The Memphis Tigers Women’s Basketball program has turned heads in year two under Katrina Meriweather. The Lady Tigers finished the regular season with a record-breaking 19-9 record and locked the number two seed from their 11-4 conference record.. This record in the conference is the best since the 2011-12 season when the team finished 13-3. This is the second best since the 1994-1998 seasons, where the Tigers didnt lose more than four games in conference. The Tigers finished the regular season with seven straight wins and are playing its best ball at the right time. We will look at three players who have garnered postseason awards, when the Tigers play next, and who it may be as we provide a schedule for the upcoming tournament. The Lady Tigers program has been flooded with talent as of late. We will look at the three players who just received honors and some stats from this season for each. Who are these players?
Tigers Make The Postseason Awards List
Three Tigers, Jamrah Shutes, Madison Griggs, and Destiny Thomas w,ere named to the American Athletic Conference Awards list. All three players have been intricate in the success so far this season and moving forward.
Jamirah Shutes
Shutes was named to the All-AAC Second Team as the Brownsville, Tennessee, and fifth-year player averaged 14.1 points per game. Shutus has scored over 200 points in the team’s conference games this season and ranks in the top 10 for her efforts. Shutes also ranks second in the conference with 114 free throws in 2023. Shutes is averaging 29.8 minutes per game for Memphis and is the team’s leading scorer with 416 points.
Madison Griggs
Madison Griggs has been a name many have heard all season if you have been following this program. She recently went viral with a buzzer-beater 3-pointer to beat SMU on the road. Griggs, a senior from Memphis, was announced as a member of the All-AAC Third Team. She has averaged 13 points per season and 94% from the free throw stripe. Griggs has been on fire from deep in conference play as she has hit 43 three-pointers in the 15-game stretch for Memphis.
Destiny Thomas
Destiny Thomas has been a player who has consistently progressed throughout the season. Thomas, a freshman from Jonesboro, was named to the All-AAC All-Freshman Team based on her season efforts. On the season, Thomas is averaging 19.2 minutes per game, shooting 56% {56/100} from the field and .476 {20/42} from the free-throw line in her first season. Thomas finishes the season with 159 rebounds {81 offensive, 78 defensives} with 108 coming in conference play.
This is the first time since the 2013-14 season that Memphis has had three players named to AAC Postseason Awards List.
Conference Tournament
The Lady Tigers will have a bye as they are the number two seed. The top five seeds will receive a first-round bye. These teams are #1 South Florida, #2 Memphis, #3 East Carolina, #4 Houston, and #5 SMU.
The tournament will begin on Monday, March 6th, with a #9/#10 matchup between Temple and Wichita State at 1 pm on ESPN+. Next will feature the #10/#7 matchup between UCF and Tulsa at 3 pm. The #11/#6 matchup in Cincinnati and Tulane will close out the opening day. On day two, we will start with the Temple/Wichita State matchup winner against #1 South Florida at noon. Next, we have the #5/#4 matchup between SMU and Houston at 2 pm. In the day’s third game, we will see the winner of the #10/#7 matchup between UCF and Tulsa facing off with Memphis starting at 6 pm. The night’s final match will be the winner of the #11/#6 match against the #3 East Carolina at 8 pm.
