Tigers, Bears Renew Rare Matchup with Four-Year Agreement, and Memphis is getting 100% of the media (CBS) revenue according to Jason Munz from the Commercial Appeal
AUDIO: Jeffrey Wright discussed the CBS deal and Tiger signings with Commercial Appeal's Jason Munz on Monday (7/7):
MEMPHIS, Tenn. – For just the ninth time in history and the first time on a college campus in nearly 50 years, Memphis and Baylor men’s basketball are set to meet. The Tigers and Bears have agreed to a four-year home-and-home series beginning this December. More coverage live on 92.9 FM ESPN.
The Tigers and Bears will tip off the series on Dec. 6 at FedExForum in Memphis with a nationally televised contest on CBS and streaming live on Paramount+. Tip is set for 3:30 p.m.
As part of an ongoing relationship between CBS Sports and the American, this contest will mark the seventh-consecutive season that the Tigers have been broadcast on CBS and the fifth-consecutive season Memphis has hosted a CBS telecast.
The agreement includes two home games for each team, with the series heading to Waco, Texas, on Dec. 5, 2026, and again during the 2027-28 season before returning to Memphis in 2028-29. Under Penny Hardaway, Memphis continues to stack its schedule with marquee matchups and this latest agreement is no exception.
More matchups are on the way, but you don’t have to wait—season tickets for the 2025-26 Memphis basketball season are available now at THIS LINK or by calling (901) 678-2331.
Though Memphis leads the all-time series 6-2, the Tigers and Bears have faced off only once in the past 35 years — a 2014 neutral-site game in Las Vegas. The last time Baylor visited Memphis was Dec. 13, 1976 — nearly 49 years ago.
Memphis and Baylor have met just eight times in series history, with the Tigers leading 6-2. However, only one of those meetings has come in the past 35 years — a 71-47 Baylor win in the semifinal of the 2014 Continental Tire Las Vegas Invitational.
December’s game will mark the first meeting between the two programs in Memphis since Dec. 13, 1976 — a span of 17,892 days, or nearly 49 years. The Tigers won the first five matchups in the series, dating back to the inaugural meeting on Dec. 21, 1953, including an undefeated mark at home (4-0).
Memphis is coming off a 29-6 campaign that included a pair of AAC titles and a No. 5 seed in the NCAA Tournament. The Tigers also knocked off three ranked opponents, including No. 2 UConn in overtime at the Maui Invitational.
Baylor, meanwhile, is led by longtime head coach Scott Drew and remains one of the nation’s most consistent programs, with six-straight NCAA Tournament appearances. The Bears are also one of only three programs nationally to win at least one tournament game in each of the last six years.
Both Memphis and Baylor will showcase completely retooled rosters in 2025-26, with neither team returning a player from last season’s squad — adding an extra layer of intrigue to the series.