USF vs Memphis Odds: Tigers Huge Home Favorites
Memphis Riding 10-Game Winning Streak
The South Florida Bulls look to put an end to the Memphis winning streak when the teams meet in FedExForum in Memphis. The Tigers haven’t lost since dropping an 80-77 game to Mississippi on Dec. 2. Memphis has won 10 straight college basketball games, including its first four American Athletic Conference games of the year.
USF hasn’t played bad, and has won seven of its last eight contests. Still, this is a tough game and it’s reflected in the USF vs Memphis odds. The Tigers are favored by 11 points and the total is at 157.5. Memphis is -700 on the moneyline and the Bulls are +450.
Bulls vs Tigers 
Day/Time:
Location: FedExForum, Memphis, Tennessee
TV & Live Stream: Watch Live Sports
USF Rebounds After Slow Start
South Florida began the NCAAB season going 2-4, losing some games it had no business losing to the likes of Central Michigan and Maine. But since then, the Bulls have played solid basketball and have a nice win over Florida State. But USF is taking a big step up in class for this game against Memphis. The Tigers will be the toughest team the Bulls have faced this season, according to the KenPom rankings.
South Florida’s offense is pretty much average. The Bulls are scoring 76.4 points per game against teams allowing 73.9. But USF has played an extremely weak schedule so far. The Bulls have just three games in the books against teams in Ken Pomeroy’s top 100. USF doesn’t shoot that well or grab many offensive rebounds. But the Bulls are solid from the foul line and don’t make many turnovers.
USF is a better defensive team, holding NCAAB teams to 42.9% shooting. Teams are hitting 48.8% of 2-point attempts and 33.2% from 3-point range. South Florida does do a decent job of forcing turnovers and preventing offensive rebounds. The defense has helped the Bulls go 4-10 in totals so far this season. USF is 8-5-1 against the spread.
Memphis Rolling Along
The Tigers had the college basketball scoreboard operator working overtime last game, as they scored 112 points against Wichita State. Memphis led 49-46 at halftime, but pulled away with a 63-40 scoring advantage in the second half. The game easily went over the total of 156.5. The Tigers are 7-10 ATS this season, but 11-5-1 in totals.
At the heart of the Memphis offense is a fast-paced tempo that takes advantage of the Tigers’ shooting ability. Memphis is shooting 36.2% from 3-point range and 53.5% on 2-points. The Tigers are average in offensive rebounds and making turnovers. But when you can hit your shots, it doesn’t make a huge difference. Memphis is decent from the foul line, hitting 74.2%.
The Memphis defense holds teams to 41.4% shooting, but allows too many offensive rebounds. The Tigers are allowing 11 offensive rebounds per game and rank No. 301 in offensive rebounding percentage allowed. Memphis is going to have to shore that up a little bit. But the defense as a whole gets the job done fairly well. The Tigers are allowing 74.4 points to teams averaging 74.3 points. But teams get off four more shots than they average due to Memphis’ tempo.
What to Expect
USF does not want to get into a running match with the Tigers. Wichita State went up-tempo against Memphis and the result was predictable. The Bulls don’t race up-and-down the court, but typically play at a fair tempo. They may look to slow down the pace a bit or risk getting run off the floor. This is a big game for the Bulls in the NCAAB standings. At 2-1, USF risks falling 2.5 games behind Memphis with a loss.
Memphis wants a fast pace and has scored 100 points in back-to-back games, although it needed overtime against UTSA to get there. But teams who have kept the pace at a reasonable level have fared the best against the Tigers so far this season.
Who to Bet On?
The USF vs Memphis odds of Tigers -11 are pretty much where you would expect. The Tigers have a much better record and are at home. The scoring margin of the two teams is pretty close, but Memphis has played KenPom’s No. 45 schedule. The Bulls have played the No. 332-ranked schedule.
The USF vs Memphis odds of 157.5 on the total could be slightly high. It really depends if the Bulls want to come out and try and run with the Tigers. Seeing what happened to the Shockers should convince them it’s not a great idea. The Tigers’ defense will also be tougher than what USF sees on a consistent basis, so the play here is the under 157.5.
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