Memphis’ unbeaten start came to a hard stop Tuesday night in Nashville, where No. 22 Vanderbilt buried the Tigers 105-81 at Memorial Gymnasium.
The difference showed up fast after halftime. Memphis had hung around and trailed by just five at the break, but Vanderbilt ripped off a 23-7 surge to open the second half and turned a 47-42 lead into a 70-49 cushion in less than seven minutes. From there, the Commodores kept stretching the gap and never let the Tigers back into it.
Ace Glass III was the engine for Vanderbilt’s big second-half burst. He went scoreless in the first half, missing both of his shots and committing three turnovers, then came out firing after the break with back-to-back 3-pointers. Glass scored 19 of his 23 points in the first 7:18 of the second half and finished as one of five Vanderbilt players in double figures.
The Commodores were lethal from deep all night, hitting 15 of 32 from 3-point range. Memphis, by contrast, managed just four makes on 19 attempts from beyond the arc.
Luke Almodovar paced Memphis with 21 points on 7-for-14 shooting, along with four rebounds, a steal and a block in 24 minutes. Tylik Weeks added 15 points and two assists.
Jayden Reid, who was named the Associated Press national player of the week earlier Tuesday, scored 11 points on 4-for-11 shooting. Reid appeared to favor his left ankle after going down within the first two minutes, but he walked off under his own power and returned to play 30 minutes.
Brandin Cummings gave Memphis nine points off the bench on 4-for-7 shooting in what was his longest outing of the season.
The Tigers found some early answers by working inside and getting to the line. They scored 24 points in the paint in the first half and made 11 of 12 free throws before the break.
Almodovar also sparked a 9-0 run that pulled Memphis even at 40. Even so, Vanderbilt still took a 15-field-goal halftime tie in a different direction: both teams made 15 shots, but eight of the Commodores’ were threes while Memphis had just one.
Memphis’ ball movement never really caught up to the pace of the game. The Tigers finished with eight assists on 27 made baskets, and no player had more than two.
Vanderbilt also controlled the glass, winning the rebounding battle 44-29 and grabbing 32 defensive rebounds, more than Memphis had total boards.
The Tigers’ night got tougher in the second half when Almodovar fell and hit his head after a dunk attempt and went back to the locker room. He later returned to the bench but did not reenter the game.
Memphis also lost ground at the foul line after halftime. The Tigers missed just one free throw before the break, but went 12-for-22 in the second half and finished 23-for-34 overall.
In Other News...
Former Memphis Fan Favorite Just Tapped Into A Tigers Debate
Nathaniel Roots return to campus brought a familiar face back into the conversation around Memphis basketball, and he had plenty to say beyond memories of his playing days from 2000 to 2003. The former Tigers guard talked through his career, the lessons he carried from it and how much the college game has changed since he wore the jersey, offering a perspective that still resonates with fans who remember him as part of an earlier era of the program.
Root also weighed in on one of the sports biggest ongoing debates, pointing to NIL and the transfer landscape as factors that have altered player loyalty in ways that would have been hard to imagine when he played. He touched on the influence John Calipari and Penny Hardaway have had on Memphis, and while he made clear he sees progress in the program, his comments left plenty of room for the larger question of where college basketball is headed next. [Read more 🡒]
Memphis Just Exposed A Defensive Problem Penny Hardaway Must Fix
Memphis first loss of the season came with a reminder that the Tigers still have some real work to do on the defensive end. No. 19 Vanderbilt controlled the night in a 105-81 win, beating Memphis on the glass 44-29 and piling up 15 three-pointers in a game that exposed how quickly things can unravel when the Tigers are chasing from behind.
The result was one thing, but the injury scares involving Luke Almodovar and Jayden Reid added another layer of concern. Almodovar briefly lost consciousness before later saying he was all right, and Reid also had to be checked during the game, leaving Penny Hardaway with more than just a lopsided loss to sort through as Memphis moves on from its first setback. [Read more 🡒]
Memphis Has A Response Problem Fans Can't Ignore After Latest Loss
Memphis left Nashville with a loss that was hard to spin, and the margin told the story as much as the final score did. Vanderbilt pulled away for a 105-81 win, getting a big second-half burst from Ace Glass, who scored 23 of his points after the break, while Berke Buyuktuncel added 16 points and eight rebounds and freshman Ant Brown Jr. chipped in off the bench.
For the Tigers, the concern is less about one bad night than the way the game got away from them once the pace tilted. Vanderbilt is now 3-0, and Memphis was left searching for answers after a performance that exposed how quickly things can snowball when the response is not there. [Read more 🡒]