ESPN NCAA Tournament 2008

SAN ANTONIO -- Memphis coach John Calipari has refused to let a player's suspension two days before the Final Four sour his mood or the Tigers' chances for winning the national title.

Surrounded by a swarm of media Thursday, minutes before the Tigers' closed practice at Trinity University, Calipari said backup point guard Andre Allen's suspension for a violation of team rules won't "change what will happen this weekend."

"It may elevate us, because if something is taken away, the team comes together," Calipari said.

Allen, who didn't make the trip Wednesday from Memphis and won't be cleared to join the Tigers even if they beat UCLA on Saturday to play in the national title game Monday, backed up freshman Derrick Rose at the point. The stocky, fleet-footed Allen averaged 14.1 minutes and 3.3 points a game.

Calipari said he can play Antonio Anderson and/or Willie Kemp at the point, and "obviously, we've got a kid that's not bad in Derrick Rose."

"I've moved on. I feel bad, I love Andre and I'll love him a month from now," Calipari said.

The coach also said the senior guard will graduate this summer. "My commitment is that he will get a degree from the University of Memphis," he added.

He also said he won't let Allen's suspension be a distraction.

"They may try to [poke] the armor of my team, but it will have no effect on me," Calipari said. "If you really want us to win, then do that kind of stuff. It's not going to have that kind of effect on me. I'm done reading or listening until Tuesday."

Calipari tried to make the moment light, saying, "All we're going to do is have fun, and if it leads us to something Monday night, we'll have a ball. I want these kids to feel nothing but 'let's go play and show what we're about.' The reality is that I want to have fun and I want to enjoy this. If you're in a non-BCS [league like Conference USA], then you don't get to the Final Four often. So, I'm going to enjoy this as much as [the players] are."

Andy Katz is a senior writer for ESPN.com.