have so much respect for (Tony Bennett).” https://t.co/S2tLxE3Oun
Bennett on words he shared with Penny Hardaway after the final buzzer: "I just said, 'You're for real.' ... 'Your athleticism is real; your spacing is real.'" Says he told Penny that he hopes the Tigers can carry this momentum forward and have a good year.
Penny Hardaway and Memphis with another impressive win. This time they smack Virginia 77-54 to move to 9-2 and get their 7th high level win.
Memphis imposes will on Virginia in Top-25 showdown win https://t.co/ok0ye9VZsH
Memphis wins BIG vs. Virginia! https://t.co/OxkaRzi6uO
NO. 23 MEMPHIS ROLLS PAST NO. 22 VIRGINIA 🐯 The Tigers pick up a third straight win over a ranked opponent 💪 https://t.co/yPBqGhi3IH
No. 23 Memphis CRUSHES No. 22 Virginia. 😱 https://t.co/syV15pt1V5
Final: Memphis 77, Virginia 54. Woof. Cavaliers fall to 9-2.
Memphis demolishes Virginia, 77-54. Third straight win over a ranked team — for the first time since the 2008 tournament. What an impressive job by Penny Hardaway.
FINAL: Memphis 77, Virginia 54 The No. 23 Tigers force 18 TOs and use a 26-point outing from David Jones to rout the No. 22 Cavaliers. Nothing short of an impressive performance.
Memphis keeps rolling, dominating Virginia in the second half en route to a 77-54 win. Wins over Texas A&M, Clemson and now Virginia in the last nine days. David Jones with 22+ points in five straight games. I had the Tigers 16th on my AP ballot this week -- 23 is way too low.
Said after Memphis' first game in the Battle 4 Atlantis, this was the best team Penny Hardaway has had. Well, they just SMACKED Virginia, have beaten Clemson, Arkansas, Michigan and won at A&M, at Mizzou and at VCU. Credit where its due: This team is Final Four good 😤😤 https://t.co/BHt9pmk4Qt
Memphis out here destroying Virginia. Texas A&M on the road, unbeaten Clemson and now Tony Bennett and UVA. That’s 3 straight over ranked teams for the first time since 2007-08. Tigers are old, have a star in David Jones and will get even better when Tomlin gets on the court.
Memphis up 22 on Virginia late. How? Helps to have eight guys getting their PhDs in college basketball. https://t.co/eUchiv48AW
Here in person and this is a damn impressive throttling of Virginia. Memphis already very good and about to add another very good player. https://t.co/jKaV1E0q0q
David Jones has 22 points at the under eight being guarded by Reece Beekman and Ryan Dunn all night. Memphis is up 67-48. It’s time to take both the Tigers and their leading man very seriously.
Memphis 67, UVA 48 w/ 7:27 left https://t.co/bwNtSr4BfI
Kudos to Memphis. Have got our Hoos flustered and playing at a much faster pace than they can be effective. Better nights ahead.
Meanwhile, Virginia is on its way to its second loss of the season. Tony Bennett's crew is getting run at Memphis -- 65-44 with 8+ left in the game.
Whoa, Memphis drooped the hammer on Virginia. Now up 19, nine minutes to go. Penny's guys are rolling. They've beaten Mizzou, Michigan, Arkansas, VCU, Texas A&M at home, now on the verge of taking out ranked ACC teams, Clemson and UVA, back-to-back at home.
Memphis has just been taking it to Virginia from the opening tip. Really think this Tigers team could go deep. https://t.co/tCCJXlyDN0
Penny Hardaway is really got something going here in Memphis. This arena is loud and lively and his Tigers are running the floor, scoring 20 points off 10 #UVA turnovers. Memphis leads 56-44 with 11:20 to play.
That was good ball movement to get that open look, but Memphis is shooting 46% from three tonight, well above its average.
Memphis still hot, up eight on Virginia in the second half, and David Jones still playing like an All-American for Penny: 18 points in 17 minutes. Tigers appear to have a really, really nice team this year. When that under-25 car insurance fee drops off, it really frees you up.
Memphis 47, UVA 39 w/ 15:59 left in game Tigers had pushed their lead out to 11 pts but Reece Beekman got an and-1 bucket to stop the bleeding for Cavs.
HALFTIME: No. 23 Memphis 38, No. 22 UVA 32 Jake Groves scored 9, Reece Beekman 8 and Ryan Dunn 7 for the 'Hoos. David Jones with 16 for the Tigers.
Cavs have stopped turning the ball over and forced Memphis to play in the halfcourt. Tigers have missed 4 straight FGs. 3:37 scoring drought for Memphis. 6-0 run for UVA. https://t.co/kuXP8bXT7U
UVa is trying to desperately to keep David Jones from getting to his left -- and failing. After that last bucket in traffic, Tony Bennett just threw his hands up in despair. Jones already at 14 points after scoring 7 straight for Memphis. He's become a force.
David Jones from Memphis is on one against Virginia right now.
David Jones has 14 now for Memphis and just worked #UVA's Ryan Dunn for that jumper.
Youth movement on the floor now for #UVA ... Leon Bond III, Blake Buchanan and Elijah Gertrude. Memphis leads 20-14 with 10 left in the half.
Top 25 battle, Virginia vs Memphis … GTG! https://t.co/1k2P9v8R3S
Walton responds to 8-0 UVA run with a bucket in the paint. Memphis 15, UVA 9 w/ 12:50 left in 1st half
Reece Beekman taking over out of the timeout. He hits a 3, then drives and dishes to Leon Bond for the dunk. #UVA trims the Memphis lead to 13-6 with 14:55 left in the half.
Ashton Hardaway with a 3, Memphis out to a 13-1 lead and #UVA's Tony Bennett calls timeout.
What a start here by Memphis. Nick Jourdain just dove for a loose ball and forced a backcourt violation on Cavaliers. Memphis 10, UVA 1 w/ 16:23 left in 1st half
David Jones. Sheesh. Two quick buckets by him — the first being a sick step-back 3-pointer. Memphis 7, UVA 0 w/ 18:02 left in 1st half
FedEx Forum is into this one and so is Memphis, which jumps out to a 7-0 lead in the first two minutes here against @UVA.
Usual starters for No. 22 #UVA tonight at No. 23 Memphis: Reece Beekman, Isaac McKneely, Andrew Rohde, Ryan Dunn and Jake Groves. https://t.co/SGs4s1Qb8E
#UVA’s guards taking their practice shots now, 55 minutes before tip off against Memphis. The Tigers like to run so the ‘Hoos depth will be important tonight … https://t.co/fTEtnpjCFB
No. 23 Memphis drew over 15,000 for its win over Clemson on Saturday and expects another strong crowd tonight against No. 22 #UVA. “With a fan base like that, every home game, it’s going to be hard for us to lose,” Jahvon Quinerly said. https://t.co/SGs4s1Qb8E
"It's nothing but pressure." Penny Hardaway spoke candidly Monday night during his weekly radio show about what it's taken to lead Memphis to an 8-2 start and an AP Top 25 ranking. https://t.co/ftGMhvcjKH
No. 22 #UVA is done with finals, but it expects a stiff test here tonight at Penny Hardaway’s No. 23 Memphis. “We needed a road game against a very talented, good team and that’s what we’re going to get.” ⬇️ https://t.co/GauWaua5Y8
Memphis' game versus No. 22 Virginia will be a clash of styles. The No. 23 Tigers want to get up and down the floor and the Cavaliers, well, uh ... do not. What I'm looking for when UVA visits FedExForum tomorrow night: https://t.co/e7CJEMLciO
Penny on seeing large crowds at FedExForum, like the one last Saturday versus Clemson: "It makes me feel proud to see this thing come full circle, first as a player and now as a coach. ... Everyone in Memphis knows a good basketball team."
#UVA coach Tony Bennett and Memphis’s Penny Hardaway met four times during the 1993-94 NBA season, with Bennett’s Charlotte Hornets winning twice and Hardaway’s Orlando Magic winning twice. Penny averaged 16.8 points and 8 assists over those games.
Virginia remained at No. 22. That makes Tuesday's matchup the first time in more than 9 years that a ranked Memphis team will take on a ranked opponent at FedExForum. Last time this happened was March 8, 2014, when the then-No. 20 Tigers beat then-No. 18 SMU 67-58. https://t.co/WPxXlk0PRf
NEW: Memphis is ranked in the AP Top 25 for the first time this season. The Tigers check in at No. 23 after their win over then-top-15 Clemson on Saturday. https://t.co/s5AwWeZ8Ql