The University of Memphis men’s basketball team may need an additional trophy case after the 2008-09 season is complete as the Tigers nearly swept the Conference USA specialty awards, the league office announced Tuesday. Senior Antonio Anderson was named the C-USA Defensive Player of the Year, freshman Tyreke Evans the league’s Freshman of the Year and freshman Wesley Witherspoon the C-USA Sixth Man of the Year.

Anderson also made his third-straight appearance on the Conference USA All-Defensive Team, and fellow senior Robert Dozier joined him on the league’s All-Defensive squad. Evans was selected to the C-USA All-Freshman Team.

The C-USA awards and All-Defensive and All-Freshmen teams were voted on by the league’s coaches and selected media members.

Anderson made it a three-year Memphis sweep for the C-USA Defensive Player of the Year honor, as the Tigers’ Joey Dorsey earned the award the previous two years (2007, 2008). Evans is the sixth Memphis freshman to receive the C-USA Freshman of the Year honor, with all six honorees coming in the John Calipari era. Other Tiger freshmen to earn the honor were Dajuan Wagner (2002), Sean Banks (2004), Darius Washington Jr. (2005), Shawne Williams (2006) and Derrick Rose (2008). Witherspoon is the second Tiger to take home the league’s Sixth Man of the Year award, as Jeremy Hunt did so in 2007. It is the third-straight season that two Tigers appeared on the C-USA All-Defensive Team. Anderson and Dorsey both made the squad in the 2006-07 and 2007-08 seasons. Read More…

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MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) - It may not have been pretty, but the Memphis Tigers are perfect for another season in Conference USA.

The fifth-ranked Tigers closed out the regular season Saturday by extending several streaks, including their third straight undefeated season in C-USA, with a 74-47 victory over Tulane.

Robert Dozier had 16 points and 12 rebounds as three Memphis players recorded double-doubles, and the Tigers extended the nation’s longest winning streak to 22 games.

The win also gave the Tigers 58 straight wins, including the postseason, in C-USA. Seniors Dozier, Antonio Anderson and Chance McGrady have won 132 games in their four-year careers at Memphis.

“That’s something you don’t dream of,” Dozier said.

At times, Memphis struggled in the game, partly because of the Senior Day ceremonies, and perhaps because they again were moving through the conference schedule without many challenges.

“I wouldn’t say we were bored, but sometimes we tend to lack focus in games,” said reserve guard Roburt Sallie, who finished with 11 points, including three 3-pointers in the second half. “We know we have to maintain what we need to do to beat teams.”

Tyreke Evans had 17 points, 10 rebounds and six assists, while Shawn Taggart added 14 points and 10 rebounds for the Tigers (28-3, 16-0).

Kevin Sims had 14 points for the Green Wave (13-16, 7-9). Kris Richard, Tulane’s second-leading scorer with an 11.2 average, had four points on 2-of-12 shooting as the Green Wave shot 30 percent in the game.

“The problem that Memphis presents to everyone in our conference is that we’re not used to playing against two guys being 6-9 (Dozier) and 6-10 (Taggart) with long arms,” Tulane coach Dave Dickerson said. “Evans is probably the best player in our conference and had 10 rebounds and got a double-double.”

Tulane kept it interesting as the Tigers played uninspired until midway in the second half. But Memphis rallied when the Green Wave got near, closing the game on a 27-4 run. Memphis coach John Calipari knew the Tigers would face Tulane’s best since the Green Wave had not played in a week.

“I kind of figured they’d come in with lively legs, and they did,” Calipari said. “Then they hung around.”

Tulane missed seven of its first eight shots, but Memphis was also a bit out of sync. At one point, out of a timeout, the Tigers coaching staff sent six players on the court leading to a technical foul.

Dozier said there may have been a bit of hangover from the pregame festivities, where the seniors and their families were honored.

“Everything I did felt kind of heavy,” Dozier said. “It felt like you had something extra on your back. But once guys settled down, we got into a little flow, we just took off.”

The Memphis defense caused problems for the Green Wave, allowing the Tigers to build to a 35-26 halftime lead. Taggart, who got on the boards early for second-chance opportunities, had 12 points in the half, missing only one of his six shots

Memphis missed five shots to open the half and Tulane went on a 7-0 run to get within 35-33 in the opening 4 minutes.

The Tigers went on a 23-2 run midway through the half. Dozier hit a 3-pointer, and Anderson scored four straight points to start the rally, and by the time Sallie connected on a 3-pointer from the top of the key, the Tigers had extended the lead to 65-45 with 3:47 left.

Dozier said he was never worried.

“I saw that we were struggling,” he said. “But I’ve been here four years, and, with us, we always find a way to pick it up.”

But it was the latest example of a Memphis team that has let opponents hang around until the second half. Houston was in the game with Memphis before losing 69-60 on Wednesday, and several other recent games have been close. Calipari wants to get his team out of the mind-set as they move into the postseason.

“What I’m worried about is in the last few games now, we’ve played just well enough to win,” Calipari said. “You seen them huddle out there with 9 minutes left, and they’re telling each other, as a team: ‘OK. Let’s go.’

“You can’t do that against a really good team. You’ll be down by 20, or you’ll be really close, and a really good team will continue to make plays.”

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Check out Tyreke’s latest diary entry for Philly Hoops. He talks about his experiences as a Tiger.

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Tickets are available for the Conference USA Men’s Basketball Championship that will be held at FedExForum in Memphis, March 11-14.

Fans can purchase all-session tickets through the University of Memphis Tiger ticket office online at www.GoTigersGo.com, and by calling 901-678-2331. The all-session tickets are good for all four days of the tournament and includes 11 games. Prices are as follows: Premium - $300, Plaza - $170, Club - $170, Terrace - $80, Special Terrace - $60. Unless otherwise stated, all tickets will be sent via FedEx 2-Day delivery in mid-February. If any individual game tickets become available, they will not be on sale until Monday, March 9, 2009 through the FedExForum Box Office and Ticketmaster.

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 KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (AP) -When Memphis coach John Calipari watches his team play Tennessee, he sees more than just a basketball game.”What I told the guys was it was going to be war,” he said. “I watched the tape from last year, and it was a war. It was not basketball, it was hand-to-hand combat.”

Tyreke Evans scored 17 points, including a free throw with one second remaining, helping the No. 22 Tigers to a 54-52 victory over the in-state rival Vols on Saturday. It was Memphis’ 10th straight win.

The Tigers avenged last season’s loss to Tennessee, when the two teams met as No. 1 vs. No. 2. The underdog Vols won 66-62 in that one, handing Memphis its only loss of the regular season and knocking it from the top of the poll.

Evans scored Memphis‘ final seven points, making a layup with 2:53 remaining to give the Tigers (16-3) a 53-50 lead.

He was a high school senior for last year’s historic game, but Calipari made it very clear to him how important it was to win.

“It’s a rivalry game and (Calipari) and their coach don’t get along,” Evans said. “I could see it in his face how bad he wanted to win. I think he’s probably happier than us.”

Wayne Chism, who scored Tennessee’s last 11 points, made two free throws with 2:34 left to cut Memphis‘ lead to 53-52.

Both teams would go the next 2 minutes without scoring.

Evans missed a short jumper with 34 seconds left, and Bobby Maze grabbed the rebound for Tennessee (12-6). After a timeout, Tyler Smith, who scored the winning shot in last year’s game, missed an off-balance jumper with about 5 seconds left.

“I was trying to make some contact. I thought I did, but at the same time, I’ve got to make that shot,” Smith said.

After Evans missed the back end a 1-and-1, Chism grabbed the rebound and called a timeout with one second left. All the Vols could manage was a midcourt shot by Josh Tabb that fell short.

Antonio Anderson and Doneal Mack both had 10 points for the Tigers, while Shawn Taggart grabbed nine rebounds.

Chism led the Vols with 15 points, while Smith had 13 points and 10 rebounds, and J.P. Prince had 10 points.

It was a game of runs, with eight lead changes and seven ties. Tennessee grabbed its largest lead on a tip-in by Smith with 8:43 left in the first half to make it 19-14.

After being down by a point at halftime, Memphis slowly pulled away with the help of free throws by Taggart and a 3-point play by Evans.

The Tigers grabbed a 42-34 lead on a layup by Evans with 15:41 left.

Chism found his shot with a layup with 9:59 left and scored the next nine points to keep the Tigers within reach.

Memphis has used its stingy defense to hold opponents to 37.1 percent from the floor this season, and Tennessee could manage only 32.7 percent. The Tigers shut down the Vols’ perimeter game, holding them to only two 3-point baskets.

“Our opponents will continue to collapse on us, and until we make some jump shots it will continue to happen,” Tennessee coach Bruce Pearl said.

The Tigers only shot 33.9 percent against a Vols defense that has struggled all season.

Before Saturday, Tennessee had won the last two and seven of the last nine meetings with Memphis. All but five of the teams’ all-time meetings have been decided by 10 points or fewer.

“We came out with the victory. Losing three in a row would have killed me,” Anderson said.

Tennessee has lost only two non-conference home games under Pearl in 30 tries. The first came Jan. 7 in a 89-79 overtime loss to Gonzaga.

“This game is a resume-building opportunity loss for us,” Pearl said. Memphis is a very good team, as was Gonzaga, and those were both resume-building opportunities.”

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ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) - Robert Dozier, Antonio Anderson and Tyreke Evans each scored 15 points and Memphis rallied from an eight-point second-half deficit to beat UCF 73-66 on Saturday.

Memphis (12-3, 2-0 Conference USA) snapped the Knights’ 12-game home winning streak in front of the largest crowd in UCF history (9,825).

UCF (10-5, 0-1) took a 53-48 lead on a 3-pointer by Isaac Sosa with 14:52 remaining. But Memphis’ defense didn’t allow the Knights a field goal for the next 11:18. During that period, the Tigers outscored UCF 21-7 to take a 69-60 lead.

Jermaine Taylor’s basket with 51 seconds left brought the Knights to 69-66, but a basket by Evans and two free throws by Doneal Mack, who finished with 11 points, sealed the Memphis victory.

Taylor finished with 24 points, Tony Davis scored 16 and Kenrick Zondervan finished with 10 points for UCF.

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Jan. 3, 2009

Final Stats

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) -Antonio Anderson scored 12 points, dished out 13 assists and grabbed 10 rebounds to help Memphis to a 108-75 victory over Lamar on Saturday night.

Anderson became only the second Memphis player in history to record a triple-double since Anfernee Hardaway in 1993. Tyreke Evans, who went 11 of 16 from the field, scored 25 points.

Robert Dozier finished with 19 points, and Shawn Taggart scored 15 points Doneal Mack had 14 for the Tigers (10-3).

Kenny Dawkins led Lamar (9-4) with 19 points, while Brandon McThay contributed 12. Charlie Harper and Tristan Worrell had 11 apiece for the Cardinals.

Memphis, which won its fourth straight since a 72-65 loss to Syracuse on Dec. 20, shot 53 percent.

Memphis put the game away in the first half, erasing an early Lamar advantage with a 16-0 run.

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Tyreke Evans had 27 points and seven steals, both career highs, to lead Memphis to an 80-48 victory over Northeastern on Wednesday.

The freshman guard connected on 9 of 13 shots, including 4 of 5 from outside the 3-point arc as Memphis won its third straight. Robert Dozier added 16 points, making all 10 of his free throws, and Antonio Anderson scored 11 for Memphis.

The Tigers (9-3) pulled away at the end of the first half and were never threatened the rest of the way.

Manny Adako led Northeastern (6-5), hitting all seven of his shots in the game. Matt Janning, the Huskies’ leading scorer, was limited to six points, going 2-for-12 from the field. Janning missed all four of his 3-point shot attempts.

The Huskies, coming off a 55-42 win at Indiana on Monday, held an early lead, but struggled after the midway point of the first half.

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MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) - Antonio Anderson scored 18 points while Tyreke Evans added a double-double with 14 points and 10 rebounds to lead Memphis to a 60-45 victory over Cincinnati on Monday night.

“We laughed and said Tyreke (Evans) could have had a quadruple double because he almost had 10 turnovers, but it was his first start at point guard and I was on him,” said Memphis coach John Calipari. “The only thing he has to do is jump shot.”

Anderson, who has struggled shooting for most of the season, connected on 8 of 13 shots as the Tigers won their second straight and snapped the Bearcats’ four-game winning streak. He also added eight assists in the win.

“We need senior leadership and Antonio (Anderson) showed it today,” Calipari said. “He had some courage on some shots. In transition, he pulled up. And we have other guys wide open and no one near them and they’re shooting air balls. I’m trying to get Tyreke in that bunch.”

Anderson’s 18 points were a season-high for the senior from Lynn, Mass. His previous high on the season was 15 points against Massachussetts. Anderson has had previous success against Cincinnati, netting 32 points on 11 made field goals, including seven three pointers against the Bearcats during his freshman season in 2005.

Robert Dozier added 17 points for Memphis (8-3).

Deonta Vaughn led the Bearcats (10-3) with 17 points, and was the only Cincinnati player in double figures. The Bearcats were hindered by a 26.1 percent shooting from the field (12 of 46) and 20 turnovers.

“If you hold a team to 60 points, with as much athleticism as Memphis has and hold them to 37.5 percent shooting, we should have a chance,” said Cincinnati coach Mick Cronin. “You can’t have 20 turnovers though. We had some guys that looked really shaky with the basketball tonight. Of course, we’re starting two freshmen, and we have a long way to go as far as being able to go on the road with success.

Memphis will return to the court on New Year’s Eve for a 1:00 p.m. tipoff with Northeastern. The game marks the fifth-straight home game for the Tigers at FedExForum. It is part of a seven-game home stand for the U of M.

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MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) -Jonny Flynn had 24 points and six assists, Paul Harris added 15 points and eight rebounds and No. 11 Syracuse beat No. 23 Memphis 72-65 on Saturday night.

Flynn, who was questionable for the game because of an ailing hip that he hurt in the second half against Canisius on Wednesday, was 9-of-17 from the field.

Rick Jackson finished with 14 points and seven rebounds for the Orange (11-1).

Roburt Sallie and Pierre Henderson-Niles led Memphis (6-3) with 12 points apiece, as the Tigers shot 34 percent in the game. They were just 7-of-33 outside the 3-point arc.

Memphis has lost three of its last five games.

Despite the poor shooting night, particularly from outside, Memphis was still within 60-57 with just over 5 minutes to play. But Syracuse would make enough free throws down the stretch to hold on for its second straight win, after its only loss of the season came on a desperation shot by Cleveland State on Monday night.

The Orange were without starting guard Eric Devendorf, the team’s second-leading scorer, who is under university suspension after he was accused of hitting a female student on Nov. 1.

Syracuse already has wins this season over nationally ranked Florida and Kansas, last season’s national champion.

Meanwhile, Memphis entered the game having lost to ranked teams Xavier and Georgetown.

Syracuse packed its zone defense into the paint, leaving Memphis to pass the ball around the perimeter looking for an opening. There was little reason for the Orange to extend because Memphis made only one of 15 shots from outside the arc in the first half.

The Orange initially weren’t shooting much better, hitting only one of their first seven shots from 3-point range, but they would get better as Memphis continued to misfire.

Flynn was the offensive spark for the Orange in the first half. His 3-pointer from the top of the key stopped Memphis’ 9-0 run, then hit another 3 from near the same spot.

The Orange eventually would close the half on a 15-6 run, including the last seven points, to carry a 35-33 lead into the break. Syracuse hit seven of it last 10 shots from the field, including all three of its 3-pointers.

Flynn finished the half with 12 points.

The two teams remained close in the second half. Memphis coach John Calipari kept grasping for anyone who could make a shot, continually shuffling players as Memphis missed 18 of its first 19 from long range. Nothing worked even as Syracuse sloughed off on defense.

The most success against the zone came from those limited times where the Tigers were able to force passes into the lane, but that was rare. Memphis would take a 53-52 lead with 8:50 left, but Flynn answered the basket and the Orange didn’t trail the rest of the way.

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