Memphis = Overrated. Again, and again, and again.

[xubrew]

I don't know why Memphis continues to be ranked high early in the year.

They start off ranked highly, then they play a smattering of out of conference games against good teams and lose them all.

In the past, they would run roughshod over a league full of sub-NIT caliber teams, and that's when they'd move up through the rankings by default.

They would end the year highly ranked, but be given a weak because they hadn't beaten any good teams. They'd whine about being underseeded because in their minds they think they're a Final Four team. They would then lose early in the tournament.

....and the cycle would repeat itself. Here they are, once again, high in the rankings for no real reason.

Memphis hasn't beaten a ranked team since 2009. I don't even think they've been able to give a ranked team a good game. They sure as hell didn't tonight.

At least now they're in a league with a few other decent teams.

[The_Mack_Pack]

Pastner sucks.

[nkymuskie]

Pastner sucks.

This. He can recruit but he sure can't coach.

[boozehound]

I don't know why Memphis continues to be ranked high early in the year.

They start off ranked highly, then they play a smattering of out of conference games against good teams and lose them all.

In the past, they would run roughshod over a league full of sub-NIT caliber teams, and that's when they'd move up through the rankings by default.

They would end the year highly ranked, but be given a weak because they hadn't beaten any good teams. They'd whine about being underseeded because in their minds they think they're a Final Four team. They would then lose early in the tournament.

....and the cycle would repeat itself. Here they are, once again, high in the rankings for no real reason.

Memphis hasn't beaten a ranked team since 2009. I don't even think they've been able to give a ranked team a good game. They sure as hell didn't tonight.

At least now they're in a league with a few other decent teams.

That is incredible.

[Milhouse]

Wait so has Pastner not beaten a ranked team then? Didn't he take over in 09-10?

[gladdenguy]

The stat that he hasn't beaten a ranked team is clearly amazing. I would love to see the list of schools who have beaten a ranked team in that time.

[ammtd34]

Honestly, I didn't believe the ranked team stat, so I looked it up. It's right. They haven't beaten a ranked team since February 7, 2009 (#17 Gonzaga). They've played more than 4 full seasons of basketball since then. That was also the season Xavier beat them in Puerto Rico.

From what I can gather, Xavier has beaten 6 ranked teams since then.

[paulxu]

The stat that he hasn't beaten a ranked team is clearly amazing. I would love to see the list of schools who have beaten a ranked team in that time.

Xavier beat a #19 ranked team (Memphis) last year.

[XU 87]

This. He can recruit but he sure can't coach.


You got that right. He has good players but offensively they stand around and then someone goes one on one and puts up a bad shot. It's really sort of amazing to watch a college team be that poorly coached.

[gladdenguy]

Xavier beat a #19 ranked team (Memphis) last year.

And St. Louis. In a down year we beat 2 last year.

[Masterofreality]

The media has its darlings. Pastner is one of them. He comes on every radio and TV show that there is, and makes those guys his buddies. Then the guys he recruits are over ranked based on their basketball IQ. Maybe on an AAU court his guys look like studs but on a team, they don't mesh.

I'm sure the Memphis boards are melting down again today. I would guess the leash on Pastner is getting shorter. If he gets drilled in the AAAAAAAC this year, look out.

[XUOHTX]

Honestly, I didn't believe the ranked team stat, so I looked it up. It's right. They haven't beaten a ranked team since February 7, 2009 (#17 Gonzaga). They've played more than 4 full seasons of basketball since then. That was also the season Xavier beat them in Puerto Rico.

From what I can gather, Xavier has beaten 6 ranked teams since then.

The only problem is the OP is calling out how bad the ranking system is and then quoting a stat to prove his point by using the flawed ranking system. But overall I agree.

[xubrew]

The only problem is the OP is calling out how bad the ranking system is and then quoting a stat to prove his point by using the flawed ranking system. But overall I agree.

That basically was my point. That the ranking system is flawed in general and that if favors a weak Memphis team.

Generally speaking, the most important thing for a team to do to rise up through the rankings is to not lose. If you're ranked #10th in the nation, and you go on the road to play the #3 team in the nation, and lose at the buzzer, you're going to drop in the rankings. If the #11 team in the nation won at home against Rice, then they will pass the #10 team that lost to the #3 team. That's just how the rankings work. So, when Memphis gets out there and runs all over a league full of sub-NIT teams, they rise up through the rankings by default.

Whenever they play a team that's actually good, they lose. But, for whatever reason, no one ever seems to be clued in to the fact that they're not that good. They didn't beat a single NCAA Tournament team during the season last year, and had to sweat out Saint Mary's in the round of 64.

The year before, they beat us, and they beat Belmont. Belmont was not an at-large team, and without reliving everything, Xavier was kind of going through some issues at the time.

The year before?? Two wins over UAB, who was clobbered in the play-in game.

The year before that, they missed the NCAAs.

So, not only are they not beating ranked teams, their only wins of any note have come in close games against bubble teams, and they're aren't many of those. Yet, they're ranked #11. Again. Somehow. I just don't understand why people haven't caught on that they're really not THAT good.

Yet, their fans think they are. I remember cracking up at how they came on here last year expecting Memphis to make the Final Four....and they were serious.

[Masterofreality]

Memphis the town stinks too.

[XUOHTX]

Memphis the town stinks too.

This x 1000

[xubrew]

I actually like the city, at least the downtown area. Between the arena, the minor league baseball stadium and Beale Street you can have a lot of fun in Memphis. If you like live music, it's way better than a lot of other places I've been.

I just think the team is grossly overrated. Every year there are overrated teams and underrated, but it's generally different teams from year to year. Except for Memphis. They're ALWAYS overrated by everyone. Just look at the number of people who were surprised to learn how unaccomplished they are against other ranked teams, and for that matter other tournament caliber teams. I don't know why the general college hoops world has failed to notice that they aren't that good.

[casualfan]

I actually like the city, at least the downtown area. Between the arena, the minor league baseball stadium and Beale Street you can have a lot of fun in Memphis. If you like live music, it's way better than a lot of other places I've been.


Agreed. I've been there a few times and have thoroughly enjoyed myself each time.

[gladdenguy]

Parrish and Goodman go back and forth about Memphis a lot. This year they have both realized the Tigers stink. The updated Top 25 and one had Memphis at 11 (which was dumb to begin with) and since dropped them out after last night because the game wasn't even competitive.

Then Goodman tweeted something to the effect of "Memphis will get it back together in C-USA.....oh wait a minute.....they actually have to play good teams in conference this year".

[Masterofreality]

Agreed. I've been there a few times and have thoroughly enjoyed myself each time.

If you stay in a 2 square block area. Otherwise, prepare to be murdered.

[Kahns Krazy]

I actually like the city, at least the downtown area. Between the arena, the minor league baseball stadium and Beale Street you can have a lot of fun in Memphis. If you like live music, it's way better than a lot of other places I've been.
.

Bleh. If you like paying high cover charges to see cover bands while a fight breaks out on the street outside, Memphis is your place. Give me Nashville all day every day for music.

Not beating a ranked team in 4 season is sad. Like Gladden said, it would be hilarious to see a list of teams that had won at least one game over a ranked team in that span. There have to be some really bad teams ahead of Memphis.

[Masterofreality]

Yep, Kahns.

Music? Nashville and Austin, baby.

[xavierj]

Bleh. If you like paying high cover charges to see cover bands while a fight breaks out on the street outside, Memphips is your place. Give me Nashville all day every day for music.

Not beating a ranked team in 4 season is sad. Like Gladden said, it would be hilarious to see a list of teams that had won at least one game over a ranked team in that span. There have to be some really bad teams ahead of Memphis.

Yeah Dayton has 5 wins against ranked teams during that time.

[XUFan09]

Yeah Dayton has 5 wins against ranked teams during that time.

Hahahahahaha man, Memphis, that's an awful comparison.

[BBC 08]

Nashville is no different than Memphis in regards to music. All of Broadway and Midtown are just cover bands playing the same damn songs. Live there for more than a year and it gets old.

[THRILLHOUSE]

Music?...Austin, baby.

Better BBQ too.

[ballyhoohoo]

Better BBQ too.

Best BBQ I've had on a Xavier road trip is Sweet Pees in Knoxville

[xubrew]

Best BBQ I've had on a Xavier road trip is Sweet Pees in Knoxville

If anyone is going down to Tuscaloosa, check out Dreamland Barbecue. I don't think it's the best, but most people do, and they get mad when you say that you think it's good, but that you like one of the other establishments better.

[xubrew]

Was UC ranked when Presby beat them?? I know they ended up as a #6 seed, so they presumably got into the rankings at some point.

That is the worst team that I can think of that's managed a win over a ranked team.

TCU, who is a tire fire of a program, also managed a win against Kansas last year.

I'm sure there are some that are worse, but those are the only two I can think of off the top of my head.

[Smails]

Nashville is no different than Memphis in regards to music. All of Broadway and Midtown are just cover bands playing the same damn songs. Live there for more than a year and it gets old.

No covers in Nashville...at least there weren't the last time I was there. And as MOR points out you are less likely to get shanked in Nashville, which is certainly appealing to me.

[ammtd34]

Was UC ranked when Presby beat them?? I know they ended up as a #6 seed, so they presumably got into the rankings at some point.

That is the worst team that I can think of that's managed a win over a ranked team.

TCU, who is a tire fire of a program, also managed a win against Kansas last year.

I'm sure there are some that are worse, but those are the only two I can think of off the top of my head.

I know it's not since 2009, but Wright State was 3-8 when they beat the MSU team who would win the National Championship that year. To be fair, they were without Cleaves, but who cares? They were still completely stacked. Jason Richardson, Andre Hutson, Morris Peterson, Charlie Bell, AJ Granger...

[BBC 08]

No covers in Nashville...at least there weren't the last time I was there. And as MOR points out you are less likely to get shanked in Nashville, which is certainly appealing to me.

Usually depends on the bar. And if there is no cover then there is the band sending around a tip bucket which is just as annoying. As for the shankings, well yeah, no shankings in Nashville. But where's the excitement in that?

[Juice]

Usually depends on the bar. And if there is no cover then there is the band sending around a tip bucket which is just as annoying. As for the shankings, well yeah, no shankings in Nashville. But where's the excitement in that?

That is definitely not true when talking about the strip club in Nashville I went to. Shankings probably occurred on the hour around there.

[BBC 08]

That is definitely not true when talking about the strip club in Nashville I went to. Shankings probably occurred on the hour around there.

Let me guess, you went to the Crazy Horse by the on ramp to get on 24? Yeah, that's not the best neighborhood. At least you weren't in Antioch though. You would have been shot there.

[Juice]

Let me guess, you went to the Crazy Horse by the on ramp to get on 24? Yeah, that's not the best neighborhood. At least you weren't in Antioch though. You would have been shot there.

Nailed it.

[Titanxman04]

Nailed it.

BBC knows his strip clubs from the Mississippi all the way to Atlantic City. Many a times I have referred a friend or two to him to inquire about the qualities, ambiance, and sights of strip clubs throughout various locations and every time they have come back satisfied with his information.

[Masterofreality]

Let me guess, you went to the Crazy Horse by the on ramp to get on 24? Yeah, that's not the best neighborhood. At least you weren't in Antioch though. You would have been shot there.

This.

[vee4xu]

Memphis is to preseason basketball ratings what Notre Dame is to preseason football ratings.

Sorry, nuts.

[principal]

Memphis is to preseason basketball ratings what Notre Dame is to preseason football ratings.

Sorry, nuts.

It would have been easier to say Memphis is to the AAC what Dayton is to the A-10. Everyone would have understood what you meant, and you would not have had to offend nuts.

[xubrew]

Really nice win for Memphis tonight. They played well, and for the first time, seemed to have a collective direction in mind.

Okie State has looked great at times. I think they could potentially be the best team in the country. The problem is that they only play up to their potential in spurts. They pissed away a decisive lead against a weak Purdue team, and almost lost to an okay Butler team. They lost to Memphis tonight.

......but Memphis did look good. They've looked better than they've looked in four years. That's not an exaggeration.

[94GRAD]

That was Pastner's first win against a ranked opponent.

[Masterofreality]

That was Pastner's first win against a ranked opponent.

And Marcus Smart played sick...and he was not good.

[xubrew]

Memphis and UC should have to swap programs.

UC's program is actually worth a crap, but no one gives a crap.

Memphis's program is crap, yet everyone seems to love them and their fan support is tremendous.

[xubball1993]

As much as it sickens me, still a solid road win for UC.

[xubrew]

As much as it sickens me, still a solid road win for UC.

We want that to be a good win for us, so don't feel too sick.

[bleedXblue]

You can mark it down. Memphis next year will be ranked early....lose 2-3 games to worthy opponents, win some league games, get ranked again and then shit the bed in the tourney. Pastner can't coach and he recruit athletes that can't shoot.

[Masterofreality]

Memphis is an absolute joke...now perpetrated by ESPN's obsession to make the AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAC relevant.

Pastner wins one game against Ok State, where Marcus Smart was sick, and he's announced as a God again. Never mind that he can't coach his way out of a wet tissue sack. Their next best win was by 4 points against LSU...the same LSU that lost yesterday AT HOME to a Horriffic Rhode Island team.

There is not a more charlatanesque program on the planet today.

[Muskie]

Memphis is an absolute joke...now perpetrated by ESPN's obsession to make the AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAC relevant.

Pastner wins one game against Ok State, where Marcus Smart was sick, and he's announced as a God again. Never mind that he can't coach his way out of a wet tissue sack. Their next best win was by 4 points against LSU...the same LSU that lost yesterday AT HOME to a Horriffic Rhode Island team.

There is not a more charlatanesque program on the planet today.



Shhhh MOR. ESPNs pimping of Memphis allowed the Bearcats to get a quality "win" yesterday.

That means Advantage X come tourney time.



Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk (http://tapatalk.com/m?id=1)

[Cheesehead]

Are you saying Memphis wouldn't win the Big East?

[xubrew]

Memphis would struggle to win the MAC.

[DC Muskie]

Gary Parrish over at CBS thinks UC's win at Memphis is so good that he ranked the Bearcats 26th.

http://www.cbssports.com/collegebasketball/eye-on-college-basketball/24399951/updated-top-25-and-one

Good win by Wake over UNC. If Alabama can pick up some good wins, that can only help us.

[XU '11]

Gary Parrish over at CBS thinks UC's win at Memphis is so good that he ranked the Bearcats 26th.

http://www.cbssports.com/collegebasketball/eye-on-college-basketball/24399951/updated-top-25-and-one

Good win by Wake over UNC. If Alabama can pick up some good wins, that can only help us.

The new AP Poll also has UC ranked 26th this week.

http://espn.go.com/mens-college-basketball/rankings/_/year/2014/poll/1

[bleedXblue]

Colossally stupid people. Thats all I can say.

[Burrcats]

After the 20 point beat down against Oklahoma State I was all on board for the Memphis sucks!! train, but they really surprised me in the win against Oklahoma State (given Marcus Smart was puking his guts out), and then in the Jimmy V Classic with a narrow loss to Florida they looked like a Sweet 16 caliber team. One thing about Memphis is they will always have talent given the amazing AAU ball that is played in their backyard. Every since the 80's I cannot think of a Memphis team that didn't have talent. They were exposed on Saturday by Cincinnati who was much more physical, and pushed around their guards and dared them to shoot jump shots.

Sorry to ruffle any feathers, but beating a ranked team on the road by 16 is impressive no matter who it is. It wasn't like their was a huge disparity amongst the polls and their computer numbers, they were in the top 25 of the RPI/KenPom/BPI/Sagarin before the game anyways...

Memphis is definitely not as good as they were ranked, but when you have 4 talented senior guards you can do damage in the tournament.

Cheers.

[bleedXblue]

Not taking anything away from UC..... They won on the road against a ranked team that is poorly coached and doesnt have many good shooters. Pastner hasnt done anything with the program 4 years running now. 1 NCAA tourney win. I think the gripe is.... why are they ranked when they consistently crap the bed........and why is that win valued so much ?

[paulxu]

Sorry to ruffle any feathers, but beating a ranked team on the road by 16 is impressive no matter who it is.

Good point. And when that winning team loses to us by 17....well, I should also be impressed I guess.

[Xavier]

I always looked at UC/Memphis as the same. Coach recruits a bunch of athletes and no shooters. Though, Memphis is a little more dangerous on offense, Bearcats are way better on D.

[GoMuskies]

Turns out Memphis might be pretty good after all. That was a really great win for UC. Anyone who beats UC by 17 must be pretty good, too.

[Xavgrad08]

Pastner is now 2-14 vs teams in the top 25.

[xubrew]

This one was pretty impressive. Louisville doesn't look like a FF team, but they're still good. They're of a hell of a lot better than teams Memphis typically beats, much less on the road.

[Juice]

This one was pretty impressive. Louisville doesn't look like a FF team, but they're still good. They're of a hell of a lot better than teams Memphis typically beats, much less on the road.

I think Louisville is living off last year. Look at their schedule. They have 0 quality wins. Ware is out for the year and Behanan was kicked off the team.

[sirthought]

Yeah, losing Behanan has got to be a big blow overall.

[Masterofreality]

Lost to UCon tonight...at home....by 10.

Memphis will probably move up 10 spots in the polls next week just because Pastner was on two radio shows this week.

[bleedXblue]

Ho hum and the sun will come up tomorrow and Memphis will still be ranked next week.

Pastner is making millions pretending to be their coach. He's a young guy, I see him in 5 years coaching as an assistant in the NBA.....seriously

[THRILLHOUSE]

Lost to UCon tonight...at home....by 10.

Memphis will probably move up 10 spots in the polls next week just because Pastner was on two radio shows this week.

and UConn will now be ranked, because what an impressive win!!!

[The_Mack_Pack]

and UConn will now be ranked, because what an impressive win!!!

I guess you heard too!! Winning at Memphis is the most impressive win you can have on your resume ever!

[THRILLHOUSE]

Memphis remains #17 in the polls. Guess that big win over the Le Moyne-Owen Magicians over the weekend helped.

[xu2002]

Memphis remains #17 in the polls. Guess that big win over the Le Moyne-Owen Magicians over the weekend helped.

Coaches poll hasn't been updated yet. They dropped to #23 in the AP poll. I will say that before they played Memphis, I had never heard of Le Moyne-Owen. After they played I still do not care enough to figure out who they are and what state they're from.

[THRILLHOUSE]

Ah, I was looking at last weeks polls. Figured they would still be ranked but thought it was odd they didn't drop. Good to know that they at least dropped.

[Burrcats]

Coaches poll hasn't been updated yet. They dropped to #23 in the AP poll. I will say that before they played Memphis, I had never heard of Le Moyne-Owen. After they played I still do not care enough to figure out who they are and what state they're from.

Memphis didn't play a second exhibition this year so for some reason they put in mid January. They are a school from Memphis.

[xubrew]

It wasn't an exhibition game. It was a regular season game.

You can play your exhibition game in March if you want to. Gonzaga did it a few years so they would have a game between the time the conference tournament ended and the NCAA Tournament started. You don't have to play them both before the season starts. Most teams do, but you don't have to. But, this was a regular season game.

[Burrcats]

It wasn't an exhibition game. It was a regular season game.

You can play your exhibition game in March if you want to. Gonzaga did it a few years so they would have a game between the time the conference tournament ended and the NCAA Tournament started. You don't have to play them both before the season starts. Most teams do, but you don't have to. But, this was a regular season game.

So apparently they played Baylor in a closed scrimmage so they only played one D-II team before the regular season started. This was, as you said, scheduled as a regular season game against a D-II team that counts on your record but not towards the RPI.

"Memphis coach Josh Pastner promised to play LeMoyne-Owen to benefit the small school located in South Memphis and had to schedule the game for January to keep his word."