AAC foes will battle when the No. 21 Cincinnati Bearcats (8-2) clash with the Memphis Tigers (9-4) at BB&T Arena. Cincinnati opened as a 20-point favorite, while the Over/Under (O/U) for the game has been set at 131.5 points. Tip-off is scheduled for 4 p.m. ET on Sunday, December 31, 2017, and it can be seen on ESPNU.
Memphis Tigers at Cincinnati Bearcats Betting Preview
The last time the Tigers played, they lost to the LSU Tigers, 71-61. Kyvon Davenport put together a good performance for Memphis, leading the team in scoring with 17 points on 6-for-14 shooting. LSU made 13 of their 26 three pointers (50.0 percent). Memphis, on the other hand, had a better free throw rate (0.220 vs. 0.148).
The Bearcats come in on a high note after blowing out the Cleveland State Vikings in their last matchup, 81-62. Cincinnati received a boost from Gary Clark, who was the top scorer from either team with 18 points on 9-for-12 shooting. Cincinnati dominated nearly every stat category in the game. They had an absurd offensive rebounding percentage of 53.6 (above their season average of 37.5) and a turnover percentage of 14.3 (better than their season average of 14.7). Cleveland State was 20.8 and 25.6, respectively, for those same stats.
Cincinnati could have their way on the defensive side of the ball as they square off against one of the NCAA’s worst offenses. The Bearcats currently rank 21st in effective field goal percentage allowed (0.446), while Memphis is 255th in effective field goal percentage (0.491). Also, the Tigers, who rank 18th in free throw attempt (FTA) rate (0.308), will face off against the Bearcats, who rank 33rd in opponents FTA rate (0.176).
Both of these teams have a tendency to finish under the O/U total. Games involving Memphis have finished under 60.0 percent of the time, while Cincinnati games have finished under 66.7 percent of the time. The Bearcats come into this game with considerably better straight up (SU) and against the spread (ATS) records. They are 8-2 SU and 5-5 ATS, while the Tigers are 9-4 SU and 3-6-1 ATS.
This will be the first matchup of the year between these two teams. The Bearcats won the lone contest played against each other last season, 87-74. The Bearcats dominated nearly every stat category in the game. They had a fantastic free throw rate of 0.404 and an absurdly low turnover percentage of 8.0. For those same stats, the Tigers put up marks of 0.140 and 16.2, respectively.
Memphis Tigers vs. Cincinnati Bearcats Odds Prediction
Predictions: SU Winner – Cincinnati, ATS Winner – Memphis, O/U – Under
Betting Notes:
- The Bearcats rank 17th in steals per game (8.9) while the Tigers rank 131st in steals allowed per game (6.8).
- Cincinnati ranks 124th in three pointers attempted per game (22.6) while Memphis ranks 214th in three pointers allowed per game (24.7).
- On the road, Memphis is 1-2 ATS with 2 overs and 1 under.
- At home, Cincinnati is 2-2 ATS with 2 overs and 1 under.
- Cincinnati ranks 12th in assists per game (18.4) while Memphis ranks 179th in assists allowed per game (15.1).
- The Bearcats rank 23rd in rebounds per game (40.7) while the Tigers rank 179th (34.8).
- Cincinnati ranks seventh in blocks per game (6.5) while Memphis ranks 126th in blocks allowed per game (4.0).
Bettings Trends:
- Cincinnati is 2-2 ATS with 3 unders and 1 over in their last five games.
- Over their last five games, Memphis is 2-2 ATS with 3 unders and 1 over.
- The Bearcats average margin of victory in their last five games has been 14.0, down from 21.3 for the season.
- During their last five games, the Tigers have scored an average of 70.6 points per game (0.6 below their season average) and allowed an average of 69.4 points per game (0.2 below their season average).