Memphis Tigers vs Temple Owls Matchup

Read on to get betting odds and analysis in our Memphis vs Temple NCAA Basketball prediction and preview and see who we think will win and cover the spread in Philadelphia.

Memphis vs Temple Prediction

Looking to win big? The Tigers and Owls face off at 7:00 ET on ESPN2. The Owls are hosting the game at Liacouras Center in Philadelphia, PA. In this American Athletic matchup, Memphis is favored bt -7.5 vs. Temple. The over/under for the game is 153.5 points.

Memphis vs. Temple Matchup At A Glance

Sport: NCAAB
Teams: Memphis Tigers at Temple Owls
Where: Philadelphia at Liacouras Center
Date: Thursday, January 16th
Betting Odds MPHS -7.5, MPHS -301 | TEMPL +236 O/U 153.5

Tigers Preview: Will Memphis Be The Talk of Liacouras Center?

Memphis improved to 13-3 on the season with a 74-70 win over East Carolina on Saturday. The Tigers were -12.5 favorites going into the game but didn’t cover the spread. The total points ended at 144, just under the O/U line of 148.5.

Memphis led 38-24 at halftime but allowed 46 points in the second half, while scoring 36. Despite the win, the Tigers will likely focus on tightening up their defense moving forward.

Tigers Offense Breakdown

Memphis put up 74 points in their last game, shooting 41% from the field. Their effective field goal percentage was 45.9%, with two-point shooting at 50% (19/38) and three-point shooting at just 26.1% (6/23). They were solid from the free-throw line, hitting 78.3% (18/23) of their attempts.

Offensively, the Tigers grabbed 13 offensive rebounds and dished out 17 assists. PJ Haggerty led the way with 25 points, while C.J. Walker added 23 points and 7 rebounds, hitting 66.7% from three (2/3). RJ Felton contributed 20 points and 13 rebounds, despite shooting 22.2% from beyond the arc (2/9).

Tigers Team Defense

Memphis gave up 70 points on 41% shooting from the field, as their defense allowed 25 made baskets on 61 attempts. Inside the arc, they allowed 19 two-point field goals on 38 attempts, a 50% shooting rate.

From three-point range, Memphis held their opponent to 26% shooting, with just 6 made threes on 23 attempts. They also sent their opponent to the free-throw line 23 times, where they converted 18 free throws, a 78% success rate. Memphis allowed 13 offensive rebounds in the game.

Owls Preview: Is an Upset Waiting to Happen at Home?

Temple improved to 9-6 on the season with a 73-70 win over Rice on Saturday. The Owls were +1 point underdogs going into the game, but they managed to pull off the win and cover the spread.

Temple led 35-31 at halftime and scored 38 points in the 2nd half while allowing 39. The total points for the game were 143, just over the O/U line of 141.5.

Owls Offense Breakdown

Temple's offense put up 73 points in their last game, shooting 39.3% from the field. They connected on 50% of their three-point attempts, hitting 6 of 12 from deep. Their effective field goal percentage was 44.6%, and they struggled inside the arc, shooting just 36.4% on two-point attempts.

Jamal Mashburn Jr. led the way with 24 points, despite shooting 34.8% overall and 50% from three. Andrew Akuchie added 18 points and 11 rebounds, hitting 7 of 10 shots. Temple grabbed 14 offensive rebounds and dished out just 4 assists, with Trae Broadnax leading the team with 5 assists and 13 points.

Owls Team Defense

Temple's defense held their opponent to 70 points on 40% shooting from the field, with 29 made baskets out of 72 attempts. Inside the arc, the Owls allowed 23 two-point field goals on 51 attempts, a 45% shooting rate.

From three-point range, Temple's defense limited their opponent to 6 made threes on 21 attempts, a 28% shooting percentage. The Owls also sent their opponent to the free-throw line 12 times, where they converted 6 attempts for 50%.

Tigers vs Owls Betting Odds, Trends & Analysis

In their last three road games, Memphis has averaged 80 points per game while allowing 68. The team's record in this stretch was 3-0 while going 2-1 vs. the spread.
Across their last five home contests, Temple has a 3-2 record vs the spread. Their overall mark in these games was 2-3, while averaging 73 points per game.
The last ten games that Temple was the underdog, they have an ATS mark of 5-5 while going 4-6 straight up.
Although the Tigers have a strong straight up record in their last three games as the betting favorite, they have not done as well vs the spread going 1-2.