For the first time ever, all four No. 1 seeds reached the Final Four: Memphis, UCLA, Kansas and North Carolina. For me, it’s the Memphis Tigers that have what it takes to cut down the nets in San Antonio this year.
Memphis got off to an easy start, taking care of Texas-Arlington and Mississippi State. There weren’t many people who thought Memphis could make it to the Sweet 16. Memphis’ first test came against Michigan State, a team that appeared to be strong, but fell to Memphis’ superior offense, but it made quick work of the Spartans, 92-74.
Perhaps even more impressive than the Tigers’ nearly 20-point win over Michigan State was Memphis’ win over Texas, which was one of the hottest teams in the country heading into the Elite Eight. Memphis picked the perfect time to play its best basketball of the entire season against the Longhorns. They won by 18 points and held first-team All-American D.J. Augustin to 4-18 shooting. Memphis was criticized all year for their poor free-throw shooting; yet, the Tigers shot 30 of 36 from the charity stripe against the Longhorns.
With big wins under its belt, Memphis now has the momentum and the motivation to win this tournament. The Tigers were disrespected from the moment the brackets came out. People thought the Tigers would be the first No. 1 seed to lose, and, instead, they responded with a combined 38-point margin of victory since the Sweet 16. If you want to give a team an edge, tell them they can’t win it.
The real test in the tournament thus far for Memphis, though, will be with the UCLA Bruins on Saturday, April 5. Memphis’ Derrick Rose matches up well with UCLA’s Darren Collison, but Memphis’ Joey Dorsey will be the x-factor in this game.
At 6 feet, 9 inches and 265 pounds, the Tigers’ center is one of many Memphis players who can light up the scoreboard, helping to regulate both offense and defense for the Tigers. As Dorsey can be inconsistent, he will have Memphis’ leading scorer and first-team All-American Chris Douglas-Roberts to set the tempo of the game.
After Memphis played such a weak conference schedule in Conference USA, too many people forgot how good the team actually is. This is a team with non-conference wins against notable opponents such as Oklahoma, Connecticut, USC, Georgetown, Arizona and Gonzaga. The NCAA is, essentially, a bunch of non-conference games.
Memphis played arguably the hardest non-conference schedule in the country, and it’s this experience that the Tigers will draw upon to win its first NCAA Tournament Championship in school history.
Max Vosburgh is a freshman in the John Cook School of Business.
