Five months ago, the Tennessee/Memphis hoops rivalry appeared dead.  The final game in the series was on the docket for the first week of January and supposedly there were no ongoing discussions about creating a new contract.  Tiger coach Josh Pastner — who doesn’t want to let schools like Tennessee or Arkansas into Memphis for recruiting purposes — went so far as to say these (famous last) words:

“We will not play Tennessee anymore as long as I’m the head coach and I’m doing my scheduling.”

And…

“The facts are, this will be the last year of the series unless we play them in the postseason.  Now obviously, if any of my bosses want to play them, that’s… Me, as the head coach, the series is over, the contract is over, let’s move on.”

And…

“The contract’s ending, we have a new athletic director and he and I are on the same page with it.”

So much for being on the same page with his boss, AD Tim Bowen.  Yesterday Tennessee AD Dave Hart told The Knoxville News Sentinel that the two schools have “agreed in principle to a four-year home-and-home series in men’s basketball.”

“We’re going to play,” Hart said.  “We’re going to continue the basketball series.”

Ah, but Memphis officials have told The Memphis Commercial Appeal (behind a paywall), that no deal is in place until football is part of the equation.

There’s no surprise in any of this.  As we wrote in January, historically Tennessee has used its occasional gridiron games with Memphis as leverage to keep the hoops series with the Tigers alive.  It seems as if that’s part of the process this time around, too.

Tennessee:  Want a big ‘ol football game?  Play us in basketball.

Memphis:  Well, OK.  But basketball’s not a done deal ’til we line up a football date.

Tennessee: Well, OK.

The most likely end game?  Both schools will agree to an annual tilt in basketball and semi-annual contests in football.  Same as it ever was.

Unfortunately for Pastner, he’ll be left with egg on his face thanks to his AD not being upfront with him regarding the need to schedule Tennessee.

File this under “No Surprise.”  Kentucky athletic director Mitch Barnhart wants no part of an expanded, nine-game conference schedule:

“Nine games is not something we favor.  I do not think a nine-game schedule would serve Kentucky well…

History says it’s very difficult for us to have the level of depth, the second, third, fourth lines of players, that some of the other schools in our league have just as a means of their in-state recruiting situations.  When we have to play a long line of league games, it’s a grind, our teams can get beaten up physically.  It’s better for us, for our players, when the schedule allows us to have some so-called breathers, so that our kids can sort of restore themselves physically in-season.”

Translation: “We’re weak.  We know we’re weak.  We don’t foresee a day when we’ll be strong.  So we need cupcakes on the schedule.”

Barnhart isn’t the only AD in the league to make comments like this.  Mississippi State’s Scott Stricklin has said that his school needs pastries, too (though we send kudos to MSU for taking on Oklahoma State this year).  Vanderbilt coach James Franklin has said he’s against a nine-game schedule, too.

Simply put, you can be sure that most of the traditional non-powers in the SEC hope to avoid a nine-game schedule.  OK.  They have their reasons.  Everyone wants to win games and everyone wants to go to a bowl game.

But do any fans really want to hear their school’s athletic director say that their program has to have “breathers” in order to win and reach those bowl games?  Where’s the ambition in that?  Where’s the confidence?

Laugh if you like, but any school can win.  If Kentucky had beaten Alabama to the punch and hired Nick Saban in 2007 is there anyone out there who doesn’t believe UK would be competing for SEC titles today?  In addition, it should be left to the fans to make the “we’ve got no in-state talent” argument.  Barnhart’s job is to find someone who can recruit kids from inside and outside the Bluegrass State.  That’s the lay of the land.  It can be done.  Some of UK’s SEC neighbors have proven it can be done.

In terms of NFL draft picks produced by SEC states, Tennessee and Arkansas rank at the bottom of the SEC along with Kentucky.  Tossing out Ivy League schools, Tennessee is one of the 10 winningest programs in the country all-time.  Arkansas is in the all-time top 20 for victories.  No in-state talent?  Recruit out of state.

Hey, we get that Kentucky doesn’t have the tradition or the recruiting base of some of its rivals.  But an athletic director admitting that his school can’t succeed without “breathers” and patsies?  Sorry.  That’s just not what an SEC athletic director should be saying.

The Athens, Tennessee Chamber of Commerce is having a benefit dinner in June and Alabama coach Nick Saban is scheduled to speak.  That’s angered some Tennessee fans who are making their feelings quite clear.  According to Mark Wiedmer of the Chattanooga Times-Free Press, one upset fan even went so far as to make a death wish.  

Chamber president Rob Preston told Weidmer the disturbing phone call came over Easter weekend.

“It was filled with cuss words. It said, ‘Whoever is responsible for this should be dead.’…

“We’re going to have extra security that night, both for Coach Saban and myself. We’ll be prepared.”

Preston says that’s not the only feedback he’s received.  Several people have emailed him to voice their displeasure.

(email 1) “If you do not cancel Saban AND apologize for being so financially irresponsible, we are taking the list of members and are going to actively boycott any and all businesses who are members or are related to the chamber in any way.”

(email 2) “You are an absolute joke and a disgrace to the state of Tennessee. Why do you think it is OK to bring in Nick Saban to speak? … Are you hoping he will get to do some recruiting and further damage the state of Tennessee’s football program? I wish you all the worst and hope your event is a complete failure — Rocky Top for Life.”

(email 3) “This is the ultimate disrespect to the University of Tennessee and all Vols fans, and it amounts to kicking us when we’re down. It’s the college sports equivalent of scheduling a Nazi to speak in Israel. I hope your power fails, your catering is illness-laden and that the backlash boycott sets Athens businesses back 25 years.”

Preston says the event has sold 1,376 tickets compared to 276 people who showed up last year to see former Tennessee coach Phillip Fulmer and players Al Wilson and Peerless Price from the 1998 national championship team. Ticket sales will be cut off at 1,500 because of facility size limits.

The money goes to help local businesses and organizations.  ”This will be, by far, the most money we’ve ever raised from one dinner.” (Hat tip - AL.com)

Freshman Kentucky big man Nerlens Noel might not be making headlines on the court these days, but he’s still getting plenty of pub off it.  After suffering a torn ACL last month in a game at Florida, Noel’s ability to zip straight to the NBA became a hot topic.  That discussion lasted for all of about eight hours.  Once a gaggle of NBA scouts let it be known that the Wildcats’ center would still be top 5 pick even with the injury, the topic cooled.

Could it now be heating back up?

Noel briefly shares rapping duties in “Number 9,” a song posted to YouTube.com yesterday and referred to as a “New UK Basketball Anthem by Wes Grams.”  It’s pretty much exactly what you’d expect from a college/sports rap about a hoops team aiming for its ninth all-time national title: “Feelin’ straight ’cause we got number eight, now it’s time that we grab number nine.”

Uh, OK.

But at about the 1:50 mark of the song Noel takes the mic and shares the following:

“They talk about the draft, be me in?  Don’t sweat it.  I might come back, but I don’t know yet.”

Now, I have no problem admitting that I might have missed that “be me in” line.  My rap tastes run toward Public Enemy and not the modern stuff, so maybe there’s a new phrase or two that I’m just not hip to.  Hard to believe, I know.

But it’s the last line that’ll pique Kentucky fans’ interest.  Might Noel really pass on millions of guaranteed NBA dollars in order to spend another year risking yet another injury in the college game?

If you believe so, then you’ve probably already set “Number 9″ as your ringtone.

Defensive lineman Omari Phillips hasn’t had the greatest of starts to his college career.  After signing with Florida in February, the school refused to admit him as he did not meet its academic standards (which must have thrilled Will Muschamp who’d recruited and wasted a signing slot on him).

After UF surprised him with its decision, Phillips announced via Facebook in July that he would “be taking my talents to knoxville.”  Having cleared the NCAA’s eligibility requirements, Phillips was OK’d by Tennessee’s administration for enrollment.  But the true freshman who was once a four-star prospect has played in only one game, recording no tackles in the Vols’ win over Georgia State.

Now he’s been suspended indefinitely by UT coach Derek Dooley for the dreaded “violation of team rules.”

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The NCAA explored everything from Nerlens Noel’s circle of advisors to his ability to pay for unofficial visits.  In the end, they found nothing on the big freshman who’s expected to replace Anthony Davis on this year’s Kentucky basketball team.

Wildcat coach John Calipari told ESPN’s “SportsCenter” audience: “He’s been cleared to practice and cleard to play games.  Everything’s good to go.”

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Just a day after telling you that South Carolina’s Steve Spurrier was talking about giving running back Marcus Lattimore a bigger workload this weekend against Florida, the word out of Columbia now is that the Gamecock star might not even start in Gainesville.

Lattimore bruised his hip last Saturday at LSU.  Spurrier said he was “running around OK” at Monday’s practice.  But the Ol’ Ball Coach held Lattimore out of Wednesday’s practice altogether.

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We’ve got a tip for Kevin Sumlin.

No, it has nothing to do with football.  The Texas A&M coach has led his team to a surprising 4-1 start in 2012.  He’s got the football side of things covered for the time being.

Instead, it’s a tip about recruiting — Coach, there’s nothing wrong with letting recruits see your players having fun and enjoying victories.

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South Carolina linebacker commitment David Johnson from Lithonia (Ga.) High School is considering taking visits to other schools.

“I don’t know, I’m going to make a decision after the season is over,” Johnson told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. “If I take a visit and I’m already committed, it feels like I’m doing something wrong, you know what I mean? But I don’t know. I’m gong to talk to my coaches and (South Carolina defensive coordinator Lorenzo Ward) about it and see if it’s OK.”

Auburn and Vanderbilt have continued to recruit Johnson. Georgia has limited communication with Johnson and doesn’t appear to be in the picture.

“I don’t know why they aren’t recruiting me hard,” Johnson said. “I can’t go begging (UGA recruiting coordinator Rodney Garner). If they’re not going to recruit me, then that’s their loss. I will work hard for anybody I go to, like I will at South Carolina. If Georgia’s not trying to recruit me, then they are missing out on a great athlete, a hard worker and a great person.”

And a prospect who still seems very likely to sign with South Carolina.

Last Saturday, one-time Heisman-hopeful Tyler Wilson was forced to watch from the sideline as his Arkansas squad battled Alabama without him.  The concussed QB saw a 52-0 beatdown of his fellow Hogs and — from what he said afterward — he didn’t see quite as much battling as he would have liked.

After the contest, Wilson went so far as to say that Arkansas’ players “at times, gave up.”  Interim coach John L. Smith quickly moved past that remark and praised Wilson for taking on a leadership role within the team.  Even Arkansas AD Jeff Long praised Wilson’s desire to win on Twitter.  But still, the comments were a bit more controversial than what you normally expect a quarterback to say about his teammates.

For that reason, Wilson tried to explain yesterday what it was he was trying to say on Saturday:

“I was going into that room not to speak to the team, but to speak to the people because I’m an Arkansas kid.  I know how much it means to me growing up, to a lot of you guys in this room, to a lot of the fans in the stands to see that display out there on the field, the product we displayed.  And it’s tough.

And I wanted everybody to know that that is not acceptable here and going forward we are going to do the best we can.  I’m going to do the best I can to keep everybody together and display a much better product out there on the field.”

OK, but that really doesn’t change the fact that some Arkansas players were accused of quitting by Wilson after Saturday’s game.  Was it a case of a 20-something getting caught up in the emotion of the rout and saying something he’d later want to take back?  No doubt in my mind.

But the fact is, the signal-caller called out his teammates.  Now he says he’s going to “do the best I can to keep everybody together” following the Hogs’ 1-2 start.  And Smith yesterday said “I don’t listen to that crap” when asked about fan criticism.

Arkansas has the talent on offense to turn things around if Wilson can be kept upright.  But I’d foam the runways just in case.  This once high-flying program with stratospheric expectations appears to be nosediving following last weekend’s whooping.