Kentucky and Indiana parted ways. Missouri and Kansas said adios to one another. Now one more SEC team could see its storied tradition with a bitter rival come to an end. Tennessee and in-state competitor Memphis square off on Friday for what could be the last time in this intense battle. “We will not play Tennessee anymore as long as I’m the head coach and I’m doing my scheduling,” Memphis head coach Josh Pastner said earlier this week.
The Vols and Tigers are gridlocked at four wins apiece in the eight games since the series was renewed in the 2005-06 season. But despite the added strength to Memphis’ schedule, Pastner would rather see his team take on the Louisville Cardinals, a familiar foe from the programs’ Metro and Conference USA days. “I think Tennessee is a very good basketball program, I have great respect for them and I think it’s a high-level game, but I don’t look at playing Tennessee any differently than playing Gonzaga or Xavier or Florida or Texas or UCLA,” Pastner said. “Those are national games. The rival game for our fan base, our city, is Louisville, not Tennessee.” Now those are fighting words in Knoxville.
“If they aren’t going to do it then we have to move forward and schedule games we need to schedule,” Tennessee coach Cuonzo Martin said. “That’s where we are. You’ve heard Josh say why he doesn’t want to play and that’s fine, I can respect that. For us, we’d like to continue, but if not, we have to move forward.”
It first began in 1969. Then, it ended again as quickly as it began. It started back 19 years later, only to cease again in 2001. John Calipari, the Memphis’ coach in 2003, suggested like he did with the Kentucky-Indiana game this past season that moving the annual game to a neutral site (Nashville, in this case) would be a benefit for both teams. Like Pastner, Calipari made it clear he had no interest in traveling to Knoxville. But unlike his predecessor, Pastner has put his foot down. “No, I have no interest in doing it in Nashville on a neutral court, either.”
Tennessee doesn’t need this game. Not this year. Memphis’ current RPI won’t benefit UT at #96 (TeamRankings) in the country. And the Vols don’t need this game next year. Tennessee will play in the Battle 4 Atlantis field in 2013 with teams such as Kansas, Villanova, and Wake Forest. Also on the 2013-14 slate, the Vols go on the road to play Wichita State and Xavier, and will host home games against Virginia and a marquee Big East opponent, assuming the SEC-Big East Challenge still exists (oh, the irony if the Tigers were forced to square off with the Vols through their new conference affiliation!). But the fans in Tennessee need this game. In-state rivals meet up all around the great state of Tennessee and throughout the SEC. Basketball fans in Tennessee deserve to see their two biggest basketball programs battle it out as well. Recent conversations to renew this rivalry are well worth the effort. Basketball in Tennessee just won’t be the same without the Vols and Tigers duking it out each year.
Brian Joyce is a writer for the SEC microsite and regular contributor for Rush The Court. Follow him on Twitter for more about SEC basketball at bjoyce_hoops.