Last week, I wrote a by the numbers story on the Memphis basketball team’s 2015-16 season. Since, the Tigers have dropped two in a row, including a pathetic 84-83 home loss to 8-11 East Carolina Sunday afternoon. Here are five quick thoughts on Memphis’ loss to the Pirates and from Championship weekend in the NFL. One that saw the Denver Broncos and Carolina Panthers advance to Super Bowl 50.
1. The ECU loss the first time is the second time this season in which Memphis failed to win a game it was favored in or lose a game when it was the underdog. Unfortunately, for the Tigers and coach Josh Pastner, both games that didn’t follow the norm ended up in defeat. For all the talk Memphis improving this season, it has the same record through 19 games (12-7) as the Austin Nichols’ led 2014-15 Tigers. At this point, it’s safe to say Memphis will not be playing in the NCAA Tournament unless it wins the American Athletic Conference Tournament.
2. One positive for the Tigers is their next game is on the road at UCF (10-7) Tuesday. After its loss to Texas-Arlington, Memphis rebounded with a win against Ohio State in Miami. A failure to do the same against the Knights, and a season that had a little potential could get ugly, quickly. Especially, with Memphis taking on ranked SMU in Dallas Saturday.
3. Another positive from the loss was freshman forward Dedric Lawson finally appeared to defeat his first shooting slump in a Blue and Gray jersey. Lawson finished with 27 points and, more importantly, shot 11-15 from the field. His shooting percentage has gone down each month this season (47 percent in November, 41 percent in December and 35 percent in January). Going forward, a more efficient Lawson can still help Memphis salvage the 2015-16 season.
4. In the NFL, Denver Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning may be the worst quarterback to start in a Super Bowl since Trent Dilfer in 2000. Obviously, Manning is an all-time great, but now he is a 39-year-old quarterback well past his best days with a Super Bowl caliber-defense carrying him to the big game, just ask New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady. If the Broncos upset the Carolina Panthers in two weeks, chances are it will have little to due with the former five-time NFL MVP. At the same time, an argument can made if Manning’s Broncos win the Super Bowl will be he’s earned the right to be carried to a ring after so many of his other team’s lost because of a suspect defense.
5. However, Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton, 26, the other quarterback in Super Bowl 50, looks to have just entered his prime and seems ready to take his place firmly among the game’s elite quarterbacks. A season that has seen him lead his team to 15-1 regular season record and a near-certain first NFL MVP trophy in his future. The Panthers also have a phenomenal defense, though not quite as good as the Broncos, and that should be more than enough for Carolina to win its first Super Bowl in two weeks. A game in which they opened as four-and-a-half point favorites.
Dedric Lawson had a strong showing in the loss to ECU scoring 27 points and added three blocks.
