The word from today’s U of M practice was that Chris Douglas-Roberts’ right ankle is merely sprained; that it’s not a high ankle sprain or anything of that sort.

The team today did some shooting and weightlifting. It’s doubtful CDR will practice tomorrow, and his status for Saturday’s game at East Carolina is very questionable. If he sits out, he’d have a full week to heal before next Wednesday’s game against Tulsa at FedExForum.

As coach John Calipari mentioned to the team today, attempting to play Tuesday was impressive and selfless. By only playing about 1 minute, 30 seconds, all of his season averages went down pretty significantly.

Another dominant performance by the Tigers.

What stood out most to me was the decision-making and execution on offense. The Tigers have really improved a lot in that area since mid-December, and once they got into a good flow, they simply overwhelmed UAB.

Given how well UAB had played some good opponents — they beat DePaul and nearly beat Florida — this should have been a more competitive game. But when Memphis is executing, it’s hard to envision how anybody in this conference will be able to hang with the Tigers.
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NASCAR lost one of its biggest personalities on the same day the NHRA unveiled its next big star.

Former Cup champion Benny Parsons lost his battle with lung cancer at age 65 on Tuesday. He had been in declining health since complications from his lung cancer treatment arose a couple of months ago.

Named one of NASCAR’s 50 Greatest Drivers, BP’s lasting legacy to the sport will be from his work in the boradcast booth. Benny, Bob Jenkins and Ned Jarrett gave a lot of fans their introduction to NASCAR during their telecasts on ESPN.
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Just returned from Hattiesburg. Here are a few thoughts:

1. This was my first time in Hattiesburg, and it’s not nearly as bad people say. Sure, it’s a small college town, but I didn’t mind spending the weekend there. I found a couple good hang-outs, and the weather was great, about 70 degrees and sunny.

2. As for Reed Green Coliseum, well, it needs some upgrades. I’ll be interested to compare it to some of the upcoming road venues Memphis will visit. My basis of comparison is the Mountain West Conference, which I covered the last couple years before moving to Memphis. In terms of seating, press facilities, locker rooms, fan amenities, parking, concessions and aesthetics, TCU’s Daniel-Meyer Coliseum is by far the worst facility in that league with Wyoming’s Arena-Auditorium probably the second-worst. Both of those facilities, however, are far better than Reed Green. Apparently, there was some renovation being done — at least, that’s what they told me when I asked where the press room was. We’ll see how that comes out next year.

As far as the game, I thought going in that it was a dangerous game for the Tigers, and it proved to be every bit the test I expected.
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Interesting to see the Tigers get official visits from two high school standouts who have already committed to Ole Miss and Vanderbilt.

In Prattville (Ala.) High quarterback Larry Smith, the Tigers are receiving a visit from a player who ideally fits the spread offense. Smith, a Vanderbilt commitment, is a dual-threat quarterback who led Prattville to the state championship and won Alabama’s Mr. Football Award. Smith seemed genuinely interested in the U of M and said the fact his high school ran Memphis’s spread offense is attractive.

In Okolona (Miss.) running back Robert Elliott, the Tigers are receiving a visit from a player who may be the most decorated at his position to step on campus since DeAngelo Williams made his official trip five years ago. Elliott is considered one of the nation’s top 15 backs and rated as the state’s No. 2 player.

West may have suffered through a difficult 2-10 season following the three straight bowl trips, but he’s off to a respectable start in the recruiting season. He signed a solid core group of junior college prospects and is getting visits from high profile prep talent.

HOUSTON — I focused on how the Tigers shot and defended 3-pointers in my game story, but I thought they played very well tonight in almost all facets.

Other than a few too many turnovers — they committed 20 — John Calipari was very happy with the way Memphis won this game, grabbing a big lead at the end of the first half and never really letting Houston make a significant second-half run.

I thought two players had particularly outstanding games, though they didn’t score in double figures:
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HOUSTON — This place is old school.

Everything from the tacky faded-red seats to the plush red carpet that lines the wall separating the seats from the floor reeks of a different era. It’s quirky, but part of the fun of college basketball is experiencing different environments and comparing it to the palatial surroundings we’re all used to at FedExForum. Unfortunately, they’ve got a black tarp over five sectons. I have no clue what kind of crowd they expect here tonight.

By the way, they’ve told me that tip-off has been pushed back to 8:10 p.m., so don’t get upset when ESPN doesn’t switch over at 8 sharp. Doug Gottlieb and Dave Revsine are calling the game for ESPN. They also called the Memphis-Cincinnati game last Thursday.

I’ll try to blog later tonight about the game after I write my story for tomorrow’s newspaper.