Quote:The Tigers are entering their second season under head coach Penny Hardaway, and they’re the heavy favorites in the conference after bringing in the number one recruiting class in the country. The class is led by James Wiseman, the consensus number one overall recruit, and Precious Achiuwa, a five-star small forward. Both players, while they unquestionably have a significant amount of talent, are fairly overrated by the common fan.

Wiseman is being called by many people the best big man prospect in years. The intrigue that leads people to make these comments is his fluidity as a 7-foot big man and his potential on both ends of the court. As it stands, however, he’s largely uncoordinated and lacks high-level instincts on both offense and defense. Quite frankly, Wiseman is still learning the game of basketball, and it’s fairly easy to tell while you’re watching him. Achiuwa is in a similar boat; he’s an unbelievable athlete who has some incredible flash plays, but he lacks instincts and struggles to make a consistent impact.

While those are the two highlights, the Tigers have a plethora of other four-star recruits and solid returners to fill out their roster. There’s no question that they have the conference’s most talented team, but it is worth questioning whether Penny Hardaway – in his second season when we’ve yet to see his identity as a coach – can manage all of their egos and make things flow. It doesn’t help that there isn’t a true point guard on the roster to act as an engine. Memphis is being projected as a top-10 squad by a lot of people, but all things considered, it wouldn’t be a huge surprise to see them finish outside of the top 25 altogether.