Tennessee basketball: 10 memorable games between Vols and Memphis Tigers

10. 2010-2011: Tennessee beats Memphis 104-84 (Game played Jan. 6, 2011)

By default, we have to keep all the games in which both teams eventually made the NCAA Tournament on here. This one is unique because the rivalry was dying down with Josh Pastner in his second year leading the Memphis Tigers and Bruce Pearl under fire for his recruiting scandal. And it was also an unexciting game in the grand scheme of things.

Nonetheless, this was a significant victory for the Vols and the series.Tennessee basketball traveled to the FedEx Forum trying to right a rough ship. After a 7-0 start and Top 10 ranking, the distractions behind the recruiting scandal wrecked the Vols, and they went on a 2-4 stretch, with three bad losses to non-Power Five schools.

Memphis was heading in with a ton of hype behind a No. 1 recruiting class that Pastner had brought in. Their only two losses were to the No. 10 ranked Georgetown Hoyas and No. 4 ranked Kansas Jayhawks.

They were still in the Top 25 and had a chance at a signature victory. But in an upset, Pearl had his guys ready and made sure that didn’t happen. Tobias Harris recorded a double-double with 17 points and 13 rebounds.

On top of that, the Vols shot red-hot from the outside. Melvin Goins went 4-of-4 from the three-point line, and Scottie Hopson, Josh Bone and Jordan McRae all went 2-of-3. It was one of the greatest offensive performances in school history, and that it came against a ranked Memphis team only made it sweeter.