Calipari finds flaw in critics' perceptions
SAN ANTONIO - Us Against The World or One Shining Moment? Or will it be both? Welcome to the world of Memphis basketball.
Going into last night's national semifinal, coach John Calipari's Tigers were being asked about the perception that they were underdogs in this Blue Chip Final Four, the idea that people were looking for flaws in a 37-1 team.
Calipari, who brought a University of Massachusetts team to the Final Four in 1996, said the perception of his team was wrong.
"We haven't had that all year," said Calipari. "I don't know why people are saying that. We've won almost all of our games.
"What's happened in the NCAA Tournament is that most analysts picked us to lose. Is that not true?
"What drives you is that you're trying to beat your last performance. You're trying to compete against yourself. And that's what this team has done.
"I'm not in there saying, 'They don't want us, we're going to show them.' I don't do that. What I do say is, 'Let's compete against ourselves. Let's not worry about the opponent.'
"If we give our best effort, a better effort than last weekend, and we lose, they were better than us and we've had a great year. But that's our best chance of winning, competing against ourselves. We're not playing against the world."
Last night, Memphis competed against itself and against UCLA in a Final Four semifinal game with the college basketball world watching - and the Tigers did what they needed to do in posting a 78-63 win.
It will be Memphis's first appearance in the championship game since 1973, when it beat Providence in the semifinals and was beaten by Bill Walton-led UCLA.
"We believe in ourselves," said Memphis All-America guard Chris Douglas-Roberts, who led the Tigers with 28 points. "So that's all that really matters to us. When we hear stuff, we laugh because we don't understand where it came from. But we don't play that 'Us Against the World' thing. We don't play that. We just go out and play. It's pretty simple."
Doomed dome?
The reviews on San Antonio as a Final Four site are positive. Nice city, good weather, easy access to the Alamodome and the Riverwalk for dining, shopping, and entertainment. But there is growing speculation that this could be the last time San Antonio hosts a Final Four as the NCAA branches out to cities whose domed stadiums have better seating configurations.The Final Four will be held in Detroit's Ford Field next season, in Indianapolis in 2010, and in Houston in 2011. Phoenix (Glendale), with the new stadium that hosted the Super Bowl this year, is expected to be in the future mix, and Dallas will be making a bid when its new stadium is completed next year.
Asked about San Antonio's future as a Final Four site, NCAA president Myles Brand was encouraging but noncommittal.
"We'll continue to go through our bid process," said Brand, "continue to look for opportunities to give every city a fair chance.
"I've got to tell you, San Antonio's just a great place to hold a game. The city does one of the greatest jobs in the country. So we won't make it impossible, but there's lots of competition out there, different kinds of venues, new venues. I think it's a real challenge to make sure everyone gets a fair shot at it."
The NCAA wants to move the Final Four to different regions - as long as it can have a domed stadium that accommodates upward of 40,000 people. With the inclusion of Detroit and Houston as regional sites this year and Final Four sites in the future, the policy has shifted toward newer venues that can accommodate more than 60,000 fans.
The Alamodome is from the older generation of domes and would have to be updated somewhat to meet the requirements the NCAA wants. Without an NFL franchise, the Alamodome's use is limited to special events, such as the Final Four and bowl games.
And with new venues in Dallas and Houston, the competition in Texas alone will be fierce.
Regular guys
Talk about college bluebloods and consistency. Since 1961, the NCAA Tournament has included at least one of this year's Final Four teams - UCLA, Kansas, North Carolina, and Memphis. In their combined histories, the schools have 139 tournament appearances, 51 Final Four berths, and 17 national championships (with No. 18 coming tomorrow night) . . . UCLA forward Luc Richard Mbah a Moute's biggest fan - his mother - was at last night's game, which was a big deal since she traveled from Cameroon to see her son play for the first time . . . Larry Brown is playing the neutral card to the max this weekend. Brown's collegiate playing career was at North Carolina under Dean Smith. He coached UCLA (Final Four, 1980) and Kansas (national championship in 1988) and is close friends with Calipari, who has been an assistant under Brown. Brown also has spread the word that he wouldn't mind, at the age of 67, a return to coaching.Mark Blaudschun can be reached at blaudschun@globe.com 