Top-seeded Memphis has had two close calls in advancing to Sunday’s American Athletic Conference tournament championship against defending tourney champ UAB in Fort Worth, Texas.
Memphis (28-5) beat No. 8 Wichita State in its opening quarterfinal win and then earned a 78-77 semifinal victory over No. 4 Tulane. The Tigers have won seven in a row and 15 of their last 16 games.
Redshirt sophomore guard PJ Haggerty, the AAC Player of the Year, had 42 points in the win over Wichita State. Against Tulane he struggled, shooting 2 for 13 from the field, including 0 for 5 from three-point range. Haggerty was the opposite from the foul line, hitting all 14 of his free throws while scoring 18 points.
Leading the way for Memphis was 6-foot-9 redshirt senior Dain Dainja, who had 23 points and 11 rebounds. The one negative was that he shot 3 of 13 from the foul line. A transfer from Illinois, Dainja was named AAC Newcomer of the Year. Moussa Cisse, a 6-foot-11 fifth-year player, added 10 points and 11 rebounds for Memphis.
One negative aspect of the win was the injury to Memphis point guard Tyrese Hunter. He suffered an injury early in the second half against Tulane and was seen later in a walking boot on his left foot. Hunter, who joined Haggerty and Dainja as first-team all-AAC selections, averages 13.7 points and 3.5 assists.
No. 3 seeded UAB (22-11) beat No. 6 East Carolina, 94-77, in the quarterfinal and No. 2 North Texas, 66-56, in the semifinal. Against North Texas, 6-foot-9 senior Yaxel Lendeborg, the AAC Defensive Player of the Year, had 23 points, 13 rebounds, and two blocked shots. He was named a first-team All-AAC selection.
Ja’Borri McGhee, a 6-foot-1 junior, added 16 points, six rebounds, and four assists.
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UAB vs. Memphis Odds
Memphis is a 4.5-point college basketball betting favorite on BetMGM with the Over/Under at 160.5 points.
The moneyline for Memphis is -200 while it is +165 for UAB.
UAB vs. Memphis On TV
The game between UAB and Memphis will be on ESPN.
Tipoff is expected to begin shortly after 3:15 p.m. ET.
UAB vs. Memphis Prediction
I like UAB covering the points. If Hunter were healthy, the opinion may be different. The other factor is that UAB needs to win to earn an NCAA berth. There is the feeling that Memphis is in regardless of the result. UAB should be the more desperate team.
Memphis has won both games this season against UAB – 100-77 at home on Jan. 26 and 88-81 on March 2 at UAB. Hunter averaged 10 points in those two wins.
On paper, this should be a high-scoring game. UAB leads the AAC in scoring, averaging 82.8 points, while Memphis is second (80.0).
Memphis leads the AAC in three-point percentage (.378), with UAB sixth (.342).
However, this is the third game in three days for both teams and there could be some tired legs.
A key will be getting easy baskets in transition. UAB entered the weekend seventh nationally in fast break points (15.75 per game). Memphis was 23rd, averaging 13.94 per game.
