It will be a battle between American Athletic Conference opponents when the Memphis Tigers (10-5) welcome the Temple Owls (8-6) to the FedExForum. The game gets underway at 8:00 pm ET on Wednesday, Jan. 13 and will air on CCS.
The Tigers lost a winnable game to Connecticut 81-78 on Saturday. Shaq Goodwin finished with 23 points to lead the team. The Owls, meanwhile, are coming off a 78-60 win over East Carolina on Saturday. Quenton DeCosey led the game in scoring with 24 points on 8-for-13 shooting.
This game should be a matchup of contrasting styles. The Tigers (ranked 10th in the nation in possessions per game) prefer an up-tempo style of play, while the Owls (337th) are more half-court oriented.
The Tigers enter the game with records of 10-5 Straight Up (SU) and 5-6-1 Against The Spread (ATS). The Tigers have a distinct advantage on the boards in this matchup. They are the eighth-ranked rebounding team in Division I, averaging 43.1 per game, while the Owls rank 180th in the nation with 36.8 per game. As for the Memphis defense, teams have to fight for open shots against the Tigers, who have one of the best opponent field-goal percentages in the country at .365. An area where the Tigers are particularly strong is shot blocking, where they average 6.7 blocks per game, third in Division I.
On the other side, the Owls head into the game with records of 7-5 ATS and 8-6 SU. When it comes to making good decisions with the ball, not many are better than the Owls. They have one of the top assist-to-turnover ratios in the country at 1.41. Shifting to the other side of the court, teams don’t seem to hit many three-pointers against the Owls, who are 37th in the country in terms of three-point field goals allowed at 89 this season.
This is the first meeting of the season for Memphis and Temple. The last time they played, Temple came out on top, but Memphis still leads the head-to-head record, 4-2 SU. However, with a 4-2 record, Temple has the advantage ATS.
Predictions: SU Winner – Mem, ATS Winner – Mem
Notes
Memphis is 8-3 SU in its last 11 games.
Memphis is 4-2 SU in its last 6 games when playing Temple.
Memphis is 1-4 ATS in its last 5 games when playing at home against Temple.
Temple won its last game by an 18-point margin. In games decided by a margin of 18 points or more, Memphis is 6-0. Temple is 2-2 in blowouts this season.
The Memphis Tigers average 75.5 possessions per game and 1.045 points per possession, while the Temple Owls earn fewer possessions (65.1) but more points per possession (1.061).
Memphis has an average effective field goal percentage of 45.3%. Temple is an even 4-4 when opponents have a similar or higher effective field goal percentage.
On average, the Memphis Tigers attempt 18.0 three point field goals per game and the Temple Owls attempt 23.0. In games where they attempt at least 20 threes, Memphis has a 3-4 record and Temple has a 5-6 record.
Temple ranks 34th in the nation with an assist-to-turnover ratio of 1.41. Memphis is ranked lower at 112th with an A/TO of 1.18.
The Memphis Tigers are one of the top rebounding teams in the nation with an average of 43.1 per game (ranked eighth). The Temple Owls are outside the top 100 with 36.8 rebounds per game (ranked 180th).
Temple ranks 121st in offensive rebounds, while Memphis ranks at eighth in defensive rebounds.
Memphis has forced an average turnover rate of 20.8% this season. In games where its turnover rate is 20.8% or higher, Temple is an even 1-1.
