The closest James has come to on-the-court fame was attending the same high school as future Globetrotter Lynette Woodard, but that hasn't stopped this KU alum from becoming a hoops diehard and expert. After two tours in Iraq, James was looking for something even more risky - covering college hoops for Sports Grumblings.
Scholastic Endeavors Hurry! Hurry! Step right up! The show's about to start.
Duke politely lost a second game, allowing Tennessee to ascend to the second spot in the rankings, making Saturday's showdown against Memphis the first #1 against #2 in almost exactly a year. This leaves Memphis two games in front of the nation, with only game against Tennessee projecting to be difficult.
Forget all the hype. It seems there was some left over when the Patriots failed to win the Super Bowl. That example alone should tell you that undefeated does not mean unbeatable. Memphis has a deep, athletic, physical and explosive team. They are deserving of the Number One title, and all that goes with it. Veteran Head Coach John Calipari runs a dribble penetration offense, that stresses moving without the ball, making the extra pass, and getting the bulk of the points from either the paint or the three point arc. Do not expect many mid range jumpers. When it works, the offense can absolutely dismantle a competent defense. Witness the Gonzaga game, or the Georgetown game early in the year. When a team can throw the offense off stride a little, say Texas El Paso, Memphis can have problems. The perimeter game is not gifted with shooters. At such times, the Tigers will focus on pounding the ball inside, and scoring in transition. One of Memphis lesser publicized abilities is a nasty press defense, capable of producing bunches of turnovers, and fast break baskets. Game speed for this match up will be NBA grade.
One of Memphis assets is its deep talent roll. The star of the show is Chris Douglas-Roberts or CDR, who is averaging 18 points a game, and shoots .556 from the field and .465 from 3pt range. Running the point is freshman Derrick Rose, 14 points and 4.5 assists per game, but also 4.4 rebounds and 1.2 steals. As good as that is, Tennessee can match it. What the Volunteers cannot match is the beef underneath the basket. Joey Dorsey and Robert Dozier average 18 points between them, but also 18 rebounds and 4 blocked shots. All five starters average more than a steal per game. The bench is also a strength, contributing 20 points, 7 rebounds, 5 assists and 4 steals per game, though that is inflated by significant amounts of garbage time. Memphis biggest weakness has been their shooting touch, which can be streaky, and from the free throw line, which is consistently poor: under 60%.
Tennessee is also very talented, and they are on a roll. After an early loss to Texas, the only bump in the road was on the road, in Lexington Kentucky. The headliner of the team is Chris Lofton, one of the best pure shooters in the game today, currently #6 all time in 3pt shots made. In the back court with him are Ramar Smith and JaJuan Smith. The trio averages almost 40 points and 4.5 steals per game. Like Memphis, this is a team that can turn a game with its pressure. Under the basket are Tyler Smith and Wayne Chism. They average 23 points, 13 rebounds, and 3.4 blocks. Tyler Smith is the best passer on the team, averaging 3.7 assists. Much more than Memphis, this is a team that has shooters making their own shot, particularly the 3pt shot. When Chris Lofton is on his game, he can be unstoppable. The biggest worry for Volunteer fans will be the lack of size to bang with Memphis' big men.
Top 5
The names are the same, though the order is different. Both number one Memphis and number two Tennessee warmed up for their big game by clobbering conference foes: Memphis beating Tulane 97 – 71; Tennessee beating Auburn 89 – 70. The last meeting of #1 vs #2 was Ohio State vs Wisconsin, 25 February 2007. North Carolina moves up to the third spot, winning its third of four games without point guard Ty Lawson, destroying Virginia Tech 92 – 53, and beating 84 - 70. The only slip up was against Duke two weeks ago. Kansas moved up one spot on a slow week. They crushed Colorado 69 – 45. Duke had the worst week in the Top 25, losing to Wake Forest 86 – 73 before the polls were posted, and again to Miami 96 – 95. The game against Miami was almost the story of a fabulous comeback. Miami, led by Dwayne Collins' 26 points, held Duke scoreless for 6 minutes early in the second half, rolling off 15 unanswered points and building a 20 point lead. Duke scratched back, but the final score was the closest they managed.
Top 25
The big news in the rest of the Top 25 is the soap opera at Indiana. Kelvin Sampson is expected to be terminated by the University for actions including filing false and misleading statements with the NCAA. Sampson left his last position, at Oklahoma, under a similar cloud. On the court, he had a last hurrah, as the Hoosiers dominated Michigan State, 80 – 61, despite losing D.J. White to an ankle injury for all but 15 minutes, and beat Purdue 77 – 68. Eric Gordon scored 50 points in the two games, while D.J. White added 19 and 15 rebounds, against Purdue. Dropping from the rankings is Pitt. Ironically, after managing to stay in the rankings during the weeks since point guard Levance Fields was injured, they fall out the week he returns. Marquette did the deed, 72 – 54. Just as Duke lost twice after being one of two teams with a single loss, Drake dropped its third game, 72 – 71 to Bradley. Despite the loss, Drake clinched a share of the conference title and remains #15 in the rankings. In a match up of two of the better Mid Major teams, Drake will be playing a nationally televised game with #8 Butler Saturday. For fans of old school grit and hustle, this game will be oozing it.
The closest James has come to on-the-court fame was attending the same high school as future Globetrotter Lynette Woodard, but that hasn't stopped this KU alum from becoming a hoops diehard and expert. After two tours in Iraq, James was looking for something even more risky - covering college hoops for Sports Grumblings. 