#2 Tigers advance to Elite 8 with 65-64 win over #3 Texas A&M

Two clutch free throws key Tigers' victory

SAN ANTONIO — In our preview of the #2 Memphis vs. #3 Texas A&M game, CUSA Fans Director of Content Bubba Rosenbaum stated that "One would think it would be difficult to doubt a team that had won 24 straight games in route to a 32-3 record. However, there are still plenty of people who question how good Memphis really is." If there really were people doubting the 2007 Memphis Tigers, I am hoping they are smart enough to stop doubting now.

Coming into the game, the health of leading-scorer Chris Douglas-Roberts was in question after suffering an sprained ankle in the Tigers' win over Nevada. Douglas-Roberts was not only able to play, but he finished as the Tigers' second-leading scorer with 15 points on 5-8 shooting. In addition to Douglas-Roberts, the Tigers balanced attack was led by Jeremy Hunt who scored 19 points and nailed three 3-point shots. In all, eight players scored for Memphis with seven players scoring at least four points.

The game was back-and-forth with Texas A&M leading 42-37 at the half, but the Tigers came out strong and quickly evened the score early in the second half. The three-headed monster of Acie Law IV, Joseph Jones and Antanas Kavaliauskas combined for 44 of the Aggies' 64 points, but it was Law's missed layup late in the game that will likely haunt him for years to come. With the Aggies leading 64-63, Law took a long pass with under a minute to play, but his layup fell off the rim. Memphis used a plethora of offensive rebounds in the end but could not connect on a game-winner. The final offensive rebound was grabbed by Antonio Anderson who was fouled with 3.1 seconds remaining. Anderson, a 63.3% free throw shooter on the season, nailed both free throws to give Memphis the 65-64 lead, as that was enough to propel the Tigers into the Elite 8.

The game was not without controversy in the end. With 3.1 seconds remaining the Aggies' inbound pass was knocked away by Memphis, knocking 1.1 seconds off the clock. Like many calls in basketball, to the naked eye it was tough to understand what happened and how much time should have come off the clock. The officials chose to use TV replay to review the play and then determined that 2.0 seconds remained.

Bubba's KEYS TO THE GAME were...

Texas A&M Keys

• Lay Down the Law — The Aggies are at their best when senior Acie Law is at his best. In order for A&M to advance they will need to receive a typical performance from their all-star guard.
  • Law shot just 6-17 from the field in the game.
• Offset Memphis’ Depth with Intensity — The Tigers are the deeper of the two teams; therefore, Texas A&M must counter this deficiency with the intensity that Billy Gillispie’s teams are known for.
  • The Aggies used ten players, nine of which scored, and seven players played double-digit minutes.
• Stay Out of Foul Trouble — This is due to the aforementioned depth concern.
  • The Aggies had 20 team fouls with only one player reaching 4 fouls in the game.

Memphis Keys

• Create Offense with Its Defense — The Tigers usually excel in this area. They will need to again, as they will face a solid Aggie defense.
  • The Tigers had six blocks, two steals and were out-rebounded 30-27 in the game.
• Remain "The Hunter" — Senior Jeremy Hunt has come through in the clutch this year and will need to do so again, especially if Chris Douglas-Roberts can’t go.
  • Hunt led the Tigers with 19 points and three 3-pointers. Douglas-Roberts not only played, but scored 15 points himself.
• Take What’s Free — Memphis has struggled from the line this season, but it will need to alter that trend if it is going win what has the makings of a close game.
  • The talk all season has been he Tigers troubles at the line. Memphis hit 14-21 for the game (66.7%) with none bigger than Antonio Anderson's two free throws with 3.1 seconds remaining to give the Tigers the win.

What’s Next?
The Tigers will face the winner of #1 seed Ohio State vs. #5 seed Tennessee. Tennessee led by 17 at the half, but at the time of publication, the Buckeyes had cut the Vols' lead to 6.