Posted at 12:30 PM EST odds are subject to change.

Pinnacle +14 -107 BET365 +14 -110 SportsInteraction +14 -109 888Sport +14 -110

Fertitta Center, Houston, TX

Streaming: ESPN

Memphis +14 over Houston

3:00 PM EST. As the #2 team in the nation, the Cougars are going to need little introduction here. This is a high profile game that is going to be nationally televised on The Worldwide Leader, which means that it is going to have many eyes and many wagers on this first Sunday without NFL football of the year. The Cougars are 24-2, and their work is done when it comes to playing in the NCAA Tournament. ESPN’s Bracketology has the Cougs as a #1 seed in the tourney. We’d never suggest a team would look past the end of the season with that ultimate prize in the horizon, but Houston needs these final few weeks of the season like they need a hole in the head. Meanwhile, they face a fierce invader today that is clawing for its postseason life.

On the surface, Memphis is on the fringe as they are pegged to be an #11 seed as of this morning. However, if one digs deeper, this is a team that ranked 39th in the nation in Adjusted Efficiency Margin, which is a much better reflection of a team's quality than the superficial statistics. That ranking is built on playing a tough non-conference slate that is graded 31st of the 363 ranked Division I schools. The Tigers have “Big Six” wins over Vanderbilt, Nebraska, Stanford, Ole Miss, then #11 Auburn, and Texas A&M. In their showdown with #1 Alabama, Memphis went shot-for-shot with the Crimson Tide, narrowly losing 91-88, as a 7½-point pooch in Tuscaloosa. Now the Tigers are taking back double-digits in Houston? That can’t be. We’re going to scoop up these inflated points, but don’t think for a second that the Tigers are not capable of getting a signature win here to put a stamp on their ticket to The Big Dance.

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