Men's Basketball | Top-ranked Memphis no longer unbeaten

MEMPHIS, Tenn. — In the week leading up to No. 2 Tennessee's game at No. 1 Memphis, Volunteers coach Bruce Pearl did everything he could to play down the matchup. He insisted that Tennessee's coming games with Vanderbilt and Kentucky were more important and said that the Volunteers could still earn a No. 1 seed in the NCAA tournament if they lost.

But Pearl's true feelings, and bluster, came out a few hours before tipoff Saturday, when he told a group of Tennessee boosters, "We're 40 minutes away from being No. 1."

And what a 40 minutes it was. No. 2 Tennessee defeated No. 1 Memphis, 66-62, handing the Tigers, the only undefeated team remaining in college basketball, their first loss of the season. The Volunteers prevailed in a taut, end-to-end battle that will be considered one of the best college basketball games of the season.

Before it even started, the game was considered the biggest sporting event in the history of Memphis, and it drew Peyton Manning and Justin Timberlake to the FedEx Forum. It somehow managed to live up to the hype.

"It was a great night for college basketball and the state of Tennessee," Pearl said.

The victory put the Volunteers (25-2) in position for the first No. 1 ranking in team history and made them a favorite to earn a No. 1 seed in the NCAA tournament. Memphis (26-1) still has a strong case for a No. 1 seed, thanks to victories against Arizona, Georgetown and Gonzaga. But the Tigers no longer can chase perfection; the 1975-76 Indiana Hoosiers remain the last team to run an entire season and postseason without losing. The Tigers' 47-game home winning streak also ended.

The Tigers will have to live with twinges of regret. Robert Dozier missed a wide-open shot in the lane with about 40 seconds remaining that would have given Memphis a three-point lead. Dozier and his fellow Memphis big man, Joey Dorsey, both grabbed the rebound and were called for traveling, capping a disastrous possession that ultimately doomed Memphis.

"He just missed it," Memphis coach John Calipari said of Dozier's squandered layin. "I feel bad for Robert."

Tennessee capitalized on the Dozier gaffes. Tyler Smith hit a tough 10-foot fadeaway jump shot in the lane for a 62-61 lead. Smith wagged his tongue in approval of his own good work, as the tough shot capped his team-high 16-point game.

Tennessee then sealed the game when star J.P. Prince converted both ends of a one-and-one, the first shot dancing around the rim before falling through. Prince scored all 13 of his points in the second half.

"It was what a No. 1 vs. No. 2 game should be," Calipari said.