Memphis basketball coach Penny Hardaway said what you saw Tuesday in an exhibition loss to UNC is not what you will get from now on.

As widespread speculation surrounding the Pac-12's courtship of the University of Memphis stretched into a second week, Memphis basketball coach Penny Hardaway was feeling diplomatic Monday.

In an exclusive interview with The Commercial Appeal, Penny Hardaway addressed future as Memphis basketball coach: "I'm all in, 100% on the Tigers."

Seth Trimble gave North Carolina 33 points and the Tar Heels gave Memphis basketball a 84-76 loss Tuesday in preseason charity exhibition action at FedExForum. Penny Hardaway's Tigers − which are returning just one scholarship player from the 2023-24 season − controlled the majority of the first half and took a 33-31 lead into the break.

The official start of the UNC basketball season begins today with the team's first exhibition game. On Saturday, it held the annual blue/white scrimmage which was the first time outside of practice that the team faced game-like action.

For the first time since a Sweet 16 loss to Auburn on March 29, 2019, UNC basketball will play a game without Armando Bacot on its roster when the preseason No. 9 Tar Heels visit unranked Memphis for an exhibition bout at 7 p.