The Cincinnati Bearcats (17-6) head to Memphis to take on the Tigers (13-9) in what should be a low-scoring game. Action begins at 12:00 pm ET on Saturday, Feb. 6 and can be seen on ES2 and ES3.
The Tigers are hoping to rebound after their 77-57 loss to Connecticut on Thursday. Markel Crawford had a solid performance, recording eight points, four steals, and two rebounds for Memphis. The Bearcats, meanwhile, are coming off an 88-57 win against South Florida on Thursday. Gary Clark claimed his fourth double-double of the season with 16 points and 13 rebounds.
Baskets could be hard to come by as Memphis ranks 16th in the nation, allowing just 93.7 points per 100 possessions, while Cincinnati is 10th (92.3). Furthermore, the defense of the Bearcats should have an advantage in terms of eFG%. They’re 35th in the nation in forcing misses (opponents’ eFG% of 45.4%), while the offense of the Tigers ranks 324th in eFG% (45.5%).
This is the second game of the season between these two teams, with the Bearcats winning the first matchup 76-72. Trahson Burrell put up 24 points and 11 rebounds.
The Tigers come into this game 13-9 Straight Up (SU) and 7-11-1 Against The Spread (ATS). Expect to see a lot of second-chance opportunities for Memphis in this matchup, which is one of the top rebounding teams in the nation with an average of 13.0 offensive boards per game. The Memphis defense has been on fire lately, allowing an average of 63.1 points per game, well under their season average of 69.7. The Tigers have really locked down opponents on the defensive end, ranking 15th in the country with a .387 opponent field-goal percentage. Opponents have consistently had their shots rejected by the Tigers, ranking fourth in the country in blocks per game with 6.2.
Over on the other bench, the Bearcats have 17-6 SU and 11-10-1 ATS records. The Bearcats have controlled the offensive glass with an average of 13.4 offensive rebounds per game, 30th in the country. The Bearcats are the better of the two teams when it comes to assist-to-turnover ratio, ranking 30th in Division I at 1.41. Moving on to the Cincinnati defense, the Bearcats allow just 58.8 points per road game, ranking them second in the nation. The Bearcats have one of the best opponent field-goal percentages in the nation at .393. Teams with weak ball handling have not fared well against the Bearcats, who rank 14th in the nation with 8.6 steals per game.
With the Bearcats’ last win against Memphis, they evened up the head-to-head record over their most recent meetings, 5-5 SU. On the other hand, Memphis holds the advantage ATS with a record of 5-4-1. During their latest five matchups, neither team ever held the advantage in field goals, rebounds, or three-pointers.
Predictions: SU Winner – Cin, ATS Winner – Cin
Notes
“Memphis is 2-5 ATS in its last 7 games “.
“Memphis is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games “.
“Memphis is 10-3 SU in its last 13 games at home”.
“Memphis is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games when playing Cincinnati”.
“The total has gone OVER in 6 of Memphis’s last 9 games when playing Cincinnati”.
“Memphis is 4-1-1 ATS in its last 6 games when playing at home against Cincinnati”.
“Memphis is 4-2 SU in its last 6 games when playing at home against Cincinnati”.
“The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Memphis’s last 6 games when playing at home against Cincinnati”.
“Cincinnati is 2-4 SU in its last 6 games when playing on the road against Memphis”.
Cincinnati sits at 7-3 SU against its conference rivals, while Memphis is 4-5 SU.
Memphis scores just 76.9 points per home game (ranked 132nd). Cincinnati ranks second in points allowed on the road, giving up 58.8 points.
Cincinnati won its last game by a 31-point margin. In games decided by a margin of 18 points or more, Memphis is 6-1. Cincinnati is 8-0 in blowouts this season.
Ranked 16th, the Memphis Tigers have one of the top defenses in the country, giving up just 93.7 points per 100 possessions. The Cincinnati Bearcats rank 51st in offense, scoring 112.7 points in the same number of possessions.
Memphis has an average field goal percentage of 40.8%. Cincinnati is 4-5 when opponents have a similar or higher field goal percentage.
The Memphis Tigers average 18.0 three point attempts per game and are 5-7 when attempting at least 20 in a game. The Cincinnati Bearcats average 21.0 attempts and have a formidable record (12-4) when attempting 20 or more.
Memphis ranks 73rd in the nation with an assist-to-turnover ratio of 1.23, while Cincinnati ranks 30th with an A/TO of 1.41.
Memphis, the 17th-ranked team in rebounding, registers an average of 41.6 rebounds per game. Cincinnati ranks 67th with 38.8.
The Cincinnati Bearcats rank 30th in offensive rebounds, and the Memphis Tigers rank 23rd in the nation in defensive rebounds.
On average, Memphis forces a turnover rate of 19.9%. When Cincinnati turns over the ball at a similar or higher rate, the team has a solid 5-3 record.
