BY JOSEPH STASZEWSKI
Memphis’ undefeated season ends Saturday.
Oh no?
No. 1 Memphis hasn’t played a team like No. 2 Tennessee yet. The Volunteers can match the Tiger’s athleticism and match their scoring. Memphis has beat quality teams, but none like Tennessee. The Tigers beat UConn, before it found its identity, a Georgetown team that can struggle to score and a good but not great Gonzaga team.
Tennessee is averaging 83.9 points per game to Memphis’s 80.8 and the Volunteers are shooting 46 percent from the field and 36.2 from three. Memphis’ shooting numbers are comparable, but Tennessee is shooting a bit better from behind the arch.
Since Memphis (26-0) runs dribble-drive motion, its inconsistent three-point shooting can be its Achilles heel against a high scoring team like Tennessee (24-2). Long rebounds could lead to the Volunteers punishing Memphis in transition or answering misses with quick scores out of the half court set.
Plus you have to factor in senior All-America candidate Chris Lofton, who is averaging 15.4 points per contest and is one of three Tennessee players averaging double figures. Memphis, which looked shaky in a one-point win at UAB last Saturday, has not had to deal with a legitimate and experienced backcourt star.
The advantage Memphis will have is its size and experience in the front court. Sophomores Wayne Chism and Tyler Smith are very good players, but I would rather go to war with Memphis juniors Robert Dozier and Joey Dorsey. Derrick Rose and Chris Douglas Roberts get a lot of attention, but in my opinion Dozier and Dorsey’s brute force and athleticism is what makes Memphis a great team instead of a very good one. Dorsey is a beast at 6-foot-9 and 265 points.
The FedEx Forum will be a madhouse Saturday because Memphis fans know that a win means their team will likely be the first team to enter the NCAA tournament undefeated since UNLV in 1991. The only trouble game left would be UAB at home to finish the regular season, but it won’t matter.
Tennessee will tame the Tigers.