Kansas Jayhawks vs Memphis Tigers
Tuesday, 12/7/10, 7:00 PM EDT, TV: ESPN
Opening Point Spread: Kansas -11
Current Betting Line: Kansas -12.5
Opening Total: 150
Current Total: 151
Kansas will face Memphis for the third time in the last four seasons on a neutral court when the two meet up in the Jimmy V Classic at Madison Square Garden. The Jayhawks will be looking to snap a four-game losing streak at Madison Square Garden with their last victory coming there 10 seasons ago. “We don’t trick it up much and Memphis doesn’t either,” said coach Bill Self. “But in the NCAA tournament you are always worried about a style you won’t see till the NCAA tournament and Memphis is that way with its incredibly athletic team.” The team is 7-0 for the second straight season following its 77-76 win against UCLA and is averaging 89.9 points and giving up 59.4 for a 30.4 scoring margin. Kansas is 4-2 ATS on the year and currently a double-digit favorite on the college basketball lines page.
The Jayhawks lead the all-time series 5-2 and have won the last three matchups, including last year’s 59-57 win in the Basketball Hall-of-Fame Showcase in the Scottrade Center in St. Louis, Missouri. Expect a close game as all but one KU-Memphis game has been decided by five points or less or in overtime. Kansas has played 10 teams form the current membership of the Conference USA and is 59-15 against the field. Despite all of its success as a program, the team is 0-2 in this the Jimmy V Classic.
Memphis has built quite a program by leading the nation with 168 total wins since the 2005-06 season and will be playing its 11th game in tonight’s venue since the 2000-01 campaign. The Tigers are 9-6 at the Garden since the Jayhawks last won here and current coach Josh Pastner will be making his debut at the venue tonight. “Tuesday’s game versus Kansas is going to be a big-time game in a big-time atmosphere,” Pastner said. “Bottom line is, as I told our guys, this is just another game on the schedule and we are not getting too high with the highs or too low with the lows.” He guided the program to a 24-10 overall mark in his first season after Calipari departed for Kentucky. Memphis is 5-3 ATS as an underdog the last three years.
The Tigers have an all-time record of 37-22 against members of the Big 12 Conference and will be playing for the third time in this special event. Memphis last appearance was a 62-58 overtime win over Southern California in 2007, which followed a 70-51 loss to Pittsburgh in 2004. The program has a 91-56 overall record during in-season tournaments and has won 17 titles. A key statistic to keep watch on during the season is the team’s performance on the free throw line, hitting 73 percent from the charity stripe, which is much better than past years.
Bettors will be interested in knowing that the Tigers are 5-2 ATS versus the Big 12, while the Jayhawks are 6-2 ATS against Conference USA.
Don’t miss out on another great night and let the college basketball handicappers at Maddux Sports provide you with a full card of winners!
