Memphis Tigers walk into Phoenix as tigers, leave as pussycats

on 03 27, 2009

Two Tigers entered the University of Phoenix stadium last night. One of them left a Tiger, and the other a pussycat. Not enough talent? Nope. Poor officiating? Negative. So what is the explanation behind the Memphis thrashing that took place last night?

Lack of talent was most definitely not the reason Memphis got WORKED last night. It was a valiant effort Memphis made down the stretch against Missouri, however Memphis coach John Calipari was once again out-coached and ill-prepared. The final score is not telling of what went down last night in Glendale, AZ. Down 24 at one point, the Memphis Tigers fought back to make the mauling they received look somewhat sensible, losing 91-102.

John Calipari

Wait a minute, I thought Calipari’s guys played lock-down defense? How does a team known for their superior D allow 102 points?! You could credit Mizzou for controlling the rapidity of the game, but as our followers have begun to notice, we love to hate. Calipari was out-smarted and completely out-coached…surprise, surprise.

The Missouri Tigers earned their stripes, and Memphis lost them. Mizzou head coach Mike Anderson just exposed that sad excuse for a coach Memphis has. ‘John, you’ll get nothing and like it. Get your notepad out and take notes. I’m playing this game my way and you can’t do a damn thing about it.’ Anderson used to coach in the frail Conference USA(Tulsa, UAB), so he knows all about it. There’s a reason he moved on to a larger and more prestigious conference. Since taking over head coaching duties in 2006, Anderson has single-handedly turned the Missouri basketball program into national contenders. Head coach Anderson plays an up-tempo style of ball, with a strong emphasis on defense, which was all showcased on Thursday night.

Calipari’s Tigers shot a derisory 56% from the free-throw stripe and were completely manhandled pretty much the entire game. Calipari obviously didn’t have his guys ready to play, and it is not a shocker. This guy is completely puffed up and overhyped. I can’t stress it enough; John Calipari is not an elite coach! Mediocre at best! There was only one(1) good coach on the floor last night, and that was Mizzou’s Mike Anderson.

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