USF erases a 20-point second-half deficit to stun No. 10 Memphis
College basketball's week of upsets is overflowing into this week, and No. 10 Memphis is the latest victim.
The Tigers were stunned at home Thursday by unranked USF, which erased a 20-point deficit in the second half to score their first win over a ranked team since 2012. The Bulls had lost 37 straight such games before Thursday, per Evan Closky of 10 Tampa Bay Sports.
USF entered Thursday ranked 141st in the country in NET rating. Their record is now 10-5.
Memphis went up 52-32 a little over a minute into the second half, then went through a prolonged offensive slump as USF started chipping away. The lead was down to four points by the 10-minute mark, at which point Memphis woke up enough to stay in front until the final minute.
USF finally tied it with 37 seconds left, via an up-and-under layup from true freshman Jayden Reid.
A 20-point deficit is erased and we have a tie game after this @jaydenreid0 layup!!!
📺: @espn #HornsUp🤘| #EDGE pic.twitter.com/UYYTnmmEYy— USF Men's Basketball (@USFMBB) January 19, 2024
The winner came in somewhat anti-climactic fashion, but only because the Memphis defense was caught so off-guard. Kasean Pryor got the in-bounds pass after a miscommunication on a switch left his defender way out of position, to the point that the only option was to storm into the paint and foul Pryor as he went for a dunk.
Pryor went to the free-throw line and made his first one, then missed the second.
This is what you might call…..a defensive breakdown for Memphis. pic.twitter.com/y7QC15wTVL
— Made For March (@madeformarch) January 19, 2024
Memphis got the chance at a buzzer-beater, but a Jahvon Quinerly 3-pointer clanked away.
DOWN GOES #10 MEMPHIS! pic.twitter.com/ufKdAkB6xz
— Mr Matthew CFB (@MrMatthew_CFB) January 19, 2024
USF senior Selton Miguel led the team with 23 points on 9-of-15 shooting (5-of-10 on 3-pointers), while Pryor had 21 points and 10 rebounds. That tying layup represented Reid's only points of the game, as he was 1-for-7 on the night.