Tag: Tigers

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Sports Tiger Blue

SMU 66, Tigers 57

CREDIT: Larry Kuzniewski

Facing the 21st-ranked team in the country, the Tigers would have had their hands full with a complete arsenal Thursday night at FedExForum. By the third minute of the second half, though, two starting guards (Markel Crawford and Kedren Johnson) were out of the game for good and a third (Pookie Powell) was not even in the building, nursing an illness on campus.

Despite the emaciated roster, the Tigers found themselves tied (48-48) with SMU with less than ten minutes to play after Calvin Godfrey connected on a jump shot from near the top of the key. But Larry Brown’s Mustangs then reeled off a 15-4 run, capped by junior guard Nic Moore’s dagger three-pointer at the 2:49 mark to secure the visitors’ 23rd win of the season.

Shaq Goodwin

Crawford collapsed to the ground after a collision with Mustang forward Yanick Moreira (setting a screen) with just over three minutes to play in the first half. Replays showed Crawford’s head made full impact with Moreira’s left shoulder. (No foul was called.) Crawford left the court after several minutes of attention for a bloodied mouth.

Then early in the second half — before either team had scored — Johnson was called for a personal foul (his fourth of the game) under the Mustang basket, then received a technical foul for a verbal exchange with an SMU player, which counted as a fifth, disqualifying violation. “[Sterling] Brown had something to say about the way I fouled his teammate,” explained Johnson after the game. “He approached me and said something I didn’t like, and I reacted the wrong way. The ref heard it and gave me a tech. It’s my fault; I take responsibility for it. It’s never happened to me before. It was shocking.”

“I’m proud of our guys,” said Memphis coach Josh Pastner. “We battled. We competed. Obviously, we were down some players. Kedren took that silly [technical] foul, and Markel being out with his jaw [injury]. Having those two guys down, it made it tough in the second half. Nic Moore hit a couple of big shots that broke our backs. We were mixing and matching, trying everything we could. SMU’s the best team in the league.”

The Tigers were down just two points at halftime (30-28), despite little offense from Austin Nichols (one for eight from the field) and the Mustangs taking 18 free throws to the Tigers’ three.

Shaq Goodwin had one of his best performances of the season with 17 points, seven rebounds, and a pair of blocks, helping the U of M outscore the Mustangs in the paint, 32-26. But Nichols never found his touch, missing nine of 11 shots and Avery Woodson wasn’t much better (three for 11). In addition to 16 points by Moore, the Mustangs got 11 each from Moreira and Ryan Manuel.

“We needed to come up with big plays in the final stretch,” said Goodwin. “We needed to come up with the plays they came up with. That’s why they won the game.”

“Losing Markel was a huge factor,” said Nichols. “He pretty much locked down [Ryan Boatright] of UConn. We were aiming for him to help us out with Nic Moore. That was a huge loss for us. We had to fight through it. We didn’t give up; that’s a positive. I’m proud of my teammates for not folding.”

Nick King came off the bench and scored 14 points for the Tigers, his most since mid-January.

The Tigers fall to 17-11 with the loss, which ended a three-game winning streak. They return to play Saturday night at FedExForum when Tulsa — tied atop the American Athletic Conference with SMU — comes to town. At halftime of the home finale, the 1984-85 Tigers will be honored as part of the 30th anniversary of the team’s run to the Final Four.

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Phish and D Wash Sr. on “The Line”

A follow up to our post on Phish’s song about Darius Washington Jr.

“Darius Washington Jr.’s story was incredibly moving to all of us in Phish,” Trey Anastasio wrote in an email to the Flyer. Anastasio is the lead singer of the jam band Phish, which should in all probability have exactly nothing to do with Tiger hoops. But this is Memphis. Things get weird.

At a Halloween show in Atlantic City, Phish played a song called “The Line.” The song is about Washington’s infamous free throw attempts against Louisville in the 2005 C-USA tournament. The song is also about overcoming adversity. Darius Jr.’s Twitter handle is @Mr_Adversity. Following the emotional loss on national television, Washington’s father, Darius Sr., refused to let his son wallow in self-pity and led him on a walk up and down Beale Street to face the fans and to revel in their support.

We reached Darius Jr. by Twitter. He is playing basketball for Olin Edirne Basket, a Turkish team, and deferred questions to his dad. We spoke to Darius Sr. by phone yesterday.

Explaining Phish to Darius Sr. is not what one expects to do on a music-writing gig. But, again, this is Memphis. Initially confused by the news, the Washingtons have developed a sense of humor and perspective on the song, the event, and what it means to people.

“Is he a famous country singer?” Darius Sr. asked. “I don’t know them.”

Phish is somewhat famous for being a jam band, primarily a touring act that invests less time in the studio and in pursuing radio success than in playing live shows for its dedicated fans. It’s not for everybody.

“If the people that sit there and listen to this — if they don’t follow sports and don’t know that this took place — what are they thinking? What’s going through the fans minds?,” Washington Sr. wondered.

“It really spoke to me on a personal level, because I’ve gone through some difficult moments in public, too,” Anastasio wrote. “I’m sure most people have, in one way or another. Those tough moments can ultimately become gifts though.”

The Washingtons were not immediately sure of the musicians’ motives when they heard about the song on CBS Sports.

“We had to sort through and figure out which rout to take. I’ve got rap artists — people that could have just blasted him out,” Washington Sr. said. “I had a lot of scenarios going through my head about how I would respond if it was something that I felt that he was trying to pour salt on a wound or something like that. Maybe I can get one of my rap guys to rap something about it.”

But the awesome possibility of a musical standoff between Phish and the Washingtons was quashed as Darius’ Sr. again demonstrated the character that led him and his son out onto Beale to face the music.

“They show it on ESPN,” Washington said. “They talk about it on March Madness and at the beginning of the year. It’s been following us forever. But it’s not a bad thing, though. There’s something that people fail to realize. Yeah, that was a history making moment, but we got up off the floor and we’re still doing what we do.”

Anastasio was among those moved by the display of family, character, and civic goodwill that went on display.

“You learn a lot about what’s really important in life when
something like that happens,” Anastasio wrote.

“This is the question I pose to people,” Washington said. “If he would have just walked off the court after missing those free throws and sat on the bench like it was nothing, then people have said, damn that kid didn’t even care. But being that he is so passionate — and he hated to lose — that was the main issue. That wasn’t a national championship game. That was a freaking conference game to get into the big dance. That should show the world the passion he has for winning. The kid was always and still is a winner. He’s not a kid anymore, he’s a man. He did that in rec league. If he missed a shot, it bothered him. To this day, that’s how it stands,” Washington said.

In an even more conciliatory gesture, Washington laid the groundwork for what could become Phish’s masterpiece.

“If he decides to do a video, tell him to call us.”

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Sports Sports Feature

Memphis Burns Siena

(AP) – Reserve Jeff Robinson scored 20 points and Chris Douglas-Roberts added 19, including 17 in the first half, to lead No. 2 Memphis to a 102-58 victory over Siena on Thursday night.

Joey Dorsey hit all five of his shots, scored 12 points, grabbed 14 rebounds and blocked four shots for Memphis. Robert Dozier had 13 points, 10 rebounds and three blocks as the Tigers (12-0) won their 39th straight home game.

Memphis connected on 11 shots from 3-point range in the first half and built a 25-point lead. The Saints (7-5) could not get any closer than 16 in the second half.

Kenny Hasbrouck led Siena with 18 points, while Edwin Ubiles and Tay Fisher added 14 each.

Siena couldn’t muster any offense after an early lead, shooting 32 percent for the game. Even with a short rally to open the second half that cut the deficit to 16, the Saints never threatened, primarily because Memphis answered the rally with a 25-3 run over the next 7 minutes.

The Tigers shot 50 percent outside the arc for the game with Douglas-Roberts missing only one of his six 3-pointers.

Memphis finished with 11 blocks and forced 15 turnovers.

The Tigers used a barrage of 3-point field goals to build a 49-24 halftime lead. They were 11-of-16 from outside the arc, led by Douglas-Roberts, who hit all five of his and had 17 points.

Siena led early as Memphis coach John Calipari was so dissatisfied with the way his starters were playing, he made wholesale substitutions a minute into the game.

The Tigers erased the early deficit with a 10-0 run with Douglas-Roberts recording half of the points. The Tigers added a handful of 3-pointers over the final 3:26 of the half.

Siena was unable to get much offense going outside of Hasbrouck, shooting 31 percent in the first half.

In the second half, Memphis would extend the lead to as many as 46 points with just under 3 minutes left as Calipari emptied his bench.

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Sports Sports Feature

Memphis Beats Cincy, 79-69

(AP) – Freshman guard Derrick Rose scored a career-high 26 points Wednesday night, steadying No. 2 Memphis in a 79-69 victory over Cincinnati that left the Tigers frustrated but unbeaten.

Memphis improved to 9-0 for the first time since 1985-86, when the Tigers won their first 20 games, a school record. This one didn’t come so easily.

Struggling Cincinnati (4-6) kept it close by taking advantage of two second-half technical fouls and the Tigers’ inability to sustain anything for more than a few minutes.

Deonta Vaughn scored 20 points for the Bearcats, who are off to their worst start in 22 years.

Cincinnati was coming off its most inspired performance, a 64-59 loss to crosstown rival Xavier a week earlier. The Bearcats didn’t back down in that rough-and-tumble game, and came away convinced that they had grown up as a team.

Against another old rival, they initially went back into their shell.

Memphis got a lot of open shots on the perimeter early and took advantage, making seven of its first 12. The Tigers pulled ahead 26-14 and seemed to be ready to take control. Instead, they eased up, lost most of their lead and had to sweat it out.

The Tigers failed to score on their last five possessions of the first half, when they had two turnovers and missed three shots. Cincinnati’s confidence grew during an 11-1 run that culminated with Jamual Warren ‘s jumper at the buzzer that trimmed the lead to 33-32.

It was a significant development for the off-target Bearcats, who had shot 36 percent from the field in their last three games, all losses. They went 13-of-27 in the first half against a team that normally prides itself on pressure defense.

Rose got the Tigers back on solid footing, hitting a 3-pointer and making two free throws to open the second half. Cincinnati also slipped back into its shooting doldrums, missing its first eight attempts.

Still, Memphis struggled to put the Bearcats away.

John Williamson’s three-point play gave Cincinnati its first basket of the half and cut it to 44-40, getting the less-than-capacity crowd back into the game. Rose asserted himself again, making another 3-pointer, and Willie Kemp ‘s three-point play off a fastbreak rebuilt the lead to 50-40.

Andre Allen made a three-point play and two 3s that helped Memphis build its biggest lead, 65-50, with 6:49 left. Two technical fouls – one on forward Joey Dorsey , another on coach John Calipari – blunted the momentum. Memphis also missed four consecutive free throws, giving Cincinnati a final chance.

Vaughn’s 3-pointer cut it to 68-62 with 3:50 to go, but Williamson missed a dunk that could have increased the pressure. Finally, Rose hit a 3-pointer from the right wing that made it 73-64 with 1:52 to go.

Memphis has won its last three games against Cincinnati, with a freshman playing the leading role all three times. Two years ago, Antonio Anderson had career-high 32 points against Cincinnati. Last season, Willie Kemp scored 21 in an 88-55 win.

Box score, stats.

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Sports Sports Feature

Cincinnati “Ready” for Memphis Tonight

There’s a story that sounds like a bit of wishful thinking on the Cincinnati Enquirer website today. It’s all about how the University of Cincinnati is better prepared for the Memphis Tigers tonight than they were last year. Uh huh. Sure.

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

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

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

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

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

Read more from the Enquirer here.

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Sports Sports Feature

A Title Team?

The University of Memphis men’s basketball team currently sits at 8-0 and ranks second in the nation. Everything you hear and see in town suggests this team is poised to make a run for the national championship. And, despite a few good early wins against Oklahoma, UConn, and USC, that campaign kicks into gear this week: a road contest against Cincinnati followed by games against fifth-ranked Georgetown and 21st-ranked Arizona.

But does this Tiger team really fit the profile of a national champ? The NCAA tournament may be known for its exciting upsets, but history has shown that talent usually wins out in the end, and that typically means NBA-level talent. The teams with the most (and best) future pros have proven to have a significant advantage over their competition in the drive for the college hoops title.

Tiger fans have taken to lauding the talent on this year’s team, but how does it match up with other recent title winners as well as other teams competing for this year’s title?

The U of M currently has three players solidly on the NBA radar: Freshman point guard Derrick Rose is a consensus Top 5 pick. Junior swingman Chris Douglas-Roberts is projected to be anywhere from a mid-first-rounder to a second-rounder. Senior center Joey Dorsey — too short and too old for his college production to mark him as a top-notch pro prospect — could go anywhere from late-first (a long shot) to falling out of the draft completely.

By comparison, look at the NBA pedigree of recent champs. The Florida team that won the past two NCAA tournaments sent five players into the NBA, including three Top 10 picks — Al Horford, Corey Brewer, and Joakim Noah. The 2005 North Carolina title team sent six of its players into the NBA draft, including four players in the Top 15 and two players (Marvin Williams and Raymond Felton) in the Top 5. The previous year’s victorious Connecticut squad had a whopping seven players from its title-team roster drafted into the NBA, including three Top 10 picks (Emeka Okafor, Ben Gordon, and Charlie Villaneuva).

This recent stretch of college champs littered with pros isn’t a fluke: Eleven of the past 13 college champions had at least four players drafted into the NBA, a number this Memphis team is unlikely to match. The two exceptions are the upset-special Syracuse team of 2003, which boasted two draftees (Carmelo Anthony and the Grizzlies’ Hakim Warrick, picked third and 19th, respectively) and was only a number-three seed heading into that year’s tournament, and the 1999 Connecticut team in which Rip Hamilton was a Top 10 pick and Khalid El-Amin and Jake Voskuhl were high second-rounders.

So, even if you take an optimistic view of the pro prospects of Rose, Douglas-Roberts, and Dorsey — that Rose goes very high, Douglas-Roberts goes in the middle of the first round, and Dorsey gets drafted — this Tiger team would barely match the profiles of those exceptions to the rule.

If Douglas-Roberts and Dorsey instead meet their low-end expectations — falling to the late-first or early-second round and going undrafted, respectively — then you’d have to go all the way back to the 1994 Arkansas Razorbacks, from which only Corliss Williamson was drafted, to find an NCAA champion with a less impressive stable of pro prospects than this year’s Tiger team.

Tiger fans may think their team is outrageously talented, but NBA prospect lists don’t agree. In fact, several current college teams — particularly North Carolina, Kansas, UCLA, and Arizona — boast a more impressive array of pro prospects than John Calipari’s team.

It is true that the act of winning can help get players drafted, but second-tier Tigers such as Antonio Anderson and Robert Dozier are too marginal in skill for a good tournament run to boost their pro prospects much.

Basically, if the Tigers win a title this season, it will mean one of two things: that Dorsey and Douglas-Roberts have enhanced their status as pro prospects or the team itself has bucked a very strong trend.

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Sports Sports Feature

Tigers Beat Middle Tennessee State, 65-41

(AP) John Calipari knows opponents will try to frustrate Memphis with every junk defense possible, working to slow down games and hoping the Tigers can’t shoot.

Well, his second-ranked Tigers are showing they can win that way, too.

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

The Memphis coach complimented Middle Tennessee’s effort.

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

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

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

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

The Tigers outshot (49 percent to 27) and outrebounded (38-30) Middle Tennessee in a game they never trailed and was tied only once at 16. Dorsey also had a team-high 12 rebounds.

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Sports Sports Feature

Memphis Tops USC in OT, 62-58

The Memphis Tigers overcame horrendous free-throw shooting (7-17) and a tenacious Southern Cal triangle-and-two defense to defeat the Trojans in the Jimmy V Classic in Madison Square Garden, 62-58.

Robert Dozier led Memphis with 13 points and 8 rebounds, followed by Chris Douglas-Roberts with 10 points and 9 boards. Freshman sensation O.J. Mayo led SC with 16 points and 5 rebounds, but the Tigers superior rebounding (46-29) led to numerous second-chance points as Memphis wore down their opponent in overtime.

For stats and recap, go to CBS sportsline.

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Sports Sports Feature

Memphis is Eight-Point Favorite Over USC at MSG

We know that readers of this website would ever place a bet on a basketball game, but if you’re looking to see what the professional odds-makers think about tonight’s game between 2nd-ranked Memphis and 25th-ranked USC, we suggest you check out TheSpread.com.

Here’s a sample: Oddsmakers from Bodog have made Memphis -8 point spread favorites for today’s game. Current public betting information shows that 71 percent of bets for this game have been placed on Memphis -8.

Rose and Mayo were two of the most heavily recruited guards in their class, and both figure to be early selections in next summer’s NBA draft. Both players have also gotten off to hot starts in their collegiate careers.

The 6-foot-4 Rose has helped Memphis (6-0) match the highest ranking in school history. The Tigers, who are No. 2 for the first time since the 1985-86 season, haven’t started 6-0 since 1995-96.

Rose is averaging 17 points, and is coming off perhaps his best game of the season. He had 19 points and 12 assists in a 104-82 win over Austin Peay last Tuesday.

There’s much more here.

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Sports Sports Feature

Tigers Top Austin Peay, 104-82

AP – Derrick Rose had 19 points and 12 assists, and No. 3 Memphis shot 64 percent Tuesday night in a 104-82 victory over Austin Peay.

Rose was coming off his worst game of the season, a four-point performance against Arkansas State a week ago. Tuesday, he shot 6-of-8 from the field as Memphis (6-0) built the lead to as many as 23 early in the second half.

Chris Douglas-Roberts led Memphis with 23 points on 11-of-15 shooting, and Shawn Taggart added a career-high 17 points. Joey Dorsey was one of three Tigers with 10 points. He also grabbed 10 rebounds.

Drake Reed led the Governors (2-4) with 21 points, missing only one of his nine shots, while Todd Babington finished with 18 points on 5-of-8 from the field, all from 3-point range. Wes Channels had 16 for the Governors, and Kyle Duncan finished with 10 points, hitting all four of his shots from the field.

Memphis has won all its games by double digits. The Governors, who have lost two straight, never got the deficit under 16 in the final 17 minutes.

Stats, box score.