Murray State vs Memphis Odds and Picks (Dec. 10)

• The Memphis Tigers are 10-point favorites over the Murray State Racers in an NCAA men’s basketball game slated for Friday, December 10
• It’s the first meeting between the two schools since 2011
• Murray State has won two of the last three games over Memphis

As the Murray State Racers and Memphis Tigers are clashing for the first time in a decade, they are two teams currently heading in opposite directions.

Memphis are losers of three games in a row. Meanwhile, the Racers are rolling, riding a four-game winning streak.

Disregarding the form charts, oddsmakers are backing the Tigers as solid 10-point home favorites in this game, the first between Memphis and Murray State since 2011. The Racers are 4-2 against the spread this season.

Murray State vs Memphis Odds

Odds as of December 9th at FanDuel.

Tipoff for Friday’s game at FedExForum is set for 7pm ET. ESPN+ subscribers can live stream the contest at ESPN.com/watch.

Memphis Tigers Betting Trends

They’ve lost three in a row, all on the road but there could be greater concerns for Tigers coach Penny Hardaway. Speculation in NCAA basketball circles is that he’s lost the room. Internal strife is allegedly pitting returning veteran members of the reigning NIT champion Tigers against how much Hardaway is reworking the team’s offense to accommodate incoming freshmen sensations forward Emoni Bates and center Jalen Duren.

It looked to be the right move when Bates was averaging  16 points and shooting 57.7% through his first three NCAA games. However, Bates has slumped to 8.8 ppg and 28% shooting since.

Memphis Tigers Basketball 🏀 needs to put this sign back up in the practice facility: “Memphis Basketball. One Team. One Goal. No Egos.” STAT @Memphis_MBB #OneTeamOneGoal #NoEgos pic.twitter.com/d6gKQ2WL0k

— EyesOnMemphisTigers (@EyesOfTigerFan) December 5, 2021

Duren is displaying a similar drop-off in his performance. He was averaging 15.0 points, 10.8 rebounds and 4.8 blocks through his first four games. That’s plummeted to 5.0 points, 5.5 rebounds and 1.8 blocks in his past four games.

Still, Duren is second in the America Athletic Conference in rebounding with an average of 8.7 per game. He also leads the conference with 3.5 blocked shots per game. Junior guard Alex Lomax is first in the AAC with 2.4 steals per game.

Overall, though, Memphis players appear to be playing with their own agendas, working more for personal stats than for team accomplishments. It’s evident in the sloppy way the Tigers are playing. They’ve been turning the ball over 19.1 times per game. That’s 350th – dead last in the nation.

Murray State Racers Betting Trends

Not only are the 7-1 Racers racing to victories, their doing it with style. The Murray State offense is scoring 83.4 points per game. That ranks the Racers #23 in the nation.

Junior forward KJ Williams recently surpassed NBA star Ja Morant of the Memphis Grizzlies on Murray State’s all-time scoring list. The 6-foot-10 Williams is leading the Racers with 18 ppg and in rebounding with 7.3 boards per game. Junior guard Tevin Brown (17.9 ppg) is a tick behind Williams in scoring.

Racers set to tangle with the Memphis Tigers Friday At FedExForum. Game marks the 62nd all-time meeting between the two and first since 2011. @RacersHoops https://t.co/o3HkevpcuB 🏀🐴🏇
Photo by David Eaton pic.twitter.com/62FV922KQW

— Murray State Racers Athletics (@MSURacers) December 8, 2021

The Racers are seventh in the NCAA in field goal percentage (51.32). Their most recent win was a 93-87 verdict over Middle Tennessee State. Five Racers scored in double digits – Williams (17), Brown (13), Dionte Bostick (11), Demond Robinson (10), and Chico Carter (10).

Racers vs Tigers Prediction

The turnover problems of the Tigers could get them in trouble against the Racers. Murray State is 83rd in the nation in turnovers forced with 15.5 per game. The Racers are the second top-50 offense faced by the Tigers this season. Memphis stopped the Saint Louis Billikens 90-74 earlier in the campaign.

Memphis leads the all-time series 34-27.  The Tigers are 4-0 straight up at home this season and have won their last 10 gamed played at FedExForum.

Ready to play in front of Tiger Nation tomorrow night.#GoTigersGo | #TunnelVision

🎟 https://t.co/G2osSvCdI4 pic.twitter.com/8Xdhhqf90x

— Memphis Basketball (@Memphis_MBB) December 9, 2021

Starting the season, Memphis was ranking #12 in the AP top-25, so it’s easy to see how far the Tigers have tumbled. Hardaway is claiming in an Instagram post earlier this week that the team had resolved their internal issues.

Maybe that’s the case. But considering what’s gone on, giving a hot team like Murray State 10 points, even on their home court, is probably too much to be backing Memphis in this game

Pick: Murray State Racers +10 (-110)