(Lindsey Perkins)
The SMU men’s basketball team will travel to the FedEx Forum in Memphis, Tenn., to face the No. 1-ranked Memphis Tigers (21-0, 7-0). SMU (7-12, 1-5) has never beaten the No. 1 ranked team in the country in six attempts.
Memphis is the only remaining undefeated team in the nation and the conference. The Tigers’ perfect season poses a tough task for head coach Matt Doherty and the rest of the Mustangs. “The thing I have to do as a coach is make Memphis seem human,” commented Doherty.
Doherty has tried to humanize the Tigers through various comparisons throughout sports. Doherty told his team that they did not need to look any further than the Super Bowl to see how the underdog can defy the odds.
After being awarded with a C-USA Player of the Week Award and averaging a team-high 17.9 points per game in conference games, senior guard Jon Killen has arrived as a dominant force in the minds of C-USA players and coaches. While Killen’s play obviously helps the Mustangs, it poses new challenges that force the team to adjust.
The Tulsa game showed that teams are responding to Killen’s offensive potency with defense schemes designed to keep the ball out of his hands. This gives other players more scoring opportunities, but at the same time limits the effectiveness of the Mustangs’ most potent scorer.
Doherty’s message to the team has been: “Let’s not let them dictate what we do. We still want Jon to handle the ball, but not at the expense of a 10-second violation.” While Killen will still play a large role in the offense, the question becomes: Who will step up for the Mustangs offensively?
Against Tulsa on Saturday, freshman forward Alex Malone answered the call with 14 points and six rebounds in under 20 minutes of play. Freshman Papa Dia has also answered the call in conference play by averaging 15 points per game.
It will be a challenge to score points, but Memphis is clearly not a one-dimensional team. Both Chris Douglas-Roberts and freshman Derrick Rose are averaging in double figures. They average 17.8 and 14.2 points per game, respectively.
On the season, the Tigers have tallied more rebounds, points, assists, blocks and steals than their opponents. While they have dominated statistically, they have shown at times they are vulnerable to an upset.
Last time out against UT-El Paso, the Tigers had a close call. They beat the Miners by only six, with a final score of 70-64, and showed some weaknesses.
In order to beat the Tigers, Doherty believes it will take SMU’s best basketball. The game begins at 8 tonight at FedEx Forum and provides the Mustangs with their greatest test of the season.
