https://www.espn.com/mens-college-basket...redictions

The usual four (Myron Medcalf, Jeff Borzello, John Gasaway and Joe Lunardi) discussed this question:

"The Memphis Tigers are ranked No. 12 in the AP poll, which identifies them as a second-weekend NCAA tournament team. Are you buying or selling Memphis in the Sweet 16?"

The first three are buyers with very nice things to say about the Tigers. But as usual, Lunardi is down on the team. His comment: "Once again, an incredibly hyped Memphis team is expecting to be among the last standing in March. Haven't we seen this movie before? And didn't the last one end in the relative obscurity of Frisco, Texas? Sorry to be the contrarian."

(11-08-2021 10:10 AM)OldFan Wrote:  https://www.espn.com/mens-college-basket...redictions

The usual four (Myron Medcalf, Jeff Borzello, John Gasaway and Joe Lunardi) discussed this question:

"The Memphis Tigers are ranked No. 12 in the AP poll, which identifies them as a second-weekend NCAA tournament team. Are you buying or selling Memphis in the Sweet 16?"

The first three are buyers with very nice things to say about the Tigers. But as usual, Lunardi is down on the team. His comment: "Once again, an incredibly hyped Memphis team is expecting to be among the last standing in March. Haven't we seen this movie before? And didn't the last one end in the relative obscurity of Frisco, Texas? Sorry to be the contrarian."

Lunardi even has the wrong year. The NIT was last year. The #1 recruiting class and Penny's claim to win a National Championship was 2 years earlier. We did go to the NIT that year but it wasn't in Frisco, TX. It was at Madison Square Garden. Of course, we lost at Creighton.

Inaccurate soundbite shall be referred to as a Lunardi from here on.

(11-08-2021 10:33 AM)mairving Wrote:  

(11-08-2021 10:10 AM)OldFan Wrote:  https://www.espn.com/mens-college-basket...redictions

The usual four (Myron Medcalf, Jeff Borzello, John Gasaway and Joe Lunardi) discussed this question:

"The Memphis Tigers are ranked No. 12 in the AP poll, which identifies them as a second-weekend NCAA tournament team. Are you buying or selling Memphis in the Sweet 16?"

The first three are buyers with very nice things to say about the Tigers. But as usual, Lunardi is down on the team. His comment: "Once again, an incredibly hyped Memphis team is expecting to be among the last standing in March. Haven't we seen this movie before? And didn't the last one end in the relative obscurity of Frisco, Texas? Sorry to be the contrarian."

Lunardi even has the wrong year. The NIT was last year. The #1 recruiting class and Penny's claim to win a National Championship was 2 years earlier. We did go to the NIT that year but it wasn't in Frisco, TX. It was at Madison Square Garden. Of course, we lost at Creighton.

Inaccurate soundbite shall be referred to as a Lunardi from here on.

Good point and I did the same thing as Lunardi. I forgot the Covid year.

Penny needs to win the early games & shut these folks up. Laying an egg early and then catching fire in conference will land this team in the NIT & make Lunardi again come off as a wise sage.
Bottom line is we have not lived up to our talent, but this is the year it changes.

(11-08-2021 10:41 AM)Marc Mensa Wrote:  Penny needs to win the early games & shut these folks up. Laying an egg early and then catching fire in conference will land this team in the NIT & make Lunardi again come off as a wise sage.
Bottom line is we have not lived up to our talent, but this is the year it changes.

Yeah, plus we have more opportunities this year. Last year the best OOC team we played last year was VCU (#48 in Kenpom). This year we have:
39. Virginia Tech (neutral)
26. Xavier (neutral)
57. Ole Miss (road)
19. Alabama (home)
13. Tennessee (neutral)
along with a couple of potentially top 100 teams: St. Louis and WKU.

If we enter conference play with 1 or 2 losses that should shut up some. It's important that we beat Va. Tech so we can play Xavier.

(11-08-2021 10:56 AM)mairving Wrote:  

(11-08-2021 10:41 AM)Marc Mensa Wrote:  Penny needs to win the early games & shut these folks up. Laying an egg early and then catching fire in conference will land this team in the NIT & make Lunardi again come off as a wise sage.
Bottom line is we have not lived up to our talent, but this is the year it changes.

Yeah, plus we have more opportunities this year. Last year the best OOC team we played last year was VCU (#48 in Kenpom). This year we have:
39. Virginia Tech (neutral)
26. Xavier (neutral)
57. Ole Miss (road)
19. Alabama (home)
13. Tennessee (neutral)
along with a couple of potentially top 100 teams: St. Louis and WKU.

If we enter conference play with 1 or 2 losses that should shut up some. It's important that we beat Va. Tech so we can play Xavier.

This nine game stretch will determine so much on what our season will look like. I would love to be 9-0 during that stretch. But 7-2 is more realistic.

we need to just play and not let up when we get big leads. Just approach each game with the goal of blowing everyone out if we can.

(11-08-2021 01:43 PM)yakko Wrote:  we need to just play and not let up when we get big leads. Just approach each game with the goal of blowing everyone out if we can.

Always. Every sport. Take no prisoners.

What team has Penny had where he had all of his players to start the season that were going to play major roles? 1st season with Tubby players carried by Jeremiah Martin, then no Wiseman and playing all freshman, then last season where they were without their best player for the first 7 games of the season and games they lost during that span probably would have been wins and Memphis ends with <4 losses and ended by having two games against Houston that they were right there at the end. Lunaardi is just a dumb***. How don't know how you can look at a team loaded with vets and added two lottery picks is not going to make the tournament. He can go to hell. Can't believe he gets paid for his ****** ass takes.

I don't see anything wrong with what he and others say. Penny knows it, everyone should know if - its time to get to the tournament and not lose to Tulsa and so many watered down teams on the road.

Beat who you are supposed to beat - we have not done that in Penny's tenure. To date, Penny's best offensive player was not his recruit in Jeremiah Martin.

Its time to deliver the smoke on the court, he has the team to do it and Larry Brown on his staff if he will listen to him.

To date starting the fourth season, Penny has delivered:

Top notch recruiting
Top notch defensive coaching

He has not delivered:

A successful season by Tiger standards
No NCAA appearances
Horrible offensive execution/scheme

Time to deliver

Lunardi is a windbag idiot anyway, I may the only one here but his NCAA bracketology predictions are crap every year.

(11-08-2021 10:34 AM)ballhog Wrote:  

(11-08-2021 10:33 AM)mairving Wrote:  

(11-08-2021 10:10 AM)OldFan Wrote:  https://www.espn.com/mens-college-basket...redictions

The usual four (Myron Medcalf, Jeff Borzello, John Gasaway and Joe Lunardi) discussed this question:

"The Memphis Tigers are ranked No. 12 in the AP poll, which identifies them as a second-weekend NCAA tournament team. Are you buying or selling Memphis in the Sweet 16?"

The first three are buyers with very nice things to say about the Tigers. But as usual, Lunardi is down on the team. His comment: "Once again, an incredibly hyped Memphis team is expecting to be among the last standing in March. Haven't we seen this movie before? And didn't the last one end in the relative obscurity of Frisco, Texas? Sorry to be the contrarian."

Lunardi even has the wrong year. The NIT was last year. The #1 recruiting class and Penny's claim to win a National Championship was 2 years earlier. We did go to the NIT that year but it wasn't in Frisco, TX. It was at Madison Square Garden. Of course, we lost at Creighton.

Inaccurate soundbite shall be referred to as a Lunardi from here on.

Good point and I did the same thing as Lunardi. I forgot the Covid year.

I think he meant our loss to Houston last season that kept us out of the NCAAs.

(11-08-2021 03:29 PM)cmt Wrote:  

(11-08-2021 10:34 AM)ballhog Wrote:  

(11-08-2021 10:33 AM)mairving Wrote:  

(11-08-2021 10:10 AM)OldFan Wrote:  https://www.espn.com/mens-college-basket...redictions

The usual four (Myron Medcalf, Jeff Borzello, John Gasaway and Joe Lunardi) discussed this question:

"The Memphis Tigers are ranked No. 12 in the AP poll, which identifies them as a second-weekend NCAA tournament team. Are you buying or selling Memphis in the Sweet 16?"

The first three are buyers with very nice things to say about the Tigers. But as usual, Lunardi is down on the team. His comment: "Once again, an incredibly hyped Memphis team is expecting to be among the last standing in March. Haven't we seen this movie before? And didn't the last one end in the relative obscurity of Frisco, Texas? Sorry to be the contrarian."

Lunardi even has the wrong year. The NIT was last year. The #1 recruiting class and Penny's claim to win a National Championship was 2 years earlier. We did go to the NIT that year but it wasn't in Frisco, TX. It was at Madison Square Garden. Of course, we lost at Creighton.

Inaccurate soundbite shall be referred to as a Lunardi from here on.

Good point and I did the same thing as Lunardi. I forgot the Covid year.

I think he meant our loss to Houston last season that kept us out of the NCAAs.

Well we lost to Houston in Houston, TX and in the AAC tournament in Fort Worth, TX. We won the NIT tournament in Frisco, TX so I assume it was a dig at us winning the NIT tournament.

Lunardi is a Girlie-Boy, wets his undies around real men!

(11-08-2021 10:10 AM)OldFan Wrote:  https://www.espn.com/mens-college-basket...redictions

The usual four (Myron Medcalf, Jeff Borzello, John Gasaway and Joe Lunardi) discussed this question:

"The Memphis Tigers are ranked No. 12 in the AP poll, which identifies them as a second-weekend NCAA tournament team. Are you buying or selling Memphis in the Sweet 16?"

The first three are buyers with very nice things to say about the Tigers. But as usual, Lunardi is down on the team. His comment: "Once again, an incredibly hyped Memphis team is expecting to be among the last standing in March. Haven't we seen this movie before? And didn't the last one end in the relative obscurity of Frisco, Texas? Sorry to be the contrarian."

He has a point, and it isn't that the team 2 years ago failed to perform. It is all the years Pastner had preseason high rankings for mediocre or poorly coached teams. I hear he is a better coach now.

(11-08-2021 01:43 PM)yakko Wrote:  we need to just play and not let up when we get big leads. Just approach each game with the goal of blowing everyone out if we can.

The goal is not to blow some one out! The goal is to win. That means taking care of the ball, unselfish play, and defense very tough defense. The rest will take care of itself.

shrug.
The lil dweeb is restless.

Must have made Lunardi mad. He just bumped us from a 2-seed to a 3-seed.

Quote:Another new 2-seed is defending champion Baylor, with Memphis sliding to a 3-seed.

Not getting much love from Bilas either.

Bilas doesn't even list Lester as one of the 25 best defenders in college basketball.

(11-08-2021 10:33 AM)mairving Wrote:  

(11-08-2021 10:10 AM)OldFan Wrote:  https://www.espn.com/mens-college-basket...redictions

The usual four (Myron Medcalf, Jeff Borzello, John Gasaway and Joe Lunardi) discussed this question:

"The Memphis Tigers are ranked No. 12 in the AP poll, which identifies them as a second-weekend NCAA tournament team. Are you buying or selling Memphis in the Sweet 16?"

The first three are buyers with very nice things to say about the Tigers. But as usual, Lunardi is down on the team. His comment: "Once again, an incredibly hyped Memphis team is expecting to be among the last standing in March. Haven't we seen this movie before? And didn't the last one end in the relative obscurity of Frisco, Texas? Sorry to be the contrarian."

Lunardi even has the wrong year. The NIT was last year. The #1 recruiting class and Penny's claim to win a National Championship was 2 years earlier. We did go to the NIT that year but it wasn't in Frisco, TX. It was at Madison Square Garden. Of course, we lost at Creighton.

Inaccurate soundbite shall be referred to as a Lunardi from here on.

Uh the last time we had the number 1 recruiting class nobody went anywhere. Covid ended the season for everyone.

(11-09-2021 10:29 AM)Eagleonpar Wrote:  

(11-08-2021 10:33 AM)mairving Wrote:  

(11-08-2021 10:10 AM)OldFan Wrote:  https://www.espn.com/mens-college-basket...redictions

The usual four (Myron Medcalf, Jeff Borzello, John Gasaway and Joe Lunardi) discussed this question:

"The Memphis Tigers are ranked No. 12 in the AP poll, which identifies them as a second-weekend NCAA tournament team. Are you buying or selling Memphis in the Sweet 16?"

The first three are buyers with very nice things to say about the Tigers. But as usual, Lunardi is down on the team. His comment: "Once again, an incredibly hyped Memphis team is expecting to be among the last standing in March. Haven't we seen this movie before? And didn't the last one end in the relative obscurity of Frisco, Texas? Sorry to be the contrarian."

Lunardi even has the wrong year. The NIT was last year. The #1 recruiting class and Penny's claim to win a National Championship was 2 years earlier. We did go to the NIT that year but it wasn't in Frisco, TX. It was at Madison Square Garden. Of course, we lost at Creighton.

Inaccurate soundbite shall be referred to as a Lunardi from here on.

Uh the last time we had the number 1 recruiting class nobody went anywhere. Covid ended the season for everyone.

Yep. To get the timeline straight:

2018-19
Recruiting Ranking #30
Loss to Creighton in 2019 NIT
Final Record 22-14

2019-20
Recruiting Ranking #1
NIT and NCAA tourneys cancelled due to COVID
Final Record 21-10

2020-21
Recruiting Ranking #24
Won 2021 NIT Tournament
Final Record 20-8 (notice a trend with our losses?)

2021-22
Recruiting Ranking #1

Sources:
https://247sports.com/Season/2020-Basket...mRankings/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2020–21_Me...tball_team