Memphis vs Ole Miss Odds
| Memphis Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
-1.5 -115 | 141.5 -110o / -110u | -140 |
| Ole Miss Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
+1.5 -105 | 141.5 -110o / -110u | +115 |
It’s always fun for schools in close proximity to meet in the non-conference slate — in a game where NCAA Tournament implications loom. Sure, we’re a long way away, but wins in December matter just as much as wins in February. Winning a game against a quality opponent travels.
The Memphis Tigers will make the short trek to Oxford, where the Ole Miss Rebels await.
Ole Miss played its best game of the season against NC State this week, while Memphis is still hoping the Villanova loss in Atlantis won’t leave any lingering effects.
Memphis Tigers
While Memphis largely impressed during its 2-1 performance in Atlantis, a few things concern me moving forward.
The second-half struggles still exist. The Tigers should've beaten Michigan and Arkansas without sweating. Instead, lackadaisical offense and turnovers made the game much closer than it should’ve been.
Turning the ball over 13 times per game is too much for a team with this much experience. David Jones needs to limit the hero-ball decisions and the turnovers will dip slightly.
Also, Jordan Brown was a total no-show in the Battle 4 Atlantis. The powerful big man scored 10 points in 31 total minutes across three games. He averaged 19.6 points at Louisiana last year, so Memphis needs more from Brown moving forward.
Against the dominant Ole Miss rim-swatters, Brown won’t play a role in this one, so expect Nick Jourdain to get more minutes.
Jahvon Quinerly, Caleb Mills, Jaykwon Walton and Jones is one of the richest top-four’s in America. All four can easily score 20+ any game — it just depends who steps up in the biggest moment.
Jones looks like the team’s go-to option, but Walton and Quinerly aren’t far behind. Walton shined at Wichita State a season ago and Quinerly is a proven winning point guard. Those are the perfect type of players if you’re looking for a road victory.
Memphis is a terrific perimeter shooting team, drilling 37% of its attempts. That’s the offensive formula for the Tigers to pair with a top-25 ranked defense.
Ole Miss Rebels
Ole Miss routinely struggles to put opponents away, but it was encouraging to see the Rebels finish off NC State. That’ll have to continue moving forward.
Ole Miss is getting a reinforcement in Moussa Cisse, who used to play for Memphis. Now, Chris Beard can rotate 7-foot-5 Jamarion Sharp and Cisse in hopes of owning the defensive glass.
Adding Cisse also improved the Rebels' depth. Previously, Ole Miss condensed the rotation to seven players out of necessity, so Cisse’s presence is another piece to the puzzle.
That’s the exact winning formula Ole Miss wants to follow, as the offense lacks weapons aside from Allen Flanigan and Matthew Murrell. Defense is Coach Beard’s calling anyways. He just needs the system to follow into place, and the rest will follow. It’s not an overnight fix, but allowing 52 points to a formidable offense shows progress.
Moreover, the Rebels' offense is almost too reliant on Flanigan. What happens when the star scorer has an off night? Flanigan has scored 15+ points in four of the past five games and is clearly the team’s top option.
Forward Jaemyn Brakefield finally found his stride against NC State, scoring 25 points on 8-of-12 shooting. Since Sharp and Cisse aren’t scorers, Brakefield is the lone frontcourt scoring threat for defenses to worry about.
Memphis vs. Ole Miss
Betting Pick & Prediction
The Tigers have too much firepower for Ole Miss to match. Ole Miss is still finding its footing on both ends.
Memphis knows how it wants to win on both ends — defensive pressure and perimeter shot-making.
Right now, Memphis is better positioned to take this game.
Pick: Memphis -2
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