College Basketball on Tuesday and we will see the Memphis Tigers travel to Cincinnati, Ohio to take on the Xavier Musketeers. The game is scheduled for a 7:00 pm (Eastern) start time and will be televised on ESPN 2. Currently the Odds for the game have Memphis favored by 5 points while the total sits at 132.5.
Analysis: The Tigers earned their 18th consecutive victory on Saturday as they blew past Southern Miss for an 89-73 decision which guaranteed them at least a share of the Conference USA regular season crown. Memphis showed against the Golden Eagles that it is not a team anyone will want to face in March as it assisted on 25 of its 29 made field goals and connected on 50 percent of its field-goal tries. Memphis is one of the few teams in the nation that actually performs better on the road. In home games, the Tigers are allowing the opposition to shoot 40.1 percent from the floor, 36.2 percent from beyond the arc and post 6.5 blocks per tilt. They are limiting their foes to 38.3 percent field-goal shooting, 27.2 percent 3-point shooting and have rejected eight shots per away game. The improved intensity on the defensive end has led to a perfect 7-0 road record. Memphis's only three losses have come to VCU, Minnesota and Louisville, all of which are in the top 40 in the RPI.
Chris Mack's Musketeers enter with a 15-11 overall record after suffering a tough, 75-71 loss to Virginia Commonwealth on Saturday. Xavier jumped out to a 17-point lead over the Rams, but it was not able to cope with VCU's full court press and fell to 52-2 in Atlantic 10 home games since 2007. The Musketeers are 9-3 at the Cintas Center this season. Xavier lost point guard Dee Davis at the 13:35 mark versus VCU after he was hit in the forehead and cut above his right eye. He and Brad Redford scored 15 points each in the loss while Semaj Christon finished with 11 points, seven assists and 10 turnovers. Travis Taylor, who paces the A-10 on the boards with 8.6 rpg, grabbed nine rebounds but was held to just five points. Despite Christon's career-high number of turnovers versus VCU, he is still having a tremendous freshman campaign with averages of 15.0 points and 4.6 assists per outing.
Pick: Memphis' last 5 games have averaged 154 ppg, but those games were in in Conference USA , where the games are higher scoring. This is a game vs Xavier and the A-10 and I feel the Musketeers will slow the game down enough for this one to stay under the total. Xavier is 286th in the nation in tempo and they also play excellent defense, allowing just 61..8 ppg on 40.5% shooting overall, including allowing just 60.9 ppg on 39.5% shooting at home. Memphis is one of the better scoring offenses in the nation, but this team also plays excellent defense, allowing 64.4 ppg overall and 62.7 ppg on the road. Both teams are ranked 86th or better in defensive efficiency, plus we have 2 teams that shoot under 70% from the FT line and 2 teas that defense the arc very well. This game should see neither team putting up more than 65 points.
NBA and College Basketball Betting Tips: 2nd Half Wagering
What NBA and college basketball bettors need to know about making 2nd half wagers during games, with tips from Pregame.com's Bryan Leonard and host Steve Fezzik.