NCAA Basketball Picks: Miami Hurricanes at Memphis Tigers

Miami Hurricanes at Memphis Tigers
Tuesday, 11/16/10, 12:00 AM EDT, TV: ESPN
Opening Point Spread: Memphis -5
Current Betting Line: Memphis -6.5
Opening Total: 143.5
Current Total: 142.5
Current Moneyline: Memphis -275 / Miami +235

The Memphis Tigers play in ESPN's 24-hour college basketball tip-off special for the third consecutive year

Miami hits the road for the first time in the 2010-11 season in ESPN’s third annual College Hoops Tip-Off Marathon at No. 19 Memphis on Tuesday morning. Seventh-year head coach Frank Haith has led Miami to 22-straight non-conference regular season wins dating back to December 6, 2008 when the Hurricanes knocked off Kentucky in Lexington. This matchup is a daunting task for any program, but Haith has led the team to wins at the Dean Dome, Rupp Arena, Madison Square Garden and at Florida. Miami is coming off a 89-77 home victory in its opener, improving to 7-0 in season openers under Haith and the sixth straight season-opening win by double digits. The team is 28-22 ATS over the last three years and the college basketball lines page has them as a solid underdog for this midnight contest.

The Hurricanes return nine players, including four who started all three games in the ACC Tournament with sixth-year player Adrian Thomas leading the charger. Miami finished 20-13 in 2009-10, posting its second 20-win season in the last three years. Thomas was the ACC’s leader in three-point field goal percentage (.421) in 2009-10 and went 4-for-9 from beyond the arc in Friday’s season-opening win over Jacksonville. Many believe this is the deepest team the program has had in years, consisting of 10 different players that started at least four games last season. “Traditionally, year-in and year-out we’ve got two of the best teams in the country in our league,” said Haith. “So if you’re going to compete with those teams and do well, then obviously you have a chance to do some great things.”

Memphis returns to the court after destroying Centenary, 104-40, in its season opener and will now raise its level of competition against an ACC opponent. The Tigers are playing in ESPN’s 24-hour tip-off to the college hoops season for a third-consecutive year, dropping a 57-55 contest to No. 1 Kansas last year and picking up a 80-58 blowout victory over Massachusetts the prior year. The Tigers have the most newcomers (8) on its roster since the 1972-73 season, which is 38 years ago. Many of the youngsters come in with high expectations, but a few of them may have gotten a little carried away with the media during the offseason. “We’re going to win the national championship this year, I’m guaranteeing it,” said freshman guard Will Barton. The team is 28-29 ATS as a favorite the past three years.

The Tigers have an all-time record of 64-50 against members of the Atlantic Coast Conference, last playing such an opponent in the 2009 NCAA Tournament. Memphis defeated Maryland 89-70 in the second round to advance to the program’s fourth-straight Sweet Sixteen. The young squad will look to carry on the tradition of being a dominant team at the FedEx Forum, as the program is 101-7 at home since the 2005 Conference USA Tournament.