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Kansas finds escape route against Memphis again

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Jeff Goodman

Jeff Goodman is a senior college basketball writer for FOXSports.com. Check out his Yardbarker blog. MORE>>
 
Updated Nov 18, 2009 12:24 PM ET
     
 

ST. LOUIS

When the game was consummated, it was slated to be No. 1 vs. No. 2, an early-season rematch of the nail-biting championship contest from two years ago. That was when then-Memphis coach John Calipari and the Tigers squandered a nine-point lead with just over two minutes left and Kansas won its first title in two decades. It was Mario's Miracle — when Kansas guard Mario Chalmers sent the game into overtime with a last-second shot and then the Jayhawks dominated in the extra five minutes. But Calipari bolted for the hefty payday and even larger stage at Kentucky this past April and took nearly everyone from the No. 1 recruiting class in the land with him, leaving Memphis in major rebuilding mode instead of once again vying for a national title. Thus, the Tigers and their improbable baby-faced new coach, Josh Pastner, went into Tuesday night's game as heavy underdogs, truly just hoping to avoid embarrassment at the hands of Bill Self's top-ranked Jayhawks. Instead, they came away with a victory of sorts — even though they didn't actually put more points on the board than their opponents. Memphis' Elliott Williams missed what would have been a game-winning 3-pointer from the left side as time expired. "There are no moral victories," Williams said after the 57-55 loss. "We played well, but at the same time, it's all about winning." You wouldn't have known whether Memphis won or lost watching the fans in the Tigers section at the Scottrade Center after Williams' shot rattled out. They were giving their team a standing ovation — and deservedly so. "Nobody in the country believed in us," said Memphis point guard Willie Kemp, a member of the 2008 team. "Everyone thinks we're down." It's because they are down. Kemp backed up Derrick Rose and Tyreke Evans the past two seasons. Pierre Henderson-Niles barely got off the bench, and guys like Roburt Sallie and Doneal Mack have gone from role players to starters. This was supposed to be a rout similar to the 30-point whooping that Louisville put on Arkansas in the opening matchup of the doubleheader. The Razorbacks had six scholarship players, while Memphis played just seven guys for the first 39 minutes, 44 seconds of the game. Louisville is a fringe top 25 club. Kansas is the overwhelming pick to cut down the nets again this season. Most of the faces had changed since the last time the two teams met. Calipari and his entire staff from that night are gone and so is everyone except for Kemp, Mack and Henderson-Niles. Kansas still has Sherron Collins and Cole Aldrich — two guys who have since turned into All-America candidates. "I had flashbacks to that game in the warm-ups," Collins said. "This was a huge game for both teams," added Aldrich. Actually, Memphis went in with virtually nothing to lose. Pastner is an unproven 32-year-old head coach with a paper-thin roster, and he's bought himself a mulligan for the entire season because of the insane recruiting class that he will bring on campus next season. Yet the Tigers found a way to stick around and had a decent look to knock off the top-ranked team in the land. "We won tonight," Aldrich said. "And that's all that matters." "We were fortunate to win," Self added. The Jayhawks certainly didn't play like the elite team in the country. Defensively, they were fine. But putting the ball in the basket was a different story. "Did you watch the same crap I did?" Self half-joked when asked about his team's offense. Highly touted freshman Xavier Henry struggled and finished with 11 points on 3-for-11 shooting. Tyshawn Taylor had two points and seven turnovers. "I'm not buying that we dodged a bullet," Self said. "It's November."

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Collins, who is arguably the top point guard in the nation, was back in the locker room for key minutes late in the second half when he cramped up. He returned to the court with just under four minutes remaining, but Memphis still remained within striking distance. Then, with the game on the line, the young coach opted to go for the win instead of the tie. "I thought it was going in," Pastner said. "That's all you can ask for — the opportunity to win the game." Pastner then had a flashback of his own when he was addressing the media at the post-game news conference, recalling a decade ago or so when he was at Arizona just trying to break into the business. "Now here I am at the podium talking to you guys," he said. "So, don't take anything for granted." Much can change in a couple years.

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