The No. 18 Cincinnati Bearcats (+11) are paying a visit to their in-conference counterpart No. 17 Memphis Tigers (-11) at Liberty Bowl Memorial. Kickoff for this crucialshowdown is set for 3:30 p.m. ET and ABC is in line to have the TV rights.
Betting Preview: Memphis Tigers vs. Cincinnati Bearcats
In this Friday American Athletic Conference game, Memphis is getting picked as the heavy favorite and the team’s currently giving up 11 points. The Bearcats are also receiving +325 moneyline odds while the Tigers are -450. Oddsmakers have placed the over/under (O/U) at 57.5 points, and if one team can create a bunch of points in the early stages, it will likely create a reasonable in-game betting opportunity.
The line opened at -11 while the O/U hasn’t changed since it opened at 57.5.
Each of these teams has been profitable this season as the Bearcats have gained 7.5 units and the Tigers are up 6.2 units.
The Bearcats have gone 10-1 straight up (SU), including 7-0 SU against AAC opponents. The Tigers are 10-1 SU overall and are also 6-1 SU in conference play.
The Bearcats are coming off a 15-13 victory over Temple last week. The passing attack was messy as Desmond Ridder completed just nine passes on 25 attempts for 62 yards and one interception. Michael Warren II (106 rushing yards on 24 attempts, one TD) led the running attack. Tre Tucker (two receptions, six yards) and Malick Mbodj (two catches, 16 yards) handled the receiving duties in the win.
Memphis is coming off of a blowout 49-10 win over South Florida. The defense allowed the Bulls to run for 126 yards on 31 rush attempts, along with one rushing TD. Kelley Joiner Jr. was a bright spot in the loss for South Florida, recording 115 rushing yards on 13 attempts. For Memphis, Brady White completed 18-of-28 passes for 222 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions. Patrick Taylor Jr. (95 yards on 17 rush attempts, three TDs) and Kenneth Gainwell (128 yards on 14 carries) mounted the running game as Kedarian Jones (six receptions, 99 yards, one TD) and Damonte Coxie (five catches, 69 yards, one TD) led the receiving attack in the win.
Cincinnati has run the ball on 63 percent of its offensive possessions this year while Memphis has a rush percentage of 57.5 percent. The Bearcats have run for 197.3 yards/game (including 203.4 per game against American Athletic Conference opponents) and have 21 touchdowns on the ground this year. The Tigers are putting up 196.2 rush yards per game (170.1 in conference) and have 26 total rushing TDs.
The Bearcats offensive scheme has averaged 179.5 yards through the air overall (155 per game against conference opposition) and has 17 passing TDs so far. The Tigers have put up 292 pass yards per contest (311 against AAC foes) and have 30 total pass scores.
Defensively, Cincinnati has allowed opponents to rush for an average of 133.7 yards and throw for 231.5 yards per game. The Memphis defense has given up 195.2 yards per game to opposing passers and 166.5 yards per game on the ground. Both teams allow similar adjusted net yards per pass attempt (ANY/A) to opponents, as the Bearcats have given up an ANY/A of 5.13 to opposing QBs, while the Tigers are yielding an ANY/A of 5.5.
Offensively, Ridder is up to 1,758 passing yards on the year, and has completed 57 percent of his 247 attempts with 17 passing scores and eight interceptions. Ridder’s got a 5.97 adjusted net yards per pass attempt overall, although that number is 0.94 over the past two games.
Brady White has managed to complete 182-of-271 passes for 2,733 yards, 25 TDs and six INTs for Memphis. His ANY/A stands at 9.94 for the year and 8.73 over his last two outings.
These two conference adversaries did not get a chance to face one another in 2018.
Cincinnati Bearcats at Memphis Tigers NCAA Pick
SU Winner: Memphis, ATS Winner: Memphis, O/U: Under
Team Betting Notes
- Cincinnati, as a team, has averaged 4.9 yards per rush attempt over its past three contests and 3.8 over its last two.
- Memphis has averaged 4.8 yards per carry over its last three games and 5.0 over its past two.
- Memphis has lost nine fumbles this season while Cincinnati has lost seven.
- The Bearcats offense has created nine pass plays of 40+ yards, while the Tigers have accounted for 19 such plays.
- The Cincinnati defense has allowed 10 pass plays of 40 or more yards, while Memphis has given up five such plays.
- The Cincinnati offense has created 17 rushing plays of 20 or more yards, while Memphis has created 19 such runs.
- The Bearcats defense has allowed seven rushing plays of 20 yards or more, while the Tigers have given up 16 such runs.
- Each team defense has created 26 sacks this season.
