DAILY HELMSMAN
Letter to the Editor
Tuesday 2.25.14
The
Vol. 81 No. 077
Independent Student Newspaper of the University of Memphis
Tigers looking to close out strong 8 after close call
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Campus clock hands stuck By Jonathan A. Capriel news@dailyhelmsman.com
A broken watch is right twice a day, but the accuracy of the University of Memphis clock tower depends on where a person stands. The north-facing clock face has been stuck on a quarter past five for nearly ten weeks, according to Gary Yarbrough, the U of M interim electronic shop supervisor. “We are not sure what exactly is wrong with it yet,” Yarbrough said. “We believe the grease might have frozen because it stopped working when it got really cold — but we are not sure yet.” When the hands of the north face stopped ticking, Yarbrough and crew shut down the gears, halting the westward hands as well. The two still clocks can be seen simultaneously while standing in the student plaza by the fountain. “There is nothing wrong with the west face,” Electronic Shop employee Clint Wilks explained. “It just shares the same circuit.” The weather may have literally frozen the hands of the giant timepiece, but many students seemed not to have noticed. Brian Cole, an exercise and sports junior, was surprised he had not noticed the duel standstill clocks.
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40 percent of newly identified cases of anorexia in girls 15 to 19 years of age. Girls as young as six may begin to express concerns over their weight, and 40 to 60 percent of elementary
The National Association of Black Journalists will sponsor a panel discussion concerning the issues, past and present, surrounding the N-word on Feb. 27. The event will take place from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 in the Un i v e r s i t y C e n t e r Bluff Room, Sanford located on the third floor of the building, and will feature several guest speakers along with any students willing to add to the discussion. “We were kicking around ideas last semester about some programming to do for this semester,” Otis Sanford, journalism professor and staff sponsor for NABJ, said. “I suggested the panel discussion and everybody in the organization thought it was a good idea.” Sanford said the idea came to him last semester when he wrote a story about the N-word and its use amongst professional athletes, specifically about Matt Barnes, small forward for the Los Angeles Clippers, tweeting the word after getting ejected from a game last year and about how Shaq O’Neal and Charles Barkley sympathized for the athlete’s use of the word, which Sanford disagreed with. “I took exception to that and said there is something wrong with it. There is no word in the history of this country that has done more damage than that word has, which was the basis for my column and why I suggested it to be the issue for a panel discussion,” Sanford said. The panel will feature four guest speakers, local-rapper ‘Knowledge Nick,’ Commercial Appeal sports
see DISORDER on page 2
see DISCUSS on page 4
Photo By haRRison linGo | staFF
The north and west faces of the campus clock tower display incorrect times.
Association campaigns for eating disorder awareness news@dailyhelmsman.com The National Eating Disorders Association began its 27th consecutive NEDAwareness week on Monday. The campaign hopes
Students discuss N-word By Samuel Prager
see CLOCK on page 3
By Patrick Lantrip
3
to generate public attention to the needs of people who suffer from eating disorders and their families. According to NEDA, 20 million women and 10 million men suffer from a clinical eating disorder at some point in their
The Daily Helmsman is a “designated public forum.” Students have authority to make all content decisions without censorship or advance approval. The Daily Helmsman is pleased to make a maximum of 10 copies of each issue available to a reader for free. Additional copies are $1. Partial printing and distribution costs are provided by an allocation from the Student Activity Fee.
life, which may include anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, binge eating disorder or an eating disorder not otherwise specified. They also report that the rate of development of new cases of eating disorders has been increasing since the 1950s, with
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index
Opinion
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2 • Tuesday, February 25, 2014
The
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D AILY
H ELMSMAN Volume 81 Number 77
Editor-in-Chief L. Taylor Smith Managing Editor Joshua Cannon Design Editors Hannah Verret Taylor Grace Harrison Lingo Sports Editor Hunter Field General Manager Candy Justice
Disorder
Advertising Manager Bob Willis
Page 1
Administrative Sales Sharon Whitaker Advertising Production John Stevenson Advertising Sales Robyn Nickell Christopher Darling Contact Information news@dailyhelmsman.com Advertising: (901) 6 78-2191 Newsroom: (901) 678-2193 The University of Memphis The Daily Helmsman 113 Meeman Journalism Building Memphis, TN 38152
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school girls are concerned about their weight or about becoming too fat. However, when dealing with such large numbers, it may be easy for some to lose focus on individual struggles. University of Memphis nonprofit development and administration major Ashli Keffer has personal experience in dealing with an eating disorder. “When I was about 12 or 13, I started going through a lot of bad things in my home life, and one of the ways that it asserted itself was though how I viewed myself,” Keffer said. “A lot of people believe that it’s because of the media, but for me it was never anything like that.” Keffer, who is now 21, said that her lack of control in her home life led her to focus on the one thing she felt like she could control — her weight. “I dealt with anorexia for a long time,” Keffer said. “I would not eat all day at school, and when I came home I would only have a small snack. That is all I would eat during the day.” Her problems became so severe that she started seeing a counselor. While it wasn’t an immediate fix, Keffer eventually learned to cope with the underlying issues that lead to her eating
disorder, although some of the effects still linger. “It’s definitely something I still struggle with to this day,” Keffer said. “Even though I am a lot healthier I still have control issues, and it still asserts itself through my eating. I still have to fight that voice in my head that has that distorted body image.” Keffer said that it helps to channel her thoughts and impulses in a positive manner. “Instead of channeling those thoughts to be negative to where I’m going to starve myself, I have to push it the other direction and control what I eat in a healthy way,” Keffer said. “Because that is what is going to help.” For others that may be suffering from a similar condition Keffer suggests that they find someone to talk to. “Find someone that will keep you accountable, or that you can confide in,” Keffer said. “Just know that there is not something wrong with you. You just have to learn how to channel those thoughts in a healthy way. The voice in your head is not always the truth. It is something that you can get past.” For more information on eating disorders or National Eating Disorder Awareness Week, visit w w w.nat iona le at ingdis orders. org. Those that may be suffering from an eating disorder or know someone that might be can visit www.mybodyscreening.org.
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5 Vampire tooth 6 Baldwin in Capital One ads 7 Call on a retro phone 8 Bra parts 9 Many an Actors Studio member 10 Popeye’s Olive 11 *Picturesque spot for a warm drink 12 Actress Paquin of “True Blood” 13 British noblewoman 21 TV educator Bill in a lab coat 22 Didn’t go out 26 Vessel on a mantel 28 Bat first 29 Each 31 Angled pipes 32 Adept 33 Cologne scent 34 Not pro
35 *Place for changing out of a wet suit 37 To the __ degree 40 Traps for the unwary 41 Big mouth, informally 44 John of London? 46 Armored superhero 48 One who was born there 50 Yellowfin tuna 53 Noise from a sleeper 54 Otherworldly 55 Deep anxiety 56 Capitalizes on 57 Three-handed card game 59 Blissful place 60 Senator Harry of Nevada 61 Aykroyd and Quayle 63 Moon lander, for short
S u d o k u
Complete the grid so that each row, column and 3-by3 box (in bold borders) contains every digit 1 to 9.
The University of Memphis
Tuesday, February 25, 2014 • 3
Opinion
Letter to the Editor I attended the race and labor panel at the University on Tuesday, Feb. 19, and was glad to see The Daily Helmsman coverage of the event. We too often hear that struggle is a thing of the past — that the civil rights and labor movements were necessary decades ago, but we no longer need such movements. It was gratifying, and disappointing, to hear that notion put to rest at the panel. Working people and black people still clearly face low wages and oppression — even right here on campus, as shown by Ms. Thelma Rimmer, a janitor on campus at the University of Memphis. Ms. Rimmer spoke eloquently about
Solutions
the low wages that make her life so difficult. Administrators at the University should be ashamed to pay workers so low and repeat the errors of the past — and students should be angry that their exorbitant tuition prices don’t provide workers like Ms. Rimmer decent pay. The civil rights movement and the labor movement became one in Memphis during the 1968 sanitation strike, represented on the panel by two of the sanitation workers. That strike began as a labor dispute between 1,300 black men tired of low pay and disrespect. Their struggle quickly escalated into a broader class
war between the oppressed black majority and the wealthy white elite — and it culminated in the assassination of Dr Martin Luther King Jr. The University of Memphis has an opportunity to not repeat history. The University of Tennessee system (the U of M is part of the Board of Regents system) recently implemented a minimum pay rate of $9.50 an hour — still low, but not as bad as $7.25 an hour. The University of Memphis would do well to follow suit. Steve Payne Graduate Anthropology Student
Clock Page 1
“It shows how much I pay attention,” Cole said. “I think the blue lights they put on it are nice.” Bennett Smithhart, a landscape and architecture graduate student, walks from the library to the University Center every other day, was also unaware of the pause. Like many students, he said that he looks to his cellphone when he wants to know the time. “I see the tower as more of a visual appeasing structure rather than a tool to tell time,” Smithhart said. “The designer most likely wanted a stand out feature, something huge that is twice the height of every other building.” Over the past month, one unnamed person emailed the manager of the electronic shop daily complaining about
the stalled clocks, Wilks said. However, the electronic shop maintains many facilities and had to schedule a time to work on the clock tower. Fixing the clock requires climbing 60 feet of stairs that wrap around the tower then positioning a 10-foot ladder on the grated floor to reach the motor. “It is about a 20-foot drop from the north motor to the stair case,” Wilks said, shaking his head and shuddering. “If you hit the rail and keep falling, it’s another 40-foot drop.” According to Wilks, it is difficult to know when the tower’s time will be precise again. It took several weeks to figure out the best way to build a platform and winch system in order to get access to the motor. “None of us are ‘clock-tower technicians,’” Wilks said. “We are electronic shop technicians, but we are more than qualified to work on it.”
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Tyrone Mansion of the Memphis Fire Department examines damage caused when U of M theatre alumna Keshia Simmons’ car caught fire Monday afternoon.
Discuss Page 1
What Are the Implications? In several past devotionals we have looked at the evidence that Jesus Christ, is, in fact, God! He claimed Deity for Himself. He backed up those claims by performing miracles, accurately foretelling prophecy, and demonstrating the attributes of God, such as omniscience and omnipotence. What are the implications of the absolute Deity of the Lord Jesus Christ? If He is God, He is to be obeyed. Why is this? If He is God, He is also our Creator. John 1:1-3 states, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.” Every human being owes obedience to Him as Creator. It is also true that He is the Redeemer of His elect people. They owe Him double allegiance. He is their Creator and Redeemer. If you are a human being, you are obligated to be obedient to Jesus Christ. If you are a true Christian, you have a double obligation. According to Philippians 2: 9-11, there is coming a day in which every knee shall bow at the name of Jesus and every tongue shall confess that He is Lord. Some will bow willingly and joyfully; some will bow reluctantly. All will bow. I urge you to bow now. May He give you the will to do so.
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writer Ron Tillery, U of M football player Martin Ifedi and student Tatianna Ingram. Students will also have the chance to ask questions and state their opinions. “The word is prevalent with young athletes, hip-hop/rap artists and other young folks,” Sanford said. “Maybe there is a disconnection with people from my generation and people from this younger one with the significance of using that word.” Sanford also noted that the organization decided to do it during Black History Month to help raise awareness of the negative context for the N-word. Along with Sanford, NABJ President Jasmine Morton also expressed some concerns about the use of the word in pop-culture. “I feel like this is a really prevalent issue for Black History Month, especially since so many older African-Americans have dealt with this word in a negative context, however, people in our generation see it more as slang,” Morton, a junior journalism major, said. The panel discussion will outline the historical context of the word, noting the trouble and destruction it has caused in the past, as well its rise to pop-culture through comedy and music, which Sanford said has been keeping the word alive to haunt yet a new generation. “It has been carried on and kept alive by, I believe, the hip-hop culture,” Sanford said. “Absent that, I believe it would have died the death it would deserved to, but it
has not. I think rappers are always trying to push the limits, which I believe is one of things people find appealing about rap music. It’s true you can ignore words, but why use it in general? What value does it have?” Morton believes that eventually the word may fade from rap-culture’s vocabulary, but that it will continue to be used for the next few years. She also notes that users of the word might continue to use the word to overcome and replace the negative-context of its true nature with something positive. “I feel like keeping the word alive is a negative thing, but I feel like people use the word to look at it as a positive thing. The people who use it treat it like the saying ‘laugh at your pain,’ and they think of the N-word in the terms of ‘it use to make us sad, but now we can turn it around and make it a positive thing,’” Morton said. Sanford and Morton both hope that students and faculty of all nationalities and ethnicities will come and discuss their opinion on the word and its meaning and relevance to today’s society and pop-culture. “This should be a public conversation between everybody on this campus, not just reserved for African-Americans to get together and talk about an issue, because this issue impacts society,” Sanford said. “As a college campus, we need to talk about issues that impact the greater society. No matter what race, ethnicity or nationality a person can find something very enlightening, proactive and stimulating through discussion and dialogue.”
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The University of Memphis
Tuesday, February 25, 2014 • 5
Planned Parenthood teaches sex-positive classes By Kayla Stringer
Special to The Daily Helmsman “Sexpert” training at Planned Parenthood is offering students the opportunity to become educators and advocates for sexual health and safety on college campuses throughout the MidSouth. Students who participate in the eight-hour training course are certified as sexperts with knowledge about the controversial consequences and hard facts that accompany the decision to have sex. Elokin CaPece, vice president of education for Planned Parenthood, believes that sexperts could have a positive impact on sexual education on college campuses. “I hope sexperts becomes a revolution,” CaPece said. “That we teach you what you need to know about sex and you go and teach the world.” On April 5, educators at Planned Parenthood will be hosting their third sexperts training course of the year. The training is open to anyone who is a currently enrolled college student, a resident of or enrolled in a college in West Tennessee, Crittenden County, Ark., or North Mississippi and who is excited
Photos CoURtesy oF kayla stRinGeR
Sexperts learn how to properly use protection and what kinds of protection are available to them.
about sharing sexual health information on their campus. The training, though long and
somewhat tiresome, contains information from several different modules that are important when
discussing the topic of sex. The modules include everything from how to communicate with partners to how to use a condom properly. It also covers more controversial topics like the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transsexual and queer community, circles of sexuality and sexual orientation, abstinence and abortion. Joy Nicole Heath, a senior at the University of Memphis and a certified sexpert, shares her thoughts on why becoming a sexpert is important for students. “I just want everyone to do what they want as long as they’re safe and to destigmatize the idea that sex is bad or wrong, outside of the context of marriage,” Heath said. The culture in the U.S. conveys the negatives of sex to people, emphasizing the risks of unplanned pregnancies and sexually transmitted diseases and infections that can be contracted through skin-to-skin contact or body fluids. Many times, sex creates a list of negative consequences and CaPece shares how Planned Parenthood is breaking that barrier.
“Planned Parenthood is a sexpositive place. Sex should be positive and sexuality is a part of everyone no matter how you portray it,” CaPece said. Sexperts are not certified to tell someone not to have sex, how to have sex or with whom to have sex. Their job is to educate college students on preventative measures to stay healthy and safe during the act and provide educational support for those abstaining from it. Laura Berman, sex expert and author of “Talking to Your Kids about Sex,” discusses the importance of people, especially adolescents and young adults, who should protect themselves in regards to sex. “I think it’s so important to give kids the tools they need to live healthy, long, successful lives and part of that is educating them not only around their body but around sexuality,” Berman said. Anyone interested in becoming a sexpert can go online to plannedparenthood.com for more information.
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Tigers’ Ta es “I might go out shopping or I might go out to eat somewhere nice with my friends.”
Alexandria Williams, Biology sophomore
“I love to go shopping, especially clothes and Bath and Body Works.”
Brittany Neely, Graphic design junior
How do you treat yourself? By Candice Briggie
“Riding motorcycles and offroading in my Jeep.”
“I watch One Tree Hill and play with my dog, Natty.”
“Pretty days outside with my girls biking, and then trying out local restaurants together.”
Drew Liberto, Mechanical engineering sophomore
Jordan Asplund, Accounting sophomore
Hannah Cibulka, Psychology sophomore
Ex-Mubarak crony named to form new Egyptian government By Nancy A. Youssef MCT
CAIRO — In a surprise announcement, Egyptian Prime Minister Hazem el-Beblawi announced Monday that his 7-month-old government had resigned just two months ahead of expected presidential elections, a move that seemed destined to clear the way for a new Cabinet led by politicians close to ousted President Hosni Mubarak. The departing Cabinet was the fifth government to rule Egypt in three years. The transitional president, Adly Mansour, accepted elBeblawi’s resignation and named as his successor the housing minister, Ibrahim Mahlab, a former member of Mubarak’s National Democratic Party who has business interests in Saudi Arabia and whom Mubarak appointed to the legislature’s upper house, the Shura Council, in 2010. Under Egyptian law, when the prime minister resigns, the rest of his Cabinet resigns with him. But the announcement appeared to catch some of the ministers by surprise, as several said privately that they had learned of el-Beblawi’s resignation earlier Monday at an abrupt Cabinet meeting. A government official told McClatchy that Mahlab would return most ministers to their former posts in the next days but that there might be a shift in the Cabinet’s overall composition. Where el-Beblawi’s Cabinet consisted of those tied to the Mubarak regime as well as newcomers since the 2011 uprising that removed Mubarak from power, Mahlab is expected to stack his Cabinet largely with
remnants of the old regime. Analysts saw Mahlab’s appointment as potentially helping the expected presidential candidacy of Egypt’s strongman, Gen. Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi. El-Sissi was once Egypt’s defense attache in Saudi Arabia, his country’s largest financial benefactor. The appointment of a Cabinet composed of people willing to also work under an el-Sissi administration might lay the groundwork for his election, observers said. “The rumored prime minister is a former land and housing minister, which means he has dealt with matters central to the military’s domestic financial land assets. He also, like Sissi, has close ties to Saudi Arabia,” said Eric Trager, an expert in Egyptian politics who’s the Esther K. Wagner fellow at the Washington Institute for Near East Studies, a U.S. research center. It’s unclear whether el-Sissi, who with el-Beblawi’s resignation lost his post as defense minister, would serve in Mahlab’s government. El-B eblawi made the announcement during a 15-minute speech on live television in which he called for the Egyptian people to take more personal responsibility for the nation’s development. “For the past six to seven months, the government assumed its responsibilities and duties. … The government did not spare any efforts to get Egypt out of a bad phase,” el-Beblawi said. An economist, el-Beblawi had grown increasingly unpopular among Egyptian pundits and voters alike as the economy continued to decline. In recent weeks,
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several labor groups, including bus drivers, went on strike, further straining the economy. “It is time we all sacrificed for the good of the country. Rather than asking what has Egypt given us, we should instead be asking what we have done for Egypt,” said el-Beblawi, who is 70, adding
that the government had “made every effort to get Egypt out of the narrow tunnel in terms of security, economic pressures and political confusion.” There had been rampant rumors that the government would resign in January, shortly after Egypt approved a new con-
stitution in a referendum with a resounding 98 percent of the vote. But the labor strikes seemed to have intensified calls for change — again. El-Beblawi’s government, for some, was more unpopular than the threat of more instability.
Are You a Commuter Student? The Commuter Student Association is here for you! CSA gives you a voice and a connection to campus that can be missing in the life of a commuter. Attend a CSA meeting to discover what a great connection CSA can provide you. Meetings are held @ 3 p.m. every other Thursday in UC Poplar Room (308)
Upcoming Meetings
February 27 • March 27 • April 10 & 24
CSA Spring Fling Car Show Saturday, April 12 • Noon - 3 p.m.
Does your car define your inner beauty? Does it resemble you? Does it showcase your personality? Does it exude attractiveness? This is your chance to show up and show out! Pick up an application at the Adult & Commuter Student Services office, UC 243.
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Best Unique Car • Best Motorcycle • Best Truck/SUV Best RSO/Sorority/Fraternity Category winners will receive an award & bragging rights as the Spring Fling Car Show Winner! For more information, contact Joe Harrison, CSA president, or Quincy Johnson, vice president, at 678-4298 or email: csamemphis@gmail.com
The University of Memphis
Tuesday, February 25, 2014 • 7
Nichols shakes rocky start for second weekly honor By Hunter Field
sports@dailyhelmsman.com University of Memphis freshman forward Austin Nichols helped carry the men’s basketball team to a nail-biting overtime win over inner-conference foe Temple. Nichols, a Collierville native, posted his best stat line of the season against the Owls, posting a near triple-double with 17 points, 12 boards and seven blocks. The 6-foot-8-inch senior’s performance garnered the American Athletic Conference Rookie of the Week honor, announced by the league office Monday morning. A consensus top-50 recruit, Nichols has had an up-and-down freshman campaign. After starting the season red hot, he faltered a bit through the middle portion of the season, but Nichols believes he has finally gotten over the hump. “I don’t know. It felt like I hit a wall and couldn’t do anything for a while there,” Nichols said after the Tigers 82-79 win over Temple. “Now, I’m starting to get my timing down and playing better.” This is the second time this season Nichols has received the weekly honor. He received his first Freshman of the Week honor on Dec. 2 after the Tigers won the Old Spice Classic. Nichols, who has started every game in his first season at the U of M, averages 8.6 points per game on the year to go along with 4.1 rebounds a game. Over the last week, the 212pound forward averaged 13.5 points, eight rebounds and 3.5 blocked shots in Memphis’ wins over Rutgers and Temple.
Photo By DaviD C. Minkin | sPeCial to the Daily helMsMan
Memphis freshman forward Austin Nichols posted career highs in both rebounds (12) and blocks (7). The performance earned him the American’s Freshman of the Week honor. Nichols looked like he was everywhere on the court against the Owls on Saturday. He hit baby hook after baby hook en
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route to 17 points, but his biggest impact came on the defensive end. Each time the Tigers’ defense broke down, Nichols
was there to swat away any of Temple’s layup attempts. “All growing up, I’ve always been the longer kid,” Nichols said. “I’ve been blocking shots pretty much my whole life. To do it at the collegiate level is definitely a step, and I’m definitely going to continue to try and do it.” Nichols’ seven blocks and 12
rebounds against the Owls were both career highs for the freshman, who showed more emotion on Saturday night than he has all season long. Memphis head coach Josh Pastner wants Nichols to play with the type of confidence he had against Temple every night. “He’s a confidence guy — Austin,” the fifth-year coach said. “When he’s aggressive, he’s better. When he plays full throttle, he’s a high level guy.” The American Freshman of the Week got off to a shaky start against the Owls after scoring the game’s first bucket. Poor decisions on both ends prompted Pastner to pull him from the game. Pastner said he was determined to leave Nichols on the bench until he got his head in the game. “I thought Austin was awful the first five minutes,” Pastner said after Saturday’s overtime win. “I just told him ‘You can’t play in this game if your head is not into it. If you don’t want to play you can just sit right here and have a good seat. I don’t have time to wait for you.’ Then he said ‘Coach, I’m ready,’ and I put him back in and he was a monster.” Nichols said he didn’t expect to get a lot of playing time when he decided to attend the U of M, but a preseason injury to fifth-year senior forward David Pellom thrust Nichols into the starting lineup. The Tigers play their best when Nichols makes significant contributions. He hopes for more performances like the one against Owls. “I looked at myself as a freshman, maybe getting a few minutes off the bench,” Nichols said on Saturday. “But the way the season has played out, I’m extremely blessed, and I got to keep getting some of those games like I had tonight.”
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Sports
Tigers looking to close out strong after close call By Corey Carmichael
sports@dailyhelmsman.com 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-8inch 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
Photo By David C. Minkin | special to the daily helmsman
Senior guard Michael Dixon Jr. said he’s zeroed in on their matchup with Houston on Thursday, and the game will be a battle despite a lopsided result in favor of the Tigers on Jan. 23 in Memphis. 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.”
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