Memphis Tigers Basketball

Memphis is launching an internal investigation into allegations of a possible conflict of interest after athletic director Tom Bowen signed head basketball coach Josh Pastner to a contract extension in 2013, per Marc Perrusquia of the Commercial Appeal.

According to the Tuesday report by Perrusquia, the school will look into Bowen's relationship with NextLevel Sports, the agency that represented Pastner during contract negotiations. School president M. David Rudd released a statement Tuesday regarding the investigation:

The University of Memphis has been made aware of the accusations, and in accordance with University and TBR (Tennessee Board of Regent) policies, will immediately launch a comprehensive investigation. The University is in the process of retaining an outside source to conduct the review. Upon completion, a public statement will be made concerning the findings.

Perrusquia reported NextLevel ceased representing Bowen by the time the school was working with Pastner on a new deal. However, Bowen has maintained a relationship with the company in a nonpaid capacity, hosting the NextLevel-sponsored 2014 Collegiate Athletics Leadership Symposium.

USA Today's Dan Wolken downplayed the significance of Pastner's and Bowen's connections with the agency:

Memphis extended Pastner's contract four years after he replaced John Calipari as the Tigers' head coach. During that time, the school made three trips to the NCAA tournament, exiting in the round of 32 on each occasion.

Kyle Veazey reported in May 2013 for the Commercial Appeal that the contract essentially runs through the 2019-20 season and pays Pastner $2.65 million a year. Far more concerning, especially now, is the fact Memphis would have to pay him the balance of whatever is left on his contract if he's fired before the contract automatically renews in 2018-19.

Memphis has already announced Pastner will return for next season. Part of the reason for the decision might be the fact the school would've owed him $10.6 million if it parted ways with him at the end of the 2015-16 season—the biggest buyout in college basketball history, per CBSSports.com's Gary Parrish.

While the terms of Pastner's contract are favorable for the coach, Perrusquia noted R.C. Johnson, Memphis' previous athletic director, agreed to a similar deal with Justin Fuente to be the school's football coach.

Fuente ultimately left to succeed Frank Beamer at Virginia Tech. Had Memphis fired him before then, the Tigers would've been on the hook for 70 percent of his remaining salary.

Whether or not this development jeopardizes Pastner's future, Memphis will hope next year goes better on the hardwood than this year did. The Tigers finished 19-15 and missed out on the NCAA tournament for the second straight year.

Also concerning is the fact attendance for games has fallen to the extent the school may not receive its $800,000 annual payment from the Memphis Grizzlies, per the Commercial Appeal's Phil Stukenborg. If Pastner is still the coach next year and the program continues to stagnate, the Tigers might have no choice but to send him packing.

Memphis Tigers forward Shaq Goodwin has been suspended for Tuesday night's game against Nicholls State following a breach of the American Athletic Conference's sportsmanship code. 

Memphis' athletic communications office posted the school's official announcement on Twitter: 

According to Fox 13 sports director Matt Stark, Goodwin was punished after he tripped a South Carolina player in the Tigers' 86-76 loss on Saturday.    

According to the Commercial Appeal's Jason Smith, Memphis head coach Josh Pastner told reporters he called South Carolina head coach Frank Martin to apologize for Goodwin's actions.

"What will happen (is) I’ll get with (U of M athletic director) Tom Bowen and (deputy AD) Mark Alnutt, my two bosses, and we’ll come up with a disciplinary action from there," Pastner said prior to Tuesday's announcement, per Smith.

Incidentally, Goodwin won the AAC Sportsmanship Award last season, according to Smith. At the time, Goodwin received the honor because of his "positive demeanor, commitment to player safety and public support of both his teammates and opponents," the conference announced.

Nicholls State entered Tuesday's clash against Memphis on a three-game losing streak, so it would be a shock if the Tigers faltered against the 4-10 Southland Conference squad even without the senior's averages of 12.5 points, 8.5 rebounds, 2.2 blocks and 1.3 assists this season. 

And based on Goodwin's award-winning history, it would undoubtedly be a surprise to see him slip up in the sportsmanship department moving forward with a suspension already to his name. 

For the umpteenth time in the past several years, a Memphis player has decided that sitting out an entire season is better than playing another game for Josh Pastner, leading many to wonder once again if the head coach's days with the Tigers are numbered.

Gary Parrish of CBS Sports broke the news on Tuesday night that 2014 American Athletic Conference Rookie of the Year and 2015 All-AAC first-teamer Austin Nichols has requested a release to speak with other schools.

Memphis initially denied the request, which was a hairy situation in and of itself, but ESPN's Jeff Goodman reported on Thursday morning that Pastner has agreed to let Nichols go:

While we wait for more news on Nichols' situation—why did he decide to transfer? Why did he wait until now to do so? Where will he ultimately land? Let's take a look at what has become a disturbing trend for Pastner.

Since becoming the head coach of Memphis before the 2009-10 season, Pastner has signed 17 scholarship freshmen (excluding his impressive haul in the class of 2015). When signing a player, a coach hopes he either graduates from the university or makes a successful early leap to the NBA. As you can see in the chart below, that hasn't exactly been the case at Memphis.

In total, 10 of Pastner's 17 signees transferred. Some waited multiple seasons. Others didn't even wait until the start of their freshman year. Regardless of when they decide to leave, losing nearly 60 percent of players to other schools isn't much of a ringing endorsement for a head coach.

Several of the players who transferred were nearly impossible to work with, but how many times do you have to lure in bad fish before being labeled a bad fisherman?

Moreover, Memphis has not been anything close to the pipeline to the NBA that it was before former coach John Calipari left. Once a haven for future studs like Derrick Rose and Tyreke Evans, the only Tigers to reach the NBA in the past five seasons and actually play in at least seven games are Will Barton and Elliot Williams—and the latter played just one season with the Tigers after transferring in from Duke.

In early January—after Kuran Iverson's two-game suspension and arguably poor Twitter decision, but before he transferred out of the program—ESPN's Eamonn Brennan wrote about the "slight mess in Memphis":

There is no mistaking the deep sense of dissatisfaction with Pastner in Memphis. Fans are at once rooting for someone they universally admire on a personal level but distrust as a professional. ... To date, Pastner has been just good enough to glide past [the variety of factors working against him]. But all it ever takes is one truly down season -- plus a few dumb tweets -- to trigger the whole mess anew. It's a precarious position for any coach to find himself in.

Winning cures a lot of ills, and Memphis' regular-season success has kept this hot-seat discussion largely at bay (on a national scale, at any rate), regardless of how many players have opted out of the program.

Pastner has a career winning percentage of 71.8—the exact same as that of Wisconsin head coach Bo Ryan.

But it has to be noted that many of Pastner's wins came against dreadful Conference USA competition and that he has yet to reach the Sweet 16, posting a career tournament record of 2-4. If we factor in Memphis' annual decent-not-great strength of schedule and put some extra weight on those all-important tournament games, that winning percentage suddenly doesn't seem so impressive.

Thus, despite reaching four of the past five NCAA tournaments, it might be do-or-die time for Pastner.

Particularly with Nichols leaving—all five of Memphis' top-100 recruits from the class of 2013 have now transferred away—Pastner is forced to put all of his eggs in the Keelon Lawson basket. The assistant coach is the father of four boys expected to be excellent basketball players, two of whom (Dedric and K.J.) will begin their collegiate careers with Memphis this November.

There's a reasonable chance they'll have solid freshman seasons, joining forces with Nick Marshall, Shaq Goodwin, Markel Crawford and Kedren Johnson to help lead Memphis back to the NCAA tournament. If that happens, instead of continuing to perpetuate the hot-seat discussion, we'll likely praise Pastner for winning in the face of adversity.

What if the Lawsons struggle, though? Worse yet, what if they join the ever-growing list of talented players who either can't meet Pastner's standards or soon learn they don't enjoy playing for him?

Coaches under the age of 40 who have won seven out of every 10 games in their career don't get fired. They usually get lucrative extensions. But if the Tigers fail to reach the 2016 NCAA tournament, Pastner could be the exception to that rule.

Kerry Miller covers college basketball for Bleacher Report. You can follow him on Twitter @kerrancejames.

News broke on Wednesday on Memphis' official website that Missouri transfer Michael Dixon will be able to play his senior season at Memphis. Dixon, who was booted from Missouri for two rape allegations (neither of which he was ever charged for), received the Dez Wells treatment from the NCAA.

This will be the biggest news of September in college basketball unless P.J. Hairston gets behind the wheel of another rented car. Back in June when Dixon landed at Memphis, I wrote that it was time to take the Tigers seriously again. That was contingent on Dixon being allowed to play.

Memphis has been a nice little story since John Calipari left town and would have been solid this season even without Dixon. Josh Pastner has kept the Tigers relevant by becoming Calipari-lite in terms of recruiting prowess—his 2010 class ranked second to Kentucky, according to Rivals.com—and the core of that class, most of which is gone now, was enough to dominate the weak Conference USA.

Those recruits gave Pastner some nice pieces to work with over the last three years, but he never had a roster that put much fear in the big boys. 

Dixon changes that. And he brings with him a style of play that can make Memphis different in a scary way. 

Pastner told Jeff Goodman of ESPN.com (Insider) last week that he plans to play four guards often and play fast. That came with a caveat: if Dixon is eligible. 

Dixon gives Pastner a fourth senior guard to play small ball. Assuming Pastner sticks to his work, Dixon will play next to point guard Joe Jackson with Geron Johnson at the 3 and Chris Crawford as an undersized 4. At the 5 spot, top-20 recruit Austin Nichols will demand a majority of the minutes. 

The Tigers could also play traditionally and not suffer much from a talent standpoint. Sophomore big man Shaq Goodwin would be a worthy starter next to Nichols, and Pastner could bring one of his four guards off the bench. Going small makes a team vulnerable on the defensive end. 

Dixon's last coach, Frank Haith, did not have that flexibility in his first year at Mizzou. When he lost Laurence Bowers to an ACL tear before the season even started, he was forced to go the small-ball route. The result was one of the best offenses college basketball has seen in the last 10 years.

Find that hard to believe for a team that lost to Norfolk State in the opening round of the 2012 NCAA tournament?

Well, statistically, no one has been better than the 2011-12 Missouri Tigers dating back to 2003. That's when Ken Pomeroy started publishing his efficiency numbers, which measure offenses based on points per possession. From 2003 to 2013, no offense scored more efficiently than those Tigers.  

Missouri's small-ball attack is not easily duplicated, or you would see a bunch of coaches around the country putting a big man on the bench in favor of a guard. Heck, even Haith went back to a traditional lineup last season. 

The key to Missouri's success was that every guard Haith put on the floor could shoot the three, and they all were willing to share the ball. Mizzou's spacing and passing were things of beauty. 

The Tigers turned it over on only 15.4 percent of their possessions (third-best nationally), made 39.8 percent of their threes and led the NCAA in two-point percentage at 57 percent. 

Easy shots lead to high percentages, and that's what the speed and playmaking abilities of Phil Pressey and Dixon created. 

Someone with Pressey's feel and vision could be what Memphis is missing.

Jackson is a better scorer and shooter, but he doesn't have the instincts of Pressey. That doesn't mean he cannot try to replicate what Pressey did, and he will have to be willing to sacrifice some scoring in order to be more of a setup man. 

And it appears Pastner has the other pieces already. 

Missouri's four shooters were surrounded by a capable finisher in Ricardo Ratliffe, who led the nation in field-goal percentage. When Nichols committed to Memphis last November, ESPN.com recruiting analyst Dave Telep wrote (Insider), "Nichols is an efficient big man whom you can run an offense through. He's got skill in the lane, takes care of his area and is reliable." Sounds like Ratliffe.

The major change in style Memphis would need to make to mirror Mizzou's attack would be firing up more threes. Last year, Memphis attempted a three on only 28.6 percent of its field-goal attempts. Missouri shot a three 37.9 percent of the time in 2011-12. 

The team's accuracy warranted more threes. Memphis shot a respectable 37.2 percent from deep last season, and both Geron Johnson and Chris Crawford have the shooting strokes to fill the roles that Marcus Denmon and Kim English played at Mizzou. Johnson was a 35 percent three-point shooter a year ago, and Crawford made 71 threes and shot 39.9 percent from deep. 

Dixon can be Dixon, obviously. 

Haith allowed Dixon to be an attacker, using his speed and instincts to pick his spots to score. Dixon is a perfect fit for an offense that Pastner has plenty of experience running after studying under Calipari, the dribble-drive motion.

The principles of the dribble-drive are similar to the one-in, four-out offense that Haith learned from former Orlando Magic coach Stan Van Gundy and ran his first season at Mizzou. 

The reason it worked so well for Haith was that every Missouri player accepted his role. Pastner has Dixon to share with his teammates what it took to get there. 

If Pastner gets his players to buy in, the Tigers have the talent and depth—I haven't even mentioned their depth—to be a top-10 team. 

Missouri was one of the best 10 teams in the country in 2011-12 no matter what happened in the tournament. I watched the loss to Norfolk State from press row and could not believe it happened at the time. I still have a hard time believing it happened. 

Of course, those Tigers didn't lose because their offense suddenly failed them. They lost because they couldn't get a stop. Pastner's team has a history of playing pretty good defense—12th and 24th in KenPom.com's adjusted defensive efficiency the last two seasons. 

Plus, Dixon was not the reason Mizzou had its occasional struggles defensively. He has 120 steals for his career. He's a pest. 

And now, given a second chance by the NCAA, Dixon has put himself in a place to go on the March run that his old Tigers never got to enjoy. 

It's time to take Memphis seriously again. That's what should be the takeaway from the news that broke Tuesday morning that former Missouri guard Michael Dixon will be transferring to Memphis, according to a report from Gary Parrish of CBSSports.com. 

You may have forgotten about Dixon because he didn't play last season. And you may have forgotten about the post-John Calipari Tigers in the last four years as Josh Pastner has routinely signed talented recruits, beat up on Conference USA and hasn't been a real threat to anyone else in March. Pastner got his first (and only) NCAA tourney win this past year. 

The training wheels are off now. 

The Tigers make the move to what used to be the Big East—now the American Athletic Conference—and Pastner has a roster that can clearly compete. 

Pastner spent the last few years defending the league, but he might as well have been a used car salesman trying to sell a rusty old pickup with leaky oil. The league didn't get Memphis ready for the tournament or give any reason for the committee to award Memphis with a high seed. 

The AAC isn't on par with the old Big East, but there's some worthy leftovers. Memphis will face Connecticut, Cincinnati and Louisville next season in addition to fellow newcomer Temple. 

Without Dixon, Memphis would have the third-best backcourt in that group behind Louisville and Connecticut and would have competed with Connecticut as the second-best team in the league. With Dixon, the Tigers should be the clear pick for No. 2, and you could argue the Memphis backcourt is the best in the league. 

Dixon is that good. So is Joe Jackson. 

Missouri's offense was so good in 2012 because Frank Haith put Phil Pressey and Dixon on the court together, surrounded them with shooters, spaced the floor and let those two attack off the dribble. 

Pastner would be wise to do the same. 

If you don't remember how good Dixon was, simply look at his numbers. In his junior year, he was one of the most efficient guards in the country on the most efficient offense. 

Dixon played starter minutes off the bench and averaged 13.5 points and 3.3 assists. He got to the line 132 times and shot 87.9 percent there. He made 57.8 percent of his twos and 36.8 percent of his threes. Those numbers repeated would have made him the best player on Pastner's team last season. 

Memphis already had a nice roster returning and the third-best recruiting class in the nation coming in, according to Rivals.com. Pastner already had a solid starter at shooting guard in Geron Johnson. Now he just has better options.

Dixon can come off the bench and play both the 1 or 2, or Dixon could start next to Jackson and Johnson could come off the bench and play both the 2 or 3. 

There's no guarantee that Dixon will be able to play next season, but it's hard to believe the NCAA would disallow it. Parrish reported that his source told him that Dixon will apply for a NCAA waiver to play immediately. As Parrish noted, Dez Wells was allowed to play last season for Maryland under similar circumstances after transferring from Xavier. 

Dixon was the best available transfer in a market that is getting stronger every year. The reason it took this long for him to sign on with someone is the obvious red flag that got him kicked out of Missouri—allegations of sexual assault for a second time. 

Dixon was never charged, so you cannot blame Pastner for taking a chance on the guard. 

There's the possibility that this could blow up in his face if Dixon gets in trouble. But there's also the possibility that Memphis gives Louisville something to actually worry about in the AAC, climbs into the top 10 next season and makes a run in March.  

Pastner has a roster that can play with the big boys. Now it's time for him to show that he can coach at that level.

The Memphis Tigers finished the 2012-13 season, unsurprisingly, as Conference USA champions. Are they actually going to be able to capitalize on the momentum and win a NCAA tournament game this year? Let’s take a look.

Memphis finished with a 30-4 record after the regular season and conference tournament, a respectable record under fourth-year coach Josh Pastner.

However, the two previous times that the Tigers were able to capture the C-USA crown under their 35-year-old coach (2012, 2011), they failed to win in the Big Dance.

Things could certainly change in 2013, as Memphis boasts one of the most exciting, athletic and talented young squads in the nation.

The Tigers are fresh off a morale-building double-overtime win against the Southern Miss Golden Eagles in the last Conference USA contest they will ever play, as the school is set to join the new-look Big East this summer.

There’s no reason to believe that this group will falter in the Round of 64, as it finally has a legitimate star in PG Joe Jackson. The 6’1” junior is averaging a solid 13.6 points, 4.8 assists and 3.1 rebounds this year, while coming up big when it counts.

In the double-OT thriller, Jackson played a whopping 44 minutes and connected on 9-of-15 shots from the field. He finished with 22 points, seven rebounds and four assists. He wasn’t the only hero in the game, as star bench scorer Chris Crawford stepped up in a big way.

The 6’4” junior knocked down 8-of-16 shots on the way to 23 points, six dimes and three boards in 40 minutes of play.

Both of these players are capable of carrying the Tigers for stretches, and when they are both on, the team can beat anyone in the nation. It’s not going to be an easy road, but we predict the Tigers could make it to the Sweet 16.

We’re inclined to agree with Joe Lunardi’s projection of a No. 7 seed for Memphis, matching the program up with a tough, but beatable No. 10 seed in the second round.

After that, the Tigers would draw a dangerous No. 2 seed. While we’re not saying it's a shoo-in to win, this team has the heart and talent to play up to that level and overcome anyone.

Remember, Memphis holds an RPI of 14 and has only lost once since December 20. This squad simply wins ball games and has the athleticism to compete with big-time programs at every position on the court.

Depending on how the bracket shakes out and which opponents Memphis draws, there is no telling how far of a run they can make. Just know that they are primed to win their first game and could go deep. 

Be sure to download a printable NCAA bracket and watch Selection Sunday at 6:00 PM, ET.

Austin Nichols, a 6'8" power forward from Memphis, TN., announced via Twitter Monday morning that he had committed to the Memphis Tigers.

"We watched Memphis all our lives," Austin's dad, Mark Nichols, told Brian Snow of Scout.com.

"He has high interest in other schools, but after we went over everything, he just decided that he should stay home and play with the kids that he played with in AAU. He thinks they are going to be really good."

Memphis coach Josh Pastner visited the talented power forward last week; Nichols also made a visit to Memphis Madness last month.

Nichols picked Memphis over Tennessee, Auburn, Duke and Vanderbilt. He also had offers from UNC, Louisville, Florida, N.C. State and several other top Division-I schools.

The 5-star recruit is considered the sixth-best power forward and the 19th-best player in the 2013 class by Rivals.com.

Nichols' coach at Briarcrest Christian, John Harrington, told Brendan Quinn of GoVolsXtra.com:

He is one of the best I’ve ever seen in high school basketball, as far as offensive moves in the post. He’s athletic, has great length, can handle (the ball) with his left and right hand, uses his body well in space down low and can score from either side of the hoop.

Last year as a junior, Nichols averaged 18.3 points, 12.5 rebounds and six blocks a game at Briarcrest.

The Memphis Tigers now have five very talented commits for the 2013 class. Mempis has two 4-star forwards with Kuran Iverson and Nick King, they also have two 4-star guards in Markel Crawford and RaShawn Powell.

Before Nichols committed, Memphis had the fifth-best recruiting class according to ESPN.com.

Josh Pastner will have a very talented team as they become apart of the Big East Conference in the 2013-14 season.

Memphis is projected to win the Conference USA this season.

Four-star college basketball recruit Nick King has made his decision and will attend the University of Memphis in 2013, according to The Commercial Appeal's L. Jason Smith via Twitter:

It's Memphis for Nick King. Puts on a Tigers hat to roar from crowd here in school library.

— L. Jason Smith (@TheCAJasonSmith) August 27, 2012

King, a 6'7" small forward out of Memphis, Tenn., is one of the top prospects in the country in the Class of 2013.

The Memphis East High School star had received offers from Memphis, Texas, Tennessee and Vanderbilt before making his decision on Monday.

King is a talented perimeter scorer with an excellent shooting touch that will no doubt translate to the college level. 

In addition to providing a scoring boost in college, King will also be a significant presence on the boards. He averaged 15 rebounds per game during his junior year in 2011, helping lead Memphis East to a state championship.

King is the 23rd-ranked 2013 prospect, according to Rivals.com, and among the handful of top wing players who will enter college next year.

Although not many experts have compared King to former North Carolina small forward Harrison Barnes, his size and skill set remind me a lot of the NBA rookie. 

Both players have a solid jump shot and smooth release, but struggle at times to create their own offense. On the defensive side of the ball, both players can play tremendous individual defense and help out on the glass. 

King's basketball future remains to be determined, but the most likely scenario is that he develops into one of the nation's best perimeter players in the coming years, helping lead Memphis to big things. 

Follow Bleacher Report Featured Columnist Patrick Clarke on Twitter.