Memphis basketball’s AAC schedule released

Memphis basketball’s entire 2024-25 campaign is now set.

The American Athletic Conference (AAC) released conference schedules for every member of its league, including Penny Hardaway’s Tigers.

Memphis will play all 12 opposing AAC schools at least once this season for a grand total of 18 conference matchups.

Twelve of those games will happen in home-and-home series against UAB, Florida Atlantic, Rice, Wichita State, South Florida and Temple. Memphis is also set for home meetings with North Texas, East Carolina and Tulsa, and visits to Charlotte, UTSA and Tulane.

TV channels and tip-off times will be unveiled at a later date.

Memphis’ most pivotal AAC games this year will likely take place in its four meetings with UAB and FAU—the league’s two representatives in the NCAA Tournament last season.

Andy Kennedy’s Blazers return a good portion of their core from 2023-24, including AAC Defensive Player of the Year Yaxel Lendeborg. Memphis hosts UAB on Jan. 26 and visits the Blazers on March 2.

Florida Atlantic, meanwhile, has had to rebuild via the transfer portal with former Baylor assistant John Jakus taking over as head coach for Dusty May, who left FAU for Michigan. Key players like Johnell Davis, Alijah Martin, Vlad Goldin and Nick Boyd have also joined new schools.

But Jakus has landed nice pieces like former Xavier guard KyKy Tandy, former Florida State forward Baba Miller and last season’s SWAC Player of the Year Ken Evans Jr. The Owls and Tigers will begin conference play against each other in Boca Raton on Jan. 2, with the return game in Memphis set for Feb. 23.

Memphis ends AAC play with a home matchup against last season’s regular season champion South Florida on March 7, though the Bulls have been gutted by the transfers of Chris Youngblood, Selton Miguel and Kasean Pryor.

The Tigers—ranked No. 32 on barttorvik.com—will prelude their conference slate with a daunting non-conference schedule to start the season.

Memphis begins the 2024-25 against Missouri on Nov. 4 inside FedExForum. 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 will also participate in this season’s Maui Invitational, beginning with a matchup against back-to-back national champion UConn on Nov. 25. The Tigers then take on either Michigan State or Colorado on Nov. 26, and will then play North Carolina, Iowa State, Auburn or Dayton on Nov. 27.

The Tigers are also set for two exhibitions with UNC in the Hoops for St. Jude Tip Off Classic at FedExForum (Oct. 15), and Alabama in Huntsville (Oct. 28).