Memphis athletic director R.C. Johnson said Thursday that the Tigers have sold 18,000 season tickets. He said he has to keep 700 tickets available for opposing teams and a few others that the department can sell on gameday. This figure speaks volumes about to the interest in college basketball in Memphis, where coach Josh Pastner says there’s as much pressure to win as any top-10 gig. Johnson can’t get a return call from the Big East so clearly the Tigers aren’t on the league’s wish list. But the Tigers’ fans clearly are showing their commitment, as they always have. Memphis is the pick to win Conference USA and was ranked No. 9 in the country in the ESPN/USA Today coaches’ poll released Thursday.