The Memphis Tigers (10-3, 1-1) are uber-athletic and were thoroughly impressive in their 73-68 win over #11 Oklahoma State and their 77-75 loss to #10 Florida. Except they lost badly last week at home to Cincinnati, 69-53. (The Bearcats are 14-2, 2-0 in the American Conference, so perhaps they should be in the top twenty five.) Still, a squad as talented as Memphis shouldn't be losing like that on their home court, especially if they hope to one day impress tourney committee members. In a way, the Tigers remind me of better version of my hometown team, St. Johns: tough, talented, and athletic, with guys unafraid and highly capable of beating their man off the dribble, but perhaps missing something necessary to win at an elite pace. Maybe, however, the Cincy game was an aberration. They'll get a chance to chip away at another team's home court reputation tonight at #12 Louisville (13-2, 2-0) at 7:00 pm EST on ESPN.

Tonight's game also represents a semi-major opportunity for the Cardinals, who, despite their sterling record, haven't beaten a ranked team all season (losing to then #24 North Carolina, 93-84, and current #14 Kentucky, 73-66). Few doubt the defending national champions -- they're the third highest ranked two-loss team in the country behind previously mentioned Oklahoma State and Florida -- but a loss tonight could also hurt their chances come tournament time. They won't get many more opportunities against ranked teams, for the American Conference isn't so strong.

Players to watch: For those of you interested in projected second round picks, Russ Smith (#41 on nbadraft.net) will be a player to scrutinize. Of lesser importance in this game but more significant to NBA scouts is the Cardinals' 6-foot-8 sophomore Montrezl Harrel, picked to go 26th by nbadraft.net.

Memphis has just one pro prospect in 6-foot-1 (probably smaller than that) senior guard Joe Jackson (add "shoelace-less" to that moniker if he ever happens to face J.R. Smith in the league), slated for the second round. Shaq Goodwin might peak scouts interests by the end of the year as well. The 6-foot-9 sophomore is averaging 12 ppg (on 66 percent shooting) and 6 rpg.

Bottom line: Memphis' poor outing and Louisville's home court gives most of the advantage to Louisville. Keep in mind, however, how Memphis rebounded from an early season loss to Oklahoma State and, as always, their athletically-inclined talent.

Live Stream: Watch ESPN