Memphis is itching to get into a power conference. Basketball attendance shows why.
Memphis guard Tyrese Hunter celebrates a made 3-pointer against Tulsa on Tuesday, Feb. 5, 2025. (Mark Weber/The Daily Memphian file)
The University of Memphis has been banging at the exit doors of the American Conference for years.
When Memphis officials acknowledged Monday, July 21, that the school’s proposal to join the Big 12 — highlighted by the reported $200 million worth of sponsorships it offered the league — was rejected, it marked yet another failed attempt by the Tigers to join a new conference throughout the past decade.
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Parth Upadhyaya
Parth Upadhyaya covers the Memphis Tigers men’s basketball team. A Raleigh, N.C., native and a graduate of UNC-Chapel Hill’s Hussman School of Media and Journalism, Upadhyaya is a longtime college hoops junkie. Prior to joining The Daily Memphian in 2022, he covered high school sports in western Pennsylvania for the Beaver County Times and Penn State football for the Centre Daily Times.
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