2011–12 Memphis Tigers men's basketball team

The 2011–12 Memphis Tigers men's basketball team represented the University of Memphis in the 2011–12 college basketball season, the 91st season of Tiger basketball. The Tigers were coached by head coach Josh Pastner. Pastner was assisted by Jack Murphy and Damon Stoudamire. From the summer of 2011 until December 2011, NBA player Luke Walton was also an assistant coach, though he departed from the position with the end of the NBA lockout. Jimmy Williams was brought in to replace Walton for the remainder of the 2011–12 season. The Tigers played their home games at the FedExForum in Memphis, Tennessee and were members of Conference USA.

2011–12 Memphis Tigers men's basketball
C-USA Regular Season & tournament champions
NCAA tournament, Round of 64
ConferenceConference USA
Record26–9 (13–3 C-USA)
Head coach
Assistant coaches
Home arenaFedExForum
Seasons
2011–12 Conference USA men's basketball standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT
Memphis 13 3   .813 26 8   .765
Southern Miss 11 5   .688 25 9   .735
Tulsa 10 6   .625 17 14   .548
UCF 10 6   .625 22 11   .667
UAB 9 7   .563 15 16   .484
Marshall 9 7   .563 21 14   .600
Rice 8 8   .500 18 15   .545
UTEP 7 9   .438 15 17   .469
Houston 7 9   .438 15 15   .500
East Carolina 5 11   .313 15 16   .484
SMU 4 12   .250 13 19   .406
Tulane 3 13   .188 15 19   .441
2012 CUSA Tournament winner
As of March 15, 2012
Rankings from AP Poll

Pre-season

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The 2010–11 Memphis Tigers finished the season with a record of 25–10 (10–6 C-USA). The Tigers finished in fourth place in C-USA, but won the 2011 Conference USA men's basketball tournament to secure a berth in the 2011 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament where they lost in the second round to Arizona.

Departures

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Name Number Pos. Height Weight Year Hometown Notes
Will Coleman 0 F 6' 9" 245 Senior Columbus, Georgia Only recruit from the original 2009–10 recruiting class to remain at Memphis.

Statistics accurate as of June 3, 2011.

Recruiting

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US college sports recruiting information for high school athletes
Name Hometown High school / college Height Weight Commit date
Stan Simpson
C
Carterville, IL John A. Logan 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 235 lb (107 kg) Apr 10, 2011 
Recruiting star ratings: ScoutN/A   RivalsN/A   247SportsN/A    ESPN grade: 40
Adonis Thomas
SF
Memphis, TN Melrose 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 198 lb (90 kg) Oct 28, 2010 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247SportsN/A    ESPN grade: 97
Overall recruiting rankings:
  • Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight.
  • In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale.

Sources:

  • "Memphis Basketball Commitments". Rivals.com. Retrieved June 3, 2011.
  • "2011 Memphis Basketball Commits". Scout.com. Retrieved June 3, 2011.
  • "ESPN". ESPN.com. Retrieved June 3, 2011.
  • "Scout.com Team Recruiting Rankings". Scout.com. Retrieved June 3, 2011.
  • "2011 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved June 3, 2011.

Transfers

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Name Pos. Height Weight Year Hometown Notes
Ferrakohn Hall F 6' 8" 220 Junior Memphis, Tennessee Transferred from Seton Hall University, eligible Dec. 17

Season summary

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The Tigers began the season ranked in the top 15 of the AP and Coaches polls and the consensus pre-season favorite to win the Conference USA championship. The Tigers had scheduled aggressively, with their out of conference schedule ranking as one of the toughest in the country among division 1 teams.[1]

The Tigers, with a roster dominated by a large sophomore class and freshman blue chip recruit Adonis Thomas, struggled somewhat with their difficult out of conference schedule. Despite not taking any bad losses prior to the start of conference play, the Tigers did not defeat a ranked opponent during their non-conference slate. Sophomore Will Barton, however, quickly became a favorite to win CUSA player of the year honors, ranking in the top 50 in both rebounds per game and points per game in division 1 for the 2011–12 season.

On January 16, 2012, the Commercial Appeal reported that talented freshman Adonis Thomas would miss the remainder of the regular season due to ankle surgery.[2] Senior guard and starter Charles Carmouche would also miss all but the first few games of the Tigers' season with knee problems. Thomas, however, returned to the court for the Tigers' first CUSA tournament game.

With a victory at Tulsa on March 3, the Tigers clinched the CUSA regular season championship. The Tigers finished the regular season with an overall record of 23 wins and 8 losses, and a conference record of 13 wins and 3 losses. On March 7, 2012, Will Barton was named Conference USA Player of the Year.

In the CUSA tournament, the Tigers defeated their three opponents by an average of 25 points and ultimately won the championship over Marshall on March 10 in Memphis. For the second consecutive year, Tigers' point guard Joe Jackson was named the tournament's most valuable player. Will Barton and Tarik Black were also named to the all-tournament team.

The Tigers received an 8 seed in the West Region of the 2012 NCAA tournament, a seed which was widely considered to be too low given the Tigers' resume.[3] Memphis lost to 9 seed St. Louis in the second round on March 16, ending their season.

Roster

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2011–12 Memphis Tigers men's basketball team
Players Coaches
Pos. # Name Height Weight Year Hometown
G 1 Joe Jackson 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) 170 lb (77 kg) So Memphis, Tennessee
G 2 Antonio Barton 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 165 lb (75 kg) So Baltimore, Maryland
G 3 Chris Crawford 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 205 lb (93 kg) So Memphis, Tennessee
G 4 Charles Carmouche   6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 175 lb (79 kg) Sr New Orleans, Louisiana
G 5 Will Barton 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 175 lb (79 kg) So Baltimore, Maryland
C 10 Tarik Black (C) 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 252 lb (114 kg) So Memphis, Tennessee
G/F 11 Wesley Witherspoon 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 210 lb (95 kg) Sr Atlanta, Georgia
G/F 12 Drew Barham   6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 194 lb (88 kg) Jr Cordova, Tennessee
F 14 Hippolyte Tsafack 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 231 lb (105 kg) RS Fr Yaoundé, Cameroon
G 15 Trey Draper 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) 170 lb (77 kg) So Memphis, Tennessee
G 20 Ferrakohn Hall 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 220 lb (100 kg) Jr Memphis, Tennessee
G 23 Charles Holt 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) 175 lb (79 kg) Jr Jackson, Tennessee
G/F 30 D. J. Stephens 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 185 lb (84 kg) Jr Killeen, Texas
G 31 Preston Laird 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 189 lb (86 kg) Sr Memphis, Tennessee
C 32 Stan Simpson 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 235 lb (107 kg) Jr Carterville, Illinois
G/F 35 Adonis Thomas 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 198 lb (90 kg) Fr Memphis, Tennessee
Head coach
Assistant coach(es)

Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (S) Suspended
  • (I) Ineligible
  • (W) Walk-on

Roster
Last update: Feb 28, 2012

Schedule

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Date
time, TV
Rank# Opponent# Result Record Site (attendance)
city, state
Exhibition
Wed, Nov 2*
7:00 pm
No. 11 LeMoyne-Owen W 119–67 
FedExForum 
Memphis, TN
Fri, Nov 11*
8:00 pm
No. 11 Christian Brothers W 79–56 
FedExForum 
Memphis, TN
Regular Season
Tue, Nov 15*
11:00 am, ESPN
No. 10 Belmont
Maui Invitational Tournament opening round
W 97–81  1–0
FedExForum (16,294)
Memphis, TN
Mon, Nov 21*
2:00 pm, ESPN2
No. 8 vs. No. 15 Michigan
Maui Invitational Tournament quarterfinals
L 61–73  1–1
Lahaina Civic Center (2,400)
Maui, HI
Tue, Nov 22*
1:00 pm, ESPN2
No. 8 vs. Tennessee
Maui Invitational Tournament loser bracket
W 99–97 2OT 2–1
Lahaina Civic Center (2,400)
Maui, HI
Wed, Nov 23*
4:00 pm, ESPN2
No. 8 vs. Georgetown
Maui Invitational Tournament 5th place game
L 88–91 OT 2–2
Lahaina Civic Center (2,400)
Maui, HI
Mon, Nov 28*
7:00 pm, SPSO
No. 22 Jackson State W 70–45  3–2
FedExForum (15,971)
Memphis, TN
Sat, Dec 3*
7:30 pm, CSS
No. 22 Austin Peay W 91–60  4–2
FedExForum (16,989)
Memphis, TN
Tue, Dec 6*
8:00 pm, ESPN2
No. 21 at Miami (FL) W 71–54  5–2
BankUnited Center (4,500)
Coral Gables, FL
Sat, Dec 10*
5:00 pm, CSS
No. 21 Murray State L 72–76  5–3
FedExForum (16,795)
Memphis, TN
Sat, Dec 17*
3:00 pm, CBS
at No. 4 Louisville
Hall of Fame Shootout
L 87–95  5–4
KFC Yum! Center (22,733)
Louisville, KY
Mon, Dec 19*
6:00 pm, CSS
Lipscomb W 85–75  6–4
FedExForum (16,162)
Memphis, TN
Thu, Dec 22*
6:00 pm, ESPN2
at No. 16 Georgetown L 59–70  6–5
Verizon Center (12,045)
Washington, DC
Thu, Dec 29*
6:00 pm, CSS
Robert Morris W 64–47  7–5
FedExForum (16,436)
Memphis, TN
Sat, Dec 31*
8:00 pm, CSS
Charlotte W 67–58  8–5
FedExForum (16,069)
Memphis, TN
Wed, Jan 4*
7:00 pm, FSTN
Tennessee W 69–51  9–5
FedExForum (18,334)
Memphis, TN
Sat, Jan 7
8:00 pm, CBSSN
at UAB W 62–59  10–5
(1–0)
Bartow Arena (8,242)
Birmingham, AL
Wed, Jan 11
6:00 pm, CSS
Southern Miss W 60–58  11–5
(2–0)
FedExForum (16,246)
Memphis, TN
Sat, Jan 14
8:00 pm, CBSSN
at Houston W 89–55  12–5
(3–0)
Hofheinz Pavilion (5,146)
Houston, TX
Wed, Jan 18
7:00 pm, CBSSN
at UCF L 67–68  12–6
(3–1)
UCF Arena (8,734)
Orlando, FL
Sat, Jan 21
12:00 pm, SPSO
SMU W 63–45  13–6
(4–1)
FedExForum (16,721)
Memphis, TN
Wed, Jan 25
7:00 pm, SPSO
Rice W 73–51  14–6
(5–1)
FedExForum (15,997)
Memphis, TN
Sat, Jan 28
8:00 pm, CSS
Marshall W 83–76  15–6
(6–1)
FedExForum (17,337)
Memphis, TN
Wed, Feb 1
7:00 pm, CBSSN
at Southern Miss L 72–75  15–7
(6–2)
Reed Green Coliseum (7,964)
Hattiesburg, MS
Sat, Feb 4*
12:00 pm, SPSO
Xavier W 72–68  16–7
FedExForum (17,097)
Memphis, TN
Wed, Feb 8
6:00 pm, CSS
at East Carolina W 70–59  17–7
(7–2)
Williams Arena at Minges Coliseum (5,460)
Greenville, NC
Sat, Feb 11
7:00 pm, CSS
UAB W 79–45  18–7
(8–2)
FedExForum (17,308)
Memphis, TN
Wed, Feb 15
7:00 pm
at Tulane W 82–64  19–7
(9–2)
Avron B. Fogelman Arena (2,874)
New Orleans, LA
Sat, Feb 18
1:00 pm, SPSO
UTEP L 58–60  19–8
(9–3)
FedExForum (16,427)
Memphis, TN
Wed, Feb 22
7:00 pm, CBSSN
East Carolina W 70–47  20–8
(10–3)
FedExForum (15,744)
Memphis, TN
Sat, Feb 25
3:00 pm, SPSO
at Marshall W 87–67  21–8
(11–3)
Cam Henderson Center (8,252)
Huntington, WV
Tue, Feb 28
8:00 pm, CSS
UCF W 84–55  22–8
(12–3)
FedExForum (17,784)
Memphis, TN
Sat, Mar 3
11:00 am, CBS
at Tulsa W 78–66  23–8
(13–3)
Reynolds Center (6,131)
Tulsa, OK
2012 Conference USA tournament
Thu, Mar 8
6:30 pm, CBSSN
UTEP
Quarterfinals
W 65–47  24–8
FedEx Forum (11,697)
Memphis, TN
Fri, Mar 9
5:30 pm, CBSSN
UCF
Semifinals
W 83–52  25–8
FedEx Forum (14,441)
Memphis, TN
Sat, Mar 10
10:30 am, CBS
Marshall
Final
W 83–57  26–8
FedEx Forum (14,821)
Memphis, TN
2012 NCAA tournament
Fri, Mar 16*
5:50 pm, TBS
vs. Saint Louis
Second round
L 54–61  26–9
Nationwide Arena (17,464)
Columbus, Ohio
*Non-conference game. #Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses.
All times are in Central Time.

Source:[4]

Rankings

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Ranking Movement
Legend: ██ Increase in ranking. ██ Decrease in ranking. (rv) Received votes but unranked.
Poll Pre Wk 1 Wk 2 Wk 3 Wk 4 Wk 5 Wk 6 Wk 7 Wk 8 Wk 9 Wk 10 Wk 11 Wk 12 Wk 13 Wk 14 Wk 15 Wk 16 Wk 17 Wk 18 Final
AP[5] 11 10 8 22 21 (rv) (rv) (rv) (rv) (rv)
Coaches[5] 9 10 8 21 20 (rv) (rv) (rv) (rv)

Notes

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  1. ^ "Nonconference schedule analysis: C-USA". October 4, 2011.
  2. ^ Jason Smith. (January 16, 2012). Ankle injury likely ends season for Memphis Tigers Adonis Thomas Archived January 19, 2012, at the Wayback Machine
  3. ^ "West Regional: Michigan State, other stars crowd Mizzou's Final Four path - NCAA Division I Mens Basketball - CBSSports.com". www.cbssports.com. Archived from the original on September 23, 2015.
  4. ^ Archived copy Archived July 22, 2012, at the Wayback Machine." 2011–12 Schedule Retrieved August 27, 2011.
  5. ^ a b "2011–12 NCAA Men's Basketball Rankings". ESPN. ESPN Internet Ventures. Archived from the original on February 9, 2010. Retrieved October 21, 2011.