Memphis vs Wichita State Odds and Picks (Jan 1)

• Wichita State is a 1.5-point home favorite over Memphis on Saturday
• Memphis has lost five of its last six games
• A look at the matchups and odds can be found below

Memphis will try to get its season back on track when it visits Wichita State at 12:00 pm ET Saturday in an American Athletic Conference game at Charles Koch Arena.

Memphis (6-5, 0-3 road) entered the season with hopes of reaching the Final Four. However, the Tigers have lost five of their last six games, including 85-84 at Tulane on Wednesday when they had a short-handed roster for their AAC opener.

Wichita State (9-3, 6-1 home) has won three of its last four games going into its first AAC game. The Shockers last played Dec. 22 and routed Prairie View A&M 102-66.

Wichita State is a slight favorite in a game that will be televised by CBS.

Memphis vs Wichita State Odds

Odds as of December 31st at BetMGM.

Memphis Outlook

Memphis was missing its top three scorers in the loss at Tulane. Freshman forward Emoni Bates (10.8 points a game) was sidelined with a finger injury while senior forward DeAndre Williams (11.2) and freshman center Jalen Duran (10.8) were out because of undisclosed reasons.

All three are considered questionable for Saturday.

Junior guard Landers Nolley II stepped up with all the absences and scored a season-high 19 points. His two free throws with 36 seconds left drew Memphis within 86-85 but the Tigers missed two potential game-winning field goal attempts in the final seconds.

Landers Nolley from deep. pic.twitter.com/Mjn93qCdxA

— Jason Munz (@munzly) October 6, 2021

Sophomore guard Earl Timberlake (14), junior guard Jayden Hardaway (14) and junior center Malcolm Dandridge (11) also had season bests in scoring.

A Miami transfer, Timberlake added eight rebounds and six assists. He shot 6 of 9 from the field.

Hardaway, the son of Memphis coach Penny Hardaway, made 4 of 5 three-point attempts. Dandridge scored in double figures for the first time this season.

3 straight 3️⃣s by @jayden_hardaway, and the game is tied!

He has a career-high 11 points!#GoTigersGo | #TunnelVision

? https://t.co/ElylM7ZrZ1 pic.twitter.com/FFB8dBnLSi

— Memphis Basketball (@Memphis_MBB) December 30, 2021

Memphis outrebounded Tulane 40-20 but allowed the Green Wave to shoot 55.0% (33 of 60), including 10 of 22 (45.5%) from three-point range. The Tigers held a huge 40-20 rebounding edge but also had 15 turnovers.

Because of a COVID-19 outbreak, Memphis was playing for the first time in 15 days.

Wichita State Outlook

Tyson Etienne leads Wichita State into conference play. The sophomore guard is averaging a team-high 14.7 points.

Etienne tuned up for AAC action with 20 points, five assists and four steals against Prairie View. It was his third 20-point effort of the season.

Tyson Etienne – that's the tweet@GoShockersMBB #AmericanHoops pic.twitter.com/OtjAbovZ3j

— American MBB (@American_MBB) November 10, 2021

Junior forward Morris Udeze added 16 points on 6-of-8 shooting to push his season average to 12.5 points. He has reached double figures in scoring in six of the last seven games.

Udeze is also pulling down 5.6 rebounds a game.

Sophomore forward Clarence Jackson (15 points, eight rebounds), junior guard Dexter Dennis (14 points, nine rebounds) and freshman forward Kenny Pohto (12 points, nine rebounds) all came close to double-doubles.

Jackson and Dennis had season highs in scoring. So did freshman guard Chaunce Jenkins with 11 points, his first career game with double digits.

Good: Clarence Jackson anticipates the pass, jumps the lane for the steal and finishes.

Bad: He forgets his defensive assignment to step up on screens vs. Abmas and WSU gets burned for a 3.

That's the learning curve to understanding the details for first-year D1 players. pic.twitter.com/gdpJ9HbVhF

— Taylor Eldridge (@tayloreldridge) December 3, 2020

Wichita State outrebounded Prairie View 47-30 and shot 40.0% (12 of 30) from three-point range while reaching a season high in points. The Shockers also forced 16 turnovers and held Prairie View to 38.7% (24 of 62) on field goal attempts.

Wichita State is 34^th in the nation in KenPom’s adjusted defensive efficiency, allowing 91.9 points per 100 possessions.

Memphis vs Wichita State Prediction

Memphis has beaten Wichita State twice in a row and in four of the last five meetings. The Tigers won the only game between the teams last season, 72-52 at home behind Nolley’s 16 points, seven rebounds and three assists.

The point spread is a good indication of how closely the teams are matched. However, Wichita State seems like the better bet considering Memphis’ roster uncertainty and road woes.

The Pick: Wichita State -1.5 (-110)

The post Memphis vs Wichita State Odds and Picks (Jan 1) appeared first on Sports Betting Dime.

Source: https://www.sportsbettingdime.com/news/ncaab/memphis-vs-wichita-state-odds-picks-january1/