Going into the year, the Memphis and Indiana basketball programs were two of the most heavily-discussed and exciting teams to follow in the nation.
With the Tigers, they brought in former NBA star Penny Hardaway as the team’s head coach, hoping the fan-favorite personality would inject some swagger back into the fanbase. For the Hoosiers, they hired up-and-coming former Dayton head coach Archie Miller and managed to haul in a top-five recruit in shooting guard Romeo Langford.
We knew neither team would be major contenders off the bat, but there was some genuine momentum (both in recruiting and present on-court success) surrounding both programs going into the year.