5 Things to Know About Purdue's First Baha Mar Opponent — Memphis Tigers
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After two big wins last week and returning to the No. 1 spot in the Associated Press poll, Purdue is on the road to the Bahamas for the Baha Mar Championship. The first opponent the Boilermakers will face in the four-team event is Memphis.
The Boilermakers are coming off big wins over Alabama and Akron last week and are hoping to improve to 5-0 on the season. However, Penny Hardaway's Tigers are eager to make a statement after getting off to a 1-2 start to the year.
Here are a few things to know about Memphis before Thursday's game.
An entirely new roster
Memphis is the definition of a transfer portal team. Not one member from the 2024-25 squad returned to the Tigers' for the season, which included second-team All-American guard PJ Haggerty. As a result, Hardaway brought in 13 players via the transfer portal and one from the 2025 recruiting class.
To say this team is still finding its chemistry would be an understatement. Yes, this is the new world of college basketball, but it's incredibly difficult to assemble an entirely new roster and expect it to work instantly. The Tigers still have a lot of ground to make up.
Not afraid to defend 94 feet
When the Tigers make shots, they're not afraid to put pressure on the ball-handler on the ensuing defensive possession. Memphis has implemented the full-court press after successful offensive possessions, trying to create a quick turnover. It's not something they do on every possession, but they don't mind getting aggressive on that end of the floor.
Memphis's defense has forced 9.7 steals per game this season, and Curtis Givens III and Dug McDaniel have led the way with seven apiece. Taking care of the basketball is key against Memphis, because the Tigers take advantage of easy buckets when they can get them.
Turnover-prone
Taking care of the basketball has been a bit of an issue for Hardaway's team in the early portion of the season — another sign of the lack of team chemistry right now. The Tigers did a good job of eliminating turnovers in an 83-77 loss to Ole Miss, only having seven in the game.
However, in games against San Francisco and UNLV, Memphis finished with 14 and 18 turnovers, respectively. On the season, the Tigers are averaging 13 turnovers per contest. For a team that struggles to make shots (we'll talk about that later), it can't afford to give opponents extra possessions.
Two former Big Ten players
I don't know that having Big Ten experience means anything for Thursday's game, but it certainly doesn't hurt in a game against Purdue. Former Michigan guard Dug McDaniel and ex-Ohio State forward Aaron Bradshaw are both in their first season with the Tigers.
McDaniel has carved out a role as a starter and is averaging 10.7 points to go along with a team-high 5.7 assists per game this season. He's one of the Tigers' top all-around players this season. Bradshaw comes in off the bench and is averaging 4.0 points and 1.7 rebounds per contest.
Again, maybe that doesn't mean much, but perhaps their familiarity with Purdue comes in handy when scouting the Boilermakers, even if in a small degree.
Shots aren't falling
There's really no way to sugar-coat it: Memphis is one of the worst-shooting teams in college basketball at every level. The Tigers are shooting 42.7% from the floor, which ranks 280th nationally. Their 32.3% clip from three-point range is 219th, and the 68.4% mark from the free throw line is 243rd.
It hasn't really mattered where Memphis has shot from, the ball is not finding the bottom of the net.
Memphis does have three players who are averaging double figures this season, led by Sincere Parker at 11.3 points per game. Givens and McDaniel are both scoring 10.7 points per contest. So, the Tigers have some scorers, but it's nowhere close to the most offensively prolific team the Boilermakers have faced.
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UPDATE ON PURDUE TRANSFERS: Four Purdue players from the 2024-25 roster transferred to new programs. How are Camden Heide, Myles Colvin, Will Berg and Brian Waddell performing? CLICK HERE
SMITH NAMED BIG TEN POTW: Braden Smith was named the Big Ten Player of the Week on Nov. 17. How many times has the Purdue senior guard received the award in his career? CLICK HERE
Dustin Schutte is the publisher of Purdue Boilermakers on SI and has spent more than a decade working in sports journalism. His career began in 2013, when he covered Big Ten football. He remained in that role for eight years before working at On SI to cover the Boilermakers. Dustin graduated from Manchester University in Indiana in 2010, where he played for the men's tennis team.
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