The presumed top two teams in the American Athletic Conference square off Thursday night as Memphis visits Wichita State. The Tigers have won each of the last two matchups SU and ATS; with what seems like a slightly more talented roster, Memphis is an interesting pick as a 4-point underdog.
- Date/Time: January 9, 7 p.m. ET
- Arena: Charles Koch Arena
- TV Coverage: ESPN2
- Sportsbook Odds: Wichita State -4 | O/U 140
- Memphis vs Wichita State Matchup Report
Sportsbook Odds Analysis
Wichita State has seven straight wins overall and has won 10 straight home games, so the Shockers open up as 4-point favorites over a Memphis program that doesn’t like Thursday games, going 1-4 ATS in its last five contests. While Wichita State has seen the TOTAL go over a lot recently, defense is the calling card — and in facing a conference rival that has seen the UNDER hit a lot, the total seems a little high Sportsbook at 140 points.
Memphis News & Notes
Penny Hardaway’s squad just saw its 10-game winning streak snapped with a 65-62 home loss to Georgia on Saturday … and the Tigers also took a tumble in the national rankings. The loss dropped Memphis from ninth in the nation down to 21st in the country, but by all metrics, this is a team not to be taken lightly.
Despite star freshman James Wiseman — a candidate to go first overall in the upcoming NBA draft — leaving the team, Memphis ranks in the top 50 in the country in scoring, defense and rebounding. Led by another freshman, forward Precious Achiuwa, Memphis has gone 5-2-1 ATS in its last eight games.
The Tigers will likely be involved in a low-scoring game on Thursday, however, as they have seen the total go UNDER in four of their last five road games, and in six of their last seven games against the American Athletic Conference.
Wichita State News & Notes
Wichita State currently has the best record in the AAC at 13-1, and has the reputation as a mid-major powerhouse over the last few years, but the currently 23rd-ranked school is now kicking off the toughest part of its schedule.
The Shockers make their mark with a strong defense, sitting 41st in the nation in scoring defense. While they have a solid offense, led by guard Erik Stevenson, Wichita State is just seventh in the AAC with a free-throw percentage of 68.9 percent.
While giving away free points — which the Shockers have done by shooting under 59 percent on free throws in multiple games this year — usually puts a team at a disadvantage, Memphis is actually an even worse free-throw shooting team.
Factor in that the Shockers have won 10 straight home games and their prospects of notching a win in their first game against a ranked team this season seem much higher.
Betting Pick: Memphis +4
The Tigers are coming off a tough loss, but this is a talented roster that is just a little bit better than Wichita State, and they’ve won the last two meetings. I think they make it three in a row on Thursday.
- The UNDER has hit in 5 of Memphis’ last 7 games.
- Wichita State is 5-2 ATS in its last 7 games.
- The OVER has hit in 7 of Wichita State’s last 8 games.
