By NANCY ARMOUR, AP National Writer Aug 6, 9:04 am EDT

BEIJING (AP)—Turns out, the perfect 10 wasn’t so perfect.

At least not in the minds of international gymnastics officials.

Four years after a series of scoring errors marred the competition at the Athens Olympics, fans who tune into gymnastics once every four years are in for a big shock Saturday. The perfect 10 is passe. Fifteens, 16s—maybe even a, gasp! 17—are all the rage.

“I hate the new scoring,” said Mary Lou Retton, whose Olympic gold medal came courtesy of a 10 on vault. “The perfect 10, you don’t have to say anything to describe it. The perfect 10, you were perfect.”

Even more than the 6.0 in figure skating, the 10 was gymnastics’ brand. Think of Nadia Comaneci, and you immediately think of that mesmerizing string of seven 10s in Montreal. Somehow, seven 15s doesn’t have quite the same ring to it.

Regardless of whether you knew a pommel horse from a pony, it wasn’t hard to figure out if a routine was good or bad. Start at 10 and count backward. The closer to 10, the better the routine. The further away, the less chance somebody’s getting a medal.

“I thought they were crazy,” Bela Karolyi said of the new scoring system. “Why? Why is it needed? It attracted so much attention. The perfect 10 was something that was cherished.

“I thought it was crazy to take it out, a humongous waste. I still feel that kind of in this way, maybe selfishly.”

But the 10 returned to its pre-Comaneci mythical status after the 1992 Olympics, with none awarded afterward in international competition. That meant judges had to get creative when it came to separating the world’s best gymnasts, with only so many tenths and hundredths of points to spread around.

That flaw in the perfect 10 was glaringly apparent in Athens, when scoring errors left fans and athletes alike unhappy. The men’s high bar, vault and all-around all had issues, and the International Gymnastics Federation finally decided it had had enough.

“Something needed to be done to try and make it more fair,” Retton acknowledged.

The FIG’s solution was an open-ended scoring system. Unlike the 10-point scale, where evaluations of artistry and difficulty had to be jammed together, each now gets its own space and, theoretically at least, there is no limit on how high a gymnast can go.

The first score, the difficulty mark, measures how hard the routine is. Starting from zero, the values of the 10 hardest tricks in a routine are added together. The harder the routine, the higher the difficulty score will be.

The second mark is for execution. Starting from 10—the FIG’s way of claiming the 10 still exists—deductions are taken for errors big (wobbles) and small (bobbles).

“I’m always thinking about that. You can still strive for perfection in the B score,” Nastia Liukin said. “I’m always thinking how to get closer to a 10 on that part.”

Put the two together, and that’s the final score.

Depending on the event, scores at the Beijing Games should range from the high 14s to the high 16s. Oh sure, there’ll be some 13s thrown out there, maybe even an 11 if someone really struggles.

But see a 16, and you know somebody is doing something right. See a 17, and you’ll have seen something really special; there have only been a handful awarded in the three years the scoring system has been used.

“(The 10) is what you dreamed of as a kid. You were always trying to reach a 10. You dreamed you’d do a routine so awesome you’d get a 10,” said Jonathan Horton, who was fourth at worlds last year. “But I’m pretty happy with the system. I’ve gotten comfortable with it.”

That’s not to say he understands it completely. Throw all those numbers around, and it’s bound to cause a math meltdown somewhere.

“It is pretty complicated,” Horton said. “You could sit down and look at a rule book for four years and probably still won’t get it.”

Ah, but that’s what coaches are for.

Athletes may have some nostalgia for the 10, but their main focus is on winning a medal. The FIG could decide to ditch numbers altogether and the athletes would find a way to make it work.

Routines have gotten much, much harder in the last year as athletes try to jam as many tough tricks together as possible to ratchet up their start value.

Liukin looks back at the routines she did in 2005, the last year of the 10.0, and she can barely believe how easy they were. And those got her world titles on balance beam and uneven bars.

“It’s like half of my routine that I do now, and I thought it was hard,” said Liukin, the only American gymnast who has scored a 17.

“It makes it harder but, at the same time, I think it makes it more fun because it brings out the best in you and brings out the most difficult things in gymnastics,” Liukin added.

For fans who haven’t seen gymnastics since the Olympics left Athens, reading Greek or Chinese might seem easier than deciphering this new scoring system. But they’ll adjust, Liukin said.

“Honestly, I don’t even think about that because I know you can’t change it. So why even try and be like, ‘Man, I wish it was still the old code,”’ Liukin said. “I try to deal with what I’m given, try and work harder and try and get my start values up.”

[Source]

By Dave Meltzer, Yahoo! Sports
 
Buzz Up PrintRelated Video  UFC KO of the Week UFC KO of the Week

More MMA Videos More From Dave MeltzerUFC tackles long-term growth issues May 2, 2008 How

UFC 85 was saved Apr 28, 2008
 Mixed martial arts is a business in which people throw around superlatives like they are

nothing. There seems to be a steady stream of “biggest” this and “most important” that.

But the next few months will be pivotal for the sport, with shows – offering plenty of

interesting match-ups – that will determine the industry’s long-term landscape.

From a business standpoint, the May 31 Elite XC show from Newark, N.J., because it airs as a

prime-time live CBS special, could be the most important show of the year. Its success or

failure will have huge effects on the industry as a whole.

A successful show would instantly make Elite XC significant competition for UFC and, from a

business standpoint, cause last year’s $27 million in losses to be viewed simply as expected

startup losses. A failure would make survival a significant issue while leaving a black mark

on the sport as viable network prime-time programming.

From a pure sport standpoint, the highest profile featherweight and bantamweight fights in

U.S. history both take place the next day, on a WEC show in Sacramento.

And what have to be considered the two biggest MMA promotions in the world, UFC and the

Japanese-based Dream promotion, have high-profile events over the next few weeks.

In addition, Fedor Emelianenko, the best heavyweight in the sport’s history, will face his

first truly significant competition in quite some time this summer, against former two-time

UFC champion Tim Sylvia.

A look at some of the more intriguing upcoming matches and their potential ramifications:

May 11 – Dream lightweight tournament: Dream, the MMA division of the Japanese powerhouse

Fighting Entertainment Groups (FEG), has its third show on Sunday. It’s the first that airs

live in the U.S., on HDNet at 3 a.m. Eastern late Saturday/early Sunday from Saitama, Japan.

A replay will air at 4 p.m. ET Monday.

The lightweight tournament that began March 15 has three quarterfinal matches scheduled:

Caol Uno (24-10-4) vs. Mitsuhiro Ishida (16-3-1), Eddie Alvarez (13-1) vs. Joachim Hansen

(17-6-1) and Tatsuya Kawajiri (21-4-2) vs. Luiz “Buscape” Firmino (12-3). The fourth, Shinya

Aoki (15-2) vs. Katsuhiko Nagata (4-2), has been moved to June 15 to give Aoki recovery time

from injuries sustained in his April 29 win over tournament favorite Gesias Calvancanti.

The lone American, Philadelphia’s Alvarez, looks to be a significant force with his strong

punching power. Stylistically, Alvarez vs. Hansen has the potential for fireworks.

May 24 – B.J. Penn (12-4-1) vs. Sean Sherk (36-2-1): The main event for UFC 84 in Las Vegas

is the UFC’s biggest lightweight title match in years, if not ever. The Hawaiian-born and

bred Penn, who won the title on Jan. 19 with a one-sided squash of Joe Stevenson, is

considered to have all-around skills equal to virtually anyone in the sport.

Sherk had been champion, but was stripped after testing positive for the steroid Nandrolone

in his July 7 win over Hermes Franca. Sherk has argued his innocence. Penn has been openly

skeptical, adding a grudge element to the fight. The key to look out for is Penn always

comes out looking unbeatable early, but historically becomes more human as time goes on.

Sherk’s best weapon is his conditioning, which is more important in a five-round title

fight.

May 24 – Keith Jardine (13-4-1) vs. Wanderlei Silva (31-8-1): On paper, this looks like a

crowd-pleasing fight with two guys who are going to aggressively try to match stand-up

skills in a key light heavyweight division fight. Silva, 31, is a legitimate legend of the

sport, as his five-plus-year reign as Pride 205-lb. champion is the longest major title run

in history. But he’s coming off three straight losses, to Mirko Cro Cop, Dan Henderson and

Chuck Liddell. Jardine, with wins over both Liddell and Forrest Griffin, will answer the

question of whether Silva’s best days are behind him. The winner has a good shot of facing

the injured Liddell in his next match.

May 24 – Tito Ortiz (15-5-1) vs. Lyoto Machida (12-0): While the biggest match of Machida’s

career, it’s almost secondary to the probable final act in the Ortiz vs. UFC president Dana

White feud. Ortiz has made it clear he’s leaving UFC after this match, and Machida’s role is

to send him out a loser. Can Ortiz foil his boss on his last night, and if he does, what

will he say in his final UFC interview? Can Machida win over the U.S. public with a win over

one of the most famous fighters in the game and put himself in line for a title shot?

May 31 – Kevin “Kimbo Slice” Ferguson (2-0) vs. James Thompson (16-8): It’s historical

because there can only be one first live prime-time major network card in history, and this

is the show’s main event. CBS and Elite XC are hoping Slice’s street brawler charisma will

mean ratings and mainstream stardom. Slice can punch, but his ground game is untested.

Thompson doesn’t take a punch well, and doesn’t figure to test Slice’s ground game either.

The fight was made to be short and explosive.

May 31 – Gina Carano (5-0) vs. Kaitlin Young (4-1): The highest-profile match in women’s MMA

history. Last year, Carano and Julie Kedzie legitimized women’s MMA to the Showtime audience

by stealing the show on the first MMA event on a premium cable network. This fight is here

with the hope lightning strikes twice, with 15 or 20 times as many viewers, and thus has

more potential impact. Carano, aka Crush on “American Gladiators,” has a unique likeability,

in that she appeals strongly to both male and female fans. But it won’t work unless they put

on a great fight.

June 1 – Urijah Faber (20-1) vs. Jens Pulver (22-8-1): The WEC featherweight title match in

Sacramento’s Arco Arena is both the biggest fight in WEC history and the biggest

featherweight fight ever in the U.S. The division, largely put on the map by Faber in the

last year plus, sees the champ, one of the top pound-for-pound fighters in the world, facing

UFC’s first-ever lightweight champion. Pulver, who has spent most of his career fighting

bigger men, has an 8-0 record at 145 pounds. It’s Faber’s all-around game against Pulver’s

sprawl-and-brawl.

June 1 – Miguel Torres (33-1) vs. Yoshiro Maeda (23-4-2): This is the highest-profile

bantamweight fight ever in the U.S. Torres put on a ground clinic winning the title from

Chase Beebe on Feb. 13 in Albuquerque, taking him from unknown to a pound-for-pound top ten

ranking. As far as international reputation goes, Maeda is by far the toughest test Torres

has faced.

July 5 – Quinton Jackson (28-6) vs Forrest Griffin (15-4): The combination of the light

heavyweight title in UFC being the marquee championship of the sport, and weekly buildup as

opposing coaches on The Ultimate Fighter, makes this the biggest mainstream match of the

next few months. Jackson will go in as the strong betting favorite to retain, but Griffin

will likely be the crowd favorite in Las Vegas.

July 19 – Fedor Emelianenko (27-1, 1 no contest) vs. Tim Sylvia (26-4): It’s the debut show

of the new Affliction promotion, backed by the popular T-shirt brand. It’s one of the

biggest money fights in history with Emelianenko rumored to be getting in the $2 million

range, and Sylvia believed to be getting $800,000 to show and a $200,000 win bonus. How they

expect to recoup those costs is a huge mystery, since as great as Emelianenko is, he’s never

proven to have any drawing power in North America. Affliction is trying to challenge UFC

with a strategy of bidding high to get a roster of top heavyweights. It’s been almost three

years since Emelianenko has faced a true top heavyweight. Sylvia, a two-time UFC champ who

was battering current UFC champ Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira their entire fight until a quick

submission on the ground, will at least test where the Russians stands. Is Fedor still “The

Man” in this sport? And more importantly, will Affliction survive early losses and stay in

the game? Or will they be this year’s Bodog Fight, the rich owner who spends money and talks

a long-term game, and quickly loses so much he’s out of business?

Source:sports.yahoo

By BARRY WILNER, AP Football Writer

NEW YORK - Things were going so normally, so predictably at Saturday’s NFL draft. All six players the league invited to the festivities hit the stage in the first half-dozen selections. Yawn. Then came the wake-up call: trade after trade after trade, affecting 14 of the 31 first-round picks. At one point, five of seven selections had been bartered. A little while later, it was another five of six.
Jake Long just sat back and smiled — right from the outset.

The Michigan tackle already had signed with the Miami Dolphins as the top overall choice. He inked a five-year contract worth $57.75 million, $30 million of it guaranteed.

“I was a little more relaxed just knowing where I was going and just being here to make it official,” Long said. “That solidified it all. It was just breathtaking to walk out there and shake the commissioner’s hand and hold up that jersey. It was a dream come true.”

Chris Long of Virginia, Matt Ryan of Boston College, Darren McFadden of Arkansas, Glenn Dorsey of national champion LSU and Vernon Gholston of Ohio State didn’t have to wait long to walk under the floodlights, either. It was the first time since the NFL began inviting multiple prospects in 1993 and they all went at the very beginning of the proceedings.

So unlike last year, when Notre Dame’s Brady Quinn had to wait hours to be chosen.

“It’s great to see the green room empty,” said defensive end Long, who went second to St. Louis.

“It’s a blessing to be here, they only ask six guys to come,” DE/LB Gholston added. “Funny how it worked out, teams made good selections.”

After St. Louis took the son of Pro Football Hall of Famer Howie Long, Ryan, who could solve the quarterback problems in Atlanta, went to the Falcons.

Following a long-standing tradition, Oakland went for the gamebreaker in running back McFadden, prompting the fans to boo loudly. Many wanted the two-time Heisman Trophy runner-up to fall to the New York Jets at No. 6.

All-American defensive tackle Dorsey was taken fifth overall by the Chiefs. Dorsey patted his heart as he held up a No. 1 Chiefs red jersey that was so small he, frankly, could never fit into it.

“There was a lot of emotion,” he said. “I told myself I was not going to cry, but you get the tears start coming and you can’t control that.”

The Jets wound up with Gholston of Ohio State, who must now learn to play in the 3-4 alignment the team prefers.

“I’m looking forward to going up against Jake Long twice a year,” he said of what will be a revival of their Big Ten rivalry.

At the seventh overall spot, the bartering began, and never really stopped. Eight of the next 15 picks were involved in trades.

New Orleans moved up to No. 7 to get defensive tackle Sedrick Ellis of Southern California, who was recruited to the school by the Saints’ new defensive line coach, Ed Orgeron. New Orleans gave up the No. 10 overall spot to New England, and its third-round slot, and got a fifth-rounder along with the chance to take Ellis.

Then Jacksonville moved up from 26th overall to eighth, where it grabbed Florida DE Derrick Harvey. The Jaguars gave the Ravens four picks to get to that spot.

Everything moved at a good pace after the NFL cut the first round from 15 minutes per pick to 10. The first round took 3 hours, 30 minutes, a significant improvement over the five-hour marathons of previous years.

The Dolphins used only a few seconds to hand in their card. The Rams and Falcons didn’t take much longer, but the Raiders used almost their entire time, as did Kansas City.

Jake Long became the first top overall pick from Michigan since Tom Harmon in 1941. He was accompanied by several family members onstage as he donned a Dolphins hat.

Then came another Long, who proudly held up a Rams jersey and pointed to the fans in the upper deck of the hall. Chris Long is the second straight defensive lineman selected in the opening round by St. Louis, following Nebraska’s Adam Carriker last year.

“I knew I was in the running, but all the guys here were great players and they could have chosen anyone,” Chris Long said. “It came down to needs.”

Ryan has an open course to starting in Atlanta, with Michael Vick in jail on dogfighting charges, and only journeymen Chris Redman and Joey Harrington to compete with.

“I have to go down and gain the respect of my teammates, do everything I can do to get on the field next year,” Ryan said.

Asked about replacing Vick in Atlanta and whether he expected to play or watch as a rookie, Ryan added: “I’ll go down there to do all I can to be successful, try to not be distracted, try to win. … There’s not a right or wrong way to do it. I want to get there and learn the offense so I have a chance to play.”

McFadden joins a crowded backfield in Oakland, where Justin Fargas recently signed a new contract and Dominic Rhodes and LaMont Jordan are on the roster.

“The time I talked to the Raiders coaching staff, they tell me they’re missing a playmaker from their offense,” McFadden said. “I feel I can add to that with my big-play ability.”

Dorsey will be a building block for the Chiefs, who are revamping their roster this offseason. Gholston could do the same for the Jets, who have lacked a true pass-rushing threat since trading away John Abraham.

Cincinnati took USC linebacker Keith Rivers ninth, then the Patriots selected another linebacker, Jerod Mayo of Tennessee. Buffalo went for Troy CB Leodis McKelvin and Denver took Boise State tackle Ryan Clady.

Carolina, looking for a complement to DeAngelo Williams, selected Oregon running back Jonathan Stewart, then dealt with Philadelphia to get Pitt tackle Jeff Otah in the 19th position. The Panthers gave up next year’s first-rounder in that trade.

Chicago took Vanderbilt tackle Chris Williams for its spotty offensive line. Chris Long’s teammate, guard/tackle Branden Albert, went 15th to Kansas City after the Chiefs traded up with Detroit. Two slots later, tackle Gosder Cherilus of Boston College went to the Lions, prompting some in the audience to chant “FIRE MILLEN” in reference to Lions president Matt Millen.

The first player from the former Division I-AA went 16th when Arizona selected CB Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie of Tennessee State. At No. 18, another small college guy was taken when Baltimore traded up to get quarterback Joe Flacco of Delaware with a pick Houston had owned.

After cornerback Aqib Talib, who reportedly tested positive for marijuana while at Kansas, was taken by Tampa Bay, the Falcons moved up to 21st overall. They chose Southern California tackle Sam Baker, son of Arena Football League commissioner David Baker, to help protect Ryan.

Dallas, which came into Saturday with two first-round picks, used No. 22 for McFadden’s backfield mate at Arkansas, Felix Jones, who also can return kicks. That began a run on runners, with Illinois’ Rashard Mendenhall going to Pittsburgh and speedy Chris Johnson of East Carolina taken by Tennessee at 24.

The Cowboys then traded up three spots with Seattle to get cornerback Mike Jenkins of South Florida, regarded by some as the best defensive back in the draft.

In all, 14 of the 31 first-round selections — New England forfeited its own spot because of the Spygate scandal, but had a pick acquired last year from San Francisco — were involved in trades. The Jets finished off the swapping by moving into Green Bay’s No. 30 slot for Purdue tight end Dustin Keller, bringing a chorus of boos.

The Super Bowl champion Giants took Kenny Phillips of Miami with the final pick of the opening round. Phillips was the only safety selected in the round.

For the first time since 1990 and only the second time since 1967, there were no wide receivers taken in the first round.

Several renowned college players went in the second round, which began with Miami taking Clemson DE Phillip Merling. Houston’s Donnie Avery was next, the first wideout chosen, by St. Louis.

On consecutive picks toward the end of Round 2, Baltimore grabbed Rutgers star running back Ray Rice, Green Bay selected Louisville QB Brian Brohm, and Miami got Michigan QB Chad Henne.

Source:news.yahoo

Last season’s Big 12 Tourney championship had it all — nonstop action, unforgettable buzzer-beaters and overtime heroics.  After Kansas guard Mario Chalmers sank a three-pointer to force OT, the Jayhawks stepped up their play in the extra period to edge past Kevin Durant and the Texas Longhorns, 88-84, and clinched their second straight Big 12 title.  How will the drama unfold in ‘08 when the Big 12 Tournament heads to Kansas City?  Be there at the Sprint Center to experience the excitement of the 2008 Big 12 Basketball Tournament!

Buy your Hard-To-Getsm Big 12 Basketball Tournament tickets today!

PLEASE NOTE:  For Big 12 Basketball Tournament-All Sessions tickets, you will receive a full “book” of tickets allowing you entrance to all 11 games, including the championship.  6 sessions. 11 games. 1 price!  And if you can’t make it to every game – don’t worry – you can divide up the “book” and disperse individual session tickets among your friends, family or co-workers.

Friday March 14, 2008
11:30 am
Sprint Center
Kansas City, MO
Big 12 Tournament Tickets - Session 4 (Nebraska vs Kansas, Texas AM vs Kansas State)

Friday March 14, 2008
6:00 pm
Sprint Center
Kansas City, MO
Big 12 Basketball Tournament: Session 5

Saturday March 15, 2008
1:00 pm
Sprint Center
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Big 12 Basketball Tournament: Session 6 (Final)

Sunday March 16, 2008
2:00 pm
Sprint Center
Kansas City, MO
 

MEMPHIS, Tenn. - Memphis wanted to prove it really was the best team in the country, maybe even make a run at perfection.
Turns out, the Tigers aren’t even best in their own state.

Tyler Smith hit a turnaround jumper in the lane with 28 seconds left and No. 2 Tennessee knocked off the nation’s last unbeaten team, edging top-ranked Memphis 66-62 on Saturday night.

The Volunteers (25-2) won the I-40 showdown and are likely headed to No. 1 for the first time in school history.

“You guys all said we needed to lose one, so we lost one,” Memphis coach John Calipari told the media, trying to shrug off the end of the nation’s longest home winning streak at 47 games. “Great game. I have to give them credit. They scrapped, they battled.”

Tennessee won on a night when star guard Chris Lofton scored only 7 points, beating up the Tigers with a dominating performance on the boards. Lofton did finish it off, though, hitting a couple of free throws with 4.5 seconds to go after Memphis (26-1) intentionally missed at the line.

Now the spotlight shifts to the Vols, who’ve never made it to a regional final, much less the Final Four.

“No. 1’s great,” Lofton said. “But we want to be No. 1 at the end of the year.”

The city along the Mississippi River, famous for Elvis Presley and the blues, was downright electric before the game. Thousands streamed along Beale Street, ducking into the juke joints for a helping of music and beer, or headed over to Rendezvous to munch on slab of juicy ribs.

Priscilla Presley, who had Graceland bathed in Tiger blue the night before the game, watched from a front-row seat. NFL star Peyton Manning managed to land a seat in a luxury box to cheer on Tennessee, his alma mater.

Tickets were going for as much as $5,000 on the Internet. The fans in the lower bowl were on their feet the entire game.

“It was a great night for college basketball in the state of Tennessee,” said Vols coach Bruce Pearl, who felt the atmosphere was reminiscent of another big night in Memphis, when Lennox Lewis knocked out Mike Tyson in a heavyweight title fight.

“This town hasn’t been like that since that fight. It was alive.”

Not so much at the end. The blue-clad fans sat glumly in their seats, as if they couldn’t believe their team actually lost at home for the first time since a setback to Texas on Jan. 2, 2006.

“We’ve just got to learn from it. We lost,” junior Robert Dozier said. “They just out-toughed us. They get every loose ball, every offensive rebound. They just outplayed us.”

Despite their perfect record, the Tigers had plenty of skeptics who felt their lofty record was more the result of beating up a bunch of patsies in an unheralded league, Conference USA. They wanted to show they really were worthy of making a run at Indiana, the last team to win a championship with a perfect record, way back in 1976.

The Hoosiers can rest easy. Tennessee’s players walked off the court in triumph, holding up the name across the front of their orange jerseys to taunt the stunned crowd. The small group of Vols fans who actually got in the building hung around to chant “We’re No. 1! We’re No. 1!”

Just as Pearl predicted at a pep rally before the game.

“I wanted to make sure our guys knew we were playing for something,” Pearl said. “I don’t know if we’re the best team in the country. I knew we were 40 minutes away from being No. 1.”

Smith scored 16 points to lead the Vols, while Wayne Chism and J.P. Prince added 13 apiece. But Tennessee did its best work on the boards, overpowering the Tigers with a season-high 50 rebounds. Memphis had 34.

This was the 38th game between teams ranked Nos. 1 and 2, but only the fifth time those teams were from the same state. And Tennessee, of all places, deep in the heart of football country.

“Rocky Top, you’ll always be, home sweet home to me,” the orange-clad fans sang, having the arena to themselves after the Memphis faithful headed into the night to drown their sorrows. “Good ol’ Rocky Top, Rocky Top Tennessee.”

The Tigers were up when Smith took a pass from Lofton, backed in and hit the jumper for a 62-61 lead. Antonio Anderson missed badly for Memphis at the other end, and the Tigers were forced to foul.

“I really don’t even remember,” Smith said. “I just remember the shot going in.”

Prince hit a pair of free throws to make it a three-point game, and Tennessee wisely fouled before Memphis could go for a tying 3. Derrick Rose made the first attempt in a 1-and-1, but had to miss the second intentionally, in hopes the Tigers could grab the rebound.

No way. Tennessee came down with it and Lofton was fouled. He only went 2-of-11 from the field, but calmly sank the two foul shots that finished off the Tigers’ perfect record.

While Rose was trying to miss at the line, Memphis clanked plenty of shots it wanted to make. The Tigers, one of the nation’s worst free throw-shooting teams, lived up to their ranking by making just 8-of-17 at the line.

Rose led Memphis with 23 points, but Chris Douglas-Roberts was the only other player in double figures with 14.

The Tigers looked in good shape when Douglas-Roberts scored on a layup with 2:28 left, putting his team up 61-58.

Then Smith went to work. He answered with a drive of his own, pulling the Vols to 61-60, then hit the game winner — but only after Memphis squandered three chances on one possession to extend the margin.

Doneal Mack missed a 3, but the Tigers grabbed a long rebound. Rose missed, and Memphis chased it down again. Finally, after playing without the ball for some 90 seconds, the Vols finally grabbed it away off an attempt by Dozier that banged the front of the rim.

The teams started out like they both intended to go for 100.

Tennessee made its first four shots, two of them from 3-point range. Memphis connected on its first three, all of them outside the arc. So intense was the action, the first TV timeout didn’t come until the game was more than 7 minutes old.

They couldn’t keep up the pace. Tennessee wound up making only 38 percent (24 of 64) from the field. Memphis finished just shy of 40 percent on 23-of-58 shooting, failing to make any 3s in the second half after hitting five of their first eight from beyond the stripe; they wound up 8 of 27.

The Tigers couldn’t pull off another last-minute escape, as they did a week earlier when rallying from 7 down in the final 90 seconds at UAB.

“I thought we had them at end,” said Calipari, sweat dripping off his brow. “They made plays and we didn’t, which is really unusual for us.”

Pearl was the prophet on this night.

Minus his garish orange jacket, the coach attended the pep rally a couple of hours before tipoff, firing up the faithful at a sports restaurant near the FedExForum. He made a bold promise: “All I can tell you is we’re 40 minutes away from being No. 1.”

Then his team proved him right.

source:news.yahoo