Tigers battling injuries going into Cincinnati game

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (WMC) - So, just who will be in the lineup when the Memphis Tigers men’s basketball team hosts Cincinnati Sunday at FedExForum? Tigers Head Coach Penny Hardaway says he doesn’t know.

The Tigers currently have only five scholarship players who are a definite go for the Cincinnati game Sunday.

Hardaway rattled off a long injury report at his media availability Friday. One of the times he’s had to stop and think to make sure he didn’t forget someone, and this is what we learned Alex Lomax and Chandler Lawson are out with ankle injuries. The rest are all game-time decisions.

Landers Nolley is with a neck injury, Jalen Duren with a hip injury that kept him out of the Tulsa game, and DeAndre Williams has a lower back injury from the end of the Tulsa game. Coach Hardaway said he’s in bad shape and has had back problems since he got to Memphis.

Jayden Hardaway with a right leg injury and Emoni Bates, who has a finger injury, practiced Thursday. Coach Hardaway said we’ll see when it comes to his availability for Sunday’s game.

“We have our team really prepared,” said Coach Hardaway. “Plenty of guys who don’t go through practice during the week and there’s been guys who haven’t practiced and still were able to play in the games because they had knick-knack injuries. We pretty much have them pay attention, stand next to a coach if they have any questions about the game plan.”

Going into the game, Memphis has five players who can for sure go: Earl Timberlake, Tyler Harris, Lester Quinones, Josh Minott, and Malcolm Dandridge. Coach Hardaway is banking on some of those game-time decisions to be able to play too.

The conference minimum for seven available only applies to COVID protocols, not regular injuries. So, the Tigers have to play with whatever number they have. When asked if he would play one of the redshirt players, Coach Hardaway said no, because that wouldn’t be fair to them just to play in one game.

Memphis hosts Cincinnati Sunday at 2:30 p.m. The Bearcats are coming off a win over SMU, but like the Tigers lost to Tulane.

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