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Memphis hopes third time is the charm in the "Elite Eight"

Mar 30, 2008 - 12:58 PM No. 2 Texas (31-6) vs. No. 1 Memphis (36-1) 2:20 pm EDT

HOUSTON (Ticker) -- Top-seeded Memphis looks to reach its first Final Four since 1985 when it takes on second-seeded Texas in the South Regional final on Sunday.

The Tigers have lost in the "Elite Eight" in each of the past two seasons, losing two years ago as the top seed in their region to UCLA.

Memphis (36-1), which has won 42 consecutive Conference USA games, has been one of the more scrutinized teams during the season for its poor free-throw shooting and for its lack of quality conference foes.

However, the Tigers are coming off one of their most impressive wins of the season.

Freshman Derrick Rose scored a season-high 27 points and Chris Douglas-Roberts had 25 as the Tigers jumped out to a 50-20 halftime lead and cruised past Michigan State, 92-74, in the regional semifinals on Friday.

The Tigers ended the first half on a 34-7 run, which included the final 15 points of the half. Memphis also outrebounded Michigan State, 22-6, in the opening half.

"That first half of basketball was one of the best I've been involved in as a coach," Memphis coach John Calipari said. "I loved how unselfish we were and I loved how we guarded."

In order for Memphis to get over the hump and into the national semifinals, it will have to deal with a possible homecourt advantage for Texas.

The Longhorns (31-6) improved to 7-0 in NCAA Tournament games in the state of Texas since 2002 after Friday's 82-62 victory over Stanford.

Texas used a 20-3 run to pull away in the latter stages of the second half, taking a 72-54 bulge with 3:47 remaining after Stanford had trimmed a nine-point halftime deficit to just one.

D.J. Augustin had 23 points and seven assists in the win as the Longhorns held the Cardinal to just 34 percent (22-of-65) shooting in the contest.

It is the third regional final appearance in the last six years for Texas, which reached the Final Four in 2003, and lost to Louisiana State in an "Elite Eight" contest in 2006.