Overview
- Purdue faces Memphis in Thursday’s semifinal of the four-team Baha Mar Championships in Nassau, with the winner advancing to Friday’s title game against Texas Tech or Wake Forest.
- Memphis enters 1-2 after losses to Ole Miss and UNLV, struggling with turnovers and inconsistent shooting as coach Penny Hardaway integrates a new roster.
- Recent Purdue standouts include Trey Kaufman-Renn, Braden Smith, Oscar Cluff and freshman Omer Mayer, with Matt Painter reaching his 500th career win during the 4-0 start.
- Scouting points flag Memphis’ size and hard baseline cuts but note defensive over-help that could free Purdue shooters, while Smith’s quickness has exploited bigs in space.
- A potential final could bring Wake Forest’s length and steals plus ex-Boilermaker Myles Colvin, or a marquee matchup with Texas Tech stars JT Toppin and Christian Anderson.