Annual bragging rights in the Volunteer State are on the line Saturday afternoon when No. 13 Memphis visits “Big Brother” and No. 19 Tennessee in non-conference college basketball action. Very rare these schools meet when both are ranked. UT will be a home favorite on the Mybookie NCAAB odds.
How to Bet Memphis vs Tennessee College Basketball Spread & Game Info
- When: Saturday, 3 PM ET
- Where: Thompson-Boling Arena
- TV: ESPN
- College Basketball Spread: TBA
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Memphis vs Tennessee Last Meeting
Last year, Tennessee was ranked No. 3 when it won 102-92 at unranked Memphis. Admiral Schofield scored 20 of his 29 points in the second half and added 11 rebounds as UT snapped a three-game skid to the in-state rival. Grant Williams added 19 points for Tennessee. Jordan Bone had 17, Jordan Bowden 12 and Kyle Alexander 10. Kyvon Davenport helped Memphis keep Tennessee from blowing the Tigers out. He scored 26 of his career-high 31 points after halftime and had 11 boards.Memphis coach Penny Hardaway remains winless against the Vols after going 0-2 when playing for the Tigers in the early 1990s. The Vols hold a 15-11 edge in the series. This will be just the second matchup during which both schools will be ranked inside the AP top 25.
Why Bet on Memphis?
The Tigers remain without freshman center James Wiseman, the potential No. 1 overall pick in the 2020 NBA Draft. He’s suspended for a violation of NCAA rules. He is scheduled to return from suspension Jan. 12. In the three games he has played this season, Wiseman is averaging a double-double of 19.7 points and 10.7 rebounds. The Tigers’ only loss is to No. 14 Oregon. They come off a 65-57 win at UAB on Saturday.Memphis (8-1) trailed 40-26 at halftime and by as much as 17 in the second half. The Tigers needed a 19-4 run over the final 8 minutes to overcome the Blazers (4-4), who didn’t relinquish the lead until freshman Precious Achiuwa’s tip shot with 2:56 left put Memphis up 56-55. The Blazers were doomed by 23 turnovers, a number of key ones in the second half due to Memphis’ full-court press.
Achiuwa led the Tigers with a double-double of 14 points and 11 rebounds. He scored 13 points in the second half. Alex Lomax also was a significant factor in the victory, as was D.J. Jeffries. Lomax scored all 10 of his points in the second half. Jeffries also finished with 10 points and, like Lomax, scored all of them after halftime. Lomax and Achiuwa combined for 13 of the team’s final 16 points.
Some Numbers
The Tigers shot 53.8 percent in the second off to offset a difficult opening 20 minutes and finished shooting 37.9 percent. The Blazers shot only 29.6 percent in the second half after making 12-of-24 before intermission. The Blazers limited the Tigers to a season-low point total. Memphis entered the game averaging 84.3 points, 10th best in the country. While the UAB game was Memphis’ first “true” road game of 2019-20, the Tigers already have traveled outside Memphis for contests against Oregon in Portland, Ore., and NC State in Brooklyn, N.Y.According to KenPom.com, the Tigers are No. 353 in terms of youth; in other words, Memphis is the youngest team in NCAA Division I in 2019-20. Overall, a total of 10 of the 14 players on the roster did not play in a game in a Memphis uniform prior to 2019-20. The only three players who played for the Tigers in a game prior to this season are Tyler Harris, Lomax and Isaiah Maurice.
Team Stats
Offense- Total Score: 82.11
- Field Goal Percentage: 47.07
- Three-Point Percentage: 34.15
- Free Throw Percentage: 68.98
- Total Rebounds: 41.22
Defense
- Total Score: 64.78
- Field Goal Percentage: 36.18
- Three-Point Percentage: 29.21
- Free Throw Percentage: 64.95
- Total Rebounds: 36.33
Why Bet on Tennessee?
The Vols’ only loss was by three points to Florida State. UT (7-1) comes off a 72-43 rout of Florida A&M on Wednesday. The 43 points scored by the Rattlers (0-7) were the second-fewest points scored by a Tennessee opponent this season. It also marked the fewest points for Florida A&M this season. It was the third time this season the Vols held an opponent to fewer than 50 points. The Vols limited the Rattlers to just 35.6 percent shooting from the field. After Florida A&M scored a basket in the opening minute of the game, Tennessee held the Rattlers without a field goal for the next 9:15 in the half.UT freshman Olivier Nkamhoua had his first career double-double and the fourth for any Tennessee player this season. The Finn finished with season-highs with 11 points and 13 rebounds. Fellow Vols freshman Josiah-Jordan James finished with a season-high in points with 10, while freshman Davonte Gaines added seven. The first-year trio accounted for nearly 40 percent of the Vols’ scoring.
Good Numbers
Tennessee has won 31 straight home games, the third-longest streak in program history. The 37-game win streak from 2006-09 and a 33-game win streak from 1966-68 stand as the only longer home win streaks in program history.
Tennessee leads the SEC in scoring defense (55.9 ppg) and blocks per game (6.0 bpg, 13th nationally). The Vols are ranked 16th nationally in adjusted defensive efficiency. Lamonte Turner leads the SEC and ranks fifth in the country with 7.6 assists per game. John Fulkerson is shooting a team-best .692 from the field (36 of 52) while averaging a career-best 11.4 points per game.
Coach Rick Barnes is now just one win away from becoming the 22nd coach in NCAA history to reach 700 victories in his career. During Barnes’ five years on Rocky Top, the Vols hold a 54-15 record as a ranked team. Barnes owns a 3-1 record vs. Memphis and a 21-18 record against current members of the AAC. Tennessee’s 1979 SEC Tournament championship team will be honored during halftime Saturday.
Team Stats
Offense- Total Score: 71.25
- Field Goal Percentage: 45.08
- Three-Point Percentage: 33.33
- Free Throw Percentage: 73.14
- Total Rebounds: 39.63
Defense
- Total Score: 55.88
- Field Goal Percentage: 36.47
- Three-Point Percentage: 30.83
- Free Throw Percentage: 66.67
- Total Rebounds: 31.13
Memphis vs Tennessee College Basketball Betting Trends
- Tigers are 4-8 SU in their last 12 games on the road
- Tigers are 3-8 ATS in their last 11 games against Tennessee
- The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Memphis’ last 6 games played on a Saturday
- Volunteers are 10-0 SU in their last 10 games at home
- Volunteers are 4-1 ATS in their last 5 games played on a Saturday
- The total has gone UNDER in 13 of Tennessee’s last 19 games played in December
