Memphis is wasting no time finding out where it stands.
The Tigers open Monday against Iowa State at the Sanford Pentagon in Sioux Falls, a neutral-site matchup that drops them straight into deep water. There’s no easing in here, no soft landing to start the season. Memphis gets a team projected to sit near the top of the Big 12, and that is exactly the kind of early test Penny Hardaway wanted.
When the game was announced, Hardaway called it an opportunity to measure the Tigers against a perennial top-10 program. That’s the value of a opener like this: it can reveal what still needs cleaning up, but it can also give a team a jolt of belief before conference play takes over.
Iowa State arrives with its own agenda. The Cyclones are No. 18 in the preseason AP poll, and this is their first chance to prove that ranking means something once the ball is tipped.
The venue may be labeled neutral, but the stakes aren’t. Both teams are stepping into a setting where national expectations are already hanging in the air.
There’s also a little history between the programs, though not much. Iowa State won the only previous meeting, taking a 78-59 decision in the 2021 NIT Season Tip-Off in Brooklyn. That result sits in the background, but Monday is a clean slate with different rosters and a different moment.
The Sanford Pentagon gives the whole thing a distinct feel. Memphis has played there before, and both teams will be opening a new season in front of a Sioux Falls crowd getting an early look at high-level college basketball.
For Memphis, the payoff is straightforward: play well, and the choice to schedule a demanding opener looks even smarter. For Iowa State, it’s the first chance to show that the preseason ranking matches the team on the floor.
In Other News...
Iowa State's Bowl Push Comes Down To A Defining Final Stretch
Iowa State has put itself in position to make the late-season conversation matter, sitting at 4-4 after collecting wins over Southeast Missouri State, Bowling Green, West Virginia and Oklahoma State while taking its losses against ranked opponents. The Cyclones are still two victories shy of bowl eligibility, which means the next month will decide whether this season becomes a step forward or just a near miss.
Baylor, Cincinnati, UCF and Kansas State now make up the final stretch, and ESPN analytics give each matchup its own level of difficulty. For Iowa State, the path is clear enough in theory but still demanding in practice, with every remaining game carrying real weight as the Cyclones try to turn a solid start into a postseason berth. [Read more 🡒]
Arizona Already Has An Opening Night Debate Fans Wont Ignore
The Big 12 wasted no time reminding everyone why it is going to be a nightly grind, opening the season with 15 of 16 teams in action and finishing the first wave at 13-2. There were plenty of eye-catching performances mixed in with the usual early-season turbulence, from Baylors Rob Wright going for 33 points in a win over Ohio State to UCFs Dior Johnson pouring in 41 in a narrow escape against Florida Gulf Coast.
Arizonas opener may have generated the loudest conversation, though, after Ivan Kharchenkov scored 38 points in a near comeback against UCLA. For Iowa State fans, the bigger takeaway is how quickly the leagues margin for error disappeared after the Cyclones unexpected loss to Memphis, and how little room there is for anyone to settle in before the Big 12 race starts stacking up results that will matter later. [Read more 🡒]
Bill Fennellys Final Ride Opened With A Moment Cyclones Fans Will Feel
Before Iowa State tipped off its season-opening win over Grambling State, Bill Fennelly got a gesture that fit the moment. Courtney Simmons, the Grambling head coach, sent over a handwritten note for Fennelly, who is in his 32nd and final season leading the Cyclones. It was the kind of small, personal acknowledgment that carries extra weight in a sport where coaching trees and relationships run deep.
The Cyclones then handled business on the floor with a 90-61 victory, getting solid contributions from Mya Babbitt, Tjasa Turnsek, Xiao Zhang and Gift Ezekiel. But the note lingered after the game because it spoke to something bigger than one opener. Fennelly said it meant a lot to be recognized for the impact he has had on womens basketball, a fitting start to a farewell season that figures to be watched closely in Ames and beyond. [Read more 🡒]