The stakes are still high in the Rocky Top Rivalry. But instead of answering the question of which team is the best in the country, Saturday's Memphis-Tennessee matchup could answer a slew of internal questions for a Tiger team that still has plenty of questions to answer.

Memphis (15-3, 3-0 Conference USA) is yet to log a marquee non-conference win this season. Its three losses are to Xavier, Georgetown and Syracuse. Through the course of those losses and the Tigers' current nine-game winning streak, several questions questions have developed and must be answered before Memphis thinks of itself as a team that can legitimately do some damage in March.

1. Can the Tigers rely on Robert Dozier to show up when he's needed most?

The Memphis power forward went just 1-for-7 from the free-throw line against UAB. He scored 13 points and pulled down nine rebounds against Rice, but he did so by shooting just 4-of-10 from the field. That's not always a bad clip, but when almost every one of your shots are within four or five feet of the basket, it's not good. Dozier is an incredible offensive rebounder, but he—and the rest of the Tigers—has had his physical toughness questioned by coach John Calipari. If Dozier can bring the same consistent contribution on the defensive glass and in his offensive game as he does on the offensive boards, the Tigers can be successful.

2. Will Tyreke Evans continue to improve at point guard when faced with a step up in competition?

Keep in mind that Calipari's heralded freshman didn't start playing point guard until after the loss to Syracuse on Dec. 20. Though Evans has played drastically better with the offense running through him, he's faced inferior competition, with his biggest tests coming against Cincinnati, UAB and Tulsa. None of those three appear to be solid NCAA Tournament teams—at least yet. Tennessee, though with its own set of questions to answer, seems rather likely to get invited to the Big Dance.

3. Can Shawn Taggart snap out of his funk?

There was plenty of frustration with the point guard position in the early parts of the season. That problem has since been resolved. Now, however, the frustration comes with the man down low. Taggart has been underwhelming as of late, and Pierre Henderson-Niles—Taggart's back-up—has played poorly and appears to have re-gained some of the 50 pounds he lost. He had nine points and three rebounds in just 12 minutes of play against Rice, seven points and five rebounds in 17 minutes against UAB and six points and five rebounds in 25 minutes against Tulsa.

4. Who is Willie Kemp?

Kemp started the season at point guard, but struggled mightily. He's was benched, and for a while, he was virtually invisible and completely out of the rotation. Since the Jan. 13 victory at Tulsa, though, Kemp has found a place in the rotation. He tallied five steals in that victory, then followed with 14 points, three assists and two steals Jan. 17 against UAB. Against Rice, though, he had just three points on 1-of-6 shooting, including 1-of-5 from beyond the arc. Which Kemp is the real Kemp? If it's the Kemp who played against Tulsa and UAB, the Tigers have viable and dangerous guard coming off the bench. If it's the other Kemp, Memphis' bench just got thinner.