Kansas vs Memphis Basketball Recap

Roughly four hours after one unwatchable early-season college basketball game ended in the nation's capital, another episode of ugly basketball unfolded in the Gateway City.

Hoops junkies might have felt that a long and crowded Tuesday wouldn't get any worse than the Temple-Georgetown train wreck, which ended near 6 p.m. Eastern time in Washington, D.C. However, they had another thing coming.

In a contest that began just after 10 p.m. Eastern, the Kansas Jayhawks and Memphis Tigers created a clunker of very similar proportions. The No. 1 Jayhawks might have survived in St. Louis by a two-point margin, but not without cost. Coach Bill Self's ballclub made a nation of TV viewers request dark shades, or some kind of eyewear that would have reduced the impact of seeing this particular eyesore at the Scottrade Center.

This game possessed two very simple and traceable story arcs: Kansas couldn't hold onto the ball, while Memphis couldn't shoot it. The Jayhawks turned the ball over 20 times, rushing dozens of offensive possessions and failing to get the combination and ball movement and spacing they need in their halfcourt sets. Self told ESPN at halftime of this national broadcast that his players were trying to score too quickly, without making the extra passes or taking the extra time needed to craft a good offensive possession.

Kansas employs a starting lineup of three guards and two centers, so when one realizes that KU's three starting guards - Sherron Collins, Tyshawn Taylor, and Xavier Henry - committed 13 turnovers, it's easy to see why the Jayhawks performed so poorly at the offensive end of the floor. KU actually shot the ball at a reasonably good clip; the Jayhawks hit 47 percent of their shots and went 16-of-21 from the free throw line. Shooting wasn't the main bugaboo for Self and his staff; turnovers held back the nation's No. 1 team all night long.

For Memphis, shooting was precisely the issue. Even under former coach (and current Kentucky boss) John Calipari, Memphis teams weren't loaded with pure shooters so much as gifted, agile scorers. The Tigers rely on their depth, energy and defense to create easy buckets and wear down opposing teams, but shooting barrages have rarely if ever been part of the Memphis formula for success. Therefore, in the face of KU's imposing defense - particularly the massive presence of Jayhawk center Cole Aldrich in the middle of the lane - it shouldn't be surprising to find out that Memphis hit only 35 percent of its field goal attempts. Yes, coach Josh Pastner's crew committed eight fewer turnovers than the Jayhawks, while also earning 12 more shot opportunities (55 to 43) and hitting five more threes, but a consistently low shooting percentage, particularly the 2-of-10 shooting of guard Willie Kemp, prevented Pastner's players from pulling off the shocker. When Elliot Williams missed a step-back 3 with four seconds left in the game and Memphis down by only two, the Tigers' last chance for victory clanged off the rim.

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The ending was entirely appropriate, given the way the rest of the game unfolded.

Memphis should take great comfort from the fact that it played Kansas close even while struggling from the field. If the Tigers can knock down shots with any appreciable degree of consistency, they'll be a load for other elite opponents as the 2009-10 season continues. They'll also retain their hold on Conference USA.

Kansas can take little comfort from this shaky showing, but the Jayhawks do have the benefit of realizing that this year of basketball will be much harder than they ever bargained for.

Bad basketball is never fun to watch, but it can definitely whip two teams into shape just days before Thanksgiving. Memphis and Kansas produced cringes from assembled fans and media on Nov. 17, but as a result of their pronounced struggles, they're likely to put smiles on their fans' faces when the calendar turns to March of 2010.

By: Matt Zemek
Big 12 Fans Senior Staff Writer