Memphis can't talk its way out

BOB HOLT
ARKANSAS DEMOCRAT-GAZETTE

FAYETTEVILLE -- Before Memphis played Arkansas on Saturday, Tigers Coach John Calipari joked that he hoped Razorbacks Coach Nolan Richardson wouldn't beat his team by 72 points.
That was the combined margin of victory that Calipari's teams -- once when he was an assistant at Pittsburgh and twice when he was the coach at Massachusetts -- had beaten three Richardson-coached Arkansas teams.
As it turned out, the No. 25-ranked Razorbacks barely scored more than 72 points, but that was enough for Arkansas to hold off Memphis for a 74-68 victory before a season-high 18,725 fans in Walton Arena.
Richardson said he was glad for the victory, but not because it came against Calipari.
"Oh, I didn't get Calipari," Richardson said. "Arkansas beat Memphis. It ain't about Nolan and Calipari to me. I just like for my team to win, and it's a team effort.
"I never talk about beating Calipari. The only way you can do that is for he and I to play."
It looked like Richardson and Calipari might go 1-on-1 at halftime after Calipari tried to pull a fast one -- literally -- by sprinting off the court toward the Tigers locker room after a foul was called on Memphis senior guard Tyrone Chatman with one-tenth of a second left.
The officials brought Calipari back to the bench and kept the Tigers on the court for Arkansas' inbounds play, which ended when Razorbacks junior guard Brandon Dean missed a desperation shot at the buzzer.
But Calipari stayed on the court to talk with the officials, then Richardson got involved in the discussion, too.
"I didn't discuss anything with Calipari, I was just saying there was too much talking [by an official] on the sideline with Calipari," Richardson said. "You know, it's OK to talk, but there was too much yakety-yakety on the sideline, and it was that same official.
"Every time I looked down there he was there visiting with Calipari, and I don't appreciate that. I don't appreciate visitations with basketball games. I said, 'Just call the game, and let's stop all the visitations.' "
It was the first time Calipari had visited Walton Arena, and he came away impressed with the atmosphere and the home team.
"I think that was a little bit too much Arkansas and little too little of us," said Calipari, who received a technical foul early in first half for being out the coaching box. "I thought their energy level at the end of that game was higher."
The Razorbacks (5-1) took the lead for good at 28-25 on a three-pointer by sophomore guard Blake Eddins with 2:48 left in the first half, but Memphis (2-4) kept within striking distance until the game's final minute.
Memphis trailed 70-64 with 51.3 seconds left and was inbounding the ball under Arkansas' basket when the Tigers turned it over on a five-second call.
Calipari said the team was supposed to run a play to set up a three-point shot, but there was a breakdown.
It was the 20th turnover by the Tigers and a crushing one. Dean removed any doubt about an Arkansas victory with a thunderous dunk with 32 seconds left that gave the Razorbacks a 73-64 lead.
The Razorbacks were able to hold off Memphis and maintain their lead by spreading the floor late and letting sophomore guard Joe Johnson and junior guards Teddy Gipson and T.J. Cleveland drive for baskets or assists to sophomore forward Alonzo Lane.
"Nolan Richardson is a Hall of Fame coach," Calipari said. "Do you understand what he did in that game? Why was he spreading it out? Because he knows his guys could dribble drive on my guys. They were a little quicker and faster and better with the ball."
Eddins led Arkansas with 15 points in 16 minutes but said the key was the final push by Johnson, Gipson, Cleveland, Dean and Lane.
"The five that finished the game for us are our five best basketball players, and they proved it," Eddins said. "They came out and got some touches and rebounds and steals in key, key times. ... Brandon and Teddy and T.J. and Alonzo and Joe did a great job of winning this ballgame for us."
Gipson had 12 points, 4 assists and 4 steals; Johnson 12 points and 4 assists; Lane 11 points and 5 rebounds; Cleveland 6 points, 5 assists and 2 steals; and Dean 7 points and 3 steals.
"They come at you with so many people, and to play this team you'd better be able to guard off the dribble in the SEC," Calipari said. "If you can't guard somebody off the dribble, this team is beating you."
Memphis, which was led by junior forward Kelly Wise's 20 points and 12 rebounds, lost its fourth game to a nationally ranked team. The Tigers also have lost to No. 4 Stanford, No. 17 Temple and No. 18 Utah.
"Arkansas is more athletic than any team we've played to this point," Calipari said. "I don't even think it's close."
The Tigers stayed close against the Razorbacks by shooting 54.5 percent in the first half, when Arkansas led 33-32.
"They actually shot the ball better than I ever dreamed they could shoot it, and we were all over them," Richardson said. "I thought our defense was as good as it's been all year, but they made some tough shots."
The Tigers cooled off in the second half, when they shot 35.5 percent. Chatman, sophomore guard Courtney Trask, freshman guard Scooter McFadgon and junior guard John Grice were a combined 4 of 19 from the field after going 6 of 12 in the first half.
"Maybe in the second half we got into their legs," Richardson said. "And when your legs go, your shots go."
The Razorbacks had trouble getting free throws to go. They hit 9 of 20 from the line to help Memphis stay in the game.
"That's disappointing," Richardson said of the free throws. "But there's nothing we can do but keep working on them and hope that they get better."
Dean said the free-throw shooting has to improve.
"On down the line, if we don't correct that," Dean said, "it could cost us a ballgame."

This article was published on Sunday, December 3, 2000

RETURN to main page

Copyright and permissions
Copyright © 2000, Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, Inc. All rights reserved.
This document may not be reprinted without the express written permission of Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, Inc.