Austin Peay Governors at Memphis Tigers
Thursday, 12/16/10, 8:00 PM EDT
Opening Point Spread: Memphis -14
Current Betting Line: Memphis -14.5
Austin Peay may be catching Memphis at exactly the right time in possibly pulling off a big-time upset, but the team is playing just its second game without starter Anthony Campbell. The preseason All-OVC forward suffered a major knee injury and will be out for the season, which means someone must step up and replace his 13.9 points per game. The Governors will be facing their second ranked opponent of the season, suffering an 87-65 loss to Purdue on November 23. This will be the 20th meeting between the two teams, as the program has managed four victories in the series. The two teams have not met since the 2007-08 season, dropping a 104-82 decision to the No. 3 Tigers at the time. Austin Peay is 5-3 ATS this season and currently a double-digit underdog on the college basketball lines page.
The Governors were picked to finish fourth in the preseason Ohio Valley Conference poll of league coaches and sports information directors and the 14-man roster possesses just a single senior. Since the 1993-94 season, Austin Peay has finished no worse than fifth in the conference race. Head coach Dave Loos will be facing his alma mater for the seventh time in his career and he’s the all-time winningest basketball coach in school history.
Memphis returns to action after a week off and will be playing its first game in over a week without the services of three contributors on the court. The most significant loss is leading scorer Wesley Witherspoon, who could miss five weeks after undergoing surgery for a right knee cartilage tear. “This is a tough break for Wesley, because of the time of the injury,” said coach Josh Pastner. “As for the team, we’ll continue to prepare and move forward with our schedule.” The Tigers dropped an 81-68 decision to the Kansas Jayhawks at Madison Square Garden last time out. Memphis is 6-1 ATS as a home favorite of 12.5 to 15 points the last three years.
The Tigers have the 11th-best scoring offense in the nation and are ranked fifth in steals with 11.4 per game. Memphis has an all-time record of 101-62 against members of the Ohio Valley Conference. It would be quite a surprise even without a full arsenal of players for this squad to lose at the FedExForum tonight, as the team has won 106 of its last 113 home games since the 2005 Conference USA Tournament. The program has also enjoyed great success in non-conference games by compiling a 153-52 mark since the 1999-2000 campaign.
Bettors will be interested in the Governors 17-7-1 ATS mark on the road versus winning home teams, while the Tigers are 9-23 ATS overall.
The college basketball handicappers at Maddux Sports are rolling along and ready for a big Thursday night!
