2007–08 Memphis Tigers men's basketball team

2007–08 Memphis Tigers men's basketball
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Conference	Conference USA
2007–08 record	0–1, 38 wins vacated (0–0 C-USA, 16 wins vacated)
Head coach	John Calipari (8th year)
Assistant coach	Derek Kellogg
Assistant coach	John Robic
Assistant coach	Chuck Martin
Home arena	FedExForum

2007–08 Conference USA men's basketball standings
	Conf							Overall
Team	W		L		PCT			W		L		PCT
UAB	12	–	4		.750			23	–	11		.676
Houston	11	–	5		.688			24	–	10		.706
Southern Miss	9	–	7		.563			19	–	14		.576
UCF	9	–	7		.563			16	–	15		.516
Tulsa	8	–	8		.500			25	–	14		.641
UTEP	8	–	8		.500			19	–	14		.576
Marshall	8	–	8		.500			16	–	14		.533
Tulane	6	–	10		.375			17	–	15		.531
East Carolina	5	–	11		.313			11	–	19		.367
SMU	4	–	12		.250			10	–	20		.333
Rice	0	–	16		.000			3	–	27		.100
#2 Memphis	0	–	0		–			0	–	1		.000
† 2008 C-USA Tournament winner Rankings from AP Poll

The 2007–08 Memphis Tigers men's basketball team represented the University of Memphis in the 2007–08 college basketball season, the 87th season of Tiger basketball. The Tigers were coached by eighth-year head coach John Calipari, and they played their home games at the FedExForum in Memphis, Tennessee. The team was the most successful in Tigers' history reaching the NCAA Championship game for the second time and setting numerous school records. It is also one of the most successful in college basketball history, setting the record for most wins in a season at 38–2 (Kentucky matched it in 2015 at 38-1). However, the wins were vacated in 2009 after an investigation into the eligibility of future NBA-star Derrick Rose and the Tigers officially finished the season 0–1.

Overview

Non-conference play

The Tigers began the season ranked No. 3 as a result of a strong recruiting class led by Derrick Rose and returning veteran stars Chris Douglas-Roberts and Joey Dorsey. To start non-conference play, the Tigers defeated powerhouses Oklahoma and Connecticut in the 2K College Hoops Classic at Madison Square Garden in New York. On the same court in the Jimmy V Classic, they won an overtime thriller over USC led by O.J. Mayo. On December 22, they defeated No. 5 Georgetown by 14 and No. 17 Arizona the next week. On January 21, the undefeated Tigers were ranked No. 1 by both major polls after a loss by number-one North Carolina. The Tigers started the season 26–0, the best start to a season in Memphis history.

Conference play

Entering conference play, the Tigers were predicted to match the previous years undefeated run in the conference. Memphis started the season 26–0, the best in history. However, the record start was tested in a mid-season, non-conference bout against in-state rival No. 2 Tennessee. In a highly anticipated No. 1 vs. No. 2 matchup covered by ESPN Gameday, the Volunteers beat the top-ranked Tigers at home 62–66. The Tigers finished Conference USA play undefeated for the second straight year, and won the conference tournament for the third straight year. Memphis finished the season with 38-1 and they are the conference USA regular season champions

NCAA Tournament

In the 2008 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament Memphis earned a 1-seed in the South. In opening rounds in Little Rock, they defeated 16-seed Texas–Arlington and 8-seed Mississippi State. They moved on to regionals in Houston where they defeated 5-seed Michigan State. In the regional final, they knocked off a 2-seeded Texas team playing near to its home in Austin. In the Final Four, Memphis beat UCLA and proceeded to the national championship game. The Tigers fell in overtime to the Kansas Jayhawks, 68–75 after a game-tying three-pointer at the buzzer by Kansas-star Mario Chalmers. Chris Douglas-Roberts was named a first-team All-American, and prospective number-one draft pick Derrick Rose was named to the third team. The Tigers finished the season 38–2 (16–0), as Conference USA regular season and tournament champions. The 38 wins broke a record shared by the 1986 Duke Blue Devils, 1987 UNLV Runnin' Rebels, and 2005 Illinois Fighting Illini for the most wins in NCAA Division I history. It would be matched later by the 2012 and 2015 2014-15 Kentucky Wildcats men's basketball team Kentucky Wildcats and they are the 2008 south regional champions and they lost to the 2008 national champions Kansas jayhawks in 2008 national championship game.

NCAA investigation

The NCAA determined in 2009 that Derrick Rose had forfeited his eligibility because the Educational Testing Service voided Rose's SAT Reasoning Test score that made him eligible to play at Memphis. Additionally, the NCAA determined that even without the questions about Rose's SAT score, Rose would have lost his eligibility in December 2007 due to his brother being allowed to travel with the team for free. All 38 wins and 1 NCAA tournament loss were subsequently vacated by the NCAA for rules violations, leaving the team with a final record of 0-1. The NCAA also made Memphis remove banners commemorating the 2008 season. This included a banner commemorating three seniors who finished the 2008–2009 season with the most wins by any player in NCAA history with 137 from 2005 to 2009. Memphis also forfeited all NCAA tournament revenues.

Recruiting

Name	Home town	High school / college	Height	Weight	Commit date
Jeff Robinson SF	Elizabeth, NJ	St. Patrick HS	6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)	195 lb (88 kg)	Jun 14, 2006
	Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports: N/A    ESPN grade: 97
Derrick Rose PG	Chicago, IL	Simeon Career Academy	6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)	180 lb (82 kg)	Nov 4, 2006
	Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports: N/A    ESPN grade: 98
Overall recruiting rankings: Scout: 4   Rivals: 23
Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight. In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale. Sources:

Roster

2007–08 Memphis Tigers men's basketball team
Players	Coaches
Pos. # Name Height Weight Year Home town F 0 Shawn Taggart 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 230 lb (104 kg) So Richmond, Virginia G 1 Willie Kemp 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 175 lb (79 kg) So Bolivar, Tennessee F 2 Robert Dozier 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 215 lb (98 kg) Jr Lithonia, Georgia F 3 Joey Dorsey 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 265 lb (120 kg) Sr Baltimore, Maryland F 4 Pierre Niles 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 310 lb (141 kg) So Memphis, Tennessee G 5 Antonio Anderson 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 210 lb (95 kg) Jr Lynn, Massachusetts G 14 Chris Douglas-Roberts 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 200 lb (91 kg) Jr Detroit, Michigan G 15 Andre Allen 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) 205 lb (93 kg) Sr Memphis, Tennessee G 20 Doneal Mack 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 175 lb (79 kg) So Charlotte, North Carolina G 23 Derrick Rose 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 190 lb (86 kg) Fr Chicago, Illinois G 31 Chance McGrady 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 180 lb (82 kg) So Auburndale, Florida G 32 Jeff Robinson 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 210 lb (95 kg) Fr Columbus, New Jersey F/C 35 Hashim Bailey 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 273 lb (124 kg) So Paterson, New Jersey	Head coach John Calipari (Clarion) Assistant coach(es) Derek Kellogg (Massachusetts) Chuck Martin (Monmouth) John Robic (Denison) Legend (C) Team captain (S) Suspended (I) Ineligible (W) Walk-on Injured Current redshirt Roster Last update: 2010-04-05

Schedule

Date Time, TV	Rank#	Opponent#	Result	Record	Site (Attendance) City, State
Regular Season
11/05/07* 6:00 PM, ESPNU	#3	Tennessee–Martin 2K College Hoops Classic (Coaches vs. Cancer)	W 102–71	1–0	FedExForum (16,555) Memphis, TN
11/06/07* 8:00 PM, ESPNU	#3	Richmond 2K College Hoops Classic (Coaches vs. Cancer)	W 80–63	2–0	FedExForum (16,771) Memphis, TN
11/15/07* 7:00 PM, ESPN2	#3	vs. Oklahoma 2K College Hoops Classic (Coaches vs. Cancer)	W 63–53	3–0	Madison Square Garden (7,308) New York, NY
11/16/07* 7:00 PM, ESPN2	#3	vs. Connecticut 2K College Hoops Classic (Coaches vs. Cancer)	W 81–70	4–0	Madison Square Garden (8,895) New York, NY
11/20/07* 7:00 PM, WLMT	#3	Arkansas State	W 84–63	5–0	FedExForum (16,741) Memphis, TN
11/27/07* 7:00 PM, WLMT	#3	Austin Peay	W 104–82	6–0	FedExForum (16,987) Memphis, TN
12/04/07* 8:00 PM, ESPN	#2	vs. USC Jimmy V Classic	W 62–58 OT	7–0	Madison Square Garden (8,300) New York, NY
12/15/07* 6:00 PM, ESPN2	#2	vs. MTSU	W 65–41	8–0	Sommet Center (18,071) Nashville, TN
12/19/07* 6:00 PM, ESPN2	#2	at Cincinnati	W 79–69	9–0	Fifth Third Arena (8,254) Cincinnati, OH
12/22/07* 11:00 AM, ESPN	#2	#5 Georgetown	W 85–71	10–0	FedExForum (18,864) Memphis, TN
12/29/07* 9:00 PM, ESPN2	#2	#17 Arizona	W 76–63	11–0	FedExForum (17,965) Memphis, TN
01/03/08* 8:00 PM, CSS	#2	Siena	W 102–58	12–0	FedExForum (16,836) Memphis, TN
01/05/08* 12:00 PM, WLMT	#2	Pepperdine	W 90–53	13–0	FedExForum (16,974) Memphis, TN
01/09/08 7:00 PM, CSS	#2	East Carolina	W 99–58	14–0 (1–0)	FedExForum (17,308) Memphis, TN
01/12/08 7:00 PM, CSS	#2	at Marshall	W 68–54	15–0 (2–0)	Cam Henderson Center (9,034) Huntington, WV
01/16/08 7:00 PM, WLMT	#2	at Rice	W 77–50	16–0 (3–0)	Reliant Arena (1,892) Houston, TX
01/19/08 8:00 PM, CSS	#2	Southern Miss	W 83–47	17–0 (4–0)	FedExForum (18,108) Memphis, TN
01/23/08 7:00 PM, CSTV	#1	at Tulsa	W 56–41	18–0 (5–0)	Reynolds Center (8,475) Tulsa, OK
01/26/08* 11:00 AM, ESPN	#1	Gonzaga	W 81–73	19–0 (5–0)	FedExForum (18,152) Memphis, TN
01/30/08 7:00 PM, CSTV	#1	at Houston	W 89–77	20–0 (6–0)	Hofheinz Pavilion (8,918) Houston, TX
02/02/08 12:00 PM, CSS	#1	UTEP	W 70–64	21–0 (7–0)	FedExForum (17,722) Memphis, TN
02/06/08 8:00 PM, CSS	#1	SMU	W 77–48	22–0 (8–0)	FedExForum (16,844) Memphis, TN
02/09/08 3:00 PM, CSTV	#1	UCF	W 85–64	23–0 (9–0)	FedExForum (17,833) Memphis, TN
02/13/08 8:00 PM, CSTV	#1	Houston	W 68–59	24–0 (10–0)	FedExForum (17,527) Memphis, TN
02/16/08 7:00 PM, CSS	#1	at UAB	W 79–78	25–0 (11–0)	Bartow Arena (9,392) Birmingham, AL
02/20/08 7:00 PM, CSTV	#1	at Tulane	W 97–71	26–0 (12–0)	Avron B. Fogelman Arena (3,795) New Orleans, LA
02/23/08* 8:00 PM, ESPN	#1	#2 Tennessee	L 62–66	26–1 (12–0)	FedExForum (18,389) Memphis, TN
02/27/08 7:00 PM, CSTV	#2	Tulsa	W 82–67	27–1 (13–0)	FedExForum (17,179) Memphis, TN
03/01/08 3:00 PM, CSTV	#2	at Southern Miss	W 76–67	28–1 (14–0)	Reed Green Coliseum (8,129) Hattiesburg, MS
03/05/08 7:00 PM, CSTV	#1	at SMU	W 72–55	29–1 (15–0)	Moody Coliseum (7,421) Dallas, TX
03/08/08 12:00 PM, CSTV	#1	UAB Battle for the Bones	W 94–56	30–1 (16–0)	FedExForum (17,822) Memphis, TN
2008 Conference USA Tournament
03/13/08 6:00 PM, CSTV	#2	vs. Tulane Quarterfinals	W 75–56	31–1	FedExForum (NA) Memphis, TN
03/14/08 3:30 PM, CSTV	#2	vs. Southern Miss Semifinals	W 69–53	32–1	FedExForum (NA) Memphis, TN
03/15/08 10:35 AM, CBS	#2	vs. Tulsa Final	W 77–51	33–1	FedExForum (14,071) Memphis, TN
2008 NCAA Tournament
03/21/08* 8:55 PM, CBS	#2	vs. Texas–Arlington First Round	W 87–63	34–1	Alltel Arena (16,060) North Little Rock, AR
03/23/08* 3:45 PM, CBS	#2	vs. Mississippi State Second Round	W 77–74	35–1	Alltel Arena (16,060) North Little Rock, AR
03/28/08* 8:57 PM, CBS	#2	vs. #18 Michigan State South Regional Semifinals	W 92–74	36–1	Reliant Stadium (32,931) Houston, TX
03/30/08* 1:20 PM, CBS	#2	vs. #7 Texas South Regional Final	W 85–67	37–1	Reliant Stadium (32,798) Houston, TX
04/05/08* 5:07 PM, CBS	#2	vs. #3 UCLA National Semifinals	W 78–63	38–1	Alamodome (43,718) San Antonio, TX
04/07/08* 8:21 PM, CBS	#2	vs. #4 Kansas National Championship Game	L 68–75 OT	38–2	Alamodome (43,257) San Antonio, TX
*Non-conference game. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses. All times are in Central Time.

See also

• List of vacated and forfeited games in college basketball

Notes

^A. Due to NCAA sanctions, Memphis had 33 regular season wins, 5 tournament wins and 1 tournament loss vacated from the 2007–08 season. The team's pre-sanctions record was 38–2. The "official" record therefore stands as 0-1.