Vols' Rick Barnes won't say whether Tennessee vs. Memphis basketball series should continue

Rick Barnes declined to speculate as to what should happen with the Tennessee vs. Memphis basketball rivalry when the current three-year game contract ends.

What he'd rather focus on is the challenge that will await the Vols when the teams meet on Saturday (3 p.m. ET, ESPN) at Thompson-Boling Arena.

“They’re a talented group of guys that play with confidence,” Tennessee's coach said Tuesday.

Tennessee (7-1) and Memphis (8-1) are tied for the No. 17 ranking in the latest USA TODAY coaches poll. A ranked matchup between instate rivals would be enough cause for excitement. It is enhanced by the backdrop of last season’s squabble between Barnes and Memphis coach Penny Hardaway — though Barnes claims that's been overblown.

“I just think people have tried to make something out of nothing,” Barnes said. “I’ve got great respect for what he has done, and I know what he means to Memphis and the program he’s built there. He’s done a great job recruiting. He’s done a great job coaching his guys.”

This will mark the second installment of a three-year game contract the teams agreed to in 2018. The Vols beat Memphis 102-92 at FedExForum last season. Tension and tempers bubbled during the game and continued afterward with verbal sparring between Barnes and Hardaway.

The three-game contract will conclude next season with a game at Nashville's Bridgestone Arena in December 2020.

What past then?

“You’re going to build the schedule based on where your program is and the opportunities that are out there,” Barnes said. “I’ve said before: I don’t know where it goes from here. I know this: We’re playing them now. I think it’s been good for everybody. I think it’ll be good next year for us in Nashville. As your schedule opportunities come up, you’ve got to look at it and evaluate it.”

WNML reported in November that Barnes said he doesn’t think the rivalry will be renewed beyond 2020.

“There’s a lot of really good basketball teams in this state, and there’s no way we can play every team in this state,” Barnes said Tuesday. “And we are the state university.”

Penny Hardaway vs. Rick Barnes

Last year’s contest featured some heated moments, including a late-game skirmish near the scorer's table after technical fouls were assessed to players on each team. Hardaway said some of Barnes' players approached his team with "fists balled, talking trash." 

Animosity lingered.

Barnes denied any of his players showed aggression toward the Tigers and accused the Memphis coaching staff of teaching flopping. Hardaway fired back. During a news conference, he called Barnes' comments "low class" and later added, "Rick Barnes, get the (expletive) out of here." 

Barnes said he hasn’t spoken to Hardaway since last winter’s dust-up but added that’s “not unusual” because he didn’t cross paths with the Memphis coach on the recruiting trail.

The coaches moved to de-escalate the situation with some tame comments during each coach’s respective radio show on Monday.

Memphis on a winning streak

Memphis has won six in a row since a loss to Oregon. It has victories over a pair of Power 5 programs — North Carolina State and Mississippi.

The Tigers will be without freshman James Wiseman, the nation’s No. 1-ranked signee from last year's recruiting class. He’s serving a 12-game NCAA suspension for eligibility concerns.

Another five-star freshman, Precious Achiuwa, leads the team in scoring at 13.9 points per game. The Tigers have no juniors on the roster and one senior.

Tennessee leads the all-time series with Memphis 15-11, dating to 1969.

“Honestly, it's going to be a great game,” Hardaway said Monday on his radio show. “It's going to be chess, to be honest with you, because we don't know how the refs are going to call it." 

 The Commercial Appeal's Jason Munz contributed to this story.

Blake Toppmeyer covers University of Tennessee athletics. Email him at blake.toppmeyer@knoxnews.com and follow him on Twitter @btoppmeyer. If you enjoy Blake’s coverage, consider a digital subscription that will allow you access to all of it.