It wasn’t pretty, but the Memphis Tigers are off to the second round of the NCAA tournament.
Making their first appearance in the tournament since 2014, the Tigers nearly blew a 19-point lead, ultimately fending off the eighth-seeded Boise State Broncos 64-53.
Following a dominating 38-19 first-half performance, Memphis went through a six-minute scoreless stretch in the second, as its nearly insurmountable lead was cut to five with just over a minute remaining.
Tigers point guard Alex Lomax, compromised by an ankle injury suffered in the first half, poked the ball loose from Broncos forward Lukas Milner after a missed layup by Memphis’ Jalen Duren.