Shawn Taggart – Memphis Flyer

(AP) – Derrick Rose didn’t take long to adjust to the college game.

The highly touted freshman had 17 points, six rebounds and five assists in his collegiate debut and No. 3 Memphis beat Tennessee-Martin 102-71 on Monday

Calipari said Rose might be the player Memphis needs this year to push them into the Final Four.

“You need to have a guy, that when the game is on the line, he can just dog the other guys and do whatever he wants when he wants,” Calipari said. “He can do that.”

Memphis senior forward Joey Dorsey has a sprained right shoulder sprain and did not play. He is also expected to miss Tuesday night’s game with the injury. Shawn Taggart, a transfer from Iowa State, started in his place and finished with 15 rebounds.

The Tigers will play Richmond, which beat Maine 44-42 on Monday, in the regional final Tuesday night. The winner will play in the semifinals at Madison Square Garden on Nov. 15.

(AP) -Two University of Memphis basketball players pleaded not guilty Tuesday to charges of disorderly conduct and inciting a riot related to a nightclub scuffle over the weekend.

Shawn Taggart and Jeff Robinson appeared briefly in Shelby County General Sessions Criminal Court. Their

The two were arrested after police responded to a disturbance outside the Plush Club on Beale Street early Sunday. Club security accused Taggart of starting a fight, though police said they later refuted that.

While being detained by officers, Taggart was accused of yelling obscenities and agitating a crowd that had gathered outside the club. Robinson also was charged with assault because he approached a police officer aggressively and used verbal threats, said police spokeswoman Monique Martin.

The incident prompted coach John Calipari to impose a curfew and bar them from visiting any nightclub.

Robinson, 19, is a freshman shooting guard from Columbus, N.J. Taggart, 22, is a 6-11 forward from Richmond, Va., who transferred last season from Iowa State. Neither has played a game for the Tigers.