It’s being reported that Derrick Rose will declare for the NBA draft. I can’t say I blame him since he’ll be the 1st or 2nd pick.

As painful as it was last Monday night for Tigers fans we should realize that we just watched the Tigers have a very, very special season. I don’t want to sound too obvious but if you play in the last game of the season then you had a great year. In the end, seeing my new granddaughter come to life last Friday and spending a couple of days playing on the floor with my 4-year-old grandson made me put things in perspective.

The Tigers were 38-2. As you already know that’s the most wins in an NCAA season. They completed their second consecutive perfect season in C-USA. I know some will say, “yeah but it’s CUSA.” That’s all well and fine but to win 38 straight in any D-1 conference is amazing. All the top teams lost games against sub-50 RPI teams. Why? Because it is hard night in and night out to get kids up for every game. The Tigers got the best from everyone they played yet still beat most of them down. UAB was 20-22 from the FT line in the Tigers’ last-second win in Birmingham. I think that game showed the special part of this team. They simply refused to lose that game and did what they had to do to win it.

They scored 81 points per game and had an average margin of victory of 20 points. The boys in blue maxed out at 104 points against NCAA bound Austin Peay. They also allowed the Governors to score the most points (82) on the Tigers as well. CDR and company scored 70 points in 35 of their games. In fact both of their losses were games where they scored fewer than 70 points. 38 wins with only 4 of them being by single digits. 34 double digit wins with USC being the only NCAA team to get within 10 of the Tigers.

The 2008 postseason was as magical as any I’ve ever seen. The truth is the Tigers gave away a game they had won last Monday night. I’m not discounting what KU did but that’s the truth because one FT wins the game for the Tigers. The Tigers played as poorly as I’ve seen them play in the first half of that game but still had the heart to come back and take a lead. Enough about that…..

C-USA Tournament–The Tigers postseason started with the C-USA tournament where they won by 20 points per game. They beat Southern Miss by 16 despite the Golden Eagles making 24 of 26 FT’s. They manhandled Tulsa in the final. The same Tulsa team that eventually won the CBI tournament. I know that tournament means little but shows that the Golden Hurricane was playing its best basketball of the season.

NCAA Tournament–In the first round of the NCAA tournament they beat Texas-Arlington by 24 points which was the 2nd largest margin of victory ever for a Memphis team in the tournament. The Tigers’ final 3 wins in the tournament were the most dominant in in those 3 rounds as I’ve ever seen. Being up by 30 at the half in the Sweet 16 just doesn’t happen. I don’t recall ever seeing that kind of beatdown in that round. Then to beat Texas by 18 essentially on their home floor was mindblowing. What they did to UCLA in the national semifinal was something we Tigers fans will talk about for years to come.

I will remember this season for these reasons:
–Most wins in a season
–38 consecutive conference wins
–National Runnerup
–The personality of this team. They were as “loveable” a Tigers team as I can remember.
–They gave me the most fun I’ve ever heard in March watching the Tigers.