Rick Barnes Addresses Tennessee Vs. Memphis Rivalry
By Cody McClure
As the Tennessee football and basketball coaches tour around the state on the Big Orange Caravan, some interesting quotes are emerging.
While in Memphis, Rick Barnes addressed the future possibility of the Vols playing basketball against the hometown Tigers.
“We haven’t talked about that in a couple years, and it’s nowhere [near] being talked about now,” Barnes said.
Sounds like coach and Penny Hardaway aren’t planning on getting together on the hardwood any time soon.
The Tennessee/Memphis basketball rivalry is a short but storied one with UT owning a 15-12 all-time series lead.
The teams haven’t met on the court since 2019 when the Tigers downed the Vols 51-47.
Still, Tennessee has the greatest moment in the series’ history, as everyone remembers when the No. 2 Vols defeated the No. 1 Tigers 66-62 in the FedEx Forum back in 2008.
That led to UT’s first-ever, albeit brief, ranking at No. 1.
The teams were scheduled to face off in 2021 at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville but the game was canceled “due to COVID-19 protocols within the Memphis program.”
Should Tennessee and Memphis play every year? It would surely be a fun series, but doesn’t appear likely anytime soon.