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CBB
(1 Pick)
8:00PM EST: Memphis -9 (5 Units)
Just two different levels of basketball program here. The Tigers have a roster that can make noise in the NCAA Tournament and sit 36th in KenPom rankings while Tulsa is a middling AAC team that ranks 180th. The Tigers have had the 18th hardest SOS to date while Tulsa's ranks 308th. This may be a game between an 11-2 and 9-3 team but they took vastly different paths to get there. Tulsa's played 1 Power-6 Basketball team, Oklahoma State, and got beat by 15 points. Oklahoma State ranks 93rd per KenPom.
The pace and tempo of this game will play right into the Tigers hands. Memphis ranks 18th in AdjT and Tulsa 63rd. Tulsa ranks 15th in opponent Turnovers per game and Memphis 55th. Tulsa's had the luxury of beating up on a very easy schedule. Regardless there's going to be a lot of possessions in this one and specifically in transition. Memphis ranks 38th offensively in transition while Tulsa ranks 326th.
Memphis is just the more talented team. They average more PPG, shoot better from the field, from deep, and the FT line, they average more assists, more blocks, and less turnovers. They also just started working in KSU transfer Nae'Qwan Tomlin. He joined Memphis after being dismissed by Kansas State and has played in each of their last 2 games. He started 36 games for the Wildcats last year and was pivotal in their Elite 8 Run. The 6'10 Forward is a + on both the offensive and defensive end. The overall talent should cover the number here.