Transfer waivers and NIL offers have student-athletes bouncing from one campus to the next at previously unrealized rates, making situations where players are competing against their former coaches and teammates pretty commonplace.
On Wednesday, it was PJ Haggerty's turn.
And, as has been the case in most games he's played this season, the 6-foot-3 guard was the best player on the court while leading Memphis to an 83-71 win over Tulsa, which is where Haggerty played last season. Now, he's the Tigers' leading scorer and an obvious All-American candidate who took 16 shots against his former school, made 10 of them and finished with a game-high 23 points, three rebounds, three assists and two steals.
"It was a friendly game to me," Haggerty said, making it clear he has no issues with his ex-coaches, ex-teammates or previous school. "I know some of the players, still cool with them. So it's fun to play against them."
Haggerty is now averaging 21.7 points, 5.6 rebounds, 3.6 assists and 2.1 steals in 36.4 minutes per game for a Memphis team that's No. 11 in Thursday morning's updated CBS Sports Top 25 And 1 daily college basketball rankings. The Tigers' body of work is bolstered by a 19-4 record highlighted by victories over the schools ranked 12th (Michigan State), 13th (Ole Miss) and (14th) (Missouri) in the Top 25 And 1.
There are no guarantees, of course. But Haggerty, the reigning AAC Freshman of the Year, at least has a chance to eventually join Duke's Cooper Flagg and Auburn's Johni Broome as consensus First Team All-Americans. If that were to happen, Haggerty would become just the fourth Memphis player to ever be a consensus First Team All-American -- joining a list featuring Keith Lee (1983, 1985), Penny Hardaway (1993) and Chris Douglas-Roberts (2008).
Top 25 And 1 rankings
Rk | Teams | Chg | Rcrd | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  | Johni Broome finished with 15 points and six assists in Tuesday's 98-70 win over Oklahoma. The Tigers' next game is Saturday against Florida. | -- | 29-5 |
| 2 |  | Tyrese Proctor finished with 16 points and two assists in Wednesday's 83-54 win at Syracuse. The Blue Devils' next game is Saturday at Clemson. | -- | 32-3 |
| 3 |  | Mark Sears finished with 20 points and six assists in Saturday's 90-69 win over Georgia. The Crimson Tide's next game is Saturday at Arkansas. | -- | 26-8 |
| 4 |  | Igor Milicic Jr. finished with 21 points and 10 rebounds in Wednesday's 85-81 win over Missouri. The Vols' next game is Saturday at Oklahoma. | -- | 28-7 |
| 5 |  | Will Richard finished with 21 points and 7 rebounds in Tuesday's 86-75 win over Vanderbilt. The Gators' next game is Saturday at Auburn. | -- | 31-4 |
| 6 |  | L.J. Cryer finished with 18 points and three rebounds in Tuesday's 72-63 win over Oklahoma State. The Cougars' next game is Saturday at Colorado. | -- | 31-4 |
| 7 |  | Braden Smith finished with 31 points and six rebounds in Tuesday's 90-81 win at Iowa. The Boilermakers' next game is Friday against USC. | -- | 24-11 |
| 8 |  | Stevie Mitchell was 1-of-6 from the field in Tuesday's 70-64 loss at St. John's. The Golden Eagles' next game is Saturday at Creighton. | -- | 23-11 |
| 9 |  | Joshua Jefferson was 3 of 13 from the field in Monday's 69-52 loss at Kansas. The Cyclones' next game is Saturday against TCU. | -- | 25-9 |
| 10 |  | Wade Taylor IV finished with 25 points and two assists in Saturday's 76-72 win at South Carolina. The Aggies' next game is Saturday at Missouri. | -- | 23-10 |
| 11 |  | PJ Haggerty finished with 23 points and three assists in Wednesday's 83-71 win over Tulsa. The Tigers' next game is Sunday against Temple. | -- | 29-6 |
| 12 |  | Jase Richardson was 0-of-6 from the field in Tuesday's 63-61 loss at UCLA. The Spartans' next game is Saturday against Oregon. | -- | 28-6 |
| 13 |  | Matthew Murrell finished with 24 points and five rebounds in Tuesday's 98-84 win over Kentucky. The Rebels' next game is Saturday at LSU. | -- | 23-11 |
| 14 |  | Mark Mitchell was 0-of-6 from the field in Wednesday's 85-81 loss at Tennessee. The Tigers' next game is Saturday against Texas A&M. | -- | 22-12 |
| 15 |  | Zeke Mayo finished with 17 points and eight rebounds in Monday's 69-52 win over Iowa State. The Jayhawks' next game is Saturday at Kansas State. | -- | 21-13 |
| 16 |  | Chance McMillian finished with 19 points and four rebounds in Tuesday's 73-59 win over Baylor. The Red Raiders' next game is Saturday at Arizona. | -- | 26-8 |
| 17 |  | Kadary Richmond finished with 18 points and 11 rebounds in Tuesday's 70-64 win over Marquette. The Red Storm's next game is Friday at UConn. | -- | 31-5 |
| 18 |  | Will Tschetter finished with 17 points and three rebounds in Wednesday's 80-76 win over Oregon. The Wolverines' next game is Saturday at Indiana. | -- | 26-9 |
| 19 |  | Koby Brea was 4 of 10 from the field in Tuesday's 98-84 loss at Ole Miss. The Wildcats' next game is Saturday against South Carolina. | -- | 23-11 |
| 20 |  | Michael Nwoko was 0 of 5 from the field in Saturday's 88-61 loss to Missouri. The Bulldogs' next game is Saturday at Georgia. | -- | 21-13 |
| 21 |  | John Tonje finished with 15 points and five rebounds in Tuesday's 76-64 win over Indiana. The Badgers' next game is Saturday at Iowa. | -- | 27-9 |
| 22 |  | Derik Queen finished with 12 points and 12 rebounds in Wednesday's 76-68 win over Wisconsin. The Terrapins' next game is Thursday at Ohio State. | -- | 26-8 |
| 23 |  | Caleb Love finished with 18 points and six rebounds in Tuesday's 85-74 win at BYU. The Wildcats' next game is Saturday against Texas Tech. | -- | 23-12 |
| 24 |  | Skyy Clark finished with 14 points and three assists in Tuesday's 63-61 win over Michigan State. The Bruins' next game is Saturday against Penn State. | 1 | 23-10 |
| 25 |  | J'Vonne Hadley finished with 22 points and four rebounds in Wednesday's 84-58 win at Boston College. The Cardinals' next game is Saturday against Miami. | 1 | 27-8 |
| 26 |  | Mikey Lewis finished with 16 points and one assist in Saturday's 62-58 win over Gonzaga. The Gaels' next game is Thursday at San Francisco. | NR | 29-5 |
In: Saint Mary's
Out: Illinois
