Welcome back to Memphis, Tennessee Vols. You should come around more often | Giannotto

Rick Barnes was pretty blunt this time.

The Tennessee men’s basketball coach was asked Thursday about the chances of scheduling Memphis again and almost immediately shut down any thought of it.

“I don’t see it happening,” Barnes responded before discussing "the opportunities that we have nationally."

You may think he’s wrong – indeed, I think he’s wrong – but at least the first part sounded genuine.

At least he didn’t completely duck the question like Tennessee football coach Josh Heupel did when the Big Orange Caravan made its stop at the Memphis Botanic Garden.

“I’m not in charge of scheduling, but (coach) Ryan (Silverfield) does a really good job over there,” Heupel said as he answered the football version of the question Memphis sports fans most want to know when it concerns the flagship university across the state.

None of it should be surprising at this point. Tennessee has made clear through actions and words that it likes recruiting in Memphis, and fundraising in Memphis, and having a medical school in Memphis. It just doesn’t really like playing games in Memphis – against the Tigers or anyone else.

That’s what should be galling to everyone who lives in Memphis, especially the loyal Vols fans who lined up out the door in their orange and white gear awaiting this rare appearance featuring Heupel, Barnes, new women’s basketball coach Kim Caldwell and athletic director Danny White in West Tennessee. The mindset shouldn't be acceptable, especially if White wants to continue claiming Memphis is "an orange town" like he tried to Thursday.

The fact that Memphis and Tennessee haven’t played in football since 2010 can at least be justified by how far out scheduling takes place, and how uncertain the landscape has become. Then again, Memphis and Tennessee figured out how to play football against one another regularly for the better part of four decades.

That the men’s basketball series can’t continue also makes some sense because of how the most recent one played out. The 2019 game that never happened because Memphis had too many positive COVID-19 tests, combined with the testy public exchanges between Penny Hardaway and Barnes after the Vols’ last visit to FedExForum during the Tigers coach's first season, has rendered rekindling the rivalry essentially a non-starter as long as Barnes is coaching in Knoxville.

At least there’s some bad blood almost certainly involved, however petty it may be.

But from 1998 to 2012, Memphis and Tennessee played every year in men’s basketball. They again played annually between 2005 and 2012, highlighted by the No. 1 vs. No. 2 matchup at FedExForum in 2008.

The only way it’s changing any time soon is if Tennessee lawmakers get involved the way their colleagues in North Carolina might. This week, prominent Republican House members there filed a bill that would require North Carolina and North Carolina State to play at least one game per season against either East Carolina, Appalachian State and Charlotte regularly in football and basketball.

But a political movement shouldn’t be necessary. It doesn’t even have to start with football and men’s basketball. What about every other sport, beyond the marquee ones?

Tennessee hosted Memphis in women’s basketball last season – their first meeting in 22 years – and will play in Memphis (at FedExForum) against the Tigers for the first time since 2001 during the 2024-25 season. Memphis and Tennessee had a home-and-home series almost every year between 1974 and 2002. It took Memphis hiring one of Pat Summitt’s former players as coach (Alex Simmons) to get that going again.

Memphis women’s soccer hasn’t played Tennessee since 2009, and hasn’t hosted Tennessee since 1996. The two schools have played just three times overall despite the Tigers having a nationally relevant program over the past decade.

Memphis volleyball hasn’t played Tennessee since 2014 and last hosted the Lady Vols in 1999.

Memphis men’s tennis could face Tennessee in an NCAA regional in Knoxville this weekend, but it has never hosted the Vols over seven previous meetings since 2002. Memphis women’s tennis has only played Tennessee once – in Knoxville in 2018.

Memphis baseball hosted Tennessee in 2017 for a three-game series and last played the Vols in 2018. Memphis softball played against Tennessee in Columbia, Tennessee, in 2022 and had a scheduled game against the Lady Vols in Columbia canceled in April.

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It means, over the past 10 years, only two Tennessee teams (baseball and men’s basketball) have played a total of four games here. How is that possible for an area that supposedly means so much to the university and its teams.

“We know there’s a ton of alums and Tennessee fans here in Memphis. Memphis is an orange town. That’s why we’re here,” White said initially.

“Memphis is a huge priority for us,” he said later. “We’ll always be open to opportunities (to play here).”

“This is a big part of Tennessee football,” Heupel noted at one point.

If only the sentiment seemed genuine.

You can reach Commercial Appeal columnist Mark Giannotto via email at mgiannotto@gannett.com and follow him on X: @mgiannotto

This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: Tennessee Big Orange Caravan came to Memphis. Vols should be here more