(2) Memphis 81, (15) Cal State Northridge 70
It wasn’t pretty, but No. 2 Memphis started its attempt to return to the NCAA championship game with an 81-70 win against No. 15 Cal State Northridge. The Matadors led by as much as six with 10 minutes remaining before Memphis clamped down on defense to end the game on a 25-8 run. Sophomore guard Roburt Sallie helped bail out the Tigers with his best game of the season. Sallie scored 35 points, nearly tripling his previous season-high of 13 points. Sallie drained 10-of-15 three-pointers, one of only two Tigers to hit any three-pointers.
The Matadors essentially dared Memphis to shoot from beyond the arc, playing a 1-3-1 zone that packed the lane with defenders. Without Sallie’s hot long-range shooting, Memphis almost certainly would have become the victim of one of the biggest upsets in tournament history.
