Penny Hardaway lights fire under Memphis-Tennessee rivalry

If you’re not from the Mid-South — that little triangle of America centered on Memphis that includes pieces of Arkansas and Mississippi — you probably only know Penny Hardaway as the former Orlando Magic star and Lil’ Penny running mate who was brought low by injury. But around Memphis, Penny’s a legend. He’s taken over the basketball program at his old alma mater, the University of Memphis, and in a matter of months he’s returned the swagger, attitude and recruiting heat to a moribund program.

And now he’s turned up the fire on an old rivalry — Memphis vs. Tennessee.

Last weekend, Tennessee beat Memphis 102-92 in what had been a reasonably competitive game. But late in the game, Tennessee’s Jordan Bone and Memphis’s Alex Lomax got into a bit of a scuffle, resulting in double technicals for both teams. Bad blood, simmering heat, the usual.

‘Get the [expletive] out of here’

But then came the media conferences, when both Hardaway and Tennessee coach Rick Barnes traded shots. Hardaway insisted that the UT players approached his team “with their fists balled, talking trash to our guys.” Barnes laughed that off, and that was enough to set off Hardaway even more.

“Rick Barnes, get the f— out of here,” Hardaway said. “Honestly, if you just watch the film I’m not making anything up … I don’t know who Rick Barnes thinks I am, but I’m not a dude that’s going to mess around about anything. I just call it like I see it. No matter how he’s trying to make things seem, and I think it’s kind of low class how he’s trying to downgrade my guys for flopping and all that. Man, come on, give me a break.”

Of course, Memphis did get a little cinematic on defense. Take a look:

Still, Hardaway knows what he’s doing here. He’s fighting with Barnes for Tennessee dominance and recruiting edge, and he needs to establish himself as a legitimate coach and not a celebrity drop-in. Going to the wall for your players even days after a losing effort is exactly how to do that.

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Jay Busbee is a writer for Yahoo Sports. Contact him at jay.busbee@yahoo.com or find him on Twitter or on Facebook.

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