Memphis to face South Dakota St., Tennessee Tech
The Memphis men’s basketball team will face South Dakota State and Tennessee Tech as part of its non-conference schedule during coach Penny Hardaway’s first season, according to contract obtained by The Commercial Appeal through an open records request.
The Tigers are scheduled to face Tennessee Tech at FedExForum on Nov. 9 or 10 and will then host South Dakota State on Dec. 4 or 5. Both contracts were signed prior to Hardaway’s hiring in March.
This will be just the second meeting between Memphis and South Dakota State, which has qualified for the NCAA tournament the past three years out of the Summit League. Memphis will pay South Dakota State $90,000 to play at FedExForum, according to the contract.
The Jackrabbits are expected to feature two-time conference player of the year Mike Daum, one of three players in the country to average more than 20 points and 10 rebounds last season. Daum initially declared for the NBA draft before withdrawing his name last month.
Memphis last faced South Dakota State on Dec. 4, 1976 and emerged with a 109-76 win at home.
The Tigers will play Tennessee Tech for just the fourth time since 1961, and it will be the first meeting between the two schools since the 2009-2010 season. Terms of the contract call for Memphis to pay Tennessee Tech $85,000 for this year’s game.
Memphis and Tennessee Tech played 49 times between 1930 and 1961.
Tennessee Tech finished 19-14 last season and lost in the Ohio Valley Conference quarterfinals. Its top five scorers from a year ago all graduated.
Memphis still has at least three spots open on its 2018-19 non-conference schedule.
The Tigers will host Tennessee at FedExForum on Dec. 15 as part of a three-game series with the Volunteers. Memphis are slated to face Tennessee in Knoxville in December 2019 and the two teams will play in Nashville during the 2020-21 season.
Memphis is also scheduled to play at LSU in 2018-19 as part of the second game of a home-and-home series.
Athletic director Tom Bowen confirmed last month that Memphis is in the process of extending its home-andhome series with UAB. Memphis would host the Blazers in 2018-19 and the Tigers would travel to Birmingham, Ala., during the 2019-20 season, although no contract has been executed between the two schools.
Jon Rothstein of CBS Sports reported that Memphis will host Yale next year, but there is no contract signed for that game as of Tuesday.
Memphis will play three games in the Advocare Invitational in Orlando over the Thanksgiving holiday. The field is scheduled to include defending national champion Villanova, Florida State, Oklahoma State, LSU, UAB and Charleston.
The Tigers have the option to play a fourth non-conference game at FedExForum as part of its agreement to participate in the Advocare Invitational.
NCAA rules stipulate that teams are permitted to play up to 29 regular-season games, or 27 regular-season games plus no more than four games in an exempt tournament. The American Athletic Conference schedule features 18 league games, which means Memphis can play up to 13 non-conference games.