Reid’s career night rescued the result against VCU. Better possession control helped make the rescue possible. The ball found Jayden Reid, the game found its nerve and Memphis found another way to leave with a win.
Memphis Found Its Closer. Now It Must Make His Job Easier.
Two free throws with five seconds remaining turned an afternoon of pursuit into an 89–88 victory over VCU. Then Julius Thedford secured the rebound that made the lead permanent. Those were the finishing plays, but they were not the whole story. Memphis won because its best player delivered when the moment demanded it—and because enough useful work preceded that moment to keep his brilliance from being wasted.
Reid Carried The Finish, Not Every Responsibility
Reid finished with a career-high 32 points, seven assists and three steals. He made the three-pointer that tied the game with 1:19 remaining, then supplied the final two points from the line. Through two regular-season games, he has scored 58 points. Memphis has discovered somebody comfortable carrying the closing possession.
That is an enormous advantage. It is also a dangerous place to stop the evaluation. A team can have a trustworthy closer and still ask him to solve too many problems. The next step is not reducing Reid’s importance. It is making the possessions before the closing stretch less dependent on him producing something extraordinary.
Weeks and Vavers helped Saturday. Each scored 17 points, with Weeks making 11 free throws and Vavers hitting four of five threes. Holloway added nine points and two threes. Their production gave Memphis different ways to remain within reach when VCU kept finding answers.
The Comeback Required More Than Belief
VCU led 48–44 at halftime after making 10 of 17 three-point attempts. The Rams scored the first six points after the break, stretching the advantage to 10. Memphis had plenty of time left, but the game was beginning to ask an uncomfortable question: how long could the Tigers keep chasing?
They answered through smaller recoveries rather than one overwhelming response. A Weeks drive brought the margin to one with 11:22 remaining. A Vavers free throw left Memphis one behind again with 5:20 left. The pursuit lasted long enough that impatience could have become another opponent.
Instead, Memphis protected enough possessions to keep moving toward the finish. The Tigers committed eight turnovers, forced 13 and held a 21–9 advantage in points off turnovers. That is not decoration around Reid’s scoring line. In a one-point game, those opportunities helped determine whether his late production could decide anything.
Possession Control Was The Meaningful Correction
Memphis had won the Iowa State opener while committing more turnovers than its opponent. Against VCU, it created a clearer advantage. Two games cannot establish a permanent identity, but the improvement is specific enough to follow.
The next review should identify what changed. Were outlets available earlier? Did receivers make cleaner decisions? Did particular combinations keep the offense organized? The turnover total tells us Memphis performed better in that category. It does not tell us which coaching point or player adjustment deserves the credit.
The rebounding work also mattered. Williams led Memphis with six, and the Tigers finished ahead 30–28 overall. Thedford’s final rebound became the memorable one because it ended the game. It belonged to the same responsibility Memphis had to fulfill throughout the afternoon: finishing the possession after the shot.
The Free Throws Tell Two Stories
Memphis made the final two free throws it needed. It also missed 13 during the game, finishing 25-for-38. Neither fact should erase the other. Reid deserves credit for handling the closing opportunity. The team still left enough production unconverted to make that opportunity more demanding. That is not a complaint about winning. It is an explanation of why the win required so much.
VCU’s 13-for-24 three-point performance needs the same disciplined treatment. Some makes may have come against good defense; others may have exposed a responsibility Arkansas—no, Memphis—must correct. The possession review should settle that distinction before a shooting percentage becomes a complete defensive diagnosis.
Own The Win, Keep The Work
Memphis is 2–0 because it finished two demanding games. Saturday supplied evidence of a dependable lead guard, useful supporting scoring and better possession control. Those are meaningful developments, not reasons to begin apologizing for how close the result became.
The responsibility now is to make those developments travel. Reid can remain the player Memphis trusts most without becoming the only answer to a difficult possession. The Tigers have found their closer. The next improvement is giving him fewer games that need rescuing.
