Conference USA – Tigers vs Knights
When they stumbled out of the gate it seems we all forgot about Memphis.
Conference USA Semifinal
Memphis Tigers vs UCF Knights
Friday March 9
The Pyramid – Memphis, TN
5:30PM
Moneyline: No money line currently listed
Spread: No line currently listed
O/U: No line currently listed
Memphis
But when you look back at their non-conference losses now, every single one of them was to a team currently ranked and heading to the Big Dance (including Murray State). In Conference USA they weren’t perfect but they won the league again, by two games, with a 13-3 record.
This is the only team in C-USA that doesn’t have to win the tournament this weekend to advance.
Over the course of the season forward Will Barton showed why everyone was so high on him last year. He led the team in scoring and rebounding, not bad considering he weighs just 175 pounds. This year’s Memphis team has great depth with so many players yet to hit their ceilings.
If they all stick around this will be a team to fear next year and they can definitely disrupt a high seeds plans later this month…or implode (who knows?). [soliloquy id=”82219″]
UCF
This has to be about as good a year for hoops in the state of Florida as ever. Nobody is talking much about UCF but they finished tied for third in the league and with 22 victories already have to be in the conversation of teams playing their way in or out this weekend…especially if they beat Memphis, again.
When these two teams played last week UCF was embarrassed losing by nearly thirty points – but they did beat them by a point at home in January.
In that victory forward Keith Clanton and guard Marcus Jordan scored 43 of the Knights 68 points. They are the team’s leading scorers and it will be fun to watch the matchups on Friday. The Knights don’t have a great answer for Barton while Clanton is a very underrated power forward.
UCF has to get off to a good start to beat the Tigers. In that blowout they were down 15 at the half and the game was over.
If that happens again their season might be too.
Spread Pick:
O/U Pick:
Score Prediction: Memphis 73 – UCF 70
