Memphis Tigers head coach Penny Hardaway had words for the Utah State Aggies after what he saw as needless showboating during the Aggies’ 99-75 win.
With the game already well in hand, Utah State closed on a 13-2 run with virtually no letup despite the lopsided score. Most egregiously, guard MJ Collins threw down a windmill dunk when he simply could have run out the clock on the game.
Penny Hardaway was NOT happy in the handshake line after Utah State went on a 13-2 run to close out their blowout win, adding on postgame radio "We came out here to play this game, you've gotta have more class than that." 👀pic.twitter.com/WGmmNfwjuV
— The Field of 68 (@TheFieldOf68) February 15, 2026
Hardaway was visibly unhappy in the handshake line and could be seen chastising both Collins and Utah State coach Jerrod Calhoun. He later told Memphis radio that the Aggies’ play down the stretch had been totally unnecessary.
“We came out here to play this game. You gotta have more class than that,” Hardaway said. “It ain’t even just that last one, it was just the rest of them.”
Piling on points when a game is already decided is generally frowned upon no matter the sport. In this instance, Collins could have easily held the ball and ran down the clock, though Hardaway seemed to take offense at all their play down the stretch.
Hardaway is probably feeling a lot of frustration over how poorly the season is going, and that may have factored into his reaction too. Memphis fell to 12-13 with the loss, though they are 7-5 in conference play.
