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Tennessee basketball: 10 memorable games between Vols and Memphis Tigers

By Caleb Calhoun

MEMPHIS, TN - FEBRUARY 23: Robert Dozier #2 of the Memphis Tigers jumps against Tyler Smith #1 of the Tennessee Volunteers at FedExForum on February 23, 2008 in Memphis, Tennessee. (Photo by Joe Murphy/Getty Images)
MEMPHIS, TN - FEBRUARY 23: Robert Dozier #2 of the Memphis Tigers jumps against Tyler Smith #1 of the Tennessee Volunteers at FedExForum on February 23, 2008 in Memphis, Tennessee. (Photo by Joe Murphy/Getty Images) /
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Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images
Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images /

4. 2006-2007: Tennessee beats Memphis  76-58 (Game played Dec. 6, 2006)

The rivalry has had many close and intense match-ups in its history. This was neither of those things. But it’s one of the most memorable because of how it heightened the bitterness exemplified between the two schools.

Tennessee basketball and Memphis had renewed the rivalry the year before. The Tigers were at their peak under John Calipari, but the Vols were coming up behind them under Bruce Pearl. However, Memphis fans tried to treat the basketball comparisons between the two schools as a reverse version of the football comparisons.

Their efforts to do that led them to treat the Vols as some sort of little brother. Their team was 6-2 heading into the matchup, and Memphis was 5-2 but somehow the ranked team at No. 16. Bruce Pearl said before the game that nobody respects the Vols less than Memphis and it should bother the fans.

Well, it did. Thompson-Boling Arena was a packed house for this one, Pearl’s team was able to unleash its frustration. The star, to nobody’s surprise, was Chris Lofton. Just a three-point specialist the year before, Lofton unveiled his newfound skill of putting the ball on the floor and driving to the basket.

Memphis wasn’t prepared, and Lofton torched them. At one point, he had 21 points while Memphis as a team had 20. He finished with 34 points overall and went 6-of-11 from the three-point line as UT dominated. This was the game that forced Memphis to remember which program was the big boy in the state. And it was super sweet for Vols fans everywhere.

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