Tuesday, February 9, 2010

Pierre Henderson-Niles

Josh Pastner recently announced that Pierre Henderson-Niles will no longer be a part of the Memphis Tiger's basketball team. In his statement, Pastner stated that Niles was not leaving due to any disciplinary actions, but rather it was a mutual parting of ways.

This is going to be a tremendous blow to a team that already has a very thin roster, especially in the front court. While Niles didn't really perform extremely well, he did keep the Tiger's other players from getting worn out and into foul trouble. Look for an increase in minutes from Will Coleman, D.J. Stephens, and Angel Garcia.

Many fans will look to see the gap filled by Garcia. It should be noted that Garcia's production will be limited. He recently came off an injury, just began practicing, and hasn't played a D-1 game in a while. Also, he has yet to prove his ability inside the paint. He prefers to play behind the arc.

Thursday, February 4, 2010

UAB vs. Memphis

After last nights game, Tiger fans and players alike can let out a collective sigh of relief. After dropping a road game to SMU, Memphis bounced back to defeat one of the top teams in conference USA, UAB.

The game brought as much intensity as fans have ever seen in a conference game before (yes I am counting the buzzer-beating Tulsa win last season). While this game may not have been decided by less that double digit points in the final seconds, it was a battle the whole way through. 30 lead changes and 10 ties resulted from the UAB Memphis rivalry game. Luckily, Elliot Williams and Wesley Witherspoon stepped up by scoring 25 and 29, respectively. Towards the end when a UAB win was still possible, UAB employed a tactic that Tiger fans have become used to seeing, they fouled. With the Tigers forced to earn the win at the line, they delivered. In the second half, Memphis shot over 90% from the charity stripe.

Will Coleman also had another good game with 9 rebounds and 7 blocks. He looked a lot more like that Dorsey-style player that Memphis fans were hoping for. Twice last night, he blocked back to back shots. These were crucial blocks as they came in the final minutes when Memphis was starting to go on a run.

Pastner also showed his ability to be a good X's and O's coach. He switched the defense often to keep UAB confused. The came ready for man to man and had to face zone for the entire first half. The defense switched to man, box and one, and triangle and two to keep UAB from getting comfortable offensively.

All in all it was a very encouraging game. Memphis has yet to lose back to back games since Kemp, Niles, and Mack stepped on campus, and I bet they're glad it stayed that way. The Tigers remain in the hunt for the regular season title, they're currently tied at third with UAB behind UTEP and Tulsa, who are tied for first. Not to mention a two game losing streak puts you in a bad state of mind to face a top 25 team like Gonzaga on Saturday.

Tuesday, February 2, 2010

Jackson's Connections

It's worth noting that in a recent interview Joe Jackson said he was friends with Michael Gilchrist. He also stated that if he comes back for a second year, which he plans on doing, he will try to recruit him to Memphis. Michael Gilchrist is the top overall player for the class of 2011. He plays small forward.

Tiger's Stance is Clear

At this point in conference play, it's pretty safe to assume we know where the Tigers stand talent-wise. They certainly aren't going away as a team that C-USA foes need to pay attention to, but they also aren't the favorites, by any means, to win the regular season or tournament title.

The recent win over Marshall, and loss to SMU, really balanced each other out. Before this Memphis was nipping at the heels of the big boys in conference, but they had not proved that they belonged at the top. The signature win against Marshall put them right back in the mix. Before that, there were three teams in second place in C-USA, and Memphis was one of them. The loss to SMU, however, was a major set back. While this team almost upset Marshall and UAB, two of the top teams in this conference, make no mistake, it was a loss to a bottom tier C-USA team.

Now there are three teams tied at first place in C-USA UAB, Tulsa, and UTEP. Memphis ranks directly behind them. With a game against UAB on Wednesday, they have a chance to say once more, that they belong at the top of the pack. The following Saturday, they will play top-25 team Gonzaga. Failing to secure both of these wins means that the Tigers will most likely have to win the conference tournament to get into the Big Dance. Failing to beat UAB, will almost definitely mean no C-USA regular season title.