updated 10:25 p.m. ET Feb. 23, 2008

MEMPHIS, Tenn. - Priscilla Presley was there. So were tennis stars Lindsey Davenport and James Blake. Catching a glimpse of Peyton Manning in his luxury suite was a little tougher.

But the lure of the country’s top two teams with No. 1 Memphis hosting No. 2 Tennessee playing each other Saturday night in Memphis was too much to pass up if you could wrangle yourself a ticket.

It didn’t even matter that even Manning, the former Tennessee quarterback, needed help from Memphis officials to land a ticket to watch his Vols play the Tigers.

Presley, who helped bathe the late Elvis Presley’s Graceland with blue lights a night before in honor of the Tigers’ perfect start, had a front row seat. Appropriately enough, the halftime show featured a series of songs by her late husband.

Davenport and Blake are in town for a tennis tournament, and they took to the court during the first media timeout of the first half to help advertise that event. They each hit tennis balls up into the crowd.

The game was such a lure that even Justin Timberlake and girlfriend Jessica Biel were rumored to be in attendance for the sold-out night but hadn’t been seen by halftime.

But the crowd gave a standing ovation to a pair of former Tigers late in the first half. Former NBA star Penny Hardaway was sitting next to Keith Lee, the school’s all-time leading scorer, who was with the Tigers during their last Final Four appearance.

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Mark J. Terrill / AP

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