MAUI, Hawaii “”mdash; Memphis may have lost its top players from
its Elite Eight team last season. But the Tigers looked like the
same team in the first game of the EA Sports Maui Invitational.
Memphis controlled the pace of the game against a young Oklahoma
team, outrunning and outshooting the Sooners on offense and causing
havoc with its full court press on defense.
“We were really sloppy, but played really
aggressively,” Memphis coach John Calipari said.
“Overall, I liked our effort,” Calipari said.
Gone from Memphis’ roster are Rodney Carney, Shawne
Williams and Darius Washington from a 2005-2006 team that beat UCLA
88-80 in the preseason National Invitational Tournament before
falling to the Bruins 50-45 in the Elite Eight.
But against a young Sooner team, Memphis had eight players with
at least six points and received big contributions from highly
regarded freshmen Pierre Niles (six points and seven rebounds in 20
minutes) and Willie Kemp (12 points in 21 minutes).
“Memphis is a deep team,” first-year Oklahoma coach
Jeff Capel said. “They’re a very unselfish team; they
don’t force shots; their guys understand their role, and they
do such a great job of spacing.”
GEORGIA TECH ROLLS: In the second game of the
afternoon, Georgia Tech’s talented crop of young players
proved to be too much for Purdue as the Yellow Jackets took the
game 79-61.
Freshman guard Javaris Crittenton had 20 points, shooting 11-12
from the free-throw line.
Highly touted freshman Thaddeus Young was also key in the Yellow
Jackets’ 79-61 triumph, with 13 points and 10 rebounds.
After shooting just 11-32 from the field in the first half, the
Yellow Jackets shot 17-25 from the field in the second half.
“You normally don’t see freshman like that with
poise,” Purdue coach Matt Painter said. “They have a
good group of young players.”
Georgia Tech will take on Memphis today at 4 p.m in a semifinal
game.
KENTUCKY SURVIVES: Kentucky outlasted a pesky
DePaul team 87-81 in the third game of the evening.
The Wildcats were never able to pull away from the Blue Demons,
but they were able to maintain their lead throughout the second
half until the final whistle.
Junior center Randolph Morris led the Wildcats with 20 points
and nine rebounds as the Wildcats moved on to face UCLA in the
second semifinal game, which takes place today at 6:30 p.m.
SLUGFEST?: In the Memphis-Oklahoma game, both
teams got into foul trouble.
A total of 52 fouls were called between the two teams, with
Memphis committing 29 of those fouls.
While many coaches and players have complained about tight
officiating in the past, Calipari offered a different perspective.
Calipari complimented the officials on the way they called the
game, suggesting that fouls need to be called more often in college
basketball.
“That’s what’s wrong with our game right now
““ it’s become a slugfest like we’re playing
lacrosse instead of playing basketball,” Calipari said.
“If (correct officiating) means we foul out, then we foul
out,” Calipari said.