Memphis basketball to host North Carolina in inaugural St. Jude Classic exhibition

Memphis basketball is unofficially tipping off Penny Hardaway’s seventh season with a bang.

Sources tell Bluff City Media that the Tigers are hosting North Carolina for the inaugural Hoops for St. Jude Tip Off Classic exhibition inside FedExForum on Oct. 15. Alex Simmons and the Lady Tigers will also take part in the festivities with an exhibition of their own against defending national champion South Carolina.

This will be the first of two scrimmages for Memphis’ men’s team next month, as it’ll also play Alabama on Oct. 28 in Huntsville.

The charity event, which is a collaboration between St. Jude and Bluff City Collective (Memphis basketball’s official NIL collective), is the first of its kind. Fans and media will be allowed to attend, and the game will be broadcast on ESPNU at 6 p.m. The women’s matchup will be live-streamed on ESPN+ at 8:30.

“The Hoops for St. Jude Tip Off Classic is a powerful example of what can be achieved when sports, compassion, and a shared commitment come together,” Richard Shadyac Jr., president and CEO of ALSAC, the fundraising and awareness organization for St. Jude, said in a press release via Memphis Athletics. “This event isn’t just about what happens on the court — it’s about rallying teams, fans and entire communities to support the lifesaving research and treatment happening at St. Jude. We are deeply inspired by and grateful to the University of Memphis, the University of North Carolina and the University of South Carolina for championing this cause and helping move closer to a world where no child suffers from cancer.”

Memphis might also face the Tar Heels on Nov. 27 during the Maui Invitational, which also includes Auburn, Colorado, Dayton, Iowa State, Michigan State and back-to-back national champion UConn.

The Tigers begin Maui play against UConn on Nov. 25, and then take on either Michigan State or Colorado on Nov. 26. Other possible opponents besides North Carolina on the third and final day include Auburn, Iowa State and Dayton.

Beyond the Maui Invitational, Memphis’ 2024-25 season officially starts with a home matchup with Missouri on Nov. 4.

Hardaway has also scheduled home dates against Ole Miss (Dec. 28), Mississippi State (Dec. 21), Louisiana Tech (Dec. 4), Ohio (Nov. 15) and Arkansas State (Dec. 8). Additionally, the Tigers will meet Clemson (Dec. 14), Virginia (Dec. 18) and UNLV (Nov. 9) on the road and San Francisco for a neutral-site contest inside the Chase Center (Nov. 21).

Memphis—currently ranked No. 24 on barttorvik.com—has obviously dealt itself a massive hurdle by putting together this non-conference schedule. But Hardaway and Co. assembled a roster this offseason that could be talented enough to get the Tigers over the hump, including nine new scholarship players via the transfer portal.

PJ Haggerty (6-foot-3) averaged 21.2 points, 5.5 rebounds and 3.8 assists per game for Tulsa last year, which helped him earn the AAC Freshman of the Year award.

Tyrese Hunter (6-foot) averaged 11.1 points and 4.1 assists for Texas in 2023-24. He also won the Big 12 Freshman of the Year award at Iowa State in 2021-22, and is 6-3 in NCAA Tournament games.

Colby Rogers (6-foot-4) scored 16.4 points per contest while shooting 40.9% from 3-point range (7.1 attempts per game) for Wichita State. PJ Carter (6-foot-5) averaged 9.5 points and 2.4 rebounds while shooting 41.5% from the field and 40.3% from 3-point range in 31 appearances for UTSA.

Moussa Cisse (7-foot) and Tyreek Smith (6-foot-8) averaged a combined 3.1 blocks per game last year for Ole Miss and SMU respectively. Dain Dainja (6-foot-9) averaged 6.1 points and 3.6 rebounds in limited minutes for an Illinois team that made the Elite Eight last season.

Nick Jourdain (6-foot-9) started 25 of 32 games for the Tigers in 2023-24, and put up 6.5 points and 4 rebounds per contest. He is Memphis’ only returning scholarship player.

The Tigers, who still have two open scholarships remaining, also welcome Baraka Okojie—a sophomore transfer guard from George Mason—Jared Harris—a 4-star high school guard—and Bouna Kebe—a junior college forward from Gillette (Wyoming).