How did they not move up in the AP poll?

I wasn't buying into this bias before, but now it's getting pretty obvious - the SEC writers in the AP poll aren't voting for Memphis. They're picking us to be much lower, & it's balancing out with what everyone else votes, to leave us at #5. The reporters out of the SEC cities are the ones voting us the lowest.

Screw the SEC - once they realize they'll never be a basketball power conference, they'll be a lot happier. The days of Kentucky carrying them have long since passed.

Well, I didn't know this and it doesn't dissuade my hate anymore, but UT (that would be the Vols) have the #1 strength of schedule in Div I.

I think it is pretty accurate to be #5, really. I watch a lot of college hoops and while we are really good, esp. defensively, there are a lot of teams right now as good or even better...I like the #5.

In my honset opinion I think we are a legit Top 10 team. Top 5 seems like a stretch to me. Defensively we are as good as anyone in the country, but offensively we are off and on. We dont really have that "automatic" guy that you can go to for the big shot. It seems game to game different guys step up at different times which cant happen in the tournament. Its gotta be "on" for everybody. Its great to see Dozier finally waking up and Taggart playing up to their capabilities and peaking at about the right time. Ive said it before, but I would rather go into the tourney not in the top 3 or even 5. It makes the Tigers more of a target and creates more pressure for those guys. We should win the Conference and probably win the Conf USA Tournament. Selection Sunday will be interesting. There about 5 or 6 teams out there that I do not want to play in the first few rounds.

Anyone from the A10 is going to be dangerous.

Right...St. Jo's or Xavier! I personally dont wanna play Louisville or Pitt, which we will have to play one of them if we move on to the 3rd round +.

Yeah, Louisville I don't worry about as much as Pitt, for some reason. Xavier is always a threat, esp. right now.

Louisville has some shooters, but honestly they don't scare me too much. I saw them sleepwalk past Marquette last weekend - they didn't show much intensity at all, imo...

Pitt would be a defensive battle - first one to 50, wins...

I think we can hang with pretty much any other team, defensively. Carolina's the only team that matches up with us athletically - I'd prefer to not see them til the Finals!

This is an interesting article of which the Tigers are mentioned in. Its too bad that the only "notable" wins that we have this season are Gonzaga and Tennessee, which although the Vols have a high RPI have had a pretty shitty season. I predict we will be a 2 seed.

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2009/writers/luke_winn/03/03/10.quest ions/index.html?eref=T1&bcnn=yes

i'll be fine with a 2...i'll be shocked if we get a 1 seed, actually.

louisville doesn't worry me...and carolina doesn't, either. AA & our defense would shut hansbrough up like a whiny toddler. there are other teams that concern me (pitt, uconn) way more than them.

Carolina reminds me alot of Florida's 2 champion teams. Both sort of sloughed off mid-season. Something tells me Carolina's gonna flip the switch this month...

UConn's beatable...

That Vinyl Ritchie post, was me , btw - still an internet dumbass...

Yeah, Louisville I don't worry about as much as Pitt, for some reason. Xavier is always a threat, esp. right now.

Man, I don't know. The way that Pitt's bigs have been playing lately is pretty impressive. I know that Dozier and Taggart are coming alive, but Pitt's front court really shows up for big games. Thabeet, while getting some shit calls, got Manhandled by Blair. Beat up, man style. It was not pretty. The refs did make some horrific calls, but nothing covers up the fact that Thabeet was pushed around by smaller guy with less experience all night. I would rather the Tigers not play Pitt.

That is what I was saying, not worried about Louisville, worried about Pitt. And Xavier.

Xavier already beat us once this year. Pretty much whipped our ass's from end to end. Them and Pitt are very, very physical which the Tigers are not lets face it.

I about cried at that Xavier showing. We are MUCH more together right now when we were then, but they are no worse than they were.

Whatevs. We were worried about Pitt last year, then Michigan State handed them their ass and who did we hand their ass? Michigan State. What did we win by, 30 points or something obscene?

I know it's not last year, but there's no point in worrying about any of this yet. There's still a week and a half left to go. Conference championships and everything. Deep breaths all around!!

I have watched Michigan State a lot this year (they are Ryan's team) as I have for every season since '03-'04 and let me say one thing though it kills me to say it: Tom Izzo kicks the hell out of Cal as a coach. Just sayin. Not that I wouldn't want the Tigers to mop the floor with the Spartans any day, I am JUST SAYING. And the Spartans are much better this season than last.

I am being realistic! I want and think the Tigers can beat most of these teams, but we have to be firing on all cylinders, esp. the coaching cylinder.

Not that I wouldn't want the Tigers to mop the floor with the Spartans any day


been there, done that.

the fact of the matter is, the entire possible field of 64 is down from last year...including us.

we don't have the consistent talent that we had last year, but I think we've almost got MORE of a will to win, if that makes any sense. if we didn't, we would have dropped some games since tyreke became point.

I think we would kill Xavier now, but that's just me. We can be just as physical as they are (meaning I don't think that wouldn't intimidate us now), and again, our defense would smother them.

It's gonna be a crapshoot. I said at the beginning of the season Sweet 16, and anything past that is gravy. We may screw up & get knocked out early, or we could blow past 16 & get back into the final four. A lot of things will have to play in our favor for that to happen, but the years you least expect it......

You know the South Regionals are at the Forum this year, right???

I think this is a for sure anything could happen year. Anything. But I have seen some scariness from the following teams lately: UConn, UNC, Xavier, Pitt...

That is what I was saying, not worried about Louisville, worried about Pitt. And Xavier.

I drink too much. Many apologies.

You know the South Regionals are at the Forum this year, right???

If we're a 1 seed we're almost certainly in the West Region. That always fucking happens, and correct me if I'm omitting anyone but besides Oklahoma, we're the furthest west of any of the teams that have a chance of getting a 1 seed. If we're a 2 seed our chances are better, but I'm sure they'll make sure it doesn't happen, even though we had to basically play Texas at home last year so there's a precedent.

The #5 team in the country is being punked out by a very unranked Houston Cougar team. Hope things look up in the later part of the second half. Yuck!

Another thing...

Who is the John Wall fella and is he really thinking of coming to Memphis? I read on Rivals that he has an offer from Memphis and is the #1 player in the class of 2009. I have never heard of him.
A friend shot me an email saying that he was going to make a decision now that his high school season was over. Anyone have the scoop?

Dont know..just looked him up and he is a hooper! He is the Rivals.com #1 player for sure which is a big deal and he plays point guard. Hope he comes cause Im sure Tyreke will make the wrong decision and leave this year for not as much $ as he "could" make one day!

Wall is as good if not possibly better than Rose was when he was here. I don't hate Evans, but I hope he does go Pro after this year. John Wall won't come if Evans stays.

Wall + Henry + Cousins(if we get him) would make us more of a powerhouse than last years team.

Thats an interesting thought for sure. I think Id probably agree from a Tiger fan standpoint and just hope he does go pro. From the standpoint of wanting Tyreke to have a good pro career its a bad, bad idea. The dude has a long way to go and Im just not a fan of his style. Yeah man...Wall + Henry will be the shit. I havnet heard much on Cousins so Ill check him out!

Man, I miss watching all of the tiger games! Damn you Allegheny County Comcast and Damn your lack of CBS college sports!

Colin, Demarcus Cousins is top rated power forward right now. Was committed to UAB but backed out so Coach Cal gave him a call.

Getting him and Wall would mean we'd have the #1 PG, #1 shooting guard, and #1 power forward.

This is making my sticker peck out.

Love this quote from Antonio:

"I just told him, 'Doz, we need to go through you,'" Anderson said. "They have no way to stop you. We're all exhausted. You got your break. And he said, 'OK, give me the ball.' "

Breaks over, Dozier! Get back to work...

If Antonio Anderson is there in the 2nd round and the Grizzlies don't pick him - THEN I THROW UP MY HANDS!

Daaaaaamn!! Dosent hurt that we reemed UAB twice this season. That might sway him our way!

Antonio Anderson has future coaching possibilities. I am serious. Maybe not a head coach, but...why not?

John Wall kicks ass!!!!!

Antonio Anderson has future coaching possibilities. I am serious.

SO TRUE. I hope this occurs to him at some point in the future.

OK, that run was insane. I didn't even know the game was on because the schedule said it started at 3PM, but I was driving around listening to sports radio and the score in the first half was sickeningly close. I found it on TV with 12 minutes left and um, WHERE IS THAT TEAM EVERY SINGLE GAME?!?!?! Sheeeeeet!

They're replaying it at 3:30 on CSS. They had some kind of girls game on for the whole first half!! I called Comcast, and they wouldn't even let you speak to someone. "If you are calling about the Tigers game it will be replayed at 3:30. There is no one available for you to speak to now."

HAHAHAHAHA! Not that they didn't play the first half, but the onslaught of HELL that Comcast had to catch today.

I am so over Comcast. Not enough to have some ugly satellite thing on my house, however.

I am so over Comcast. Not enough to have some ugly satellite thing on my house, however.

we managed to get ours out back, on the roof, completely out of sight. but can't watch memphis unless it's a national game

If Antonio Anderson is there in the 2nd round and the Grizzlies don't pick him - THEN I THROW UP MY HANDS!

In the game today he became the first Tiger ever to score 1000 points, 500 rebounds, and 500 assists. GO ANTONIO!

I mean...it happened today. He didn't score all that in today's game!

Cousins is a Tiger now. Wall is next. Next year will be the most talented college basketball team in history. It puts Michigan's Fab Five to shame.

What a weird game - the Tigers dick around for 30 minutes, then blowout Tulane in about 5. Anybody think they've about had it with C-USA? I wonder if these streaks are beginning to wear on 'em...

Yeah man..onward and upward! Screw a record, put us in the Big East!

you should always be worried about Louisville!!!! if you enjoy your win streaks stay in c-usa

I wouldn't talk so loudly, Vonborsig. Denny Crum is long gone.

Cousins is a Tiger now. Wall is next. Next year will be the most talented college basketball team in history. It puts Michigan's Fab Five to shame.

Doesn't take much to put the Fab Five and their perjurious asses to shame.

you should always be worried about Louisville!!!! if you enjoy your win streaks stay in c-usa

You should be thankful Lousyvile won't see ND on your side of your tourney bracket.

Doesn't take much to put the Fab Five and their perjurious asses to shame.


I was speaking strictly from a talent prospective.

Tigers #3/#4 in the polls - probably just about right...

As I said before, UNC is about the only team that I think could outright handle us. They match us athletically - we might be a tad better on D, but offensively they got us. Seeing them in another region would suit me fine...

never was a Crum fan. the loss to ND was just what the Cards needed to wake up. just talking shit to the Tigers fans , don't get to much since the conf change.

Louisville looked pretty good the other night - Terrance Williams was awesome, fucker can shoot...

Louisville might be the one team i'd be worried about. They're playing some excellent ball right now. Against some good teams, no less.

Pitt. And UNC. And UConn. Anyone with big inside power could potentially really screw us. And I hear ya about Fab Five, I just hate them! Also, I'd love to be back in the same conference as Lousyville, great rivalry. Bruce Pearl, CarMax salesman, has proven this year that our Vols rivalry is a joke.

...look like SHIT so far today. C'mon, blue!

Tigers looked awful last night and will lose by many in the Tourney if they cant get it together. Comon Tigers!! Pitt, Oklahoma, Uconn and Kansas lost yesterday! Louisville lookin tough...tough!!

Tigers looked awful last night and will lose by many in the Tourney if they cant get it together.

I (sadly) gotta agree. Jeesh.

I get the impressions the Tigers are bored out of their skulls with these "cupcakes" and want a full meal...which they aren't likely to get til the sweet 16...

I also get the impression that the Big East is incredibly overrated...

I get the impressions the Tigers are bored out of their skulls with these "cupcakes" and want a full meal...which they aren't likely to get til the sweet 16...

Ditto. They have become completely complacent and bored, which this particular crew has the tendency toward.

I also get the impression that the Big East is incredibly overrated...

No kidding! The 6 overtime UConn-Syracuse? This BS of it being "the best game ever"? Ryan saw it and said it was pathetic. No one wanted the game enough to get it done before 6 OTs were up! Pshaw Big East. And this craziness with Ty Lawson's toe is making me salivate...

ooooh, that Hansbrough kid makes my blood boil.

Yeah, I watched part of the Uconn-Syr game and UConn does not deserve a #1 seed. Talent-wise, they should have handed it to Syracuse, but they just let them hang around all game...

The consensus among the talking heads is that Louisville, Pitt, and Uconn are all getting #1 seeds! The only team I see sniffing the Final Four out of that bunch is Louisville...

I think this is the year a #16 finally gets a #1 - the "elite" teams aren't that elite...

My husband will be happy but theother talk on #1 seeds is not the Tigers but Michigan St if they win Big 10 tourney.

I watched that Syra-UConn game and was pretty impressed man. The size and strength of those teams is crazy! Robinson for Uconn is badass and those guards from Syra can straight ball! I imagine by the 2nd or 3rd overtime those guys were spent. Not sure it wasnt cause they didnt "want" the game. That was one of the greatest games Ive ever seen for sure. Lots of upsets yesterday though...hope the Tigers dont follow suit! Go Tigers!!

I despise Syracuse so much I could spit. So it is difficult for me to stop hating on them and their bad tattoo-encrusted, girl-hitting, J. Dub-wanna be, DEVENDORF.

Better today...GO TIGERS!

That was one of the greatest games Ive ever seen for sure.

it really, truly was for me too...and nothing made me happier than seeing Jim Calhoun sputter out at the end. I HATE that guy. He's the textbook definition of douchebag.

Note to Tiger fans: Louisville has an extremely tough time working against scrappy, swarming defenses. 'Nova is killing them first half.

Boeheim is easily the dicknose that Calhoun is , for sure. Say what you will about Cal, but Boeheim never once suspended that douche who definitely assaulted a woman. This was no Dozier drama, but a real assault where he was disciplined by the school.

Wake up Tiger fans! Game on in 31 minutes!

Motherfuckin right....wakey wakey eggs and bakey!!!

DOZIER!
All of em were pretty on today!! GO TIGERS!!
Plus, we're actually getting some love from the national media!

Note to Tiger fans: Louisville has an extremely tough time working against scrappy, swarming defenses. 'Nova is killing them first half.

and the second half the Cards killed. woohoo GO CARDS

Yes they did, but Nova could not keep up that D for a whole game. Happens to be our specialty, esp. in the second half. GO TIGERS!

looks like memphis is moving into a #1 seed, with u conn a 2

The guy that has picked every bracket correctly for god knows how many years picks us for the #1 in the West...didn't we get that same bracket position last year?

#2 seed in the West, looks like they got a pretty decent draw...

GO TIGERS!

cake until uconn

its the best draw for a two seed.

Mizzou, with former UAB coach Mike Anderson, ain't cake. Memphis should win, but that will be 40 minutes of full-court crazy. Missouri goes 10 deep.

i love how some of these tigers fans are already done with tyreke evans. this is really heartwarming how you guys have had him for a year and now just wish he'd go away even if it means bad things for his career. It's nice to see Memphis coming around to big time college athletics.

Our bracket rules, really. Never thought I'd get to say that as usually they have us playing in Siberia in the same bracket as at least 8 really really good teams.
And don't you know Highway Star that the fans are only as cynical as the system? I would love Tyreke to stay, personally. We are losing leaders and gaining great but young and inexperienced talent. There is a reason Duke is typically great--their older players stick around.

Has anyone heard the chit chat that St Johns is going after Cal and that a logical look for Memphis if he left would be none other than Mike Anderson of Mizzou. Probably all bullshit as I don't think Cal would leave for SJU.

Cal's not going anywhere, no matter if he wins a championship or not. He has a top 3 team already entering next season, with or without Tyreke.

Getting DeMarcus Cousins was a big deal for him/us. He'd be crazy to leave with the team coming in next year.

I don't think Cal's going anywhere either.
I'm pretty happy with our draw. GO TIGERS!!!!

Yeah in his younger days I could see him making the jump off our ship, but not now. It is flattering, really. None of thesetype of rumors came up when Tic Price was coaching, just the other kind that ended up being true: Shacking up a student girlfriend over in Harbor Town.

Sad, but I treasure my Tic Price Basketball Camp t-shirt. What a hoot.

Yeah, it'd be nice if someone could take care of Mizzou, but don't sleep on that second round game. Maryland beat UNC and Duke. Remember that 2nd game last year, Miss. St. almost got us...

Nice to see that we wouldn't face UNC, PITT, DUKE, OKLA until a championship game, if we get there (knock on wood)...

Eric, when's the Goner Bracket challenge ???!!!

working on it

I think Syracuse will bounce Oklahoma them before they can even play us.

Duke won't get past the sweet 16 - once they get out of the home court advantage at greensboro, nc, they'll be toast.

Pitt and Louisville will be the toughest two teams out of the tourney - aside from us, of course. :)

Uconn's best player is out for an injury - they've got Thabeet, but I haven't been too impressed by him during their conference tourney. Plus, this is his first go-around with the big dance, right? We've gotta get past Maryland & they've gotta get past Washington in Portland, OR first.

GO TIGERS!!!

Look at the adorable Laurinburg Prep HS pic of Dozier and Anderson on this page!

http://www.commercialappeal.com/news/2009/mar/18/tigers-reputation-mis fires/

hey saispas can you see if ryan got his bracket from me? not sure if i have his email correct

I am ready for my 3 hour lunch break tomorrow.

He is at Tsunami and I am over in Marion--I will text him though.

I will hope there is the ability for a livestream from CBS as it will be on alllll day.

Hey Bruce--Ryan said "not as of this morning". He left home around 9:45AM likely...i will emaial you his email address if you want to try again. I decided I may not do a bracket this year and just follow who I like as we go...other than the Tigers that is!!!

yeah, thanks

GOOOOOOOOO TIGGGGGGGGERRRRRRRRRRRS!!!!!!

I am so jealous of those of you who get to watch.

Here we go Tigers, here we go!

saispas, on the gotigersgo site there is a link where you can watch all the games for free on the web. Don't know if that's in real time, but worth checking out if you miss the game.

In other Tiger news, gotigersgo is reporting that Sports Illustrated has named Coach Cal Coach of the Year!

http://mmod.ncaa.com/

you can watch all the games online...GO TIGERS!!

Yay! I am doing it! Thanks for the link!

So is he Coach of the Year for reals?

SI Coach of the Year...
http://gotigersgo.cstv.com/sports/m-baskbl/spec-rel/031809aat.html

GO TIGERS!!!!

Natch I am having problems with the site...just saw the score and that makes me sick too.

Fugly! Reke and Doz with 2 fouls already?

Obama calling Louisville over Memphis here

Jesus! Thank goodnes for Roburt Sallie today!

No shit!

christ the lord, I'm about to croak over here.

Hey, maybe Tyreke, Dozier, and Evans will realize the game started at 11:25...

Jesus, this is the worst we've looked all year...

I meant TYreke, Dozier, and Anderson... :(

GET TYREKE OUT OF THERE!

Sallie pimp tight! Damn we played shitty but he went off!

nails are bitten off

gawd bless Sallie!!!!

I was cleaning the cat box during a time out and dropped it all over the kitchen floor I was so rattled.
I can't believe Tyreke ended up with 15 points. He makes me soooo nervous in games like this.

Damn, though...talk about Sallie STEPPIN UP!!!!!!

Go Tigers.

Whew...

Sallie with 10 (!) 3's!!!

anderson, tyreke, dozeir points COMBINED were less than sallie!!!!

Yeah, Tyreke ends up with 15 and 5 assists (mostly to Sallie) - decent numbers, but he's scares the shit out of me in close games. When Evans is pulling up for 17-18 footers with a hand in his face, the other coach is saying "we'll give that to ya all game"...

SAL-LIE!!!!!!

T-E-R-R-I-B-L-E !! If we play like that next round we will lose by 20 pts. plus! Dozier played like shit until the last 2 minutes of the game. The Tigers really let the refs get in their heads this game. You just gotta keep playing when they are calling those ticky tacky instead of changing your game. Dozier straight played like he was scared most of the game. Those 2 ugly ass jumpers Tyreke took towards the end of the game with plenty of time left on the shot clock were horrible, horrible decisions. Not alot going on up top with Tyreke..ill advised bullshit! Props to Cal State Northridge for a well played game. There was a point in that game when I thought they wouldnt ever miss! Sallie stepped the fuck up..maybe he will keep on that streak. Incredible!

all my picks are winnin', yeahya

man, Sallie was crazy today!

that was the perfect storm of problems...refs called it tight, our guys couldn't adjust & get in foul trouble, Cal St. Northridge played out of their minds, NONE of our guys (minus Sallie) could hit a shot, etc., etc.

if we were gonna lay an egg, i'm glad it was this round to where we could get on track & still pull out the W.

...NOW DON'T DO IT AGAIN!!!

Sallie set an NCAA record for most 3's in a first round game (10)! Yeah!

wow. crazy. i'm so proud of roburt sallie.

why must the tigers ALWAYS scare me like that? i swear bein' their fan isn't for the weak of heart. at all. shiiiiit.

ROBURT SALLIE FAN CLUB!!!

Seriously, his game today was very Mingo Johnson-esque.

if we were gonna lay an egg, i'm glad it was this round to where we could get on track & still pull out the W.
...NOW DON'T DO IT AGAIN!!!

Exactly the way I feel. Truth be told, I've been very worried about our winning streak. Don't think that's exactly a good thing going into an elimination tournament. Also, Tyreke does scare the shit out of me. DRose got it together about that freshman thing, but I don't think Reke has done that yet. Please, please, please Mr. SI Coach of the Year...SIT HIM DOWN IF HE'S TAKING SHIT SHOTS!!!!

My bracket sucks...but that's to be expected. I was sorry to see MS ST lose...

(Hi Robin! Email me...it's that time of year for us to catch up!)

I heard some douchebag on a national radio show this morning going on about how the Tigers cannot get "up" for tournament games after having played such a weak conference schedule. The host of the show totally busted him out with a stat that I wasnt even aware of. The Memphis Tigers have won more NCAA Tournament games in the past 3 years than anyone else in the Country. The host was like..."well that sure seems to me thats getting up for the tournament right?" and the the dude said "but have they won a Championship?" The host totally reemed him man. One team a year wins a championship...one team out of however many college teams there are in the country.

Nice article about behind the scenes yesterday. Gives you a little insight as to what it's like for them going into Kansas.
http://www.fannation.com/si_blogs/tourney/posts/58401-behind-the-scene s-with-memphis

I think this is the year a #16 finally gets a #1 - the "elite" teams aren't that elite...

Man, final couple of minutes and Pitt is up, but E. Tenn St. is taking them to the mat!!

Craziness!!!!!

(Now I don't feel so bad about yesterday; if it can happen to Pitt? Sheeeeeeeeeet.)

Dumb fuck from Maryland disses Tigers - THANK YOU!

http://www.commercialappeal.com/news/2009/mar/20/terps-star-vasquez-c- usa-pretty-much-questionable/

Damn! Morehead State could beat us if they were playing us this way. I hope they somehow pull this game off. Ohhhhhh myyyyy gawwwwwwd.

Dumb fuck from Maryland disses Tigers - THANK YOU!

Dumb fuck Vasquez parrots every other talking head in the United States; at least our players say original bon mots such as Dorsey's infamous "Greg Oden is pretty overrated"!!! "Terps"-heh, sounds like an STD.

So far this game is awesome. Sallie is still hot! I love it!

If only we could find a player every round to put a foot in his mouth! GO TIGERS! What a beatdown...

Now THAT is what I'm talking about. Seriously great play by the Tigers!!!! And Vasquez is likely crying right now! HA!

Yeah man...here in the dirty dirty we refer to that as a BEATDOWN!! Cant wait to hear that fucker at the conference! I...as a Tiger fan would rather play Marquette than Missouri! Bring it!

While I love how the Tigers answered Vasquez on the floor, I also loved Pierre's crackback in the DC paper:

"I know they got a good player -- I don't know his name -- but he good or whatever, so we just going to try to do what we do and stop him," Memphis forward Pierre Henderson-Niles told The Washington Post . "I ain't never seen them; I know they got one good player, Sanchez or something like that; whatever his name is."

I now am more in love with Pierre than ever.

i like how dirty vasquez decided not to show up for the post game presser after our BEATDOWN (yep, Colin, that's the only word for it!)

if you're gonna run your mouth like that before the game, man up & own up to your mistake afterward...at least our joey did that after he talked about greg oden!

A lot of other Maryland players gave us our due. I read in the same article in the Post that the "reason" Vasquez said what he said was in response to what Pierre said above. Whatever, Sanchez.

I will say this...the kid can hoop and will be a great player for years to come. He still lit us up for 19 points, but runnin his mouth like that is very uncool. Tigers put him in his place for sure! That Marquette vs. Missouri game will be a good one today. Tune in to see who the Tigers play next week!

I also hope Marquette somehow beats Missouri; I'd rather see the Tigers play them. However, Missouri vs. Memphis would be a great, exciting game to watch!

Whatever. That kid is like 20 years old. He'll learn his lesson. Maybe he just did.

Oh man, like the rest of y'all I would LOVE it if we played Marquette and beat the ever-loving shit out of them. Dunno if it'll happen, but I have my fingers crossed for it.

Cal masks, for the brave and sexy!

http://www.memphis.edu/alumni/tournament/calmask.pdf

I am scared of Pitt. DeJuan Blair is a BEAST.

what time is the game on thursday? i gotta find a good place to watch it.

round 8:30 i think. I always enjoy the Deli. Great fan support there and the TV is actually big enough for everyone to see.

yeah i might hit the deli up for the game since it'll be right around the corner from practice. i got practice from 6:30 to 10:30 but i've gotta skip the last half cuz i ain't about to miss that game.

Oh my gosh, it is so close. 2 days. I'm scared! And if we play UConn, I'm officially terrified. They've been amazing in the tournament. If it were Selection Sunday all over again they'd easily be the #1 overall seed.

For some reason, I am supremely confident playing any of these teams IF we bring or A or even A minus game. I have seen each of them screw up against teams, just like we did. The thing that scares me the most is how united Pitt is as a team--their point is a leader extraordinaire...I am not sure we have that quality.

Ive been saying Pitt was nutso all year! Blair is a monster and we dont have an answer for that...dude would break Taggart in half and Pierre isnt near athletic enough to handle him. Im just enjoying the ride while it lasts to be honest. The game tomorrow night is sure to be a great one!

While I think Blair is total NBA and the team is mentally and athletically very strong, they had a difficult time against both ETSU AND OK ST, regardless. Not saying they aren't fantastic, just maybe not as unbreakable as many seem to believe. I have to say they are my faves (easily) of all the number 1's, though.

I hear ya! Another thing Ive noticed...man Thabeet from UCONN has the biggest lower lip Ive ever seen on a human being. Neither here nor there, but just sayin! Seriously..check it out especially in transition! Still not as scary as Pscho-T's boggled eyes! Id would look forward to a Memphis vs. Uconn game!

And maybe UConn will get all psyched out cos of this shit-
http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/basketball/news?slug=ys-uconnphone032509& prov=yhoo&type=lgns

Maybe I know nothing, but UConn is the weakest one there is.

Im just enjoying the ride while it lasts to be honest.

Me too. I'm pretty nervous about Thursdays game...but am looking forward to it.
Also, I'm hoping that 4 consecutive trips to the Sweet 16 will be enough to shut those damned Tiger naysayers up! Ya think?

I'd say they are almost shut up, if they indeed know anything about college basketball. There was a rather depressing article in the NY Times the other day including us with the other teams as a "clearly identifiable college basketball BRAND". Wow.

I think everything's gravy from here on out. Most of us would have been thrilled with a Sweet 16 this year, especially after losing 3 NBA players. Obviously, we all want more, but let's face it - every team that's left is really good and easily capable of beating the Tigers. But I agree with Saispas: if the Tigers bring their A game, they'll beat anybody...

Mizzou's gonna be tough, but if the starters stay out of foul trouble, we should handle 'em...

Uconn looked great last weekend, but that's over with. They've gotta play some real teams now, and they don't respond well to pressure. It's easy to play great once you're up 20...

I just read that Times article, what's with all this "chalk-bashing"? Everybody's bored now that there's no Cinderella? I say fuck that. This has got to be the strongest Sweet 16 in years - any of these teams can get to Detroit. Last year, everybody was lovin' all the #1 seeds, now it's too top-heavy?

What all these talking heads forget is that we're in a freaking depression! The big programs pack the house and they travel well. I'll bet the NCAA and all the host city's are very happy with this draw...

i hope uconn eats it.

with that said, i don't totally hate on pitt. they've looked great. and blair is a beast. i don't think we have an answer to him on our tigers. i think that we'd have to make joey dorsey a 10th year senior for that to happen.

i just don't want to even look at north carolina. tyler hansbrough makes me throw up in my mouth a little bit.

I think everything's gravy from here on out. Most of us would have been thrilled with a Sweet 16 this year, especially after losing 3 NBA players. Obviously, we all want more, but let's face it - every team that's left is really good and easily capable of beating the Tigers. But I agree with Saispas: if the Tigers bring their A game, they'll beat anybody...

Mizzou's gonna be tough, but if the starters stay out of foul trouble, we should handle 'em...


couldn't have said it better myself...i said at the beginning of the season sweet 16, and anything past that is gravy.

of course, now that we're here, I think we need another consecutive elite 8!!!!

Aiiight, game day! GO TIGERS!

did you guys see the article about the recruiting class next year? Some are calling it the best in College Basketball History. How insane is that?URL

GO TIGERS!
I was just standing on my porch in my Final Four shirt. The garbagemen drove by on the back of the truck and starting yelling "ALRIGHT!!! GO TIGERS!!!"
I just love how everyone gets so excited about them!
Except Sambeaux.

Except Sambeaux.

Don't let Sam fool you. Katherine sais on game night he strips off his clothes and paints himself up like a tiger. Tail and all. And when they score a basket, he jumps up and down while yelling "THEY'RE GGGRRREEEAAATTT"

He's totally lying to everybody.

on game night he strips off his clothes and paints himself up like a tiger.

I KNEW it!!! Heh!

on game night he strips off his clothes and paints himself up like a tiger.
but is it actually a bayou bengal?

4 hours and counting!! Fasten your seatbelts folks!

I'm SO ready for this game to start....I was antsy when I got to work at 7:30 this morning! Long time coming!

I went to eat lunch in a greasy spoon in downtown Mountain Home, AR and they had a Tiger pennant up! Sure they had every Big 10 team repped too (all these retirees from the Midwest) but still...GO MEMPHIS (cos aren't we playing some Tigers????)!!!!!

LORD, I am SO READY!!
Xavier doing a damn good job on Pitt!

Poor Xavier. But I knew it would happen, especially at the hands of that win-or-nothing guard, Fields. He is tougher than Blair.

Tip off...down by 5. You know, I'm seriously thinking I might not be able to watch this. I'm too invested.

Rats...

*sigh.*

well, in december after losing to syracuse, if you had told me we'd still be going to our 4th sweet 16 in a row with a 33-4 record, and have the winningest senior class in NCAA history, I would have said you were nuts.

still not bad for a "rebuilding year," no matter how ugly the last game was!

oh, and one teeny, tiny bright spot...at least our guys did fight back to make it a game, instead of rolling over like Duke.

Well that was heartbreaking.

still not bad for a "rebuilding year," no matter how ugly the last game was!

no kidding. I'm way satisfied with this season, and I hope the guys are happy about what they were able to accomplish.
On to next year...it's such a long wait!
GO TIGERS!

Thanks Antonio + Robert! Two of the all-time great Tigers...

I feel better now, but nothing was harder than that first half being capped off with that insane 60-foot 3.

Then, as I was up in Hardy, AR, they switched over to Villanova-Duke for most of the second half so I just had to watch the little score box to guess what was going on.

Anyways, yep, I did quote myself saying I would have been happy winning the NIT this year, so a Sweet 16 appearance ain't bad for our little team that almost could. As Ryan was saying over the phone last night, no one could have beat Missouri in the first half last night.

shoot. I was pulling for Memphis but Mo just had too much Mo

after watching missouri just sinking that way the fuck out there no way in the world you could have hit it 3 point shot from 65 feet at the buzzer during halftime, i just had a sinking feeling it was going to be all over with. felt like they just had the midas touch and were hitting EVERYTHING, no matter how off or ridiculous it looked going up.

and our boys just weren't hitting their freethrow shots again. and tyreke looked like a total ballhog a la some l.a. lakers. he may be a good player, but he sure ain't a team player and it showed last night. maybe him being gone will fix some of the ego problems with the team. maybe.

don't get me wrong, i like a swagger, but sometimes they just get the big head and play like total dick. you would think after almost coming so close to losing without sallie in the first round that they would quit stinkin' it up, but they just never gelled as a team. not bad for a rebuilding season though. i never would have thought they would go as far as they did.

there was at one point where sallie took one of the guys' legs out from underneath him as he went for a fast break and totally knocked dude over. i laughed my ass off and yelled FUCK YO COUCH across the hi tone. i think that was my highlight of the night. well, that and duke getting beat.

i'm pullin' for pitt now. fuck the rest of them bitches. i could give a FUCK.

Here are a couple of observations:

1) When memphis wins and memphis fans celebrate, the chatter that comes out is about C-USA, weak schedule, luck, Cal isn't a good coach, you just wait someone will show you as frauds, etc.

2) When Memphis loses, the worms come out of the woodwork. A lot of baiting on forums "Come on Memphis fans, where are you now?" etc. A lot of talk about not being able to beat a real team, blah blah blah.

As fans of the tigers, we are constantly on the defensive, no matter what. I am a fan of a professional sports team that gets the same treatment. No matter how good the season, mass media, talking heads and the average fan come out in droves to disspell the idea that maybe, just maybe, the team is good. It is maddening.

That being said, I am in Pittsburgh and I am going to watch basketball with a bunch of fans that, up until this year, could give a shit less about the NCAA tournament. I have asked them about Carl Krauser and Brandin Knight. They look at me like I am talking gibberish. Fuck em.

I'm in Boston and am gonna give a thumbs up and a smile to everybody I see walking around in a Pitt shirt this weekend. They deserve it and I hope they turn it out on Saturday and win the regional here. They've earned it and they've overdue for this. UNC, Louisville, and especially UConn- not so much.

What is the mood like in Memphis today? I'm curious. I didn't dare step outta the house in my Tigers hoodie this morning cos last year I got tons of shit for it; I really wanted to, though. One last homage.

and our boys just weren't hitting their freethrow shots again. and tyreke looked like a total ballhog a la some l.a. lakers.

Ah HEM. Yes he was. As was Anderson for awhile, even though he wasn't able to make a shot. While you can blame the kids a bit for this, I am looking square at fucking CAL on this--he needed to be calling time outs, looking like he was in control instead of like some bipolar off his meds and give the guys some PLAYS and options. I am pissed at that dude.

and tyreke looked like a total ballhog a la some l.a. lakers.


um, that's because he was the only one actually MAKING anything out there...
tagg, clank.
tone (at least for a bit - he wound up scoring 18 or 20), clank.
mack, BIG ol' clank, even on a dunk!
even sallie wasn't making 'em consistently

Thank God Cal didn't have Tyreke stop hogging the ball, or we literally could have lost by 30.

I agree with tigergreen about Evans.

I'm glad he took control and drove as many times as did, he was pretty much unstoppable. Unfortunately he was a little winded on defense it seemed.

Dozier had a great game.

It's heartbreaking that we lost, but I was proud of them when they never gave up. Most teams when down by 24 against an opponent that has EVERYTHING going for them would fold (coughDUKEcough). But Memphis did their best to come within 6. Had the first 6 minutes of the second half been more favorable to Memphis then we would've caught up.

It is really depressing when you really look at like this, but what we have is a great recruiter and sorta good, verrrrry slick motivator who relies on the athletic wits of 19 to 22 year olds to justify his millions dollars of salary. I know that is oversimplifying it, but think about what the dribble-drive is, think about the types of players we get, think about the times we have truly needed coaching options and the kids don't get them. I never thought I'd think this, but I am really thinking it today. The Tigers are a bunch of super-talented players who are being required to be player-coaches. I love them, but I am rethinking my support of John Calipari.

I go back and forth on Cal. No doubt he's been incredible for Memphis - the Tigers are set-up now as a perennial powerhouse , a #1 or #2 seed every year - hard to complain with that. But he's not a game coach - more like a cheerleader/drill sgt.

And this year's team was flat-out gimicky. That we had the whole point guard-by-committee issue resulting in Tyreke Evans as the most capable spoke volumes. We need a real point guard, and we really need some front-court depth...but it looks like that might be coming next year!

Exactly. While Tyreke rose to the challenge, he was never a point guard. He needed a point guard and then we might gave still been in this thing. But whatever, it was a weird year and we did great with what we had. I'm psyched for 09-10!

Dude, i'm behind Coach Cal all the way.

It seems people are forgetting that sometimes you just run into teams who are a)better than you, or b)hungrier to win on that particular night.

THE GUY LOST 4 GAMES THE WHOLE YEAR!!! TWO LAST YEAR!!!


When we killed everybody in the tournament last year, he could do no wrong. Guess what? WE'RE GOING TO LOSE SOME GAMES!!! BIG DEAL!!!
That's what i hate about sports fans in this town. We have winning season after winning season, and when you lose a game in the SWEET 16, people come out and are questioning his coaching capabilities. JEEZ!!!

A lot of people didn't even expect them to get this far, and so when he surpasses expectations, loses in a tournament game, people are saying he's not a big game type of coach? COME ON!!!

Let him go to Kentucky, and then we'll see how much we miss him when we get a coach who can't get the type of players he gets to come in and replace him. Maybe we'll get lucky and have somebody who can take us to the NIT!

I could just be mad because while sitting at Wilson Air yestarday waiting for them to return, a total of about 125 PEOPLE OUT OF THE WHOLE CITY SHOWED UP TO WELCOME THEM HOME! WOW! It must have made them feel good to see all the support.

I should have posted this under the "things i hate about memphis" thread.

people are saying he's not a big game type of coach?

That's exactly what we're saying...

Great recruiter? check
Great program builder? check
Great motivator? yup
Great at graduating his players? looks like it
Great at in-game strategy? Uh, no... not even close...

But I'll take 4 out of 5. Overall, it's hard to argue with his results. And as long as he keeps pulling top talent, one of these years we'll go all the way - but that'll have nothing to do with Cal's "coaching"...

What I don't get is why you question a damn thing in Memphis, you get your head bitten off. Come on--you can't be disappointed? You can't look at potential flaws? I was mad and admitted that, but I also think Cal (for his 2.35 mil plus 1 mil annual annuity) could hire an assistant worth his salt.

Why not hire an assistant who is a proven genius nerd with the sets? Example: Phil Jackson. Big time motivator and likable guy coach a la Cal (except for likely the exact opposite methods), but he isn't some genius with figuring out what needs to happen during the game. That would be a combo of his players with THIS GUY.

I am truly not saying he needs to leave, I am saying some things need to change and after further eval, that would be him admitting he needs some help from his support staff. I am happy we have improved, jerry, but um LOOK AT THE DOLLARS. He is getting paid to put us where we've gotten, but you'd have to be blind to not see some obviously stubborn moves Cal has made, esp. over the last year.

Steven A. Smith says he thinks Calipari is a Goner to Kentucky! Im not the biggest fan of Cal's, but you dont know what you have until its gone. I can gurantee that some of the players he has commitments from to play here in Memphis will follow him to Kentucky if he leaves. It very well could be the begining of the end if he leaves! Who the hell would coach the Tigers that would have as much recruiting clout as Cal that is available? I sincerely hope he stays even though he isnt the best bench coach!

jerryd...I couldn't figure out when or where they were coming in. Next year give me the heads up, okay?

They didn't even announce it until right when they were flying in which happened to be at rush hour Friday at Wilson Air...

If he leaves, no one better throw any eggs at me! I don't want the guy to go precisely because he is such a great recruiter, but if I were him and if he really is considering it, he should truly think how Kentucky treats their coaches. He's go from being continually unquestioned and a local god to a pariah if they lose to Tennessee once.

And they will fire a coach in a hot second up there.

I called wilson air about an hour after the loss and they said they would be coming in between 2:30 and 3:30 on friday.

but you'd have to be blind to not see some obviously stubborn moves Cal has made, esp. over the last year.

Look at the two big games we've lost in the last two years. Kansas and Missouri. Now look at two more big games we won. Tennessee and UAB. Those were pretty big games, both of which were squeaked out by a few points.....on the road. I just think sometimes players make big plays, and sometimes they don't, no matter who is coaching them. They almost erased a 24 point deficit against Missouri. Pretty amazing. Had they come back from that, we wouldn't even be having this discussion. He's be the best coach ever.

Last shot scenario: he calls a certain play for Anderson, who gets to the basket and makes it, he's a genius. If anderson misses, everybody questions why he didn't call the play for Tyreke. It's kind of a no win. (just an example... but i guess you could apply that to the Tulsa game)

Has he made some questionable calls? Sure. But we only hear about the ones that didn't play out like he thought they would. But for every bad decision he makes, theres probably 100 he got right. They wouldn't be in the positon they are in if he were a bad bench coach. Or a bad "big game" coach. He wasn't in there shooting those free throws for them when they lost to Kansas.

We're just looking at it differently. No big deal. We'll settle our differences over Cal next weekend at a cookout! That's all i'm sayin'!

Jerryd, you make some good points re: Cal, but this one drives me crazy:

"He wasn't in there shooting those free throws for them when they lost to Kansas"

I agree that you can't make plays for your players, ultimately they have to stand up and make the shots. What I blame Cal for is two things: 1) the CULTURE of the program that says don't worry 'bout free throws, we'll just run the other team out of the gym and it won't matter and 2) when you're up 3 with less than 5 secs left YOU FOUL!!! This was inexcusable on his part and it's something any good pee-wee basketball coach would know...

But count me among those who don't wanna see him go. That would be a huge blow for Memphis...

I just think sometimes players make big plays, and sometimes they don't, no matter who is coaching them. They almost erased a 24 point deficit against Missouri. Pretty amazing.

I agree with this but I also see the truth of what bothers me the most about Cal: The over-reliance on his players and not enough on coaching strategy during the game, whatever game, we happen to be playing. It would be really depressing to me to think that Cal's "plan" the other night was to tell Tyreke and Antonio and Dozier to "just go in and drive and score", which is what was happening. What about stops on defense? What about well-timed time outs and fucking with the pace of their game? I didn't see anything like that coming from Cal and ultimately, that is a coach's responsibility.
Anyway, yeah, you are right. We see it differently and it doesn't matter in this house right now cos it is all about the Spartans as you can expect!

glad to see loserville go down today!! i guess their big time conference just didn't prepare them to compete at an elite 8/final four level?

honestly, i'd be completely shocked if cal leaves for kentucky. the man doesn't need any more money...he's already making close to $4 million a year here, when you add in the nike deal.

but first & foremost, i don't think his ego would allow him to be "just another good coach" at kentucky. he wants to establish a legacy, and memphis is the place for him to do it. he's practically a god in this city, and if he won the school their first ever national championship, his legacy would be even more set in stone.

at kentucky, even if he turned their program around in 2 years, which is just as much time as they gave billy gillespie, (and is practically impossible...it took cal 4 years at memphis to even get us consistently in the ncaa's postseason), even if he won them a NC or two, he would just be the next in line under rupp, sutton, pitino, & tubby.

....and i don't see cal wanting to be 5th fiddle to ANYONE...especially not rick pitino! his ego is too big for that.

i'm not saying i don't see cal ever leaving; he will, but i think it'll be for something like bobby knight's doing; commentating on ESPN or something like that.

on top of everything i listed above, his son has only known memphis as a hometown, and still has several years of school left. one of his daughters is in college at memphis. moving the fam to lexington may not be something he wants to do at this point in his life.

Kentucky is one of the most storied basketball programs in the history of the game. Although I do think he cares about his legacy etc.., I thinks its probably every college basketball coach's dream to coach at UCLA, Kentucky, Kansas etc. or one of the more famous programs. I also think even at that level and the fact that he makes 4mil a year, Coach Cal is always willing to lsiten to a deal thats worth more. I just find it hard to believe that after 9 years of being here and taking this program to a perennial power status and fater he has a recruiting class coming in like he does next year that he woule walk. I will be suprised if he leaves but there is a chance. The Kentucky athletic program has much, much more $ to throw around than Memphis does I can assure you of that. Cal seems a little greedy like that to me. Money talks in college athletics usually above all other things!

I guess I think Cal's awful experience with the Nets may have scared him just a little with the idea of jumping ship for the bigtime when he has a sure thing in his back pocket. Maybe if he were a younger version of himself, but now, not so sure. And, truly, if they are going to poach someone, there are some bigger fish out there than Cal to go for.

But if it happened, I would hope Memphis would not hesitate to go for Mike Anderson. He would be a good fit for this city and the team--however, I don't really want Cal going anywhere...I'd just love to see some assistant coaches that were truly superior. I suppose it is worth noting that Cal lost a couple of really good ones last year.

I was wrapping things to store in old newspaper today, and came across a 2006 headline: "It's OFFICIAL - CALIPARI IS STAYING!"
This talk goes on pretty much every year...or at least for the last three or four years.

I'd be totally shocked if he left, especially with the recruitment class. I agree pretty much with everything tigergreen is saying about it.

Sounds like he's meeting with the Memphis folks today (read: Fedex) to see how high they're willing to go. Word is UK is offering up to $7 mil (!) a year - I don't see Memphis being able to go much more than $5 mil. So if he goes, it's more than likely it's about the money...

Basketball-wise it doesn't make alot of sense to skip out now, not with the class he's got coming in. And look who'll be gone from college: Thabeet, Hansbrough, Griffin, Blair - all the big-time beasts. If he's really about winning a national title, he'll have a better chance at Memphis than anywhere...

Basketball-wise it doesn't make alot of sense to skip out now, not with the class he's got coming in. And look who'll be gone from college: Thabeet, Hansbrough, Griffin, Blair - all the big-time beasts. If he's really about winning a national title, he'll have a better chance at Memphis than anywhere...

no letters of intent have been signed. Cousins, at least, will likely follow if he leaves. doubt the JC guys follow suit but Nolan Dennis might and Wall certainly won't be a Tiger if Cal leaves.

Yep, heard on the radio this morning that UK is offering "double his salary", and that he may talk to them as early as today. The report also said that the UofM hadn't given "permission" for him to talk yet. Said he has four years left on his contract.

I'll still be very surprised if he leaves. Maybe he just wants a coupla more million added to his salary and this is the bargaining chip (went that way last year...) I think the powers that be would come up with that.