Inside the Memphis and Houston basketball scouting reports on each other ahead of Sunday's big game

No trash talk. No war of words. No beef.

There was nothing of the sort when coaches Penny Hardaway and Kelvin Sampson met with the media Friday.

Their Memphis and Houston basketball teams play Sunday (11 a.m. CBS) in the final regular-season game for both teams.

Rather than dwell on the fact that two of the top three teams in the AAC will play only once this season or engage in any kind of dramatic back-and-forth, the coaches  honed in on the game. They reflected on the unprecedented circumstances that will define this season. And they highlighted the silver linings they’ve uncovered along the way.

No. 7 Houston (20-3, 13-3 AAC) is second in the AAC behind Wichita State, and Memphis (15-6, 11-3) is in third place.

The Tigers, who can claim No. 1 seed in next week’s AAC Tournament with a win and a Wichita State loss, are also seeking to bolster their NCAA Tournament résumé. Memphis does not have a win against a Quad 1 team. A victory Sunday would change that and further legitimize Memphis’ contention for an at-large bid. The Tigers are 41st in KenPom, No. 55 in the NCAA’s NET rankings and considered by some bracketologists to be five to eight spots outside the field.

While the contest at the Fertitta Center in Houston isn’t do-or-die for Memphis’ postseason outlook, there is a lot riding on it. Hardaway believes the key to beating the Cougars is keeping pace with their high-energy, physical style of play. Houston is No. 1 in the country in effective field goal percentage defense, No. 5 in adjusted defensive efficiency and seventh in 3-point field goal percentage defense.

“You have got to match their physicality,” Hardaway said. “You’ve got to rebound. You’ve got to box out. You’ve got to be tough and strong with the ball because they overhelp. They come very strong. They come physical. If you know the Houston Cougars, you know what it takes to beat them.” 

Memphis junior guard Alex Lomax has missed back-to-back games with a left ankle sprain. Hardaway did not rule Lomax out, saying the former East High star – who leads the AAC in steals per game and is second in assists per game – showed up to the practice facility without a walking boot on for the first time since getting hurt on Feb. 27.

“A-Lo’s doing much better, let me say that first,” Hardaway said. “Today, he was walking around. (But) he still has a noticeable limp. So, still questionable right now. I don’t know what can happen within the next couple days, but right now, still has a noticeable limp. I’m just happy to see him in a sneaker and walking around, though.”

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With or without Lomax, Sampson is still wary of Memphis. Especially its defense, which ranks second in the nation in adjusted efficiency and third in effective field goal percentage against.

“They just don’t let you run your offense,” Sampson said. “They play unlike anybody else. They may show 2-3 zone, but it’s not a 2-3 zone, they’re going to trap. They may come out during the course of a possession and go box-and-one. I think Memphis is the best defensive team we’ve prepared for. I watched them play against Wichita State (a 72-52 win on Jan. 21) – wow.

“There is not 40 teams in this country better than Memphis.”

A game scheduled for Feb. 14 between the two teams did not get played because Memphis was on pause due to COVID-19 issues within its program.

But, while the hiatus cost the Tigers another shot at Houston, Hardaway identified the bright side of how everything played out.

“We still had a couple situations going on (before the pause) to where we weren’t really staying strong together on the offensive end,” he said. “(But) being off for three weeks, (we got them) in the group chats, FaceTime calls and things of that nature, trying to get the boys to kind of refocus on what we were trying to do and to commit themselves to being a team. During that break, they kind of got closer and bonded together. And they came out of that break ready to play basketball as a team.”

Reach sports writer Jason Munz at jason.munz@commercialappeal.com or on Twitter @munzly.