The Tennessee Tech Golden Eagles don’t exactly roll off the tongue when you consider the Tigers’ historical rivals. But for 30 years (starting with the 1931-32 season and ending in 1960-61), these teams typically played twice each winter. The most significant Tiger win came on March 4, 1952, a victory that earned Memphis the NAIB state championship (and qualified them to play in the NAIB national tournament, where they lost in the second round).
When the annual series was discontinued after the 1960-61 season, each team had won 24 games. Memphis has won the only two meetings since, in January 1993 and in the third round of the 2002 NIT.
• November 20th has been good to the Tigers of late, with wins each of the last three seasons. The U of M beat Oklahoma in 2006 (in Maui), Arkansas State in 2007, and Chattanooga last year (in Puerto Rico).
