Predictions for Baylor Basketball as they travel to Memphis
Baylor Basketball will once again play a difficult non-conference game as they travel to Memphis this Saturday in a midday tipoff at 3:30 CT. The Bears open as 2.5-point favorites in this road bout. Scott Drew's team is coming off the three difficult games in Las Vegas and a home tune-up game against Sacramento State. Baylor currently sits at 6-1 on the year, the one loss coming to a currently 23rd-ranked St. John's.
Memphis, on the other hand, has had a rough start to the year. They sit at 3-4, well below the preseason expectations. They lost to Ole Miss, Wake Forest, UNLC, and Purdue. They do have talent across the board, though. A couple of players to look for Saturday are Dug McDaniel, their leading scorer, who has featured in 34 minutes a game this season, and Sincere Parker, who has been with the program for four years. Let's get into some predictions for the game.
Tounde Yessoufou keeps it rolling
Freshman Tounde Yessoufou had received some criticism due to some performances in Las Vegas last week. Baylor fans were critical of his shot selection and silly turnovers that seemed to stall the offense when it was rolling. He bounced back this past Tuesday in the win over Sacramento State, dropping 27 points on 15 shots. Tounde seems to be trending upwards after the slow start. He had 18 points against San Diego State and has seemed more comfortable. I believe Tounde will continue to roll against Memphis as long as he continues to allow the game to come to him. Ultimately, Baylorâs ceiling this season may hinge on how much Tounde can develop come Big 12 play.
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Baylor holds Memphis to under 75
The Baylor defense has taken a beating metrics-wise over the last five games. Dior Johnson dropped 42 for Tarelton State, St. Johnâs had their best shooting performance of the year in Vegas, San Diego State went on a late surge to hit 81, and Sacramento State scored 88. On paper, this Bears defense has looked really rough. But I truly do not think the defense is that bad. Each one of those instances seems to have a freakish, explainable reason for happening. The team is still figuring out the defense, but new defensive coach Ron Sanchez knows what he is doing. You can see flashes of an elite defense at times this season. I believe they put it together against a struggling team in Memphis.
Baylor wins and covers
All this being said, I believe Baylor wins and covers in Memphis. The Bears are rested and on a roll offensively. They are far more talented than Memphis at almost every position. This is a road game, but I don't expect Memphis to have a home crowd showing that could have an effect on the game. I believe Baylor will score in the 80s while holding the Tigers in the low 70s.
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Jacob is a contributor for Baylor Bears On SI. A lifelong sports fan, he started writing game reactions and opinion pieces during Baylor football and basketball seasons, turning that hobby into a growing presence in sports media. He brings an authentic, fan-driven voice to his work and is excited to keep building his voice and breaking down the topics Baylor fans are talking about every day.