Memphis and Temple meet in an AAC tilt, with the Tigers playing their best basketball of the season.
They'll come into this game with six straight wins and a 19-4 record. As for the Owls, they'll look to make it back-to-back wins over Memphis for the first time in recent memory. Temple is responsible for the last Memphis loss, as they upset the Tigers at home as 7-point underdogs. We don't expect lightning to strike twice.
Read on for my Temple vs. Memphis predictions and college basketball picks for this afternoon.
Temple vs Memphis prediction
My best bet
Tyrese Hunter Over 1.5 threes (-180 at bet365)
My analysis
One of the deciders of the first matchup in early January was what happened behind the arc. It was a rough shooting day for the Memphis Tigers, who shot 6-21 from beyond the arc. Temple grabbed a 9-point advantage from deep and won the game by seven. It made the difference.
I don't expect Memphis to shoot so poorly again from deep at home, which is highlighting our best bet. We're headed to the player prop market and taking Tyrese Hunter to eclipse his 3-point total.
Hunter was actually the one Memphis player who had a decent game from deep in the first matchup, and we like him to keep that going. He just put his two most efficient 3-point shooting performances together over the last two games, and I suspect he continues to ride that momentum.
The Temple Owls have a lousy transition defense, and that's a problem.
They've allowed 1.14 points per possession in transition this season, which ranks in the Bottom 30% of college basketball. When you think of poor transition defense, you might not always believe that one of the best ways to exploit that is from deep, but you must consider the player.
Hunter is very comfortable pulling up from deep in transition and often gets many rhythm shots. That checks out when you look at deeper analytics on the season, such as over 40% of his scoring coming via fast breaks. He did a decent jump in the first matchup by exploiting the poor transition defense and should do a better job here.
The halfcourt also has a straightforward route for Hunter to connect from deep.
Temple has also struggled this season to defend kick-out threes. It's been the worst part of their defense, and they rank in the Bottom 20% of college basketball in this category. Hunter is a constant threat in such plays, as Memphis typically relies on PJ Haggerty to get into the lane and draw attention. This will leave Hunter open on the perimeter for plenty of scoring chances.
We're eating some juice here, but as someone who made this price around -200, I'm OK with it, and I still see an edge in this number. I'd also play Over 2.5 at above +105 for half a unit. Hunter will have ample opportunities to go Over both numbers.
Temple vs Memphis same-game parlay (SGP)
Tyrese Hunter Over 1.5 threes
PJ Haggerty Over 3.5 assists
Memphis first-half moneyline
The first addition is for PJ Haggerty to go Over his assist total. As we mentioned previously, he sees a unique value increase in this regard because of Temple's issues defending the kick-out options. That alone should be enough for him to exceed this number. It's already a feat he's accomplished in four of his last five games.
We're finishing it off with Memphis first-half moneyline. The Tigers have multiple offensive advantages, so this should, in reality, be a snoozer by the second half, but this captures what I feel the most strongly about in this matchup, and that's Memphis' focus being at an all-time high, especially early.
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Temple vs Memphis odds
Temple vs Memphis live odds
Temple vs Memphis opening odds
- Spread: Temple +14 | Memphis -14
- Moneyline: Temple +650 | Memphis -1000
- Over/Under: Over 156 | Under 156
Odds courtesy of bet365.
Temple vs Memphis betting trend to know
Memphis has cashed the moneyline in 25 of its last 33 games for +7.5 units and a 6% ROI. Find more college basketball betting trends for Temple vs. Memphis.
How to watch Temple vs Memphis
| Location | FedExForum, Memphis, TN |
| Date | Sunday, 2-9-2025 |
| Tip-off | 2:00 p.m. ET |
| TV | ESPN2 |
Temple vs Memphis key injuries
Not intended for use in MA.
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