Memphis hosts VCU in home opener, seeking 25th straight home-opening win
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The gist
Memphis (1-0) hosts VCU (1-0) at FedExForum on Saturday, chasing a 25th straight home-opener win.
VCU is a slight favorite; Memphis is without its star big man.
Background
Memphis is coached by Penny Hardaway, in his ninth year and 8-0 in home openers, and is coming off a 13-19 season. VCU is coached by Phil Martelli Jr., whose team won a share of the Atlantic 10 (A-10, a US college conference) regular-season title and the conference tournament in his first year, then reached the 2026 NCAA Tournament as a No. 11 seed. The game opens a home-and-home series, with the return at VCU's Siegel Center in either 2027 or 2028. Memphis is without star Serbian big man Nemanja Popović for five games, and Hardaway said the team reshuffled its offense around that absence.
How it unfolded
- Nov 2, 2026Memphis beat No. 18 Iowa State 80-76 in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, in its season opener; one source gives the score as 80-74.
- Nov 2, 2026VCU opened with an 82-72 win over Little Rock, shooting 48 free throws.
- Nov 7, 2026Memphis (1-0) hosts VCU (1-0) at FedExForum at 2 p.m. CT, streamed on ESPN+; Memphis is seeking its 25th consecutive home-opener win and leads the all-time series 6-3.
Key terms
- Atlantic 10
- A NCAA Division I collegiate athletic conference whose member schools are mostly on the U.S. East Coast and Midwest.
- NCAA Tournament
- Describes a college basketball team suited to the single-elimination NCAA tournament played mostly in March.
- seed
- A stage in a knockout tournament with sixteen competitors, from which winners advance to the quarter-finals.
Source: Wikipedia
Who’s saying what
- Analysts
- Roman Cleary of the Roaclear Substack predicted Memphis fends off VCU, citing Memphis' backcourt depth and VCU shooting under 40% from the field and 3-point range against Little Rock.
- Bulls
- Kalshi gives VCU a 54% chance to win, with a winning margin of about 1.5 points.
- Caution
- Memphis coach Penny Hardaway said his reshuffled group is "gonna keep plugging away, keep fighting to get our respect."
Still unverified
Sources give conflicting scores for Memphis' opener against Iowa State (80-76 vs. 80-74) and conflicting totals for this game (about 159.5 vs. 156.5); the return game at VCU is set for either 2027 or 2028 depending on whether the teams meet in next year's American/Atlantic 10 challenge.