SEATTLE — Memphis basketball’s season is over.
The Tigers (29-6) fell 78-70 to Colorado State (26-9) in the first round of the NCAA tournament on Friday at Climate Pledge Arena. Kyan Evans led the Rams, who will face either No. 4 Maryland or No. 13 Grand Canyon on Sunday in the Round of 32.
Colorado State took an early lead, but Memphis battled back thanks to a dominant performance from Dain Dainja. The Rams took back control in the second half and ultimately earned a trip to the second round.
Dain Dainja scored 22 points and grabbed 12 rebounds to lead the Tigers, but it wasn’t enough.
Here are our takeaways from the game.
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PJ Haggerty struggles in NCAA tournament debut
Colorado State made it a priority to stop Memphis’ All-American, and the defensive strategy mostly worked. Haggerty faced multiple defenders whenever he tried to drive into the lane, and he couldn’t get anything easy throughout the game.
Haggerty finished with 18 points on 7-of-23 shooting. He also committed four turnovers.
Turnovers doom Tigers one last time in 2024-25 season
Turnovers have been a constant problem for Memphis throughout this season, but the Tigers escaped with wins in AAC play even when they lost the turnover battle.
That wasn’t the case on Friday in Seattle. Memphis turned it over 16 times, and Colorado State scored 14 points off those turnovers.
Penny Hardaway’s Tigers run out of gas
The Tigers without their top two point guards in Tyrese Hunter and Dante Harris. Those injuries meant coach Penny Hardaway played a rotation that essentially only included seven players, and Memphis struggled down the stretch with the pace of the game.
Memphis struggled with rebounds and turnovers and couldn’t get itself back in the game after the Rams opened up a double-digit lead in the second half.
The Tigers won the AAC regular season and tournament titles, but their season ended without an NCAA tournament win.
Reach sports writer Jonah Dylan at [email protected] or on X @thejonahdylan.
