Equal parts 
1. stifling defense
2. overwhelming athleticism
3. reliable outside shooting
4. strong bench production
5. slow-smoked pulled pork
Generously vindicating me and my assertion in the first post of this “Dancing” series, the Memphis Tigers did, indeed, turn on the jets for their 2nd round game in the NCAA men’s basketball tournament, soundly thrashing the Maryland Terrapins and reasserting themselves as a popular pick to advance to the Final Four.
The Tigers jumped on the Terps early, liberally mixing in dashes and pinches of ingredients 1-4 above. Meanwhile, I cheered along with a throng of blue-clad fans over lunch at Central BBQ on Summer. After the game, it occurred to me that I had now eaten barbecue during both tournament victories (Corky’s catering at a watching party for the 1st round). In my superstitious sports-fan-mind, that is fairly strong scientific proof of a direct correlation between my dining and Tiger success.
As the Tigers now busy themselves in preparation for Thursday’s Sweet 16 matchup against 3rd-seeded Missouri (also the Tigers), I will be doing my part to make certain that our city’s culinary specialty is on the menu wherever I find myself watching. It’s what I like to call “being a team player.”
Should the Tigers win Thursday and advance to an Elite 8 game on Saturday (for the fourth year in a row), things will get tougher. I’ll be on the road this weekend doing comedy and will, therefore, not have direct access to any of Memphis’s many fine proprietors of pork and pork products. I don’t want to look ahead to what barbecue I’ll be eating in the Elite 8, though, because as any coach will tell you, you have to take the Big Dance* one game at a time. A win Thursday will require a quick turnaround for the Tigers to prepare for another opponent. If they can do it, so can I.
I hope you, too, will do your part and continue this tasty, if a bit unhealthy march!
Memphis plays Missouri Thursday at 8:37 central time on CBS.
* The Big Dance is a nickname for the tournament; therefore the “Dancing” title for these tournament-related posts. There was some, evidently, some confusion regarding the dancing to which I was referring!
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Go Tigers!