The University of Memphis men's basketball team went into Tuesday night's game ranked No. 11 in the country, but after the beat down Oklahoma State University gave the Tigers, that number is sure to change.
The No. 7 ranked Cowboys (4-0) wrangled the Tigers (1-1) in the Gallagher-Iba Arena and successfully defended their home court with the 101-80 victory in Stillwater, Okla., in record fashion.
Head University of Memphis basketball coach Josh Pastner said the Tigers got their butts kicked and will now implement closed practices, so the team can work on what he called "course correction."
"We need to correct some things that need to be corrected now - not next week, not the week after," Pastner said. "It doesn't mean we are going to be a finished product either, but we have to get better in certain areas and we are going to clean it up, and that's my job."
Pastner said he felt like the team tried to get everything back all at once during Tuesday's game rather than playing Memphis basketball. He said the Tigers have to do a better job getting the ball into the post and need to work on their half-court defense.
The fifth-year Memphis coach said he understands and accepts the criticism following the disappointing loss.
"This is men's college basketball, it's not boys college basketball," Pastner said. "...People care and there should be criticism. They should criticize me, they should be on me. I've got no problem with it. It's understandable. I am the head coach, so you got to be able to accept that and take it."
The last time the U of M lost by such a margin was in the NCAA Tournament last year when the Spartans of Michigan State University handed the Tigers a 70-48 beat down.
In the press conference Monday, prior to the Oklahoma State game, Pastner said the three-point shot was the "great equalizer." A quick look at Tuesday's postgame stats and this statement was provided validity.
Oklahoma State outshot Memphis in every category. The Cowboys were 49.2 percent from the two-point range and 77.5 percent from the free throw line. Memphis shot 41.2 percent from the field and 66.7 percent from the charity stripe. The three-point category is where the stark contrast was made visible. Oklahoma State was 45.5 percent from behind the arc, while Memphis mustered an anemic 15.4 percent.
"I just feel we are a great shooting team, but we have not shot the ball well the last three halves," Pastner said.
Oklahoma State guard, Marcus Smart, was the main attraction Tuesday. The Cowboy scored a career-high 39 points to contribute to the team's 101 total. The sophomore sank five three-point buckets and surpassed his previous career-high by 11 points.
Oklahoma State senior guard Markel Brown contributed 20 points, and redshirt junior forward Brian Williams was the third Cowboy to reach double-digits with 15.
Memphis had two players reach the double-digit mark. Freshman forward Nick King only saw 15 minutes of play but led the Tigers with 23 points and eight rebounds. Sophomore forward Shaq Goodwin had 13 on the night.
Seniors Joe Jackson, Michael Dixon Jr., Geron Johnson and Chris Crawford had a combined total of 21 points.
"Our four senior guards, when they all play poorly on the same night like that, it makes it hard," Pastner said. "There is no question, and I didn't see that coming at all."
The Tigers are back in the Bluff City on Saturday when they welcome Nicholls State to the FedExForum. The game is scheduled to start at 5 p.m. Viewers can watch on SportSouth or tune the radio dial to 600 WREC for game coverage.
"It's a long season," Pastner said. "It's a lot of games left, we're going to have a lot of opportunities."
