The buzz around the Memphis Tigers' men's basketball is getting louder as they are slated to face off against Auburn in a pre-season exhibition on Oct. 30. Excitement is in the air, especially after Auburn's run to the Final Four last season.
A rematch of the 2024 Maui Invitational championship is set to take place at State Farm Arena in Atlanta, reported Action News 5, where last year Auburn overcame Memphis with a solid 90-76 victory, now Memphis's head coach Penny Hardaway sees the upcoming game as vital for preparing his team for March, saying, "Anytime you get the chance to compete against a Final Four team like Auburn, you embrace it," according to Action News 5.
The night's events in Atlanta will begin with a clash of women's basketball titans as South Carolina faces North Carolina at 5:00 p.m., before Memphis takes the court at 7:30 p.m., and for those eager to catch the action, tickets go on sale Aug. 8 at 9 a.m. CT.
Meanwhile, Memphis is looking forward to hosting Arkansas in a charity exhibition at FedExForum before the regular season, marking Calipari's first matchup against Memphis since his departure in 2009, this was revealed by The Commercial Appeal. The Tigers have strategically prepared a series of demanding preseason games, including last season's matches against North Carolina and Alabama, all geared toward a challenging non-conference schedule, with several high-profile matchups announced for the regular season.
Auburn's coaching situation has made headlines too, with coach Bruce Pearl's name surfacing as a potential candidate for a U.S. Senate seat, although Auburn's athletic director John Cohen told The Commercial Appeal on July 15, "Can things happen? For sure, but yeah, my expectation is for him to be coaching for us." Both teams are entering the season with significantly adjusted rosters, with Memphis adding players like Dug McDaniel and Zachary Davis and Auburn retaining Tahaad Pettiford while welcoming transfers such as KeShawn Murphy and Kevin Overton.
