LAHAINA, Hawaii — From a Memphis viewpoint, there are two distinct ways to look at this game against Georgia Tech, regardless of the outcome.

1) Memphis vs. Thaddeus Young — If Memphis wins, there will be a good bit of glee coming from the Tigers fan base (and privately, a good bit within the program). If Memphis loses, it will be hard to ignore the obvious question: How much different would the outcome have been if Young was in a different jersey.

2) Two top-25 teams trying to establish a pecking order early in the season — If Memphis wins, I think John Calipari and staff will feel very good about their trip here, no matter what happens in the final. Should the Tigers lose, however, the pressure will definitely be on in the consolation game against either Kentucky or UCLA because nobody wants to leave here 1-2. Though games this early in the season certainly are be-all, end-all kind of games, this test should give Memphis a pretty good idea whether that preseason top-15 ranking was justified.

As far as what will happen? I don’t have a feel one way or the other. I thought Tech looked very good in beating Purdue. I thought Memphis looked solid against Oklahoma for about 30 minutes. I think Memphis will be very, very motivated because of the Young factor.

Enjoy!