Evaluating the remaining unbeatens
JEFFREY MARTIN, FOXSports.com
Fourteen undefeated teams remain in Division I college basketball, and don't bank on any finishing the regular season in that condition.
Some undefeated teams are not equal to others, which is why we decided to assess each of the 14 by a simple measuring stick — is Team X legit or suspect? In other words, is this unblemished beginning to the year a fluke, or is this a barometer of things to come?
In some cases, a team can be suspect but still destined for a decent season — a perfect start can cloud judgment and cause inflated expectations. But don't worry, because we've taken the guesswork out of it all for you. Here are the 14 undefeated teams, as of Dec. 14, listed in alphabetical order:
Clemson (8-0)
It's the third straight season the Tigers have started 8-0 under Oliver Purnell. In the 2006-07 season, the fast start resulted in an NIT berth, which was also Clemson's fate in 2005-06. Spot a trend here? Can't help but be skeptical about the Tigers, leaving cynics to wonder how this season is going to be any different. For some reason, though, we suspect this might be the year Clemson breaks through.
Verdict: Legit. As usual, the Tigers are big and athletic, but they've also been injured and erratic. Star forward James Mays is out with a bad hip, and Clemson has recently turned to freshman guard Terrence Oglesby, an exciting long-range gunner who is missing more than he makes. Still, it looks promising for the Tigers, who already boast solid defeats of Mississippi State (in Starkville), Purdue and South Carolina.
Duke (9-0)
Size is an issue, but so what? There is more athleticism than in recent years, and far more versatility. Kyle Singler, yet another impressive standout in this year's stellar crop of freshmen, leads the Blue Devils in scoring. Coach K has opened up the offense, taking advantage of a roster based on the principles of penetrate, kick and shoot. Basically, this team is a handful to defend. Speaking of which, Duke still defends as well as any team around.
Verdict: Legit. Again, size is a concern, but who is equipped to exploit the differential? Sure, a couple of the teams below, but rest assured, the Blue Devils won't be another "one and done" in the NCAA tournament. They have too much functional depth — and talent — for that.
Georgetown (8-0)
The Hoyas have so much balance that Jonathan Wallace, the senior guard many deemed ready for a breakout season, is playing just 23.6 minutes per game and averaging 9.1 points, good for fourth on the team. John Thompson III is building toward March, tinkering with lineups to maximize matchups. Freshman Austin Freeman (7.3 points in 19.6 minutes) in a star in the making, and there's already one in the middle in center Roy Hibbert (13.4 points, 7.1 rebounds). Plus, this team can shoot, hitting 50 percent of its field-goal attempts, including 39 percent of 3s. It's tough finding something to nitpick with this group.
Verdict: Legit. The Hoyas are likely the class of the Big East, especially given Louisville's apparent woes, so don't rule out a return to the Final Four. We can't wait to see how Georgetown deals with Memphis Dec. 22 at the FedEx Forum. It might be a precursor of what's to come in March.
Kansas (10-0)
The only thing better than talent is talent with experience. In that case, you have to love the Jayhawks. Even injuries can't slow KU — Brandon Rush is running around on one leg, but even so, he's second on the team in scoring at 10.7 points. Sophomore guard Sherron Collins, perhaps the most dynamic of a terrific backcourt trio that also includes Russell Robinson and Mario Chalmers, is back from surgery for a stress fracture in his foot. It's all-systems-go for this team, which will guard — and then guard some more. Even when the Jayhawks are off, they're still awfully good.
Verdict: Legit. But more is going to be needed from sophomore forward Darrell Arthur (team-high 13.9 points), whose potential is unlimited. It was he, not Kansas State freshman phenom Michael Beasley, who was the subject of much of the buzz at this summer's USA Basketball U-19 World Championship practices before suffering a stress fracture in his lower leg, which has since healed. The Jayhawks will soar as high as Arthur guides them this year.
Memphis (8-0)
It's not just Derrick Rose, people. This team is loaded. It's frightening, really. But what's most impressive is John Calipari's willingness to schedule the nation's best, and his logic is sound. He knows that Conference USA, while not a walk in the park, isn't going to prepare this team for where it aims to go in March. As a result, the Tigers have already beaten Oklahoma, Connecticut and USC. Georgetown is up Dec. 22, followed by Arizona a week later. In the midst of C-USA play, Memphis takes a Jan. 26 break to welcome Gonzaga to the FedEx Forum.
Verdict: Legit. With all that said, if any of these remaining undefeated teams has a chance to finish the regular season that way, Memphis is probably the choice. Calipari hasn't been shy about his desire to win an elusive NCAA title, which would reportedly deliver free furniture to some Tigers fans as part of a local promotion. The timing seems right.
Miami (Fla.) (9-0)
Props for winning the Puerto Rico Tip-Off, but points deducted for the tiresome practice of fattening up on inconsequential non-conference cupcakes in preparation for the start of the ACC slate. Alas, the 9-0 start is Miami's best since 2001-02, when the 'Canes won 14 in a row. It's conceivable that Miami, which is led by Siena transfer Jack McClinton, a third-team All-ACC selection a year ago, might be worthy of its undefeated status. Probably not, though.
Verdict: Suspect. It's transparent what is happening here, at least from a scheduling standpoint. Coach Frank Haith is probably in trouble, and you take the wins where you can get them. We get it. We just don't think it proves anything.
Mississippi (8-0)
The Rebels want to run. They are averaging 89.9 points, which is second in the country. They've topped 100 points twice, as much a testament to Andy Kennedy's brand of up-tempo, pressure basketball as it is to the level of competition through seven games. Nevertheless, Kennedy is breaking in a freshman point guard, Chris Warren, who leads Ole Miss in scoring (15.3 points) and assists (6.0). For youth, exceptions can be made.
Verdict: Suspect. This team is long on potential and is probably going to be a threat by mid-February. But the Rebels have barely left home — which won't be the case for much longer. Ole Miss plays six straight road games, which should provide a much clearer picture of what the Rebels are.
North Carolina (8-0)
College basketball royalty assumes its rightful place — on the top of the national polls and at the fore of the nation's collective consciousness. Or so it seems as the Tar Heels are constantly on TV. But there's a reason for that — they're good. Very good, in fact. They've survived stiff tests from Davidson, BYU, Ohio State and Kentucky. Odds are, UNC will enter conference play undefeated, which is how it's supposed to be with royalty, right?
Verdict: Legit. What don't the Tar Heels have? There's a Hall of Fame coach in Roy Williams. There's a national player of the year candidate in Tyler Hansbrough (21.4 points, 9.6 rebounds). Wayne Ellington, who is hitting 47 percent of his 3-point attempts, might be one of the most improved players in the country. Danny Green is averaging 14.0 points — off the bench. And don't forget about point guard Ty Lawson, who is making 59 percent of his shots, averaging 11 points and nearly five assists. Sometimes, it's just not fair.
Pittsburgh (10-0)
We'll find out everything we need to know in the coming weeks about the Panthers. They kick off against Oklahoma State, followed by a Thursday throwdown with Duke in Madison Square Garden and a road trip to Dayton Dec. 29. So there will be at least one less unbeaten team by next weekend, which we find fascinating. Can't fault Jamie Dixon for his ability to develop players — two years ago, we were wondering where Aaron Gray came from. Now, it's junior forward Sam Young (18.1 points, 7.9 rebounds) who has us scratching our heads.
Verdict: Suspect. Mark it down — the Panthers have started the season 10-0 four consecutive times. This doesn't mean too much right now. Only two of their wins have come away from home, and only one outside of the Pittsburgh city limits. The combined margin of victory in those two games? Six points. Consider us skeptical.
Sam Houston State (9-0)
Give it up for the Southland Conference, which has two of the nation's remaining undefeated teams. The Bearkats have won 42 consecutive games against non-conference competition at home, the nation's second-longest streak ... behind Duke. SHSU has already notched wins against Texas Tech and St. Louis. Senior forward Ryan Bright is averaging a double-double (11.6 points, 10.8 rebounds). The Bearkats received an AP vote in this week's poll. And coach Bobby Marlin ... well, read all about him at www.bobbymarlin.com.
Verdict: Legit. An odd call, for sure, but it makes sense. The Bearkats are one of the nation's best mid-majors. They're tough, obviously, at home. The Southland isn't filled with mines, which means SHSU should reap the automatic bid to the NCAA tournament. And from there, well, anything can happen in March.
Texas (10-0)
Is it possible for a team to actually improve despite losing the best player in college basketball? The Longhorns have, mainly by getting better on the defensive end. And it helps that D.J. Augustin and A.J. Abrams have been outstanding, comprising arguably the nation's best starting backcourt. Opinions always vary when it comes to Rick Barnes, but a couple of things are certain — the man can recruit and he develops his players. Texas is not only a threat in the Big 12, but nationally as well.
Verdict: Legit. When you have the best point guard in America — sorry, Darren Collison — you're always dangerous. And when you have a group of kids who seem hell-bent on proving they were more than Kevin Durant's supporting cast, well, that's a bonus.
Texas-Arlington (8-0)
After beating Wichita State 60-59 on the road Dec. 8, UTA coach Scott Cross said it was suggested to him that the victory over the Shockers — a group picked to finish sixth in the Missouri Valley Conference in the preseason — was the biggest triumph in the program's history. 'Nuff said. It's a veteran group — three seniors in the starting lineup, paced by center Jermaine Griffin's 16.6 points and 9.6 rebounds — that finished 13-17 last year.
Verdict: Suspect. Winning at Koch Arena is quite the accomplishment for the Mavericks. We'll wait to reserve judgment on UTA following its next two games — at TCU (Dec. 17) and at Oklahoma State (Dec. 22). And don't forget — the Mavericks compete in the Southland Conference, which means running into Sam Houston State twice.
Vanderbilt (10-0)
Beating Georgia Tech and Wake Forest in the span of five days in early December is no joke. Overcoming an 18-point deficit — on the road — at DePaul to win in overtime is impressive. The 'Dores have smooth sailing until January, when the schedule perks up with a visit from Massachusetts. So far, so good.
Verdict: Legit. Beat someone good away from Nashville, and we'd be even more impressed. For now, we are merely convinced Vandy has permanently turned the corner under coach Kevin Stallings. There are some nice pieces in place — beginning with senior Shan Foster (20.3 points, 4.6 rebounds) and freshman center A.J. Ogilvy (19.5 points, 6.6 rebounds). And remember this was an NCAA tournament team a year ago, losing to Georgetown in the regional semifinals.
Washington State (10-0)
All five starters average at least 9.6 points. No one exceeds junior center Aron Baynes' 5.8 rebounds per game, yet the Cougars are outrebounding foes by five. Maybe we're late to the party, but how good is Kyle Weaver? The only thing ordinary about him is his name. He can shoot (49 percent from the field, 42 from 3-point range, and 83 from the free-throw line), distribute (4.1 apg) and clean the glass (4.7 rpg).
Verdict: Legit. Defense always gives Washington State a chance. So far, opponents have eclipsed 70 points once (Boise State, Nov. 13). Collectively, opponents are scoring 52.4 points while shooting 37 percent. Obviously, it's more difficult once Pac-10 play begins, but we saw the Cougars do the same thing a year ago.
Jeffrey Martin writes for the Wichita Eagle. He can be reached at reyheath@gmail.com.
Sunday, December 16, 2007
Unbeatens Try To Walk High Wire
Unbeatens Try To Walk High Wire
By JONAH KERI, ESPN's Page 2
December 14, 2007
With many teams on break for exams and the holiday season approaching, we're nearly done with the non-conference portion of the college basketball schedule. With that in mind, let's take a look at the remaining undefeated Top 25 Division I teams, their paths to perfection, and how long their unblemished records might last.
NORTH CAROLINA (8–0)
HOW THEY GOT HERE: The Tar Heels have yet to play a ranked team. They've scored their toughest wins over feisty mid-majors Davidson and BYU. Brendan Wright's early departure for the NBA opened the door for a fourth scorer to emerge alongside Tyler Hansbrough, Wayne Ellingston, and Ty Lawson, and Danny Green has been the one to fill the void. The junior swingman is averaging 14.4 points while playing just 20.5 minutes a game, making him one of the most efficient players in the nation, and a big boost to the Carolina attack.
PROJECTED FIRST LOSS: January 6 at Clemson. The ACC season opener results in a big win for the Tigers and a new no. 1 team in the polls.
MEMPHIS (7–0)
HOW THEY GOT HERE: John Calipari knows his team needs to play a murderous schedule, given the weak competition Conference USA offers and the need to give his team more seasoning and a better RPI come tournament time. The Tigers have already beaten Oklahoma and USC, and they still have Georgetown and Arizona before New Year's.
PROJECTED FIRST LOSS: None in the regular season. We're calling it now, Memphis goes to the big dance undefeated, with huge expectations. The team's veterans are very good and very athletic, but the difference between a decent tournament showing and a run at the national title will be the play of freshman stud Derrick Rose.
KANSAS (9–0)
HOW THEY GOT HERE: A big win over USC at the Galen Center highlights an otherwise weak schedule. With Brandon Rush and Sherrod Collins healing, that slow ramp-up process probably works to Kansas's advantage.
PROJECTED FIRST LOSS: January 30 at Kansas State, if not sooner. While the Jayhawks don't face a ranked team until they travel to Austin on February 11, the Big 12 is filled with mines this season, including an improved Nebraska team and this scary Kansas State team, led by Michael Beasley and Bill Walker.
TEXAS (9–0)
HOW THEY GOT HERE: Sharpshooting guards A.J. Abrams and D.J. Augustin are averaging 38.1 points a game between them, ably picking up the slack left behind by Kevin Durant's departure. The pair rang up a combined 44 points (seven 3s) in a 19-point rout over highly-ranked Tennessee, while Augustin's 19 points and Damion James's double-double fueled the Longhorns' win at UCLA, the most impressive win for any team so far this season.
PROJECTED FIRST LOSS: December 22 vs. Michigan State. Though technically not a home game for the Spartans, the Izzone shows up in full force in Auburn Hills and Raymar Morgan and Drew Neitzel prove too much to handle for Texas.
GEORGETOWN (7–0)
HOW THEY GOT HERE: No Jeff Green, no problem. The stellar play of Roy Hibbert and emergence of DaJuan Summers have kept the Hoyas in top form this season. Still, let's reserve judgment a bit until next week's tilt at Memphis — there's only so much we can learn from Jacksonville, Fairfield, and William & Mary.
PROJECTED FIRST LOSS: December 22 at Memphis. Whoever controls the tempo wins this game. If the Tigers get out and run, Hibbert will be neutralized and possibly forced to the bench. In a half-court battle, the Hoyas have the smarts and muscle to out-execute Memphis.
DUKE (9–0)
HOW THEY GOT HERE: The Blue Devils' signature wins have come against Marquette and Wisconsin. Discount their "road" wins a bit, though, as Mike Krzyzewski has again avoided true road battles in favor of neutral-site matchups. This is a different Duke team than in years past, with athletic players such as Gerald Henderson leading the way, and no true big men to be found.
PROJECTED FIRST LOSS: December 20 vs. Pitt. The schedule lists this as a road game, but it's anything but, as the two teams square off at Madison Square Garden, a.k.a. Duke North. Still, expect Sam Young, Mike Cook and company to overcome the Devils, who might not face another notable challenge until their February 6 showdown at Chapel Hill.
WASHINGTON STATE (9–0)
HOW THEY GOT HERE: The Cougars' top six scorers are upperclassmen, giving them a maturity that many national contenders lack. But Wazzou also benefits from the steady hand of coach Tony Bennett, who runs an efficient offense that wastes few possessions and a stingy defense that makes other teams work. The Cougs' early-season schedule has been spotty, but the team's fourpoint decision over Gonzaga marked just the second time a team had gone into the Kennel and come out a winner.
PROJECTED FIRST LOSS: January 12 at UCLA. Wazzou starts its conference schedule with a killer three-game stretch. They prevail against overmatched Washington and talented but erratic USC, but their luck runs out at Pauley Pavilion.
PITTSBURGH (9–0)
HOW THEY GOT HERE: Like Duke, the Panthers have overcome the loss of go-to big men (Aaron Gray and Levon Kendall), finding success as a faster-paced team. Sam Young's production has skyrocketed, zooming to 18.1 points a game from 7.2, now that he's the biggest threat up front. Pitt hasn't faced a ranked team yet, though its recent win at Washington was impressive, even in a shaky year for the Huskies.
PROJECTED FIRST LOSS: December 29 at Dayton. Classic trap game, as Pitt celebrates its big win over Duke and looks ahead to Villanova and the start of conference play, only to get ambushed by a game Dayton squad that just took down Louisville.
CLEMSON (8–0)
HOW THEY GOT HERE: The Tigers started last season 17–0 before collapsing in ACC play and missing the NCAA tournament. Clemson's pre-conference schedule might be a little tougher than last year's, though the slate still includes luminaries such as Puerto Rico-Mayaguez. This is one of the most experienced major-conference teams in the nation, with leading scorers K.C. Rivers, James Mays, and Cliff Hammonds all upperclassmen.
PROJECTED FIRST LOSS: January 1 at Alabama. The New Year's Eve hangover kicks in for Clemson as the Tide ride double-double machine Richard Hendrix to a big home win.
VANDERBILT (10–0)
HOW THEY GOT HERE: Aussie sensation Andrew Ogilvy and senior star Shan Foster give the Commodores of the best inside-outside combinations in the country, averaging just under 40 points a game between them. Still, Vandy hasn't exactly walked the gauntlet en route to its 10-0 start.
PROJECTED FIRST LOSS: January 17 at Tennessee, but don't bet on it. If Vandy carries their strong play over to their SEC schedule, a down year for the conference could make this a very interesting season in Nashville.
Mr. Keri (jonahkeri@gmail.com) is a writer for ESPN.com's Page 2.
By JONAH KERI, ESPN's Page 2
December 14, 2007
With many teams on break for exams and the holiday season approaching, we're nearly done with the non-conference portion of the college basketball schedule. With that in mind, let's take a look at the remaining undefeated Top 25 Division I teams, their paths to perfection, and how long their unblemished records might last.
NORTH CAROLINA (8–0)
HOW THEY GOT HERE: The Tar Heels have yet to play a ranked team. They've scored their toughest wins over feisty mid-majors Davidson and BYU. Brendan Wright's early departure for the NBA opened the door for a fourth scorer to emerge alongside Tyler Hansbrough, Wayne Ellingston, and Ty Lawson, and Danny Green has been the one to fill the void. The junior swingman is averaging 14.4 points while playing just 20.5 minutes a game, making him one of the most efficient players in the nation, and a big boost to the Carolina attack.
PROJECTED FIRST LOSS: January 6 at Clemson. The ACC season opener results in a big win for the Tigers and a new no. 1 team in the polls.
MEMPHIS (7–0)
HOW THEY GOT HERE: John Calipari knows his team needs to play a murderous schedule, given the weak competition Conference USA offers and the need to give his team more seasoning and a better RPI come tournament time. The Tigers have already beaten Oklahoma and USC, and they still have Georgetown and Arizona before New Year's.
PROJECTED FIRST LOSS: None in the regular season. We're calling it now, Memphis goes to the big dance undefeated, with huge expectations. The team's veterans are very good and very athletic, but the difference between a decent tournament showing and a run at the national title will be the play of freshman stud Derrick Rose.
KANSAS (9–0)
HOW THEY GOT HERE: A big win over USC at the Galen Center highlights an otherwise weak schedule. With Brandon Rush and Sherrod Collins healing, that slow ramp-up process probably works to Kansas's advantage.
PROJECTED FIRST LOSS: January 30 at Kansas State, if not sooner. While the Jayhawks don't face a ranked team until they travel to Austin on February 11, the Big 12 is filled with mines this season, including an improved Nebraska team and this scary Kansas State team, led by Michael Beasley and Bill Walker.
TEXAS (9–0)
HOW THEY GOT HERE: Sharpshooting guards A.J. Abrams and D.J. Augustin are averaging 38.1 points a game between them, ably picking up the slack left behind by Kevin Durant's departure. The pair rang up a combined 44 points (seven 3s) in a 19-point rout over highly-ranked Tennessee, while Augustin's 19 points and Damion James's double-double fueled the Longhorns' win at UCLA, the most impressive win for any team so far this season.
PROJECTED FIRST LOSS: December 22 vs. Michigan State. Though technically not a home game for the Spartans, the Izzone shows up in full force in Auburn Hills and Raymar Morgan and Drew Neitzel prove too much to handle for Texas.
GEORGETOWN (7–0)
HOW THEY GOT HERE: No Jeff Green, no problem. The stellar play of Roy Hibbert and emergence of DaJuan Summers have kept the Hoyas in top form this season. Still, let's reserve judgment a bit until next week's tilt at Memphis — there's only so much we can learn from Jacksonville, Fairfield, and William & Mary.
PROJECTED FIRST LOSS: December 22 at Memphis. Whoever controls the tempo wins this game. If the Tigers get out and run, Hibbert will be neutralized and possibly forced to the bench. In a half-court battle, the Hoyas have the smarts and muscle to out-execute Memphis.
DUKE (9–0)
HOW THEY GOT HERE: The Blue Devils' signature wins have come against Marquette and Wisconsin. Discount their "road" wins a bit, though, as Mike Krzyzewski has again avoided true road battles in favor of neutral-site matchups. This is a different Duke team than in years past, with athletic players such as Gerald Henderson leading the way, and no true big men to be found.
PROJECTED FIRST LOSS: December 20 vs. Pitt. The schedule lists this as a road game, but it's anything but, as the two teams square off at Madison Square Garden, a.k.a. Duke North. Still, expect Sam Young, Mike Cook and company to overcome the Devils, who might not face another notable challenge until their February 6 showdown at Chapel Hill.
WASHINGTON STATE (9–0)
HOW THEY GOT HERE: The Cougars' top six scorers are upperclassmen, giving them a maturity that many national contenders lack. But Wazzou also benefits from the steady hand of coach Tony Bennett, who runs an efficient offense that wastes few possessions and a stingy defense that makes other teams work. The Cougs' early-season schedule has been spotty, but the team's fourpoint decision over Gonzaga marked just the second time a team had gone into the Kennel and come out a winner.
PROJECTED FIRST LOSS: January 12 at UCLA. Wazzou starts its conference schedule with a killer three-game stretch. They prevail against overmatched Washington and talented but erratic USC, but their luck runs out at Pauley Pavilion.
PITTSBURGH (9–0)
HOW THEY GOT HERE: Like Duke, the Panthers have overcome the loss of go-to big men (Aaron Gray and Levon Kendall), finding success as a faster-paced team. Sam Young's production has skyrocketed, zooming to 18.1 points a game from 7.2, now that he's the biggest threat up front. Pitt hasn't faced a ranked team yet, though its recent win at Washington was impressive, even in a shaky year for the Huskies.
PROJECTED FIRST LOSS: December 29 at Dayton. Classic trap game, as Pitt celebrates its big win over Duke and looks ahead to Villanova and the start of conference play, only to get ambushed by a game Dayton squad that just took down Louisville.
CLEMSON (8–0)
HOW THEY GOT HERE: The Tigers started last season 17–0 before collapsing in ACC play and missing the NCAA tournament. Clemson's pre-conference schedule might be a little tougher than last year's, though the slate still includes luminaries such as Puerto Rico-Mayaguez. This is one of the most experienced major-conference teams in the nation, with leading scorers K.C. Rivers, James Mays, and Cliff Hammonds all upperclassmen.
PROJECTED FIRST LOSS: January 1 at Alabama. The New Year's Eve hangover kicks in for Clemson as the Tide ride double-double machine Richard Hendrix to a big home win.
VANDERBILT (10–0)
HOW THEY GOT HERE: Aussie sensation Andrew Ogilvy and senior star Shan Foster give the Commodores of the best inside-outside combinations in the country, averaging just under 40 points a game between them. Still, Vandy hasn't exactly walked the gauntlet en route to its 10-0 start.
PROJECTED FIRST LOSS: January 17 at Tennessee, but don't bet on it. If Vandy carries their strong play over to their SEC schedule, a down year for the conference could make this a very interesting season in Nashville.
Mr. Keri (jonahkeri@gmail.com) is a writer for ESPN.com's Page 2.
Thursday, December 13, 2007
As If It Wasn't Hard Enough to Watch
Super, Scintillating and Sarcastic
College basketball commentary that won't make your ears bleed.
http://stopvitale.collegehoopsnet.com
As If It Wasn't Hard Enough to Watch
I was going to write my thoughts on last night's big Memphis-USC game because it was an interesting game in terms of the big picture of college hoops and there were not two but three, 2008 lottery picks (do NOT sleep on Davon Jefferson). But I've been reminded this morning why I don't write game summaries or recaps on this site: Because they are f***ing EVERYWHERE. In case you want your mind to be overcome by Roses and Mayos and Triangle-and-Twos and Floyds and Caliparis and Dickie Vs and Jimmy Vs and Sloppiness and Slothiness, here are your Memphis-USC recaps. Choose your weapon wisely.
Luke Winn at SI.com- "Man that game was sloppy, Rose and Mayo are pretty good, but not in that game, man that OJ Mayo is popular."
Gary Parrish at CBS Sportsline- "Man that game was sloppy, those guys couldn't even shoot! How bout that triangle and two! Jeez!"
Someone named Heather Dinich at ESPN.com- "Man that game was sloppy, Rose and Mayo were pretty inconsistent, but they are still great! John Calipari was certainly perplexed."
Mike DeCourcy at Sporting News- "Man that game was sloppy, Memphis really got a test though and USC showed a lot, how bout that triangle and two! Jeez!"
The freaking Chicago Tribune(?!)- "Man that game was sloppy, the Rose-Mayo showdown could've been better, but this isn't about individuals!"
The AP- "Man that game was sloppy, Calipari even said so! Those teams couldn't even shoot! But at least it was close!"
The New York Times- "Man that game was sloppy, it was all slow and stuff, Mayo and Rose didn't even play that well!"
And so on and so on and so on... That doesn't even include the avalanche of local coverage in Memphis and LA which probably said the same exact thing. It's almost like they were afraid to give a different perspective for a game with so much hype because it wouldn't have been obvious enough. "Everyone was excited for the game, the game wasn't too exciting, can there be an easier storyline?!" I thought the hype leading up to the game was justified and that it was actually a pretty entertaining game with great defense, great coaching, an unselfish, team-oriented approach from Rose and Mayo and two talented, young teams trying to fight through bad shooting, little time for preparation, some not-quite-there-yet chemistry and the pressure from all the hype to get a tough, important win. But where I thought Rose and Mayo would prove bigger than the game, it turned out to be two guys with even bigger profiles and egos that put their names on the marquee, John Calipari and Tim Floyd.
But um, yeah, I'm not going to talk about the game or anything.
College basketball commentary that won't make your ears bleed.
http://stopvitale.collegehoopsnet.com
As If It Wasn't Hard Enough to Watch
I was going to write my thoughts on last night's big Memphis-USC game because it was an interesting game in terms of the big picture of college hoops and there were not two but three, 2008 lottery picks (do NOT sleep on Davon Jefferson). But I've been reminded this morning why I don't write game summaries or recaps on this site: Because they are f***ing EVERYWHERE. In case you want your mind to be overcome by Roses and Mayos and Triangle-and-Twos and Floyds and Caliparis and Dickie Vs and Jimmy Vs and Sloppiness and Slothiness, here are your Memphis-USC recaps. Choose your weapon wisely.
Luke Winn at SI.com- "Man that game was sloppy, Rose and Mayo are pretty good, but not in that game, man that OJ Mayo is popular."
Gary Parrish at CBS Sportsline- "Man that game was sloppy, those guys couldn't even shoot! How bout that triangle and two! Jeez!"
Someone named Heather Dinich at ESPN.com- "Man that game was sloppy, Rose and Mayo were pretty inconsistent, but they are still great! John Calipari was certainly perplexed."
Mike DeCourcy at Sporting News- "Man that game was sloppy, Memphis really got a test though and USC showed a lot, how bout that triangle and two! Jeez!"
The freaking Chicago Tribune(?!)- "Man that game was sloppy, the Rose-Mayo showdown could've been better, but this isn't about individuals!"
The AP- "Man that game was sloppy, Calipari even said so! Those teams couldn't even shoot! But at least it was close!"
The New York Times- "Man that game was sloppy, it was all slow and stuff, Mayo and Rose didn't even play that well!"
And so on and so on and so on... That doesn't even include the avalanche of local coverage in Memphis and LA which probably said the same exact thing. It's almost like they were afraid to give a different perspective for a game with so much hype because it wouldn't have been obvious enough. "Everyone was excited for the game, the game wasn't too exciting, can there be an easier storyline?!" I thought the hype leading up to the game was justified and that it was actually a pretty entertaining game with great defense, great coaching, an unselfish, team-oriented approach from Rose and Mayo and two talented, young teams trying to fight through bad shooting, little time for preparation, some not-quite-there-yet chemistry and the pressure from all the hype to get a tough, important win. But where I thought Rose and Mayo would prove bigger than the game, it turned out to be two guys with even bigger profiles and egos that put their names on the marquee, John Calipari and Tim Floyd.
But um, yeah, I'm not going to talk about the game or anything.
Taggart fills Tigers' tall order
Taggart fills Tigers' tall order
Transfer settles in as backup for Dorsey
By Dan Wolken
Monday, December 10, 2007
Senior Joey Dorsey has been at the University of Memphis long enough to know what happens when he fouls out of a basketball game. So with the Tigers on the verge of overtime last Tuesday against Southern California and Dorsey already disqualified, his sense of history told him to anticipate the worst.
"I held my head down," Dorsey said.
So reliant have the No. 2-ranked Tigers been on Dorsey's rebounding and shot-blocking presence that his foul issues have been symptomatic of practically every loss they've suffered for two straight years. But what happened in overtime of Memphis' 62-58 victory showed coach John Calipari that he might not be held hostage by Dorsey's disposition any more.
Relying on 6-11 sophomore Shawn Taggart, a transfer from Iowa State, the Tigers finished off USC by grabbing all the key rebounds and loose balls and holding the Trojans to just four points in the extra period.
"It's good to know that when Joey's in the funk, we can win without him," Calipari said. "He needs to know that. We just won't play you. If it's one of those days you're sad or mad or whatever it is, we're playing these other guys. And I love Joey. I wouldn't have him in this program if I didn't love him. But the reality is, you either perform or someone else plays. It's good to have a guy like Tag on this team."
For Memphis, the search for a backup big man to take the pressure off Dorsey has been frustrating. Last season, the Tigers tried to use Kareem Cooper and Pierre Niles when Dorsey got in foul trouble. But as both struggled with weight issues, they proved time and again they could not be counted on to pull in rebounds or convert easy baskets close to the goal.
The only workable solution available to Calipari was playing a small lineup with 6-9 Robert Dozier out of position at center. Though the Tigers were able to pull through some sticky situations last season without Dorsey, it was almost a smoke-and-mirrors routine. And ultimately, when Dorsey played poorly in an Elite Eight game against Ohio State (no points, three rebounds in 19 minutes), Memphis ran out of answers.
It would have been easy to envision Tuesday's game having the same result when Dorsey fouled out with less than a minute remaining in regulation. Instead, Taggart became the key factor in overtime as Memphis shut down USC on the glass after allowing 20 offensive rebounds in regulation.
"Last year we might have lost," Dozier said. "When it comes down to it, you have to want it more than the other team, and guys did it defensively. He came up with some key blocks, key rebounds for us down the stretch. Last year, we didn't have a Shawn Taggart to come off the bench and do that. He played a major role."
Calipari was even more direct, telling Taggart in the locker room afterward that he was the reason Memphis won the game. And for Dorsey, it had been a while since he had another big man to absolve his foul guilt.
"Shawn Taggart stepped up in his role," Dorsey said. "I gave him a hug, and I love him for coming up with that win with me sitting on the bench."
Taggart, who finished with seven points and five rebounds, also made himself a factor in different ways during regulation. In the first half, he made two 3-pointers, helping a Memphis offense that was beyond stagnant for long stretches. Then, in the second half, he blocked three shots in a row during a defensive sequence that allowed Memphis to grab the lead with 6:21 to go.
It was the latter contribution that Calipari most wanted to see, since he had directed plenty of criticism at Taggart during the first few games of the season for his inability to come up with loose balls and be a defensive presence in the post. Against USC, however, Calipari said he was more comfortable with Taggart in the lineup late in the game than he was with Dorsey.
"If we didn't play him late, we don't win," Calipari said. "That rebound on that missed free throw (in overtime) won this game for us. It had nothing to do with you making a 3. I could care less if you make any. If you don't do those things, I can't play you. You do that, every once in awhile you'll get a 3 up because you'll be on the floor. I need you to rebound the ball and get in there and mix it up."
Etc.: The first John Calipari radio show of the season will be tonight at 7 on WREC-AM (600). The show will air live from Cal's Steakhouse. ... Sophomore forward Pierre Niles sat out Saturday and Sunday's practices due to a back strain. He is expected to return Tuesday.
Reach Dan Wolken at 529-2365; read his blogs on the Tigers at thememphisedge.com.
Warren Central Edges #1 East Chicago (Angel Garcia)
Warren Central edges No. 1 East Chicago
December 9, 2007
BY STEVE T. GORCHES Post-Tribune staff writer
INDIANAPOLIS -- Speed kills, but size rules if you have it in the high school basketball ranks.
East Chicago Central has both on the roster of its Class 4A defending state champion squad.
The No. 1 Cardinals used its speed to take a halftime lead Saturday night. But when its size got in foul trouble in the second half, No. 3 Warren Central took over on its way to a 79-73 victory in the final game of the Circle City Classic Challenge of Champions at historic Hinkle Fieldhouse on the campus of Butler University.
It was called the "showcase game" of the six-game event that included Lafayette Jeff and East Chicago's victim in last year's state championship North Central.
For almost three quarters it was certainly a showcase, with a back-and-forth pace.
Then East Chicago's two big men, Angel Garcia and Kawann Short, had to sit on the bench with three fouls each with 2:20 left in the third quarter. The Cardinals (2-1) were down by one at the time. Less than 50 seconds later Warren Central (3-0) was up by seven.
"Yeah, without our two big guys, our firepower underneath, they took advantage," first-year East Chicago coach Abe Brown said. "(Warren Central) brought in a smaller lineup and we weren't able to make the proper adjustments."
Those two big men exiting the game led directly to six points on back-to-back Warren possessions. On the first possession, 6-4 Joshua Jones grabbed an offensive rebound and put back with a foul for a three-point play the hard way. On the next possession, Ed Hazelett grabbed an offensive rebound for Warren and passed it out to Jones, who hit a three the long way.
It's the second straight year East Chicago has lost in the Circle City Classic, with last season's defeat coming to Pike.
"Of course we wanted to win for the guys who lost last year, but this is a great experience for us," Brown said. "It's a way for us to see what the rest of the state has got."
With the way it worked out last year, maybe the loss is OK, after all.
Garcia was playing in front of his future college coach, Memphis' John Calipari, who was sitting in the front row across from the East Chicago bench. The 6-11 senior didn't show Calipari too much before the coach left with 1:48 remaining. Garcia had five points and five rebounds before Calipari's departure, but finished with 11 points and eight rebounds.
With the two big men non-factors in the final quarter, senior guard Derrell Conner led the Cardinals with 19 points. Short added 11 points and 11 rebounds before fouling out in the last minute.
In the fifth game of the long day at Hinkle, the two best individual performances took place in Batesville's 73-59 victory over Brownsburg.
Alex Grimsley of Batesville and Julian Mavunga of Brownsburg went back and forth in the final period when the game was out of reach, including a crowd-pleasing dunk from each.
Mavunga edged Grimsley in scoring with 36 points. But Grimsley took home the coveted hardware as the MVP with his 34 points and nine rebounds.
December 9, 2007
BY STEVE T. GORCHES Post-Tribune staff writer
INDIANAPOLIS -- Speed kills, but size rules if you have it in the high school basketball ranks.
East Chicago Central has both on the roster of its Class 4A defending state champion squad.
The No. 1 Cardinals used its speed to take a halftime lead Saturday night. But when its size got in foul trouble in the second half, No. 3 Warren Central took over on its way to a 79-73 victory in the final game of the Circle City Classic Challenge of Champions at historic Hinkle Fieldhouse on the campus of Butler University.
It was called the "showcase game" of the six-game event that included Lafayette Jeff and East Chicago's victim in last year's state championship North Central.
For almost three quarters it was certainly a showcase, with a back-and-forth pace.
Then East Chicago's two big men, Angel Garcia and Kawann Short, had to sit on the bench with three fouls each with 2:20 left in the third quarter. The Cardinals (2-1) were down by one at the time. Less than 50 seconds later Warren Central (3-0) was up by seven.
"Yeah, without our two big guys, our firepower underneath, they took advantage," first-year East Chicago coach Abe Brown said. "(Warren Central) brought in a smaller lineup and we weren't able to make the proper adjustments."
Those two big men exiting the game led directly to six points on back-to-back Warren possessions. On the first possession, 6-4 Joshua Jones grabbed an offensive rebound and put back with a foul for a three-point play the hard way. On the next possession, Ed Hazelett grabbed an offensive rebound for Warren and passed it out to Jones, who hit a three the long way.
It's the second straight year East Chicago has lost in the Circle City Classic, with last season's defeat coming to Pike.
"Of course we wanted to win for the guys who lost last year, but this is a great experience for us," Brown said. "It's a way for us to see what the rest of the state has got."
With the way it worked out last year, maybe the loss is OK, after all.
Garcia was playing in front of his future college coach, Memphis' John Calipari, who was sitting in the front row across from the East Chicago bench. The 6-11 senior didn't show Calipari too much before the coach left with 1:48 remaining. Garcia had five points and five rebounds before Calipari's departure, but finished with 11 points and eight rebounds.
With the two big men non-factors in the final quarter, senior guard Derrell Conner led the Cardinals with 19 points. Short added 11 points and 11 rebounds before fouling out in the last minute.
In the fifth game of the long day at Hinkle, the two best individual performances took place in Batesville's 73-59 victory over Brownsburg.
Alex Grimsley of Batesville and Julian Mavunga of Brownsburg went back and forth in the final period when the game was out of reach, including a crowd-pleasing dunk from each.
Mavunga edged Grimsley in scoring with 36 points. But Grimsley took home the coveted hardware as the MVP with his 34 points and nine rebounds.
Fox Sports - Mayo vs Rose Duel Wasn't Impressive
Mayo vs Rose Duel Wasn't Impressive
Dec 05, 2007 | 10:35AM
Madison Square Garden has been referred to as the Mecca of basketball arenas, and for sporting events in general. Unfortunately, in basketball’s holiest venue, the Knicks desecrate the sacred floor 41 times during the NBA season. Over the past several years the only real basketball being played at MSG are the frequent college games. Last night three of the most touted freshman in college basketball appeared in games featuring Michael Beasley of Kansas State, O.J. Mayo of Southern Cal, and Derrick Rose of Memphis.
Ever since the “Fab Five” took the floor for Michigan in the early 90’s, media and fans alike have been infatuated with the freshman phenoms. College coaches scour the planet for the one prized recruit that can lead their team to the Final Four. Since the NBA increased the age limit for a player to enter the draft, the current environment in college basketball is such that a hyper-talented player will use college as an extended training camp before taking his skills to the pros.
The match up between USC and Memphis had the makings of a great game featuring Mayo and Rose. The #2 ranked Tigers and the #24 Trojans didn’t display dazzling basketball; in fact, the contest was downright ugly. At one point I actually thought the Knicks had taken the floor. USC head coach Tim Floyd masterfully employed a triangle and two defense to offset the Tigers’ overall talent, depth and athleticism. USC kept the Tigers from effectively running their offense and frustrated Rose the entire game. The Tigers were able to capitalize on late miscues by the Trojans to take the victory in overtime, 62-58.
Mayo scored 20 for the Trojans while showing flashes of his talent, but wasn’t a factor late in regulation or in overtime, missing his last seven shots. Rose meanwhile, was terrible, playing tentatively the entire game, making poor decisions and turning the ball over at the most inopportune times. Both players were expected to spend one year in college before making themselves available for the NBA draft. Based on last night’s performance, both players may well need two years in college before making the jump to the NBA. Let’s not forget these are freshman, and as freshman typically do, they make mistakes. Rose made more last night than Mayo, with the biggest difference being Rose has a superior supporting cast to mask the errors. The Tigers return all but one player from a team that has made consecutive Elite Eight appearances. Mayo is but one of many freshman and sophomores comprising the USC roster that is full of tremendous potential.
In fairness to Rose and Mayo, they have been put in difficult situations, especially Mayo due in large to the Trojans lack of experience. Mayo is the marquee player the Trojans needed after losing Gabe Pruitt and Nick Young from last years NCAA Tournament team that made it to the Sweet 16 before losing to North Carolina. This year’s version of the Trojans is a more deliberate style of play, at least until the young team begins to gel and gains experience. USC has played a competitive schedule to this point, with two of their three loses coming against Kansas and Memphis. With Tim Floyd’s guidance and some extra patience, this USC team looks to cause a lot of problems for fellow Pac-10 members. Many have argued that the Pac-10 may well be the toughest basketball conference in the country this year, and I wouldn’t disagree. With UCLA, Washington State, Arizona, Stanford, and USC, the conference schedule will be a proving ground prior to the NCAA Tournament. In some respects, Mayo will actually be better served as he continues to develop while playing in a tough conference against quality players.
As for Derrick Rose, the media has over-hyped the significance of his presence on the Tigers roster. Rose isn’t the savior of the Memphis team but merely a talented piece of the puzzle. The true catalyst of this team is Chris Douglas-Roberts, a talented swing man that has a nice short range jumper and routinely drives to the basket for easy points. The Tigers have played a difficult schedule as well, with victories against Oklahoma and Connecticut in November. The schedule gets even more difficult with games against Georgetown, Arizona, Gonzaga, and Tennessee on the horizon. Conference USA will not provide the Tigers with any difficulties, and for Rose, it may serve as a detriment. The handful of tough non-conference games aside, Rose won’t get an opportunity to learn much beating up on the likes of Tulane and Marshall.
Calipari: USC covered all the angles against Tigers
Calipari: USC covered all the angles against Tigers
Trojans' defense spooked U of M offensive stars
By Dan Wolken
Friday, December 7, 2007
On the airplane ride to New York last Sunday, University of Memphis coach John Calipari saw something on film that he hadn't seen before.
Though assistant coach John Robic apparently told Calipari that a triangle-and-2 defense had shown up in his scouting report of Southern California, it didn't register until he watched the first half of the Trojans' victory over Southern Illinois on Nov. 25.
So when No. 2-ranked Memphis got to New York, Calipari devised a plan to counter the triangle-and-2 -- known in basketball circles as a "junk" defense -- and practiced with it Monday. But when the Tigers took the court at Madison Square Garden and saw the oddball defense in real time, they froze. They might have even panicked a little.
And though the Tigers' defense, grit and ability to create transition baskets ultimately bailed them out in a 62-58 overtime victory, Calipari on Thursday took full blame for the team's ugliest and most befuddling offensive performance since they lost to Tennessee almost a year ago exactly.
"What we put in was something I was comfortable with," Calipari said. "The problem was, the players weren't. And if they're out there and they're not comfortable and we didn't have enough time to do live -- we did it all dummy -- they're going to play like they're tight, they're tired, whatever, and that's what they did."
One week after the Tigers' offense appeared to be breaking through in a major way -- their execution was almost flawless in a 104-82 victory over Austin Peay -- it was surprising to see them struggle so mightily against USC. Unable to create driving lanes, unable to knock down open jumpers, Memphis made just 25-of-67 field goal attempts, 5-of-22 from 3-point range and committed 21 turnovers.
The triangle-and-2, designed to limit an opponent's two biggest offensive threats, was effective against Chris Douglas-Roberts (4-for-13 from the field) and Derrick Rose (3-of-9). And with nobody else able to truly get in rhythm -- forward Robert Dozier had a team-high 13 points -- the result was not what the nation has become accustomed to seeing from a Memphis team loaded with veterans.
Calipari said the blame, however, should go on him for not countering with a plan that got more opportunities for Douglas-Roberts and Rose.
"If you play into their hands and still don't try to get your best players free and then play off them, you made a mistake. Who made the mistake? I did," Calipari said. "I had guys in total confusion. They didn't (guard) three guys. And when that guy missed a shot, he panicked. If you triangle my best two players, I'm still going to get the ball to them, but we weren't doing that."
Memphis, however, had issues during the game that were seemingly unrelated to any defense USC threw out.
The Tigers, for instance, went 7-for-18 from the free-throw line. They airballed 3-pointers. They wildly missed lay-ups. They committed a handful of turnovers in transition, not in the half-court. On a couple of occasions, players passed up open 3-pointers, only to end up missing a more difficult shot later in the possession.
But Calipari said all of those errors were tied in to the sense of discomfort his team felt with the offensive game plan it was trying to execute against a defense it hadn't seen before.
"They were hyped for this game for a month," Calipari said. "But when you're confused, you're on your heels. And it wasn't that they weren't enthused. You saw at the end how they wanted to win the game. Believe me, the guys, they practiced hard, they like each other, they're doing their stuff. All of that is good. Now I've got to do my job. My job is to make sure I keep a pulse on the team."
And obviously, the pulse beats strongest when the game is on the line. After plodding along for most of the game, the Tigers found a little extra pep over the last seven minutes of regulation and overtime, holding USC without a field goal for long stretches.
"I just think we got out of kilter," Calipari said. "A year ago, early, we lose that game."
Reach Dan Wolken at 529-2365; read his blogs on the Tigers at thememphisedge.com.
CBS Sports Gary Parrish - O.J.-Derrick show is great, but let's not get sappy
O.J.-Derrick show is great, but let's not get sappy
Dec. 4, 2007
By Gary Parrish
CBSSports.com Senior Writer
NEW YORK -- Steaming Sunday morning, 20 miles off the Las Vegas strip at a high school close to dirt and not much more. That was the setting for the must-see event two summers ago, and roughly 3,000 people -- among them practically every major college coach in America -- packed a gym well before 10 a.m. and waited for tip-off.
The reason: Derrick Rose vs. O.J. Mayo. The result: Nothing short of fabulous.
"It was electric," said Sonny Vaccaro, the man who ran the Big Time Tournament that produced the event. "It was a signature game for that level."
Rose was great. Mayo was better.
The game ended with the latter hitting a 3-pointer while being fouled by the former, and when Mayo sank the subsequent free throw he had completed a four-point play to give his team an 83-82 victory that many (myself included) have deemed the best summer basketball game they've ever witnessed.
"You think he really fouled him?" Memphis coach John Calipari asked afterward, still standing in the bleachers, still shaking his head.
Meantime, Southern California's Tim Floyd just smiled. He and Calipari sat together during the game, and in between jumpers they held a private discussion that at least partly led to this Tuesday night showdown between Calipari's Tigers (featuring Rose) and Floyd's Trojans (featuring Mayo) at Madison Square Garden.
It's going to be a splendid game. If you've got the time, you should watch.
But be sure to cover your ears to avoid the feel-good fiction.
That's my only advice heading in, my only objection to the whole thing. The announcers are going to focus on Rose and Mayo, highlight their stories and tell you all sorts of stuff about why they are playing at these two schools. They'll go over how Rose loved the atmosphere at Memphis and dreamed of the style of play.
They'll note how Mayo wanted to perform in the Los Angeles market and put USC on the proverbial map. And all those things are true to some extent, I guess.
But contrary to what you'll hear during the broadcast Calipari was not the key figure in Rose's recruitment nor was Floyd the key figure in Mayo's.
They were merely the beneficiaries. But that doesn't sound so pure, does it?
Steve Lappas on How Memphis Beat USC
By Steve Lappas
Steve Lappas is a game and studio analyst for CSTV men's basketball coverage
Special to CSTV.com
How was Memphis able to beat USC Tuesday night in the Jimmy V Classic after shooting under 40 percent from the field and the free throw line?!
That all came down to the fact that USC had a great game plan. They did everything they could to take Derrick Rose and Chris Douglas-Roberts out of the game, but I think people forget how good of a defensive team Memphis is. And though Memphis struggled to score offensively, they made sure that USC struggled a little bit more than they did, and that's what it all boiled down to. USC had a great plan, and what they did was exactly how you need to try and play Memphis. That's the way people are going to try and play them. But the one thing you cannot control as a coach is how they're going to guard you, and Memphis just guarded them great.
USC put itself in a position to win the game no doubt. Let's face it, Memphis didn't play up to their capabilities on offense, but they made sure that USC was going to struggle on offense also, and that's what they did. That's what makes Memphis such a good team. There they were in a slow-down game, and they guarded their heads off, and that's why they won. They might have been fortunate that night with Douglas-Roberts and Rose both struggling to shoot the ball, but they also won that night because they played defense. And as a coach you can't control how they're going to defend you, and that's what makes things difficult.
NY Times - A Memphis Freshman Needs No Orientation
A Memphis Freshman Needs No Orientation
By JOSHUA ROBINSON, New York Times
Published: December 6, 2007
In an instant six years ago, Reggie Rose realized his younger brother Derrick was not just another middle school basketball player.
They were with their other brothers, Allan and Dwayne, on their mother’s couch in Chicago, watching a video of Derrick’s seventh-grade team. Amid the usual blend of sloppy passing and clumsy dribbling, one play stood out. They rewound the tape and watched it again. And again.
“The little guard on the team came down the court and threw the ball up,” Reggie Rose said. “Then someone just came up and dunked the ball. We were like, ‘Who’s the kid who just dunked the ball?’ and Derrick says, ‘That’s me.’”
Now, Derrick Rose is the starting point guard for No. 2 Memphis, a team with national-championship aspirations, and is one of the most highly regarded freshmen in college basketball. In a season teeming with new talent, Rose is often mentioned with guard O. J. Mayo of Southern California, Kansas State forward Michael Beasley and guard Eric Gordon at Indiana.
“Yeah, but I like the freshman I’ve got,” Memphis Coach John Calipari said Tuesday night, after his team improved to 7-0 with a 62-58 overtime victory against Mayo and U.S.C. in the Jimmy V Classic at Madison Square Garden. “I wouldn’t trade him for anyone. He’s a great player and a great kid.”
Rose’s night started slowly. By halftime, he had two rebounds, two assists and more turnovers (two) than points (none). But he fought through a stingy U.S.C. defense and pulled his game together down the stretch to finish with 9 points and 10 rebounds.
“He played the way he did because U.S.C. mucked up the game, and he’s not ready to be a quarterback,” Calipari said. “He can’t drop back, read the defense and do a Tom Brady yet. But when he is, he’s going to be unbelievable.”
Rose, who is 6 feet 3 inches and 190 pounds, is averaging 15.9 points and 4.3 assists a game, picking up where he left off in high school last season. He was named Mr. Basketball in Illinois after averaging 25.2 points, 9.1 rebounds, 8.8 assists and 3.4 steals his senior year at Simeon Career Academy, which claimed its second consecutive state title.
But his real basketball education came on the South Side of Chicago at Murray Park, where he would often spend seven or eight hours a day.
“I was playing with people older than I was, and that’s one of the reasons my basketball I.Q. is so high,” Rose said after Tuesday’s game. “They were teaching me all the tricks of the trade, because if I ever tried to do stupid things, I knew they’d steal the ball from me.”
He soon caught the eye of recruiters at Illinois, Indiana and Memphis. Ultimately, Rose said, it was the veteran players at Memphis who made the difference.
The Tigers have returned all five starters from the team that finished 33-4 last season and reached the Round of 8 of the N.C.A.A. tournament. It was the team’s second straight appearance in that round.
So far, the team leaders have not disappointed: the junior guard Chris Douglas-Roberts is averaging 20.1 points a game, and the senior forward Joey Dorsey is averaging 9.2 rebounds.
Calipari said he hoped that adding Rose’s speed to the mix would allow the Tigers to execute the kind of “spread-the-court, dribble-drive game” that can keep them playing into April.
But this may be Calipari’s only chance to make the most of Rose’s talent. Although Rose said he had not yet thought about next year, he is already considered a potential first-round draft pick for the 2008 N.B.A. draft.
“I hope he does go to the N.B.A.,” Calipari said. “Because you know what that means if he does? It means we won a ton of games this season, and I’d be fine with that.”
Whether he stays or goes, the 19-year-old Rose has plenty of support from his brothers.
“Before anyone like a street hustler or a dope dealer tried to take advantage of him, we had to protect him,” said Reggie Rose, 32. “But when we’re at home, we still make him take out the garbage and keep him humble. He knows he’s still the baby brother.”
Los Angeles Times - Trojans miss shots, and another big chance
NO. 2 MEMPHIS 62, NO. 24 USC 58
Trojans miss shots, and another big chance
They shoot only 28.8% in 62-58 overtime loss to No. 2 Memphis, their second straight four-point defeat against a top-five opponent.
By Ben Bolch, Los Angeles Times Staff Writer
December 5, 2007
NEW YORK -- Sitting with his jersey crumpled in his lap and his back against a white cinderblock wall in a corner of the locker room, Daniel Hackett couldn't keep the tears from rolling down his cheeks late Tuesday night.
The USC sophomore guard was hardly culpable on a night the No. 24-ranked Trojans extended No. 2 Memphis to overtime before falling, 62-58, after a fatigue-plagued final five minutes in the Jimmy V Classic at Madison Square Garden.
The Trojans committed a pair of turnovers and made only one of seven shots in overtime, but Hackett took his team's second consecutive four-point loss to a top-five team particularly hard. He had stepped to the free-throw line with 5.9 seconds left remaining in regulation and USC trailing, 54-53.
Hackett, shooting 81.5% from the line, made the first attempt to tie the score. The second bounced off the back of the rim, and after Memphis forward Robert Dozier couldn't convert a last-second three-pointer, the game went into the extra session.
"We just fought," Hackett said, choking up. "We went out there and played our hardest."
USC (6-3) had several more chances in overtime.
Trailing by two points with 1:30 left, Trojans freshman guard O.J. Mayo attempted an alley-oop lob for freshman forward Davon Jefferson, but the pass sailed high off the backboard and Memphis corralled the carom.
"I didn't want the defender to grab it and just threw it a little too hard and too high," Mayo said.
Memphis guard Chris Douglas-Roberts then followed two of his own misses with a putback that gave the Tigers a 58-54 lead.
A pair of free throws by freshman guard Angelo Johnson brought the Trojans back to within two points, but Memphis guard Antonio Anderson countered with a driving layup, Mayo missed a pull-up jumper in the lane and the Tigers (7-0) made enough free throws in the final 23 seconds to secure the victory.
As much as the loss hurts now, it may serve a larger purpose when Pacific 10 Conference play starts next month.
"We shot 28% and went to overtime with the No. 2 team in the country, which means that we were doing a lot of things well," USC Coach Tim Floyd said. "My team has come a long way."
Though they made only 19 of 66 field-goal attempts (28.8%), the Trojans also played with poise for most of the game against a suffocating Memphis full-court press.
They also ran an effective triangle-and-two defense that Floyd installed about two hours before tip-off in a hotel ballroom.
The Tigers shot only 37.3% and Douglas-Roberts was held to 10 points, well below his 21.8 average.
Jefferson logged his first career double-double with 12 points and 13 rebounds. Mayo scored 16 points, though he made only six of 20 shots and has made only 12 of 41 (29.3%) in USC's last two games.
Trojans sophomore forward Taj Gibson, a Brooklyn native playing for the first time at Madison Square Garden, did not have a particularly memorable homecoming. He fouled out of his third consecutive game and finished with five points and eight rebounds in 32 minutes. At least half of his 12 shots were blocked by Memphis' imposing front line.
The crowd included Lakers owner and USC alumnus Jerry Buss seated along one baseline and Mayo's mother, Alisha, seated several rows behind the Trojans bench wielding a sign that read, "Got juice? Failure is NOT an option!"
Jefferson factored prominently in the final frantic minute of regulation, driving hard to the basket and drawing a foul. He made both free throws to pull USC to within 54-53 with 17 seconds left.
Johnson eventually fouled Douglas-Roberts with 8.1 seconds left, sending him to the line for a one-and-one opportunity. The first attempt was short and Hackett grabbed the rebound before getting fouled by Douglas-Roberts.
"I was just trying to get to the other basket as quick as possible," Hackett said, "and Chris Douglas-Roberts stepped in my way and reached on my arm and I just went down."
Hackett stepped to the line having made all three of his free-throw attempts in the game.
"The second one went long," he said. "It hit the back of the rim. I'm really disappointed."
ben.bolch@latimes.com
Trojans miss shots, and another big chance
They shoot only 28.8% in 62-58 overtime loss to No. 2 Memphis, their second straight four-point defeat against a top-five opponent.
By Ben Bolch, Los Angeles Times Staff Writer
December 5, 2007
NEW YORK -- Sitting with his jersey crumpled in his lap and his back against a white cinderblock wall in a corner of the locker room, Daniel Hackett couldn't keep the tears from rolling down his cheeks late Tuesday night.
The USC sophomore guard was hardly culpable on a night the No. 24-ranked Trojans extended No. 2 Memphis to overtime before falling, 62-58, after a fatigue-plagued final five minutes in the Jimmy V Classic at Madison Square Garden.
The Trojans committed a pair of turnovers and made only one of seven shots in overtime, but Hackett took his team's second consecutive four-point loss to a top-five team particularly hard. He had stepped to the free-throw line with 5.9 seconds left remaining in regulation and USC trailing, 54-53.
Hackett, shooting 81.5% from the line, made the first attempt to tie the score. The second bounced off the back of the rim, and after Memphis forward Robert Dozier couldn't convert a last-second three-pointer, the game went into the extra session.
"We just fought," Hackett said, choking up. "We went out there and played our hardest."
USC (6-3) had several more chances in overtime.
Trailing by two points with 1:30 left, Trojans freshman guard O.J. Mayo attempted an alley-oop lob for freshman forward Davon Jefferson, but the pass sailed high off the backboard and Memphis corralled the carom.
"I didn't want the defender to grab it and just threw it a little too hard and too high," Mayo said.
Memphis guard Chris Douglas-Roberts then followed two of his own misses with a putback that gave the Tigers a 58-54 lead.
A pair of free throws by freshman guard Angelo Johnson brought the Trojans back to within two points, but Memphis guard Antonio Anderson countered with a driving layup, Mayo missed a pull-up jumper in the lane and the Tigers (7-0) made enough free throws in the final 23 seconds to secure the victory.
As much as the loss hurts now, it may serve a larger purpose when Pacific 10 Conference play starts next month.
"We shot 28% and went to overtime with the No. 2 team in the country, which means that we were doing a lot of things well," USC Coach Tim Floyd said. "My team has come a long way."
Though they made only 19 of 66 field-goal attempts (28.8%), the Trojans also played with poise for most of the game against a suffocating Memphis full-court press.
They also ran an effective triangle-and-two defense that Floyd installed about two hours before tip-off in a hotel ballroom.
The Tigers shot only 37.3% and Douglas-Roberts was held to 10 points, well below his 21.8 average.
Jefferson logged his first career double-double with 12 points and 13 rebounds. Mayo scored 16 points, though he made only six of 20 shots and has made only 12 of 41 (29.3%) in USC's last two games.
Trojans sophomore forward Taj Gibson, a Brooklyn native playing for the first time at Madison Square Garden, did not have a particularly memorable homecoming. He fouled out of his third consecutive game and finished with five points and eight rebounds in 32 minutes. At least half of his 12 shots were blocked by Memphis' imposing front line.
The crowd included Lakers owner and USC alumnus Jerry Buss seated along one baseline and Mayo's mother, Alisha, seated several rows behind the Trojans bench wielding a sign that read, "Got juice? Failure is NOT an option!"
Jefferson factored prominently in the final frantic minute of regulation, driving hard to the basket and drawing a foul. He made both free throws to pull USC to within 54-53 with 17 seconds left.
Johnson eventually fouled Douglas-Roberts with 8.1 seconds left, sending him to the line for a one-and-one opportunity. The first attempt was short and Hackett grabbed the rebound before getting fouled by Douglas-Roberts.
"I was just trying to get to the other basket as quick as possible," Hackett said, "and Chris Douglas-Roberts stepped in my way and reached on my arm and I just went down."
Hackett stepped to the line having made all three of his free-throw attempts in the game.
"The second one went long," he said. "It hit the back of the rim. I'm really disappointed."
ben.bolch@latimes.com
Geoff Calkins - Determined Tigers rise above the stink
Determined Tigers rise above the stink
By Geoff Calkins
Wednesday, December 5, 2007
NEW YORK -- You know, in a certain way, this worked for the night.
It was the Jimmy V Classic, after all. What was it that Jimmy V said?
Don't give up when your offense is in the tank.
Don't give up when your big guy is on the bench with fouls.
Don't give up when you can't make a free throw.
Don't give up when your stars can't bleeping score.
Don't give up when you miss a foul shot that could have won the game.
Don't give up when it goes into overtime.
All that happened to Memphis Tuesday night at Madison Square Garden. The Tigers didn't -- altogether now -- give up.
So, no, it wasn't the high-flying, guns-blazing showdown of the stars that everyone seemed to want. But the Tigers still defeated USC, 62-58.
You got to give it up to them for that, right?
But, man, it was ugly. As college basketball games go, it was a darn good advertisement for the NBA.
"I don't have a whole lot of words to say what I just watched," said Memphis coach John Calipari.
Hideous would work just fine.
All the good and great were gathered in New York to watch USC freshman O.J. Mayo take on Memphis freshman Derrick Rose. What they got was two kids -- and two teams -- still trying to figure out how to play the game.
Of course, Dick Vitale chalked it up to great defense. Because that's what Dick Vitale does.
So the USC defense held Memphis to 7-of-18 shooting -- from the free-throw line.
At one point, Rose broke up the court and fired a pass ahead to ...
Jerry Buss?
Yes, indeed, Jerry Buss, owner of the Lakers, who was, at that very moment sharing cotton candy with a charming young lady sitting next to him.
The pass wasn't actually intended for Buss. It was intended for Chris Douglas-Roberts. But Douglas-Roberts wasn't looking, and the pass skipped out of bounds, and this is how the night went.
Antonio Anderson missed three shots and two free throws in the first two minutes. Douglas-Roberts (2) and Rose (0) combined for two points in the first half. The Tigers appeared dysfunctional and disinterested, both emotionally and tactically unprepared for the game.
It was astonishing, given the schedules. In the two weeks before Tuesday, USC had played San Diego, Miami of Ohio, Southern Illinois, Oklahoma and Kansas.
Memphis had played Austin Peay. And had cancelled Thanksgiving. And had brought in a shrink to talk to the team. And that's about it.
But then USC coach Tim Floyd ordered up a triangle-and-two and the Tigers completely fell apart.
"I was stunned," Calipari said. "I got thoroughly outcoached in this game."
Because you didn't prepare for the triangle-and-two?
"We prepared for the triangle-and-two," he said. "Whatever that preparation was, we better not try that again."
Calipari was able to laugh about it Tuesday, but it wasn't all that funny, you could tell.
USC was so pressed for time, Floyd taught his team the new defense in the lobby of the team hotel Monday night. Imagine if USC had, like, an actual 24 hours to prepare. Or 48 hours. Or a couple weeks.
"We were scared at halftime," Calipari said. "I told them, 'Why are we afraid, what is going on?'
Thus inspired, the Tigers came flying out after halftime and offered up, OK, more of the same. Clang, clang, turnover, turnover. But you remember what Valvano said, right?
That's the good news from this evening of basketball. As frustrated and as ticked off and as junky as the Tigers felt Tuesday, they kept hacking away at it.
Then Rose got a steal. And Rose got another steal. And Douglas-Roberts went to the line to put it away.
He missed, of course. What part of hideous don't you understand?
But in overtime, there was Douglas-Roberts, missing a shot, grabbing the rebound, missing the next shot, grabbing the rebound and making the next shot for the four-point lead.
It was second effort, see? And third effort. And that's what won the game.
"We had one desire," Calipari said, "to win the game."
Jimmy V would have been proud.
To reach Geoff Calkins, call him at 529-2364 or e-mail calkins@commercialappeal.com
Fox Sports Jeff Goodman - Rose plays scared but wins duel with Mayo
Rose plays scared but wins duel with Mayo
NEW YORK - The last time Derrick Rose and O.J. Mayo went up against one another, the duo put on a dramatic show in Las Vegas. It was a back-and-forth affair which Mayo won with his memorable four-point play.
This time around, Rose looked scared, timid, nervous, confused or whatever other adjective you want to plug in when a deer is confronted with headlights. The nerves couldn't be traced to Madison Square Garden, since Rose had played well in New York City a couple weeks ago in wins over Oklahoma and UConn.
"He stopped playing and was real passive," Rose's older brother, Reggie, said after the game. "He was trying not to lose."
Mayo had plenty of moments when he, too, was just a regular freshman. He struggled offensively, missing 14 of his 20 shots from the field and seven consecutive down the stretch.
All in all, it was a forgettable evening for both frosh.
Rose, Memphis' highly-touted point guard, got his first taste of the triangle-and-two defense on Tuesday night and it was a disaster: the potent Tigers scored just 62 points in 45 minutes of play.
This was a team that entered the game averaging 85.7 points per game.
"He (Derrick) was looking at me and was confused," Memphis coach John Calipari said after the second-ranked Tigers outlasted USC, 62-58, in overtime. "It's his seventh college game."
Rose said he was just trying to get his teammates involved against the defense that was designed to make life difficult for Rose and teammate Chris Douglas-Roberts.
His brother, Reggie, disagreed.
"You gotta take that shot at the end, boy," Reggie Rose yelled after watching his younger brother defer and pass the ball to Robert Dozier at the end of regulation. "I'm gonna have a talk with him when we get back to Memphis tonight."
That's the difference between Rose and Mayo.
Mayo wouldn't have passed the ball with the game on the line. For good or for bad, USC's star-studded frosh would have kept the ball in his hands and squarely placed the outcome of the game on himself.
Rose is too unselfish. It's been said before and it'll be said again.
Calipari takes the blame for not having his players prepared for the defense that USC coach Tim Floyd decided to put in about two hours prior to tip-off in the hotel ballroom. Calipari said he knew the defense was coming, but the players weren't ready to play against it.
"I got thoroughly out-coached today," he said. "I can't believe we won. We deserved to lose."
The Tigers got past No. 24 USC despite virtually nothing from Joey Dorsey, Douglas-Roberts, Antonio Anderson and Rose.
Rose had Mayo in his face for much of the night and then there was always another player right there in case he got past Mayo. But that rarely happened.
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Rose rarely pushed the issue and instead elected to make the safe pass.
"It's very difficult to be aggressive against that defense," Douglas-Roberts said.
That's the difference between Mayo and Rose. Mayo has no problem being the aggressor no matter what the opposition throws his way.
Mayo had his moments against the Tigers, but they came primarily on the defensive end where he was terrific in helping to shut down Rose. After knocking down his first two shots early in the game, Mayo proceeded to make just four of his next 18 and finish with 16 points, four rebounds, three assists and a pair of turnovers.
Then after the game he gave props to his rival freshman.
"He was terrific," Mayo said of Rose. "He took care of the ball. I thought he played well."
Are you kidding? Rose finished with nine points, 10 rebounds and four assists.
But this time, he got the win.
Tuesday, December 04, 2007
Oh That Was Painful to Watch.........Memphis Somehow Wins an Ugly, Ugly Game With USC
Oh where to start......................
My God that was just plain awful.............
Ok, the Good, the Bad and the Ugly
First, the good - Robert Dozier (Grade: B). I thought it was his best game of the season though he was out of rhythm a few times. I attribute some of that to missing a lot of practice over the past two weeks trying to heal the foot. The jump shot looked pretty solid and the rebounding was excellent. Please, no more behind the back passes.
Shawn Taggard (Grade: B). Pretty good game for Shawn. Very good interior defense. Nice amount of blocks and a huge offensive rebound at the end of overtime.
Willie Kemp (Grade: B-). Not a great game, but solid. He played with some good energy, but defensively he is still a liability (but much better than Mack).
Team defense (Grade: A-) - saved the day, won the game (or at least gave the Tigers a chance to finally win the game).
Joey Dorsey (Grade: B-). Joey played within himself tonight. He didn't appear to get frustrated and make dumb mistakes. His defense and rebounding were pretty solid. Did he air ball a free throw? Yes, he did - on national television.
Second, the bad - John Calipari (Grade: C-). Are you kidding me? Can a major college coaching staff not come up with something to open up a few shots for CDR in a gimmick-Dale Brown-defense like the Triangle and Two? Jeez, all you had to do was listen to Jay Bilas at half time. Set a baseline screen, please.
CDR. (Grade: C-) Chris, I know you were really frustrated in the game (as was anyone watching it), but when the opportunity is there to be a hero, don't miss a free throw and then commit a reach in foul with 5.8 seconds to go in the game.
Antonio Anderson. (Grade: C+) Please DO NOT SHOOT THE BALL OUTSIDE OF THREE FEET!!!! Hey, apparently Andre Allen (Grade: C+) has gotten the message. He only took one outside shot and he really didn't have a lot of choice considering no one was within ten feet of him and the shot clock was under 10 seconds.
Ok, I'll give Mr. Glue a Bad Plus. He played excellent man-to-man defense and he did a lot of little things to help the Tigers stay in the game. Also, the lay up at the end of overtime was very timely.
Derrick Rose. (Grade: D) Rose looked out of control and clearly had no command over the team in the first half. The half court pass that he threw in the direction of CDR that went out of bounds with about 90 seconds to go in the first half is a perfect example. It wasn't all his fault as CDR should be aware of what is going on, but Derrick doesn't know which buttons to push on this team. Yes, I know, he is a freshman. Well, if you take away the pure talent he has, he looks like a freshman point guard playing in his seventh game - not very good. Remember, Andre Turnover? O.J. Mayo clearly looked like the better freshman tonight in the that game. He showed very good poise and pretty sound judgment - give or take a few ill advised shots.
Doneal Mack (Grade: D) Attention Doneal - Please do not skip Defense 101 class anymore - you are a liability on the floor. Sometimes you make up for it on the offensive side, tonight you didn't.
The Ugly. Gosh where to start...........
Free Throws, UGLY!
Positioning for Rebounding, UGLY! (Ok, Taggart and Dorsey were ok)
Offense, UGLY! (Was there an offense? Thank God, Robert Dozier and Willie Kemp were playing. It seemed like Kemp hit a key three pointer every time Memphis had to have a basket to stay in the game).
Turnovers, UGLY! Man, every single time the Tigers had an opportunity to put together a mini-offensive run, they turned the ball over. I almost kicked the T.V. a few times.
Ok, I've recovered now............
Talent only characteristic shared by first-year stars Rose, Mayo
Talent only characteristic shared by first-year stars Rose, Mayo
By Dan Wolken
Tuesday, December 4, 2007
Derrick Rose had already put a triple-double in the books. O.J. Mayo had made six of his seven threes. And so, with the clock hurtling toward zero, the best AAU team in the country and the chief showman on the 2006 summer circuit finally came together, putting the Big Time in the final Reebok Big Time Tournament.
Rose's Mean Streets Express led by three. Mayo had the ball. He took a tying 3-pointer. Rose fouled him. The ball went in with 2.6 seconds left, and Mayo added the free throw for an 83-82 victory that meant nothing and everything all at once.
"It was a good show," Rose said. "You just felt like it was something, like history was being made."
Years from now, when Rose and Mayo both ascend to NBA stardom, perhaps they will have enough moments like that one on July 24, 2006, to be linked together in the same way as Carmelo and LeBron, like Magic and Bird. And if that simple AAU game was indeed a harbinger of greatness, their meeting tonight as college players should be just as memorable.
From a ramshackle high school gym in Las Vegas to the bright lights of New York, Rose and Mayo will write the next chapter tonight in historic Madison Square Garden when the No. 2-ranked University of Memphis plays No. 24 Southern California. Tipoff is at 8:30 (CST).
"When these guys get together, don't blink," said Dave Telep of Scout.com. "These are two real showmen, and they've done it before, and there's no reason to think they won't do it again."
Though it would be difficult to link Rose and Mayo exclusively, given both the vast talent that will be on the floor tonight and the incredible depth of this freshman class, there is a certain synergy between those two big guards. In fact, they are almost perfect foils.
Talk to anybody who has watched the development of Rose and Mayo throughout AAU ball and into college, and the themes are always the same. Rose is the pure point guard, unselfish to a fault. Mayo is the shooter, at times destructive but always dangerous. Rose is uncomfortable and shy when the spotlight shines on him. Mayo is the supreme extrovert, already polished at age 20.
"He's the one I get compared to or asked about his game, but it doesn't bother me," Rose said. "He's just a competitor. Some of him rubbed off on me when I was playing with him. He doesn't want to lose. And when he thinks the game is there for him, that's when he takes the shot. That's what he's supposed to do."
Others aren't as complimentary of Mayo's game. Though the general public is clearly more familiar with him -- Mayo, after all, has been hyped as the top prospect of his age group since the seventh grade -- many scouts believe Rose is the better player now and will be in the future.
"O.J. has the ability to make people around him so much better, and he doesn't always do that," said Jeff Goodman, college basketball writer and scout for Fox Sports.com. "He has God-given ability that would put him among the top players in the country. I just question O.J. as a teammate. That's why I think Rose is the better player: the intangibles. Those are things where I give the Derrick Roses and the Kevin Loves, those guys the edge over O.J. right now. He can make life so much easier for a lot of his teammates, and I don't think he always does that."
Jerry Meyer of Rivals.com takes it a step further, saying Rose "has a chance to be one of the all-time greats at his position."
But the debate is far from settled.
"These two are still trying to figure out how good they are, and so are the pro scouts," Memphis coach John Calipari said. "You probably have pro scouts that look at both of them and have some doubts."
For now, the only legitimate way to measure them against each other is victories. That's why their AAU matchup had been so highly-anticipated throughout the summer of 2006. It didn't disappoint. Rose finished with 21 points, 14 rebounds and 12 assists. Mayo finished with 26 points, including the tying 3-pointer and game-winning free throw right in Rose's face. After it was over, Mayo jumped on the scorer's table and celebrated as though it were a championship.
"It was almost like those guys had kind of ganged up on him, and it was kind of a cathartic moment," Telep said. "It was a big-time shot, and the place just went bonkers, and it was almost like, they got the best of him until that moment."
In fact, Telep said, the first word he wrote in his report on that game was "Wow," which would also aptly describe what Rose and Mayo have done so far as college players. Despite still feeling his way through the Memphis offense, Rose is second on the team in scoring (17.0) and first in assists (4.3) while averaging 5.0 rebounds. Mayo leads the Trojans in scoring (21.0) and is shooting 45.3 percent from the field.
And no matter which way tonight's game goes, no matter how much entertainment those two provide, the argument between them will go on and on, as all the great ones do.
"The beauty of it is, we don't have to answer that question," Telep said. "This is a long year."
Reach Dan Wolken at 529-2365; read his blogs on the Tigers at thememphisedge.com.
www.thespread.com - USC Takes on Memphis
USC Takes on Memphis
www.thespread.com
The arguments about which freshman phenom is better began long ago, but nothing has yet happened to settle those arguments.
Memphis' Derrick Rose and Southern California's O.J. Mayo finally meet on the floor for the first time in college Tuesday night when the second-ranked Tigers and 24th-ranked Trojans face off in the Jimmy V Classic at Madison Square Garden.
Oddsmakers from Bodog have made Memphis -8 point spread favorites for today’s game. Current public betting information shows that 71% of bets for this game have been placed on Memphis -8.
Rose and Mayo were two of the most heavily recruited guards in their class, and both figure to be early selections in next summer's NBA draft. Both players have also gotten off to hot starts in their collegiate careers.
The 6-foot-4 Rose has helped Memphis (6-0) match the highest ranking in school history (ACTUALLY, THIS IS FALSE - MEMPHIS WAS #1 IN THE AP POLL FOR A WEEK DURING THE DANA KIRK ERA BUT LOST IN BLACKSBURG, VA THE SAME DAY THE POLLS CAME OUT, ed). The Tigers, who are No. 2 for the first time since the 1985-86 season, haven't started 6-0 since 1995-96.
Rose is averaging 17 points, and is coming off perhaps his best game of the season. He had 19 points and 12 assists in a 104-82 win over Austin Peay last Tuesday.
"I'm getting to know the offense a little more and I'm finding open guys," Rose said. "That's what (Memphis) coach (John Calipari) told me to do - find open guys and attack."
Mayo, meanwhile, has more than twice as many points as any other Trojan, averaging 21 through the season's first eight games. He had a team-high 19 in USC's 59-55 loss to then-No. 4 Kansas in the Big 12/Pac-10 Hardwood Series Sunday, but shot just 6 of 21 from the field.
"They showed their experience and poise when they needed to and we did not," USC coach Tim Floyd said. "We played frustrated and took quick shots. It's the way it is with youth."
The Trojans (6-2) started five underclassmen against Kansas, as freshman Davon Jefferson had 17 points and sophomore Daniel Hackett added 11. Jefferson didn't play in USC's first three games, but is averaging 14.4 points since.
USC lost its season opener 96-81 to Mercer, but followed that up with six straight wins. However, the loss to Kansas was the Trojans' 14th straight against top 5 opponents, dating back to a home win over then-No. 2 Arizona in January 2000.
Memphis presents another top 5 test, and not just because of Rose. Junior guard Chris Douglas-Roberts averages 21.8 points, and is shooting 58 percent from the field. Sophomore Willie Kemp is 17-for-35 from 3-point range, while Joey Dorsey - the Tigers' lone senior - has averaged 9.3 rebounds after missing Memphis' first two games with a shoulder problem.
Transfer Shawn Taggart, a 6-10 sophomore who sat out last season after transferring from Iowa State, had a breakout game against Austin Peay, scoring a career-high 17 points and diving for loose balls after drawing criticism from Calipari for jogging the floor the previous week.
"If he dives on the floor and goes after balls like that, everybody in the city of Memphis is going to be happy," Calipari said. "If he plays like that, it's scary how good he can be."
USC and Memphis have played only twice, splitting two meetings. The Trojans won the most recent affair 92-65 in November 1999 at the Maui Invitational.
Memphis has played at Madison Square Garden 14 times in Calipari's eight seasons, posting an 8-6 mark there including two wins this season at the 2K College Hoops Classic.
By Staff Writers
www.thespread.com
The arguments about which freshman phenom is better began long ago, but nothing has yet happened to settle those arguments.
Memphis' Derrick Rose and Southern California's O.J. Mayo finally meet on the floor for the first time in college Tuesday night when the second-ranked Tigers and 24th-ranked Trojans face off in the Jimmy V Classic at Madison Square Garden.
Oddsmakers from Bodog have made Memphis -8 point spread favorites for today’s game. Current public betting information shows that 71% of bets for this game have been placed on Memphis -8.
Rose and Mayo were two of the most heavily recruited guards in their class, and both figure to be early selections in next summer's NBA draft. Both players have also gotten off to hot starts in their collegiate careers.
The 6-foot-4 Rose has helped Memphis (6-0) match the highest ranking in school history (ACTUALLY, THIS IS FALSE - MEMPHIS WAS #1 IN THE AP POLL FOR A WEEK DURING THE DANA KIRK ERA BUT LOST IN BLACKSBURG, VA THE SAME DAY THE POLLS CAME OUT, ed). The Tigers, who are No. 2 for the first time since the 1985-86 season, haven't started 6-0 since 1995-96.
Rose is averaging 17 points, and is coming off perhaps his best game of the season. He had 19 points and 12 assists in a 104-82 win over Austin Peay last Tuesday.
"I'm getting to know the offense a little more and I'm finding open guys," Rose said. "That's what (Memphis) coach (John Calipari) told me to do - find open guys and attack."
Mayo, meanwhile, has more than twice as many points as any other Trojan, averaging 21 through the season's first eight games. He had a team-high 19 in USC's 59-55 loss to then-No. 4 Kansas in the Big 12/Pac-10 Hardwood Series Sunday, but shot just 6 of 21 from the field.
"They showed their experience and poise when they needed to and we did not," USC coach Tim Floyd said. "We played frustrated and took quick shots. It's the way it is with youth."
The Trojans (6-2) started five underclassmen against Kansas, as freshman Davon Jefferson had 17 points and sophomore Daniel Hackett added 11. Jefferson didn't play in USC's first three games, but is averaging 14.4 points since.
USC lost its season opener 96-81 to Mercer, but followed that up with six straight wins. However, the loss to Kansas was the Trojans' 14th straight against top 5 opponents, dating back to a home win over then-No. 2 Arizona in January 2000.
Memphis presents another top 5 test, and not just because of Rose. Junior guard Chris Douglas-Roberts averages 21.8 points, and is shooting 58 percent from the field. Sophomore Willie Kemp is 17-for-35 from 3-point range, while Joey Dorsey - the Tigers' lone senior - has averaged 9.3 rebounds after missing Memphis' first two games with a shoulder problem.
Transfer Shawn Taggart, a 6-10 sophomore who sat out last season after transferring from Iowa State, had a breakout game against Austin Peay, scoring a career-high 17 points and diving for loose balls after drawing criticism from Calipari for jogging the floor the previous week.
"If he dives on the floor and goes after balls like that, everybody in the city of Memphis is going to be happy," Calipari said. "If he plays like that, it's scary how good he can be."
USC and Memphis have played only twice, splitting two meetings. The Trojans won the most recent affair 92-65 in November 1999 at the Maui Invitational.
Memphis has played at Madison Square Garden 14 times in Calipari's eight seasons, posting an 8-6 mark there including two wins this season at the 2K College Hoops Classic.
By Staff Writers
Calipari keeping tabs on Tigers' growth patterns
Calipari keeping tabs on Tigers' growth patterns
By Dan Wolken
Monday, December 3, 2007
Analysis
Of the observations sports psychologist Bob Rotella made about the University of Memphis basketball team during his recent visit, one resonated with coach John Calipari above all others.
For the first hour of each practice, the No. 3-ranked Tigers play with boundless energy and compete with game intensity. Then they sag. Their body language changes. They struggle for a second wind.
That insight has given Calipari a roadmap for where he needs to take the Tigers in practice this month, as they prepare for some of the biggest games on their schedule. But there are certain things even Rotella can't help Calipari figure out.
To that end, Calipari expects Tuesday's game against No. 22 Southern California to provide the Tigers with plenty more material for self-analysis.
"I'm not hinging anything on (the outcome)," Calipari said. "But we may learn after this game, man, we've got a ways to go and we're not as good as everybody thinks ... Or we may find out we're pretty good."
In this five-month journey from Memphis Madness to March Madness, the Tigers are still in the early stages. Despite the vast experience on their roster, the sense is that this team has not quite forged its identity.
Though the Tigers have won all six of their games by double digits, have they looked like a team worthy of preseason top-five status? Are they as hungry to be respected as they were last year, when Memphis silenced critics by winning 25 straight games? Are they as committed to stopping opponents as the last two Tiger teams, who were among the national leaders in defensive field-goal percentage? And how do the Tigers get the most out of their personnel against marquee opponents?
Those questions, in many ways, have not come close to being answered. The Tigers have struggled deep into the second half with at least a couple of inferior opponents, and their best win came against a Connecticut team that didn't even make the NIT last season. Calipari has questioned his team's effort on a couple of occasions, most recently after the Arkansas State game when he took away its Thanksgiving break. Of Memphis' six games, only one (Oklahoma) could be considered a stellar defensive effort. The Tigers allowed Arkansas State and Austin Peay to shoot a combined 50.5 percent.
Memphis is still trying to find a comfortable rotation, which has been complicated by injuries to senior forward Joey Dorsey (shoulder) and junior forward Robert Dozier (foot) and the somewhat slow progress of freshman Jeff Robinson.
Though Tuesday's game won't necessarily address all those issues, it will at least serve as a guide for how the Tigers proceed with Georgetown and Arizona coming up at the end of this month. Despite Sunday's 59-55 loss to Kansas, USC is arguably as talented as any team on the Tigers' schedule with freshman superstar O.J. Mayo, forward Taj Gibson and first-year player Davon Jefferson all possibly headed for NBA careers.
"I've got to keep learning about this team so that there's no confusion about who's who; who can do what in big games," Calipari said. "Who do we have, in a bigger game, who can't play as many minutes? You've got to figure out, can he guard in that game? Can he play in that game? Some guys physically can't play in a game or aren't the right match in a certain game. Maybe the guard is too big or fast, maybe the four-man is a monster and we have to play Jeff Robinson at the three. That's the kind of stuff you're trying to really hone in on and figure out."
— Reach Dan Wolken at 529-2365
Next for No. 3 Tigers
Opponent: No. 22 USC
When, where: 8:30 p.m. CST Tuesday at New York's Madison Square Garden
Freshmen are leaps and bounds ahead
Freshmen are leaps and bounds ahead
This year's rookie pack is full of aces
By Jim Masilak
Sunday, December 2, 2007
The NBA Draft is still more than seven months away, but the inevitability that the 2008 cattle call will be dominated by a pack of precocious freshmen increases every time Derrick Rose, O.J. Mayo and Michael Beasley take the floor.
When those three dynamic young talents converge on New York's Madison Square Garden on Tuesday night to take part in the Jimmy V Classic, the temptation will be to dispense with the formalities, hold an impromptu lottery and start making selections.
"You could have the first three picks at the Garden in one night," Sports Illustrated college basketball writer Seth Davis said. "All you need is (Indiana freshman guard) Eric Gordon and you can call up (NBA commissioner) David Stern, jump across the street (to the WaMu Theater) and get going."
The NBA's minimum-age requirement means players who would otherwise have skipped college are now starring at universities from Syracuse to St. Mary's and all points in between. That's been the case for a few years. But this is the first time in recent memory, and possibly ever, that such a large group of first-year players has made such a dramatic impact so quickly on the college game.
Whether it's Beasley putting up 32 points and a Big 12 Conference-record 24 rebounds in his debut for Kansas State, Rose flushing a spectacular reverse dunk at Memphis Madness or Patty Mills of St. Mary's dropping 37 points on then No. 12 Oregon, freshmen have been the story of the season thus far.
But that comes as no surprise to anyone who followed the Class of 2007 on the summer basketball circuit in recent years. The legend surrounding this crop of players has been long in the making.
"We've been (aware) for the last year and a half that this class was special. We had big expectations for these guys," said Dave Telep, national recruiting analyst for Scout.com. "We knew this was a good group of guys because of the star power in this class."
Last year's freshman class was notable primarily for two transcendent stars in Ohio State center Greg Oden and Texas swingman Kevin Durant. But in terms of top-to-bottom talent, Davis says, that group was no match for the current one.
"Every year there's someone who says, 'This is the best class in a while.' What makes this class unique is just how many impact freshmen there are," Davis added. "One team after another, you're seeing great freshmen, and that's what makes it really incredible.
"This class that just signed, a lot of people might think Greg Monroe is the best player in that class, but he might only be seventh or eighth in this year's class," Davis said in reference to the Georgetown-bound forward from Harvey, La. "That's how good this class is. The next two classes can't touch this one."
How deep is this year's class?
In its 2008 mock draft, NBADraft.net projects nine of the top 10 selections to be freshmen.
Unlike last year, when Oden and Durant were the consensus top two picks, it's uncertain which players will emerge from the crowd as the top choices.
In addition to Beasley, Mayo, Rose and Gordon (who leads the nation with 27.3 points per game), other rookie luminaries include UCLA forward Kevin Love, Texas A&M 7-footer DeAndre Jordan, Oklahoma forward Blake Griffin and Vanderbilt's 6-10 Australian import, Andrew Ogilvy.
"The thing I get a kick out of is all these talking heads trying to debate which one is first," Telep said. "No one's really taken the bull by the horns yet between the top five guys. It's an ongoing debate that will keep going through the season and into June."
Although Memphis coach John Calipari isn't usually one for understatement, he urges caution in regard to overenthusiastic assessments of this year's freshman class. Some of them, he noted, are more mature than your traditional first-year college player.
"It's really too early to tell," he said. "You can talk about this class and that class. ... You've got to let this thing play out."
As the No. 3-ranked Tigers (6-0) prepared to face No. 22 USC (6-1) in the second game of Tuesday's doubleheader -- Beasley will lead Kansas State against Notre Dame in the opener -- Calipari told his players what to expect from the 6-5 Mayo, who is averaging 21.3 points per game.
"He's really talented," Calipari said. "You can play good defense, and he'll get the ball and score anyway."
Telep suspects some of the early-season pyrotechnics have been fueled by the rivalries developed between these players during their high school and AAU careers. Mayo vs. Rose is just one of several high-profile matchups between freshmen this season.
"These guys know each other so well," Telep said. "They read the box scores every night to see what everyone's doing, and they're pretty much playing a game of, 'Anything you can do, I can do better.'"
The hype surrounding this year's freshman class has led some to wonder whether first-year players will continue to dominate the college game.
Even if the NBA retains its minimum-age requirement, Telep predicts the impact of freshmen "will vary by year to year" depending on the quality and depth of each class.
"Savor it while it lasts," Telep said. "It's not gonna be like this every year. I'm not sure that similar crop of freshmen is gonna be seen again anytime soon. It's a heck of a crop."
-- Jim Masilak: 529-2311
This year's rookie pack is full of aces
By Jim Masilak
Sunday, December 2, 2007
The NBA Draft is still more than seven months away, but the inevitability that the 2008 cattle call will be dominated by a pack of precocious freshmen increases every time Derrick Rose, O.J. Mayo and Michael Beasley take the floor.
When those three dynamic young talents converge on New York's Madison Square Garden on Tuesday night to take part in the Jimmy V Classic, the temptation will be to dispense with the formalities, hold an impromptu lottery and start making selections.
"You could have the first three picks at the Garden in one night," Sports Illustrated college basketball writer Seth Davis said. "All you need is (Indiana freshman guard) Eric Gordon and you can call up (NBA commissioner) David Stern, jump across the street (to the WaMu Theater) and get going."
The NBA's minimum-age requirement means players who would otherwise have skipped college are now starring at universities from Syracuse to St. Mary's and all points in between. That's been the case for a few years. But this is the first time in recent memory, and possibly ever, that such a large group of first-year players has made such a dramatic impact so quickly on the college game.
Whether it's Beasley putting up 32 points and a Big 12 Conference-record 24 rebounds in his debut for Kansas State, Rose flushing a spectacular reverse dunk at Memphis Madness or Patty Mills of St. Mary's dropping 37 points on then No. 12 Oregon, freshmen have been the story of the season thus far.
But that comes as no surprise to anyone who followed the Class of 2007 on the summer basketball circuit in recent years. The legend surrounding this crop of players has been long in the making.
"We've been (aware) for the last year and a half that this class was special. We had big expectations for these guys," said Dave Telep, national recruiting analyst for Scout.com. "We knew this was a good group of guys because of the star power in this class."
Last year's freshman class was notable primarily for two transcendent stars in Ohio State center Greg Oden and Texas swingman Kevin Durant. But in terms of top-to-bottom talent, Davis says, that group was no match for the current one.
"Every year there's someone who says, 'This is the best class in a while.' What makes this class unique is just how many impact freshmen there are," Davis added. "One team after another, you're seeing great freshmen, and that's what makes it really incredible.
"This class that just signed, a lot of people might think Greg Monroe is the best player in that class, but he might only be seventh or eighth in this year's class," Davis said in reference to the Georgetown-bound forward from Harvey, La. "That's how good this class is. The next two classes can't touch this one."
How deep is this year's class?
In its 2008 mock draft, NBADraft.net projects nine of the top 10 selections to be freshmen.
Unlike last year, when Oden and Durant were the consensus top two picks, it's uncertain which players will emerge from the crowd as the top choices.
In addition to Beasley, Mayo, Rose and Gordon (who leads the nation with 27.3 points per game), other rookie luminaries include UCLA forward Kevin Love, Texas A&M 7-footer DeAndre Jordan, Oklahoma forward Blake Griffin and Vanderbilt's 6-10 Australian import, Andrew Ogilvy.
"The thing I get a kick out of is all these talking heads trying to debate which one is first," Telep said. "No one's really taken the bull by the horns yet between the top five guys. It's an ongoing debate that will keep going through the season and into June."
Although Memphis coach John Calipari isn't usually one for understatement, he urges caution in regard to overenthusiastic assessments of this year's freshman class. Some of them, he noted, are more mature than your traditional first-year college player.
"It's really too early to tell," he said. "You can talk about this class and that class. ... You've got to let this thing play out."
As the No. 3-ranked Tigers (6-0) prepared to face No. 22 USC (6-1) in the second game of Tuesday's doubleheader -- Beasley will lead Kansas State against Notre Dame in the opener -- Calipari told his players what to expect from the 6-5 Mayo, who is averaging 21.3 points per game.
"He's really talented," Calipari said. "You can play good defense, and he'll get the ball and score anyway."
Telep suspects some of the early-season pyrotechnics have been fueled by the rivalries developed between these players during their high school and AAU careers. Mayo vs. Rose is just one of several high-profile matchups between freshmen this season.
"These guys know each other so well," Telep said. "They read the box scores every night to see what everyone's doing, and they're pretty much playing a game of, 'Anything you can do, I can do better.'"
The hype surrounding this year's freshman class has led some to wonder whether first-year players will continue to dominate the college game.
Even if the NBA retains its minimum-age requirement, Telep predicts the impact of freshmen "will vary by year to year" depending on the quality and depth of each class.
"Savor it while it lasts," Telep said. "It's not gonna be like this every year. I'm not sure that similar crop of freshmen is gonna be seen again anytime soon. It's a heck of a crop."
-- Jim Masilak: 529-2311
Calm Tigers prepare for weary USC
Calm Tigers prepare for weary USC
While U of M rests, Trojans have busy stretch of games
By Dan Wolken
Saturday, December 1, 2007
At the end of Friday's practice, assistant coach John Robic walked the University of Memphis through the offensive sets it will likely see Tuesday against Southern California in New York's Madison Square Garden.
And for the next three days, the No. 3-ranked Tigers will have nothing else to think about but how they plan to defend O.J. Mayo, Daniel Hackett and all the other future pros on No. 22 USC's roster.
In the same time period, USC will have to recover from Thursday night's victory over Oklahoma, prepare to play No. 4 Kansas on Sunday in Los Angeles, then fly cross-country and have one day to get ready for Memphis in the Jimmy V Classic.
Though distinct styles will certainly be on display when the teams meet in New York, the lead-in preparation for each team will be just as much a study in contrasts.
While USC is in the midst of its most grueling stretch of the season -- and perhaps the most difficult 10 days for any team in college basketball this season -- Memphis has been mostly sequestered inside the Finch Center, gearing up for its stiffest challenge to date.
Advantage Tigers? Coach John Calipari isn't so sure.
"The game intensity is just hard to duplicate, so we're going to do the best we can," he said. "If you get into the game with them, and they're at one level and you're at another level, you can't compete with them."
Though it certainly will be a lot to ask for USC to come through this gauntlet -- which included a 70-45 victory over Southern Illinois last Sunday -- and play its best against Memphis, each side could claim a benefit to its schedule.
By the time USC gets to New York, the Trojans will be battle-tested, their attack sharpened against some of the best teams in the country. Memphis, meanwhile, has had time to heal injuries -- forward Robert Dozier, after missing two games, is back at practice -- enjoy its easy victory over Austin Peay on Tuesday and use an entire week to prepare just for USC.
"Coach is going to get us ready for Tuesday's game, and we've got a couple days of practice to get better ourselves," junior guard Antonio Anderson said. "Our bodies will be fresh, and (USC) may be a little worn out."
Memphis clearly understands what it's like to be on the other side.
Last season, the Tigers played Arkansas State on Nov. 29, Manhattan on Dec. 2 and Marshall on Dec. 4, then traveled to Knoxville for a Dec. 6 game against Tennessee.
With an entire week to target Memphis, the Volunteers administered a 76-58 beating in the Tigers' worst performance of the season.
Calipari, however, believes that USC coach Tim Floyd has already taken a long look at the Tigers, despite his busy schedule. In fact, Memphis is preparing to see some zone defense, even though Calipari can't find it on tape.
"They haven't played a stitch of zone, but they're going to play some zone," Calipari said. "He's a good coach. Tim and I are friends. He's a terrific coach.
"The thing that's scary with them, you can play great defense and (Davon) Jefferson will go make a crazy shot. Mayo will step back and shoot a fadeaway through the rafter and swish it. Hackett can do the same. Gibson will go tip-dunk a miss on a bad shot. They play a lot like Southern Miss. They'll try to keep the game in the 50s or 60s."
At least there shouldn't be any surprises for Memphis.
But what legitimately concerns Calipari is whether Memphis can simulate the "game intensity" in practice that USC will be accustomed to, especially after facing Kansas on Sunday.
"Coach is telling us we have to come out here and practice hard because of the two games they're playing," freshman Derrick Rose said. "That's going to be an advantage for them, so we have to go at each other harder."
Reach Dan Wolken at 529-2365; read his blogs on the Tigers at thememphisedge.com.
Rose fitting more assists into his game
Rose fitting more assists into his game
Tigers' standout freshman guard backs off shots in favor of passing
By Dan Wolken
Friday, November 30, 2007
He had thrown down ferocious tip-dunks, scored lay-ups in traffic from his hip and pulled off circus shots that practically made Dick Vitale choke on his microphone.
But for the first five games of Derrick Rose's college career, he had not exactly been the spectacularly unselfish, pass-first point guard that was advertised to University of Memphis fans for more than a year.
"At first, when I went to the hole," Rose said, "I was just thinking about scoring or the (alley-) oop."
As Rose becomes more familiar with Memphis' offense and his teammates, however, the Tigers are seeing his range of skills grow each day. Consider Tuesday night's 104-82 victory over Austin Peay.
For the first time since he came to Memphis, Rose didn't attack the rim thinking primarily about scoring. He didn't have to. With a better feel for the game than he possessed two weeks ago, Rose finally became the facilitator. Though he still scored 19 points in 23 minutes, what stood out most were his 12 assists, seven more than his previous high.
But even at that, Rose did it so fluidly and blended in so seamlessly that coach John Calipari couldn't process the breadth of his performance until he looked at a box score.
"I thought he had like 12 (points) and six (assists), and that's fine," Calipari said. "And then I look, and it's 19 and 12 in 23 minutes with one turnover that he ended up stealing it back."
Rose's effort also signaled another step in the evolution of Memphis' offense, which looked disjointed for the first two weeks of the season. Even in the Tigers' 81-70 win over Connecticut at Madison Square Garden -- where they will return on Tuesday to face No. 22 USC in the Jimmy V Classic -- it was the ability of Rose and Chris Douglas-Roberts to score off the dribble rather than an entire offensive unit completely in sync.
But the Tigers were practically unstoppable against Austin Peay, making 43-of-67 field goals overall and 34-of-43 from inside the 3-point line -- an astounding 79.1 percent.
Much of the credit for that should go to Rose, who helped create easy looks for his teammates whenever he was on the floor.
"He wanted to get his assists up," said Douglas-Roberts, who went 11-for-15 in the game. "That's what he said, and that's what he did. He can average 12 assists."
That might be a lot to ask, given that assist numbers are completely reliant on whether the pass catcher can score a basket. Then again, almost all of Rose's 12 assists were scored on easy looks.
"When you go back over the tape, he made about six passes that he could have shot the ball and gave guys lay-ups," Calipari said. "They were legitimately 12 assists. It wasn't passing and a guy makes a jumper. He wasn't in there when guys were making jumpers. He created good shots for his teammates."
Rose admitted he wasn't doing that as much early, but it certainly wasn't because of a selfish streak. In the preseason, Calipari drilled Rose to be aggressive and look for his shot, perhaps overemphasizing the point because of Rose's reputation and his learning curve. The only problem was that Rose, especially in the Tigers' victory over Oklahoma, became a little too aggressive, forcing shots he didn't have.
Over the past two weeks, Rose has found a better balance and comfort level within the offense.
"Now I'm going to the hole, and if the (alley-)oop isn't there, maybe somebody's cheating over and I'm passing it to the open man," Rose said. "I'm just feeling the offense a little bit better, so that's why the assists went up a little bit. Hopefully it keeps going up."
Reach Dan Wolken at 529-2365; read his blogs on the Tigers at thememphisedge.com.
Next for No. 3 Tigers
Opponent: No. 22 USC
When, where: 8:30 p.m. CST Tuesday at Madison Square Garden, New York
TV: ESPN
Saturday, December 01, 2007
Memphis Falls to #3 in Luke Winn's Latest Power Poll
Memphis Tigers (6-0)
Sometimes the divergence between the external and internal perceptions of a program can be amusing. From most fans' perspective, Memphis is an entertaining, undefeated squad that won the 2K Sports College Hoops Classic and has an All-America on the wing (Chris Douglas-Roberts) and the speediest freshman guard at the point (Derrick Rose). In coach John Calipari's eyes, the Tigers are a good team that's perpetually on the verge of a crisis. In the past week, he:
•Was so displeased with a 21-point win over Arkansas State he canceled a promised Thanksgiving break, for which Chris Douglas-Roberts had purchased a flight home to Detroit, and held one-on-one meetings with players on Wednesday.
•Brought in renowned sports shrink Bob Rotella to speak with players over the weekend. (Rotella is a pal of Calipari's; if you want him for a speech, the tab runs around $20,000.) Incidentally, one of Rotella's most popular books on Amazon is Golf Is Not A Game of Perfect. Apparently, Gunning For An NCAA Title is a Game of Perfect -- and being 6-0 in November isn't perfect enough.
Next three: 12/4 vs. USC (Jimmy V, NYC), 12/15 vs. Middle Tennessee (in Nashville), 12/19 at Cincinnati
Sometimes the divergence between the external and internal perceptions of a program can be amusing. From most fans' perspective, Memphis is an entertaining, undefeated squad that won the 2K Sports College Hoops Classic and has an All-America on the wing (Chris Douglas-Roberts) and the speediest freshman guard at the point (Derrick Rose). In coach John Calipari's eyes, the Tigers are a good team that's perpetually on the verge of a crisis. In the past week, he:
•Was so displeased with a 21-point win over Arkansas State he canceled a promised Thanksgiving break, for which Chris Douglas-Roberts had purchased a flight home to Detroit, and held one-on-one meetings with players on Wednesday.
•Brought in renowned sports shrink Bob Rotella to speak with players over the weekend. (Rotella is a pal of Calipari's; if you want him for a speech, the tab runs around $20,000.) Incidentally, one of Rotella's most popular books on Amazon is Golf Is Not A Game of Perfect. Apparently, Gunning For An NCAA Title is a Game of Perfect -- and being 6-0 in November isn't perfect enough.
Next three: 12/4 vs. USC (Jimmy V, NYC), 12/15 vs. Middle Tennessee (in Nashville), 12/19 at Cincinnati
SIOC's holiday presents for college hoop coaches (See, I'm Not the Only One Who Thinks C-USA Is Worse This Year)
All They Want for Christmas
SIOC's holiday presents for college hoop coaches
Posted: Friday November 30, 2007 12:41PM; Updated: Friday November 30, 2007 12:41PM
John Calipari and his Memphis Tigers will receive several video game consoles. Come January, the legitimate national title contender will need better competition than their schedule provides. Perhaps simulating challenging basketball games on the PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 and Wii will keep the Tigers motivated.
With heralded freshman Derrick Rose and prolific scorer Chris Douglas-Roberts filling up the stat sheet, the Tigers have so far been a cut above their major-conference competition. Come league play, they'll dominate Conference USA, which appears to be even worse than it was last season. After the New Year, the Tigers do play two ranked teams, Gonzaga and Tennessee. Neither, however, has impressed in the early going.
SIOC's holiday presents for college hoop coaches
Posted: Friday November 30, 2007 12:41PM; Updated: Friday November 30, 2007 12:41PM
John Calipari and his Memphis Tigers will receive several video game consoles. Come January, the legitimate national title contender will need better competition than their schedule provides. Perhaps simulating challenging basketball games on the PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 and Wii will keep the Tigers motivated.
With heralded freshman Derrick Rose and prolific scorer Chris Douglas-Roberts filling up the stat sheet, the Tigers have so far been a cut above their major-conference competition. Come league play, they'll dominate Conference USA, which appears to be even worse than it was last season. After the New Year, the Tigers do play two ranked teams, Gonzaga and Tennessee. Neither, however, has impressed in the early going.
Spurs Assign Former-Tiger Darius Washington to D-League
Spurs Assign Darius Washington To Austin Toros
NEW YORK, November 29, 2007 – The San Antonio Spurs have assigned rookie guard Darius Washington to their NBA Development League affiliate, the Austin Toros. Johnson is the 13th NBA player assigned to a D-League affiliate this season.
The Toros also announced the acquisition of guard DerMarr Johnson, a former NBA lottery selection, from the available player pool and waived guard Patrick Fields. Johnson and Washington are expected to be available for Friday night’s game against Sioux Falls.
Washington is the second player (Ian Mahinmi, Nov. 21) the Spurs have assigned to the Toros since the organization purchased the Austin franchise on June 28, 2007.
The 6-2, 195-pound free agent signed with the Spurs on Oct. 1, 2007. Washington averaged 2.8 points, 1.1 rebounds on .485 from the field and 7.5 minutes in 15 games for the Spurs this season.
In two seasons at the University of Memphis, Washington averaged 15.4 points, 3.8 assists and 3.6 rebounds for the Tigers. The Winter Park, Fla. native was named the 2005 Conference USA Freshman of the Year, while also earning All-Conference Third Team honors.
Johnson was selected in the first round (sixth overall) of the 2000 NBA Draft by the Atlanta Hawks.
Johnson’s NBA career has included stints with the New York Knicks (2004) and the Denver Nuggets (2004-07). Johnson averaged 3.5 points, 1.5 rebounds and 10.7 minutes in 39 games (seven starts) for the Nuggets last season. In 136 NBA games, Johnson compiled averages of 6.2 points and 2.3 rebounds in 17.4 minutes.
The guard played one season at the University of Cincinnati, where he was named the 2000 Conference USA Freshman of the Year and earned All-Conference Third Team honors. He averaged 12.6 points, 3.8 rebounds and shot .478 from the field in 32 games for Cincinnati.
NEW YORK, November 29, 2007 – The San Antonio Spurs have assigned rookie guard Darius Washington to their NBA Development League affiliate, the Austin Toros. Johnson is the 13th NBA player assigned to a D-League affiliate this season.
The Toros also announced the acquisition of guard DerMarr Johnson, a former NBA lottery selection, from the available player pool and waived guard Patrick Fields. Johnson and Washington are expected to be available for Friday night’s game against Sioux Falls.
Washington is the second player (Ian Mahinmi, Nov. 21) the Spurs have assigned to the Toros since the organization purchased the Austin franchise on June 28, 2007.
The 6-2, 195-pound free agent signed with the Spurs on Oct. 1, 2007. Washington averaged 2.8 points, 1.1 rebounds on .485 from the field and 7.5 minutes in 15 games for the Spurs this season.
In two seasons at the University of Memphis, Washington averaged 15.4 points, 3.8 assists and 3.6 rebounds for the Tigers. The Winter Park, Fla. native was named the 2005 Conference USA Freshman of the Year, while also earning All-Conference Third Team honors.
Johnson was selected in the first round (sixth overall) of the 2000 NBA Draft by the Atlanta Hawks.
Johnson’s NBA career has included stints with the New York Knicks (2004) and the Denver Nuggets (2004-07). Johnson averaged 3.5 points, 1.5 rebounds and 10.7 minutes in 39 games (seven starts) for the Nuggets last season. In 136 NBA games, Johnson compiled averages of 6.2 points and 2.3 rebounds in 17.4 minutes.
The guard played one season at the University of Cincinnati, where he was named the 2000 Conference USA Freshman of the Year and earned All-Conference Third Team honors. He averaged 12.6 points, 3.8 rebounds and shot .478 from the field in 32 games for Cincinnati.
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