After a 13-19 season last year and a busy offseason replacing coaches and players, Penny Hardaway and the Tigers made a statement on the opening night of the college basketball season with an 80-76 win over No. 18 Iowa State.

Memphis kicked off the basketball season on Tuesday with it’s annual Memphis Madness event, but it had a unique twist this year. It was held at the Memphis Zoo just a few steps away from the penguin exhibit.

Memphis basketball brought in 13 new players over the offseason, including SEMO transfer Luke Almodovar. There wasn’t a lot of talk about Almodovar after he committed to the program until an open practice earlier this week.