Nov. 22, 2008
Complete Release in PDF Format 
TIGERS TO MEET XAVIER FOR PUERTO RICO TIP-OFF CHAMPIONSHIP SUNDAY
The University of Memphis squad (4-0, 0-0 C-USA), ranked No. 13 in the Associated Press poll and No. 12 in ESPN/USA Today poll, continues its play in the 2008 O'Reilly Auto Parts Puerto Rico Tip-Off on Sunday, Nov. 23 when it faces Xavier (4-0, 0-0 Atlantic 10) in the tournament's championship contest. Game time is 6:30 p.m. (CT) at Coliseo de Puerto Rico in San Juan, Puerto Rico.
Memphis advanced to the championship game with wins over Chattanooga Nov. 20 (83-71 in quarterfinal) and Seton Hall Nov. 21 (84-70 in semifinal). The Tigers began action in the tournament on Nov. 15 with a 90-63 opening-round victory over Fairfield at FedExForum (see tournament bracket on page 4).
Xavier moved to the Puerto Rico Tip-Off championship game with victories over Missouri 75-71 on Nov. 20 and Virginia Tech 63-62 in overtime on Nov. 21.
Memphis, the 2008-09 preseason pick to win Conference USA, returns two starters and eight letterwinners from last year's squad that won an NCAA record 38 games (38-2 record) and advanced to the NCAA Tournament national championship game. En route to the title contest, the Tigers swept the Conference USA regular season and tournament crowns and the NCAA Tournament South Region championship.
Xavier, the preseason favorite to win the 2008-09 Atlantic 10 Conference regular season title, brings a 4-0 mark into Sunday's game. Prior to their play in the Puerto Rico Tip-Off, the Musketeers opened the season with two home wins over IPFW 71-43 and Toledo 81-65.
Last year, the Musketeers posted a 30-7 record and won the Atlantic 10 Conference regular season crown. Xavier received an NCAA Tournament bid and advanced to the Elite Eight (West Region final), where it lost to UCLA.
SCOUTING THE MUSKETEERS
Xavier, the preseason favorite to win the 2008-09 Atlantic 10 Conference regular season title, brings a 4-0 mark into Sunday's game. Prior to their play in the Puerto Rico Tip-Off, the Musketeers opened the season with two home wins over IPFW 71-43 and Toledo 81-65.
Last year, the Musketeers posted a 30-7 record and won the Atlantic 10 Conference regular season crown. Xavier received an NCAA Tournament bid and advanced to the Elite Eight (West Region final), where it lost to UCLA.
Junior forward Derrick Brown leads Xavier with a 12.8 scoring average. Seniors C.J. Anderson and B.J. Raymond are averaging 10.0 ppg apiece. Jamel McLean leads the Musketeers on the glass with a 6.5 rebounding average. Brown is second on the squad on the boards at 5.5 rpg.
Xavier is shooting 46.1 percent from the field, 35.1 percent from the arc and 69.1 percent from the free throw line. The Musketeers are dominating their opponents on the glass, out-rebounding their foes by an average of +12.3 boards per game (41.8-29.5).
MEMPHIS VS. THE ATLANTIC 10
Memphis has an all-time record of 62-62 against current members of the Atlantic 10 Conference. The Tigers have played Charlotte (7-6), Dayton (7-12), Duquesne (0-2), Fordham (2-1), George Washington (0-1), La Salle (1-1), Massachusetts (1-1), Rhode Island (0-1), Richmond (4-0), St. Bonaventure (1-1), Saint Joseph's (1-1), Saint Louis (32-25), Temple (5- 5) and Xavier (1-5).
The last time the Tigers played an Atlantic 10 foe was earlier this week when Memphis hosted UMass in a near midnight game (11 p.m. CT) on Nov. 17. The Tigers defeated the Minutemen 80-58 at FedExForum. The game tipped off ESPN's marathon of college basketball, as the network televised 23 hours of hoops.
AN ELITE MATCH-UP ON SUNDAY
When the Tigers and Musketeers meet Sunday, it will be an encounter of two Elite programs -- as in NCAA Elite Eight. With both teams' deep runs in the 2008 NCAA Tournament, Memphis and Xavier became two of only nine teams to advance to at least two Elite Eights the last five seasons (since 2004).
Since 2004, Memphis advanced to three NCAA Elite Eights in 2006, 2007 and 2008. The Tigers went on to the NCAA title game in 2008. The Musketeers made it to the Elite Eight in 2004 and 2008.
The other seven programs to make at least two NCAA Elite Eights since 2004 are Kansas, Florida, UCLA, Connecticut, Texas, Louisville and North Carolina.
A NEAR TOURNEY MEETING IN 2008
Well, Memphis and Xavier finally meet over 40 years after their last encounter in the 1966-67 campaign. However, the two schools nearly met a year ago in the 2008 NCAA Final Four.
The Tigers won the South Region title and advanced to the Final Four, where they played the West Region champion. UCLA won that West Region title with a 76-57 victory over Xavier. If the Musketeers had been victorious, it would have been a Memphis-Xavier Final Four meeting.
A FAMILY AFFAIR?
Well, not in the normal sense, but Memphis head coach John Calipari and Xavier head coach Sean Miller are close. They are so close that Calipari has called Miller his "cousin," while Miller has stated that Calipari is his "big brother."
Both Calipari and Miller are western Pennsylvania natives, with Calipari growing up in Moon, which is located just outside Pittsburgh. Miller calls Pittsburgh home.
Calipari, who stated that he probably spent more time as a child at Miller's grandmother's home than his own, recruited Miller to play hoops at the University of Pittsburgh in the late 1980s when Calipari was a Panther assistant coach under Paul Evans.
CHAMPIONSHIP-GAME TIGERS
For the fourth time in their last five regular-season tournaments, Memphis advanced to the championship game. The Tigers meet Xavier for the 2008 O'Reilly Auto Parts Puerto Rico Tip-Off crown on Sunday. The following shows Memphis' success in reaching regular-season tournament title games in recent years:
Yr/Tourney Opponent/Result Place
2008/P.R. Tip-Off Xavier/-- --
2007/2k Sports-CVC Connecticut/81-70, W 1st
2006/Maui** Kentucky/80-63, W 3rd
2005/NIT Tip-Off Duke/67-70, L 2nd
2004/CVC Syracuse/62-77, L 2nd
** only non-title game in last five regular-season tournaments
TIGERS IN NOVEMBER
While head coach John Calipari focuses on March and prepares teams to make postseason runs, his Tiger squads have done quite well in the month of November. Since taking over in 2000-01, Memphis has a 34-11 record (.755 winning percentage) in November.
One reason for the 11 early setbacks is the rugged national schedule the Tigers have played in the Calipari era. Of the 11 November losses, nine were to nationally-ranked teams.
The Tigers are 23-4 in November since the 2005-06 campaign, with all four setbacks coming to ranked opponents. Memphis is currently on a 12-game win streak in November games, dating back to the 2006-07 season.
THE RETURN OF THE MACK
Over the summer, Doneal Mack made a decision to transfer to another school. However, after just a week away, he decided to return to Memphis, and head coach John Calipari welcomed him back, but with the conditions that Mack would get stronger and expand his game. That was evident in the Tigers' 83-71 victory over Chattanooga Nov. 20.
The 6-foot-5 guard did what he does best and that was shooting the trey. Mack hit five three-pointers en route to scoring a team-high 19 points. He netted his 19 points on 7-of-12 shooting from the field and 5-of-9 from the arc.
The Charlotte, N.C., native also added three boards, four assists and two steals in his second start of the season. Mack had no turnovers while playing a career-high tying 26 minutes.
Mack continued his solid play in the Puerto Rico Tip-Off against Seton Hall in the Nov. 21 semifinal. He scored a team-best 16 points in the victory over the Pirates. Mack also added two boards and one steal.
HENDERSON-NILES GRABS CAREER-HIGH BOARDS
The Nov. 21 performance by Pierre Henderson-Niles is what head coach John Calipari envisioned from his big man since he arrived on campus in the fall of 2006. After Henderson-Niles' dedication to losing weight over the summer, the work is paying off.
The 6-foot-8 forward played a career-high 23 minutes versus Seton Hall Nov. 21, and grabbed a career-best 10 boards. Both previous career bests (seven rebounds vs. Kentucky; 20 minutes vs. Oklahoma) were set at the start of his freshman campaign in 2006-07 at the Maui Invitational.
In the Nov. 21 game versus Seton Hall, Henderson-Niles also scored five points and added one assist and one steal.
KEMP BOUNCES BACK
After a tough start in the Puerto Rico Tip-Off Nov. 20 versus Chattanooga (no points in only seven minutes), junior Willie Kemp responded like a seasoned veteran should -- he bounced back the next night.
In the Nov. 21 semifinal win over Seton Hall, Kemp netted 14 points in 19 minutes of action. The Bolivar, Tenn., native also had two rebounds and one assist and was 6-of-6 from the free throw line.
Kemp played a key role early in helping the Tigers establish a lead they didn't lose the remainder of the game. After a Robert Dozier layup gave Memphis a narrow 10-9 advantage, Kemp scored the next five points (trey, two free throws) to give the Tigers some breathing room. From there, Memphis steadily increased its lead.
ALL-AROUND `REKE
All the talk from the national pundits about Tyreke Evans was that he was a talented and gifted scorer. Well, at least we can give them some credit, as Evans has proved he can score. After the Tigers' first four games, the 6-foot-6 guard is averaging 15.3 points.
But, Evans is quickly proving there is more to his game than just putting the ball in the net. The Chester, Pa., native is also averaging 5.8 rebounds, 4.3 assists and 3.0 steals. He is shooting 42.9 percent from the field and 85.7 percent from the free throw line. The following are Evans' recent stat lines that show his all-around game:
Opponent Pts Rebs A S
Seton Hall 12 7 6 2
Chattanooga 11 5 4 3
UMass 19 6 4 5
Fairfield 19 5 3 2
Avg. 15.3 5.8 4.3 3.0
For more notes on the Memphis-Xavier Puerto Rico Tip-Off championship game, click on pdf link at the top of the page.
