Memphis Falls Flat in Wichita as Road Woes Continue
WICHITA, Kan. - On a cold night in Kansas, Memphis couldn’t shake its road struggles. The Tigers fell 74-59 to Wichita State on Saturday inside Charles Koch Arena, a game that got away early and never tilted back in their favor.
Memphis (9-10, 4-3 AAC) found itself in a hole almost immediately, trailing 22-8 just eight minutes in. Wichita State (13-8, 5-3 AAC) came out firing, and Memphis never quite found the rhythm to respond. By the time the Tigers started stringing together stops and buckets, the Shockers had already built a comfortable cushion-and they weren’t in the mood to give it back.
Let’s be clear: this wasn’t just a cold shooting night. It was a full-on offensive freeze.
Memphis shot just 3-of-19 from deep, turned the ball over 17 times, and recorded only eight assists-tying a season low. The Tigers struggled to move the ball, struggled to make shots, and struggled to keep up with a Shockers squad that played with pace and purpose from the jump.
Wichita State’s Balance Proves Too Much
The Shockers didn’t rely on any one player to carry the load. Instead, they spread the wealth.
Kenyon Giles and Karon Boyd each dropped 14 points, Dillon Battie added 13, and Will Berg chipped in 10. Brian Amuneke helped set the tone early with timely buckets that sparked Wichita State’s first-half surge.
By halftime, Memphis was staring at a 40-22 deficit. The Tigers had just one assist on their first four made field goals, and it wasn’t until Ashton Hardaway knocked down a corner three that they even got on the board in that category. The ball just didn’t move the way it needed to, and against a team like Wichita State, that’s a recipe for trouble.
Second-Half Surge Shows Grit, But Not Enough
To their credit, the Tigers didn’t fold. Down by as many as 24, Memphis clawed its way back with a 26-13 run over an 11-minute stretch in the second half.
Curtis Givens III capped it with a three that cut the lead to 69-58 with just under six minutes to play. It was a spirited push-one that showed this team still has fight-but the Shockers had answers every time Memphis threatened to make it interesting.
That’s been the story of Memphis’ road campaign this season: flashes of potential, but not enough consistency to flip the script. The Tigers are now 1-6 in true road games and have dropped three straight conference games away from home.
Bright Spots in a Tough Loss
Givens III led the Tigers with 11 points on 4-of-9 shooting, while Aaron Bradshaw turned in one of his better performances of the season. The 7-footer scored 10 points, grabbed a season-high nine rebounds, and added two steals in 24 minutes. He was active on both ends and gave Memphis a physical presence inside.
Simon Majok also made the most of his minutes off the bench. After playing just three minutes in the first half, he poured in all 10 of his points in the second, adding three rebounds and giving the Tigers a spark during their comeback attempt.
Memphis got 29 points from its bench overall, a number that speaks to the depth Penny Hardaway has at his disposal-even if the rotation is still searching for consistency.
Where It Went Wrong
Outside shooting continues to be a glaring issue. Memphis hit just 15.8% from beyond the arc (3-of-19), and when you combine that with 17 turnovers, it’s tough to stay competitive-especially on the road. Wichita State capitalized on those miscues, turning them into 17 points.
The Shockers shot 45.2% from the field and knocked down nine threes of their own. They also won the rebounding battle 40-36 and limited their own mistakes, finishing with just 13 turnovers.
Memphis’ eight assists tied their season low, matching the total from their December game at Louisville. That lack of ball movement continues to be a red flag for an offense that has the talent but hasn’t yet found its flow.
Looking Ahead
The Tigers return home next week for a critical stretch against two of the top teams in the American. Florida Atlantic comes to FedExForum on Thursday night, followed by Tulane on Sunday afternoon. If Memphis wants to stay in the thick of the AAC race, they’ll need to protect home court-and find a way to clean up the issues that have plagued them on the road.
The pieces are there. The potential is real. But time is ticking, and Memphis needs to turn the corner soon.