Memphis basketball will face seven power conference teams as part of its 2025-26 non-conference schedule, which was released by the school Aug. 21.
Tip-off times and broadcast plans will be announced at a later date.
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The Tigers, who open the season against San Francisco at FedExForum on Nov. 8, also will go up against at least six teams currently projected to reach March Madness by ESPN bracketologist Joe Lunardi, a group that includes Purdue, Ole Miss, Mississippi State, Louisville, Baylor and Vanderbilt.
Memphis will play 13 non-conference games − seven home, four away and two neutral-site. That follows two preseason exhibitions − one against Auburn in Atlanta at State Farm Arena on Oct. 30, the other expected to be Arkansas at FedExForum − and precedes an 18-game American Conference schedule.
After meeting San Francisco, the Tigers travel to Ole Miss (Nov. 11), then return home to face UNLV (Nov. 16), which hired former Memphis coach Josh Pastner in March.
Last season, the Tigers finished fourth in the country in non-conference strength of schedule, facing the likes of Michigan State, UConn, Clemson and Missouri. He does it largely out of necessity, because he believes it’s the only path toward respect from the NCAA tournament selection committee.
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“They’re tough every year, but it gets tougher every year,” coach Penny Hardaway said. “Because you’ve got to keep succeeding. You’ve got to keep accomplishing those wins to get the respect. We’re putting ourselves in position, before we go into conference, to have a great opportunity to do something special.”
Memphis basketball 2025-26 non-conference schedule
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Nov. 20: Purdue (at Baha Mar Championship in the Bahamas, 5 p.m.)
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Nov. 21: Texas Tech or Wake Forest (at Baha Mar Championship in the Bahamas, 6 p.m. or 8:30 p.m.)
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Nov. 26: Southern Illinois
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Dec. 6: Baylor (3:30 p.m., CBS)
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Dec. 20: at Mississippi State
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Feb. 14, 2026: at Utah State
Reach sports writer Jason Munz at jason.munz@commercialappeal.com, follow him @munzly on X.
This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: Memphis basketball 2025-26 schedule: Non-conference includes Baylor
