June 1, 2011

SPRINGFIELD, Mass. - It's official! After a six-year hoops hiatus, Memphis and Louisville are renewing their longtime rivalry in the 2011 Basketball Hall of Fame Shootout, officials from the Basketball Hall of Fame announced Wednesday.

The 2011 meeting between the Tigers and the Cardinals is scheduled for a national television broadcast on CBS Sports on Dec. 17 at 3 p.m. (CT). This year's contest at Louisville's KFC Yum! Center is the first of a two-year series between the schools, with the return game slated for FedExForum in the 2012-13 season.

"Since I got this job two years ago, our fans have talked to me on numerous occasions about the Memphis-Louisville rivalry, and how much they want to renew the series," said Memphis head coach Josh Pastner. "This is a great rivalry not only for the schools and their fans, but it's also one of college basketball's top rivalries.

"I have a tremendous respect for Coach (Rick) Pitino and what he has done throughout his career and at Louisville. We are looking forward to an exciting and hard-fought game with the Cardinals."

The December contest will be the 86th meeting between the rivals, with the Cardinals holding a 51-34 advantage in the series. The Louisville series is the second-longest in Tiger basketball history. The Memphis-Southern Miss series became the longest in school history this past season with the 86th encounter coming in the 2011 Conference USA Tournament quarterfinal round.

The 2011 meeting between Memphis and Louisville is the first since the two programs met in the 2005 Conference USA Tournament championship game. The Cardinals won that contest 75-74. In the last 10 meetings between the Tigers and Cardinals from 2000-05, Louisville holds a 6-4 advantage.

In addition to being fellow C-USA members from 1996-2005, Memphis and Louisville also competed as league foes in the Missouri Valley Conference from 1968-73 and Metro Conference from 1976-91.

The Shootout is the third Basketball Hall of Fame event in which the Tigers have participated in recent seasons. In 2004-05, Memphis played Maryland in the Hall of Fame Tip-Off Classic held in Springfield, and dropped an 84-61 decision to the Terrapins. Then, in 2009-10, the Tigers played in the Hall of Fame Showcase, posting a 3-1 record in the event. Memphis dropped a narrow 57-55 decision to No. 1 Kansas in St. Louis, Mo., and recorded three home victories over Tennessee Tech, Central Arkansas and Oakland.