Wrapping up and heading home

Wrapping up and heading home
Posted by Dan Wolken

First off, here are the game stories from the Cincinnati perspective and the Memphis perspective of the Tigers’ 79-69 win.

It was a good experience for the Tigers to play a road game like this one with foul trouble, emotional swings, and the whole bit. I never felt Memphis was in danger of losing, but certainly there were opportunities for the Tigers to melt down.

Several good things stood out:
– Derrick Rose, obviously, is just lights out when he’s making 3-pointers. 5-of-8 will do just fine.
– Antonio Anderson is playing like himself again.
– Doneal Mack was pretty effective in his 14 minutes and didn’t try to jack up the 3-pointer every time he got the ball.
– Jeff Robinson did some good things in his 7 minutes and won a couple loose balls that could have gone either way.
– The Tigers’ ball movement against the zone was way better. They only committed 13 turnovers, and they took high-quality 3-pointers.

Several not-so-good things stood out too:
– Chris Douglas-Roberts, obviously, is in a funk. Just three shots? The Tigers can’t win the big games on their schedule with him playing that way.
– Cincinnati shouldn’t have out-rebounded the Tigers, but they did, 33-32.
– Memphis had a double-digit lead early but couldn’t put the game away. That’s the next step in this team’s growth.
– Some of that was because the Tigers missed 15 free throws. In the first 10 minutes of the game, they were up 11 points and had already missed 5 free throws.

Dick Vitale - Calipari's plan at Memphis proves to be a masterpiece

Calipari's plan at Memphis proves to be a masterpiece

By Dick Vitale, special for USA TODAY

Trust me, baby, when Memphis and John Calipari were not part of Commissioner Mike Tranghese's Big East expansion plan in 2003, many people in the basketball community were snickering and predicting this would lead to the demise of Tigers basketball.

Remember when Tranghese, one of the premier commissioners in the game, made a call to hoop powers Marquette, Louisville and Cincinnati and had them wave bye-bye to Conference USA? Left behind were the Tigers.

Obviously, Marquette, Louisville and Cincinnati left for the incredible television exposure and the increased competition that would be big time in every way.

However, my friends, people underestimated Calipari's drive to remain among the elite.

Let me tell you now why Mr. Calipari is getting the last laugh.

Oh, the exposure is fantastic for those who left, but think about the pounding they give each other that ultimately leads in many cases to mediocrity. It has even become an obstacle for putting together a first-class résumé for NCAA tournament evaluation.

Calipari has developed what I would call the "John Calipari Plan."

It is simply: Be the crème de la crème in your conference and then add seven major non-conference TV games.

That provided a spark and impetus to the Tigers' national reputation.

Check out the world of recruiting, and you can see that the Tigers staff has sparkled.

Think about Diaper Dandy deluxe Derrick Rose, a USA TODAY All-USA player in high school.

No, it hasn't hurt recruiting one bit.

Now let's look at the Calipari math and the system that shows why his plan is a masterpiece of success.

Let's give the good folks of Conference USA — which includes such programs as Alabama-Birmingham, Houston, Texas-El Paso and Southern Mississippi — the good fortune, if they are lucky, to put two "L's" on the Memphis ledger.

Along the way, if Calipari loses two of his remaining four quality games against the likes of Georgetown, Arizona, Gonzaga and Tennessee — and that is being generous, my friends — he is staring at a potential record of no worse than 30-4.

The last two years he has posted 66 wins. I ask you, who do you think is getting the last laugh?

And how much has all of this affected Memphis at NCAA tournament time?

Just go to the records, my friends.

The last two years the Tigers made it to the Elite Eight. With the addition of Rose to a lineup that has one of the premier wing players in the nation in Chris Douglas-Roberts, the Tigers have a legit shot to make the journey to San Antonio for the Final Four.

Now do you think Calipari is laughing at all those cynics?

I guess you get the picture, my friends.

USA Today - Memphis-G'town is main event of big hoops Saturday

Memphis-G'town is main event of big hoops Saturday

Derrick Rose and No. 2 Memphis will need to have their 'A' game on Saturday when fourth-ranked Georgetown visits in a pivotal non-conference showdown.

That's the kind of effort he figures No. 2 Memphis will need to beat No. 4 Georgetown at home Saturday, the biggest must-see on a day full of intriguing matchups.

Additionally, fifth-ranked Texas faces No. 10 Michigan State in Auburn Hills, Mich., No. 12 Tennessee visits No. 24 Xavier, and two-time NCAA champ Florida visits Ohio State in a rematch of last season's NCAA title game, though both are without the major players who got them there.

Most coaches would agree their teams are far from being finished products this time of year. "Our players have been pretty open to the fact we have a lot of work to do," Texas coach Rick Barnes said Thursday, yet he has one of the hottest teams.

Texas' most impressive victories have come away from home, at former No. 1 UCLA and in Newark vs. then-No. 7 Tennessee, thanks in large part to sophomore point guard D.J. Augustin, who is averaging 19.9 points on 51% shooting. Augustin is making an early case to win the Bob Cousy Award, bestowed on the nation's top point guard. Michigan State showcases its own high-profile guard in Drew Neitzel, averaging 14.5 points.

Calipari sees his game against Georgetown and imposing 7-2 center Roy Hibbert as a potential step toward a No. 1 seed in the NCAA tournament. "We're trying to get a high seed, and the only way anyone does that is by scheduling like this out of conference," he said.

Consequently, he was pushing leading scorer Chris Douglas-Roberts, who averages 16.7 points, and reserve Shawn Taggart to pick up the pace Thursday, a day after a physical game at Cincinnati.

"You've got to play at a better pace with a vein popping out of your neck," Calipari said he told them. There may be an added sense of urgency with No. 19 Arizona stopping by Dec. 29, the last ranked team Memphis will play before opening its Conference USA schedule.

Washington Post - GU, Memphis Face the Music

GU, Memphis Face the Music
Two Unbeaten Teams Clash and One Will Sing the Blues

By Camille Powell
Washington Post Staff Writer
Friday, December 21, 2007

MEMPHIS, Dec. 20 -- John Calipari has enough to worry about this week, what with fifth-ranked Georgetown coming to town to face his second-ranked Memphis Tigers, but his phone just won't stop ringing. This latest call, on Thursday afternoon, is from his friend and coaching colleague Doc Rivers.

Rivers, like so many others, is looking for a ticket to Saturday's sold-out game. He needs one for his wife, who will be there to watch their son, Jeremiah, a sophomore guard for Georgetown. Calipari promises to help.

Coach John Calipari's phone won't stop ringing with people looking for a ticket to Saturday's sold-out game.

It's been like this for days for Calipari. A capacity crowd of 18,400 is expected at FedEx Forum to watch the first game this season that involves two teams ranked among the nation's top five. He says that "we're just jamming seats in everywhere," to try to keep up with the demand, and that he's even heard rumors that tickets in the lower bowl were being sold for $3,000 apiece on StubHub.com.

"Can you imagine? That's like a Super Bowl ticket," Calipari said, shaking his head. "Come on."

But this is the first time that Memphis has hosted a game involving two top-five teams. Both the Tigers (9-0) and Hoyas (8-0) have veteran squads that advanced deep into last season's NCAA tournament and have high expectations for this season.

Memphis's media relations department has issued between 75 to 85 credentials (of which 15 will go to NBA scouts) for the game, nearly double the amount it would for a regular season conference game. The Memphis football team faces Florida Atlantic in the New Orleans Bowl on Friday night, and assistant media relations director Lamar Chance knows of some fans who are planning to attend the football game and then wake up at 4 a.m. on Saturday to drive the 400 miles back to Memphis in time for tip-off.

"We haven't really had a lot of national attention with our games. To have this game, everybody's been marking this game down in their calendars for a long time," Georgetown junior guard Jessie Sapp said. "For the showdown to finally come is exciting. I live for it. I love it."

But players on both teams are trying to take the attitude that this is just another game against just another opponent.

"We just take it as a regular game," Memphis junior guard Antonio Anderson said. "We're not looking at the name on the jersey or what they did last year."

Said Georgetown senior forward Patrick Ewing Jr.: "Y'all are making it into a bigger deal than it needs to be. It's just another game. It's a game just as big as the other games we've played so far."

But the outcome of this game could become relevant in March, particularly if the two teams are vying for a No. 1 seed in the NCAA tournament, according to Jerry Palm, who runs the Web site www.CollegeRPI.com.

"This game could be what decides that," Palm said. "It's more important for Memphis, because if Georgetown loses, they have more chances to play against good teams in the Big East. Memphis has limited opportunities to play against good teams, because their conference doesn't provide them with that."

Indeed, that's one reason Calipari has created such a challenging nonconference schedule; his blueprint is designed, he said, "with one thing in mind: trying to get the highest seed in the NCAA tournament." So the Tigers, who are 29-1 in Conference USA over the past two seasons combined, have already played No. 25 USC, and they will host No. 19 Arizona (Dec. 29), No. 18 Gonzaga (Jan. 26) and No. 12 Tennessee (Feb. 23) in the coming weeks.

"The reason you play games like this is you need to do two things: you're trying to get your team better, but you're also trying to learn about your team," Calipari said. "You can't do it against Popcorn State."

Calipari's other goal is to play against teams that play different styles, so the Tigers are prepared for everything at tournament time. Thus far, they've played one team that used exclusively man-to-man defense (Connecticut), another that played a 2-3 zone with size (Oklahoma), and another that used a triangle-and-two (USC). Against Georgetown, Calipari expects to see a 2-3 zone with some man-to-man mixed in, and he is curious to see how his team will respond on defense.

"You're playing against a Princeton [offense]. Are we good enough defensively to play it?" Calipari said. "Now you're playing against a ball-control team, not a team that's trying to hold the ball. We've played teams that don't play that way but tried to against us. Now this team clearly plays this way."

Georgetown Coach John Thompson III also sees the value in playing teams with different styles, and putting his players in situations that will help them later in the season. The Hoyas haven't played against man-to-man defenses all that much this season, but will see that against Memphis. The Tigers have perhaps the biggest backcourt that Georgetown will face this season, with Anderson (6 feet 6), junior Chris Douglas-Roberts (6-7) and freshman Derrick Rose (6-3). Thompson wants to see how his players handle the Tigers' pressure.

"There's a lot of talk, a lot of hype about this game, and it probably should be," Thompson said. "At the same time, what we try to focus on is, okay, that's out there, great. Let's do what we do, how we do it, whether there's a lot of attention or no attention. It's about how we do things and just getting that mental toughness. Regardless of who the opposition is, we have to approach things the same way. . . . If we're going to be good, we have to get to that level of understanding where it's all about us."

Rose, Memphis hold off upset-minded Cincinnati

Rose, Memphis hold off upset-minded Cincinnati
December 19, 2007

CINCINNATI -- Derrick Rose and No. 2 Memphis may have been caught looking ahead.

Rose scored 26 points and Antonio Anderson hit a huge 3-pointer late to help the Tigers hold off Cincinnati, 79-69, on Wednesday.

Memphis (9-0), which is off to the second-best start in school history, may have been thinking about its showdown with fifth-ranked Georgetown on tap for Saturday.

But Rose, who is one of the best freshman in the country, helped Memphis stay unbeaten by shooting 7-of-13 from the field, including 5-of-8 from the arc.

His performance made up for a poor showing by the Tigers' leading scorer, Chris Douglas-Roberts, who was held to just four points on 1-of-3 from the floor.

Cincinnati, which missed 11 of its first 13 field-goal attempts in the second half, managed to pull within 70-64 with 2:18 to play. However, Rose hit a big shot from the arc to stretch the lead to nine at 73-64 with 1:56 left.

The Bearcats' John Williamson then converted a three-point play, which caused Joey Dorsey to foul out and cut the lead back to six at 73-67 with 1:31 remaining. Anderson, however, hit a crucial 3-pointer from the left corner 28 seconds later to all but seal the win for the Tigers.

Rose made a free throw and Anderson hit a pair from the stripe to complete the scoring.

The Tigers lost their cool a little, as both Dorsey and coach John Calipari were charged with technical fouls in the final seven minutes, but it mattered little in the end thanks to Rose.

Memphis, which is enjoying its highest ranking since 1985-86, held a slim one-point lead at 33-32 after the opening 20 minutes. But Rose notched 10 points in the first 7:35 of the second half and hit a 3-pointer to help Memphis grab a 50-40 lead with 12:25 to play.

The Tigers then got a huge boost from their bench as Andre Allen scored six straight points and nine of his team's next 12.

After Dorsey hit a free throw, Allen followed with a 3-pointer to stretch the lead to 57-45. Allen then completed a three-point play to make it 60-45 with 8:25 to play. Rose hit a jumper and Allen followed with a shot from the arc to make it a 13-point bulge at 65-50 with 6:48 remaining.

The Bearcats responded with a 12-3 run capped by a 3-pointer from Deonta Vaughn that cut the deficit to six points at 68-62 with 3:50 left.

Vaughn scored 20 points for Cincinnati (4-6), which has lost four straight games.

The Tigers went just 21-of-36 (58 percent) from the free-throw line, enabling the Bearcats to hang around until the final minutes.

No. 2 Tigers 79, Cincinnati 69

Tigers outlast Bearcats in physical matchup
No. 2 Tigers 79, Cincinnati 69
By Dan Wolken
Thursday, December 20, 2007

CINCINNATI -- The first time Cincinnati threw freshman Derrick Rose to the floor, he came up holding his elbow and grimacing. The second time, he was rubbing the side of his left leg. And right before the game was over, Rose ran into a screen so hard it took him more than a minute to get up.

"I'm young, so I've got to get used to it and take the big hits like a man," Rose said.

The No. 2 University of Memphis had to absorb plenty of bruises Wednesday in its first true road game of the season, from foul trouble to technical fouls, a mess of missed free throws and Cincinnati scoring runs.

But at the end of a 79-69 victory, Rose was still standing. And so is the Tigers' perfect 9-0 record.

"Out of all this stuff, we keep finding a way to win," senior point guard Andre Allen said. "That's the bottom line. As long as we win, we're not worried about the free throws, how nobody plays, how many points anybody scores. As long as we get the 'W,' that's all the matters at the end of the day."

Indeed, when the Tigers play No. 5 Georgetown on Saturday at FedExForum, it will have been more than one year since their last regular season loss. And though it hasn't always been pretty or efficient, Memphis just wins and wins and wins, no matter the circumstances it faces.

There has perhaps been no better example of that this season than inside Fifth Third Arena, where a lesser team might have come unglued Wednesday.

From blowing an early 12-point lead that became just one at halftime to letting a 15-point lead in the second half dwindle to 68-62 in the closing minutes to senior Joey Dorsey and coach John Calipari getting called for technicals in a 53-second span, the Tigers had plenty of opportunities to implode.

Instead, Memphis made all the crucial plays when it mattered, riding a transcendent performance by Rose, who scored a career-high 26 points, made 5-of-8 from 3-point range and dished out six assists in 33 minutes.

"I love him," junior guard Antonio Anderson said of Rose. And who wouldn't, really, after watching him make one clutch shot after another down the stretch, including a huge 3-pointer with 1:52 left to give Memphis a 73-64 lead.

Then, with 1:03 left and Cincinnati back within six points, Rose dribbled inside the arc and fed Anderson, who swished a 3-pointer from the corner to cap off his 12-point night and clinch the victory.

"I thought Cincy played great," Calipari said. "They made shots when they had to, they kept the game close, they did everything they could to give themselves a chance to win. And I had three guys who really stepped on the gas."

Of course, Calipari was talking about Rose and Anderson. But he could not leave out the contribution from Allen, who poured in nine points in 14 minutes, including two 3-pointers.

For Allen, who came into the game with just two 3-pointers on 19 attempts all season, it was a satisfying way to break out of his slump. Furthermore, when Calipari paired Allen with Rose and Willie Kemp in a three-point-guard lineup, the Tigers pushed a 44-40 lead to 54-42 with 9:49 to go.

"We went to that lineup, and they were leaving me open the whole game," Allen said. "Coach knew us three, we're going to play defense, we're going to be aggressive, we're going to take our open shots. So they left me open and I made shots."

And the Tigers needed to make open shots -- they went 12-for-28 from beyond the 3-point line -- against a Cincinnati team that stubbornly refused to come out of its zone defense except for a handful of possessions.

Though the Tigers were efficient from 3-point range, they also moved the ball crisply and got shots for Robert Dozier and Dorsey, who each scored eight points. Memphis shot 45.1 percent for the game and got to the foul line 36 times, making 21.

But perhaps the most impressive thing was that Memphis withstood three Cincinnati runs -- on the road in front of an announced crowd of 8,254 -- and never let the Bearcats get closer than four in the second half.

"It shows we won't never fold, really," Rose said. "Whatever you do, we're going to make a big play to calm everything down. That's all we were doing."

Of course, it helps to have Rose, who seemed like he was single-handedly fending off momentum every time he shot the ball.

"He was the difference in the game," Cincinnati coach Mick Cronin said. "You have to give him all the credit in the world. When he shoots the ball like that, he's a devastating player to deal with. He hurt us in every possible way."

Reach Dan Wolken at 529-2365; read his blogs on the Tigers at thememphisedge.com.

Cincy Post - Bearcats close again, But moral victories becoming tiresome

Bearcats close again
But moral victories becoming tiresome

By Josh Katzowitz
Post staff reporter

Once again, the University of Cincinnati made a top-25 team sweat in the final minutes of the game. Once again, the Bearcats fell short and took another defeat. Again, they showed improvement.

But don't expect senior center Adam Hrycaniuk or senior swingman Marcus Sikes to break into a celebration.

A close loss - this one a 79-69 defeat to No. 2 Memphis on Wednesday at Fifth Third Arena - doesn't make them feel any better about the state of their team.

"I think we're getting better," said Hrycaniuk, who scored 13 points and recorded five rebounds, three assists and three turnovers. "But we still didn't execute our offense today as well as we're supposed to do. We didn't do a good job on the glass. We missed a lot of layups. That's what let us down."

Following a disturbing theme this season, Hrycaniuk missed two layups, and senior forward John Williamson clanged a dunk with 3:03 to play that would have cut the Tigers (9-0) lead to five.

But, perhaps surprisingly, UC (4-6) out-rebounded a more-talented Memphis team 33-32, and with 2 minutes left to play, this was still a two-possession game.

Doesn't matter to Sikes that the Bearcats led at Xavier University late in the game last week before losing, and it doesn't matter that they had a legitimate chance to beat the second-best team in the country Wednesday.

A loss, to him, is still a loss.

"I can honestly say we're getting better," said Sikes, who was 2-for-20 from the 3-point line this season before making one midway through the first half en route to scoring five points. "It's just the little things. Rebounding, boxing out and defending. The most important rebounds at crunch time, giving them second-chance opportunities, that really hurt us."

Good, UC coach Mick Cronin said. That's how he wants his players to feel.

"That's the attitude we need to have," Cronin said. "One thing you learn at this level is that nobody feels sorry for you. We're playing a ridiculously tough schedule. A lot of our brethren in the Big East are in the cozy confines of their home gym playing unranked teams. We're not. But it's irrelevant. You have to play the cards you're dealt."

So, UC continued to improve with senior Jamual Warren running the team at point guard, and sophomore guard Deonta Vaughn impressed his coach with his aggressiveness, scoring a team-high 20 points on 8-of-13 shooting.

Hrycaniuk continued to miss layups, and the Bearcats defense showed that it's just a little better.

UC has lost four straight.

But they're getting closer to victories, even if this opportunity was smashed by Memphis freshman guard Derrick Rose, who hit five 3-pointers and scored a career-high 26 points.

"You have to give him all the credit in the world," Cronin said. "When he shoots the ball like that, he's a devastating player to deal with. He hurt us in every way possible tonight. You can see why so many people talk about him as such a great player."

Although Warren's long jumper with 1 second left on the clock in the first half cut the Memphis lead to one heading to intermission, the Tigers took a 15-point advantage with 6:50 to play on an Andre Allen 3-pointer.

But after a Vaughn jumper with 2:22 left cut the Memphis lead to 68-62, the Bearcats were poised to make the Tigers nervous. They just didn't have enough to complete the comeback.

Afterward, nobody was happy about it.

"I don't want those guys to feel like that we should be happy that we're improving and that we're playing with more intensity," Cronin said. "You need to be happy when you win."

NOTEWORTHY - Marvin Gentry, who was badly injured when his head collided with Vaughn's knee in the Crosstown Shootout and had to be wheeled off the floor on a stretcher, didn't play Wednesday.

Cronin said Gentry didn't practice this week, and although he was cleared to play late Wednesday afternoon, Cronin didn't feel right about it.

"He hadn't practiced since he had the concussion," Cronin said. "I wasn't comfortable putting him out there."

Rose leads No. 2 Memphis past Cincy

Rose leads No. 2 Memphis past Cincy

Cincinnati, OH (Sports Network) - Derrick Rose poured in a career-high 26 points and dished out six assists, as second-ranked Memphis remained undefeated after a 79-69 victory over Cincinnati at Fifth Third Arena.

Antonio Anderson was the only other player in double figures with 12 points for the Tigers (9-0), who played their first true road game of the campaign.

Andre Allen donated nine points off the bench for Memphis, which hit 12 shots from beyond the arc.

Deonta Vaughn netted 20 points for the Bearcats (4-6), who have dropped four straight. Adam Hrycaniuk and John Williamson each contributed 13 points in the loss.

Ahead by four, Memphis pulled ahead after rattling off a 10-2 run to take a 54-42 lead with just under 10 minutes remaining. Rose jump-started things with a trey and Willie Kemp followed with a three-point play. Robert Dozier then went 1-of-2 from the charity stripe, but followed up with a tip-in off a Joey Dorsey miss. Dorsey ended the run with a free throw.

With just over eight minutes to go, Rose hit a jump shot in the paint to extend the Tigers lead to 62-49, and a layup by Dorsey a little less than two minutes later made it a 14-point game.

The Bearcats wouldn't go down without a fight and pulled within six, 68-62, with less than four minutes to go after Vaughn sunk a shot from beyond the arc. That was as close as Cincinnati would get through the remainder of the contest.

Memphis controlled the contest from the opening tip and went up 14-6 after Rose drained a three-pointer about five minutes into the contest.

The Tigers led most of the first half until Cincinnati closed out the stanza with an 11-1 run to pull within 33-32 at the break. Jamual Warren had four points during the surge.

Rose led Memphis with 10 points at halftime while Hrycaniuk paced the Bearcats with eight.

Game Notes

Memphis is 9-0 for the first time since the 1985-86 season when they went 20-0 to start the campaign...The Tigers have won four of their last five road openers and improved to 37-50 overall...The Bearcats held a 33-32 advantage in rebounds...Cincinnati ended with 16 turnovers.

Tiger struggles to meet standard set 2 years ago

Tiger struggles to meet standard set 2 years ago
By Dan Wolken
Wednesday, December 19, 2007

CINCINNATI -- When Antonio Anderson left Fifth Third Arena 728 days ago, having just played his seventh college game, he could not have anticipated that his accomplishments that night would remain, more than two years later, both legendary and bittersweet.

Legendary because of his 32 points, which propelled the University of Memphis to a 91-81 victory over Cincinnati. And bittersweet because Anderson has not come close to matching his output from that night when he made 7-of-9 from 3-point range and 11-of-15 overall.

Indeed, as Anderson has struggled to find his perimeter stroke, he has been looking forward to tonight, when the No. 2 Tigers return to the scene of his greatest performance.

"I wouldn't even have to shoot like I did the first time, but just go and make some shots," Anderson said. "That would get me back to thinking that I'm going to do it every game. I'm thinking that anyway, but when they're not falling, it's pretty tough."

For Cincinnati fans who remember Anderson from that night, it would probably be difficult to imagine how his career path has changed since then. Despite turning himself into one of the nation's premiere defensive players, building his body to overpower smaller guards and asserting his leadership during two straight Elite Eight runs, Anderson's shooting continues to perplex him.

After making 36.5 percent of his 3-pointers as a freshman, Anderson dipped to 24.5 percent last season. And though he showed flashes of breaking out of the slump -- 4-for-8 against Rice was his best shooting night -- he never found his Cincinnati form and admits that he passed up open shots at times because of how badly he was struggling.

Not wanting to go through that again, Anderson spent hours and hours fine-tuning his stroke this past offseason.

It has not yet paid dividends. So far this year, Anderson has made just 24.1 percent, and it was clear early on that his frustrations were spilling over into other parts of his game. Not only were his assists down, but he had 22 turnovers through seven games after committing just 50 all of last season. He wasn't rebounding with the same aggression. He simply wasn't the same player.

"When the assist-to-turnover ratio went south, we were like, 'Oh my God,'" coach John Calipari said. "And you're not guarding real well and you're not rebounding. For a while, that's what he was. But when he played bad, it's nice to know that you've got people with you. He played poorly, but he knew we were all with him, the staff, the team."

Calipari knew it was just a matter of time until Anderson got his game together, and it happened Saturday in a 65-41 victory over Middle Tennessee. Anderson was at his boxscore-filling-best with nine points, six assists and six rebounds in a performance reminiscent of his best from last season.

Now, Anderson hopes to reach back a little bit further and remind people -- himself, most of all -- of his best from two seasons ago.

"I remember we won, and I was lights out," Anderson said. "That's all I can remember. It was a situation where Rodney (Carney) wasn't playing (well), wasn't hustling. Coach took him out and told him, 'I'm going to play the freshmen' -- talking about me and Chris (Douglas-Roberts) -- 'until you get your act together.' But we didn't want to come out. We were freshmen, it was the big time. So I just started making shots, and he didn't take us out."

Calipari doesn't miss an opportunity to remind Anderson about what happened that night.

"Rodney copped an attitude, so I just didn't play him," Calipari said. "I just said, 'You know what, we'll win without you.' And I didn't play him. And this kid went nuts. They didn't (guard) him and he just kept shooting. He was unbelievable."

Another night like that one would be useful against Cincinnati, which has struggled to a 4-5 record but played well against Xavier in a 64-59 loss one week ago. More important, Anderson hopes the scenery helps him break a slump extending into a second season.

"He couldn't miss a shot that night," junior forward Robert Dozier said. "When we get up there, it could happen again."

Reach Dan Wolken at 529-2365; read his blogs on the Tigers at thememphisedge.com.

The Detroit News - Douglas-Roberts knows it's a title, or it's nothing

Douglas-Roberts knows it's a title, or it's nothing
David Goricki / The Detroit News

Chris Douglas-Roberts will settle for nothing less than a national title.

Douglas-Roberts, a 6-foot-7 junior guard, has led the Memphis Tigers to an 8-0 start and No. 2 ranking.

He's averaging a team-high 18.3 points heading into tonight's game at Cincinnati (7, ESPN2). Memphis also will play host to No. 5 Georgetown on Saturday (noon, ESPN).

"Everybody on the team knows it's win the national championship or it's failure for us," Douglas-Roberts said of the Tigers, who advanced to the Elite Eight the last two seasons.

"It's very possible. We feel we should get it done. We have the talent, the experience and the depth."

And, it starts with Douglas-Roberts, an outstanding athlete and one of the best in the country at taking the ball to the basket.

He returned home to Detroit last summer to work on his game, lifting weights and shooting hundreds of jumpers.

"I just wanted to get better in all aspects of my game," Douglas-Roberts said. "I've gotten a lot stronger (200 pounds), and my shot is a lot better, too. My goal is to be the best at my position."

Douglas-Roberts (Cass Tech/Northwestern) is shooting 53.8 percent (45 on three-pointers).

Add 6-9 junior Joey Dorsey, a dominant defender; 6-9 junior power forward Robert Dozier; and freshman Derrick Rose, a 6-3 point guard, to the mix, and you can see why the Tigers have high expectations.

Toast of the town
The Tigers, the class of Conference USA, are the toast of the town Elvis made famous.

They play in front of sellout crowds at the 18,000-seat FedEx Forum.

Numerous billboards throughout the city publicize them. The NBA's Grizzlies take a back seat.

"We're treated like a pro team here," Douglas-Roberts said. "The fans here love their basketball, and we've had a lot of success."

Douglas-Roberts has made sure the success continued early.

He scored 33 in an 81-70 victory over Connecticut in the 2K Sports College Hoops Classic in New York, earning MVP honors.

"I was just clicking," Douglas-Roberts said of his 14-for-24 effort from the field. "It was a great feeling to be named MVP. It showed I was valuable to my team.

"I just came out aggressive. It was a championship game, and I was a little frustrated the game before since I got into foul trouble. I wanted to make it up to my teammates. I really felt Dorsey should have been MVP since he does all the little things well."

Dorsey is averaging 7.7 points, 9.7 rebounds and 3.2 blocks. Rose is averaging 14.4 points, 5.3 rebounds and four assists.

Some believe Rose is the best freshman in the game, others think it's USC's O.J. Mayo, UCLA's Kevin Love or Kansas State's Michael Beasley.

"My teammate is the best one out there," Douglas-Roberts said. "He's more of a point guard. He can do a lot."

NBA is the goal
Douglas-Roberts' ultimate goal is to play in the NBA.

He could be a first-round pick if he decided to leave early.

"The NBA is definitely in my future," Douglas-Roberts said. "I feel I can play in it, and coach (John Calipari) is getting me prepared for it. I'll be looking at that decision during the off season."

But right now, Douglas-Roberts is concentrating on getting the Tigers to the Final Four and a shot at the national title.

How impressive would a national title be for Memphis? It would be the first non-BCS team to win it since UNLV in 1990, and only the second since Texas Western (now UTEP) in 1966.

You can reach David Goricki at david.goricki@detnews.com.

Scout.com - Thanks, but no thanks

Thanks, but no thanks

By Randy Moore
Posted Dec 18, 2007

It's no secret that Memphis University basketball coach John Calipari is not excited about continuing the Tigers' home-and-home series with Tennessee.

Supposedly, Calipari believes his program is the state's finest and is only giving legitimacy to UT's program by facing the Vols. In addition, Calipari reportedly isn't thrilled about letting Tennessee play a showcase game in talent-rich Memphis every other year.

Naturally, Big Orange fans say Calipari is scared, pointing to Tennessee's 76-58 drubbing of the 16th-ranked Tigers Dec. 6, 2006 at Knoxville as Exhibit A.

In his ongoing quest to end the home-and-home series with UT, Calipari has suggested a compromise. Instead of playing in Knoxville and Memphis, he proposes that the Vols and Tigers meet at Nashville each year in a game he suggests be dubbed “The Governor's Cup.”

When asked for his reaction to the proposal, Vol coach Bruce Pearl flashed a smug grin.

“I didn't know that Governor Bredesen had contacted the presidents of the universities and asked for a Governor's Cup,” Pearl deadpanned. “If Governor Bredesen wanted it, I would certainly – as serving the commonwealth – be happy to consider it.”

The Vol coach has absolutely no desire to move the game site to Nashville on a permanent basis. He was happy to see the Tigers' visit fill Thompson-Boling Arena last December. And he's OK with paying a return visit to Memphis this season on Feb. 23.

“I like the series,” Pearl said. “I don't like going to Memphis but I certainly like Memphis coming to Knoxville.”

The Vol coach rewarded UT fans' support last year by bringing in such high-profile opposing players as Texas' Kevin Durant and D.J. Augustin, along with Memphis' Joey Dorsey. This year's home schedule includes a Jan. 19 visit from talent-rich Ohio State.

“I'm really proud and pleased that our fans got to see Kevin Durant and got to see John Calipari and his team,” Pearl said. “John is one of the greatest coaches in the business, and he's got a No. 2 ranked team this year. I don't want to deny our fans here at Tennessee the opportunity to see Memphis basketball at a period of time when it's as good as it's ever been.

“I'd like to continue to honor the contract that we currently have.”

Cincy Enquirer - UC ready for Memphis now

UC ready for Memphis now
BY BILL KOCH, Cincinnati Enquirer
BKOCH@ENQUIRER.COM

Things got so out of hand last season when the University of Cincinnati basketball team played Memphis that ESPN2 broke away to show another game.

The Bearcats, 4-5 and losers of three straight games - all on the road - hope to make a better showing tonight against the No. 2 Tigers.

Last year's game at Memphis was one of the low points of the season for UC. The Tigers took an 11-0 lead on the way to an 88-55 victory.

"When we played Cincinnati, we started hitting our stride," Memphis coach John Calipari said.

"That was when we went on a 25-game win streak. Cincy caught us at a bad time for them, a good time for us. We started realizing we were better than we thought."

UC coach Mick Cronin might have been tempted not to revisit that game as he prepared for tonight's matchup, but he has watched the tape to try to figure out just why things got so far out of hand so quickly for the Bearcats.

"Obviously we were outmanned," Cronin said. "We weren't going to win. But our offensive impatience and shot selection left a lot to be desired. Our execution was poor. It was like throwing gasoline on the fire.

"They shot the ball really well early and we tried to go down and match them. We didn't show any composure in that game on the offensive end."

The UC players say they learned their lesson.

"We thought the answer was to come down and shoot," said senior guard Marvin Gentry. "But playing on the road against a good team like that, you've got to make them defend."

That's the plan for UC tonight: Don't panic. Don't get caught up in trying to run and shoot with Memphis. Stay patient and disciplined and run the offense, much as the Bearcats did last week in their 64-59 loss at Xavier.

Of course, other teams have implemented that plan this season against the Tigers (8-0) without much success.

"They'll hold the ball on offense and try to shoot the ball as the shot clock winds down," Calipari said. "Supposedly that's the blueprint on how to play us."

Memphis, with its depth, athleticism and defensive intensity, might be the most complete team in the country.

The Tigers certainly aren't a one-man team, but they have one player who's among the best in the country in 6-foot-7 junior guard Chris Douglas-Roberts, who averages 18.3 points per game.

"He's a guy that we start our offense through," Calipari said. "He can score the ball and he's a good passer. He's got the Earl Monroe game. He's got the runner, the floater, the left hand, the right hand. Now, that makes it kind of hard. How do you guard him? If you double-team him, he's making everybody else better."

UC most recently played a No. 2-ranked team Feb. 23, 2006, losing at home to Villanova by two points. The Bearcats are 1-11 all time against No. 2 teams.

Though a win tonight seems unlikely, Cronin believes his team is better equipped than last year to deal with Memphis.

"When you're playing (6-8) Marcus Sikes at center against Elite Eight teams, and when your first post sub is a football player, there's not much you can do," Cronin said. "That's not the case this year. Our added size and athleticism is allowing us to get better defensively."

Will UC be good enough to keep ESPN2 interested for the entire game? Stay tuned.

Cincy Post - Bearcats prepare for Tigers

Bearcats prepare for Tigers
No. 2 Memphis visits Fifth Third

By Josh Katzowitz, Cincinnati Post staff reporter

The coaches have watched tape of last year's game, and if you get past the ugliness of the final score and the percentage at which Memphis shot the ball, Mick Cronin can see a big difference in last season's University of Cincinnati team and this year's version.

"I look back and tried to look at it and see what may have caused the onslaught to be as bad as it was," Cronin said after digesting film of last year's 88-55 disaster against the Tigers. "Obviously, it was a game we were outmanned, and we weren't going to win."

So, what makes tonight's game vs. No. 2 Memphis at Fifth Third Arena any different? Although Jeremy Hunt, who scored a game-high 24 points last year, isn't around, the Tigers (8-0) employ two potential NBA players in junior guard Chris Douglas-Roberts and freshman guard Derrick Rose and feature eight players who score at least 7.0 points per game.

Cronin talks about how his team was outmanned last year. Frankly, though, this year doesn't look much better. Cronin disagrees.

"When you're playing Marcus Sikes at center against an Elite 8 team and your first post-sub is a football player (in Connor Barwin), there's not much you can do," Cronin said. "Our added size and athleticism allows us to get better defensively. And we are starting to get better defensively."

The Bearcats (4-5) showed it last week against Xavier University in the Crosstown Shootout.

Since the season-opener against Belmont, when UC allowed the Bruins to shoot 51.6 percent from the field, the Bearcats defense has improved. Against the Musketeers, UC forced XU into shooting 38.6 percent from the floor (23.1 percent from the 3-point line), and the Bearcats have lowered their field-goal defense to 42.4 percent.

They'll need that defensive intensity tonight against Douglas-Roberts (18.3 points per game) and Rose (14.4). Memories of last year's game when Memphis seemingly made shots at will - actually, en route to a 39-12 lead 12 minutes into the game, the Tigers shot 59.3 percent for the game - add to UC's desire to lock down its opponent.

"They made almost every shot they shot," said Williamson, whose highlight in last year's game occurred when his missed dunk hit the rim and shot up 25 feet in the air. "It wasn't in our favor at all. When another team makes every shot, you're there and it's like, 'Man, can we get a break?' It's a different story this year."

Perhaps he's right in regards to the frontcourt matchup this season. Instead of starting Sikes, who's moved into a reserve swingman role this year, UC uses 6-foot-10 Adam Hrycaniuk and 6-11 Anthony McClain.

Yes, Cronin worries about Douglas-Roberts and Rose, but he's also concerned with 6-9 senior forward Joey Dorsey. While Dorsey's point production of 7.7 per game isn't overwhelming, he rebounds at a 9.7-per-contest clip and he understands his role in coach John Calipari's offense.

He also worries the Bearcats coach.

"You've got two no-doubt NBA players in Derrick Rose and Douglas-Roberts," Cronin said. "Then you've got a 24-year-old center in Joey Dorsey who has totally bought into the fact they don't throw him the ball in their offense other than lob passes for dunks. He just wanders the baseline and waits for you to help (double-team a teammate). He finishes plays around the rim. He's totally bought into that role, and he's a tremendous enforcer on the defensive end and on the glass. They have a lot of components."

UC, though, still believes it can win this game. To be fair, the Bearcats are coming off their best performance of the season, leading then-No. 17 XU with less than 4 minutes to play.

They hope the momentum earned by playing a tough road game against a top-25 team will help them stifle the Tigers. Even if the Bearcats have to be reminded of last year's game.

"We've got everything they've got this year," sophomore guard Deonta Vaughn said. "We've got the quickness they got. Everybody can shoot the ball on our team. We can play together just as well as they do."

CSTV.com - No. 2 Memphis Heads To Cincinnati For First Road Test

No. 2 Memphis Heads To Cincinnati For First Road Test
Tigers not focused on Saturday's much-anticipated matchup with No. 5 Georgetown
Dec. 18, 2007

Memphis has a big game against a Big East opponent upcoming, but first has to avoid the temptation of overlooking another foe from that conference.

The second-ranked Tigers play their first true road game of the season Wednesday night when they meet their former Conference USA rivals, struggling Cincinnati.

Memphis (8-0) has a much-anticipated matchup with No. 5 Georgetown set for Saturday. The Hoyas are 8-0 one season after reaching the Final Four - a destination the Tigers have fallen one game short of each of the last two seasons.

Before Memphis can worry about Georgetown, it will try to win nine straight to open a season for the first time since its school-record 20-0 start in 1985-86. The Tigers are also looking to extend their nine-game road winning streak from last season.

Winning at Cincinnati (4-5) shouldn't be the daunting task it once was when the Bearcats were a national power under former coach Bob Huggins. Cincinnati is one of only two Big East teams with losing records, along with DePaul, and has already suffered home losses to Belmont and Bowling Green.

While Memphis added freshman star Derrick Rose to a roster that returned all five starters from last season, Cincinnati continues to rebuild under second-year coach Mick Cronin. Last season, the Tigers scored the game's first 11 points and led by 31 at halftime in an 88-55 home win over the Bearcats on Jan. 4.

Memphis enters after two strong defensive performances. It limited then-No. 24 Southern California to 28.8 percent shooting in a 62-58 overtime win on Dec. 4, and held Middle Tennessee State to 27.1 percent shooting in a 65-41 victory on Saturday.

While the defense has been outstanding, Memphis has failed to make perimeter shots against opponents' zone defenses. The Tigers are shooting just under 22 percent (9-for-41) on 3-pointers in the last two games.

"They did what a lot of teams are trying to do to us, which is pack it in, junk it up, hold the ball, try to make shots at the buzzer, try to keep it close, try to get fouled," coach John Calipari said after Saturday's win. "And you know, the only thing I keep telling my team is we have to see if they can do that for 40 minutes.

"Let's make it very difficult."

The Tigers never trailed Saturday, although Rose managed just four points and took a season-low five shots. Joey Dorsey was one of three Memphis players with a team-high 11 points and made all four shots - Dorsey has made 13 straight and is 21-for-23 (91.3 percent) from the field for the season.

Although Cincinnati has lost three straight, it played fairly well in a 64-59 loss to then-No. 17 and city rival Xavier on Wednesday. Cronin was encouraged that his team held a 43-38 rebounding edge in a game that it led with just over three minutes to go.

"I was proud of our guys' effort," he said. "That being said, we are disappointed we lost the game. We played 37 minutes of good basketball."

Bearcats forward Marvin Gentry was taken off the court on a neck board as a precaution after he ran into teammate Deonta Vaughn's knee while going for a loose ball in the second half. Gentry, fourth on the team with 7.8 points per game, is expected to play Wednesday.

Tigers might have long wait to be No. 1

Tigers might have long wait to be No. 1
Posted by Dan Wolken

This is a big week for the Tigers. Both games, at Cincinnati and vs. Georgetown on Saturday, are lose-able. But even if Memphis goes 2-0, I don’t see the Tigers getting to No. 1 in the polls any time soon. They are a solid No. 2 right now in both the AP and ESPN/USA Today polls to North Carolina, but the problem is that North Carolina’s schedule doesn’t give Memphis much of an opportunity to move up.

Here are North Carolina’s next five games:

Dec. 19 vs. Nicholls St.
Dec. 22 vs. UC-Santa Barbara
Dec. 27 vs. Nevada
Dec. 30 vs. Valparaiso
Jan. 2 vs. Kent State

The only tricky game in that bunch is Valparaiso, which is 10-1 with a loss at No. 17 Vanderbilt. Still, I’d expect UNC to go into Clemson on Jan. 6 with a 14-0 record. If Memphis can survive Cincy, Georgetown and Arizona on Dec. 29, the Tigers will have a great shot to be No. 1 sometime in January. But if they drop one of those games, Carolina will be very tough to catch in the polls.

The Washington Times - TAKE YOUR PICK: No. 2 Memphis vs. No. 5 Georgetown

The Washington Times

TAKE YOUR PICK: No. 2 Memphis vs. No. 5 Georgetown

Memphis: The Tigers play host to this season's first matchup of top-five teams Saturday at FedEx Forum, where they boast the nation's longest winning streak (32 games). Unlike the Hoyas, who are still learning to play without Jeff Green, the Tigers return all five starters from last season's Elite Eight team and added Derrick Rose.

Georgetown: Even without Green, the Hoyas are coming into their own as arguably the deepest and most versatile team in the nation. Georgetown leads the nation in field goal percentage defense (34.5) and ranks sixth in field goal percentage (51.9), making the Hoyas the nation's best defense-offense combination.

Our take: This isn't the best matchup for the Hoyas in that Memphis has two of the long, athletic guards who give Georgetown fits. That said, Memphis has a slightly overrated frontcourt that should have difficulty with Georgetown's Roy Hibbert. And few teams have had success playing man-to-man defense against the Hoyas since John Thompson III's arrival. In the end, the Hoyas are a considerably more efficient team on both ends and should win if they can force Memphis to play at their pace and keep the Tigers off the offensive glass.

Cincy Enquirer - Calipari expects tough crowd, game

Calipari expects tough crowd, game
BY BILL KOCH | BKOCH@ENQUIRER.COM

The crowds at Fifth Third Arena have been sparse and for the most part subdued this season, but Memphis coach John Calipari expects that to change Wednesday night when he brings his second-ranked Tigers to town to play the University of Cincinnati.

"Unless they don't know we're coming to town, I'd be surprised if whatever they're getting they don't get double for our game because it's us," Calipari said Monday.

Memphis, coming off back-to-back Elite Eight appearances, is 8-0, its best start since 1995-96.

The old rivals put on some impressive shows when they were competing against each other in Conference USA. In those days, UC was the national attraction that pulled in the big crowds every time the Bearcats played in Memphis.

But these days, UC, which now plays in the more prestigious Big East Conference, is struggling to rebuild its program while the Tigers, who still reside in C-USA, have assumed a spot among the nation's elite teams.

Still, Calipari expects a competitive game Wednesday night. And he predicts that under Mick Cronin, UC (4-5) will return to its former status before long.

"Anytime you have a change, there's growing pains," Calipari said. "They're going to be fine. They played a great ballgame against Xavier. I watched the game, and they gave themselves a chance to win. I imagine they'll do the same thing against us.

"They're going to play as well as they've played all year because it's what everybody does. We know it will be a tough challenge for us to go on their court and win."

Calipari has a 189-63 record in seven years at Memphis, but he's equally proud of the fact that 16 of his 19 seniors have graduated.

This team has the potential to be his best, which would be saying a lot because the Tigers went 33-4 last season, losing to Ohio State in the South Region final.

Memphis is deep and athletic, led by 6-foot-7 junior guard Chris Douglas-Roberts, who averages 18.3 points per game. The Tigers have 10 players who play 10 minutes or more and they might be playing better at this stage of the season than they were last year.

"We're good for December 15th," Calipari said. "We're probably executing at about 40 or 50 percent of the time. For this time of year, we're in pretty good condition and playing pretty good defense. Offensively, we're not making the shots we're capable of making."

Life has been good for Memphis in Conference USA since UC left for the Big East three years ago along with Marquette, Louisville, DePaul and South Florida.

The Tigers, who went 16-0 in league play last year, dominate their league while the former C-USA foes have found the Big East to be quite a bit more challenging.

"I've said it before and I'll say it again," Calipari said. "Be careful what you wish for. Did those schools benefit? Yeah, look at South Florida football. Look at Cincinnati football. But us being here has not affected us. It's been a positive."

Calipari pointed to Xavier as an example of a team from a non-BCS league that has followed the blueprint he used at UMass and now at Memphis by scheduling strong nonconference opponents to bolster its RPI and land a favorable seed in the NCAA Tournament.

"Mick's challenge is another way," Calipari said. "You're in one of the country's greatest leagues, but you're in the middle. Now how the heck do you get to the top? You've got to climb over somebody. You can't just say that we got better. So did they. That's his challenge. But I think he's up to it."

Shooting a problem for U of M

Shooting a problem for U of M
By Dan Wolken
Tuesday, December 18, 2007

There were no illusions heading into this season about where the University of Memphis was most vulnerable. Indeed, the Tigers were so well-aware that opponents would try to exploit their often suspect outside shooting that they worked harder than ever this offseason to make the 3-pointer a weapon rather than a blight on their box score.

But eight games into the season, No. 2-ranked Memphis is not seeing the results it wanted or expected. No matter how much or how well the Tigers have shot in practice, only 32.1 percent of their 3-point attempts have gone in during games.

Though it has not affected the Tigers in any tangible way -- they are 8-0, after all, heading into Wednesday's game at Cincinnati -- there's no question that making more threes would make life a lot easier.

"I think we've got to shoot the ball better," sophomore guard Doneal Mack said. "In big games, we have to hit shots because we've seen what can happen like in the (Southern California) game. We've got big opponents coming up, and we have to shoot the ball better to be satisfied."

Memphis may never be a great 3-point shooting team, but it doesn't have to be. The Tigers believe they can win even when shots aren't falling, and they've done it against high quality opponents like USC, against whom they made just 5-of-22 from the 3-point line.

But after coach John Calipari watched his team make 4-of-19 3s in last Saturday's 65-41 victory over Middle Tennessee, he wondered aloud whether all that shooting it has done in practice is even worth it. Already, Calipari has begun to employ some different shooting drills in the last two practices, emphasizing game-style shots rather than standing 3-pointers.

"I don't know what the number is, but we've taken maybe 30,000 3-point shots," Calipari said. "We may cut back a little bit."

Last season, the Tigers shot just 35.1 percent from 3-point range, a number that put them well below the average for a top-level team. And despite the loss of Jeremy Hunt, who made 38.2 percent of his attempts, Memphis believed that the collective improvement of Mack, Willie Kemp, Chris Douglas-Roberts and Antonio Anderson would more than make up for it.

Kemp has improved, making 45.2 percent, but the rest of the team has not given him much support. Mack, most notably, has gotten off to a slow start, converting at 34.8 percent after finishing last season at 40.5 percent. Though Douglas-Roberts is making 45 percent of his threes, he's only taking 2.5 per game. Meanwhile, others have slumped, including Anderson (7-for-29) and Andre Allen (2-for-19).

"We've got a long season ahead of us," Mack said. "I've been taking what coach has been saying about amnesia, go to the next play. So I'm not going to worry about it, I'm just looking forward. Our team has confidence. We know we have to make shots, and we're going to keep practicing. There's going to be games when we shoot bad, but later on in the season I think there's going to be a lot more games where we shoot the heck out of the ball."

There is a school of thought that the Tigers' outside shooting suffers because of how much energy they expend on defense. In other words, the Tigers do so much lunging and scrambling trying to guard people that they simply don't have the legs to make lots of jumpers. Indeed, as bad as the Tigers have shot from 3-point range, opponents are even worse at 31.2 percent.

"It tires you out, but it shouldn't make a difference," Anderson said. "Your legs are a little bit tired, but it's part of basketball. It's something we're all used to. We can't use it as an excuse."

The remarkable thing for Memphis is that it wouldn't take much for their shooting to become a non-issue. The way Calipari sees it, if Mack and Kemp or Anderson and Douglas-Roberts could make just three more 3-pointers per game between them, their 10-point wins would become blowouts and their close wins wouldn't be in doubt.

"(Former Minnesota and Western Kentucky coach) Clem Haskins came up to me after the game and said your team is unbelievable, the way they guard," Calipari said. "He said, your goal is to get two of these guys absolutely believing when they're open, the ball is down. If you can keep them defending and keep them betting better and better, rebounding and blocking shots like you are, making the game hard for the other team, he said, you just need a couple guys when that thing is open, everybody in the building knows, oh, man.

"And I think we have those guys; they've just got to start making them."

Reach Dan Wolken at 529-2365.

Bowling Green Daily News - Memphis dominant over Blue Raiders

Memphis dominant over Blue Raiders

By ROB HERBST, The Daily News, rherbst@bgdailynews.com
Sunday, December 16, 2007 1:07 AM CST

NASHVILLE — For almost an entire half, Middle Tennessee hung with mighty Memphis in Saturday’s Sun Belt Classic opener.

For the final 25 minutes, Memphis showed why it’s ranked No. 2 in the country - remaining undefeated after it eventually overwhelmed the Blue Raiders 65-41 at the Sommet Center.

It wasn’t the debacle the Blue Raiders (3-5) endured at Tennessee last month, when they were crushed 109-40, but MTSU still shot a season-low 27 percent from the field.

“They did what a lot of teams are trying to do to us, which is pack it in, junk it up, hold the ball, try to make shots at the buzzer, try to get fouled,” Memphis coach John Calipari said. “The only thing I can tell my team is, ‘Let’s see if they can do that for 40 minutes.’ ”

With the Blue Raiders trailing only 28-22 with four minutes remaining in the first half, Memphis (7-0) took control.

MTSU went scoreless the rest of the first half and Memphis’ Andre Allen nailed a 3-pointer with five seconds remaining for a 35-22 halftime advantage.

“If we don’t make that 3, which was a broken play, maybe it’s a different ballgame,” Calipari said.

No Blue Raider scored in double figures as MTSU tried to slow the pace, but still committed 20 turnovers. Dino Hare, Theryn Hudson and Lexington Catholic product Demetrius Green all had eight points. Meanwhile, starting MTSU guards Kevin Kanaskie and Nigel Johnson were limited to a combined seven points on 2-of-12 shooting and nine turnovers.

“I love (Kanaskie and Johnson) to death, but they can’t play any worse offensively and they’ve made big shots for us,” MTSU coach Kermit Davis said. “Even with all that and the foul trouble, in the first half the game was right there.”

Still, it seems Sun Belt Conference teams have an answer for Memphis superstar freshman Derrick Rose. The highly acclaimed Chicago freshman tied a season low with four points Saturday; his other four-point game came against Arkansas State.

MTSU didn’t have an answer for 6-foot-9 forward Joey Dorsey, who had 11 points and 12 rebounds. Robert Dozier and Shawn Taggart also had 11 points.

“I don’t think I’ve played a game (at Memphis) yet, where (opponents) play out of their minds from the get-go,” Dozier said. “We were a little shaky early, but guys got it together.”

My Thoughts on the Tigers Win Over MTSU

I'll admit that I am as happy as anyone to see Robert Dozier and Antonio Anderson playing so well. Dozier probably had his best back-to-back games since his freshman year and Anderson played the solid across the board game that we saw all of last year (he even hit a three from the corner on a nice feed from Rose in the second half). Anderson still frustrates me to death when he goes to the free throw line and misses two shots - remember he is a guard - guards are supposed to be 70+% from the line, the guys you want on the line at the end of the game (yes, yes, I remember the Alamodome, but I also POINT GUARD Darius Washington Jr. missing 2 of 3 that kept Memphis out of the NCAAs three years ago).

Anyway, ok here are my grades.

Joey Dorsey (A+) - Wow!, very nice all around game. Save for the over the back foul in the lane for a rebound and it was basically perfect (ok, too many turnovers). But still, 4 for 4 from the field, 3 of 5 from the line, 12 rebounds, 3 blocks and only 2 personals in 25 minutes - I'll take it.

Shawn Taggard (A+) - Ok, this is getting to be a trend I like. Two excellent games back to back. What a stat line - 11 points on 5 of 7 shooting, 3 boards in 17 minutes. Ok, maybe a bit light on the boards, but it is hard to grab any when Joey gets 12 and Dozier nabs 7 more.

Robert Dozier (A+) - Yes, I like it. 5 Blocks, 6 steals and 2 assists, yes you read that right, to go along with 11 points and 7 boards. I'd probably give him an A++ except for for only going 5 of 11 from the field.

NOW THAT IS A FRONT LINE !!!!!!!!!!!!

Ok, MTSU isn't USC or UCLA or Georgetown, but still it is nice to have some guys step up when CDR and Rose can't either get the ball or can shoot it when they get it.

And in the case of CDR (C-), I just think he can't shake loose from the defender in the triangle and two. At least he recognized it Saturday night and only took five shots. What is disappointing with Chris is that he seems to be missing in the other phases of the game (the areas where Antonio Anderson (B+) tends to excel).

It wasn't a great game for the guards at all. Will someone please hit an outside shot. And I don't mean Andre Allen's prayer at the end of the 1st half. I seriously doubt that was the intended play of Cal's time out set.

Derrick Rose (C-)
Willie Kemp (C-)
Andre Allen (D)
Doneal Mack (C+)

Overall, I'll give the team defense a strong A-, but the offense was a sub-par C-. You can't say the offense was successful when your two best offensive players combine for nine points. Also, 4 of 19 from 3 point is just plain bad. That is not representative of top 10 team especially against a mid-tier Sun Belt team.

UAB Picks Up Big Non-Conf Win for C-USA

UAB pulled off another very nice win for C-USA beating Kentucky in Louisville, Kentucky. This follows East Carolina huge win over North Carolina State last Saturday.

Next Up - Tulane plays RPI #3 St. Mary's in Hawaii on Thursday, Houston plays Kentucky Tuesday, Central Florida plays Nevada (#98) today, Marshall plays (#60) Louisville Tuesday

RPI Rankings Through Saturday

#6 - Memphis (8-0)
#91 - UTEP (5-2)
#126 - Tulane (4-3)
#132 - Houston (9-1)
#143 - UAB (8-4)
#162 - ECU (2-5)
#184 - Tulsa (4-4)
#187 - Central Florida (5-4)
#206 - Southern Mississippi (1-3)
#211 - Marshall (3-2)
#261 - Rice (2-6)
#302 - SMU (2-4)

Tigers Improve to 8-0

Tigers Improve to 8-0
By TERESA M. WALKER, AP

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Joey Dorsey, Robert Dozier and Shawn Taggart scored 11 points apiece, and the second-ranked Memphis Tigers shook off the rust from an 11-day break by beating Middle Tennessee 65-41 Saturday night in the opening game of the Sun Belt Classic doubleheader.

With the victory, the Tigers improved to 8-0 and matched their best start since the 1995-96 season and their fourth such start since World War II.

Memphis had not played since holding off Southern California 62-58 in overtime on Dec. 4 in New York. The Tigers needed someone to play before visiting Cincinnati and hosting No. 5 Georgetown on Dec. 22 back in Memphis.

Middle Tennessee (3-6) offered the perfect opponent and allowed the Tigers to fulfill the third and final game of their contract without having to visit Murfreesboro, approximately 30 miles southeast of Nashville.

The Tigers outshot (49 percent to 26) and outrebounded (38-30) Middle Tennessee in a game they never trailed and was tied only once at 16. Dorsey also had a team-high 12 rebounds.

Theryn Hudson, Demetrius Green and Dino Hair each scored eight points for the Blue Raiders.

Fellow Sun Belt member Western Kentucky was to play No. 12 Tennessee in the other game Saturday night. More than 18,000 tickets were sold at the Sommet Center, an arena record for a regular season college basketball game in the home of the NHL's Nashville Predators, easily topping the previous mark of 8,118.

This counted as a home game for Middle Tennessee, so the Blue Raiders set an attendance record that topped their 11,807 against Western Kentucky on Dec. 18, 2006.

That's about all the Blue Raiders got out of playing their highest-ranked opponent since a loss to then-No. 2 Kansas on Nov. 27, 2000.

Chris Douglas-Roberts opened the game with a 3-pointer from the right corner to put the Tigers ahead to stay. That was the only 3 they would hit until Andre Allen closed out the first half, as Memphis struggled early and was 2-of-10 from beyond the arc.

The Tigers looked very rusty in the first half, including one sequence in which Douglas-Roberts missed a short jumper off the front rim, then Dorsey turned the ball over by walking.

Middle Tennessee, with vocal fan support, managed to stay close and even tied the game at 9:33 on a shot by Kanaskie, son of Penn State associate head coach Kurt Kanaskie.

Dorsey answered with a three-point play, and the Tigers finally warmed up and started putting some distance between themselves and Middle Tennessee. Darren Avery scored with 4:11 left and pulled the Blue Raiders within 26-22.

Memphis scored the final nine points for a 35-22 halftime edge that was its biggest lead until the second half.

The Tigers pushed it to as much as 29 on an Antonio Anderson layup. But it never got as bad as Nov. 20, when Middle Tennessee trailed by as much as 71 in losing 109-40 at Tennessee. The neutral court advantage helped a bit — Memphis won 86-46 last season on its home court.

Anderson emerges from season-long slump as Tigers pummel Blue Raiders

Anderson emerges from season-long slump as Tigers pummel Blue Raiders
By Dan Wolken
Sunday, December 16, 2007

NASHVILLE -- The task of carrying the University of Memphis to a Final Four is far too heavy a load for the shoulders of just two players.

But through seven games, the No. 2-ranked Tigers had grown accustomed to relying on the offensive skills of Chris Douglas-Roberts and Derrick Rose as their other usual contributors worked through early-season funks.

In Saturday's Sun Belt Classic, however, Memphis was forced to find out what kind of team it would be on a night when Douglas-Roberts and Rose did not match their earlier form. And in a 65-41 victory over Middle Tennessee at the Sommet Center, the answer was as self-affirming as anything the Tigers have seen this season.

Certainly, it was no surprise to coach John Calipari that the Tigers were able to press overmatched Middle Tennessee into submission Saturday. And there was little doubt that, if all else failed, Memphis' half-court defense would be able to smother the Blue Raiders when it mattered.

But as the Tigers celebrated their 8-0 start and looked forward to a week in which they will play Cincinnati and Georgetown, nothing felt as important as the stat line Calipari had been waiting all season to see.

After failing to look like himself for the past month, junior guard Antonio Anderson came alive with a 9-point, 6-rebound, 6-assist performance that rekindled memories of what the Tigers have been for two straight Elite Eight runs.

A team that can create easy shots against any kind of defense. A team that plays aggressively and unselfishly. A team that doesn't panic when lesser opponents fire their best shots.

"Isn't it amazing?" Calipari said. "We're a different team. What happens is, it takes pressure off the other guys to just go do what you do. That stat line of six assists and two turnovers? We just haven't seen that (from Anderson)."

And the Tigers needed it Saturday in a game where Douglas-Roberts and Rose didn't have their best stuff, scoring a combined nine points and generally having little impact on the proceedings.

On other nights this season, that might have put Memphis in dangerous territory, especially against a Middle Tennessee team that tried to confuse the Tigers with several different zone defenses.

This time, the Tigers were able to solve the puzzle, as their three big men each scored 11 points and made Memphis' 4-for-19 shooting from the 3-point line irrelevant to the outcome.

The facilitator for much of it was Anderson, who drove through Middle Tennessee's zones and set up Joey Dorsey, Robert Dozier and Shawn Taggart for easy shots as the Tigers built a 13-point halftime lead and put the game out of reach with a big spurt early in the second half.

"That's the whole key right there," said Dozier, who also had seven rebounds, five blocks and six steals in 25 minutes. "We have to be able to get the ball inside and put points on the board. They're going to pack it in; we've got to get two guys up at the elbow and have a guy in the paint posting to make it unbalanced for them and make it tough on them like they're trying to make it on us."

And though Anderson helped make things easy for his big men, it was just as important that he shoot the ball confidently Saturday, despite entering the game just 16-for-47 from the field this season. Anderson didn't get credited with many shots -- he went 2-for-5 from the field -- but went 4-for-6 from the free-throw line and made a big 3-pointer with 15:37 left to give the Tigers a 46-28 lead.

"I wasn't making shots, so I came in before practice every day and it's been building my confidence," Anderson said. "Coach believes in me, and my teammates believe in me."

Meanwhile, the Tigers put in their best defensive performance of the season, holding the Blue Raiders (3-6) to 13-of-48 field goals and forcing 20 turnovers with a relentless full-court press that produced several easy buckets.

Though the game was tight early, Memphis led 35-22 at halftime, finishing on a 14-4 run. A sequence of swarming defense helped Memphis build a 54-31 lead with 11:03 to go, and the Tigers methodically finished off the game from there.

"They did what a lot of teams are trying to do to us, which is pack it in, junk it up, hold the ball, try to make shots at the buzzer, try to keep it close and try to get fouled," Calipari said. "The only thing I keep telling my team is let's make it very difficult and see if they can do it for 40 minutes."

Reach Dan Wolken at 529-2365; read his blogs on the Tigers at thememphisedge.com.

Dan Wolken - Postgame blog from Nashville

Postgame blog from Nashville
Posted by Dan Wolken

Welcome back, Antonio Anderson.

Of all the things you saw Saturday night in Memphis’ 65-41 victory, what stood out the most was Anderson’s performance. Nine points, six assists, six rebounds and two turnovers? That was a typical Anderson line from last season. But this year, Anderson just looked lost. He wasn’t shooting the ball well. He was making bad decisions with the ball. And that combination was clearly affecting his defense and rebounding.

Hopefully, this is the Anderson we’ll see from now on because the Tigers certainly will need him this week against Cincy and Georgetown.

Overall, I thought the Tigers played pretty well. They didn’t give Middle Tennessee many easy looks at the basket (they went 13-for-48), and their press was ferocious. Offensively, Derrick Rose and Chris Douglas-Roberts simply weren’t there tonight. CDR went 2-for-5 from the field. I don’t know if I’ve seen him play a game where he’s had less impact. Rose wasn’t terrible, but he wasn’t great. In the second half, he ran the offense much better and facilitated a lot of good stuff. Dorsey, Dozier and Taggart all get big A-plusses from me. In the big picture, if the big men play they way they did Saturday, the Tigers are going to be awfully hard to beat.

Now, I’m going to shut down the computer and watch the final 14 minutes of Tennessee-Western Kentucky, which is a very competitive and fast-paced game to this point. Most of the Memphis fans sitting in the lower level have stuck around, and they’re all cheering for Western Kentucky. I’m still trying to figure out Tennessee. I don’t know that I’ve seen a good team that takes as many bad shots as the Vols. It’s astounding, really. Western Kentucky, on the other hand, is an NCAA Tournament team and will be a very tough out as an 11 or 12 seed this year.

Mufreesboro Post - MTSU falls to No. 2 Memphis

MTSU falls to No. 2 Memphis
By JOSH EZZELL - Dec. 14, 2007 - 9:40 p.m.
NASHVILLE — Shots just did not want to fall for MTSU Saturday night at Sommet Center.

That can be a very bad thing when you’re playing the No. 2 team in America in a nationally televised game on ESPN2.

Memphis shot 45 percent from the field and took advantage of poor MTSU shooting — the Blue Raiders hit a season-low 27 percent of their shots — in a 65-41 win before 18.071, which is an MTSU home-game record for attendance.

“As the game ended I knew we planned it exactly right,” said MTSU head coach Kermit Davis, whose squad dropped to 3-6. “We wanted to keep them in the 60s. … Memphis is an underrated defensive team. Everyone talks about how explosive they are, but they play tough defense. We were intimidated.”

This marks the fourth time this season MTSU has lost by double digits. Tennessee, Belmont and Houston also beat the Blue Raiders by double digits.

MTSU played Memphis tough for most of the first half and was tied with the Tigers at 16 with 9 minutes, 33 seconds remaining before intermission. The Tigers (8-0), however, responded with a 19-6 run to end the half. Andre Allen gave Memphis a lift with a 3-pointer with only three seconds remaining before halftime.

“Andre Allen makes that at the end,” Davis said. “We make one more shot or Dino (Hair) doesn’t miss that dunk it’s a different game.”

The Tigers scored the first four points of the second half within 30 seconds to set the tone. MTSU trailed by 17 at 39-22 and couldn’t get in the game. The Blue Raiders hit only 29 percent of their shots in the second half and scored 19 after intermission, which marks a season low for points in a half.

“We told them the first five minutes you can put this away,” Memphis head coach John Calipari said. “We’ve been through this before. It’s what we live with. When we play anybody we’re the biggest game they’ve got.”

MTSU went through a few droughts in the second half that prevented them from rallying. It went 3:26 with a bucket once, which prevented them it taking advantage of suspect shooting by Memphis. The Blue Raiders went 5:34 without a point later in the second half and found themselves in a 25-point hole at 61-36 as a result.

“We came out kind of flat (in the second half),” Davis said. “They came out with more energy than us.”

During the second drought MTSU missed seven shots and committed three turnovers before Theryn Hudson, who netted eight but was plagued by foul trouble, ended the cold streak with a dunk.

“(Pressure defense) hurt us,” said MTSU’s Kevin Kanaskie, who scored four points and led the Blue Raiders with seven rebounds. “It was hard to get in our offense. They sped us up.”

Demetrius Green and Hair scored eight apiece for MTSU, while Desmond “Boogie” Yates added five.

Robert Dozier, Joey Dorsey and Shawn Taggart scored each scored 11 for Memphis. MTSU held Chris Douglas-Roberts, who averages 20 per game, to five points. Derrick Rose, who nets 15.9 a contest, scored only four points.

“We just came out prepared,” Dozier said. “The guys got together in the second half and got through it.”

The Blue Raiders play host to Florida International 7 p.m. Tuesday in their Sun Belt Conference opener.

MTSU ready for Memphis tonight

MTSU ready for Memphis tonight
By ADAM SPARKS
sparks@dnj.com

NASHVILLE — No. 2 Memphis wants to win the crowd. MTSU wants to win the first four minutes.

The in-state foes will square off today at 6 p.m. in the first game of the Sun Belt Classic doubleheader at the Sommet Center. Western Kentucky will play No. 12 Tennessee at 8:15 p.m.

Although ticket sales are split between the four schools in the doubleheader, Memphis coach John Calipari expects a road game-type atmosphere, and his team's ability to overcome that climate will weigh heavily in tonight's outcome.

"These are two basketball teams playing in (MTSU's) backyard, and that's going to make it hard for us," Calipari said. "I told (MTSU coach Kermit Davis), 'I can't believe I agreed to do this.'

"Any time you take your program on the road, it becomes a cause game for the other team. They can rally around one another, rally around the cause of playing us. That makes it a dangerous game. This is the most dangerous game we'll play this year."

Davis agrees, but from the opposite end. He sees Memphis as the largest hurdle on his team's schedule.

MTSU (3-5) will play one of the nation's most talented teams, and its recent history against high-ranked opponents and specifically the up-tempo Memphis (7-0) squad hasn't ended well.

MTSU has lost by a combined 73 points in its last two meetings with Memphis in the past two seasons, and the Blue Raiders fell hard, 109-40, to Tennessee on Nov. 20.

Davis said the key to keeping pace with Memphis is winning small segments of the game, including the four-minute session before the first media timeout.

"That's what I told our team," Davis said. "I know it's cliché, but we're not trying to beat Memphis for a 30-game schedule. We're just trying to beat them in short games like getting to the first media timeout, the 10-minute mark and then halftime.

"The longer you're in it, the more confidence your team gets."

Davis said the key to competing with Memphis is the post play of Desmond Yates and Theryn Hudson.

Hudson, a 6-foot-10 center and former La Vergne High standout, is coming off a career-best performance of 16 points, nine rebounds and two blocks against Belmont Wednesday. Yates had 20 points, but only two rebounds in the same game.

"We have got to get him to rebound," Davis said. "That's the big thing. I've never been on a guy so much about trying to be a physical rebounder. I told him if he rebounds, that 20 points will become 30 just from scoring it more and getting to the foul line.

"And Theryn needs to get 10 to 12 rebounds and stay out of foul trouble for us to have a chance."

MTSU junior point guard Kevin Kanaskie is still slowed by a hip injury, but he is expected to play.

The Blue Raiders have allowed 31 3-pointers in the last two games, and their opponents have shot a scorching 45.2 percent from behind the arc. But Calipari said MTSU is a better team than those statistics show.

"I watched our game with Middle last year, and we made a bunch of 3s," Calipari said. "I watched (MTSU's Dec. 1) game with Houston, and they made a ton of 3s. Neither one of us beat Middle. We just happened to make a bunch of jumpers on contested shots.

"So I know it's going to be a hard game, and I know they're going to be ready to go. It's going to be a challenge for us."

— Adam Sparks, 615-278-5167

MTSU Blue Raiders vs. No. 2 Memphis Tigers

When: Today, 6 p.m.

Where: Sommet Center (Nashville)

TV: ESPN2 (channel 29)

Radio: 1450-AM, 106.7-FM

Series: Memphis leads 23-15

Last Meeting: Memphis 86, MTSU 46 (12/23/07)

MTSU (3-5)

Probable Starters Ht. Cl. Pts. Reb.

G Kevin Kanaskie 6-2 Jr. 11.4 4.4

G Nigel Johnson 6-2 Jr. 7.3 2.6

G Demetrius Green 6-4 Jr. 10.6 4.8

F Desmond Yates 6-7 So. 12.3 4.0

C Theryn Hudson 6-10 Jr. 10.0 5.8

Memphis (7-0)

G Derrick Rose 6-3 Fr. 15.9 5.7

G Antonio Anderson 6-6 Jr. 6.7 3.1

G C. Douglas-Roberts 6-7 Jr. 20.1 6.1

F Joey Dorsey 6-9 Sr. 7.0 9.2

F Robert Dozier 6-9 Jr. 8.0 7.6

Nashville site just fine with Calipari, Pearl prefers to keep home-and-home dates

Nashville site just fine with Calipari
Pearl prefers to keep home-and-home dates
By Dan Wolken
Saturday, December 15, 2007

NASHVILLE -- Beyond the occasional SEC or NCAA Tournament, the Sommet Center has hosted some spectacularly disappointing college basketball events during its 11 years of existence.

As recently as last December, the appetite for hoops was so minuscule that the University of Tennessee could draw only 8,118 fans for a game against nationally ranked Oklahoma State. And that was the biggest crowd ever to see a regular-season game in that building.

But tonight's Sun Belt Classic, which begins with No. 2 Memphis playing Middle Tennessee and concludes with No.12 Tennessee taking on Western Kentucky, is sold out.

The sudden enthusiasm for this event brings up a natural question: Would the game between Memphis and Tennessee be better suited as an annual showcase in Nashville, or should the programs continue to play on a home-and-home basis, as their contract calls for?

Naturally, the involved parties disagree on the answer.

Tennessee coach Bruce Pearl said Friday he'd prefer to maintain the current agreement, which includes a Feb. 23 game at FedExForum, with the Tigers returning to Knoxville next season.

Tigers coach John Calipari, however, hopes tonight's event will help build momentum toward a "Governor's Cup" that would be played every year at the Sommet Center and would include a matchup between two area mid-major programs followed by a Memphis-Tennessee clash.

"We've both got great programs going," Calipari said. "Let's play here. It's the right thing to do. Why wouldn't you do it? It's great for the system and great for our school because we get to play in Nashville. All the money in this state is here. It gives us a chance to play in front of legislators, to project what we are, to say, 'Hey, Memphis is something special.' It's what we used to do at UMass. We used to play in Worcester, Springfield, Boston. We took the team to them."

In past years, Calipari has openly discussed his desire to drop Tennessee off the schedule. That issue, however, has lost steam since Pearl arrived in Knoxville and elevated the Vols to a national contender. Even Calipari would have to acknowledge that Memphis' victory over Tennessee in 2006 helped the Tigers earn a No.1 seed in the NCAA Tournament. And last season, the Tigers did not play a better team in the regular season than Tennessee, which won, 76-58, in Knoxville.

With both programs now strong, Calipari believes a match-up in Nashville would not only be good for basketball fans in Middle Tennessee but would also prepare both teams for neutral-site NCAA Tournament games.

Though Pearl said he'll continue to bring the Vols to Nashville every year for a nonconference game, he argued that the Memphis series belongs in each school's home arena.

"Last year our fans got to see Kevin Durant in Knoxville, and last year our fans got to see John Calipari and his great team in Knoxville," Pearl said. "So I just think that our fans deserve it.

"And the other thing is, we do have a great following in the western part of the state. Tennessee's medical school is in Memphis; that's where our doctors are trained. I think it has a lot of advantages, and certainly for recruiting it's nice to be able to get out there. We play Ole Miss 45 minutes down the road, but it's still good to be right there in Memphis."

Certainly, there are territorial issues in play. Pearl and his staff have practically taken up residence in Memphis, trying to remain in touch with top basketball players in the city's prep ranks.

Tennessee poured major resources into the recruitment of St. George's guard Elliot Williams, who eventually chose Duke, and the stakes will continue to go up as Memphis and UT wage recruiting battles for elite players such as Briarcrest junior Leslie McDonald and White Station sophomore Joe Jackson.

Though Pearl's constant presence in Memphis has made Tennessee more visible in that regard, are the Tigers helping the Vols recruit in Memphis by playing them at FedExForum?

It's possible. But beyond trying to protect his recruiting backyard, Calipari believes a game in Nashville would be financially beneficial to both programs. Instead of getting the revenue from a home game once every other year, Calipari thinks they could haul in big dollars every year.

"When the season ends, we'll go over and say, 'Hey, let's look at this financially because for both programs it doubles the money,'" Calipari said. "Why would you say no? If you're worried about your fans, they can come here. It's three hours away."

-- Dan Wolken: 529-2365

No. 2 Memphis (7-0) at Middle Tenn (3-5) 7:05 pm EST

No. 2 Memphis (7-0) at Middle Tenn (3-5) 7:05 pm EST

NASHVILLE, Tennessee (Ticker) - Coming off an 11-day layoff, second-ranked Memphis faces Middle Tennessee State on Saturday.

The Tigers are 7-0 for the first time since the 1995-96 season when they won their first eight games to start the season. Ironically, that 8-0 team suffered its first loss to current Memphis coach John Calipari's Massachusetts team.

Memphis will have to shake off the rust in order to make it eight straight to start the season. The Tigers have been off since posting a 62-58 overtime triumph over Southern California on December 4.

Preseason Conference USA Player of the Year Chris-Douglas Roberts leads the team in scoring at 20.1 points per game, while freshman Derrick Rose is averaging 15.9 points, 5.7 rebounds and 4.3 assists.

The Blue Raiders are coming off an 86-80 overtime victory over Belmont on Wednesday. In their only game against a ranked team this season, the Blue Devils were hammered by Tennessee, 109-40, on November 20.

Desmond Yates leads five MTSU players in double figures at 12.3 points per game.

Memphis leads the series, 26-14, including wins in each of the last three seasons.

Intrastate foes collide in Sun Belt Classic

Intrastate foes collide in Sun Belt Classic

Nashville, TN (Sports Network) - The second-ranked Memphis Tigers and the Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders meet up in Nashville this evening, as they take part in the first game of the Sun Belt Classic.

Memphis is one of 15 teams in Division I that opened this week still undefeated. John Calipari's squad has been idle since a 62-58 overtime win against then nationally-ranked USC on December 4th in the Jimmy V Classic. Other quality wins this season include Oklahoma (63-53) and Connecticut (81-70) to capture the 2K College Hoops Classic in New York City in mid-November.

The Blue Raiders are trying to get back to .500 on the year, but are currently just 3-5. However, the team took a step in the right direction with an 86-80 overtime win against Belmont on Wednesday.

The Tigers have won 11 straight in this series, including last year's 86-46 rout in Memphis. MTU has not posted a win in this series since 1953.

The Tigers are averaging a solid 82.3 ppg this year and although five players are averaging eight points per game or more, only two are currently boasting double digits. It has really been a two-headed scoring monster in the form of Chris Douglas-Roberts and Derrick Rose. One of the premier guards in the country, Douglas-Roberts has certainly lived up to his potential as an All- American candidate, shooting .545 from the floor and pouring in 20.1 ppg. Rose can fill up the basket as well, hitting 48.1 percent of his shots, en route to nearly 16 points per game (15.9). Joey Dorsey (7.0 ppg) and Robert Dozier (8.0 ppg) aren't lighting up any scoreboards, but they have formed quite a pair on the glass, averaging 9.2 and 7.6 rebounds per game, respectively. The Trojans slowed things down and kept the explosive Tigers in check last time out. Memphis shot just .373 from the floor, including 5-of-22 from three-point range (.227), but still found a way to get the win over USC and remain unbeaten on the year. The Tigers scored 20 points less than their season average, with only Dozier (13 pts) and Douglas-Roberts (10 pts) finishing in double figures. Memphis turned the ball over an alarming 22 times in the game, but washed that out by forcing 21 USC miscues.

Middle Tennessee is without the services of one of its leaders in junior guard Calvin O'Neil (10.0 ppg), so the win over Belmont this week was certainly encouraging. Offensively, the team should be able to cope, as four others are averaging double digits. Desmond Yates leads the team with 12.3 ppg. He is followed by Kevin Kanaskie (11.4 ppg), Demetrius Green (10.6 ppg) and Theryn Hudson (10.0 ppg). It is at the defensive end, where the team has had the majority of its troubles. MTU is allowing foes to shoot .509 from the floor, leading to a generous 78.6 ppg. The difference for Middle Tennessee in the win over Belmont this week, was the team's ability to convert free throws. The Blue Raiders were an impressive 26-of-28 from the charity stripe, while Belmont converted just 5-of-9 attempts. Yates came off the bench to lead the team with 20 points, on 7-of-10 shooting. Kanaskie added 16 points in the overtime victory, while Green chipped in with 10 points.

12/15 10:34:58 ET

Calipari put Tigers in national spotlight

Calipari put Tigers in national spotlight

By ADAM SPARKS
sparks@dnj.com
Adam Sparks, 615-278-5167

John Calipari might as well have accepted the Memphis basketball coaching job in 2000 from Wall Street.

After all, he's taken the once-localized Memphis program public in the last eight seasons with a national perspective on recruiting, scheduling and exposure. As a result, the Tigers' stock has risen to among the top programs in college basketball.

"I wanted this to be a national program," said Calipari, who has a 188-63 record in his eighth season at Memphis. "We took our recruiting from the city (of Memphis) to national. ... And then we made our schedule challenging on a national scale, and that led to national exposure. We risk a lot with our schedule, but I want this program to be national and you're not going to get on national TV playing Popcorn State every night."

Calipari's No. 2-ranked Tigers will play MTSU Saturday night at Sommet Center in the Sun Belt Classic on ESPN2, the Tigers' sixth nationally-televised game this season.

Much of that exposure stems from Calipari's master plan for Memphis.

"We play on national TV as much as any team in the country, and we've had more national TV games in one year than the last five years before (I was hired in 2000)," Calipari said. "Now, I've got good relationships with those guys, ESPN, ABC, CBS. When they say, 'Can you play on this date?,' I always say yes.

"But that doesn't happen because of me. I hope it's about the entire program. People aren't going to turn on a game to watch the coach on the bench for two hours. It all goes back to what kind of players you recruit and the schedule you play.

"You're not going to be highly-ranked unless you take on the champs."

Despite breezing to back-to-back Conference USA titles, the Tigers have benefited from playing a tough non-league slate. Memphis has gone 33-4 and advanced to the NCAA tournament Elite Eight each of the last two seasons.

Calipari's recruiting has also reached well beyond the Memphis area, which previously stocked the Tigers' roster.

"What's happened in the city the last five years is that the local players aren't just comparing themselves to the best at Ridgeway, White Station and Whitehaven," Calipari said. "They're comparing themselves to the kids at (the nation's best high school like) St. Benedict, Oak Hill and Mater Dei.

"It's elevated these kids to a national way of looking at themselves."

And Calipari has led the charge, signing players from Memphis to Massachusetts and Detroit to Florida.

Calipari's appeal, like his program, is nationwide.

"Coach Calipari has an aura about him," said Jerry Meyer, a Rivals.com college basketball recruiting analyst. "His players play hard for him. He's got that same up-tempo system. His recruiting has been ultra-successful because they have a message that's clear: They want to get players as good as they can get them, as fast as they can get them good. That sells to players today. They love that idea of getting better quickly, getting to the NBA as soon as possible, getting coached up, getting better and playing in an up-tempo system."

Name: John Calipari

Age: 48

Hometown: Moon, Pa.

Career stops: Memphis, head coach (2000-present); Philadelphia 76ers, assistant (1999-2000); New Jersey Nets, head coach (1996-99); Massachusetts, head coach (1988-96); Pittsburgh, assistant (1985-88); Kansas, assistant (1982-85).