Okay, I watched the tape of the news.
Memphis news
After Memphis lost to Alabama, Channel 3 News (Memphis) concluded:
1. Memphis played well, but had "several new players on their team".
2. Bama played without 4 of its top 6 players due to suspension and injuries.
3. "Tigers led early 19-13", but "Bama finished the first half strong".
4. "Petty's 3's started a Bama run (after the game was tied at 40)".
5. "Memphis looked like a team with 7 new players".
I watched the game.
Nice win for an undermanned Bama team with multiple players in foul trouble. Missing 4 top players, Bama had 8 players available for the game, and two of those sat a good bit with three fouls in the first half. The announcer said the foul calls were legit; I felt like they were ticky tack, but I'm no expert.
Tubby Smith is coaching Memphis. There was mention of Memphis having several Juco transfers, but I didn't pay attention to the specifics -- how many new players they have, how long has Tubby been there. Bottom line appears to be that Memphis is in a transition period.
Hard to make many conclusions from this one game, other than Bama doesn't suck. And it's nice to be on the winning side.