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.”

After a tumultuous 2023-24 season that ended in disaster, the University of Memphis basketball coach took a different approach this offseason. Now, he says he and the Tigers are better for it.

Lauren Ashman was hired as executive associate athletic director and senior woman administrator in January 2020 by former athletic director Laird Veatch. She was promoted to the deputy athletic director role in 2023.

Even though Memphis coach Penny Hardaway again loaded up on talent this offseason, the Tigers aren’t getting too much love in the AAC this preseason.

Coach Alex Simmons’ team got little attention in the American Athletic Conference’s preseason coaches’ poll. Memphis also didn’t have a single player land on the preseason All-AAC first or second team.

Parth Upadhyaya and John Martin discuss Memphis’ AAC schedule, Derrick Rose’s legacy with the Tigers and more.

Hurricane Milton raises questions about this weekend’s game for Memphis football. Why isn’t there more buzz surrounding the Hoops for St. Jude Tip Off Classic, which features Memphis men’s basketball vs. North Carolina? 

South Carolina Gamecocks coach Dawn Staley is bringing her team to town for the Hoops for St. Jude Tip Off Classic.

Here’s a closer look at the watered-down AAC and the Tigers’ place in it.

Nicholas Jourdain is the Tigers’ only returning scholarship player. The pep in his step at the Blue and Gray Showcase is a tip that staying in Memphis means more than most may know.

The men’s and women’s Memphis Tigers teams played scrimmages at the Showcase, which were the highlights of the Tigers’ 2024-25 season tipoff event. 

The Tigers’ two-hour practice session — with NBA scouts courtside — consisted of drill work and run-throughs of various offensive sets and concluded with a five-on-five, full-court scrimmage.

What’s wrong with Memphis football’s offense? How ready is the Tigers basketball team to open its 2024-25 season? That and more is discussed on this edition of The Daily Memphian’s Tigers Podcast.

The format remains the same. Each team in the 13-team AAC will still play 18 conference games.

Two of the new-look basketball players discuss Coach Penny Hardaway’s offseason coaching staff changes, the team’s identity and their excitement for the season.

Now seems like a good time to underscore the importance of basketball for Memphis in the future of any realignment discussions — and to emphasize that the current situation for Tigers basketball is unsustainable.

Related content:

Memphis women’s basketball’s 2024-25 revised AAC schedule released

With no indication the ACC or Big 12 intends to extend a membership offer anytime soon, where does that leave a Memphis Tigers program wanting to play bigger and better opponents?

Related content:

A streak ended, but Seth Henigan just wants to clean up the Tigers’ offense

The Tigers’ first-year athletic director was persuasive explaining why Memphis turned down the Pac-12, not just saying it was bad but explaining why in no uncertain terms.

Related content:

Memphis AD Ed Scott shines light on Tigers' decision to stay in AAC

Memphis AD knows Pac-12 decision was emotional for fans

Fans have waited for their turn to celebrate a move to a Power Conference for years. The new-look Pac-12 no longer qualifies for that distinction, but some believed it would be better than the AAC.

“It really came down to what our future looks like,” Ed Scott said. “... The financials were not there.”

Memphis basketball teams will have a new tipoff event — the Blue and Gray Showcase Friday, Oct. 4, at 6 p.m. inside Elma Roane Fieldhouse.

Related content:

Memphis men’s basketball’s 2024-25 AAC schedule released

The Tigers open conference play Jan. 2 at Florida Atlantic.