Memphis Takes Free Way to the Round of 16

Memphis stopped shooting free throws in practice because the Tigers were so bad at it. But the Tigers shot Nevada right into the offseason by hitting 26 of 34 foul shots -- including 17 of their first 18 in the second half  en route to a 78-62 victory that propelled the Tigers into Thursday's South Region semifinals against third-seeded Texas A&M.Second-seeded Memphis improved to 32-3 and extended its winning streak to 24 games as it clamped down on seventh-seeded Nevada and scored the game's final 14 points. "We had to dig deeper on the defensive end," sophomore forward Robert Dozier said.

Nowhere was it more evident than in the job Memphis did on Nevada star center Nick Fazekas, who finished with a game-high 20 points. Fazekas scored his last basket with 9 minutes 44 seconds left and then recorded the Wolf Pack's last points on two free throws with 6:17 remaining that pulled Nevada within 64-62.

But that was the end of the line for Nevada (29-5), as Memphis scored eight of those last 14 points on free throws.

"We had trouble guarding during that last stretch and we were forced to foul," Fazekas said. "We were playing as hard as we could, but that's just how it ended. We got beat."

Sophomore guard Chris Douglas-Roberts and senior guard Jeremy Hunt led Conference USA-champion Memphis with 16 points apiece, but Douglas-Roberts missed the final eight minutes after spraining his left ankle. He hit 10 of 12 free throws before leaving.

Memphis was a 61 percent free-throw shooting team entering the NCAA tournament. Coach John Calipari, admittedly out of answers, relied on the advice of his friend, sports psychologist Bob Rotella, who told him to have his players stop shooting free throws in practice and instead have them close their eyes and visualize making the shots. They were even missing during those sessions, Calipari joked.

But it was no joke against Nevada as Hunt made 6 of 7, sophomore guard Antonio Anderson made 5 of 8 while scoring 14 points, and junior forward Joey Dorsey made 4 of 6, half of his eight points. Anderson also led Memphis with 10 rebounds and had four assists.

Nevada junior guard Marcelus Kemp scored 18 points, 12 in the second half.

"I told our kids that it's a small consolation," Nevada Coach Mark Fox said, "but you lost to a very good basketball team."

Last year, Memphis lost in the region final to UCLA, but Hunt wasn't a part of it. He was kicked off the team before the season, but last July made his way back into Calipari's good graces.

"Making the Sweet 16, it's a great accomplishment," Hunt said. "I'm speechless."