For some teams on campus, winter break meant checks in the win column and happy holidays.
For others, bah humbug summed up a long December. Nonetheless, all University of Memphis athletes are heading into the spring semester with the same New Year's resolution - to succeed.
Men's Basketball
Ranked No. 4 in both national polls, the Tigers (15-2, 2-0 Conference USA) split two nationally-televised, non-conference showdowns over the break with, No. 8 Gonzaga and No.16 Texas.
Despite giving up 34 points to Gonzaga's Adam Morrison, Memphis held the nation's leading scorer to zero points in the final 9:31 of the contest en route to securing an 83-72 victory over the Zags in front of a sold-out crowd at FedExForum.
Darius Washington, playing with a deep thigh bruise, led the Tigers with 22 points and 10 assists. The game marked the first time since the 1985-86 season that Memphis hosted a top-10 opponent while also ranked in the top 10.
Six days later and in front of another sold-out crowd, The U of M had an eight-game win streak snapped by Texas in a disappointing 69-58 home loss. The Longhorns, who remained in a zone defense for much of the game, held Memphis to 29 percent shooting from the field and 30 points below their season average. P.J. Tucker and Daniel Gibson paved the way for Texas, combining for 42 points. With only one non-conference game left (Tennessee, Jan. 18), Memphis starts play in the newly aligned C-USA as heavy favorites to win every game.
Women's Basketball
The Tigers (2-13, 0-4) have traveled a bumpy road thus far, and are currently trying to snap a seven-game skid. Perhaps the worst moment over the break occurred on Dec. 29 against No. 17 Georgia in which The U of M fell 97-44 in front of a sparse crowd at FedExForum.
Memphis began conference play on Jan. 6 by losing to Marshall, 65-52 and have yet to win a conference game. The team is led in scoring by freshman guard Paris Leonard, a local product (Wooddale High) who is averaging 14.2 points a game. She is the first freshman to average double-digit points since Tamika Whitmore.
Football
The U of M capped off a season marred with injuries and setbacks by defeating Akron (7-6) in the Motor City Bowl, 38-31. DeAngelo Williams, playing in his last game in Tiger blue, closed the door on his collegiate career in tip-top fashion by rumbling for 238 yards on the ground, a Motor City Bowl record, and compiling three touchdowns.
With the stellar performance, Williams broke an NCAA record by rushing for over 100 yards for the 34th time in his career. Despite having a 21-point lead with 3:09 left in the fourth quarter, the Tigers (7-5) nearly let the Zips back in the game after allowing Akron quarterback Luke Getsy to throw his fourth touchdown pass with under a minute to go, cutting the gap to seven points. An onside kick recovery on the ensuing play sealed the win for Memphis and made for one relieved head coach.
"I didn't want to be the only coach in the country to get a Gatorade bath - then lose the game," said Tommy West. This season marked the third consecutive bowl appearance for the Tigers and second bowl victory in three years.
Men's Tennis
Coming off a successful fall performance, U of M tennis seniors Alex Jago and James Spence open the 2006 season ranked as the No. 8 doubles team in the country as announced by the Intercollegiate Tennis Association.
"We were expecting them to be in the Top 20," said head coach Paul Goebel. "They had a fantastic fall season. It's probably the best anyone's ever done at The U of M."
Unfortunately for the Tigers, both Jago and Spence are out with injuries and both were unable to participate in last weekend's season-opening tournament, the USF Invitational in Tampa, Fla.
Jago is sidelined with an non-tennis injury to his wrist, Goebel said, and is out indefinitely. Spence, meanwhile, is suffering from a twisted ankle but is expected back soon. These two senior co-captains head a team that is preparing for a tough spring schedule.
"The newly aligned C-USA is one of the best tennis conferences in the country," Goebel said. We're playing one of the toughest schedules we've ever had. We're playing 14 ranked teams, and we only have 4 home matches.
"We hope to make the NCAA tournament."
