Penny Hardaway understands what is at stake for Memphis basketball in the next three-plus weeks.

Most agree the Tigers (18-6, 7-4 AAC), with seven games left in the regular season, are on the wrong side of the NCAA tournament bubble. They have opportunities ahead of them, starting with Thursday's game at North Texas (7 p.m., ESPN+), to work their way back into position for an at-large bid. And Hardaway recognizes that.

During his weekly radio show Monday at Brookhaven Pub & Grill, Hardaway described what is on the line for Memphis in no uncertain terms.

"Do-or-die," he said.

And because of that, Hardaway reiterated his stance on the size of the Tigers' rotations. There has been frustration in recent weeks — especially during the team's four-game losing streak — with his substitution patterns and how deep he goes into his bench. Ten, 11 or sometimes 12 players got on the court in most games this season.

But in Sunday's 90-78 win over Tulane, only nine players got on the floor until Hardaway substituted in the 10th and 11th players inside the final two minutes — when the game was well in hand. That will be the plan moving forward, he said.

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"I think it's time," he said. "I think we've tried everyone so many minutes all year. And right now, with it being kind of a do-or-die, you know, (there's) more pressure to win these last seven games. I've been focusing on a smaller rotation.

"It's just giving the other guys a rhythm. Get them into a rhythm and keeping them in a rhythm. And it's worked for us."

Memphis has won three games in a row. After North Texas, the Tigers will face SMU in Dallas. The road trip marks a potential pivotal point. But Hardaway expressed confidence that the Tigers are still improving.

"We're still getting better and better every game," he said. "We're still learning things about each other every game. So, to me, we're growing and getting better at the right time. (The win against Tulane) was a byproduct of us saying, 'OK, we're gonna keep getting better in certain areas that will help us win by those type of margins.' "

Reach sports writer Jason Munz at jason.munz@commercialappeal.com or follow him @munzly on X, the social media app formerly known as Twitter.

This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: Penny Hardaway: Memphis basketball facing 'do-or-die' down the stretch