Markel Crawford – Memphis Flyer

With seven games in the books, a quarter of the Tigers’ 2015-16 regular season is almost behind them. They’ll play four games in 11 days starting this Saturday, then open American Athletic Conference play against Tulane on December 29th at FedExForum. A few quick observations on Josh Pastner’s seventh team as it continues to coalesce.

• Dedric Lawson has filled a void, and then some. The precocious power forward could be playing his senior season in high school, remember. Instead, he scored 22 points and pulled down 15 rebounds in his second college game, against the 8th-ranked team in the country. (Those numbers were never achieved by one Austin Nichols.) Last Saturday against SEMO, with the Tiger bench shortened by injuries, Lawson scored 28 points and grabbed 14 rebounds in 38 minutes on the floor. His current averages of 15.9 points and 9.0 rebounds haven’t been put up by a Memphis player since Chris Massie averaged 16.7 and 10.8 in 2002-03. Lots of season to play, and the competition gets stronger in January. But Dedric Lawson, as Pastner has said, “is a stud.”

• As good as Lawson has been, the case could be made that Ricky Tarrant Jr. has been the Tigers’ early-season MVP. This time last season, no one knew who the Tiger point guard was (or would be). Pookie Powell wanted the job. So did a desperately out-of-shape Kedren Johnson. Markel Crawford took some turns. There is no debate this season. Tarrant has met every standard Pastner and the Tiger staff could have envisioned for the Alabama graduate transfer. With Johnson nursing an injured shoulder and freshman Jeremiah Martin finding his sea legs, Tarrant has set the pace for a team that must push the ball offensively to win. He leads the team with 31.3 minutes per game and has dished out 28 assists with only eight turnovers (10 and 1 against SEMO last weekend). Tarrant is aggressive to the rim and makes his free throws (87 percent on 56 shots). Tiger fans will wish they had more than one season with him.

Larry Kuzniewski

Ricky Tarrant Jr.

• Shaq Goodwin is playing with urgency. Pastner likes to endorse Goodwin’s “high motor.” During his first three college seasons, that motor sputtered regularly. But the senior seems to know this will be the season his impact will make the most difference, on young teammates like the Lawson brothers, on the Tigers’ standing in the AAC, and on any chances this team has of reaching the NCAA tournament. Goodwin’s last three games (points and rebounds): 23 and 3, 18 and 12, 20 and 6. His averages (14.1 and 8.6) are significantly up from his career numbers entering the season (9.5 and 6.0). Not incidentally, Goodwin has seemed to be especially happy on the court (he smiles as easily as any Tiger in memory). “I need to make sure I enjoy [the season],” said Goodwin after the Louisiana Tech win on December 1st. “If I’m not, it’s a cancer to the team, and it shows.”

• The Tiger bench is thin . . . but capable. Let’s start with the positive: Trahson Burrell can be one of the finest sixth men in the country. His sheer athleticism and active play at either end give the Tigers a boost five or six minutes into a game. In six games (all off the bench), Burrell has averaged 23.3 minutes and scored or rebounded in double figures in five of the six games. Martin has shown signs of manning the point full time, perhaps as early as next season. And K.J. Lawson brings the energy you’d expect from someone known by too many as “the other Lawson.” After those three, though, the Tiger rotation is lacking. The biggest man on the team, Nick Marshall, hasn’t earned Pastner’s confidence. Based on the coach’s first six seasons, if a player isn’t an established part of the rotation by the time conference play begins, he’s unlikely to gain such status. Dedric Lawson and Goodwin are going to get into foul trouble. How will the reserves keep Memphis competitive in such scenarios? We don’t have a complete answer, at least not yet.

• There are too many empty seats at FedExForum. Over six home games, the Tigers have announced attendance (ticket sales) above 12,000 only once (the Oklahoma game). This after attendance dropped precipitously last season (average of 13,915 after 16,121 in 2013-14). It’s an ugly contrast with the U of M football program, the latter having set attendance records at the Liberty Bowl this fall. Have basketball fans simply shifted their time, attention, and money to football? I don’t think it’s that simple. The Tigers need big wins, and they need a star. Dedric Lawson may fill the latter. As for big wins, would beating Ole Miss on December 18th count? What about South Carolina on January 2nd? The Tigers have six more home games before they travel to UConn to face the Huskies on January 9th, then just eight more games at FEF the rest of the season. For those of us who’ve been around the program for some time, the vacant sections of the home arena are uncomfortable statements on the condition of the program. Sponsors and boosters see these sections. When will they be filled again?

“Finally,” said a smiling Markel Crawford. “We played a complete game.”

A poor finish cost his team a big upset against Oklahoma. A poor start allowed UT-Arlington to escape FedExForum with a victory. But thanks in part to Crawford’s aggressive play on offense and his stifling defense, Memphis dominated previously undefeated (5-0) Louisiana Tech Tuesday night, and they did so for 40 minutes. Crawford attacked the rim, converting his first four field-goal attempts and helped limit the Bulldogs’ top scorer, Alex Hamilton, to a single point in the first half. With senior point guard Ricky Tarrant Jr. on target from long range (three three-pointers in the game’s first 15 minutes), the Tigers took a 33-13 lead, withstood a 12-4 run by the visitors before halftime, then pulled away steadily over the game’s final 20 minutes.

Larry Kuzniewski

Markel Crawford

“They were locked in,” said Tiger coach Josh Pastner, his team now 4-2 on the young season. “Great energy. We talked about three keys to the game. Fast-break points, second-chance points, and making sure we value the ball. We had a plus-17 advantage on the glass and 21 assists on 32 made field goals. And in the half court, we guarded them well for the most part.”

For a team that entered the game shooting 23.5 percent from three-point range, any semblance of accuracy is a major step in the right direction. Tarrant finished the game four for six from beyond the arc (scoring a game-high 19 points), Avery Woodson hit three of eight (13 points), and Trahson Burrell two of three (10 points and 11 rebounds off the bench). Tarrant suggested after the game that it was simply a matter of time. “It wasn’t any different from any other game,” he said. “The coaches have stuck with me. I worked on [my shooting] all summer. I knew they’d eventually start to fall.”

Memphis dominated despite a shortened rotation. K.J. Lawson continues to nurse a sore Achilles heel and brother Dedric was limited to 19 minutes by foul trouble. Senior Shaq Goodwin earned his first double-double of the season with 18 points and 12 rebounds. But it was the sophomore Crawford (13 points and nine rebounds) who stood out among the night’s difference-makers. “Every game we play, you see Markel step up,” said Goodwin. “It’s tough. And Coach has been asking him to hit the glass, not just guard the best offensive player. We ask a lot from him, and he’s delivering.”

“He has quick feet, and quick hands,” added Tarrant. “He accepts the challenge.” Hamilton finished with 18 points for the Bulldogs, but 17 came after the outcome had essentially been decided.

And when the ball finds Crawford on offense? “Me being in attack mode opens so much for my teammates,” said Crawford himself. “Getting to the line, drawing a couple of defenders.”

Goodwin emphasized that his team is happy, but not necessarily satisfied with the performance. Pastner actually suggested his team took too many shots from three-point range (14 in the first half, 23 for the game). “We need to attack more,” he said. “If we’re shooting 44 percent, that’s fine. Otherwise, we’re at our best when we’re attacking the paint.”

The Tigers will try and extend their first winning streak of the season to three games this Saturday when SEMO visits FedExForum for a 6 p.m. tipoff.