Memphis basketball takes down No. 1 Houston to capture AAC title, auto March Madness bid

FORT WORTH, Texas − Kendric Davis not only looked like the best player in the American Athletic Conference, the Memphis basketball All-American looked like one of the best players in the country.

In the blink of an eye, Davis sent a pair of bright orange, heat-seeking torpedoes right through No. 1 Houston’s heart. His back-to-back 3-pointers that came 11 seconds apart in the first half let everyone inside Dickies Arena how this Championship Sunday might play out.

The Tigers (26-8) avenged a pair of regular-season losses to the Houston (31-3), claiming a 75-65 victory to capture the program's first AAC Tournament title and send the Big 12-bound Cougars out on a sour note. Penny Hardaway’s team led by as many as 19 points, the largest deficit Houston has faced at any point this season. It is the first league title of any kind for the Tigers since 2013, when they won Conference USA.

Davis finished with 31 points, while DeAndre Williams had 16 and Alex Lomax had 10.

Memphis will soon find out exactly where it will begin the NCAA Tournament, as the selection show begins at 5 p.m. CT on CBS.

Houston, without AAC Player of the Year Marcus Sasser (groin injury), made a very Houston-like comeback, cutting the lead to 55-50 with 11:03 left in the game. But, if the first half belonged to Davis, a series of second-half clutch moments from Lomax snuffed out any hope the Cougars had left.

Up 65-55, Lomax picked Terrance Arceneaux's pocket around mid-court, took off toward his goal (injured groin and all) and got the ball to go down despite being fouled by Jamal Shead. Lomax, after strutting his stuff for a few seconds, added the ensuing free throw for good measure. Lomax also secured a pair of key rebounds (including one offensive board that led to a Malcolm Dandridge field goal) and two assists.

MEMPHIS BASKETBALL VS. HOUSTON: Scouting report, score prediction

SIGN UP: Memphis Tigers Basketball Insider text group with Jason Munz

DeAndre “double-double” Williams

In three AAC Tournament games, Williams elevated his all-conference caliber play to a new level. He scored 35 points and had 13 rebounds in the quarterfinals versus UCF. The next night, Williams went for 27 and 11 against Tulane.

The fifth-year senior forward was back at it Sunday. Williams picked up another double-double – his 11^th of the season – hitting multiple timely buckets and corralling several key boards.

Subtle stroke of genius?

Hardaway, throughout much of this season, has tried to sneak in some extra rest for Davis and Williams – even if only for a few seconds here and there.

Typically, he will substitute one or both in close proximity to a media timeout, then reinsert them once play resumes. But Hardaway went heavy against conventional wisdom in the first half. He lifted Williams with 11:42 to play before halftime with Memphis leading 17-14. At the time, Williams was feasting with seven points and three rebounds through seven minutes.

Instead of getting Williams back on the floor posthaste, Hardaway let him sit for 4:52. And it worked like a charm. Williams got some needed rest and the Tigers’ lead went from three points to eight (26-18).

Hot and cold

There wasn’t much that didn’t go the Tigers’ way in the first half.

They shot 67% from the field and made all six of their free throw attempts. They stayed out of foul trouble and kept things close in the rebounding department (22-17, Houston). They got contributions from everyone. While Davis dropped 20, three other Tigers scored at least six.

As hot as Memphis was in the first half, the second half was a different story. Through the first eight minutes, the Tigers made only one of the eight field goals they attempted. While Memphis went cold, Houston took advantage. Trailing 49-31, the Cougars used a 17-4 run over a 6:21 span to claw back into the game.

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

This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: Memphis takes down No. 1 Houston for AAC title, awaits March Madness