Tulsa vs Memphis Picks and Odds

• The Memphis Tigers aim to overcome recent struggles at the sportsbooks as they host the Tulsa Golden Hurricane on Monday night (Dec. 21, 8 pm EST)
• Memphis is coming off an 80-74 win over Tulane in their first conference game of the season, while Tulsa aims to build on a lopsided victory over Northwestern State
• We’ve got you covered with all the odds and trends ahead of this AAC conference matchup at FedExForum

The Memphis Tigers will be looking to snap a four-game losing streak against the spread when they host the conference rival Tulsa Golden Hurricane on Monday night as 7.5-point favorites. The Tigers are coming off an 80-74 road win over Tulane, while the Golden Hurricane aim to win two in a row for the first time this season after dominating in an 82-55 victory over Northwestern State on Friday night.

Here’s a look at the odds and trends ahead of Monday’s AAC conference matchup at FedEXForum.

Tulsa vs Memphis Odds

Odds taken at FanDuel on Dec. 20th.

Tulsa Sputtering Against Top Flight Opponents

The Golden Hurricane have stumbled out of the gate after claiming a share of the AAC regular season title last season. While the team had no problem disposing of both UT-Arlington and Northwestern State, they have struggled against stiffer competition. They have lost outright and ATS in meetings with TCU, South Carolina, and Wichita State.

Used sparingly on Friday night against the Demons, Brandon Rachal has been a steady presence on a spotty Golden Hurricane offensive. The senior guard leads the squad with 15.6 points and 6.4 rebounds per game, and recorded his first double-double of the season in last week’s narrow 69-65 loss to the Shockers.

A few highlights from the second half of @TUMBasketball's 82-55 win vs Northwestern State tonight:
Brandon Rachal scores 9 vs his hometown team
Austin Richie leads all scorers with 19
Tulsa improves to 2-3 on the year@AustinRichieee @breezy_thegreat pic.twitter.com/rdZylLK14N

— Morgan Beard (@morganbeard) December 19, 2020

However, slow starts continue to plague Tulsa, with the team spotting Wichita State and TCU early first-half double-digit leads in their recent losses. Not surprisingly, the Golden Hurricane have fallen well off the pace in the KenPom ratings, where they have dipped to No. 96 overall, and 146th in adjusted offensive efficiency. The team’s dismal performance at the line has also left them with a 317th-ranked .581 free throw percentage.

Wichita State escapes Tulsa with a 69-65 win.

It wasn't a pretty night of Free Throw shooting:

Wichita State 9-17 (53%)
Tulsa 11-21 (52%)

Nevertheless, Wichita takes the way too early #AAC race lead.

— Rocco Miller (@RoccoMiller8) December 16, 2020

One bright spot for Tulsa has been their recent respectable record against the Tigers. They’ve posted SU wins in three of four meeting, and covered in four of those contests. However, they have lost outright in four visits to Memphis, including three defeats by nine or more points.

Tigers Frustrating Loyal Sports Bettors

The Tigers return home after opening their conference schedule with Wednesday’s victory over Tulane. While the team powered themselves to victory with another strong second-half performance, they once again disappointed sports bettors by falling short as 10-point chalk. Overall, Memphis has gone 1-6 ATS since opening the season with a 76-56 rout of Saint Mary’s-California, and has seen each of its three SU wins come as betting chalk.

This Memphis offense…I just don't see any kind of plan. No pecking order. No real idea of what they're looking for – and who they're looking for. Just kinda doing stuff. Might be good enough to beat Tulane but you're not getting anywhere notable without significant improvement.

— Peter Edmiston (@peteredmiston) December 17, 2020

The team’s struggles at the sportsbooks come in stark contrast to last season, which they finished on a 9-3 ATS run. However, the Tigers remain a shaky bet when favored by seven or more points. While they have won outright in 28 of their past 30 as big favorites, they have gone just 2-7 ATS in their past nine. And while they have come up short at the sportsbooks, the Tigers have had their moments defensively. The team has held opponents to 70 or fewer points in five of their first seven contests, including four of five home dates, and rank a surprising 15th in adjusted defensive efficiency at KenPom. The UNDER has also regularly paid out when Memphis plays, going 6-1-1 through their first eight outings.

Your AAC Freshman of the Week Moussa Cisse! #GoTigersGo pic.twitter.com/LDB2X4DcZj

— Memphis Basketball (@Memphis_MBB) December 15, 2020

Up front, the Tigers have handled business with distributed scoring, as four players average double-digit point totals. Sophomore forward DJ Jeffries has overcome a slow start with three straight impressive outings, capped by his first double-double of the season against Tulane. Freshman big man Moussa Cisse has reached double-digits in rebounds in four of the past five games, and could cause big headaches for the Golden Hurricane, who rank 261st in offensive rebounding percentage allowed.

While the Tigers have let down sports bettors, they have shown steady improvement on offense. The Golden Hurricane’s inability to step up against high-level opponents has emerged as a big concern, and is unlikely to change as they enter their first road date in conference play.

Picks: Memphis -7.5 (-114); Under 137.5 (-110)