Memphis basketball coach Penny Hardaway will put his almost completely new roster to the test straight away, welcoming Missouri and Duke transfer Mark Mitchell to FedExForum for the 2024-25 season opener.
The two Tigers teams met last season in Columbia, Mo., and Memphis rallied to win 70-55. But that was then − and things are a whole lot different for both teams now.
Hardaway’s team lost by eight points to both North Carolina and Alabama in a pair of preseason exhibition games against perennial powerhouses. He said his Tigers won’t prepare for Missouri any differently simply because it won just eight games last season (and none in SEC play).
“Those two games definitely helped us understand who we were,” Hardaway said of the exhibitions. “But we can’t go look at Missouri and go, ‘Oh, they’re not Alabama. They’re not North Carolina.’ That’s not our mindset. Every game is gonna be hard. But we can dictate who we are every single night.”
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This section will be updated when the game begins.
Forward Tyreek Smith has officially left the team and entered the transfer portal, the program confirmed Monday afternoon.
Smith played in one of Memphis’ two exhibition games, scoring eight points and grabbing two rebounds in 15 minutes off the bench in an 84-76 loss to North Carolina on Oct. 15. Losing the 6-foot-6 Smith creates a significant void in the Tigers’ frontcourt. While Nicholas Jourdain was in line to start at the forward spot, Smith was expected to be a major part of the rotation.
TV channel: N/A
Streaming: ESPN+
Radio: 98.9-FM The Roar (Dave Woloshin, play-by-play; Matt Dillon, color analyst)
Memphis vs. Missouri will be live streamed on ESPN+. Greg Gaston and Trey Draper will call the game from FedExForum.
Hardaway’s Tigers endured a demanding preseason schedule, facing two teams (North Carolina and Alabama) that many believe are legitimate Final Four contenders. Running such a gauntlet so early will pay off for Memphis, which will take Missouri down today.
Game lines and odds from BetMGM as of Monday:
Memphis center Moussa Cisse was held out of the Oct. 15 exhibition against North Carolina with a groin issue. Cisse played 20 minutes versus Alabama and said last week he is pain-free.
It remains to be seen whether All-Big Ten transfer Tony Perkins will suit up for Missouri. When asked about Perkins’ status last week by PowerMizzou’s Drew King, coach Dennis Gates was non-committal: “Well, Tony Perkins has been practicing, and I’m excited about what he’s been able to do. So, for me, he’s had a great week of practice.”
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