UCF vs Memphis Tigers: Preview

This Saturday (1/10) [WEAR BLACK AND BRING YOUR FRIENDS] the Memphis Tigers pull into town looking to further their already ridiculous CUSA win streak to 44. Yea, that’s pretty dominant, but don’t let that fool you; this isn’t the same squad from NCAA Championship. Derrick Rose, Joey Dorsey, and Chris Douglas-Roberts are now hanging out in NBA locker rooms. The three combined for almost 50% of the Tigers scoring last year. Now, I’m not saying this is going to be a victory for the Knights… Memphis still has Coach Calipari, and Coach Calipari still knows how to coach.

The Tigers lack great shooting from beyond the arc, shooting only 28%, a very average number. Their opponents shoot just as well, at 28%. Their free throw percentage last year was harped on all year, with most critics believing they would never win the NCAA tournament without a better free throw ratio. They aren’t much better this year, shooting only 67% from the line.

Memphis plays great defense, holding their opponents to 61 points per game, and recording an incredible average of almost 10 steals per game as well as a huge 7.4 blocks per game. I think it’s very possible for us to avoid the turnovers and steals against these guys, as long as our young guards can stay away from the stupid passes while trying to make something happen. The blocks inside are what scare me. Tony Davis and Zondervan are going to have to play very rough and strong inside, as they have been lately. Both have been improving in the post game over the past few games, and it’s made a difference.

Matt’s things we MUST capitalize on:

Emotion and home court advantage – The student section, as well as the ticket buyers, MUST BE LOUD. We have to show them that this is our house. Even if we lose, we have to have pride and self respect. Do NOT boo or heckle our players, even if they’re playing terribly. I’ve heard far too many people yell at Zondervan in the past and it doesn’t help him at all. If someone struggles, pick them up with your words. Let them know we’re still behind them.

Momentum changers – Basically, huge dunks by JT. Those are absolutely demoralizing to the opposing team, and it gets everyone in the arena, including players and coaches, pumped up.

3 point shooting – We have a MUCH better game from 3 point land than they do. We have great shooters in Sosa and JT, and solid shooters in AJ Tyler and Rompza. If we’re going to keep up, we have to play to our strengths and take any open 3 pointer we can get. It’s going to be tough for our shorter guys like Sosa and Rompza to shoot against the taller Memphis defenders, but if they get an open shot, they need to capitalize immediately before the Tigers defense recovers.

Inside play – Particularly Tony Davis. When he gets in the right position inside and moves to the hoop, he either gets fouled or throws it down hard (See Holy Cross game.) If we can get them in foul trouble early, we can limit the playing time of their big stars. They’re deep in talent, but it’s a noticeable difference between their starters and their bench.

Matt’s things we MUST avoid:

Bad passes – I know Rompza loves to make the sick passes in between defenders to attempt to make the big play, but there have been games where he’s read the coverage wrong and thrown far too many intercepted passes.

Cold start – If we start cold like we have in the past few games, we’re going to be out of it immediately. We have to stick with them, within 10, for the start of the game to show we have what it takes.

Vin’s top 5 keys to victory:

The keys to victory for this game aren’t much different than any other game, just the Knights really are going to need to play perfect ball.

1. Limit turnovers.

2. Don’t take stupid shots

3. FRIGGIN REBOUND THE BALL

4. Tony Davis. He’s so close to a huge break out game, it’s scary. If he plays like he did against Holy Cross and USF, we have a shot. A real shot.

5. Crowd noise. Students, alumni, and the casual fan. If your voice isn’t raspy, if your hands aren’t raw, and if your feet don’t hurt from stomping, you, frankly, didn’t try hard enough. Crowd noise means the world in a game like this. Our house, our court. If you ever wore our colors, if you ever attended one of our games, you know what pride is. Display it Saturday; display it like you never have before.

Victory is our cry, people. Like Marc Daniels said, bring the noise.

[Reminder: UCF sponsored tailgate at Memory Mall starts at 1pm. WEAR BLACK]