There will be a lot of TN fans but they won't be students. It'll be, maybe, 1/4 TN and 3/4 Memphis.
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I really think home court is big. I know georgetown is overrated and arizona was without bayless but both of those games were pretty easy wins. I bet its at least 3/4 memphis fans there, the city has jumped on the bandwagon and I know everyone on campus is fired up even more after the UAB game. I think our team will come out feeling like we have something to prove.Comment -
Good point tuck. I could see it in the players after about 5 minutes in the UAB game they were pissed. I am looking at this line wednesday because I can see them beating anyone by 30. They are ready for a streetballin team like TN. All they have to do is pray their circus threes don't start falling all night.Comment -
Another big If comes with dozier and rose. I'll have to look at the way dozier plays at tulane because he's played horrible in the last several games and needs to step up against UT. And rose has played bad when it matters most, like the last 5 minutes of UTEP and against UAB he couldnt do anything. I bet Cal settles him down and he sticks to passing it to CDR and driving the lane.Comment -
Dude, I miss our rivalry. WTF why can't we still play each other!Comment -
It would be a great game, national tv for sure and a big boost come march to the winner. Makes sense to me. At least our football rivalry is starting back up next year. Too bad we'll get whoopedComment -
Memphis Wins by 15
Tennessee plays terrible on the road and was killed by one of the worst Kentucky teams to ever take the court last month at Rupp Arena. This same team was hammered by Gardner-Webb at home two weeks before trouncing the vols. Memphis is one of the most physical teams in the past 10 years of CBB and will dominate rebounding as well as fast break opportunities. If line is any better than Memphis -6 bet the farm on Memphis and enjoy owning two farms after the game.Comment -
this post is ridiculous. Tennessee lost to Kentucky by 6 and they were leading in the final 5 minutes. Tennessee has played a tougher schedule and averages more steals, less turnovers, and they shoot better from 3 and from the line. imo, facts should play some part in a mans posts.Comment -
I'll take TN plus 6. Just like in football, they play a much tougher schedule.Comment -
I lived there. It's not like any other part of TN. It's kinda it's own place. There is a huge TN alumni base in Memphis just like there is with all of the other SEC schools like Ole Miss and Arkansas. There'll be a lot of TN fans but you'll have alot of those combination band wagon TN football fan- band wagon Memphis basketball fan people. There will no doubt be more Memphis basketball fans there though.Comment -
Memphis is having trouble covering against mediocre teamsComment -
I hate finding myself in position to pull for Tennessee cause hearing Rocky Top gives me the hives...but dang it, they have a great team this year. I think Memphis could be in trouble.Comment -
they have had a couple quality teams play them real tough. uab is one of the hardest joints around to travel to. but seriously, every team has a few games where they just dont gel. and memphis covers more 2nd half lines than any other team. not their fault the oddsmakers set the game lines so freakin high. hard to cover more than 20 in 60-70% of your games year round.Comment -
this will be the most fun college game to watch in the 08 regular season.Comment -
Pinnacle has a line up for early birds:
Game Spread Money Line Total Points More
Sat 2/23 805 Tennessee +5.5 -112 OVER 159 -114
06:00 PM 806 Memphis -5.5 +102 UNDER 159 +104
BTW there was a good article in Sports Illustrated about the offense Memphis runs. Many coaches teaching it now, all over high school and college, some use it even (sparingly) in the NBA. The guy that invented it would be a great hire for some up and coming program.Comment -
So Tennessee and Over are taking early money.
Game opened Memphis -6.5 -105, Over 157.5 -105Comment -
Vegasinsider has the line opening at Memphis -6Comment -
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I want Tenn on the moneyline. Anyone seen a good moneyline?Comment -
There are any number of things that make tomorrow's match-up a compelling one. There's obviously the rankings, which make this year's meeting particularly special. Intriguing player match-ups abound on the court as well. But the aspect of this rivalry that made it spicy long-before ESPN turned it into a mini-series has been the presence of two charismatic coaches on opposite ends of the state.
Bruce Pearl and John Calipari have both proven themselves as coaches, and in regards to the increased standing of the Tennessee-Memphis series, they've both shown themselves more than a little capable of pulling the media's strings.
The lively banter between the two has bordered on 'edgy' at times, but the verbal sparring has also served to rally the troops on both sides of the fence and increase interest in the state before the game was a national affair.
"It's really simple, there's great respect," Pearl said when asked about his relationship with Coach Cal. "The strains of competing…of 'David vs. Goliath', of scheduling, of SEC vs. Conference USA, and Willie Kemp and Wayne Chism and Elliot Williams…there's just some natural strain there.
"From my standpoint I think he does a tremendous job and I have great respect for him. And I think he probably recognizes that his program has made some progress as well."
That progress is apparent in that Pearl is taking the second-ranked team in the nation into Memphis this weekend to face Cal's top-ranked Tigers, but it was apparent before that.
Pearl and the Vols have split the two previous meetings with Memphis since he arrived in Knoxville, and that 'David vs. Goliath' feel to the rivalry that Pearl referenced is a thing of the past these days.
In the past one of Calipari's barbs has been that he runs a national program that didn't benefit from playing a 'regional' game every year with Tennessee. That argument can't be made with a straight-face anymore. And Cal himself obviously thinks it's a pretty big deal, after all, Memphis is bringing it's top recruiting target this weekend for an official visit, shooting guard Tyreke Evans, which would indicated that Cal thinks this is a pretty big game.
The two teams look similar on the court with their high-octane approach to playing basketball, and outsiders might even say that the coaches are similar in their styles and public personas. Asked if he thought that was the case Pearl couldn't help but laugh.
"I don't think Cal would say he's like me at all. He would want to say he's different in a lot of different ways. I would say that as it relates to the media he's the best and I'm learning," Pearl chuckled. "I think John probably thinks I bring some attention on myself.
"I spent nine years in Division II, four years in mid-major basketball. We have to try and make some noise so that we can try to have a chance to recruit the kind of players we want to recruit now.
"It's a lot easier for John Calipari who was in the NBA, who got to a Final Four, and who's done what he's done, to walk in a home and talk about what he's done. The difference is I have to walk in a home and talk about what I'd like to do."
What Pearl would obviously like to do this weekend is grab a win over the nation's No. 1 team. His Vols showed a business-like approach to handling Auburn on Wednesday night and not allowing the magnitude of Saturday's match-up to distract them.
That focus said a lot about the Vols' maturity, but now that 'The Game' is here, the players are ready to embrace the moment.
"We wanted to hurry up and get to this game. I think Coach has been a little bit tired of everybody talking about it whether we win or if we lose, it's not going to end our season," Tyler Smith said. "If we do win, it's going to be a great win for us, but at the same time, we can't just depend all on this one game.
"I think the pressure is on them. Last year, me not even being here, (we) won by a great amount. I guess they're going to say they want revenge or whatnot, but I don't think the pressure is on us. Their season, they're undefeated. They're trying to keep that zero on the right side."
And Tennessee is looking to put that 'one' beside their name on the left side.
Dribble Drive Talk
Memphis and Calipari have gotten a lot of attention in the past two seasons for their offensive approach. Calipari relies on a system known in some circles as the 'Dribble Drive' offense. The system—in an oversimplified explanation--gives a lot of freedom to players and centers on them being able to take their man off the dribble and create scoring opportunities for themselves or others.
It's not something that teams see a lot of, but like a lot of other 'systems', Pearl noted that this one had a lot more to do with the 'Jimmy's and Joes' than the 'X's and O's'.
"The toughest thing to guard is dribble penetration. It's difficult-to-impossible to keep those guys out of the line. The other thing with that is that they get to the foul line. People have made a big deal about the fact that Memphis doesn't shoot free throws very well, but they go there so often that they still be able to win games," Pearl offered.
"I think the personnel is what makes it tough. They have great spacing and a great system, but when they make a mistake they just make up for it with great effort and athleticism. There's just no duplicating what (Joey) Dorsey can do on the inside and I'm so impressed with (Chris) Douglas-Roberts."
Ramar Smith will likely draw Roberts most of the game defensively with JaJuan Smith checking Derrick Rose for the most part.
Hitting the Glass
One of the most impressive things about the second-ranked Vols as been their improved ability to rebound the basketball since SEC play started. Tennessee has outrebounded its opponent in eight straight games now, but that's a streak that will be put to the test against a Memphis team that owns an outlandish +7.9 rebound margin on the year.
Senior Joey Dorsey (6-foot-9, 245 pounds) is the ringleader of the Tigers' rebounding efforts, pulling down 10.5 boards per night. He's also part of a deep front line that's capable of sending in several 6-9 bodies to bang on the boards.
Tennessee has definitely improved its ability to mix it up in the paint, but tomorrow's challenge will be a step-up in intensity.
"We've been challenged in the paint all year but we've been doing a lot better. For the last few games we've been winning the rebounding battle and we have to keep doing what we're doing," Wayne Chism said.
"Boxing out is obviously a big part of that, but the guards have been doing a great job of coming down and helping us rebound too. You look and Chris or JaJuan comes out of the game with five or six rebounds. That's a big help."
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It doew not matter
tenn. gets cover and win. Can you say money line. If you se one soon let me know.
Thanks and GLComment -
memphis -2Comment
