Memphis Tigers
Conference USA (26-8, 13-3)
Memphis had some pretty high expectations to live up to during the 2011-2012 campaign, but this is still a young team that has been relatively inconsistent. The talent is there for Memphis to beat anybody on any given day, but Coach Josh Pastner’s squad could lose to just about anybody as well. A couple key injuries have weakened the Tigers, but the young team has gotten better throughout the season.
Big Wins: 12/6 at Miami FL (71-54), 1/11 Southern Miss (60-58), 2/4 Xavier (72-68)
Bad Losses: 12/11 Murray State (72-76), 1/18 at UCF (67-68), 2/18 UTEP (58-60)
Coach: Josh Pastner (3 seasons at Memphis)
Why They Can Surprise:
Will Barton and Joe Jackson are a dynamic backcourt duo who can score in bunches. Barton, a 6-6 wing, does a ton of scoring for Memphis and they rely on him to make the big plays. Barton needs to continue to improve his decision making, but he is shooting about 50 percent from the floor, so he is certainly taking smarter shots than he was as a freshman. Jackson is a combo guard who has also become a slightly better decision maker with his shot as a sophomore. However, Jackson is a little turnover prone and that is why Chris Crawford has been getting the starting nod for much of the season. Despite their youth, Memphis has played great defense this season. Much of the credit goes to forward Tarik Black who has emerged as a major shot blocking threat under the basket. Black is also a pretty good interior scorer. Ferrakohn Hall is not much of a scoring threat, but he is a presence in the paint on the defensive add. With Stan Simpson available off of the bench, the Tigers have plenty of big bodies that will make it very difficult for any opponent to get easy buckets in the paint.
Why They Can Disappoint:
The loss of Charles Carmouche and Adonis Thomas to injuries has limited Memphis’ potential. Carmouche was the veteran leader of the backcourt and his loss goes well beyond his 6.3 points and 1.9 assists per game. Thomas was a very highly touted freshman coming into this season and he was progressing nicely before going down for the season with an ankle injury. The athletic 6-6 wing was another shot blocking threat for the Tigers and played in 16 games, averaging 9.7 points and 3.6 rebounds. Thomas’ absence has been felt on the glass. Despite having some talented and athletic forwards, this is not a great rebounding team and they have gotten worse without Thomas. Barton is easily the team’s best rebounder, but the Tigers need the forwards to get stronger on the glass. The overall team depth has become a problem as well with players like Simpson and wing D.J. Stephens having to pick up more minutes than they did earlier in the season.
Probable Starters:
Chris Crawford, Sophomore, Guard, 9.3 ppg, 3.9 apg
Joe Jackson, Sophomore, Guard, 11.1 ppg, 3.8 apg
Will Barton, Sophomore, Guard, 18.1 ppg, 3.0 apg, 8.1 rpg
Ferrakohn Hall, Junior, Forward, 3.6 ppg, 2.8 rpg
Tarik Black, Sophomore, Forward, 10.9 ppg, 4.9 rpg, 1.5 bpg
Key Roleplayers:
Antonio Barton, Sophomore, Guard, 6.8 ppg, 1.6 apg
Stan Simpson, Junior, Forward, 1.6 ppg, 1.3 rpg
D.J. Stephens, Junior, Forward, 2.4 ppg, 1.8 rpg
Wesley Witherspoon, Senior, Forward, 7.2 ppg, 3.7 rpg
By the Numbers:
Scoring Offense: 75.1 (33rd in nation, 1st in conference)
Scoring Defense: 64.2 (96, 7)
Field-Goal Percentage: 49.5 (5, 1)
Field-Goal Defense: 38.8 (17, 1)
Three-Point Field Goals Per Game: 5.4 (236, 11)
Three-Point Field-Goal Percentage: 37.1 (54, 2)
Free-Throw Percentage: 71.3 (95, 2)
Rebound Margin: 1.4 (140, 7)
Assists Per Game: 14.5 (56, 2)
Turnovers Per Game: 13.0 (120, 5)
Last Five Postseason Appearances:
Memphis 2011 NCAA Round of 64 loss to Arizona
Memphis 2010 NIT First Round win over St. Johns
Memphis 2010 NIT Second Round loss to Mississippi
Memphis 2009 NCAA Round of 64 win over Cal State Northridge
Memphis 2009 NCAA Round of 32 win over Maryland
Memphis 2009 NCAA Regional Semifinal loss to Missouri
Memphis 2008 NCAA Round of 64 win over Texas Arlington
Memphis 2008 NCAA Round of 32 win over Mississippi State
Memphis 2008 NCAA Regional Semifinal win over Michigan State
Memphis 2008 NCAA Regional Final win over Texas
Memphis 2008 NCAA National Semifinal win over UCLA
Memphis 2008 NCAA National Final loss to Kansas
Memphis 2007 NCAA Round of 64 win over North Texas
Memphis 2007 NCAA Round of 32 win over Nevada
Memphis 2007 NCAA Regional Semifinal win over Texas A&M
Memphis 2007 NCAA Regional Final loss to Ohio State
*all team stats through 3/4
