As Rascal Flats used to sing, “Life is a highway.” For the Memphis Tigers, life is a bubble that will pop if an upset happens in Tampa. According to ESPN’s Joe Lunardi, Memphis is the first team out of the NCAA Tournament. The home loss to Tulane removed any margin for error that existed prior and further magnified each game moving forward. A bounce back in Tampa against the University of South Florida Bulls won’t solidify a tournament spot. But a loss will definitively put the Tigers on the outside looking in.
Matchup: Memphis Tigers (17-6, 7-3, 4th in AAC) vs. USF Bulls (10-13, 3-7, 8th in AAC)
Time: 6 p.m. CST
Location: Yuengling Center, Tampa, FL
TV/Stream/Radio: No TV/ESPN+/FM: 98.9
Injury Report: Malcolm Dandridge (Out, ankle); Alex Lomax (Out, groin)
Keys to the Game
- Free Throws, Free Throws, Free Throws
The Tigers aren’t horrible from the free-throw line. They shoot 73.6% and rank 107th. While definitely not good, it’s much better than last year at this time where Memphis shot 65.9% and ranked 332nd. Against Tulane, free-throw struggles in clutch moments reared their ugly head. The Tigers went 4-9 from the line in the final 3:02 and overtime, including three misses from Kendric Davis. Hitting foul shots at a more efficient rate will help Memphis avoid an upset on the road.
2. Limit Turnovers
Much like the Tigers from the line, Memphis has improved in limiting turnovers. Last year on this date, the Tigers ranked 354th out of all 358 teams committing 16.8 turnovers per game. Now, they rank 275th with 13.7 turnovers per game. Though there’s improvement, turnovers are still a major issue evidenced by 22 turnovers against Tulane. Winning a basketball game after committing 22 turnovers is a very difficult feat to accomplish. Add that with missing clutch free throws and you get a loss that puts the Tigers in the exact same spot as they were in last year with no margin for error to close out the season.
Prediction
Memphis 80 South Florida 72