[3] March 17, 1985†: In only the second meeting between two schools, 2nd-seed Memphis took on 7th-seed UAB in the Second round of the 1985 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament.

The Blazers, led by former Memphis coach Gene Bartow in their fifth consecutive NCAA appearance, played the Tigers closely in a game that had to go into overtime.

March 10, 2006: After splitting the regular season series, the Blazers and Tigers met in the 2006 Conference USA men's basketball tournament final hosted at FedExForum.

The John Calipari lead Tigers ultimately would win the game 57–46, clinching the first Conference USA title for Memphis.

In 2006, the schools introduced a trophy, a 100-pound (45 kg) bronze rack of ribs alluding to the two cities' reputation for barbecue, and dubbed the game the "Battle for the Bones".