Sport | Football, basketball, others |
---|---|
First meeting | 1966 |
The CincinnatiβMemphis rivalry is a college sports rivalry between the University of Cincinnati Bearcats and the University of Memphis Tigers. The rivalry between these two schools dates to their first college football game in 1966, and has continued across all sports, with the men's basketball series gaining attention as well, having started in 1968. The schools have also shared conferences historically, with the rivalry stretching over the span of five conferences from the Missouri Valley Conference, to the Metro Conference, Great Midwest Conference, Conference USA, and more recently in the American Athletic Conference. [1] [2] [3]
Cincinnati | Memphis | |
---|---|---|
Founded | 1819 | 1912 |
Type | Public | Public |
Location | Cincinnati, OH | Memphis, TN |
Conference | Big 12 | American |
Students | 44,338 | 21,521 |
School colors | ||
Nickname | Bearcats | Tigers |
Stadium | Nippert Stadium | Liberty Bowl |
Arena | Fifth Third Arena | FedExForum |
Both universities share histories in their founding as small city universities into large universities with prominent Division 1 athletic programs. The schools would first face off as members of the Missouri Valley Conference in the 1960s and then both schools would be founding members of the Metro Conference, Great Midwest Conference, and Conference USA. The schools were reunited as conference rivals due to the 2010β2014 NCAA conference realignment as members of the American Athletic Conference. While the rivalry was represented annually in football, the true intensity of the rivalry was felt more deeply on the basketball court.
Since the founding of the American, the schools have had many notable contests in various sports. Most recently, with the football teams facing off in the 2019 American Athletic Conference Football Championship Game, with Memphis claiming the victory.
Sport | College football |
---|---|
First meeting | November 19, 1966 Memphis, 26β14 |
Latest meeting | October 31, 2020 Cincinnati, 49β10 |
Next meeting | TBD |
Statistics | |
Meetings total | 37 |
All-time series | Memphis leads, 23β14 [4] |
Longest win streak | Memphis, 8 (1966β1974) |
Current win streak | Cincinnati, 1 (2020βpresent) |
November 24, 2001: Memphis was searching for their first winning season since 1994 and the story looked complete when the Tigers scored a touchdown with 2:16 left in the 4th quarter. However, Bearcats QB Gino Guidugli led a 75 yard drive, including a 36-yard catch on 4th and 27, that would end with the Bearcats scoring a touchdown with 4 seconds left to win 36β34. [5]
September 24, 2015: In a primetime Thursday night match, Memphis QB Paxton Lynch and Cincinnati QB Hayden Moore led a 99 point shootout. Moore, replacing the injured Gunner Kiel during the first quarter, would set a Cincinnati record throwing for 557 yards. Despite surrendering the most yards in Memphis football history, the Tigers would win the game 53β46. [6]
December 7, 2019: In what would be Mike Norvell's final game at Memphis, the No. 20 Bearcats and No. 17 Tigers clashed for the second consecutive week in the 2019 American Athletic Conference Football Championship Game. Bearcats QB Desmond Ridder returned from injury to start and the teams went blow for blow, with the game having 6 lead changes. However, the Tigers once again proved to be too much for the Bearcats and would win 29β24 to clinch an appearance in the 2019 Cotton Bowl Classic. [7]
Rankings are from the AP Poll (1936βpresent), CFP Poll (2014βpresent)
Cincinnati victories | Memphis victories | Tie games |
|
Category | Cincinnati | Memphis |
---|---|---|
Cincinnati, OH | 9 | 8 |
Memphis, TN | 5 | 15 |
Sport | College basketball |
---|---|
First meeting | January 22, 1968 Cincinnati 75 β Memphis 68 |
Latest meeting | February 26, 2023 Memphis 76 β Cincinnati 73 |
Statistics | |
Meetings total | 84 |
All-time series | Cincinnati leads, 47β38 |
Largest victory | Cincinnati by 34 (December 31, 2017) |
Longest win streak | Memphis, 11 (January 13, 1982 β January 10, 1987) |
Current win streak | Memphis, 3 (February 11, 2021βpresent) |
Cincinnati | Memphis | |
---|---|---|
First Season | 1901 | 1920 |
NCAA Championships | 2 | 0 |
NCAA Final Fours | 6 | 3* |
NCAA Tournament Appearances | 33 | 26* |
Conference Championships | 29 | 14* |
Conference tournament Championships | 12 | 11* |
All-Americans | 44 | 38 |
Consensus 1st Team All-Americans | 8 | 4 |
Player of the Year | 3 | 0 |
Conference Player of the Year | 10 | 12 |
The teams have faced off 84 times in basketball series history, with Cincinnati leading the all-time series 47β36 (and one win vacated by Memphis) as of the 2021β22 season. The teams have played six times in conference tournaments with Cincinnati leading 5β1. Memphis and Cincinnati have faced off once in the NCAA tournament, with Cincinnati leading 1β0.
March 29, 1992: In a rare coincidence, the Tigers and Bearcats faced off for the fourth time during the 1991β92 season, this time in the NCAA Elite Eight. Nick Van Exel and Cincinnati defeated Great Midwest Player of the Year Penny Hardaway in the two regular season matchups and in the tournament final hosted in Chicago. No. 12 Cincinnati would prove to be too much for the Tigers again in Kansas City beating the Tigers 88β57 before falling to the Michigan Fab Five in the Final Four.
February 6, 1993: After four defeats in the prior season, Memphis and Penny Hardaway were ready for blood when the Bearcats visited the Memphis Pyramid. The No. 4 Bearcats were defeated by the Tigers 68β66, recording Memphis their 1,000 program win and what would be Hardaway's only win as a player against Cincinnati. [9]
March 1, 1997: The No. 9 Bearcats were defeated in Memphis 75β63, in what became famously Memphis coach Larry Finch's final game as he was forced to resign by University of Memphis administrators. He would leave as Memphis's winningest coach of all time. [10]
March 3, 2002: Steve Logan and the No. 4 Bearcats came into their senior day game against the Tigers having won or shared each of Conference USA's six regular season titles, but the Tigers battled furiously to top Cincinnati. Cincinnati missed all 16 of their three-point attempts, with senior Logan having to take charge and tie the game with only 6.9 seconds left to send it to overtime. The Bearcats would prevail in the OT period 80β75. [11]
March 1, 2003: The Bearcats entered the game holding a six-game winning streak at the expense of the Tigers. Memphis dominated the second half and led by 23 points from Chris Massie, Memphis won, 67β48, handing Cincinnati its worst defeat in eight years of Conference USA play. [9]
March 6, 2004: No. 20 Memphis visited No. 13 Cincinnati having won 12 of their previous 13 games. In the regular season finale, Bearcat Tony Bobbitt would sink a critical three-pointer to give UC the lead with 36 seconds remaining. Cincinnati would win 83β79. [12]
March 5, 2005: It what would be Bob Huggins final game as against Memphis as Cincinnati's Head Coach, the No. 22 Bearcats won in a game with a bizarre ending. Mistakenly believing the Bearcats to have the lead, James White received the inbound and scored a lazy shot with only a few seconds remaining. That basket would prove to be the difference in beating John Calipari's Tigers 62β60. [13]
January 4, 2014: In the first game of the two teams in the American Athletic Conference, the Bearcats came storming into FedExForum to take on the No. 18 Tigers. Cincinnati would topple Memphis 69β53. Both teams would advance to the 2014 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament as the rivalry was rekindled in the new conference. [14]
Rankings are from the AP Poll (1936βpresent)
Cincinnati victories | Memphis victories | Tie games | Vacated wins [n 1] |
|
Source [16]
A
1987 Metro Conference men's basketball tournament
B
1992 Great Midwest Conference men's basketball tournament
C
1992 NCAA Elite Eight
D
1993 Great Midwest Conference men's basketball tournament
E
1994 Great Midwest Conference men's basketball tournament
F
1995 Great Midwest Conference men's basketball tournament
G
2018 American Athletic Conference men's basketball tournament
Category | Cincinnati | Memphis |
---|---|---|
Cincinnati, OH | 28 | 13 |
Chicago, IL | 1 | 0 |
Highland Heights, KY | 1 | 0 |
Kansas City, MO | 1 | 0 |
Louisville, KY | 0 | 1 |
Memphis, TN | 14 | 23 |
Milwaukee, WI | 1 | 0 |
Orlando, FL | 1 | 0 |
Category | Cincinnati | Memphis |
---|---|---|
Amway Center | 1 | 0 |
Armory Fieldhouse | 4 | 0 |
BB&T Arena | 1 | 0 |
Bradley Center | 1 | 0 |
Chicago Stadium | 1 | 0 |
Cincinnati Gardens | 2 | 1 |
FedExForum | 4 | 6 |
Shoemaker Center Fifth Third Arena |
18 | 5 |
Freedom Hall | 0 | 1 |
Kemper Arena | 1 | 0 |
Riverfront Coliseum | 4 | 7 |
Memphis Pyramid | 4 | 5 |
Mid-South Coliseum | 6 | 12 |
First playing in the 1977β78 season, Memphis now leads the all-time series 36β24 as of the end of the 2020β21 season. [17] [18]
The baseball teams have met a total of 137 times since 1962, with Memphis leading the series 67β50 as of the end of the 2021 season. [19] [20]
Sport | Football, basketball, others |
---|---|
First meeting | 1966 |
The CincinnatiβMemphis rivalry is a college sports rivalry between the University of Cincinnati Bearcats and the University of Memphis Tigers. The rivalry between these two schools dates to their first college football game in 1966, and has continued across all sports, with the men's basketball series gaining attention as well, having started in 1968. The schools have also shared conferences historically, with the rivalry stretching over the span of five conferences from the Missouri Valley Conference, to the Metro Conference, Great Midwest Conference, Conference USA, and more recently in the American Athletic Conference. [1] [2] [3]
Cincinnati | Memphis | |
---|---|---|
Founded | 1819 | 1912 |
Type | Public | Public |
Location | Cincinnati, OH | Memphis, TN |
Conference | Big 12 | American |
Students | 44,338 | 21,521 |
School colors | ||
Nickname | Bearcats | Tigers |
Stadium | Nippert Stadium | Liberty Bowl |
Arena | Fifth Third Arena | FedExForum |
Both universities share histories in their founding as small city universities into large universities with prominent Division 1 athletic programs. The schools would first face off as members of the Missouri Valley Conference in the 1960s and then both schools would be founding members of the Metro Conference, Great Midwest Conference, and Conference USA. The schools were reunited as conference rivals due to the 2010β2014 NCAA conference realignment as members of the American Athletic Conference. While the rivalry was represented annually in football, the true intensity of the rivalry was felt more deeply on the basketball court.
Since the founding of the American, the schools have had many notable contests in various sports. Most recently, with the football teams facing off in the 2019 American Athletic Conference Football Championship Game, with Memphis claiming the victory.
Sport | College football |
---|---|
First meeting | November 19, 1966 Memphis, 26β14 |
Latest meeting | October 31, 2020 Cincinnati, 49β10 |
Next meeting | TBD |
Statistics | |
Meetings total | 37 |
All-time series | Memphis leads, 23β14 [4] |
Longest win streak | Memphis, 8 (1966β1974) |
Current win streak | Cincinnati, 1 (2020βpresent) |
November 24, 2001: Memphis was searching for their first winning season since 1994 and the story looked complete when the Tigers scored a touchdown with 2:16 left in the 4th quarter. However, Bearcats QB Gino Guidugli led a 75 yard drive, including a 36-yard catch on 4th and 27, that would end with the Bearcats scoring a touchdown with 4 seconds left to win 36β34. [5]
September 24, 2015: In a primetime Thursday night match, Memphis QB Paxton Lynch and Cincinnati QB Hayden Moore led a 99 point shootout. Moore, replacing the injured Gunner Kiel during the first quarter, would set a Cincinnati record throwing for 557 yards. Despite surrendering the most yards in Memphis football history, the Tigers would win the game 53β46. [6]
December 7, 2019: In what would be Mike Norvell's final game at Memphis, the No. 20 Bearcats and No. 17 Tigers clashed for the second consecutive week in the 2019 American Athletic Conference Football Championship Game. Bearcats QB Desmond Ridder returned from injury to start and the teams went blow for blow, with the game having 6 lead changes. However, the Tigers once again proved to be too much for the Bearcats and would win 29β24 to clinch an appearance in the 2019 Cotton Bowl Classic. [7]
Rankings are from the AP Poll (1936βpresent), CFP Poll (2014βpresent)
Cincinnati victories | Memphis victories | Tie games |
|
Category | Cincinnati | Memphis |
---|---|---|
Cincinnati, OH | 9 | 8 |
Memphis, TN | 5 | 15 |
Sport | College basketball |
---|---|
First meeting | January 22, 1968 Cincinnati 75 β Memphis 68 |
Latest meeting | February 26, 2023 Memphis 76 β Cincinnati 73 |
Statistics | |
Meetings total | 84 |
All-time series | Cincinnati leads, 47β38 |
Largest victory | Cincinnati by 34 (December 31, 2017) |
Longest win streak | Memphis, 11 (January 13, 1982 β January 10, 1987) |
Current win streak | Memphis, 3 (February 11, 2021βpresent) |
Cincinnati | Memphis | |
---|---|---|
First Season | 1901 | 1920 |
NCAA Championships | 2 | 0 |
NCAA Final Fours | 6 | 3* |
NCAA Tournament Appearances | 33 | 26* |
Conference Championships | 29 | 14* |
Conference tournament Championships | 12 | 11* |
All-Americans | 44 | 38 |
Consensus 1st Team All-Americans | 8 | 4 |
Player of the Year | 3 | 0 |
Conference Player of the Year | 10 | 12 |
The teams have faced off 84 times in basketball series history, with Cincinnati leading the all-time series 47β36 (and one win vacated by Memphis) as of the 2021β22 season. The teams have played six times in conference tournaments with Cincinnati leading 5β1. Memphis and Cincinnati have faced off once in the NCAA tournament, with Cincinnati leading 1β0.
March 29, 1992: In a rare coincidence, the Tigers and Bearcats faced off for the fourth time during the 1991β92 season, this time in the NCAA Elite Eight. Nick Van Exel and Cincinnati defeated Great Midwest Player of the Year Penny Hardaway in the two regular season matchups and in the tournament final hosted in Chicago. No. 12 Cincinnati would prove to be too much for the Tigers again in Kansas City beating the Tigers 88β57 before falling to the Michigan Fab Five in the Final Four.
February 6, 1993: After four defeats in the prior season, Memphis and Penny Hardaway were ready for blood when the Bearcats visited the Memphis Pyramid. The No. 4 Bearcats were defeated by the Tigers 68β66, recording Memphis their 1,000 program win and what would be Hardaway's only win as a player against Cincinnati. [9]
March 1, 1997: The No. 9 Bearcats were defeated in Memphis 75β63, in what became famously Memphis coach Larry Finch's final game as he was forced to resign by University of Memphis administrators. He would leave as Memphis's winningest coach of all time. [10]
March 3, 2002: Steve Logan and the No. 4 Bearcats came into their senior day game against the Tigers having won or shared each of Conference USA's six regular season titles, but the Tigers battled furiously to top Cincinnati. Cincinnati missed all 16 of their three-point attempts, with senior Logan having to take charge and tie the game with only 6.9 seconds left to send it to overtime. The Bearcats would prevail in the OT period 80β75. [11]
March 1, 2003: The Bearcats entered the game holding a six-game winning streak at the expense of the Tigers. Memphis dominated the second half and led by 23 points from Chris Massie, Memphis won, 67β48, handing Cincinnati its worst defeat in eight years of Conference USA play. [9]
March 6, 2004: No. 20 Memphis visited No. 13 Cincinnati having won 12 of their previous 13 games. In the regular season finale, Bearcat Tony Bobbitt would sink a critical three-pointer to give UC the lead with 36 seconds remaining. Cincinnati would win 83β79. [12]
March 5, 2005: It what would be Bob Huggins final game as against Memphis as Cincinnati's Head Coach, the No. 22 Bearcats won in a game with a bizarre ending. Mistakenly believing the Bearcats to have the lead, James White received the inbound and scored a lazy shot with only a few seconds remaining. That basket would prove to be the difference in beating John Calipari's Tigers 62β60. [13]
January 4, 2014: In the first game of the two teams in the American Athletic Conference, the Bearcats came storming into FedExForum to take on the No. 18 Tigers. Cincinnati would topple Memphis 69β53. Both teams would advance to the 2014 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament as the rivalry was rekindled in the new conference. [14]
Rankings are from the AP Poll (1936βpresent)
Cincinnati victories | Memphis victories | Tie games | Vacated wins [n 1] |
|
Source [16]
A
1987 Metro Conference men's basketball tournament
B
1992 Great Midwest Conference men's basketball tournament
C
1992 NCAA Elite Eight
D
1993 Great Midwest Conference men's basketball tournament
E
1994 Great Midwest Conference men's basketball tournament
F
1995 Great Midwest Conference men's basketball tournament
G
2018 American Athletic Conference men's basketball tournament
Category | Cincinnati | Memphis |
---|---|---|
Cincinnati, OH | 28 | 13 |
Chicago, IL | 1 | 0 |
Highland Heights, KY | 1 | 0 |
Kansas City, MO | 1 | 0 |
Louisville, KY | 0 | 1 |
Memphis, TN | 14 | 23 |
Milwaukee, WI | 1 | 0 |
Orlando, FL | 1 | 0 |
Category | Cincinnati | Memphis |
---|---|---|
Amway Center | 1 | 0 |
Armory Fieldhouse | 4 | 0 |
BB&T Arena | 1 | 0 |
Bradley Center | 1 | 0 |
Chicago Stadium | 1 | 0 |
Cincinnati Gardens | 2 | 1 |
FedExForum | 4 | 6 |
Shoemaker Center Fifth Third Arena |
18 | 5 |
Freedom Hall | 0 | 1 |
Kemper Arena | 1 | 0 |
Riverfront Coliseum | 4 | 7 |
Memphis Pyramid | 4 | 5 |
Mid-South Coliseum | 6 | 12 |
First playing in the 1977β78 season, Memphis now leads the all-time series 36β24 as of the end of the 2020β21 season. [17] [18]
The baseball teams have met a total of 137 times since 1962, with Memphis leading the series 67β50 as of the end of the 2021 season. [19] [20]