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If Penny Hardaway said the position of the Memphis basketball team in the present March Madness forecasts isn’t appealing, he would be lying.

Before Sunday’s (1 p.m., ESPN2) home game against FAU, the Tigers’ coach spent roughly twelve minutes with a group of local media members Friday at the Laurie-Walton Family Basketball Center. And most of the questions he answered center on that subject.

Hardaway upfront about his intention to enter the NCAA Tournament as a 4-seed or better before the season even started. But most bracketologists predict Memphis as a 6- or 7-seed after last week’s overtime loss against Wichita State. “It’s expected,” Hardaway, one of fifteen college basketball coaches on the Naismith Coach of the Year watch list disclosed Friday, said. “I believe someone is being punished for their conference defeats instead of giving due credit for what you have done. That is rather strange, in my opinion.

With their 21-5, 11-2 AAC NCAA Tournament resume, the No. 19 Tigers have one of the best ones in the nation. With victories over Michigan State, Missouri, Ole Miss, Clemson, and UConn, their marks are 6-2 in Quad 1 and 4-0 in Quad 2. In actual road games, they are 9-2, tied for second most wins in the nation. Sitting top of the rankings with five regular-season games remaining, they are in position to capture the conference championship.

Should I have a break? Solve the USA TODAY Daily Crossword Puzzle here. Memphis also has two Quad 3 defeats, too, and its average AAC margin of victory—ranked 11th in the country from a metrics standpoint—is just 11.4 points per game.

“A win just isn’t a win anymore,” Hardaway said. “You are under penalty for wins in this league by 10 and under. In the Big 12 or the SEC, you could be 6-6 and will be in terrific shape. That’s unfortunate for us; those conferences are respected.

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The Tigers are No. 48 in the NCAA Evaluation Tool (NET) rankings mostly because to their efficiency numbers (ranked 66th and 41st in adjusted offensive and defensive efficiency, respectively) and multiple terrible defeats (Arkansas State at home and Temple on the road).