Our Tiger Bloggers will give us their thoughts throughout the University of Memphis’ run through the NCAA Tournament

From Erik Henninger, Birmingham:

What a game. I took a bunch of notes on the game, but I threw them away. I don’t think I can take reliving that game knowing the outcome.

First, Ohio State played a great game. Even when Oden was on the bench they stayed tough. Most importantly, they made their free throws down the stretch.

In the opening minutes, The Tigers looked nervous for the first time since the North Texas game. Deep down, I knew The Tigers were going to have a tough time advancing when their FG % was hovering around 40% for the tournament.

As others have said, the refs took Memphis out of the game at crucial times, and I can point to several blown calls.

Yes, Douglas-Roberts foul on Oden was intentional (I don’t think anyone will argue that) but if you’re gonna call that, give Oden a tech for hanging on the rim multiple times (merely of effect or intimidation). Fact is, that Technical would have severely altered the first half, much like the phantom fouls called against Allen and Dorsey did.

If you’re going to take Memphis Players out of the game, do the same for Ohio State. The final doesn’t indicate it, but this was a close game and officiating (or lack there of) was too much of a factor. Unfortunately for Memphis, Ohio State came to play for once in the tournament, and the refs continued their love affair with The Buckeyes (just ask Xavier).

This Memphis team is young. They will lick their wounds, reflect on their mistakes and come back stronger next season. This tournament was an invaluable experience for these players and a thrilling ride for this fan.

Go Tigers Go.

Our Tiger Bloggers will give us their thoughts throughout the University of Memphis’ run through the NCAA Tournament

From David Rubio, Franklin, Tenn.:

After 24 hours of reflection, I have the following thoughts on our Elite 8 game with Ohio State:

1. While they had the best player…I think we had the better team. Each time Oden went to the bench, we made a run & it was during such runs, that we built a lead of our own. And each time we built a lead, Matta would send Oden back in & the lead disappeared. The proof is right there. Oden made that much of a difference. There is no one on our team that means THAT much to our success. Because Conley is so quick & their shooters are hitting big shots, it’s hard to imagine that OSU will be eliminated unless Oden gets in foul trouble.

2. CDR’s intentional foul has haunted me. First, there’s no denying that the resulting shift in momentum was THE turning point in the game…there was simply no bigger moment in the game. Secondly, because I’ve considered it a mistake for Chris to risk picking up his 4th foul with 9:43 remaining under ANY circumstances, I’ve been hesitant to totally blame the refs for the resulting disaster. However, after much consideration, I may have gotten it wrong. (Thinking through the last 66 wins & 8 losses, I just can’t think of another time that CDR made a truly stupid decision.) I’m beginning to think that CDR’s foul might not have been a mistake after all. I mean, who’s kidding whom here, my basketball smarts don’t compare to his…we’re talking CD-freaking-R! Is it possible that his foul was a concerted effort to head off just such a momentum swing? And is it also possible that the refs, by making a terrible mistake by calling an intentional (and by compounding it by giving Oden the bucket), took the game out of the hands of the players & into their own? I think so.
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Our Tiger Bloggers will give us their thoughts throughout the University of Memphis’ run through the NCAA Tournament

From Keith Ellis, Lexington, Ky.:

I’m not going to count my chickens too soon, so I’ll hold back judgment on how amazing the Tigers can be next year until after the early entry deadline. I don’t think any of our guys will go, but I have seen crazier things happen in the past, and I don’t want to jump the gun. But if you look at all the pieces that should be in place for next year, one has to believe we’ll be in the preseason top 5, if not #1 depending on how many guys leave other schools. We lose Jeremy, who I admit I was wrong about at the beginning of the season, but Doneal can play his role. We add in Derrick Rose, and everything else stays the same. The one thing I worry about is how the team chemistry will be affected by the addition of a star. Will Rose be okay not taking the final shot, can he give way to CDR and Antonio’s leadership? These are my concerns. Otherwise I’d like to see Joey continue to get stronger, yet stay out of foul trouble, Pierre and Kareem continue to condition well, and everyone shoot foul shots.

Our Tiger Bloggers will give us their thoughts throughout the University of Memphis’ run through the NCAA Tournament

From Jim Lott, Nashville:

My thoughts on the game were of course of disappointment. I really felt that this was a winnable game for us and one that we would match up well with. It seems that we could never quite get over the hump. Every time we made a run and got back into the game Ohio State would hit a big 3 or make an excellent drive and take over again. At the end I think they did to us what we normally do to other teams and wore us down mentally. And have you ever seen a team hit that many free throws to seal a game! They played an excellent game and certainly deserved to win.

Our guys did give it everything they have and once again I feel this was a very successful season for the Tigers. For the most part we have consistently seen 5 guys working together for the desirable outcome without thinking about their own stats. Jeremy Hunt definitely left his mark on the team and will be missed next year. I think he brought with him a lot of life lessons that served this young team well during the year. Good luck to you Jeremy in your future endeavors.

Now looking forward to next year! Every year works out differently and you never know exactly how a group is going to jell together but on paper this looks to be a very successful team coming next year. With the additions coming in and virtually everyone returning and what we saw this year I think Tiger fans can feel very good about the future.

Thanks to the 2006/07 Tiger team for some GREAT memories and for greatly exceeding expectations. You have been very fun to watch all year and have represented our school, city and state very well.

Our Tiger Bloggers will give us their thoughts throughout the University of Memphis’ run through the NCAA Tournament

From Andrew Ruhland, Memphis:

Well, I think I needed a day to decompress after that game. I tried not to build it up too much in my head, but the visions of Final Fours were dancing around too much up there. Instead of focusing on the loss, to cope, I’ve been focusing on the positives. 1. In a ‘rebuilding’ year, we went to another Elite 8 (and Tennessee didn’t). 2. We competed against the #1 team in the country, and without some fouls, had a real shot at beating them. 3. With that performance, Jeremy Hunt should be playing somewhere in professional basketball next year. 4. CDR, Dorsey, Dozier, Kemp, Allen, Anderson, Cooper, Mack…then sprinkle in a Rose? Impressive. I feel so much better this year than I did last year b/c we actually showed up and played basketball. So hold your head high, keep wearing your Tiger Blue, and fire off an email to Vitale, and remind him of a team from Memphis, and maybe he’ll sit down and catch a game once in a while.

Go Tigers Go!!!

Our Tiger Bloggers will give us their thoughts throughout the University of Memphis’ run through the NCAA Tournament

From David Rubio, Franklin, Tenn.:

ALL GOOD THINGS…

Wow…this is such an empty feeling.

First things first, though: this is STILL a magical time to be a Tiger! No matter what I say next, keep this in mind. A lot of forces combined to make us feel this way today…but at the end of the day, I am so proud of MY team.

My flesh wants to blame the game on the refs (I’ll get to them later – they obviously called a poor game); but really, this game was won by OSU players & lost by ours. Here are my post-game thoughts:

Who was that out there today? Joey was terrible (after calling Oden out!) CDR played like an idiot in crucial moments (Our best player cannot commit ANY foul in that situation – forget that it shouldn’t have been intentional or that it should have been called on the floor…he’s our best player – what was he thinking!) And Calipari was pulling hot shooters & made what I think was an egregious mistake in the first half by pulling both Dozier & Dorsey (prior to any real foul trouble) in favor of Kareem Cooper who was personally responsible for giving up 6 strait points! This just wasn’t the team that we’ve seen play all year.
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Our Tiger Bloggers will give us their thoughts throughout the University of Memphis’ run through the NCAA Tournament

From Michelle Beasley, Cordova:

I really have only a couple of negative things regarding tonights game. First, I think that the referees got it wrong. They called alot of ticky-tack fouls on us, and really gave OSU a lot of leeway. Also, we need a BIG MAN that can score. I am not knocking Joey Dorsey, but he was outplayed tonight, and not just by Oden.

Now for the posititve. What a great job by the Memphis Tigers this season. I can truly say that you far exceeded my expectations and I think next year is going to be our year! You guys showed hustle and heart and played together as a team. I couldn’t be prouder to be a Tiger fan! Don’t you worry, next season is not far away, and we will play for the National Championship!!!
To Jeremy Hunt, you have played with composure and courage. You played with your heart and soul tonight, and you should be proud of your effort. I wish you the best, and know without a doubt you will suceed with your future endeavors!!! We will miss you, Jeremy!

To our future Tigers, be ready for next year! You have alot to live up to !!!!!!!!!