KANSAS CITY, Mo. — When Memphis stood 6-3, and had fallen out of the national polls, senior guard Antonio Anderson, ever the glue of the team, told everybody to stick together. Things would work out.
Even Anderson may not have been able to forecast how prophetic he was. Memphis hasn’t lost since and takes a 25-game winning streak, best in the nation, into the NCAA Tournament starting today.
“Antonio has always been a tremendous leader,” senior forward Robert Dozier said. “He always has guys on their ‘A’ game.”
The West Regional’s No. 2 seed, the Tigers (31-3, 16-0 Conference USA) begin play today with a first-round game against No. 15 seed Cal State Northridge in their bid to get back to the national title game.
Last year’s 75-68 overtime loss to Kansas in the title game at San Antonio still stings. Memphis had the game all but wrapped up until missing free throws late in regulation. Getting sent to KU territory in Kansas City was like rubbing salt into a wound.
“After the season, it was heartbreaking while we were talking about it,” Anderson recalled Wednesday during a tournament news conference. “We lost to a great Kansas team that had eight guys go to the NBA (actually five drafted). You just have to suck it up and realize they’re the better team.”
Long and springy, the 6-foot-6, 214-pounder is a tough matchup for any opponent. But Anderson’s effectiveness stems more from his knack for saying the right thing at the right time, then following through. Memphis has had five NBA draft picks during Anderson’s stay, with more to come. But each season, Anderson was the one who led the team in minutes played. Even as a freshman.
“(It’s) because I trust him to be on the court that much, because he does everything,” Memphis coach John Calipari said. “I think he will be a long-term NBA player. He can play different positions.”
In a dribble-drive offensive attack, Anderson ranks fourth in scoring (10.4) and first in assists (4.1). The team’s best shutdown defender, he’s also fourth in rebounding (4.9) and second in steals (49).
Anderson became versatile on the court while growing up in Lynn, Mass., because he spent so much time looking for another pickup game. He learned that the way to win — and get another game — was to do a bit of everything. Last week, he became the first player in Memphis history with 1,000 career points, 500 rebounds and 500 assists.
“I just try to do as much as I can to help my teammates,” Anderson said. “I try to give guys the shots they like to get, get the ball in the right situation. And I just try to defend my butt off as much as I can to make the job easier for my teammates.”
Tom Kensler: 303-954- 1280 or tkensler@denverpost.com
