The Bracketology Report: Memphis

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Editor's note: Each week Bracketology Insider will take an in-depth look at teams headed for the NCAA Tournament ... or not.

Week in review
After a 9-2 swing through its nonconference schedule, Memphis (No. 45 RPI, No. 88 SOS) entered Conference USA play needing a couple of wins to prove that its success -- against the likes of Tennessee-Martin (No. 202 RPI, No. 34 SOS), Oakland (No. 204 RPI, No. 173 SOS) and Samford (No. 229 RPI, No. 129 SOS) -- was no mirage.

We're still waiting. The Tigers dropped their first two conference games, losing on the road to DePaul (No. 97 RPI, No. 61 SOS) and Southern Miss (No. 62 RPI, No. 20 SOS), both of which took advantage of poor Memphis shooting to put the Tigers in an early C-USA hole.

The loss to Southern Mississippi ended Memphis' five-game winning streak. The Tigers shaved a 16-point second-half deficit to just one with 8.7 seconds to go, but Southern Miss closed the deal at 66-63 with a couple of free throws and a turnover forced by some tough D. Likewise against the Blue Demons, the Tigers trailed nearly all night. Their late rally was nowhere near enough to overcome 34.8 percent shooting, and DePaul held on for an 82-73 win in Rosemont.

Coming up
The Tigers will host a solid Charlotte (No. 43 RPI, No. 102 SOS) squad at the Pyramid on Saturday. The 49ers have played well in some tough gyms on the road this year, while Memphis has unexpectedly had to scrape by some unimpressive competition in its own building. Expect Charlotte to bring the house, with the winner remaining a factor in the C-USA race.

The going gets a little easier with a trip to New Orleans to play Tulane (No. 149 RPI, No. 119 SOS) on Tuesday. The Green Wave, dealing with a rebuilding situation, haven't played with much consistency, losing five of their last six, giving Memphis a golden opportunity to pick up a much-needed road victory.

"Planting seeds"
The Tigers are No. 39 this week on The Bracketology Report national seeding chart. That makes Memphis a No. 10 seed, as well as the fifth Conference-USA team in the projected NCAA field.

Memphis won its "bubble" game, downing Villanova (No. 79 RPI, No. 103 SOS) in South Philadelphia back on Jan. 6, but losses to Southern Miss and DePaul have John Calipari's crew right back there in bubble trouble. The Tigers desperately need a win or two to remain in the bracket.

Season breakdown (9-4, 0-2)
All RPI data through Monday, Jan. 12

Date     Opponent          Result     Opp.RPI   Opp.SOS
11/13    N-Wake Forest     76-85 (L)    13        163
11/22    Fordham           94-64        198       117
11/29    Austin Peay       74-60        183       139
12/3     Tenn. Martin      84-64        202       34
12/6     @Mississippi      73-62        100       106
12/13    @Illinois         64-74 (L)    46        99
12/17    Belmont           89-83        78        84
12/22    Samford           63-62        229       129
12/27    Missouri          61-59        72        28
12/29    Oakland           69-63        204       173
1/6      @Villanova        73-57        79        103
1/10     @Southern Miss    63-66 (L)    62        20
1/13     @DePaul           72-83 (L)    97        61
1/17     Charlotte                      43        102
1/20     @Tulane                        149       119
1/24     Houston                        114       75
1/27     South Florida                  129       136
1/31     @TCU                           159       74
2/4      Louisville                     2         10
2/7      St. Louis                      103       149
2/11     @East Carolina                 165       265
2/14     @Marquette                     65        211
2/21     UAB                            29        7
2/24     Southern Miss                  62        20
2/28     @Louisville                    2         10
3/3      TCU                            159       74
3/6      @Cincinnati                    21        161
3/10-13  Conference USA Tournament

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