Austin Peay Governors at Memphis Tigers

Betting Odds

Point Spread: Memphis Tigers (-14)
Game Total Line: (145)
(wagering lines available at 5Dimes)

The Austin Peay Governors, out of the Ohio Valley Conference step up in class when they take on the Memphis Tigers from Conference-USA this Thursday night. Tip-off from the FedEx Forum in Memphis is set for 8 p.m. (ET).

This will actually be the second ranked opponent that Austin Peay has faced this season after it gave No. 19 Purdue and early scare in an 87-65 loss as a 19-point road underdog in late November. The Governors only trailed the Boilermakers by eight points at the half, but could not withstand a 20-6 run early in the second.

They come into this game with wins in three of their last four games and have an overall record of 6-5 straight-up and 4-3 against the spread. Junior guard TyShwan Edmonds is Austin Peay’s leading scorer; averaging 19.5 points per game. Junior center John Fraley leads in rebounds with 7.5 per game and senior guard Caleb Brown leads in assists with 4.7. The Governors are averaging 77 points per game and shooting 46.1 percent from the field.

Memphis is looking to get back to its winning ways after suffering its first defeat of the season a week ago at the hands of No. 3 Kansas. The Tigers fell to the Jayhawks 81-68 as an 11-point underdog in the Jimmy V Classic at Madison Square Garden in New York. They kept the game close into halftime but missed 16 of their first 23 shots to start the second half and never recovered.

The loss dropped Memphis to 7-1 SU and it is just 2-5 ATS. Junior guard Wesley Witherspoon leads the team in scoring with 13 points per game, but the youthful Tigers have three freshmen in the starting lineup. Will Barton and Joe Jackson are each averaging close to 12 points a game and Tarik Black is averaging seven points and 4.3 rebounds.

All told, Memphis has seven true freshmen on its roster with forward Will Coleman being the only senior among 15 players. The Tigers, as a team, are averaging 83 points a game. They are shooting 45.6 percent from the field and 72.8 percent from the free-throw line.

Austin Peay is 4-3 both SU and ATS in seven games on the road this season. The total has stayed ‘under’ in four of these seven games.

Memphis is 6-0 SU in six home games, but just 2-3 ATS. The total has been evenly split in its first four home games and has stayed ‘under’ in four of its six games overall.

ATS Game Pick

It will be a major challenge for the Governors to come into Memphis and keep this game close until the end, but given the Tigers youth it is also hard to know how they will react after their first blowout loss. The talent level and bench depth strongly favors Memphis in this one, so unless the line climbs up into the high teens by the time you are betting the game, stick with the Tigers.
Take Memphis -14 at 5Dimes.