Memphis Series History: On March 2, 1986, Milt Wagner hit two free throws in the final seconds of Louisville's 70-69 victory over then Memphis State to give U of L the Metro Conference championship. The Cards went on to win both the conference and NCAA tournaments.

Series History

All-Time Record: Louisville 49, Memphis 33
@C-USA Tournament
*Metro Tournament
+MVC Playoff
#NCAA Midwest First Round (Austin, TX)

Date: Feb. 28, 2004	Score: Louisville 66, Memphis 60
Leading Scorers: U of L: Francisco Garcia (18) Memphis: Sean Banks (26)
What a relief. Even though it always feels good to beat Memphis, this win felt even better because it avenged an earlier loss to the Tigers this season, and snapped a four-game losing streak. And even though the Cards let a 14-point lead slip to just three in the final minute, and almost let yet another game slip through their fingers, the Cards did just enough to hang on and possibly secure an NCAA tourney invite. It was practically a war of attrition; on top of U of L's nagging injuries, which include a severe ankle sprain for Luke Whithead, Memphis also has had injuries knock players out for the season. Plus, in the first half, Rodney Carney, who led Memphis in scoring in the first meeting earlier this year, suffered his own ankle sprain and did not return to the contest. U of L won for only the second time in eight games in what was its final 2004 game in Freedom Hall. U of L's win snapped an 11-game winning streak for Memphis.
The Cards made seven of their first eight shots to build a 15-6 lead in the first six minutes. Francisco Garcia, who led U of L with 18 points, made four straight shots and had nine points during the Cardinal run. But three straight turnovers allowed Memphis to close the gap at 17-15. A Memphis three-point play at the 7:13 mark gave Memphis its first lead at 22-21. But U of L went on an 11-0 run that was caused by a slew of Memphis turnovers. The Cards shot 54% in the first half, which allowed them to set up their full-court press, which forced Memphis into 15 first half turnovers and 21 for the game. U of L led 36-28 at the break, and then scored the first five points of the second half. The Cards then went seven straight possessions without scoring, but the Tigers scored only point during that stretch. A jumper from Antonio Burks ended a nine-minute field goal drought by Memphis, then two free throws from Burks trimmed U of L's lead to 45-35 at the 12:05 mark. A three-pointer and then another field goal by Larry O'Bannon put U of L up 50-38 with 10:38 left. But when Garcia left the game with his fourth foul at the nine-minute mark, Memphis made its move. Three-pointers by Burks and Sean Banks fueled a 10-2 Memphis run to pull the Tigers within 60-56.
Burks, who had 22 points, hit a three-pointer to cut the Cards' lead to four with 3:23 left, but the Cards held Memphis to only one more field goal the rest of the way, and kept them scoreless on six of their final eight possessions. A steal by Brandon Jenkins, who played more minutes than Taquan Dean and did a good job defensively on Burks, led to an assist by Garcia for an Otis George dunk with 33.5 seconds left that put the Cards up six. George finished with 11 points and eight rebounds, his best C-USA game of the year. Banks, who led all scorers with 26 points, then banked in an off-balance three-pointer to cut the Cardinal lead to three. On the ensuing inbounds play, Nate Daniels, who had just checked into the game, was fouled, and he made both shots. Burks then missed a three-point attempt, and Jenkins got the rebound, then made one of two free throws with 13.8 seconds left. Jenkins did not commit a single turnover during the game. The Cards scored 20 points off of the 21 Memphis turnovers, but were outrebounded 35-29. The Cards finished at 41% for the field, the first time they shot better than 40% in six games. Memphis gave the game away at the free throw line, where they shot only 14-25, their worst performance from the line in a C-USA game this season.

Date: Feb. 4, 2004	Score: Memphis 62, Louisville 58
Leading Scorers: U of L: Larry O'Bannon (26) Memphis: Rodney Carney (19)
With their injuries hobbling them against Marquette, Francisco Garcia and Taquan Dean did not even make the trip to Memphis to take on the Tigers. Also, Nouha Diakite sprained his ankle, and likewise did not go to Memphis. To offset their shorthandedness, the Cards relied mostly on switching zone defenses and a deliberate offensive attack, with little pressing and few fast breaks. It almost worked, but the Cards suffered a scoring drought in the last six minutes that cost them the game. U of L was up 37-33 at halftime, mostly due to 14 first-half points from Larry O'Bannon, who was 6-8 from the field in the opening frame, led all scorers with a career-high 26 points and was the only Cardinal to scorer in double-figures.
The Cards held their biggest lead of the game at 46-37 with 13:00 left in the game. But the Tigers scored back-to-back threes to climb within three. The Cards then went up by seven off an Otis George hoop and a drive from O'Bannon. A three from O'Bannon put the Cards up 55-53 with 5:41 left, but the Cards did not hit a field goal the rest of the way, and their only points were on O'Bannon free throws with 3.9 seconds left. U of L scored only six points in the final nine minutes, while Memphis scored nine straight after O'Bannon's three to take the lead and win the game. A 15-3 Memphis run gave the Tigers a 62-55 lead with 30 seconds left. Unlike the game against Marquette, in which U of L made only 5-34 three-point attempts, the Cards were 7-9 from three-point range. U of L shot 45% from the field, a refreshing improvement seeing as how they've shot under 40% from the field in five of their last six games. Rodney Carney led Memphis with 19 points on 5-10 three-point shooting. The Tigers shot only 39% from the field (including 10-27 from behind the arc), but placed four players in double-figures. Memphis scored 22 points off of 18 U of L turnovers, another sign that the Cards miss their point guard.

Date: March 14, 2003	Score: Louisville 78, Memphis 75
Leading Scorers: U of L: Marvin Stone, Francisco Garcia (15) Memphis: John Grice (29)
Marvin Stone was finally allowed back into action, and not a moment too soon. He helped the Cards contain the powerful frontcourt of Memphis, as U of L held Memphis star Chris Massie scoreless before fouling out with a few minutes remaining in the game. Stone had 15 points and six rebounds and some intimidating defense to help U of L overcome the Tigers' frontcourt; for the game, U of L outrebounded Memphis 44-37 after losing the rebounding battle by 16 in their first meeting of the season. Luke Whitehead had his third straight double-double, really filling in for Ellis Myles on the glass, as he scored 10 points and pulled down 12 rebounds. His play has really lifted the Cards, and this is probably his most impressive run of games in his career. Massie, who was leading the Tigers in scoring with 17.3 ppg, was 0-5 from the field, did not get to the line and committed four turnovers as U of L double-teamed him after he was fed the ball in the post, a move which prevented Massie from being able to find the open man on the perimeter. Massie's frustration came to a head when he missed a dunk with 10:40 left in the game, and then fouled out several minutes later.
Memphis wasn't the only team with limited production from its star. Reece Gaines got into early foul trouble, and fouled out for the first time this season with 3:34 remaining. He played a season-low 20 minutes and tied a season-low with 10 points. Like the first match-up, it was a foul-filled game, with 61 fouls called leading to 86 total foul shots. Again, U of L failed to help its cause at the line, making only 27-44 from the charity stripe while Memphis made 30-42. It was the foul line that kept Memphis in the game early, as the Tigers were only 4-15 from the field in the first half but 16-23 from the line to be within 36-27 at the half. Memphis clawed back, and took its first lead since being up 13-12 after a Bryant Northern turnover led to a lay-up for Antonio Burks that put Memphis up 70-69 with 1:29 left. (Still, Northern was a major contributor, hitting three threes to finish with nine points and to break out of a severe shooting slump.) A jumper by Stone put the Cards up again by one, but Memphis followed with two free throws by Earl Barron with 44 seconds left. Barron blocked a shot by Francisco Garcia on the Cards' next possession, and two free throws by John Grice put Memphis up 74-71 with 32 seconds left. Grice led all scorers with a career-high 29 points, hitting 8-13 from the field and 6-10 from three-point range, many from well beyond the three point arc. Grice had 23 points in the second half, as Memphis erased what was once a 16-point first half deficit and 11-point second half deficit.
Garcia, who finished with 15 points, made two free throws to pull the Cards within one, but Burks then hit one of two fouls shots to put Memphis up 76-74 with 22 seconds left. Taquan Dean then hit the biggest shot of the game, a three-pointer from the wing with 11 seconds left to turn a two-point deficit into a 76-75 lead. It was Dean's only field goal of the game after missing his first seven shots. Memphis did not call timeout, and Billy Richmond drove the length of the floor and missed a short jumper. Whitehead got the rebound, was fouled and made both foul shots to give U of L a 78-75 lead. Memphis called timeout, but Burks missed a three-point attempt as time ran out. Jeremy Hunt was 12-19 from the line to score 18 points for Memphis, while Burks finished with 15.

Date: February 19, 2003	Score: Memphis 80, Louisville 73
Leading Scorers: U of L: Reece Gaines (19) Memphis: Antonio Burks (16)
The Cards lost their first home game of the year in getting totally outmanned on the boards by a bigger Memphis team. It was an ugly game, with a total of 61 fouls being committed. Still, if being pushed around was the measuring stick for this contest, it comes down to who got position under the boards, and that team was Memphis. The Tigers outrebounded U of L by an amazing 47-31, and had 20 offensive rebounds compared to U of L's 10. It marked only the third time this season U of L was outrebounded by double-digits; the other times came in close wins over Ohio State and Tennessee. Memphis big men Chris Massie and Earl Barron each had 11 rebounds, while the Cards' top two rebounders, Ellis Myles and Marvin Stone, had four and two rebounds, respectively.
As the game started, the Cards built an early 7-2 lead. But Memphis scored on five straight possessions to take a 13-7 lead. Memphis used a 7-0 spurt to build their 35-31 halftime lead. The first half belonged to Chris Massie, who had 10 points in the opening period as Memphis shot better than 53% from the field in the first 20 minutes. Massie finished with 12 points. The Tigers scored five quick points to open the second half to go up 40-31, its biggest lead of the game. U of L responded with a 16-6 run over the next 5 1/2 minutes, though, as Reece Gaines completed a three-point play and hit a 3-pointer. Stone capped the spurt with a lay-up, giving the Cardinals a 47-46 advantage with 13:49 remaining. A jumper by Francisco Garcia increased the lead to 56-53 with 10:49 left, but the Cardinals went the next 9:38 without a field goal, hitting nine free throws in that span as Memphis went on a 20-9 run.
Memphis led by only 61-59 with six minutes left, but scored on six straight possessions to take a 71-65 lead with just under three minutes to go. Memphis went to the line in four of five trips during that run, and, after starting the game 0-7 from the line, made 26-35 in the second half. For the game, the Tigers shot only 65% from the line (31-48). Three Cardinal players fouled out of the game: Stone, Taquan Dean and Francisco Garcia. Memphis was up eight, with 1:28 left, but gave U of L one last chance to make it a game. Erik Brown hit a jumper with 1:11 left to end the field goal drought for Louisville. Up 74-67 with 50 seconds left, the Tigers' John Grice made the first of two free throws, but then drew a technical foul by making a slashing motion across his throat. U of L's Simeon Naydenov made both free throws, then Grice missed his second attempt. Gaines connected on 1-2 from the line, and after a U of L stop, Erik Brown hit a pair of free throws to pull the Cards to within 75-72 with 35.5 seconds left. It then took the Cards 15 seconds to foul and stop the clock, and after Grice made a pair of free throws, the game was wrapped up.
Memphis put five players in double-figures, including Massie, Grice (10), Rodney Carney (12), Jeremy Hunt (10) and Antonio Burks, who led the Tigers with 16 points, four assists, four rebounds and only one turnover. Gaines led U of L with 19 points, but was only 5-18 from the field and 1-9 from three-point range, many of them from very long distance and very early in U of L's possessions. Garcia finished with 17 on 3-5 shooting from behind the arc, but as a team, the Cards were only 5-23 from three-point range and shot only 36% from the field. Marvin Stone was the other Cardinal player in double-figures, as he scored 10 points.

Date: January 30, 2002	Score: Memphis 80, Louisville 70
Leading Scorers: U of L: Luke Whitehead (20) Memphis: DaJuan Wagner (23)
The old rivalry between the Cardinals and the Tigers was rekindled in this match-up which also featured the renewal of the rivalry between coaches Rick Pitino and John Calipari. DaJuan Wagner, son of former Cardinal great Milt "Ice Man" Wagner, now an assistant at Memphis, faced his dad's old team for the first time (and possibly the last) and showed why he was the most highly rated player coming out of high school last year, and could be the most highly sought after player in the NBA this year. The Cards really put on a spectacularly tough performance: they never gave up, made countless runs to get back in the ball game, but in the end, just came up one offensive weapon short against a much taller and bigger team.
In reverting to an ugly trend for the Cardinals this year, U of L suffered an early scoring drought (this one nearly three and a half minutes) and endured a 9-0 Memphis run to fall behind 14-8. With 7:40 left in the first half, Memphis was still on the verge of blowing the game open (a repeated theme) when they opened a 23-14 lead. That's when the grittiness, effort, and heart of tihs Cardinal team started to show, particularly through the incredible effort of Ellis Myles. Returning to the form he showed early in the season, Myles finished with 15 points, 15 rebounds, and four blocked shots. A few hoops from Myles inside pulled U of L to within five with 4:34 left in the first half, and after Reece Gaines got untracked, getting his first points on a three-pointer with 3:45 left, the Cards had actually tied the game at 32. Keep in mind that Myles was doing his work against a very tall and talented Memphis frontline, including C-USA's leading rebounder, Kelly Wise. Wise finished with 16 points and an incredible 18 rebounds, and became the first C-USA player to record 1,000 points and 1,000 rebounds for a career. Earl Barron, the 7-foot Memphis center, finished with 19 points and 11 rebounds. Combined, Barron and Wise proved too much for the Cards to stop. Memphis ended the first half on a 6-2 run to lead 38-34 at halftime. For the half, Myles had nine points, nine rebounds, and all four of his blocks in 19 minutes of action. What an effort from Ellis Myles.
To open the second half, the Tigers went inside again and again, and scored on six of their first seven shots to take a nine-point lead. Although the game went back and forth, with Memphis pulling ahead by six or seven or nine, then U of L pulling within one or two, there was a key factor that propelled the Tigers: his name is DaJuan Wagner. With U of L within 65-62 with 6:07 left, Wagner drilled a three-pointer. With 2:49 left and Memphis up 74-70, Wagner scored on a leaner to continue to put pressure on U of L. Wagner finished with a game-high 23 points, including 4-6 from three-point range.
You have to admire the way the Cards never gave up, but they could never get over the hump in the second half. Part of the reason the game was continally close (Memphis' 10-point lead came only in the final seconds and was their biggest of the second half) was Memphis' poor free throw shooting. Even though the Cards committed 29 fouls compared to 13 by Memphis, the Tigers were only 19-35 from the line. U of L was 5-10. From the field, the Cards outshot Memphis, 42.5% to 41.2%. And despite the size advantage for Memphis, U of L was only outrebounded 49-46. For the Cards, Reece Gaines had an exceptional all-around game, finishing with 17 points, 10 rebounds, and four assists. Luke Whitehead led the Cards with 20 points on 10-13 shooting, scoring mostly on inside lay-ups off of excellent Cardinal passing.

Memphis Game Summary: Mar. 3, 2001	Score: Louisville 65, Memphis 56
Leading Scorers: U of L: Reece Gaines (23) Memphis: Earl Barron (18)
OK, we know it was Denny Crum's last regular season game in Freedom Hall, and that adds to the feel for the game. The crowd was ready, the team was pumped to send the seniors and the coach out in style, the mystical basketball powers deemed that a Cardinal victory would be. Not that excellent defense didn't hurt. The Cards allowed Memphis only one field goal in the first seven minutes, and had Freedom Hall jumping. U of L opened to an early 14-3 lead. It should be noted that Memphis was playing without freshman guard Scooter McFadgon was out with an ankle injury and had been averaging over nine points and three assists a game. Still, the Cards' starting guards outscored those of Memphis 39-4. Reece Gaines led all scorers with 23 points, and Marques Maybin, who finished with 16, will wind up at least 15th all-time in Louisville scoring (he has an outside shot of 14th if the Cards advance a few games in the C-USA tourney). The game marked the 60th meeting between Coach Denny Crum and Memphis, the most of any of Crum's opponents.
Memphis got no closer than five during the first half, after which the Cards led 28-19. It was the lowest first-half output for Memphis all season. But built on eight straight points from 6-11 center Earl Barron Memphis made a run late in the second half. Barron hit a free throw to pull the Tigers to within 55-51 at the 2:41 mark, but U of L's Gaines helped the cause with two foul shots of his own. For the game, the Cards shot 58% from the line, but still had eight more made free throws than field goals, and outscored Memphis from the line 25-13. Memphis then committed two turnovers, one of which a steal by Maybin that led to a breakaway dunk and a 60-51 lead. The Cards had a season-high 14 steals that led to a total of 24 Memphis turnovers.

Memphis Game Summary: Feb. 5, 2000	Score: Louisville 74, Memphis 59
Leading Scorers: U of L: Tony Williams (24) Memphis: Kelly Wise (25)
Finally! Finally, the Cards end their four-game losing streak, and finally, the Cards have their first road win over a Division I school. Although it came against a team that has been struggling, the Cards, as beggars, can't be choosers. We'll take it. The story of the game was in the backcourt, as Louisville guards Reece Gaines, who was 8-8 from the line but struggled again with only two assists and five turnovers, and Marques Maybin combined for 24 points, while Memphis guards Courtney Trask and Marcus Moody were a combined 1-16 from the field with only two points. The Cards put on another sizzling performance from the defensive end, holidng Memphis to 30.2% shooting from the field, including 4-23 from three-point range. Memphis' inexperience and lack of patience contributed to the low figures, but Memphis is now the fifth straight road opponent for the Cards to shoot less than 40%.
Tony Williams had a sparkling game for U of L, his best in a long while. For the third straight outing he pulled down nine rebounds, but was able to complement that with 24 points on 8-15 shooting and 3-8 three-pointers. The key difference in the game was U of L's start: they held an 11-0 lead before Memphis got their first bucket at 14:33 in the first half. U of L built leads of 13 and 15 points with less then five minutes to go in the half, but only led by nine at the break, 31-22. Kelly Wise scored the Tigers' first eight points of the second period, and Memphis made a strong run to pull within 36-33 with 15:15 left in the game. But the Cards went into high gear after that. Tony Williams scored eight points in the next three and a half minutes to build U of L's lead back to 14, and the Cards never looked back. They held a double-digit lead the rest of the game, and at one point led by as many as 22.
For U of L, Marques Maybin had 14 points, grabbed six rebounds and dished out five assists. Quintin Bailey came off the bench to score 11 points on a blistering 5-7 from the field, though Nate Johnson scored only four points to go along with eight rebounds. For Memphis, Kelly Wise scored 25 points and had 12 rebounds, while Shannon Forman had 16 points on 5-7 shooting with 2-3 three-pointers. The Cards also won out on the boards, outrebounding Memphis 34-33, though U of L committed more turnovers than the Tigers, 17-13.

Game Preview: Memphis	Date: Feb. 5, 2000
Site: Memphis, TN	Records: U of L: 11-9, 3-5 Memphis: 9-11, 2-5
Throughout the current losing streak U of L has endured, there have been a few occassions to label the "next one" a must-wn. Today's game against 9-11 Memphis at The Pyramid is without a doubt a must win. If the Cards have any hopes of reaching the post-season they must win today, because they face 4th-ranked Syracuse on Thursday and still must travel to Cincinnati and DePaul. And no team who is winless on the road will get inviited to the NCAA Tournamnet. To get that win, U of L will have to bring its best against a team that has defeated Arkansas and Miami and held tough against Tennessee. Memphis has endured a tough season, as coach Tic Price resigned only eight days before the first game.
The Tigers are lead by sophomore center Kelly Wise, who is averaging 13.9 points and 8.6 rebounds a game. Like U of L, Memphis has a freshman point guard, Courtney Trask, who so far is averaging nine points and 4.8 assists a contest. Memphis has had a full week to prepare for the game, while the Cards must do a better job protecting the ball. In its past four road games, U of L has an incredible 74 turnovers compared to only 49 assists. The Cards, despite the recent trend, lead the conference in turnover margin at +4.5 a game. Both teams have struggled on the boards, though, as U of L is third to last and Memphis second to last in the conference in rebounding margin.