John Calipari makes his first trip back to Memphis as a visiting coach on October 27 when his Arkansas Razorbacks Penny Hardaway’s Tigers play in the St. Jude Tipoff Classic on the Fedex Forum.
The Memphis Women’s team stands for Vanderbilt as part of the Double Header, with all the proceeds from the Games that go to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. The women’s competition will tip CT at 5:30 pm, with the men’s game that starts at 8 p.m., it is the second annual edition of the St. Jude Tipoff Classic, because last year the men stood opposite North Carolina and the women played South Carolina in the preseason.
This year’s edition brings some added intrigues because Calipari has not been back to Memphis since he left for coach Kentucky in 2009. The Wildcats and Tigers have never confronted with the term of office of Calipari in Lexington, but now the Hall of Famer will return to Memphis as the coach of the Razorbacks for the Charity exhibition.
Calipari bracht negen jaar door als coach in Memphis van 2000-09, waardoor de Tigers naar zes NCAA Tournament-optredens leidde, waaronder een run naar het nationale kampioenschapsspel in 2008. In zijn eerste seizoen in Arkansas gingen de Razorbacks 22-14 om het NCAA-toernooi te maken als een 10-seed, een run van de Sweet 16 voordat hij uiteindelijk naar de Sweet To The Sweet To The Sweet to the Sweet to the Sweet to the Sweet to the Sweet to the Sweet to the Sweet Johns.
Memphis meanwhile went 29-6 to earn a 5-SEED in the NCAA tournament, but was upset in the first round by Colorado State. The Hardaway team will contain a completely new selection for 2025-26, and they will see where they stack in this late October matchup with Arkansas before the regular season starts.
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