As the big game bears down upon us, as Memphis prepares to play Tennessee in basketball, let us all come together to agree on one essential truth: you have to pick a side.

Mike Norvell had just returned to his office from a day of recruiting in Memphis high schools when he saw a tweet from my former colleague Mark Giannotto speculating about his future.

After studyings its options, Christian Brothers University announced Tuesday its athletics will remain a member of the NCAA Division II and the Gulf South Conference.

You know who had a good night for Memphis Saturday?

ORLANDO — Nobody said that following Memphis sports was going to be all happiness and joy.

After eight games, after four wins and four losses, after trips to Baton Rouge, Orlando and Miami, the Memphis Tigers are the one thing you should have really wanted them to be at this point in the season.

At precisely 11:42 a.m. Saturday, the Memphis Tigers ran out of Penny Hardaway bobbleheads.

How, you may ask, did Penny Hardaway come to sign a wing sauce stain?

ORLANDO — After the traditional photos with the championship trophy, after the smiles and the shaking of hands, Memphis coach Mike Norvell quietly handed a football to UCF coach Josh Heupel — signed by the Memphis team — to give to UCF’s injured quarterback, McKenzie Milton.

ORLANDO – Just a few days earlier, Penny Hardaway had been sitting along the baseline at the Landers Center, watching three gifted recruits light up the court.

ORLANDO — Penny Hardaway sat in front of the microphone in the wake of Oklahoma State’s blowout win over the Memphis Tigers in the AdvoCare Invitational and decided to really lay into the individual he thought was responsible for the listless performance.

Mike Norvell had time to think about the play, time to think about exactly what to call.

At the end of the night, they posed for photos. Malcolm Dandridge on the left, DJ Jeffries in the middle, James Wiseman on the right.

Just before noon, James Wiseman looked into the ESPN cameras, and said “After long, thoughtful consideration, I will be attending the University of . . .”

It’s got to be Memphis, right?

Tyler Harris stepped to the line with 2.9 seconds left needing to hit three straight free throws to tie the game and send it into overtime.

Tony Allen started to hand Zamarion Boyd the Thanksgiving basket, but then, noting the size of Zamarion — who is just five — Allen reconsidered and handed the basket to Zamarion’s brother instead.

Penny Hardaway’s final assignment at the University of Memphis – the final assignment before he could get his degree – was a paper on Martin Luther King Jr.’s “Letter from Birmingham Jail.”

You know what school hasn’t been to five straight bowl games?

Jeremiah Martin dropped in one 3-pointer, then he dropped in another 3-pointer, then FedExForum erupted in joy.

Now that the exhibition portion of the season is over, I offer the following thought: The Memphis Tigers could win the tournament.

As the Christian Brothers University basketball team is preparing to play an exhibition game against the University of Memphis at FedExForum Friday, the university is exploring a move from Division II to Division III, according to a source with knowledge of the situation. The board of trustees discussed the merits of such a move at its meeting Tuesday afternoon. 

He couldn’t even wait until 10 a.m.

Saturday morning, running through Overton Park, the 70-year-old next to me gloried in the day.

The man never sat down.