SI.com's Seth Davis on Memphis (or Eating Crow)

SI.com's Seth Davis

Sweet 16 gut reaction on Memphis

SI.com caught up with Seth Davis, who's serving as a CBS studio analyst during the tournament, to get his impressions of Thursday's tournament action.

SI.com: John Calipari has been mentioning you and your tendency to pick against Memphis in seemingly every setting he can. Has he contacted you since the win tonight against Texas A&M?

Seth Davis: He texted me after the game: "Seriously, I will never talk to you again if you pick us now." We go back to when I worked at the New Haven Register and he was at UMass recruiting Marcus Camby. I'll have to sleep on making my pick for the next round. They were impressive in how they worked as a team and came out pressuring and with their aggressiveness.

SI.com: Texas A&M guard Acie Law IV rightfully earned a reputation as a clutch shooter, but he couldn't quite get the lay-up at the end to fall this time. What happened?

SD: I think his legs gave out. We know he can hit a lay-up, let alone a clutch shot. He just didn't have the lift he wanted because his legs were dead form Memphis running so many guys at him all game. It might look easy on TV, but he's expecting to be at a height to reach and release, but he just couldn't get there.

The Aggies needed a secondary scorer on the perimeter, and they just did not get it. They needed Josh Carter or Dominique Kirk to stand in there and be the guy to step up and score.

SI.com: Were you surprised to see Chris Douglas-Roberts play so well with what was supposed to be an injured left ankle that left him questionable before the contest?

SD: I wasn't surprised that he played, but he came right out and had a baseline dunk and then an alley-oop, and he made sure to land on the right so you could tell he was hurt. That was the only evidence, though.

SI.com: Who was your player of the night?

SD: Mike Conley Jr. had such poise, and you just can't keep him in front of you on defense. If he wants to get to the cup, he's getting there. With 17 points and six assists tonight, you would think that is all you need from him and more. He had seven rebounds tonight, too. That is more than twice what Greg Oden had with three.

I'd like to say someone from Memphis, too, but they are a team effort.