The Tigers fell 96-88 to the Crimson Tide after trailing by as many as 21 points and never once leading.

A little less than two weeks after a preseason exhibition loss to top-10 UNC, the Tigers have one final dress rehearsal — and yet another tough test — before they tip off the 2024-25 season next month.

Memphis Tigers basketball coach Penny Hardaway addressed forward Tyreek Smith’s return and presented an injury report prior to the Tigers’ preseason game against Alabama.

Upadhyaya, Bonner and Martin break down Memphis basketball’s Tyreek Smith saga, look ahead to the preseason charity exhibition against No. 2 Alabama and discuss the possibility of Memphis football reaching the AAC title game.

“Being a kid from Memphis and obviously playing there, doing what I do now on the training and coaching side, I’ve essentially sat in every (type of) seat one can sit in at FedExForum,” Draper said. “My friends say it’s the Infinity Gauntlet.”

This is the new world of college basketball. It’s a free-for-all. And if coaches are to flourish in this climate, they have to figure out a way to navigate and master it.

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Tyreek Smith’s return comes two days after reports surfaced that he had left the program in search of other opportunities.

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Tyreek Smith’s mentor: Promises made to Smith haven’t yet ‘been fulfilled’

Hellion “Boog” Knight, a mentor to Tyreek Smith, attempted to clear the air about Smith’s situation with the Tigers.

The defense is leading the way for the Memphis football team this season, and basketball fans got a preseason peak into what Penny Hardaway’s team will look like this year. 

The “Little General” was one of 11 inductees into the Memphis Sports Hall of Fame on Wednesday.

Updated Tigers basketball schedule with more game times and TV information. 

All 18 of Memphis’ women’s AAC games will be broadcast on ESPN+. 

“There’s a reason that we play games like this,” Memphis coach Alex Simmons said. “No. 1, to get better. No. 2, to see what it feels like to play at a level that literally nobody in the country plays at.”

“I know where we are,” Memphis coach Penny Hardaway said after the Tigers’ 84-76 loss to No. 9 UNC. “I know where we’re gonna be. I’m not trying to be the best team in October. I’ve learned my lesson on that going into my seventh year.”

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“Could not be any better,” said Richard Shadyac Jr., the president and CEO of ALSAC, the fundraising and awareness arm of St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. “And next year, we’ll take it to the next level.”

The Tigers dropped their Hoops for St. Jude Tip Off Classic preseason charity exhibition to No. 9 North Carolina 84-76 on Tuesday. 

Dawn Staley’s Gamecocks return four starters from last season’s undefeated team and have a highly rated recruiting class.

The Tigers host No. 9 North Carolina at 6 p.m. followed by the women playing South Carolina in the Hoops for St. Jude Tip Off Classic.

Hardaway and Davis will join forces to raise money for a notable cause when Memphis hosts North Carolina at 6 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 15 (ESPNU) in the first Hoops for St. Jude Tip Off Classic at FedExForum.

Memphis coach Penny Hardaway and Tigers coach Alex Simmons’ teams are expected to approach Tuesday’s exhibitions the same way they would any other game.

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AAC Tournament to move from Fort Worth after current season

Memphis unranked, receives no votes in preseason AP Top 25 poll

To the surprise of almost no one, Memphis will head into the 2024-25 college basketball season without a number next to its name.

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AAC commissioner Tim Pernetti said the AAC will accept bids from various host cities and venues for 2026 and beyond.

Where did Upadhyaya rank some of Memphis’ most notable 2024-25 opponents?

If all falls into place as expected at the start of the 2025-26 school year, House vs. the NCAA could change the look of college sports as we know it now.

“You’re supposed to be prepared for the moment,” Tyrese Hunter said Sunday during Day 1 of AAC Media Days. “Everybody asked for this. You can’t want something and then when it comes, you’re not prepared for it or you’re not ready for it.”