The Louisville-Memphis basketball rivalry is back.
On Saturday at the KFC Yum! Center, the Cardinals and the Tigers will meet for the first time since Dec. 16, 2017. It’s the start of a six-year series (through the 2030-31 season) that could include two neutral-site games in Nashville.
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“It’s good for the game,” coach Pat Kelsey told the Memphis Commercial Appeal in May.
UofL has played Memphis 90 times dating back to 1949 — only its 101-game series against Cincinnati is longer. The Cards enter Saturday with a 54-36 edge over the Tigers. They won the most recent matchup, the showcase game of the 2017 Gotham Classic at Madison Square Garden, 81-72.
“These are the kinds of games that bring out the best in both programs, energize fan bases and are the reason players want to come to Memphis,” said Memphis coach Penny Hardaway, a 901 native who played for the Tigers during a lull in the rivalry (1991–93), in a statement when the series was announced.
“There’s real history and passion between us, and we are thrilled to help bring it back and give our fans — and the sport — something special to look forward to the next six years.”
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Before Louisville and Memphis square off Saturday, take a trip down memory lane with our look at five of the Cards’ top wins in the rivalry — presented in chronological order below:
Al Vilcheck punches Fred Horton after Louisville beats Memphis in chippy affair (March 4, 1970)
Former Memphis State forward Fred Horton is restrained after he was sucker-punched by former Louisville forward Al Vilcheck moments after a game between the two teams ended at Mid-South Coliseum in Memphis on March 4, 1970.
Louisville’s seven-game winning streak over Memphis from 1964-70 is the longest in series history. The final victory during the Cards’ run, 83-82 on March 4, 1970, at Mid-South Coliseum, marked an inflection point in the rivalry.
That’s because UofL’s Al Vilcheck, who totaled only four points and three rebounds in the game, threw a punch that hit the Tigers’ leading scorer, Fred Horton, over his left eye after the final horn in retaliation for him pushing a teammate of his, Mike Grosso, who netted a game-high 29 points.
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“The enraged Horton, shoved back to midcourt by a teammate after he got hit, broke loose and went after Vilcheck,” Courier Journal reporter Jim Bolus wrote in his dispatch from the game. “The Memphis State player swung once at Vilcheck, and then it was all over.”
In addition to that fight, the back-and-forth game included several of what Bolus described as “minor incidents.” A skirmish nearly broke out with 9:40 remaining in regulation, when Louisville’s Mike Lawhon ran out of bounds into the Memphis bench.
The front page of The Courier Journal’s Sports section on March 5, 1970, after Louisville basketball’s 83-82 win at Memphis. A fight broke out between UofL’s Al Vilcheck and the Tigers’ Fred Horton after the final horn.
“On his way back to the court, Lawhon was pushed from behind,” Bolus wrote. “Then someone stepped in and grabbed him by the jersey. Lawhon, trying to get loose, hit Horton on the side of the head. Horton, in turn, grabbed Lawhon. Smiling and his fist clenched, Horton held back this time; but he was in more of a fighting mood after the game ended.”
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Jim Price, who scored four of his 17 points at the free-throw line to keep the Tigers at bay during the final minute and some change, claimed he was tripped intentionally in the first half — and that Memphis’ Jim Douglas told him afterward: “That’s what you deserve you blankety-blank-blank.”
“They came to fight, and we came to play basketball,” UofL coach John Dromo said.
The Tigers got payback, winning four of the next six games in the series. But nearly a year to the date after this chippy affair, Horton was infamously ejected in handcuffs from a 102-73 Louisville victory at Freedom Hall for going after Lawhon with a metal folding chair.
Denny Crum’s first win over Memphis sets stage for Louisville’s second Final Four run (March 11, 1972)
Denny Crum, the new University of Louisville head basketball coach, was greeted as he arrived in Louisville on April 19, 1971.
Denny Crum went 0-2 against Memphis during his first regular season at Louisville, but the Cards and Tigers finished the campaign tied atop the Missouri Valley Conference standings.
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That prompted a game March 11, 1972, in Nashville to decide which program would earn the league’s automatic NCAA Tournament bid. Here’s how the Memphis Commercial Appeal described the rowdy scene at Memorial Arena before what ended in an 83-72 victory for UofL:
“As soon as enough Tiger fans had claimed seats, chants of ‘Go to Hell, Louisville! Go to Hell!’ thundered through the concrete structure. Cardinal supporters retaliated with similar instructions.
“A pair of Memphis State supporters carrying a lengthy banner around the court met resistance. One was hit by a red pompon and then slugged. He retaliated with a short jab, but the brief fight was broken up. Seconds later, another Tiger fan holding a sign over his head was decked by a perfect flying tackle from the blind side.”
The front page of The Courier Journal’s Sports section on March 12, 1972, after Louisville basketball beat Memphis 83-72 to secure an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. The Cardinals would go on to reach the Final Four in Year 1 under the late Hall of Fame coach Denny Crum.
Six Louisville players finished in double digits, but Ken “Baby Huey” Bradley made the headlines with his 13-point, nine-rebound performance in 16 minutes off the bench.
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“Huey was THE guy,” said Price, who had 15 points and eight assists in 34 minutes, as he hoisted a cup over his head in salute.
“I was juiced up,” Bradley added. “I knew how much this meant and what I had to do.”
The Cards ended a three-year NCAA Tournament drought with the win. Crum rode on the shoulders of fans afterward, then guided the program to its second Final Four appearance.
Milt Wagner wins Louisville vs. Memphis overtime thriller in final second (March 6, 1983)
We’ve reached the section of this story where Milt Wagner takes center stage.
First: his 16-foot jumper at the buzzer to lift Louisville to a 64-62 overtime win over Memphis on March 6, 1983, at Freedom Hall. The basket made up for Rodney McCray‘s miss as time expired that would have given the Cards the victory without having to play an extra five minutes.
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“When I saw the ball was short, I said, ‘Uh-oh. Overtime,” said McCray, who played all 45 minutes and finished with 13 points and 11 rebounds. “I’m just glad, really thankful, that we got into position to take the last shot again.”
“The crowd helped me out,” Wagner added after sending most of the 16,613 fans in attendance home happy. “I knew exactly how much time I had to make a move. I congratulate them for counting down like that.”
The front page of The Courier Journal’s Sports section on March 7, 1983, after Louisville basketball beat Memphis 64-62 in overtime at Freedom Hall in Louisville, KY. The Cardinals, who would go on to reach the Final Four, won on a last-second shot from Milt Wagner.
Wagner finished with 12 points on 6-for-15 shooting and two assists in 35 minutes. Afterward, Tigers freshman Andre Turner said he thought he drew a charge, which would have been the future UofL Hall of Famer’s fifth foul, while guarding him during the final sequence.
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“I thought his shoulder was in my chest,” Turner said. “Maybe the referee didn’t think it was enough contact. But I was too off-balanced then to come back and get a hand in his face.”
Crum told reporters this game was a “great learning situation,” saying it provided an early taste of the postseason. His team would go on to beat archival Kentucky in OT to secure back-to-back Final Four appearances for the first time in program history.
“I have to breathe deep right now just to be able to talk,” Memphis coach Dana Kirk said. “You could call this Sunday afternoon entertainment at its very best.”
Louisville’s Milt Wagner does it again vs. Memphis, this time at the free-throw line (March 2, 1986)
With one second on the clock, Milt Wagner prepared to sink the first of two free throws that gave the University of Louisville a 70-69 win over Memphis State on March 2, 1986, at Freedom Hall in Louisville.
Memphis was on the verge of notching its fifth consecutive victory over Louisville when Turner missed the back end of one-and-one free throws with eight seconds to play in regulation and the Tigers leading 69-68 in front of a record crowd of 19,582 at Freedom Hall.
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The Metro Conference’s best shooter at the charity stripe (86.3% at the time) gave the Cards new life, and they made Memphis pay, winning 70-69.
Before Wagner iced the game by sinking a pair of free throws with one second on the clock, Billy Thompson asked Crum what he should do in the event Turner missed the bonus shot. The coach said, “Throw it to Milt.”
“I had a feeling he was going to miss,” Thompson told reporters afterward. “I wanted to be ready if he did. I waited for Milt to flash out to the wing, then it was off to the races — and we cashed our tickets in.”
The front page of The Courier Journal’s Sports section on March 3, 1986, after Louisville basketball beat Memphis 70-69 at Freedom Hall in Louisville, KY. The Cardinals, who would go on to win their second national championship, took down the Tigers courtesy of free throws from Milt Wagner with one second remaining in regulation.
Turner was charged with the foul that sent Wagner to the free-throw line. He was trying to flick the ball away from behind when the UofL guard hoisted up a shot over another defender from about 15 feet along the right baseline.
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In a silent Tigers locker room, raising his head from the green towel it was buried in, Turner didn’t deny fouling Wagner — saying, “I don’t have an opinion either way.” One of his teammates did, though.
“We got away with more than that in the first half,” William Bedford said.
A 49th birthday gift for Crum, perhaps? The coach was so tickled by the improbable win that he broke out in song to begin his postgame remarks to the media: “Happy birthday to me, happy birthday to me.” Twenty-nine days later, he was in Dallas celebrating his second national championship at the helm.
Louisville escapes Memphis with Conference USA Tournament championship after Darius Washington comes up empty (March 12, 2005)
Darius Washington (35) of Memphis shoots the third of three free throw attempts after time had run out in the championship game against Louisville at the Conference USA tournament in Memphis on March 12, 2005.
Eric Crawford best summarized Louisville’s 75-74 win over Memphis in the 2005 Conference USA Tournament championship game at FedExForum in the next day’s Courier Journal.
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“It’s a good thing Beale Street still has soul,” he wrote, “because yesterday the University of Louisville basketball team ripped out Memphis’ heart.”
“This was an instant classic. I knew it while we were playing it,” added Taquan Dean, who was named the tournament’s Most Valuable Player. “Every shot was bigger than the one before.”
Then, Darius Washington missed back-to-back free throws with no time remaining that would have pushed the Tigers past the Cards, who were saying their goodbyes to CUSA before moving to the Big East, and into the NCAA Tournament. Instead, coach John Calipari’s team went to the National Invitation Tournament.
The front page of The Courier Journal’s Sports section on March 13, 2005, after Louisville basketball beat Memphis to win the Conference USA Tournament. The Cardinals would go on to reach the Final Four for the first time in 19 years.
“The drama was incredible. What was at stake was enormous,” UofL coach Rick Pitino said. “We all feel bad for Darius Washington. They wouldn’t have been in that situation if not for his spectacular play.”
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Larry O’Bannon gave the Cards the lead for good with a 3 that made it 74-73 with 27 seconds to go in regulation. Then, Brad Gianiny pushed their advantage to two points when he drew a charge with less than 10 seconds on the clock. Both players missed free throws that would have put this one out of reach before Francisco Garcia fouled Washington on a buzzer-beating heave from beyond the arc.
Pitino told reporters Washington probably would have went 3 for 3 at the line instead of 1 for 3 if players were standing in their usual free-throw positions along the lane instead of waiting on pins and needles behind him. Washington slumped to the court after missing his final attempt and had to be helped off by his teammates.
This ending will forever overshadow everything that preceded it — including Louisville’s four double-digit scorers, its 51% field-goal shooting and its 15-for-23 (65.2%) clip from 3. But the game was also merely a thrilling chapter of a greater story: the program’s first trip to the Final Four since 1986.
Reach Louisville men’s basketball reporter Brooks Holton at bholton@gannett.com and follow him on X at @brooksHolton.
This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Louisville basketball’s top wins in rivalry series vs Memphis
