Memphis basketball will meet Alabama in exhibition game at Huntsville

Memphis basketball will face Alabama in the Rocket City Classic, a neutral-site preseason charity exhibition game.

The Tigers and Crimson Tide will square off at VBC Probst Arena in Huntsville, Alabama, on Oct. 28. The game time was not announced. Tickets go on sale Friday at 10 a.m.

All proceeds from the contest will support the Huntsville Hospital Foundation and their Caring House Children’s Grief program.

Tigers coach Penny Hardaway said he had been considering scheduling "closed preseason scrimmages" against stiffer competition than the teams the Tigers typically face in the lead-up to the regular season.

“I think that’s fair to us and the team now with us having a hard nonconference schedule,” he said after Memphis beat Lane College last season. “Maybe we can get an Ohio State. Or, you can go and get one of these other teams you’re probably not going to see in the regular season, and just do a closed scrimmage."

While the matchup against Alabama will not be closed — admission is free, with a suggested voluntary donation of $20 accepted at the door — Hardaway has accomplished his goal.

Alabama reached the Final Four last season with Mark Sears at point guard. Sears is back and Nate Oats has added elite transfers Cliff Omoruyi and Grant Nelson, as well as last season's co-AAC Player of the Year, Chris Youngblood.

Memphis, which missed the NCAA Tournament last season, has revamped its roster. Hardaway has signed the No. 11 transfer class in the country, headlined by point guard Tyrese Hunter, guard PJ Haggerty and center Dain Dainja.

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Memphis is 6-4 versus Alabama all time. They last met on Dec. 13, 2022, in Tuscaloosa. The Crimson Tide won that game, 91-88.

Reach sports writer Jason Munz at jason.munz@commercialappeal.com or follow him @munzly on X, the social media app formerly known as Twitter.

This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: Memphis basketball will meet Alabama in exhibition game at Huntsville