#1 Memphis Surives UAB Upset Bid in Harrowing 79-78 Victory

Memphis Tigers guard Chris Douglas-Roberts converted a three point play with 6.5 seconds to play to give Memphis the lead over the UAB Blazers, and the 79-78 score stood as the final after referees consulted replay to confirm that a UAB put back shot that went in was indeed after the final buzzer.

Junior guard Douglas-Roberts scored a game high 32 points and had 7 rebounds for the Tigers (ranked #1 in ESPN/USA Today coaches poll), who kept their undefeated season alive, as they moved to 25-0 on the year. Poor foul shooting by Memphis and hot shooting from the field by UAB kept the Blazers in front for most of the game, before the Tigers went on a 9-1 run the last 2:18 to close the game, ultimately dropping UAB to 17-8 on the season.

UAB got the ball back with enough time for one set shot, but UAB guard Robert Vaden missed an off balance three point attempt, and after Lawrence Kinnard came out of the scrum with the rebound, he made a shot from inside the paint as the clock read :00. Officials quickly consulted the video replay to confirm what Kinnard already knew, that the shot was not close to being out of his hands in time. "When I got the rebound, I looked up and saw that the [shot clock] light was red," Kinnard said. "I was hoping and praying they might give it to us, but I knew it was too late." The Blazers only needed to convert a 2 pointer anywhere from the field to win, so Vaden's shot selection was questionable at best, as they should have just tried to pass it down low, or at least closer to the basket for a higher percentage shot.

Memphis has now won 44 regular season games in a row, 34 Conference USA games in a row, and 25 games in a row overall. UAB was the last team to beat Memphis in Conference USA play, nearly 2 full years ago.