Memphis is as athletic as....
Since Memphis is known for its athleticism, I asked Ben Howland who the next most athletic team is that he's seen over the years. His picks were Kansas (last year) and the UNLV Running Rebels in the 1990s.
‘’I thought Kansas was really athletic last year when we played them, when you’re looking at all their spots. I go back and think about some of Jerry Tarkanian’s UNLV teams – you’re talking about (Stacey) Augmon, and (Greg) Anthony and Anderson Hunt. (David) Butler and Larry Johnson. Those were some similar teams like that. They’re off the charts. And (Memphis) is not only athletic, but length, they’re really long. They start 6-3, 6-6, 6-7, 6-10, 6-9, they come off (the bench) 6-11. They’re really long.''
The thing that is really not talked about Memphis is how physical they are as a team. They outrebounded "physical" teams like Georgetown, Michigan St., and Connecticut this season. In their lone loss this season against Tennessee, they were outrebounded.
So, while the ESPN types love to gush about Memphis's athleticism, they are winning games with old fashioned physical play inside.