# 2010–11 Memphis Tigers men's basketball team

The 2010–11 Memphis Tigers men's basketball team represented the University of Memphis in the 2010–11 college basketball season, the 90th season of Tiger basketball. The Tigers were coached by head coach Josh Pastner (assisted by Glynn Cyprien, Jack Murphy, and Willis Wilson), and played their home games at the FedExForum in Memphis, Tennessee. They are members of Conference USA. They finished the season 25–10, 10–6 in C-USA play and won the 2011 Conference USA men's basketball tournament to earn an automatic bid in the 2011 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament where they lost in the second round to Arizona.

## Pre-season

The 2009–10 Memphis Tigers finished the season with a record of 24–10 (13–3 C-USA). The Tigers finished in second place in C-USA, but were upset in the quarterfinals of the conference tournament by 7 seed and ultimate champion, Houston. For the first time since 2005, the Tigers did not earn a bid to the NCAA tournament. The Tigers accepted an invitation to the 2010 National Invitation Tournament, beating St. John's before being defeated by Ole Miss in the second round.
The Tigers signed a number of highly rated recruits before the 2010–2011 season began, including three native Memphians: Tarik Black of Ridgeway High School, Joe Jackson of White Station High School, and Chris Crawford of Sheffield High School. The incoming freshman class of 2010 also included Will Barton and his brother, Antonio Barton, Jelan Kendrick, and Hippolyte Tsafack. The signing class, which included three All-Americans (Jackson, Will Barton, Kendrick), was rated the country's second best.

### Departures

| Name | Number | Pos. | Height | Weight | Year | Hometown | Notes |
| Tyler Foster | 35 | G/F | 6' 5" | 185 | Freshman | Albany, New York | Walk-on |
| James Harvey, Jr. | 2 | G | 6' 2" | 200 | Freshman | Memphis, Tennessee | Walk-on |
| Pierre Henderson-Niles | 1 | F | 6' 8" | 278 | Senior | Memphis, Tennessee | Left team on Feb. 8, 2010 |
| Aaron Jacques | 54 | F | 6' 6" | 200 | Senior | Bartlett, Tennessee | Walk-on |
| Willie Kemp | 5 | G | 6' 2" | 184 | Senior | Bolivar, Tennessee | 4th all-time in games played (147) 6th all-time in 3-pt FGs made (162) |
| Doneal Mack | 20 | G | 6' 5" | 187 | Senior | Charlotte, North Carolina | 3rd all-time in 3-pt FGs made (239) 5th all-time in games played (145) 27th all-time in points scored (1,191) 46th player to score 1,000+ points |
| Roburt Sallie | 3 | G | 6' 5" | 196 | Junior | Sacramento, California | Will graduate and transfer 1st all-time in career 3-pt percentage (44.7%, 174–389) 1st all-time in single-season 3-pt percentage (47%, 55–117) 1st all-time in 3-pt FGs (10) and points scored (35) in NCAA tournament game Holds NCAA record for 3-pt FGs made in NCAA tournament (10) |
| Malik Thomas | 32 | G/F | 6' 4" | 195 | Freshman | Forestville, Maryland | Walk-on |
| Elliot Williams | 15 | G | 6' 5" | 180 | Sophomore | Memphis, Tennessee | Led team scoring average with 17.9 ppg (610 pts) Drafted 22nd overall in the 2010 NBA draft by the Portland Trail Blazers |
Statistics accurate as of 29 March 2010.

### Recruiting

US college sports recruiting information for high school athletes :
| Name | Hometown | High school / college | Height | Weight | Commit date |
| Antonio Barton PG | Baltimore, MD | Notre Dame Prep (MA) | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) | 170 lb (77 kg) | Jun 6, 2009 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ESPN grade: 87 ||||||
| Will Barton SG | Baltimore, MD | Brewster Academy (NH) | 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) | 170 lb (77 kg) | Jun 6, 2009 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ESPN grade: 97 ||||||
| Tarik Black C | Memphis, TN | Ridgeway | 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) | 230 lb (100 kg) | Nov 16, 2009 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ESPN grade: 94 ||||||
| Chris Crawford SG | Memphis, TN | Sheffield | 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) | 185 lb (84 kg) | Oct 1, 2009 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ESPN grade: 91 ||||||
| Joe Jackson PG | Memphis, TN | White Station | 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) | 160 lb (73 kg) | Sep 11, 2009 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ESPN grade: 96 ||||||
| Jelan Kendrick SF | Marietta, GA | Wheeler | 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) | 186 lb (84 kg) | Nov 14, 2009 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ESPN grade: 95 ||||||
| Hippolyte Tsafack PF | Yaoundé | The Miller School | 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) | 230 lb (100 kg) | Nov 11, 2009 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ESPN grade: 91 ||||||
| Overall recruiting rankings: Scout: 2 Rivals: 2 ESPN: 4 ||||||
| 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 July 2, 2010. "2010 Memphis Basketball Commits". Scout.com. Retrieved July 2, 2010. "ESPN". ESPN.com. Retrieved July 2, 2010. "Scout.com Team Recruiting Rankings". Scout.com. Retrieved July 2, 2010. "2010 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved July 2, 2010. ||||||

### Transfers

| Name | Pos. | Height | Weight | Year | Hometown | Notes |
| Carmouche, Charles | G | 6' 2" | 175 | Junior | New Orleans, Louisiana | Transferred from University of New Orleans |

## Season summary

The Tigers began the 2010–2011 season ranked 19th in the AP Poll and the pre-season favorite to win the Conference USA championship. Prior to the team's first regular season game with Centenary, Jelan Kendrick was suspended. After the game, Kendrick asked for permission to seek a transfer and was released.
The team announced on December 10, 2010 that junior forward Wesley Witherspoon would be out a number of weeks as a result of knee surgery. On December 12, 2010, junior forward Angel Garcia left the Tigers to play professionally in Spain.
Highlights of the regular season included wins over pre-season No. 12 Gonzaga and two victories each against both Southern Miss and UAB. However, beset by injuries, transfers, suspensions, and inconsistent play from their heralded freshmen and upperclassmen, the Tigers underachieved relative to their pre-season expectations during a majority of their regular season schedule. The Tigers suffered their worst margin of defeat in the FedEx Forum in several years in their loss to then No. 10 Georgetown on December 23, 2010 by a score of 69–86. The Tigers also lost at Rice, SMU, and East Carolina during their Conference USA schedule.
The Tigers entered the 2011 Conference USA men's basketball tournament as the 4 seed with a 22–9 overall record and 10–6 record in conference. Tournament MVP Joe Jackson led the Tigers to the tournament championship, defeating 5 seed Southern Miss, 8 seed East Carolina, and 3 seed UTEP, which was playing at home, for the conference crown. Jackson sealed the victory against UTEP in the championship game in dramatic fashion, scoring the final two of his 17 points on two free throws with 7.8 seconds remaining, causing the Tigers to take their first lead of the game.
The Tigers earned a 12 seed in the 2011 NCAA tournament, where they were defeated by 5th seeded Arizona Wildcats on Friday March 18, 2011 in Tulsa, Oklahoma by a score of 77–75.

## Schedule

| Date time, TV | Rank$^#$ | Opponent$^#$ | Result | Record | Site (attendance) city, state |
| Exhibition ||||||
| Wed, Nov 3* 7:00 pm | No. 19 | LeMoyne–Owen | W 106–49 | | FedExForum Memphis, TN |
| Tue, Nov 9* 7:00 pm | No. 19 | Christian Brothers | W 75–49 | | FedExForum Memphis, TN |
| Regular Season ||||||
| Fri, Nov 12* 8:00 pm | No. 19 | Centenary | W 104–40 | 1–0 | FedExForum (17,792) Memphis, TN |
| Mon, Nov 15* 11:00 pm, ESPN | No. 19 | Miami (FL) College Hoops Tip-Off Marathon | W 72–68 | 2–0 | FedExForum (17,873) Memphis, TN |
| Wed, Nov 17* 7:00 pm | No. 19 | Northwestern State | W 94–79 | 3–0 | FedExForum (16,215) Memphis, TN |
| Sun, Nov 21* 4:00 pm, CBS CS | No. 19 | vs. LSU | W 70–61 | 4–0 | BancorpSouth Arena (7,941) Tupelo, MS |
| Tue, Nov 23* 7:00 pm, SS | No. 14 | UT Martin | W 102–80 | 5–0 | FedExForum (15,909) Memphis, TN |
| Wed, Dec 1* 7:00 pm, SS | No. 14 | Arkansas State | W 78–71 $^{OT}$ | 6–0 | FedExForum (16,342) Memphis, TN |
| Sat, Dec 4* 7:00 pm, CSS | No. 14 | Western Kentucky | W 77–61 | 7–0 | FedExForum (17,171) Memphis, TN |
| Tue, Dec 7* 6:00 pm, ESPN | No. 13 | vs. No. 4 Kansas Jimmy V Classic | L 68–81 | 7–1 | Madison Square Garden (19,391) New York City, NY |
| Thu, Dec 16* 7:00 pm, CSS | No. 18 | Austin Peay | W 70–68 $^{OT}$ | 8–1 | FedExForum (16,347) Memphis, TN |
| Mon, Dec 20* 7:00 pm, SS | No. 16 | Texas A&M–Corpus Christi | W 68–63 | 9–1 | FedExForum (16,187) Memphis, TN |
| Thu, Dec 23* 7:00 pm, ESPN2 | No. 16 | No. 10 Georgetown | L 69–86 | 9–2 | FedExForum (17,842) Memphis, TN |
| Thu, Dec 30* 7:00 pm, CSS | No. 21 | Lipscomb | W 88–70 | 10–2 | FedExForum (17,368) Memphis, TN |
| Sun, Jan 2* 2:00 pm, SS | No. 21 | Tennessee State | W 91–86 | 11–2 | FedExForum (15,831) Memphis, TN |
| Wed, Jan 5* 8:00 pm, ESPN2 | No. 21 | at Tennessee | L 84–104 | 11–3 | Thompson–Boling Arena (18,664) Knoxville, TN |
| Sat, Jan 8 3:00 pm, CSS | No. 21 | East Carolina | W 61–58 | 12–3 (1–0) | FedExForum (16,058) Memphis, TN |
| Wed, Jan 12 7:00 pm | | at SMU | L 58–64 | 12–4 (1–1) | Moody Coliseum (2,509) Dallas, TX |
| Sat, Jan 15 11:00 am, CSS | | Marshall | W 77–61 | 13–4 (2–1) | FedExForum (15,877) Memphis, TN |
| Wed, Jan 19 6:00 pm, CSS | | at Southern Miss | W 76–75 | 14–4 (3–1) | Reed Green Coliseum (5,864) Hattiesburg, MS |
| Sat, Jan 22 6:00 pm, ESPN2 | | at UAB | W 76–73 $^{OT}$ | 15–4 (4–1) | Bartow Arena (9,119) Birmingham, AL |
| Wed, Jan 26 7:00 pm, CBS CS | | UCF | W 77–61 | 16–4 (5–1) | FedExForum (17,086) Memphis, TN |
| Sat, Jan 29 6:00 pm | | at Marshall | L 70–85 | 16–5 (5–2) | Cam Henderson Center (7,614) Huntington, WV |
| Wed, Feb 2 6:00 pm, CBS CS | | Tulsa | L 65–68 | 16–6 (5–3) | FedExForum (15,953) Memphis, TN |
| Sat, Feb 5* 3:00 pm, ESPN | | at Gonzaga | W 62–58 | 17–6 | Spokane Arena (10,778) Spokane, WA |
| Wed, Feb 9 6:00 pm, CBS CS | | at UCF | W 63–62 | 18–6 (6–3) | UCF Arena (7,076) Orlando, FL |
| Sat, Feb 12 5:00 pm, ESPN2 | | Southern Miss Homecoming | W 67–61 | 19–6 (7–3) | FedExForum (18,104) Memphis, TN |
| Wed, Feb 16 6:00 pm, CBS CS | | UAB | W 62–58 | 20–6 (8–3) | FedExForum (16,818) Memphis, TN |
| Sat, Feb 19 7:00 pm, CSS | | at Rice | L 52–67 | 20–7 (8–4) | Tudor Fieldhouse (2,324) Houston, TX |
| Tue, Feb 22 8:00 pm, CBS CS | | Houston | W 69–58 | 21–7 (9–4) | FedExForum (16,550) Memphis, TN |
| Sat, Feb 26 2:00 pm, ESPN2 | | at UTEP | L 47–74 | 21–8 (9–5) | Don Haskins Center (11,334) El Paso, TX |
| Wed, Mar 2 6:00 pm, SS | | at East Carolina | L 57–68 | 21–9 (9–6) | Williams Arena at Minges Coliseum (5,856) Greenville, NC |
| Sat, Mar 5 3:00 pm, CBS CS | | Tulane | W 66–61 | 22–9 (10–6) | FedExForum (17,278) Memphis, TN |
| Conference USA Tournament ||||||
| Thu, Mar 10 1:30 pm, CBS CS | (4) | vs. (5) Southern Miss Quarterfinals | W 66–63 | 23–9 | Don Haskins Center (7,085) El Paso, TX |
| Fri, Mar 11 5:30 pm, CBS CS | (4) | vs. (8) East Carolina Semifinals | W 76–56 | 24–9 | Don Haskins Center (9,496) El Paso, TX |
| Sat, Mar 12 10:30 am, CBS | (4) | at (3) UTEP Championship Game | W 67–66 | 25–9 | Don Haskins Center (11,769) El Paso, TX |
| NCAA Tournament ||||||
| Fri, Mar 18* 1:45 pm, CBS | (12W) | vs. (5W) No. 17 Arizona Second Round | L 75–77 | 25–10 | BOK Center (12,631) Tulsa, OK |
| *Non-conference game. $^#$Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses. All times are in Central Time. ||||||