Memphis Tigers vs UAB Blazers Basketball Recap

Memphis 85, UAB 75

Back and forth they went. Back and forth they fought. Back and forth, like two ping pong players competing on even terms well into the night, the Memphis Tigers and UAB Blazers pushed each other in a Conference USA game that had "bubble watch" written all over it.

After 36 minutes and seven seconds, the defending league champions planted their feet on the ground, took a stand, and won a great deal of respect from their fans.

Make no mistake about it: Memphis is still unlikely to make the NCAA Tournament as an at-large team. Coach Josh Pastner will likely need to lead his troops to the C-USA Tournament championship over one month from now if a tourney ticket is to be punched. With UAB, Tulsa and UTEP sitting atop the standings, the program that has lorded itself over the rest of C-USA for several seasons must now occupy a spot that's closer to the end of the line than its beginning. However, after this gritty display at the FedEx Forum, it can be said that UM isn't going to relinquish its conference crown without a fight. The UAB team Pastner's pupils polished off on Wednesday night is the team that has the best chance of becoming an at-large C-USA representative when March Madness comes alive.

UAB's win over Butler is the gift that keeps on giving to coach Mike Davis and his boys from Birmingham. A successful outing against Cincinnati will also enable the Blazers to enjoy some leverage on Selection Sunday. Nevertheless, UAB dearly wanted to win in a building it hasn't been able to solve during a decade of Memphis dominance. More than that - much more, in fact - the Blazers wanted to snag a road win of appreciable value which would only bolster their resume and add ballast to their pursuit of the most treasured Dance card in all of college sports. A loss in this game would not have been a bad one for UAB, but a win would have gone a long way toward shoring up a bid and making the C-USA Tournament an optional matter.

Unfortunately for the guys in green, Memphis displayed the pride of a program that knew its season was on the line.

This was a sensational and savage see-saw affair in one of America's great cities, a home to some of the best blues music anywhere in the country. Through 36 minutes and seven seconds, the Blazers and Tigers created a spicy, zesty melody on the 94-foot slab of hardwood by exchanging leads more than 30 times. In a pendulum-swinging passion play that enthralled the FedEx Forum crowd, a blizzard of lead changes led to a flat-footed 69-69 tie with 3:53 left in this 40-minute affair.

That's when the Tigers made their move... and UAB got stuck in first gear.

Thanks to a timely steal by guard Roburt Sallie and two blocks from forward Will Coleman, Memphis's defense peaked down the stretch and kept the Blazers off the scoreboard for just over three minutes. By the time UAB snapped its scoring drought on two free throws with 45 seconds left in the game, Memphis had rattled off eight consecutive points to forge a 77-71 lead. The Tigers sealed the game at the foul line and set up an all-important non-conference collision with Gonzaga this upcoming Saturday. If UM can bag the Bulldogs, an NCAA at-large berth could be talked about; but had the Tigers not taken down UAB, the Gonzaga game might not have been enough to lift this team to the tournament.

A lot of energy was poured forth by Memphis on Wednesday. Yet, one big effort must be followed by another if the Tigers are to make some magic in 2010. This win over UAB was fantastic, but as big as it is, it only sets up future possibilities.

For now, though, that's a reality these Tigers will happily accept. It sure beats coming out on the short side of a basketball game defined by an enormous degree of competitive quality.