Memphis Tigers News Archives

December 2006

12/31/06		Anderson seeking to regain shooting eye -- Sophomore still finding ways to help Tigers win (Commercial Appeal)
		By Dan Wolken Contact December 31, 2006 Antonio Anderson has never been through anything like this. He doesn't know how it started, and he doesn't know when it will end. But now, for the first time in his University of Memphis basketball career, the sophomore guard knows what it feels like to be in a scoring slump that has lingered insidiously for weeks. "It's miserable," Anderson said Saturday. Of all the tiny transformations coach John Calipari hopes to inspire before Thursday's matchup with Cincinnati, there is no higher priority than getting Anderson back on track. Though Anderson still shied away from shooting in last Thursday's 87-62 victory over Lamar, he did have eight assists and four steals with no turnovers. Calipari's message to Anderson has been that his offense will eventually come around if he can continue filling the stat sheet. "He's doing all the other stuff," Calipari said. "He's assisting, he's stealing, he's rebounding, he's playing great defense. I told him, 'What I would do if I were you is to take all my good stuff up another notch.' Do that, and let's see if the other stuff starts coming along." It's difficult to say when Anderson began to struggle offensively because the 6-6 sophomore isn't always a primary scoring option for 22nd-ranked Memphis. But there has been a clear delineation in Anderson's play since Nov. 29, when he had 17 points against Arkansas State. In the first five games of the year, including the EA Sports Maui Invitational, Anderson had the look of a scorer, averaging 12.4 points and hitting huge 3-pointers in games against Oklahoma and Georgia Tech. Since then, Anderson has averaged 7.0 points and made just 3-of-25 from beyond the 3-point line with only one double-figure scoring game (14 points against Ole Miss). In the early part of the slump, Anderson tried to shoot himself out of it, going 13-for-42 over a four-game stretch. In the four games since then, Anderson has shot the ball just 20 times, even passing up open looks. "I've got to do other things to help my team, and that's what I'm trying to do," Anderson said. "There's definitely going to be that point (when it clicks), and when it does, I'll have a better feeling. But for now, I'm still happy. I'm helping the team. We're winning, and even though I'm not making shots, it's not a big concern to me. When they start falling, they start falling." Until last week, it appeared Anderson's lack of scoring was hurting some other parts of his game, but Calipari challenged him to be the best defensive player in the country and to collect points by rebounding aggressively and drawing fouls. Though Anderson only had five shots against Lamar -- he made two layups -- he didn't force any of them, and his eight-assist performance could ultimately be the turning point in his season. "That's Tone," sophomore guard Chris Douglas-Roberts said. "That's what he does for us. He doesn't necessarily have to score because he'll get eight assists or four steals. He's Mr. Versatility. When he plays like that, we're a great team." The next step is getting Anderson's jump shot going, which is why Calipari is encouraging him to step in from the 3-point line and take more mid-range jumpers if he doesn't feel comfortable shooting. Or perhaps merely the sight of Memphis' next opponent will be enough to bring Anderson out of his slump. Last year, he scored 32 points and made 7-of-9 from the 3-point line against Cincinnati. "He should be a double-figure scorer just based on running, rebounds, layups," Calipari said. "He'll get two or three layups a game, and with free throws, he should be in double figures easily, not even trying." -- Dan Wolken: 529-2365

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12/31/06		Lady Tigers lose shooting touch, fall (Commercial Appeal)
		By Our Press Services December 31, 2006 SAN ANTONIO -- After a solid first half, the University of Memphis women's basketball team managed just four field goals in the final 20 minutes and lost to Kentucky, 86-51, Saturday at the Wells Fargo New Years Classic. The Lady Tigers (3-11) shot 50 percent from the floor in the first half and trailed 45-34 going into intermission. But a 4-for-24 performance after the break ended any hopes of a comeback. "Four buckets in the entire second half will definitely stall your offense," Lady Tigers coach Blair Savage-Lansden said. "I think we had good looks and took good shots, but when they stopped falling, we just kind of went in to a freeze mode and we let the physical play start to distract us." Kentucky used its size to control the inside, as the Lady Wildcats had a whopping 56-18 advantage in points in the paint. Sarah Elliott, a 6-6 center, converted 8-of-11 field-goal attempts en route to a game-high 18 points, while Jennifer Humphrey, a 6-3 forward from Ridgeway High, posted a double-double with 10 points and a game-best 12 boards. Alysse Davis and Aroha Jennings each finished with 10 points to lead the Lady Tigers. Memphis opens Conference USA play against UAB Thursday at the Elma Roane Fieldhouse. Tip-off is at 7 p.m.

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12/31/06		Let DeAngelo run -- a winning concept; Bruce still going strong (Commercial Appeal)
		By Our Press Services December 31, 2006 The Carolina Panthers were trying to find a way to get their offense going. They had a backup quarterback, a struggling running game and the worst third-down conversion rate in the NFL. Coach John Fox had an unusual idea to try to keep Carolina's season alive: Snap the ball directly to rookie running back DeAngelo Williams on third down. It worked. The Panthers took out Chris Weinke eight times in last Sunday's 10-3 win in Atlanta so that Williams could line up behind the center. Williams ran for first downs seven times and finished with 82 yards on 21 carries. It was nothing new for the Panthers' first-round pick, who often took direct snaps in college at Memphis, where he became the NCAA Division 1-A all-time leader with 7,573 all-purpose yards. Williams was even credited with a start at quarterback once when the Tigers came out in that formation at the beginning of a game. "The offensive coordinator at Memphis called me and said, 'It looked like you were doing what you did when you were here,'" Williams said. "I was comfortable back there." Williams said he was only nervous in practice the week before, when he was ordered by Fox to work on taking snaps from center Geoff Hangartner. "(Hangartner) was telling me we have to make sure we get this right," Williams said. "When he looked at me I saw the fear in him and I knew it was probably from the head man." Taking the snaps allowed Williams to pick his holes and -- behind several big blocks by fullback Brad Hoover -- find room to run. "We were looking for a change of pace," Hoover said. "I was a little skeptical about it at first and whether we could do it or not and how effective it would be. But the surprising thing is how much we did use it. Yeah, we're pulling everything out of the bag. We'll do anything to get a victory." Bruce still going strong At the age of 34, St. Louis Rams receiver Isaac Bruce is saving his best for last. The former UofM standout had season highs with nine receptions for 148 yards and one touchdown in last week's 37-31 overtime win against Washington on Christmas Eve. The game marked his 42nd 100-yard receiving game and third this season. Bruce's touchdown was a 10-yard reception, the 80th of his career. That ties him with Carolina's Keyshawn Johnson for 18th in career touchdown catches. Bruce said Thursday it was just another game for him. Never one to tout his own accomplishments, the 13-year veteran spun his performance into something for the Rams. "When opportunities present themselves, I take advantage," said Bruce, who has 70 receptions and 1,032 yards this season. It's the eighth time he has passed the 1,000-yard mark. "It was a great game and I'm happy it turned out our way." So was Rams' first-year coach Scott Linehan. "Unbelievable, he defies Father Time," Linehan said of the four-time Pro Bowler. "It's phenomenal how he's still able to get open at his age. That's why he's a Hall of Famer in my opinion."

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12/31/06		A look back at 2006 in sports (Commercial Appeal)
		What a year: Memphis basketball and Arkansas football returned to national prominence; Griz favorites Shane Battier (traded) and Pau Gasol (injured) made headlines. It looked like the Griz would get a new majority owner (for awhile). Memphis city basketball teams won titles and the Memphis Redbirds created baseball news long after their season was over. Yep, what a year 2006 turned out to be. 1. Tigers Elite again This is why R.C. Johnson brought John Calipari to the University of Memphis. Six years after his arrival, Calipari finally delivered the goods, assembling an embarrassingly talented team and leading it to Conference USA regular-season and tournament titles before that exhilarating run to the Elite Eight. In the process, the Tigers racked up a school-record 33 victories, eclipsing the storied 1984-85 team in that department if just failing to match it with a trip to the Final Four. Unwanted Indianapolis native Rodney Carney was C-USA's Player of the Year; former Hamilton High star Shawne Williams its Freshman of the Year. Darius Washington was forced to relive those free throws at every turn. Backup point guard Andre Allen, who we learned was named after former Tiger point guard Andre Turner, overcame an embarrassing arrest to emerge as a postseason 3-point shooting star. The Tigers' story started with impressive wins over Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Alabama and UCLA and a heroic loss to Duke at Madison Square Garden. It continued with nationally televised wins over Tennessee and Gonzaga, with Williams standing eye to eye with Zags star Adam Morrison, refusing to give an inch. The UofM triumphed over the likes of Cincinnati, Providence and Purdue as well. A home loss to Texas briefly felt like the end of the world, the only setback in a thrilling 24-game stretch. Then came a dominant run through an admittedly weakened Conference USA, with only a bear trap at UAB preventing the Tigers from running the table. It was a rare blip in an almost perfect regular season. The UofM didn't face a team from a major conference in the NCAAs until it renewed acquaintances with UCLA, the old enemy, in that spectacularly unwatchable West Region final at the Oakland Arena. But along the way, thanks to emphatic wins over Oral Roberts, Bucknell and Bradley, the Tigers dismissed the notion that they were somehow unworthy of their No. 1 seeding. Then, suddenly, it was over. It all ended in tears on that mid-March afternoon by the Bay. Tears of sorrow that this special team's moment in time had passed. Tears of joy borne of a proud program's return to prominence. -- Jim Masilak 5. A Tiger football disaster The 2006 online college football preview hit the University of Memphis football team right where it hurt: the truth. Its outlook cut directly to the team's shortcoming (no DeAngelo Williams) and accurately predicted a difficult year for a program that had made three straight postseason trips. The sportsline.com College Football Preview, while acknowledging a solid coaching job Tommy West did in leading the UofM to the 2005 Motor City Bowl, intimated a fourth consecutive bowl bid was not in the team's future. ''The Tigers will be hard-pressed to win a handful of games without Williams to lean on.'' Handful may have been generous. Memphis finished 2-10, losing its opening game at Ole Miss, losing its defensive coordinator after three games and losing several key players to season-ending injuries. West fired Joe Lee Dunn, ditched the three-man front and took over as defensive coordinator after a 35-20 loss at East Carolina. West installed a 4-3 look and eventually watched it produce. The Tigers finished strong, forcing Conference USA champion Houston into overtime, before losing, and winning their finale -- 38-19 at UTEP. As impressively as the Tigers played in their final three games (two losses by a field goal or less and a win), the middle portion of the season was a mix of lopsided defeats and heartbreak. Tennessee overpowered the Tigers, 41-7. C-USA opponents Tulsa, Marshall and Southern Miss won in convincing fashion, too. And Arkansas State stunned the UofM by completing a 'Hail Mary' pass as time expired for a 26-23 victory. The Tigers became the first UofM squad to lose 10 games in a season since Charlie Bailey's 1986 team went 1-10. On the verge of hiring a new defensive coordinator and two defensive assistants -- and with a strong start to the recruiting season (several solid junior college prospects signed two weeks ago) -- 2006 may prove an aberration for West. -- Phil Stukenborg 10. Tigers sign Derrick Rose This was bigger than Dajuan Wagner. Bigger than Darius Washington, and, yes, perhaps even bigger than Penny Hardaway. Point guard Derrick Rose committed to the University of Memphis on Nov. 4 at a press conference in Chicago, and he shortly after that eclipsed all of them by becoming the most highly rated basketball prospect to ever sign with the Tigers and the best player coach John Calipari has ever signed. "In my opinion, he's the best high school player in the country because he makes everyone he plays with better," Calipari said. Though Calipari has recruited plenty of "program changers," players like Amare Stoudemire and Kendrick Perkins never showed up on campus, eschewing a year at Memphis for the NBA Draft. But with the league's new age limit forcing players to spend at least a year in college, Rose will show up this October and ensure the Tigers of being legitimate national contenders in 2007-08. The 6-4 Rose is rated as the No. 3 recruit in the country by Rivals.com, and NBAdraft.net projects him as the No. 1 overall pick in the 2008 NBA Draft. Rose chose the Tigers over Indiana and Illinois. -- Dan Wolken

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12/30/06		Cold-Shooting Second Half Dooms Lady Tigers Against Kentucky -- Memphis manages just four field goals in second half after shooting 50 percent in opening 20 minutes (GoTigersGo.com)
		SAN ANTONIO, Texas - Memphis (3-11) shot 50 percent in the opening half, but managed just four field goals in the second half in a 86-51 loss to Kentucky (10-3) on the second day of the Wells Fargo New Years Classic, Saturday, to close out non-conference schedule. After being outscored 20-8 in the paint in the first half against UT-San Antonio, the Lady Tigers had an even more formidable task Saturday as 6-6 Sarah Elliott and 6-3 Jennifer Humphrey teamed up to help Kentucky outscore the Lady Tigers 30-16 in the paint in the opening 20 minutes. The first half lead that Kentucky built behind their inside play held up in the second half as Memphis shot just 16.7 percent in the final 20 minutes. In all, Kentucky would outscore Memphis 56-18 in the paint. "Four buckets in the entire second half will definitely stall your offense," head coach Blair Savage-Lansden said. "I think we had good looks and took good shots, but when they stopped falling, we just kind of went in to a freeze mode and we let the physical play start to distract us." Memphis found success early running with the Wildcats, as a pair of field goals from Devin Necaise gave Memphis a quick 5-4 lead. By the time the first media timeout rolled around, Memphis had an 11-8 lead. After that first timeout, Kentucky tried to get back inside, but a balanced Memphis offense, getting points from five different players in the first eight minutes, helped the Lady Tigers carry an 18-16 lead in to the under 12 minute media timeout. But as the Memphis defense adjusted for the lineup that included Elliott and Humphrey, point guard Carly Ormerod burned her Lady Tiger defender on back-to-back trips to tie the game at 18 all with 10:47 remaining in the half. Memphis would knot the score at 20 all on a turnaround jumper from Alysse Davis, but Memphis was whistled for a majority of its 11 first half turnovers due to travels on the offensive end. The turnovers held the Lady Tiger offense to just four field goals in the final five minutes of the second half and allowed Kentucky to take a 45-34 lead in to the locker room. Alysse Davis and Aroha Jennings would each finish with 10 points, while Devin Necaise added nine points in the loss. Memphis returns home to host UAB in its Conference USA opener, Tuesday, at 7 p.m. in the Elma Roane Fieldhouse. That game will be camper reunion night, where all campers from the summer of 2006 will receive free admission. That game is also jersey night, where anyone wearing a jersey will receive free admission. The UAB game kicks off three straight home games in league play for Memphis. NOTES Coming in to Saturday's game, Kentucky had held its opponents to under 50 or fewer points in each of the last five games. Memphis managed 51 points despite the cold-shooting second half.

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12/30/06		Lady Tigers to Close Out Non-Conference Schedule Saturday -- Memphis to face Kentucky, Saturday, at 5 p.m. (GoTigersGo.com)
		The Lady Tiger basketball team will be playing its final non-conference game of the 2006-07 season with a neutral site game against Kentucky, beginning at 5 p.m., Saturday. Kentucky has won five straight games, including 82-47 victory over Kent State in the first round of the Wells Fargo New Year Classic. Memphis actually leads the overall series with the Wildcats, 4-2, but the two teams have not played one another since 2001. Head Coach Mickie DeMoss is a name possibly familar to long-time Lady Tiger fans as she was an assistant coach at then-Memphis State from 1977-1979. The match-up will be the final non-conference game of the season for Memphis, and will be the third SEC team to dot the Lady Tiger schedule this year. The Wildcats began the year as the third Memphis opponent to be in the CBSSportline.com's pre-season top 25, spending the early weeks of the season in both top 25 polls before falling to Delaware in late November. A pair of juniors lead Kentucky in scoring as Samantha Mahoney averages 12.8 ppg, while Sarah Elliott also averages 12.8 points, and is second on the team with 7.8 rebounds per game. Six-foot-three Jennifer Humphrey from Ridgeway High School in Memphis leads the team with 8.9 rebounds per game, adding 7.8 points. Memphis is coming off a game which found the Lady Tigers down by as many as 19 before starting a second-half run to cut the deficit to just eight points before UTSA closed out the game at the free-throw line. Aroha Jennings scored a career-best 26 points in that loss, while Ashley Thornton added 14 points and Se'erra Fantroy scored 13. Memphis was outscored in the paint 26-24, but was outscored 20-8 in the first half. Jennings now joins Devin Necaise as double-digit average scorers for Memphis, now averaging 10.5 ppg. Necaise still leads the team with 12.3 ppg, while Ashley Thornton averages 9.4 ppg and leads the team in rebounding with 8.3 rpg. Memphis vs. Kentucky This is the seventh meeting between Memphis and Kentucky. Memphis leads the overall series, 4-2, including the last two straight games. The last meeting between the two programs was in 2001, when Memphis held on to down Kentucky, 63-55, as part of the Lady Tiger Thanksgiving Classic Tournament. Expect Lady Tiger points to be tough to come by against Kentucky, as the Wildcats have held opponents to under 50 points in each of their last five games. The Lady Tigers are averaging 62.8 ppg, but have yet to break the 60-point mark against an SEC foe. Memphis scored 46 points at Georgia and 54 points against Arkansas. Kentucky has also defeated its last five opponents by 25 or more points. Jennings Has Career Night Against UT-San Antonio Junior forward Aroha Jennings came off the bench and scored a game-high 26 points in the loss to host UTSA, Friday night. Jennings was 8-for-18 from the field, and was 8-for-8 from the free-throw line. The 26 points was a career-high, as were the four assists. Her seven rebounds tied a career-high. Centers Needing to Get Offensive In the last four games, the two Lady Tiger centers have struggled to score. Senior Megan Gooch is 0-for-8 from the field in the last four games, while freshman Robin Jones is 2-for-14 over the last two games. Lady Tigers Scoring Success At the Free-Throw Line Memphis was 20-for-24 from the free-throw line against UT-San Antonio, and on the season, the Lady Tigers are shooting 73.8 percent, compared to 67.9 percent for the opposition. Senior Devin Necaise leads the team with a 96.3 percent clip from the charity stripe, while Aroha Jennings is shooting 84.4 percent after going 8-for-8 Friday night. Se'erra Fantroy (83.3) and Alysse Davis (1.000) are the other two Lady Tigers shooting over 80 percent from the line so far this season. Fantroy Moves to Freshman Top 10 Freshman point guard Se'erra Fantroy moved in to the freshman top 10 in single season assists with a pair of assists at UT-San Antonio. Her 48 assists leads the team and also ties Connie Hibbler (1984-85) for the 10-best single season assists total among all Lady Tiger freshmen. She needs eight more assists to catch current teammate Devin Necaise, who had 56 assists during her freshman season in 2003-04. Thornton Moves in to Sophomore Top 10 in Rebounding Sophomore Ashley Thornton has been a major bonus given that she joined Memphis over the summer after Birmingham Southern decided to move to NCAA Division III beginning in 2007-08. Thornton leads the team in rebounding with 108 total rebounds, and with 77 defensive rebounds. Her 77 rebounds through the first 13 games ranks ninth among the all-time Memphis sophomores. She needs 20 more defensive rebounds to tie Kitty Allen (1994-95) with the 8th-best single season defensive rebounding totals among sophomores. On the offensive side, Thornton's 31 boards is 22 shy of the 10th-best single season total among all Lady Tiger sophomores. Adams Has First Career Double-Double One bright spot for an otherwise stagnant Lady Tiger offense in the loss to No. 24 Arkansas was freshman Hope Adams. Adams posted her first career double-double, finishing with career bests in points (12) and rebounds (10). Of her 10 rebounds, eight came off the offensive glass. The freshman was also 5-for-6 from the free-throw line while playing 24 minutes. Adams' eight offensive rebounds marked just the third time since 1986 that a Lady Tiger freshman has tallied eight or more offensive boards. Current Lady Tiger sophomore Paris Leonard set the freshman single game record last season with 10 offensive boards against Austin Peay. Adams' eight offensive boards tied a mark with Keeta Matthews. Necaise Still a Force From Beyond the Arc With two more three-point field goals made in the loss to Arkansas, senior guard Devin Necaise now has 143 career threes, just nine shy of tying Kitty Allen for second in the career record book. Necaise's 27 threes on the season are the sixth-best total for any Lady Tiger senior in Memphis history. Devin needs two more to tie Rhonda Lauderdale (1987-88) with 29 and with 30 in her senior season, she will be tied with Tamika Whitmore (1998-99) and Kitty Allen (1996-97). LaTonya Johnson holds the record for all Lady Tiger seniors, with 51 field goals made from beyond the arc in her senior season of 1997-98. Tamika Butler is second with 50 field goals made last season. Heard of Soft Scheduling? Not Here in Memphis. When Blair Savage-Lansden was hired as the Lady Tigers head coach back on June 10 of 2004, there were a few games on the schedule and a few contracts that had been signed that had to be honored that historically have made for some very difficult competition for a young coach in her first head coaching job. If you look at the Week Six AP rankings, Memphis has faced the following teams with Savage at the helm: No. 10 Arizona State, No. 11 Georgia (twice), No. 12 Vanderbilt, No. 16 Louisville, No. 17 DePaul (twice), No. 21 Marquette and No. 25 Arkansas (twice). Memphis has also faced a pair of teams that are receiving votes in this week's poll--Nebraska and Oklahoma State (twice) and will face Kentucky (also receiving votes) at the end of December. Memphis Looking for Winning Combination The Lady Tigers have used six different starting line-ups already 12 games in to the regular season in an effort to find consistent hustle and intensity. The line-up of senior Devin Necaise, joined by sophomore Ashley Thornton and freshmen Hope Adams, Se'erra Fantroy and Robin Jones have the lone winning mark among the six different line-ups, with a 2-1 mark. The lineup of Necaise, Fantroy, Thornton, Gooch and Davis picked up their first win against Southeastern Louisiana. Necaise One Shy of Century Steal Mark Devin Necaise will have her name all over the record book by the time she graduates in May. While opposing teams expect to find the shooter all over the scoring records, she is just one steal shy of her 100th career steal heading in to the Southeastern Louisiana game. Necaise had a career-best 36 steals last season as a junior. Defense Has Best Outing of Season in Win Over Southeastern Louisiana The Lady Tiger defense gave head coach Blair Savage a belated birthday present, as Memphis held Southeastern Louisiana, a team that had won five straight games before facing the Lady Tigers, to just 28.6 percent from the field and a season-low 45 points. Savage had just celebrated her birthday on Dec. 12th. How Our Previous Opponents Are Faring So how are our early season opponents faring? See below: Winthrop (3-11 overall, 0-0 Big South): Dropped a home game to IPFW; plays at South Carolina, Monday. Dayton (4-9 overall, 0-0 Atlantic 10): Suffered sixth straight loss by eight or fewer points at Boston University, Friday. No. 15 Louisville (14-0, Big East): Off to its best-start in school history following a 93-75 win over Eastern Illinois. Samford (6-6, 1-1 OVC): Fell to .500 with a loss at South Carolina; hosts Tennessee Tech, Tuesday. UL Monroe (10-3, 0-2 Sun Belt): Hosts UL-Lafayette, Saturday. Central Arkansas (6-5, 0-0 Southland): Plays Oral Roberts, Saturday. Lipscomb (3-8, 1-1 A-Sun): Fell 55-53 to Longwood; hosts LaSalle, Jan. 2nd. No. 11 Georgia (11-2): Was upset by No. 17 George Washington, 66-54. UT Martin (6-4, 1-2 OVC): Advanced to Georgia State tournament championship with 74-57 win over Birmingham Southern. Creighton (3-9, 0-1 Missouri Valley): Dropped its conference opener, 70-59 at Illinois State; plays at Indiana St., Sunday. Southeastern Louisiana (7-5 overall, 0-0 Southland): Snapped two game losing streak with a 60-42 win over Mercer. No. 23 Arkansas (13-1, 0-0 SEC): Won 75-54 over Stephen F. Austin in Hot Springs; play at Saint Louis, Saturday. Necaise Looking to be Next Lady Tiger to 1,000 Career Points Senior guard Devin Necaise (Necaise Crossing, Miss./Hancock HS) needs 106 points to be the next Lady Tiger to hit the 1,000 career point mark. She would be the 18th Lady Tiger to pass the one-grand mark, and with 17 regular season games remaining and at least one guaranteed game in the conference tournament, she needs to average 5.8 points per game to tie Princess Swilley with 1,000 career points.

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12/30/06		Roadrunners outlast Lady Tigers in tourney -- Texas San Antonio 85, Memphis 73 (Commercial Appeal)
		By Our Press Services December 30, 2006 Vivian Ewalefo scored 25 points to lead Texas San Antonio to an 85-73 victory against the University of Memphis women Friday night in the Wells Fargo New Year's Classic in San Antonio. Monica Gibbs had 19 points for the Roadrunners (3-8), who led 45-31 at halftime. Aroha Jennings scored 26 points to lead the Lady Tigers (3-10), shooting 8-for-18 from the field and 8-of-8 from the line. Ashley Thornton scored 14 points and Se'erra Fantroy 13 for Memphis. The Lady Tigers will play Kentucky at 5 p.m. today in San Antonio.

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12/29/06		Women's Basketball Falls at UTSA, 85-73 -- Lady Tigers have just one non-conference game remaining (GoTigersGo.com)
		SAN ANTONIO, Texas - The University of Memphis women's basketball team was down by as many as 19 in the second half in the first game of the Wells Fargo New Years Classic and battled back to eight down, but ran out of time in a 85-73 loss to the University of Texas - San Antonio, Friday night. "We weren't ready to play from the start," head coach Blair Savage-Lansden said. "Our intensity wasn't there. When you're on the road you have to come in automatically thinking you're 10 points down, no matter what. We came in, we got the lead, and we got a little complacent. We took some ill-advised shots, we got impatient on defense, we didn't play to their characteristics, we kind of got away from our game plan and as for UTSA, they were ready for us." Memphis opened the game giving up two quick threes, but battled back by forcing the Roadrunners in to turnovers by switching up defenses. On the Memphis offensive end, Aroha Jennings took advantage of her defender falling down by going to the basket and drawing a foul. She would hit both free-throws to force the first of three first half times at 11 with 14:11 to play. Memphis would keep up the defensive pressure and with seven of the 10 players who played in the opening 20 minutes scoring points, the Lady Tigers took their first lead of the game as Jazmyn Green's defensive pressure forced the Roadrunners to turn the ball over. Paris Leonard picked up the loose ball, and pushed the ball over to Hope Adams on the other end of the floor. Adams fed Ashley Thornton for her first points of the game, giving Memphis the 17-15 lead with 12:02 to play in the first half. But Monica Gibbs was too quick for the Lady Tiger line-up on the floor, and the combination of Gibbs and Ewalefo helped UTSA seize back the lead as a pair of Lady Tiger turnovers turned into fast break points at the other end. In all, UTSA outscored Memphis in the paint, 20-8 in the first half, as both Ewalefo and Gibbs had 13 first half points. In the second half, the Lady Tigers' defensive adjustment slowed Gibbs down, holding her to just six second half points, but Gibbs then looked for open teammates out of the Lady Tiger double-team, and helped three other teammates score double-digits, led by 25 from Vivian Ewalefo. Gibbs finished with a double-double of 19 points and 12 rebounds, adding six assists, while Lynsey Freeman scored 17 points, knocking down five shots from three-point range. Memphis was led by a career-high 26 points from Aroha Jennings off the bench. Jennings, who was 8-for-8 from the free-throw line, led Memphis with seven rebounds and four assists, adding a steal. Ashley Thornton added 14 points, shooting 5-for-9 from the field, and also adding seven rebounds. Se'erra Fantroy was 5-for-7 from the floor, finishing with 13 points, five rebounds and two steals. Memphis will close out its non-conference schedule, Saturday, against Kentucky, at 5 p.m. That game can be heard in Memphis on WUMR, 91.7 FM or on www.gotigersgo.com through Yahoo Sports. UT-San Antonio will host Kent State in the final game of the Wells Fargo New Years Classic. The Lady Tigers will return home to open league play with three straight home games, hosting UAB, Jan. 2nd at 7 p.m. That game will be camper reunion night and jersey night. Anyone wearing a jersey will receive free admission.

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12/29/06		Hunt is sparkplug as Tigers hold off Lamar -- (22) Tigers 87, Lamar 62 (Commercial Appeal)
		By Dan Wolken Contact December 29, 2006 It's been the worst-kept secret in town. Anybody who has watched the University of Memphis in recent weeks could have deduced that a starting role for senior guard Jeremy Hunt was only a matter of time. Thursday, Hunt got his start. Sort of. Starting the second half in place of foul-plagued Antonio Anderson, Hunt needed just one sequence -- and one scorer's table -- to spark the No. 22-ranked Tigers once again in an 87-62 victory over Lamar University. Though Thursday wasn't one of Hunt's best overall performances this season -- he scored 12 points and went 2-for-13 from the field -- two plays early in the second half showed how invaluable he's been for Memphis, which improved to 10-3. With the Tigers struggling to pull away from Lamar (5-8) and failing to establish a favorable pace, Hunt hit a 3-pointer with 16:35 left that gave Memphis a 48-32 lead. Then, seconds later, he dove into the scorer's table to intercept an outlet pass, leading to a transition opportunity that Robert Dozier converted for a layup, igniting the announced crowd of 16,154 at FedExForum and sparking Memphis to a second half that looked much better than the first. "The key play in the game was when Jeremy Hunt dove for that ball," sophomore center Kareem Cooper said. "From there, we picked it up. Once he did that, it was all clicking and clicking." For Memphis, clicking in the game's final 16 minutes helped cover up some of the scars from the first 24. Against Lamar, the Tigers reverted tobad habits: Missing layups, failing to secure rebounds and making just 1-of-7 free-throws in the first half. Though the Tigers led 38-28, it was perhaps their worst 20 minutes since Dec. 6, when they lost 76-58 at Tennessee. Fortunately for Memphis, Lamar wasn't much better, going 7-for-32 from the field and 10-for-17 from the free-throw line. The Cardinals, coached by former Memphis assistant Steve Roccaforte, also committed 14 turnovers in the half and 24 total. "We played great defense but our offense was just terrible," sophomore guard Chris Douglas-Roberts, who scored a team-high 19 points, said. "When you hold a team to 26 percent you should be up at least 20 points" Despite the Tigers scoring 50 points in the paint and committing just two second-half turnovers, Lamar was the more aggressive team on the boards and routinely beat the Tigers to loose balls. And Tigers coach John Calipari could only imagine how much better than 43.2 percent Memphis would have shot the ball if only it had made half the two-footers it missed. "Any time you're disgusted with a 25-point win, you probably have your expectations pretty high," Calipari said. "We just played... I don't know how we played. To watch it, it's painful. We're not going to be able to do that to teams in our league, to just say we'll press and play and jam it in there. You've got to play offense and make plays and make layups and make open shots. Defensively, I saw some good stuff, but we've got a ways to go." Hunt has been the exception to Calipari's frustrations all season. Though he had an off shooting night against Lamar, he's been the Tigers' most consistent player and even found a way to impact the game when he wasn't scoring in bunches. Despite starting the second half, Hunt said he wouldn't lobby to make it permanent. "Coming off the bench is good too because I want to just do what I do, and I can do that starting or coming off the bench. It doesn't matter," Hunt said. "(Anderson) had three fouls, so it was just a one-time thing. It was good. I just had to pick it up." -- Dan Wolken: 529-2365

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12/29/06		Tigers replay (Commercial Appeal)
		AS THE GAME TURNED Memphis began the game 3-for-13 from the field, but then made seven of its next eight field goal attempts, including back-to-back 3-pointers by Chris Douglas-Roberts and Willie Kemp. Robert Dozier hit a 3-pointer from the top of the key to give Memphis an 18-13 lead, and then the Tigers scored seven straight, punctuated by Doneal Mack's 3-pointer. That scoring run gave the Tigers a 12-point margin they could nurse for the rest of the half, in which they made just 6-of-19 shots. AS THE ROTATION TURNED For the first time all season, Memphis' starting lineup did not start the second half intact. That's because guard Antonio Anderson committed his third foul with 3:28 to go in the first half, despite Calipari screaming for Anderson not to foul Brandon Chappell on a transition layup. Senior Jeremy Hunt, who has arguably been the Tigers' most consistent player this year, started the second half. Anderson rotated back into the game with 17:13 left. RIM GEMS With 10:37 remaining in the half, Dozier got rewarded for his work on the defensive end when he created a turnover by Matthew Barrow, then received a long alley-oop feed in transition from Anderson. Dozier finished the dunk with two hands and gave Memphis an early 20-13 lead. HIDE YOUR EYES Robert Dozier should have had a "Rim Gem" with 4:51 to go in the first half when he froze 7-1 James Davis with a beautiful spin move that gave him a wide-open layup opportunity. Only one problem: Dozier missed the layup. It was one of several layups and two-foot leaners missed by the Tigers, who shot 43.2 percent. SCORER'S TABLE Lamar and Memphis each grabbed 49 rebounds, which was somewhat surprising given that Memphis was plus-6.1 on the boards coming into the game. Lamar had 20 offensive rebounds, which were converted into 13 second-chance points. LOCKERROOM CHATTER "I thought in the first half that we hung as hard as we could. I thought I was going to set an NCAA records for timeouts taken in the first half. If I would have taken one more, I think that I would have been in the 'Guinness Book of World Records.' I thought our guys did a good job to battle and stay within 10 points at halftime." -- Lamar coach and former Tiger assistant Steve Roccaforte ODDS AND ENDS Backup point guard Andre Allen, who sat out last Saturday's 86-46 victory over Middle Tennessee State due to a mild concussion, returned Thursday. Allen played 14 minutes but didn't score, going 0-for-2 from the field and 0-for-4 from the free-throw line. Free-throw shooting was an issue for both teams, who combined to miss 30-of-62 attempts. At one point, Memphis was 1-for-9 until Dozier hit one with 17:09 remaining, drawing one of the loudest and longest cheers of the night from the announced crowd of 16,154. Davis, Lamar's widebody center, scored 20 points on 8-of-17 from the field. But he had just five rebounds and committed six turnovers. Memphis countered in the post with Kareem Cooper and Joey Dorsey, who combined for 23 points and 16 rebounds. Memphis, Connecticut, Kentucky and Oklahoma will be the four regional hosts for next year's 2K Sports College Hoops Classic benefiting Coaches vs. Cancer. The four-team regional sites will take place from Nov. 7-11, 2007, with the four winners advancing to Madison Square Garden in New York the following week. LOOKING AHEAD Tigers vs. Cincinnati, next Thursday, 8 p.m., at FedExForum -- Dan Wolken

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12/28/06		No. 22 Memphis Handles Lamar, 87-62 -- Douglas-Roberts leads with 19 points (GoTigersGo.com)
		MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) -Chris Douglas-Roberts had 19 points and seven rebounds, and No. 22 Memphis overcame a slow first half to beat Lamar 87-62 Thursday night. Douglas-Roberts, the Tigers' leading scorer, shot 9-of-16 from the field and was one of five players to score in double figures for Memphis. The Tigers (10-3) built their lead to 22 midway through the second half and coasted to their fourth win in the last five. The Cardinals shot just 31 percent. Robert Dozier scored 13 points and Kareem Cooper finished with 12 points and nine rebounds for Memphis. Jeremy Hunt also had 12 points and Joey Dorsey added 11. James Davis, the Cardinals' bulky 7-foot-1 center and leading scorer at 17.2 points a game, led Lamar (5-8) with 20 points. Currye Todd added 13. The game was a showdown between teacher and pupil. Lamar first-year coach Steve Roccaforte was an assistant on the Memphis staff under John Calipari from 2001-03. Memphis led 38-28 at halftime after a sloppy first half. Douglas-Roberts led the Tigers with 13 points. No Cardinals were in double figures. Lamar used a pressing defense to disrupt the Memphis offense early. The scrambling Cardinals caused four early turnovers, and the Tigers missed six of their first seven shots from the floor. The inefficiency had Calipari up screaming at his team and shuffling players, trying to find the right combination. Eventually, Memphis began connecting from long range against Lamar's zone, building a 12-point lead midway through the first half.

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12/28/06		Memphis Basketball Postgame Quotes -- No. 22/23 Memphis 87, Lamar 62 (GoTigersGo.com)
		Memphis Head Coach John Calipari "Good win. Anytime you're disgusted with a 25-point win, you know you're expectations are pretty high. Hats off to (Lamar head coach Steve Roccaforte) "Roc." I think he's done a great job with that team. I think they're doing a great job defensively. They jam up the middle, and they're big. They only shot 32 percent against us and 35 percent from three and missed a ton of free throws. But, they play the way they're trying to win, and in their league, I think they're going to have a great year. I think he's doing a fabulous job." "I don't know how we played. To watch it, early on, was painful, and then we came out and we did some things in the second half. We're not going to be able to do that to teams in our league and Cincinnati and Gonzaga included. You have to play offense and make plays, make layups, and make one-footers. Defensively, I saw some good stuff. But we've got a ways to go." Lamar Head Coach Steve Roccaforte "My first thought is they have a really good team. They took us out of what we wanted to do offensively. I thought in the first half that we hung as hard as we could. I thought I was going to set an NCAA record for timeouts taken in the first half. If I would have taken one more, I think that I would have been in the Guinness Book of World Records." "I thought our guys did a good job to battle and stay within 10 points at halftime. They're a good team, and they run their stuff offensively. They hit us with a little run a couple of minutes into the second half, and I was trying to hang on to that one time out. Again, I thought our kids never gave up. I don't think they ever quit, but we've got to continue to get better."

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12/28/06		Women's Basketball Back in Action at Texas-San Antonio -- Lady Tigers to face host Roadrunners at 7 p.m. (CT), Friday (GoTigersGo.com)
		The University of Memphis women's basketball team is coming off a 10-day break in play heading in to the last two non-conference games of the season. In a schedule change from when all the previous print pieces were done, Memphis will face host UT-San Antonio, Friday, Dec. 29th at 7 p.m., and will face Kentucky, Saturday, Dec. 30th, at 5 p.m. Memphis is 3-4 in its last seven games, and is coming off a cold shooting performance against then-No. 24 Arkansas in a 70-54 loss. Freshman Hope Adams was a spark off the bench for Memphis, scoring her first career double-double with 12 points and 10 rebounds. Adams was one of three Lady Tigers to score double-digit points inthe loss, but a 17-for-68 shooting performance from the floor negated 48 rebounds for the Lady Tigers. Host UT-San Antonio opened the season with a four-game losing streak before picking up a 77-67 win over Eastern Washington. The Roadrunners then faced fellow Conference USA member Tulsa, falling 61-57 to the Golden Hurricane. The Tulsa loss was the first of four straight losses to follow the Eastern Washington win, before UTSA downed hosted UNLV, 70-62, before the holiday break. Vivian Ewalefo leads the Roadrunners with 16.4 ppg, adding a team-best 7.6 rebounds per game and leading the team with six blocks on the season. Terrie Davis also averages double-digits, with 11.1 ppg, and leads the team with 18 shots made from three-point range and a 34.6 percent shooting percentage. Devin Necaise is the lone Lady Tiger averaging double-digits, leading the team with 12.8 ppg while hitting 27 shots from three-point range. Junior Aroha Jennings (9.3 ppg) and sophomore Ashley Thornton (9.0) each average around nine points a game. Necaise, Thornton and freshman point guard Se'erra Fantroy are the three Lady Tigers who have started all 12 games so far this season, with Fantroy leading the team with 46 assists, while adding 5.6 points and 3.7 rebounds per game. Adams Has First Career Double-Double One bright spot for an otherwise stagnant Lady Tiger offense in the loss to No. 24 Arkansas was freshman Hope Adams. Adams posted her first career double-double, finishing with career bests in points (12) and rebounds (10). Of her 10 rebounds, eight came off the offensive glass. The freshman was also 5-for-6 from the free-throw line while playing 24 minutes. Adams' eight offensive rebounds marked just the third time since 1986 that a Lady Tiger freshman has tallied eight or more offensive boards. Current Lady Tiger sophomore Paris Leonard set the freshman single game record last season with 10 offensive boards against Austin Peay. Adams' eight offensive boards tied a mark with Keeta Matthews. Fantroy Two Assists Shy of Freshman Single Season Top 10 Freshman point guard Se'erra Fantroy enters the UTSA tournament with 46 assists already this season. With just two more assists, she will already have the 10th-best single season performance of any Lady Tiger freshman in school history. She is looking to break in to the top 10, where the 10th-best spot is currently held by Connie Hibbler (1984-85), who had 48 assists. The freshman single season record is 101 assists in a season, held by Ruth Ann Forsythe (1983-84). Forsythe is the only Lady Tiger freshman to have 100 or more assists in a season. Among the single season records for all players, Fantroy is 101 assists shy of breaking in to the single season top 10, where Marcia Monk is currently 10th with 147 assists during the 1980-81 season. In order to get to that mark, Fantroy would need to average 5.3 apg. She is currently averaging 3.8/game. Memphis vs. UT San Antonio This will be the first-ever meeting between UTSA and the Lady Tigers. UTSA is a member of the Southland Conference, the same conference that Central Arkansas and Southeastern Louisiana belong to. Memphis is 2-0 against the Southland so far this season. Thornton Ready to Move Into Sophomore Record Book Sophomore forward Ashley Thornton is just one defensive rebound away from having one of the top 10 single seasons of all Lady Tiger sophomores. With 71 defensive rebounds through the first 12 games of the season, Thornton needs just one more to tie Diane Gray (1989-90) and Yolanda Reed (1997-98) for the 10th-best single season in defensive rebounds among all Lady Tiger sophomores since 1986 (when offensive and defensive rebounds were broke in to separate categories). In total rebounds by sophomores, Thornton needs just 27 more to tie Diane Gray (1989-90) for 10th in the sophomore record book with 138. Thornton is the first Lady Tiger to get to the 100 rebound mark this season. She leads Memphis with 8.4 rebounds per game and has 101 rebounds through the first 12 games. Necaise Still a Force From Beyond the Arc With two more three-point field goals made in the loss to Arkansas, senior guard Devin Necaise now has 143 career threes, just nine shy of tying Kitty Allen for second in the career record book. Necaise's 27 threes on the season are the sixth-best total for any Lady Tiger senior in Memphis history. Devin needs two more to tie Rhonda Lauderdale (1987-88) with 29 and with 30 in her senior season, she will be tied with Tamika Whitmore (1998-99) and Kitty Allen (1996-97). LaTonya Johnson holds the record for all Lady Tiger seniors, with 51 field goals made from beyond the arc in her senior season of 1997-98. Tamika Butler is second with 50 field goals made last season. Lady Tiger Offense Sputters Versus No. 24 Arkansas After knocking down the second-best total of 25 field goals in the win over Southeastern Louisiana, the Lady Tiger offense sputtered against No. 24 Arkansas, hitting just 25.0 percent of their shots from the field, the second-lowest shooting performance of the season. Needing Help From the Frontcourt Against Arkansas, the starting three members of the Lady Tiger frontcourt were a combined 0-12 with no shots attempted by starting center Megan Gooch. The two Lady Tiger starting forwards were 0-7 (Ashley Thornton) and 0-5 (Alysse Davis). Davis' cold shooting night came after she had a solid outing with 10 points against Southeastern Louisiana. Jones Finding Minutes in Rotation Freshman Robin Jones has found some valuable and productive minutes for herself in the Lady Tiger line-up in her first 12 collegiate games. Jones came off the bench to corral eight rebounds with one assist in 20 minutes against Arkansas. But Memphis struggled getting the ball inside due to a swarming Arkansas defense, and Jones managed just two points, while shooting 1-for-11 from the field. She had four offensive rebounds and two of her putbacks were blocked by a very physical Razorback frontcourt. Heard of Soft Scheduling? Not Here in Memphis. When Blair Savage-Lansden was hired as the Lady Tigers head coach back on June 10 of 2004, there were a few games on the schedule and a few contracts that had been signed that had to be honored that historically have made for some very difficult competition for a young coach in her first head coaching job. If you look at the Week Six AP rankings, Memphis has faced the following teams with Savage at the helm: No. 10 Arizona State, No. 11 Georgia (twice), No. 12 Vanderbilt, No. 16 Louisville, No. 17 DePaul (twice), No. 21 Marquette and No. 25 Arkansas (twice). Memphis has also faced a pair of teams that are receiving votes in this week's poll--Nebraska and Oklahoma State (twice) and will face Kentucky (also receiving votes) at the end of December. Memphis Looking for Winning Combination The Lady Tigers have used six different starting line-ups already 12 games in to the regular season in an effort to find consistent hustle and intensity. The line-up of senior Devin Necaise, joined by sophomore Ashley Thornton and freshmen Hope Adams, Se'erra Fantroy and Robin Jones have the lone winning mark among the six different line-ups, with a 2-1 mark. The lineup of Necaise, Fantroy, Thornton, Gooch and Davis picked up their first win against Southeastern Louisiana. Necaise One Shy of Century Steal Mark Devin Necaise will have her name all over the record book by the time she graduates in May. While opposing teams expect to find the shooter all over the scoring records, she is just one steal shy of her 100th career steal heading in to the Southeastern Louisiana game. Necaise had a career-best 36 steals last season as a junior. Defense Has Best Outing of Season in Win Over Southeastern Louisiana The Lady Tiger defense gave head coach Blair Savage a belated birthday present, as Memphis held Southeastern Louisiana, a team that had won five straight games before facing the Lady Tigers, to just 28.6 percent from the field and a season-low 45 points. Savage had just celebrated her birthday on Dec. 12th. How Our Previous Opponents Are Faring So how are our early season opponents faring? See below: Winthrop (3-10 overall, 0-0 Big South): Fell to Tulane, 58-53 before the break; hosts IPFW, Friday. Dayton (4-8 overall, 0-0 Atlantic 10): Plays Boston University, Friday. No. 15 Louisville (13-0, Big East): Won 77-60 at Florida before the break; hosts Eastern Illinois, Friday. Samford (6-5, 1-1 OVC): Plays South Carolina, Thursday night. UL Monroe (10-3, 0-2 Sun Belt): Hosts UL-Lafayette, Saturday. Central Arkansas (6-5, 0-0 Southland): Picked up first-ever Division I road win at UMKC. Lipscomb (3-8, 1-1 A-Sun): Fell 55-53 to Longwood; hosts LaSalle, Jan. 2nd. No. 11 Georgia (11-1): Won fourth straight with a 72-41 win at Richmond; plays George Washington, Thursday. UT Martin (5-4, 1-2 OVC): Fell to Eastern Kentucky, 55-50 in OVC play; plays Birmingham Southern, Saturday. Creighton (3-8, 0-0 Missouri Valley): Beat Oral Roberts, 72-64; plays at Illinois State, Friday. Southeastern Louisiana (7-5 overall, 0-0 Southland): Snapped two game losing streak with a 60-42 win over Mercer. No. 23 Arkansas (13-1, 0-0 SEC): Won 75-54 over Stephen F. Austin in Hot Springs. Leonard Passes 400 Point Mark Sophomore guard Paris Leonard is struggling with scoring this year. After shooting 37.7 percent from the field last year and notching 334 points (12.8 ppg), the Wooddale HS grad is shooting 29.3 percent this year and is averaging 8.4 ppg. But she did manage to eclipse the 400 point mark with eight points in the loss at No. 8 Georgia. She now has 426 points in her 1 1/2 years as a Lady Tiger. Necaise Looking to be Next Lady Tiger to 1,000 Career Points Senior guard Devin Necaise (Necaise Crossing, Miss./Hancock HS) needs 113 points to be the next Lady Tiger to hit the 1,000 career point mark. She would be the 18th Lady Tiger to pass the one-grand mark, and with 18 regular season games remaining and at least one guaranteed game in the conference tournament, she needs to average 5.9 points per game to tie Princess Swilley with 1,000 career points. Necaise has scored double-digit points in six of Memphis' first 11 games and has two 20-point plus games on the year. Leonard Moves to Ninth all-Time Sophomore guard Paris Leonard hit one of just three threes for Memphis against Georgia and now is ninth all-time in career threes at Memphis. Leonard, who has 50 threes in her career, needs two more to catch former Lady Tiger Heather Newlon (1993-97) to tie for eighth all-time. Another Tough Schedule Three top 25 teams, three Wade candidate trophy candidates on opposing rosters -- the Lady Tigers may have been obsessed with the number three when they were putting together their non-conference schedule. Memphis will face three teams that were on the CBSSportsline Pre-Season top 25, including No. 9 Georgia, No. 14 Kentucky and No. 21 Louisville. Memphis faced two of those opponents (Georgia and Louisville) on the road, and will face Kentucky at the UT-San Antonio tournament at the end of December. Memphis will also face three Wade Trophy candidates -- Georgia's Tasha Humphries, Louisville's Jazz Covington and Tulsa's Jillian Robbins. Memphis held Covington to just four points in the Louisville game, as Covington's teammates did most of the damage from the perimeter to put the game out of hand in the second half.

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12/28/06		Larry Finch Replica Jerseys On Sale -- All proceeds to go to the Finch Foundation (GoTigersGo.com)
		MEMPHIS, Tenn. - Champion Awards has produced a Larry Finch replica jersey that is being sold at home Tiger basketball games and online at www.gochampion.net. Fans can begin purchasing the jerseys at the Tigers' Dec. 28 home game versus Lamar. All proceeds from the selling of the jerseys will go to the Finch Foundation. Mike Bowen, president and CEO, wanted a way to give back to a childhood idol, Larry Finch, and came up with the idea of the replica jersey to have people make donations to the Finch Foundation while also showing support for the program.

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12/28/06		Cal faces ex-aide tonight -- Roccaforte first former assistant he's taken on (Commercial Appeal)
		By Dan Wolken Contact December 28, 2006 John Calipari won his 350th game last Saturday, but tonight he will reach a different kind of career milestone. One he would just as soon do without. For the first time in his 15 years as a college head coach, Calipari will face one of his former assistants when Steve Roccaforte brings Lamar University into FedExForum to play the University of Memphis. And regardless of the outcome, Calipari knows it won't be any fun to face Roccaforte, who spent three years as a Tigers assistant before going to Lamar, where he is in his first season as Billy Tubbs' successor. "I want to get the game over with," Calipari said. "If he beats us, I'll be absolutely out of my mind. And if we beat him, it's, 'Ehhhhhh.' You're beating somebody you hope is getting wins, and that's why I don't like playing them. But it's a good game as a 'buy' game for them and it's an easy trip here." To understand why Calipari dislikes playing his former assistants and coaching friends, you must understand the emotional involvement he has every night one of them plays. Following a Memphis practice or game, one of his first tasks is getting a score update from Lamar or UTEP, where former assistant Tony Barbee is in his first year as head coach. According to Roccaforte, when he recorded his biggest victory to date on Dec. 13 by beating Brigham Young, he already had a congratulatory phone message from Calipari by the time he walked off the court. Roccaforte, who was an assistant at Lamar when the Cardinals played at FedExForum last season, said he expects to feel some difficult emotions tonight. "This is my first head coaching job but it's my alma mater, so it's a unique situation," Roccaforte said. "Every time they play I watch them because (Memphis) is where I came from, and when (Calipari) got the job, I came with him on the first staff and I'm proud of that." Though Roccaforte isn't thrilled about facing Calipari, he said playing the game is financially beneficial for the program and good preparation for the Southland Conference. "Do I like playing him? No. Do I like seeing him? Yes," Roccaforte said. "And we talk quite a bit, especially since I got the job. He's been a really good friend and a great person to get advice from." Roccaforte and Calipari are such good friends, Lamar used the Finch Center to practice on Wednesday. As Roccaforte was writing some notes to himself after practice, Tigers senior Jeremy Hunt came running to surprise him with a hug. "He recruited me here, so I had to go talk to him," Hunt said. "It is (strange), but it's just how it is now. He's a good coach. I loved him when he was here, and I still love him now." At the very least, tonight will be good emotional preparation for Calipari, who will go through it again on March 1 when the Tigers play at UTEP in a Conference USA matchup. "It's not a good feeling to even start the game," Calipari said. "You know I'm worried about us. And then I'm playing the game without any thought about former (assistants). I'm worried about us getting better and us setting the tone of how we're trying to play. "But after it's over, you don't have the same enjoyment." -- Dan Wolken: 529-2365 -------------------- No. 22 Tigers vs. Lamar When, where: Today, 7 p.m., at FedExForum TV, radio: WLMT (30), WREC-AM (600) Tickets: 678-2331

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12/26/06		Mack finds his 3-point shot, heats up Tigers (Commercial Appeal)
		By Dan Wolken Contact December 26, 2006 Freshman guard Doneal Mack admits to a bit of homesickness during his first semester at the University of Memphis, but for a while, his teammates and coaches were truly worried it was a more serious situation. For several weeks, the quiet 19-year old would sleep hours and hours on end, sometimes half the day or more, going to class, practice and little else. Saturday, Mack might have finally awakened. After failing to get off the bench in Wednesday's loss at Arizona, Mack responded against Middle Tennessee State by scoring a career-high 18 points with five rebounds and making 4-of-7 from 3-point range. "It's like the rim was the ocean for him," senior Jeremy Hunt said. "He shot the ball really well, hustled, played good defense and did everything we're asking him to do." It was the kind of explosive performance No. 22 Memphis had been waiting on from Mack, a top-50 recruit from Statesville, N.C., who initially signed with Florida but was denied admission after a paperwork snafu and ended up as the top-rated player in the Tigers' freshman class. "I was in a comfort zone," Mack said. "It felt good, laughing out there and having fun. When you're having fun and hitting shots, it's a great feeling." Perhaps it will be a turning point for Mack, who Memphis coaches believe will be a very good college player in time due to his jaw-dropping athleticism and ability to shoot from distance. But so far, Mack's jump shot hasn't been consistent -- he's 29.8 percent for the season on 3-pointers -- and hasn't done other things to coach John Calipari's satisfaction. "Doneal Mack was 2-for-16 at the shootaround before Arizona," Calipari said. "I watched it. Now, would you play him? Would you be like, 'I can't wait to get him in'? If he's going to go 2-for-16, not grab (loose) balls and be an OK defender, you can't play that guy. And I told him that." One of the issues Mack still struggles with, admittedly, is that his confidence -- and thus, his entire game -- yo-yos depending on how well he's shooting. Against MTSU, Mack swished his first 3-point attempt (and three out of his first four), and all the sudden he was hustling to loose balls and aggressively going after rebounds. In other games, he's sagged after missing a shot or two. "I'm the type person, I'm a rhythm player," Mack said. "If I miss my first shot, sometimes I kind of get down. I need to get out of that. But once I hit my first shot, my confidence builds, and once I start hitting them, it's like, OK, I'm feeling it now. I'm not playing timid, I'm driving, playing defense." In recent days, Calipari has been stressing pre-game preparation, urging players to spend time visualizing success on the court. And then, after a performance like Mack's on Saturday, to repeat whatever routine led up to it. "Where has that been?" Calipari said. "I taped the halftime warmup to see how guys are warming up. I like watching tape anyway, so it's not a big deal. What I'm trying to say is, this isn't for funsies. You're not in high school. Prepare yourself for something special. "Whatever you did to get ready for this game, that should be your routine to get yourself ready." -- Dan Wolken: 529-2365 -------------------- Tigers' next game What: No. 22 Memphis vs. Lamar When: Thursday, 7 p.m., FedExForum TV-radio: WLMT-TV (Ch. 30); WREC-AM (600)

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12/25/06		FROM MY SEAT: Ten to Remember (Part 2) (Memphis Flyer)
		BY FRANK MURTAUGH DECEMBER 25, 2006 To finish last week’s thoughts, here are the five most memorable sporting events I witnessed in 2006. Dallas 115, Memphis 103 (November 17) — I was skeptical when the Grizzlies selected Syracuse’s Hakim Warrick with the 19th pick in the 2005 draft. Having witnessed four years of Stromile Swift, I had developed a healthy appreciation for the difference between a great athlete and a great basketball player. But on this night, with Pau Gasol rehabbing his broken foot, Warrick became the best Memphis player in the NBA. The sophomore forward scored 26 points and grabbed 8 rebounds over 42 minutes, all the while guarding Dallas star Dirk Nowitzki and keeping the Grizzlies very much in the game through three quarters. (Warrick fouling out had much to do with the Mavericks’ late run to win the game.) When Warrick makes his first All-Star Game — 2009? — this is the game I’ll remember. Memphis 4, Tacoma 1 (May 25) — There weren’t many wins at AutoZone Park last summer, but there was a star. Five days after beating Kansas City in a spot start for the St. Louis Cardinals, Anthony Reyes returned to the mound for the Redbirds and simply overpowered the Tacoma Rainiers. The big righty, hat pulled down to his eyebrows, pitched eight shutout innings, giving up only three hits and striking out eight. John Nelson, Brian Esposito, and Brian Daubach homered to give Reyes all the support he needed. (Bonus excitement:] I saw, for the first time in my baseball life, a runner called out for tagging too early on a fly ball. The 2006 Redbirds took outs any way they could get ‘em.) Memphis 57, UAB 46 (March 11) — It had been 19 years since the University of Memphis had won a conference tournament. So however ugly at times the victory over the Blazers may have been, this was a rightful coronation for the best Tiger team in two decades. UAB had ended a 15-game winning streak for Memphis just nine days earlier in Birmingham, so this was a rare “revenge game” for the 2005-06 Tigers. And the game was never really in doubt, Memphis racing to a 10-point lead by halftime. Freshman Shawne Williams led the U of M with 18 points and was named the C-USA tournament MVP after what would prove to be his last game as a Tiger at FedExForum. My favorite image from the victory? Darius Washington cutting down the net under the same hoop where he collapsed in tears almost exactly one year earlier. Sam’s Town 250 (October 28) — The most underrated local sporting event — and it laps the field — is NASCAR’s annual Busch Series event at Memphis Motorsports Park. Featuring three of the ten drivers competing in the Nextel Cup Chase for the Championship — Kevin Harvick, Denny Hamlin, and Kasey Kahne — this year’s field was the most star-studded in the eight-year history of the event. On top of that, former Formula 1 driver Juan Pablo Montoya made his NASCAR debut (and finished 11th in the field of 43). After a track-record 15 caution flags, Harvick — already the Busch Series champion for 2006 — passed Carl Edwards on the penultimate lap to become the first two-time Memphis champion. St. Louis 9, Kansas City 7 (July 2) — For the first time, three generations of Murtaughs were in St. Louis to cheer the Cardinals. With my mom visiting from Vermont, we packed up my wife and daughters for the four-hour drive north, our destination the new Busch Stadium in its inaugural season. On a sweltering Sunday afternoon — and from the rightfield bleachers, no less — we watched the eventual world champions beat Kansas City, 9-7. The Cards’ starting pitcher this day — Jason Marquis — would ironically not even make the team’s postseason roster. As for the club’s marquee talent, Albert Pujols, Scott Rolen, and Jim Edmonds each homered for the first live St. Louis win in front of 3-year-old Elena Murtaugh. Many years from now, Elena will be able to tell the story of a rarity: seeing the Cardinals at “new” Busch BEFORE they won their 10th world championship.

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12/25/06		I want to go out my way, says Penny: Put me back in -- After injuries and ridicule, it's a pride thing now (Commercial Appeal)
		By Ronald Tillery Contact December 25, 2006 He's experienced the calamity associated with injury. He's heard the commentary from critics doubting a comeback. Now Anfernee 'Penny' Hardaway is eager to let his knee do the talking before the final chapter is written on his storied basketball career. The Memphis native and former NBA superstar is as healthy as he's been in five seasons. Hardaway, a 35-year-old free agent, has been shopping his services lately. All he has is an elite player's resume, a pair of NBA-caliber workouts that prove his wares and the love of the game. Retire? Don't count on it. Hardaway never lost confidence in his ability. The 13-year veteran now believes in his surgically repaired left knee. His hope is that a team will trust it, too. "I'm healthy by my standards because I can do a lot of the things I used to when I was in my prime," Hardaway said. "I feel like that makes me healthy because I haven't been able to do that in five years. The explosion, the first step is all back. I'm able to finish at the rim. It's something I lost but now I feel like I have the athletic ability again. "I'm not ready to quit. I don't want to go out like this. Now that I'm feeling better I want to help a team win. I love the game. That's why I haven't walked away. I want to go out having fun. If I retire without playing again, I will have gone out the way someone else wanted me to, not the way I want to go out." Hardaway works out with a trainer five days a week in Miami. That's a milestone for someone who has undergone five surgeries. His last surgery was a breakthrough procedure that happened in March. The doctor performed exploratory surgery because the cause of Hardaway's discomfort didn't show on an MRI exam. The physician found a bone spur lodged in the back of Hardaway's knee above the calf. In addition to his Miami training, Hardaway's worked out in Houston with former NBA player and coach John Lucas, who helped Grizzlies guard Damon Stoudamire rehabilitate from knee surgery. Hardaway's shock last summer was that his name didn't appear on a list of free agents for teams to consider. He wasn't invited to any team's training camp. Part of the reason is that Hardaway played in just 41 of a possible 164 games in his last two seasons. He also acknowledges battling the perception of lacking locker room leadership and displaying resistance to coaching. Hardaway vehemently denies that those issues are a part of his character. Charlotte considered signing Hardaway near the end of last November but turned to Derek Anderson instead. Meanwhile, Hardaway's performed in private workouts for Atlanta and Seattle. "I know I'm in this position now because I played the last four years at 30 percent. Teams saw that and that's the last visual they have of me. That's what they remember. You're only as good as your last game. But I can prove that I'm healthy. You can call the Atlanta Hawks. You can call the Seattle SuperSonics. I don't have anything to hide. I just want to play basketball." Seattle's coaching staff watched Hardaway go through drills in Memphis last week before its game against the Grizzlies. The Sonics are considering a deal. "He's obviously in much, much better condition than we thought he would be," Sonics coach Bob Hill told Seattle media. "He shot the ball extremely well. He's bigger and stronger. So it's going to boil down to the powers that be if they want to move forward or not. He wants to play badly. At this point in his life it's absolutely not about making more money." Hardaway realizes a team would only offer the veteran's minimum or roughly $1 million. He says the team that takes a chance on him would get a real bargain. "I feel like I have young legs. I have so much more to offer now," Hardaway said. "It doesn't matter what my age is. It matters that I can play. I've been in the league 13 years but I've only really played eight so I don't have the mileage. I just couldn't get over the hump to get well. "I know I can help every team in the NBA right now. I didn't lose my game. Injuries are a part of sports. But I could be watching ESPN and a guy gets hurt during a game, and the announcer would say, 'This guy gets hurt more than Penny Hardaway.' That happens so much. Why am I the brunt of everybody's joke? I've weathered the storm of being injured and being ridiculed; now I'm just ready to play basketball again." Hardaway's most productive years came in his days with the Orlando Magic as well as the early portion of his time with the Phoenix Suns. He often drew comparisons to former L.A. Lakers great Magic Johnson. Hardaway's career took an ugly turn early in the 1997-98 season when microfracture surgery forced him to miss the rest of that campaign. "My microfracture was handled like a routine arthroscopic surgery," Hardaway said. "They thought it was a 6-to-8 week deal. Now we know, from Amare Stoudemire to Kenyon Martin, that it's a longer deal." Phoenix eventually traded Hardaway to the New York Knicks and then he was traded back to Orlando for Steve Francis. But Orlando waived Hardaway immediately. He's been out of the league, working tirelessly to get back in ever since. "This is a country where if you quit, people call you weak. If you keep trying, you're a warrior," Hardaway said. "When they talk about (Orlando's) Grant Hill, that's what they say. They say he's a fighter. When it comes to me, they say I should quit. I go 'Wow. What's the difference?' I'm Grant Hill's biggest fan and I'm still fighting, too. I'm not going to quit. I still have the love for the game, and that's what motivates me." -- Ronald Tillery, 529-2353

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12/24/06		Tigers hitting on all cylinders as they efficiently dismantle MTSU (Commercial Appeal)
		By Dan Wolken Contact December 24, 2006 Before the University of Memphis arrived at FedExForum on Saturday afternoon, several players already had their bags packed, ready for a quick exit to the airport for flights back to places like Boston or Detroit. Though the scene is the same in nearly every college basketball arena this time of year, it's a predicament feared by nearly every coach who must wonder whether his players will already be on vacation by the opening tip. The No. 18-ranked Tigers had been just inconsistent enough to raise those concerns, but remarkably, they played their most business-like, most confident and most complete game of the month in beating Middle Tennessee State, 86-46, before an announced crowd of 14,525. In the process, Memphis gave John Calipari a number of heartwarming Christmas presents: Efficient 3-point shooting (12-of-27), supreme selflessness (20 assists on 31 baskets) and his 350th career victory. "We needed to do what we're supposed to do for 40 minutes, and we did it today and it's great going home to Christmas," Calipari said. It will be an especially sweet break for Memphis' two highly-regarded freshmen, Willie Kemp and Doneal Mack, both of whom have had their problems adjusting to the college game. Mack returned to his Charlotte-area home Saturday night after a career performance, scoring a game-high 18 points with five rebounds and making 4-of-7 from 3-point range. And Kemp made the 70-minute drive to Bolivar after his best outing of the season, scoring 11 points with nine assists, six rebounds and just one turnover. Without Andre Allen to back him up due to the concussion he suffered in Friday's practice, Kemp set the tone Saturday by making three straight 3-pointers in the game's first 3:19, giving Memphis (9-3) a 12-2 lead that only got bigger after that. "We both played a good game," Kemp said. "We came out and made the wide-open shots. "We just came out and had a good warmup, a good practice yesterday. We played together and had fun today." The fun came at the expense of MTSU (4-7), which started the game in a 2-3 zone defense that quickly got blown up by the Tigers' sharp ball movement and ability to make open shots with their feet set. Everybody seemingly had a part in it as Memphis built a 31-11 lead in the first 11:35 and never let MTSU gain confidence. The Tigers led 51-28 at halftime, then went on a 25-5 run early in the second half to build a 76-35 lead with 11:23 to go. "Most of the time when we get sloppy, it's like the beginning of the second half," senior Jeremy Hunt said after scoring 16 points on 6-of-10 shooting. "We came in, we talked about it. We knew if guys got sloppy, they were coming straight out, and we didn't want that to happen." The focus didn't waver, even at the end. Memphis finished shooting 55.4 percent and held MTSU to 18-of-55 from the field, 1-of-19 from the 3-point line. The Tigers also out-rebounded the Blue Raiders 43-24. It was exactly the kind of performance Calipari wanted to see from a young team he insists hasn't found itself yet. "What we have to prove is, when we're going against an opponent that's good enough to play with us but scared to death of us, that we understand it and we prove them right," Calipari said. "Not that we do it for awhile and let them back in it -- Georgia Tech, Arizona -- and have them start saying, 'These guys aren't that good.' You can't let them back into that frame of mind. We have a lot of work to do." But as players hurried from the arena Saturday, toting stuffed duffel bags for a long weekend at home, they could take comfort in the fact their work for the moment had clearly been done.

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12/24/06		Tigers replay (Commercial Appeal)
		AS THE GAME TURNED Memphis has, at times, struggled with sloppiness and suffered concentration lapses in second halves of blowout games. Despite leading by 23 at halftime, the Tigers didn't let up this time. After Middle Tennessee scored the first basket of the second half, Memphis went on a 25-5 run over a six-minute stretch capped off by freshman Doneal Mack's 3-pointer off a nice feed from freshman Willie Kemp. Mack scored seven of his 18 points in that run. AS THE ROTATION TURNED With Andre Allen out due to a concussion, Kemp figured to get more minutes than usual at point guard. But Kemp's effort really was something special, playing a team-high 32 minutes. Usually, coach John Calipari substitutes freely and rarely lets somebody go for more than six or seven minutes without a rest. Kemp, however, played the first 16:07 of the game before getting a breather. RIM GEMS Sophomore guard Chris Douglas-Roberts was suffering from a stomach virus last Wednesday against Arizona, which explains why he had a quiet night (seven points in 23 minutes). But the explosion he lacked was back in a big way against MTSU, especially when he attacked the rim with 11:19 left in the first half, using a pause to freeze the defender at the free-throw-line extended before getting to the rim for a two-handed dunk in what seemed like a millisecond. HIDE YOUR EYES Trying to get back in the game, Middle Tennessee took quick shots in the second half, and the results were ugly. The Blue Raiders made just 6-of-29 from the field, and 1-of-6 from the 3-point line. MTSU had trouble getting jump shots to fall all day, scoring 33 of its 46 total points either in the paint or at the free-throw line. SCORER'S TABLE Memphis' guards dominated the game, and it showed up in the numbers. Of Memphis' 86 points, 67 of them were scored by guards. The forwards, meanwhile, took just 16 shots, with sophomore Robert Dozier scoring 11 points. LOCKERROOM CHATTER "We're so young and know so little about how to prepare for a big game, how to think, how to make myself even better. I've got my hands full. I love this team, but it is the challenge of challenges because I'm trying to coach aggressively yet make sure they love themselves as a group and as individual players but I have to be aggressive because there are things that are not acceptable." -- Calipari ODDS AND ENDS Allen, who suffered a mild concussion Friday in a practice collision with Jeremy Hunt, dressed out but didn't play. Allen said he couldn't remember anything from the time of the collision until he woke up in Methodist Hospital, where doctors examined and released him. "I just know me and Jeremy were going for a loose ball, and that's all I can remember," Allen said. "I went to shootaround (Saturday), but my head started hurting worse, so the doctors told me it wouldn't be a good idea for me to play." Though Allen said he'd be ready for Thursday's game against Lamar, Calipari, who went with Allen to the hospital, wasn't so sure. "He doesn't need to be doing anything until (the headaches) go away," Calipari said. Guard Kevin Kanaskie came into the game as MTSU's leading scorer at 12.7 points per game. But he couldn't find a rhythm at FedExForum, going 0-for-8 from the field, 0-for-5 from the 3-point line and scoring his two points on free throws. A clock malfunction with 6:22 remaining stopped the game for roughly five minutes. After some confusion, the problem was fixed and the game resumed with Antonio Anderson shooting free throws. The Tigers "adopted" an underprivileged family through Streets Ministries on Friday afternoon, bringing Christmas gifts and a meal. "It as a great thing for our team to go in there and say, hey we adopted a family and made their Christmas something special," Calipari said. LOOKING AHEAD Memphis vs. Lamar, FedExForum, Thursday, 7 p.m -- Dan Wolken

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12/24/06		Melrose community gives back to Finch -- 'He saved the city through basketball' (Commercial Appeal)
		By Tim Miller Special to The Commercial Appeal December 24, 2006 Former Melrose Wildcat Larry Finch had his jersey retired at his alma mater on Saturday night. The ceremony took place in between games on the final day of the Larry Finch Classic. The No. 21 now hangs from the rafters in Orange Mound as a guiding light for future generations. "We want every kid that plays in this classic to know the legacy of coach Finch," said Ken Moody, head of Friends of The Coach Larry Finch Foundation and former player under Finch at Memphis State. "We're hoping it will last a lifetime." Retired jerseys usually represent athletic achievement. Finch's retro maroon and gold tank top means so much more. "He saved the city through basketball," Moody said. After attending Melrose from 1965-69, Finch signed with Memphis State. He led the Tigers to the Final Four in 1973. In a time of strained race relations in the city following the Civil Rights Movement, Finch managed to bring black and white people together via Tiger blue and gray. "Larry Finch believed totally in teamwork," said Verties Sails, Finch's high school coach. "He believed totally in winning, but he didn't believe in winning at any cost. More than anything else, if he's not the most competitive guy I've ever been around, he's pretty darn close." Sails said some of the kids participating in the Classic this year may not remember Finch as a player, but they cannot forget his legacy. "They should learn sportsmanship, competitiveness and understand the fact that you can get where you want to go if you work hard enough and do the right thing." It has been nearly 40 years since Finch played at Melrose. Moody said he asked current Wildcats' head coach Robert Newman if Finch's jersey had been retired. To Moody's surprise, it had not. "When we went to the administration about having it done, they didn't hesitate," Moody said. The ceremony, coordinated by Moody and Friends of The Coach Larry Finch Foundation, featured four guest speakers, including Sails, Melrose principal LaVaughn Bridges, Finch's former Melrose classmate Alton Williams and Finch's Tiger teammate Carl Palmer. Sails said Finch has been giving to the community for so long that it was time the community gave back to Finch. "I'm grateful that I was there in the beginning," Sails said. "I'm grateful that the good Lord placed him in a situation where he could help a lot of people, and I'm grateful that, even in the situation he's in now, those people have thought to give back like he has given to them. That to me is one of the greatest things I've seen in a long time." Finch has battled with health problems since suffering a stroke in 2002 but has never forgotten where he calls home. "I was wheeling him into the gym on Wednesday, and he said 'I know where I am at; I'm at Melrose,'" Moody said. In fitting Larry Finch fashion, the retirement ceremony was not only about Finch himself. It was about bringing together the community of Orange Mound and the city of Memphis. "It is my hope that this classic will continue for a man that has brought so much to the entire Memphis area," Bridges said.

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12/24/06		Tigers 3's rout Blue Raiders (Nashville Tennessean)
		By DAVID BOCLAIR Gannett Tennessee MEMPHIS — Kermit Davis and his MTSU men's basketball team knew there are plenty of things Memphis does well. On Saturday before 14,525 at the FedEx Forum, however, the No. 18 Tigers excelled at the one thing they typically don't — 3-point shooting. The Blue Raiders (4-7) were blitzed by an unexpected perimeter surge from the home team and were beaten 86-46. It was their third loss in as many tries against a nationally ranked opponent, the largest margin of defeat in four-plus seasons under Davis and the worst since a 41-point loss at Western Kentucky on Feb. 24, 2001. "They don't have many weaknesses," Davis said. "Their one weakness is their perimeter shooting. When they make 12 3s in a game and make seven or eight in the first half, they may be the best team in college basketball." Memphis (9-3) was fresh off an eight-point loss to No. 9 Arizona in which it made 8 of 24 3-point attempts. For the season, the Tigers had made just 30.2 percent of their shots from beyond the arc. As a result, Davis and his staff drafted a strategy similar to Arizona — and virtually every other team that had faced Memphis — and sagged back toward the basket to take away the Tigers' dribble penetration, an area in which they excel. The plan was quickly rendered useless when freshman Willie Kemp made three 3-pointers in the first 3:20. Jeremy Hunt and Doneal Mack (team-high 18 points) then chipped in another three between them, and six of Memphis' first seven baskets were 3-pointers. By game's end the Blue Raiders had seen 12 of 27 (44.4 percent) find the mark. "I knew they were going shoot the 3 because they average about 25 (attempts) a game," said redshirt-freshman guard Desmond Yates, who had a team-high 12 points. "I didn't know they were going to make as many as they did." Memphis became the first team to shoot better than 50 percent from the floor against the Blue Raiders. , who were third in the Sun Belt Conference in field goal defense. The Tigers shot 55.4 percent overall and with just under 14 minutes to play had surpassed the average number of points allowed by MTSU in its first 10 games. MTSU, on the other hand, was held to season-lows for field goal percentage (32.7), 3-point percentage (11.1) and even free throw percentage (47.4). The Blue Raiders surrendered the first five points of the contest, never led and never scored more than four unanswered points. Their leading scorer, sophomore guard Kevin Kanaskie, was held without a field goal and finished with two points. "Our effort's disappointing," Kanaskie said. "We can take losing here but not the way we did. ... We're all disappointed."

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12/23/06		Memphis 86, MTSU 46 (Memphis Edge)
		Obviously, it was a pretty nice performance by the Tigers. They weren't sloppy, they made shots, and they defended well. When you compare it to games Memphis has played against similar teams -- Austin Peay, Manhattan, etc. -- it was a much better effort. So what do you take from it? What I saw today was a few guys having breakthrough-type games, especially Doneal Mack and Willie Kemp. Those two freshmen have seemed a little behind schedule, but if they're going to get better, this is a logical time to start seeing it. Neither Joey Dorsey nor Kareem Cooper had their best games, but neither did anything harmful, either. If that's the worst-case scenario every game, Memphis will have a formidable inside presence in March. Robert Dozier took a couple shots today that I thought weren't very good, but he's trying to get himself going. Antonio Anderson didn't score a lot, but he was very solid, which was a good sign for him after struggling badly the last couple weeks. Chris Douglas-Roberts looks so much more confident right now shooting 3-pointers. Once people have to start respecting that part of his game, he'll be even more effective going to the basket. Jeremy Hunt played a typical Jeremy Hunt game, which is to say he was very good. And obviously, when Memphis is shooting threes well -- 12-of-27 today -- they're extremely tough. I haven't done the exact math on this, but I really believe you could look back at the first 10 games or so and take all the wide-open 3-pointers they've missed and legimitately say the Tigers should have made about half of them. They are capable, and they've shown it on a few occasions. Once they get through January, I will have a much better idea of what kind of shooting team this really is. by Dan Wolken

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12/23/06		Memphis Dominates Against Middle Tennessee, 86-46 -- Doneal Mack leads five Tigers in double figures with 18 points (GoTigersGo.com)
		MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) - Memphis coach John Calipari has a problem with how he should handle his 18th-ranked Tigers. On one hand, he's trying to jump on them enough to encourage aggressive, relentless play. At the same time, he doesn't want to affect the confidence of individual players. The equation seemed to balance on Saturday as Doneal Mack scored 18 points to lead five Memphis players in double figures in an 86-46 victory over Middle Tennessee. "I've got my hands full," Calipari said of dealing with his team's emotions. "I love this team, but it is the challenge of challenges. I'm trying to coach aggressively, but make sure they love themselves as a group and as individual players. I have to be aggressive because there are things that are not acceptable. So, I'm kind of juggling balls a little bit." Mack, who was 6-of-10 from the field including 4-of-7 from 3-point range, is one of those who is just building his confidence. The 18 points were a season high for the freshman guard, who didn't play in the Tigers' 79-71 loss at No. 9 Arizona on Wednesday. "I'm a rhythm player. I play in a rhythm," Mack said. "If I miss my first shot, I think sometimes I get down. Once I get my first shot, my confidence builds. When I start hitting them, then I start feeling it. I'm not playing timid." Jeremy Hunt added 16 points for Memphis (9-3), while Chris Douglas-Roberts went 5-for-6 from the field and had 13. Willie Kemp and Robert Dozier each had 11 points. Desmond Yates had 12 points for the Blue Raiders (4-7), who got little from their two leading scorers -- Kevin Kanaskie and Tim Blue -- who were a combined 1-of-15 from the field. Kanaskie, who entered the game averaging 12.7 points, finished 0-for-8 from the field and had only two free throws, while Blue, who averages 10.4, scored five points. Memphis built an early lead connecting from 3-point-range and was never threatened as the Blue Raiders dropped their third straight. "It was a nightmare," Blue Raiders coach Kermit Davis said. "When they make their shots from 3-point range like they did today, they may be the best team in college basketball." Memphis opened the second half on a 19-7 run to double the Blue Raiders at 70-35 on a drive by Hunt with 12:38 left. The 86 points were the most scored against the Blue Raiders this season. Memphis outrebounded Middle Tennessee 43-24, another level of dismay for Davis, who could not recall ever having one of teams beaten that badly on the boards. "I was disappointed in our energy level, and when we got down, we got kind of a defeated attitude," Davis said. "It was a total mismatch, and we laid down a bit in the second half." Memphis continued to record easy wins at home against lesser opponents. The Tigers entered the game with a 21.4 average margin of victory in its first eight wins. Middle Tennessee shot 33 percent from the field for the game, including a combined 8-of-33 from its starters. Memphis shot 55 percent, including 44 percent from 3-point range. The Tigers took the Blue Raiders out of their zone early by connecting from long range. Kemp hit his first three shots from beyond the arc, and Memphis was 9-of-15 from 3-point range in the first half in taking a 51-28 lead. "Coach has been on us about making wide-open shots because nobody is guarding us," Kemp said. "When you're wide open, you've just got to picture yourself making the bucket, and that's what we did." Kemp had all 11 of his points in the first half, while Hunt and Douglas-Roberts each had 10. Douglas-Roberts hit all four of his shots and that helped Memphis shoot 62 percent in the opening 20 minutes. Kanaskie, guarded primarily by Kemp, missed all four of his shots in the half. He did hand out six assists and finished the game with eight. Memphis took a 12-2 lead in the opening four minutes and extended it to 20 points with just over eight minutes left in the first half. "That's a big difference," Kemp said of hitting shots early against a zone. "The defense has to come out then and play us, then we can kick it inside to our big men."

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12/23/06		Memphis Basketball Postgame Quotes -- No. 18/18 Tigers 86, Middle Tennessee 46 (GoTigersGo.com)
		Memphis Head Coach John Calipari "I was really pleased with our effort. Every team you coach is different. You can think that I can use the same motivational things, and we can run the same plays. When your team changes personnel, you have to figure out what they are." "This is a team that I have to just continue to get them to be excited who they are as individual players and to love themselves as individual players. Some of our guys are scared to death if they don't play great. We have individual players -- and I've been doing this for a week now before Arizona and after Arizona -- just be in love with yourself. Don't be embarrassed by you. You are special in your own way. And it's what we've got to run with this year. This team is different (from last year's team)." Middle Tennessee Head Coach Kermit Davis "It was a nightmare today. I give Memphis credit. When they make their shots from three-point range like they did today, they may be the best team in college basketball. They had not done that all year long. Willie Kemp, who is a real character guy, got their team going in a positive way and made 3 threes. I was disappointed in our energy level, and when we got down, we got kind of a defeated attitude. I have never had a team get beat 43-24 on the boards." "It was a total mismatch today, and we laid down a bit in the second half, and we struggled in all aspects of the game."

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12/23/06		Holiday's over for U of M pressure (Commercial Appeal)
		By Dan Wolken Contact December 23, 2006 When the University of Memphis began this season, coach John Calipari thought the team might have to use its full-court press to make up for other shortcomings. But deep into December, the No. 18 Tigers have used the press less and less, practically abandoning it in Wednesday's 79-71 loss at Arizona. Advertisement So when the Tigers take the FedExForum floor today against Middle Tennessee State, it's clear what their most pressing issue will be. "We haven't used it in a while, but we're going to start our press (today)," assistant coach John Robic said. "We have to get back to that. That's something as a staff we've talked about, to regain our identity a little bit." Last season, Memphis installed its run-and-press system, which quickly became part of the program's fabric as the Tigers rolled to a 33-4 record. But Memphis has struggled at times this year to get much out of its press, especially against quality opponents like Georgia Tech and Tennessee, neither of which were rattled by the Tigers' pressure. Even Austin Peay had a fairly easy time breaking the press for about 20 minutes on Dec. 14 after committing a handful of turnovers early. One of the reasons, senior guard Jeremy Hunt said, is general confusion. Though a full-court press can often look like nothing more than chaos, it's actually an intricate system in which every player on the court must understand his responsibility, or else give up an easy layup in transition. "I think we need a lot of work on the press," Hunt said. "We still have a couple guys, including myself from time to time, who get messed up. We're sometimes lost on the press, but as long as we get back and play halfcourt defense and hold a team to the percent we want them to, we'll be good." For Memphis, which can use up to 10 players in a given game, speeding things up with a press seems like a natural fit, especially in Conference USA, where the Tigers can win many nights simply by having more athletes than the opponent. That the Tigers have gotten away from it lately isn't by choice. Against Arizona, Memphis backed off the press partly because sophomore guard Chris Douglas-Roberts was suffering from a stomach ailment. But that was only part of the story. "We couldn't get in it, to be honest with you," coach John Calipari said after the game. "We were trying to get in it, and we couldn't." One of the reasons, Robic said, is that Arizona was getting the ball inbounds too quickly for Memphis to set up in a press. "It worked the one time we used it; early in the game we got a turnover," Robic said. "They get the ball in so fast that, it's tough to press a team that does that. And with Chris being sick and starting the game off right there, we just didn't think he had the energy to be able to do it. We had the game going up and down fast enough anyway. Normally when we press it's to get teams to play faster than they normally do." Sophomore guard Antonio Anderson said today would be a prime opportunity to get some work in on the press with just three games left until C-USA play begins. "We backed off a little bit because Chris was sick and he's a big part of it there up front with me," Anderson said. "Some guys don't know it too well like we do, since they put it in last year and we were here for that. That was a big part of it. We'll be back in it (today). Chris is feeling a whole lot better and he's moving better, so we'll be in it." -- Dan Wolken, 529-2365 -------------------- No. 18 Memphis vs. MTSU When, where: Today, noon, at FedExForum TV; Radio: CSS (Ch. 6); WREC-AM (600)

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12/23/06		Tigers' Allen suffers mild concussion during practice (Commercial Appeal)
		By Dan Wolken Contact December 23, 2006 University of Memphis junior Andre Allen suffered a mild concussion during Friday's practice at FedExForum after colliding with senior Jeremy Hunt. The collision was serious enough that Allen was immobilized and taken by ambulance from FedExForum to Methodist Hospital, where he was examined and released. Advertisement Hunt, who remained on the ground for roughly 10 minutes, got up rubbing his head. Medical personnel on the scene examined Hunt and cleared him to finish practice. Hunt later said he was fine. Though Allen was conscious and had movement in his arms and legs, athletic trainer Chris Simmons immobilized his neck as a precautionary measure until the ambulance arrived. Tigers coach John Calipari went with Allen to the hospital, and assistant coach John Robic led the final 15 minutes of practice. "He and Jeremy just banged heads and they both went down," Robic said. "They hit pretty hard when we were doing a defensive drill. They hit temple-to-temple, but Jeremy came back and finished the rest of the practice, what little we did. He wasn't complaining of any dizziness or anything." UofM officials said Allen will be evaluated day-to-day, though he is not expected to play in today's game against Middle Tennessee State. Allen, a backup point guard, is averaging 5.6 points and 3.9 assists in 20 minutes this season.

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12/22/06		Andre Allen is OK (Memphis Edge)
		Andre Allen suffered a concussion at Friday's practice after colliding with Jeremy Hunt. I didn't have a great angle to see it, but the consensus was that they bumped heads. It was a pretty scary scene because they were both down for about 10 minutes, with Hunt finally getting up and rubbing his head. I talked with him after practice, and he seemed cogent and said he'd be fine. Though it's standard procedure, it's always a little unnerving to see somebody taken out of practice on a stretcher with their neck immobilized. Luckily, it appears he'll be OK. On another note, I've heard from multiple people with knowledge of the situation that J.P. Prince will transfer to Vanderbilt, and that it's basically a done deal. That's not really surprising, since his final two schools were Arizona and Vandy. It was odd that Prince chose Wednesday -- when the Tigers played at Arizona -- too announce his transfer given that it had been rumored for at least a month. Memphis wasn't at all interested in Prince, the former White Station star. Vanderbilt is kind of a mess right now -- they've already lost to Furman and Appalachian State -- and Kevin Stallings will be happy to take a chance on a player of Prince's talent. (Assuming Stallings is still at Vanderbilt next year). by Dan Wolken

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12/22/06		Allen Suffered Mild Concussion During Friday's Pracitce -- The junior guard was examined and released from the hospital (GoTigersGo.com)
		MEMPHIS, Tenn. - University of Memphis junior Andre Allen suffered a mild concussion in a collision with Jeremy Hunt during today's basketball practice. Allen, a 5-foot-10 guard, was taken to Methodist Hospital and was examined. Allen was released from the hospital and will be evaluated on a daily basis by the Memphis medical staff.

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12/22/06		U of M's thin when it counts -- Tigers expected depth to be strength this year (Commercial Appeal)
		By Dan Wolken Contact December 22, 2006 TUCSON, Ariz. -- The University of Memphis, without a transcendent college basketball star, was supposed to win games this season with its depth. But what happens when only a few of the nine key Tigers play effectively? As No. 18 Memphis showed Wednesday, depth can't be the recipe for beating a top-25 team. With only senior reserve Jeremy Hunt and junior backup point guard Andre Allen playing well -- plus big men Joey Dorsey and Kareem Cooper in spurts -- the Tigers lost 79-71 at No. 9 Arizona. Though there was no disgrace in losing to a team that improved to 339-35 at home under coach Lute Olson, Memphis didn't feel as though it put its best foot forward. "You've got to have everybody from the starters to the people off the bench coming in with the same mindset, leave everything on the floor," Hunt said. "We had a couple guys lag behind a little but we can't hang our heads. We've got to come together and try to find a way to win every time out." One of the reasons Memphis has been in the top-25 all season is that five players have averaged double-figures in scoring at various points. But only Hunt (21 points), Allen (15) and Cooper (11) got there Wednesday. Though sophomore Chris Douglas-Roberts, Memphis' leading scorer, was hampered by a stomach virus and collected just seven points, it didn't explain the lack of production from Antonio Anderson (four points on 2-of-8 shooting) and Robert Dozier (two points on 1-of-5). Coach John Calipari pointed to a moment when Memphis' starters could have been difference makers at the start of the second half. Instead, Arizona erased a 38-33 deficit in less than two minutes and built a 10-point lead in short order after that. "We fought. Just a couple guys couldn't make plays," Calipari said. "Obviously you're on an opponent's court. They're very good in this building. They start on a 5-0 run to start the half. We have three guys jogging the court like we're playing pickup. I'm like, 'what is that?'" Though Douglas-Roberts' not being 100 percent was crucial because he's the Tigers' best player at creating baskets on his own, the Tigers need to get a few more players operating at full capacity before Saturday afternoon's game against Middle Tennessee. Anderson, in particular, has been mired in a funk, scoring four points in each of Memphis' last two games and having only one double-digit game since Nov. 29. Dozier, who averages 10.9 points and 5.8 rebounds, has also encountered difficulty lately with 18 points total in the past three games. Meanwhile, Memphis' freshmen are still struggling, with Doneal Mack not playing at Arizona and point guard Willie Kemp committing four turnovers in 18 minutes. "This is what we are, a young team that's still learning," Calipari said. "They need to learn about themselves and what they have to do. Over the long haul, this team will be a good team. We're just OK right now." -- Dan Wolken: 529-2365 -------------------- Next for No. 18 Tigers Opponent: Middle Tennessee When, where: Saturday, noon, at FedExForum TV: CSS (Ch. 6)

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12/21/06		Tigers lead early, then wilt under Arizona's pressure -- No. 9 Arizona 79, No. 18 Tigers 71 (Commercial Appeal)
		By Dan Wolken Contact December 21, 2006 TUCSON, Ariz. -- As the final seconds ticked away, John Calipari turned from the scoreboard at McKale Center and punched his fists together, his pained expression painting the picture of opportunity lost. Seemingly in position for a huge non-conference victory on Wednesday, the University of Memphis let a halftime lead at Arizona slip away, falling 79-71 to the No. 9-ranked Wildcats in front of a sold-out crowd of 14,568. After an energetic, exciting first half in which the No. 18-Tigers controlled play and led 38-33, it took Arizona all of 1 minute, 12 seconds to tie the game, setting the stage for a second half in which the Tigers didn't make high-quality offensive plays and couldn't stop Arizona when it mattered. Though they came back at Arizona twice after the Wildcats had built double-digit leads, the Tigers leave here 8-3, feeling as though they let a huge credibility-building victory slip away. "We want to be a top-10 team," Calipari said. "You have to make plays. When the play is there and it's a wide-open shot or a layup, you've got to make those plays, and we're not there yet. We've got one or two that will make those plays. That's not how this works." Wednesday, that one or two included senior guard Jeremy Hunt, who scored 21 on 8-of-16 shooting and junior point guard Andre Allen, who scored 15 points but did make a crucial mistake with 1:33 to go and the Tigers trailing 75-71. After a gritty comeback from down 11 with 7:45 left, Memphis had a chance to close the game to one possession until Allen lost the ball on a wild drive into the lane. But those two -- along with junior Joey Dorsey (eight points, 11 rebounds) were Memphis' only real difference makers as sophomore Chris Douglas-Roberts (seven points) was hampered by a stomach virus, Antonio Anderson (four points) couldn't get in rhythm and Robert Dozier (two points, four rebounds) struggled to get a good look at the rim. Meanwhile, Memphis only got 10 free-throw attempts (making seven) while Arizona went 24-for-30 from the line. But what really irked Memphis is that it came out flat to start the second half, missing its first 10 attempts from 3-point range and allowing Arizona to shoot 13-for-24 from the field in the second half after limiting the Wildcats' good looks in the first, when they shot 38.2 percent. "I felt like the opportunity was there for us when we were up by five," Hunt said. "That's a great chance to put a team away but the second half, you can't come out like it doesn't mean anything, like you're up by 20 and the game's over." If nothing else, Memphis' first-half performance was somewhat of a confidence-builder for a team that was blown out by Tennessee on its first road trip of the season. Behind Hunt and Allen, Memphis made 6-of-11 from the 3-point line, killing potential Arizona runs. If not for a couple missed layups and a missed dunk, the Tigers might have had a double-digit lead. "If Jeremy doesn't play in the game we lose by 30, maybe 40 because he had fight, he had the courage to go make plays," Calipari said. "I loved our fight, loved the fact we didn't stop, but we have two or three guys that have to perform who did not today for us to be in this kind of game. It's a top-10 team on their court on national television in front of a packed house. I have to give them credit, they made plays." Arizona's offense came to life in the second half behind freshman Chase Budinger, who had three points at halftime but finished with 18, and senior Mustafa Shakur, who scored 23 on 8-of-12 shooting. Despite the bad start to the second half, Memphis cut a nine-point deficit down to three with 9:55 remaining. But Arizona went on an 8-0 run over the next 2:11. "We had our opportunity and we blew it, and they capitalized on it," Allen said. "But we can't keep coming in winning at halftime and lose the game like we did against Georgia Tech. We've got to stay focused and perform the way we know how to perform." -- Dan Wolken: 529-2365

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12/21/06		Tigers replay (Commercial Appeal)
		AS THE GAME TURNED The start of the second half was Memphis' undoing. After the Tigers led 38-33 at halftime, Arizona needed just 1:12 to erase the deficit. Freshman Chase Budinger swished a 3-pointer on the second possession of the half, and then intercepted a pass at the other end. Jawann McClellan converted it into an easy layup, and Arizona was off on a 22-10 run in a span of 6:47. AS THE ROTATION TURNED Outside of Jeremy Hunt, the Tigers have lacked a big-time scoring presence off their bench in big games. So when starters Chris Douglas-Roberts (illness) and Joey Dorsey (two fouls) left the game 1:49 in and 3:15 in, respectively, it could have been a problem. Instead, a lineup with Andre Allen at point guard, Kareem Cooper at center and Hunt on the wing was dynamic, building a 22-16 lead. Despite foul trouble, Dorsey did get back in the first half and played eight minutes, scoring six points. RIM GEMS Cooper's dunk with 14:09 to go in the first half was important, because it gave the Tigers a 12-6 lead. But it was also a beautiful play by Hunt, who threaded a pass from the top of the key into the lane through two defenders that Cooper could easily catch and slam in one motion. HIDE YOUR EYES After a sharp-shooting first half, Memphis went cold from the 3-point line to start the second. The Tigers missed their first 10 attempts from beyond the arc following a first half in which they made 6-of-11. Hunt broke the drought with 5:15 remaining, then buried another one just over a minute later. SCORER'S TABLE Memphis' bench accounted for 47 points, while the starters had just 24. Hunt was the leading scorer with 21, followed by Allen with 15 and Cooper with 11. Those three shot 17-of-33 from the field. Dorsey was the top starter with eight points. Arizona's bench scored just five points. LOCKERROOM CHATTER "When you come out and you're up five (at half) like that, you can't make turnovers and miss shots. Missed shots aren't the thing, it's if you miss a shot, you have to get back on defense and recover. We made the plays in the first half we wanted to make and had them on their heels, but we knew they would keep coming." -- Hunt ODDS AND ENDS Wednesday's game was part of the Chase Fiesta Bowl Classic, which had been a four-team, two-day tournament for 21 years until this year, when it was changed to a one-game event. Arizona is 42-1 all-time in this event Memphis and Arizona hadn't played each other since 1965 before Wednesday's game. The teams will play in FedExForum in January of next season. Memphis stuck with an eight-man rotation. Freshmen Doneal Mack and Pierre Niles didn't play. The minutes were distributed fairly evenly, with Antonio Anderson and Hunt playing 31 each. Arizona was called for just 14 fouls, with sophomore forward Marcus Williams accounting for five of them. Williams, who had seven points and six rebounds, was hampered by a sprained wrist. Arizona has another big non-conference game at home in January when North Carolina comes to McKale Center on Jan. 27. LOOKING AHEAD Tigers vs. Middle Tennessee, Saturday, noon, at FedExForum -- Dan Wolken

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12/21/06		West signs 5 from JUCO ranks (Commercial Appeal)
		By The Commercial Appeal December 21, 2006 The University of Memphis football program began its climb back from last season's 2-10 campaign Wednesday by signing five junior college players to scholarships. The mid-year signees will enroll at the UofM this January and be eligible to practice with the Tigers this spring. "We are excited to have these guys join our program," Tigers coach Tommy West said. "They fill some needs that we have in several different positions." Surprisingly, only one of the signees is a defensive player: linebacker Tommy Phelps from Butler (Kan.) Community College. Phelps (6-3, 240) played one season of junior college ball after spending a redshirt season at Kansas and electing to transfer when he was moved to tight end. Phelps was second on the Butler County defense in tackles with 75, 47 of them solo. He was also credited with 41/2 tackles for loss and 11 quarterback hurries. The other four signees are two offensive linemen, Cody Stubblefield (Pontotoc, Miss.) and Terrence Echols (Byhalia, Miss.), a wide receiver Steven Black (Birmingham, Ala.) and a punter Brent Sutherland (Brandon, Miss.). Black (6-3, 208 pounds) played the last two seasons at East Mississippi Community College where he totaled 30 receptions for 481 yards and four touchdowns as a sophomore and was listed by Rivals.com as one of the top 100 junior college recruits. Black originally signed with Louisville out of Vestavia Hills High in Birmingham before transferring to EMCC. Rivals.com ranked him a three-star prospect and the No. 15 player in Alabama as a high school senior. Echols (6-3, 325) was a two-year letterman at Northwest Mississippi Community College after starting for four years at Byhalia High. Stubblefield (6-4, 305) played two seasons at Itawamba (Miss.) Community College. Sutherland (6-4, 200) punted for two seasons at Hinds (Miss.) Community College. He averaged 42 yards per punt as a freshman and 36.7 as a sophomore. The Tigers are looking to replace All-Conference USA punter Michael Gibson. -------------------- University of Memphis Mid-Year Signees WR Steven Black, 6-3, 208, East Mississippi CC OL Terrence Echols, 6-3, 325, Northwest Mississippi CC LB Tommy Phelps, 6-3, 240, Butler County (Kan.) CC OL Cody Stubblefield, 6-4, 305, Itawamba (Miss.) CC P Brent Sutherland, 6-4, 200, Hinds (Miss.) CC

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12/20/06		No. 18 Memphis Loses 79-71 to No. 9 Arizona in Fiesta Bowl Classic -- Tigers suffer third defeat of season (GoTigersGo.com)
		TUCSON, Ariz. (AP) - Chase Budinger and Ivan Radenovic led a second-half surge that lifted No. 9 Arizona to a 79-71 victory over No. 18 Memphis in the Fiesta Bowl Classic on Wednesday night. Budinger scored 15 of his 18 points in the second half when Radenovic had 12 of his 18 as the Wildcats (9-1) erased a five-point deficit to win their ninth straight game in their first meeting with a nationally ranked opponent this season. Mustafa Shakur led the Wildcats with 23 points and had six rebounds and five assists. Jeremy Hunt led the Tigers (8-3) with 21 points, including 4-of-9 from 3-point range. Andre Allen added 15 points and Kareem Cooper had 11 for Memphis. Joey Dorsey, the Tigers' big forward, had eight points and five rebounds but played only 18 minutes and fouled out with 3:41 to play. Arizona went 24-for-31 from the free throw line compared with 7-for-10 for Memphis. After going 6-for-11 from 3-point range in the first half, the Tigers missed their first 10 from beyond the arc in the second half. "We quit penetrating the zone," Allen said. "We were just passing the ball around the horn and that hurt us. We should have kept doing what we were doing in the first half, and that's penetrating the zone and making open shots." Down 38-33 at halftime, the Wildcats outscored Memphis 22-8 to start the second half. Radenovic had two three-point plays in the run, and his two free throws gave Arizona a 55-46 lead with 13:13 to play. Antonio Anderson's driving layup cut it to 58-