Texas A&M 64 - 65 Memphis
Final
  for this game

Texas A&M returns home for clash with Memphis

Mar 22, 2007 - 1:36 PM No. 3 Texas A&M (29-6) at No. 2 Memphis (32-3) 7:30 pm EDT

SAN ANTONIO (Ticker) -- No high seed faced a more arduous task in the second round of the NCAA Tournament than Texas A&M. How one win can change things.

The third-seeded Aggies return to their home state to take on second-seeded Memphis on Thursday in the South Region semifinal contest.

Acie Law IV scored 46 points in A&M's first two tournament wins, including a 72-69 victory over sixth-seeded Louisville that was played a mere 75 miles from the campus of the red-hot Cardinals.

Having survived that daunting test, the Aggies (29-6) now get to play in front of their home fans, a major plus against Memphis (32-3), which enters sporting a 24-game winning streak - the country's longest current run.

As if the venue isn't enough of an advantage, Texas A&M may have the luxury of facing Memphis without its leading scorer, Chris Douglas-Roberts, who averages 15.4 points but sprained an ankle during a second-round win over Nevada.

Douglas-Roberts scored 16 against Nevada before suffering the injury with 8:11 left. The sophomore guard's ankle was placed in a protective boot, and he did not practice Monday.

That does not bode well for the Tigers, who face an Aggies squad that has allowed foes to shoot just 37.1 percent this season, best among teams in the Tournament.

The Tigers also are strong defensively, using a pressing style to fuel an offense that produced 80.1 points during the regular season.

However, with Memphis coach John Calipari playing a mirror-image style of Rick Pitino's team at Louisville, the Tigers won't be showing the Aggies anything they haven't seen.

Of course, not much disrupts Law, who has averaged 22.5 points in his last nine games and has a penchant for delivering clutch shots in big games. Dominique Kirk has come out of nowhere to produce 16 and 21 points - both season highs - in the two tourney wins.

The winner will play either Ohio State or Tennessee for the right to go to the Final Four.






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