Takeaways from Memphis’ season-opening win over San Francisco
University of Memphis guard Curtis Givens III (5) grabs a rebound during a Nov. 8, 2025 game against the University of San Francisco. (Patrick Lantrip/The Daily Memphian)
Curtis Givens III stretched out his right arm and grabbed the basketball with one hand like a cornerback intercepting a pass on a football field.
The Memphis guard stole an inbounds pass from San Francisco before driving to the hoop and scoring to put the Tigers (1-0) ahead by 23 points less than three minutes into the second half of their 76-70 season-opening win Saturday.
As the Dons (1-1) called timeout, center Thierno Sylla stood near midcourt and waved his arms up and down to motion for those in attendance at FedExForum to get louder.
Memphis fans were on their feet.
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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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