It took until the last shot of the first half for Tiger basketball to take control of its game over Lamar, and though it never looked back, winning 108-83, the team never looked great either.
An Andre Allen layup as time expired in the first half gave the No. 9 Tigers its first lead of the game and closed out a very sloppy frame that saw Memphis commit 12 turnovers, make just 6 of 17 free throws and get beaten to just about every loose ball.
"Twenty-one turnovers (in the game), we got beat to every ball, I'm just worried because it's not hitting home yet," said a visibly upset John Calipari after the game. "You cannot win good games playing the way we're playing."
For large stretches of the game it seemed the Tigers (4-1) stopped trying to score inside on the undersized Cardinals and instead settled for outside shots, hitting just six of 21 three pointers for the game.
"We're not as good as everyone thinks, and we're not as bad as I think," Calipari said. "I think we're somewhere in the middle.
"We're nowhere near what we can be right now."
Part of the malaise could be credited to the absence of point guard Darius Washington Jr., who sat out due to a deep thigh bruise. His return for Wednesday's game against Jackson State is questionable.
Center Kareem Cooper was also held out of Monday's game due to a violation of team rules. Calipari didn't clarify what the violation was but said it was minor and Cooper would only miss one game.
One important lesson Calipari said he hopes his young team learns from this early season challenge is that ability alone won't win many games.
"When you get beat to loose balls, when the other team wants it more, talent doesn't matter," Calipari said. "They're going to win the game, and that's what happened in the first half."
The Tigers appeared more resilient in the second half, scoring 65 points and taking 14 more shots than its opponent and out-rebounding Lamar 38-12.
"A lot of players on get up for big games and play down to the level of their competition," said reserve point guard Andre Allen. "That's what we did tonight."
Allen scored 10 points, made five rebounds, five assists and three steals in increased action.
Three Tigers scored in double-figures, led by guard Chris Douglas-Roberts' 23. Forwards Shawne Williams and Rodney Carney added 21 each.
Forward Robert Dozier registered his first career double-double with 14 points and 11 rebounds.
Lamar's Alan Daniels blitzed the Tigers' defense for 41 points, eight rebounds and six assists.
Calipari didn't say much to his team after the game, just that this kind of game is what the players better be ready for every time they take the floor this season.
"Everywhere we go we're going to be the biggest game on everyone's schedule," he said. "These young guys don't understand that yet."
