Memphis Falls to Arizona, 79-71
by John Branston
- Mustafa Shakur
"This is not a team that's going to plateau," Olson said. "I think they're going to be a team that will keep getting better because they play hard, they practice hard and they really enjoy playing together."
Chase Budinger scored 15 of his 18 points in the second half and Ivan Radenovic scored 12 of his 18 in the last 20 minutes as the Wildcats (9-1) erased a five-point deficit to win their ninth straight game in their first meeting with a nationally ranked opponent this season.
"In the second half, I was trying to be more aggressive out there," Budinger, a freshman said. "The first half my shot wasn't falling and I was settling for too many jump shots. The second half, I was just attacking the basket."
Mustafa Shakur led the Wildcats with 23 points and had six rebounds and five assists. The senior point guard was named the game's most valuable player.
"He just is so different a player this year than he's been before for us," Olson said. "This is his team, it's his leadership. He does a great job of breaking the defense down. It's a difference between night and day, in my opinion, the way he's playing."
Jeremy Hunt led the Tigers (8-3) with 21 points, including 4-of-9 from 3-point range. Andre Allen added 15 points and Kareem Cooper had 11 for Memphis.
Joey Dorsey, the Tigers' big forward, had eight points and five rebounds but played only 18 minutes and fouled out with 3:41 to play.
Memphis coach John Calipari was critical of the effort shown by some of his players but said the game was a learning experience.
"This is what we are — a young team that's still learning, that I'm learning about," Calipari said. "Over the long haul, this team can be a good team. We're just okay right now."
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