It was shocking. There's no other way to put it.
Even the most ardent fans couldn't reasonably hope for such an outcome.
Many thought they could keep it close. A few zealots may have predicted a late three-pointer to steal the game.
But this? A 17-point road win in a game that really wasn't that close?
In the midst of such a weird season, maybe it shouldn't shock us at all.
The Tigers dismantled the No. 9 Louisville Cardinals in Pitino's palace 85-68 on Wednesday night.
Outside of a desperate late charge from the Runnin' Redbirds, Memphis was never challenged.
Think about that.
The U of M was up 29 points with 10 minutes to play. The normally raucous crowd was silent.
Darius Washington, the Tigers freshman point guard, made the Cardinals vaunted pressure look like a pack of four-year-olds trying to catch a grasshopper.
So now, Memphis sits at 14-10 and 7-3 in Conference USA with six games to play.
And twenty-four games into the season, we still have no idea how good (or bad) this team is.
ESPN color analyst and former Utah coach Rick Majerus said the Tigers performance against the Houston "almost made (him) throw up." He also said their play against Louisville was their most complete of the season.
So which is the real team? The one that leveled Louisville? Or the one the Cougars manhandled just six days ago?
The answer probably lies somewhere in between. The U of M has played counter to public opinion all season. Early season expectations were met with blowout losses.
In the midst of numerous off-court distractions and loud public criticism for handling Jeremy Hunt, The Tigers won four of five. The renewed hope was quickly met with the disheartening loss at Houston, followed by the easy win at Freedom Hall.
It's impossible to figure out which team will show up next.All we know is that the final six games pose an interesting mix. Memphis has three games left against bottom feeders --- Tulane, Southern Miss and St. Louis. There are three left with the conference elite -- Charlotte, Cincinnati and Louisville.
Much like the Tigers' play this season, how the conference will shake out in the final four weeks is an unanswerable question.Louisville is still the consensus pick at 8-2 in conference, but five teams are within 1.5 games of the top spot.
Even with their maddening inconsistencies, the Tigers have a chance to win C-USA almost entirely on their own merit. If The U of M runs the table, one loss from DePaul and UAB -- who each have difficult games ahead -- would give Memphis the C-USA crown.
Of course, it won't happen. If Cincinnati and/or Louisville don't knock the Tigers off in the season's final week, then Saint Louis or Southern Miss will steal a win. Memphis has been far too unpredictable to reasonably expect they won't slip up once or twice down the stretch.
Then again, this team has defied reason all season.
