Remember how I mentioned that Memphis would be a great team to anchor the inaugural Cancun Governor's Cup this December?
Well, ESPN Regional Television will have to look for another team to represent the host league for that event, Conference USA.
The Tigers will be unavailable, as they're taking part in one of those gimmicky round-robin events instead. According to Dan Wolken of the Memphis Commercial Appeal, Memphis will face LSU in what will likely be the tournament's championship game in Tupelo, Mississippi.
You can probably replace "likely" with "certainly" when you look at the three other teams involved. The pari of Tigers will each host Centenary (in their last season in the Summit League, as they will be headed to D-3 soon), Northwestern State (Southland), and Tennessee-Martin (Ohio Valley).
This list of teams leads me to ask just one question: You couldn't have gotten three more teams with the Tiger nickname to fill out the field? You're telling me Tennessee State, Grambling/Texas Southern/Jackson State, and Towson weren't available? Think of the sponsorship opportunities that would have been possible.
Oh wait, it's not pre-Thanksgiving 2009. Never mind.
The Wolken piece is definitely worth a read, as it appears Memphis' non-league schedule will be lacking this season, which could create some seeding problems for the Tigers if they happen to return to the NCAAs in 2011.