Here is a photo of the stylish retro uniforms that the Memphis Tigers busted out today for the season opener against the Belmont Bruins.

The 1972/73 Tigers team, led by the late Larry Finch, went all the way to the NCAA Championship game where they were beat by Bill Walton and the UCLA Bruins. Walton had the best game in NCAA tournament history going 21-22 from the field.

The uniforms have a black patch with the #21 inside of it in memory of Finch who died earlier this year on April 2nd after a lengthy illness.

[photo: Memphis Roar]

Memphis Tigers head basketball coach Josh Pastner was on the hot seat the second half of the season as his team struggled in Conference USA play with embarrassing losses to Rice, East Carolina, SMU, among others.

However, the Tigers came together in the last month to win the C-USA tournament and earn an NCAA Tournament bid in just Pastner’s second season as a head coach.

Paster was rewarded on Tuesday when the University of Memphis bumped his $880,000 annual salary to $1.7 million annually through the 2015-16 season.  That’s a total of 5 seasons for $8.5 million.

That is by far the most money in the country for a college basketball coach that has never won an NCAA Tournament game.  But the Tigers came awfully close against the Arizona Wildcats in the first round of the tourney and were a blown call away from possibly sending the game into overtime and winning.

Pastner, 33, was the youngest coach in the tournament.  He played at Arizona under Lute Olsen and went on to be an assistant for the Wildcats for several seasons before moving to Memphis to serve as an assistant to former Memphis coach John Calipari for one year.

Josh thought he was going with Calipari when he bolted in the middle of the night for the Kentucky job.  However, after Memphis AD R.C. Johnson was turned down by several experienced, high-profile coaching candidates he turned to Pastner in an act of desperation.  That act of desperation, perhaps dumb RCJ luck, is now paying dividends for all partiest involved.

Many basketball pundits knew Josh would one day be a head coach, just no one thought it would happen as soon as it did.

“Josh has proven himself to be an outstanding coach and recruiter. He has also demonstrated that his values and principles, pertaining to life off the basketball court, mirror those we expect of our student-athletes. Coach Pastner’s leadership qualities are exemplary, and we are pleased that he has chosen to remain with the Tiger program,” Johnson told reporters after the announcement.

He wasted no time in securing the top recruiting class in the country his first full season at Memphis.  He then took that team to the tourney.  Now he is being paid along the lines of the best and most high profile college basketball coaches in the country.

In comparison, the Tennessee Vols just hired Cuonzo Martin.  Martin is set to make $1.3 million.  The Vols athletic budget trumps the Tigers’ into oblivion.

The Tigers should be even better next season.  They are returning all of their players with the exception of senior Will Coleman.  Pastner secured top 10 high school recruit Adonis Thomas to join the team next year as well.  The Tigers played six freshman for most of their minutes throughout the season.

With the big payday, expectations will naturally increase as well.  Just don’t be surprised when Pastner meets and exceeds them.

Arizona was led by talented sophomore Derrick Williams who led the Cats with 22 points and 10 rebounds on just 11 shots. He was 9-9 from the FT line and 1-1 from three.  Lamont Jones scored 18 points as well to back Derrick and Zona.

Many NBA Draft experts predict Williams will be the #1 pick in the 2011 NBA Draft.

The Tigers controlled most of the first half after jumping out to an early 10-1 lead.  They then battled back to tie the game and take the lead after Arizona came out strong to start the second half.

Memphis hung tough after early foul trouble put prized big man Tarik Black and defensive specialist Chris Crawford on the bench.

Antonio Barton, the less heralded of the Barton brothers, led a balanced offensive attack from the Tigers with 17 points, including two 3-pointers.  His older brother Will added 12.  Wesley Witherspoon and Joe Jackson both finished with 10 points.

Memphis’ sole senior Will Coleman played one of his best games of the year scoring 9 points and grabbing 9 rebounds.

Arizona won the game at the free throw line making 84% of their free throws (26-31).

Arizona – Memphis Box Score

The Wildcats will play Texas on Sunday with the winning advancing to the Sweet 16.

I will be live blogging the NCAA Tournament game this afternoon between the #12 Memphis Tigers and #4 Arizona Wildcats.  Be sure to check back at 2:45pm ET/1:45pm CT/11:45pm PT especially if you are a fan of the Tigers.

<a href=”http://www.coveritlive.com/mobile.php/option=com_mobile/task=viewaltcast/altcast_code=a6bad6b7aa” mce_href=”http://www.coveritlive.com/mobile.php/option=com_mobile/task=viewaltcast/altcast_code=a6bad6b7aa” >(#12) Memphis vs. (#5) Arizona</a>

You will be able to submit your own thoughts, commentary, sarcasm, and questions throughout the game during the live blog. The Cover It Live blog will also include Tweets from some of the media that often covers the Memphis Tigers.

The game will air on CBS. Arizona is a -6 point favorite.

Garcia, 6′10″, is tall enough to make a difference but his only skill set is jacking up 3’s from 30 feet.  Teams have learned to guard him close out there and let him shoot it from anywhere else on the court.

The loss does come at a bad time for the Tigers. Junior Wesley Witherspoon just had knee surgery and is expected to be out 5 weeks.

Garcia was said to have not been happy with his role on the team.  The funny part is that Memphis fans weren’t happy with his role on the court.

UPDATE: Matt Stark tweets that the Tigers will remove the redshirt from freshman Hippolyte Tsafak.

FootballWeekly.com has created a site HireCamNewton.com in a funny stab at the numerous rumors that Auburn Tigers quarterback Cam Newton accepted a large sum of cash to play for the Tigers.

The website allows you to decide where Cameron will be playing college football next by voting for your favorite college team.

According to the site:

Cam Newton Suspended?
Welcome to HireCamNewton.com, where your vote could make your college a whole lot better next year!
The Winning school will receive $200,000 fromFootballWeekly.com that will go towards hiring Cam Newton to play Quarterback at your college!
We will even throw in a heisman for free!

The leader so far in the polling is the Memphis Tigers who could for sure use Newton or even just a good junior high quarterback.

Kudos for Football Weekly for being creative and having fun with the Newton madness!

The NCAA will likely decide soon on the fate of Newton’s collegiate football career.

The word out of the Bluff City tonight is that the NCAA has reversed its previous ruling and that top 10 recruit Will Barton will be allowed to play for Josh Pastner and the University of Memphis Tigers this fall.

Both Dan Wolken reported the news via his Twitter:

Source just told me Will Barton has been cleared to play for Memphis this season. The NCAA reversed its ruling.

Barton news is confirmed. Memphis sending out press release momentarily.

I heard a week ago the NCAA “missed something” among the 2,000 pages that were submitted on Barton. Whatever it was, obviously they found.

Certainly an eventful day on the U of M basketball beat. There have been a lot of them the past four years, have there not?

Barton’s eligibility obviously huge for Memphis on many levels, but his impact on their rebounding might be biggest of all.

Follow Dan Wolken on Twitter

The NCAA had ruled Barton ineligible on August 8th for taking too many semesters to graduate high school.

Great news for the Tigers for sure.  Barton handled the initial ruling with a lot of grace and maturity. By all reports he is a good kid, happy for him.

Head coach Josh Pastner’s video response:

The late Lorenzen Wright’s ex-wife, Sherra Robinson Wright, claims that he left her house on the night he was murdered with a box of drugs and a large sum of cash money, according to a statement she made to the Memphis Police, after he went missing but before he was found murdered.

Sherra Wright told detectives her ex had a conversation on “a ‘tracfone’ or similar cellular telephone” with an unidentified person before he left with the drugs and money. She also told police he owned an iPhone and made calls from both cells while at her house.

Sherra contends that she heard Lorenzen talking on the phone about flipping something for $110,000.  He then left the house in a car, driven by another man, an unidentified man that no one has claimed to know so far.

Wright was next heard from on a 911 call where multiple gunshots were heard along with an expletive.  Police have not released what expletive was said or by whom.  Wright’s body was found by police several days later, decomposed, with multiple gunshot wounds.

Many Memphians are pointing the finger at Sherra for Wright’s death.  Some claim she wanted his life insurance money.  Others contend that she is hooked on crack, Lorenzen had beaten up her boyfriend after he wrecked one of his cars, and that the boyfriend killed or had Lorenzen killed.  It also could have been Sherra’s rage and jealousy of seeing photos of Lorenzen with his girlfriend or new women since the divorce.

Sherra has refused to talk to police since his body was found in a wooded field.  Police executed a search warrant on her home after Wright’s death.  They seized two items:  a letter to Lorenzen and Sherra, and a piece of burned metal.

Sherra’s criminal defense attorney, Coleman Garrett, has advised her to not talk to police. He has stated that his client has nothing to add or gain by talking to investigators.

Police are taking their time putting the pieces to this tragic puzzle together.  Lorenzen’s murder will be solved. People talk, criminals get sloppy and loose lipped, and the truth eventually will be made known.

However, it doesn’t change the fact that his death was premature and tragic.

Read More On Lorenzen’s Death

Barton tweeted his disappointment earlier tonight:

Barton hinted at bad news Wednesday night via his Twitter account.

“It don’t get no worse than this,” Barton Tweeted. “The hardest thing I ever had 2 face is here. Need vision cuz everything blurry now. Where do I go from here?”

By all accounts Will is a great kid.  Most experts considered him a one-and-done college player. Hopefully, he can stay in great shape by playing overseas or in the NBADL.

Best of luck to Will the Thrill on his future.

The memorial and live stream are now over.

Rest in Peace Lorenzen!