Memphis thinks they're going to beat Tulsa, win the conference tournament and play in the NCAA tournament.
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He's sizzled from long range of late. So much so that University of Memphis junior guard Avery Woodson said he felt like he could hit from anywhere in the building in the Tigers' 83-53 win Sunday at East Carolina.
So when Forrest Goodman, the host of coach Josh Pastner's weekly radio show, asked Woodson on Monday if he could continue his red-hot shooting through three games this week in the American Athletic Conference tournament in Orlando, Florida, Woodson was unabashed in his response.
"Let's see," said a smiling Woodson, who made a career-high-tying six 3s against ECU on Sunday and has made 26 of his last 50 3-point attempts (52 percent) going back to a Feb. 6 home win over Cincinnati.
Woodson and the rest of the Tigers joined Pastner at his final radio show of the season on Monday at Lynchburg Legends Bar and Grill in East Memphis. The show drew a standing-room-only crowd with Memphis having won two of its last three games to close the regular season.
"Like you saw (Sunday against ECU), we're a pretty good team. It's all about what team shows up," said Woodson, whose No. 6 seed Tigers will need to win three games in three days to win the AAC tourney title and earn the league's automatic NCAA tournament bid.
"I feel like we're in survival mode now, so when we get to Orlando and get ready to tip it off, guys will be ready to play."
Pastner said he brought the team to Monday's radio show to feel some positive vibes before heading for Orlando this week.
"Last radio show. We're on spring break and people like hearing from the players more than always the head coach all the time. People enjoy hearing from the players," Pastner said. "I thought all the guys were good."
Each of the players said a few words during the hourlong show about their up-and-down season and about the task in front of them. Though they have shot better than 50 percent in two of their last three games, the Tigers haven't put together back-to-back wins since mid-January, when they beat Temple and South Florida in consecutive home games.
Can they realistically expect to turn things around and win four straight starting with Sunday's win at ECU?
"I feel that a lot of people have counted us out, but I feel that we're gonna turn it around," said freshman guard Jeremiah Martin. "I know that we're gonna win the conference tournament and end up in the (NCAA) tournament."
About Jason Smith
Jason Smith is the Memphis Tigers basketball beat writer for The Commercial Appeal. He covers all things Tigers basketball, including recruiting.
..............
He's sizzled from long range of late. So much so that University of Memphis junior guard Avery Woodson said he felt like he could hit from anywhere in the building in the Tigers' 83-53 win Sunday at East Carolina.
So when Forrest Goodman, the host of coach Josh Pastner's weekly radio show, asked Woodson on Monday if he could continue his red-hot shooting through three games this week in the American Athletic Conference tournament in Orlando, Florida, Woodson was unabashed in his response.
"Let's see," said a smiling Woodson, who made a career-high-tying six 3s against ECU on Sunday and has made 26 of his last 50 3-point attempts (52 percent) going back to a Feb. 6 home win over Cincinnati.
Woodson and the rest of the Tigers joined Pastner at his final radio show of the season on Monday at Lynchburg Legends Bar and Grill in East Memphis. The show drew a standing-room-only crowd with Memphis having won two of its last three games to close the regular season.
"Like you saw (Sunday against ECU), we're a pretty good team. It's all about what team shows up," said Woodson, whose No. 6 seed Tigers will need to win three games in three days to win the AAC tourney title and earn the league's automatic NCAA tournament bid.
"I feel like we're in survival mode now, so when we get to Orlando and get ready to tip it off, guys will be ready to play."
Pastner said he brought the team to Monday's radio show to feel some positive vibes before heading for Orlando this week.
"Last radio show. We're on spring break and people like hearing from the players more than always the head coach all the time. People enjoy hearing from the players," Pastner said. "I thought all the guys were good."
Each of the players said a few words during the hourlong show about their up-and-down season and about the task in front of them. Though they have shot better than 50 percent in two of their last three games, the Tigers haven't put together back-to-back wins since mid-January, when they beat Temple and South Florida in consecutive home games.
Can they realistically expect to turn things around and win four straight starting with Sunday's win at ECU?
"I feel that a lot of people have counted us out, but I feel that we're gonna turn it around," said freshman guard Jeremiah Martin. "I know that we're gonna win the conference tournament and end up in the (NCAA) tournament."
About Jason Smith
Jason Smith is the Memphis Tigers basketball beat writer for The Commercial Appeal. He covers all things Tigers basketball, including recruiting.
