Memphis Roar

Tiger fans packed the FedEx Forum Wednesday night in hopes of seeing the Tigers make history. The University of Memphis Tigers were looking to do something that has become normal, something that has gone on for years, something that current Tiger players have always known– beating a Conference USA opponent.

The Tigers went into Wednesday night’s game against UTEP riding a 64 game conference win streak, a win streak that only the University of Kentucky has ever reached (late 40s-early 50s). A win on Wednesday night would separate the Tigers from the pack, putting them in first place. With all the hype and excitement, the Tigers came ready to play, but so did the Miners.

The Miners, full of players from the Memphis area, and their head coach Tony Barbee, former University of Memphis assistant coach, matched the Tigers all game long. The Tigers had opportunities in both the first and second half to pull away from the Miners, but their lack to do so resulted in a down-to-the-wire game and an unfamiliar conference loss for the Tigers.

In the first half, the Tigers took an eight point lead but could not come up with a defensive stop as UTEP hit a series of three pointers, leaving the Tigers only up by three at half (34-31). Similarly, in the second half, with the Tigers up six and Willie Kemp on the line to shoot two free throws, Kemp missed both and UTEP capitalized by going on a run that put them up three over the Tigers. The Tigers were given plenty of opportunities against UTEP to take a late lead or win the game but were unable to do so, turning the ball over on five of their last seven possessions. Despite the many missed opportunities at the end of the game for the Tigers, the Miners capitalized on their opportunities when needed, finishing off the Tigers 72-67.
 

“It was a tough loss, and the guys took this hard. But you have to give all the credit to UTEP. They are good,” Coach Pastner said.
 

UTEP was led by former Memphian Jeremy Williams, who finished with 18 points and 12 rebounds. UTEP’s Williams made some outstanding plays, silencing the crowd with emphatic dunks and hitting some crucial shots. “You have no idea. It’s Memphis. It’s great. That’s the best part about it,” Williams said after the game.  Christian Polk came off the bench and provided some great play for the Miners. Polk finished with 17 points, including three three-pointers in the game.

The Tigers were led by sophomore Elliot Williams’ 23 points. Williams also dished out four assists, grabbed five boards, and a steal. Besides Williams, Wesley Witherspoon was the only other Tiger in double figures for scoring, contributing 12 points and pulling in four rebounds. The Memphis seniors played hard all game long, showing just how important this streak was to them. Willie Kemp played well, controlling the flow of the game and getting after the ball. Kemp finished with five points, four assists, and three rebounds. Pierre Henderson-Niles also fought hard, gathering in nine rebounds and adding seven points for the Tigers. “It hurt bad. It hurt bad losing a conference game like that,” Henderson-Niles said after the loss.
 

Memphis fans are now at the point where they must face the fact that Will Coleman will not figure out the principles of boxing-out and rebounding this season. A lot of the subtle nuances like timing, spacing, positioning, etc. that make an effective rebounder are things that come with knowledge of the game gathered by experience. Coleman does not have that experience.

Next up for the Tigers is yet another tough conference game against the Houston Cougars at 7pm CST at the FedEx Forum. This game will be shown on ESPN2. Houston, who is averaging close to 83 points per game, is led by league leading-scorer Aubrey Coleman at 25.3 points per game.