Four Thoughts on Memphis vs. Oklahoma State, Round Two
Posted by Will Tucker on December 3rd, 2013Four Thoughts is our way of providing some (typically) rapid reactions to some of the key games involving AAC teams throughout the season.
Shaq Goodwin was energetic on both ends of the floor on Sunday. (Mark Webber/The Commercial Appeal)
- Marcus Smart’s AAC reign of terror has come to an end. The RTC preseason Player of the Year failed to replicate his Herculean stat lines from the Cowboys’ prior wins over Memphis and South Florida, in which he had averaged 32 points and 4.5 steals per game. In Sunday’s rematch, Smart scored 12 points on a season-low 30.8 percent shooting and finished 0-of-5 from beyond the arc. He also forfeited five turnovers, including consecutive miscues in the Cowboys’ final two possessions, allowing senior Memphis point guard Joe Jackson to sink four free throws that effectively cost Oklahoma State the game. Fortunately for the rest of the league, Smart won’t get the chance to take another crack at the American Athletic Conference during the 2013-14 regular season.
- Josh Pastner has the “Big Game” monkey off of his back after earning his first win over a team ranked in the Associated Press Top 25. Despite his successes as a recruiter and the regular season since he began calling the shots at Memphis, the fifth-year coach has earned a reputation for failing to produce results in important games – whether in the NCAA Tournament or against elite competition. After Pastner lost his 13th consecutive contest against a Top 25 opponent in embarrassing fashion in his team’s first match-up with Oklahoma State, RTC’s Mike Lemaire asked whether the former up-and-comer should be on the hot seat. A win like this removes any question of Pastner’s job security, and restores a measure of faith and respect that the coach seemed to be losing among the fan base. Moreover, it has big-picture implications for his program’s national perception, as CBS Sports writer and Memphis native Gary Parrish described Sunday’s win as “narrative-changing.”
- The Memphis frontcourt is capable of banging with athletic, physical teams down low. While Shaq Goodwin’s struggles as a defensive rebounder are well-documented and freshman Austin Nichols has been billed as more of a finesse player, each passed major tests over the weekend against LSU’s Johnny O’Bryant and Oklahoma State’s Le’Bryan Nash. Following Nichols’ 19-point, eight-rebound performance against LSU in the Old Spice Classic semifinals, Goodwin posted a team-high 17 points, eight rebounds, and two blocks against the Cowboys on Sunday. The tandem also effectively packed the paint late in the game, forcing their opponents to take ill-advised shots from beyond the arc and helping to neutralize a foul-hampered Nash, who was limited to eight points and two rebounds in 17 minutes. As Mike DeCourcy points out, the Tigers’ interior defense remains suspect, but Goodwin and Nichols displayed a toughness and poise against OSU that’s been noticeably absent from Josh Pastner’s teams.
- Much like Louisville, foul shooting continues to be a lurking weakness for Memphis, as the team hit only 12-of-24 free throws against OSU. Outside of Joe Jackson, who draws fouls at a higher rate than any other AAC guard and is cashing in on 85 percent of his attempts, the only other Tigers to shoot at least 65 percent from the foul line are Michael Dixon Jr. (12-of-14) and Goodwin (19-of-28). Among AAC teams, only UCF has shot worse than Memphis’ 63.8 percent from the line. While the team has also shot exceptionally well on some nights, and seven games is a relatively small sample size by which to judge a group of guards that shot decently last season, missing half of your free throws against a top-10 team is a good way to lose a game you should have won.
Kentucky native living and working in Washington, D.C. Fan of tacos, maps, and the 30-second shot clock. Not a fan of comments sections, bad sportswriting.
