The Memphis Tigers’ only real chance of making it to the Big Dance is if they can win the AAC Tournament. So far, that dream is still alive, but they will be up against conference top seed Houston Cougars in the semifinals. The game is dubbed as a neutral game, but it might as well be called a home game for the Tigers, with the matchup to be played out at the FedEx Forum. The Tigers are +200,000 to win the national tournament, while the Cougars are priced at +3,000.
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Betting Preview for the Memphis Tigers vs. Houston Cougars College Basketball Game on March 16, 2019
Where: FedEx Forum, Memphis
When: Saturday, March 16, 2019, 3:00 PM ET
Line: Memphis Tigers (odds) vs. Houston Cougars (odds) – view all NCAA Basketball lines
TV Broadcast: ESPN
Betting on the Memphis Tigers (30-2 Overall / 16-2 Conference)
Penny Hardaway and his Tigers pulled off an upset in the American Tournament, as they remained alive with a huge 79-55 takedown of the UCF Knights in the quarterfinals. Prior to that, Memphis edged out the Tulane Green Wave, 83-68. Dating back to the regular season, the Tigers have now won three games in a row. They will need all the momentum generated by that winning streak in the semis matchup with Houston, which defeated Memphis in the Cougars’ home back in January, 90-77. What Hardaway want to see in the rematch with Houston is a better production from his starters. In the first meeting with the Cougars, Jeremiah Martin scored 16 points, but the other four starters only coughed up 13 markers. The bench was awesome, though, with Kareem Brewton and Kyvon Davenport making 25 and 17 points, respectively. The Tigers also need to cut down on their errors, as they had 17 turnovers in the loss to Houston to just 11 by the Cougars.
Memphis is 5-2 against the spread (ATS) in its last seven games overall.
Betting on the Houston Cougars (21-12 Overall / 11-7 Conference)
Houston will be a fresher team this Saturday between it and the Tigers. The Cougars had a first round bye, and easily trounced the UConn Huskies in the quarterfinals, 84-45. The score of that game speaks a lot about the very good qualities of Houston and why they are the top seed in the AAC. The Cougars have the best offense and defense in the AAC. Per KenPom, Houston is tops in the league with 115.2 points per 100 possessions and allows just 95.0 points per 100 possessions. The Cougars shot 46.4 percent from the field against UConn and went 10 of their 23 shots from deep, while holding the Huskies down to only 25.9 percent field goal percentage. In the January win over Memphis, the Cougars got double-digit scoring production from five players, led by Armoni Brook, who had 22 markers. Houston’s 3-point shooting is going to play a big role for the Cougars in the postseason. They are No. 1 in the AAC in 3-point percentage (36.4) and 3-pointers made (290), and given that they went 12-for-34 from deep against Memphis in the first meeting, it should be expected that the Cougars will try to launch plenty of long-distance shots this Saturday.
The Cougars are 6-3-1 ATS in their last 10 games.
Writer’s Prediction
Houston wins, 78-72.
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