Tigers to face Jayhawks tonight
By: Joseph Russell
Issue date: 11/17/09 Section: Sports
When Josh Pastner looks at tonight's match-up against No. 1-ranked Kansas, he doesn't see all of the hype that surrounded the game when it was first scheduled. Instead, he sees it as just another contest. Especially as all of that hype is now gone.
"The whole point of the game was meant to be No. 1 versus No. 2 in the country," Pastner said. "It was supposed to be John Calipari against Bill Self, in a rematch of the 2008 Championship game. Then things went the way they did, and the game has turned into Memphis against Kansas."
The Tigers will travel to St. Louis tonight to participate in the Hall of Fame Showcase against the Kansas Jayhawks.
Although the excitement that originally surrounded the game is now gone, Pastner said, it doesn't take anything away from the opportunity that his squad has to go up against the best team in the country.
"It's a big game," he said. "This is a really good opportunity, I think, for both teams."
While Pastner acknowledged the match-up would probably be of more importance emotionally for Tigers fans, he looks at it as a brand new page in the history book. Even though the 75-68 overtime loss to the Jayhawks in the NCAA title game may still hold in the minds of U of M fans, Pastner doesn't look at it in quite the same way.
"I understand how (the fans) feel," he said, recounting the time in 2005 when Arizona was up 13 points over Illinois but failed to make free throws at the end and were eliminated of the first round in the NCAA Tournament. "Anytime I look at Illinois, I get sick to my stomach. I can understand the fan base here on that. But for our team and for us, our focus isn't about 2008."
The U of M has three players on its roster that were members of the 2007-08 runner-up squad - Willie Kemp, Doneal Mack and Pierre Henderson-Niles - while Kansas has just two in seniors Sherron Collins and Cole Aldrich.
"It's two different teams," said Self in a teleconference Saturday.
"The whole point of the game was meant to be No. 1 versus No. 2 in the country," Pastner said. "It was supposed to be John Calipari against Bill Self, in a rematch of the 2008 Championship game. Then things went the way they did, and the game has turned into Memphis against Kansas."
The Tigers will travel to St. Louis tonight to participate in the Hall of Fame Showcase against the Kansas Jayhawks.
Although the excitement that originally surrounded the game is now gone, Pastner said, it doesn't take anything away from the opportunity that his squad has to go up against the best team in the country.
"It's a big game," he said. "This is a really good opportunity, I think, for both teams."
While Pastner acknowledged the match-up would probably be of more importance emotionally for Tigers fans, he looks at it as a brand new page in the history book. Even though the 75-68 overtime loss to the Jayhawks in the NCAA title game may still hold in the minds of U of M fans, Pastner doesn't look at it in quite the same way.
"I understand how (the fans) feel," he said, recounting the time in 2005 when Arizona was up 13 points over Illinois but failed to make free throws at the end and were eliminated of the first round in the NCAA Tournament. "Anytime I look at Illinois, I get sick to my stomach. I can understand the fan base here on that. But for our team and for us, our focus isn't about 2008."
The U of M has three players on its roster that were members of the 2007-08 runner-up squad - Willie Kemp, Doneal Mack and Pierre Henderson-Niles - while Kansas has just two in seniors Sherron Collins and Cole Aldrich.
"It's two different teams," said Self in a teleconference Saturday.