5Tennessee 66 - 62 Memphis
Final
  for this game

Unbeaten Memphis faces toughest test of season vs. rival Tennessee

Feb 23, 2008 - 3:07 PM No. 2 Tennessee (24-2) at No. 1 Memphis (26-0) 9:00 pm EST

MEMPHIS, Tennessee (Ticker) - The New England Patriots' pursuit of perfection fell short, will top-ranked Memphis suffer the same fate?

Chris Douglas-Roberts and the Tigers face their toughest test of the season when they host No. 2 Tennessee on Saturday in a huge non-conference showdown.

In the closest call of the season, Douglas-Roberts converted a 3-point play as the Tigers scored the last nine points to post a 79-78 victory over Alabama-Birmingham on Saturday. He then scored 29 points on 13-of-17 from the floor as Memphis posted a 97-71 victory over Tulane on Wednesday.

But despite their perfect record, Memphis has faced critics due to its tissue soft Conference USA schedule. The Tigers (26-0), who have won 47 straight here, and have won 35 straight conference tilts.

Against Tennessee, Memphis will get its chance to answer those critics and move closer to becoming the first team to complete an undefeated regular season since Bob Knight's 1976 Indiana team.

If Memphis can get past Tennessee, all that is left are games at Southern Mississippi and Southern Methodist before a rematch with UAB on March 8. However, beating the Volunteers (24-2), who are off to the best start in school history, will not be an easy task.

Tennessee, which has won eight straight, is enjoying the highest ranking in school history and is one of the few teams in the country that can keep pace with the Tigers' up-and-down style of play.

Led by preseason All-American guard Chris Lofton, the Volunteers aim to knock the Tigers off their perch. After a slow start Lofton is red-hot, having connected on 49 percent (40-of-81) of his 3-point attempts the last nine games.

Lofton hit four 3-pointers and Ramar Smith scored 19 points in a 89-70 win over Auburn on Wednesday.

Known as a football powerhouse, Tennessee has been beating Memphis at its own game lately. The Volunteers have won six of the last eight meetings, including a 76-58 win in Knoxville last season.

This is the 38th meeting between the top two teams in the nation, but only the fifth game involving schools from the same state.






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