Monday night was a bit of a celebration inside the FedEx Forum as the return of John Calipari took place, as Coach Penny Hardaway and the Memphis Tigers welcomed the Arkansas Razorbacks to the 901 for the first of two preseason games before opening the 2025-2026 season against San Francisco on November 8th. A renewal of an old rivalry, the return of a legendary coach, and the chance to play a live game in front of a hometown crowd while playing for something bigger than basketball in a benefit for St. Jude provided for a fun night of preseason basketball that has the potential to jumpstart a special season of Memphis basketball. 

So let’s talk about it. Thoughts and takeaways are often complex because not everything is shown. 

First, Memphis showed it could play with the best of the best, but struggled to close the deal in the second half. Memphis raced out to a double-digit lead midway through the first half before allowing the Razorbacks back into the fold, seeing the double-digit lead cut to 45-42 at the break. During that first half, the Tigers had Dug McDaniel score 11 points, and he finished with 19. What killed Memphis was a lack of team-play experience, but they showed signs of having the right pieces to compete not only for another conference championship, but also to take Memphis back to the second weekend and beyond in the NCAA Tournament. 

Second, I know losing to your former Head Coach is never ideal for a fan base, especially one who left Memphis the way he did, but it’s hard to beat a team as good as Arkansas when that team shoots 56% from the field and ends the game on a 13-0 run in the final 2:51 of the game. Coach Hardaway has more than enough on film to improve his team as they prepare to head down to Atlanta to take on Auburn in the final preseason game on Thursday, and honestly, I expect the Tigers not to allow another scoring run like Arkansas went on to close the game on Monday. They’ll figure out the lineups that add the most spark down the stretch, but one thing is for certain: Dug McDaniel will likely be this year’s PJ Haggerty for Coach Hardaway and his staff. What we saw on Monday night was a floor general who could control the game’s tempo. 

Lastly, even with it being a preseason game, Monday night was a special night as the renewal of an old-school rivalry. The sport of college basketball needs more games between regional foes with passionate fan bases. Even in the preseason, the environment inside the FedEx Forum was special, and we need more of it in the sport. For the sake of the conversation centered around Memphis, the Tigers need more games against Tennessee, Arkansas, Arkansas State, Ole Miss, Mississippi State, Southern Miss, Cincinnati, and even Louisville. Out of that list, the Tigers have games against four of those teams this season, including a Wednesday night home game against an in-state foe in Vanderbilt. Regional rivalries are just a small part of what makes college sports so special. Why not play them? Even if it’s in a preseason game, those games mean something to fans, the players, and even the coaches. 

Memphis will return to action on Thursday night, heading south to Atlanta to take on Auburn in the final preseason game of the season. 

Photo Credits- Memphis Basketball on X