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Memphis Still on Top

By: Nathan McCauley

Memphis, TN-When Memphis beat UCF on Saturday they improved their record to 23-0, remaining the lone undefeated team in the nation.  That perfect record has stirred up a lot of talk lately about the possibility of the Tigers becoming the first team to run the table since Indiana did it in 1976. 

But they have to survive the rest of their regular season first.

The next big test comes on Wednesday night when they host 18-4 Houston, a team they beat by 12 points just two weeks ago.  Assuming they get out of that game with their record still in tact, the Tigers will take a perfect record on the road to UAB and Tulane. 

The matchup everyone is looking forward to, however, is their February 23rd meeting with Tennessee. 

A win over Tennessee would give the Tigers a heckuva resume, having already cruised through a non-conference schedule that included showdowns with Georgetown, UConn, Arizona, USC and Gonzaga.

But even if the Tigers finish the regular season undefeated, do they have what it takes to win the whole thing? 

Their supporters will point out their back-to-back Elite 8 appearances and the addition of freshman point guard Derrick Rose, who is already one of the nation’s top floor generals.  Rose was believed to be the piece of the puzzle that Memphis needed to get over that Elite 8 hump, and so far this season he has lived up to those expectations.

They will, however, have to overcome poor free-throw shooting if they hope to remain perfect. The Tigers have hit only 58% of their attempts from the charity stripe this season, ranking them of among the nation’s worst in that area.