Tigers, Louisville Renew Storied Rivalry In NYC

NEW YORK, N.Y. – The Big Apple for the Holidays.

For the University of Memphis basketball team, the festive decorations in New York will only serve as a backdrop to its purpose for being here. The Tigers (7-2) will renew – for a day -- what was one of college basketball's most heated annual rivalries when it plays Louisville (7-2) at 11 a.m. (CT) Saturday at Madison Square Garden in the Houzz Gotham Classic.

Memphis and Louisville, rivals through the years in multiple conferences, have not played since a Tigers' home victory in 2014 and have not shared the same league affiliation since the Cardinals moved to the Atlantic Coast Conference after the 2013-14 season. Still, the history and passion of the rivalry resonates with fans of both programs, national television audiences and Tigers coach Tubby Smith, who had his own battles with Louisville when he coached Kentucky from 1997 to 2007.

"Obviously, Louisville-Memphis has a long history of having been in the same leagues, whether the Missouri Valley Conference, the Metro Conference or Conference USA," Smith said. "They've been together a long time so I know it's a big rivalry. If you're not focused and ready to play for this game, you're not much of a basketball player."

The Tigers are coming off an impressive 67-59 home win Tuesday over Albany, which entered the game with a 10-1 record. The U of M has won four straight and, in the process, seen two first-year players step up. Freshman Jamal Johnson dropped in a season-high 18 in his debut as a starter last weekend against Bryant. Junior college transfer Kareem Brewton followed with a season-high of his own, scoring 19 points off the bench in the win over Albany.

Louisville, under interim head coach David Padgett, has won three straight after falling, 79-77, to No. 24 Seton Hall.

The Tigers are no strangers to Madison Square Garden, one of most iconic arenas in sports. The Tigers are making their 13^th trip to the Garden since the 2000-01 season. Their last visit was four years ago this week when the U of M played Florida in the Jimmy V. Classic.

Louisville has been a frequent visitor to New York, too. The Cardinals are 31-26 overall at the Garden and have won nine straight there.

The biggest challenge for the Tigers will be handling the size of Louisville, which starts 7-footer Anas Mahmoud at center and 6-10 Ray Spalding at forward. Scoring leader Deng Adel, a 6-7 forward, is averaging 16.1 points. The Cardinals are outrebounding their opposition by 5-plus boards per game.

Smith has been impressed with his team's growth since the beginning of the season, one in which the Tigers welcomed eight newcomers (five junior college transfers, three freshmen). Memphis is among the nation's youngest teams.

"I think we'll be much more competitive as we continue to improve," Smith said. "An area we really need to improve in is rebounding. We gave up about 16 offensive rebounds the other night (against Albany), which is tough. We've got to do a better job there, especially against a good Louisville team."

University of Memphis Athletics

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