Memphis vs Middle Tennessee State

Kermit thought he could pull a "muppet show" on Calipari with his junk defenses, but let's face it, Middle Tennessee State does not have the caliber of players USC and Tim Floyd has, and his triangle and two and other assortment of junk defenses were merely a nuisance to the Calipari Express.

Their defense did manage to keep Memphis scoring down, but Memphis was able to keep the Kermit Davis's team's scoring even lower, by 20+ points. Thus another comfy win for the Calipari Tigers.

Derrick Rose seems to be going through a slump (or is it growing pains?) He "woke up" a bit at the end of the third quarter, but it was really a team win for Memphis which in a way is good news for their fans. Shawn Taggart to me looks more and more like the player that could be the difference between another Elite 8 and a Final Four as he provides them a 3rd big man who is actually better offensively than the two starters. Given Calipari's loyalty to the Laurinburg "litter" (cats-tigers), Taggart will probably not start this year, but that's not a bad thing for him as he can come in the game and make an immediate impact while flying under the radar.

Jeff Robinson seems to be emerging as the #10 player in the rotation. Although the freshman is physically ready, he is still a freshman and has a lot of "on court" growing up to do. And he is at the right place to do it since there's no pressure to deliver right away - being #10 in the rotation and all.

More on this game at College Hoops Journal, Memphis Commercial Appeal, Go Blue Raiders, ArcaMax.com, ESPN, Go Tigers Go (CSTV), and Memphis Flyer.

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