Hill: There will be March Madness in Memphis after all
The Rhodes College men’s basketball team poses at the watch party on Monday, March 2, 2026. The Lynx won the SAA conference tournament and earned a spot in the NCAA Division III Tournament that begins Friday. (Drew Hill/The Daily Memphian)
Drew Hill
Drew Hill covers the Memphis Grizzlies and is a top-10 APSE winner. He has worked throughout the South writing about college athletics before landing in Memphis.
Let’s face it, Memphis. It’s been a long basketball season.
As we sit here now, March 2, it’s hard to think about all we could be missing out on later this month.
This is the time of year we anticipate madness.
We’re supposed to be humming CBS’ iconic NCAA Tournament instrumental and dissecting the Tigers’ resume. We’re supposed to be predicting Grizzlies’ growl towel slogans and watching the standings carefully for NBA playoff positioning.
And what are we doing instead?
We’re arguing about whether or not coach Penny Hardaway is the right person to lead the Memphis Tigers men’s basketball program forward. We’re questioning if the Grizzlies made the right choice to rebuild, and we’re wincing every time they win.
As my colleague Geoff Calkins wrote earlier this week, this is the first instance in years that both of the city’s prominent basketball teams have been in such bad shape at the same time.
No one signed up for this. But hold on just a minute.
I’m pleased to tell you that we will be getting madness in Memphis after all.
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