University of Memphis Athletics
Memphis Basketball/NCAA Tournament Notes
Mar 17, 2011 | Men's Basketball
March 17, 2011
Tigers On TV/Radio/Web
Television: CBS Sports/Comcast channel 2 and digital channel 3 (Marv Albert, play-by-play; Steve Kerr, color analyst; Craig Sager, sideline reporter)
Radio: WREC 600 AM (Dave Woloshin, play-by-play; Matt Dillon, color analyst; Forrest Goodman, studio host)
Web: None
MEMPHIS TO MEET ARIZONA IN NCAA TOURNAMENT SECOND ROUND GAME ON FRIDAY IN TULSA
The University of Memphis squad (25-9, 10-6 C-USA) opens play in the 2011 NCAA Tournament on Friday, Mar. 18 when it faces Arizona (27-7, 14-4 Pac-10) in a second-round contest at the BOK Center in Tulsa, Okla. The Tigers are the West Region's No. 12 seed, while the Wildcats are the No. 5 seed.
Game time is approximately 1:45 p.m. (CT). The Memphis-Arizona NCAA Tournament second round game is slated to air on CBS Sports (Memphis Comcast channel 2 and digital channel 3).
Memphis posted a 3-0 record en route to its fifth Conference USA Tournament title in the last six seasons last weekend. The Tigers defeated Southern Miss 66-63, East Carolina 76-56 and UTEP 67-66 to claim the C-USA Tournament crown.
Prior to the C-USA Tournament, Memphis was 6-4 in its final 10 regular season contests. In that 10-game stretch, the Tigers posted single-digit victories in five of the six wins, including four straight over Gonzaga, UCF, Southern Miss and UAB.
Arizona posted a 7-3 record in its last 10 games entering the NCAA Tournament. The Wildcats advanced to the Pac-10 Conference Tournament championship game, dropping a narrow 77-75 overtime decision to Washington for the league tourney crown.
SCOUTING THE WILDCATS
Arizona enters NCAA Tournament play with a 27-7 overall record. The Wildcats, ranked in both national polls, won the Pac-10 Conference regular season title with a 14-4 league mark.
Arizona posted a 7-3 record in its last 10 games entering the NCAA Tournament. The Wildcats advanced to the Pac-10 Conference Tournament championship game, dropping a narrow 77-75 overtime decision to Washington for the league tourney crown.
Sophomore Derrick Williams, the Pac-10 Conference Player of the Year, leads the Wildcats in scoring (19.1 ppg) and rebounding (8.1 rpg). Williams, an All-America selection, is second in the Pac-10 in scoring and fourth in rebounding. Lamont Jones is the squad's second-leading scorer at 9.6 ppg. Solomon Hill and Jesse Perry are tied for second on the team in rebounding at 4.4 rpg.
Kyle Fogg is tops on the team with 90 assists (2.6 apg), while Williams leads Arizona in blocked shots (24) and steals (32). Williams also leads seven Wildcats that shoot 37 percent or better from the arc with a 60.3 three-point percentage.
The Wildcats shoot 47.1 percent from the field (second in Pac-10), 39.9 percent from the arc (first in Pac-10) and 74.7 percent from the charity stripe (first in Pac-10). Arizona is out-rebounding its foes by an average margin of +3.9 boards per game (34.6-30.7).
AND THE WINNER GETS...
Friday's Memphis-Arizona NCAA Tournament second round winner will meet the Texas-Oakland winner in the third round on Sunday. The Longhorns, the West Region No. 4 seed, bring a 27-7 mark into the NCAA Tournament, while the Grizzlies, the No. 13 seed, have a 25-9 record.
PASTNER IN SECOND YEAR AT HELM OF TIGER PROGRAM
Josh Pastner (Arizona, 1998) is in his second season as the head coach of the University of Memphis basketball program. The Kingwood, Texas, native was hired Apr. 7, 2009, after serving the 2008-09 season as an assistant on the Tiger staff.
With the Tigers' 25 wins in 2010-11, Pastner now has an overall record of 49-19 (.721 winning percentage). He guided Memphis to the 2011 Conference USA Tournament title.
In his first season in 2009-10, Pastner guided the Tigers to a 24-10 overall record and a 13-3 Conference USA mark. Memphis earned a National Invitation Tournament (NIT) berth and advanced to the postseason classic's second round.
Prior to joining the Memphis basketball family for the 2008-09 season, Pastner spent the previous 12 years of his college basketball life at Arizona as a player, staff member and assistant coach. While in Tucson, Pastner was a member of Wildcat squads that made 12-straight NCAA Tournament appearances and posted a 290-103 record (1997-2008). Pastner was a player on the 1996-97 Arizona team that won the NCAA title.
SEEDING IN THE NCAA TOURNAMENT
For the first time in school history, Memphis earned a No. 12 seed in the NCAA Tournament. It is the lowest seed for a Tigers' team in the program's NCAA Tournament history.
It is only the second time in school history Memphis is a double-digit seed. The Tigers were a No. 10 seed in the 1993 NCAA Tournament.
In their last NCAA Tournament appearance in 2009, the Tigers were a No. 2 seed and advanced to the West Region semifinals (Sweet Sixteen).
The NCAA Tournament began seeding teams in 1979.
MEMPHIS IN NCAA TOURNEY
The Tigers are playing in their 23rd NCAA Tournament in 2011. Memphis has an overall NCAA Tournament record of 32-22 (.593 winning pct.).
In their last NCAA Tournament appearance in 2009, the Tigers defeated Cal State Northridge 81-70 and Maryland 89-70 en route to a fourth-consecutive Sweet Sixteen appearance. Memphis fell to Missouri 102-91 in West Region semifinal.
In its history, Memphis has made three Final Fours (1973, 1985, 2008) and two NCAA title games (1973, 2008). The Tigers have also advanced to 11 Sweet Sixteens and six Elite Eights.
The Tiger program made its first NCAA Tournament appearance in 1955. Memphis earned five-straight NCAA Tournament bids from 1982-86 and four-consecutive berths from 2006-09.
GO WEST, TIGERS!
For the sixth time overall and the third time time in the last six years, Memphis was placed in the NCAA Tournament West Region. Prior to this year, the Tigers were West Region participants in 1976, 1996, 2003, 2006 and 2009 and posted a 5-5 record in those appearances. The following shows the Tigers' West Region results in their history:
Year Opponent Result
2009 Missouri 91-102, L
Maryland 89-70, W
Cal State Northridge 81-70, W
2006 UCLA 45-50, L
Bradley 80-64, W
Bucknell 72-56, W
Oral Roberts 90-74, W
2003 Arizona State 71-84, L
1996 Drexel 63-75, L
1976 Pepperdine 77-87, L
TIGERS IN OKLAHOMA NCAA TOURNEY GAMES
Memphis has made only one previous trip to the state of Oklahoma to play in the NCAA Tournament, and it was a recent -- but disappointing -- one.
In the 2003 NCAA Tournament, the Tigers were a No. 7 seed in the West Region and fell to No. 10 seed Arizona State 84-71. That game was played in Oklahoma City.
MORE OKLAHOMA BLUES FOR TIGERS...
In addition to losing their last NCAA Tournament trip to the Sooner state in 2003, the Tigers also were a "quick-out" in their previous appearance in a postseason event in Tulsa.
Last year, Conference USA held its postseason tournament at the BOK Center. Memphis, though, didn't stay long, falling in the quarterfinal round to Houston 66-65.
BUT TIGERS HAVE HAD SUCCESS IN TULSA
Despite last year's loss in the Conference USA Tournament in Tulsa, Memphis has had considerable success playing in the Tulsa city limits. Prior to last year's C-USA Tournament setback, the Tigers had won 10-straight games in the city of Tulsa, going 9-0 versus the Golden Hurricane and 1-0 versus Oral Roberts.
Before the 2010 loss at the BOK Center, the last time Memphis droped a game in Tulsa was on Feb. 25, 1971, a 94-91 overtime setback to Tulsa. Overall, the Tigers have a 10-5 record playing in the city of Tulsa.
TIGERS MADE HISTORY IN TULSA IN 2008
On Jan. 21, 2008, Memphis moved into the No. 1 spot in both national polls. It was the Tigers' first No. 1 ranking since the 1982-83 campaign.
Two days later on Jan. 23, 2008, Memphis played its first game as the nation's No. 1 team against the Golden Hurricane at the Reynolds Center on the Tulsa University campus. The Tigers recorded a 56-41 win, marking the program's first victory as the country's No. 1 squad.
The Tigers stayed in the polls No. 1 spot for a school-record, five-consecutive weeks that season.
TIGERS' BUZZER BEATERS IN TULSA
Memphis has played a couple of thrillers in the city of Tulsa in its history, and the following details those two memorable moments:
2008-09
vs. Tulsa (ESPN2) -- After 2 FT gives Tulsa a 54-53 lead with 4.5 seconds, Memphis runs the "Maryland" play. Willie Kemp hits Antonio Anderson with a pass in stride near mid-court. Anderson drives all the way to the basket and lays in a shot over Tulsa center Jerome Jordan at the buzzer for the 55-54 win. The victory keeps the Tigers' C-USA win streak intact.
1986-87
vs. Oral Roberts -- ORU takes 58-51 lead on two free throws by forward Clinton Hinton with 19 seconds remaining. With 14 seconds left, ORU forward Akin Akin-Otiko fouls Tiger guard John Wilfong. He makes both free throws to cut lead to (58-53). ORU inbounds ball against Memphis press, and Akin Akin-Otiko is called for a walk. Tigers inbound to guard Vincent Askew on right wing, and he swishes three-pointer with seven seconds remaining that trims lead to (58-56). ORU inbounds ball to guard Brian Miles, who is quickly fouled by Askew with five seconds. Tigers call timeout to ice Miles, and he misses front end of one-and-one. Tiger forward Ken Moody rebounds miss and gets ball to John Wilfong. Wilfong takes ball up the middle of court and hits three-pointer at buzzer for (59-58) victory.
TIGERS HAVE NCAA TOURNAMENT-EXPERIENCED STAFF
Despite only being together for two seasons and making an NIT appearance in 2010, the Memphis coaching staff brings plenty of NCAA Tournament experience into this year's "Big Dance."
As a staff member or assistant coach, the Tigers' staff -- Josh Pastner, Glynn Cyprien, Jack Murphy, Willis Wilson -- has combined for 23 NCAA Tournament appearances. If collegiate playing/undergraduate careers are added, then the number of NCAA Tournament appearances climbs to 33.
Among the staff, there is one NCAA title, three NCAA Final Fours, four Elite Eights and six Sweet Sixteens.
PASTNER VS. ALMA MATER
When the Tigers take the floor Friday, their head coach will know about everything you can know about their opponent in Arizona. Josh Pastner not only graduated from Arizona and played his collegiate career there, but he also remained on staff following his graduation in 1998 and served as an assistant coach from 2002-08.
The following details Pastner's history at Arizona:
2002-08 Assistant Coach
2001-02 Video Coord./Recruiting Coord.#
2000-01 Undergraduate Asst. Coach
1999 Earned Master's Degree
1998 Earned Bachelor's Degree
1996-2000 Player^
# Team played in NCAA title game
^ Team won NCAA title in 1997
WILDCAT ALUMNI WEEKEND IN TULSA
In addition to Josh Pastner facing his alma mater, Arizona, on Friday, two more Wildcats will be in the BOK Center for the match-up. Jack Murphy, an assistant coach on Pastner's staff at Memphis, and Steve Kerr, who is the color analyst for CBS Sports for Friday's game, both are Arizona graduates.
Murphy earned both his bachelor's (2002) and Master's (2005) degrees from Arizona. He was also a member of the Wildcats program, starting as a team manager from 1998-2003 and moving up to Director of Operations in 2006.
Kerr played for the Wildcats from 1984-88 and helped Arizona advance to the NCAA Final Four in 1988.
MEMPHIS VS. THE PAC-10
The Tigers have an all-time record of 12-13 against Pacific-10 Conference schools. In its history, Memphis has played seven -- Arizona (4-3), Arizona State (1-2), Oregon State (1-1), Southern California (2-1), Stanford (0-1), UCLA (3-4) and Washington (1-1) -- of the league's institutions.
The last time the Tigers faced a Pac-10 opponent was the 2007-08 season. In fact, Memphis played three Pac-10 teams that year. In regular season action, the Tigers defeated Southern California 62-58 (ot) in the Jimmy V Classic on Dec. 4, 2007, and Arizona 76-63 on Dec. 29, 2007. Then, in the 2008 NCAA Final Four, Memphis defeated UCLA 78-63 in the national semifinal on Apr. 5, 2008.
COMMON FOES
The Tigers and Wildcats played two common opponents in the 2010-11 season, and the following shows those results:
Memphis Opponent Arizona
68-81, L (N) Kansas 79-87, L (N)
62-57, L (A) Rice 84-57, W (A)
MEMPHIS VS. THE NCAA FIELD
The Tigers played five teams in the NCAA Tournament field during the 2010-11 regular season and posted a 3-3 record in those encounters.
Memphis swept UAB (76-73/OT in Birmingham; 62-58 in Memphis) and defeated Gonzaga (62-58 in Spokane). The Tigers' setbacks were to Kansas (81-68 at Jimmy V Classic), Georgetown (86-69 in Memphis) and Tennessee (104-84 in Knoxville).
For more notes on the Memphis-Arizona NCAA Tournament second round game, click on issuu link at the top of the page.
