Thursday CBB Betting Preview CONNECTICUT HUSKIES (14-10) at MEMPHIS TIGERS (15-10)
Connecticut is coming off of a bad loss at SMU, falling 73-55 as 6.5-point road underdogs. The Huskies had won three straight games before that contest and they’ve really struggled ATS lately, covering in just two of their past 10 games.
Sportsbook.ag Line: Memphis -3, Total: 126
Memphis won-and-covered in a 75-48 victory at South Florida on Saturday. The win snapped a two-game SU and ATS losing streak. The Tigers had shot under 40% from the field in each of those two losses, but they were able to shoot 45.8% against USF.
Connecticut has dominated this head-to-head series recently, winning all three games played between these teams since joining the same conference a year ago. The Huskies are also 2-0-1 ATS in those contests, including an 83-73 win-and-cover in Memphis last season. The most recent game in this series went Under the total, but all three of the team’s previous meetings went Over.
The Huskies have struggled against conference opponents this season, going just 7-5 SU and 4-8 ATS. They are also just 3-5 SU and ATS on the road this season. The Tigers have performed well when playing as a favorite this year, going 7-3 SU and 6-4 ATS when giving points. Connecticut will be without G Sam Cassell Jr. (Tibia), who is out another couple of weeks for the team. Memphis, meanwhile, should be without F Austin Nichols (Ankle) for another week.
The Huskies are coming off of a bad loss in SMU and will need to turn things around quickly or an NCAA tournament bid will be nearly impossible for the defending champs. Connecticut has struggled offensively this season, averaging just 65.0 PPG (239th in NCAA) on 44.7% shooting (111th in NCAA). Defensively they are excellent though, giving up just 60.3 PPG (42nd in NCAA) thanks to 4.8 BPG (45th in NCAA).
G Ryan Boatright (18.0 PPG, 4.5 RPG, 4.4 APG) is the heart of this Connecticut team. He is an excellent shooter from behind the arc (42% 3PT) and can also attack the basket extremely well. Boatright had 19 points, five rebounds and three assists in a loss to SMU and got little help from his teammates. He’ll need to distribute the ball early to get his teammates involved and build their confidence in what is a huge road game.
G/F Daniel Hamilton (10.2 PPG, 7.0 RPG, 3.2 APG) is this team’s next best scoring option. He had 13 points, five rebounds and four assists against SMU and provides another source of shooting (37% 3PT) and rebounding for this team. He’s huge on the glass and his versatility on the offensive end makes him extremely tough to cover. The Huskies need him to have a big game against Memphis or it’ll be very tough for them to win this game.
F Kentan Facey (4.8 PPG, 5.8 RPG) has really struggled recently for Connecticut. Facey is the team’s second-best rebounder, but he’s averaging just 3.6 RPG over the past five contests and will need to be a lot better. If he is not rebounding then he is not helping this team, so he’ll need to be aggressive on the glass Thursday.
C Amida Brimah (9.8 PPG, 4.7 RPG, 3.1 BPG) is one of the best rim protectors in the nation. He is a ferocious shot-blocker, but it’s important that he stays out of foul trouble against Memphis.
Memphis plays a very similar game compared to UConn, struggling on the offensive end with just 67.3 PPG (182nd in NCAA) on 44.3% shooting (134th in NCAA) but holding its opponents to just 61.3 PPG (57th in NCAA). The Tigers are a very disruptive team on the defensive end, averaging 6.7 BPG (4th in NCAA) and 7.4 SPG (62nd in NCAA). They will be without F Austin Nichols (13.3 PPG, 6.1 RPG, 3.3 BPG), who is the main reason the team blocks so many shots. He is also Memphis’ best scorer and he will be tough to replace in this must-win game.
F Shaq Goodwin (8.5 PPG, 7.0 RPG, 1.0 BPG) has stepped his game up recently, finishing the win over South Florida with 18 points and nine rebounds in 27 minutes. In his previous two games he also amassed a total of 35 rebounds, which is absurd for a player that is just six-foot-9.
F Trashon Burrell (8.7 PPG, 5.3 RPG, 2.1 APG) has been in the doghouse lately, scoring just seven points total in 33 minutes of action over the past two games. He’ll need to bring some energy and give the coach a reason to play him in this game.
G Avery Woodson (8.5 PPG) has been a solid two-way player for the Tigers and is averaging 9.0 PPG and 1.0 BPG over the past three games. He needs to remain disciplined in this one though, as he’s been getting himself into foul trouble with his aggressive play on defense.
F Nick King (7.8 PPG, 5.0 RPG) has also seen a major increase in minutes recently. He had nine points and four rebounds in 22 minutes against South Florida, hitting some big shots for the team and also adding a block and a steal defensively. He had 13 points and eight rebounds the game before against East Carolina. This team will really go as far as Shaq Goodwin takes it, but it’ll really need some of its role players to come through in order to beat a hungry Connecticut squad.
