RE: More chatter about Memphis-UL playing at Madison Square Garden
pitt vs west virginia is a fairly big rivalry as well...in all sports.
there are others that are as intense, but the louisville vs memphis rivalry makes for better story telling. this is a little before my time, so cardinal and tiger fans should feel free to correct my inaccuracies, but...
-in the days of the missouri valley conference in the 1970s, louisville and memphis were two of the better teams. in denny crum's first year the two teams were tied and only one was getting to go to the ncaa tournament. louisville won the one game playoff in a game denny crum referred to as the most intense game he was ever in until they met kentucky in the elite eight about ten years later. louisville went to the final four that year. memphis went home and watched a team that they felt they were just as good as go to the final four.
-the two then joined the metro and the classic battles continued. i wasn't even five years old, but i did grow up in louisville and remember the heart attack game. i don't know all the facts, but two fans at the game actually suffered heart attacks.
-this may be exaggerated, but at one point someone at memphis threw a knife at rodney mccray. i don't know how much of htis is fact and how much of this is folklore, though. again, i was too young.
-the old metro breaks up. (which was a good conference of louisville, south carolina, florida state, memphis, cincinnati, and a few others i can't recall). memphis lands in the great midwest, which on the surface appears much better than what's left of the metro. louisville is livid.
-five years later (or however long it was) the two are reunited in conference usa and the rivalry resumes. it's intense, but it's no longer quite as intense as it used to be. nevertheless, it has it's highlights. things got kicked off in the 1995 ncaa tournament just before they were to rejoin the same conference. memphis whiped the floor with louisville. during the regular season the following year, unranked louisville blew out a top ten memphis team in front of a roccous crowd at freedom hall. i went to that game with my dad, and still have the tape (now, dvd) of the game. it turned louisville's season around, but memphis got revenge later that year.
-approx. ten years later the whole thing with the big east went down. within that ten years, it was a rivalry, but louisville had some bad seasons in the final years of crum, and it took memphis awhile to kick it into gear as well, so it wasn't quite the same as the old metro days. when the rivalry ended, it was at it's hottest point. in 2004-2005, memphis was left out, and louisville got in. memphis was livid. memphis was also hosting the conference usa tournamnet, and after an underachieving season needed the automatic bid to get in. memphis advanced to the finals. memphis was not only in the finals, but playing their old rivals who were leaving for the big east without them. the building was off the hook with intensity, and the game was one of the best the two have ever played. it ended iwth that memorable scene at the freethrow line. louisville went dancing. louisville made the final four. memphis, again, watched a team that they nearly beat to make the ncaa tournament advance to the final four.
-i don't know how this happened, but louisville got it into their heads that memphis ws trying to prevent them from going to the big east. maybe there is some truth to that. maybe not. i'm not an insider. memphis wants to resume the rivalry with an annual out of conference game, and espn is interested as well. louisville is not. memphis feels dissed, and continues to hate louisville despite the fact that htey don't play.
-it's crazy how things work out. since louisville has left memphis behind, memphis has cleary been more successful. they've been to three elite eights, and a national championship game. they've been ranked in the top 25 virtually the entire time. they've never been seeded below a #2, and they're on tv seemingly 20+ times a year. what's interesting, at least to me, is that when memphis left louisville behind in what was left of the metro, the opposite happened. louisville went on to field top ten teams and get good seeds and go deep into the tournamnet. i still remember that fantastic team in 1993-1994 of dwayne morton, greg minor, cliff rozier and dejuan wheat. they were bounced early in the ncaa's, but it was in an upset if i recall. that was a top ten caliber team. memphis didn't have a team that was nearly that good until about ten years later.
the two should play each other. they need to realize that it's good for both of them. i can't help but think the reasons the two don't play each other are entirely personal, and have nothing to do with professional. i've heard many louisville fans say they don't need to play memphis and have nothing to gain. well, that may be true, but when you get to the level that louisville is on you really don't need anyone. you're already at the top, and you could say "we don't need to play them" about virtually anyone. the fact of the matter is that it is a great game for both teams to play in, and that's why it should be played. look what happened the last time the two teams met. don't just take your ball and go home after a game like that!!! i, as a fan, want more!!!
(This post was last modified: 07-21-2008 11:00 AM by 3rd Wise Man.)
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More chatter about Memphis-UL playing at Madison Square Garden
