January 14, 2007, 04:29 PM
Memphis 75, Southern Miss 62
Just returned from Hattiesburg. Here are a few thoughts:
1. This was my first time in Hattiesburg, and it's not nearly as bad people say. Sure, it's a small college town, but I didn't mind spending the weekend there. I found a couple good hang-outs, and the weather was great, about 70 degrees and sunny.
2. As for Reed Green Coliseum, well, it needs some upgrades. I'll be interested to compare it to some of the upcoming road venues Memphis will visit. My basis of comparison is the Mountain West Conference, which I covered the last couple years before moving to Memphis. In terms of seating, press facilities, locker rooms, fan amenities, parking, concessions and aesthetics, TCU's Daniel-Meyer Coliseum is by far the worst facility in that league with Wyoming's Arena-Auditorium probably the second-worst. Both of those facilities, however, are far better than Reed Green. Apparently, there was some renovation being done -- at least, that's what they told me when I asked where the press room was. We'll see how that comes out next year.
As far as the game, I thought going in that it was a dangerous game for the Tigers, and it proved to be every bit the test I expected.
Of all the things you could talk about in the aftermath -- free-throw shooting, Joey Dorsey's dominance, Andre Allen playing 16 minutes in the second half -- the most striking thing to me had to do with style of play.
Obviously, Memphis wants a free-flowing, up-tempo game. When the Tigers can dictate tempo, teams with less talent will have a very hard time beating them. I think that was obvious at Houston, which of course wants to play at a fast pace as well. But Houston is so suspect defensively, it seemed that Memphis was able to more or less get great shots every possession.
Southern Miss was a very, very different game. As John Calipari admitted, the Tigers tried everything to speed up the tempo and get Southern Miss to play faster. But nothing worked, and most of the credit should go to Southern Miss for sticking to its style and dragging Memphis into a physical battle.
Still, the Tigers won anyway, on the road, playing a style that doesn't necessarily suit them best, against an opponent that had a great gamplan and executed it. And given the contrast from what they encountered 48 hours earlier, I think that's a credit to a young Memphis team that is starting to look very good for the first time all year.
As an aside, Saturday was my first look at Southern Miss, and I thought Larry Eustachy's club looked good. They are very, very disciplined and tough defensively, and they were athletic enough to disrupt Memphis' offense. Their early-season record isn't a fluke, and they could very well finish in the top third of the league.
Posted in by Dan Wolken
Tuesday, January 16, 2007
Covers.com Preview of Memphis vs. UAB
Preview: UAB at No. 19 Memphis
Associated Press
Mon, Jan 15, 2007
Memphis has dominated UAB at home lately, but the Tigers might want to be wary of carrying an undefeated record in Conference USA into a matchup with their league rivals.
The 19th-ranked Tigers (13-3, 3-0) face the Blazers for the first time since winning the conference tournament title in Memphis last season, and hope to avoid another regular-season letdown against UAB when the teams meet Tuesday night.
Oddsmakers have the Tigers listed as 14-point favorites. The total is set at 140 1/2.
Memphis has won seven straight home games against UAB (10-7, 2-1), including the C-USA tournament championship game 57-46 on March 11. The Blazers` last win in Memphis was 91-83 on Jan. 2, 1999.
The Tigers, however, faltered the last time they faced the Blazers with an unbeaten conference record. Memphis` only league loss last season came against UAB, 80-74 on March 2. The Tigers came into the game 12-0 in conference play.
Chris Douglas-Roberts bounced back from a sprained ankle to help the Tigers earn another conference win Saturday night, scoring nine points during a decisive 12-3 run in a 75-62 victory over Southern Miss.
Douglas-Roberts, who leads the team with 15.7 points per game, finished with 23 despite hurting his ankle in the first half. The 6-foot-6 sophomore guard used his size advantage to score consecutive baskets twice in the second period to end quick-strike spurts by Southern Miss, helping the Tigers to win their fifth straight.
It`s uncertain if Douglas-Roberts` injury will keep him from playing Tuesday.
Memphis has been using its size to its advantage throughout the season. Joey Dorsey, who employed his 260-pound frame to bull his way to 14 points, 11 rebounds and six of his team`s eight blocks Saturday, was a key reason the Tigers pulled away late.
"We`re a physical team, and when we play physical, usually we come out on top," Douglas-Roberts said.
In last season`s conference title game, Dorsey had 10 points, 12 rebounds and two blocks, and led a Tigers defensive effort that shut down the Blazers inside and held them to 27 percent shooting.
Dorsey is averaging 15.3 rebounds and 2.6 blocks in his last three games against UAB. He tops the team with 9.6 rebounds per contest.
Blazers forward Lawrence Kinnard, who averaged just 3.7 points per game as a freshman against Memphis last season, was named the Conference USA co-player of the week Monday.
Kinnard had 25 points and was 4-for-8 from 3-point range Saturday, and Paul Delaney added 21 points as UAB beat Tulane 67-60.
Kinnard had a game-high 21 points on 8-of-14 shooting from the floor and 4-of-8 from beyond the arc in a 74-64 overtime win over Central Florida on Wednesday. He also had three blocks and two steals.
Kinnard is third on Memphis with 12.8 points per game and averages a team-best 5.8 rebounds a contest. Delaney leads the Blazers with 17.6 points per game.
Memphis leads the series with UAB 22-10.
Associated Press
Mon, Jan 15, 2007
Memphis has dominated UAB at home lately, but the Tigers might want to be wary of carrying an undefeated record in Conference USA into a matchup with their league rivals.
The 19th-ranked Tigers (13-3, 3-0) face the Blazers for the first time since winning the conference tournament title in Memphis last season, and hope to avoid another regular-season letdown against UAB when the teams meet Tuesday night.
Oddsmakers have the Tigers listed as 14-point favorites. The total is set at 140 1/2.
Memphis has won seven straight home games against UAB (10-7, 2-1), including the C-USA tournament championship game 57-46 on March 11. The Blazers` last win in Memphis was 91-83 on Jan. 2, 1999.
The Tigers, however, faltered the last time they faced the Blazers with an unbeaten conference record. Memphis` only league loss last season came against UAB, 80-74 on March 2. The Tigers came into the game 12-0 in conference play.
Chris Douglas-Roberts bounced back from a sprained ankle to help the Tigers earn another conference win Saturday night, scoring nine points during a decisive 12-3 run in a 75-62 victory over Southern Miss.
Douglas-Roberts, who leads the team with 15.7 points per game, finished with 23 despite hurting his ankle in the first half. The 6-foot-6 sophomore guard used his size advantage to score consecutive baskets twice in the second period to end quick-strike spurts by Southern Miss, helping the Tigers to win their fifth straight.
It`s uncertain if Douglas-Roberts` injury will keep him from playing Tuesday.
Memphis has been using its size to its advantage throughout the season. Joey Dorsey, who employed his 260-pound frame to bull his way to 14 points, 11 rebounds and six of his team`s eight blocks Saturday, was a key reason the Tigers pulled away late.
"We`re a physical team, and when we play physical, usually we come out on top," Douglas-Roberts said.
In last season`s conference title game, Dorsey had 10 points, 12 rebounds and two blocks, and led a Tigers defensive effort that shut down the Blazers inside and held them to 27 percent shooting.
Dorsey is averaging 15.3 rebounds and 2.6 blocks in his last three games against UAB. He tops the team with 9.6 rebounds per contest.
Blazers forward Lawrence Kinnard, who averaged just 3.7 points per game as a freshman against Memphis last season, was named the Conference USA co-player of the week Monday.
Kinnard had 25 points and was 4-for-8 from 3-point range Saturday, and Paul Delaney added 21 points as UAB beat Tulane 67-60.
Kinnard had a game-high 21 points on 8-of-14 shooting from the floor and 4-of-8 from beyond the arc in a 74-64 overtime win over Central Florida on Wednesday. He also had three blocks and two steals.
Kinnard is third on Memphis with 12.8 points per game and averages a team-best 5.8 rebounds a contest. Delaney leads the Blazers with 17.6 points per game.
Memphis leads the series with UAB 22-10.
Very Critical Blog Article on the Tigers from www.justbball.com
http://www.justbball.com/blog/2007/01/11/paper-tigers/
January 11, 2007 @ 12:49 am
Paper Tigers
Most college basketball teams have now officially kicked off their conference seasons, and as a result, the way we judge and perceive NCAA teams will undoubtedly be changed. Some teams like UConn and Clemson have been coasting along with the weakest schedules known to man and will take hit after hit once they get into the thick of conference action, whereas some of the more battle-tested teams like Georgetown and Florida State will now emerge from their mediocre early season records to show us that they’re legit. Then there are teams like Memphis.
When Conference USA was ransacked by conferences like the Atlantic 10, Big East, and Mountain West, the Memphis Tigers stayed put. The reasoning was most likely the university’s less-than-stellar academic reputation or their lack of success in sports other than basketball, but no matter what the reason may have been, the Tigers’ idleness has worked out in their favor. The so-called “super conference” of the Big East owns one of the lowest major-conference RPI’s, and still, each of the conference’s members have to embark upon a stretch of about fifteen games against tough competition in these next few months. Meanwhile, the Memphis Tigers are sitting comfortably in front of a schedule where a ‘big game’ will be playing East Carolina at home.
That’s because John Calipari was clever when he constructed his schedule. He made sure that he had four or five game against NCAA Tournament caliber teams so that his team would get national spotlight throughout the season, and he made sure to schedule one of these match-ups, against Gonzaga, late in the season, so that critics couldn’t jump on the Tigers with the “what have you done for me lately” attack. So far against quality opponents though, Memphis is 1-3, losing to Georgia Tech, Tennessee, and Arizona, only managing to get a win against the unranked Kentucky Wildcats. Nevertheless, that’s the scheduling strategy of a seasoned coaching veteran. He knows that despite losing three or four games to quality opponents, he’ll be able to pad his record in conference action, yet the experts won’t be able to criticize him for not playing quality non-conference opponents.
This’ll surely pay off for the Tigers, who are currently ranked 22nd in the A.P. Top 25. Unless they let their guard down and lose to one of their below average opponents, they have nowhere to go but up, and as quality teams like Georgia Tech, Tennessee, and Arizona, all of whom beat the Tigers, will face their conference schedule and inevitably lose a few games, you can expect Memphis to leap them in the polls, to the point where when Selection Sunday rolls around the Tigers will be sitting pretty with a very high ranking.
You shouldn’t be fooled by the high ranking or high seeding though. This is a team that you want to bet against come tournament time. They’re young, inexperienced, and most importantly, John Calipari can’t coach his way out of a paper bag. Running a spread offense that relies on a lot of 1-on-1 play and ill-advised three-point attempts, the Tigers’ success is very hit or miss. Calipari has always done a good job of recruiting elite level athletes, albeit he’s done it in a very unorthodox and dirty way, but even with players that fit his system well, his system is still flawed. It lacks the kind of structure necessary to be successful on the collegiate level, especially in a half-court setting, where the Tigers almost always come up short if they don’t get lucky on a contested three point look.
This is also a team that lacks a significant degree of discipline, not just on the basketball court but in life in general. It’s hard to avoid the news stories of various Tigers’ run-ins with the law. Whether it’s center Kareem Cooper’s drug arrest, point guard Andre Allen’s prostitution patronization, or even Jeremy Hunt beating his girlfriend up, the Memphis community has come to expect misconduct from Tiger basketball players, and perhaps what is more disturbing is that they’ve also come to expect these misconducts to go unpunished, or at least given a very minor degree of punishment. Yes, John Calipari will suspend his players, just not if he needs them for an upcoming game.
You might question what their off-the-court conduct has to do with their play on the court, but they’re actually very closely linked. As a whole, this Tigers team is undisciplined. They’re a group of prima donnas who constantly have the NBA on their mind and were attracted to Memphis by its offense dominated by isolation plays that showcase collegiate prospects’ talents to NBA scouts. They’re not the type of players who show poise in clutch situations or show patience on offense in general. Rather, you’re likely to see the Tigers letting their emotions getting the best of them in crunch time after throwing up quick three after quick three throughout the game.
In John Calipari, the Tigers have a master publicist and recruiter, but until they let him go, they won’t have a true basketball coach. Sure, when former coach Larry Finch was at the helm, the Tigers weren’t in the national spotlight as much, but they were a lot more legit than they are now. As it currently stands, the University of Memphis basketball team is the epitome of everything that is wrong with college basketball. It’s an NBA prep school for players who want to elevate their individual games to the pro level, not players who want to play within a team concept and succeed on the collegiate level.
So remember, when it’s March, and you’re looking at your bracket, remember that you read this article, and remember that the Tigers are a team that you should bet against. In six years under Calipari, the team has only made the tournament three times and has only made it out of the second round once. They’ll surely be the hot team on ESPN and other sports networks, but it’s a smoke and mirrors attack. The Tigers are the absolute embodiment of the term ‘paper tigers.’
January 11, 2007 @ 12:49 am
Paper Tigers
Most college basketball teams have now officially kicked off their conference seasons, and as a result, the way we judge and perceive NCAA teams will undoubtedly be changed. Some teams like UConn and Clemson have been coasting along with the weakest schedules known to man and will take hit after hit once they get into the thick of conference action, whereas some of the more battle-tested teams like Georgetown and Florida State will now emerge from their mediocre early season records to show us that they’re legit. Then there are teams like Memphis.
When Conference USA was ransacked by conferences like the Atlantic 10, Big East, and Mountain West, the Memphis Tigers stayed put. The reasoning was most likely the university’s less-than-stellar academic reputation or their lack of success in sports other than basketball, but no matter what the reason may have been, the Tigers’ idleness has worked out in their favor. The so-called “super conference” of the Big East owns one of the lowest major-conference RPI’s, and still, each of the conference’s members have to embark upon a stretch of about fifteen games against tough competition in these next few months. Meanwhile, the Memphis Tigers are sitting comfortably in front of a schedule where a ‘big game’ will be playing East Carolina at home.
That’s because John Calipari was clever when he constructed his schedule. He made sure that he had four or five game against NCAA Tournament caliber teams so that his team would get national spotlight throughout the season, and he made sure to schedule one of these match-ups, against Gonzaga, late in the season, so that critics couldn’t jump on the Tigers with the “what have you done for me lately” attack. So far against quality opponents though, Memphis is 1-3, losing to Georgia Tech, Tennessee, and Arizona, only managing to get a win against the unranked Kentucky Wildcats. Nevertheless, that’s the scheduling strategy of a seasoned coaching veteran. He knows that despite losing three or four games to quality opponents, he’ll be able to pad his record in conference action, yet the experts won’t be able to criticize him for not playing quality non-conference opponents.
This’ll surely pay off for the Tigers, who are currently ranked 22nd in the A.P. Top 25. Unless they let their guard down and lose to one of their below average opponents, they have nowhere to go but up, and as quality teams like Georgia Tech, Tennessee, and Arizona, all of whom beat the Tigers, will face their conference schedule and inevitably lose a few games, you can expect Memphis to leap them in the polls, to the point where when Selection Sunday rolls around the Tigers will be sitting pretty with a very high ranking.
You shouldn’t be fooled by the high ranking or high seeding though. This is a team that you want to bet against come tournament time. They’re young, inexperienced, and most importantly, John Calipari can’t coach his way out of a paper bag. Running a spread offense that relies on a lot of 1-on-1 play and ill-advised three-point attempts, the Tigers’ success is very hit or miss. Calipari has always done a good job of recruiting elite level athletes, albeit he’s done it in a very unorthodox and dirty way, but even with players that fit his system well, his system is still flawed. It lacks the kind of structure necessary to be successful on the collegiate level, especially in a half-court setting, where the Tigers almost always come up short if they don’t get lucky on a contested three point look.
This is also a team that lacks a significant degree of discipline, not just on the basketball court but in life in general. It’s hard to avoid the news stories of various Tigers’ run-ins with the law. Whether it’s center Kareem Cooper’s drug arrest, point guard Andre Allen’s prostitution patronization, or even Jeremy Hunt beating his girlfriend up, the Memphis community has come to expect misconduct from Tiger basketball players, and perhaps what is more disturbing is that they’ve also come to expect these misconducts to go unpunished, or at least given a very minor degree of punishment. Yes, John Calipari will suspend his players, just not if he needs them for an upcoming game.
You might question what their off-the-court conduct has to do with their play on the court, but they’re actually very closely linked. As a whole, this Tigers team is undisciplined. They’re a group of prima donnas who constantly have the NBA on their mind and were attracted to Memphis by its offense dominated by isolation plays that showcase collegiate prospects’ talents to NBA scouts. They’re not the type of players who show poise in clutch situations or show patience on offense in general. Rather, you’re likely to see the Tigers letting their emotions getting the best of them in crunch time after throwing up quick three after quick three throughout the game.
In John Calipari, the Tigers have a master publicist and recruiter, but until they let him go, they won’t have a true basketball coach. Sure, when former coach Larry Finch was at the helm, the Tigers weren’t in the national spotlight as much, but they were a lot more legit than they are now. As it currently stands, the University of Memphis basketball team is the epitome of everything that is wrong with college basketball. It’s an NBA prep school for players who want to elevate their individual games to the pro level, not players who want to play within a team concept and succeed on the collegiate level.
So remember, when it’s March, and you’re looking at your bracket, remember that you read this article, and remember that the Tigers are a team that you should bet against. In six years under Calipari, the team has only made the tournament three times and has only made it out of the second round once. They’ll surely be the hot team on ESPN and other sports networks, but it’s a smoke and mirrors attack. The Tigers are the absolute embodiment of the term ‘paper tigers.’
Monday, January 15, 2007
Memphis v. UAB Preview
UAB Set To Take On Conference USA Rival No. 19/20 Memphis
Blazers and Tigers will meet for 33rd time in series history
Jan. 15, 2007
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - The UAB men's basketball team will be playing its third road Conference USA game in four games this season when it travels to Memphis, Tenn. to take on the No. 19/20 Memphis Tigers on Tuesday, Jan. 16, at 8 p.m. CT. The game will be televised nationally on CSTV, with Tom Hart and Pete Gillen on the call.
The radio broadcast can be heard on the Blazers ISP Sports Network, beginning with the pre-game show at 7:30 p.m. CT. Birmingham and Huntsville listeners can follow all the action on WYDE 101.1 FM. The broadcast can also be heard on WIQR 1410 AM in Montgomery/Prattville and 98.3 FM WTRB in Ashland/Talladega.
The Blazers will be looking for their first win at Memphis since a 91-83 victory on Jan. 2, 1999, a span of seven games. The game marks the 33rd meeting between the two teams, with the Tigers holding a 22-10 advantage in the series. However, UAB has won three of the last five overall between the two teams.
Scouting Memphis
Memphis enters Monday night's contest sporting a 13-3 overall record on the season, and are 3-0 in C-USA play. The Tigers are coming off a hard-fought 75-62 win at Southern Miss last Saturday. The victory marked Memphis' fifth consecutive win, and seventh win over its last eight contests.
The Tigers are led on the year by sophomore guard Chris Douglas-Roberts, who leads the team with 15.7 points per game, including scoring a game-high 23 points in the win over the Golden Eagles. Senior guard Jeremy Hunt (13.4 ppg) and freshman forward Robert Dozier (11.3 ppg) also average double figures for the Tigers. Junior forward Jeremy Dorsey leads the team with 9.6 boards a game, while also contributing 7.9 points and a team-leading 2.6 blocks per contest.
Head coach John Calipari is in his seventh year at the helm of the Memphis basketball program. Calipari has compiled an impressive record of 161-62 (.722) while with the Tigers, and a 354-133 (.727) overall record in 15 seasons as a head coach.
Scouting UAB
UAB will enter its contest at Memphis with an overall record of 10-7, and a 2-1 mark in league play. The Blazers are coming off their first road league victory of the season, a 67-60 win at Tulane last Saturday. Junior guard Paul Delaney III, a two-time recipient this season of the Conference USA Player of the Week, leads the Blazers in points (17.6) and assists (5.7) per game, while also ranking fourth on the team with 4.8 boards a contest.
Along with Delaney, senior guard Wen Mukubu and sophomore forward Lawrence Kinnard are also threats on offense. Mukubu averages 13.9 points per contest and a team-best 48.0 percent from beyond the arc. Kinnard ranks third on the team with 12.8 points per game, and also pulls down a team-leading 5.8 rebounds a game.
UAB head coach Mike Davis enters the game against the Tigers with an overall record of 125-86 (.592) in his seventh season as a head coach, and is 10-7 (.588) in his first season at UAB.
A UAB Win Would:
• Improve UAB's record to 11-7 overall and 3-1 in Conference USA play.
• Be the first UAB win ever in the FedEx Forum, and the first in Memphis since a 91-83 victory on Jan. 2, 1999 (seven straight losses).
• Be only the third win at Memphis in school history (17th game).
• Mark the 126th win in coach Mike Davis' career (212 games).
Last Time Out
Sophomore forward Lawrence Kinnard led all scorers with a career-high 25 points and eight rebounds to lead the UAB men's basketball team to a 67-60 victory against Tulane. Junior guard Paul Delaney III added 21 points, nine assists and four steals in the winning effort. The victory snapped a four-game losing streak for the Blazers at Tulane dating back to the 2000-01 season. Tulane led for a majority of the first half and built its largest lead of six points with 2:24 remaining in the first half. However, UAB rallied behind Kinnard, who finished with 14 points in the opening half. Kinnard and Tulane junior Matt Wheaton traded three-pointers to open the second half and tied the game for the sixth time at 31 apiece. Kinnard then buried another trey to give UAB the lead for good at the 17-minute mark. However, Tulane, which trailed by as many as 10 points, never gave up. The Green Wave scraped back and Sims' trey at the 7:39 mark brought TU to within four points. After a pair of free throws by Kinnard, Sims was fouled and once again pulled Tulane to within striking distance when he converted both attempts. UAB responded on a Mike Davis Jr. trey with 4:50 remaining that gave the Blazers an eight-point cushion and Tulane was never able to get any closer than five points during the remaining minutes.
UAB-Memphis A Year Ago
The Blazers and TIgers met on three occasions a year ago, with Memphis taking two of the three contests. In the first meeting, UAB fell 73-66 on Jan. 26 at Memphis. However, the Blazers returned the favor on March 2, when they defeated then-No. 3 Memphis, 80-74 in Bartow Arena. It would be Memphis that had the last laugh however, winning the third contest between the two teams in the Conference USA championship game in Memphis, Tenn. by a score of 57-46. Paul Delaney III led the Blazers in the three contests, averaging 14.0 ppg, while Wen Mukubu collected an average of 10.0 ppg.
100-Assist Mark
With nine assists in the overtime victory against UCF last Wednesday, junior guard Paul Delaney III increased his season total to 97 helpers this season, an average of 5.7 assists per game - a number that leads Conference USA. With three more assists this season, Delaney will reach the century mark in assists for the first time in his career. More importantly, it is the seventh consecutive season a Blazer has boasted more than 100 dimes in a season. The last time a UAB player did not get at least 100 assists in a campaign came during the 1999-2000 season, when LeAndrew Bass led the team with 90 helpers on the year.
Kinnard Earns First Career POW Award
Sophomore forward Lawrence Kinnard was tabbed the Co-Conference USA Player of the Week, league officials announced Monday. Kinnard, who shares the award with Houston's Robert McKiver, earns his first career award, and UAB's third award this season, which is tied for tops in the conference (Houston). Kinnard had a huge week in leading the Blazers to two Conference USA victories. Kinnard began the week by leading UAB to a 74-64 overtime win against UCF on Jan. 10. Kinnard had a game-high 21 points on 8-of-14 from the floor and 4-of-8 from three-point range, all of which were career highs. He also had three blocks and two steals in the victory over the Golden Knights. Kinnard then one-upped that performance by setting a new career best of 25 points in the 67-60 win at Tulane. Kinnard also matched his career highs of 8-of-14 shooting from the floor and 4-of-8 from beyond the arc in the contest. For the week, the Memphis, Tenn. native averaged an impressive 23.5 points, while also collecting 4.0 rebounds, 2.0 blocks and 1.5 steals per contest. He also hit 16-of-28 baskets from the floor (.571) and 8-of-16 from three-point range (.500).
Second Half Team
UAB has shown it is a second half team this year. Through 17 games this season, the Blazers have scored a total of 489 first half points, an average of only 28.8 points. However, the second half is a different story. UAB has scored a total of 604 points in the second half this year, which averages out to 35.5 points, a difference of almost seven points better a game.
Duo Double-Double
Wen Mukubu and Paul Delaney III each recorded a double-double in the Blazers' 74-64 overtime win over UCF. It marked the first time two UAB players recorded a double-double in the same game since Gabe Kennedy (12 pts., 11 reb.) and Sidney Ball (11 pts., 14 reb.) achieved the feat against Georgia Southern on Nov. 24, 2003.
Mukubu recorded his first career double-double with his 18 points and 10 rebounds in the contests, while Delaney's 18 points and 11 assists marked his third career double-double - all coming this season. In fact, Delaney's three double-doubles this season are tied for second-most in the league this season.
Three Amigos
When Paul Delaney III, Lawrence Kinnard and Wen Mukubu reach double figures, good things usually occur. The top three scorers on this year's team have accomplished the feat on eight occasions this season, winning six of those contests. The only time the Blazers lost a game when the trio hit double digits was to Washington State (71-60) and at Wyoming (93-87). Overall, UAB has won four straight times when the threesome score in double figures in a game.
As Cool As Ice
Through 17 games this season, there is one thing that is clear, junior guard Paul Delaney III wants the ball in his hands when the game is on the line. Most recently, he proved that point in the Blazers' 74-64 victory over UCF last Wednesday. With approximately a minute remaining and the Blazers trailing by five, Delaney would score 12 of the Blazers' last 28 points during the six-minute span, including the game-tying basket at the buzzer to send the game in overtime and the go ahead basket during the extra session. The Decatur, Ga. native did the same thing when the Blazers won at Cincinnati on Dec. 2. With his team trailing by five, 56-51, with 37 seconds remaining, Delaney scored the game's final eight points to lead the Blazers to a 59-57 victory.
Blazers and Tigers will meet for 33rd time in series history
Jan. 15, 2007
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - The UAB men's basketball team will be playing its third road Conference USA game in four games this season when it travels to Memphis, Tenn. to take on the No. 19/20 Memphis Tigers on Tuesday, Jan. 16, at 8 p.m. CT. The game will be televised nationally on CSTV, with Tom Hart and Pete Gillen on the call.
The radio broadcast can be heard on the Blazers ISP Sports Network, beginning with the pre-game show at 7:30 p.m. CT. Birmingham and Huntsville listeners can follow all the action on WYDE 101.1 FM. The broadcast can also be heard on WIQR 1410 AM in Montgomery/Prattville and 98.3 FM WTRB in Ashland/Talladega.
The Blazers will be looking for their first win at Memphis since a 91-83 victory on Jan. 2, 1999, a span of seven games. The game marks the 33rd meeting between the two teams, with the Tigers holding a 22-10 advantage in the series. However, UAB has won three of the last five overall between the two teams.
Scouting Memphis
Memphis enters Monday night's contest sporting a 13-3 overall record on the season, and are 3-0 in C-USA play. The Tigers are coming off a hard-fought 75-62 win at Southern Miss last Saturday. The victory marked Memphis' fifth consecutive win, and seventh win over its last eight contests.
The Tigers are led on the year by sophomore guard Chris Douglas-Roberts, who leads the team with 15.7 points per game, including scoring a game-high 23 points in the win over the Golden Eagles. Senior guard Jeremy Hunt (13.4 ppg) and freshman forward Robert Dozier (11.3 ppg) also average double figures for the Tigers. Junior forward Jeremy Dorsey leads the team with 9.6 boards a game, while also contributing 7.9 points and a team-leading 2.6 blocks per contest.
Head coach John Calipari is in his seventh year at the helm of the Memphis basketball program. Calipari has compiled an impressive record of 161-62 (.722) while with the Tigers, and a 354-133 (.727) overall record in 15 seasons as a head coach.
Scouting UAB
UAB will enter its contest at Memphis with an overall record of 10-7, and a 2-1 mark in league play. The Blazers are coming off their first road league victory of the season, a 67-60 win at Tulane last Saturday. Junior guard Paul Delaney III, a two-time recipient this season of the Conference USA Player of the Week, leads the Blazers in points (17.6) and assists (5.7) per game, while also ranking fourth on the team with 4.8 boards a contest.
Along with Delaney, senior guard Wen Mukubu and sophomore forward Lawrence Kinnard are also threats on offense. Mukubu averages 13.9 points per contest and a team-best 48.0 percent from beyond the arc. Kinnard ranks third on the team with 12.8 points per game, and also pulls down a team-leading 5.8 rebounds a game.
UAB head coach Mike Davis enters the game against the Tigers with an overall record of 125-86 (.592) in his seventh season as a head coach, and is 10-7 (.588) in his first season at UAB.
A UAB Win Would:
• Improve UAB's record to 11-7 overall and 3-1 in Conference USA play.
• Be the first UAB win ever in the FedEx Forum, and the first in Memphis since a 91-83 victory on Jan. 2, 1999 (seven straight losses).
• Be only the third win at Memphis in school history (17th game).
• Mark the 126th win in coach Mike Davis' career (212 games).
Last Time Out
Sophomore forward Lawrence Kinnard led all scorers with a career-high 25 points and eight rebounds to lead the UAB men's basketball team to a 67-60 victory against Tulane. Junior guard Paul Delaney III added 21 points, nine assists and four steals in the winning effort. The victory snapped a four-game losing streak for the Blazers at Tulane dating back to the 2000-01 season. Tulane led for a majority of the first half and built its largest lead of six points with 2:24 remaining in the first half. However, UAB rallied behind Kinnard, who finished with 14 points in the opening half. Kinnard and Tulane junior Matt Wheaton traded three-pointers to open the second half and tied the game for the sixth time at 31 apiece. Kinnard then buried another trey to give UAB the lead for good at the 17-minute mark. However, Tulane, which trailed by as many as 10 points, never gave up. The Green Wave scraped back and Sims' trey at the 7:39 mark brought TU to within four points. After a pair of free throws by Kinnard, Sims was fouled and once again pulled Tulane to within striking distance when he converted both attempts. UAB responded on a Mike Davis Jr. trey with 4:50 remaining that gave the Blazers an eight-point cushion and Tulane was never able to get any closer than five points during the remaining minutes.
UAB-Memphis A Year Ago
The Blazers and TIgers met on three occasions a year ago, with Memphis taking two of the three contests. In the first meeting, UAB fell 73-66 on Jan. 26 at Memphis. However, the Blazers returned the favor on March 2, when they defeated then-No. 3 Memphis, 80-74 in Bartow Arena. It would be Memphis that had the last laugh however, winning the third contest between the two teams in the Conference USA championship game in Memphis, Tenn. by a score of 57-46. Paul Delaney III led the Blazers in the three contests, averaging 14.0 ppg, while Wen Mukubu collected an average of 10.0 ppg.
100-Assist Mark
With nine assists in the overtime victory against UCF last Wednesday, junior guard Paul Delaney III increased his season total to 97 helpers this season, an average of 5.7 assists per game - a number that leads Conference USA. With three more assists this season, Delaney will reach the century mark in assists for the first time in his career. More importantly, it is the seventh consecutive season a Blazer has boasted more than 100 dimes in a season. The last time a UAB player did not get at least 100 assists in a campaign came during the 1999-2000 season, when LeAndrew Bass led the team with 90 helpers on the year.
Kinnard Earns First Career POW Award
Sophomore forward Lawrence Kinnard was tabbed the Co-Conference USA Player of the Week, league officials announced Monday. Kinnard, who shares the award with Houston's Robert McKiver, earns his first career award, and UAB's third award this season, which is tied for tops in the conference (Houston). Kinnard had a huge week in leading the Blazers to two Conference USA victories. Kinnard began the week by leading UAB to a 74-64 overtime win against UCF on Jan. 10. Kinnard had a game-high 21 points on 8-of-14 from the floor and 4-of-8 from three-point range, all of which were career highs. He also had three blocks and two steals in the victory over the Golden Knights. Kinnard then one-upped that performance by setting a new career best of 25 points in the 67-60 win at Tulane. Kinnard also matched his career highs of 8-of-14 shooting from the floor and 4-of-8 from beyond the arc in the contest. For the week, the Memphis, Tenn. native averaged an impressive 23.5 points, while also collecting 4.0 rebounds, 2.0 blocks and 1.5 steals per contest. He also hit 16-of-28 baskets from the floor (.571) and 8-of-16 from three-point range (.500).
Second Half Team
UAB has shown it is a second half team this year. Through 17 games this season, the Blazers have scored a total of 489 first half points, an average of only 28.8 points. However, the second half is a different story. UAB has scored a total of 604 points in the second half this year, which averages out to 35.5 points, a difference of almost seven points better a game.
Duo Double-Double
Wen Mukubu and Paul Delaney III each recorded a double-double in the Blazers' 74-64 overtime win over UCF. It marked the first time two UAB players recorded a double-double in the same game since Gabe Kennedy (12 pts., 11 reb.) and Sidney Ball (11 pts., 14 reb.) achieved the feat against Georgia Southern on Nov. 24, 2003.
Mukubu recorded his first career double-double with his 18 points and 10 rebounds in the contests, while Delaney's 18 points and 11 assists marked his third career double-double - all coming this season. In fact, Delaney's three double-doubles this season are tied for second-most in the league this season.
Three Amigos
When Paul Delaney III, Lawrence Kinnard and Wen Mukubu reach double figures, good things usually occur. The top three scorers on this year's team have accomplished the feat on eight occasions this season, winning six of those contests. The only time the Blazers lost a game when the trio hit double digits was to Washington State (71-60) and at Wyoming (93-87). Overall, UAB has won four straight times when the threesome score in double figures in a game.
As Cool As Ice
Through 17 games this season, there is one thing that is clear, junior guard Paul Delaney III wants the ball in his hands when the game is on the line. Most recently, he proved that point in the Blazers' 74-64 victory over UCF last Wednesday. With approximately a minute remaining and the Blazers trailing by five, Delaney would score 12 of the Blazers' last 28 points during the six-minute span, including the game-tying basket at the buzzer to send the game in overtime and the go ahead basket during the extra session. The Decatur, Ga. native did the same thing when the Blazers won at Cincinnati on Dec. 2. With his team trailing by five, 56-51, with 37 seconds remaining, Delaney scored the game's final eight points to lead the Blazers to a 59-57 victory.
My Commentary on the Southern Miss Game
There is definitely something to the Tigers in the Camp Cal period. For the third game in a row, I thought the Tigers had a solid game all around. Its not to say there still aren't weaknesses and a few problems, but I feel like they have turned the corner.
First off look at the field goal shooting. Cincy (59.3%), Houston (60.0%) and Sou Miss (46.3%). Those are really good numbers with two of those games on the road. Yes, I know, its C-USA, but they still have to play them and win them.
Ok, let's look at the game.
I felt like the Tigers had good control of the game throughout and never went into panic mode even when they trailed. Southern played a really good game. While I know Eustachy wasn't thrilled with the officiating, Memphis did get fouled alot. Sure fans could say that Memphis never should have been behind in the game and in fact they should have had a bigger lead at the half considering Southern's 25% FG shooting, but I really have few complaints.
How about Joey Dorsey? I think he is finally starting to get it. The media has reported that Joey told Cal he wants to be the next Ben Wallace - rebound, defense and block shots. He still has a long way to go, but I like the role model.
Check out Joey's line for the last three games:
Cincy 3-3 FGs, 0-2 FTs, 10 RBs, 5 BLKs, 4 TOs
Houston 4-7 FGs, 0-0 FTs, 10 RBS, 3 BLKs, 1 TO
Sou Miss 4-5 FGs, 6-9 FTs, 11 RBs, 6 BLKs, 4 TO
That is 73.3% from the field, 54.5% from the line, 10.3 RB/game, 4.67 blocks/game and 3 turnovers/game.
Memphis can go a long way when Joey plays like this. If Joey can limit the turnovers a bit there is something to build on.
I was happy so see Cal do some experimenting playing with the big line up (Dorsey and Cooper). It certainly did change their offensive dynamics. Instead of rotating the ball around the outside you saw a lot of dribble drives and clear outs. The result was only 5 assists in the game, but the Tigers were fouled often and responded with 72% free throw shooting in the game.
You can tell I'm in a good mood because I almost have nothing to say negative about Andre Allen. I thought he had a really good game (for him). I could have done without two of his 3 point shots (the first and the last one), but overall I was very pleased with his game and particularly his defense.
Antonio Anderson, where has that shooting been? He is 4 of 5 from 3 point range over the past two games. CDR is 3 of 3 from 3 point range on the road swing. That is so big because it takes pressure off of Jeremy Hunt having to be the only guy who can give you a big 3 pointer down the strech.
And speaking of a big 3 pointer down the strech, that is exactly what Hunt did versus Southern. It was probably the biggest shot of the game.
CDR and Dozier where excellent. Both made big baskets throughout and CDR's 82% from the FT line sealed the game.
Kemp has been a bit disappointing the past two games, but I'll forgive a freshman especially after the monster game he had 10 days ago against Cincinnati. He has to pick up his defense or he'll continue to watch Andre Allen get his minutes at the point. Kemp in fact played his season low in minutes while Allen played 24, 6 over his season average.
I think people have to give Southern Miss some credit. They have some really talented freshman that could make a difference in the next couple of years. Stone, Stephens and Wise are all freshman while Beasley and Craft are only sophomores. I expect Southern to be a top 3 C-USA team the next two years. Their RPI is #132 today. I suspect they are a solid NIT team this year.
I am really excited about where the Tigers are at the moment. I am not taking anything away from UAB, but Memphis is playing their best ball of the season and it is a great time to do so in the midst of a 3 game road trip against better teams in the conference.
First off look at the field goal shooting. Cincy (59.3%), Houston (60.0%) and Sou Miss (46.3%). Those are really good numbers with two of those games on the road. Yes, I know, its C-USA, but they still have to play them and win them.
Ok, let's look at the game.
I felt like the Tigers had good control of the game throughout and never went into panic mode even when they trailed. Southern played a really good game. While I know Eustachy wasn't thrilled with the officiating, Memphis did get fouled alot. Sure fans could say that Memphis never should have been behind in the game and in fact they should have had a bigger lead at the half considering Southern's 25% FG shooting, but I really have few complaints.
How about Joey Dorsey? I think he is finally starting to get it. The media has reported that Joey told Cal he wants to be the next Ben Wallace - rebound, defense and block shots. He still has a long way to go, but I like the role model.
Check out Joey's line for the last three games:
Cincy 3-3 FGs, 0-2 FTs, 10 RBs, 5 BLKs, 4 TOs
Houston 4-7 FGs, 0-0 FTs, 10 RBS, 3 BLKs, 1 TO
Sou Miss 4-5 FGs, 6-9 FTs, 11 RBs, 6 BLKs, 4 TO
That is 73.3% from the field, 54.5% from the line, 10.3 RB/game, 4.67 blocks/game and 3 turnovers/game.
Memphis can go a long way when Joey plays like this. If Joey can limit the turnovers a bit there is something to build on.
I was happy so see Cal do some experimenting playing with the big line up (Dorsey and Cooper). It certainly did change their offensive dynamics. Instead of rotating the ball around the outside you saw a lot of dribble drives and clear outs. The result was only 5 assists in the game, but the Tigers were fouled often and responded with 72% free throw shooting in the game.
You can tell I'm in a good mood because I almost have nothing to say negative about Andre Allen. I thought he had a really good game (for him). I could have done without two of his 3 point shots (the first and the last one), but overall I was very pleased with his game and particularly his defense.
Antonio Anderson, where has that shooting been? He is 4 of 5 from 3 point range over the past two games. CDR is 3 of 3 from 3 point range on the road swing. That is so big because it takes pressure off of Jeremy Hunt having to be the only guy who can give you a big 3 pointer down the strech.
And speaking of a big 3 pointer down the strech, that is exactly what Hunt did versus Southern. It was probably the biggest shot of the game.
CDR and Dozier where excellent. Both made big baskets throughout and CDR's 82% from the FT line sealed the game.
Kemp has been a bit disappointing the past two games, but I'll forgive a freshman especially after the monster game he had 10 days ago against Cincinnati. He has to pick up his defense or he'll continue to watch Andre Allen get his minutes at the point. Kemp in fact played his season low in minutes while Allen played 24, 6 over his season average.
I think people have to give Southern Miss some credit. They have some really talented freshman that could make a difference in the next couple of years. Stone, Stephens and Wise are all freshman while Beasley and Craft are only sophomores. I expect Southern to be a top 3 C-USA team the next two years. Their RPI is #132 today. I suspect they are a solid NIT team this year.
I am really excited about where the Tigers are at the moment. I am not taking anything away from UAB, but Memphis is playing their best ball of the season and it is a great time to do so in the midst of a 3 game road trip against better teams in the conference.
Sunday, January 14, 2007
Memphis #9 in RPI, #10 in Pomeroy
Memphis made an impressive move in the RPI Index on Saturday after defeating Southern Mississippi on the road. The Tigers are now in the Top 10 in the RPI. In Ken Pomeroy's rankings, the Tigers are #10 overall, #14 in total defense and #21 in total offense. The Tigers have had three good offensive performances in a row (Cincy, Houston and Sou. Miss) and have moved from #64 in offense to #21 since January 3rd.
RPI (through Saturday Jan 13)
1. UCLA
2. Arizona
3. Pittsburgh
4. North Carolina
5. Kentucky
6. Air Force
7. Clemson
8. Southern Illinois
9. MEMPHIS
10. Wisconsin
11. Duke
12. Alabama
13. Ohio St.
14. UNLV
15. Arkansas
16. Butler
17. Oklahoma State
18. Missouri State
19. Tennessee
20. Kansas
RPI (through Saturday Jan 13)
1. UCLA
2. Arizona
3. Pittsburgh
4. North Carolina
5. Kentucky
6. Air Force
7. Clemson
8. Southern Illinois
9. MEMPHIS
10. Wisconsin
11. Duke
12. Alabama
13. Ohio St.
14. UNLV
15. Arkansas
16. Butler
17. Oklahoma State
18. Missouri State
19. Tennessee
20. Kansas
From the Jackson (MS) Clarion Ledger "Eagles Put Up Fight But Fade Down Stretch"
Eagles put up fight but fade down stretch
By Tim Doherty
tdoherty@clarionledger.com
HATTIESBURG — Southern Miss coach Larry Eustachy provided a portrait of disappointment Saturday night at Green Coliseum, and not because he he never saw the end of his Golden Eagles' Conference USA basketball game with Memphis.
Instead, Eustachy bemoaned what he considered a lost opportunity to take the No. 20 Tigers down.
After banging with Memphis for 35 minutes, USM couldn't keep up down the stretch as the Tigers wrestled away a 75-62 victory before an announced 5,410, the largest crowd of the season.
"I'm disappointed in myself," said Eustachy, who was thumbed by referee Larry Rose after picking up his second technical with 2 minutes, 31 seconds to play. "I was hoping that I could get this team to the point at this time of year where we could seize a great opportunity like this and nail a national opponent.
"I'm disappointed that I haven't gotten this team to the point where in critical situations, we can make the plays."
Like Memphis did. The Tigers (13-3, 3-0 C-USA) won their fifth consecutive game by beating USM (11-4, 1-1) for the sixth consecutive time because players stepped up when they had to.
"We needed a battle and we got it," Memphis John Calipari said. "I'm still learning about my team, about who, when the going gets a little rough, is going to keep his wits about him and play to win.
"That's who I have to play to try and win games."
Guys like 6-foot-9, 260-pound Joey Dorsey, who went for 14 points, 11 rebounds and six blocked shots.
Or guard Chris Douglas-Roberts, who scored a game-high 23 points, including a 14-of-17 exhibition from the free-throw line.
But USM chased the Tigers' tail into the final five minutes of the game, trailing only 62-59 after Craig Craft popped in two of his career-high 21 points on a pull-up jumper with 4:56 remaining.
But another one of those guys that Calipari referred to, senior guard Jeremy Hunt, took a feed deep in the left corner and let fly. The ball hit the rim and popped straight in the air before knifing straight down through the net.
"Hunt's three from the corner, that was huge," Eustachy said.
It was the beginning of a game-ending 13-3 run that Eustachy never saw the end of.
With Memphis holding a 67-60 lead, Rose hit Eustachy with his second technical of the second half.
"That didn't help," Eustachy said.
Neither did his first one, which came with 10:35 to play and led to two free throws by Douglas-Roberts and another freebie by forward Robert Dozier (11 points).
It helped feed a 12-4 run that lifted Memphis from a 50-45 deficit into a 57-54 lead with 9:02 left in the game.
And though the Golden Eagles stuck around for the stretch, the Tigers never trailed again.
"It's bittersweet," said USM guard Jeremy Wise said, who had 13 points and five assists. "We saw that we can play with them. We can see our potential.
"It's disappointing."
But USM has little time to muse on that.
The Golden Eagles hit the road to take on UTEP before visiting the Tigers next Saturday.
"We have another chance," Wise said
By Tim Doherty
tdoherty@clarionledger.com
HATTIESBURG — Southern Miss coach Larry Eustachy provided a portrait of disappointment Saturday night at Green Coliseum, and not because he he never saw the end of his Golden Eagles' Conference USA basketball game with Memphis.
Instead, Eustachy bemoaned what he considered a lost opportunity to take the No. 20 Tigers down.
After banging with Memphis for 35 minutes, USM couldn't keep up down the stretch as the Tigers wrestled away a 75-62 victory before an announced 5,410, the largest crowd of the season.
"I'm disappointed in myself," said Eustachy, who was thumbed by referee Larry Rose after picking up his second technical with 2 minutes, 31 seconds to play. "I was hoping that I could get this team to the point at this time of year where we could seize a great opportunity like this and nail a national opponent.
"I'm disappointed that I haven't gotten this team to the point where in critical situations, we can make the plays."
Like Memphis did. The Tigers (13-3, 3-0 C-USA) won their fifth consecutive game by beating USM (11-4, 1-1) for the sixth consecutive time because players stepped up when they had to.
"We needed a battle and we got it," Memphis John Calipari said. "I'm still learning about my team, about who, when the going gets a little rough, is going to keep his wits about him and play to win.
"That's who I have to play to try and win games."
Guys like 6-foot-9, 260-pound Joey Dorsey, who went for 14 points, 11 rebounds and six blocked shots.
Or guard Chris Douglas-Roberts, who scored a game-high 23 points, including a 14-of-17 exhibition from the free-throw line.
But USM chased the Tigers' tail into the final five minutes of the game, trailing only 62-59 after Craig Craft popped in two of his career-high 21 points on a pull-up jumper with 4:56 remaining.
But another one of those guys that Calipari referred to, senior guard Jeremy Hunt, took a feed deep in the left corner and let fly. The ball hit the rim and popped straight in the air before knifing straight down through the net.
"Hunt's three from the corner, that was huge," Eustachy said.
It was the beginning of a game-ending 13-3 run that Eustachy never saw the end of.
With Memphis holding a 67-60 lead, Rose hit Eustachy with his second technical of the second half.
"That didn't help," Eustachy said.
Neither did his first one, which came with 10:35 to play and led to two free throws by Douglas-Roberts and another freebie by forward Robert Dozier (11 points).
It helped feed a 12-4 run that lifted Memphis from a 50-45 deficit into a 57-54 lead with 9:02 left in the game.
And though the Golden Eagles stuck around for the stretch, the Tigers never trailed again.
"It's bittersweet," said USM guard Jeremy Wise said, who had 13 points and five assists. "We saw that we can play with them. We can see our potential.
"It's disappointing."
But USM has little time to muse on that.
The Golden Eagles hit the road to take on UTEP before visiting the Tigers next Saturday.
"We have another chance," Wise said
Story From CSTV.com on Memphis v. Southern Miss Game
No. 19 Memphis Pulls Away from Golden Eagles Late for Victory
Craig Craft scores 21 points in the loss.
Jan. 13, 2007
HATTIESBURG, Miss.-- FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Jan. 13, 2007
No. 19 Memphis Pulls Away Down Stretch From Golden Eagles in 75-62 C-USA Victory
HATTIESBURG, Miss. - No. 19 Memphis got a game-high 23 points from Chris Douglas-Roberts as the visiting Tigers pulled away from Southern Miss late in a 75-62 Conference USA contest here Saturday night at Reed Green Coliseum.
The Golden Eagles (11-4 overall, 1-1 C-USA) had their 11-game home winning streak snapped as Memphis (13-3, 3-0) won for the sixth straight time over Southern Miss. It was the second nationally ranked opponent for Southern Miss this season, as the Golden Eagles also fell to then No. 9 Alabama, 77-64, in Mobile.
Southern Miss sophomore Craig Craft (Raleigh, N.C.) scored a career-high 21 points, while freshman Jeremy Wise (Jackson, Miss.) added 13 points.
Joey Dorsey added 14 points, while Robert Dozier put in 11 for the visiting Tigers.
Craft and Wise helped the Golden Eagles erase a 42-34 deficit midway through the second half by going on a 12-0 run. Wise, and then Craft, tallied 3-pointers to start the stretch and Craft then hit a jumper in the paint to tie the score before Wise then gave the Golden Eagles the 44-42 advantage with a pair of free throws with 13:42 left.
Southern Miss continued to hold its lead and was up, 54-50, before the Tigers scored the next seven points and led the remainder of the contest.
The Tigers hit their final six free throws and Dozier and Dorsey added a bucket each over the last four minutes to maintain the final advantage.
Southern Miss coach Larry Eustachy was ejected from the contest with 2:46 to play after receiving his second technical of the contest.
The Golden Eagles were also outrebounded for just the second time this season, as Memphis held the edge, 34-30.
Southern Miss takes to the road for its next two games, starting with UTEP, Wednesday (Jan. 17), in an 8:05 p.m., CT contest. The Golden Eagles finish the trek with UAB, Saturday (Jan. 20) at 1 p.m., in Birmingham.
Craig Craft scores 21 points in the loss.
Jan. 13, 2007
HATTIESBURG, Miss.-- FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Jan. 13, 2007
No. 19 Memphis Pulls Away Down Stretch From Golden Eagles in 75-62 C-USA Victory
HATTIESBURG, Miss. - No. 19 Memphis got a game-high 23 points from Chris Douglas-Roberts as the visiting Tigers pulled away from Southern Miss late in a 75-62 Conference USA contest here Saturday night at Reed Green Coliseum.
The Golden Eagles (11-4 overall, 1-1 C-USA) had their 11-game home winning streak snapped as Memphis (13-3, 3-0) won for the sixth straight time over Southern Miss. It was the second nationally ranked opponent for Southern Miss this season, as the Golden Eagles also fell to then No. 9 Alabama, 77-64, in Mobile.
Southern Miss sophomore Craig Craft (Raleigh, N.C.) scored a career-high 21 points, while freshman Jeremy Wise (Jackson, Miss.) added 13 points.
Joey Dorsey added 14 points, while Robert Dozier put in 11 for the visiting Tigers.
Craft and Wise helped the Golden Eagles erase a 42-34 deficit midway through the second half by going on a 12-0 run. Wise, and then Craft, tallied 3-pointers to start the stretch and Craft then hit a jumper in the paint to tie the score before Wise then gave the Golden Eagles the 44-42 advantage with a pair of free throws with 13:42 left.
Southern Miss continued to hold its lead and was up, 54-50, before the Tigers scored the next seven points and led the remainder of the contest.
The Tigers hit their final six free throws and Dozier and Dorsey added a bucket each over the last four minutes to maintain the final advantage.
Southern Miss coach Larry Eustachy was ejected from the contest with 2:46 to play after receiving his second technical of the contest.
The Golden Eagles were also outrebounded for just the second time this season, as Memphis held the edge, 34-30.
Southern Miss takes to the road for its next two games, starting with UTEP, Wednesday (Jan. 17), in an 8:05 p.m., CT contest. The Golden Eagles finish the trek with UAB, Saturday (Jan. 20) at 1 p.m., in Birmingham.
Tigers Replay - From the Commercial Appeal
Tigers replay
January 14, 2007
AS THE GAME TURNED
There were so many moments Saturday when the game seemed to hang in the balance, but perhaps the most critical was midway through the second half when sophomore guard Chris Douglas-Roberts took over. With Southern Miss leading 54-50, Douglas-Roberts drove to the lane and made a tough leaner. Then, after Jarvis Hill missed a 3-pointer, Douglas-Roberts created space and confidently stroked a three to give Memphis a 55-54 lead. The Tigers never trailed after that.
Advertisement
AS THE ROTATION TURNED
With the fouls piling up in the first half -- five Memphis players had two fouls by halftime -- the Tigers used their "big" lineup with 6-9 Joey Dorsey and 6-11 Kareem Cooper more than in any other game this season. Southern Miss had a hard time containing that lineup toward the end of the first half, with Dorsey getting two dunks in a stretch of 1:20. The second came off a high-low play, with Cooper going out to the 3-point line and feeding Dorsey for an easy bucket.
RIM GEMS
This is an unusual "Rim Gem," but given the context of the game, there was no prettier play than Dorsey, a 46 percent free-throw shooter, making two with 11:05 remaining. Of the 46 free throws Memphis shot, there were none bigger than when Dorsey stepped to the line for a one-and-one and Southern Miss leading 50-45. Had Dorsey missed the front end, the Golden Eagles would have had a chance to gain their biggest lead of the game. Instead, Dorsey drew the Tigers within three.
HIDE YOUR EYES
Southern Miss coach Larry Eustachy put on an ugly display Saturday, drawing a technical foul for arguing a call with 10:35 left. Douglas-Roberts converted both free throws to bring Memphis within 51-49. Another comment with 2:31 remaining earned Eustachy a second technical and an ejection. Eustachy, who was slow to leave the court, bumped official Larry Rose and a security guard on his way out. At the time, Memphis was ahead just 67-60, and there was plenty of time for a Southern Miss comeback. Instead, Douglas-Roberts made two free throws to essentially seal the victory.
SCORER'S TABLE
One statistic showed exactly what kind of game this was. Memphis had just five assists Saturday on 19 field goals, meaning the Tigers got almost all their points off one-on-one drives to the basket and free throws rather than drive-and-kick plays.
LOCKERROOM CHATTER
"It's all new to Willie Kemp, and I'm going to play Willie as much as I can play him, but if the game is in the balance and he's a little shaky, we've got to win the game. He understands that. He was cheering for Andre and talked to him after the game." -- Memphis coach John Calipari on the point guard situation with Kemp, who played 16 minutes and Andre Allen, who ran the team during the crucial second-half minutes.
ODDS and ENDS
Douglas-Roberts confirmed Saturday that he sprained his right ankle in Thursday's 79-69 victory over Houston and that it bothered him early Saturday. Douglas-Roberts scored just four first-half points but finished with 23. "I was thinking about it too much," Douglas-Roberts said. "But the second half, I overcame it and played through the pain."
Southern Miss junior Demar Dotson has a unique quirk to his game. On every free throw attempt, he takes nearly the full 10 seconds allowed by rule before releasing the ball. Dotson's deliberate pre-shot routine is the same every time: He spins the ball off the floor, takes three dribbles, holds it, pauses and drops it down to his knees before coming to a shooting position. It was effective Saturday, as Dotson made 4-of-5.
LOOKING AHEAD
Tigers vs. UAB at FedExForum, Tuesday, 8 p.m.
-- Dan Wolken
January 14, 2007
AS THE GAME TURNED
There were so many moments Saturday when the game seemed to hang in the balance, but perhaps the most critical was midway through the second half when sophomore guard Chris Douglas-Roberts took over. With Southern Miss leading 54-50, Douglas-Roberts drove to the lane and made a tough leaner. Then, after Jarvis Hill missed a 3-pointer, Douglas-Roberts created space and confidently stroked a three to give Memphis a 55-54 lead. The Tigers never trailed after that.
Advertisement
AS THE ROTATION TURNED
With the fouls piling up in the first half -- five Memphis players had two fouls by halftime -- the Tigers used their "big" lineup with 6-9 Joey Dorsey and 6-11 Kareem Cooper more than in any other game this season. Southern Miss had a hard time containing that lineup toward the end of the first half, with Dorsey getting two dunks in a stretch of 1:20. The second came off a high-low play, with Cooper going out to the 3-point line and feeding Dorsey for an easy bucket.
RIM GEMS
This is an unusual "Rim Gem," but given the context of the game, there was no prettier play than Dorsey, a 46 percent free-throw shooter, making two with 11:05 remaining. Of the 46 free throws Memphis shot, there were none bigger than when Dorsey stepped to the line for a one-and-one and Southern Miss leading 50-45. Had Dorsey missed the front end, the Golden Eagles would have had a chance to gain their biggest lead of the game. Instead, Dorsey drew the Tigers within three.
HIDE YOUR EYES
Southern Miss coach Larry Eustachy put on an ugly display Saturday, drawing a technical foul for arguing a call with 10:35 left. Douglas-Roberts converted both free throws to bring Memphis within 51-49. Another comment with 2:31 remaining earned Eustachy a second technical and an ejection. Eustachy, who was slow to leave the court, bumped official Larry Rose and a security guard on his way out. At the time, Memphis was ahead just 67-60, and there was plenty of time for a Southern Miss comeback. Instead, Douglas-Roberts made two free throws to essentially seal the victory.
SCORER'S TABLE
One statistic showed exactly what kind of game this was. Memphis had just five assists Saturday on 19 field goals, meaning the Tigers got almost all their points off one-on-one drives to the basket and free throws rather than drive-and-kick plays.
LOCKERROOM CHATTER
"It's all new to Willie Kemp, and I'm going to play Willie as much as I can play him, but if the game is in the balance and he's a little shaky, we've got to win the game. He understands that. He was cheering for Andre and talked to him after the game." -- Memphis coach John Calipari on the point guard situation with Kemp, who played 16 minutes and Andre Allen, who ran the team during the crucial second-half minutes.
ODDS and ENDS
Douglas-Roberts confirmed Saturday that he sprained his right ankle in Thursday's 79-69 victory over Houston and that it bothered him early Saturday. Douglas-Roberts scored just four first-half points but finished with 23. "I was thinking about it too much," Douglas-Roberts said. "But the second half, I overcame it and played through the pain."
Southern Miss junior Demar Dotson has a unique quirk to his game. On every free throw attempt, he takes nearly the full 10 seconds allowed by rule before releasing the ball. Dotson's deliberate pre-shot routine is the same every time: He spins the ball off the floor, takes three dribbles, holds it, pauses and drops it down to his knees before coming to a shooting position. It was effective Saturday, as Dotson made 4-of-5.
LOOKING AHEAD
Tigers vs. UAB at FedExForum, Tuesday, 8 p.m.
-- Dan Wolken
Tigers Avoid Golden Eagle Upset Bid
Tigers feast on the free-throw line, avoid Golden Eagle upset bid
By Dan Wolken
January 14, 2007
HATTIESBURG, Miss. -- The young team in the yellow jerseys was beginning to suck the University of Memphis into its grind-it-out game, the Reed Green Coliseum crowd was becoming more of a factor with every possession, and John Calipari was starting to lose his cool with an officiating crew that couldn't go more than a few seconds without blowing a whistle.
But with all the stars seemingly in line Saturday for a Southern Miss upset, the No. 20-ranked Tigers showed both their versatility and their resolve in a 75-62 victory.
Whereas the Tigers were able to get any shot they wanted in a fast-paced affair at Houston on Thursday, Southern Miss successfully took Memphis out of its comfort zone, executing an ugly, physical plan that brought the game to a crawling pace.
But under constant duress, Memphis fought for crucial second-half baskets and won the game at the free-throw line, making 33-of-46 and improving to 13-3 on the year, 3-0 in Conference USA.
"It was a real physical game, and their fans made it worse," sophomore guard Chris Douglas-Roberts said. "We're a physical team, and when we play physical, usually we come out on top."
Though Southern Miss fell to 11-4 and 1-1 in the league, it was an impressive effort for a team that starts three freshmen and a sophomore.
"We needed a battle, and we got it," Calipari said. "I needed to see it; when the stuff gets a little rough, who's going to be able to keep their wits about them and play to win?"
Saturday, it was Douglas-Roberts, who scored 23 points despite a sprained right ankle and took over during a critical stretch of the second half, scoring five straight that gave Memphis the lead for good with 9:23 left.
And it was also junior forward Joey Dorsey, scoring 14 points with 11 rebounds and six blocked shots. Dorsey, a career 41.9 percent free-throw shooter, made 6-of-9 at the line, several of them at nervous moments in the second half.
"Chris has been our go-to guy all year. We knew that from Day 1 coming in, and he showed it today," sophomore forward Robert Dozier said. "And Joey was a monster. He got every rebound, he had six blocks. He was everything we needed."
While those two Tigers were cool under pressure, Southern Miss coach Larry Eustachy fell to pieces in the second half, his constant arguments with the officiating crew eventually earning him two technical fouls and an ejection with 2:31 left. Douglas-Roberts converted the subsequent free throws to give the Tigers a 69-60 lead and essentially seal the victory.
"I'm really disappointed in myself that I can't quite ... I hoped I'd be able to get this team to a point this time of year where we could seize a great opportunity like this," Eustachy said. "In critical situations, we couldn't make plays. We had a lot of breakdowns when the game was really on. We settled for long shots and fouled and put it in the officials' hands, and there was no need to. We're just not quite there yet."
Eustachy wasn't the only one unhappy with the officiating.
After a slow first half in which 23 total fouls were called -- 12 on Memphis, 11 on Southern Miss -- Calipari launched into a tirade early in the second half that earned him a technical foul.
At the time, the game was beginning to slip away, with Southern Miss scoring five straight to erase the Tigers' 31-26 halftime lead. But Calipari's technical foul was effective, as Memphis scored nine straight points to take a 40-32 lead, which on many nights might have been enough to rattle Southern Miss.
Instead, the Golden Eagles suddenly caught fire from the 3-point line, with Jeremy Wise and Craig Craft hitting on back-to-back possessions and sparking a 12-0 run that gave the Golden Eagles a four-point lead with 12:56 remaining.
Then, a few seconds later, sophomore Antonio Anderson drained a 3-pointer from the corner in front of Memphis' bench, energizing the Tigers, who charged to a 57-54 lead.
And though the Tigers led the rest of the way, it wasn't until Jeremy Hunt's 3-pointer with 4:27 left that Memphis started to get separation at 65-59.
By Dan Wolken
January 14, 2007
HATTIESBURG, Miss. -- The young team in the yellow jerseys was beginning to suck the University of Memphis into its grind-it-out game, the Reed Green Coliseum crowd was becoming more of a factor with every possession, and John Calipari was starting to lose his cool with an officiating crew that couldn't go more than a few seconds without blowing a whistle.
But with all the stars seemingly in line Saturday for a Southern Miss upset, the No. 20-ranked Tigers showed both their versatility and their resolve in a 75-62 victory.
Whereas the Tigers were able to get any shot they wanted in a fast-paced affair at Houston on Thursday, Southern Miss successfully took Memphis out of its comfort zone, executing an ugly, physical plan that brought the game to a crawling pace.
But under constant duress, Memphis fought for crucial second-half baskets and won the game at the free-throw line, making 33-of-46 and improving to 13-3 on the year, 3-0 in Conference USA.
"It was a real physical game, and their fans made it worse," sophomore guard Chris Douglas-Roberts said. "We're a physical team, and when we play physical, usually we come out on top."
Though Southern Miss fell to 11-4 and 1-1 in the league, it was an impressive effort for a team that starts three freshmen and a sophomore.
"We needed a battle, and we got it," Calipari said. "I needed to see it; when the stuff gets a little rough, who's going to be able to keep their wits about them and play to win?"
Saturday, it was Douglas-Roberts, who scored 23 points despite a sprained right ankle and took over during a critical stretch of the second half, scoring five straight that gave Memphis the lead for good with 9:23 left.
And it was also junior forward Joey Dorsey, scoring 14 points with 11 rebounds and six blocked shots. Dorsey, a career 41.9 percent free-throw shooter, made 6-of-9 at the line, several of them at nervous moments in the second half.
"Chris has been our go-to guy all year. We knew that from Day 1 coming in, and he showed it today," sophomore forward Robert Dozier said. "And Joey was a monster. He got every rebound, he had six blocks. He was everything we needed."
While those two Tigers were cool under pressure, Southern Miss coach Larry Eustachy fell to pieces in the second half, his constant arguments with the officiating crew eventually earning him two technical fouls and an ejection with 2:31 left. Douglas-Roberts converted the subsequent free throws to give the Tigers a 69-60 lead and essentially seal the victory.
"I'm really disappointed in myself that I can't quite ... I hoped I'd be able to get this team to a point this time of year where we could seize a great opportunity like this," Eustachy said. "In critical situations, we couldn't make plays. We had a lot of breakdowns when the game was really on. We settled for long shots and fouled and put it in the officials' hands, and there was no need to. We're just not quite there yet."
Eustachy wasn't the only one unhappy with the officiating.
After a slow first half in which 23 total fouls were called -- 12 on Memphis, 11 on Southern Miss -- Calipari launched into a tirade early in the second half that earned him a technical foul.
At the time, the game was beginning to slip away, with Southern Miss scoring five straight to erase the Tigers' 31-26 halftime lead. But Calipari's technical foul was effective, as Memphis scored nine straight points to take a 40-32 lead, which on many nights might have been enough to rattle Southern Miss.
Instead, the Golden Eagles suddenly caught fire from the 3-point line, with Jeremy Wise and Craig Craft hitting on back-to-back possessions and sparking a 12-0 run that gave the Golden Eagles a four-point lead with 12:56 remaining.
Then, a few seconds later, sophomore Antonio Anderson drained a 3-pointer from the corner in front of Memphis' bench, energizing the Tigers, who charged to a 57-54 lead.
And though the Tigers led the rest of the way, it wasn't until Jeremy Hunt's 3-pointer with 4:27 left that Memphis started to get separation at 65-59.
Official Box Score - Memphis 75, Southern Miss. 62
Official Basketball Box Score -- GAME TOTALS -- FINAL STATISTICS
Memphis vs Southern Miss
1/13/07 7 pm at Hattiesburg, Miss. (Reed Green Coliseum)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
VISITORS: Memphis 13-3,3-0
TOT-FG 3-PT REBOUNDS
## Player Name FG-FGA FG-FGA FT-FTA OF DE TOT PF TP A TO BLK S MIN
02 Dozier, Robert...... f 3-6 0-0 5-6 3 1 4 4 11 0 2 1 1 25
32 Dorsey, Joey........ c 4-5 0-0 6-9 3 8 11 3 14 0 4 6 0 33
01 Kemp, Willie........ g 0-4 0-3 0-2 1 0 1 0 0 1 1 0 0 16
12 Anderson, Antonio... g 2-3 2-2 3-4 0 1 1 3 9 0 1 0 2 26
14 DOUGLAS-ROBERTS, C.. g 4-6 1-1 14-17 1 3 4 2 23 0 2 1 0 32
05 Hunt, Jeremy........ 2-8 1-3 3-6 1 5 6 2 8 1 1 0 1 22
15 Allen, Andre........ 3-7 0-3 2-2 0 1 1 3 8 2 1 0 2 24
20 Mack, Doneal........ 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 8
42 Cooper, Kareem...... 1-2 0-0 0-0 0 1 1 3 2 1 0 0 0 14
TEAM................ 1 4 5 1
Totals.............. 19-41 4-12 33-46 10 24 34 22 75 5 12 8 6 200
TOTAL FG% 1st Half: 9-20 45.0% 2nd Half: 10-21 47.6% Game: 46.3% DEADB
3-Pt. FG% 1st Half: 1-5 20.0% 2nd Half: 3-7 42.9% Game: 33.3% REBS
F Throw % 1st Half: 12-22 54.5% 2nd Half: 21-24 87.5% Game: 71.7% 7
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
HOME TEAM: Southern Miss 11-4,1-1
TOT-FG 3-PT REBOUNDS
## Player Name FG-FGA FG-FGA FT-FTA OF DE TOT PF TP A TO BLK S MIN
14 STONE, Sai'Quon..... f 3-6 0-0 3-6 1 3 4 3 9 1 2 0 1 37
32 STEPHENS, Andre..... c 0-2 0-0 2-4 1 2 3 3 2 0 0 1 0 18
01 BEASLEY, Courtney... g 0-2 0-0 0-0 1 0 1 3 0 1 4 0 0 17
02 GREEN, DeWayne...... g 0-3 0-1 0-0 0 3 3 2 0 1 1 0 1 20
03 WISE, Jeremy........ g 3-11 2-6 5-6 0 2 2 4 13 5 2 0 1 33
23 CRAFT, Craig........ 7-10 2-3 5-7 1 2 3 4 21 0 0 1 0 26
24 HILL, Jarvis........ 2-9 1-4 4-6 2 0 2 3 9 1 2 0 0 27
40 DOTSON, Demar....... 2-4 0-0 4-5 3 1 4 2 8 0 0 1 0 16
50 BAIN, Gjio.......... 0-1 0-0 0-0 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 6
TEAM................ 3 4 7 2 1
Totals.............. 17-48 5-14 23-34 12 18 30 26 62 9 12 4 3 200
TOTAL FG% 1st Half: 6-24 25.0% 2nd Half: 11-24 45.8% Game: 35.4% DEADB
3-Pt. FG% 1st Half: 1-3 33.3% 2nd Half: 4-11 36.4% Game: 35.7% REBS
F Throw % 1st Half: 13-18 72.2% 2nd Half: 10-16 62.5% Game: 67.6% 6
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Officials: Larry Rose (R), Kevin Mathis (U1), Brent Meaux (U2)
Technical fouls: Memphis-TEAM. Southern Miss-TEAM 2.
Attendance: 5410
Score by Periods 1st 2nd Total
Memphis....................... 31 44 - 75
Southern Miss................. 26 36 - 62
Points in the paint-MEM 26,USM 14. Points off turnovers-MEM 8,USM 9.
2nd chance points-MEM 14,USM 9. Fast break points-MEM 4,USM 2.
Bench points-MEM 18,USM 38. Score tied-3 times. Lead changed-9 times.
Last FG-MEM 2nd-00:53, USM 2nd-01:30.
Largest lead-MEM by 13 2nd-00:28, USM by 5 2nd-11:17.
Memphis vs Southern Miss
1/13/07 7 pm at Hattiesburg, Miss. (Reed Green Coliseum)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
VISITORS: Memphis 13-3,3-0
TOT-FG 3-PT REBOUNDS
## Player Name FG-FGA FG-FGA FT-FTA OF DE TOT PF TP A TO BLK S MIN
02 Dozier, Robert...... f 3-6 0-0 5-6 3 1 4 4 11 0 2 1 1 25
32 Dorsey, Joey........ c 4-5 0-0 6-9 3 8 11 3 14 0 4 6 0 33
01 Kemp, Willie........ g 0-4 0-3 0-2 1 0 1 0 0 1 1 0 0 16
12 Anderson, Antonio... g 2-3 2-2 3-4 0 1 1 3 9 0 1 0 2 26
14 DOUGLAS-ROBERTS, C.. g 4-6 1-1 14-17 1 3 4 2 23 0 2 1 0 32
05 Hunt, Jeremy........ 2-8 1-3 3-6 1 5 6 2 8 1 1 0 1 22
15 Allen, Andre........ 3-7 0-3 2-2 0 1 1 3 8 2 1 0 2 24
20 Mack, Doneal........ 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 8
42 Cooper, Kareem...... 1-2 0-0 0-0 0 1 1 3 2 1 0 0 0 14
TEAM................ 1 4 5 1
Totals.............. 19-41 4-12 33-46 10 24 34 22 75 5 12 8 6 200
TOTAL FG% 1st Half: 9-20 45.0% 2nd Half: 10-21 47.6% Game: 46.3% DEADB
3-Pt. FG% 1st Half: 1-5 20.0% 2nd Half: 3-7 42.9% Game: 33.3% REBS
F Throw % 1st Half: 12-22 54.5% 2nd Half: 21-24 87.5% Game: 71.7% 7
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
HOME TEAM: Southern Miss 11-4,1-1
TOT-FG 3-PT REBOUNDS
## Player Name FG-FGA FG-FGA FT-FTA OF DE TOT PF TP A TO BLK S MIN
14 STONE, Sai'Quon..... f 3-6 0-0 3-6 1 3 4 3 9 1 2 0 1 37
32 STEPHENS, Andre..... c 0-2 0-0 2-4 1 2 3 3 2 0 0 1 0 18
01 BEASLEY, Courtney... g 0-2 0-0 0-0 1 0 1 3 0 1 4 0 0 17
02 GREEN, DeWayne...... g 0-3 0-1 0-0 0 3 3 2 0 1 1 0 1 20
03 WISE, Jeremy........ g 3-11 2-6 5-6 0 2 2 4 13 5 2 0 1 33
23 CRAFT, Craig........ 7-10 2-3 5-7 1 2 3 4 21 0 0 1 0 26
24 HILL, Jarvis........ 2-9 1-4 4-6 2 0 2 3 9 1 2 0 0 27
40 DOTSON, Demar....... 2-4 0-0 4-5 3 1 4 2 8 0 0 1 0 16
50 BAIN, Gjio.......... 0-1 0-0 0-0 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 6
TEAM................ 3 4 7 2 1
Totals.............. 17-48 5-14 23-34 12 18 30 26 62 9 12 4 3 200
TOTAL FG% 1st Half: 6-24 25.0% 2nd Half: 11-24 45.8% Game: 35.4% DEADB
3-Pt. FG% 1st Half: 1-3 33.3% 2nd Half: 4-11 36.4% Game: 35.7% REBS
F Throw % 1st Half: 13-18 72.2% 2nd Half: 10-16 62.5% Game: 67.6% 6
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Officials: Larry Rose (R), Kevin Mathis (U1), Brent Meaux (U2)
Technical fouls: Memphis-TEAM. Southern Miss-TEAM 2.
Attendance: 5410
Score by Periods 1st 2nd Total
Memphis....................... 31 44 - 75
Southern Miss................. 26 36 - 62
Points in the paint-MEM 26,USM 14. Points off turnovers-MEM 8,USM 9.
2nd chance points-MEM 14,USM 9. Fast break points-MEM 4,USM 2.
Bench points-MEM 18,USM 38. Score tied-3 times. Lead changed-9 times.
Last FG-MEM 2nd-00:53, USM 2nd-01:30.
Largest lead-MEM by 13 2nd-00:28, USM by 5 2nd-11:17.
Memphis 75, Southern Mississippi 62
HATTIESBURG, Miss. (AP) -After watching Chris Douglas-Roberts hobble around on a sprained ankle in the first half Saturday night, his Memphis teammates asked him to ignore the pain and take over the game.
He answered the plea, scoring 23 points, including nine during a decisive 12-3 run, and No. 20 Memphis beat Southern Miss 75-62.
''They told me in the huddle they needed me to score,'' Douglas-Roberts said. ''I was too busy hopping on my ankle earlier in the game. I was thinking about it too much. And in the second half when we needed points, I just got 'em.''
The 6-foot-6 sophomore guard used his size advantage to score consecutive baskets twice in the second half to end quick-strike spurts by their Conference USA foe and help the Tigers (13-3, 3-0 C-USA) win their fifth straight.
Memphis, hitting 60 percent of its free throws entering the game, needed the extra hustle after missing 10 of 22 from the line in a spotty first half. Douglas-Roberts made 14-of-17 in the game and the team rallied around him to make 21-of-24 in the second half.
The number of free throws Memphis received was a constant issue for Southern Miss (11-4, 1-1), and coach Larry Eustachy was ejected after receiving a second technical for arguing foul calls. Eustachy was kicked out with 2:31 remaining after going face-to-face with official Larry Rose and screaming him near midcourt.
Eustachy took the blame for the loss rather than pointing a finger at the officials. Southern Miss entered the game with a size disadvantage at every position and featured three freshmen in its starting lineup.
''We probably shouldn't be able to, but I was hoping to get the team to the point this time of year where we could seize an opportunity like this,'' Eustachy said.
''We're just not quite there yet, and I'm disappointed from my end.''
Southern Miss put itself in position to pull away in the second half, but faltered when key plays were needed.
Craig Craft led the Golden Eagles with 21 points, and Jeremy Wise added 13, including two key 3-pointers in the second half that helped Southern Miss wipe away Memphis leads.
Memphis coach John Calipari was impressed with the young Southern Miss backcourt, which also includes sophomore Courtney Beasley .
''Their guards didn't seem to be fazed, which is amazing to me,'' he said. ''I mean a freshman and a sophomore, and then Craft came in and just, you know. They were good.''
The Tigers held the Golden Eagles without a field goal over the final 5:59 of the first half to take a 31-26 halftime lead.
Memphis trailed 21-20 with 6:29 remaining in the first half, but outscored Southern Miss 10-4 in the waning minutes and led 28-22 with 2:36 left.
Memphis' advantage evaporated immediately in the second half. Wise hit a 3-pointer to tie it 31-31 just 1:03 into the period. Douglas-Roberts, however, answered with six straight points during a 9-0 run that put the Tigers up 40-32 with 15:39 remaining.
Southern Miss put together another 12-0 run that began with back-to-back 3-pointers from Wise and Craft. Two possessions later, the Golden Eagles took their biggest lead of the game when Jarvis Hill hit a 16-foot jumper from near the top of the key to make it 50-45.
The first technical on Eustachy and five straight points from Douglas-Roberts helped put the Tigers back in front.
Douglas-Roberts' 3-pointer put Memphis ahead 55-54 with 9:18 left, and the Golden Eagles threatened several times but were unable to regain the lead.
Memphis' size was a key advantage. Joey Dorsey , who used his 260-pound frame to bull his way to 14 points, 11 rebounds and six of his team's eight blocks, was a key reason the Tigers pulled away late.
''Here's what happened: Joey Dorsey was a man,'' Calipari said.
''And then when the game was up and down and we couldn't score, Chris Douglas is scoring, getting free throws and making plays."
He answered the plea, scoring 23 points, including nine during a decisive 12-3 run, and No. 20 Memphis beat Southern Miss 75-62.
''They told me in the huddle they needed me to score,'' Douglas-Roberts said. ''I was too busy hopping on my ankle earlier in the game. I was thinking about it too much. And in the second half when we needed points, I just got 'em.''
The 6-foot-6 sophomore guard used his size advantage to score consecutive baskets twice in the second half to end quick-strike spurts by their Conference USA foe and help the Tigers (13-3, 3-0 C-USA) win their fifth straight.
Memphis, hitting 60 percent of its free throws entering the game, needed the extra hustle after missing 10 of 22 from the line in a spotty first half. Douglas-Roberts made 14-of-17 in the game and the team rallied around him to make 21-of-24 in the second half.
The number of free throws Memphis received was a constant issue for Southern Miss (11-4, 1-1), and coach Larry Eustachy was ejected after receiving a second technical for arguing foul calls. Eustachy was kicked out with 2:31 remaining after going face-to-face with official Larry Rose and screaming him near midcourt.
Eustachy took the blame for the loss rather than pointing a finger at the officials. Southern Miss entered the game with a size disadvantage at every position and featured three freshmen in its starting lineup.
''We probably shouldn't be able to, but I was hoping to get the team to the point this time of year where we could seize an opportunity like this,'' Eustachy said.
''We're just not quite there yet, and I'm disappointed from my end.''
Southern Miss put itself in position to pull away in the second half, but faltered when key plays were needed.
Craig Craft led the Golden Eagles with 21 points, and Jeremy Wise added 13, including two key 3-pointers in the second half that helped Southern Miss wipe away Memphis leads.
Memphis coach John Calipari was impressed with the young Southern Miss backcourt, which also includes sophomore Courtney Beasley .
''Their guards didn't seem to be fazed, which is amazing to me,'' he said. ''I mean a freshman and a sophomore, and then Craft came in and just, you know. They were good.''
The Tigers held the Golden Eagles without a field goal over the final 5:59 of the first half to take a 31-26 halftime lead.
Memphis trailed 21-20 with 6:29 remaining in the first half, but outscored Southern Miss 10-4 in the waning minutes and led 28-22 with 2:36 left.
Memphis' advantage evaporated immediately in the second half. Wise hit a 3-pointer to tie it 31-31 just 1:03 into the period. Douglas-Roberts, however, answered with six straight points during a 9-0 run that put the Tigers up 40-32 with 15:39 remaining.
Southern Miss put together another 12-0 run that began with back-to-back 3-pointers from Wise and Craft. Two possessions later, the Golden Eagles took their biggest lead of the game when Jarvis Hill hit a 16-foot jumper from near the top of the key to make it 50-45.
The first technical on Eustachy and five straight points from Douglas-Roberts helped put the Tigers back in front.
Douglas-Roberts' 3-pointer put Memphis ahead 55-54 with 9:18 left, and the Golden Eagles threatened several times but were unable to regain the lead.
Memphis' size was a key advantage. Joey Dorsey , who used his 260-pound frame to bull his way to 14 points, 11 rebounds and six of his team's eight blocks, was a key reason the Tigers pulled away late.
''Here's what happened: Joey Dorsey was a man,'' Calipari said.
''And then when the game was up and down and we couldn't score, Chris Douglas is scoring, getting free throws and making plays."
Friday, January 12, 2007
SI.com Article on UAB Coach Mike Davis
Sweet Home Alabama
After a tumultuous six-year tenure at Indiana, Mike Davis is starting fresh at Alabama-Birmingham
Posted: Friday January 12, 2007 11:17AM; Updated: Friday January 12, 2007 12:38PM
By Cory McCartney, SI.com
Antonie Davis didn't want his dad's new team to play any games. The 8-year-old remembered the end of his father tenure at Indiana all too well, when Mike Davis was under the intense scrutiny from fans that were still clinging to the memory of the icon he replaced. But back home in his native Alabama, as the first-year coach at UAB and away from the ominous shadow of Bob Knight, Davis and has found his comfort zone -- and delivered a message to his son that is fitting after his tumultuous time in Bloomington.
"I told him, 'It's not the same here. It's different here,'" said Davis, 46.
Different indeed. Davis resigned after six seasons at Indiana, going from a basketball Mecca boasting five national championship banners in historic Assembly Hall and eight Final Four appearances to a solid, lower-profile Conference USA program as he succeeded Mike Anderson, who left for Missouri.
To some it may appear to be a step backward, but not to Davis. He's come home and couldn't be happier. "This is where I fit in. This is me," he said. "No disrespect to Indiana, but this is who I am and I'm enjoying it. I'm happy about it [and] I feel good about it."
Robert Vaden has seen the change in Davis first hand. The 6-foot-5 junior swingman followed the coach to UAB from Indiana and says he has seen the man he calls a father figure recharged by the new challenge.
"He's around the gym lots of times, whereas in Bloomington he would be around just for practice and he would go home with his family," said Vaden, who is sitting out under NCAA transfer rules this season. "Just being around the gym and being around what he loves and that's basketball, he's around it all the time."
Tough act to follow
In September 2000, Indiana fired Knight for violating a zero-tolerance policy and decided to promote Davis, then an assistant, to interim head coach. Davis came under fire from many Knight loyalists (and Knight himself), but he didn't waiver in his decision to take the job. When he was announced as Knight's successor he stood confidently at a podium, his players flanking him. "I'm sad by the way [the hiring] happened," Davis said at the time. "Everyone knows coach Knight is the reason I'm here and why the players are here. "[But] Indiana basketball is bigger than anyone."
Over the course of the next six seasons, Davis would find that sentiment didn't hold true for many Indiana fans who remained loyal to Knight. As Davis embarked on the most impossible of tasks -- replacing a legend -- the gravity of it all didn't take hold.
"I really wasn't thinking about [following Knight] at the beginning, I just wanted an opportunity to be a head coach and put myself in a situation like I am in now," Davis said. "I never thought about it, but he is the best of all-time, so it was hard for [longtime Indiana fans] to see me be in his position ... it's hard for anyone to see the next guy behind coach Knight, because he just does so much for college basketball."
Davis could not win over the Indiana faithful despite 21 victories his first season and 25 his second en route to an appearance in the national title game, after which he was awarded with an extension through 2007-08. The following season he was hampered by expectations, falling to 14-15 in '03-04 (Indiana's first losing season since 1969-70), his own words -- saying he thought IU's nameless jerseys and candy-stripe warm-up pants hurt recruiting, and that he had a desire to someday coach in the NBA -- and those of Knight, who said in a '05 Sporting News Radio interview that he considered firing Davis before leaving Indiana.
In March 2005, after losing to Vanderbilt in the first round of the NIT to finish 15-14, Indiana athletic director Rick Greenspan issued a statement that included a warning to Davis:
"While we share this common goal and are both confident that it will be reached, we also know that our record the last two years is not up to the standards to which Indiana is accustomed and to which we aspire. This is why we have set ambitious and achievable goals for next season of competing at a very high level in the Big Ten Conference and successfully competing in the NCAA tournament."
The '05-'06 season would be filled with constant speculation of whether Davis would be fired, and Vaden says it wore on him and the team as well as Davis. "It was real hard," said Vaden. "It's like when one of your friends is getting picked on in class. And you want to stick up for them and take on the bullies.:
Following a loss at Penn State last February, Davis announced he would resign, but would stay on and coach through the remainder of the season. In retrospect, he says it's a decision he should have made years before.
"It was more to me of what's right for the program. I think by me stepping aside it was right for the program," he said. "I probably should have did it two years earlier. They deserve a great coach and it's a great program. There were some recruits that probably would have gone there if someone else was [the coach]. I probably should have stepped away earlier than what I did, but at the same time, I just wanted an opportunity."
Davis led Indiana to a 19-12 finish last season, advancing to the second round of the NCAA tournament, where the Hoosiers fell to Gonzaga.
A new beginning
As Davis searched for a new job, there was only one direction he was willing to go, and it meant closing the door on Indiana and going back home to Alabama.
"I wanted to go south, for sure," he said laughing, and the opportunity presented itself at UAB, a job Davis said he first became interested in when Anderson was hired to replace Murry Bartow in 2002.
Davis inherited a team that has made 13 NCAA tournament appearances in its 28-year existence, advancing to the Sweet 16 three times and the Elite Eight once. But most importantly UAB was a place that presented an opportunity to do what he could never accomplish while trying to fill Knight's shoes in Bloomington: put his own imprint on a program.
"I can do what I need to do to take this program to the next level," he said. "That's what I want to do. I have the chance to do some things here that have never been done here before even though this is a big-time program ... if I can take them to a Final Four, that would be wonderful."
Davis also brought a little bit of Indiana with him as his son Mike Jr., a 6-3 junior guard who sat out 2005-06 at IU after transferring from Blawk Hawk Community College in Kewanee, Ill., and Vaden, the Hoosiers' leader in assists and steals last season.
Vaden made it clear early on he would follow Davis, regardless of where he landed. "We talked when he resigned and he told me to just make the best decision for me and my family and I told him that would be playing for him," Vaden said.
The junior will sit out this season, but has been practicing with the Blazers and his commitment to Davis has made an impression on the coach. "I love him like a son and his upside is really unbelievable," Davis said of Vaden.
Davis is hoping that there is a similar upside at UAB. The Blazers are a work in progress this season with a 9-7 record, including a 1-1 mark in Conference USA. Davis may never be able to escape the reminders of Bob Knight and his time at Indiana, hearing it from reporters and fans. But in Birmingham he is in a place where his son, Mike Jr. "doesn't have to walk around and hear things about his father that he probably shouldn't have to hear," Davis says.
UAB doesn't have the spotlight or the amenities of a top-flight program like did Indiana, but to Davis UAB has the most important amenity of all -- comfort.
"It's where I need to be," he said. "It's just a great fit."
Next Up - Southern Miss (11-3, 1-0) Who Defeated SMU in Dallas Wednesday
Eagles defeat SMU
Special to the Hattiesburg American
DALLAS, Texas - Andre Stephens hit the go-ahead bucket with 1:32 remaining as Southern Miss collected a 57-56 Conference USA season-opening victory, holding off SMU at Moody Coliseum Wednesday night after taking a big first-half advantage.
The Golden Eagles (11-3 overall, 1-0 in C-USA) snapped an 18-game regular-season C-USA road losing streak, as well as a 15-game regular-season losing streak of playing games away Reed Green Coliseum.
Jeremy Wise led the Golden Eagles with 11 points, while Courtney Beasley added 10 points.
Southern Miss, which scored the first 10 points of the game and led by as many as 21 points in the opening half, took a 37-19 lead at intermission by making 17-of-34 shots in the opening half. But the Golden Eagles had to fight off a Mustang squad that outscored them 37-20 over the final 20 minutes.
"As well as we played in the first half, they played just as well in the second half," said Southern Miss coach Larry Eustachy. "It definitely was a tale of two halves."
The Mustangs (11-4, 0-1) overcame a poor shooting first half, 21.4 percent (6-of-28), and made five second-half 3-pointers to get back into the contest.
Devon Pearson was one of four Mustangs in double figures as he scored all 12 of his points in the final half. Pearson made two free throws with 3:15 left to give SMU its first lead of the contest at 54-53. Ike Ofoegbu added 12 points, while Derrick Roberts tallied 11 and Jon Killen notched 10 for the Mustangs.
Beasley then answered for Southern Miss with a basket, before Bamba Fall drained two free throws to give SMU its final advantage at 56-55 with 2:42 to play.
The two teams traded possessions before DeWayne Green found Stephens in the paint for the easy bucket. It was one of a game-high seven assists for Green as the visitors outscored the Mustangs 36-20 in the paint for the game.
Five possessions then went by before Wise was fouled for a one-and-one with 16 seconds remaining and he missed the front end. On SMU's final possession, the ball got knocked out of bounds with just under three seconds to play and the home squad got the ball to Derrick Roberts who clanged a jumper off the back iron as time expired.
Special to the Hattiesburg American
DALLAS, Texas - Andre Stephens hit the go-ahead bucket with 1:32 remaining as Southern Miss collected a 57-56 Conference USA season-opening victory, holding off SMU at Moody Coliseum Wednesday night after taking a big first-half advantage.
The Golden Eagles (11-3 overall, 1-0 in C-USA) snapped an 18-game regular-season C-USA road losing streak, as well as a 15-game regular-season losing streak of playing games away Reed Green Coliseum.
Jeremy Wise led the Golden Eagles with 11 points, while Courtney Beasley added 10 points.
Southern Miss, which scored the first 10 points of the game and led by as many as 21 points in the opening half, took a 37-19 lead at intermission by making 17-of-34 shots in the opening half. But the Golden Eagles had to fight off a Mustang squad that outscored them 37-20 over the final 20 minutes.
"As well as we played in the first half, they played just as well in the second half," said Southern Miss coach Larry Eustachy. "It definitely was a tale of two halves."
The Mustangs (11-4, 0-1) overcame a poor shooting first half, 21.4 percent (6-of-28), and made five second-half 3-pointers to get back into the contest.
Devon Pearson was one of four Mustangs in double figures as he scored all 12 of his points in the final half. Pearson made two free throws with 3:15 left to give SMU its first lead of the contest at 54-53. Ike Ofoegbu added 12 points, while Derrick Roberts tallied 11 and Jon Killen notched 10 for the Mustangs.
Beasley then answered for Southern Miss with a basket, before Bamba Fall drained two free throws to give SMU its final advantage at 56-55 with 2:42 to play.
The two teams traded possessions before DeWayne Green found Stephens in the paint for the easy bucket. It was one of a game-high seven assists for Green as the visitors outscored the Mustangs 36-20 in the paint for the game.
Five possessions then went by before Wise was fouled for a one-and-one with 16 seconds remaining and he missed the front end. On SMU's final possession, the ball got knocked out of bounds with just under three seconds to play and the home squad got the ball to Derrick Roberts who clanged a jumper off the back iron as time expired.
Houston Chronicle Story on Memphis v. Houston Game
Jan. 12, 2007, 1:52AM
Houston comes up short at home
No. 20 Memphis gets early jump on Cougars 79-69
By MICHAEL MURPHY
Copyright 2007 Houston Chronicle
The Houston Cougars figured they had a good game plan for Thursday's nationally televised game against Memphis.
The Tigers, the 20th-ranked team in the nation, were bigger. Much bigger. They were deeper. They were more experienced.
But the Cougars believed their constantly changing defense and attack-the-basket offense would keep Memphis off-balance just long enough to give them the opening they would need to pull off the upset.
The only problem was that their scheme required five players, and for entirely too much of the game the Cougars played like they had only four on the floor.
The result was a 79-69 Memphis victory before a crowd of 4,804 fans at Hofheinz Pavilion, and ESPN's cameras.
What hurt the Cougars more than the Tigers' size, depth and experience was the fact that they spent much of the night playing five-on-four, with junior forward Dion Dowell remarkable only by his absence.
While Robert McKiver was blasting his way to 27 points, the Cougars' "big men" — 6-6 Jahmar Thorpe and 6-7 Nick Mosley — battled the Memphis monsters for a combined 24 points (on 11-of-18 shooting) and 11 rebounds.
But in the biggest game of the season, Dowell, a junior transfer from Texas, finished with four points and three rebounds. He made only one shot, but even more painful for the Cougars (5-8, 0-1 C-USA) was watching Dowell attempt only five shots.
"Against an outstanding team like Memphis, you need guys to step up, and the only guys who stepped up were McKiver and Jahmar Thorpe," said Cougars coach Tom Penders. "We needed more from Oliver Lafayette (six points on 3-of-10 shooting) certainly. He was in a funk. Robert Lee (scoreless in nine minutes) was sick and wasn't himself out there.
"But it was kind of a disappointing performance by Dion Dowell. If you look at his numbers coming into this game and the quality of opponents we were playing, he just didn't step up and give us what he normally does. And to have a shot against Memphis, you have to have that."
The final was never really in doubt, mostly because the Tigers (12-3, 2-0) were able to go inside and exploit their overwhelming size advantage pretty much whenever they pleased.
Joey Dorsey, the Tigers' rock-hard 6-9, 260-pound center, had 10 rebounds and three blocks, scoring eight points as an offensive afterthought. Robert Dozier, a 6-9 "small" forward, had 12 points and three blocks. And when the Cougars tried to collapse inside to help, the Tigers kicked the ball out to the perimeter, where guys like Chris Douglas-Roberts (16 points, 6-of-8 shooting), Jeremy Hunt (14 points) and Doneal Mack (11 ponts, 3-of-3 shooting) hit almost everything they put up.
That was true of the whole Memphis team, which shot 60 percent from the floor (30-of-50) and 62.5 percent from the 3-point line (10-of-16).
"As a team, we have to fight more," said McKiver, who dropped in half of his 18 shots. "We have to come out and be ready to defend our goals."
Thorpe and Mosley did what they could, battling inside and keeping the game from being a blowout after the Cougars fell behind by 14 points at halftime. But without any contributions from Dowell, Lafayette and Lee, the Cougars were swimming upstream against a big, good team.
"I'm looking for him to be a real leader, one where the other players will follow," Penders said of Dowell. "Sometimes your most talented players have to go through this. For him to sit there and have to watch a freshman play so fearlessly, scrambling so fiercely for loose balls and rebounds, has to register."
michael.murphy@chron.com
Houston comes up short at home
No. 20 Memphis gets early jump on Cougars 79-69
By MICHAEL MURPHY
Copyright 2007 Houston Chronicle
The Houston Cougars figured they had a good game plan for Thursday's nationally televised game against Memphis.
The Tigers, the 20th-ranked team in the nation, were bigger. Much bigger. They were deeper. They were more experienced.
But the Cougars believed their constantly changing defense and attack-the-basket offense would keep Memphis off-balance just long enough to give them the opening they would need to pull off the upset.
The only problem was that their scheme required five players, and for entirely too much of the game the Cougars played like they had only four on the floor.
The result was a 79-69 Memphis victory before a crowd of 4,804 fans at Hofheinz Pavilion, and ESPN's cameras.
What hurt the Cougars more than the Tigers' size, depth and experience was the fact that they spent much of the night playing five-on-four, with junior forward Dion Dowell remarkable only by his absence.
While Robert McKiver was blasting his way to 27 points, the Cougars' "big men" — 6-6 Jahmar Thorpe and 6-7 Nick Mosley — battled the Memphis monsters for a combined 24 points (on 11-of-18 shooting) and 11 rebounds.
But in the biggest game of the season, Dowell, a junior transfer from Texas, finished with four points and three rebounds. He made only one shot, but even more painful for the Cougars (5-8, 0-1 C-USA) was watching Dowell attempt only five shots.
"Against an outstanding team like Memphis, you need guys to step up, and the only guys who stepped up were McKiver and Jahmar Thorpe," said Cougars coach Tom Penders. "We needed more from Oliver Lafayette (six points on 3-of-10 shooting) certainly. He was in a funk. Robert Lee (scoreless in nine minutes) was sick and wasn't himself out there.
"But it was kind of a disappointing performance by Dion Dowell. If you look at his numbers coming into this game and the quality of opponents we were playing, he just didn't step up and give us what he normally does. And to have a shot against Memphis, you have to have that."
The final was never really in doubt, mostly because the Tigers (12-3, 2-0) were able to go inside and exploit their overwhelming size advantage pretty much whenever they pleased.
Joey Dorsey, the Tigers' rock-hard 6-9, 260-pound center, had 10 rebounds and three blocks, scoring eight points as an offensive afterthought. Robert Dozier, a 6-9 "small" forward, had 12 points and three blocks. And when the Cougars tried to collapse inside to help, the Tigers kicked the ball out to the perimeter, where guys like Chris Douglas-Roberts (16 points, 6-of-8 shooting), Jeremy Hunt (14 points) and Doneal Mack (11 ponts, 3-of-3 shooting) hit almost everything they put up.
That was true of the whole Memphis team, which shot 60 percent from the floor (30-of-50) and 62.5 percent from the 3-point line (10-of-16).
"As a team, we have to fight more," said McKiver, who dropped in half of his 18 shots. "We have to come out and be ready to defend our goals."
Thorpe and Mosley did what they could, battling inside and keeping the game from being a blowout after the Cougars fell behind by 14 points at halftime. But without any contributions from Dowell, Lafayette and Lee, the Cougars were swimming upstream against a big, good team.
"I'm looking for him to be a real leader, one where the other players will follow," Penders said of Dowell. "Sometimes your most talented players have to go through this. For him to sit there and have to watch a freshman play so fearlessly, scrambling so fiercely for loose balls and rebounds, has to register."
michael.murphy@chron.com
Tigers v. Houston Replay
Tigers replay
January 12, 2007
AS THE GAME TURNED
With 5:49 to go in the first half, a 3-pointer by Robert McKiver -- one of five he made in the half -- brought Houston within 29-26. But just 10 seconds later, Memphis center Kareem Cooper scored on a lefty hook shot, starting an 18-4 run that would give the Tigers a 47-30 lead. Though another McKiver 3-pointer with 40 seconds left got Houston within 14 at halftime, the Tigers had a margin to work with. Sophomore guard Antonio Anderson scored six straight during the run on a 3-pointer, then on a 3-point play after he was fouled on a layup.
AS THE ROTATION TURNED
Usually, it's Memphis' starters that get in foul trouble, leaving lots of minutes for the bench. Thursday, it was the Tigers' top two reserves -- point guard Andre Allen and shooting guard Jeremy Hunt -- who picked up fouls early. Allen committed two fouls in three first-half minutes, and Hunt had two fouls in nine minutes. Forced to go with freshman Doneal Mack to pick up Hunt's minutes, Mack responded in the first half, scoring nine points in nine minutes on 3-of-3 from the field.
RIM GEMS
Jahmar Thorpe, Houston's 6-6 senior forward, has a broken bone in his left wrist and a sprained right wrist. Painful? You bet. But that didn't stop Thorpe from delivering the highlight-reel play of the game, following a missed 3-pointer by McKiver for a monstrous follow-up dunk with his right hand with 10 minutes remaining in the first half. The play brought Houston within 20-15.
HIDE YOUR EYES
Two of Memphis' most responsible players had off nights handling the ball. Sophomore guard Chris Douglas-Roberts, who scored 16 points, had six turnovers and no assists. Hunt had no assists and four turnovers, all in the first half. "That just doesn't happen," coach John Calipari said.
SCORER'S TABLE
The Tigers' offense is designed to score points exclusively with layups, 3-pointers and free throws. Memphis essentially accomplished that Thursday, scoring 30 on 3-pointers and 40 points in the paint. The other nine came from the free-throw line.
LOCKERROOM CHATTER
"Joey's got the mindset now that all he wants to do is block shots, rebound and dunk balls. (If he continues), he's going to be a tough one to stop and we'll be a tough team to beat." -- Anderson, referring to junior forward Joey Dorsey, who had eight points, 10 rebounds and three blocks.
ODDS AND ENDS
Douglas-Roberts appeared to injure his right ankle with 6:02 left in the first half when he took a long transition feed from Anderson, scored, drew a foul and then couldn't stop his momentum, nearly tumbling into seats near the basket. After he made the free-throw, Douglas-Roberts went to the bench to receive treatment. He came back with 2:07 left in the half.
Sophomore forward Robert Dozier came down hard on his right hip late in the game, but Calipari said the injury appeared minor.
Rod Strickland, the Tigers' director of student-athlete development, played at Hofheinz Pavilion during the 1985-86 season when he was a freshman at DePaul. Strickland's DePaul team beat Houston, 84-78.
Houston, whose RPI was 115th heading into Thursday's game, has played the 27th most difficult schedule in the country. Memphis' strength of schedule was 13th, according to Ken Pomeroy's calculations at kenpom.com.
Thorpe, whose injured wrists were wrapped with heavy tape, suffered a tough fall trying to block a Dorsey dunk in the second half and appeared to suffer a right foot injury. After going to the locker room, Thorpe came back in short order and made two 18-foot jumpers. He finished with 14 points on 6-of-10 shooting.
LOOKING AHEAD
Tigers at Southern Miss, Saturday, 7 p.m.
-- Dan Wolken
January 12, 2007
AS THE GAME TURNED
With 5:49 to go in the first half, a 3-pointer by Robert McKiver -- one of five he made in the half -- brought Houston within 29-26. But just 10 seconds later, Memphis center Kareem Cooper scored on a lefty hook shot, starting an 18-4 run that would give the Tigers a 47-30 lead. Though another McKiver 3-pointer with 40 seconds left got Houston within 14 at halftime, the Tigers had a margin to work with. Sophomore guard Antonio Anderson scored six straight during the run on a 3-pointer, then on a 3-point play after he was fouled on a layup.
AS THE ROTATION TURNED
Usually, it's Memphis' starters that get in foul trouble, leaving lots of minutes for the bench. Thursday, it was the Tigers' top two reserves -- point guard Andre Allen and shooting guard Jeremy Hunt -- who picked up fouls early. Allen committed two fouls in three first-half minutes, and Hunt had two fouls in nine minutes. Forced to go with freshman Doneal Mack to pick up Hunt's minutes, Mack responded in the first half, scoring nine points in nine minutes on 3-of-3 from the field.
RIM GEMS
Jahmar Thorpe, Houston's 6-6 senior forward, has a broken bone in his left wrist and a sprained right wrist. Painful? You bet. But that didn't stop Thorpe from delivering the highlight-reel play of the game, following a missed 3-pointer by McKiver for a monstrous follow-up dunk with his right hand with 10 minutes remaining in the first half. The play brought Houston within 20-15.
HIDE YOUR EYES
Two of Memphis' most responsible players had off nights handling the ball. Sophomore guard Chris Douglas-Roberts, who scored 16 points, had six turnovers and no assists. Hunt had no assists and four turnovers, all in the first half. "That just doesn't happen," coach John Calipari said.
SCORER'S TABLE
The Tigers' offense is designed to score points exclusively with layups, 3-pointers and free throws. Memphis essentially accomplished that Thursday, scoring 30 on 3-pointers and 40 points in the paint. The other nine came from the free-throw line.
LOCKERROOM CHATTER
"Joey's got the mindset now that all he wants to do is block shots, rebound and dunk balls. (If he continues), he's going to be a tough one to stop and we'll be a tough team to beat." -- Anderson, referring to junior forward Joey Dorsey, who had eight points, 10 rebounds and three blocks.
ODDS AND ENDS
Douglas-Roberts appeared to injure his right ankle with 6:02 left in the first half when he took a long transition feed from Anderson, scored, drew a foul and then couldn't stop his momentum, nearly tumbling into seats near the basket. After he made the free-throw, Douglas-Roberts went to the bench to receive treatment. He came back with 2:07 left in the half.
Sophomore forward Robert Dozier came down hard on his right hip late in the game, but Calipari said the injury appeared minor.
Rod Strickland, the Tigers' director of student-athlete development, played at Hofheinz Pavilion during the 1985-86 season when he was a freshman at DePaul. Strickland's DePaul team beat Houston, 84-78.
Houston, whose RPI was 115th heading into Thursday's game, has played the 27th most difficult schedule in the country. Memphis' strength of schedule was 13th, according to Ken Pomeroy's calculations at kenpom.com.
Thorpe, whose injured wrists were wrapped with heavy tape, suffered a tough fall trying to block a Dorsey dunk in the second half and appeared to suffer a right foot injury. After going to the locker room, Thorpe came back in short order and made two 18-foot jumpers. He finished with 14 points on 6-of-10 shooting.
LOOKING AHEAD
Tigers at Southern Miss, Saturday, 7 p.m.
-- Dan Wolken
Tigers Find 3-Point Touch in Win Over Houston
Tigers finally find their 3-point touch in win over Houston
(20) Tigers 79, Houston 69
By Dan Wolken
January 12, 2007
HOUSTON -- The Houston Cougars bobbed and weaved, created room and created chaos. All the University of Memphis did was shoot straight.
Fueled by the most efficient 3-point shooting performance of the season, the No. 20-ranked Tigers pulled off a surprising role reversal on Thursday night, winning a fast-paced, 79-69 decision in front of a Hofheinz Pavilion crowd of 4,804.
All week, Memphis coach John Calipari fretted about Houston's sometimes erratic but potentially dangerous 3-point game. But instead, the Tigers stung Houston by making 10-of-16 from long range and converting 60 percent of their field-goal attempts, playing their drive-and-kick offense almost to perfection and improving to 12-3 overall, 2-0 in Conference USA.
Houston, picked No. 2 in C-USA's preseason poll, fell to 5-8 and 0-1 in the league.
"We shot the ball extremely well," sophomore guard Antonio Anderson said. "We've been working on it in practice. It's been a hard week for us, but we fought through it. They made some shots, but we got the lead and held on strong the rest of the game."
For the Tigers' first 15 games, as they struggled on the road and played erratically for long stretches, Calipari insisted his team was doing one thing right: Getting far more wide-open looks out of its offense than it did a year ago.
Now, Memphis is finally converting some, and the difference was clear Thursday.
Whereas the Tigers fell apart in road games at Tennessee and Arizona, unable to make key baskets and halt runs, they were calm and aggressive here. After Memphis grabbed a 14-point halftime lead, Houston pushed the Tigers at several moments. Every time, the Tigers pushed back.
And really, Houston's 3-point shooting wasn't much of a factor. Though guard Robert McKiver got some good looks, scoring 27 points on 7-of-13 from the 3-point line, the rest of the team went 3-for-12 as Memphis alertly defended Houston's constantly weaving offense.
"We practiced with their weaves," said freshman Doneal Mack, who scored 11 points and made two big 3-pointers in the first half. "We practiced that for the last week and we knew what they were planning on doing, weaving and shooting threes. So when we got in the game, it showed."
Though Memphis got off to a good start, taking a 14-5 lead in the first 5:14 capped by senior Jeremy Hunt's 3-pointer, it was a late first-half run that gave the Tigers a double-digit cushion they held nearly the rest of the way.
After a McKiver 3-pointer closed the gap to 29-26, Memphis center Kareem Cooper scored on a lefty hook shot just 10 seconds later, Mack made a leaner from eight feet on the next possession, and Anderson scored six straight points to key an 18-4 run.
Suddenly, the Tigers led 47-30 and appeared on their way to a blowout. But McKiver hit a 3-pointer at the end of the half to get within 14, then made another on the first possession of the second half when he got freshman Willie Kemp to bite on a ball fake.
Seconds later, Kemp committed a turnover on an ill-advised entry pass, and a furious Calipari pulled him in favor of Andre Allen just 49 seconds into the half. With Allen back in control, the Tigers quickly pushed the lead from nine back to 17, with an Allen steal and breakaway layup giving the Tigers a 61-44 edge with 14:16 to go.
Though the Cougars closed the gap to 13 and 11 several times, Memphis kept them at bay when necessary. One of the reasons was uncanny shot distribution, with none of Memphis' nine players taking more than nine shots. Four Tigers scored in double-figures, led by sophomore Chris Douglas-Roberts' 16 points on 6-of-8 shooting.
"I thought we were good," Calipari said. "They weave and play a little different style. We may never see that again until we play them again, and I thought we did a fairly good job. The second half, they made some shots, and we had some miscommunications but it was really them just making shots."
-- Dan Wolken: 529-2365
(20) Tigers 79, Houston 69
By Dan Wolken
January 12, 2007
HOUSTON -- The Houston Cougars bobbed and weaved, created room and created chaos. All the University of Memphis did was shoot straight.
Fueled by the most efficient 3-point shooting performance of the season, the No. 20-ranked Tigers pulled off a surprising role reversal on Thursday night, winning a fast-paced, 79-69 decision in front of a Hofheinz Pavilion crowd of 4,804.
All week, Memphis coach John Calipari fretted about Houston's sometimes erratic but potentially dangerous 3-point game. But instead, the Tigers stung Houston by making 10-of-16 from long range and converting 60 percent of their field-goal attempts, playing their drive-and-kick offense almost to perfection and improving to 12-3 overall, 2-0 in Conference USA.
Houston, picked No. 2 in C-USA's preseason poll, fell to 5-8 and 0-1 in the league.
"We shot the ball extremely well," sophomore guard Antonio Anderson said. "We've been working on it in practice. It's been a hard week for us, but we fought through it. They made some shots, but we got the lead and held on strong the rest of the game."
For the Tigers' first 15 games, as they struggled on the road and played erratically for long stretches, Calipari insisted his team was doing one thing right: Getting far more wide-open looks out of its offense than it did a year ago.
Now, Memphis is finally converting some, and the difference was clear Thursday.
Whereas the Tigers fell apart in road games at Tennessee and Arizona, unable to make key baskets and halt runs, they were calm and aggressive here. After Memphis grabbed a 14-point halftime lead, Houston pushed the Tigers at several moments. Every time, the Tigers pushed back.
And really, Houston's 3-point shooting wasn't much of a factor. Though guard Robert McKiver got some good looks, scoring 27 points on 7-of-13 from the 3-point line, the rest of the team went 3-for-12 as Memphis alertly defended Houston's constantly weaving offense.
"We practiced with their weaves," said freshman Doneal Mack, who scored 11 points and made two big 3-pointers in the first half. "We practiced that for the last week and we knew what they were planning on doing, weaving and shooting threes. So when we got in the game, it showed."
Though Memphis got off to a good start, taking a 14-5 lead in the first 5:14 capped by senior Jeremy Hunt's 3-pointer, it was a late first-half run that gave the Tigers a double-digit cushion they held nearly the rest of the way.
After a McKiver 3-pointer closed the gap to 29-26, Memphis center Kareem Cooper scored on a lefty hook shot just 10 seconds later, Mack made a leaner from eight feet on the next possession, and Anderson scored six straight points to key an 18-4 run.
Suddenly, the Tigers led 47-30 and appeared on their way to a blowout. But McKiver hit a 3-pointer at the end of the half to get within 14, then made another on the first possession of the second half when he got freshman Willie Kemp to bite on a ball fake.
Seconds later, Kemp committed a turnover on an ill-advised entry pass, and a furious Calipari pulled him in favor of Andre Allen just 49 seconds into the half. With Allen back in control, the Tigers quickly pushed the lead from nine back to 17, with an Allen steal and breakaway layup giving the Tigers a 61-44 edge with 14:16 to go.
Though the Cougars closed the gap to 13 and 11 several times, Memphis kept them at bay when necessary. One of the reasons was uncanny shot distribution, with none of Memphis' nine players taking more than nine shots. Four Tigers scored in double-figures, led by sophomore Chris Douglas-Roberts' 16 points on 6-of-8 shooting.
"I thought we were good," Calipari said. "They weave and play a little different style. We may never see that again until we play them again, and I thought we did a fairly good job. The second half, they made some shots, and we had some miscommunications but it was really them just making shots."
-- Dan Wolken: 529-2365
Official Box Score - Memphis 79, Houston 69
Official Basketball Box Score -- GAME TOTALS -- FINAL STATISTICS
MEMPHIS vs HOUSTON
01/11/07 8:05 at Hofheinz Pavilion, Houston, Texas
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
VISITORS: MEMPHIS 12-3, 2-0 C-USA
TOT-FG 3-PT REBOUNDS
## Player Name FG-FGA FG-FGA FT-FTA OF DE TOT PF TP A TO BLK S MIN
02 Dozier, Robert...... f 6-9 0-2 0-3 0 3 3 1 12 2 0 3 1 33
32 Dorsey, Joey........ f 4-7 0-0 0-0 6 4 10 2 8 0 1 3 1 33
01 Kemp, Willie........ g 1-6 0-2 0-0 1 1 2 2 2 5 3 0 0 28
12 Anderson, Antonio... g 3-6 2-3 1-1 0 4 4 1 9 4 2 0 2 28
14 DOUGLAS-ROBERTS, C.. g 6-8 2-2 2-3 0 2 2 1 16 0 6 0 0 27
05 Hunt, Jeremy........ 4-7 3-4 3-4 0 2 2 2 14 0 4 0 1 23
15 Allen, Andre........ 2-3 1-1 0-0 0 0 0 3 5 6 3 0 3 9
20 Mack, Doneal........ 3-3 2-2 3-6 1 1 2 0 11 1 0 0 0 12
42 Cooper, Kareem...... 1-1 0-0 0-0 1 3 4 2 2 1 1 0 0 7
TEAM................ 3 3 6
Totals.............. 30-50 10-16 9-17 12 23 35 14 79 19 20 6 8 200
TOTAL FG% 1st Half: 18-28 64.3% 2nd Half: 12-22 54.5% Game: 60.0% DEADB
3-Pt. FG% 1st Half: 6-8 75.0% 2nd Half: 4-8 50.0% Game: 62.5% REBS
F Throw % 1st Half: 5-9 55.6% 2nd Half: 4-8 50.0% Game: 52.9% 3
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
HOME TEAM: HOUSTON 5-8, 0-1 C-USA
TOT-FG 3-PT REBOUNDS
## Player Name FG-FGA FG-FGA FT-FTA OF DE TOT PF TP A TO BLK S MIN
01 DOWELL, Dion........ f 1-5 1-2 1-2 2 1 3 1 4 1 3 0 2 24
24 THORPE, Jahmar...... f 6-10 0-0 2-2 1 2 3 2 14 1 2 2 2 38
02 LEE, Robert......... g 0-1 0-0 0-0 0 1 1 0 0 0 2 0 0 9
03 McKIVER, Robert..... g 9-18 7-13 2-3 0 1 1 4 27 2 2 0 1 38
20 LAFAYETTE, Oliver... g 3-10 0-4 0-1 4 0 4 3 6 4 4 0 1 25
04 MOSLEY, Nick........ 5-8 0-0 0-0 5 3 8 4 10 0 0 2 1 26
05 MALONE, Marcus...... 2-7 2-6 0-0 0 2 2 3 6 2 0 0 0 17
21 JONES, Charlie...... 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 0 22
42 TONEY, Tafari....... 0-1 0-0 2-2 0 1 1 0 2 0 0 0 0 1
TEAM................ 1 2 3
Totals.............. 26-60 10-25 7-10 13 13 26 17 69 11 14 4 7 200
TOTAL FG% 1st Half: 11-29 37.9% 2nd Half: 15-31 48.4% Game: 43.3% DEADB
3-Pt. FG% 1st Half: 6-11 54.5% 2nd Half: 4-14 28.6% Game: 40.0% REBS
F Throw % 1st Half: 5-8 62.5% 2nd Half: 2-2 100 % Game: 70.0% 1
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Officials: Ed Hightower, Tom O'Neill, Steve Welmer
Technical fouls: MEMPHIS-None. HOUSTON-None.
Attendance: 4804
Score by Periods 1st 2nd Total
MEMPHIS....................... 47 32 - 79
HOUSTON....................... 33 36 - 69
Points in the paint-MEM 40,HOU 18. Points off turnovers-MEM 18,HOU 21.
2nd chance points-MEM 17,HOU 17. Fast break points-MEM 14,HOU 0.
Bench points-MEM 32,HOU 18. Score tied-2 times. Lead changed-1 time.
Last FG-MEM 2nd-02:36, HOU 2nd-00:06.
Largest lead-MEM by 17 1st-01:06, HOU by 2 1st-18:48.
MEMPHIS vs HOUSTON
01/11/07 8:05 at Hofheinz Pavilion, Houston, Texas
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
VISITORS: MEMPHIS 12-3, 2-0 C-USA
TOT-FG 3-PT REBOUNDS
## Player Name FG-FGA FG-FGA FT-FTA OF DE TOT PF TP A TO BLK S MIN
02 Dozier, Robert...... f 6-9 0-2 0-3 0 3 3 1 12 2 0 3 1 33
32 Dorsey, Joey........ f 4-7 0-0 0-0 6 4 10 2 8 0 1 3 1 33
01 Kemp, Willie........ g 1-6 0-2 0-0 1 1 2 2 2 5 3 0 0 28
12 Anderson, Antonio... g 3-6 2-3 1-1 0 4 4 1 9 4 2 0 2 28
14 DOUGLAS-ROBERTS, C.. g 6-8 2-2 2-3 0 2 2 1 16 0 6 0 0 27
05 Hunt, Jeremy........ 4-7 3-4 3-4 0 2 2 2 14 0 4 0 1 23
15 Allen, Andre........ 2-3 1-1 0-0 0 0 0 3 5 6 3 0 3 9
20 Mack, Doneal........ 3-3 2-2 3-6 1 1 2 0 11 1 0 0 0 12
42 Cooper, Kareem...... 1-1 0-0 0-0 1 3 4 2 2 1 1 0 0 7
TEAM................ 3 3 6
Totals.............. 30-50 10-16 9-17 12 23 35 14 79 19 20 6 8 200
TOTAL FG% 1st Half: 18-28 64.3% 2nd Half: 12-22 54.5% Game: 60.0% DEADB
3-Pt. FG% 1st Half: 6-8 75.0% 2nd Half: 4-8 50.0% Game: 62.5% REBS
F Throw % 1st Half: 5-9 55.6% 2nd Half: 4-8 50.0% Game: 52.9% 3
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
HOME TEAM: HOUSTON 5-8, 0-1 C-USA
TOT-FG 3-PT REBOUNDS
## Player Name FG-FGA FG-FGA FT-FTA OF DE TOT PF TP A TO BLK S MIN
01 DOWELL, Dion........ f 1-5 1-2 1-2 2 1 3 1 4 1 3 0 2 24
24 THORPE, Jahmar...... f 6-10 0-0 2-2 1 2 3 2 14 1 2 2 2 38
02 LEE, Robert......... g 0-1 0-0 0-0 0 1 1 0 0 0 2 0 0 9
03 McKIVER, Robert..... g 9-18 7-13 2-3 0 1 1 4 27 2 2 0 1 38
20 LAFAYETTE, Oliver... g 3-10 0-4 0-1 4 0 4 3 6 4 4 0 1 25
04 MOSLEY, Nick........ 5-8 0-0 0-0 5 3 8 4 10 0 0 2 1 26
05 MALONE, Marcus...... 2-7 2-6 0-0 0 2 2 3 6 2 0 0 0 17
21 JONES, Charlie...... 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 0 22
42 TONEY, Tafari....... 0-1 0-0 2-2 0 1 1 0 2 0 0 0 0 1
TEAM................ 1 2 3
Totals.............. 26-60 10-25 7-10 13 13 26 17 69 11 14 4 7 200
TOTAL FG% 1st Half: 11-29 37.9% 2nd Half: 15-31 48.4% Game: 43.3% DEADB
3-Pt. FG% 1st Half: 6-11 54.5% 2nd Half: 4-14 28.6% Game: 40.0% REBS
F Throw % 1st Half: 5-8 62.5% 2nd Half: 2-2 100 % Game: 70.0% 1
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Officials: Ed Hightower, Tom O'Neill, Steve Welmer
Technical fouls: MEMPHIS-None. HOUSTON-None.
Attendance: 4804
Score by Periods 1st 2nd Total
MEMPHIS....................... 47 32 - 79
HOUSTON....................... 33 36 - 69
Points in the paint-MEM 40,HOU 18. Points off turnovers-MEM 18,HOU 21.
2nd chance points-MEM 17,HOU 17. Fast break points-MEM 14,HOU 0.
Bench points-MEM 32,HOU 18. Score tied-2 times. Lead changed-1 time.
Last FG-MEM 2nd-02:36, HOU 2nd-00:06.
Largest lead-MEM by 17 1st-01:06, HOU by 2 1st-18:48.
#20 Memphis Wins 4th Straight, 79-69 Over Houston
No. 20 Memphis Wins Fourth Straight, 79-69 Over Houston
Tigers move to 12-3 and remain unbeaten in Conference USA.
Jan. 11, 2007
HOUSTON (AP) - Chris Douglas-Roberts scored 16 points, Joey Dorsey grabbed 10 rebounds and blocked three shots, and No. 20 Memphis beat Houston 79-69 on Thursday night.
Jeremy Hunt added 14 points, and Robert Dozier had 12 points and three blocks for the Tigers (12-3, 2-0 Conference USA), who've won four in a row and six of their last seven.
Memphis is Conference USA's top-scoring team, but the Tigers beat the Cougars with their defense as much as their offense, holding Houston to 43 percent shooting (26-of-60).
Memphis also dominated inside, outrebounding the Cougars 35-26 and scoring 40 in the paint, to win its first true road game of the season. The Tigers lost at Arizona and Tennessee in December.
Robert McKiver scored 27 points, but only 10 in the second half, to lead the Cougars (5-8, 0-1), who've lost five in a row and six of their last seven.
Memphis built an early nine-point lead with a 9-0 spurt, fueled by Houston miscues. Dozier finished a fast break with a layup and Hunt sank a 3-pointer, both off Cougars' turnovers, to put Memphis up 14-5.
The Tigers led 20-13 when Jahmar Thorpe rebounded a 3-point miss by McKiver with one hand and dunked it to trigger an 8-2 spurt. McKiver swished a pair of 3-pointers to cut the Tigers' lead to 22-21.
Houston trailed by three when Memphis mounted a 13-3 burst to push the lead into double digits. Douglas-Roberts converted a three-point play after another Houston turnover and Antonio Anderson hit a 3-pointer to give the Tigers a 39-26 lead.
Memphis led 47-33 at the break after hitting 18 of 28 shots (64 percent). The Tigers dominated inside at both ends in the half, outrebounding Houston 19-14, blocking four shots and scoring 24 points in the paint.
McKiver was 6-of-10, with five 3-pointers, and had 17 points at the break. The rest of the team missed 14 of 19 shots in the opening half.
McKiver swished a 3-pointer from the top of the key 20 seconds into the second half and Thorpe scored inside to draw the Cougars to within nine. Andre Allen answered with a 3-pointer and Dozier muscled in for a bank shot to stretch the lead to 15.
Hunt hit a 3-pointer after Joey Dorsey grabbed an offensive rebound and Allen turned a steal into a breakaway layup to extend the lead to 59-40 by the 14-minute mark.
The Tigers stayed comfortably ahead the rest of the way, controlling the boards and finally pinning down McKiver, who missed five of eight shots in the second half.
Thorpe added 14 points for the Cougars.
Tigers move to 12-3 and remain unbeaten in Conference USA.
Jan. 11, 2007
HOUSTON (AP) - Chris Douglas-Roberts scored 16 points, Joey Dorsey grabbed 10 rebounds and blocked three shots, and No. 20 Memphis beat Houston 79-69 on Thursday night.
Jeremy Hunt added 14 points, and Robert Dozier had 12 points and three blocks for the Tigers (12-3, 2-0 Conference USA), who've won four in a row and six of their last seven.
Memphis is Conference USA's top-scoring team, but the Tigers beat the Cougars with their defense as much as their offense, holding Houston to 43 percent shooting (26-of-60).
Memphis also dominated inside, outrebounding the Cougars 35-26 and scoring 40 in the paint, to win its first true road game of the season. The Tigers lost at Arizona and Tennessee in December.
Robert McKiver scored 27 points, but only 10 in the second half, to lead the Cougars (5-8, 0-1), who've lost five in a row and six of their last seven.
Memphis built an early nine-point lead with a 9-0 spurt, fueled by Houston miscues. Dozier finished a fast break with a layup and Hunt sank a 3-pointer, both off Cougars' turnovers, to put Memphis up 14-5.
The Tigers led 20-13 when Jahmar Thorpe rebounded a 3-point miss by McKiver with one hand and dunked it to trigger an 8-2 spurt. McKiver swished a pair of 3-pointers to cut the Tigers' lead to 22-21.
Houston trailed by three when Memphis mounted a 13-3 burst to push the lead into double digits. Douglas-Roberts converted a three-point play after another Houston turnover and Antonio Anderson hit a 3-pointer to give the Tigers a 39-26 lead.
Memphis led 47-33 at the break after hitting 18 of 28 shots (64 percent). The Tigers dominated inside at both ends in the half, outrebounding Houston 19-14, blocking four shots and scoring 24 points in the paint.
McKiver was 6-of-10, with five 3-pointers, and had 17 points at the break. The rest of the team missed 14 of 19 shots in the opening half.
McKiver swished a 3-pointer from the top of the key 20 seconds into the second half and Thorpe scored inside to draw the Cougars to within nine. Andre Allen answered with a 3-pointer and Dozier muscled in for a bank shot to stretch the lead to 15.
Hunt hit a 3-pointer after Joey Dorsey grabbed an offensive rebound and Allen turned a steal into a breakaway layup to extend the lead to 59-40 by the 14-minute mark.
The Tigers stayed comfortably ahead the rest of the way, controlling the boards and finally pinning down McKiver, who missed five of eight shots in the second half.
Thorpe added 14 points for the Cougars.
Thursday, January 11, 2007
Houston Chronicle Game Preview
Jan. 11, 2007, 12:54AM
UH's Thorpe tackles another tall task
By MICHAEL MURPHY
Copyright 2007 Houston Chronicle
The Houston Cougars are practicing, and Jahmar Thorpe is leaning on Marcus Cousin, the two centers jockeying for position under the basket. Thorpe, a full head shorter than Cousin, a 6-11 transfer from Seton Hall who will be eligible next season, is doing whatever he can to gain an advantage.
Thorpe snatches a rebound and dashes downcourt. Cousin is as athletic as big men get, but he can't keep up with Thorpe, and the 6-6 (maybe) senior knows it.
Thorpe sprints down the sideline before slicing toward the basket, catching an alley-oop pass from Oliver Lafayette and throwing down a violent two-handed dunk that leaves the rim shaking.
Dunkmaster Flex strikes again.
But after his concussive throwdown, the only flexing involves Thorpe's hands. Thorpe winces as he shakes his heavily taped wrists, hoping to alleviate the pain shooting up his arms. For athletes, there's hurt and then there's injured, but right now Thorpe is both — his left wrist has a broken bone and his right is badly sprained.
Tough start to C-USA play
But with No. 20 Memphis (11-3) visiting Hofheinz Pavilion for tonight's game against the struggling Cougars (5-7) in the Conference USA opener, Thorpe will attempt to shake off the pain — literally, at times — and play.
It's called soldiering along, and it's a perfect way to describe Thorpe, the son of a no-nonsense career Marine, Joseph Thorpe.
"Yeah," said Thorpe with a laugh, "he doesn't ever want to hear any excuses.
"I've been getting treatment every day. I'm just trying to fight through it and do whatever I can. About the only way it's really affected me is that it holds me back from one-handed dunks. That's about it. I try to stick to two-handed dunks. It's not a big thing."
Which pretty much describes Thorpe when he plays the post.
At 6-6, Thorpe is usually craning his neck skyward to get a good look at his opponent, which certainly was the case last week at Kentucky, when Thorpe banged bodies with 6-11, 260-pound Randolph Morris, a future NBA draft pick. Thorpe held Morris to just five field goals, one reason the Cougars were able to make a game of it before falling 77-70.
For Thorpe it was just another day at the office, and it won't be much different tonight against Memphis, which features a monstrous frontcourt rotation of Joey Dorsey (6-9, 260), Robert Dozier (6-9, 215), Kareem Cooper (6-11, 290), Pierre Niles (6-9, 285) and Hashim Bailey (6-10, 290).
"Physically, he's undersized, but he plays a lot bigger than he actually is," said point guard Lanny Smith, Thorpe's best friend, who is sitting out the season as a medical redshirt. "He's able to use his quickness and agility to get past most of the big guys he's facing.
"But sometimes we just sit there (on the bench) and shake our heads. Like when we were at Kentucky, he was down there battling Randolph Morris. Man, we all felt for him in that game. He was getting pounded, but Jahmar battled him the whole time. You feel for him, but Jahmar's a tough guy."
That's the first word out of coach Tom Penders' mouth when he is describing Thorpe — tough. And it was the key word when Thorpe, first at Morristown (N.J.) High and later at Western Oklahoma State College, was described as a "Tom Penders-type player."
"I can't say enough about him. He never quits; he never seems to get discouraged," Penders said. "He's battling against bigger guys all the time, and I have nothing but admiration and respect for him.
"He does so much for us defensively, not just guarding the post but helping other guys out. And he's a very important part of our offense."
Banging away inside
But Thorpe, who is averaging 8.3 points and 6.4 rebounds in 25 minutes per game, knows he's not on the floor for his offense, despite his sparkling 59.2 percent shooting. With Memphis in town, it's all hands on deck for a workhorse defensive effort, even if those hands are painfully injured.
"It's a lot of wear and tear, so you have to be tough," Thorpe said. "It's a man's game down there in the post, but I'm just trying to do whatever I can to help my team win. Yeah, I'd rather be out there on the wing, but this is the situation I'm in, and I'm making the best of it."
michael.murphy@chron.com
UH's Thorpe tackles another tall task
By MICHAEL MURPHY
Copyright 2007 Houston Chronicle
The Houston Cougars are practicing, and Jahmar Thorpe is leaning on Marcus Cousin, the two centers jockeying for position under the basket. Thorpe, a full head shorter than Cousin, a 6-11 transfer from Seton Hall who will be eligible next season, is doing whatever he can to gain an advantage.
Thorpe snatches a rebound and dashes downcourt. Cousin is as athletic as big men get, but he can't keep up with Thorpe, and the 6-6 (maybe) senior knows it.
Thorpe sprints down the sideline before slicing toward the basket, catching an alley-oop pass from Oliver Lafayette and throwing down a violent two-handed dunk that leaves the rim shaking.
Dunkmaster Flex strikes again.
But after his concussive throwdown, the only flexing involves Thorpe's hands. Thorpe winces as he shakes his heavily taped wrists, hoping to alleviate the pain shooting up his arms. For athletes, there's hurt and then there's injured, but right now Thorpe is both — his left wrist has a broken bone and his right is badly sprained.
Tough start to C-USA play
But with No. 20 Memphis (11-3) visiting Hofheinz Pavilion for tonight's game against the struggling Cougars (5-7) in the Conference USA opener, Thorpe will attempt to shake off the pain — literally, at times — and play.
It's called soldiering along, and it's a perfect way to describe Thorpe, the son of a no-nonsense career Marine, Joseph Thorpe.
"Yeah," said Thorpe with a laugh, "he doesn't ever want to hear any excuses.
"I've been getting treatment every day. I'm just trying to fight through it and do whatever I can. About the only way it's really affected me is that it holds me back from one-handed dunks. That's about it. I try to stick to two-handed dunks. It's not a big thing."
Which pretty much describes Thorpe when he plays the post.
At 6-6, Thorpe is usually craning his neck skyward to get a good look at his opponent, which certainly was the case last week at Kentucky, when Thorpe banged bodies with 6-11, 260-pound Randolph Morris, a future NBA draft pick. Thorpe held Morris to just five field goals, one reason the Cougars were able to make a game of it before falling 77-70.
For Thorpe it was just another day at the office, and it won't be much different tonight against Memphis, which features a monstrous frontcourt rotation of Joey Dorsey (6-9, 260), Robert Dozier (6-9, 215), Kareem Cooper (6-11, 290), Pierre Niles (6-9, 285) and Hashim Bailey (6-10, 290).
"Physically, he's undersized, but he plays a lot bigger than he actually is," said point guard Lanny Smith, Thorpe's best friend, who is sitting out the season as a medical redshirt. "He's able to use his quickness and agility to get past most of the big guys he's facing.
"But sometimes we just sit there (on the bench) and shake our heads. Like when we were at Kentucky, he was down there battling Randolph Morris. Man, we all felt for him in that game. He was getting pounded, but Jahmar battled him the whole time. You feel for him, but Jahmar's a tough guy."
That's the first word out of coach Tom Penders' mouth when he is describing Thorpe — tough. And it was the key word when Thorpe, first at Morristown (N.J.) High and later at Western Oklahoma State College, was described as a "Tom Penders-type player."
"I can't say enough about him. He never quits; he never seems to get discouraged," Penders said. "He's battling against bigger guys all the time, and I have nothing but admiration and respect for him.
"He does so much for us defensively, not just guarding the post but helping other guys out. And he's a very important part of our offense."
Banging away inside
But Thorpe, who is averaging 8.3 points and 6.4 rebounds in 25 minutes per game, knows he's not on the floor for his offense, despite his sparkling 59.2 percent shooting. With Memphis in town, it's all hands on deck for a workhorse defensive effort, even if those hands are painfully injured.
"It's a lot of wear and tear, so you have to be tough," Thorpe said. "It's a man's game down there in the post, but I'm just trying to do whatever I can to help my team win. Yeah, I'd rather be out there on the wing, but this is the situation I'm in, and I'm making the best of it."
michael.murphy@chron.com
Houston Chronicle's C-USA Rankings
January 08, 2007
Ronnie Turner, Houston Chronicle
My first set of C-USA Men's Basketball Rankings
I've been toying with the idea of ranking the men's basketball teams in Conference USA on a weekly basis for a while, but I could never get around to it. Now that I've got some spare time, I can get the ball rolling (no pun intended).
The league recently completed its eighth week on Sunday, so we'll start our rankings from that point. Of course, if you're a Rice, Central Florida or Tulsa fan, you may not like where your team land in the ranking.
I have to admit that, so far, C-USA has failed to impress me. The league's defending champion, Memphis, looks impressive enough to win the conference title, but not impressive enough to make a serious run in the NCAA Tournament if it were to start today. It would surprise me if this team were to make it past the second or third round of this year's tournament.
But that's another story for another day. Today, we'll focus our attention on the Week 8 C-USA rankings.
1. Memphis (11-3 overall, 1-0 C-USA)
If the NCAA Tournament were to start today, Memphis would probably be the only C-USA team to receive an at-large bid, and rightly so because the Tigers have played a quality schedule (Tennessee, Arizona, Kentucky, and Georgia Tech, among others). The Tigers lost a lot of talent to last year's NBA Draft, but their returning talent isn't half bad. Be sure to keep an eye on this team because it's going to make some serious headlines this season.
(Sidenote: I'm going to go out on a limb (not really) and pick Memphis to repeat as C-USA champion in 2006-07. If my prediction turns out to be wrong, you have the right to throw it back in my face.)
2. UAB (8-7, 0-1)
I'll probably catch some flak for placing the Blazers this high because of their lackluster record, but I believe the Blazers are the second best team in the league right now, though that's not saying much. And if you look closely at their losses (Washington State, Wyoming, Western Kentucky, VCU, Old Dominion, Florida, UTEP), you'll see they were all against good teams. The team is faltering, but I'm certain the Blazers will perform better the rest of the season.
3. UTEP (9-6, 1-0)
Look what we have here: another unimpressive C-USA team. Lord, will it ever get any better? Something tells me that life may be get better for the Miners. The team is composed largely of newcomers, but it appears they've started to mesh. The Miners has won four of their last five games and is on a three-game winning streak headed into Wednesday's match-up against Marshall.
4. Southern Methodist (11-3, 0-0)
The Mustangs only claim to prominence this season may be that their head coach Matt Doherty was the coach at North Carolina from 2000-03 and played on UNC's 1982 national championship team led by legendary coach Dean Smith. Other than that, the Mustangs are simply a scrappy bunch of players who have beaten other scrappy teams. Still, the team is 11-3, so Doherty and crew must be doing something right.
5. Houston (5-7, 0-1)
If this were any other league, the Cougars would probably not be slated this high with that record. However, this is C-USA, where many mediocre teams reside, so Houston fits right in. The Cougars have fallen on hard times lately, have lost four straight games in a row, but when you're playing as inconsistently as they have with the schedule they have, it's no surprise. Consider this: the Cougars have played VCU, Arizona, Creighton, Nebraska, UNLV, and Kentucky, and lost to them all. That's a tough slate for most teams.
(Sidenote: I know many of you are probably saying, "This blogger must be some homer." You would be incorrect in that assessment, because I'm anything but. I'm not making excuses for Houston's play; I know the the Cougars have played badly. But let's be real: if Houston played the same sort of weak non-conference opponents most C-USA teams played, they'd probably be undefeated right now).
6. Southern Miss (10-3, 0-0)
The Golden Eagles haven't fared too badly to start the season, winning eight of their first nine games, although most came against schools largely unknown to the casual college basketball fan (Bellhaven, Spring Hill, Reinhardt, etc.). Southern Miss will open C-USA play at Southern Methodist on Wednesday, which could prove to be troublesome, considering the Golden Eagles are 0-2 on the road to start the season.
7. Tulane (7-5, 0-0)
What can I say about the Green Wave? Let me see. The team is 7-5. With five more victories, Tulane will equal its win total from the 2005-06 season. That's about all I can come up with.
8. Rice (6-7, 0-0)
More was expected from the Owls in 2006-07 with the return of dynamic scorer and All-American candidate Morris Almond (29.7 points per game). What have Rice fans received so far? A lackluster start, lackluster efforts from the players surrounding Almond, and several lackluster performances, such as Saturday's 51-28 loss to Princeton. Rice fans are not amused.
9. UCF (11-3, 0-0)
I would love to see the day when these C-USA schools start to play some serious competition instead of beating up on all these weaklings. At least a few games against some decent schools would suffice. But not when it comes to UCF. Check out some of their non-conference opponents thus far: Rollins College, Stetson, Bethune-Cookman, Florida International, Jacksonville, Florida Atlantic, Utah, Tennessee Tech, N.J.I.T., Texas-Pan American, South Dakota State, among others. Simly put: This slate is not impressive.
10. Tulsa (10-3, 0-0)
This squad doesn't impress me at all, 10-3 record and all. They probably won't fare well in C-USA this season.
11. Marshall (5-9, 0-1)
The Thundering Herd have won two of their last three games, so things appear to be looking up somewhat. Marshall will face a tough test on the road against UTEP this Wednesday.
12. East Carolina (5-8, 0-0)
The Pirates have lost seven of their last eight games. Definitely not a good start to the season for this squad.
• • •
Whew, I'm glad that's over! It wasn't easy ranking most of these teams. Most were mediocre teamsn with mediocre records, and others were mediocre teams with deceptively good records. Either way, the best team out of the bunch was Memphis, so I know I got that ranking correct.
I don't know what to make of C-USA this year. I figured Houston, UAB and Rice would be as good or better this season, but they've started out the gate somewhat poorly. Whether they can rebound remains to be see.
Ranking these teams has given me a headache, so I'll now bring this entry to a close. Next week, I'll post my next set of rankings, but that set won't include as much commentary.
Ronnie Turner, Houston Chronicle
My first set of C-USA Men's Basketball Rankings
I've been toying with the idea of ranking the men's basketball teams in Conference USA on a weekly basis for a while, but I could never get around to it. Now that I've got some spare time, I can get the ball rolling (no pun intended).
The league recently completed its eighth week on Sunday, so we'll start our rankings from that point. Of course, if you're a Rice, Central Florida or Tulsa fan, you may not like where your team land in the ranking.
I have to admit that, so far, C-USA has failed to impress me. The league's defending champion, Memphis, looks impressive enough to win the conference title, but not impressive enough to make a serious run in the NCAA Tournament if it were to start today. It would surprise me if this team were to make it past the second or third round of this year's tournament.
But that's another story for another day. Today, we'll focus our attention on the Week 8 C-USA rankings.
1. Memphis (11-3 overall, 1-0 C-USA)
If the NCAA Tournament were to start today, Memphis would probably be the only C-USA team to receive an at-large bid, and rightly so because the Tigers have played a quality schedule (Tennessee, Arizona, Kentucky, and Georgia Tech, among others). The Tigers lost a lot of talent to last year's NBA Draft, but their returning talent isn't half bad. Be sure to keep an eye on this team because it's going to make some serious headlines this season.
(Sidenote: I'm going to go out on a limb (not really) and pick Memphis to repeat as C-USA champion in 2006-07. If my prediction turns out to be wrong, you have the right to throw it back in my face.)
2. UAB (8-7, 0-1)
I'll probably catch some flak for placing the Blazers this high because of their lackluster record, but I believe the Blazers are the second best team in the league right now, though that's not saying much. And if you look closely at their losses (Washington State, Wyoming, Western Kentucky, VCU, Old Dominion, Florida, UTEP), you'll see they were all against good teams. The team is faltering, but I'm certain the Blazers will perform better the rest of the season.
3. UTEP (9-6, 1-0)
Look what we have here: another unimpressive C-USA team. Lord, will it ever get any better? Something tells me that life may be get better for the Miners. The team is composed largely of newcomers, but it appears they've started to mesh. The Miners has won four of their last five games and is on a three-game winning streak headed into Wednesday's match-up against Marshall.
4. Southern Methodist (11-3, 0-0)
The Mustangs only claim to prominence this season may be that their head coach Matt Doherty was the coach at North Carolina from 2000-03 and played on UNC's 1982 national championship team led by legendary coach Dean Smith. Other than that, the Mustangs are simply a scrappy bunch of players who have beaten other scrappy teams. Still, the team is 11-3, so Doherty and crew must be doing something right.
5. Houston (5-7, 0-1)
If this were any other league, the Cougars would probably not be slated this high with that record. However, this is C-USA, where many mediocre teams reside, so Houston fits right in. The Cougars have fallen on hard times lately, have lost four straight games in a row, but when you're playing as inconsistently as they have with the schedule they have, it's no surprise. Consider this: the Cougars have played VCU, Arizona, Creighton, Nebraska, UNLV, and Kentucky, and lost to them all. That's a tough slate for most teams.
(Sidenote: I know many of you are probably saying, "This blogger must be some homer." You would be incorrect in that assessment, because I'm anything but. I'm not making excuses for Houston's play; I know the the Cougars have played badly. But let's be real: if Houston played the same sort of weak non-conference opponents most C-USA teams played, they'd probably be undefeated right now).
6. Southern Miss (10-3, 0-0)
The Golden Eagles haven't fared too badly to start the season, winning eight of their first nine games, although most came against schools largely unknown to the casual college basketball fan (Bellhaven, Spring Hill, Reinhardt, etc.). Southern Miss will open C-USA play at Southern Methodist on Wednesday, which could prove to be troublesome, considering the Golden Eagles are 0-2 on the road to start the season.
7. Tulane (7-5, 0-0)
What can I say about the Green Wave? Let me see. The team is 7-5. With five more victories, Tulane will equal its win total from the 2005-06 season. That's about all I can come up with.
8. Rice (6-7, 0-0)
More was expected from the Owls in 2006-07 with the return of dynamic scorer and All-American candidate Morris Almond (29.7 points per game). What have Rice fans received so far? A lackluster start, lackluster efforts from the players surrounding Almond, and several lackluster performances, such as Saturday's 51-28 loss to Princeton. Rice fans are not amused.
9. UCF (11-3, 0-0)
I would love to see the day when these C-USA schools start to play some serious competition instead of beating up on all these weaklings. At least a few games against some decent schools would suffice. But not when it comes to UCF. Check out some of their non-conference opponents thus far: Rollins College, Stetson, Bethune-Cookman, Florida International, Jacksonville, Florida Atlantic, Utah, Tennessee Tech, N.J.I.T., Texas-Pan American, South Dakota State, among others. Simly put: This slate is not impressive.
10. Tulsa (10-3, 0-0)
This squad doesn't impress me at all, 10-3 record and all. They probably won't fare well in C-USA this season.
11. Marshall (5-9, 0-1)
The Thundering Herd have won two of their last three games, so things appear to be looking up somewhat. Marshall will face a tough test on the road against UTEP this Wednesday.
12. East Carolina (5-8, 0-0)
The Pirates have lost seven of their last eight games. Definitely not a good start to the season for this squad.
• • •
Whew, I'm glad that's over! It wasn't easy ranking most of these teams. Most were mediocre teamsn with mediocre records, and others were mediocre teams with deceptively good records. Either way, the best team out of the bunch was Memphis, so I know I got that ranking correct.
I don't know what to make of C-USA this year. I figured Houston, UAB and Rice would be as good or better this season, but they've started out the gate somewhat poorly. Whether they can rebound remains to be see.
Ranking these teams has given me a headache, so I'll now bring this entry to a close. Next week, I'll post my next set of rankings, but that set won't include as much commentary.
Memphis-Houston Preview
Memphis-Houston Preview
By DAN BURCH
STATS Writer, Hendersonville (NC) News
Memphis is rounding into form, just in time for the bulk of its conference schedule.
The 20th-ranked Tigers (11-3, 1-0) look to win their fourth straight when they visit Houston (5-7, 0-0) on Thursday night in their Conference USA road opener.
Memphis has hit its stride in the last three games, averaging 87 points and winning by an average of 33 points. The Tigers shot 59.3 percent in an 88-55 win over Cincinnati last Thursday and are putting to good use all the extra emphasis coach John Calipari is placing on practice.
``What happened in practice carried over which is the most important thing,'' Calipari said. ``What I put on the board was: 'Perfect practice makes perfect.' What we had done practicing defensively was what you saw. That may have been the best defensive performance, where we covered for each other, since I've been here.''
Senior Jeremy Hunt matched his career high with 24 points and was named C-USA player of the week after going 7-for-8 from the field, including 6-of-7 from behind the 3-point line, against the Bearcats.
Hunt and Willie Kemp, who scored 21 points, were a combined 12-for-16 on 3-point attempts.
``(Hunt) knew because of how he practiced that he was making shots,'' Calipari said. ``Every time it left his hand, everybody in the building thought it was down. He's (practiced) that way all week.''
The Tigers opened conference play with a 78-59 win over Marshall on Dec. 4. Memphis went 13-1 in Conference USA last season, winning the regular season and tournament titles.
The Tigers were 10-1 overall on the road in 2005-06 and have won two straight conference road openers, but they're 0-2 away from home this season, with losses to Tennessee and then-No. 9 Arizona. Memphis plays three of its next four on the road.
Houston is hoping its conference opener will help it snap out of a long slump. The Cougars have lost four straight since beating Charlotte 68-46 on Dec. 21, and they've dropped six of seven overall.
Five of those losses were by at least 10 points before Houston was beaten 77-70 by Kentucky on Jan. 3 in its most recent contest.
The Cougars held Kentucky to 39 percent shooting and allowed the Wildcats to go only 8-of-30 from behind the 3-point line, but Houston was doomed by its own poor shooting. The Cougars finished at 36 percent for the game and are shooting 38.7 percent this season, the lowest figure in the conference and among the worst percentages in the nation.
``We were right there (at the end),'' Houston guard Robert McKiver said. ``We've got to stay as a family. We have to keep working hard.
``We've got to stay positive. We've got to go back to the drawing board and keep working on the mistakes we made in the game.''
Houston went 9-5 in C-USA play last season for its best winning percentage (56.0) since joining the conference in 1996-97.
Memphis won both matchups between the teams in 2005-06 and has taken nine of the last 12 against Houston. The Tigers lead the series 15-10.
By DAN BURCH
STATS Writer, Hendersonville (NC) News
Memphis is rounding into form, just in time for the bulk of its conference schedule.
The 20th-ranked Tigers (11-3, 1-0) look to win their fourth straight when they visit Houston (5-7, 0-0) on Thursday night in their Conference USA road opener.
Memphis has hit its stride in the last three games, averaging 87 points and winning by an average of 33 points. The Tigers shot 59.3 percent in an 88-55 win over Cincinnati last Thursday and are putting to good use all the extra emphasis coach John Calipari is placing on practice.
``What happened in practice carried over which is the most important thing,'' Calipari said. ``What I put on the board was: 'Perfect practice makes perfect.' What we had done practicing defensively was what you saw. That may have been the best defensive performance, where we covered for each other, since I've been here.''
Senior Jeremy Hunt matched his career high with 24 points and was named C-USA player of the week after going 7-for-8 from the field, including 6-of-7 from behind the 3-point line, against the Bearcats.
Hunt and Willie Kemp, who scored 21 points, were a combined 12-for-16 on 3-point attempts.
``(Hunt) knew because of how he practiced that he was making shots,'' Calipari said. ``Every time it left his hand, everybody in the building thought it was down. He's (practiced) that way all week.''
The Tigers opened conference play with a 78-59 win over Marshall on Dec. 4. Memphis went 13-1 in Conference USA last season, winning the regular season and tournament titles.
The Tigers were 10-1 overall on the road in 2005-06 and have won two straight conference road openers, but they're 0-2 away from home this season, with losses to Tennessee and then-No. 9 Arizona. Memphis plays three of its next four on the road.
Houston is hoping its conference opener will help it snap out of a long slump. The Cougars have lost four straight since beating Charlotte 68-46 on Dec. 21, and they've dropped six of seven overall.
Five of those losses were by at least 10 points before Houston was beaten 77-70 by Kentucky on Jan. 3 in its most recent contest.
The Cougars held Kentucky to 39 percent shooting and allowed the Wildcats to go only 8-of-30 from behind the 3-point line, but Houston was doomed by its own poor shooting. The Cougars finished at 36 percent for the game and are shooting 38.7 percent this season, the lowest figure in the conference and among the worst percentages in the nation.
``We were right there (at the end),'' Houston guard Robert McKiver said. ``We've got to stay as a family. We have to keep working hard.
``We've got to stay positive. We've got to go back to the drawing board and keep working on the mistakes we made in the game.''
Houston went 9-5 in C-USA play last season for its best winning percentage (56.0) since joining the conference in 1996-97.
Memphis won both matchups between the teams in 2005-06 and has taken nine of the last 12 against Houston. The Tigers lead the series 15-10.
Tigers Must Contest Far-Flinging Cougars
Tigers must contest far-flinging Cougars
By Dan Wolken
January 11, 2007
HOUSTON -- Senior Jeremy Hunt was two feet behind the NBA 3-point line and had a hand in his face. He shot the ball anyway, and as it hit the bottom of the net, University of Memphis coach John Calipari raised his arms in the air.
"Great defense!" Calipari exclaimed during a defensive drill at the Finch Center on Tuesday.
But the shot went in, didn't it?
Calipari didn't care. Sometimes, there's only so much you can do, which is precisely the challenge No. 20 Memphis faces tonight from the University of Houston in a Conference USA matchup.
The Tigers know this much. At Hofheinz Pavilion tonight, the Cougars will likely shoot between 30 and 40 times from 3-point range, as they have in nearly every game this year. Many of them will appear to be wild, crazy, ill-advised shots. Many of them will be well-defended and come from several feet beyond the college 3-point line.
And what if a bunch of them go in?
"They're scoring nearly 40 points a game from the 3-point line," Calipari said. "What if they make 60 (points) from the 3-point line? You're going to lose. It's a dangerous game because of how they play."
It's the way Houston has to play, according to coach Tom Penders, whose team was picked to finish second in C-USA but enters league play with a disappointing 5-7 record.
As Penders explained, the problem isn't that Houston takes essentially half its shots from 3-point range -- 33.4 attempts per game -- it's that the Cougars have only made 33.7 percent.
And Houston hasn't had any individual standouts from long range, with Dion Dowell making a team-high 39.6 percent.
"We've got a lot of guys that are capable of shooting threes, but we've had very few games where we put it all together," Penders said. "We might have one or two guys hitting. We've had a couple nights where we couldn't get anybody cracking, but we're taking good shots for the most part.
"When we're on, we can be lethal."
And when they're off, the Cougars can look plain bad, like they did Dec. 29 when they made just 5-of-36 against UNLV and lost, 78-62.
But Calipari isn't counting on Houston to shoot that poorly. On the other hand, there's only so much defensive scheming Memphis can do, other than rely on its usual man-to-man, which has held opponents to 31.1 percent on 3-pointers.
"You really can't defend it because they're going to shoot them anyway," junior point guard Andre Allen said. "We just have to make it hard and keep a hand up and hope they miss."
In many ways, simply remembering to have a hand up will be Memphis' best defense tonight, especially with long-armed guards and forwards like Chris Douglas-Roberts and Robert Dozier, who is tough to shoot over with his 7-foot-3 wingspan.
"You've got to contest them," Dozier said. "That's the biggest thing. They're going to take them, shoot them from deep. They're going to come off screens and shoot from everywhere. We've just got to contest them and get a hand up on them."
According to Penders, Houston's 3-point infatuation is a product of two things: First, the desire to play a fast, Phoenix Suns-style offense. More important, it's Houston's lack of size, which typically prevents his team from scoring interior baskets on anything but dribble drives and offensive rebounds.
"Until we get a force on the interior, that's the way it's going to be," Penders said. "That's who we are, and we're going to be that way until next year. We've got a 6-11 transfer from Seton Hall, Marcus Cousin, who's a very strong and talented inside player, but we won't have him until next season, so we are who we are.
"It would be nice if you could go inside and get something done. We can go inside, but we're not going to get a whole lot done."
-- Dan Wolken: 529-2365
--------------------
No. 20 Tigers at Houston
When, where: Today, 8 p.m., at Hofheinz Pavilion, Houston
TV, radio: ESPN, WREC-AM (600)
By Dan Wolken
January 11, 2007
HOUSTON -- Senior Jeremy Hunt was two feet behind the NBA 3-point line and had a hand in his face. He shot the ball anyway, and as it hit the bottom of the net, University of Memphis coach John Calipari raised his arms in the air.
"Great defense!" Calipari exclaimed during a defensive drill at the Finch Center on Tuesday.
But the shot went in, didn't it?
Calipari didn't care. Sometimes, there's only so much you can do, which is precisely the challenge No. 20 Memphis faces tonight from the University of Houston in a Conference USA matchup.
The Tigers know this much. At Hofheinz Pavilion tonight, the Cougars will likely shoot between 30 and 40 times from 3-point range, as they have in nearly every game this year. Many of them will appear to be wild, crazy, ill-advised shots. Many of them will be well-defended and come from several feet beyond the college 3-point line.
And what if a bunch of them go in?
"They're scoring nearly 40 points a game from the 3-point line," Calipari said. "What if they make 60 (points) from the 3-point line? You're going to lose. It's a dangerous game because of how they play."
It's the way Houston has to play, according to coach Tom Penders, whose team was picked to finish second in C-USA but enters league play with a disappointing 5-7 record.
As Penders explained, the problem isn't that Houston takes essentially half its shots from 3-point range -- 33.4 attempts per game -- it's that the Cougars have only made 33.7 percent.
And Houston hasn't had any individual standouts from long range, with Dion Dowell making a team-high 39.6 percent.
"We've got a lot of guys that are capable of shooting threes, but we've had very few games where we put it all together," Penders said. "We might have one or two guys hitting. We've had a couple nights where we couldn't get anybody cracking, but we're taking good shots for the most part.
"When we're on, we can be lethal."
And when they're off, the Cougars can look plain bad, like they did Dec. 29 when they made just 5-of-36 against UNLV and lost, 78-62.
But Calipari isn't counting on Houston to shoot that poorly. On the other hand, there's only so much defensive scheming Memphis can do, other than rely on its usual man-to-man, which has held opponents to 31.1 percent on 3-pointers.
"You really can't defend it because they're going to shoot them anyway," junior point guard Andre Allen said. "We just have to make it hard and keep a hand up and hope they miss."
In many ways, simply remembering to have a hand up will be Memphis' best defense tonight, especially with long-armed guards and forwards like Chris Douglas-Roberts and Robert Dozier, who is tough to shoot over with his 7-foot-3 wingspan.
"You've got to contest them," Dozier said. "That's the biggest thing. They're going to take them, shoot them from deep. They're going to come off screens and shoot from everywhere. We've just got to contest them and get a hand up on them."
According to Penders, Houston's 3-point infatuation is a product of two things: First, the desire to play a fast, Phoenix Suns-style offense. More important, it's Houston's lack of size, which typically prevents his team from scoring interior baskets on anything but dribble drives and offensive rebounds.
"Until we get a force on the interior, that's the way it's going to be," Penders said. "That's who we are, and we're going to be that way until next year. We've got a 6-11 transfer from Seton Hall, Marcus Cousin, who's a very strong and talented inside player, but we won't have him until next season, so we are who we are.
"It would be nice if you could go inside and get something done. We can go inside, but we're not going to get a whole lot done."
-- Dan Wolken: 529-2365
--------------------
No. 20 Tigers at Houston
When, where: Today, 8 p.m., at Hofheinz Pavilion, Houston
TV, radio: ESPN, WREC-AM (600)
Wednesday, January 10, 2007
16-and-0? Cal doesn't think so - From the Memphis Edge
16-and-0? Cal doesn't think so
John Calipari had a message for those of you who think Memphis is going to go 16-0 in Conference USA this year: No way.
"Last year, I had a basketball team that had numbers -- field goal percentage, field goal percentage defense, rebounding margin," Calipari said. "And after we played Duke, UCLA and all those people, we went into the league and all those numbers got worse. Our shooting percentage went down, which means they guarded us better. Their shooting percentage went up, which means they played against us better.
"They know us better. It’s harder. To go in and say you’re going to win every road game, come on. We’re not winning every game this year. We’re not going to. Are we going to try to? Yes, we’re going to try to, but you don’t go through a league undefeated. You just don’t. There’s too many rivals, too much road stuff."
I think this is worth discussing. Obviously, if we're just talking talent, Memphis probably should go 16-0 this year. C-USA has been pretty bad, and it's hard to envision which game(s) Memphis might lose, aside from perhaps at Houston or at UAB.
But I've seen enough college basketball to agree with Cal on this issue.
It's so, so rare for a team to go through conference play unbeaten, and even the ones that do have games against weaker teams that inexplicably come down to the wire. For example, think of how many games Gonzaga had to pull out in the final seconds last year in the WCC against far inferior teams.
I think 14-2 is a reasonable expectation for Memphis. Anything worse than that, the Tigers will be hard-pressed to get a good NCAA seed. At 14-2 or better, Memphis should get no worse than a No. 6 seed.
by Dan Wolken
John Calipari had a message for those of you who think Memphis is going to go 16-0 in Conference USA this year: No way.
"Last year, I had a basketball team that had numbers -- field goal percentage, field goal percentage defense, rebounding margin," Calipari said. "And after we played Duke, UCLA and all those people, we went into the league and all those numbers got worse. Our shooting percentage went down, which means they guarded us better. Their shooting percentage went up, which means they played against us better.
"They know us better. It’s harder. To go in and say you’re going to win every road game, come on. We’re not winning every game this year. We’re not going to. Are we going to try to? Yes, we’re going to try to, but you don’t go through a league undefeated. You just don’t. There’s too many rivals, too much road stuff."
I think this is worth discussing. Obviously, if we're just talking talent, Memphis probably should go 16-0 this year. C-USA has been pretty bad, and it's hard to envision which game(s) Memphis might lose, aside from perhaps at Houston or at UAB.
But I've seen enough college basketball to agree with Cal on this issue.
It's so, so rare for a team to go through conference play unbeaten, and even the ones that do have games against weaker teams that inexplicably come down to the wire. For example, think of how many games Gonzaga had to pull out in the final seconds last year in the WCC against far inferior teams.
I think 14-2 is a reasonable expectation for Memphis. Anything worse than that, the Tigers will be hard-pressed to get a good NCAA seed. At 14-2 or better, Memphis should get no worse than a No. 6 seed.
by Dan Wolken
Key RPI Games for C-USA That Affect Memphis
In case your wondering there are only four more games that C-USA members play outside of conference for the remainder of the season.
This is signficant because games in conference are basically a zero-sum game for Memphis. For instance if Rice beats Tulane and the Tigers play each once then it is a non-event for the Tigers.
The best Memphis can hope for is for the C-USA teams they play twice, UAB, Houston, S.Miss and SMU to win more than they lose.
Anyway, keep an eye on these games for RPI effect for Memphis.
Jan 24 Marshall vs. West Virginia (#36) on Neutral court in Charleston
Jan 29 Houston vs. St. Louis (#90) in Houston
Feb 14 Houston vs. South Alabama (#143) in Houston
Feb 17 Memphis vs. Gonzaga (#47) in Spokane
This is signficant because games in conference are basically a zero-sum game for Memphis. For instance if Rice beats Tulane and the Tigers play each once then it is a non-event for the Tigers.
The best Memphis can hope for is for the C-USA teams they play twice, UAB, Houston, S.Miss and SMU to win more than they lose.
Anyway, keep an eye on these games for RPI effect for Memphis.
Jan 24 Marshall vs. West Virginia (#36) on Neutral court in Charleston
Jan 29 Houston vs. St. Louis (#90) in Houston
Feb 14 Houston vs. South Alabama (#143) in Houston
Feb 17 Memphis vs. Gonzaga (#47) in Spokane
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