Almost as soon as the brackets were unveiled two weeks ago, pundits keyed in on today’s date. It was nearly fated, they all seemed to think. A dream match-up between Memphis and Texas, the 1-seed and the 2-seed. A showdown for D.J. Augustin and Derrick Rose. A battle on the blocks between Joey Dorsey, Robert Dozier, and Damion James. As it turns out, they were right.

This afternoon’s game in Reliant Stadium has all the makings of an exciting shootout between two of the best teams in the country. And although most of the players in today’s game weren’t involved, there is a fair share of recent history between the two schools. During the 2004-05 and 05-06 campaigns, Rick Barnes and John Calipari scheduled a home-and-home which the Longhorns swept. And until Tennessee came into FedEx Forum and knocked off the Tigers last month, the Longhorns were the last team to beat Memphis at home in over two years.

While revenge is always a nice motivating factor, the Final Four is a much larger prize. For Coach Cal and the Tigers, it’s been something of a white whale the last few seasons. This marks the third-straight Elite Eight appearance for Memphis, who has not reached the Final Four since 1985. For Texas, it is their third appearance in the round of eight since 2003, which was also the year of their last Final Four.

The starting five

The newest player on the Tigers is perhaps the biggest star, as freshman Derrick Rose runs the show at the point. Checking in at 6’4″, he’s going to have a few inches on the Texas backcourt, and he’s a physical player that also has a few pounds on the Longhorn guards. He’s incredibly quick off the dribble, which is a necessity in the Memphis offense.

Chris Douglas-Roberts is referred to most often by the acronym CDR, but his game is far too big for just three letters. He’s a 6-7 swingman who is the most consistent long-range shooter for Memphis at 41. But his quickness and length help him get to the rack as well, so teams can’t afford to play him too tightly on the perimeter lest they find themselves watching helplessly as he drives to the hoop.

Another tall guard in the four-out, one-in Memphis look is Antonio Anderson, a 30-minute guy who chips in nine points a game but gives his biggest contribution on the defensive end. He’ll get up in your face — not a tough task against the tiny Texas backcourt — and hustle all over the court. His 3.5 assists per game speak to his great court vision, despite not being the true point guard of the bunch.

Perhaps most famous for his run-in with a girlfriend and the resulting outfit of a UAB fan, Robert Dozier is an intimidating defender who also kills on the glass. His physical style could be a match-up problem for the Longhorns, but with their increasing depth at the post, Texas could afford to attack him and pile up a few fouls.

Joey Dorsey will have some sick dunks in today’s ballgame on what Calipari calls “rim runs,” and he’ll also get a nice share of putbacks waiting on the weak side of the Memphis offense. This man is an absolute beast, so seeing him tangle with James ought to be quite a treat. Texas will need to limit the easy buckets for Dorsey off of Memphis misses, as shutting down offensive rebounding has been a huge struggle as of late for the Horns.

Dribble-drive motion

We’ve alluded to the innovative Memphis offense as we introduced the starters, but now we can fully address “Dribble Drive Motion” (DDM), or “the Princeton offense on steroids,” as Coach Cal has been known to call it. At the core, it’s essentially a drive-and-kick offense based on the Attack-Attack-Skip-Attack-Attack (AASAA) offense of former Pepperdine coach Vance Walberg. Memphis will spread the floor to open driving lanes for their guards, typically moving their big man to the weak side in order to clear even more space for the penetration.

When Walberg was coaching, he would tell his teams to either take threes or take it to the rim. There was practically no mid-range game in the AASAA, which is one key difference between the DDM and its predecessor. Memphis has players who can knock down mid-range jumpers, and they are not afraid to do so if an open opportunity presents itself.

In addition, Walberg was a preacher of full-court, pressure defense, something that Coach Cal is hesitant to use. Calipari still has his players go for steals — particularly on backtipping as opposing players try to drive — but prefers to play lock-down half-court defense.

One big problem that the DDM is going to give Texas — beyond actually stopping it — is fatigue. This wide-open style demands that players continue to attack the basket if open threes aren’t there, causing defenses to have to constantly communicate and rotate. With a thin Texas bench, this could certainly cause some issues late in the game.

As mentioned earlier, the big man in the DDM will shift to the weak side to open up penetration lanes for the Tigers. If Texas elects to help on the driving man, it will open up either a three-point shooter on the wing or that big man on the weak block. One thing Memphis lacks is a roster full of three-point threats, so unless CDR is sitting in the corner, it would be wise for the wing defender to be the one to help. Leaving Dorsey or Dozier alone for easy dunks and lay-ups is not a recipe for success.

Free throw struggles

Both teams are really having a tough time at the line this year, and if this game is as close as many are expecting, it could spell the difference. The Longhorns are only 68% from the charity stripe on the season, and have a nasty habit of missing free throws when the game reaches its final minutes. Memphis is even more abysmal from the line, hitting only 59.8% of their attempts this year.

While Texas can generally rely on Augustin or A.J. Abrams to sink free throws when they are needed, the Memphis struggles extend all the way down the roster. The most consistent free-throw shooter on the team is CDR, who is still hitting at a 69.8% clip.

What to look for

Both of these teams are likely going to score a ton of points today, although a high-tempo game would favor the deeper Memphis roster. If the Longhorns can keep the Tigers in front of them and on the perimeter, the DDM will have a hard time getting started and Texas can keep the score and pace to a more manageable level.

Most teams throw a variety of zone defenses at Memphis to try to stop the DDM, but the Kansas Jayhawks quickly exposed the Longhorn zone in Kansas City two weeks ago. While the Jayhawks have more three-point threats than Memphis, they are the only other team in the country that is as athletic and talented as the Tigers, so it’s still a worrisome point to note.

One interesting thing to keep an eye on is if Dexter Pittman will be able to keep up with the pace of the game and provide any meaningful minutes. The zone defense usually allows him more of a chance to play, but Memphis may just be too quick of a team for the big sophomore.

All told, this is a game that has me very nervous heading into it. Coach Cal has been playing up the “Memphis as underdog” angle, but we all know that Texas fans are generally quiet and fail to adequately support their team. Reliant Stadium might be full of burnt orange, but unless it’s actually loud — something I doubt with the current seating arrangement — there isn’t an intimidating advantage for the Longhorns.

We’ll be back with the post-game later tonight or tomorrow afternoon. And hopefully after that we’ll have some Final Four previewing to do.

Other game previews
Barking Carnival
Burnt Orange Nation
Jim Masilak of Memphis’ Commercial Appeal
Kirk Bohls of the Austin American-Statesman
TexasSports.com

Luke Winn has a great Q&A with Ian Mooney in his tourney blog. Amongst the highlights are the locker room pranks, Dexter Pittman’s poor sense of geography, and Mooney’s future as the Texas point guard. Check, check, check it out.

Lute Olson is now back as the Arizona coach in a full-time capacity, and he gave an exclusive telephone interview to ESPN’s Andy Katz. If Coach Olson is correct about how many of his players will return next season, the state of Arizona is going to be a basketball powerhouse. The ASU/’Zona series could quickly gain traction as a top-flight rivalry with national implications.

In coaching news a little closer to home, on Thursday Jeff Capel signed a three-year extension with Oklahoma. Capel — whose name had been floated in the South Carolina coaching search — will also enjoy a $300,000 raise per season, bringing his total compensation above the one-million dollar mark. It looks like fans in Norman will get to enjoy angry stares and pouting sessions for years to come.

And you thought the Aggies hated the Longhorns? I’m sure that anyone reading this page has seen the Sheraton commercial where fans from nasty rivalries share elevators, computers, and even chicken wings. But you may have been confused by the juxtaposition of Lousville and Memphis, rather than the Cardinals and Kentucky Wildcats. But according to UK assistant athletic director Jason Schlafer, the Wildcats were asked first, but declined citing no prior relationship with Sheraton hotels. Or perhaps just an unquenchable fire of hate for the school just down the road?

If you just can’t wait for this evening’s Elite 8 games to start, the tubes of the interweb have more than enough content to hold you over. Luke Winn previews and predicts the Elite 8 games, while the folks at Rush the Court take a more detailed look at today’s doubleheader. But March Madness All Season breaks it down the most, with in-depth looks at both Carolina/Louisville in the East and UCLA/Xavier from the West region.

Longhorn fans and players were all smiles when the final horn sounded in Reliant Stadium on Friday night, as Texas pulled away late for a 20-point win over the Pac-10’s Stanford Cardinal. A quick glance at the stats showed what many pundits would’ve expected, as D.J. Augustin led the way with 23 points. But were it not for key contributions from a handful of Longhorn reserves, a game that had been a nailbiter with 10 minutes left could’ve had a very different ending.

In Little Rock last Friday, it appeared that Dexter Pittman might be finally coming into his own. And sure, Big Dex’s 10/11 line could be chalked up to facing an extraordinarily undersized Austin Peay sqaud. But tonight he played excellent second-half defense against Brook Lopez, shutting down the future lottery pick that had single-handedly drawn the Cardinal within a point.

While Connor Atchley was often getting worked all the way down to the blocks by the offensive-minded Lopez, Pittman forced the 7-footer to catch the ball further and further away from the lane. With his go-to hook shot suddenly out of the repertoire, Lopez threw up ill-advised jumpers with hands in his face. Frustrated, he didn’t make a basket for the last 13-plus minutes.

Not only was Pittman’s defense key in shutting down the biggest threat on the Stanford roster, it also came at a dire time for the foul-plagued Longhorns. In the midst of the Cardinal comeback, Damion James and Atchley both picked up their third fouls in a span of only eight seconds. Coach Rick Barnes was forced to play Gary Johnson and Pittman with 9:25 still on the clock and the Longhorns only up five. But with the reserves on the floor, Texas didn’t allow Stanford back into the game — they actually extended the lead to 13 points before James returned almost three-and-a-half minutes later.

In the first twenty minutes, it was Clint Chapman who was coming up big off the bench for Texas. The freshman from Canby, Oregon chipped in just four points and two rebounds in seven minutes of play. But his scant statistics don’t represent how incredibly well-timed his hustle was, as Chapman seemed to pop up out of nowhere for the key board or the quick tip.

Against an incredibly athletic Memphis team who can kill on the glass, Texas will need clutch performances like these from their post reserves. We’ll look more at those match-ups throughout the weekend, but the solid bench play is a great sign as the tournament reaches its midpoint.

With all of the top four seeds on the court in the South region, the stars were out in force at Reliant Stadium. Anfernee “Penny” Hardaway was on hand (sans Lil Penny), while former Longhorns Vince Young and Roger Clemens were in attendance. Pat Riley was in the house for a second straight weekend, having also scouted the Memphis and Texas players in Little Rock. And spotted in a T.J. Ford jersey was Scott Porter, better known as wheelchair-bound QB Jason Street on TV’s Friday Night Lights.

The seating set-up, however, was an absolute disaster. Walking down to our place in Section 104, it was an incredibly surreal feeling to be practically level with the court, yet still have 46 rows of fans and media tables in front of us. I checked out the “club level” during the second half of the doubleheader — the level where Memphis and Texas had their student seats — and was treated to a game that seemed to be played somewhere outside of Harris County. Of course, when considering how ugly Michigan State’s performance was, perhaps it was safer to stay as far away from the carnage as possible.

Texas fans were predictably quiet, even finding it difficult to stand and make noise as Stanford closed the gap in the second half. But when the burnt-orange faithful did decide to make noise, the ridiculous setup killed any kind of energy the building could’ve had. As someone who attended that incredible double-overtime regional final between Michigan State and Kentucky back in 2005, I’ve seen how electric a neutral court can be in the NCAA tournament. The move to this mid-field set-up in football arenas is a horrible, horrible decision, and it’s going to make future regionals and Final Fours feel distant and antiseptic.

We’ll be back tomorrow with some more notes and a quick look at the day’s Elite Eight match-ups. In the meantime, bask in the post-win glory and snap up your tickets for Sunday’s tilt with Memphis. No matter how craptacular the seating is, there’s no reason that arena shouldn’t be bathed in burnt orange with a trip to the Final Four on the line.

With tonight’s appearance in the Sweet 16 at Houston’s Reliant Stadium, the Texas Longhorns are making their fifth trip to the tournament’s second weekend in the last seven years. The opponent is an interesting one, as the guard-oriented Horns will be tangling with the Stanford Cardinal and their twin towers, the Lopez brothers. This game offers a complete contrast in styles, and it’s tough to predict which one will prevail.

The Cardinal faced a similar guard-oriented team last weekend in its second-round game with Marquette, a nailbiter that went to overtime after the Golden Eagles threw up an ill-advised three-pointer with six seconds left in the game. Stanford showed a lot of zone against Marquette for the first twenty minutes, but abandoned that strategy in the second half when the Golden Eagles started to heat up. Personally, I feel that the Longhorns have much stronger three-point shooters, so it could be a dangerous move for Stanford to try another zone look for very long tonight.

But the problem that Texas presents for Stanford and a man-to-man defense is the long-range shooting ability of big men Damion James and Connor Atchley. Both can knock down the three ball, which will require the Stanford bigs defending them to leave the paint quite often. This is going to open up the driving lane for D.J. Augustin and could also help the Horns with a very tough task on the glass against the Cardinal.

What I’d personally love to see a lot of in tonight’s game is Atchley or James floating out of the lane, drawing a Lopez brother away from the paint. Then, as a guard penetrates and the other Lopez shifts to help, dumping the ball for the dunk to whichever post has stayed behind. Memphis loves to do this with their dribble-drives, and if Stanford shows too much man tonight, it would be a sound strategy.

It seems like the Longhorn offense has a lot of options to attack the Stanford defense, but the prospect of shutting down the Cardinal bigs with the ball seems much more daunting. Trips Right of Barking Carnival has an in-depth look at the game, and does an incredible job breaking down the possible defensive looks.

I’ve mentioned the Lopez twins without really introducing them, because I feel it incredibly unnecessary at this point in the week. With five days of build-up to the game, this thing has been hyped about as much as it can, and the Lopez Bros. have earned a ton of ink. (And rightfully so.) In today’s Statesman, Kirk Bohls looked at how the Horns prepared for the twins, and makes the key observation that casual fans will want to remember tonight — Brook is the scorer, but Robin is a defensive machine.

Time is running short at this point, and I’ve got to hit the road for Houston. Fans stuck in Austin, Dallas, or far-flung corners of the U.S. can tune in to CBS at 6:27 PM CDT for the action. The coverage listings for the game will help those folks not in the Lone Star State, although it appears that CBS doesn’t find the match-up too appealing as they are beaming the game to only 38% of the country.

So, try to focus on your work for next five hours without checking the clock too often. And if you’re heading to the arena, get ready to scream your lungs out. We’ll be back with the post-game tomorrow.

As mentioned in the Greg Oden Video Spectacular below, I’m quite a bit behind this week. Of course, with only 16 teams left in the country, there’s a lot of coverage of the Longhorns out there that I’ve been missing out on. Mixed into all the burnt-orange love is a little news from elsewhere in the NCAAs, so dive in and get your fill as the first night of the Sweet 16 quickly approaches…

Pat Forde tells a story that many Longhorn fans are familiar with as he explores the winding path D.J. Augustin took to Austin and the tight family bond the Augustins share. This story actually had front-page play on ESPN.com earlier in the week, so it looks like the Burnt Orange Media Conspiracy has stepped from the shadows and into plain sight.

And speaking of the BOMC, how about Donald Sloan openly crying that the Aggies don’t get treated with the respect that the Longhorns get? If you happened to miss Sloan’s post-game interview with radio station KZNE, you’ve definitely got to check out the link. Regardless of what you think about the referees swallowing the whistle in that situation, you’ve really got to wonder why the first place Sloan’s mind jumps is a fantasy construct where he’s D.J. Augustin…

Students at Davidson are getting a free ride to see their team play in Detroit. Oh, and they’ll be getting free lodging and tickets, as well. Trustees at the small, private liberal-arts college decided to pay for the unprecedented trip, which will allow at least 300 students to make the journey. Just imagine what Longhorn Road Trip could be with trustees like these. Hint, hint.

Mike Freeman at CBS Sportsline combines all of the recent stories about Coach Barnes into a quick, enjoyable read. All the themes familiar to Longhorn fans are there — Barnes’ moratorium on cursing, his joking remark that set off Razorback fans, and the North Carolina native’s jocular nature. But most enjoyable are the anecdotes from Coach Haith, particularly one about the Final Four in 2003. Check it out.

The folks over at Gutty Little Bruins have a hilarious post about tournament upsets leading into the game with Western Kentucky. Hats off to the writers for this one, which was not only good for a laugh but also provided a great photographic trip down memory lane.