Memphis Perfect No More

No. 2 Vols upset No. 1 Tigers in 66-62 stunner
By Katherine Thompson,  Newser Staff
Posted Feb 24, 2008 5:19 AM CST
Memphis Perfect No More
Tennessee forward Tyler Smith, front, grabs a loose ball in front of Memphis forward Robert Dozier (2) in the second half of a basketball game in Memphis, Tenn., Saturday, Feb. 23, 2008. Smith led Tennessee with 16 points as No. 2 Tennessee beat No. 1 Memphis 66-62. (AP Photo/Alan Spearman)   (Associated Press)

The match-up between No. 1 Memphis and No. 2 Tennessee was hyped to high heaven, and lived up to nearly every expectation, writes the Tennessean. The Volunteers relished their role of spoiler, playing hard and hungry to secure a 66-62 victory and run a perfect 45-game stretch of Tigers wins. "They scrapped, they battled," explained defeated coach John Calipari.

Tyler Smith led the Volunteers with 16 points, with JP Prince and Wayne Chism each adding 13. Derrick Rose collected a game-high 23, including Memphis' final point on a free throw. He purposely missed the next shot, but Tennessee's Chris Lofton beat the Tigers to the rebound, and sank both of his free throws to seal up the game with 2.9 seconds remaining. (More NCAA basketball stories.)

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