It took 17 years, but the University of Memphis men's basketball team finally swept their season series with the University of Louisville (24-5, 13-3 AAC), winning a 72-66 thriller on Saturday.
The win couldn't have been more timely for Memphis head coach Josh Pastner and the Tigers (22-7, 11-5 AAC), who lost to a subpar Houston squad (15-14, 7-9 AAC) on Thursday.
Pastner was clearly ecstatic after the emotional victory, saying there was no better time to hug a win.
"I am so proud of our young men, what a great job they did today," the fifth-year coach said. "Everyone contributed, including all the guys on the bench. This win was spectacular for our team and this city. Our ability to bounce back after the loss to Houston was tremendous, and I am glad we were able to pull out the win."
The win moved the No. 20 Tigers up a spot in the Associated Press Poll. A loss on Saturday would have almost certainly pushed Memphis out of the AP Poll for the first time this season. They are one of only 10 teams to be ranked each week thus far this season.
Memphis took a six-point lead to the locker room at halftime, but the Cardinals stormed ahead in the second half behind the acrobatics of sophomore forward Montrezl Harrell. Harrell caught a jaw-dropping ally-oop from beyond half court with around 14 minutes remaining, sparking a Louisville run that he would later cap off with another thunderous slam. He posted a game-high 25 points and 12 rebounds.
The run gave the then. No. 7 Cardinals an eight-point lead with just over four minutes left to play.
Then, Memphis senior guard Michael Dixon Jr., a newcomer to the Tigers this season after a stint at Missouri, scored six unanswered to start a 15-1 Memphis run to close the game. Dixon ended with a team-high 18 points and 9-9 from the free-throw line.
However, the play of the game came with the Tigers down two with only 2:38 to play. In dire need of defensive stop, the Tigers called on senior guard Geron Johnson to guard Louisville's senior guard and Naismith College Player of the Year semi-finalist Russ Smith.
Johnson denied every lane to the hoop and ripped the ball away from Smith as he rose for a 3-pointer. Johnson scooped up the loose ball and went coast to coast for the game-tying bucket. The Dayton, Ohio, native ended with 15 points on 6-7 from the field, prompting a, "God bless Geron Johnson," from Pastner during his post-game press conference.
Dixon echoed Pastner's praise for Johnson, who has had some rough games throughout the season.
"Geron Johnson played awesome defense today against Russ Smith down the stretch," Dixon said. "He is one of the best defenders in the country and our whole team trusts him to make a play."
Then, with the game tied at 65, senior guard Chris Crawford got in on the action-drilling a deep three from the top of the key to give Memphis a lead they wouldn't give back.
Both Pastner and his players complemented the crowd of 18, 375 for their noise and energy. Crawford was especially happy to get a win for the crowd and City of Memphis.
"Sweeping Louisville is huge for us and means a lot for the city," Crawford said after the game. "I am glad I was able to knock down that three towards the end of the game for my team. They all played with high energy, and making that shot was huge. I had not been shooting the ball well but today was different for me. This rivalry is a big one, and beating Louisville twice boosts our confidence heading into the final two games of the regular season."
Freshman forward Austin Nichols chipped in 14 points, five boards, three assists and two blocks. The performance notched the Collierville native his second-straight Rookie of the Week honor from the American Athletic Conference. The 6-foot-8 forward has received the award three times this season.
Pastner said after the game that he believed the Tigers were guaranteed a spot in the NCAA Tournament at the end of the season, and they are playing for seeding now.
The Tigers currently sit in fifth place in the American, but they have pivotal games against Cincinnati (24-5, 13-3 AAC) and SMU (23-6, 12-4 AAC), the second and third seeds, respectively.
Their first game of the week is Thursday in Cincinnati at 6 p.m. Next, they return to FedExForum for senior day against the Mustangs at 11 a.m. to close out the regular season.
