by Don Mooney
FORT WORTH, Texas — What a difference a week makes! Just seven days ago #1 ranked Houston guard Jamaal Shead sank a mid-range, bone-crushing jumper for at 67-65 win at Tigers sold out home court crowd. One week later the Tigers got their revenge with a 75-65 victory and a guaranteed ticket to the NCAA big dance by defeating the Houston for the AAC Championship.
Tigers got their revenge. Not only on Houston – but Tulane as well. Both teams sweep Memphis during the regular season. “To have the road that we had, tt shows you how special this team is,” stated Coach Hardaway. We couldn’t ask for a better road.”
Houston (31-3) played without AAC Player of the Year Marcus Sasser, who strained his groin in the first half of Saturday’s semifinal game. The senior guard’s status will remain a question mark for the Cougars, who entered their final AAC game already a sure bet for their first No. 1 NCAA seed since 1983 during the Phi Slama Jama era.
Kendric Davis scored 31 points, including 14 in a run before halftime, and Memphis held on to beat short-handed No. 1 Houston 75-65 in the American Athletic Conference Championship Title Game inside Dickies Arena on Sunday.
The Cougars beat Memphis 71-53 in last year’s AAC tournament championship game and won both regular-season matchups this season.
Junior forward J’Wan Roberts had 12 points and 20 rebounds for Houston. Junior point Jamal Shead had 15 points on 3-of-14 shooting, and freshman forward Jarace Walker had 13 points before fouling out.
The Cougars trailed by 18 at halftime, but got within 55-50 with 11:03 left after Shead scored eight points in a row for them in a two-minute span. His 3-pointer capped a 12-1 run, and he made another long-range shot before two free throws, but that was the closest Houston would get.
Memphis had taken control with a 16-2 run in the first half. Davis had all but two of those points and made two 3-pointers only 9 seconds apart.
That big spurt started on a fast-break layup by Davis with just under eight minutes left. Davis made a 3, and then Alex Lomax made a backcourt steal and passed to Davis at the top of the key for another 3. By time Davis made another fast-break layup with 3:36 left, the Tigers had doubled up Houston, 40-20.
DeAndre Williams had 16 points and 13 rebounds for coach Penny Hardaway and the Tigers (26-8).
BIG PICTURE
Memphis: Hardaway played in the 1992 and 1993 NCAA Tournaments in his only two seasons as a player for the Tigers, and now has taken them to as many as a coach. He has 110 wins in his five seasons as Memphis’ coach. … Memphis will make its 28th NCAA Tournament appearance.
Houston: Sasser dressed and went through some pregame warmups, but watched the entire game from the bench. … The Cougars led only at 3-2 on a 3-pointer by Terrance Arecenaux before Williams responded with a 3 for Memphis. … It was the first loss for Houston in 12 games at Dickies Arena. The Cougars had won the two AAC tournament titles there, and regular-season games each of the last three years.