Cincinnati vs Memphis 2020 College Basketball Odds, Preview & Prediction.

Cincinnati vs Memphis 2020 College Basketball Odds, Preview & Prediction

Written by on January 16, 2020

Wichita State leads the American Athletic Conference, but Cincinnati and No. 22 Memphis are just one game back in the loss column as Cincinnati vs Memphis meet on Thursday night for the first time this season in a national TV game. The Tigers are favored on the Mybookie noreferrer”>NCAAB odds.

How to Bet Cincinnati vs Memphis College Basketball Odds & Game Info

Cincinnati vs Memphis Last Season

The Bearcats won both meetings in 2018-19, with the one in Memphis a final score of 69-64. Jarron Cumberland scored 17 points and keyed a late rally for UC. Justin Jenifer scored 14 and Tre Scott finished with 13 points and nine rebounds. The Bearcats struggled with poor shooting and the pace of the game early.

The Memphis lead reached 11 early in the second half before Cincinnati found its rhythm. Cincinnati won the boards 38-32, including 14 from the offensive glass, leading to 12 second-chance points. Jeremiah Martin led Memphis with 26 points, converting 8 of 14 from 3-point range. Kyvon Davenport added 12 points and 10 rebounds, while Mike Parks Jr. finished with 11 points.

Cincinnati leads 46-33 overall, but the Tigers lead 22-15 in Memphis. UC has won the past six in the series.

Why Bet on Cincinnati?

The Bearcats (10-6, 3-1 AAC) won their second in a row Saturday, 68-54 at Central Florida. The Bearcats have won three of their last four games and have outscored opponents by 44 points in the second half of the last two games. Trevon Scott recorded 14 points and 11 rebounds and Keith Williams had 16 points and six rebounds for Cincinnati. Chris Vogt added 13 points and Jarron Cumberland had six assists. It was UC’s first true road win of the season.

Cumberland is averaging 14.2 points and 5.8 assists while shooting 49 percent (25 of 51) from the floor and 45.0 percent (9 of 20) from 3-point range over the last five games.

Big Numbers

Scott was named to the AAC Honor Roll for last week, when he averaged 12.0 points, 10.0 rebounds 4.0 steals and 3.0 assists in the two wins. Since the start of AAC play, Scott ranks among the league leaders in seven categories: steals (first at 3.0), rebounds (third at 9.8), defensive rebounds (third at 7.8), field goal percentage (fourth at .600), assists (sixth at 4.3), assist-to-turnover ratio (eighth at 1.9) and blocks (tied for 12th at 1.0) entering the week. He has led the Bearcats in rebounding in 10 games in 2019-20, pulling down as many as 10 boards in seven contests.

Chris Vogt ranks second in the nation (behind Kansas’ Udoka Azubuike [.783]) and first in the AAC, shooting 70.5 percent (91 of 129) from the field this season. During AAC play, Vogt is shooting 78.4 percent (29 of 37) from the floor.

Coach John Brannen is in his first season at Cincinnati. He replaced Mick Cronin, who took the UCLA job this offseason. The Bearcats are AAC leaders in scoring defense (1st at 56.2), scoring margin (1st at +14.0), field goal percentage defense (1st at .366), 3-point field goal percentage defense (1st at .217) and rebounding defense (1st at 28.5).

Team Stats

Offense
  • Total Score: 73.00
  • Field Goal Percentage: 45.23
  • Three-Point Percentage: 31.06
  • Free Throw Percentage: 67.05
  • Total Rebounds: 38.31

Defense

  • Total Score: 65.94
  • Field Goal Percentage: 39.72
  • Three-Point Percentage: 30.98
  • Free Throw Percentage: 74.39
  • Total Rebounds: 32.94

Why Bet on Memphis?

The Tigers (13-3, 2-1 AAC) snapped a two-game losing streak with a 68-64 win at South Florida on Sunday. David Collins led USF with 24 points, but the Bulls missed nine of 10 shots after the junior guard’s dunk capped an 8-0 spurt that gave South Florida its biggest lead of the day at 14 points in the second half.

Precious Achiuwa’s three-point play gave Memphis its first lead since midway through the first half, and the 6-foot-9 freshman from Queens, New York, put the Tigers ahead for good, 63-61, on a dunk with 1:40 remaining. The Tigers made five of eight free throws in the final 70 seconds to preserve the win. Achiuwa’s free throw with 4.4 seconds left gave the UofM a four-point cushion. The Tigers shot 57 percent in the second half and out-rebounded the Bulls, 35-24. That combination allowed the UofM to overcome 22 turnovers.

New Weapons

Freshman center Malcolm Dandridge made the first start of his career, and sophomore point guard Alex Lomax made his first start of the season. Lomax scored only four points in 29 minutes, but had seven assists (one off his career high) and tied a career-best with five steals.

Cincinnati vs Memphis is going to be a close one.

Memphis continues its quest for its first NCAA Tournament bid in six seasons thanks to Achiuwa’s reliability every game out. He averaged 22.0 points, 11.5 rebounds and 4.5 blocks in a 1-1 week for the Tigers. Achiuwa was efficient, making 17 of his 29 shots across the two games. He’s had a double-double in five straight games and has nine overall. Achiuwa also has won the American Athletic Conference Freshman Player of the Week four times this season, including last week. He also has been named to the Wooden Award Midseason Watch List. Achiuwa is the only player in the American Athletic Conference averaging a double-double.

The Tigers have been impressive on the defensive end. They lead the conference and are ranked second nationally in field goal percentage defense (35 percent). Memphis also is tied for the conference lead in steals (8.9) and is second in blocked shots (6.9).

Team Stats

Offense
  • Total Score: 77.81
  • Field Goal Percentage: 46.56
  • Three-Point Percentage: 33.66
  • Free Throw Percentage: 67.44
  • Total Rebounds: 42.25

Defense

  • Total Score: 63.25
  • Field Goal Percentage: 35.26
  • Three-Point Percentage: 29.60
  • Free Throw Percentage: 66.96
  • Total Rebounds: 35.06

Cincinnati vs Memphis College Basketball Betting Trends

  • Bearcats are 18-2 SU in their last 20 games played in January
  • Bearcats are 1-7 ATS in their last 8 games on the road
  • The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Cincinnati’s last 5 games
  • Tigers are 15-1 SU in their last 16 games at home
  • Tigers are 1-5 ATS in their last 6 games played on a Thursday
  • The total has gone UNDER in 7 of Memphis’ last 9 games against an opponent in the American Athletic conference

Expert Final Score Prediction for Cincinnati vs Memphis

Cincinnati 68 – Memphis 73