The 2012–13 Memphis Tigers men's basketball team represented the University of Memphis in the 2012–13 NCAA Division I men's basketball season, the 92nd season of Tiger basketball. The Tigers were coached by head coach Josh Pastner, who was assisted by Damon Stoudamire, Jimmy Williams and Aki Collins. Stoudamire and Williams both assisted Pastner in 2011–12, and Collins left Marquette in May 2012 to join Pastner's staff. The Tigers played their home games at the FedExForum in Memphis. The 2012–13 season was the final season the Tigers participated in Conference USA before joining the American Athletic Conference in 2013–14. They finished the season 31–5, 16–0 in C-USA play to be Conference USA regular season champions. They also were champions of the Conference USA tournament, winning the championship game in two overtimes vs Southern Miss, to earn an automatic bid to the 2013 NCAA tournament. In the tournament, they defeated Saint Mary's in the second round before losing in the third round to Michigan State.
Pre-season
The 2011–12 Memphis Tigers finished the season with a record of 26–9 (13–3 C-USA). The Tigers won the regular season C-USA title as well as the 2012 Conference USA men's basketball tournament to secure a berth in the 2012 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament where they lost in the second round to Saint Louis.
In the off-season, the Tigers lost rising junior Will Barton to the NBA. However, rising sophomore Adonis Thomas, who projected as a possible first-round draft pick, decided to return to Memphis for his second season with the Tigers.
The 2012–13 Tigers were ranked 17th in the pre-season AP poll and 16th in the pre-season coaches poll. On November 9, 2012, junior Geron Johnson was suspended by the NCAA for the season's first three games.
Departures
#5 Will Barton, sophomore guard, NBA draft, Portland Trail Blazers
#31 Preston Laird, senior guard
#11 Wesley Witherspoon, senior forward
Transfers
Recruiting
The Tigers signed wing Damien Wilson and power forward Shaq Goodwin in their 2012 recruiting class. After signing with Memphis, Goodwin was selected as a McDonald's All-American. The Tigers also received a commitment from junior college transfer Geron Johnson, a shooting guard. Johnson was rated as the best junior college player in the country and has two years of eligibility in Division 1.
Season summary
The Tigers began the season ranked 17th in the AP poll, marking the third year in a row that the Tigers entered the season in the top 25. The Tigers were also the consensus favorite to win the 2013 Conference USA championship.
The Tigers' roster was dominated by a fairly large junior class, including guard Joe Jackson, guard Chris Crawford, guard Antonio Barton, forward Tarik Black, and walk on guard Trey Draper. Guard Geron Johnson was also a junior in his first season with Memphis.
In the early season Battle 4 Atlantis tournament, Memphis entered with high expectations. However, without Geron Johnson due to suspension in their first game, Memphis was beaten by unranked VCU and unranked Minnesota in its first two Atlantis games before defeating Northern Iowa. Minnesota guard and Memphis native Andre Hollins scored 41 points against his hometown team, while Memphis guard Joe Jackson was limited to 7 minutes of playing time. VCU and Minnesota both went on to be ranked in the AP top 25 after the tournament. The Atlantis results were disappointing for a Tiger squad which did not have a large number of difficult out of conference opponents remaining on its schedule.
A positive note from the Tigers' trip to the Bahamas was the emergence of forward D.J. Stephens. Stephens, a senior, had been used sparingly while battling injuries and asthma during his first 3 years with the Tigers. Previously known for his extraordinary leaping ability and athleticism who would see time on the floor to bring energy to the team, Stephens began to demonstrate his all-around game, scoring 15 and grabbing 7 rebounds against Minnesota while seeing more than 20 minutes of playing time per game.
In late November, junior captain Tarik Black walked out of practice and did not play in the Tigers' game against UT Martin as a result. Black, whose playing time had decreased, was reportedly considering a transfer, though he came back to the team and finished out the season with the Tigers before announcing his intention to transfer as a graduate at season's end.