ST. LOUIS -- The 2009-10 Road to the Final Four will begin in St. Louis for four of the elite men's college basketball programs in the nation.
Expected to be the top-ranked team in the nation when the preseason polls are released later this fall, 2008 national champion Kansas will take on Memphis as the part of the Basketball Hall of Fame Showcase on Nov. 17 before what is expected to be a capacity crowd at the Scottrade Center.
A rematch of the 2008 national title game won by Kansas in overtime, the Kansas-Memphis game will be proceeded by Louisville, coached by Rick Pitino, taking on Arkansas beginning at 6:30 p.m.
The Memphis-Kansas game is set for 9 p.m.
Led by former University of Illinois coach Bill Self, Kansas finished 26-8 a year ago and won its fifth straight Big 12 Conference championship.
The Jayhawks return their entire starting five and along with an excellent recruiting class may have as much as talent as any team in the nation during the upcoming season.
"I think there were a lot of programs who lost key people from a year ago and we have a good nucleus coming back along with some top recruits. That's why people are ranking us high in the preseason,'' Self said Tuesday during the official announcement of the event. "We're looking forward to coming to St. Louis. It's a great sports town and the fans love their college basketball. It's a great way to begin our season.''
The fourth annual Hall of Fame Showcase is an annual benefit for the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in Springfield, Mass.
Tickets are on sale and are priced at $25 to $200. Tickets my be purchased at the Scottrade Center Box office, all Ticketmaster locations, ticketmaster.com/hofshowcase or by calling 800-745-3000.
Memphis is a program in transition after finishing the 2008-09 regular season ranked second in the nation. The Tigers lost to Missouri in the NCAA Regional semifinals and finished with a 33-4 record.
The Tigers will be led by rookie coach Josh Pastner who took over the reigns when John Calipari, who was hired by the University of Kentucky.
Pastner will face the task of extending the Tigers success as they seek their fifth straight 30-plus win season.
Like Self, Pastner is honored by playing in the Hall of Fame Showcase.
"The Hall of Fame Showcase is going to be a tremendous early season event for the fans to enjoy. With four of the top programs in the nation playing on the same night in the same building, its a great way to start the year,'' Pastner said in a prepared statement. "I hope to see a lot of people in Blue and Gray because its not that long of a trip up I-55 from Memphis.''
The Louisville-Arkansas game will also feature two of the top programs in the nation along with the first meeting between Pitino and one of his former players -- current Arkansas coach John Pelphrey.
Pelphrey was an all-Southeastern Conference player on the Pitino's University of Kentucky 1992 team which played in what is considered by many as the greatest college game ever when it lost to Duke in the NCAA Tournament.
Louisville finished 31-6 last season, losing to Michigan State in a NCAA Regional final.
Pelphrey will begin his third year at Arkansas and led the Razorbacks into the NCAA Tournament two years ago before suffering through a rebuilding season a year ago.
Pitino said he is looking forward to coaching against his ex-player.
"I loved coaching John Pelphrey as a player and we're still really close as friends. But you don't look at this as a personal connection,'' Pitino said. "Arkansas returns a very good backcourt and a good group of young kids from last year.
"You're going to have two teams that like to get up and down the court and pressure each other. It should be a great early season test and exciting game for the fans.''
The Louisville-Arkansas game will be shown on ESPN-2 while the Memphis-Kansas game will be shown on ESPN.
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