Once AGAIN, the Memphis vs Kansas game ended up being ANOTHER instant classic. MOST Memphis fans just hoped we would keep it close (10-15 points). Others, hoped we would cover the spread and the few crazy Memphis fans thought we would win the game. We had no idea what we had with such a short bench (only 8 guys on scholarship) and so many young guys. Kansas may not have another bad night for a long time. I'm just glad Memphis caught them on an off night.
The game could have been different in so many ways. For Memphis........once again, FREE THROWS. We missed 2 BIG free throws with 1:30 left in the game. Memphis was 6-25 from 3 point range. I hope we NEVER miss that many 3's again!!! If we would have just made 30% from 3, it would have been ALOT different. Even on such a down night, we played better than we hoped. Coach Pastner is the right man for the job and we will be just fine. #1 recruiting class for next year and that cancer Coach Cal is gone!!!
For Kansas........Cole Aldrich is a beast!!! I hope we NEVER see him again. Will Coleman(Memphis) can jump out of the gym and Aldrich made him look like a little boy. If Collins did not cramp up, the final score would have been Kansas by 10 or more. Kansas is #1 for a reason!!! Every top team needs a game like this.
Since this was the re-match from the National championship game, no one could expect that it would be close to what happened the first time. All in all.....what a great night!!! I hate we lost, but at least it was a great game and IF we had to lose at least it was to a VERY classy fan base. Maybe Kentucky and Tennessee fans could learn a thing or 2 from you guys. Good luck the rest of the season and maybe we will see you again in LATE March.
Great game KU. I hope many returns for a Tiger, Jayhawk rematch. This is why college basketball is way more interesting than pro. Enjoy your ride we'll see you in March
Congrats to both teams!! Both should view it as a win. I look forward to watching Kansas having a successful season and hopefully meeting MSU in a later round this year aside from last year. Cole Aldrich is amazing and I agree with the original posting that KU will only benefit fromt his close win.
I'm a Memphis fan, too, but I have always respected how Kansas plays. They escaped with a great win last night, despite not having played their best game. Good luck to coach Self and the Jayhawks this season.
Thanks for all the classy posts Memphis fans. It was a crazy weird game last night. Could have gone either way. I'm sure you guys will have a better season than most thought. Plus... you have an amazing coach and a heck of a class next season. You have a lot to be excited about in Memphis!
Thank you, Memphis fans. And congratulations. I can tell your program is back on the right track and will be a top program very soon. Ever since Calapari left, I've become a big fan of yall. You have a great coach in Pastner; be lucky you have him and hold on to him for dear life. Hopefully you will be dancing in March! :)
Thank you for your support Kansas fans!!! These are hard times for our basketball team, but last night gave us some hope that maybe we don't have to wait until next year to stay in the top 25. Give us a few weeks and maybe we will be right there again. Good luck the rest of the season and make sure you beat Texas, Mizzou and Kentucky IF they are still in the tourney after the Sweet 16!!!
The biggest thing I was impressed with was the way Memphis made KU play their game. You sped us up and that caused a lot of quick shots and one on one plays. Your hands were very active and even with the height advantage you made it very difficult to get the ball inside as much as we wanted. Tyshawn Taylor can definitely attest to that with his plethora of to's. Memphis is a scrappy team, and they play very physical. This will keep you in most every game you play this year. This will definitely make KU a better team going forward. I think Bill would agree we need to toughen up a bit as the season progresses and show a little more patience on the offensive end of the court.
Congrats on a great game and for taking advantage of the national stage to show the country Memphis is still relevant.
To all who said (before the season started) that the C-USA conference wouldn't go through Memphis this year, you might want to rethink that claim. The addition of Elliiot Williams was huge, but thats just another athlete to add to the list of great players they have there for the Tigers. KU had an off night, but that was probably about 60% your fault. You were very good defensively, and that led to some instant offense for you.
Good luck the rest of the non-con schedule, and on into C-USA play. We'll see you guys in March.
The last type of team that Kansas wanted to play this early in the season is someone with a bunch of fast guards. Memphis played a lot with four guards on the court. Memphi had a tough time shooting threes in large part becuase they were trying to shoot over the much taller KU players. Ku played a very tight defensive game and that was what prevented the loss.
Great effort by both teams. Memphis will be in good shape with Pastner. Good luck!!!
I'm going to have to add my appreciation to the Memphis fans for such gracious and RELEVANT posts. Clearly you're fans of your team but also fans of the game. Best of luck in C-USA and in the tournament.
Memphis, you guys have a lot to be excited about. What a promising young coach and team. Memphis played great defense, blocking the passing lanes and contesting every shot. Best of luck on your season. Better yet, you now have an ethical coach who is focused on MEMPHIS. KU escaped a close one from a good team.
The new coach and classy fans make it hard to not route for them to win. (memphis) You guys will be stacked next year and are better then most thought this year! thanks for a great game and representing your team in such a positive way.
Back in April, after watching the press conference which introduced Pastner as the head coach of Memphis, I knew right then - at 12:45p.m. - that we had truly outdone ourselves. We had finally selected an man of integrity and an honorable leader on and off the court.
Many Tiger B-Ball fans had doubts in the preseason, but I refused to subscribe to those. I KNEW that a guy who's teethed only on tournament-level teams and who holds a vicious dedication to excellence both professionally and personally would not disappoint.
When we stepped onto the court Tuesday night against Kansas and began play, the veterans revealed a confidence makeover that only encouragement and positive reinforcement could yield. Verbal abuse absent, our "skeleton" team played with a composure unusual if not unknown in the previous era; they played because they knew they could and WANTED to, not because they feared the reprisals on courtside or in the locker room post-game. Yes, our percentages from various aspects were skunk, but we still managed to beat the bookies on the point spread (they gotta be hatin' us!).
Kansas, you are an excellent program with a classy coach and a noble fan base; Bill Self nobly commented on our program after the game with a sincere sportsmanship and respect that ANY fan from ANY program would appreciate!
As a long-time Tiger fan, I am proud of the spirit this 32-year-old man is infusing into our program, our school, and our city.
KU, you're a classy group! Best of luck to you this season and beyond!
I hope that Memphis and Kansas can play a home and home or more games in St. Louis or Kansas City in the next few years. When Memphis and Kansas play, not only do both fan bases get to watch a great game, the rest of the country gets to see it as well. Kansas fans are BY FAR some of the be fans in the land. Any bitterness most Memphis fans have of losing the National Championship game is gone because of how nice the Jayhawks fans were to us in one of our hardest days. Thanks for not kicking us while we were down. Then, when Coach Cal left us for dead, once again some Kansas fans were there to tell us we will be a better program because Cal is gone. Man were you ever right!!! I have never respected a coach more than I do Bill Self. That is one classy coach. Good luck the rest of the way, and make our loss to you look even better to the selection committee come March.
Memphis is going to surprise a lot of people. This is November and the polls mean nothing in my opinion. KU is good there is no doubt about that, but college basketball is very competitive all the way down the line. I'm not sure the Cuse is not the best team in the country right now or maybe Tennesse or Clemson.
Fortunately we have a tournament in March to figure it all out. Good luck this year Tigers and hopefully we won't see you in March because the outcome may not be what a KU fan thinks it will be.
I was worried Memphis would lose it all when Calipari left, but it's obvious Pastner has your program in very good hands. Great game and wish the tigers the best; perhaps next year they can be a top 5 team or better. Hell, maybe even this season.
You were very good defensively, and that led to some instant offense for you. 