It’s been three days since head coach Penny Hardaway lashed out at reporters who questioned his performance as Memphis head coach. The Tigers have lost three straight and are currently 3-4 in conference play in the American.
Hardaway will look to end all the criticism with a win against Tulsa, on the road. The Tulsa Golden Hurricane are just 6-10 on the season and 0-5 in conference play. So while this isn’t a must-win game for Memphis, another loss here could send things down a dark path.
Here are our college basketball picks and predictions for the AAC matchup between the Memphis Tigers and the Tulsa Golden Hurricane.
Memphis vs Tulsa odds
Odds via the Covers Line, an average comprised of odds from multiple sportsbooks.
The Memphis Tigers opened up as a -5 point favorite and despite all the losses recently, the Tigers are currently -5.5 at some spots. Other sportsbooks are holding a -4.5, however.
Meanwhile, the total hasn’t really moved at most sportsbooks since opening at 143.5.
Use the live odds widget above to track any future line movements right up until tip-off and be sure to check out the full college basketball odds before placing your bets.
Memphis vs Tulsa predictions
Predictions made on 1/23/2022 at 8:00 a.m. ET.
Click on each prediction to jump to the full analysis.
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Memphis vs Tulsa game info
• Location: Reynolds Center, Tulsa, OK
• Date: Sunday, January 23, 2022
• Tip-off: 3:00 p.m. ET
• TV: ESPN
Memphis at Tulsa betting preview
Injuries
Memphis: Alex Lomax G (Out), Deandre Williams F (Questionable), Landers Nolley II (Questionable), Jayden Hardaway G (Questionable), Chandler Lawson F (Out).
Tulsa: No injuries to report.
Find our latest NCAA basketball injury reports.
Betting trend to know
The Golden Hurricane are 6-0 ATS in their last six games following an ATS loss. Find more NCAA betting trends for Memphis vs. Tulsa.
Memphis vs Tulsa picks and predictions
Our predictions are compiled from the analysis of the spread and total and are indications of where we are leaning for this game.
Our best bet is the play that we like the most for this game, which we would actually put some of our bankroll behind.
Spread analysis
You likely won’t see either of these two teams in the NCAA Tournament. Obviously, Memphis has plenty of talent on its roster, however, the performance on the court is a whole different story.
The Tigers are shooting a 52.3% effective field goal percentage while earning 37.7% offensive rebounds.
The one area of concern on the offense for Memphis has been turnovers. Memphis is turning the ball over about 24% of the time this season. The Tigers are a young team and will have growing pains, but many teams are young in college basketball and don’t struggle with turnovers as Memphis does.
Tulsa has allowed teams to shoot an effective field goal percentage of 53.8% and continue to allow a ton of offensive rebounds at a high rate. The Golden Hurricane doesn’t defend all that well, allowing opponents to shoot 37.6% from deep and 51.6% from inside the arc.
However, Tulsa is forcing 24.3% turnovers per game and that should be what keeps Tulsa in this game throughout. The turnovers will be essential to limiting Memphis and its shot attempts.
On the other hand, Tulsa is shooting 34.5% from deep and 47.8% inside the arc. Inside, it’ll be a challenge for Tulsa, but from deep, with quality looks, they’ll get some shots to fall.
Tulsa shoots 76.7% from the foul line, however, they rarely get to the line. But up against Memphis' defense, they should find themselves there more often this afternoon. Though the Tigers force more turnovers with their aggressive defensive play, they'll foul at a much higher rate.
Another advantageous area for Tulsa: offensive rebounding. Memphis gives up 31.7% offensive rebounds this season, leaving the door open for Tulsa to benefit from second-chance opportunities.
I’ll take the points with the home team in this matchup.
Prediction: Tulsa +5.5 (-110)
Over/Under analysis
Should Tulsa win this game, they’ll need to limit possessions, earn a ton of turnovers, and keep Memphis off the line. When Tulsa does those three things, the game total should stay Under.
Tulsa is only averaging 68.2 points per game while giving up 68.8 points per game. I’d expect this game to hang around the 60s when the final buzzer sounds.
Prediction: Under 143.5 (-120)
Best bet
It’s never a bad thing to take the home team with the points.
Home court advantage matters and with the way Memphis has played recently, especially with the turnovers, I’ll take Tulsa at +5.5 as my best bet.
Pick: Tulsa +5.5 (-110)
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