HOUSTON — Memphis senior forward Joey Dorsey has studied the pull-up, fadeaway jumper in the paint that Texas guard D.J. Augustin likes to lob over shot blockers and make them frown in frustration. The 6-foot-9 Dorsey believes he might be able to get a piece of the ball today during the South Regional final.
If not, it won’t be for a lack of trying.
“I mean, I’m going to try to go up and get to it,” Dorsey said. “I can get pretty high. I can get to the top of the white square (on the backboard), so I’m going to try to make D.J. adjust his shot and make it hard on him.”
Augustin may get kidded by his teammates for that “old school” move, but it’s relatively new to him. After the Longhorns were ousted in the second round of the 2007 NCAA Tournament by bouncy Southern Cal, Texas coach Rick Barnes asked the 6-foot Augustin and 5-11 junior A.J. Abrams to develop a midrange game.
Abrams worked on a teardrop floater, while Augustin spent extra hours in the gym trying to perfect the fadeaway J.
“It’s paid off against bigger defenders, just getting around them and getting off a quick shot,” Augustin said. “I tend to go deep (in the lane) a lot and get beat up a lot, so I just try to save my body and pull up into easy jumpers.”
Augustin’s pull-up rainbows over Stanford 7-foot twins Brook and Robin Lopez couldn’t have worked much better Friday in the 82-62 victory over the Cardinal. Augustin scored 23 points, hitting 10-for-18 from the floor with only four of his attempts coming from outside the 3-point arc.
Memphis’ 6-6 junior Antonio Anderson will try to use his length to block Augustin’s path to the basket. Anderson said he is excited to take on the challenge but knows the task won’t be easy. Augustin, named a first-team All-America by several media outlets, averages team-bests of 19.3 points and 5.8 assists.
If the shifty sophomore can penetrate the paint, it could spell another Elite Eight heartbreaker for top-seeded Memphis. The Tigers (36-1) are a victory away from reaching the Final Four for the first time since the 1985 team featuring Keith Lee and Baskerville Holmes. The past two years, Memphis lost in this round to UCLA and Ohio State.
“It’s very hard to guard Augustin because he can stop on a dime,” said Anderson, who likely will draw that defensive assignment. “He can pump fake you. He can do that little scoop shot, do that little pull-up, fadeaway.
“I know what he’s capable of. He’s a great player. He has worked all his life to get in this situation.”
So have Memphis players, of course. And if No. 2-seeded Texas (31-6) tries to run with the Tigers, well, fasten your seatbelts.
“It could be 106-102,” Memphis coach John Calipari said of a potential track meet.
“Did John say which team was going to win?” Texas’ Barnes said later, with a grin.
This promises to be one of the most entertaining games of the tournament — fast-paced and full of athletes.
“We’re going to play the way we’ve played,” Barnes said. “At this point in time, I think teams are who they are.”
Tom Kensler: 303-954-1280 or tkensler@denverpost.com
