The Houston Cougars are looking to make it back to the Final Four after they had a dream run to Indianapolis last season. Houston was the No. 2 seed in the Midwest Regional and didn’t face another single-digit seed on its way to winning the region. That led to a lot of excitement surrounding the AAC this season, but this could be a one-bid conference. SMU and Memphis are the only teams with a chance to make the NCAA Tournament according to the latest edition of Bubble Watch, but the Memphis Tigers need a win over the Cougars on Saturday afternoon in the Lone Star State as they are just 13-8.
Memphis Tigers at Houston Cougars
When: Saturday, February 12, 2022, 3:30 p.m. ET
Where: Fertitta Center, Houston, Texas
TV: ABC
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Penny Hardaway has done a great job recruiting at Memphis, but the coaching hasn’t been great. He has yet to lead the Tigers to March Madness in his four seasons at the helm despite having the top-rated recruiting class in the country in both 2019 and 2021. Memphis has some bad losses to teams like Georgia, Ole Miss, Tulane, UCF, and East Carolina, so the Tigers need some big wins in order to offset those defeats.
Houston was ranked No. 6 in the nation, but the Cougars will fall after their two-point loss to SMU on Wednesday night. Although the Cougars are 20-3, they have yet to beat a top-50 program this season as they lost by two points to Wisconsin and a point to Alabama away from home. Houston has absolutely flattened opponents on its home court this year though with all their home wins coming by double digits since their season-opening overtime win over Hofstra.
What to Watch
Memphis has four different players that are scoring in double digits coming into this game. Freshman center Jalen Duren leads the way with 11.1 PPG, and he is also the team’s leading rebounder with 7.8 RPG. Duren is a projected lottery pick, and a lot of Memphis’ postseason hopes rest on his shoulders.
Evansville transfer DeAndre Williams is the second-leading scorer and had 14 points and 13 rebounds in the Tigers’ win over Tulane on Wednesday night. Virginia Tech transfer Landers Nolley II has majorly regressed as a junior though, and he has been dealing with a knee injury in recent weeks.
There is a lot of speculation that talented freshman Emoni Bates has played his last game for Memphis. Bates has been largely underwhelming in his 16 games, and he hasn’t taken the floor in the last two weeks because of a back injury. At this point, he may decide to not risk his NBA future as some still have him as a first-round pick this summer.
Houston is one of the most well-rounded teams in the country under Kelvin Sampson. The Cougars are 20-3 with those three losses coming by a combined five points. They were expected to take a step back after leading scorer Marcus Sasser was lost for the season with a toe injury and promising guard Tramon Mark suffered a season-ending shoulder injury, yet they have continued to play very well.
Kyler Edwards is the leading scorer among active players, and Fabian White Jr. is the most efficient shooter on the team. Josh Carlton has done a good job protecting the rim, and he has played a big part in why Houston ranks in the top five in offensive rebound percentage and block percentage.
Memphis Tigers at Houston Cougars Free Pick
This would be a huge win for Memphis, but the Tigers have not shown they can beat a team like Houston. The four teams that the Tigers have defeated in their recent winning streak are all ranked 100th or higher by Ken Pomeroy, so the Cougars should cruise to another double-digit home win.
Tigers at Cougars Best Bet: Houston Cougars
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