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.
Arc's five up, five down: After No. 11 Michigan State's 58-48 upset of No. 3 Ohio State, you'd be a fool to discount the Spartans' national title chances now.
Tim Hardaway Jr. scored 15 points and Evan Smotrycz added 13, helping No. 22 Michigan remain unbeaten at home with a 70-61 win over Illinois on Sunday.
Slideshow |
College hoops power rankings A look at the top teams in college basketball based on performance and potential. NBCSports.com |
Latest from Beyond the Arc |
Would Rick Pitino’s white suit work its magic vs. Syracuse?1 hr 54 min ago Here’s a shot you just can’t defend5 hr 1 min ago Five up, five down from college hoops’ huge day21 hr 31 min ago Michigan State sure shook up Big Ten by beating Buckeyes22 hr 16 min ago |
College basketball videos |
Highlights: No. 14 UNLV 65, No. 13 SDSU 63 Mike Moser scored 19 points, and UNLV forced three turnovers in the final 42 seconds to win. |
Slideshow |
NBCSports.com |
Slideshow |
The Week in Sports Pictures The Giants on top of the football world, getting ready for the London Olympics and more. more photos |