Memphis basketball to host North Carolina in preseason charity exhibition game

Memphis basketball will host North Carolina in a preseason charity exhibition game on Oct. 15 at FedExForum.

The marquee matchup will make up half of a blockbuster doubleheader for the ages, as the Tigers' women's basketball team is also hosting perennial powerhouse South Carolina. The four-team event is being played in support of St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, according to the announcement which was made Thursday.

The event has been dubbed the Hoops For St. Jude Tip Off Classic. Tickets will go on sale to the general public at 10 a.m. Saturday.

Penny Hardaway's team will face the Tar Heels at 6 p.m. (ESPNU), while Alex Simmons' squad will meet the Gamecocks at 8:30 p.m. (ESPN+). Neither game will count toward any team's regular-season records.

"Supporting such a monumental organization and mission that not only benefits our community, but the entire world is the type of collaboration Tiger Nation is proud to be a part of," Memphis athletic director Ed Scott said in a press release. "We are excited to welcome the University of North Carolina and the University of South Carolina to Bluff City to compete for a tremendous cause that will energize our 'ONE' Memphis community."

Hardaway and Co. are also set to face Alabama in a preseason charity exhibition in Huntsville, Ala. (Oct. 28) before opening the regular season at home against Missouri (Nov. 4).

Hubert Davis' Tar Heels were national championship runners-up in 2022, then reached the Sweet 16 last season. Dawn Staley's Gamecocks won the national title in March, finishing 38-0 and beating Caitlin Clark's Iowa Hawkeyes in the championship. South Carolina's women's program also won it all in 2017 and 2022.

"This event isn't just about what happens on the court − it's about rallying teams, fans and entire communities to support the lifesaving research and treatment happening at St. Jude," Richard C. Shadyac Jr., president and CEO of ALSAC , the fundraising and awareness organization for St. Jude, said in a press release. "We are deeply inspired by and grateful to the University of Memphis, the University of North Carolina and the University of South Carolina for championing this cause and helping move closer to a world where no child suffers from cancer."

Despite the contest's exhibition status, the Memphis-North Carolina game is notable since it marks the first meeting between the teams on the hardwood.

It might not be the last, though.

It may not even be the only time the Tigers and Tar Heels see one another before Thanksgiving. Both programs are part of the eight-team Maui Invitational field. The event is set for Nov. 25-27 at the Lahaina Civic Center. Memphis will face UConn on Nov. 25 (1:30 p.m., CST, ESPN2) and either Michigan State or Colorado on Nov. 26. The Tigers could see North Carolina again on Nov. 27, on the final day of the multi-team event.

The news comes on the heels of a busy few days for the Tigers. Last week, Hardaway announced a series of substantial changes to his coaching staff, as he let Rick Stansbury, Faragi Phillips, Jamie Rosser and Demetrius Dyson go. Later that day, the university said it was aware of an anonymous letter alleging the program had committed multiple potential major NCAA violations in recent years.

On Wednesday, 6-foot-8 junior college transfer Bouna Kebe committed to play for the Tigers this season.

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Memphis and South Carolina originally agreed to a home-and-home, regular-season series − the first half of which was played on Dec. 3, 2022, in Greenville, S.C. The return game was originally scheduled for the 2023-24 season. But, last summer, the schools agreed to bump it to the 2024-25 season.

While Simmons' Tigers won't have the powerhouse Gamecocks on the regular-season schedule, they are set to host Tennessee (Dec. 18) and Louisville (Dec. 21) at FedExForum . The game against the Cardinals will be part of a basketball doubleheader, as Memphis' men's basketball team is set to host Mississippi State the same day.

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 to host North Carolina in preseason charity exhibition game