Do the Memphis TIgers Deserve Their Lofty Ranking?

As a general rule I don't write sports articles. I'm no writer. I'm just a 40 plus year fan of the Memphis Tigers. I propose to write articles that are concise , to the point and as objective as possible. I will rile Memphis fans up, incur the wrath of others and in general enjoy doing it. I will stop writing when it please me.

The Memphis Tigers are either overrated or underrated depending on who you are talking to. Ranked 8/10 (at present), people in the know on the top rated blog expect them to go higher in the upcoming Monday polls. Is this team deserving of a top five ranking?

Let's examine the camp who thinks the Tigers ranking is suspect. Most people point to three facts.

1) "Awww, the Tigers play in a crappy conference"; 2) "You know the Tigers have only beaten one team ranked in the top 25, don't you?"; and 3) "I hate it when Memphis gets most of the good recruits!"

Well, maybe there are only two.

Let's examine these assertions.

Do the Tigers play in a crappy conference? In one word, yes.

To refute the second argument, one only has to say two words—Tyreke Evans. The Tigers have lost three games to top 25 teams. Xavier (neutral) 58-63, Georgetown (away) 70-79 and Syracuse (home) 65-72. They have beaten Gonzaga (away) 68-50. 

This was prior to Evans' transfer over to the point. In the Xavier game the Tigers were dreadful from the free throw line in the closing minutes to lose that game.

The Georgetown game went into overtime and should have only been a six point loss  anyway. An exuberant Georgetown player threw the ball from halfcourt at the basket rather than the more traditional up in the air throw and it went in.

As for game three, the sloppy play of Tigers versus superior play from Syracuse was the seven point margin of victory. No excuses there.

After these losses the Tigers moved Evans to the point which has made all the Tigers better.

The Tigers have won 16 in a row since then including a shellacking of Gonzaga, a close win over Tennessee and a close, last-second win over Tulsa at their place. For lack of 15 points the Tigers would again be the only undefeated team in NCAA basketball heading into late February.

So do they deserve a top five ranking?

In three words, yes they do.