Following a nail-biting overtime win against Temple University (7-19, 2-12 AAC), University of Memphis men's basketball head coach Josh Pastner looked like a man who had not slept well.
Pastner said during Monday's press conference that there is not a more over-analyzed coach than himself over his five years at the helm.
Criticism poured in because the close game came against the last-place team in the American Athletic Conference, but Pastner said any AAC game is a difficult contest.
"I think the American is an amazing league," Pastner said. "It is one of the best leagues in the country. Top to bottom, these guys are really good. If you have an off night, you are going to get beat."
The win Saturday was filled with highlight plays and another quality performance from freshman forward Austin Nichols, who finished with 17 points, 12 rebounds and seven blocks. It was a career night for Nichols in rebounds and blocked shots, earning the 6-foot-8-inch forward the American Athletic Conference Rookie of the Week.
"I think I was more aggressive as a whole," Nichols said. "I knew number three was going to be out and they were going to be down a big man, so I was more aggressive. If I can get some shots early, that really gets me started, get a couple of rebounds and a couple of shots and keep running the floor. The guards will get it to me."
If alley-oop finishes were worth more than two points, the game would have been well in hand during the first half. Following a David Pellom dunk late in the first half, the Tigers had a double-digit advantage.
After the dunk, a technical foul was assessed to the George Washington University transfer, and the Owls hit one of the two free throws. Memphis would hold the lead until the 10-minute mark of the second half when Dalton Pepper hit his second 3-pointer of the game.
Going into the final minute, the teams were tied at 74. Temple missed two jumpers on their final possession before Shaq Goodwin collected a defensive rebound and called timeout with two seconds remaining. Nichols missed a contested last-second three-point attempt to take the game into overtime.
Memphis (21-6, 10-4 AAC) took the lead in the extra period after Joe Jackson's layup made the score 78-77. Michael Dixon Jr. knocked down a couple of free throws to extend the lead to three with 18 seconds remaining, and the Owls' missed on their last two three point tries to seal the victory for the Tigers.
Although Temple is not seen as one of the marquee matchups for the Tigers this season and some were surprised at the close outcome, a close win is still a win, and overtime victories play a role in team bonding.
"Definitely, some of the tough games we had, coming down to the wire, have tested our team bonding. I've said it before," Nichols said. "When we are down like that with two minutes left, we are going to see who folds. I was just so proud of my teammates on Saturday. I think that bonding has really helped us so far."
For their two wins last week, Memphis moved up a spot in the Associated Press Poll to number 21. The team also moved up in the AAC standings to fourth, trailing Louisville, Cincinnati and Southern Methodist University. All three of these teams are ranked in the AP poll.
With three of the four remaining regular season games against those top three teams, the Tigers can help their standing within the conference. However, Thursday's game against the University of Houston is first and foremost on the minds of both the coach and his players.
After beating the Cougars 82-59 on Jan. 23 in the FedEx Forum, the Tigers travel to play in Houston on Thursday night. Although the first outcome was lopsided, Dixon said that the second game would not be the same.
"I think it is hard to play the teams the second time, especially if you beat them the first time," Dixon said. "Its always that factor that they want to get a win over you. It has been a challenge, and we've done an okay job of combating that and staying locked in on defense and trying to come out with a win."
