Post by MizzouTiger on Feb 23, 2008 23:23:19 GMT -5
www.kansascity.com/sports/story/501658.html
Showdown highlights a Volunteer State of excellence
By BLAIR KERKHOFF
The Kansas City Star
Wonder whether John Calipari has any thoughts about the Warren Commission?
If a television network can “arrange” a No. 1 vs. No. 2 matchup like today’s Tennessee at Memphis game…
“I think it was an ESPN conspiracy,” Calipari said. “They got Wake Forest to win the Duke game.”
That happened Sunday, in time to knock the Blue Devils out of their No. 2 ranking. Kansas didn’t elevate because of the Jayhawks’ loss at Texas earlier in the week.
That left the Volunteers in the two hole, and it just so happened the schedule found Tennessee making a rare, late-season cross-state trip to meet Memphis with the ESPN “GameDay” crew in town.
However they hooked up, college basketball comes out the winner with a megaclash to spice up the usual late-season doldrums.
It’s the fourth straight year for a 1-2 matchup (three in the regular season, one in the NCAA Tournament), and it marks the 38th time since The Associated Press poll started in 1949 that the top two teams face off. The No. 1 team holds a 20-17 edge in the games that has provided the sport with some of its greatest moments.
•In 1957, top-ranked North Carolina outlasted Kansas and Wilt Chamberlain 54-53 in three overtimes in the national final in Kansas City.
•In 1968, Houston and Elvin Hayes toppled Lew Alcindor and UCLA 71-69 in front of more than 52,000 in the Astrodome and a huge television audience.
•In 1974, North Carolina State and David Thompson defeated UCLA and Bill Walton 80-77 in double overtime in the national semifinals, ending the Bruins’ NCAA championship streak at seven.
Can this one take a place among the most memorable games?
Memphis, 26-0, and Tennessee, 24-2, are holding their highest rankings ever. The Tigers feature a loaded lineup of scoring leader Chris Douglas-Roberts, freshman point guard Derrick Rose and a talented front line led by forwards Joey Dorsey and Robert Dozier.
The Vols’ strength is in an offensive-minded backcourt, where Chris Lofton and JaJuan Smith combine to average 30 points. Lofton was last year’s SEC player of the year, but these Vols are more balanced.
Tennessee’s most versatile player is forward Tyler Smith, who averages 13.4 points and leads the team in rebounds and assists.
“They’re the best team to come into our building this year,” Calipari said of a list that includes Georgetown, Arizona and Gonzaga.
Both sides held up their end of the showdown bargain with blowout victories on Wednesday, Memphis at Tulane and Tennessee over Auburn. Vols coach Bruce Pearl didn’t want to talk about meeting the Tigers before playing Auburn, and his approach has stood in contrast to Calipari, who doesn’t mind feeding the game’s hype throughout the week.
“It’s an ego game,” Calipari said. “It’s being played up to a level that I can’t even begin to tell you.”
To the orange-blazer-wearing Pearl, this isn’t even the most important game of the Vols’ week because it wasn’t an SEC encounter. He called it a “good state rivalry” with some bragging rights at stake. But the Vols should have their eyes on a bigger prize.
“This pales in comparison to the pressure of trying to do something that has not been done in 41 years,” Bruce said.
That is win an outright SEC championship. Tennessee can accomplish that by having the best record among the teams in the league’s two divisions. The Vols have a two-game lead with four to play.
But Tennessee won’t have another eyes-of-the-nation following like today unless they go deep into March, and that makes today colossal.
The Tigers also are playing for a conference championship, but their winning weaker Conference USA is a foregone conclusion.
Games like this test Memphis in a way that doesn’t often happen once league play begins — last Saturday’s one-point escape at Alabama-Birmingham the exception — and there are benefits for both schools no matter who wins. Calipari rattled them off.
“It’s great for the state,” Calipari said. “You have the best college scene right now in Tennessee. If it’s been better, somebody has to tell me.”
It’s great for the high schools: “You have players not comparing themselves to players in other towns but players throughout the country. They ask themselves how they compare to the kid in New York or California or Alabama.”
It’s even great for the school in Knoxville: “The job Bruce as done at Tennessee. It’s hard to do what he’s doing there with football, women’s basketball, baseball. You have to make your niche. I have to give him credit because it’s a place dominated by other sports.”
But maybe they’re coming around. One of those other sport’s heroes, former Tennessee quarterback Peyton Manning, will be in the house.
Showdown highlights a Volunteer State of excellence
By BLAIR KERKHOFF
The Kansas City Star
Wonder whether John Calipari has any thoughts about the Warren Commission?
If a television network can “arrange” a No. 1 vs. No. 2 matchup like today’s Tennessee at Memphis game…
“I think it was an ESPN conspiracy,” Calipari said. “They got Wake Forest to win the Duke game.”
That happened Sunday, in time to knock the Blue Devils out of their No. 2 ranking. Kansas didn’t elevate because of the Jayhawks’ loss at Texas earlier in the week.
That left the Volunteers in the two hole, and it just so happened the schedule found Tennessee making a rare, late-season cross-state trip to meet Memphis with the ESPN “GameDay” crew in town.
However they hooked up, college basketball comes out the winner with a megaclash to spice up the usual late-season doldrums.
It’s the fourth straight year for a 1-2 matchup (three in the regular season, one in the NCAA Tournament), and it marks the 38th time since The Associated Press poll started in 1949 that the top two teams face off. The No. 1 team holds a 20-17 edge in the games that has provided the sport with some of its greatest moments.
•In 1957, top-ranked North Carolina outlasted Kansas and Wilt Chamberlain 54-53 in three overtimes in the national final in Kansas City.
•In 1968, Houston and Elvin Hayes toppled Lew Alcindor and UCLA 71-69 in front of more than 52,000 in the Astrodome and a huge television audience.
•In 1974, North Carolina State and David Thompson defeated UCLA and Bill Walton 80-77 in double overtime in the national semifinals, ending the Bruins’ NCAA championship streak at seven.
Can this one take a place among the most memorable games?
Memphis, 26-0, and Tennessee, 24-2, are holding their highest rankings ever. The Tigers feature a loaded lineup of scoring leader Chris Douglas-Roberts, freshman point guard Derrick Rose and a talented front line led by forwards Joey Dorsey and Robert Dozier.
The Vols’ strength is in an offensive-minded backcourt, where Chris Lofton and JaJuan Smith combine to average 30 points. Lofton was last year’s SEC player of the year, but these Vols are more balanced.
Tennessee’s most versatile player is forward Tyler Smith, who averages 13.4 points and leads the team in rebounds and assists.
“They’re the best team to come into our building this year,” Calipari said of a list that includes Georgetown, Arizona and Gonzaga.
Both sides held up their end of the showdown bargain with blowout victories on Wednesday, Memphis at Tulane and Tennessee over Auburn. Vols coach Bruce Pearl didn’t want to talk about meeting the Tigers before playing Auburn, and his approach has stood in contrast to Calipari, who doesn’t mind feeding the game’s hype throughout the week.
“It’s an ego game,” Calipari said. “It’s being played up to a level that I can’t even begin to tell you.”
To the orange-blazer-wearing Pearl, this isn’t even the most important game of the Vols’ week because it wasn’t an SEC encounter. He called it a “good state rivalry” with some bragging rights at stake. But the Vols should have their eyes on a bigger prize.
“This pales in comparison to the pressure of trying to do something that has not been done in 41 years,” Bruce said.
That is win an outright SEC championship. Tennessee can accomplish that by having the best record among the teams in the league’s two divisions. The Vols have a two-game lead with four to play.
But Tennessee won’t have another eyes-of-the-nation following like today unless they go deep into March, and that makes today colossal.
The Tigers also are playing for a conference championship, but their winning weaker Conference USA is a foregone conclusion.
Games like this test Memphis in a way that doesn’t often happen once league play begins — last Saturday’s one-point escape at Alabama-Birmingham the exception — and there are benefits for both schools no matter who wins. Calipari rattled them off.
“It’s great for the state,” Calipari said. “You have the best college scene right now in Tennessee. If it’s been better, somebody has to tell me.”
It’s great for the high schools: “You have players not comparing themselves to players in other towns but players throughout the country. They ask themselves how they compare to the kid in New York or California or Alabama.”
It’s even great for the school in Knoxville: “The job Bruce as done at Tennessee. It’s hard to do what he’s doing there with football, women’s basketball, baseball. You have to make your niche. I have to give him credit because it’s a place dominated by other sports.”
But maybe they’re coming around. One of those other sport’s heroes, former Tennessee quarterback Peyton Manning, will be in the house.