For a half on Thursday, the Memphis Tigers looked like world beaters against Boise State.
In the the end, they settled for a stressful NCAA tournament win and a likely second-round matchup with tournament favorite Gonzaga. Memphis, a No. 9 seed, opened a 39-18 halftime lead over the No. 8 seed Broncos before fending off a second-half rally in a 64-53 victory for the first NCAA tournament win of Hardaway's coaching career. In the process it saw the surprise return of much-hyped freshman Emoni Bates.
The five-star recruit who drew comparisons to LeBron James and Kevin Durant as a prospect made a brief appearance on Thursday after missing 12 games with a back injury.