The American Conference just dropped the full conference schedules for men’s basketball, and get this: Penny Hardaway’s Memphis Tigers are only playing a single Saturday conference game all season long. That’s right, just one! We finally know when the Tigers hit the court against their league rivals, and this schedule setup is wild.
One Saturday, All the Sundays, and A Packed Non-Conference Slate
Mark your calendars, Tigers fans, because conference play kicks off Wednesday, December 30 right here at FedExForum against East Carolina. Then it’s a quick turnaround as they head down to Tampa to battle South Florida on Sunday, January 3. That lone Saturday conference showdown? It’s against North Texas on January 23. Every other weekend conference game for Memphis is set for Sunday. It’s a bit of a quirk, especially when you consider the American conference has broadcasting slots with ESPN for weeknights and Sundays, which they use for marquee matchups. The Tigers do have another Saturday game in late February against Utah State on the 20th, but that North Texas game is the only Saturday conference one. Oh, and the Grizzlies schedule definitely plays a part, too, with Memphis only getting three Saturday games total this entire season, and two of those are at FedExForum.
Penny’s squad will take on Wichita State, USF, Charlotte, UAB, North Texas, and Tulane both at home and on the road. For the home crowd, we’ll only see Tulsa, ECU, and Rice once at FedExForum. And if you want to catch FAU, Temple, or UTSA, you’ll have to hit the road because those are single-game away matchups. This is actually the first time since FAU joined the American that the Tigers aren’t playing them twice in the regular season.
Sunday Funday Gets Even Better: Roster Overhaul Incoming
Get ready for some easier Sundays! A few tip times dropped, and it looks like most of those Sunday afternoon games will tip off at 2 p.m. CT. That’s a huge win, seriously. Remember those brutal noon Sunday games? Tough for anyone trying to hit up church and then make it to the arena. A 2 p.m. start gives everyone way more flexibility. Smart move by the conference, for real.
Now, let’s talk about the squad itself. It’s tough to predict what this team is gonna look like after a massive offseason overhaul. We’re talking 13 new players coming in! Julius Thedford and William Whorton are the only two guys returning from last year’s team that finished 13-19 overall and 8-10 in conference play. Penny and the staff brought in nine players through the transfer portal, signed three high school talents, and added an international prospect. This isn’t just a rebuild, it’s a full-on re-imagining.
The Tigers have two exhibition games to get things rolling: October 23 against Mississippi State and October 28 against Arkansas. Then the real action kicks off on Monday, November 2 against Iowa State at 6 p.m. in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. After that, it’s home for VCU on November 7 at 2 p.m., then a road trip to Vanderbilt on November 10. They’ll also host Louisville on November 15 at 2 p.m., Evansville on November 22 at 1 p.m., and Penn State on November 25 at 4 p.m. as part of the Battle 4 Atlantis, with another Atlantis game on November 29 against Dayton at 12 p.m. in Columbus, Ohio. Jackson State comes to town on December 2 for an 11 a.m. tip. With so many new faces, every single one of these early games is critical to figure out who this team is and how they’re gonna gel. We need to see that chemistry develop FAST before conference play hits.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
Leave a Reply