Memphis took a break last season from being ridiculously talented and athletic after losing head coach John Calipari but that should all be back to normal in 2010-11 as second year head coach Josh Pastner reeled in probably the top class in the country this offseason. While this news is great if you are a fan of the Tigers, it is not so great if you are a fan of Gonzaga as the two teams will square off on February 5th next season.
The game will likely take place at the Spokane Arena and this series has really become a staple in the national basketball landscape as it pits two of the best non-BCS teams against eachother. As good as both programs are, the series has been very lopsided with Memphis winning four of five over the Zags. Last season Mark Few got his team off the schnied and eeked out a win at the FedEx Forum. While this win is a nice confidence booster for our boys in blue, white, and red, I don't imagine it wiill have much of an impact on next year's game as they will be taking on a very, very, very different Tiger team. Josh Pastner will have eight new players to choose from next season including three Rivals.com five-star prospects in Will Barton, Joe Jackson, and Jelan Kendrick. Many wondered if Pastner could make the transition from lead recruiter to head coach and I would say that so far, he has done a pretty damn nice job.
By the time February rolls around, I think you can fully expect this game to be a match up of two top-15 teams. Gonzaga shouldn't be getting a whole lot of resistance next year from the WCC and the same can probably be said for Memphis and C-USA. It should be an absolute dandy at the Spokane Arena.