Memphis basketball game vs No. 4 UT Vols is 'problem' Penny Hardaway, Tigers welcome

Memphis coach Penny Hardaway won't be fooled by his in-state rivals’ status.

Tennessee basketball is ranked No. 4 in the USA Today Coaches Poll, No. 3 in the AP Poll, and inside the top 10 of KenPom’s rankings. Through eight games, the Volunteers have been showered with praise — deservedly so — but Hardaway isn't questioning their motivation.

 “They have a lot to prove,” Hardaway said on his radio show Monday night. “They feel like they are still hunting, not being the hunted.”

Last week the Vols (7-1) successfully took down the nation’s No. 1 team in the AP Poll, Gonzaga.

On Saturday in Memphis (11 a.m. CT, ESPN2), they’re in search of a different type of win against the Tigers (5-4). A victory over their rival that would attempt — if possible — to smother some of the optimism that Hardaway has cast over the entire state’s basketball landscape.

“This is one of those in-state deals where it’s about recruiting, it’s about bragging rights, it’s about a lot of things, and we have to be ready for it,” Hardaway said.

No, Tennessee wasn’t involved in the recruitment of local five-star Memphis signees James Wiseman or D.J. Jeffries. But the Vols do hold a five-star signee of their own for the Class of 2019 — Josiah James — and coach Rick Barnes’ team hasn’t needed highly touted players to reach their current level of success.

“None of these guys are really five-stars — a lot of them aren’t five-stars,” Hardaway said. “They are just guys that have chips on their shoulders and playing really hard.”

It’s a testament to what Barnes has accomplished with his four-year players since 2015, and a potential blueprint for an inexperienced coach like Hardaway to follow. From Grant Williams to Admiral Schofield to Yves Pons — one of Hardaway's noted concerns — the Vols are getting contributions from all over. 

“These guys are getting the rest of the school prepared to get the five-stars," Hardaway said. "You start playing like this, and you start to attract the players around the country that are McDonald’s All-Americans.”

That's why Hardaway referred to Tennessee as a "problem" shortly after his team's win over UAB on Saturday. He knows beating the Vols, just like any top-five team, is a tall task, but would resonate statewide and beyond. 

Top-10 wins don't come around often, especially against an in-state rival that looks to have its best team in a decade. In fact, over the past 30 years, Memphis is 14-31 against teams ranked inside the top 10 of the AP Poll.

"They are No. 3 in the nation for a reason," Hardaway said. "... We’re going to have to have to fight back, and we’re going to have to fight for 40 minutes. We can’t take off for one second in that game on Saturday.”

That's a challenge, along with its size and experience disadvantage, Hardaway welcomes as his team prepares for conference play next month. 

“We asked for this game, and we want this game, and we’ll be ready for Saturday," Hardaway said.

TICKETS:Memphis basketball vs. UT Vols game sold out

MEMPHIS VS UT::Penny Hardaway's Tigers already moving on to Tennessee

UT BASKETBALL:How the game environment vs. Gonzaga prepares Tennessee for Memphis