2007–08 Memphis Tigers men's basketball team

American college basketball season March 2026 August 2023 Basketball 2007–08 Memphis Tigers Memphis Tigers 2003-2021 wordmark.svg 200 Conference USA C-USA 2 2 0–1 (38-2 unadjusted) A Note A 0–0A Note A 16 John Calipari (8th year) Derek Kellogg John Robic Chuck Martin FedExForum NCAA tournament, Runner-up (vacated)C-USA tournament champions (vacated)C-USA regular season champions (vacated) National Championship Game L Lost 68-75 OT Overtime vs. Kansas (vacated) A Note A The 2007–08 Memphis Tigers men's basketball team represented the University of Memphis in the 2007–08 college basketball season, the 87th season of Tiger basketball. The Tigers were coached by eighth-year head coach John Calipari, and they played their home games at the FedExForum in Memphis, Tennessee. The team was the most successful in Tigers' history reaching the NCAA Championship game for the second time and setting numerous school records. It is also one of the most successful in college basketball history, setting the record for most wins in a season at 38–2. However, all wins and one loss were vacated in 2009 after an investigation into the eligibility of Derrick Rose and the Tigers officially finished the season 0–1. Season summary Non-conference play The Tigers began the season ranked No. 3 as a result of a strong recruiting class led by Derrick Rose and returning veteran stars Chris Douglas-Roberts and Joey Dorsey. To start non-conference play, the Tigers defeated powerhouses Oklahoma and Connecticut in the 2K College Hoops Classic at Madison Square Garden in New York. On the same court in the Jimmy V Classic, they won an overtime thriller over USC led by O. J. Mayo. On December 22, they defeated No. 5 Georgetown by 14 and No. 17 Arizona the next week. On January 21, the undefeated Tigers were ranked No. 1 by both major polls after a loss by number-one North Carolina. The Tigers started the season 26–0, the best start to a season in Memphis history. Conference play Entering conference play, the Tigers were predicted to match the previous years undefeated run in the conference. Memphis started the season 26–0, the best in history. However, the record start was tested in a mid-season, non-conference bout against in-state rival No. 2 Tennessee. In a highly anticipated No. 1 vs. No. 2 matchup covered by ESPN Gameday, the Volunteers beat the top-ranked Tigers at home 66–62. The Tigers finished Conference USA play undefeated for the second straight year, and won the conference tournament for the third straight year. Memphis finished the season with a 38–1 record and became the Conference USA regular season champions. NCAA tournament In the NCAA tournament Memphis received the No. 1 seed in the South. In opening rounds in Little Rock, they defeated No. 16-seeded Texas–Arlington and 8-seed Mississippi State. They moved on to regionals in Houston where they defeated No. 5 seed Michigan State. In the regional final, they knocked off a No. 2-seeded Texas team playing near to its home in Austin. In the Final Four, Memphis beat UCLA and proceeded to the national championship game. The Tigers fell in overtime to Kansas, 75–68 after a game-tying three-pointer at the regulation buzzer by Kansas star Mario Chalmers. Chris Douglas-Roberts was named a first-team All-American, and prospective number-one draft pick Derrick Rose was named to the third team. The Tigers finished the season 38–2 (16–0), as Conference USA regular season and tournament champions. The 38 wins broke a record shared by the 1986 Duke Blue Devils, 1987 UNLV Runnin' Rebels, and 2005 Illinois Fighting Illini for the most wins in NCAA Division I history. It would be matched later by the 2012 and 2015 Kentucky Wildcats. NCAA investigation The NCAA determined in 2009 that Derrick Rose had forfeited his eligibility because the Educational Testing Service voided Rose's SAT Reasoning Test score that made him eligible to play at Memphis.http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/B/BKC_NCAA_MEMPHIS_APPEAL?SITE=FLTAM&SECTION=SPORTS NCAA rejects Memphis' final appeal of vacated wins Associated Press March 22, 2010 https://web.archive.org/web/20100330113726/http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/B/BKC_NCAA_MEMPHIS_APPEAL?SITE=FLTAM&SECTION=SPORTS March 30, 2010 Additionally, the NCAA determined that even without the questions about Rose's SAT score, Rose would have lost his eligibility in December 2007 due to his brother being allowed to travel with the team for free.https://web1.ncaa.org/LSDBi/exec/miSearch?miSearchSubmit=publicReport&key=672&publicTerms=THIS%20PHRASE%20WILL%20NOT%20BE%20REPEATED University of Memphis public infractions report August 20, 2009 NCAA May 17, 2014 In addition to issues surrounding the academic eligibility of [Derrick Rose], the investigation also revealed that [Rose]'s brother ("the brother") had received impermissible benefits in the form of cost-free airline transportation and lodging while traveling with the institution's men's basketball team to road games during the 2007-08 season....the violations involving [Rose]'s brother would also have rendered [Rose] ineligible, beginning in mid-December 2007. 1, 15 All 38 wins and one NCAA tournament loss were subsequently vacated by the NCAA for rules violations, leaving the team with an official record of 0–1.http://fs.ncaa.org/Docs/stats/m_basketball_RB/2011/D1.pdf Division I Records July 9, 2011 National Collegiate Athletic Association 48Forfeits and Vacated Games https://www.sports-reference.com/cbb/friv/forfeits.cgi sports-reference.com/cbb May 31, 2014 The NCAA also made Memphis remove banners commemorating the 2008 season. This included a banner commemorating three seniors who finished the season with the most wins by any player in NCAA history with 137 from 2005 to 2009. Memphis also forfeited all NCAA tournament revenues. Recruiting class no no 2007 Jeff Robinson SF Elizabeth, NJ St. Patrick HS 6 5 195 06/14/2006 4 4 97 Derrick Rose PG Chicago, IL Simeon Career Academy 6 2 180 11/04/2006 5 5 98 2007 Memphis Basketball Commitments 2007 Memphis Basketball Commits ESPN memphis 350 235 4 23 2011-07-24 yes Roster 2007 Memphis Tigers #0C1C8C #FFFFFF #8E9295 #0C1C8C Shawn Taggart 0 F 6 10 238 SO Richmond, Virginia y Willie Kemp basketball y 4 G 6 2 184 SO Bolivar, Tennessee USA Robert Dozier 2 F 6 9 220 JR Lithonia, Georgia y Antonio Anderson 5 F 6 6 214 JR Lynn, Massachusetts y Chance McGrady 10 G 6 2 183 JR Auburndale, Florida Doneal Mack 20 G 6 5 187 SO Charlotte, North Carolina Jeff Robinson 32 F 6 5 230 FR Columbus, New Jersey Derrick Rose 23 G 6 3 190 FR Chicago, Illinois y Joey Dorsey 3 C 6 8 268 SR Baltimore, Maryland y Chris Douglas-Roberts 14 G 6 7 200 JR Richmond, Virginia y Andre Allen 15 G 5 10 205 SR Memphis, Tennessee Pierre Niles 1 F 6 8 300 SO Memphis, Tennessee Hashim Bailey 35 C 6 10 275 SO Paterson, New Jersey John Calipari (Clarion) John Robic (Denison) http://www.gotigersgo.com/sports/m-baskbl/archive/042708aaa.html 2019-02-05 Schedule yes no yes |- !colspan=6 style=Memphis Tigers| Regular season 11/05/07 6:00 pm yes 3 Tennessee–Martin FedExForum Memphis, TN 2K College Hoops Classic (Coaches vs. Cancer) ESPNU 102–71 16,555 1–0 11/06/07 8:00 pm yes 3 Richmond FedExForum Memphis, TN 2K College Hoops Classic (Coaches vs. Cancer) ESPNU 80–63 16,771 2–0 11/15/07 7:00 pm yes yes 3 Oklahoma Madison Square Garden New York, NY 2K College Hoops Classic (Coaches vs. Cancer) ESPN2 63–53 7,308 3–0 11/16/07 7:00 pm yes yes 3 Connecticut Madison Square Garden New York, NY 2K College Hoops Classic (Coaches vs. Cancer) ESPN2 81–70 8,895 4–0 11/20/07 7:00 pm yes 3 Arkansas State FedExForum Memphis, TN WLMT 84–63 16,741 5–0 11/27/07 7:00 pm yes 3 Austin Peay FedExForum Memphis, TN WLMT 104–82 16,987 6–0 12/04/07 8:00 pm yes yes 2 USC Madison Square Garden New York, NY Jimmy V Classic ESPN 62–58 OT 8,300 7–0 12/15/07 6:00 pm yes yes 2 MTSU Sommet Center Nashville, TN ESPN2 65–41 18,071 8–0 12/19/07 6:00 pm yes yes 2 Cincinnati Fifth Third Arena Cincinnati, OH ESPN2 79–69 8,254 9–0 12/22/07 11:00 am yes 2 Georgetown 5 FedExForum Memphis, TN ESPN 85–71 18,864 10–0 12/29/07 9:00 pm yes 2 Arizona 17 FedExForum Memphis, TN ESPN2 76–63 17,965 11–0 01/03/08 8:00 pm yes 2 Siena FedExForum Memphis, TN CSS 102–58 16,836 12–0 01/05/08 12:00 pm yes 2 Pepperdine FedExForum Memphis, TN WLMT 90–53 16,974 13–0 01/09/08 7:00 pm 2 2007 East Carolina Pirates East Carolina University East Carolina FedExForum Memphis, TN CSS 99–58 17,308 14–0 1–0 01/12/08 7:00 pm yes 2 Marshall Cam Henderson Center Huntington, WV CSS 68–54 9,034 15–0 2–0 01/16/08 7:00 pm yes 2 Rice Reliant Arena Houston, TX WLMT 77–50 1,892 16–0 3–0 01/19/08 8:00 pm 2 Southern Miss FedExForum Memphis, TN CSS 83–47 18,108 17–0 4–0 01/23/08 7:00 pm yes 1 Tulsa Reynolds Center Tulsa, OK CSTV 56–41 8,475 18–0 5–0 01/26/08 11:00 am yes 1 Gonzaga FedExForum Memphis, TN ESPN 81–73 18,152 19–0 5–0 01/30/08 7:00 pm yes 1 Houston Hofheinz Pavilion Houston, TX CSTV 89–77 8,918 20–0 6–0 02/02/08 12:00 pm 1 UTEP FedExForum Memphis, TN CSS 70–64 17,722 21–0 7–0 02/06/08 8:00 pm 1 SMU FedExForum Memphis, TN CSS 77–48 16,844 22–0 8–0 02/09/08 3:00 pm 1 UCF FedExForum Memphis, TN CSTV 85–64 17,833 23–0 9–0 02/13/08 8:00 pm 1 Houston FedExForum Memphis, TN CSTV 68–59 17,527 24–0 10–0 02/16/08 7:00 pm yes 1 UAB Bartow Arena Birmingham, AL CSS 79–78 9,392 25–0 11–0 02/20/08 7:00 pm yes 1 Tulane Avron B. Fogelman Arena New Orleans, LA CSTV 97–71 3,795 26–0 12–0 02/23/08 8:00 pm yes 1 Tennessee 2 FedExForum Memphis, TN ESPN College GameDay ESPN 62–66 18,389 26–1 12–0 02/27/08 7:00 pm 2 Tulsa FedExForum Memphis, TN CSTV 82–67 17,179 27–1 13–0 03/01/08 3:00 pm yes 2 Southern Miss Reed Green Coliseum Hattiesburg, MS CSTV 76–67 8,129 28–1 14–0 03/05/08 7:00 pm yes 2 SMU Moody Coliseum Dallas, TX CSTV 72–55 7,421 29–1 15–0 03/08/08 12:00 pm 2 UAB FedExForum Memphis, TN Battle for the Bones CSTV 94–56 17,822 30–1 16–0 |- !colspan=6 style=Memphis Tigers|Conference USA Tournament 03/13/08 6:00 pm yes 2 Tulane FedExForum Memphis, TN Quarterfinals CSTV 75–56 NA 31–1 03/14/08 3:30 pm yes 2 Southern Miss FedExForum Memphis, TN Semifinals CSTV 69–53 NA 32–1 03/15/08 10:35 am yes 2 Tulsa FedExForum Memphis, TN Championship CBS 77–51 14,071 33–1 |- !colspan=6 style=Memphis Tigers|2008 NCAA tournament 03/21/08 8:55 pm yes 1 S 16 S yes 2 Texas–Arlington Alltel Arena North Little Rock, AR First Round CBS 87–63 16,060 34–1 03/23/08 3:45 pm yes 1 S 8 S yes 2 Mississippi State Alltel Arena North Little Rock, AR Second Round CBS 77–74 16,060 35–1 03/28/08 8:57 pm yes 5 S 1 S yes 2 Michigan State 18 Reliant Stadium Houston, TX Sweet Sixteen CBS 92–74 32,931 36–1 03/30/08 1:20 pm yes 2 S 1 S yes 2 Texas 7 Reliant Stadium Houston, TX Elite Eight CBS 85–67 32,798 37–1 04/05/08 5:07 pm yes 1 W 1 S yes 2 UCLA 3 Alamodome San Antonio, TX Final Four CBS 78–63 43,718 38–1 04/07/08 8:21 pm yes 1 MW 1 S yes 2 Kansas 4 Alamodome San Antonio, TX National Championship Game CBS 68–75 OT 43,257 38-2 no AP Poll Central Time http://sports.espn.go.com/ncb/teams/schedule?teamId=235&year=2008 https://web.archive.org/web/20081210193253/http://sports.espn.go.com/ncb/teams/schedule?teamId=235&year=2008 dead December 10, 2008 2021-22 Memphis Tigers Schedule See also List of vacated and forfeited games in college basketball Notes A A. Due to NCAA sanctions, Memphis had 33 regular season wins, 5 tournament wins and 1 tournament loss vacated from the 2007–08 season. The team's pre-sanctions record was 38–2. The "official" record therefore stands as 0-1. References Category:Memphis Tigers men's basketball seasons Memphis Category:NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament Final Four seasons Memphis Memphis Memphis Category:2000s in Memphis, Tennessee