MEMPHIS, Tenn. — John Calipari settled in and watched the tape of Memphis’ loss to UCLA in a regional final two years ago. He saw his Tigers scared, taking bad shots, rushing themselves.
“It made me sick to my stomach, but I looked at it,” he said Tuesday.
Chris Douglas-Roberts was a mere freshman in that 50-45 loss in the Oakland Regional in 2006 along with Robert Dozier and Antonio Anderson. Joey Dorsey, the Tigers’ rim-shaking dunker and shot-blocker, was a sophomore.
But it’s Douglas-Roberts that Calipari has mentioned often in recent weeks as the guy he had to bench in that loss after four turnovers.
Turns out it was only three, and a look at the videotape has changed Calipari’s impression of Douglas-Roberts from that game.
“He wasn’t as bad as I thought when I watched the tape. He was a little better,” Calipari said.
The Tigers’ All-American is a big reason why top-seeded Memphis (37-1) breezed through the South Regional and into the school’s third Final Four. Calipari said UCLA (35-3) will see the mature Douglas-Roberts on Saturday in San Antonio.
“His ability to shoot balls. His ability to score in traffic. His physical play because he’s gained weight. You’re not going to throw him around and do stuff they did in that game,” Calipari said.
Douglas-Roberts had six points and six rebounds in that loss.
Douglas-Roberts, the Detroit native, had only turned 19 two months earlier.
Now the 6-foot-7 guard/forward weighs in at 200 pounds and said the difference is he’s two years older and more experienced.
“It’s not payback. That game was two years ago. … It’s the next game for us,” Douglas-Roberts said.
• Tennessee coach Bruce Pearl issued a statement to address speculation he might consider another coaching job, saying the only school he’s interested in talking about is Tennessee.

seattletimes.nwsource.com