In a marquee matchup on opening night, the Missouri Tigers and Memphis Tigers will do battle at the FedExForum at 8 p.m. ET on ESPN+.
Dennis Gates’ second season as Missouri's head coach went off the rails, as the Tigers finished with an ugly 8-24 record that included an 0-18 mark in the SEC.
The other Tigers failed to reach their third straight NCAA Tournament, bowing out in their first game of the AAC Tournament, 71-65, to Wichita State.
In this Monday matchup, Memphis is a 4.5-point favorite on the spread and is -192 on the moneyline. The current total sits at 153 points.
Here’s my Missouri vs. Memphis predictions and my college basketball picks for Monday.
Missouri vs Memphis Prediction
My pick: Missouri +4.5
My Missouri vs Memphis best bet is on the Tigers spread, with the best odds currently available at BetMGM. For all of your college basketball bets, be sure to find the best lines by using our live NCAAB odds page.
Missouri vs Memphis Odds, Lines, Pick
| Missouri Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
+4 -110 | 155 -110o / -110u | +160 |
| Memphis Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
-4 -110 | 155 -110o / -110u | -190 |
- Missouri vs Memphis spread: Memphis -4
- Missouri vs Memphis total: 155 points
- Missouri vs Memphis moneyline: Memphis -190, Missouri +160
- Missouri vs Memphis best bet: Missouri +4.5
Spread
I'm targeting the underdog, Missouri, on the spread.
Moneyline
I think there's a shot Missouri wins this game outright, so the +170 odds hold decent value.
Over/Under
I'm staying away from the total for this game.
My pick: Missouri +4.5 (Play to +3)
Missouri vs Memphis Betting Trends to Know
- 62% of the bets and 66% of the money is on Memphis ATS.
- 96% of the bets and 96% of the money is on the over.
Missouri vs Memphis Start Time, Channel, Streaming
| Location: | FedExForum, Memphis, TN |
| Date: | Monday, November 4 |
| Start Time: | 8 p.m. ET |
| TV / Streaming: | ESPN+ |
Missouri vs Memphis is scheduled for a 8 p.m. ET start time, live from FedExForum in Memphis, TN, on Monday. The game is live on ESPN+.
Missouri vs Memphis College Basketball Betting Preview
Missouri Basketball
Gates’ first season in Columbia was considered a major success, as the Tigers reached the NCAA Tournament after winning 25 games.
But 2023-24 was a reverse back to the mean for Missouri.
The Tigers lost to Jackson State in the non-conference, suffered 19 straight defeats to close out the season and were pummeled by these very same Memphis Tigers by 15 points.
To be fair, Missouri did suffer a plethora of injuries (111 combined missed games); however, that shouldn’t excuse an eight-win campaign.
While Gates didn’t clean house this offseason, he’s only bringing back five returning players while adding five freshmen and five transfers to provide a new-look roster.
Tamar Bates and Caleb Grill are the biggest returnees. Bates was the team’s second-leading scorer (13.5 PPG), including dropping 36 points against Florida. Meanwhile, Grill is a sharp shooter who previously played at Iowa State. The grad student played in just nine games last year after breaking his hand.
As for the transfers, Tony Perkins and Mark Mitchell are two massive additions. Even though both players lack consistency from beyond the arc, Perkins brings great positional size and Mitchell is a top-notch defender. Both also provide great experience at a high-major stage, considering they played at Iowa and Duke, respectively.
What really could take this Missouri team to the next level is the freshmen. Gates brought in the fifth-best recruiting class in the nation, according to 247Sports, which consists of five four-star talents.
The marquee player of the class is Annor Boateng, the highest-ranked recruit for the Tigers since Michael Porter Jr. joined the program in 2017.
A bounce-back is coming for the Tigers.
Memphis Basketball
Penny Hardaway is in his seventh year as head coach of the Tigers. He’s posted at least 20 wins in all six seasons and reached the NCAA Tournament twice.
Somehow that hasn’t felt like enough for Memphis.
This is a team that’s consistently one of the most talented groups in the country, yet the Tigers have failed to make it past the second round of the Big Dance.
The Tigers, once again, have arguably the best roster in the AAC, as Hardaway brought in Moussa Cisse, Dain Dainja, Tyrese Hunter and PJ Haggerty as his biggest transfers.
Four-star freshman Jared Harris has the potential to be special, too, despite his lack of strength (170 pounds).
But my question comes back to Hardaway as a coach. Will he be able to get enough scoring from the frontcourt? Will they be tough enough? Can they limit careless turnovers?
Those questions will decide the future of this Tigers team.
Missouri vs Memphis Betting Analysis
I don’t love either of these rosters on day one of the season.
Missouri has five freshmen who could play significant roles, one of its top returnees played in just nine games last year, and it’s on a 19-game losing streak.
Meanwhile, Hardaway doesn’t check the boxes for me as a head coach and Memphis has just one scholarship player returning.
Hardaway was 1-10 ATS last season with four-plus days off before a game. That to me is a bad sign as a coach, thus I like Gates and Missouri in this spot as they look for revenge for the 2023 non-conference defeat.
Mitchell will be able to guard Haggerty successfully and Missouri has enough size in the frontcourt to potentially combat Cisse and Dainja. I don’t know if they’ll win in Memphis, but I expect them to cover the spread.
