Tom “Whatever It Takes” Bradbury

[PointGuard 70]

Season 6, Games 24-29

 

Game #24 vs Tulane Green Wave (7-14, 5-7): Late in the half we pulled away and finished the half with a 45-28 lead. We then destroyed Tulane in the 2nd half opening a 38 point lead before finishing with an 89-62 victory. PG Morris Wolfe dropped in 21 points plus dished out 8 assists. SG Isaac Wright added 13, SF John Jones scored 12, C Kelvin Ross put in 11, and PF Angelo Craft scored 10. (24-0, 13-0, 1st place)

 

Game #25 vs Temple Owls (16-7, 9-4): Neither team could gain an advantage in the first 10 minutes of the 1st half, but then we caught fire and pulled away to lead 47-27 at the half. We continued our dominance in the 2nd half and finished by trimming the Owls 80-56. SG Roy Field and C Kelvin Ross both scored 16 points. (25-0, 14-0, 1st place; Ranked 1st in the polls; RPI: 2)

 

Game #26 @ #3 Connecticut Huskies (23-3, 12-2): OK, this definitely will be our biggest test thus far this year! Our undefeated record is really on the line for this one. Whereas we beat them on our court earlier this year, the Huskies have won all 8 of their games since. They have 3 players averaging in double figures: PG Jabari Younger with 14.3 ppg, SG Bobby Harris at 12.3 ppg, and SF Byron Thompson with 13.2 ppg and all 3 fire away from outside and hit at a high percentage. And they have some strong perimeter subs as well. Early we fell behind 7-3 but then went on a run to go ahead 17-9. Then UCONN scored 7 straight points to pull within a single point. But at that point we clamped down defensively and shot out to a 34-18 lead with 3 minutes to go in the half. By the end of the half we held a 40-26 lead and had held the Huskies shooting to 36% while forcing them into 12 turnovers. When SF John Jones got into foul trouble, Julian Blevins replaced him and led our scoring with 10 points. Our guards carried us early in the 2nd half and we led by 20 at 57-31 with 13 minutes left in the game. Connecticut fought to come back to finish but we effectively countered their every effort to finish with a big-time 79-57 win. SG Isaac Wright had a huge 2nd half to finish with 28 points and 8 rebounds. PG Morris Wolfe also came on strong in the 2nd half to end with 16 points, 5 assists, and 9 rebounds. PF Angelo Craft scored 11 and SF Julian Blevins had 10. (26-0, 15-0, 1st place)

 

Game #27 vs Houston Cougars (11-13, 9-6): We scored the first 9 points of the game and never looked back. At the half we were on top 52-26. We continued our dominance in the 2nd half and smashed the Cougars 87-59. PF Angelo Craft led our scoring with 18 points, PG Morris Wolfe scored 15 plus dished out 7 assists and SG Isaac Wright dropped in 14 points. Houston’s center Elton Ruddock scored 20 points and pulled down 12 rebounds. (27-0, 16-0, 1st place; Ranked #1 in the polls; RPI: 2)

 

Award: SG Isaac Wright, AAC Freshman Player of the Week.

 

Game #28 @ Central Florida Knights (16-9, 10-6): Central Florida has been streaky this year, but when they get onto one of their win streaks they are super tough. The entire first half was extremely close. At the break we led 30-26. We fell behind by 8 points early in the 2nd half. With 4-1/2 minutes the score was tied at 58-58. Central Florida recaptured the lead but with 17 seconds the game was tied at 65-65. We had control of the ball and played it down to 8 seconds and were just about to call a time out to set up a play, but Angelo Craft got fouled. Craft missed both shots, but Julian Grant muscled the rebound, and worked his way around his defender to slam home a dunk with 3 seconds remaining. Our full court press kept the Knights from getting out of the back court and we escaped to live another day by edging Central Florida 67-65. PG Morris Wolfe scored 13 points and PF Angelo Craft added 10. Central Florida’s SF Keiron Lewis led all scorers with 20 points. (28-0, 17-0, 1st place)

 

Injury: SG Roy Field took a finger in the eye and sat out the entire 2nd half, but will be ready for our next game.

 

Game #29 vs Tulsa Golden Hurricanes (4-20, 3-14): We were unable to shake Tulsa for most of the first half, but pulled away in the final 5 minutes to take a 33-23 lead to the locker room. After 5 minutes of play in the 2nd half, we led by 21 points. We steamrolled the Golden Hurricanes 91-56. PG Morris Wolfe scored 16 and handed out 8 assists, while SG’s Isaac Wright and Roy Field both scored 15. SF John Jones scored 11 and C Jules Grant in his final home game scored 10. (29-0, 18-0, 1st place; Ranked 1st in the polls; RPI: 1)

[PointGuard 70]

Regular Season Ending Notes

 

Media Poll Top 10:

 

1. Memphis (29-0, 18-0)

2. UCLA (22-5, 12-4)

3. Oregon (22-5, 14-2)

4. Connecticut (25-5, 14-4)

5. Syracuse (24-6, 14-4)

6. Stanford (23-4, 13-3)

7. Indiana (23-6, 12-4)

8. Brigham Young (24-5, 15-3)

9. Notre Dame (20-9, 12-6)

10. Texas (21-7, 13-5)

 

AAC Final Standings

 

 

Memphis Players Declaring for the Draft:

 

PG Troy Cox

PG Morris Wolfe

SG Roy Field

 

Ugh! 3 guards leaving early!

[PointGuard 70]

 

American Athletic Association Tournament

 

AAC Tourney—Play In

Tulsa—68, Cincinnati—57

SMU—67, South Florida--37

AAC Tourney—Round 1

Central Florida—60, Houston—47

Temple—74, Tulane—59

UCONN—83, Tulsa—70

Game #30 vs SMU Mustangs (8-20, 5-13): SMU scored the first 8 points in the game, but we scored the next 9 points to get our initial lead in the game. But neither team could pull away thereafter in the 1st half. We trailed 31-29 at the break. We came out sluggish again and fell behind by 7 points before waking up. Late in the half we pulled ahead by 6 points but SMU only trailed 55-52 with a minute to play. We kept them from scoring in that last minute, though, and won by the score of 59-52 in what was a tough game the entire 40 minutes. SG Isaac Wright scored 11 points and C Kelvin Ross added 10. (30-0)

AAC Tourney—Round 2

UCONN—78, Temple—62

Game #31 vs Central Florida Knights (17-11, 10-8): As in the previous game, the refs put our opponents on the line a lot resulting in a very close first half. We come away with a slim 29-28 lead going into the 2nd half. The 2nd half is a carbon copy of the first with neither team able to get more than a few points ahead. With a minute to play we lead 61-60. Angelo Craft was fouled and sunk both shots with 49 seconds to go giving us a 3 point lead. Both teams were unable to score on their next possessions, but then Central Florida hit a 3 with 19 seconds to go to tie the game. The Knights fouled Jules Grant and hit could hit only the first half of a one-and one to give us a 1 point lead with 8 seconds left. After a time out, Central Florida brought it up court and their PG David Marlow put in on the floor and drove to the basket, pulling up for a contested 8 footer that rimmed out. The final score was 64-63 in our favor. We are going to have to play better in the championship game if we want to have a chance against UCONN. PF Angelo Craft was our high point man with 15 points. C Kelvin Ross scored 10 and grabbed 8 rebounds. (31-0)

AAC Tourney—Championship

Game #32 vs #4 Connecticut Huskies (27-5, 14-4): Our guys seem tired. Hopefully UCONN’s players are just as worn out. Taking on the Huskies perked our players up and we took control early and built a 47-30 halftime lead. Our lead expanded to 25 after 3-1/2 minutes of play in the 2nd half. From there we just kept the Huskies from making any big runs and won 82-63 to become the AAC Champions. PG Morris Wolfe knocked down 22 points while his running mate SG Isaac Wright popped in 16 points. SF John Jones scored 11 and SG Roy Fields hit for 10. (32-0)

[PointGuard 70]

Memphis Tigers Player and Team Statistics

 

Season 6 Memphis Tigers Player Stats:



Season 6, Memphis Tigers Team Stats:

PPG: Memphis-80.4 (1st in nation); Opponents-63.2
RPG: Memphis-32.2 (12th in nation); Opponents-27.9
APG: Memphis-16.7 (1st in nation); Opponents-12.2
BPG: Memphis-3.6 (3rd in nation); Opponents-1.6
SPG: Memphis-8.9 (66th in nation); Opponents-5.1
FG%-Memphis-48.9% (6th in nation); Opponents-41.4%
3P%-Memphis-38.6% (43rd in nation); Opponents-31.0%
FT%-Memphis-73.6% (129th in nation); Opponents-74.9%
TOPG-Memphis-11.3 (2nd in nation); Opponents-18.0

[PointGuard 70]

NIT Results for AAC Teams

 

Round 1:

 

St. Louis-80, Temple-76 (OT)

 

Central Florida-72, Villanova-66

 

Round 2:

 

St. Louis-86, Central Florida-70

[PointGuard 70]

NCAA Tournament

 

#1 Seeds: Memphis, Indiana, Oregon, UCLA

 

UCONN was placed on probation during the season so is ineligible for post-season tournament play.

 

Round 1:

 

Game #33 vs (#16 seed) Houston Baptist Huskies (16-14): C Kelvin Ross sustained a concussion and will sit out this game. Midway through the 1st half we led 21-8. We expanded our lead to 16 before giving up some of our cushion but still led 35-24 at the break. PF Angelo Craft fouled out early in the 2nd half. We cruised to an easy 71-51 win. PG Morris Wolfe and SG Isaac Wright both scored 17 points (Wolfe also dished out 7 assists). C Jules Grant added 12 points. (33-0)

 

Round 2 (Round of 32):

 

Game #34 vs (#9 seed) Vanderbilt Commodores (21-12): C Kelvin Ross says he’s ready to play, but we’re going to rest him another game as a protective measure. The first 4 minutes were ugly with both teams turning the ball over frequently. But we took an early lead and hung onto it, gradually extending it to the halftime difference of 42-26. We played as if in a daze in the 2nd half, turning the ball over way too much. That allowed Vanderbilt to cut into our lead, but we held them off for a 77-68 victory. PF Angelo Craft led our scoring with 14 points. SG Isaac Wright and PG Morris Wolfe were also in double figures with 13 and 12 points, respectively. (34-0)

 

Round 3 (Sweet 16):

 

Game #35 vs #14 (4th seed) Kentucky Wildcats (23-9): C Kelvin Ross is back and will start tonight. Kentucky took it to us early in the 1st half and led 24-14. We slowly cut into their lead and closed to within a single digit at the buzzer, trailing 40-39. We scored the first 5 points of the 2nd half but then Kentucky took a small lead and held it most of the half. With 6-1/2 minutes to play we went on top 62-61. Roy Field made the first, but missed the 2nd of a one-and-one to give us a 77-74 lead with 32 seconds remaining. We stole the ball and drove for a lay-in, then hit a 3 to win 82-74 in a game that was much closer than the final score. PG Morris Wolfe scored 19, SG Roy Field hit for 16, SG Isaac Wright tossed in 15 plus pulled down 7 rebounds, and SF Julian Blevins came off the bench to add 10. (35-0)

 

Round 4 (Elite 8):

 

Game #36 vs #21 (3rd seed) USC Trojans (24-7): Even though we had a lot of players in foul trouble, we held a double digit lead throughout most of the 1st half and went to the locker room up 48-34. We maintained a solid lead the entire 2nd half and won 90-77. C Kelvin Ross scored 15 and C Jules Grant dropped in 13 points plus grabbed 10 boards. SG Roy Field scored 11 points and PG Morris Wolfe added 10 while dishing out 7 assists. (36-0)

 

Round 5 (Final 4):

 

Game #37 vs (12th seed) Virginia Cavaliers (21-11): We jumped out on top but Virginia reeled us back in and we had to come back late in the half to take a narrow 44-42 halftime lead. We spurted out to an 18 point lead at the midway point of the 2nd half. We were not to be denied and won going away 85-63. PF Morris Wolfe led our scoring with 18 points, SG Isaac Wright added 14 points, PF Angelo Craft scored 13 points, and SF John Jones finished with 10 points. (37-0)

 

Round 6 (Championship):

 

Game #38 vs #9 (2nd seed) Notre Dame Fighting Irish (28-9): We need to control Notre Dame’s SG Aaron Williams who averaged 26.0 ppg this season. Notre Dame scored the first 14 points of the game putting us in a big hole. We got within 3 points, then Notre Dame shut us down while hitting from all over the court to give us a 41-21 halftime deficit. We never made a dent in Notre Dame’s armor in the 2nd half and lost 78-57 by hitting just 32% of our shots and being out-played in every aspect of the game. SG Isaac Wright was our only player who had his shooting eye and he scored 20 points. PG Morris Wolfe added 15. So, our third-straight 2nd place finish in the NCAA Tournament. We came up one game short of a perfect season. (37-1)

[PointGuard 70]

Awards

 

AAC Freshman Player of the Year: PG Morris Wolfe

 

AAC 1st Team All-Conference: PF Angelo Craft

 

AAC 2nd Team All-Conference: PG Morris Wolfe

 

AAC 2nd Team All-Conference: C Kelvin Ross

 

National Coach of the Year: Tom Bradbury

 

AAC Coach of the Year: Tom Bradbury

[PointGuard 70]

 

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BREAKING NEWS

 

Memphis Coach Caught Cheating!

University of Memphis fans were stunned today when popular head basketball coach, Tom Bradbury, pleaded guilty to cheating and was fired.
The charges stem from a lengthy investigation by the Internal Revenue Service into Bradbury’s long-term failure to report all income on his tax returns.

(And thus we move from DDSCB3 to DDSCB2016)

[Saykik 0]

GG