Penny Hardaway is shaking things up, adding a non-conference game against Utah State to the Memphis basketball schedule in February, a source confirmed to The Commercial Appeal on June 5.
The source requested anonymity since a formal announcement has not yet been made.
The road game on Feb. 14, 2026 (which will be the first meeting between the Tigers and Aggies in history) is part of a home-and-home agreement.
Utah State is playing its final season in the Mountain West. It will officially become a member of the Pac-12 in 2026.
Hardaway said multiple times during the 2024-25 season that he was interested in scheduling an out-of-conference game deeper on the docket for several reasons. Most notably, it breaks up the monotony of the AAC portion of the Tigers’ schedule − relatively weaker than their non-conference slate − for both the players and the coaches. The hope is that it will also keep things fresh for fans, while also boosting Memphis’ March Madness profile.
While not a power conference opponent, Utah State figures to present a formidable challenge. The Aggies have made three consecutive NCAA tournament appearances and reached the March Madness four of the last five seasons (each time as an at-large team).
Utah State’s top returning player is 6-3 guard Mason Falslev, who led the team in rebounding (6.3 per game) and assists (125) while finishing second in scoring average (15.0). The Aggies bolstered their roster with the additions of forward Garry Clark (14.9 points, 7.7 rebounds at Texas A&M-Corpus Christi last season), former Vanderbilt guard MJ Collins and former Butler (and Tulane) guard Kolby King.
Memphis’ 2025-26 non-conference schedule already includes road dates with Louisville (Dec. 13), Mississippi State (Dec. 20) and Ole Miss (TBD). Hardaway also has agreements in place for home games against San Francisco (Nov. 8), UNLV (Nov. 16), and New Orleans (TBD). The Tigers are also participating in the Baha Mar Hoops Challenge (Nov. 20-21), where the field also reportedly includes Purdue, Wake Forest and Texas Tech.
In addition, Memphis is expected to face Arkansas in a preseason charity exhibition game at FedExForum.
Reach sports writer Jason Munz at jason.munz@commercialappeal.com, follow him @munzly on X, and sign up for the Memphis Basketball Insider text group.
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