The Charlotte 49ers take on the Memphis Tigers. Check out our college basketball odds series for our Charlotte Memphis prediction and pick. Find how to watch Charlotte Memphis.
The Memphis Tigers were a projected top-three seed in the 2024 NCAA Tournament in early January. They had defeated Texas A&M, Virginia, Arkansas, Michigan and Clemson in nonconference games. Coach Penny Hardaway had seemingly found the right touch with his players. Then Caleb Mills got injured. Then it all fell apart for the Tigers. Memphis has now lost six of its last nine games. That's bad enough in its own right. What's far worse is that with the possible sole exception of South Florida, the six teams Memphis has lost to are not NCAA Tournament teams. This has dragged down Memphis's profile so much that the Tigers are at best a fringe bubble team with very slim hopes of getting an at-large bid to the 2024 NCAA Tournament. It's a really spectacular collapse for Penny Hardaway and a huge blow to a Memphis fan base which, seven weeks ago, was thinking it had a Sweet 16 team if not something even better. Memphis basketball just can't seem to get unstuck, which is deeply worrisome for one of the most passionate fan bases in college hoops.
Charlotte has been a huge surprise this season in the AAC. If it hadn't been for South Florida, Charlotte would be the talk of the conference. As is, USF is the biggest story as the conference leader, boasting a 12-1 league record. However, Charlotte has overachieved nearly as much and is in the hunt for the league title with an 11-2 AAC mark. Both Charlotte and South Florida leading Florida Atlantic (10-3 AAC) is one of the most remarkable stories of this college basketball season. We will see if Charlotte can keep pace with South Florida and at least grab a share of the conference championship in a wild 2024 campaign.
Here are the Charlotte-Memphis College Basketball odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
College Basketball Odds: Charlotte-Memphis Odds
Charlotte 49ers: +5.5 (-110)
Memphis Tigers: -5.5 (-110)
Over: 144.5 (-115)
Under: 144.5 (-105)
How To Watch Charlotte vs Memphis
Time: 8:00 pm ET / 5:00 pm PT
TV: ESPN Plus
Stream: fuboTV (click for a free trial)*
Why Charlotte Could Cover the Spread
The Memphis Tigers are simply a bad team at the moment. They lost a 20-point lead to South Florida in an inexplicable implosion. They lost at Tulane and UAB and then fell at home to Rice.
Then came this past Sunday at SMU. Memphis got drilled by 27 points, 106-79. It fully looked like the team quit on its coach. Penny Hardaway said after the game that he hasn't had a real team in quite some time. He has been open in saying his players aren't together and aren't focused. The public statements haven't galvanized or inspired Penny's players. They continue to drift through one bad game after another. Given how rudderless Memphis is at the moment, a Charlotte team which leads Memphis by four games in the AAC standings (11-2 to 7-6) should at least be able to keep this game close. Charlotte getting this many points almost feels like a steal.
Why Memphis Could Cover the Spread
The Tigers are in must-win mode. They are playing at home. They are going to be desperate and hungry in what is truly a “now or never” moment for the 2024 season. A loss here pretty much ends the debate about whether Memphis can still get an at-large bid. If the Tigers win, they stay alive. Given the huge stakes attached to this game, Memphis will go all-out. When this team does play good, connected, fluid basketball, it can be really special and can ring up a very big margin of victory against good opponents such as Charlotte.
Final Charlotte-Memphis Prediction & Pick
Memphis games remain hard to pick. The lean here is to Charlotte, but Memphis is a live-wire kind of team you should generally stay away from.
Final Charlotte-Memphis Prediction & Pick: Charlotte +5.5
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