The J&J Show previewed Saturday's (12/13) matchup between the Memphis Tigers and the #11 Louisville Cardinals (AUDIO)
MEMPHIS, Tenn. - The rivalry Penny Hardaway has long hoped to be part of finally arrives this weekend.
Memphis heads to the KFC Yum! Center on Saturday for a nationally-televised matchup with No. 11 Louisville, marking the first meeting between the programs in eight years. Tipoff is set for 2:30 p.m. CT on ESPN and the energy around this renewal feels more like a reunion than a regular-season game.
Memphis and Louisville share one of college basketball’s richest histories, built across four conferences, decades of classic showdowns and 90 total meetings. The two programs have met 90 times in series history (Louisville leading 54-36). They last crossed paths in December 2017, but their competitive roots stretch deep, from the Metro Conference glory days to high-stakes battles in Conference USA and the American.
The series resumes Saturday as part of a newly announced six-year agreement committing both schools to an annual matchup through 2030-31. Louisville will visit FedExForum next season, with additional future sites being finalized.
“To bring this rivalry back means everything,” Hardaway said. “Games like this remind everyone why Memphis basketball is special.”
Despite his iconic playing career, Hardaway never faced Louisville as a Tiger and he has not coached against the Cardinals since taking over his alma mater. Saturday ends that wait.
Memphis enters at 4-4, though the Tigers have steadied themselves with a three-game win streak capped by a signature 78-71 win over Baylor last weekend.
Senior point guard Dug McDaniel continues to pace the offense with 13.9 points and 6.4 assists per game, while Zach Davis – the reigning American Conference Player of the Week - provides consistent two-way impact. Davis is second on the team in scoring (9.1) and leads the Tigers in rebounding (5.2).
Saturday’s showdown is more than a nonconference test. It’s a revival of an identity-defining rivalry, one that shaped both programs, fan bases and coaches for generations.
The older Memphis faithful still remembers the Metro Conference roars. Younger players and fans will experience it for the first time.
And for Penny Hardaway, it’s a long-anticipated moment finally taking shape.
GAME DETAILS
Memphis Tigers vs. #11/11 Louisville Cardinals
Saturday, Dec. 13, 2025 | 2:30 p.m. CT / 3:30 p.m. ET
KFC Yum! Center (22,090); Louisville, Ky.
Television: ESPN (Wes Durham pxp; Cory Alexander, color)
BY THE NUMBERS
2: Memphis guard Dug McDaniel is one of just two Division I players to rank top three in their conference in assists per game (6.4; 1st), steals per game (1.9; 2nd) and free-throw percentage (88.9, 3rd). The other is SMU’s Boopie Miller.3: The number of Division I teams with zero returning players on the roster this season. Memphis and Baylor are two of the three, joining Miami. 6.4: Dug McDaniel leads the American Conference and ranks 16th in Division I averaging 6.4 assists per game. The last Tiger to average 6.0+ assists in a season was Chris Garner in 1994-95 at 6.4 per game.7: Each of the last seven meetings between Memphis and Louisville have been decided by single digits, reinforcing how tight the rivalry has been in recent meetings. The Tigers have not had eight straight games decided by fewer than 10 points against any opponent over the last 45 seasons.
11: Memphis is getting production on the glass from all over the roster this season, with 11 different Tigers averaging at least 2.0 rebounds per game. Only three Division I programs - Alabama (14), Jacksonville (13) and UT Martin (13) - feature more .22: Memphis has grabbed at least nine offensive rebounds in 22-straight games, the second-longest active streak in Division I (trailing only St. John’s at 23). It marks the Tigers’ longest run since a 29-game streak that concluded in November 2007. 23-13: Senior guard Zach Davis delivered one of the most productive nonconference performances by a Tiger in decades against Baylor. His 23 points, 13 rebounds and eight made free throws make him just the second Memphis player in the last 30 seasons to hit all those marks in a non-league game - joining Will Barton, who last accomplished the feat in December 2011 at Louisville. 34.6: Memphis leads the American and ranks 32nd nationally with 34.6 bench points per game, after erupting for 50 bench points against SIU and 44 against New Orleans. That total would be the highest bench points per game average for the Tigers since at least 1996-97. In that span, the next highest total is 31.2 bench points in 2006-07.
SCOUTING THE CARDINALS
Louisville, under second-year head coach Pat Kelsey, has surged back into national relevance.
The Cardinals sit at 8-1, ranking No. 11 nationally while boasting one of the country’s most explosive offenses: 93.8 points per game (10th in Division I), 12.7 made threes per game (3rd in Division I) and +26.2 scoring margin (6th in Division I).
Their depth is a problem for most teams, 10 players average double-digit minutes and their efficiency numbers reflect it.
Louisville defends the three (29.7%), rebounds at an elite rate (43.6; 11th in DI) and overwhelms teams with pace and spacing (19.2 assists per game; 16th in DI).
Ryan Conwell leads the Cardinals at 19.7 points per game, while freshman Mikel Brown Jr. adds 16.7 points and 5.3 assists.
Conwell is the only DI men's basketball player since at least 2010-11 to log at least 32 points, nine rebounds and six assists in 24 minutes or less, according to Sports Reference. He notched that stat line against NJIT on Nov. 26
Virginia transfer Isaac McKneely (12.4 ppg, 42.9 3PT%) and 6-11 forward Sananda Fru (10.6 ppg, 6.2 rpg) round out a versatile rotation loaded in shooting and length.
Louisville bounced back from its lone loss (89-80 to Arkansas) with an assertive 87-78 road win at No. 22 Indiana, keeping momentum high entering Saturday.
Louisville netted 20 3-pointers against NJIT on Nov. 26, the second-most made 3's in a single game in program history.
UofL is the third team in DI this season to make at least 20 3-pointers against another DI team.
Louisville's back-to-back 40-point wins (87-46 over Eastern Michigan & 104-47 over NJIT) is the program's first set of back-to-back 40-point victories since 2012-13.
Louisville has had two games of at least 24 assists, the first time since 2010-11 that the program has had multiple games of 24+ assists; the Cardinals had five games of at 24+ assists that season.
Louisville is 35-0 under Kelsey when leading with five minutes to play.
UP NEXT
Memphis will have two big contests next week. The Tigers will return home on Wednesday (Dec. 17) to host No. 15/14 Vanderbilt at 6 p.m. on ESPN2, before making the trek down to Starkville, Mississippi to play Mississippi State on Saturday (Dec. 20) at 3 p.m. on ESPN.