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Odds To Win The 2009 NCAA Tournament: Memphis Tigers

Written by Jimmy Boyd

memphis-31809 The Memphis Tigers made a strong case for a No. 1 seed by winning 25 straight games to close out the season, but ultimately the committee decided to give the final No. 1 seed to Connecticut because it had more quality wins over top teams. While Memphis plays in a weaker conference, it has proved each of the past two seasons that it could compete for a championship in any league in the country. John Calipari had his Tigers just seconds away from a national title last season before Kansas’ Mario Chalmers ripped their hearts out with a three pointer to send the game into overtime. The rest is history. While this Memphis team is not as explosive offensively, it is better defensively, and that could be what gets the Tigers back to the Final Four. The Memphis Tigers are listed at +800 to win the 2009 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament.

The Tigers will have to earn their way back to the Final Four by navigating a very challenging bottom half of the West Region. Odds makers don’t foresee any trouble in their first round game, however. Memphis is listed as a 20-point favorite against Cal State Northridge. After that game it gets much tougher as the Tigers will see either Cal or Maryland in the second round. Maryland has the look of a very dangerous No. 10 seed with wins over North Carolina, Wake Forest, and Michigan State on its resume. Cal swept Washington and beat everyone else in the Pac-10 but UCLA. If the Tigers make it past the second round, they’ll likely see Marquette or Missouri in the Sweet 16. I’m not completely sold on Missouri, but Marquette’s strong backcourt should be able to handle the Memphis pressure defense. The key is how much this defense wears teams down over the course of a game and Marquette likely will not be able to pull off the upset without Dominic James. If Memphis can get past the Sweet 16, we should get to see the Tigers face off against the UConn Huskies for a trip to the Final Four.

The key for Memphis to get back to the Final Four is its defense. The Tigers really on their defense to create turnovers to generate easy points. If they can create lots of turnovers in a game with Connecticut, they will have a chance to win. Memphis is the No. 1 team in the country in terms of field goal percentage defense, allowing teams to shoot just 36.2 percent against them. They are also seventh in defending the three pointer, holding opponents below 30 percent, and fourth in the nation in scoring defense, holding the opposition to 56.9 points per game.

As far individual performers go, Tyreke Evans has been the man for coach Calipari, averaging 16.6 points per game. Robert Dozier, Shawn Taggart, and Antonio Anderson all get double figures in points as well. Evans is a big guard at 6′6” and has been a matchup nightmare for opposing coaches.

If you think Memphis can beat the basketball odds and win the 2009 NCAA Tournament, be sure to make a futures pick on them. Jimmy Boyd’s NCAA basketball picks will help you finish out the college basketball betting season strong.

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Written by Jimmy Boyd on March 18, 2009 · Filed Under NCAA Basketball Betting Articles, News & Previews

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