Memphis - Texas Preview

Elite Eight
Memphis Tigers (1) Vs. Texas Longhorns (2)
Sunday, March 30 @ 2:20 pm

On their way to the Elite Eight, the Memphis Tigers ripped through the Michigan State Spartans 92- 74. At the half, it was 50- 20 in favor of the number one seed. The rest of the way the team was on cruise control.

They played tripled edged defense—forcing 12 turnovers, stealing 9 balls and blocking 7 shots. The Tigers out rebounded the Spartans 32- 25. Along with being aggressive, they were disciplined, sending Michigan State to the foul line just 17 times, while Memphis walked to the line 35 times. The team from Tennessee scored 15 more points from the charity stripe than their opponents.

From the field, they were accurate 53% of the time. Guard Derrick Rose had a game high 27 points, while dishing off 5 assists. Next in line was shooting guard Chris Douglas-Roberts who tossed in 25 and gathered in 5 rebounds. On the boards, Robert Dozier took down 10 rebounds and put in 9 points. Guard Antonio Anderson put in an all around effort with 10 points, 5 rebounds and 4 assists.

It was more of a contest when it came to the Texas- Stanford game as the Cardinal team stayed in the mix well into the second half. But the outcome was pretty much the same as the Longhorns routed their opponent 82- 62.

In what was in many ways an evenly played match as far as ball control and possession was concerned, it was the Longhorn’s superior shooting from the floor that proved to be too much. With each club making 65 attempts, Texas knocked down 49% of their shots, while Stanford connected on just 34%.

Guard D.J. Augustin scored 23 points, while making 7 assists and hauling in 5 bounds. Justin Mason, also at guard, dished off 6 assists, grabbed 8 rebbies and put in 7 points. G/F Damion James and F/C Connor Atchley hit for 18 and 10 points respectively. A.J. Abrams, at guard, connected for 12 points.

Watch out for this one. Two clubs playing some of the best ball of the season will determine exactly who deserves to go onto the Final Four. Who will be left standing?