Penny Hardaway wants Kentucky to fill opening on Memphis' schedule

Penny Hardaway has been begging for a game against Kentucky since he took the Memphis job in 2018. With the COVID wreaking havoc on college basketball schedules, Penny once again let it be known he wants to play John Calipari’s squad should the occasion arise.

“I would love to do that, honestly,” Hardaway on his weekly radio show last night, per the Commercial Appeal. “I don’t know if (Kentucky coach John Calipari) would. (Memphis director of basketball operations) Rodney (Hamilton) and I will get together and call down there to Lexington to see how that works.”

Memphis’ game vs. No. 18 Tennessee in Nashville on Dec. 18 was called off at the last minute due to COVID-19 issues within the Tigers’ program. Memphis’ next game, vs. Alabama State, was also canceled. Hardaway wants to fill the hole in Memphis’ schedule with a Quad 1 opponent, like Kentucky. On his radio show, he even proposed the game take place in Nashville, which, theoretically, would appeal to Calipari over a home-and-home series.

Why Kentucky vs. Memphis probably won’t happen

Calipari has said he’s willing to play “any team, any place, any time”; for several reasons, I doubt the Tigers are high on that list. Set aside Calipari’s history with Memphis — he coached the Tigers for nine seasons but is still seen as a villain for leaving for Kentucky, to the point the Memphis administration had to cancel a ceremony to honor him in 2015 — the game would do little for Kentucky’s resume. The Tigers were ranked No. 12 in the preseason but are 7-5 thus far, with losses to Iowa State, Georgia, Ole Miss, Murray State, and Tulane. They do own a win over then-No. 6 Alabama, but are No. 51 in the NET Rankings, which would make a neutral site game against them a Quad 2 matchup.

Plus, should Kentucky have an opponent pull out due to COVID, the Tigers would not be first in line. First, the SEC would need to approve Kentucky adding a non-conference game. If that happens, rescheduling the Louisville game would be the priority. If that can’t happen, Calipari says he already has agreements in place for backup games, namely with Gonzaga. (Although yesterday, the Bulldogs had to postpone their game vs. San Francisco due to COVID-19 related protocols.) Other teams Calipari talked to include Michigan State, Ohio State, and Texas. Outside of Louisville, these would all be Quad 1 matchups. All much better for the resume.

Then, there is the manner in which the Memphis/Tennessee cancellation went down. Fans were already in Bridgestone Arena when the game was called off because the Tigers only had four players available due to positive tests, contact tracing, and injuries. Not only were many Memphis players unvaccinated, several reportedly attended an alumni party the night before. Rick Barnes was so irked by the whole ordeal that he ruled out rescheduling the game.

So, while the thought of exposing Penny and his squad of five-star recruits — including Jalen Duren and Emoni Bates — is appealing, don’t get your hopes up, BBN.