2008 Memphis NCAA Basketball Tournament Odds

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Can the number one ranked Memphis Tigers capture their first NCAA Tournament championship? Find out what Jimmy's take in this 2008 Memphis Tigers odds to win the NCAA Tournament article.

As the only undefeated team left in college hoops at 21-0, Memphis has clearly earned its number one ranking. There’s no question that the Tigers are one of the most talented teams in the country and its constant-pressure style makes them an even tougher out. Teams can’t relax for even a moment against Memphis or they’ll be run out of the building. Memphis played a challenging non-conference schedule and made it through unscathed. Wins over Oklahoma, UConn, Southern Cal, Cincy, Georgetown, Arizona, and Gonzaga are all noteworthy. While Memphis has been virtually untested in the large majority of its games, USC did manage to take them to overtime before losing. Tim Floyd’s team had success by slowing the game down – something that teams are sure to take note of in the NCAA Tournament.

At 7-0, Memphis is sitting atop Conference USA and will likely make it through without a defeat. Memphis beat second place Houston by double digits on the road and must play the Cougars again. They also have remaining dates with UAB and Tulane, which are having solid seasons. But realistically, Memphis is going to have to be ice cold, and one of these teams is going to have to be red hot to give the Tigers a conference defeat. That’s how much more talented and athletic Memphis is in comparison to the other conference teams.

From a bettors perspective, the Tigers are a respectable 11-8-2 ATS this season. We expect the Tigers to cover a few less games in the second half of the conference season as the books overvalue them against lesser teams. Also, keep in mind that Coach Calipari is going to want his guys healthy for the Big Dance and won’t look to run up the score on all of the conference schools.

There’s no question that Memphis will be a number one seed. The Tigers rank in the top 20 in scoring and are 7th in the country in offensive rebounding. Being active of the boards and getting second chance shots is one thing that Memphis does best. Three point shooting and free throw shooting are this team’s biggest weaknesses. Memphis shoots just 58.1% from the foul line. That’s good for 339th in the nation. This is not a good stat to have going against you if you want to win close games.

Defensively, Memphis is solid as well with the 25th best scoring defense in the nation. The Tigers rank in the top 10 in opponents overall field goal percentage and three point percentage defense. This is not surprising as Memphis extends its defense out past the three point line and has the athletes to do so. The Tigers also rank 8th nationally in defensive rebounding.

Do the Memphis Tigers have what it takes to cut down the nets in April? In short, yes. But poor perimeter shooting and poor free throw shooting are a couple things that could cost them. Also, playing so many untested games in a lesser conference could hinder this team as well when it reaches the later rounds of the Big Dance.

Odds to win the NCAA Tournament: 6/1

Take a look at our betting articles on other NCAA basketball teams:

• Maryland Terrapins

• Drake Bulldogs

• Duke Blue Devils

• Kansas Jayhawks

• North Carolina Tar Heels

• UCLA Bruins

• Michigan State Spartans

• Tennessee Vols

• Butler Bulldogs

• Stanford Cardinal

February 5th, 2007