seriously. how did they last as the number one seed for such a long time while shooting the 4th worst ft% in the ncaa? absolutely mind boggling.
Great game. Don't know if I've ever seen more intense physical, athletic college basketball than the first 10 minutes. Bodies were flying all over the place. If Joey Dorsey had the IQ of a grape, he would have let his teammate have that late rebound instead of them being called for traveling and Memphis probably would have won. They will enter the tournament with only one loss and be a top seed, but their FT% will bite them like it did tonight. Derrick Rose might be the #2 pick in the draft after Beasley. He has skills that will definitely translate to the NBA. Needs to shoot better.
they are no question, but it doesnt prep them for ncaa type games. but i was more responding to how they lasted so long being #1 w/such a low FT%. basically because they beat up on c-usa teams.
I just don't see this Memphis group having the half-court offense to reach the Final Four. They're freakishly athletic and great in transition, but in the half court, they don't shoot threes particularly well and they're terrible at the line, a bad combination for the slow down, zone defense type games of the NCAA Tournament. I was somewhat impressed by Tennessee. They're never going to be the most talented team in the country because they don't really defend the interior, but in past years, they were incredibly hit or miss solely based on how well they hit threes. Tonight, Lofton couldn't make a shot and the offense was sluggish after the first 10 minutes, and they played strong enough man to man defense to win on the road against the No. 1 team in the country. Granted, Memphis isn't exactly a good half-court team (see above), but they would've had more than enough to crush the Tennessee of a year or two ago on a night like tonight where the Vols didn't hit their shots. Also, Tyler Smith helps them a ton by giving them an actual offensive threat in the post. That said, they were bailed out when Memphis couldn't capitalize on their weakness inside... both in terms of missing free throws as well as not having a post player that can really score. If or when they're matched up against a team with a bulky center with good hands and a good stroke from the line... they're a good candidate to be upset. Still think UCLA, Kansas, UNC and Texas are better than either of these teams.
Oh, and I forgot to mention it, but Bruce Pearl is officially my hero. What a guy. http://thebiglead.com/?p=4749
haha, i said the same thing to my friend tonight. copping a feel with the hug. the post game interview he was giving her a look as well.
1. Totally agree. Memphis beats the crap out of their conference..but their weaknesses are glaring. 2. I THOUGHT KU was the best team in the nation for a while. They have me second-guessing them....but I agree that UCLA, KU, UNC and UT are better than either. Having said all that....what a great, great game!! I only caught the 2nd half, but it was awesome.
So the #1 team in the nation loses to the #2 team in an essentially one possession game, and all the sudden Memphis is no longer final four worthy? OOoooooooKay.
No...I didn't think they were going to the Final Four before last night's game. That doesn't mean they're not Final Four -worthy....What I'm saying is that I believe they have huge weaknesses that don't play well in the Tourney...and they've had very few tests on their regular season schedule.
Like it often is, the NCAA tourney will be all about matchups. Both teams were impressive in some ways last night (great intensity, hustle, athletic play, etc.) Both also seemed to struggle at the free throw line and with turnovers. It felt like every time Tenn. didn't score, it was because they were throwing the ball out of bounds or getting it stolen. As Cat said, Memphis typically struggles from the arc and the free throw line, and I think their strong start from 3 last night hurt them as the game wore on because they became too quick to settle for three point shots that stopped falling. Another interesting thing is how well Tenn. rebounds for having such a shorter front line. A lot of that comes down to hustling, positioning, and maybe even just playing less zone and more man to man D. I think the key to Memphis in the tourney will be Dorsey. He can be a beast defensively and on the boards when he's not doing stupid stuff or getting in foul trouble. CDR is very good and Rose will help provide the offense, too. It should be fantastic tourney this year! Really, can anyone say that they feel one team is definitely going to take it all? I can see about 5 or 6 teams with a strong case right now. I, too, was on the Kansas bandwagon, but I'm starting to have my doubts about that now. Maybe yesterday they were distracted by all the "shootings" that affected their players. Can't blame them for that....
