One of the pleasures of a massive game is hearing the two head coaches talk about it in advance. Penny Hardaway and Kelvin Sampson did not disappoint.

The Tigers have a tremendous opportunity when they play the Houston Cougars on national TV Sunday. It’s one they first had to earn.

When the American Athletic Conference stripped Memphis of its final home game against Houston, it was just the latest in a long line of civic shaftings. There’s a reason Memphians are so resilient. What other choice do we have?

Memphis looked rusty after 18 days without basketball. But never mind that. The Tigers got the win!

It has been a difficult season for the Tigers, but now that they’re back from a COVID pause, they have a chance to make things right. 

More than a year after he joined the Grizzlies in a trade, Justise Winslow finally played for his new team. The stats were not pretty. But the future might yet be. 

David McCandless had caught at least one fish in 335 straight days. Then a historic snowstorm hit. The story of one Memphian’s quest to keep an unlikely streak alive. 

Sam Reid was impaled when the rope attaching his sled to a four-wheeler broke and sent him flying into a metal tractor spike. Four days after the accident, his family wants to thank the brilliant surgical team at Regional One Health Medical Center for saving their son.

Zion Williamson and the New Orleans Pelicans thumped Ja Morant and the Memphis Grizzlies for a fifth straight time Tuesday. And, yes, it’s frustrating, in part because it is not at all a reflection of reality. 

When David Porter and Kontji Anthony proclaimed their love on Facebook, it proved what we already should have known. Love doesn’t stop for a pandemic. Here are seven Valentine’s Day stories that will remind you of the wonder and durability of love. 

With their record-setting performance, led by Kyle Anderson, their swagger seems to be back.

Alex Lomax said it would be a “dream come true” to lead Memphis back to the NCAA tournament. Against ECU, he kept that dream alive through sheer force of will.

Star wide receiver Roc Taylor was jilted by Tennessee and landed at Memphis. He and his coach both say Taylor ended up at the better program. 

Rob Fischer is the warm, cheerful sideline reporter for the Grizzlies TV broadcasts. He also suffers from suicidal depression. He’s telling his story because he thinks it may help. 

The Tigers didn’t just defeat SMU at FedExForum Tuesday night. They showed the ability to fight back.

I was stunned when I tested positive for COVID. In the course of recovering, I learned a few things. 

Joe Sills — a legendary high school band director throughout West Tennessee — died of COVID-19. His former students are gathering to play a graveside concert in his honor Saturday. One of them will be playing Sills’ own silver trumpet. 

After months of frustration, the Tigers’ performance against Wichita State was reason to exhale. 

It would have been sweeter if 18,000 Memphians had been jammed into FedExForum. But Ja Morant made sure this MLK Day game ended with a win.