Memphis gets its first shot at FedExForum on Saturday, and the Tigers are trying to keep a streak alive that has lasted a quarter century. The home opener against RV VCU tips at 2 p.m., with Memphis aiming to win its home opener for the 25th straight year.
The Tigers are 1-0 after Monday’s 80-76 win over No. 18 Iowa State in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, a result that gave Memphis its highest-ranked opening-day victory ever.
Senior Jayden Reid led the way with 26 points, while senior Luke Almodovar added 18 points, eight rebounds and two steals. Almodovar also delivered the night’s flashiest moment, throwing down a buzzer-beating dunk at the end of the first half that landed at No. 1 on SportsCenter’s Top Play.
That win also pushed Penny Hardaway to 9-0 in season openers. He’s now 3-0 in those games against Power 4 opponents, and his record against Power 4 teams sits at 22-10 with more of those matchups still ahead against Vanderbilt, Louisville, Penn State, Baylor, Texas and either Mississippi State or Wake Forest.
VCU arrives at 1-0 after an 82-72 home win over Little Rock and comes in with some early national respect, earning 12 votes in the first AP Top 25 released last week. The Rams were picked to win the Atlantic 10 in the preseason poll after sweeping both the regular-season and conference tournament titles last year, then making an NCAA Tournament run that included an 82-78 first-round win over North Carolina before a 76-55 loss to Illinois.
Memphis has handled VCU well at home over the years, going 5-0 against the Rams in Memphis and 6-3 overall in the series. Hardaway is 2-1 against VCU, including the Tigers’ 85-80 overtime road win in 2023-24. He also beat the Rams as a player, when Memphis rolled to an 85-58 home win in 1991-92.
Saturday also brings a milestone watch for Reid, who is 19 points shy of 1,000 for his career. He enters the game with 981 points across four Division I seasons, including 613 at South Florida, 342 last year at Northwestern and 26 this season.
There’s another roster note worth tracking: senior Nemanja Popovic has been cleared by the NCAA for two more years of eligibility, but he must serve a six-game withholding period to start the 2026-27 season because of previous international competition. Saturday will be the second of those six games. Popovic started at center in Memphis’ exhibition games against Mississippi State and Arkansas and went 11-of-16 from the field while averaging 14.0 points per game.
Memphis has been nearly automatic in these early-season home dates under Hardaway, going 8-0 in home openers and 105-21 at home during his tenure. The Tigers are 1115-298 all-time at home and 287-51 at FedExForum.
Saturday’s game will be shown on ESPN+ with Greg Gaston and Trey Draper on the call. Dave Woloshin and Ken Moody will have the radio broadcast on 98.9 The Roar.
In Other News...
Memphis Just Gave Tigers Fans A New Reason To Circle Home Games
Memphis has already given fans one more thing to look forward to beyond the basketball itself. The Tigers announced their full promotional home schedule for the 2026-27 season, a slate of 16 games at FedExForum under Penny Hardaway that will come with themed events designed to give each night a little extra personality.
The draw goes beyond the matchup on the floor, with exclusive trading cards set to be available for fans at every home game. Season and single-game tickets are on sale now, giving Memphis supporters a chance to lock in a full winter of home dates before the season even arrives. [Read more 🡒]