Eventually, the Tigers allowed the resistance provided by the Tennessee defense — and the false confidence from having hit six of their first 10 shots — to restrict them to chucking jumpers. For too long, long enough for the Vols to chop at a seven-point deficit, Calipari's Dribble Drive Motion offense had no dribbling, no driving, no motion and no offense. The Vols played a sagging man-to-man defense that kept the lane clogged and discouraged attacks, but there were plenty of possessions on which Memphis barely even looked at the lane before jacking a shot.

"The first half, we shot too many threes," Calipari said. "The second half, we only shot seven, but we didn't make any. It was just one three — just make one of those and the game changes, and we just weren't able to today."

The Tigers' most consistent offensive maneuver in the second half consisted of point guard Derrick Rose abusing whatever matchup Tennessee attempted against him. A freshman playing perhaps his only college season before entering the NBA draft, Rose found a comfortable spot on the left baseline, about eight feet from the goal, and kept driving to that position and nailing pull-up jumpers. He finished with 23 points and five assists, and Calipari wanted him to have the ball on the Tigers' penultimate possession, with his team down a point.

Tennessee wisely doubled Rose to keep the ball out of his hands, and shooting guard Antonio Anderson tried a drive down the lane that ended with a curious, wide-left shot/pass/turnover hybrid that slammed off the backboard. What exactly Anderson was attempting there, only he knows, because he refused to talk to reporters following the game.

With the locker room filled with local and national media, Anderson and All-America candidate Chris Douglas-Roberts left younger teammates such as Rose and reserve guard Doneal Mack to answer questions. Douglas-Roberts sat back in his locker with his uniform jersey over his head.

"It felt empty," Rose said.

He'd never lost a college basketball game before. If the Tigers learn from what they saw against Tennessee — that being talented doesn't exempt players from delivering effort — losing need not be something Rose experiences again.

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