Memphis gets the measuring-stick opener Penny Hardaway wanted

Memphis gets the measuring-stick opener Penny Hardaway wanted originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.Memphis will not ease into the season. The Tigers begin Monday against Iowa State at the Sanford Pentagon in Sioux Falls, a neutral-site opener that puts them opposite a team expected to compete near the top of the Big 12.Iowa State gives Memphis an immediate measuring stickThat is precisely what makes the game useful for Memphis. A season opener against a strong opponent can expose what still needs work, but it can also establish a team’s confidence before the schedule fills with conference play. Memphis coach Penny Hardaway described the matchup when it was announced as an opportunity to measure the Tigers against a perennial top-10 program.NEW: Memphis coach Penny Hardaway is at ease headed into his biggest season yet. “I don’t feel pressure,” he said. Here’s what to expect when Memphis meets No. 18 Iowa State tomorrow night (6 p.m., FS1). My story for @BluffCity_Media: https://t.co/b6Q01zSwYY— Roman Cleary (@RoAClear) November 1, 2026Iowa State also has an immediate opportunity to set a tone. The Cyclones enter ranked No. 18 in the preseason AP poll, and their game against Memphis gives them an early test away from home. The setting is technically neutral, but the pressure is real: teams with national ambitions want to begin the season looking like they belong in the rankings.The teams meet again with a fresh startThe programs have met only once before. Iowa State won that 2021 game, 78-59, in the NIT Season Tip-Off in Brooklyn. That result gives Memphis a small piece of unfinished business, though the rosters and circumstances have changed since then. Monday is a fresh contest, not a continuation of that game.The Sanford Pentagon adds a distinctive backdrop. Memphis has played there before, while both teams will open a new season in front of a crowd in Sioux Falls that will get an early look at high-level college basketball.MORE: UConn may have found its next breakout star in freshman Colben LandrewOpening day in college basketballFor the Tigers, a strong performance would immediately validate the value of scheduling a challenging opener. For Iowa State, it is the first chance to show that its preseason standing reflects a team ready to perform under pressure.More college basketball news:Isaiah Evans' NBA Draft accessories are worth more than his rookie contractJohn Calipari says college athletics is broken — Here’s his plan to fix itHow Dusty May's Michigan contract, buyout impacts the Dallas Mavericks