Tennessee Basketball: Vols to bring back rivalry against Memphis
The Tennessee Volunteers and the Memphis Tigers are looking to bring back an old rivalry, as both head coaches confirmed Monday.
Tennessee and Memphis will be bringing back an old basketball rivalry, starting this next season, as both head coaches confirmed on Monday.
These teams have played each other 25 times, as part of a state rivalry. Tennessee currently leads the series 14-11, but Memphis has a three-game winning streak in the series. The last time these two teams played each other was the 2013 season, with Memphis coming out on top, 85-80.
This series has always been a heated series with teams fighting for bragging rights on the state. The most notable game between these two teams was their matchup in 2008. Tennessee headed down to Memphis in 1 vs. 2 matchup, which featured a battle between Chris Lofton and Derrick Rose.
This matchup will see new faces though, as both teams have been through a few head coaches since they last faced off. Cuonzo Martin was the Volunteers head coach and Josh Pastner was the Tigers head coach at the time. The Volunteers are now coached by Rick Barnes, while the Tigers just recently hired ex-NBA star Penny Hardaway to replace Tubby Smith.
Barnes confirms Tennessee and Memphis will continue a series in basketball. The plan is to play home and home. As of now, he believes it's at Memphis, then Knoxville and the third year will be a bit of a basketball day with other teams in Nashville.
— Louis Fernandez Jr (@LouFernandezJr) March 26, 2018
For now, the series will be held for three years. Beginning next year, the Volunteers will head to FedEx Forum to take on Memphis, then will head back to Thompson-Boling Arena the next year. The third game of the series will be unique as Memphis and Tennessee will face off in Nashville.
Barnes had this to say about the matchup in Nashville:
Rick Barnes on Tennessee-Memphis series: "We would love to make it a big day of basketball in Nashville. Not just us, but bring in other teams within the state and make it a day to really promote basketball.”
— Mike Wilson (@ByMikeWilson) March 26, 2018
A showcase of the college basketball teams in the state of Tennessee would set up for a very interesting day. Memphis will likely continue to improve with Hardaway taking over the head coaching position. Vanderbilt will have a great chance to improve with their recruiting class. Mid-majors like Belmont, Lipscomb, and ETSU would have a great chance to show out as well.