Coach: John Calipari, eight years at school, five years in NCAA Tournament.
How they got here: Automatic bid (C-USA tournament champion); South first round: def. No. 16 seed Texas-Arlington 87-63; South second round: held of No. 8 seed Mississippi State 77-74; South semifinals: pasted No. 5 seed Michigan State 92-74; South final: routed No. 2 seed Texas 85-67; National semifinals: dominated West No. 1 seed UCLA 78-63.
They'll win the title if ...: Winning 38 games by an average margin of 18.6 points -- 80.2 to 61.6 -- the Tigers are earning credibility after feeling disrespected much of the season and through the early rounds of the NCAA Tournament. Memphis keeps the pedal to the floor with double-digit wins over Michigan State, Texas and UCLA in the last three games. That erased doubts about whether Memphis was among the nation's elite. The Tigers' backcourt tandem has become the team's rudder and, while barely leaving the floor as the stakes were raised building to Monday's grand-prize finale, scoring in bunches without making mistakes. Memphis has 16 turnovers in the last 80 minutes, covering the UCLA and Texas wins. Rose and "CDR" had 53 points against the Bruins, 46 against the Longhorns and 52 against Michigan State. If KU is to grab the Tigers by the tail and take the national title, disrupting the dynamic duo of Rose and Douglas-Roberts is essential. In a loss to Tennessee on Feb. 23, Memphis had 11 turnovers and Rose scored 23 points. But "CDR" was held to 14 points, shot 8 of 17 from the line and shot 39.7 percent from the field.
Memorable moment: The Tigers was ranked No. 1 in both polls and 26-0 when it lost 66-62 at home to then-No. 2 Tennessee on Feb. 23. That loss probably did more for the Tigers than any of their C-USA wins. It forced the Tigers to re-focus before the tournament.
Chris Douglas-Roberts |
Go-to guys: Memphis has multiple go-to scorers. Sophomore reserve guards Willie Kemp and Doneal Mack can score from the perimeter, junior guard Antonio Anderson can score off the drive and junior forward Robert Dozier can produce inside, but no two players are more valuable to the Tigers than their first-team all-conference selections -- junior guard Chris Douglas-Roberts and freshman point guard Derrick Rose. If the game is close and the Tigers need a basket, the ball will be in their hands.
Strengths: Memphis has the No. 1 RPI and was tested outside the well-cushioned conference schedule. The Tigers are deep and versatile, and their interchangeable parts fit together well. Rose is the closest thing to a complete player on the roster, but the Tigers have many different skills and talents in their playing rotation. They're capable of winning with defense and rebounding, even when they're not shooting well, because they can make the most of a fast, intense tempo and create easy shots.
Weaknesses: This is still a sum-of-all-parts team. Take one or two pieces out of the Memphis puzzle and cracks in the foundation can be exposed, especially if Dorsey disappears or finds foul trouble. Opponents prefer to play zone and take their chances with the Tigers erratic 3-point shooting. The Tigers were one of the nation's worst free-throw shooting teams during the regular season, but is hasn't been an issue during the tournament.
Coach: Rick Barnes, 10 years at school, 10 years in NCAA Tournament.
How they got here: At-large berth; South first round: def. No. 15 Austin Peay 74-54; South
second round: held off No. 7 seed
Miami (Fla.) 75-72; South semifinals: pulled away from
No. 3 seed Stanford 82-62.
They'll keep winning if: There can be no rest for the weary as D.J. Augustin and A.J. Abrams are logging a boatload of
minutes. Rick Barnes leans heavily on his starters and if they can handle the workload and continue to play at a high level, they'll give
Memphis all it can handle. Texas' depth is razor-thin and it can't afford to have anyone in foul trouble, especially Abrams, Augustin and
Damion James. Texas can draw from its experience against Kansas -- another team rich in talent and depth at all positions -- in preparing
for Memphis. The Tigers haven't been tested in many close games this season and when the game is tight, will it execute the end game to
John Calipari's satisfaction? While Memphis mulls its many options for defending Texas' three-headed monster -- defensive stopper
Antonio Anderson keyed the Tigers' defense on Friday -- the Longhorns have matchups to dissect including what to do against freshman
point guard Derrick Rose. Memphis has been atrocious at the foul line. But Texas can't claim much of an upper hand in that category. As a
team, the Longhorns aren't one of the elite foul-shooting clubs in the nation, but the primary scorers (Augustin and Abrams) hit about 80
percent. Against Stanford, Texas made 11 of 18 (61.1 percent) free throws.
Memorable moment: Losses in succession to Big Ten frontrunners Michigan State and Wisconsin (in Austin) had
some ready to reconsider the Longhorns' outlook entering Big 12 play. The Wisconsin loss, in particular, was disheartening. The Longhorns
allowed 13 offensive rebounds in the second half alone before a Michael Flowers 3-pointer with two seconds left in the game. Barnes
challenged the 'Horns to bounce back and, other than road losses at Mizzou and Texas A&M, UT answered the bell with a 13-2 record
since the calendar turned to '08 before falling to Texas Tech.
D. J. Augustin |
Go-to guys: All-American D.J. Augustin rarely comes off the floor. He can be prone to turnovers, but he makes up for it,
topping UT in scoring and assists. Sidekick A.J. Abrams is capable of a big night. He doesn't often get to the foul line but his pure jumper is
deadly from 3-point range. Freshman forward Gary Johnson joined the team for the second half of the season and has become a vital cog.
He's the first man off the bench most nights and averages around a rebound every two minutes. Johnson didn't play in the first round
because of an ankle injury.
Strengths: The backcourt. Guard play and offense gets a lot of deserved attention, but Texas tightens the clamps
defensively. If opponents shoot over 40 percent from the floor, they have a chance. Augustin leads the team in scoring, but he's not always a
shoot-first point guard. The sophomore wants the ball and delivers in the clutch. Abrams has a sweet stroke and range to threaten any
defense. He'll hoist without a conscience (6 of 10 vs. Miami) and is deadly when his shot is falling. Damion James is capable of a big night
(27 points, 16 boards at Missouri) and is a reliable forward who averaged a double-double in the regular season.
Weaknesses: Texas finished in the bottom half of the Big 12 in shooting percentage, a smidge over 40 percent.
When Augustin and Abrams go cold, the offense might develop icicles. Case in point: The duo was 9 of 31 in the Jan. 30 loss to Texas
A&M, 15 of 37 vs. Michigan State on Dec. 22 15 of 37 vs. Michigan State on Dec. 22.
