The hottest and best team in the American Athletic Conference looks to continue its winning ways when Memphis visits Wichita State on Sunday. Ranked 14th nationally by the Associated Press, Memphis (21-4, 11-1) has won eight in a row.
The Tigers are coming off Thursday’s 80-65 win in Tampa against South Florida. That was coach Penny Hardaway’s 150th career win.
Dain Dainja, a 6-foot-9 redshirt senior who transferred from Illinois, led Memphis with 20 points and seven rebounds. Redshirt sophomore guard PJ Haggerty had 18 points, six rebounds, and four assists, while 6-foot senior Tyrese Hunter returned after missing one game and scored 15 points.
Entering the weekend, Haggerty was the AAC’s second-leading scorer at 21.5 PPG, while Hunter was the leading three-pointer percentage shooter (.424). Dainja was the AAC’s leading field goal percentage shooter (.600).
Wichita State (14-10, 4-7) has won three consecutive games, defeating Charlotte and South Florida on the road and earning Wednesday’s 69-64 home victory over UTSA. It marks the Shockers’ first three-game conference winning streak since March of 2021.
In Wednesday’s win, Wichita State shot .467 from three-point range, while UTSA shot just .250. St. Peters transfer Corey Washington, a 6-foot-5 junior, had 17 points and 12 rebounds in the win over UTSA, while 6-foot-2 senior Xavier Bell had 12 points, six rebounds, and three assists.
This is the second meeting of the season between Memphis and Wichita State. On Jan. 23, Memphis earned a 61-53 home win over the Shockers. Memphis outscored the Shockers 38-26 in the second half. The 53 points are the fewest the Tigers have allowed in a game this season.
Haggerty led the way with 22 points, while Hunter added 16. Harlond Beverly, a 6-foot-5 redshirt senior, led Wichita State with 18 points. There were 42 turnovers, 22 by Wichita State. Memphis shot just 6 of 19 (.300) from three-point range, but Wichita State shot 3 of 16 (.188).
Memphis at Wichita State Odds
Memphis is a 7.5-point college basketball betting odds favorite on BetMGM against Wichita State with the Over/Under at 150.5.
The moneyline for Memphis is -300 while it is +240 for Wichita State
Memphis at Wichita State On TV
The game between Memphis and Wichita State will be televised on ESPN.
Tipoff is shortly after noon ET.
Memphis at Wichita State Prediction
I like Memphis laying the points.
It must be noted that in the last meeting, Memphis failed to cover. Memphis was an 11.5-point favorite and won by eight points.
Thursday’s win at USF snapped a three-game streak of failing to cover for Memphis, according to teamrankings.com. Memphis is 12-13 against the spread, while Wichita State is 8-12-3.
In the first game between the two, both teams were way off their offensive averages. Memphis averages 79.4 points, while the Shockers average 74.3. The two are right near each other defensively, with Memphis allowing 72.8 points per game and Wichita State allowing 73.0
Wichita State has been solid at home, with a 9-4 record. Memphis is 9-1 on the road and has won five consecutive road games since losing 88-81 at Temple.
Even though they didn’t shoot well from distance the last time against Wichita State, the Tigers have a big advantage from three-point range. Memphis entered the weekend leading the AAC in three-point percentage (.401) which was fourth nationally. Wichita State shoots .307 from deep.
Wichita State shoots .723 from the foul line, while Memphis is at .704.
