The Tigers shook off the distractions surrounding head coach Tubby Smith to defeat South Florida 79-77 in the first round of the AAC tournament.
This game was nothing like the 75-51 embarrassment the last time Memphis played the Bulls.
Memphis came out on fire, scoring the games first 8 points. They shot 61% from the field in the first half and also shot 50% from 3pt to take a 38-29 halftime lead.
The second half wasn't as easy.
The Tigers had a 15 point lead with 9:36 to go but the Bulls fought their way back and made a game of it. USF scored 21 points off of 14 Memphis turnovers.
The Tigers ultimately survived and now head to the 2nd round of the AAC tournament. They advance to play Tulsa tomorrow at 2pm EST.
Kyvon Davenport led Memphis with 27 points.
The noise surrounding the departure of Coach Tubby Smith will be put on hold for at least one more day.
