FORT WORTH, Texas — And just like that, it's over.

The Memphis basketball team's midgame meltdown was met by a hungry and hustling Wichita State team that officially put a pin in whatever dim NCAA tournament hopes the Tigers were still harboring.

The Shockers (15-18), who lost twice to Memphis in the regular season, won 71-65 in AAC tournament action Thursday at Dickies Arena. It's the first time since 2017 the Tigers went one-and-done in the conference tournament and the first time since joining the AAC in 2014 they failed to reach the quarterfinals.

The Tigers (22-10) trailed by 14 points (the same deficit they overcame in their home win Feb. 3) but they clawed back into the game and took a 58-57 lead with 3:30 remaining.

It wasn’t enough. Quincy Ballard’s dunk and a 3-pointer from Colby Rogers sparked Wichita State past Memphis for good.

Wichita State opened the second half on a 9-0 run, burying the Tigers in a 44-33 hole and forcing them to take a timeout. That’s when Shockers forward Dalen Ridgnal looked into the stands and exclaimed, “Big Memphis! Big Memphis!”

The Tigers, once ranked No. 10 in the Associated Press Top 25, are expected to miss the NCAA tournament for the first time since 2021.

David Jones scored 24 points for Memphis, and transfer Nae'Qwan Tomlin put up 18 points and 12 rebounds in his final game with the Tigers.

Here are three observations from Thursday's loss.

Going cold

Leading 23-19 with less than 10 minutes left in the first half, the Tigers lost all momentum. They missed five straight field goals. After back-to-back makes, they missed their next seven in a row.

It continued like that until there was less than 10 minutes left in the game, during which Memphis went through a cold spell unlike any it has experienced this season, going 6-for-32 and giving the Shockers the opportunity to build a 14-point lead.

Jahvon Quinerly, in his final game in a Memphis uniform, had eight points (on 3-of-15 shooting) and three assists.

Transition defense

Earlier in the week, Memphis coach Penny Hardaway harped on his team's inability to defend in transition.

In AAC games this season, they allowed 11.2 fast-break points per game — more than three points per game worse than in nonconference games. He said that would have to change for them to be successful.

He did not get what he wanted in the first half, when Wichita State turned 17 defensive rebounds (on the Tigers' 22 missed field goals) into nine fast-break points. The Shockers finished with 13 fast-break points.

Spreading the wealth

The Tigers' offense executed well early, hitting three of their first four shots and four of their first eight.

MEMPHIS BASKETBALL VS WICHITA STATE: Score prediction, scouting report at AAC tournament

But they also were one-dimensional. Jones and Quinerly combined for eight of the team's first 10 field goal attempts.

Memphis, after the first media timeout (trailing 14-10), made a concerted effort to spread the ball around. That took things to another level. Five players took the next eight shots, six of which went in, resulting in a 13-5 run that put Memphis on top.

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: Wichita State shocks Memphis basketball at AAC tournament