March 17, 2009

• NCAA Tournament Central
• Gametracker
• Watch Live With NCAA^® March Madness^® on Demand
• Complete Release

NO. 3/2 TIGERS TO MEET CAL STATE NORTHRIDGE IN NCAA TOURNEY FIRST ROUND ON THURSDAY
The University of Memphis squad (31-3, 16-0 C-USA), ranked No. 3 in the Associated Press poll and No. 2 in ESPN/USA Today poll, opens NCAA Tournament play on Thursday, Mar. 19 when it faces Cal State Northridge (17-13, 11-5 Big West). The NCAA Tournament first round game is slated for an 11:25 a.m. (CT) start at the Sprint Center in Kansas City, Mo.

CBS Sports (Memphis digital cable channel 3/WREG) is televising the Tigers-Matadors NCAA Tournament first round game.

Memphis finished the 2008-09 C-USA regular season with a perfect 16-0 league mark and then won the league's postseason tournament. It was the fourth-straight year the Tigers swept the C-USA regular season and tournament titles, and the third-consecutive year they posted an unblemished record in league regular season play.

Memphis enters the NCAA Tournament on a 25-game win streak, which is currently the longest in the nation. The win streak began on Dec. 22 with an 87-49 victory over Drexel. The streak also includes wins over Cincinnati 60-45, Northeastern 80-48, Lamar 108-75, Marshall 80-57, UCF 73-66, Tulsa (away) 55-54, UAB (home) 81-68, Rice 80-52, Tennessee 54-52, East Carolina 85-64, Houston (home) 83-68, SMU (away) 79-66, No. 18/18 Gonzaga 68-50, Tulsa (home) 63-37, Southern Miss (away) 72-47, SMU (home) 90-47, UTEP 70-63, UAB (away) 71-60, Southern Miss (home) 58-42, Houston (away) 69-60 and Tulane 74-47. The win streak continued through the C-USA Tournament with victories over Tulane 51-41, Houston 74-49 and Tulsa 64-39.

Cal State Northridge enters the NCAA Tournament having won its last two contests and 11 of its last 14 games. The Matadors won the Big West Conference Tournament with wins over UC Santa Barbara (67-60) and Pacific (71-66, ot). Of its three setbacks in the last 14 games, Cal State Northridge dropped two decisions by single digits.

SCOUTING THE MATADORS
Cal State Northridge brings a 17-13 overall record into the NCAA Tournament. The Matadors won the Big West regular season crown with an 11-5 league record.

Cal State Northridge enters tournament play having won its last two contests and 11 of its last 14 games. The Matadors won the Big West Conference Tournament with wins over UC Santa Barbara (67-60) and Pacific (71-66, ot). Of its three setbacks in the last 14 games, Cal State Northridge dropped two decisions by single digits.

Senior forward Tremaine Townsend leads the Matadors' offense as the squad's lone double-figure scorer at 10.9 ppg. Senior guard Rob Haynes is the team's second-leading scorer at 9.4 ppg. Townsend leads Cal State Northridge on the glass with an 8.4 rebounding average (first in Big West Conference). Haynes (42.3 percent) and junior guard Kenny Daniels (37.9 percent) are the team's top three-point threats.

Cal State Northridge is shooting 45.4 percent from the floor, 35.2 percent from the arc and 69.4 percent from the free throw line. The Matadors are out-rebounding their opponents by an average margin of + 3.6 boards per game (37.3-33.7).

Bobby Braswell is in his 13th season as the head coach of the Matador program. He has an overall record of 205-180 (.532 winning percentage). Braswell has led Cal State Northridge to three regular season titles (two Big West, one Big Sky) and two tournament crowns (one Big West, one Big Sky).

AND THE WINNER GETS...
Thursday's Memphis-Cal State Northridge NCAA Tournament first round winner will meet the California-Maryland winner in the second round on Saturday. The Bears, the West Region No. 7 seed, bring a 22-10 mark into the NCAA Tournament, while the Terrapins, the No. 10 seed, have a 20-13 record.

MATADORS IN THE NCAA TOURNAMENT
Cal State Northridge is making its second NCAA Tournament appearance. The Matadors won the Big Sky Conference's automatic berth in 2001 and received a No. 13 seed in the Midwest Region. Cal State Northridge fell to No. 4 seed Kansas 99-75 in the first round in Dayton, Ohio.

BATTLE OF THE ENTERTAINMENT WORLD
Thursday's NCAA Tournament first round game between Memphis and Cal State Northridge features a battle of two schools with prominent entertainers as alums.

A couple of Memphis graduates that went on to television and film are Dixie Carter, Fred Thompson and Wink Martindale. Matador graduates include Paula Abdul, Richard Dreyfuss, Jenna Elfman, Helen Hunt, Chris Kattan, Cheech Marin and Eva Mendes.

Of course, the city of Memphis is also known as the home for the King of Rock `n Roll, Elvis Presley, and pop icon Justin Timberlake, who is a huge Tigers' fan.

SEEDING IN THE NCAA TOURNAMENT
For the fourth time in school history and the second time in the last four years, Memphis earned a No. 2 seed in the NCAA Tournament. The Tigers also earned a No. 2 seed in the 2007, 1985 and 1982 NCAA Tournaments.

In the 2006 NCAA Tournament, Memphis earned a No. 1 seed, marking the first time in school history the Tigers were a top seed. The 2007-08 Tigers also earned a No. 1 seed.

Overall, this year's No. 2 seed is the eighth time the Tigers are a top four seed. In addition to its No. 1 seed in 2006 and 2008 and four No. 2 seeds in 1982, 1985, 2007 and 2009, Memphis was a No. 3 seed in 1986 and a No. 4 seed in 1983.

The NCAA Tournament began seeding teams in 1979.

MEMPHIS IN NCAA TOURNEY
The Tigers are playing in their 22nd NCAA Tournament in 2009. Memphis has an overall NCAA Tournament record of 30-21 (.588 winning pct.).

In last year's NCAA Tournament, the Tigers defeated Texas-Arlington 87-63, Mississippi State 77-74, Michigan State 92-74, Texas 85-67 and UCLA 78-63 to advance to the NCAA title game for the second time in the program's history. Memphis fell to Kansas 75-68 in overtime in the championship game.

The 2008 Final Four apperance was the program's third in school history. The previous two seasons (2005-06, 2006-07), Memphis advanced to the Elite Eight/regional finals, where it lost to NCAA championship game participants Ohio State (92-76) in 2007 and UCLA (50-45) in 2006.

The Tiger program made its first NCAA Tournament appearance in 1955. Memphis advanced to the 1973 NCAA Tournament championship game, where it lost to UCLA. The Tigers advanced to their second Final Four in 1985, falling to Villanova in the national semifinals. Memphis earned five-straight NCAA Tournament bids from 1982-86.

ONE AND ONLY, PART I
Memphis is the only program in NCAA Division I basketball to earn a No. 1 or No. 2 seed in the last four postseason tournaments (2006-09). The Tigers were a No. 1 seed in 2006 and 2008 and a No. 2 seed in 2007 and 2009.

ONE AND ONLY, PART II
Memphis is the only program in NCAA Division I basketball to enter the last four postseason tournaments (2006-09) with 30 or more wins. The Tigers had 30 victories when they started NCAA Tournament play in 2006 and 2007. Memphis had 33 wins entering the 2008 tournament, and Tigers have 31 wins this year.

ONE OF ONLY TWO
Memphis is one of only two teams in the nation to enter the 2009 NCAA Tournament play with 30 or more victories. The Tigers are 31-3 entering this year's tournament. The other 30-win team in the NCAA Tourmmant is Utah State with a 30-4 record.

MORE ON 30-WIN TEAMS ENTERING NCAA TOURNAMENT
In NCAA Tournament history, Memphis and Utah State are the 32nd and 33rd teams, respectively, to enter the "Big Dance" with 30 or more victories. The following are the teams that have done so:

Year	Team	Record

1948	Kentucky	31-2

1950	Bradley	30-4

1985	Georgetown	30-2

1986	Bradley	31-2

		Duke	32-2

		Kansas	31-3

		UNLV	31-4

		St. John's	30-4

1987	UNLV	33-1

		Temple	31-3

1988	Arizona	31-2

		Oklahoma	30-3

1991	Arkansas	31-3

		UNLV	30-0

1996	Connecticut	30-2

		UMass	31-1

1997	Kansas	32-1

		Kentucky	30-4

1998	Kansas	34-3

		North Carolina	30-3

1999	Duke	32-1

2002	Cincinnati	30-3

2005	Illinois	32-1

2006	Memphis	30-3

2007	Kansas	30-4

		Memphis	30-3

		Ohio State	30-3

2008	Memphis#	33-1

		North Carolina#	32-2

		Kansas#	31-3

		UCLA#	31-3

2009	Memphis	31-3

		Utah State	30-4

# reached 2008 Final Four

MEMPHIS VERSUS THE BIG WEST
The Tigers have an all-time record of 8-2 against current members of the Big West Conference. Memphis has played Cal Poly (1-0), Long Beach State (1-1), UC Davis (3-0) and UC Santa Barbara (3-1).

The last time the Tigers faced a Big West Conference foe was the 1994-95 campaign. That year, Memphis posted an 82-73 home victory over Long Beach State on Feb. 20, 1995.

CALIPARI VERSUS THE BIG WEST
John Calipari has not coached against a current member of the Big West Conference.

COMMON FOE
Memphis and Cal State Northridge have played one common foe in 2008-09. The following shows the results of that common foe:

	Memphis	Opponent	CSUN

	87-49, W (H)	Drexel	47-55, L (A)

DEFENSIVE SIMILARITIES...
Thursday's game may get a little defensive as both Memphis and Cal State Northridge are near the top of their respective leagues in a couple of defensive categories, and the following shows that (conference rank follows stat):

	Memphis	Stat	CSUN

	36.2/1st	FG Pct. Defense	41.7/1st

	29.3/2nd	3-pt. FG Pct. Defense	32.4/1st

	+6.2/1st	Rebound Margin	+3.6/1st

	8.82/1st	Steals	8.93/1st

...BUT GAME COULD BE A TRACK MEET
While both squads can play tough defense, Memphis and Cal State Northridge can also put some points on the board. The Tigers are third in Conference USA in scoring offense at 74.1 ppg, while the Matadors lead the Big West Conference in scoring offense at 73.7 ppg.

PLAYING INTO THE TIGERS' DEN?
The Matadors may be going right into the Tigers' den when the two teams meet on Thursday in the NCAA Tournament first round contest. Cal State Northridge averages 17.7 turnovers per game, which is the most in the Big West Conference. The Memphis defense forces the most turnovers per game in Conference USA at 15.7.

While the Matadors have a high turnover average, their defense also forces opponents into a lot of miscues. Cal State Northridge leads the Big West in forced turnovers at 17.4.

MEMPHIS CLAIMS FOURTH-STRAIGHT C-USA TOURNEY, REGULAR SEASON TITLES
The Tigers won their fourth-straight Conference USA Tournament title with a 64-39 championship game victory over Tulsa on Mar. 14. The tournament crown followed Memphis' fourth-consecutive regular season title. The Tigers won the 2008-09 C-USA regular season title with a perfect 16-0 mark. The following shows Memphis' championships the last four years:

Year	Reg. Season/Finish	Tourney

2008-09	16-0/1st	3-0/Champ

2007-08	16-0/1st	3-0/Champ

2006-07	16-0/1st	3-0/Champ

2005-06	13-1/1st	3-0/Champ

TIGERS ONE OF FOUR
With its sweep of the 2008-09 Conference USA regular season and tournament titles, Memphis became only the fourth program in NCAA Division I history to win four-straight outright regular season crowns and four-consecutive tournament titles in the same season. The following shows the four programs that accomplished that feat:

Team/Head Coach	Conf.	No./Yrs.

UMass/John Calipari	Atlantic-10	5/1992-96

N.C. State/Everett Case	Southern	5/1947-51

Memphis/John Calipari	C-USA	4/2006-09

Gonzaga/Mark Few	West Coast	4/2004-07

THIRTY TIMES FOUR/PART I
With its three wins in the Conference USA Tournament Mar. 12-14, Memphis went over the 30-win plateau (now has 31 wins; 31-3 record) for the fourth-consecutive year. The Tiger hoops program is the first in NCAA Division I history to record four-consecutive 30-win seasons. Memphis had 33-4 marks in 2005-06 and 2006-07 and a 38-2 record in 2007-08.

Last season, Memphis became only the second school in NCAA Division I history to have three-straight 30-win campaigns. The Tigers joined Kentucky (1947-49; 1996-98) in that select group. Last year's UCLA squad also joined the club after Memphis did so.

THIRTY TIMES FOUR/PART II
With its three wins in the Conference USA Tournament Mar. 12-14, Memphis went over the 30-win plateau (now has 31 wins; 31-3 record) for the fourth-consecutive year, making John Calipari the first coach in NCAA Division I history to have four-straight 30-win seasons.

Last year, Calipari became the second coach in NCAA Division I history to have three-straight 30-win seasons, joining Kentucky's Adolph Rupp (1947-49). UCLA's Ben Howland became the third coach to join the club.

Calipari led the Tigers to 33-4 records in 2005-06 and 2006-07 and an NCAA record 38-2 mark in 2007-08. Memphis enters the NCAA Tournament with a 31-3 mark.

CALIPARI HAS SIXTH 30-WIN SEASON
With the Tigers' victory over Houston Mar. 13 in the C-USA Tournament semifinal, head coach John Calipari recorded his sixth 30-win season as a collegiate head coach. It is his fourth-straight 30-victory season at Memphis, as the Tigers went 33-4 in both 2005-06 and 2006-07 and 38-2 in 2007-08. Memphis is 31-3 entering this year's NCAA Tournament.

As a result of this year's 30-win campaign, Calipari now is tied for the No. 3 spot on the NCAA Division I list for coaches with 30-win seasons. The following lists the top five NCAA Division I coaches with 30-win campaigns:

Head Coach	No. of 30-win seasons

Mike Krzyzewski	9

Roy Williams	8

John Calipari	6

Jim Calhoun	6

Knight/Pitino/Richardson/	4

Rupp/Tarkanian/Wooden

For more notes on the Memphis-Cal State Northridge NCAA Tournament game, click on pdf link at the top of the page.