Tigers NCAA hopes take hit with loss
South Florida spoiled Memphis' Saturday — and possibly its season. The Tigers' NCAA Tournament hopes got even thinner when the Bulls hit their free throws late to seal a 75-73 victory at Fedexforum. Without Memphis' Precious Achiuwa (six points, three rebounds), Lance Thomas (two points, five rebounds) or Malcolm Dandridge on the floor over the final 2:23, South Florida made a ninepoint lead stand up, avenging a 68-64 loss to Memphis on Jan. 12 in Tampa. Laquincy Rideau and David Collins scored 21 points apiece for South Florida, while Tyler Harris led the Tigers with 17 points. Achiuwa left the game with 4:51 to play due to an apparent injury and did not return. Thomas appeared to be suffering from cramps when he was lifted. He, too, did not return. Dandridge sat out the game as a precautionary measure. "Obviously, you know, that was a bad loss. A tough loss for us," said sophomore guard Alex Lomax, whose gametying 3-pointer with 1:33 left was the Tigers' last field goal until Tyler Harris' 3pointer at the buzzer. "We're mainly trying to pick our brothers up right now. We've got a lot of guys out and we're just trying to make sure those guys are good mentally. And, make sure those guys get some treatment and get good physically, also." The Tigers (17-6, 6-4 AAC) entered play Saturday with a No. 56 Kenpom rating and ranked 47th in the NCAA'S NET pecking order before their loss to the Bulls (11-12, 4-6). "It was an ugly game all around for us," Memphis coach Penny Hardaway said. "Free throws, missed threes, get