The Tigers must be just as ready to start playing real games as I am to start seeing them. It was clear Friday during the drill portion of practice that their enthusiasm wasn’t quite there. But once the live/scrimmage stuff started, they came alive and looked pretty good. By this point, it’s pretty clear that day after day of doing drills has worn on them. It’s worn on me, too. Fortunately, Saturday morning is pretty much the last real practice before UT-Martin on Monday. On Sunday night, the team will meet down at FedExForum and do a walkthrough and some shooting, starting their pregame routine.

Joey Dorsey didn’t practice again on Friday. His MRI came back fine; he has a Grade I AC joint sprain in his right shoulder, which is typically a 7-to-10 day injury. Saturday will be one week, so being ready to play Monday was always right on the borderline. It won’t necessarily be a bad thing for the Tigers if Joey sits out. I suspect Memphis will be able to get by UT-Martin and Maine/Richmond without him, and it will be a good opportunity for Shawn Taggart to play more. The biggest thing Memphis will have to prove at some point this season is that they can play without Dorsey. All you have to do is look at Dorsey’s non-performances in the last two Elite Eight games to see why. Taggart, though he still has a lot to learn, has been pretty good the past few days. We’ll see if he’s ready.