Post by uofmbrad on Nov 1, 2005 10:09:25 GMT -6
Hello Panther fans. Here's an article from this morning's Memphis paper. Just FYI.
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If his Memphis Tigers get past the first round of the NIT Season Tip-off, John Calipari would like to have the second-round game at FedExForum.
What's in the way, besides first-round opponent Wisconsin-Milwaukee, is the Trans-Siberian Orchestra.
The second-round game, pitting the Memphis-UWM winner against the Alabama-Miami (Ohio) winner, is scheduled for Nov. 17. That night, the Trans-Siberian Orchestra, a group that features Christmas songs played by heavy metal and classical musicians, is scheduled for a concert at FedExForum.
"They've got the building that night," said Calipari, the University of Memphis basketball coach. "But we're working on some things."
This has kept Calipari busy lately, as he's been simultaneously preparing for Thursday's exhibition opener with LeMoyne-Owen and trying to secure FedExForum for Nov. 17.
One option under discussion is to relocate the Trans-Siberian Orchestra within the city, perhaps to the smaller Cannon Center because tickets aren't selling at the rate that seems necessary for the 18,000-seat arena. Another option is to secure The Pyramid, which is available that week other than on Nov. 19, when it hosts the Blues Ball.
"This could be a win-win for everybody," Calipari said. "The (Trans-Siberian Orchestra) is popular throughout the country, but Memphis just doesn't know about it yet (because it's never been here). So for them to open in a smaller venue this year and get everybody to understand what it is may be a win for them, us, the promoter and everybody else involved."
None of this will matter unless Memphis wins Nov. 15. On that date, the Tigers will host Wisconsin-Milwaukee, which returns four starters from a team that advanced to the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament last March. The UofM has perhaps the toughest season-opener of any of the premier schools in this tournament, despite the Tigers being ranked 12th in the ESPN/USA Today Coaches Poll.
Duke, UCLA and Missouri were all guaranteed second-round home games, even though Missouri has been picked near the bottom of the Big 12 in preseason analyses.
As for Calipari's remedy?
"Why don't they just re-seed after the first-round games?" he said. "There would be eight teams left. Then they could pick who they think are the top four teams. Then those four can play at home, and they could ship the other guys where they want to ship them."