Memphis looks to keep the longest current win streak in the American Athletic Conference going when the Tigers visit South Florida on Thursday in Tampa.
The Tigers (20-4, 10-1) have won seven in a row and 11 of their last 12. Entering Wednesday, Memphis holds a two-game lead in the loss column against North Texas (9-3) and UAB (8-3).
The Tigers are coming off Sunday’s 90-82 home win over Temple. That avenged their only AAC loss when Temple earned an 88-81 home win over Memphis on Jan. 16.
In Sunday’s win, Memphis outscored Temple, 55-47, in the second half after the score was tied 35-35 at intermission. Memphis outscored Temple 20-6 in fast break points and shot 56 percent from the field.
Redshirt sophomore guard PJ Haggerty had 20 points and seven assists to spark the win. Haggerty entered Wednesday as the AAC’s second-leading scorer, averaging 21.6 PPG. He is 10th in the AAC in assists, averaging 3.7 per game.
USF (12-12, 5-6) is coming off Sunday’s 75-70 home loss to Wichita State. The Bulls have lost four of their last six games.
In Sunday’s loss, USF shot just 3 of 17 (.176) from three-point range. The Bulls were outscored 24-2 on second-chance points. Jamille Reynolds, a 6-foot-11 senior, had 18 points, six rebounds, and five blocked shots to lead USF in all three categories.
Reynolds averages 12.7 points, 7.6 rebounds, and 1.4 blocks to also lead the Bulls in those categories.
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Memphis at South Florida Odds
Memphis is a 7.5-point college basketball betting odds favorite on BetMGM with the Over/Under at 151.5.
The moneyline for Memphis is -300 while it is +240 for South Florida.
Memphis at South Florida on TV
The game between Memphis and South Florida will be televised by ESPN2.
Tipoff is shortly after 9 p.m. ET.
Memphis at South Florida Prediction
I like Memphis laying the points.
Memphis is 8-1 on the road, with the lone loss being the aforementioned defeat at Temple. USF is 9-3 at home.
The Tigers have played a difficult schedule, which has helped them in AAC play. Among Memphis’ key wins are over UConn, Michigan State, and Clemson.
Memphis entered Wednesday as the only AAC team that was in the top five in both scoring and scoring defense. The Tigers were fourth in scoring, averaging 79.4 points per game, while they were fifth in scoring defense, allowing 73.2 points.
USF was sixth in scoring (76.4 PPG) and eighth in scoring defense (74.3). USF is third in the AAC in turnover margin (1.63) while Memphis is 10th (0.17).
Memphis leads the AAC in three-point shooting (.403), but USF is third in defending the three, limiting teams to a .314 percentage. On the other hand, Memphis’ three-point field goal defense is .333 while USF is shooting .332 from deep.
The teams are close from the foul line, with USF shooting .727 and Memphis .711. They are even closer in rebounding, with Memphis averaging 34.3 per game and USF averaging 34.3.
Besides Haggerty, senior guard Tyrese Hunter is averaging 14.5 points for Memphis. He is also third in the AAC in three-point percentage (.417). Dain Dainja, a 6-foot-9 redshirt senior who is a transfer from Illinois, averages 12.4 points and a team-high 6.6 rebounds.
In addition to Reynolds, the other double-figure scorers for USF are 5-foot-10 sophomore Jayden Reid (12.1) and 6-5 redshirt junior Kobe Knox (11.1).
According to teamrankings.com, Memphis is 0-3 in its last three games against the spread. USF is 1-8 against the number in its last nine games. In this one, go with the favorite.
