An hour before tip-off, the announcement was made at Bridgestone Arena. Tennessee-Memphis was canceled, despite the Volunteers already being on their way to the arena. Refunds would be issued to every fan in what was expected to be a packed venue, and no rescheduling was possible with conference play coming up quickly.
For the second year in a row — this time in much more dramatic fashion — Tennessee-Memphis was called off due to COVID. The cancellation was announced “due to COVID-19 protocols within the Memphis program.”
“I guess the way I understand it, Memphis had called our AD, Danny White, who was getting ready to come on the plane to come over,” Rick Barnes said when speaking to the media on Saturday.