Bleacher Report - Articles by Brandon Harris

Memphis at Disadvantage in Battle for Top Seed

Brandon Harris — Tue, 24 Feb 2009 22:51:02 -0500

Memphis is in a familiar situation. The Tigers are highly ranked, have an impressive record, and appear to be right in line for a very high seed in the NCAA Tournament.

In the past three years, Memphis parlayed a strong non-conference schedule and dominant runs in Conference USA to No. 1, No. 2 and No. 1 seeds, respectively. This year's Tigers have done it again, though with fewer resume building non-conference wins.

Though victories over Tennessee and Gonzaga are nice to have, the losses to Xavier, Syracuse and Georgetown—which now looks like it won't even make the tournament—only help so much. But Memphis is clearly a different team since its last loss on Dec. 20 to Syracuse, and there's no questioning the Tigers are playing some of their best basketball of the season right now.

Meanwhile, other teams in the mix for No. 1 seeds continue to stumble. So the scenario begs the question: is Memphis worthy of a No. 1 seed if it continues winning?

It seems like the Tigers are going to need some help. Maybe even a lot of help.

So many numbers are out there that a numerically supported argument can be made for a horde of upper-level teams to be deserving of a No. 1 seed. UConn, Pittsburgh, North Carolina, Michigan State, Memphis, Oklahoma, Louisville, Marquette, Missouri, Clemson and likely several others could potentially put together a fairly sound sensible argument for why they should be given a top seed should things go their way down the stretch (in some cases, this could mean as much as winning out and winning the conference tournament).

That's a far bigger crop of potential top seeds than before when the Tigers were jockeying for a No. 1 seed.

Knowing that, the Tigers are, like it or not, at a disadvantage. Because despite all of the RPI rankings, the Pomeroy Ratings, the Associated Press polls and the strength-of-schedule rankings, the NCAA Tournament Selection Committee members are still human. And with humans—unfortunately for Memphis—perception is reality.

Perceptions of the Tigers are arguably more fragile than those of any other team. Big East teams like UConn and Pittsburgh get the benefit of the doubt because they're in "a tough conference full of really good teams." Oklahoma, for example, gets the benefit of the doubt because it has the likely National Player of the Year, and two of its losses came when he was sidelined with a concussion. So when reasons to doubt these teams come about, they have a much less profound impact on they are perceived.

Memphis, however, isn't as lucky. The Tigers don't have a power conference to fall back on. They don't have a long list of tough opponents and a basket full of RPI Top 25 wins. Nor do they have a National Player of the Year candidate. Memphis only has itself.

If Memphis loses a conference game—take Thursday at UAB, for example—the perception of the Tigers will deteriorate substantially. Or if Tyreke Evans and Robert Dozier are suddenly unavailable for a pair of games and Memphis has a slip-up, the perception of the Tigers will again take a substantial hit.

Memphis, at no fault of its own, simply has less to gain and more to lose the any of the higher-ranked teams in the country. Because of such a fragile perception, the Tigers will likely need help from somewhere—likely multiple places—if they want any chance at a No. 1 seed come Selection Sunday.

And with so many times slightly in front, beside or just behind Memphis with legitimate arguments of their own, it appears more likely than not that the Tigers' ceiling doesn't reach any higher than a No. 2 seed.

Hard To Argue With Memphis Tigers' Performance

Brandon Harris — Sun, 08 Feb 2009 20:45:48 -0500

It's easy to criticize and be skeptical of Memphis, but as the 2008 college basketball regular season progresses, it's increasingly difficult to argue with the Tigers' results.

Through 50 consecutive Conference USA victories, 14 straight wins this season and a 68-50 blowout win at Gonzaga on Saturday, the Tigers have reasserted themselves as forces on the national front.

Meanwhile, teams ranked ahead of Memphis continue to show chinks in their armor. Ten teams ranked ahead of No. 15 Memphis lost in the last two weeks, including No. 4 Duke, No. 5 Louisville, No. 6 Pittsburgh, No. 7 Wake Forest, No. 8 Marquette, No. 9 Xavier, No. 10 Clemson, No. 11 Butler, No. 12 Purdue and No. 13 Michigan State.

Though that doesn't necessarily paint Memphis as a better team as any of these squads, it goes to show that what the Tigers are doing is certainly something to be admired.

Good teams have bad nights and lose games all the time (Clemson 74, Duke 47 on Feb. 2). Good teams lose to bad teams all the time (Georgia Tech 76, Wake Forest 74 on Jan. 31 or South Florida 57, Marquette 56 on Feb. 6). Good teams come up short in close games all the time (Duquesne 72, Xavier 68 or Florida State 65, Clemson 61, both on Feb. 7).

Memphis hasn't done any of that recently. The Tigers have played close games (Tulsa and Tennessee), played tough teams (Tennessee and Gonzaga) and, thanks to Conference USA, plenty of bad teams.

But after a Dec. 20 loss to Syracuse and the changes that followed—most noticeably, Tyreke Evans' move to point guard—the Tigers have been flawless.

And though the Tigers aren't perfect by any means—particularly on the offensive end—they're smothering defensively.

Gonzaga, which averaged close to 79 points per game heading into Saturday night, managed just 50.

Bulldogs guard Matt Bouldin, who averages more than 13 points per game, scored just six on 2-of-9 shooting. Electric point guard Jeremy Pargo had five turnovers and just two points on 1-of-6 shooting.

More than anything, Memphis came through with the "toughness" plays it didn't against Xavier, Georgetown, and Syracuse.

Robert Dozier (18 points, 10 rebounds) grabbed six offensive rebounds, Shawn Taggart took down three and Pierre Henderson-Niles had three of his own in just 10 minutes.

Each Memphis starter had a steal, and Evans (22 points, six rebounds, two assists) had just two turnovers. The Tigers made their free throws (78.9 percent), and out-rebounded Gonzaga 37-21.

Memphis may not have three future NBA players on its roster, but the Tigers are playing with a sense of confidence much like they did a year ago.

If the Tigers continue to roll through conference play, a high seed is imminent, and the door is at least open for another run deep into the NCAA Tournament.

Top 5 Questions the Memphis Tigers Face Right Now

Brandon Harris — Thu, 29 Jan 2009 00:49:56 -0500

Memphis' 85-64 victory over East Carolina on Wednesday night reiterated something that's become quite clear over the past three years—the Tigers are still the kings of Conference USA.

Seemingly in a permanent place atop a very mediocre, almost assuredly one-NCAA-Tournament-bid league, Memphis is often in an interesting situation at this point in each season. Instead of the Tigers gauging progress on wins and losses—you know, like pretty much every "BCS Conference" school can and does—they must, with heavy scrutiny, look directly and selectively at themselves.

It's likely Memphis is going to win each of its conference games, with the exception of perhaps one. Meantime, while the Tigers are racking up those wins, they'll be evaluating themselves, both as a team and individually. There were several questions facing the team when the season began. Though some have been answered, some haven't, and some new ones have developed along the way.

Below is a listing of the top five questions facing Memphis as the Tigers delve into the middle of their conference schedule and attempt to become a team capable of advancing deep into the NCAA Tournament.

1. Can Robert Dozier and Shawn Taggart be counted on in the post?

So far, the answer is, emphatically, no. Dozier and Taggart aren't the powerful bruisers that Joey Dorsey was. Nor do they bring the intimidation factor. But that doesn't mean they can't rebound. That doesn't mean they can't block shots and keep from picking up foolish fouls. And that doesn't mean the Tigers can afford to have one or both of them completely disappear for stretches—even games—at a time.

If the answer is a definite no up to this point, then the question becomes, "How can they change?" For the answer, look no further than coach John Calipari, who's been riding the same horse all season when talking about Dozier, Taggart, and basically the rest of the team too.

"We're going to win ugly, and that's why I keep saying (it's about) toughness," Calipari told the Commercial Appeal's Dan Wolken after a 73-66 victory over Central Florida. "If we get physically tougher as the year goes on, we'll get better and better and we'll be one of those teams again. If we don't, if what you saw in the first half is us, it will end abruptly."

Tougher means Taggart has to snap out of his funk that continued Wednesday with a lackluster four-point, four-rebound effort where he was noticeably pushed around. Tougher means Dozier can't go 1-for-7 from the free throw line like he did against UAB on Jan. 17 or play at a very average level like he did against Rice on Jan. 21 (the majority of his 13 points and nine boards came in what amounted to garbage time).

2. Is Antonio Anderson a legitimate offensive contributor?

In his previous three seasons as a Tiger, he's never been this. Though he's had his nights, the Tigers have never depended on Anderson to produce points to win. Anderson is one of the top perimeter defenders in the country and is good for a few points here and there, a handful of rebounds, and a handful of assists. With his knowledge of the offense and the way the Tigers play, he's an extension of Calipari on the floor and always draws the assignment of guarding the opponent's best scorer.

Lately, though, Anderson has brought another dimension to the floor—the ability to get to the rim, the free throw line, and score. He's scored in double figures in eight of Memphis' past 10 games, including team-highs at East Carolina (26), against Cincinnati (18), and versus Marshall (17). In that 10-game span, he's averaging 13.1 points per game.

When Anderson scores, it opens up the rest of the offense. There isn't as much pressure on Tyreke Evans (Memphis' main scorer), and there isn't as much of a need for Willie Kemp, Doneal Mack, and Roburt Sallie to hit three-pointers. And at the rate Taggart and Dozier are pulling Houdinis and disappearing for long stretches, it covers up some of the shortfalls in the post.

3. Will Tyreke Evans continue to develop?

Memphis' freshman star has blossomed since moving to point guard after a Dec. 20 loss to Syracuse. As the Tigers' best scorer and biggest offensive threat, the offense—both full-court and half-court—has shown improvement while going through him. He's a much bigger part of the offense now, which makes you wonder if Calipari is kicking himself for not making this move earlier.

He's scored 20 points or more in the 11 games—all wins—since the move to point guard. His lowest was a five-point effort in a blowout win over Rice, and he nearly had a triple-double (14 points, 10 rebounds, eight assists) in a Dec. 29 win over Cincinnati. Though Evans isn't a natural point guard, he's the best option Memphis has. He doesn't even bring the ball up the floor each time, but such isn't necessary in the Tigers' dribble-drive motion offense.

Evans loves to drive to the basket, but he ran into problems when he found himself picking up charges left and right earlier in the season. He's had less of a problem with it as of late, while his ability to go around defenders and shoot high-percentage lay-ups has improved. He made the clutch baskets against Central Florida and Tennessee, and it's clear that he is Memphis' go-to player down the stretch.

4. Can Memphis keep poor three-point shooting from being a problem?

There are two ways to attack this one, and the Tigers have used both.

First, shoot well. Though Memphis doesn't do this well as a team—it's just 31.4 percent on the season—the Tigers shot well Wednesday, going 8-of-17 (47.1 percent). That was, of course, a bit abnormal.

Second, Memphis could not be as reliant on the three-point shot and simply take fewer attempts, especially when the shots aren't falling. The Tigers shot just nine threes against Tulsa (making four of them), 18 against Central Florida (making seven), and just 15 against Tennessee (making five).

The one slip-up came when they went 2-for-18 against Cincinnati. Still, it's a far cry from the 7-of-33 night against Syracuse, 5-of-19 against Georgetown, and 2-for-14 against Xavier. All of those were losses.

The purpose of Memphis' offense is for each possession to end in one of three things: a lay-up, free throws or a three-pointer. When the three-pointers aren't falling, the best medicine is for the Tigers to stop shooting them. Or, in some cases, it's best just to not shoot them at all. No matter which route the Tigers take, if they can keep poor three-point shooting from being a problem, that's one fewer weakness for a team that doesn't really have many.

5. Where did the turnovers go?

In Memphis' 11-game winning streak, notice how the turnover totals have gone down: Drexel 18, Cincinnati 20, Northeastern 25, Lamar 17, Marshall nine, Central Florida 11, Tulsa 22, UAB 12, Rice 21, Tennessee nine, East Carolina 12.

One of the main ways the Tigers produce offense is through their defense, which relies on high pressure, aggressive play, and the length of its defenders to force turnovers that lead to easy buckets in transition. In watching the Tigers, the 15-turnover mark is typically where they need to get teams to get their normal dose of transition offense—any more is gravy, and any less makes scoring a bit more difficult.

Especially when going up against competition from Conference USA, the Tigers should force 15 turnovers a night easily. When playing higher-profile teams—the only one left on the schedule is Gonzaga, and presumably whichever team(s) Memphis draws in the Big Dance—the Tigers will need to force turnovers to help with the offense. Though the half-court offense appears more developed than it was last season (when, honestly, it was rarely necessary), it still has a ways to go. Forcing lots of turnovers can hide that problem.

Ugly Or Not, Memphis Continues To Perform, Improve

Brandon Harris — Mon, 26 Jan 2009 21:13:54 -0500

There's plenty to be learned from Memphis' 54-52 victory at Tennessee on Saturday. More than anything, the Tigers put on display—not necessarily for the first time this season, but for the first time on national television—who, exactly, they are.

They're a defensive team.

They're a hustling, rebounding team that relies on the offensive glass.

They're going to play pressure defense and try to force turnovers.

They're not going to score 90 points every game and beat every opponent by 30.

Memphis can defend. Tennessee's offense has been potent for much of the season, averaging more than 80 points-per-game while shooting better than 45 percent from the field.

Saturday, that wasn't the case. The Tigers frustrated Tennessee, holding the Volunteers to 52 points on 32.7 percent shooting.

Memphis managed just two field goals in the final 6:11, but a series of defensive stops made the win possible. After Tennessee's Wayne Chism's 3-pointer pulled the Vols within 51-50 with 3:58 left, the Vols scored just two points and went 0-for-5 from the field.

Memphis is getting also getting tougher and continues to show that it can rebound in the clutch.

Though the Tigers haven't been dominant on the boards this season, they've gotten the rebounds when it mattered. Memphis grabbed the defensive rebound on each of Tennessee's last five shots except for the last, which was Josh Tabb's desperation heave as time expired.

The Vols average more than 15 offensive rebounds-per-game this season, but they pulled down just 11 on Saturday, and didn't get a single one after Scotty Hopson's at the 10:48 mark in the second half.

Offensively, the Tigers haven't fully developed. They're average shooters at best, with a slew of players capable of getting hot.

Schematically, Memphis has been more flexible. When the 2007-08 Tigers were forced to play slow, they were noticeably confused and almost riddled helpless. And though they haven't necessarily looked 100 percent comfortable this year, they've appeared more smooth when they've had to slow it down.

Coach John Calipari elected to play a slower style for portions of Saturday's game in an attempt to take the high-scoring Volunteers out of their comfort zone, and the Tigers did what they needed to win such a game—they came up with the "50-50" balls, they hit clutch three-pointers, and made 11-of-14 free throws.

Is it ugly? Of course.

But Calipari's motto this season—yes, he changes from season to season—says it all:

"Actions are actions. Words are words. Promises are promises. Performance is reality."

And it's hard to argue with 10 consecutive wins and a team that continues to improve.

Memphis Basketball: Questions the Tigers Need to Answer Today

Brandon Harris — Sat, 24 Jan 2009 12:22:18 -0500

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.

With Evans at Point Guard, Tigers' Offense Running Smoothly

Brandon Harris — Wed, 21 Jan 2009 16:59:37 -0500

No matter how talented the players, if a team’s offense doesn’t run smoothly and efficiently, the window for success shrinks. And in many cases, such as the Memphis Tigers this season, it’s rather noticeable, too.

Despite losing three NBA players from last season’s NCAA championship runner-up squad, the Tigers still had high hopes before the start of the 2008-09 season.

A pre-season top 15 ranking hinted that the addition of one of freshman McDonald’s All-American Tyreke Evans and return of seniors Antonio Anderson and Robert Dozier would be enough to keep Memphis competing at a high level.

But Memphis and coach John Calipari soon found out it wouldn’t be so easy. For the first nine games of the season – which included all three of Memphis’ losses to this point – the offense was rickety. The point guard situation was a jumbled mess and Evans wasn’t as involved in the offense as he needed to be.

Evans averaged just 14.8 points per game through the Tigers’ first nine games, where Memphis went just 6-3 with losses to Xavier, Georgetown and Syracuse. His average dipped to 12.3 points per game in those losses.

After trying Willie Kemp (confidence issues and an inability to run the team), Antonio Anderson (way out of position from his normal No. 3 spot) and Wesley Witherspoon (a freshman in every sense of the word) at the point, Calipari finally turned to Evans to run the team.

Calipari believed that with the ball in Evans’ hands each time down the court, his star freshman wouldn’t feel and play as detached from the offense as he had been.

And though Evans wasn’t necessarily a point guard – he was recruited as a scorer, a shooting guard – having the ball in his hands more often was something the team needed to be successful.

Evans meshed well with the position, scoring 20 points with four assists against Drexel in his point guard debut. He followed with 14 points, 10 rebounds and eight assists against Cincinnati, and 27 points and four assists against Northeastern.

Since his move to the point guard spot, Evans has averaged 19.9 points per game, increasing his season average to 17.2.

And more so than just Evans, the entire team has benefited.

Since Evans’ move to point guard, the Tigers have increased their scoring average (from 76.6 to 78.0), field-goal percentage (from 41.1 to 46.4), 3-point percentage (from 26.3 to 37.8) and 3-pointers made per game (from 5.7 to 6.8).

Antonio Anderson, who started the season mired in a devastating shooting slump, has scored in double figures six of the past seven games, including posting a triple-double with 12 points, 10 rebounds and 13 assists against Lamar.

Even if Evans is “out of position,” the dilemma has been solved. Memphis (14-3, 4-0 Conference USA) has its point guard, its dribble-drive motion offense is vastly improved and the Tigers have looked more like themselves in winning eight consecutive games.