We have a really great matchup in this game as SMU and Memphis face off in this AAC conference matchup. You have SMU who has had one of the top producing offenses this season against Memphis’ top-20 defense. These two teams just played on Tuesday and if that is any indication of how this will go, this game will be very competitive. Their last face-off saw Memphis winning a close one 76-72 at home. This time the home-court advantage has changed and SMU will get a chance to even the series.
SMU will be without G Darius McBride who is out indefinitely with a hand injury. Memphis will be without F Isaiah Stokes who has missed the entire season due to suspension.
SMU Has Been Hot This Season
SMU is having just a great season so far, as they have really been killing it on both ends of the court. The Mustangs have been most impressive this season on offense though and they have been a lot of fun to watch this year. This SMU offense is led by G Kendric Davis who averages 18.3 PPG on a solid 50.0% shooting from the floor. SMU will have a huge challenge as they face a great Memphis defense again, but they have all the tools, they need to pull a victory off in this game. One solid key for SMU is they will be getting back G William Douglas who provides some contribution on both ends of the court but also is shooting 100.0% from the charity strike. The Mustangs currently score 78.45 PPG (60th) while also shooting a solid 47.14% from the floor (55th).While SMU’s offense has been deadly this season their defense has played pretty solid as well. I think this defense has really helped this team secure some of their wins this season and is a huge reason they have an 8-3 overall record and 4-3 in conference play. The Mustangs currently allow opponents to score 67.73 PPG (113th) while only allowing a low 39.97% shooting from the floor (46th).
This Memphis Defense Has Been Really Impressive
Memphis has played pretty solid basketball this season. While their defense is the main key to this team’s success the offense has definitely done their part. They have played well enough to secure an 8]9-5 overall record and 5-2 in conference play. This Tigers squad has already proven that they can score against SMU they will just have to do it again. The Tigers currently score 71.86 PPG (184th) while shooting a decent 34.46% from beyond the arc (242nd).While the offense has played well this season, this Memphis defense has been outstanding. I have highly enjoyed watching Memphis play defense this season. They just play solid team basketball and it leads to the locking down opposing squads. This defense has been really impressive, in fact, they currently have an adjusted defensive efficiency score of 88.7 (4th). The Tigers currently only allow opponents to shoot a super low 38.50% from the floor (15th) while only giving up 62.57 PPG (28th).
Free Pick: SMU -4 over Memphis
