COLLEGE / JAN 11, 2008 / 2:56 PM
WHO’S THE BEST TIGER?
BY ANDREW KATZ
6-5 freshman Jeff Robinson is probably the 10th-best player on the #2-ranked Memphis Tigers. But on most other teams in the nation, Robinson would easily make the cut as one of the best five. Don’t believe it? In just 12 minutes against Siena, Robinson ripped off 20 points and 10 boards. That’s the only time this season that he’s attempted more than five field goals in a game. Yet on this Memphis team, he barely makes the final five. So who’s the best player on John Calipari’s squad?
Here are the nominees:
Chris Douglas-Roberts – 16.9 ppg, 5.2 rpg, 1.0 spg, 54.3% FG, 51.4% 3FG
Derrick Rose – 14.4 ppg, 4.2 rpg, 4.5 apg, 1.1 spg, 48.9% FG, 38% 3FG
Joey Dorsey – 8.1 ppg, 9.8 rpg, 1.2 spg, 2.7 bpg, 71.9% FG, 34.9% FT
Robert Dozier – 11.1 ppg, 7.2 rpg, 1.5 spg, 2.2 bpg, 46.3% FG, 33.3% 3FG
Antonio Anderson – 7.1 ppg, 3.4 rpg, 3.5 apg, 1.4 spg, 36.7% FG, 28% 3FG
OK, let’s scrap Antonio Anderson. He’s a solid all-around player and a strong leader, but can’t throw a grape in the ocean.
At first glance, it might seem that Robert Dozier’s numbers are good enough to put him in this conversation. Dozier is a talented player who had two excellent games against Memphis’ toughest competition: 19 points, 6 rebounds against Georgetown, and 18 points, 5 rebounds against Arizona. And his defensive numbers might be the most impressive. But don’t be fooled. Those metrics are misleading; when you watch Dozier, it feels like a lot of his steals come from balls tipped away by the Tigers’ guards. On the offensive end, he is far too inaccurate a shooter for someone his size (6-9), and generally plays without the tenacity that you expect from a Coach Cal project.
Just as Roy Hibbert is Georgetown’s most valuable player, Joey Dorsey is Memphis’ most important player. He runs the floor like a two-guard even though he is a stone-chiseled 6-9 265 lbs. He shoots just under 72% from the floor because he dunks absolutely everything. Still, that doesn’t make up for his laughable 35% free throw shooting. Do you even think he practices free throws? Dorsey is even more integral to the Tigers on the defensive end, challenging everything. He once told me that he tries to block “every single shot” that he can. Who cares about weakside rebounds anyway?
Derrick Rose torches the field in a footrace. But his scoring has come in bursts, unevenly spread over Memphis’ 14 wins. He had 9 points against USC, 5 points against Pepperdine, 19 against East Carolina and 26 at Cincinnati. His 3.1 turnovers per game are emblematic of his propensity to play slightly out of control. He hasn’t quite learned how to harness his speed.
The nod goes to Chris Douglas-Roberts both as this team’s best player and the man with the skinniest legs in college hoops. He rebounded from three sub-par games with 24 points and 8 boards against Georgetown. Most importantly, he’s improved drastically from three-point land from last year – from 32.8% to 51.4%. Though he doesn’t have Rose’s speed, he is Memphis’ most lethal weapon, especially when he unleashes the short-arm leaner which he used to give UConn’s Stanley Robinson 33 points of terror.
Sunday, January 13, 2008
Charleston (WV) Gazette - Herd braces for No. 2 Memphis
January 12, 2008
Herd braces for No. 2 Memphis
By Doug Smock, Staff writer
HUNTINGTON — When preparing to tangle with No. 2 Memphis, you’re not just bracing for Derrick Rose.
Or Chris Douglas-Roberts. Or Robert Dozier. Or Joey Dorsey.
Oh, they’re good players, all right. But when Memphis coach John Calipari sits them down — even all four of them at once — there isn’t much dropoff. Not in ability, not in the Tigers’ fast-paced style.
And that’s what makes the Tigers a national contender, and certainly the playground bullies in post-2005 Conference USA. And that’s what will bring a full house to Cam Henderson Center tonight.
Memphis (14-0, 1-0 Conference USA) arrives to tackle Marshall (9-4, 1-0), which is coming off an impressive road victory against Rice. The Tigers are the highest-ranked team to play in Huntington.
Tipoff is at 8 p.m., with the game airing on Comcast/Charter SouthEast Sports. And if you dash off to the restroom, you’re liable to miss something from the men in blue. If Marshall dozes off ... the proceedings get ugly.
“The speed they play at is incredible,” said Marshall coach Donnie Jones. “We played fast at Florida, but I think they play faster. And when they go to their bench, they don’t miss a beat. That allows them to keep 40 minutes of pressure. They wear on you.”
This is Jones’ first game coaching against the Tigers, but a few of his players know the drill. Marshall’s Markel Humphrey is among the veterans who have faced Memphis three times in the last two seasons, including 78-59 and 92-71 losses last season.
“If you don’t bring your ‘A’ game, you’ll get rattled in the first five minutes,” Humphrey said.
The Tigers have won 24 straight games against their conference brethren, and could be considerably improved from their previous two seasons, both in which they advanced to the NCAA tournament’s round of eight.
A big reason is Rose, a Chicago native who sports Michael Jordan’s No. 23. The 6-foot-3 point guard is mentioned in the same breath with O.J. Mayo and a handful of other freshmen who may play just a season of college ball before heading to the NBA.
“Yes, he’s that talented,” Jones said. “He’s smart. He’s gifted, he’s athletic, he’s a great competitor. He has all the intangibles to be a star.”
Rose averages 14.4 points and 4.5 assists, and is far from the Tigers’ lone weapon. Douglas-Roberts was a first-team all-conference selection last year and leads the team in scoring at 16.9 points per game. He also sports a mean crossover dribble, which he demonstrates on www.gotigersgo.com.
Dozier averages 11.1 points, and the 6-9, 265-pound Dorsey hauls down 9.8 rebounds per game. Dorsey was a C-USA All-Defensive pick last year.
Antonio Anderson rounds out the projected starting lineup, if it matters. Then there is matter of the deep, deep bench.
Pull a name out of the hat, and that name could show up big on the scoresheet tonight. For example, Doneal Mack scorched the Herd in the Conference USA quarterfinals last year, hitting five 3-point goals and scoring 19 points in just 15 minutes. Shawn Taggart is a 6-10 sophomore averaging nearly seven points, and sophomore Willie Kemp has just five turnovers in 223 minutes.
Marshall will have the advantage of a loud capacity crowd, and the Thundering Herd is coming in on a high note. Its 66-47 victory over Rice is the largest margin for a road win since the Herd went to Conference USA.
“I thought it was a terrific win,” Jones said. “Our guys took it to a different level in the second half.”
BRIEFLY: The Henderson Center ticket office opens at 2 p.m. today to sell any remaining tickets, and to fill previous orders. There were fewer than 400 tickets left Friday afternoon. ... This is the first of three Marshall games scheduled to be televised anywhere. The others are the West Virginia game (statewide network) and a home game against East Carolina (CSTV). CSS is available on Comcast in the Huntington area, but not on Suddenlink in the Kanawha Valley. ... By contrast, every Memphis game is televised, 11 on an ESPN outlet, nine on CSTV, six on CSS and the remaining four locally. ... Rose actually wore No. 25 in high school, but that number is retired at Memphis, courtesy of Anfernee Hardaway. ... Dorsey has switched from No. 32 to No. 3 because Calipari has encouraged him to play like another No. 3, Ben Wallace. ... Memphis is tied with UCLA for the longest-standing team in the Associated Press Top 25, 48 straight weeks. Its six-week stay at No. 2 is a school record, and only once have the Tigers been No. 1, for one week in mid-January 1983.
To contact staff writer Doug Smock, use e-mail or call 348-5130.
Herd braces for No. 2 Memphis
By Doug Smock, Staff writer
HUNTINGTON — When preparing to tangle with No. 2 Memphis, you’re not just bracing for Derrick Rose.
Or Chris Douglas-Roberts. Or Robert Dozier. Or Joey Dorsey.
Oh, they’re good players, all right. But when Memphis coach John Calipari sits them down — even all four of them at once — there isn’t much dropoff. Not in ability, not in the Tigers’ fast-paced style.
And that’s what makes the Tigers a national contender, and certainly the playground bullies in post-2005 Conference USA. And that’s what will bring a full house to Cam Henderson Center tonight.
Memphis (14-0, 1-0 Conference USA) arrives to tackle Marshall (9-4, 1-0), which is coming off an impressive road victory against Rice. The Tigers are the highest-ranked team to play in Huntington.
Tipoff is at 8 p.m., with the game airing on Comcast/Charter SouthEast Sports. And if you dash off to the restroom, you’re liable to miss something from the men in blue. If Marshall dozes off ... the proceedings get ugly.
“The speed they play at is incredible,” said Marshall coach Donnie Jones. “We played fast at Florida, but I think they play faster. And when they go to their bench, they don’t miss a beat. That allows them to keep 40 minutes of pressure. They wear on you.”
This is Jones’ first game coaching against the Tigers, but a few of his players know the drill. Marshall’s Markel Humphrey is among the veterans who have faced Memphis three times in the last two seasons, including 78-59 and 92-71 losses last season.
“If you don’t bring your ‘A’ game, you’ll get rattled in the first five minutes,” Humphrey said.
The Tigers have won 24 straight games against their conference brethren, and could be considerably improved from their previous two seasons, both in which they advanced to the NCAA tournament’s round of eight.
A big reason is Rose, a Chicago native who sports Michael Jordan’s No. 23. The 6-foot-3 point guard is mentioned in the same breath with O.J. Mayo and a handful of other freshmen who may play just a season of college ball before heading to the NBA.
“Yes, he’s that talented,” Jones said. “He’s smart. He’s gifted, he’s athletic, he’s a great competitor. He has all the intangibles to be a star.”
Rose averages 14.4 points and 4.5 assists, and is far from the Tigers’ lone weapon. Douglas-Roberts was a first-team all-conference selection last year and leads the team in scoring at 16.9 points per game. He also sports a mean crossover dribble, which he demonstrates on www.gotigersgo.com.
Dozier averages 11.1 points, and the 6-9, 265-pound Dorsey hauls down 9.8 rebounds per game. Dorsey was a C-USA All-Defensive pick last year.
Antonio Anderson rounds out the projected starting lineup, if it matters. Then there is matter of the deep, deep bench.
Pull a name out of the hat, and that name could show up big on the scoresheet tonight. For example, Doneal Mack scorched the Herd in the Conference USA quarterfinals last year, hitting five 3-point goals and scoring 19 points in just 15 minutes. Shawn Taggart is a 6-10 sophomore averaging nearly seven points, and sophomore Willie Kemp has just five turnovers in 223 minutes.
Marshall will have the advantage of a loud capacity crowd, and the Thundering Herd is coming in on a high note. Its 66-47 victory over Rice is the largest margin for a road win since the Herd went to Conference USA.
“I thought it was a terrific win,” Jones said. “Our guys took it to a different level in the second half.”
BRIEFLY: The Henderson Center ticket office opens at 2 p.m. today to sell any remaining tickets, and to fill previous orders. There were fewer than 400 tickets left Friday afternoon. ... This is the first of three Marshall games scheduled to be televised anywhere. The others are the West Virginia game (statewide network) and a home game against East Carolina (CSTV). CSS is available on Comcast in the Huntington area, but not on Suddenlink in the Kanawha Valley. ... By contrast, every Memphis game is televised, 11 on an ESPN outlet, nine on CSTV, six on CSS and the remaining four locally. ... Rose actually wore No. 25 in high school, but that number is retired at Memphis, courtesy of Anfernee Hardaway. ... Dorsey has switched from No. 32 to No. 3 because Calipari has encouraged him to play like another No. 3, Ben Wallace. ... Memphis is tied with UCLA for the longest-standing team in the Associated Press Top 25, 48 straight weeks. Its six-week stay at No. 2 is a school record, and only once have the Tigers been No. 1, for one week in mid-January 1983.
To contact staff writer Doug Smock, use e-mail or call 348-5130.
Friday, January 11, 2008
Larry Eustachy Returns to Southern Miss
HATTIESBURG — Larry Eustachy spent two days with his ailing mother, but the Southern Miss men's coach is expected to return in time to run practice today and coach the Golden Eagles in Saturday's home game against Tulane.
Steve Barnes, USM's associate head coach, directed Thursday's practice.
Following Tuesday's home loss to Central Florida, Eustachy flew to California to be with his mother, Helen Eustachy, who has cancer. He will return to California on Sunday.
"We just don't know," Barnes said of how much time Eustachy might miss. "It's a grave situation. He would not have gone if he hadn't been in that setting.
"She's been ill a long time. There are many times he should have gone and he didn't, so again it's a day-by-day thing."
Eustachy has maintained contact with the players and coaching staff.
"He's telling us what we need to be working on and things we need to touch on," said R.L. Horton, a freshman guard from Lanier. "It's just like he's here."
The Golden Eagles are coming off a 52-41 loss in the Conference USA opener against Central Florida that extended the team's losing streak to four games.
"Right now we're just trying to find out what's wrong," said Horton. "We're still working hard and we're trying to embrace it and learn from it."
After Saturday's game against Tulane, the Golden Eagles (8-7) play at UAB (11-5, 1-0 C-USA) on Wednesday and then at No. 2 Memphis (14-0, 1-0) on Jan. 19.
"We always feel pressure to hurry and find out what's wrong," Horton said. "We're trying not to overthink anything. We'll just take it one step at a time and hopefully we'll find out what the problem is."
Horton is one of the younger members on a team that includes 12 freshmen and sophomores.
"We're young and we just got younger," Barnes said. "We added a guy (17-year-old Vitor Alves Benite) that is younger than everybody, and he's going to become a factor."
Contact Patrick Magee at pmagee@hattiesburgamerican.com
Steve Barnes, USM's associate head coach, directed Thursday's practice.
Following Tuesday's home loss to Central Florida, Eustachy flew to California to be with his mother, Helen Eustachy, who has cancer. He will return to California on Sunday.
"We just don't know," Barnes said of how much time Eustachy might miss. "It's a grave situation. He would not have gone if he hadn't been in that setting.
"She's been ill a long time. There are many times he should have gone and he didn't, so again it's a day-by-day thing."
Eustachy has maintained contact with the players and coaching staff.
"He's telling us what we need to be working on and things we need to touch on," said R.L. Horton, a freshman guard from Lanier. "It's just like he's here."
The Golden Eagles are coming off a 52-41 loss in the Conference USA opener against Central Florida that extended the team's losing streak to four games.
"Right now we're just trying to find out what's wrong," said Horton. "We're still working hard and we're trying to embrace it and learn from it."
After Saturday's game against Tulane, the Golden Eagles (8-7) play at UAB (11-5, 1-0 C-USA) on Wednesday and then at No. 2 Memphis (14-0, 1-0) on Jan. 19.
"We always feel pressure to hurry and find out what's wrong," Horton said. "We're trying not to overthink anything. We'll just take it one step at a time and hopefully we'll find out what the problem is."
Horton is one of the younger members on a team that includes 12 freshmen and sophomores.
"We're young and we just got younger," Barnes said. "We added a guy (17-year-old Vitor Alves Benite) that is younger than everybody, and he's going to become a factor."
Contact Patrick Magee at pmagee@hattiesburgamerican.com
Charleston (WV) Gazette - Memphis threatening to widen gap in C-USA
Memphis threatening to widen gap in C-USA
C-USA notebook
By Doug Smock, Staff writer
One day, Memphis coach John Calipari defends his league’s honor. A few days later, his Tigers trash it.
Not much has changed in the post-realignment world of Conference USA. And after Wednesday’s first round of conference games, the gap between the have (Memphis) and the have-nots (loosely defined, everybody else) threatens to widen.
The second-ranked Tigers welcomed East Carolina to FedEx Forum with a 99-58 pounding. They hit the road this weekend, traveling to Marshall for an 8 p.m. game Saturday at Cam Henderson Center.
Memphis (14-0, 1-0 C-USA) will be the highest-ranked team ever to play in Huntington. Two years ago, the Tigers came to Huntington ranked third and struggled for the first half, falling behind by 11 at one point. But Calipari’s troops fought back to within a point at halftime, then won 91-81 on the strength of a 15-0 run.
Since then, the Tigers have simply built on their domination of the realigned C-USA. They are 36-1 since conference reshuffling and are almost untouchable at home. Their lone loss in that span came at Alabama-Birmingham in 2006, and most close calls have come on the road before jacked-up crowds.
East Carolina came out energized but ended up zapped by Memphis’ drive-motion offense. The Tigers hit 20-of-30 free throws to take a 43-29 halftime lead, then flowed into a “showtime” mode, hitting 7-of-12 3-point attempts and throwing down a bunch of dunks. Derrick Rose led the way, finishing with six 3-pointers and 19 points.
It didn’t help the Pirates that they shot 37.8 percent and got hammered on the boards 52-31.
“In all reality, it’s about them rebounding the ball offensively and driving the ball up the goal so hard,” ECU coach Mack McCarthy said of the Tigers. “We knew what they were doing, but stopping them is another thing. They have a lot of great weapons.”
For those who worship the Rating Percentage Index rankings, the Tigers’ No. 1 status hasn’t kept the league from struggling to return to its 11th ranking at the end of last season. After Memphis, only Tulane (96th), UAB (97th) and Texas-El Paso (99th) are C-USA teams among the top 100 after Wednesday’s games.
Earlier this week, Calipari led a stream of coaches who think that’s misleading.
“The thing that’s getting away from everybody is that the league is getting close,” he said. “We’ve been at this three years; when we had to split the league, I think it was the ninth-rated league. We had four games [last weekend] that could have gone either way that all went against us. If we win all four of those, and they were winnable games, we would be the 10th-ranked league.”
At Houston, Tom Penders probably thinks the least of the RPI. His Cougars are 107th, despite their 11-2 record and perhaps the best profile of a C-USA team other than Memphis. Consider this: Houston’s home game Saturday is televised on ESPN2. While the Cougars are playing 24th-ranked Arizona, the ESPN empire hasn’t picked up many C-USA games in the past three seasons that didn’t involve Memphis.
“I don’t understand the RPI thing,” Penders said. “I think it’s a very flawed system, has been from the very beginning and always will be.”
McCarthy set a milestone he’d rather forget. The one-time Tennessee-Chattanooga mentor was coaching in his 500th game, but he took an early exit. With 12-plus minutes remaining, he incurred two quick technical fouls from official Ed Hightower, getting him ejected.
McCarthy, who also has coached at Virginia Commonwealth, was elevated from assistant this summer when Ricky Stokes departed. He’s not officially referred to by ECU as an interim coach, but he is auditioning to stick around past 2007-08.
“I don’t know if I’m on the longest interview process ever, or where I’m at, to be honest,” McCarthy said. “Any coach will tell you this: You don’t have much time to focus on the long term much, anyway.
“It’s never been mentioned with the kids. It’s never been mentioned among the staff. All we’re doing is trying to win the next game.”
It’s not a task for the faint of heart. While he took over successful programs at UTC and VCU, East Carolina is not exactly a basketball powerhouse — 20 C-USA wins since gaining all-sports admittance in 2001-02. The Pirates broke an 0-57 streak against Atlantic Coast Conference opponents by beating North Carolina State this season.
Marshall travels to ECU Wednesday. Herd fans get to welcome McCarthy, who is 315-185 in his career, back to Huntington on Feb. 9.
Among the C-USA teams that figure to jockey for second place — and perhaps an NCAA tournament bid — UAB scored the first big victory, taking advantage of a three-shot foul to beat Tulane 62-61 in New Orleans.
Point guard Ed Berrios was swamped in front of the UAB bench by several Tulane defenders when he stepped back and launched a desperate 3-pointer with time running out and the Green Wave up by two. The shot wasn’t close, but Tulane’s Kevin Sims was called for the foul with 1.6 seconds left.
In front of an angry 1,810 at the pit-like Fogleman Arena, Berrios hit all three free throws to swing the game. The fans were upset, but Tulane coach Dave Dickerson considered it a proper call.
“If it wasn’t so obvious, maybe they wouldn’t have called it,” Berrios said. “But it was an obvious call. They hit me on my shooting arm.”
The teams play again March 1.
To contact staff writer Doug Smock, use e-mail or call 348-5130.
C-USA notebook
By Doug Smock, Staff writer
One day, Memphis coach John Calipari defends his league’s honor. A few days later, his Tigers trash it.
Not much has changed in the post-realignment world of Conference USA. And after Wednesday’s first round of conference games, the gap between the have (Memphis) and the have-nots (loosely defined, everybody else) threatens to widen.
The second-ranked Tigers welcomed East Carolina to FedEx Forum with a 99-58 pounding. They hit the road this weekend, traveling to Marshall for an 8 p.m. game Saturday at Cam Henderson Center.
Memphis (14-0, 1-0 C-USA) will be the highest-ranked team ever to play in Huntington. Two years ago, the Tigers came to Huntington ranked third and struggled for the first half, falling behind by 11 at one point. But Calipari’s troops fought back to within a point at halftime, then won 91-81 on the strength of a 15-0 run.
Since then, the Tigers have simply built on their domination of the realigned C-USA. They are 36-1 since conference reshuffling and are almost untouchable at home. Their lone loss in that span came at Alabama-Birmingham in 2006, and most close calls have come on the road before jacked-up crowds.
East Carolina came out energized but ended up zapped by Memphis’ drive-motion offense. The Tigers hit 20-of-30 free throws to take a 43-29 halftime lead, then flowed into a “showtime” mode, hitting 7-of-12 3-point attempts and throwing down a bunch of dunks. Derrick Rose led the way, finishing with six 3-pointers and 19 points.
It didn’t help the Pirates that they shot 37.8 percent and got hammered on the boards 52-31.
“In all reality, it’s about them rebounding the ball offensively and driving the ball up the goal so hard,” ECU coach Mack McCarthy said of the Tigers. “We knew what they were doing, but stopping them is another thing. They have a lot of great weapons.”
For those who worship the Rating Percentage Index rankings, the Tigers’ No. 1 status hasn’t kept the league from struggling to return to its 11th ranking at the end of last season. After Memphis, only Tulane (96th), UAB (97th) and Texas-El Paso (99th) are C-USA teams among the top 100 after Wednesday’s games.
Earlier this week, Calipari led a stream of coaches who think that’s misleading.
“The thing that’s getting away from everybody is that the league is getting close,” he said. “We’ve been at this three years; when we had to split the league, I think it was the ninth-rated league. We had four games [last weekend] that could have gone either way that all went against us. If we win all four of those, and they were winnable games, we would be the 10th-ranked league.”
At Houston, Tom Penders probably thinks the least of the RPI. His Cougars are 107th, despite their 11-2 record and perhaps the best profile of a C-USA team other than Memphis. Consider this: Houston’s home game Saturday is televised on ESPN2. While the Cougars are playing 24th-ranked Arizona, the ESPN empire hasn’t picked up many C-USA games in the past three seasons that didn’t involve Memphis.
“I don’t understand the RPI thing,” Penders said. “I think it’s a very flawed system, has been from the very beginning and always will be.”
McCarthy set a milestone he’d rather forget. The one-time Tennessee-Chattanooga mentor was coaching in his 500th game, but he took an early exit. With 12-plus minutes remaining, he incurred two quick technical fouls from official Ed Hightower, getting him ejected.
McCarthy, who also has coached at Virginia Commonwealth, was elevated from assistant this summer when Ricky Stokes departed. He’s not officially referred to by ECU as an interim coach, but he is auditioning to stick around past 2007-08.
“I don’t know if I’m on the longest interview process ever, or where I’m at, to be honest,” McCarthy said. “Any coach will tell you this: You don’t have much time to focus on the long term much, anyway.
“It’s never been mentioned with the kids. It’s never been mentioned among the staff. All we’re doing is trying to win the next game.”
It’s not a task for the faint of heart. While he took over successful programs at UTC and VCU, East Carolina is not exactly a basketball powerhouse — 20 C-USA wins since gaining all-sports admittance in 2001-02. The Pirates broke an 0-57 streak against Atlantic Coast Conference opponents by beating North Carolina State this season.
Marshall travels to ECU Wednesday. Herd fans get to welcome McCarthy, who is 315-185 in his career, back to Huntington on Feb. 9.
Among the C-USA teams that figure to jockey for second place — and perhaps an NCAA tournament bid — UAB scored the first big victory, taking advantage of a three-shot foul to beat Tulane 62-61 in New Orleans.
Point guard Ed Berrios was swamped in front of the UAB bench by several Tulane defenders when he stepped back and launched a desperate 3-pointer with time running out and the Green Wave up by two. The shot wasn’t close, but Tulane’s Kevin Sims was called for the foul with 1.6 seconds left.
In front of an angry 1,810 at the pit-like Fogleman Arena, Berrios hit all three free throws to swing the game. The fans were upset, but Tulane coach Dave Dickerson considered it a proper call.
“If it wasn’t so obvious, maybe they wouldn’t have called it,” Berrios said. “But it was an obvious call. They hit me on my shooting arm.”
The teams play again March 1.
To contact staff writer Doug Smock, use e-mail or call 348-5130.
Allen finds his shooting range
Allen finds his shooting range
Despite misses, confidence never wavered
By Jim Masilak
Friday, January 11, 2008
The next time Andre Allen admits to having a crisis of confidence will be the first, but even the University of Memphis' cocksure senior point guard must have experienced a kernel of doubt over his wayward shooting this season.
Right? Right?
OK, maybe not.
"I'm a ballplayer. You're gonna miss shots and make shots," Allen said following a season-high 13 points in Wednesday's 99-58 victory over East Carolina. "I was missing shots and now I'm making them. I feel the same. I just scored more points. I'm just having fun."
Although long-range shooting is well down the list of Allen's most important responsibilities for the No. 2-ranked Tigers (14-0), there's no doubt that he's most effective when his shot is falling.
And until Wednesday, it wasn't.
Allen, who drew national attention for his clutch 3-point shooting during the 2006 NCAA Tournament, needed a compass to find the basket during the first two months of the current season. He entered Conference USA play shooting a woeful 26.5 percent from the field and an even more dire 21.2 percent (7-for-33) from beyond the arc.
Allen was so ineffective that he played a total of just 16 minutes -- with four points and no assists -- in victories last month over Georgetown and Arizona. His five-minute cameo against the Hoyas was the shortest outing of his three-year career.
After going 1-for-3 from 3-point range in the Tigers' season-opening win over Tennessee-Martin, Allen missed an astonishing 13 3-point tries in a row over his next six-plus games before sinking his second attempt of the night Dec. 15 against Middle Tennessee.
Since then, he has gone 9-for-21 (42.8 percent) from long range. But it wasn't until Wednesday, when he went 4-for-6 from the field and hit three straight second-half 3-pointers, that he was ever really in a groove.
"If we were losing, it would be terrible," Allen said, in his typically irrepressible way, of his early-season struggles. "But we're winning."
Although Allen maintains he has been on an even keel all year, Tigers coach John Calipari has noted an increased effervescence of late. On Wednesday, the coach specifically mentioned that the "big grin on his face" was back.
"Think about it," Calipari said. "He was 2-for-15 to start the season from the 3, and that's maybe from the foul line. Now you're looking at him, and he was better than he was a year ago. He was good last year, and he's better right now."
Allen has accepted a somewhat diminished role as the understudy to standout freshman point guard Derrick Rose. It's a role that might have been further marginalized had fellow point guard Willie Kemp not made such a successful transition to the two. As it is, though, the former Washington star's 14.6 minutes per game are almost six fewer than he got a year ago (20.4).
Not that Allen has let that affect his overall play.
"He's the No. 2 point guard, but he still goes out and plays hard like he's the No. 1 point guard," sophomore forward Shawn Taggart said. "When you're making shots, of course your confidence is gonna go up to another level. But if you're not, you pick it up elsewhere."
As it happens, Allen's assist-to-turnover ratio has never been better. The 5-10, 205-pound, all-action reserve ranks third on the team with 38 assists, but his impressive average of just one turnover per game demonstrates the value he has for the basketball.
"He has the best feel for this offense of anybody on the team," assistant coach John Robic said. "He knows what to look for and when to look for it. He has a really high basketball IQ. He's playing really well right now."
Because Allen is now hitting his shots, defenders can't afford to lay off him on the perimeter and cheat against the drive.
"And he's making layups now, too," Robic said.
When Allen shoots the way he did against the Pirates, junior guard Antonio Anderson said, "it makes us almost impossible to stop."
Allen, for his part, didn't see what all the fuss was about following his first double-digit performance of the season.
"I've always been comfortable because I'm a point guard and I know the offense," he said. "We're all ballplayers. We all know we're gonna get the opportunity to play. You've just got to make the most of your opportunities."
- Jim Masilak: 529-2311
Next for No. 2 Tigers
Opponent: Marshall
When, where: 7 p.m. CST Saturday at Huntington, W.Va.
TV: CSS
Despite misses, confidence never wavered
By Jim Masilak
Friday, January 11, 2008
The next time Andre Allen admits to having a crisis of confidence will be the first, but even the University of Memphis' cocksure senior point guard must have experienced a kernel of doubt over his wayward shooting this season.
Right? Right?
OK, maybe not.
"I'm a ballplayer. You're gonna miss shots and make shots," Allen said following a season-high 13 points in Wednesday's 99-58 victory over East Carolina. "I was missing shots and now I'm making them. I feel the same. I just scored more points. I'm just having fun."
Although long-range shooting is well down the list of Allen's most important responsibilities for the No. 2-ranked Tigers (14-0), there's no doubt that he's most effective when his shot is falling.
And until Wednesday, it wasn't.
Allen, who drew national attention for his clutch 3-point shooting during the 2006 NCAA Tournament, needed a compass to find the basket during the first two months of the current season. He entered Conference USA play shooting a woeful 26.5 percent from the field and an even more dire 21.2 percent (7-for-33) from beyond the arc.
Allen was so ineffective that he played a total of just 16 minutes -- with four points and no assists -- in victories last month over Georgetown and Arizona. His five-minute cameo against the Hoyas was the shortest outing of his three-year career.
After going 1-for-3 from 3-point range in the Tigers' season-opening win over Tennessee-Martin, Allen missed an astonishing 13 3-point tries in a row over his next six-plus games before sinking his second attempt of the night Dec. 15 against Middle Tennessee.
Since then, he has gone 9-for-21 (42.8 percent) from long range. But it wasn't until Wednesday, when he went 4-for-6 from the field and hit three straight second-half 3-pointers, that he was ever really in a groove.
"If we were losing, it would be terrible," Allen said, in his typically irrepressible way, of his early-season struggles. "But we're winning."
Although Allen maintains he has been on an even keel all year, Tigers coach John Calipari has noted an increased effervescence of late. On Wednesday, the coach specifically mentioned that the "big grin on his face" was back.
"Think about it," Calipari said. "He was 2-for-15 to start the season from the 3, and that's maybe from the foul line. Now you're looking at him, and he was better than he was a year ago. He was good last year, and he's better right now."
Allen has accepted a somewhat diminished role as the understudy to standout freshman point guard Derrick Rose. It's a role that might have been further marginalized had fellow point guard Willie Kemp not made such a successful transition to the two. As it is, though, the former Washington star's 14.6 minutes per game are almost six fewer than he got a year ago (20.4).
Not that Allen has let that affect his overall play.
"He's the No. 2 point guard, but he still goes out and plays hard like he's the No. 1 point guard," sophomore forward Shawn Taggart said. "When you're making shots, of course your confidence is gonna go up to another level. But if you're not, you pick it up elsewhere."
As it happens, Allen's assist-to-turnover ratio has never been better. The 5-10, 205-pound, all-action reserve ranks third on the team with 38 assists, but his impressive average of just one turnover per game demonstrates the value he has for the basketball.
"He has the best feel for this offense of anybody on the team," assistant coach John Robic said. "He knows what to look for and when to look for it. He has a really high basketball IQ. He's playing really well right now."
Because Allen is now hitting his shots, defenders can't afford to lay off him on the perimeter and cheat against the drive.
"And he's making layups now, too," Robic said.
When Allen shoots the way he did against the Pirates, junior guard Antonio Anderson said, "it makes us almost impossible to stop."
Allen, for his part, didn't see what all the fuss was about following his first double-digit performance of the season.
"I've always been comfortable because I'm a point guard and I know the offense," he said. "We're all ballplayers. We all know we're gonna get the opportunity to play. You've just got to make the most of your opportunities."
- Jim Masilak: 529-2311
Next for No. 2 Tigers
Opponent: Marshall
When, where: 7 p.m. CST Saturday at Huntington, W.Va.
TV: CSS
DICK "HOOPS" WEISS, Special to FOXSports.com - Calipari needs to keep Tigers sharp, hungry
Calipari needs to keep Tigers sharp, hungry
by DICK "HOOPS" WEISS, Special to FOXSports.com
Updated: January 10, 2008, 1:48 PM EST
PHILADELPHIA - Looking at the schedule, it all seems so easy.
Memphis is 14-0, ranked second in the AP poll and on a roll following its 99-58 blowout victory over East Carolina Wednesday night at the FedEx Forum.
The Tigers have not been challenged since they dropped the hammer on Georgetown, defeating the beast of the Big East 85-71 at the FedEx Center three days before Christmas.
Their average margin of victory in the last three games has been 40.6 points and, with just four difficult games remaining on the schedule — home against Gonzaga, a home-and-home against Houston and home against Tennessee — they could be on target to become the first Division I team since St. Joseph's in 2004 to go through a regular season unbeaten.
How that all translates to remaining sharp heading into the NCAA Tournament is another story. Memphis played more than its share of challenging games in December, beating Oklahoma, UConn and USC in Madison Square Garden before taking out two Top 20 teams — the Hoyas and Arizona — at home.
Still, skeptics wonder if they will lose some of their edge if they can play in cruise control against teams from Conference USA that do not have nearly the amount of talent or future NBA players.
Memphis coach John Calipari, who has coached his Tigers for a pair of Final Eight appearances the past two years playing a similar schedule, doesn't seem all that concerned. He has done this before, taking UMass, a team from a mid-major conference, to the Final Four in 1996. The Minutemen won 26 straight before losing to Atlantic 10 rival George Washington at the Mullen Center in late February. Then, Calipari simply re-started the motor, and his team put on a clinic against Georgetown in the East Regional finals, defeating the Hoyas 86-62 in Atlanta.
That UMass team had 6-foot-10 All-American Marcus Camby, the most influential defensive player in the country, and superb chemistry in its starting five.
This team has better individual talent and a longer bench than that team. The Tigers can go 10 deep and have eight players averging at least seven points a game. Memphis has so much talent that 6-foot-6 freshman Jeff Robinson, from St. Patrick's of Elizabeth, a Top 50 prospect who struggled to into the rotation, came off the bench to finish with a team-high 20 points and 10 rebounds in 12 minutes as the Tigers buried MAAC favorite Siena 102-58 on Jan. 4 in Memphis. Memphis made 15 treys in that game, erasing the thought that the best way to guard the streaky-shooting Tigers was to open in a tightly packed zone.
In the next game, backup guard Doneal Mack came off the bench to hit seven 3s and score a career-high 23 points as the Tigers savaged Pepperdine 90-58, giving an education to Vance Walberg, the man who originated the up-tempo, attacking motion offense the Tigers run.
"We weren't trying to run it up on them, but when a guy hits seven 3s in a half, what are you going to do?'' Calipari said.
The Tigers made 13 for their first 18 shots in the second half against East Carolina, including 7-of-12 from downtown, winning their 41st straight home game and frustrating Pirates coach Mac McCarthy to the point where he was whistled for two technicals and left for the locker room with 12:15 remaining.
"Teams aren't as deep as we are and if we continue to run and run and run, they'll wear out,'' Tigers' junior guard Antonio Anderson said.
The biggest plus for this team, of course, is Calipari, a Larry Brown disciple who is always looking for new ways to motivate his team. He is not adverse to working to make his stars — freshman point guard and prodigy Derrick Rose, junior guard Chris Douglas Roberts and 6-foot-9, 245-pound senior center Joey Dorsey — better with some personalized individual instruction.
After answering the bell during a challenging pre-season, the regular sason can almost be viewed as spring training for March, where he can continue to test and fine-tune his team. Calipari's practices have been more competitive than most of his games. Conditioning has been a priority.
"If you can't run, you can't play for us,'' he said.
Calipari has done a good job so far in keeping his team focused. When you speak to Calipari, he never talks about winning the conference or getting to the Final Four. It's about earning a No. 1 seed and winning the national championship. That is his goal.
There have been speed bumps — specifically a bar incident involving Dorsey, Robinson and 6-foot-10 Shawn Taggert — but Calipari has been able to move past off-court distractions and keep his team pressing forward. He has continued to develop his young talent and gotten his team playing for the name on the front of the uniform, not the back.
Calipari's challenges will include continuing to develop chemistry, making sure Dorsey maintains his equilibrium so he can remain an effective factor, and earning a high enough seed so they will not have to play a good team on a less-than-neutral site.
In the past two years, the selection committee has given Memphis difficult geographical matchups. The Tigers were a No. 1 seed in 2006, but the committee sent them West in 2006 to play UCLA, a second seed, in the same backet in Anaheim where the Tigers lost 50-45 in the regional final.
Last year, the committee made Memphis a No. 2 seed in the South, but shuttled them to San Antonio as a No. 2 seed instead of St. Louis to play third-seeded Texas A&M in the Sweet Sixteen. The Tigers won 65-64 before losing to Ohio State in the regional finals.
This year, it may not matter. This team does not look like it's going to slow down.
by DICK "HOOPS" WEISS, Special to FOXSports.com
Updated: January 10, 2008, 1:48 PM EST
PHILADELPHIA - Looking at the schedule, it all seems so easy.
Memphis is 14-0, ranked second in the AP poll and on a roll following its 99-58 blowout victory over East Carolina Wednesday night at the FedEx Forum.
The Tigers have not been challenged since they dropped the hammer on Georgetown, defeating the beast of the Big East 85-71 at the FedEx Center three days before Christmas.
Their average margin of victory in the last three games has been 40.6 points and, with just four difficult games remaining on the schedule — home against Gonzaga, a home-and-home against Houston and home against Tennessee — they could be on target to become the first Division I team since St. Joseph's in 2004 to go through a regular season unbeaten.
How that all translates to remaining sharp heading into the NCAA Tournament is another story. Memphis played more than its share of challenging games in December, beating Oklahoma, UConn and USC in Madison Square Garden before taking out two Top 20 teams — the Hoyas and Arizona — at home.
Still, skeptics wonder if they will lose some of their edge if they can play in cruise control against teams from Conference USA that do not have nearly the amount of talent or future NBA players.
Memphis coach John Calipari, who has coached his Tigers for a pair of Final Eight appearances the past two years playing a similar schedule, doesn't seem all that concerned. He has done this before, taking UMass, a team from a mid-major conference, to the Final Four in 1996. The Minutemen won 26 straight before losing to Atlantic 10 rival George Washington at the Mullen Center in late February. Then, Calipari simply re-started the motor, and his team put on a clinic against Georgetown in the East Regional finals, defeating the Hoyas 86-62 in Atlanta.
That UMass team had 6-foot-10 All-American Marcus Camby, the most influential defensive player in the country, and superb chemistry in its starting five.
This team has better individual talent and a longer bench than that team. The Tigers can go 10 deep and have eight players averging at least seven points a game. Memphis has so much talent that 6-foot-6 freshman Jeff Robinson, from St. Patrick's of Elizabeth, a Top 50 prospect who struggled to into the rotation, came off the bench to finish with a team-high 20 points and 10 rebounds in 12 minutes as the Tigers buried MAAC favorite Siena 102-58 on Jan. 4 in Memphis. Memphis made 15 treys in that game, erasing the thought that the best way to guard the streaky-shooting Tigers was to open in a tightly packed zone.
In the next game, backup guard Doneal Mack came off the bench to hit seven 3s and score a career-high 23 points as the Tigers savaged Pepperdine 90-58, giving an education to Vance Walberg, the man who originated the up-tempo, attacking motion offense the Tigers run.
"We weren't trying to run it up on them, but when a guy hits seven 3s in a half, what are you going to do?'' Calipari said.
The Tigers made 13 for their first 18 shots in the second half against East Carolina, including 7-of-12 from downtown, winning their 41st straight home game and frustrating Pirates coach Mac McCarthy to the point where he was whistled for two technicals and left for the locker room with 12:15 remaining.
"Teams aren't as deep as we are and if we continue to run and run and run, they'll wear out,'' Tigers' junior guard Antonio Anderson said.
The biggest plus for this team, of course, is Calipari, a Larry Brown disciple who is always looking for new ways to motivate his team. He is not adverse to working to make his stars — freshman point guard and prodigy Derrick Rose, junior guard Chris Douglas Roberts and 6-foot-9, 245-pound senior center Joey Dorsey — better with some personalized individual instruction.
After answering the bell during a challenging pre-season, the regular sason can almost be viewed as spring training for March, where he can continue to test and fine-tune his team. Calipari's practices have been more competitive than most of his games. Conditioning has been a priority.
"If you can't run, you can't play for us,'' he said.
Calipari has done a good job so far in keeping his team focused. When you speak to Calipari, he never talks about winning the conference or getting to the Final Four. It's about earning a No. 1 seed and winning the national championship. That is his goal.
There have been speed bumps — specifically a bar incident involving Dorsey, Robinson and 6-foot-10 Shawn Taggert — but Calipari has been able to move past off-court distractions and keep his team pressing forward. He has continued to develop his young talent and gotten his team playing for the name on the front of the uniform, not the back.
Calipari's challenges will include continuing to develop chemistry, making sure Dorsey maintains his equilibrium so he can remain an effective factor, and earning a high enough seed so they will not have to play a good team on a less-than-neutral site.
In the past two years, the selection committee has given Memphis difficult geographical matchups. The Tigers were a No. 1 seed in 2006, but the committee sent them West in 2006 to play UCLA, a second seed, in the same backet in Anaheim where the Tigers lost 50-45 in the regional final.
Last year, the committee made Memphis a No. 2 seed in the South, but shuttled them to San Antonio as a No. 2 seed instead of St. Louis to play third-seeded Texas A&M in the Sweet Sixteen. The Tigers won 65-64 before losing to Ohio State in the regional finals.
This year, it may not matter. This team does not look like it's going to slow down.
Huntington (WV) Herald-Dispatch - Calipari excited about big crowd
Calipari excited about big crowd
Jan 10, 2008 @ 11:59 PM
By RICK McCANN
The Herald-Dispatch
HUNTINGTON -- John Calipari, head coach of the No. 2 Memphis Tigers, expressed some excitement about Marshall men's basketball anticipating a sold-out arena for Saturday's game.
And, it's not only because Calipari worked for Marshall athletic director Bob Marcum at Massachusetts.
It's because he's a basketball fan, and perhaps the biggest promoter of Conference USA.
Memphis sells out most places it visits, and regularly fills the 18,400-seat FedExForum for home games.
Marshall needs big crowds too, Calipari said.
"The teams in our league, their fans need to go to the game for Marshall's team, not for Memphis," Calipari said. "We're not there but once a year, and that's every other year. Our fans have to cheer for our teams in every game. There should be 7,000 to 8,000 fans at every Marshall game for that team."
Advance ticket sales for Saturday's 8 p.m. contest are closing in on a sell-out. Marshall announced Thursday afternoon that less than 1,000 tickets were available.
Only $9 general admission tickets remain and they can be purchased by calling 696-4373 or 1-800-THE-HERD; going online at www.herdzone.com; or visiting the ticket office in Cam Henderson Center. Ticket office hours today are 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Tickets remaining Saturday go on sale at 2 p.m.
Marshall had its last sell-out in the 2005-06 season when a crowd of 9,048 filled Cam Henderson Center for a Memphis game when the Tigers were ranked No. 3.
"It's probably going to be a sell-out," Calipari said. "It's going to be a nut house. It's going to be what they're trying to build for."
Memphis (14-0, 1-0) protected its ranking Wednesday at home, beating East Carolina, 99-58, in its conference opener. Marshall (9-4, 1-0) won at Rice, 66-47.
The Tigers are the highest-ranked team in The Associated Press poll to ever play a men's basketball game in Huntington. The Marshall women's team played host to No. 1 Maryland last season.
Marshall has an all-time record of 7-56 against teams in the AP Top 25, including two clashes with No. 1 Cincinnati (1958-59, 1959-60) and a meeting with No. 1 Houston (1967-68). The Thundering Herd has faced a No. 2 team twice -- Cincinnati (1961-62) and Marquette (1971-72).
The Memphis Tigers in 2005-06 and Cincinnati Bearcats (1960-61) both carried the No. 3 ranking into town.
"It's a great opportunity for our program," said first-year head coach Donnie Jones at Marshall, which has appeared in the AP poll twice in history. "It's great for what we're trying to do."
Marshall was No. 18 for one week during the 1955-56 season and climbed to No. 8 in the 1971-72 rankings. The NCAA tournament team in 1971-72 finished the season No. 12.
Saturday game promotions include the first 2,500 fans receiving "Go Herd" foam noodles and a entertainment by the Zooperstars, a traveling troupe of inflatable mascots.
Chesapeake High School's band will be playing.
Marshall is encouraging its fans to wear green for a good showing on the telecast by Comcast/Charter Southeast Sports (Channel 68 in Huntington).
Jan 10, 2008 @ 11:59 PM
By RICK McCANN
The Herald-Dispatch
HUNTINGTON -- John Calipari, head coach of the No. 2 Memphis Tigers, expressed some excitement about Marshall men's basketball anticipating a sold-out arena for Saturday's game.
And, it's not only because Calipari worked for Marshall athletic director Bob Marcum at Massachusetts.
It's because he's a basketball fan, and perhaps the biggest promoter of Conference USA.
Memphis sells out most places it visits, and regularly fills the 18,400-seat FedExForum for home games.
Marshall needs big crowds too, Calipari said.
"The teams in our league, their fans need to go to the game for Marshall's team, not for Memphis," Calipari said. "We're not there but once a year, and that's every other year. Our fans have to cheer for our teams in every game. There should be 7,000 to 8,000 fans at every Marshall game for that team."
Advance ticket sales for Saturday's 8 p.m. contest are closing in on a sell-out. Marshall announced Thursday afternoon that less than 1,000 tickets were available.
Only $9 general admission tickets remain and they can be purchased by calling 696-4373 or 1-800-THE-HERD; going online at www.herdzone.com; or visiting the ticket office in Cam Henderson Center. Ticket office hours today are 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Tickets remaining Saturday go on sale at 2 p.m.
Marshall had its last sell-out in the 2005-06 season when a crowd of 9,048 filled Cam Henderson Center for a Memphis game when the Tigers were ranked No. 3.
"It's probably going to be a sell-out," Calipari said. "It's going to be a nut house. It's going to be what they're trying to build for."
Memphis (14-0, 1-0) protected its ranking Wednesday at home, beating East Carolina, 99-58, in its conference opener. Marshall (9-4, 1-0) won at Rice, 66-47.
The Tigers are the highest-ranked team in The Associated Press poll to ever play a men's basketball game in Huntington. The Marshall women's team played host to No. 1 Maryland last season.
Marshall has an all-time record of 7-56 against teams in the AP Top 25, including two clashes with No. 1 Cincinnati (1958-59, 1959-60) and a meeting with No. 1 Houston (1967-68). The Thundering Herd has faced a No. 2 team twice -- Cincinnati (1961-62) and Marquette (1971-72).
The Memphis Tigers in 2005-06 and Cincinnati Bearcats (1960-61) both carried the No. 3 ranking into town.
"It's a great opportunity for our program," said first-year head coach Donnie Jones at Marshall, which has appeared in the AP poll twice in history. "It's great for what we're trying to do."
Marshall was No. 18 for one week during the 1955-56 season and climbed to No. 8 in the 1971-72 rankings. The NCAA tournament team in 1971-72 finished the season No. 12.
Saturday game promotions include the first 2,500 fans receiving "Go Herd" foam noodles and a entertainment by the Zooperstars, a traveling troupe of inflatable mascots.
Chesapeake High School's band will be playing.
Marshall is encouraging its fans to wear green for a good showing on the telecast by Comcast/Charter Southeast Sports (Channel 68 in Huntington).
Memphis Opens Conference Play With Win
Associated Press
MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Memphis's first step in an anticipated waltz through Conference USA wasn't exactly smooth. It did end with a nice up-tempo flow.
After a pre-conference schedule that included Georgetown, Arizona, Connecticut and Southern California, the second-ranked Tigers caught a rhythm in the second half Wednesday night, defeating East Carolina 99-58.
Freshman Derrick Rose scored 19 points and the Tigers overcame a somewhat lackluster start in the conference opener for both teams.
"They came out of the gate like Ohio State did against LSU," Memphis coach John Calipari said, comparing East Carolina's intensity to the start of the BCS championship game. "When I watched the first five or seven minutes, I was like: 'This team is pretty good.' But what we do to you over a period of time is just wear you down."
Andre Allen and Robert Dozier had 13 points each for the Tigers (14-0) with Dozier adding 10 rebounds. Chris Douglas-Roberts finished with 12 points as Memphis won its 41st straight home game and extended its overall conference winning streak to 24.
Darrell Jenkins and John Fields both had 11 points for the Pirates (6-8).
In the first half, Memphis hardly looked like the team picked to dominate C-USA, struggling from the field and allowing the Pirates to stay close. The Tigers wouldn't build their lead to double digits until the latter stages of the half.
"I thought we took some things away," East Carolina coach Mack McCarthy said. "We mixed things up and gave them some different looks. Finally, they just didn't care what we were in, they were driving it and got to the foul line."
The Tigers finished 31-of-49 from the line for the night.
East Carolina trailed 29-25 with 5:50 left in the first half. East Carolina then went 1-for-7 from the field over the final minutes. Memphis outscored the Pirates 14-4, finally taking the lead to double digits with 3:41 remaining.
The Tigers expect they will have to endure starts like Wednesday's the rest of the way because of their reputation. Several players said it is a matter of weathering the early punches and the opponents' adrenaline.
"It wasn't overconfidence," said reserve forward Shawn Taggart. "I feel like every game, teams are going to come out there and play the hardest they've ever played in their lives."
Memphis finally got untracked after halftime, working the ball inside at first and then freeing up the outside for Allen, who connected on three of his four shots beyond the arc.
"We were happy (Allen) was taking those shots," McCarthy said. "And then we were unhappy he was taking those shots. They've got a lot of weapons. Their numbers are not really indicative of what they're capable of because some of their guys are getting limited minutes. Andre's a better shooter than his percentage would indicate."
Allen entered the game shooting 27 percent from the field and 21 percent from 3-point range. He said the poor early season shooting has not affected his confidence.
"I'm a ballplayer," Allen said. "You're going to miss shots, you're going to make shots. You have slumps, and you come out of slumps."
The Tigers hit 13 of their first 18 shots in the second half to push the lead to 33 points and coasted home.
Things got so frustrating for McCarthy that he was whistled for two technicals by official Ed Hightower in a 30-second span of the second half and headed to the locker room with 12:15 remaining.
Memphis' final 41-point lead was its largest of the game, and the Tigers dominated in all aspects from rebounds (52-31) to a 44-22 lead in the paint. Memphis blocked 11 shots, including five by Dozier and four by Taggart, compared to five for East Carolina.
"They wore down," Allen said.
Rose had 12 points in the half as Memphis led 43-29 despite the poor shooting. The Tigers, who shot better than 50 percent in the previous two games, managed only 33 percent from the field in the half, including missing five of their six shots outside the arc.
Memphis would shoot 59 percent from the field in the second half, including 7-of-12 from 3-point range.
"It's very fun," Allen said. "We're winning. It can't be anything but fun. If we were losing, it would be terrible. But we're winning."
MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Memphis's first step in an anticipated waltz through Conference USA wasn't exactly smooth. It did end with a nice up-tempo flow.
After a pre-conference schedule that included Georgetown, Arizona, Connecticut and Southern California, the second-ranked Tigers caught a rhythm in the second half Wednesday night, defeating East Carolina 99-58.
Freshman Derrick Rose scored 19 points and the Tigers overcame a somewhat lackluster start in the conference opener for both teams.
"They came out of the gate like Ohio State did against LSU," Memphis coach John Calipari said, comparing East Carolina's intensity to the start of the BCS championship game. "When I watched the first five or seven minutes, I was like: 'This team is pretty good.' But what we do to you over a period of time is just wear you down."
Andre Allen and Robert Dozier had 13 points each for the Tigers (14-0) with Dozier adding 10 rebounds. Chris Douglas-Roberts finished with 12 points as Memphis won its 41st straight home game and extended its overall conference winning streak to 24.
Darrell Jenkins and John Fields both had 11 points for the Pirates (6-8).
In the first half, Memphis hardly looked like the team picked to dominate C-USA, struggling from the field and allowing the Pirates to stay close. The Tigers wouldn't build their lead to double digits until the latter stages of the half.
"I thought we took some things away," East Carolina coach Mack McCarthy said. "We mixed things up and gave them some different looks. Finally, they just didn't care what we were in, they were driving it and got to the foul line."
The Tigers finished 31-of-49 from the line for the night.
East Carolina trailed 29-25 with 5:50 left in the first half. East Carolina then went 1-for-7 from the field over the final minutes. Memphis outscored the Pirates 14-4, finally taking the lead to double digits with 3:41 remaining.
The Tigers expect they will have to endure starts like Wednesday's the rest of the way because of their reputation. Several players said it is a matter of weathering the early punches and the opponents' adrenaline.
"It wasn't overconfidence," said reserve forward Shawn Taggart. "I feel like every game, teams are going to come out there and play the hardest they've ever played in their lives."
Memphis finally got untracked after halftime, working the ball inside at first and then freeing up the outside for Allen, who connected on three of his four shots beyond the arc.
"We were happy (Allen) was taking those shots," McCarthy said. "And then we were unhappy he was taking those shots. They've got a lot of weapons. Their numbers are not really indicative of what they're capable of because some of their guys are getting limited minutes. Andre's a better shooter than his percentage would indicate."
Allen entered the game shooting 27 percent from the field and 21 percent from 3-point range. He said the poor early season shooting has not affected his confidence.
"I'm a ballplayer," Allen said. "You're going to miss shots, you're going to make shots. You have slumps, and you come out of slumps."
The Tigers hit 13 of their first 18 shots in the second half to push the lead to 33 points and coasted home.
Things got so frustrating for McCarthy that he was whistled for two technicals by official Ed Hightower in a 30-second span of the second half and headed to the locker room with 12:15 remaining.
Memphis' final 41-point lead was its largest of the game, and the Tigers dominated in all aspects from rebounds (52-31) to a 44-22 lead in the paint. Memphis blocked 11 shots, including five by Dozier and four by Taggart, compared to five for East Carolina.
"They wore down," Allen said.
Rose had 12 points in the half as Memphis led 43-29 despite the poor shooting. The Tigers, who shot better than 50 percent in the previous two games, managed only 33 percent from the field in the half, including missing five of their six shots outside the arc.
Memphis would shoot 59 percent from the field in the second half, including 7-of-12 from 3-point range.
"It's very fun," Allen said. "We're winning. It can't be anything but fun. If we were losing, it would be terrible. But we're winning."
No. 2 Memphis opens C-USA schedule by pummeling Pirates
No. 2 Memphis opens C-USA schedule by pummeling Pirates
Memphis, TN (Sports Network) - Derrick Rose scored 19 points, as second- ranked Memphis stayed undefeated by thrashing East Carolina, 99-58, in its conference opener at FedEx Forum.
Andre Allen and Robert Dozier each scored 13, and Dozier grabbed 10 rebounds for Memphis (14-0, 1-0 Conference USA), which scored at least 90 points for the sixth time this season. Chris Douglas-Roberts netted 12 in the win.
Darrell Jenkins and John Fields each had 11 points for East Carolina (6-8, 0-1), which had a two-game winning streak snapped. Gabe Blair finished with eight rebounds and six points in the loss.
The game stayed close through most of the first half, and a Sam Hinnant jumper with 5:51 left brought the Pirates within 29-25. But from there Memphis went on a 14-4 run until intermission.
Shawn Taggart had five points, and his two free throws put the Tigers ahead 43-29 at the break.
In the second half, Memphis drew its lead out to 20 less than three minutes in, when Rose made a layup to put his team in front 53-33.
With 12:13 left in the contest, Memphis stretched its lead to 30, as Taggart hit 1-of-2 free throws to make it 72-42. Memphis' lead hovered around 30 points for most of the second half, and the Tigers cruised -- though Jeff Robinson's dunk with 1:59 left put the Tigers ahead 98-58, reaching a 40-point margin.
Game Notes
Memphis shot 46.2 percent from the field, while East Carolina had a 36.2 percent mark...The Tigers got to the line 49 times, but made just 31 of the free throws...East Carolina was just 10-of-22 from the foul line.
Memphis, TN (Sports Network) - Derrick Rose scored 19 points, as second- ranked Memphis stayed undefeated by thrashing East Carolina, 99-58, in its conference opener at FedEx Forum.
Andre Allen and Robert Dozier each scored 13, and Dozier grabbed 10 rebounds for Memphis (14-0, 1-0 Conference USA), which scored at least 90 points for the sixth time this season. Chris Douglas-Roberts netted 12 in the win.
Darrell Jenkins and John Fields each had 11 points for East Carolina (6-8, 0-1), which had a two-game winning streak snapped. Gabe Blair finished with eight rebounds and six points in the loss.
The game stayed close through most of the first half, and a Sam Hinnant jumper with 5:51 left brought the Pirates within 29-25. But from there Memphis went on a 14-4 run until intermission.
Shawn Taggart had five points, and his two free throws put the Tigers ahead 43-29 at the break.
In the second half, Memphis drew its lead out to 20 less than three minutes in, when Rose made a layup to put his team in front 53-33.
With 12:13 left in the contest, Memphis stretched its lead to 30, as Taggart hit 1-of-2 free throws to make it 72-42. Memphis' lead hovered around 30 points for most of the second half, and the Tigers cruised -- though Jeff Robinson's dunk with 1:59 left put the Tigers ahead 98-58, reaching a 40-point margin.
Game Notes
Memphis shot 46.2 percent from the field, while East Carolina had a 36.2 percent mark...The Tigers got to the line 49 times, but made just 31 of the free throws...East Carolina was just 10-of-22 from the foul line.
Volunteer State is new capital of men's hoops
Volunteer State is new capital of men's hoops
Sporting News
Posted: January 8, 2008
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) -- To the east, Bruce Pearl is spreading school pride on Rocky Top, sporting a fresh orange suit and taking his eighth-ranked Tennessee Volunteers to new heights.
To the west, John Calipari is perched on the banks of the Mississippi River, trying to keep his No. 2 Memphis Tigers perfect.
And halfway between the nearly 400 miles of rolling mountains, tobacco fields and blue chip recruits that separate Memphis and Knoxville, Kevin Stallings quietly has turned his 13th-ranked Vanderbilt Commodores into the latest stars of Music City.
Welcome to the Volunteer State, making a case for Tennessee as the new home of men's college basketball.
"You can talk about tobacco road in the Carolinas, and you can talk about Indiana and Kentucky all you want, you're not going to find a more competitive basketball state than Tennessee right now," Pearl said. "The state of Tennessee defines what college basketball is all about."
Tennessee is the only state with three teams ranked in The Associated Press Top 25, let alone the top 15. These three schools were among the final 16 playing last March -- Memphis (13-0) made it to the regional finals, while Vanderbilt (15-0) and Tennessee (12-1) were each a basket away from joining the Tigers.
All not only hope to be playing deep into the NCAA tournament this season, they have national title aspirations.
"I think we all have a chance to get to the Final Four," Calipari said. "Right now, you don't even need to leave Tennessee to find the best basketball in the country."
For years, the college basketball landscape was controlled by states like North Carolina, Kentucky and Indiana. Top-ranked North Carolina now has only Duke for company in the rankings. In the Bluegrass State, Kentucky and Louisville have sputtered, and the power seems to have shifted.
Make room for Tennessee.
"We're enjoying it," Stallings said. "I've always felt this state had a huge talent pool."
It has, but high school stars haven't always stayed.
Billy Donovan, for instance, led Florida to consecutive national titles with a pair of Tennessee players as starters -- Corey Brewer from Portland, and Lee Humphrey from Maryville.
One of the first high-profile recruits Pearl tried to bring to Tennessee was Brandon Wright, a Nashville native who ultimately went to North Carolina and turned pro a year later. Trying to recruit Wright seemed like a lost cause for Pearl.
"He wasn't disrespectful at all, but there was no way he could have stayed," Pearl said. "I think those days are gone. I think the best players in the state are going to give us all a strong look. They don't feel like they have to leave anymore."
Don't think these schools, just because they're flourishing, are rooting for one another. Yes, all three coaches say there's mutual respect, but they've had heated battles, too.
Calipari and Pearl have tussled over recruits, often trying to sign a star player even after he's said where he wants to go.
Pearl pulls his signature orange suit from the closet only against select opponents. Vanderbilt made that list last year.
And there's been dispute over the Memphis-Tennessee game, which alternates between schools each season. Calipari wants it in a neutral city, like Nashville, to keep Pearl and the Vols from getting exposure in his western third of the state.
"You could call it the Governor's Cup," Calipari said last month.
The Vols are nestled on the edge of the Smoky Mountains, in a campus town. The Tigers sit atop the Mississippi Delta in Memphis, anchoring a region that breeds top recruits and lives for basketball. And Vanderbilt is a small, private university that relies on out-of-state and international players.
"Each school has a different personality," Vanderbilt guard Shan Foster said. "It's like none of us want to be the same as the other."
They differ on court, too.
Memphis goes physical, letting the offense come from isolating players for penetration. Vanderbilt has the shooters, and it's tough to get players into the academic-minded university. Pearl has Tennessee running with a quick-shot offense to go along with its full-court pressure.
Tennessee and Memphis have strong followings in the state, while Vanderbilt often is overshadowed.
"I think that sometimes people forget Vanderbilt is in Tennessee," said Commodores guard Keegan Bell, who grew up in Hazel Green, Ala., just over the Tennessee border. "We're the forgotten school."
Good basketball doesn't stop with the big three in Tennessee
Belmont has been to the NCAA tournament two straight years. East Tennessee State made the tournament four consecutive years from 1989-92, and in 2003 and 2004.
Tennessee State upset Illinois on the road in December, and Tennessee-Martin's Lester Hudson recorded a rare quadruple-double against Central Baptist earlier this season when he had 25 points, 12 rebounds, 10 assists and 10 steals.
Oh, and the coach who has won the most college basketball games calls Tennessee home.
Don't think Pat Summitt, who has led the Lady Vols to seven national titles, hasn't noticed the men catching up to her.
"We've got something special going on right now in Tennessee," Summitt said. "It's the place to be."
Copyright 2008 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Sporting News
Posted: January 8, 2008
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) -- To the east, Bruce Pearl is spreading school pride on Rocky Top, sporting a fresh orange suit and taking his eighth-ranked Tennessee Volunteers to new heights.
To the west, John Calipari is perched on the banks of the Mississippi River, trying to keep his No. 2 Memphis Tigers perfect.
And halfway between the nearly 400 miles of rolling mountains, tobacco fields and blue chip recruits that separate Memphis and Knoxville, Kevin Stallings quietly has turned his 13th-ranked Vanderbilt Commodores into the latest stars of Music City.
Welcome to the Volunteer State, making a case for Tennessee as the new home of men's college basketball.
"You can talk about tobacco road in the Carolinas, and you can talk about Indiana and Kentucky all you want, you're not going to find a more competitive basketball state than Tennessee right now," Pearl said. "The state of Tennessee defines what college basketball is all about."
Tennessee is the only state with three teams ranked in The Associated Press Top 25, let alone the top 15. These three schools were among the final 16 playing last March -- Memphis (13-0) made it to the regional finals, while Vanderbilt (15-0) and Tennessee (12-1) were each a basket away from joining the Tigers.
All not only hope to be playing deep into the NCAA tournament this season, they have national title aspirations.
"I think we all have a chance to get to the Final Four," Calipari said. "Right now, you don't even need to leave Tennessee to find the best basketball in the country."
For years, the college basketball landscape was controlled by states like North Carolina, Kentucky and Indiana. Top-ranked North Carolina now has only Duke for company in the rankings. In the Bluegrass State, Kentucky and Louisville have sputtered, and the power seems to have shifted.
Make room for Tennessee.
"We're enjoying it," Stallings said. "I've always felt this state had a huge talent pool."
It has, but high school stars haven't always stayed.
Billy Donovan, for instance, led Florida to consecutive national titles with a pair of Tennessee players as starters -- Corey Brewer from Portland, and Lee Humphrey from Maryville.
One of the first high-profile recruits Pearl tried to bring to Tennessee was Brandon Wright, a Nashville native who ultimately went to North Carolina and turned pro a year later. Trying to recruit Wright seemed like a lost cause for Pearl.
"He wasn't disrespectful at all, but there was no way he could have stayed," Pearl said. "I think those days are gone. I think the best players in the state are going to give us all a strong look. They don't feel like they have to leave anymore."
Don't think these schools, just because they're flourishing, are rooting for one another. Yes, all three coaches say there's mutual respect, but they've had heated battles, too.
Calipari and Pearl have tussled over recruits, often trying to sign a star player even after he's said where he wants to go.
Pearl pulls his signature orange suit from the closet only against select opponents. Vanderbilt made that list last year.
And there's been dispute over the Memphis-Tennessee game, which alternates between schools each season. Calipari wants it in a neutral city, like Nashville, to keep Pearl and the Vols from getting exposure in his western third of the state.
"You could call it the Governor's Cup," Calipari said last month.
The Vols are nestled on the edge of the Smoky Mountains, in a campus town. The Tigers sit atop the Mississippi Delta in Memphis, anchoring a region that breeds top recruits and lives for basketball. And Vanderbilt is a small, private university that relies on out-of-state and international players.
"Each school has a different personality," Vanderbilt guard Shan Foster said. "It's like none of us want to be the same as the other."
They differ on court, too.
Memphis goes physical, letting the offense come from isolating players for penetration. Vanderbilt has the shooters, and it's tough to get players into the academic-minded university. Pearl has Tennessee running with a quick-shot offense to go along with its full-court pressure.
Tennessee and Memphis have strong followings in the state, while Vanderbilt often is overshadowed.
"I think that sometimes people forget Vanderbilt is in Tennessee," said Commodores guard Keegan Bell, who grew up in Hazel Green, Ala., just over the Tennessee border. "We're the forgotten school."
Good basketball doesn't stop with the big three in Tennessee
Belmont has been to the NCAA tournament two straight years. East Tennessee State made the tournament four consecutive years from 1989-92, and in 2003 and 2004.
Tennessee State upset Illinois on the road in December, and Tennessee-Martin's Lester Hudson recorded a rare quadruple-double against Central Baptist earlier this season when he had 25 points, 12 rebounds, 10 assists and 10 steals.
Oh, and the coach who has won the most college basketball games calls Tennessee home.
Don't think Pat Summitt, who has led the Lady Vols to seven national titles, hasn't noticed the men catching up to her.
"We've got something special going on right now in Tennessee," Summitt said. "It's the place to be."
Copyright 2008 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Wednesday, January 09, 2008
Home Streak at 40 or is it?
Home Streak at 40 or is it?
Posted by John Stacy, Tiger fan blogger
According to most the Tigers have now won 40 consecutive home games and go for 41 tonight against East Carolina. So I thought it was as good a time as any to look back at some quirky little facts about the streak.
The truth is the streak is actually at 43 games. The Tigers have played 3 exhibitions in that time frame. They took down CBU and Lemoyne Owen in the process which did not count towards the streak. That makes no sense to me but hey what do I know.
During the home winning streak the Tigers have exterminated Spiders. They clipped the wings of Cardinals, Eagles, Golden Eagles, Jaspers, Owls, and Skyhawks. They have corralled Mustangs and a Thundering Herd. They have put Miners out of work. They sunk a ship full of Buccaneers. They have impeached Governors. They exposed the tricks of the Magicians as back parlor hacks. Men of the cloth didn’t fare too well either as the Tigers beat down both Cardinals and Saints. They stopped Mother Nature by turning a Golden Hurricane into a shower, repelled a Green Wave and then surfed some Waves. They faded the Blue Raiders, Golden Eagles, Golden Hurricane, Golden Knights, and a Green Wave. The put Hoyas and Saints (a Saint Bernard is their mascot) in the kennel. They took care of a politically incorrect school when they beat the Indians. They have de-clawed Bearcats, Cougars, Tigers and Wildcats. The stopped the uprising of Rebels and Volunteers. The sent the out of style Blazers to the back of the closet.
The Tigers are 3-0 against the Big East during the streak, which puts a little smile on my face. They have beat Cincinnati and Georgetown by an average of 23.5 points. The Tigers against other conferences breaks down like this:
A-10–Richmond
Big South—Winthrop
C-USA games—21 conference games including C-USA tournament play
MAAC—Manhattan and Siena
OVC—Austin Peay and UT-Martin
PAC 10—Arizona
SEC—Tennessee and Mississippi
Southland—Lamar
Sun Belt—Middle Tennessee and Arkansas State
SWAC–Jackson State
WCC—Pepperdine
The Tigers have owned C-USA since the defectors left the league. They are unbeaten against C-USA teams and have scored 1,622 points while holding the opposition to a mere 1,207. The Tigers averaged 77 PPG while holding C-USA to 57 PPG. That’s an average margin of victory of 20 PPG. The largest point total against conference mates came when they dropped 99 on Rice last February. The lowest total was 57 against UAB in the C-USA tournament finals in 2006. The closest any C-USA team has come to beating the Tigers was when Southern Miss came within 3, 67-64, last January. The Tigers have won 17 of the 21 games by double digits. Only the aforementioned Golden Eagles, UAB (7 pts), Tulsa (9 pts), and Houston (7 pts) have managed to keep the margin of victory under 10.
The Tigers have hosted two C-USA tournaments during the streak. The closest any of the games came when UAB’s stayed within 11 points in the 2006 Conference Finals. The Tigers finished off four different teams in the six games Marshall and UAB once then Houston and Tulane twice. The Tigers scored well under their scoring average in these games only scoring 72 ppg while allowing only 57.
In the games that actually counted during the streak the Tigers scored 100 points four times. Siena was the latest team that the Tigers scored triple digits against. The other teams that the Tigers scored more than 2.5 points a minutes against were Jackson State, UT-Martin and Austin Peay. The 111 points against Jackson State was the highest total.
The 19 non-conference games during the streak really showed the Tigers home supremacy. They scored 89 ppg while only allowing 61 ppg. The Jackson State game showed them with their highest total while the Winthrop Eagles held them to their fewest points (73). The fewest points the Tigers allowed was when they held Middle Tennessee to score a mere 46 on 12/2306. The Governors of Austin Peay scored the most this past November when they put 82 on the scoreboard. The biggest margin of victory came in the Tigers last 100 point performance when they beat Siena by 42 points. The closest any of the OOC foes came was when the Volunteers got within 9. It was the only OOC game where a team got to within single digits of the Tigers.
Just a few things to think about when the Tigers open their C-USA schedule tonight in the FEF. Ironically enough, this will be the first time East Carolina has played the Tigers in almost 4 years at a Memphis home court. The last time they played in Memphis was 2/11/04 when the Tigers still played in the Pyramid. In all likelihood, the Tigers will add yet another victim to the list of downed opponents in the FEF. At least let’s hope so. I don’t want to jinx them in any way.
Posted by John Stacy, Tiger fan blogger
According to most the Tigers have now won 40 consecutive home games and go for 41 tonight against East Carolina. So I thought it was as good a time as any to look back at some quirky little facts about the streak.
The truth is the streak is actually at 43 games. The Tigers have played 3 exhibitions in that time frame. They took down CBU and Lemoyne Owen in the process which did not count towards the streak. That makes no sense to me but hey what do I know.
During the home winning streak the Tigers have exterminated Spiders. They clipped the wings of Cardinals, Eagles, Golden Eagles, Jaspers, Owls, and Skyhawks. They have corralled Mustangs and a Thundering Herd. They have put Miners out of work. They sunk a ship full of Buccaneers. They have impeached Governors. They exposed the tricks of the Magicians as back parlor hacks. Men of the cloth didn’t fare too well either as the Tigers beat down both Cardinals and Saints. They stopped Mother Nature by turning a Golden Hurricane into a shower, repelled a Green Wave and then surfed some Waves. They faded the Blue Raiders, Golden Eagles, Golden Hurricane, Golden Knights, and a Green Wave. The put Hoyas and Saints (a Saint Bernard is their mascot) in the kennel. They took care of a politically incorrect school when they beat the Indians. They have de-clawed Bearcats, Cougars, Tigers and Wildcats. The stopped the uprising of Rebels and Volunteers. The sent the out of style Blazers to the back of the closet.
The Tigers are 3-0 against the Big East during the streak, which puts a little smile on my face. They have beat Cincinnati and Georgetown by an average of 23.5 points. The Tigers against other conferences breaks down like this:
A-10–Richmond
Big South—Winthrop
C-USA games—21 conference games including C-USA tournament play
MAAC—Manhattan and Siena
OVC—Austin Peay and UT-Martin
PAC 10—Arizona
SEC—Tennessee and Mississippi
Southland—Lamar
Sun Belt—Middle Tennessee and Arkansas State
SWAC–Jackson State
WCC—Pepperdine
The Tigers have owned C-USA since the defectors left the league. They are unbeaten against C-USA teams and have scored 1,622 points while holding the opposition to a mere 1,207. The Tigers averaged 77 PPG while holding C-USA to 57 PPG. That’s an average margin of victory of 20 PPG. The largest point total against conference mates came when they dropped 99 on Rice last February. The lowest total was 57 against UAB in the C-USA tournament finals in 2006. The closest any C-USA team has come to beating the Tigers was when Southern Miss came within 3, 67-64, last January. The Tigers have won 17 of the 21 games by double digits. Only the aforementioned Golden Eagles, UAB (7 pts), Tulsa (9 pts), and Houston (7 pts) have managed to keep the margin of victory under 10.
The Tigers have hosted two C-USA tournaments during the streak. The closest any of the games came when UAB’s stayed within 11 points in the 2006 Conference Finals. The Tigers finished off four different teams in the six games Marshall and UAB once then Houston and Tulane twice. The Tigers scored well under their scoring average in these games only scoring 72 ppg while allowing only 57.
In the games that actually counted during the streak the Tigers scored 100 points four times. Siena was the latest team that the Tigers scored triple digits against. The other teams that the Tigers scored more than 2.5 points a minutes against were Jackson State, UT-Martin and Austin Peay. The 111 points against Jackson State was the highest total.
The 19 non-conference games during the streak really showed the Tigers home supremacy. They scored 89 ppg while only allowing 61 ppg. The Jackson State game showed them with their highest total while the Winthrop Eagles held them to their fewest points (73). The fewest points the Tigers allowed was when they held Middle Tennessee to score a mere 46 on 12/2306. The Governors of Austin Peay scored the most this past November when they put 82 on the scoreboard. The biggest margin of victory came in the Tigers last 100 point performance when they beat Siena by 42 points. The closest any of the OOC foes came was when the Volunteers got within 9. It was the only OOC game where a team got to within single digits of the Tigers.
Just a few things to think about when the Tigers open their C-USA schedule tonight in the FEF. Ironically enough, this will be the first time East Carolina has played the Tigers in almost 4 years at a Memphis home court. The last time they played in Memphis was 2/11/04 when the Tigers still played in the Pyramid. In all likelihood, the Tigers will add yet another victim to the list of downed opponents in the FEF. At least let’s hope so. I don’t want to jinx them in any way.
Big win for Tulsa
Big win for Tulsa
Posted by Dan Wolken
At Conference USA media day, I pulled Doug Wojcik aside and told him I couldn’t believe he scheduled a game at Colorado. It’s one of those games that’s tough to win for a number of reasons — you’re on the road, you’re playing at altitude, and you’re playing against a really good coach in Jeff Bzdelik. At the same time, it’s a game that, if you lose, reflects poorly on you and your conference because Colorado is down. Those were the kind of games C-USA was trying to move away from scheduling, where a loss hurts you RPI-wise and image-wise more than a win helps you.
Wojcik responded that he scheduled it for a couple reasons. The biggest one is that Colorado agreed to a home-and-home, so Tulsa will get a BCS conference school in its building. But he also felt that his team could get Colorado, especially playing in its first year with a new system under a new coach. Plus, Tulsa would head out to Boulder a couple days early to get used to the altitude.
As usual, Wojcik was right, and I was wrong. Tulsa shot 59 percent tonight and beat the Buffs, 81-68. Is it a great win? No. But it’s an important win, because these are the kind of games C-USA needs to gain legitimacy. Tulane is doing its part. Others haven’t during the non-conference season.
As far as Tulsa is concerned, they are now what I thought they would be in the preseason: A legitimate top-four team in this league. For whatever reason, it just didn’t work out that way early. They got stunned in the season-opener by Hampton, and it just kind of lingered. They lost at Oral Roberts in a rivalry game, played poorly at Arkansas-Little Rock, then bottomed out with an 81-55 loss to Oklahoma. Since then, however, Tulsa has won six in a row, including wins over Charlotte and now CU.
“Looking back, it was probably my fault for starting 5-of-6 away from home,” Wojcik said. “We start off at Oral Roberts — and they’re a better than they were last year — we get off to a 20-8 start, which has been our Achilles heel. From that point, through the first half at Oklahoma, we just didn’t play well. Of the 70-odd games I’ve been the coach here, we just didn’t guard the way we normally guard.”
Personally, I’m glad Wojcik has been able to turn it around. I’ve said this many times, but C-USA needs Tulsa to be one of the best programs in the league because it’s one of the few programs with the facilities, the tradition, the funding and the fan base to make it happen. A month ago, Wojcik was getting a lot of heat from Tulsa fans, which was absolutely insane. The guy inherited a mess, and he’s done a good job getting things going in the right direction.
Posted by Dan Wolken
At Conference USA media day, I pulled Doug Wojcik aside and told him I couldn’t believe he scheduled a game at Colorado. It’s one of those games that’s tough to win for a number of reasons — you’re on the road, you’re playing at altitude, and you’re playing against a really good coach in Jeff Bzdelik. At the same time, it’s a game that, if you lose, reflects poorly on you and your conference because Colorado is down. Those were the kind of games C-USA was trying to move away from scheduling, where a loss hurts you RPI-wise and image-wise more than a win helps you.
Wojcik responded that he scheduled it for a couple reasons. The biggest one is that Colorado agreed to a home-and-home, so Tulsa will get a BCS conference school in its building. But he also felt that his team could get Colorado, especially playing in its first year with a new system under a new coach. Plus, Tulsa would head out to Boulder a couple days early to get used to the altitude.
As usual, Wojcik was right, and I was wrong. Tulsa shot 59 percent tonight and beat the Buffs, 81-68. Is it a great win? No. But it’s an important win, because these are the kind of games C-USA needs to gain legitimacy. Tulane is doing its part. Others haven’t during the non-conference season.
As far as Tulsa is concerned, they are now what I thought they would be in the preseason: A legitimate top-four team in this league. For whatever reason, it just didn’t work out that way early. They got stunned in the season-opener by Hampton, and it just kind of lingered. They lost at Oral Roberts in a rivalry game, played poorly at Arkansas-Little Rock, then bottomed out with an 81-55 loss to Oklahoma. Since then, however, Tulsa has won six in a row, including wins over Charlotte and now CU.
“Looking back, it was probably my fault for starting 5-of-6 away from home,” Wojcik said. “We start off at Oral Roberts — and they’re a better than they were last year — we get off to a 20-8 start, which has been our Achilles heel. From that point, through the first half at Oklahoma, we just didn’t play well. Of the 70-odd games I’ve been the coach here, we just didn’t guard the way we normally guard.”
Personally, I’m glad Wojcik has been able to turn it around. I’ve said this many times, but C-USA needs Tulsa to be one of the best programs in the league because it’s one of the few programs with the facilities, the tradition, the funding and the fan base to make it happen. A month ago, Wojcik was getting a lot of heat from Tulsa fans, which was absolutely insane. The guy inherited a mess, and he’s done a good job getting things going in the right direction.
Greenville Daily Reflector - Jenkins leads Pirates against No. 2 Memphis
Greenville Daily Reflector
Jenkins leads Pirates against No. 2 Memphis
By Tony Castleberry
Wednesday, January 09, 2008
Darrell Jenkins' transformation seems to be complete.
East Carolina's senior point guard has gone from being the team's main scoring threat last season to not even looking for his own shot much during the current Pirates' campaign. And the change has been beneficial for ECU, which opens Conference USA play tonight at No. 2 Memphis.
With Jenkins doling out assists like few Pirate guards before him, East Carolina's offense has found a groove of late. While a consistent go-to scorer has yet to be found, the Pirates are utilizing a balanced attack with Jenkins at the forefront, setting up his teammates, limiting turnovers and averaging just 7.5 field goal attempts per game.
It's a different approach from last season when Jenkins was routinely jacking up at least 10 shots per contest, not all of them high-percentage ones.
"Last year, sometimes he had to score out of necessity," ECU coach Mack McCarthy said. "We want the point guard to think: run the team first, score when the opportunity presents itself. He's got to keep the other four guys happy. I think he would have done that last year had that been what he needed to do. But there were nights where he was our best offensive weapon. Fortunately, the best thing for the team, he's not necessarily our best offensive weapon each and every night."
Even though he was counted on to score more last season, Jenkins still etched his name in the ECU record books by racking up 166 assists, a single-season school record.
This season, his assault on several other assist marks continues as the Pirates look to improve on last year's 1-13 finish in C-USA play. Jenkins is two helpers shy of becoming just the third ECU player to notch back-to-back 100-assist seasons. He should soon move into fifth place on the all-time list and, if he continues on his current pace, Jenkins could pass Japhet McNeil for second place by season's end, when he'd have 384 assists. Travis Holcomb-Faye holds the school record with 413 career helpers.
While acknowledging he keeps up with his assist totals and where they rank in the ECU record books and on the national stage, Jenkins is by no means selfish. It's next to impossible for an effective point guard to worry about his own numbers and there doesn't seem to be any danger of Jenkins doing that this season.
"Last year I had to do the bulk of the scoring," said Jenkins, who recorded a career-high 13 assists in the Pirates' win over N.C. Central last Saturday. "But as a true point guard, that's my role, setting up the guys for shots. Like I've said before, I'd rather get an assist than score. I think right now I'm in the top 10 in the nation and my goal is to be No. 1. As long as Sam (Hinnant) and Gabe (Blair) and James (Legan) and John (Fields) and everybody else on this team is hitting shots, it makes me feel good."
Hinnant, who leads the team with an 11.8 points per game average, agrees.
"I think Darrell had a chip on his shoulder of being a scorer (last season)," Hinnant said. "He had to take a lot more shots. This year, he's turned into a pass-first point guard and is dedicated to getting us the ball at all times."
Having an experienced floor general no doubt puts McCarthy's mind at ease. ECU may need Jenkins to score more from time to time, but for the time being, his role is clearly defined and the Pirate offense is better for it.
However, McCarthy won't mind if Jenkins does look to score more as defenses concentrate on limiting Hinnant and others.
"I'm fine with what his role is right now," the coach said of Jenkins. "I think when we have the lead late in games, he'll have the ball so that's some extra points that he'll get. As people put more pressure on Sam and James, if they're hot, I think that will give him more opportunities to look for his own shot."
As it is, Jenkins seems content with letting his teammates handle the scoring. He'll be the guy tossing them the ball.
Tony Castleberry can be reached at tcastleberry@coxnc.com or at (252) 329-9591.
Jenkins leads Pirates against No. 2 Memphis
By Tony Castleberry
Wednesday, January 09, 2008
Darrell Jenkins' transformation seems to be complete.
East Carolina's senior point guard has gone from being the team's main scoring threat last season to not even looking for his own shot much during the current Pirates' campaign. And the change has been beneficial for ECU, which opens Conference USA play tonight at No. 2 Memphis.
With Jenkins doling out assists like few Pirate guards before him, East Carolina's offense has found a groove of late. While a consistent go-to scorer has yet to be found, the Pirates are utilizing a balanced attack with Jenkins at the forefront, setting up his teammates, limiting turnovers and averaging just 7.5 field goal attempts per game.
It's a different approach from last season when Jenkins was routinely jacking up at least 10 shots per contest, not all of them high-percentage ones.
"Last year, sometimes he had to score out of necessity," ECU coach Mack McCarthy said. "We want the point guard to think: run the team first, score when the opportunity presents itself. He's got to keep the other four guys happy. I think he would have done that last year had that been what he needed to do. But there were nights where he was our best offensive weapon. Fortunately, the best thing for the team, he's not necessarily our best offensive weapon each and every night."
Even though he was counted on to score more last season, Jenkins still etched his name in the ECU record books by racking up 166 assists, a single-season school record.
This season, his assault on several other assist marks continues as the Pirates look to improve on last year's 1-13 finish in C-USA play. Jenkins is two helpers shy of becoming just the third ECU player to notch back-to-back 100-assist seasons. He should soon move into fifth place on the all-time list and, if he continues on his current pace, Jenkins could pass Japhet McNeil for second place by season's end, when he'd have 384 assists. Travis Holcomb-Faye holds the school record with 413 career helpers.
While acknowledging he keeps up with his assist totals and where they rank in the ECU record books and on the national stage, Jenkins is by no means selfish. It's next to impossible for an effective point guard to worry about his own numbers and there doesn't seem to be any danger of Jenkins doing that this season.
"Last year I had to do the bulk of the scoring," said Jenkins, who recorded a career-high 13 assists in the Pirates' win over N.C. Central last Saturday. "But as a true point guard, that's my role, setting up the guys for shots. Like I've said before, I'd rather get an assist than score. I think right now I'm in the top 10 in the nation and my goal is to be No. 1. As long as Sam (Hinnant) and Gabe (Blair) and James (Legan) and John (Fields) and everybody else on this team is hitting shots, it makes me feel good."
Hinnant, who leads the team with an 11.8 points per game average, agrees.
"I think Darrell had a chip on his shoulder of being a scorer (last season)," Hinnant said. "He had to take a lot more shots. This year, he's turned into a pass-first point guard and is dedicated to getting us the ball at all times."
Having an experienced floor general no doubt puts McCarthy's mind at ease. ECU may need Jenkins to score more from time to time, but for the time being, his role is clearly defined and the Pirate offense is better for it.
However, McCarthy won't mind if Jenkins does look to score more as defenses concentrate on limiting Hinnant and others.
"I'm fine with what his role is right now," the coach said of Jenkins. "I think when we have the lead late in games, he'll have the ball so that's some extra points that he'll get. As people put more pressure on Sam and James, if they're hot, I think that will give him more opportunities to look for his own shot."
As it is, Jenkins seems content with letting his teammates handle the scoring. He'll be the guy tossing them the ball.
Tony Castleberry can be reached at tcastleberry@coxnc.com or at (252) 329-9591.
SI.com's Seth Davis - Buy, sell, or hold
Buy, sell, or hold
Predicting whose stock will rise and whose will fall
Posted: Tuesday January 8, 2008 12:25PM
We know what has happened in the world of college basketball thus far. But with the conference season under way, what will the future hold?
The answer is provided below in the annual Hoop Thoughts Stock Report (HTSR). Once again, the idea of this exercise is to project where a team is headed relative to its current position. That position is defined by its record, its ranking and that amorphous, subjectively defined animal we call "buzz."
The operative word here is relative. I'm more concerned with where teams are headed than where they are. So just because I rate Team A a Sell and Team B a Buy, that does not necessarily mean I think Team B is better than Team A. You dig?
I selected a HTSR-record 30 teams for this year's ratings. I wanted a healthy helping outside the Top 25, so my apologies if your favorite team wasn't included. Also, as promised, I'm going to start to include my AP ballot every week in this space. Feel free to have at me.
So without further ado, grab your wallets, Hoop Thinkers, and get ready to do some trading:
Memphis: BUY
I'm usually skeptical that a team can go undefeated (and frankly wouldn't recommend it), but the Tigers have already survived the hard part of their schedule without a blemish. Right now, I'd give them a 50-50 chance to go into the NCAA tournament without a loss.
Predicting whose stock will rise and whose will fall
Posted: Tuesday January 8, 2008 12:25PM
We know what has happened in the world of college basketball thus far. But with the conference season under way, what will the future hold?
The answer is provided below in the annual Hoop Thoughts Stock Report (HTSR). Once again, the idea of this exercise is to project where a team is headed relative to its current position. That position is defined by its record, its ranking and that amorphous, subjectively defined animal we call "buzz."
The operative word here is relative. I'm more concerned with where teams are headed than where they are. So just because I rate Team A a Sell and Team B a Buy, that does not necessarily mean I think Team B is better than Team A. You dig?
I selected a HTSR-record 30 teams for this year's ratings. I wanted a healthy helping outside the Top 25, so my apologies if your favorite team wasn't included. Also, as promised, I'm going to start to include my AP ballot every week in this space. Feel free to have at me.
So without further ado, grab your wallets, Hoop Thinkers, and get ready to do some trading:
Memphis: BUY
I'm usually skeptical that a team can go undefeated (and frankly wouldn't recommend it), but the Tigers have already survived the hard part of their schedule without a blemish. Right now, I'd give them a 50-50 chance to go into the NCAA tournament without a loss.
Tigers' games often over before they start
Tigers' games often over before they start
C-USA domination more than physical
By Dan Wolken
Wednesday, January 9, 2008
For every Conference USA team that walks into FedExForum talking upset, there's another whose hopes literally die in the layup line.
"We'll see them looking at us and stuff like that," sophomore Doneal Mack said. "You can kind of sense the fear in their eyes."
As much as coach John Calipari likes to talk about how his University of Memphis team will absorb everybody's best shot in league play, the No. 2-ranked Tigers begin another go-round tonight against East Carolina as the undisputed intimidators of Conference USA.
Since the league split and reconfigured in 2005, the Tigers have gone 35-1 against their supposed conference rivals, and most of the games haven't been particularly close. In 2005-06, only Houston and UAB were able to play the Tigers within 10 points, with UAB pulling the upset in Birmingham. Last season, Memphis' average margin of victory was 18.5 points, and only three times were the Tigers even in danger of losing in the closing minutes.
The Tigers (13-0) suspect that their dominance has bred some resentment among the competition, but the question is whether any team in this league can do something about it.
"Some teams come in, and they want to beat us bad," junior guard Antonio Anderson said. "Regardless of what the situation is, they know they may not be as talented or as athletic, but they believe they can win.
"But there may be teams or guys on a team who know, 'We ain't got no chance of beating these guys whatever we do.' It's funny; it's crazy, but we feel good about it when teams respect us enough that they don't think they have a chance of beating us. But we can't look at it like that because then we'll eventually get beat. So we have to try to go out and dominate every game, dominate the glass, assists, whatever we possibly can."
Indeed, at times last season it seemed like only boredom could take down the Tigers. In the final game before the Conference USA Tournament, they got their biggest scare when SMU played them within 64-61 after Memphis won the earlier meeting by 36 points.
The only other team that gave Memphis trouble was Southern Miss, which bucked conventional wisdom by standing up to the Tigers physically and playing without fear. That doesn't always happen, especially in FedExForum, where the Tigers have now won 40 straight games.
Even on the road, Memphis has encountered challenging halves, but opponents rarely are able to sustain that level of play for a full 40 minutes. Other times, the game is over before it begins.
"I'm not going to say what teams in particular, but in the past and this year, we've seen certain teams, coming out of the locker room they're looking at us and they're shocked," Anderson said. "That's good to have that mentality, and coach Cal pretty much drilled that into us. We're not cocky or anything like that, we're just very confident amongst one another and we've got each other's backs."
In other words, the Tigers are intimidating, and on some nights, that's all it takes. And they'll take full advantage of that aura, even engaging in some trash talk when necessary.
"We're very confident, our team," Mack said. "We're thinking we're going to beat everybody this year. We're very confident this year, and we act like it. I wouldn't say we're cocky; we're just very confident."
Oddly, tonight's opponent hasn't exactly shrunk at the sight of blue jerseys. Despite finishing last in Conference USA, East Carolina mucked it up enough last year to produce a 21-21 tie at halftime before Memphis pulled away. It was a similarly competitive game the year before that, and interim coach Mack McCarthy said the Tigers often come up in practices throughout the year.
"I think all our kids see every Memphis game on television, and our kids ultimately aspire to not necessarily be Memphis but to be competitive at that level," McCarthy said. "Sometimes we'll bring up their name, like, 'Do you think that will work against Memphis?'"
That mentality is why Calipari says that watching tape is often useless for him when he's trying to get a sense of how other teams will play.
"They're going to bed at night thinking about, 'What if we ever upset these guys?'" Calipari said. "They go to class the next day, you can beat these guys, and they become heroes on their campus over this game. So we're going to be facing the other team's best every time. The school's best, the fans' best and their team's best."
Reach Dan Wolken at 529-2365; read his blogs on the Tigers at thememphisedge.com.
C-USA domination more than physical
By Dan Wolken
Wednesday, January 9, 2008
For every Conference USA team that walks into FedExForum talking upset, there's another whose hopes literally die in the layup line.
"We'll see them looking at us and stuff like that," sophomore Doneal Mack said. "You can kind of sense the fear in their eyes."
As much as coach John Calipari likes to talk about how his University of Memphis team will absorb everybody's best shot in league play, the No. 2-ranked Tigers begin another go-round tonight against East Carolina as the undisputed intimidators of Conference USA.
Since the league split and reconfigured in 2005, the Tigers have gone 35-1 against their supposed conference rivals, and most of the games haven't been particularly close. In 2005-06, only Houston and UAB were able to play the Tigers within 10 points, with UAB pulling the upset in Birmingham. Last season, Memphis' average margin of victory was 18.5 points, and only three times were the Tigers even in danger of losing in the closing minutes.
The Tigers (13-0) suspect that their dominance has bred some resentment among the competition, but the question is whether any team in this league can do something about it.
"Some teams come in, and they want to beat us bad," junior guard Antonio Anderson said. "Regardless of what the situation is, they know they may not be as talented or as athletic, but they believe they can win.
"But there may be teams or guys on a team who know, 'We ain't got no chance of beating these guys whatever we do.' It's funny; it's crazy, but we feel good about it when teams respect us enough that they don't think they have a chance of beating us. But we can't look at it like that because then we'll eventually get beat. So we have to try to go out and dominate every game, dominate the glass, assists, whatever we possibly can."
Indeed, at times last season it seemed like only boredom could take down the Tigers. In the final game before the Conference USA Tournament, they got their biggest scare when SMU played them within 64-61 after Memphis won the earlier meeting by 36 points.
The only other team that gave Memphis trouble was Southern Miss, which bucked conventional wisdom by standing up to the Tigers physically and playing without fear. That doesn't always happen, especially in FedExForum, where the Tigers have now won 40 straight games.
Even on the road, Memphis has encountered challenging halves, but opponents rarely are able to sustain that level of play for a full 40 minutes. Other times, the game is over before it begins.
"I'm not going to say what teams in particular, but in the past and this year, we've seen certain teams, coming out of the locker room they're looking at us and they're shocked," Anderson said. "That's good to have that mentality, and coach Cal pretty much drilled that into us. We're not cocky or anything like that, we're just very confident amongst one another and we've got each other's backs."
In other words, the Tigers are intimidating, and on some nights, that's all it takes. And they'll take full advantage of that aura, even engaging in some trash talk when necessary.
"We're very confident, our team," Mack said. "We're thinking we're going to beat everybody this year. We're very confident this year, and we act like it. I wouldn't say we're cocky; we're just very confident."
Oddly, tonight's opponent hasn't exactly shrunk at the sight of blue jerseys. Despite finishing last in Conference USA, East Carolina mucked it up enough last year to produce a 21-21 tie at halftime before Memphis pulled away. It was a similarly competitive game the year before that, and interim coach Mack McCarthy said the Tigers often come up in practices throughout the year.
"I think all our kids see every Memphis game on television, and our kids ultimately aspire to not necessarily be Memphis but to be competitive at that level," McCarthy said. "Sometimes we'll bring up their name, like, 'Do you think that will work against Memphis?'"
That mentality is why Calipari says that watching tape is often useless for him when he's trying to get a sense of how other teams will play.
"They're going to bed at night thinking about, 'What if we ever upset these guys?'" Calipari said. "They go to class the next day, you can beat these guys, and they become heroes on their campus over this game. So we're going to be facing the other team's best every time. The school's best, the fans' best and their team's best."
Reach Dan Wolken at 529-2365; read his blogs on the Tigers at thememphisedge.com.
Tuesday, January 08, 2008
C-USA improved, but still can't make headway in RPI
C-USA improved, but still can't make headway in RPI
Low profile affects Tigers, tournament hopefuls
By Dan Wolken
Tuesday, January 8, 2008
In a span of about four hours last Wednesday night, three Conference USA teams had opportunities to not only boost the league's national image but its all-important Ratings Percentage Index. Had those teams gone 3-0, it would have been legitimate to begin talking about C-USA once again as a league capable of putting multiple teams into the NCAA Tournament.
But as University of Memphis coach John Calipari watched Houston and Texas-El Paso, respectively, blow late leads to UMass and New Mexico -- sandwiching a Tulane victory over LSU -- he was left without much more than rhetoric in his annual campaign to promote the conference his team plays in.
"We're so close to bumping through," Calipari said. "We're talking baskets away from saying that we can change the impression out there that the league hasn't gotten better. It has."
Though every coach maintains that C-USA has improved, the numbers don't necessarily reflect it. Last season, C-USA finished as the 11th-ranked league in the RPI, the primary tool used by the NCAA Tournament committee. As of Monday, C-USA was 12th, behind the West Coast Conference, the Mountain West and the Horizon League.
And despite the fact that a few teams besides Memphis have stepped up and beaten recognizable opponents -- both UAB and Houston beat Kentucky, Tulane is 3-0 against the SEC and even East Carolina notched a victory over N.C. State -- others have been just that close to attention-grabbing victories.
The net effect is that only Memphis (first) and Tulane (70th) begin conference play with RPIs in the top 100, hardly what the league hoped for in a year when it anticipated sending at least two and perhaps even three teams to the NCAA Tournament. Now, C-USA's only realistic hope for an at-large bid (besides an upset in the conference tournament, of course) is for Tulane to finish a strong second to Memphis in the standings or for Houston to beat Arizona on Saturday, then try to upset the Tigers later this season.
"So much of college basketball is on the RPI now, and you can't judge the teams in our conference on RPI," Tulane coach Dave Dickerson said. "Even though the media will and sometimes the officials of our conference will, our teams are good. They're well-coached. They play hard. Some teams have had some bad losses, and some teams have had some good wins. It's one of those things where worrying about the conference RPI isn't on our radar. Hopefully if we win enough games, we'll have a chance. But our conference is much better, regardless of the RPI."
Because Memphis notched early wins over Oklahoma, Connecticut, Georgetown, Arizona and Southern California, the Tigers' RPI should not suffer too badly, as long as they keep winning. Though playing as many as 10 sub-100 RPI teams will certainly hurt their strength of schedule, Memphis has banked enough power points to stay in position for a No. 1 seed and can make up some ground if necessary against Gonzaga (25th) and Tennessee (fourth) later in the year.
On the other hand, it will be difficult for Memphis to get much credit for its league dominance until others break through nationally.
One example is UTEP, which pushed Texas A&M to the wire on Nov. 14, lost by seven points at Texas Tech last weekend and had a lead on 14-2 New Mexico within the final minute. Still, the Miners, at 9-4, lack a victory over a top-100 RPI team.
Central Florida is just 7-7 but could have beaten Villanova (the Knights lost 76-68), had free throws to upset Kansas State (they lost 73-71 in overtime), and came within one basket of Connecticut (losing 85-82 at home).
"The schedule has been extremely challenging, and we're right there," UCF coach Kirk Speraw said. "Possessions here or there that we don't get the ball to bounce our way, and it has been frustrating."
Meanwhile, others in the league have simply been disappointing. UAB was a media darling this offseason, with coach Mike Davis hyping his transfer core of Robert Vaden and Walter Sharpe among others. But UAB has had eligibility issues, injury issues and road issues. At 10-5, UAB's best RPI win was over Cincinnati (164th) and simply has not done enough to build its non-conference resume.
Southern Miss was supposed to take forward steps this year after going 20-11 with a young team. After close road losses to California, Alabama and South Alabama -- all credible teams -- the Golden Eagles' RPI has taken a nosedive with recent losses to McNeese State and Savannah State.
Houston has not stumbled but still can't make any RPI headway. The Cougars are 11-2 with credible losses against Virginia Commonwealth (59th) and at UMass (16th). But with only one victory over a top-100 team (64th-ranked Marist), the Cougars are in catch-up mode.
"I think it's a very flawed system, and it has been since the beginning and always will be," coach Tom Penders said. "We had an RPI expert from the NCAA at our league meetings, and I asked him how Notre Dame played nine teams at home (ranked 200 or lower) and they had a higher RPI going into the conference than anybody in our conference. I think they ought to throw it out and come up with a better one."
That won't happen any time soon, so as Calipari might say, it is what it is. And until someone besides Memphis can figure out the numbers game, C-USA's reputation will continue to suffer.
"There were four games last week that if we win, we're probably 10 (as a conference)," Calipari said. "And they were all winnable games. That's how close we are. Before the split, the league was the 9th-rated lead. We're getting close. Everybody's trying to make the strides we need to make. We're looking for breakthrough games. When you have those, it kind of opens up the dam, and the water rushes through."
Reach Dan Wolken at 529-2365; read his blogs on the Tigers at thememphisedge.com.
Low profile affects Tigers, tournament hopefuls
By Dan Wolken
Tuesday, January 8, 2008
In a span of about four hours last Wednesday night, three Conference USA teams had opportunities to not only boost the league's national image but its all-important Ratings Percentage Index. Had those teams gone 3-0, it would have been legitimate to begin talking about C-USA once again as a league capable of putting multiple teams into the NCAA Tournament.
But as University of Memphis coach John Calipari watched Houston and Texas-El Paso, respectively, blow late leads to UMass and New Mexico -- sandwiching a Tulane victory over LSU -- he was left without much more than rhetoric in his annual campaign to promote the conference his team plays in.
"We're so close to bumping through," Calipari said. "We're talking baskets away from saying that we can change the impression out there that the league hasn't gotten better. It has."
Though every coach maintains that C-USA has improved, the numbers don't necessarily reflect it. Last season, C-USA finished as the 11th-ranked league in the RPI, the primary tool used by the NCAA Tournament committee. As of Monday, C-USA was 12th, behind the West Coast Conference, the Mountain West and the Horizon League.
And despite the fact that a few teams besides Memphis have stepped up and beaten recognizable opponents -- both UAB and Houston beat Kentucky, Tulane is 3-0 against the SEC and even East Carolina notched a victory over N.C. State -- others have been just that close to attention-grabbing victories.
The net effect is that only Memphis (first) and Tulane (70th) begin conference play with RPIs in the top 100, hardly what the league hoped for in a year when it anticipated sending at least two and perhaps even three teams to the NCAA Tournament. Now, C-USA's only realistic hope for an at-large bid (besides an upset in the conference tournament, of course) is for Tulane to finish a strong second to Memphis in the standings or for Houston to beat Arizona on Saturday, then try to upset the Tigers later this season.
"So much of college basketball is on the RPI now, and you can't judge the teams in our conference on RPI," Tulane coach Dave Dickerson said. "Even though the media will and sometimes the officials of our conference will, our teams are good. They're well-coached. They play hard. Some teams have had some bad losses, and some teams have had some good wins. It's one of those things where worrying about the conference RPI isn't on our radar. Hopefully if we win enough games, we'll have a chance. But our conference is much better, regardless of the RPI."
Because Memphis notched early wins over Oklahoma, Connecticut, Georgetown, Arizona and Southern California, the Tigers' RPI should not suffer too badly, as long as they keep winning. Though playing as many as 10 sub-100 RPI teams will certainly hurt their strength of schedule, Memphis has banked enough power points to stay in position for a No. 1 seed and can make up some ground if necessary against Gonzaga (25th) and Tennessee (fourth) later in the year.
On the other hand, it will be difficult for Memphis to get much credit for its league dominance until others break through nationally.
One example is UTEP, which pushed Texas A&M to the wire on Nov. 14, lost by seven points at Texas Tech last weekend and had a lead on 14-2 New Mexico within the final minute. Still, the Miners, at 9-4, lack a victory over a top-100 RPI team.
Central Florida is just 7-7 but could have beaten Villanova (the Knights lost 76-68), had free throws to upset Kansas State (they lost 73-71 in overtime), and came within one basket of Connecticut (losing 85-82 at home).
"The schedule has been extremely challenging, and we're right there," UCF coach Kirk Speraw said. "Possessions here or there that we don't get the ball to bounce our way, and it has been frustrating."
Meanwhile, others in the league have simply been disappointing. UAB was a media darling this offseason, with coach Mike Davis hyping his transfer core of Robert Vaden and Walter Sharpe among others. But UAB has had eligibility issues, injury issues and road issues. At 10-5, UAB's best RPI win was over Cincinnati (164th) and simply has not done enough to build its non-conference resume.
Southern Miss was supposed to take forward steps this year after going 20-11 with a young team. After close road losses to California, Alabama and South Alabama -- all credible teams -- the Golden Eagles' RPI has taken a nosedive with recent losses to McNeese State and Savannah State.
Houston has not stumbled but still can't make any RPI headway. The Cougars are 11-2 with credible losses against Virginia Commonwealth (59th) and at UMass (16th). But with only one victory over a top-100 team (64th-ranked Marist), the Cougars are in catch-up mode.
"I think it's a very flawed system, and it has been since the beginning and always will be," coach Tom Penders said. "We had an RPI expert from the NCAA at our league meetings, and I asked him how Notre Dame played nine teams at home (ranked 200 or lower) and they had a higher RPI going into the conference than anybody in our conference. I think they ought to throw it out and come up with a better one."
That won't happen any time soon, so as Calipari might say, it is what it is. And until someone besides Memphis can figure out the numbers game, C-USA's reputation will continue to suffer.
"There were four games last week that if we win, we're probably 10 (as a conference)," Calipari said. "And they were all winnable games. That's how close we are. Before the split, the league was the 9th-rated lead. We're getting close. Everybody's trying to make the strides we need to make. We're looking for breakthrough games. When you have those, it kind of opens up the dam, and the water rushes through."
Reach Dan Wolken at 529-2365; read his blogs on the Tigers at thememphisedge.com.
Rose's progress pleases Tigers
Rose's progress pleases Tigers
Transition to college ongoing for freshman
By Jim Masilak
Monday, January 7, 2008
If there are a million people living in the Memphis metropolitan area, then John Calipari estimates there must be a million basketball "laymen."
The University of Memphis coach excluded, of course.
So while Derrick Rose's recent performances may not be what a so-called layman would expect from a potential No. 1 draft pick, Calipari sees something different.
"I'm happy with him," Calipari said following Saturday's 90-53 romp over Pepperdine, during which Rose scored five points and handed out six assists. "To have a player that good who doesn't care if he scores 30? ... If people are actually watching him play, it doesn't change their opinion. When he plays hard, they think he's unbelievable. And he plays hard."
If the No. 2-ranked Tigers' past three games have revealed anything, however, it's that their highly regarded freshman point guard is still a work in progress. Though Rose says "there's nothing (critics) can say when you're winning by 40," it isn't being unkind to suggest he has some work to do before he's ready to run the point in the NBA.
Not that there's anything wrong with that.
"He's just a freshman. He's learning," senior point guard Andre Allen said. "The fans know he's a high school all-American, but college ball is a lot tougher. A lot tougher."
While Rose has made a smoother transition than most, it's an ongoing process for a point guard.
Dynamite in transition, where his speed on the dribble is breathtaking and his decision-making usually excellent, Rose has been somewhat less effective as a facilitator when faced with tightly packed defenses designed to cut off the Tigers' dribble-drive penetration.
If Rose has appeared uncertain at times about how to best attack a defense, or seemed a bit slow in identifying what's being thrown at him, junior forward Robert Dozier says he isn't alone.
"He's not the only one going through that," Dozier said. "We all have problems sometimes recognizing what they're in. Once we recognize it, it's all cool."
Never one to shy away from an opening, Allen said there's a simple answer to unlocking what the Tigers often refer to as "junk" defenses.
"Just drive the ball," he said. "Everybody thinks you've got to drive the ball to score. You've got to drive the ball to get other people shots."
Seemingly content with his contributions thus far for a 13-0 club, Rose didn't offer much when asked about any potential areas for growth in his game.
"I really just need to be more aggressive. That's the big thing," said Rose, who is averaging 14 points, 4.6 assists, 4.5 rebounds and 3.3 turnovers per game for the Tigers. "If you don't attack, you make it hard for yourself."
While Rose has delivered when it's mattered most -- his 24-point effort against Connecticut and game-winning 26-point performance at Cincinnati stand out in particular -- there have also been some moments when he has perhaps blended in a little too much.
Last Thursday, the Chicago native turned in a muted display during an easy victory over Siena. The freshman had six points and six assists and did not turn the ball over, but he was largely invisible in the face of inferior opposition.
The same could be said of his play Saturday against the Waves.
Those performances came in the wake of what could best be described as a frantic effort against Arizona. Although Rose scored 12 points against the Wildcats, who played without injured freshman point guard Jerryd Bayless, he also committed six turnovers -- most of them coming on wild drives to the basket.
Billed as a pass-first point guard, Rose's tendency when penetrating has been to shoot rather than kick out to the perimeter or dish when defenders collapse on him. Because he is admittedly still learning how to use his body to protect the ball when driving in traffic, many of his turnovers have come while driving the lane.
At the same time, while Rose is regarded as an average shooter, his field-goal percentage (47.7 percent) suggests he has been judicious in picking his shots. His marksmanship from 3-point range (36.4 percent) has also been a pleasant surprise for the Tigers.
"He's done it when we've needed it," Allen said of Rose's offensive production. "But if somebody else gets going, he realizes there's no need to force it."
Rose's numbers may not be as impressive as those of fellow freshmen Michael Beasley and Eric Gordon, both of whom are among the nation's leaders in scoring, but he says the Tigers' results thus far speak for themselves.
"I'm just trying to learn," he said. "That's it."
-- Jim Masilak: 529-2311
Transition to college ongoing for freshman
By Jim Masilak
Monday, January 7, 2008
If there are a million people living in the Memphis metropolitan area, then John Calipari estimates there must be a million basketball "laymen."
The University of Memphis coach excluded, of course.
So while Derrick Rose's recent performances may not be what a so-called layman would expect from a potential No. 1 draft pick, Calipari sees something different.
"I'm happy with him," Calipari said following Saturday's 90-53 romp over Pepperdine, during which Rose scored five points and handed out six assists. "To have a player that good who doesn't care if he scores 30? ... If people are actually watching him play, it doesn't change their opinion. When he plays hard, they think he's unbelievable. And he plays hard."
If the No. 2-ranked Tigers' past three games have revealed anything, however, it's that their highly regarded freshman point guard is still a work in progress. Though Rose says "there's nothing (critics) can say when you're winning by 40," it isn't being unkind to suggest he has some work to do before he's ready to run the point in the NBA.
Not that there's anything wrong with that.
"He's just a freshman. He's learning," senior point guard Andre Allen said. "The fans know he's a high school all-American, but college ball is a lot tougher. A lot tougher."
While Rose has made a smoother transition than most, it's an ongoing process for a point guard.
Dynamite in transition, where his speed on the dribble is breathtaking and his decision-making usually excellent, Rose has been somewhat less effective as a facilitator when faced with tightly packed defenses designed to cut off the Tigers' dribble-drive penetration.
If Rose has appeared uncertain at times about how to best attack a defense, or seemed a bit slow in identifying what's being thrown at him, junior forward Robert Dozier says he isn't alone.
"He's not the only one going through that," Dozier said. "We all have problems sometimes recognizing what they're in. Once we recognize it, it's all cool."
Never one to shy away from an opening, Allen said there's a simple answer to unlocking what the Tigers often refer to as "junk" defenses.
"Just drive the ball," he said. "Everybody thinks you've got to drive the ball to score. You've got to drive the ball to get other people shots."
Seemingly content with his contributions thus far for a 13-0 club, Rose didn't offer much when asked about any potential areas for growth in his game.
"I really just need to be more aggressive. That's the big thing," said Rose, who is averaging 14 points, 4.6 assists, 4.5 rebounds and 3.3 turnovers per game for the Tigers. "If you don't attack, you make it hard for yourself."
While Rose has delivered when it's mattered most -- his 24-point effort against Connecticut and game-winning 26-point performance at Cincinnati stand out in particular -- there have also been some moments when he has perhaps blended in a little too much.
Last Thursday, the Chicago native turned in a muted display during an easy victory over Siena. The freshman had six points and six assists and did not turn the ball over, but he was largely invisible in the face of inferior opposition.
The same could be said of his play Saturday against the Waves.
Those performances came in the wake of what could best be described as a frantic effort against Arizona. Although Rose scored 12 points against the Wildcats, who played without injured freshman point guard Jerryd Bayless, he also committed six turnovers -- most of them coming on wild drives to the basket.
Billed as a pass-first point guard, Rose's tendency when penetrating has been to shoot rather than kick out to the perimeter or dish when defenders collapse on him. Because he is admittedly still learning how to use his body to protect the ball when driving in traffic, many of his turnovers have come while driving the lane.
At the same time, while Rose is regarded as an average shooter, his field-goal percentage (47.7 percent) suggests he has been judicious in picking his shots. His marksmanship from 3-point range (36.4 percent) has also been a pleasant surprise for the Tigers.
"He's done it when we've needed it," Allen said of Rose's offensive production. "But if somebody else gets going, he realizes there's no need to force it."
Rose's numbers may not be as impressive as those of fellow freshmen Michael Beasley and Eric Gordon, both of whom are among the nation's leaders in scoring, but he says the Tigers' results thus far speak for themselves.
"I'm just trying to learn," he said. "That's it."
-- Jim Masilak: 529-2311
Sunday, January 06, 2008
Top prospect, Matt Simpkins, chooses Tigers
Top prospect chooses Tigers
By Dan Wolken
Sunday, January 6, 2008
One of the few remaining top-50 players in the 2008 recruiting class said Saturday he wants to play for the University of Memphis.
Matt Simpkins, a 6-9 forward from Oakland, Calif., told The Commercial Appeal he has chosen Memphis over California and Washington, giving the Tigers another elite frontcourt player for next season to go along with Angel Garcia of East Chicago, Ind.
Simpkins, who plays at The Patterson School in Patterson, N.C., visited the Memphis campus this weekend with his mother, Tanya Brown, and decided to verbally commit to coach John Calipari after watching the Tigers' 90-53 victory over Pepperdine.
"It's been great so far; I'm getting along with the guys, the coaches," Simpkins said. "It seems like a perfect fit for me.
"The game was very different from watching them on TV, just being in the atmosphere with the home crowd, and the coaches were saying that wasn't even one of their packed games, but it was almost filled. It was crazy."
Though Simpkins described himself as a wing/power forward with good skills, he could also help Memphis fill the hole inside left by senior Joey Dorsey next season. Simpkins is 215 pounds already, and he has room to grow.
"I haven't even really developed my whole strength and muscle, but coming here will get me physically ready for the next level," he said.
Landing Simpkins is a huge development for Memphis, which had to absorb a blow last summer when twin forwards Marcus and Markeiff Morris of Philadelphia de-committed and ultimately decided to sign with Kansas.
Instead of the twins, who are ranked 37th and 72nd by Rivals.com, the Tigers apparently will end up with Garcia and Simpkins, ranked 27th and 47th, respectively. Memphis is also looking at guards, primarily Tyreke Evans, a top-5 player whose future has been clouded somewhat by legal issues related to a murder he may have witnessed near Philadelphia.
Under NCAA rules, Calipari can't comment on recruits who have not signed. Simpkins won't be able to sign a letter-of-intent until the spring period in April.
By Dan Wolken
Sunday, January 6, 2008
One of the few remaining top-50 players in the 2008 recruiting class said Saturday he wants to play for the University of Memphis.
Matt Simpkins, a 6-9 forward from Oakland, Calif., told The Commercial Appeal he has chosen Memphis over California and Washington, giving the Tigers another elite frontcourt player for next season to go along with Angel Garcia of East Chicago, Ind.
Simpkins, who plays at The Patterson School in Patterson, N.C., visited the Memphis campus this weekend with his mother, Tanya Brown, and decided to verbally commit to coach John Calipari after watching the Tigers' 90-53 victory over Pepperdine.
"It's been great so far; I'm getting along with the guys, the coaches," Simpkins said. "It seems like a perfect fit for me.
"The game was very different from watching them on TV, just being in the atmosphere with the home crowd, and the coaches were saying that wasn't even one of their packed games, but it was almost filled. It was crazy."
Though Simpkins described himself as a wing/power forward with good skills, he could also help Memphis fill the hole inside left by senior Joey Dorsey next season. Simpkins is 215 pounds already, and he has room to grow.
"I haven't even really developed my whole strength and muscle, but coming here will get me physically ready for the next level," he said.
Landing Simpkins is a huge development for Memphis, which had to absorb a blow last summer when twin forwards Marcus and Markeiff Morris of Philadelphia de-committed and ultimately decided to sign with Kansas.
Instead of the twins, who are ranked 37th and 72nd by Rivals.com, the Tigers apparently will end up with Garcia and Simpkins, ranked 27th and 47th, respectively. Memphis is also looking at guards, primarily Tyreke Evans, a top-5 player whose future has been clouded somewhat by legal issues related to a murder he may have witnessed near Philadelphia.
Under NCAA rules, Calipari can't comment on recruits who have not signed. Simpkins won't be able to sign a letter-of-intent until the spring period in April.
An unsung hero keeps the Tigers on the ball
An unsung hero keeps the Tigers on the ball
By Geoff Calkins
Sunday, January 6, 2008
The small voice came from out on the court, just after the Memphis Tigers defeated Pepperdine, 90-53, for their 40th straight win at FedExForum.
Psssssst.
Yes? Who's that?
The ball.
You're over near the ball?
No, I am the ball. The actual basketball.
Whoa. Basketballs can talk? Who knew they had mouths?
How do you think we dribble?
Har. But what should I call you?
Spalding.
And why are you talking now?
Because it's a proud day for me. A proud day for the entire ball family. This may the biggest day for balls since ...
New Year's Eve?
No, dummy. Since my cousin, Wilson, got a starring role in "Cast Away."
But he was a movie star. You're just a ball.
Just a ball? And I suppose the Patriots are just a football team?
They're undefeated.
Exactly! Just like I am. On Jan. 2, 2006, the Tigers lost to Texas. Jimmy Ogle, the scoreboard operator, got rid of the Texas ball and picked me to start the next game.
Memphis beat Middle Tennessee.
Yes. I did great.
Memphis won the next game, too.
Also my work.
And the next game.
Mine.
And the next game ...
What part of undefeated don't you understand? It's been me all the way. Me being dunked. Me being swished. Me being heaved toward the rafters in victory after victory.
But how do we know this? Aren't there a bunch of game balls in the rack before each game?
Fifteen, to be precise. But Ogle is a superstitious sort. When I started winning, he scrawled an "A" on me, for Andre Allen.
Ahhhhhhh.
Memphis didn't lose another home game that first year. Last year, I won 16.
But Memphis won 19 at home last year.
True, but Conference USA didn't let them use me during the conference tournament. They used some ball called "The Rock." Why would they name a ball "The Rock?"
It's an expression. Pass the rock. Score the rock.
It's still stupid. Balls are not rocks. Rocks are not balls. Nobody plays "Ball, paper, scissors," do they?
You have a point. Which is unusual for a ball.
At least Ogle appreciated my talents. He took me home with him last summer.
He did not.
Yes, he did. He asked the university's permission.
Where did he keep you?
On his dining room table.
All summer?
All summer.
But now it also says "Frayser" on you. And "Buddy." What's with that?
Well, Buddy McEwen -- the longtime pro at Davy Crockett Golf Course in Frayser -- was a huge Tigers fan. McEwen had cancer. When Ogle learned McEwen wouldn't be able to come to the games this year, he wrote "Frayser" on me. Then he took a picture and sent it to McEwen.
That's very sweet.
McEwen died in December. So Ogle added the word "Buddy" right before the Georgetown game.
And Memphis won.
That's how I roll.
I have to say, you're remarkable.
Last year, I scored Jeremy Hunt's 1,000th point. This year, I did the same for Chris Douglas-Roberts.
You're a piece of history.
That's why Ogle now brings me home after every game. He even bought a special sack to carry me.
But how long can you keep this going?
Not sure. The jobs has its perils.
Such as?
Memphis free throws. Those tend to hurt. Plus, one of these days, Joey Dorsey is going to swat me all the way to Fayette County.
Do you have to pass inspection or anything?
Before every game. Ogle tosses me to Andre Allen, then Willie Kemp, then Derrick Rose. All the point guards. The other team gets to take a look. The referee always checks me out.
Any close calls?
A couple weeks ago, Curtis Shaw -- he's a ref -- thought I was too puffed up. He asked Ogle for a needle to let some air out of me.
Well, the needle snapped off while it was still inside me. This was right before the tip. Shaw had to grab it with his teeth and yank it out of me.
Ouch.
Like an old Western, really. But I bounced back.
Of course you did. Any final words to the Memphis fans?
I just hope people are enjoying this as much as I am. Forty is a big number, you know. No Memphis team has ever won 40 straight home games before this one.
So make sure you enjoy it while it lasts. Don't take this glorious streak for granted. Every time I come to FedExForum, I know I'm going to have ...
Fun?
A ball, silly.
To reach Geoff Calkins, call him at 529-2364 or e-mail calkins@commercial appeal.com. You can hear his radio show, "The Geoff & Gary Show," from 7 to 9 a.m. Monday through Friday on ESPN 730.
By Geoff Calkins
Sunday, January 6, 2008
The small voice came from out on the court, just after the Memphis Tigers defeated Pepperdine, 90-53, for their 40th straight win at FedExForum.
Psssssst.
Yes? Who's that?
The ball.
You're over near the ball?
No, I am the ball. The actual basketball.
Whoa. Basketballs can talk? Who knew they had mouths?
How do you think we dribble?
Har. But what should I call you?
Spalding.
And why are you talking now?
Because it's a proud day for me. A proud day for the entire ball family. This may the biggest day for balls since ...
New Year's Eve?
No, dummy. Since my cousin, Wilson, got a starring role in "Cast Away."
But he was a movie star. You're just a ball.
Just a ball? And I suppose the Patriots are just a football team?
They're undefeated.
Exactly! Just like I am. On Jan. 2, 2006, the Tigers lost to Texas. Jimmy Ogle, the scoreboard operator, got rid of the Texas ball and picked me to start the next game.
Memphis beat Middle Tennessee.
Yes. I did great.
Memphis won the next game, too.
Also my work.
And the next game.
Mine.
And the next game ...
What part of undefeated don't you understand? It's been me all the way. Me being dunked. Me being swished. Me being heaved toward the rafters in victory after victory.
But how do we know this? Aren't there a bunch of game balls in the rack before each game?
Fifteen, to be precise. But Ogle is a superstitious sort. When I started winning, he scrawled an "A" on me, for Andre Allen.
Ahhhhhhh.
Memphis didn't lose another home game that first year. Last year, I won 16.
But Memphis won 19 at home last year.
True, but Conference USA didn't let them use me during the conference tournament. They used some ball called "The Rock." Why would they name a ball "The Rock?"
It's an expression. Pass the rock. Score the rock.
It's still stupid. Balls are not rocks. Rocks are not balls. Nobody plays "Ball, paper, scissors," do they?
You have a point. Which is unusual for a ball.
At least Ogle appreciated my talents. He took me home with him last summer.
He did not.
Yes, he did. He asked the university's permission.
Where did he keep you?
On his dining room table.
All summer?
All summer.
But now it also says "Frayser" on you. And "Buddy." What's with that?
Well, Buddy McEwen -- the longtime pro at Davy Crockett Golf Course in Frayser -- was a huge Tigers fan. McEwen had cancer. When Ogle learned McEwen wouldn't be able to come to the games this year, he wrote "Frayser" on me. Then he took a picture and sent it to McEwen.
That's very sweet.
McEwen died in December. So Ogle added the word "Buddy" right before the Georgetown game.
And Memphis won.
That's how I roll.
I have to say, you're remarkable.
Last year, I scored Jeremy Hunt's 1,000th point. This year, I did the same for Chris Douglas-Roberts.
You're a piece of history.
That's why Ogle now brings me home after every game. He even bought a special sack to carry me.
But how long can you keep this going?
Not sure. The jobs has its perils.
Such as?
Memphis free throws. Those tend to hurt. Plus, one of these days, Joey Dorsey is going to swat me all the way to Fayette County.
Do you have to pass inspection or anything?
Before every game. Ogle tosses me to Andre Allen, then Willie Kemp, then Derrick Rose. All the point guards. The other team gets to take a look. The referee always checks me out.
Any close calls?
A couple weeks ago, Curtis Shaw -- he's a ref -- thought I was too puffed up. He asked Ogle for a needle to let some air out of me.
Well, the needle snapped off while it was still inside me. This was right before the tip. Shaw had to grab it with his teeth and yank it out of me.
Ouch.
Like an old Western, really. But I bounced back.
Of course you did. Any final words to the Memphis fans?
I just hope people are enjoying this as much as I am. Forty is a big number, you know. No Memphis team has ever won 40 straight home games before this one.
So make sure you enjoy it while it lasts. Don't take this glorious streak for granted. Every time I come to FedExForum, I know I'm going to have ...
Fun?
A ball, silly.
To reach Geoff Calkins, call him at 529-2364 or e-mail calkins@commercial appeal.com. You can hear his radio show, "The Geoff & Gary Show," from 7 to 9 a.m. Monday through Friday on ESPN 730.
Tigers achieve decisive victory over Pepperdine
Tigers achieve decisive victory over Pepperdine
No. 2 Tigers 90, Pepperdine 53
By Dan Wolken
Sunday, January 6, 2008
As the calendar turns and the level of competition clouds its accomplishments through no fault of its own, do not measure the progress of this University of Memphis team by how many jump shots it hits in a given game, how many free throws bounce through the rim or how the minutes get spread around.
On most nights from now until March, the No. 2-ranked Tigers will see a steady stream of clubs that can't match their talent, depth, experience and other measurable attributes. But at the end of this run, whenever and wherever it may be, the Tigers' success will ultimately rest on how well they can adapt to the numerous strategies teams will employ to stop them.
Day by day, the process is becoming easier for Memphis, as it showed Saturday in a 90-53 victory over Pepperdine. Presented with yet another defensive look they had not seen, the Tigers encountered some difficulty early in front of an anxious FedExForum crowd of 16,974. But once Memphis (13-0) adjusted, it asserted its dominance yet again for a school record-breaking 40th straight home victory.
"They were kind of in a funky defense so it took us awhile to recognize what they were in," said junior forward Robert Dozier, one of five Tigers who finished in double-figures with 11 points. "It still probably isn't happening as fast as we want. Guys want to be able to look at it and adjust right then. But it's a process, and I think as the season goes on, we'll get better at it."
When the Tigers started this process, they were completely unprepared for the unconventional. On Dec. 4 -- not so long ago -- Memphis was exposed by USC's triangle-and-2, lending credence to the idea that confusing the Tigers was the best way to beat them.
Since then, Memphis has seen practically every kind of defense, from rarely-used zones to sagging man-to-mans, to hybrids of both. Though Dozier described Pepperdine's strategy as a matchup zone, coach John Calipari said the Waves "tilted," to use the NBA term.
Ultimately, freshman point guard Derrick Rose began to recognize the open spaces, helping the Tigers make 50 percent of their field goals (15-of-34 from 3-point range) and record 28 assists on 34 baskets.
"If we caught it on one side of the floor, they tilted their defense that way so they just left men, and it almost became a zone," Calipari said. "Derrick kept telling me, the weak side is open. I said, 'I know, jump up and throw it to him.' So we started throwing it cross-court, and the threes we got were all in that weak side corner."
Though the Tigers' intelligence ultimately took over, their hustle betrayed them for the first few minutes.
Indeed, with 6:50 left in the first half, Memphis led just 25-24 as Pepperdine won practically every loose ball and ripped rebounds away from the likes of Dozier and Joey Dorsey for second-chance points.
A 16-1 run, however, put the Tigers in command, as Dozier, senior Andre Allen and junior Antonio Anderson made 3-pointers in quick succession. A 44-31 halftime lead then expanded to 25 in the next 10 minutes as Memphis held Pepperdine to 31.7 percent shooting, shut down the glass (Pepperdine had 14 offensive rebounds in the first half, just two in the second) and got a run of 3-pointers from sophomore guard Doneal Mack, who finished with a team-high 23 points in 14 minutes to break out of a season-long slump.
Mack made 7-of-13 from the arc, tying a school record with his mother, Lorna Rivers, in attendance. It was a rare opportunity for Mack to play in front of his mother, who lives in Germany.
"I'm cherishing this moment right now with my family being here and me playing a good game," Mack said. "Cal is very consistent; he says you have to get out there and play defense, keep the intensity and effort up, and that led to a lot of shots being made and me playing good on offense."
At this point, intensity may be the only issue Memphis will grapple with, at least until Gonzaga comes to town Jan. 26. Though the Tigers will certainly face better teams than Pepperdine (5-10) in the coming weeks, Saturday was the kind of game they will have to play often when the Conference USA schedule begins Wednesday against East Carolina.
Can the Tigers adjust on the fly? Can they bring the same enthusiasm against East Carolina and Tulsa that they did against Georgetown and Arizona? After Saturday, Calipari feels more comfortable answering those questions.
"What I saw in the second half is what I needed to see," he said. "On the road, if we do what we did in the first half, we're going to have problems. It's hard for them to be at a high every game.
"There's going to be games where we're down at halftime. They're going to be playing the best of their lives, and we're not quite ready. They're going to beat us to rebounds, beat us to balls and hopefully we'll adjust at halftime and make a commitment we won't let it happen in the second half."
Reach Dan Wolken at 529-2365; read his blogs on the Tigers at thememphisedge.com.
No. 2 Tigers 90, Pepperdine 53
By Dan Wolken
Sunday, January 6, 2008
As the calendar turns and the level of competition clouds its accomplishments through no fault of its own, do not measure the progress of this University of Memphis team by how many jump shots it hits in a given game, how many free throws bounce through the rim or how the minutes get spread around.
On most nights from now until March, the No. 2-ranked Tigers will see a steady stream of clubs that can't match their talent, depth, experience and other measurable attributes. But at the end of this run, whenever and wherever it may be, the Tigers' success will ultimately rest on how well they can adapt to the numerous strategies teams will employ to stop them.
Day by day, the process is becoming easier for Memphis, as it showed Saturday in a 90-53 victory over Pepperdine. Presented with yet another defensive look they had not seen, the Tigers encountered some difficulty early in front of an anxious FedExForum crowd of 16,974. But once Memphis (13-0) adjusted, it asserted its dominance yet again for a school record-breaking 40th straight home victory.
"They were kind of in a funky defense so it took us awhile to recognize what they were in," said junior forward Robert Dozier, one of five Tigers who finished in double-figures with 11 points. "It still probably isn't happening as fast as we want. Guys want to be able to look at it and adjust right then. But it's a process, and I think as the season goes on, we'll get better at it."
When the Tigers started this process, they were completely unprepared for the unconventional. On Dec. 4 -- not so long ago -- Memphis was exposed by USC's triangle-and-2, lending credence to the idea that confusing the Tigers was the best way to beat them.
Since then, Memphis has seen practically every kind of defense, from rarely-used zones to sagging man-to-mans, to hybrids of both. Though Dozier described Pepperdine's strategy as a matchup zone, coach John Calipari said the Waves "tilted," to use the NBA term.
Ultimately, freshman point guard Derrick Rose began to recognize the open spaces, helping the Tigers make 50 percent of their field goals (15-of-34 from 3-point range) and record 28 assists on 34 baskets.
"If we caught it on one side of the floor, they tilted their defense that way so they just left men, and it almost became a zone," Calipari said. "Derrick kept telling me, the weak side is open. I said, 'I know, jump up and throw it to him.' So we started throwing it cross-court, and the threes we got were all in that weak side corner."
Though the Tigers' intelligence ultimately took over, their hustle betrayed them for the first few minutes.
Indeed, with 6:50 left in the first half, Memphis led just 25-24 as Pepperdine won practically every loose ball and ripped rebounds away from the likes of Dozier and Joey Dorsey for second-chance points.
A 16-1 run, however, put the Tigers in command, as Dozier, senior Andre Allen and junior Antonio Anderson made 3-pointers in quick succession. A 44-31 halftime lead then expanded to 25 in the next 10 minutes as Memphis held Pepperdine to 31.7 percent shooting, shut down the glass (Pepperdine had 14 offensive rebounds in the first half, just two in the second) and got a run of 3-pointers from sophomore guard Doneal Mack, who finished with a team-high 23 points in 14 minutes to break out of a season-long slump.
Mack made 7-of-13 from the arc, tying a school record with his mother, Lorna Rivers, in attendance. It was a rare opportunity for Mack to play in front of his mother, who lives in Germany.
"I'm cherishing this moment right now with my family being here and me playing a good game," Mack said. "Cal is very consistent; he says you have to get out there and play defense, keep the intensity and effort up, and that led to a lot of shots being made and me playing good on offense."
At this point, intensity may be the only issue Memphis will grapple with, at least until Gonzaga comes to town Jan. 26. Though the Tigers will certainly face better teams than Pepperdine (5-10) in the coming weeks, Saturday was the kind of game they will have to play often when the Conference USA schedule begins Wednesday against East Carolina.
Can the Tigers adjust on the fly? Can they bring the same enthusiasm against East Carolina and Tulsa that they did against Georgetown and Arizona? After Saturday, Calipari feels more comfortable answering those questions.
"What I saw in the second half is what I needed to see," he said. "On the road, if we do what we did in the first half, we're going to have problems. It's hard for them to be at a high every game.
"There's going to be games where we're down at halftime. They're going to be playing the best of their lives, and we're not quite ready. They're going to beat us to rebounds, beat us to balls and hopefully we'll adjust at halftime and make a commitment we won't let it happen in the second half."
Reach Dan Wolken at 529-2365; read his blogs on the Tigers at thememphisedge.com.
Memphis rolls past Pepperdine for 40th straight home win
Memphis rolls past Pepperdine for 40th straight home win
Memphis, TN (Sports Network) - Doneal Mack led a three-point barrage with seven treys as part of a 23-point game, as second-ranked Memphis rolled past Pepperdine, 90-53, at FedEx Forum.
Chris Douglas-Roberts scored 14 points, without one of Memphis' 15 triples, Antonio Anderson and Willie Kemp scored 12 points apiece and Robert Dozier added 11 points with six rebounds.
The Tigers (13-0) set a school record with their 40th straight home win and gave head coach John Calipari his 101st non-conference victory with the school. Memphis last won 39 straight home games from the end of the 1983-84 season through the 1986-87 campaign.
"We played well today," Calipari said. "I was so happy for Doneal today. He had struggled recently."
Tyrone Shelley led Pepperdine (5-10) with 17 points and 11 rebounds, while Malcolm Thomas added 10 points and seven rebounds.
"Memphis is a heck of a team. They are about as good as they come, and they just wear you down, Pepperdine head coach Vance Walberg said.
Memphis led 44-31 at the half, but methodically built a 59-38 lead on Joey Dorsey's layup. Dorsey scored six points with nine rebounds. Mack buried a three with 11:20 to go for a 65-41 advantage, and he again connected from long distance for an 80-47 edge with 3:09 left.
Two more Mack threes for good measure opened an 86-49 lead with 2:19 remaining.
Three-point shooting was the difference, as the Tigers drained 15-of-34 from beyond the arc, while the Waves made just 3-of-16.
Pepperdine actually held a 16-14 lead over eight minutes in and trailed just 25-24 after Shelley's jumper with 6:50 to go in first half. However, Memphis scored nine straight points in just over one minute to regain control. Treys by Andre Allen and Dozier preceded Anderson's slam with 5:07 to play.
Game Notes
Memphis hasn't lost at home since a 69-58 setback to Texas on January 2, 2006...Pepperdine capped a 10-game stint away from Malibu with the loss...This marked the first meeting between the schools since Memphis' 80-70 victory in the first round of the 1992 NCAA Tournament...The Waves committed 21 turnovers that resulted in 38 Memphis points.
01/05 16:33:53 ET
Memphis, TN (Sports Network) - Doneal Mack led a three-point barrage with seven treys as part of a 23-point game, as second-ranked Memphis rolled past Pepperdine, 90-53, at FedEx Forum.
Chris Douglas-Roberts scored 14 points, without one of Memphis' 15 triples, Antonio Anderson and Willie Kemp scored 12 points apiece and Robert Dozier added 11 points with six rebounds.
The Tigers (13-0) set a school record with their 40th straight home win and gave head coach John Calipari his 101st non-conference victory with the school. Memphis last won 39 straight home games from the end of the 1983-84 season through the 1986-87 campaign.
"We played well today," Calipari said. "I was so happy for Doneal today. He had struggled recently."
Tyrone Shelley led Pepperdine (5-10) with 17 points and 11 rebounds, while Malcolm Thomas added 10 points and seven rebounds.
"Memphis is a heck of a team. They are about as good as they come, and they just wear you down, Pepperdine head coach Vance Walberg said.
Memphis led 44-31 at the half, but methodically built a 59-38 lead on Joey Dorsey's layup. Dorsey scored six points with nine rebounds. Mack buried a three with 11:20 to go for a 65-41 advantage, and he again connected from long distance for an 80-47 edge with 3:09 left.
Two more Mack threes for good measure opened an 86-49 lead with 2:19 remaining.
Three-point shooting was the difference, as the Tigers drained 15-of-34 from beyond the arc, while the Waves made just 3-of-16.
Pepperdine actually held a 16-14 lead over eight minutes in and trailed just 25-24 after Shelley's jumper with 6:50 to go in first half. However, Memphis scored nine straight points in just over one minute to regain control. Treys by Andre Allen and Dozier preceded Anderson's slam with 5:07 to play.
Game Notes
Memphis hasn't lost at home since a 69-58 setback to Texas on January 2, 2006...Pepperdine capped a 10-game stint away from Malibu with the loss...This marked the first meeting between the schools since Memphis' 80-70 victory in the first round of the 1992 NCAA Tournament...The Waves committed 21 turnovers that resulted in 38 Memphis points.
01/05 16:33:53 ET
Second-ranked Tigers host travel-weary Waves
Second-ranked Tigers host travel-weary Waves
Memphis, TN (Sports Network) - The second-ranked Memphis Tigers put a 39-game homecourt winning streak on the line this afternoon, as they welcome the Pepperdine Waves to the FedExForum for a non-conference matchup.
The Tigers are one of just six unbeatens to start the 2008 calendar year and moved to 12-0 on the season with a dominating 102-58 drubbing of Siena on Thursday. The victory marked the 100th non-conference win under John Calipari.
The Waves have certainly logged the frequent flyer miles this season as this game ends a 10-game stint away from Malibu. Pepperdine has had the last two weeks off for the holidays, but does bring a three-game losing streak into this game. The last time the Waves were on the floor, they suffered a heart-breaking 80-79 setback at Manhattan.
This is the seventh all-time meeting between these two teams, with Memphis winning five of the previous six. However, these teams have not met since the 1992 NCAA Tournament, an 80-70 first-round win for the Tigers.
The Waves have the capability of putting a lot of points on the scoreboard, with the team averaging 78.6 ppg. However, Pepperdine isn't a very strong shooting team, hitting on just 42.1 percent from the floor and a miserable 28.8 percent from three-point range. What the team does possess is a talented and young core. The top two scoring threats are both freshmen. Tyrone Shelley has started just three games this year, but has settled in as the team's first man off the bench. He currently leads the Waves in scoring at 15.6 ppg. Malcolm Thomas has made an immediate impact in the paint, as the 6-8 youngster is averaging a near double-double with 15.0 points and 9.2 rebounds per outing. Where this team has really struggled is at the defensive end, allowing foes to net 81.9 ppg on .484 shooting. Despite turning the ball over a unforgivable 26 times, the Waves still only lost by one point at Manhattan last time out. Shelley recorded his first career double-double with 17 points and 11 rebounds. Thomas led the way with 18 points and eight boards.
All 12 players scored for Memphis, as the team whipped Siena on Thursday, beating the Saints by 44 points. The Tigers hit 15 three-pointers in the game and shot 52.8 percent from the floor overall. Reserve Jeff Robinson was flat out dominant, as he recorded a team-high 20 points and 10 rebounds in a mere 12 minutes of work. Robert Dozier (13 points and 10 boards) and Joey Dorsey (12 points, 14 rebounds) also posted double-doubles, as the Tigers pulled down an amazing 60 rebounds in the game. All-American candidate Chris Douglas-Roberts did the rest from the perimeter, as he hit five of his six three-point attempts, en route to a 19-point effort. The Tigers are enjoying a +18.4 scoring margin, averaging 81.9 ppg, while allowing just 63.5. Douglas- Roberts has played lights out in the first dozen games. He is shooting a ridiculous .549 from the floor and .545 from behind the arc. It has led to a team-high 17.5 ppg. Derrick Rose is a freshman talent that has paid immediate dividends, adding nearly 15 points per game (14.8). Dozier (10.9 ppg, 7.0 rpg) and Dorsey (8.3 ppg, 9.9 rpg) give the Tigers the necessary bodies on the glass.
01/05 10:36:08 ET
Memphis, TN (Sports Network) - The second-ranked Memphis Tigers put a 39-game homecourt winning streak on the line this afternoon, as they welcome the Pepperdine Waves to the FedExForum for a non-conference matchup.
The Tigers are one of just six unbeatens to start the 2008 calendar year and moved to 12-0 on the season with a dominating 102-58 drubbing of Siena on Thursday. The victory marked the 100th non-conference win under John Calipari.
The Waves have certainly logged the frequent flyer miles this season as this game ends a 10-game stint away from Malibu. Pepperdine has had the last two weeks off for the holidays, but does bring a three-game losing streak into this game. The last time the Waves were on the floor, they suffered a heart-breaking 80-79 setback at Manhattan.
This is the seventh all-time meeting between these two teams, with Memphis winning five of the previous six. However, these teams have not met since the 1992 NCAA Tournament, an 80-70 first-round win for the Tigers.
The Waves have the capability of putting a lot of points on the scoreboard, with the team averaging 78.6 ppg. However, Pepperdine isn't a very strong shooting team, hitting on just 42.1 percent from the floor and a miserable 28.8 percent from three-point range. What the team does possess is a talented and young core. The top two scoring threats are both freshmen. Tyrone Shelley has started just three games this year, but has settled in as the team's first man off the bench. He currently leads the Waves in scoring at 15.6 ppg. Malcolm Thomas has made an immediate impact in the paint, as the 6-8 youngster is averaging a near double-double with 15.0 points and 9.2 rebounds per outing. Where this team has really struggled is at the defensive end, allowing foes to net 81.9 ppg on .484 shooting. Despite turning the ball over a unforgivable 26 times, the Waves still only lost by one point at Manhattan last time out. Shelley recorded his first career double-double with 17 points and 11 rebounds. Thomas led the way with 18 points and eight boards.
All 12 players scored for Memphis, as the team whipped Siena on Thursday, beating the Saints by 44 points. The Tigers hit 15 three-pointers in the game and shot 52.8 percent from the floor overall. Reserve Jeff Robinson was flat out dominant, as he recorded a team-high 20 points and 10 rebounds in a mere 12 minutes of work. Robert Dozier (13 points and 10 boards) and Joey Dorsey (12 points, 14 rebounds) also posted double-doubles, as the Tigers pulled down an amazing 60 rebounds in the game. All-American candidate Chris Douglas-Roberts did the rest from the perimeter, as he hit five of his six three-point attempts, en route to a 19-point effort. The Tigers are enjoying a +18.4 scoring margin, averaging 81.9 ppg, while allowing just 63.5. Douglas- Roberts has played lights out in the first dozen games. He is shooting a ridiculous .549 from the floor and .545 from behind the arc. It has led to a team-high 17.5 ppg. Derrick Rose is a freshman talent that has paid immediate dividends, adding nearly 15 points per game (14.8). Dozier (10.9 ppg, 7.0 rpg) and Dorsey (8.3 ppg, 9.9 rpg) give the Tigers the necessary bodies on the glass.
01/05 10:36:08 ET
ESPN.com - Memphis, Butler and Xavier look like legit contenders
Memphis, Butler and Xavier look like legit contenders
By Kyle Whelliston
Special to ESPN.com
Updated: January 4, 2008
Which teams from conferences outside the "big six" are poised to make noise in March? Here's a list of several teams that look ready to bust some brackets right now, and a few more that have some work to do.
Contenders
Butler (Horizon League) 12-1, 1-1:
The Bulldogs showed up on radar screens in November 2006, with a surprise NIT Season Tip-Off championship, and stayed strong all the way to the Sweet 16, falling by eight to eventual champion Florida. Then they lost coach Todd Lickliter to the Big Ten (Iowa) and third-option power forward Brandon Crone to the cap and gown. But Butler is 12-1 for the second year in a row, nationally ranked and in the top 10 of the RPI. But seriously, the Bulldogs might actually be improved this season.
The senior tandem of A.J. Graves and Mike Green, averaging 31.3 points combined, is as talented a backcourt you're going to find at the mid-major level. Then add a healthy Pete Campbell, a 6-foot-9 forward with a guard's feathery outside shooting touch who is progressing well after an early-season knee injury. Then there's heralded newcomer Matt Howard, a 6-8 freshman whose skill around the basket is equal to Crone's or perhaps greater already. And suddenly new coach Brad Stevens' squad has four legitimate double-figure scoring threats. Even though they're averaging 10 fewer points per game than last season's version, the defense has become nastier and stingier, allowing just 50.3 points (compared to 58.8 in 2006-07).
Davidson (Southern): 5-6, 3-0
No team on this list has as bad an overall record as these Wildcats, but the record that matters is the one on the right, the SoCon mark. Critics might say that coach Bob McKillop was out of his mind to schedule UCLA, North Carolina, NC State and Duke, and the 0-4 record against that quartet might seem to justify that opinion, but they're missing the point. At this moment, no mid-major team in America knows more about itself and its capabilities than Davidson.
Led by Stephen Curry and his 24.6 points, Davidson lost by a combined 11 points to its ACC opposition (including a one-point heartbreaker at NC State) and was victimized by extreme foul trouble in a 12-point loss against UCLA. The Wildcats also had plenty of time over the holidays to think about areas for improvement (perimeter defense, free throws and keeping the fouls down), which is nothing but bad news for the rest of the SoCon. That's where they'll spend the next two months before a likely return trip to the NCAA Tournament.
Dayton (Atlantic 10): 12-1
The Flyers have been Weekly Watch mainstays this season, garnering national attention for their upset wins over Big East schools Louisville and Pitt. Led by super senior Brian Roberts (19.1 points per game, including 31 in a 80-55 home beatdown of No. 6 Pittsburgh) and fantastic freshman Chris Wright (10.9 points per game on 59.5 percent shooting), this is a team that can seemingly beat anyone, anywhere. Dayton is also the premier 3-point shooting team in the Atlantic 10 and one of the best in the nation, connecting on 41.8 percent of its attempts.
But what's made this Dayton team really special is how they play in their bright red jerseys. Even in down years, the Flyers have always been strong at home for their UD Arena faithful, but this season's squad has won as many games on the road (three) as it did all last season. Their defensive form has translated well to opposing buildings, like when the Flyers took down Louisville, 70-65, on Dec. 8 despite shooting just 33 percent themselves. On the whole, Dayton's only given up just 61.8 points in road games.
Memphis (Conference USA): 12-0
You can't spell "Memphis Tigers" without "PTS", and coach John Calipari's crew has put up points in bushels, topping the century mark twice and averaging 90.4 points at home, the program's highest home average since it ripped through the Great Midwest Conference in 1994-95. The RPI's No. 1 team is also one of the most balanced -- in the Tigers' 11 wins, they have featured five different leading scorers. Freshman phenom and potential NBA lottery pick Derrick Rose has lived up to the massive expectations, scoring 14.8 points on 47.2 percent shooting while fulfilling his point guard duties with 4.5 assists per contest.
Memphis still has trouble hitting free throws, fouls a bit too much and could stand to improve its numbers from 3-land. But the Tigers click so well in every other area, these are minor quibbles that won't be real areas of concern until the one-and-done world of March basketball. For now, they appear to be a lock for their third straight 30-win season, and they don't look to be strongly challenged until at least Saint Patrick's Day.
Niagara (Metro Atlantic): 9-3, 3-0
The Purple Eagles were too good for the NCAA play-in game last year, but that's where they ended up. This season's team could be even better, led by scorer Charron Fisher. The 6-4 senior is averaging 27.4 points so far this season (second nationally) and averages 9.8 rebounds despite his swingman-like height. He has had five double-doubles, shoots a healthy 78.3 percent from the line and even finds time to blog. Double-team him at your peril, however. Guards Stanley Hodge (13.3 points and 6.5 rebounds) and Tyrone Lewis (14.7 points and 4.6 rebounds) can hurt you, too.
Despite the loss of last season's top rebounder Clif Brown (9.7 boards) to graduation, Niagara is actually averaging more rebounds per contest than it did in its MAAC championship campaign last season. Though the three losses were early away games, the Purple Eagles have recently fixed themselves with a four-point win at St. John's and a faraway sweep of Santa Clara's tournament this past weekend in California.
Sam Houston State (Southland): 11-1
Sure, four of the Bearkats' wins are against non-Division I sparring partners. But even against top-level competition, they've played like real champs, doing things schools from the Southland (conference RPI: 20th) generally aren't supposed to do. They beat Texas Tech 56-54 at home on Nov. 14 and have shown extraordinary road form, winning five games away from Hunstville, Tex. Sam State's only loss to this point is a 79-78 overtime loss on Friday to San Diego State of the Mountain West.
The Bearkats have three double-figure scorers, led by senior guard Shamir McDaniel's 13.7 points. But this team really shines on defense, allowing just 57.4 points per game so far. Only two teams in the nation defend the perimeter better; Sam Houston allows just 26.3 percent of opponents' long bombs to fall -- that'll be deadly D in the 3-happy Southland. And despite topping out at 6-foot-8, the Bearkats are relentless and hungry rebounders, averaging 39.7 boards per contest (sixth-best nationally). Best to put this team on your NCAA first-round upset list right away.
Xavier (Atlantic 10): 11-3
First there was the 8-1 start, including a gutsy 64-59, nationally televised, come-from-behind win over Cincinnati in the annual city game. That faded quickly with losses at Arizona State and at home against Tennessee. But just when the rest of the Atlantic 10 was getting ideas about knocking off the champs, Xavier rang out the old year with a 103-77 explosion against the Big 12's Kansas State and rang in the new year with a 108-70 thumping of Virginia. Most notably, the X X'ed out superfrosh Michael Beasley, holding the KSU star to a measly five points.
Featuring six double-figure scorers, the Musketeers might have the country's most fundamentally solid squad at this level. Xavier gets high marks on the national charts in shooting, ball control, defensive field-goal percentage and rebounding. If the Musketeers can hold off strong challenges from improved teams at Rhode Island, Saint Joseph's and Dayton in conference play, they will be plenty poised and battle-tested for yet another Sweet 16 run.
Pretenders
Creighton (Missouri Valley): 9-3, 0-2
The surprising Bluejays roared into Valley play, winning nine of their 10 nonconference contests and losing only to aforementioned Xavier. It was an unexpected development for a league with lots of unexpected developments early on, including a 6-6 start from overwhelming favorite Southern Illinois. Creighton had lots of questions about production replacement and was answering them with freshmen. Dana Altman is getting 32.4 points per game from his frosh, including standout P'Allen Stinnett (10.8 points, 48 percent shooting), a 6-2 guard from the Las Vegas area. So far, the Bluejays have had four different players win the Valley's Newcomer of the Week award.
But last weekend, the Bluejays received a hard lesson in toughness and intensity from the unlikeliest of sources. Recent league punching bag Illinois State, which came into the Qwest Center, delivered an 80-67 wire-to-wire thumping and outplayed Creighton in every aspect of the game as 16,808 CU fans looked on in horror. The tape of that MVC opener went out to every opposing staff immediately, a color-by-numbers instruction book on how to take advantage of Creighton's relative youth: ball-pressure harassment and well-timed, well-screened 3s. How will the crafty Altman, the league's resident coaching MacGyver, respond?
George Mason (Colonial): 9-4, 1-1
No team in the CAA can boast the talent level of the Patriots, just two seasons removed from the Final Four appearance that put them on the national map. And GMU still has two heroes from that run on the active roster, seniors Folarin Campbell and Will Thomas (28.0 combined points). Few teams looked as strong early on, especially after a 6-1 start that included wins over Kansas State and Dayton, as well as an 85-38 destruction of Drexel in an early conference opener on Nov. 29.
The Patriots are 3-3 since then. They didn't put together a solid 40-minute effort all December, a stretch that has included losses to East Carolina and Kent State that both featured complete offensive blackouts for long stretches. There's every reason to trust that Jim Larranaga will find away to keep the team's focus on championship objectives once the CAA regular season begins in earnest, but a lack of focus thereof could allow a strong team like VCU to sneak away with a second straight title.
Gonzaga (WCC): 10-4
Folks say this every year, but this might really, really be the season that the Zags' flaws keep them from the West Coast Conference title. There's no obvious go-to guy like Derek Raivio, and although three Zags average between 11 and 12 points per game, the offense in general has been a mere shadow of recent excellence. In the past two weeks, the Zags have dropped consecutive decisions to Oklahoma and Tennessee and struggled to beat Utah at home. In their past four games, they've lost the turnover battle, a prime problem in Gonzaga's struggles a season ago.
But as we've found out year in and year out for the past decade, NIT-picking the Bulldogs is a dangerous exercise since their December scars seem to magically heal themselves before another dominant run through the league. And with 6-11 monster Josh Heytvelt's return from last season's suspension and this season's injury, the Zags' offensive numbers could get good again in a hurry. But even if re-emergent Saint Mary's and the rest of the West Coast Conference can't offer the type of NCAA-caliber competition Gonzaga will need to cut their March teeth on, the Jan. 26 summit at Memphis will serve as a true test of Gonzaga's contendership.
Ohio (Mid-American): 9-4
The Bearcats have received national headlines for thrilling wins away from home against power-conference opposition like St. John's and Maryland, but the rest of the résumé is not quite as impressive. Sporadic effort, poor defense and sloppiness with the basketball has led to some too-close wins over inferior competition, as well as a painful-to-watch 88-51 beatdown at Kansas on Dec. 15 and a Rainbow Classic closing loss to Saint Mary's. Ohio shot just 1-for-14 from beyond the arc in the 70-63 defeat to the Gaels.
Leon Williams and Jerome Tillman have been a formidable frontcourt tandem, but Ohio will need improved and consistent backcourt play if the Bobcats want to hang in the super-tough MAC East. One out of every five Ohio possessions ends in a turnover, and no guard is shooting better than 42 percent. Overall, the team could also use more stingy field-goal defense -- 53.4 percent of all opponents' 2-pointers find the mark.
Kyle Whelliston is the national mid-major reporter for Basketball Times and a regular contributor to ESPN.com.
By Kyle Whelliston
Special to ESPN.com
Updated: January 4, 2008
Which teams from conferences outside the "big six" are poised to make noise in March? Here's a list of several teams that look ready to bust some brackets right now, and a few more that have some work to do.
Contenders
Butler (Horizon League) 12-1, 1-1:
The Bulldogs showed up on radar screens in November 2006, with a surprise NIT Season Tip-Off championship, and stayed strong all the way to the Sweet 16, falling by eight to eventual champion Florida. Then they lost coach Todd Lickliter to the Big Ten (Iowa) and third-option power forward Brandon Crone to the cap and gown. But Butler is 12-1 for the second year in a row, nationally ranked and in the top 10 of the RPI. But seriously, the Bulldogs might actually be improved this season.
The senior tandem of A.J. Graves and Mike Green, averaging 31.3 points combined, is as talented a backcourt you're going to find at the mid-major level. Then add a healthy Pete Campbell, a 6-foot-9 forward with a guard's feathery outside shooting touch who is progressing well after an early-season knee injury. Then there's heralded newcomer Matt Howard, a 6-8 freshman whose skill around the basket is equal to Crone's or perhaps greater already. And suddenly new coach Brad Stevens' squad has four legitimate double-figure scoring threats. Even though they're averaging 10 fewer points per game than last season's version, the defense has become nastier and stingier, allowing just 50.3 points (compared to 58.8 in 2006-07).
Davidson (Southern): 5-6, 3-0
No team on this list has as bad an overall record as these Wildcats, but the record that matters is the one on the right, the SoCon mark. Critics might say that coach Bob McKillop was out of his mind to schedule UCLA, North Carolina, NC State and Duke, and the 0-4 record against that quartet might seem to justify that opinion, but they're missing the point. At this moment, no mid-major team in America knows more about itself and its capabilities than Davidson.
Led by Stephen Curry and his 24.6 points, Davidson lost by a combined 11 points to its ACC opposition (including a one-point heartbreaker at NC State) and was victimized by extreme foul trouble in a 12-point loss against UCLA. The Wildcats also had plenty of time over the holidays to think about areas for improvement (perimeter defense, free throws and keeping the fouls down), which is nothing but bad news for the rest of the SoCon. That's where they'll spend the next two months before a likely return trip to the NCAA Tournament.
Dayton (Atlantic 10): 12-1
The Flyers have been Weekly Watch mainstays this season, garnering national attention for their upset wins over Big East schools Louisville and Pitt. Led by super senior Brian Roberts (19.1 points per game, including 31 in a 80-55 home beatdown of No. 6 Pittsburgh) and fantastic freshman Chris Wright (10.9 points per game on 59.5 percent shooting), this is a team that can seemingly beat anyone, anywhere. Dayton is also the premier 3-point shooting team in the Atlantic 10 and one of the best in the nation, connecting on 41.8 percent of its attempts.
But what's made this Dayton team really special is how they play in their bright red jerseys. Even in down years, the Flyers have always been strong at home for their UD Arena faithful, but this season's squad has won as many games on the road (three) as it did all last season. Their defensive form has translated well to opposing buildings, like when the Flyers took down Louisville, 70-65, on Dec. 8 despite shooting just 33 percent themselves. On the whole, Dayton's only given up just 61.8 points in road games.
Memphis (Conference USA): 12-0
You can't spell "Memphis Tigers" without "PTS", and coach John Calipari's crew has put up points in bushels, topping the century mark twice and averaging 90.4 points at home, the program's highest home average since it ripped through the Great Midwest Conference in 1994-95. The RPI's No. 1 team is also one of the most balanced -- in the Tigers' 11 wins, they have featured five different leading scorers. Freshman phenom and potential NBA lottery pick Derrick Rose has lived up to the massive expectations, scoring 14.8 points on 47.2 percent shooting while fulfilling his point guard duties with 4.5 assists per contest.
Memphis still has trouble hitting free throws, fouls a bit too much and could stand to improve its numbers from 3-land. But the Tigers click so well in every other area, these are minor quibbles that won't be real areas of concern until the one-and-done world of March basketball. For now, they appear to be a lock for their third straight 30-win season, and they don't look to be strongly challenged until at least Saint Patrick's Day.
Niagara (Metro Atlantic): 9-3, 3-0
The Purple Eagles were too good for the NCAA play-in game last year, but that's where they ended up. This season's team could be even better, led by scorer Charron Fisher. The 6-4 senior is averaging 27.4 points so far this season (second nationally) and averages 9.8 rebounds despite his swingman-like height. He has had five double-doubles, shoots a healthy 78.3 percent from the line and even finds time to blog. Double-team him at your peril, however. Guards Stanley Hodge (13.3 points and 6.5 rebounds) and Tyrone Lewis (14.7 points and 4.6 rebounds) can hurt you, too.
Despite the loss of last season's top rebounder Clif Brown (9.7 boards) to graduation, Niagara is actually averaging more rebounds per contest than it did in its MAAC championship campaign last season. Though the three losses were early away games, the Purple Eagles have recently fixed themselves with a four-point win at St. John's and a faraway sweep of Santa Clara's tournament this past weekend in California.
Sam Houston State (Southland): 11-1
Sure, four of the Bearkats' wins are against non-Division I sparring partners. But even against top-level competition, they've played like real champs, doing things schools from the Southland (conference RPI: 20th) generally aren't supposed to do. They beat Texas Tech 56-54 at home on Nov. 14 and have shown extraordinary road form, winning five games away from Hunstville, Tex. Sam State's only loss to this point is a 79-78 overtime loss on Friday to San Diego State of the Mountain West.
The Bearkats have three double-figure scorers, led by senior guard Shamir McDaniel's 13.7 points. But this team really shines on defense, allowing just 57.4 points per game so far. Only two teams in the nation defend the perimeter better; Sam Houston allows just 26.3 percent of opponents' long bombs to fall -- that'll be deadly D in the 3-happy Southland. And despite topping out at 6-foot-8, the Bearkats are relentless and hungry rebounders, averaging 39.7 boards per contest (sixth-best nationally). Best to put this team on your NCAA first-round upset list right away.
Xavier (Atlantic 10): 11-3
First there was the 8-1 start, including a gutsy 64-59, nationally televised, come-from-behind win over Cincinnati in the annual city game. That faded quickly with losses at Arizona State and at home against Tennessee. But just when the rest of the Atlantic 10 was getting ideas about knocking off the champs, Xavier rang out the old year with a 103-77 explosion against the Big 12's Kansas State and rang in the new year with a 108-70 thumping of Virginia. Most notably, the X X'ed out superfrosh Michael Beasley, holding the KSU star to a measly five points.
Featuring six double-figure scorers, the Musketeers might have the country's most fundamentally solid squad at this level. Xavier gets high marks on the national charts in shooting, ball control, defensive field-goal percentage and rebounding. If the Musketeers can hold off strong challenges from improved teams at Rhode Island, Saint Joseph's and Dayton in conference play, they will be plenty poised and battle-tested for yet another Sweet 16 run.
Pretenders
Creighton (Missouri Valley): 9-3, 0-2
The surprising Bluejays roared into Valley play, winning nine of their 10 nonconference contests and losing only to aforementioned Xavier. It was an unexpected development for a league with lots of unexpected developments early on, including a 6-6 start from overwhelming favorite Southern Illinois. Creighton had lots of questions about production replacement and was answering them with freshmen. Dana Altman is getting 32.4 points per game from his frosh, including standout P'Allen Stinnett (10.8 points, 48 percent shooting), a 6-2 guard from the Las Vegas area. So far, the Bluejays have had four different players win the Valley's Newcomer of the Week award.
But last weekend, the Bluejays received a hard lesson in toughness and intensity from the unlikeliest of sources. Recent league punching bag Illinois State, which came into the Qwest Center, delivered an 80-67 wire-to-wire thumping and outplayed Creighton in every aspect of the game as 16,808 CU fans looked on in horror. The tape of that MVC opener went out to every opposing staff immediately, a color-by-numbers instruction book on how to take advantage of Creighton's relative youth: ball-pressure harassment and well-timed, well-screened 3s. How will the crafty Altman, the league's resident coaching MacGyver, respond?
George Mason (Colonial): 9-4, 1-1
No team in the CAA can boast the talent level of the Patriots, just two seasons removed from the Final Four appearance that put them on the national map. And GMU still has two heroes from that run on the active roster, seniors Folarin Campbell and Will Thomas (28.0 combined points). Few teams looked as strong early on, especially after a 6-1 start that included wins over Kansas State and Dayton, as well as an 85-38 destruction of Drexel in an early conference opener on Nov. 29.
The Patriots are 3-3 since then. They didn't put together a solid 40-minute effort all December, a stretch that has included losses to East Carolina and Kent State that both featured complete offensive blackouts for long stretches. There's every reason to trust that Jim Larranaga will find away to keep the team's focus on championship objectives once the CAA regular season begins in earnest, but a lack of focus thereof could allow a strong team like VCU to sneak away with a second straight title.
Gonzaga (WCC): 10-4
Folks say this every year, but this might really, really be the season that the Zags' flaws keep them from the West Coast Conference title. There's no obvious go-to guy like Derek Raivio, and although three Zags average between 11 and 12 points per game, the offense in general has been a mere shadow of recent excellence. In the past two weeks, the Zags have dropped consecutive decisions to Oklahoma and Tennessee and struggled to beat Utah at home. In their past four games, they've lost the turnover battle, a prime problem in Gonzaga's struggles a season ago.
But as we've found out year in and year out for the past decade, NIT-picking the Bulldogs is a dangerous exercise since their December scars seem to magically heal themselves before another dominant run through the league. And with 6-11 monster Josh Heytvelt's return from last season's suspension and this season's injury, the Zags' offensive numbers could get good again in a hurry. But even if re-emergent Saint Mary's and the rest of the West Coast Conference can't offer the type of NCAA-caliber competition Gonzaga will need to cut their March teeth on, the Jan. 26 summit at Memphis will serve as a true test of Gonzaga's contendership.
Ohio (Mid-American): 9-4
The Bearcats have received national headlines for thrilling wins away from home against power-conference opposition like St. John's and Maryland, but the rest of the résumé is not quite as impressive. Sporadic effort, poor defense and sloppiness with the basketball has led to some too-close wins over inferior competition, as well as a painful-to-watch 88-51 beatdown at Kansas on Dec. 15 and a Rainbow Classic closing loss to Saint Mary's. Ohio shot just 1-for-14 from beyond the arc in the 70-63 defeat to the Gaels.
Leon Williams and Jerome Tillman have been a formidable frontcourt tandem, but Ohio will need improved and consistent backcourt play if the Bobcats want to hang in the super-tough MAC East. One out of every five Ohio possessions ends in a turnover, and no guard is shooting better than 42 percent. Overall, the team could also use more stingy field-goal defense -- 53.4 percent of all opponents' 2-pointers find the mark.
Kyle Whelliston is the national mid-major reporter for Basketball Times and a regular contributor to ESPN.com.
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