Nothing is finalized but it's looking like Tennessee and Memphis will continue their series in basketball with an agreement in principle for four games over the next four seasons.
The Knoxville News reported the deal as all but done with ongoing talks about also meeting in future seasons on the football field.
“We’re going to play,” Tennessee athletic director Dave Hart told the paper. “We’re going to continue the basketball series.”
Meanwhile, several outlets reported that the Memphis Commercial Appeal has told its readers that while scheduling has been discussed between the two schools, there is no deal.
Memphis coach Josh Pastner can't be happy if he is going to have to play the Vols again.
Pastner made it clear last season he doesn't like playing the Vols because doing so every two years in Memphis boosts Tennessee's recruiting presence in the city and hurts Pastner's chances of keeping some of the elite players Memphis produces at home for school.
"When we're done with them (this year), it's over," Pastner told the Commercial Appeal early this year prior to the last scheduled game in the series, which Memphis won.
The Knoxville News asked Pastner about the agreement this week and Pastner said he stands by decisions made by Memphis AD Tom Bowen.
Memphis is changing conferences moving out of Conference USA and into the American Athletic Conference, which has myriad scheduling issues to work out. The Memphis-Tennessee series announcement probably won't come until the new leagues gets its conference scheduling ironed out.
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