Memphis vs. South Florida Prediction, Odds for College Basketball on Thursday, Feb. 19

South Florida sits alone atop the American Conference ahead of today's college basketball action, 1.5 games ahead of Tulsa and Wichita State, and 2.5 games in front of Memphis. The Tigers have a chance to close that gap, then they take on the Bulls in Tampa.

Unfortunately for Memphis, the Tigers are set as significant road underdogs with a few key depth pieces in their lineup set as questionable with injuries. Can Memphis overcome that and give the top dog in the conference a tough test? Let's find out what the oddsmakers think.

Memphis vs. South Florida Odds, Spread, and Total

Odds via Caesars Sportsbook

Spread

Memphis +8.5 (-110)
South Florida -8.5 (-110)

Moneyline

Memphis +320
South Florida -420

Total

OVER 160.5 (-110)
UNDER 160.5 (-110)

Memphis vs. South Florida How to Watch

Date: Thursday, February 19
Game Time: 7:00 pm ET
Venue: Yuengling Center
How to Watch (TV): ESPN2
Memphis Record: 12-13 (7-5 in American)
San Francisco Record: 18-8 (10-3 in American)

Memphis vs. South Florida Betting Trends

Memphis is 4-9 ATS in its last 13 games
The OVER is 5-1 in Memphis' last six games
South Florida is 6-12 ATS in its last 17 games vs. Memphis
The UNDER is 13-6 in South Florida's last 19 games vs. conference opponents

Memphis vs. South Florida Key Player to Watch

Dug McDaniel, G - Memphis Tigers

With the likes of Hasan Abdul Hakim out of the lineup and both Zach Davies and Quante Berry listed as questionable, McDaniel is going to have to play an even bigger role tonight. He's averaging 12.8 points per game this season, along with 4.6 assists and 2.3 steals. All of those are the best marks on the Tigers. McDaniel is also going to have an impact on defense tonight, as USF shoots three-point shots at a high rate, which will force the Tigers' backcourt to tighten up.

Memphis vs. South Florida Prediction and Pick

In today's edition of Daily Dunk, I wrote about why I'm taking the points with Memphis as a road underdog:

This game reminds me a lot of last night's game between DePaul and Seton Hall, where I'm not so sure what the betting market is seeing to think this matchup is deserving of a 9.5-point spread. The Tigers may be missing some depth pieces tonight, but their top-end talent is still good enough to make this a tight game with USF.

South Florida ranks 90th in the country in 3-point shot rate, with 44% of its shots coming from beyond the arc. That fits right into the Tigers' biggest strength, which is their perimeter defense, ranking 15th in opponent 3-point field goal percentage, keeping teams to shooting 29.7% from 3.

That alone is enough to convince me to take the points with Memphis here. South Florida isn't a good enough team on either side of the court to pull away in a game where they're at a stylistic disadvantage.

Pick: Memphis +8.5 (-110)

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