UT knocks off Memphis

[billybreen]

Good game, and a strong finish by Tennessee. Free throw shooting was the difference.

[dukie8]

Good game, and a strong finish by Tennessee. Free throw shooting was the difference.

Edit: Really? Memphic? Started drinking too early tonight.

it was weird seeing a team shoot fts worse than duke and clemson. when your coach doesn't think being the 4th worst in college is an issue, you have problems.

can pearl coach or what? after being blackballed for so long, he was absolutely glowing.

[RelativeWays]

Memphis could build the Biltmore Estate with their FTs. Good game by the Vols.

[billybreen]

it was weird seeing a team shoot fts worse than duke and clemson. when your coach doesn't think being the 4th worst in college is an issue, you have problems.

can pearl coach or what? after being blackballed for so long, he was absolutely glowing.

What's the back story on Pearl? I don't know much about him, but he got those kids fired up.

[RelativeWays]

What's the back story on Pearl? I don't know much about him, but he got those kids fired up.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bruce_Pearl

[dukie8]

What's the back story on Pearl? I don't know much about him, but he got those kids fired up.

he started as an assistant at bc. i'm not sure when, but he ratted out another coach for violations 9i think illinois). he was blackballed from d1 for years and then got a job at mil-wisc. he took them to the sweet 16 by upsetting of all schools, bc. he got the tennessee job from that performance.

i loved the intentional foul with 4.5 seconds left. i don't see why more coaches don't do that.

[billybreen]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bruce_Pearl

Interesting. That Iowa recruiting story is crazy.

[RelativeWays]

Interesting. That Iowa recruiting story is crazy.


The fact that it was motivated by sour grapes makes me like Pearl a little less. I'm not excusing Illinois, but it kinda stinks to be set up by another coach who's mad because he didn't get a recruit he wanted.

Interestingly enough Vols football coach Phillip Fulmer did a similar thing to Alabama involving two high school recruits from the Memphis area. Maybe they should change their mascot name to the Snitchers.

[Blue KevIL]

http://underscorebleach.net/jotsheet/supplementary/bruce_pearl_ncaa_memo.html

As much as the Illini showed its hate for Kelvin Sampson a few weeks ago, Bruce Pearl is hated to an even greater extent by the Illini faithful.

[Faison1]

I am very, very impressed with Bruce Pearl. I mean, who wouldn't want to be around that guy? I think we are lucky we landed Elliot Williams, and will be REALLY lucky/fortunate if we land Leslie McDonald.

Very conducive style of play, and seems like UT is running a good ship.

[dukie8]

The fact that it was motivated by sour grapes makes me like Pearl a little less. I'm not excusing Illinois, but it kinda stinks to be set up by another coach who's mad because he didn't get a recruit he wanted.

i don't have a problem with it. if the ncaa is asleep at the switch, like it usually is, and a coach has to do its dirty work, so be it. do you have any doubt that thomas was given an suv?

[Troublemaker]

It was a close game but not particularly well-played. I've seen Memphis several times this season, and imo, the Tigers need to get a lot better offensively (not just FT shooting) in order to be considered a first-tier team alongside the likes of UCLA or UNC. Good win for Tennessee but Memphis isn't the best team in the country.

[dukie8]

I am very, very impressed with Bruce Pearl. I mean, who wouldn't want to be around that guy? I think we are lucky we landed Elliot Williams, and will be REALLY lucky/fortunate if we land Leslie McDonald.

Very conducive style of play, and seems like UT is running a good ship.

it was priceless when he showed up to a women's game last year in face paint and shirtless. he actually is pretty jacked.

[Troublemaker]

i loved the intentional foul with 4.5 seconds left. i don't see why more coaches don't do that.

It helps that Rose paused with the ball and waited to get fouled. With so little time left, I thought he had an open path to burst through and put up a 3-pt shot. He should have known that Memphis' chances to win would go down dramatically if he couldn't get a 3-pt shot off before getting fouled, not that a rushed three is a great option, but compared to the alternative...

[Faison1]

it was priceless when he showed up to a women's game last year in face paint and shirtless. he actually is pretty jacked.


I mean, recruting BS aside, he just seems like one of those types of guys who can make anyone feel good about themselves. Did anyone catch the piece earlier about how one of the UT players lost his father, and Bruce Pearl had the whole team show up to the funeral? That's just good stuff, if you ask me.

[RelativeWays]

i don't have a problem with it. if the ncaa is asleep at the switch, like it usually is, and a coach has to do its dirty work, so be it. do you have any doubt that thomas was given an suv?

Oh I have no doubt that Thomas got an SUV. Stuff like that goes on today. Pearl's action weren't motivated by any sense of duty or honesty, he wanted to stick it to Illinois and set up a player to do it. Its not what I would consider very honerable. Like I said, I like Bruce Pearl, but it seemed a little sneaky and a bit petty to me.

[Bob Green]

i loved the intentional foul with 4.5 seconds left. i don't see why more coaches don't do that.

If the foul was intentional, Memphis shoud've received two shots and the ball.:)

Okay, just kidding around, I agree with the decision to put Memphis on the line instead of giving them the opportunity to send it to OT with a 3-pointer. Especially Memphis!

[dukie8]

Oh I have no doubt that Thomas got an SUV. Stuff like that goes on today. Pearl's action weren't motivated by any sense of duty or honesty, he wanted to stick it to Illinois and set up a player to do it. Its not what I would consider very honerable. Like I said, I like Bruce Pearl, but it seemed a little sneaky and a bit petty to me.

wouldn't you be pissed if you were recruiting someone and he ultimately chose another school because of the escalade the other school provided? i have no doubt it goes on all the time and the ncaa makes sure to stick its head in the proverbial sand in almost all instances.

i wasn't all that impressed with either team and wouldn't be surprised if both get 1 seeds and neither gets to the ff.

[chrisheery]

a few things stood out:

1. incredibly physical. not many fouls called for how many seemed to occur. not sure we would do well in a game like that.

2. if 1 were eliminated with better player control by calling fouls early, i think we could handle either of those teams. they just could not score efficiently or consistently.

no?

[RelativeWays]

Again, nobody wants their school to go on probation and most fans don't want our respective schools engaged in that nonsense in the first place. If it does happen, you'd be a little more than PO'ed that the source of investigation was a coach with an axe to grind. It strikes me as disingenuous, thats all.
We also don't know if Thomas picked Illinois over Iowa solely based on the SUV (though I'm sure it was a factor).

[ricks68]

Not impressed with either coach in this game. I've seen Pearl do some great coaching in other games, however.

Memphis reminded me of street ball with a lack of discipline. A heck of a lot of screaming by Calipari at everyone, all the time. Tremendous amount of atheleticism and ability, but where are the fundamentals like free throw shooting, play execution, defensive postioning for rebounds, calculated 3 point shooting, etc? One good coaching job was the defense on Lofton, however.


Tennesse also did not execute well. Since Lofton was blanketed, why didn't Pearl use him as a decoy to draw the next defender after a pick towards him to open up someone else for the shot? Why did Pearl have him try everything to get open, when they were winning without him? It seemed like while Lofton was blanketed, it allowed others to score more easily. So why have him try to force the issue? Also, why didn't Tenn hold for the last shot at the half instead of launching an off balance outside shot with a lot of ticks left on the clock? And then, when Tenn had a decent lead, they just started getting out of control and lost most of it. That, I believe, is evidence of poor coaching.

Pearl got them fired up, all right, but so did Ronald Reagan to "win one for the Gipper." (Is that correct?)

A number of years ago, they wired Guy Lewis during a Phi Slamma Jamma (U of Houston) game. He would draw up and explain plays during breaks in the game that we could all hear on TV. Then his players would just ignore what he said and do whatever. That's the kind of feeling I get whenever I see Memphis play this year, even though I didn't see Calipari draw up any plays.

In spite of what I perceived as less than ideal coaching, you still never know who can win it all in the end until the game is played.

Just one person's opinion.

ricks

[weezie]

It was a close game but not particularly well-played. I've seen Memphis several times this season, and imo, the Tigers need to get a lot better offensively (not just FT shooting) in order to be considered a first-tier team alongside the likes of UCLA or UNC. Good win for Tennessee but Memphis isn't the best team in the country.


Couldn't agree more. It looked like a Globetrotters game with nothing going in the net, so much running up and down without anything resembling a play during most of the game. Just chuck it up there and hope for the best. When one of Memphis' players actually used the backboard midway during the 2nd half, it was truly surprising.
TN may get a #1 seed for that?

And if K shrieked and postured like those two coaches, he would have been tossed. The refs were totally out of their depth.

[calltheobvious]

I thought Pearl did a fantastic coaching job. Most nights, Tennessee's game is to ramp the tempo up to the max and simply wear the opponents out in a wind-sprint contest. Pearl recognized that this might be the only time this season that he could lose playing a style that his players are most comfortable with.

The easy thing for somebody with Pearl's ego would be to try to get into a sprint with Memphis; then if he'd lost, he might have just said that they got beaten by a better team. By holding possessions down more than he could have, he made points more valuable, jacking the impact of misses at the free throw line. Normally I think it's an oversimplification to single out any one stat and say "that's the reason X won/lost," but in this case I think Pearl's entire strategy was predicated on being able to win the FT battle by a big percentage margin.

Of course, the free throws wouldn't have mattered if Memphis had shown up on the glass. But I think this just underscores the point that when you can't shoot FT's, and you are only average from 3, you have very little margin for error against good teams.

I'd like to put $20 bucks down right now on Memphis being the first top seed ever to go down in the first round. If they run into some Holy Cross type that's going to limit possessions, shoot lots of 3s, and hack-a-Dorsey, the elements are there. Anybody want to lay me some odds?

[ricks68]

Can't bet on the boards, but there is no way Memphis will be the first #1 seed to ever lose to a #16. It just ain't going to happen. I'd be surprised if there is anyone out there that would agree with you on this one.

ricks

[dukie8]

I thought Pearl did a fantastic coaching job. Most nights, Tennessee's game is to ramp the tempo up to the max and simply wear the opponents out in a wind-sprint contest. Pearl recognized that this might be the only time this season that he could lose playing a style that his players are most comfortable with.

The easy thing for somebody with Pearl's ego would be to try to get into a sprint with Memphis; then if he'd lost, he might have just said that they got beaten by a better team. By holding possessions down more than he could have, he made points more valuable, jacking the impact of misses at the free throw line. Normally I think it's an oversimplification to single out any one stat and say "that's the reason X won/lost," but in this case I think Pearl's entire strategy was predicated on being able to win the FT battle by a big percentage margin.

Of course, the free throws wouldn't have mattered if Memphis had shown up on the glass. But I think this just underscores the point that when you can't shoot FT's, and you are only average from 3, you have very little margin for error against good teams.

I'd like to put $20 bucks down right now on Memphis being the first top seed ever to go down in the first round. If they run into some Holy Cross type that's going to limit possessions, shoot lots of 3s, and hack-a-Dorsey, the elements are there. Anybody want to lay me some odds?

if you feel so strongly, then take the money line in march. they are going to be like 25 point favorites against whatever scrub 16 seed they get.

[dukie8]

Not impressed with either coach in this game. I've seen Pearl do some great coaching in other games, however.

wow. pearl goes into the #1 team's arena (who also is undefeated) and beats that team and you aren't impressed. you must not be too impressed with k either because he usually loses a few games here and there.

[calltheobvious]

Can't bet on the boards, but there is no way Memphis will be the first #1 seed to ever lose to a #16. It just ain't going to happen. I'd be surprised if there is anyone out there that would agree with you on this one.

ricks

Pulled over by the fun police. My apologies for sounding like I was making a serious solicitation; your inference was not unreasonable. But while we're here, I'd like to ask you a question, Ricks. When a #1 does eventually lose in the first round, do you think there will have been a lot of people saying it would happen? Of course not.

Predicting that it would actually happen makes about as much sense as "predicting" that your square on the super bowl board is going to hit. Which is why I'm not predicting Memphis is going to lose in the first round.I could make that prediction, and it could come true, but that would not make me a great prognosticator...it would make me very lucky.

If I'm making any sort of claim, it's that Memphis's style of play, strengths/weaknesses, put them in a position in which far less talented teams are capable of staying in the game with them. Normally, for a 16 to beat a 1, an upset requires perfection from the 16 and the worst game possible from the 1. Given who Memphis is as a team, I don't think those "requirements" are so stringent. Is that so crazy?

[ricks68]

No, I'm not impressed. Pearl fired them up, and they are a great team. But what has that got to do with the way they won? The way the game started, it appeared that we were about to see something very special. I mean, like, everything was falling for both teams, with wonderful play. But then, that was it. Did you notice how poor the shooting percentages were after that? And it didn't appear to be because either team was so fantastic on defense other than the coverage of Lofton. Street ball was being played by Memphis.

Remember the Las Vegas game? They blew us out a year before in the FF. A remarkable coaching job by Coach K stopped the supposed best offense to come along since many could remember. Good defense beats good offense almost all the time.

It's just my opinion, but it appeared that a well coached Memphis team was not on the floor tonight. And it wasn't because of the strategy of the Tenn coach. I also pointed out some instances of poor coaching by Tenn: The failure to hold for the last shot before the half, the lack of disciplne by Tenn getting out of control after they had built a decent lead, and the unnecessary goal of trying to get Lofton away from his man instead of using it to their advantage. These things were obvious. Just because someone is told to foul the 4th worst foul shooting team in Div 1 bball at the end of a game does not make for brilliant coaching, either.

Just what did you see, that I missed, leads you have your opinion? I related some things that contributed to mine. Please don't get the wrong impression that I am being arrogant or argumentative, as I am just voicing an opinion, and I'd just like to know how you arrived at yours. One of the teams had to lose tonight, but I don't think that the winner necessarily was because of great coaching by one side over the other. Maybe it was that the least inept coaching won out. Now, don't get me wrong, I believe both coaches belong to a group of good college coaches. But to say that great coaching, other than a great pep talk to fire them up, was the deciding factor, may be a stretch as far as I am concerned.

If you want examples of great coaching, just watch ACC games. Watch the way Gary Williams coaches against us and UNC. Watch the way some other teams adapt their style of play against us and then beat us. Watch the different strategies they use and how well they are executed. It's amazing how good the coaches are in the ACC. Just imagine how well either Tenn or Memphis would do with an ACC schedule, or how well they would do with some ACC coaching.

Just an opinion. It's just my opinion.

ricks

[ricks68]

Pulled over by the fun police. My apologies for sounding like I was making a serious solicitation; your inference was not unreasonable. But while we're here, I'd like to ask you a question, Ricks. When a #1 does eventually lose in the first round, do you think there will have been a lot of people saying it would happen? Of course not.

Predicting that it would actually happen makes about as much sense as "predicting" that your square on the super bowl board is going to hit. Which is why I'm not predicting Memphis is going to lose in the first round.I could make that prediction, and it could come true, but that would not make me a great prognosticator...it would make me very lucky.

If I'm making any sort of claim, it's that Memphis's style of play, strengths/weaknesses, put them in a position in which far less talented teams are capable of staying in the game with them. Normally, for a 16 to beat a 1, an upset requires perfection from the 16 and the worst game possible from the 1. Given who Memphis is as a team, I don't think those "requirements" are so stringent. Is that so crazy?


I only think it's crazy because Memphis has so much atheleticism and talent. They should win a lot of games just because of that. But it doesn't make that much sense to me that they could be beaten by a team ranked somewhere below #60 in the NCAA tournament. Just how perfect can a team ranked at least that low get? Also, over the years, there have been other #1 seeds of dubious distinction. I do not think, however, that Memphis is in that class. I think that Memphis may well not make the FF because they have not had enough experience playing top teams this year. The game tonight was the only possible one that was a threat to their perfect regular season, and they lost it. Who knows how many others they might have lost if they had been given the chance to play them? Also, when they begin to play them in the tournament, the odds of them losing should go way up due to their lack of experience in playing those kind of teams this year. But that still doesn't indicate to me that a really low ranked team has much of a chance to do them in.

ricks

[2535Miles]

Memphis relies too much on the three, and without a true center in the game they have real match-up problems. Oh, and they also get all of the calls.

[mgtr]

Right. I have heard there is another team in the southeast with the same story, but I don't recall the name.

[slower]

Right. I have heard there is another team in the southeast with the same story, but I don't recall the name.

that "other team" doesn't have an equivalent to Dorsey on their roster. What a whiny bonehead. But on the other hand, it would have been nice for him to meet some of our friends at VT, FSU, etc.

[CameronBornAndBred]

Right now, Tennesee looks like the best bet for Charlotte. They will have to stumble in the regular season, or play a poor SEC tourney AND Duke must win the rest of the way to reclaim that spot.

[dukie8]

No, I'm not impressed. Pearl fired them up, and they are a great team. But what has that got to do with the way they won? The way the game started, it appeared that we were about to see something very special. I mean, like, everything was falling for both teams, with wonderful play. But then, that was it. Did you notice how poor the shooting percentages were after that? And it didn't appear to be because either team was so fantastic on defense other than the coverage of Lofton. Street ball was being played by Memphis.

Remember the Las Vegas game? They blew us out a year before in the FF. A remarkable coaching job by Coach K stopped the supposed best offense to come along since many could remember. Good defense beats good offense almost all the time.

It's just my opinion, but it appeared that a well coached Memphis team was not on the floor tonight. And it wasn't because of the strategy of the Tenn coach. I also pointed out some instances of poor coaching by Tenn: The failure to hold for the last shot before the half, the lack of disciplne by Tenn getting out of control after they had built a decent lead, and the unnecessary goal of trying to get Lofton away from his man instead of using it to their advantage. These things were obvious. Just because someone is told to foul the 4th worst foul shooting team in Div 1 bball at the end of a game does not make for brilliant coaching, either.

Just what did you see, that I missed, leads you have your opinion? I related some things that contributed to mine. Please don't get the wrong impression that I am being arrogant or argumentative, as I am just voicing an opinion, and I'd just like to know how you arrived at yours. One of the teams had to lose tonight, but I don't think that the winner necessarily was because of great coaching by one side over the other. Maybe it was that the least inept coaching won out. Now, don't get me wrong, I believe both coaches belong to a group of good college coaches. But to say that great coaching, other than a great pep talk to fire them up, was the deciding factor, may be a stretch as far as I am concerned.

If you want examples of great coaching, just watch ACC games. Watch the way Gary Williams coaches against us and UNC. Watch the way some other teams adapt their style of play against us and then beat us. Watch the different strategies they use and how well they are executed. It's amazing how good the coaches are in the ACC. Just imagine how well either Tenn or Memphis would do with an ACC schedule, or how well they would do with some ACC coaching.

Just an opinion. It's just my opinion.

ricks

so you watched 1 tennessee game and didn't like some of things you saw so you aren't impressed with pearl. your criticism could equally apply to k if you just watched the pitt, wfu or miami games -- poor fundamentals (foul shooting), poor shot selection, poor fg % (which you don't credit to the defense) and overall poor play particularly demonstrated by a lot of turnovers. memphis shot under 40% from the field and under 30% from 3pt range. if you don't think that tennessee's defense had anything to do with that, then you sound like the poster this week who claims that scheyer can't play d and ellington's horrible games against us were independent of the fact that scheyer was covering him most of the time.

if memphis were so bad and streetballish, then how come they had the nation's longest home winning street prior to last night? shouldn't a well-coached gtown team have gone in there and also won?

[dynastydefender]

Right. I have heard there is another team in the southeast with the same story, but I don't recall the name.
I think that other team just beat Arkansas to solidify a winning season and put them back into contention for an at large bid. That other team Beat Tennessee this year as well. I would be glad to remind you of the name of that other team if you can't remember!! :)

[DoubleDuke Dad]

Lofton did finish it off, though, hitting a couple of free throws with 4.5 seconds to go after Memphis (26-1) intentionally missed at the line.

I don’t think that was too difficult for them to do. :)

``You guys all said we needed to lose one, so we lost one,'' Memphis coach John Calipari told the media, trying to shrug off the end of the nation's longest home winning streak at 47 games.

Now that is what I call a real classy coach.

[kramerbr]

Lofton did finish it off, though, hitting a couple of free throws with 4.5 seconds to go after Memphis (26-1) intentionally missed at the line.

I don’t think that was too difficult for them to do. :)

``You guys all said we needed to lose one, so we lost one,'' Memphis coach John Calipari told the media, trying to shrug off the end of the nation's longest home winning streak at 47 games.

Now that is what I call a real classy coach.

Speaking of a classy coach...It doesn't appear that he even acknowledges Bruce Pearl after the game. He tries to walk by him as fast as possibly and it barely results in a handshake. Grow up! Even K and Williams stop to say good game and shake hands.

[cspan37421]

Again, nobody wants their school to go on probation and most fans don't want our respective schools engaged in that nonsense in the first place. If it does happen, you'd be a little more than PO'ed that the source of investigation was a coach with an axe to grind. It strikes me as disingenuous, thats all.


I don't reallly care if Pearl's motivation for ratting out the Illini was revenge. Cheating is despicable and the less of it, the better. To those who say that you owe a greater duty of loyalty to your employer, your coaching fraternity, etc., than to the law or to the rule-making body in your profession, I say that kind of ethic leads to fraud, whether in the business world, political world, sports world, etc.

[mgtr]

I don't reallly care if Pearl's motivation for ratting out the Illini was revenge. Cheating is despicable and the less of it, the better. To those who say that you owe a greater duty of loyalty to your employer, your coaching fraternity, etc., than to the law or to the rule-making body in your profession, I say that kind of ethic leads to fraud, whether in the business world, political world, sports world, etc.

Ah, yes. Anybody remember Enron?

[ugadevil]

Memphis relies too much on the three, and without a true center in the game they have real match-up problems. Oh, and they also get all of the calls.

What everyone says about us too, huh? The funny thing is, Memphis has a player who could be dominant on the inside if he'd actually get his head in a game, Joey Dorsey. Dorsey is ridiculously strong and athletic and could probably get to any rebound around the basket. Yet, at the end of the game, Joey is busy talking trash to the TN player on the free throw line. I'd love to hear trash talk from someone who has more fouls than points in the game.

[Troublemaker]

so you watched 1 tennessee game and didn't like some of things you saw so you aren't impressed with pearl. your criticism could equally apply to k if you just watched the pitt, wfu or miami games -- poor fundamentals (foul shooting), poor shot selection, poor fg % (which you don't credit to the defense) and overall poor play particularly demonstrated by a lot of turnovers. memphis shot under 40% from the field and under 30% from 3pt range. if you don't think that tennessee's defense had anything to do with that, then you sound like the poster this week who claims that scheyer can't play d and ellington's horrible games against us were independent of the fact that scheyer was covering him most of the time.

if memphis were so bad and streetballish, then how come they had the nation's longest home winning street prior to last night? shouldn't a well-coached gtown team have gone in there and also won?

Except ricks68 clearly stated up top that he was impressed with Pearl in other games, just not in this game. I wasn't impressed with Tennessee last night, either. There's no need to be automatically impressed with them just because Memphis was undefeated, and I'm not working from hindsight because I even predicted a couple weeks ago that Memphis would lose to Tennessee or Gonzaga. Overall, the game wasn't well-played, and I could understand a viewer being unimpressed with both teams.

[cspan37421]

And worldcom, adelphia, global crossing, arthur andersen, ....

There are endless analogues in the political world as well, well covered in the PPB.

[CDu]

Big win for Tennessee. It really solidifies their case for a #1 seed. Not such a good thing for Duke and UNC, as a Tennessee loss would have been good for us. Memphis is going to get a #1 seed, but Tennessee was on the #1/#2 bubble like Duke and UNC. Now, they're looking a lot stronger for a #1 seed.

[CDu]

I think that other team just beat Arkansas to solidify a winning season and put them back into contention for an at large bid. That other team Beat Tennessee this year as well. I would be glad to remind you of the name of that other team if you can't remember!! :)

I think the team you refer to may become the first team in SEC history to win 11 conference games and not get a bid.

[mapei]

I am amazed to read 44 posts above and not one is saying what I thought, which is that it was the most entertaining game I've seen all season - two teams full of incredible athletes absolutely playing their hearts out in a big-time atmosphere. I am so glad I didn't miss it.

Whether it was well-coached or well-played in a clinical sense or what someone's backstory may be never entered my mind, to tell you the truth. I was having too much fun as a fan.

[dukeblue1215]

I agree, both teams offenses are some of the most fun to watch in the nation. The way they both came out right from the start just draining 3 after 3 it was amazing. Probably the best non duke game ive seen in a long time. (other than anytime carolina loses)

[johnb]

It was a fun game to watch, and their guys do look long and athletic. Hard to tell, and maybe it was the atmosphere and level of defensive play, but I wasn't especially impressed by their floor spacing, shotmaking, and time management. Both teams certainly seemed beatable by other elite teams (including us).

[dyedwab]

I am amazed to read 44 posts above and not one is saying what I thought, which is that it was the most entertaining game I've seen all season - two teams full of incredible athletes absolutely playing their hearts out in a big-time atmosphere. I am so glad I didn't miss it.

Whether it was well-coached or well-played in a clinical sense or what someone's backstory may be never entered my mind, to tell you the truth. I was having too much fun as a fan.

It was really easy to get into the back and forth of the game. A friend of mine, a Memphis native but not a hoops fan, started off saying she was bored, but by the end was living and dying on every possession. Even if it wasn't the mostly crisply played game, I had a great time watching it.

[mapei]

It was really easy to get into the back and forth of the game. A friend of mine, a Memphis native but not a hoops fan, started off saying she was bored, but by the end was living and dying on every possession. Even if it wasn't the mostly crisply played game, I had a great time watching it.

Exactly. And the first few minutes were amazing. No way they were going to be able to keep that up!

[rsvman]

i loved the intentional foul with 4.5 seconds left. i don't see why more coaches don't do that.

I liked it, too.

Does anybody else think the intentional miss of the second free-throw was a tactical error? With 4.9 seconds left, I think I would have asked the player to make the free-throw, cut the lead to one, and then see what happens. Maybe you get a 5-second inbounds call and get the ball back. Maybe you get a steal. Maybe you get a very rapid foul in and have one more chance to score.

[kramerbr]

Maybe I'm over analyzing the game but it looks like after Rose misses the second free throw he goes immediately to behind the three point line for a kick out and the rebound goes right to where he was while shooting the free throw. The kid is a tremendous talent, but I think that is where a player's youth shows in games.

Once again, the kid is an amazing player but I thought that was an interesting play at the end.

[Mudge]

I saw a Tennessee team that was maybe the most athletically gifted team in college-- and was also well-coached to take advantage of those skills. Tenn was as talented or more than Memphis, and they had better strategy and tactics than Memphis. The only reason Tenn didn't win by ten or more was that their "star", Lofton, seemed bound and determined to do a Nelson, and prove to everybody why he was indispensable for Tenn to win... if Lofton had just been willing to use Memphis' defense on him to his advantage, Tenn could have played 4-on-4 against Memphis with him being a decoy 40 feet from the basket-- instead, he seemed determined to show how he scored 34 against Memphis last year, by forcing up 30-foot, off-balance shots while closely guarded.

As Pearl said at half time, "We've got good players too." He's right, and they have far more athleticism (and even more depth) than either Duke or UNC have. We would have big trouble with them-- I'd rather play Memphis anytime. By the way, is Pearl the funniest, most engaging interview in college basketball? Maybe Phil Martelli can challenge him, but Pearl is going to be a force to be reckoned with for at least the next decade or so, now that he is at a school with powerhouse potential-- I don't think this will be the last time/season Tennesee is ranked #1 while he is there.

[dukegirlinsc]

how bad must it suck to you know possibly lost the game because you were fighting with your teammate over the ball. yikes.

i can't say i'm shocked that memphis lost...i figured they would lose at least one this season...just not to UT. i also admit, i didn't think UT had beaten anyone half-way decent. and to think that duke could be taking over the number one spot right now. ughhhh. :mad:

[crote]

Should Tennessee win out, or even only drop one more game this year, it's pretty likely they'll get the number one overall seed. If this is the case, it may have some pretty interesting ramifications for both Duke and UNC.

As the tourney's top seed, UT would likely get rewarded with the closest regional, which for them would be... Charlotte. As a consequence of this, the "all North Carolina road to the FF" would be closed off to whichever of Duke or UNC got the one seed, but NOT necessarily to the team who gets the two seed.

Put another way, there's a chance that Duke or UNC could get a two seed, get to stay in the state of North Carolina through the elite eight, but have to face the number one overall seed in the regional final, while the other team would get a one seed but have to travel to Detroit, Houston, or Phoenix for rounds three and four.

[cspan37421]

and to think that duke could be taking over the number one spot right now. ughhhh. :mad:

Good ranking ==> good seeding but

good seeding <> going deep in the tournament

and I'd gladly yield a good seed or even a final AP poll #1 for another Final Four and more.

It seems that in these 1 and done tournaments, Duke faces a lower seed that lays it all out on the table. They press from the opening tip, they play physical and dare the refs to give Duke even a deserved call, and as a result, we're often on our heels. We've got to go out there with the same intensity and break the press and get some easy baskets.

[mgtr]

From the several games I have seen, Joey Dorsey is the most physically gifted player in college basketball. Yet, he doesn't dominate the way he should. I have to lay that at the coach's feet. Dorsey seems to want to play street ball (its all about me, baby) and not team ball. A shame.
A similar talent (but better) is Dwight Howard of the Magic. Somebody slapped him upside the head, and he has his game focussed on winning.
I hope that a similar road to Damascus experience happens for Dorsey.

[Mudge]

From the several games I have seen, Joey Dorsey is the most physically gifted player in college basketball. Yet, he doesn't dominate the way he should. I have to lay that at the coach's feet. Dorsey seems to want to play street ball (its all about me, baby) and not team ball. A shame.
A similar talent (but better) is Dwight Howard of the Magic. Somebody slapped him upside the head, and he has his game focussed on winning.
I hope that a similar road to Damascus experience happens for Dorsey.

He may be physically gifted (though how you can tell that he's the most gifted in college, I don't know), but he has virtually no offensive skills whatsoever, and that's hardly his coach's fault. I have been underwhelmed in two games watching him.

[mgtr]

He may be physically gifted (though how you can tell that he's the most gifted in college, I don't know), but he has virtually no offensive skills whatsoever, and that's hardly his coach's fault. I have been underwhelmed in two games watching him.

OK, I amend my statement. He is one of the most physically gifted players in college ball. I think the coach is responsible for his development, or lack thereof. Part of coaching is teaching, and maybe there isn't a whole lot teaching going on there. Obviously I am not privy to any inside dope, but I hate to that much talent being ignored.

[dukie8]

OK, I amend my statement. He is one of the most physically gifted players in college ball. I think the coach is responsible for his development, or lack thereof. Part of coaching is teaching, and maybe there isn't a whole lot teaching going on there. Obviously I am not privy to any inside dope, but I hate to that much talent being ignored.

i don't think calipari has any control over a lot of what is going on. k wouldn't put with most of the crap that goes on with that team. imagine if one of the duke guys started talking trash to a foul shooter with 4 seconds left. not only would he not see the last 4 seconds but i would imagine he also would miss a lot of the next game as well.

[mgtr]

I agree completely. I lay the responsibility at the coach's feet. Calipari is responsible for recruiting and developing his players. If the player is undisciplined, there is a quick fix (ride the pine). I wonder how many potentially terrific players have failed to develop due to lack of adequate coaching (which in many cases is a discipline issue) in high school and college. Quite a few, I'd guess.