The college basketball landscape is set to be shaken up with a throwback clash, as Memphis and Mississippi State gear up for a home-and-home series, marking their first tussle on the hardwood in over 40 years on Memphis turf. The much-anticipated face-off is slated for the 2024-25 season in Memphis, with the Tigers then making the trek to Starkville in the 2025-26 season, Action News 5 reported.
While contracts are still dangling awaiting signatures, and specific dates dangle alongside them in the TBD zone, the excitement doesn't wane knowing these basketball programs, which aren’t exactly a stone's throw but certainly not a day's journey apart, will renew their storied rivalry. Memphis last hosted Mississippi State for a dance on the court back in 1983, a time when Ronald Reagan was in the White House and Michael Jackson's "Thriller" still had the world moonwalking, The Commercial Appeal reports.
Mississippi State under head honcho Chris Jans secured themselves a berth to the NCAA Tournament twice consecutively—a back-to-back success story. Memphis, on the other hand, is looking to course-correct after a less-than-stellar end to their 2023-24 crusade in college hoops, hoping to return to the tournament with renewed vigor, according to Action News 5.
Per The Commercial Appeal, the Tigers are beefing up their roster, roping in new talent from the transfer portal. They’ve snagged Wichita State guard Colby Rogers, Tulsa guard PJ Haggerty, and Illinois big man Dain Dainja, that's not to mention the fresh-out-of-high-school gem, Jared Harris, who put pen to paper with Memphis back in November. With key players set to return and a non-conference schedule that includes a slew of other noteworthy skirmishes, Memphis is banking on a fortifying powder keg of talent and experience, new and old.
Jon Rothstein of College Hoops Today has the lowdown that the Bulldogs aren't just sitting pretty after their recent success stories, no sir, they've got firepower in the form of freshman phenom Josh Hubbard and Penn State transfer Kanye Clary, both expected to light up scoreboards with more oomph than a Fourth of July fireworks finale, Rothstein wrote. While Memphis grapples with roster consistency after seeing several players exit stage left, including Coach Penny Hardaway’s son, Mississippi State appears to be assembling a squad that could bring the noise—and the funk. Rothstein’s report teases that the series is a transaction worth watching unfold as it pens itself into the history books once again.
