Memphis - UCLA Preview

Final Four
Memphis Tigers (1) Vs. UCLA Bruins (1)
Saturday, April 5 @ 6:07

The Memphis Tigers outplayed the Texas Longhorns in each half to beat them handily 85- 67. Led by lights out shooting from the field and 36 chances from the charity stripe, the Tigers made it no-contest within the first five minutes of the game.

Memphis’ guards Chris Douglas-Roberts and Derrick Rose put up a combined total of 46 points. Along with scoring 21, Rose dished off 9 assists and handled 6 rebounds. Forward Joey Dorsey scored a double-double with a dozen rebounds and 11 points.

Both teams were overall disciplined, handling the ball with care. But Texas sent their opponents to the foul line too many times and was outscored by a margin of 22. Although the Longhorns had 69 shots from the field to the Memphis’ 52, they only hit 36% to their opponent’s 50%. Accuracy won out in this contest.

The UCLA Bruins outmatched the Xavier Musketeers in both halves of their game, resulting in a 76- 57 win. This will be UCLA’s third straight trip to the final four. The Bruins were better from the field (54%), the three-point arc (47%), and the foul line (72%). They grabbed 34 rebounds to Xavier’s 24 and blocked 6 shots.

UCLA guard Darren Collison and center Kevin Love each hit for 19 points. Love had a double-double with 10 rebounds. Luc Richard Mbah a Moute was impressive under the boards. He also notched a double-double with 13 rebounds and 13 points.

In this last round, the Memphis Tigers looked impressive, but so too did the UCLA Bruins. The Bruins have everything they need to get to the Finals. They’re tough from the outside, brutal under the boards and skilled from the line. They have a tough defense and disciplined, experienced team. Still, the Tigers took apart and dominated number two seed Texas to get to the Final Four, making it look easy.