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Unbeaten Memphis unlikely to let go of No. 1 ranking

Jan 23, 2008 - 2:32 PM No. 1 Memphis (17-0) at Tulsa (9-6) 8:00 pm EST

TULSA, Oklahoma (Ticker) -- It's been just over 24 years since Memphis has been ranked No. 1 in the country. The Tigers can only hope to stay there longer than it did then when they face Tulsa on Wednesday.

Memphis (17-0, 4-0 Conference USA) is now one of two undefeated Division I teams in the country along with Kansas. When the Tigers became No. 1 on January 10, 1983, they lost at Virginia Tech the same night and fell to No. 6 in the rankings the following week.

"We've got one extra day than the last time," Memphis coach John Calipari said. "That team went to No. 1 on a Monday and lost that night. We got to enjoy Monday and Tuesday and until we play at Tulsa on Wednesday night."

The No. 1 ranking is not new to Calipari, who had his Massachusetts teams in the 1994-95 and 1995-96 seasons ranked No. 1 for a total of 14 weeks.

The Tigers have risen to the top spot with the help of a weak conference and could stay there for some time. Memphis has won 27 consecutive conference games, including the four this season by an average of 32.0 points.

Junior guard Chris Douglas-Roberts leads the Tigers at 16.4 points per game. Freshman guard Derrick Rose averages 14.1 points and junior forward Robert Dozier 10.9 for Memphis.

The Golden Hurricane (9-6, 1-2) have won seven of their last nine games and are coming off a 72-71 victory over Southern Methodist on Saturday. Junior Brett McDade provided the winning margin as he hit a jumper as time expired.

Sophomore guard Ben Uzoh leads Tulsa in scoring at 16.0 points per game.

The Tigers have won four straight against the Golden Hurricane, tying the all-time series at 12 wins apiece.