Why Penny Hardaway tossed a water bottle across the court in Memphis' loss to FAU
Penny Hardaway has to chill
Fairleigh Dickinson wasn’t the only school out there pulling off upsets on Friday in the Men’s NCAA Tournament. Florida Atlantic held things down against Penny Hardaway’s Memphis team, too.
Well, OK. Maybe this one isn’t really something we should categorize as an “upset” — Memphis was only an 8 seed and FAU was a 9 seed.
But, still, this was a pretty stunning loss when you consider the talent that Memphis has and the potential path the team had in front of it going to the Sweet 16.
FAU took all of that away on Friday with a win. Even before the final buzzer, though, Memphis coach Penny Hardaway was clearly pretty miffed about it.
He absolutely chucked a water bottle across the court after the loss.
Penny Hardaway threw his water bottle after the loss.
(h/t @gifdsports)
— Hoop Central (@TheHoopCentral) March 18, 2023
This feels a bit out of character for Hardaway, who is normally very chill. He’s had his moments, to be sure, just as every coach does.
There’s a reason for this. The game actually came with a bit of controversy. Hardaway tried to call a timeout after the Tigers scooped up a loose ball with about 5 seconds left on the clock. Memphis had a one-point lead in the moment.
Officials didn’t award the timeout, though, and it led to a jump ball with the possession arrow going to FAU. The Owls had one last possession and it led to this game-winning layup from Nicholas Boyd.
THE OWLS WIN THEIR FIRST MEN'S NCAA TOURNAMENT WIN @FAUMBB pic.twitter.com/HnbJzbSRX7
— CBS Sports College Basketball
(@CBSSportsCBB) March 18, 2023
So, yeah. It’s easy to see why Hardaway was so upset. He still shouldn’t have thrown that bottle, though. Hopefully, it didn’t hit anyone.