Coming up on Tuesday, December 19 at 7:00 PM ET is a college basketball matchup between the 22^nd-ranked Virginia Cavaliers (9-1) and 23^rd-ranked Memphis Tigers (8-2) in the FedExForum in Tennessee. The Tigers have a point spread at -2.5 (-110) showing they are a slight favorite.

 

 

The Cavaliers have been successful in their last five games. Their previous encounter was a 56-54 win over the Northeastern Huskies, which was pretty ugly to say the least. They were down 30-24 at the half, but were able to rally for the win late.

 

Reece Beckman puts up 12.5 points per game with 5.7 assists. He is shooting the ball with a 45.7 success rate and is only experiencing 1.2 turnovers when the ball is in his hands.

 

While they may not run away with a game offensively, they are making sure that their opponent does not either. They put up 66.8 points a game while giving up 53.3 to opponents. They are shooting 46.0 percent from the floor and moving the ball well with 15.7 assists.

 

The Cavaliers secure 32.6 rebounds overall per matchup. They also post 6.0 blocks and 8.8 steals a game, which could come in handy late in the game.

 

 

The Tigers have won their last three games and are 3-2 in their last five overall. They recently defeated the 13^th-ranked Clemson Tigers 79-77 and David Jones finished with 22 points to help secure the victory.

 

Jones has been great for the Tigers, averaging 20.3 points a game and 6.5 rebounds. He is connecting on 45.0 percent of his shots and is shooting 80.0 percent from the free throw line.

 

The Tigers are getting 79.6 points and shooting 45.5 percent from the field each matchup. They accumulate 13.0 assists per game, which is only a few below what the Cavaliers get.

 

They are allowing 74.4 points per game, which is not a big margin of safety. They are getting 37.2 rebounds per game and this could be huge for defensive rebounds. They also create 4.5 blocks and 8.6 steals per game.

 

 

MyBookie showcases their odds for this matchup, with the Memphis Tigers as slight favorites to win. Market insights indicate that the Tigers have a 62.9 percent success rate of securing the win at home.

 

 

This should be a compelling matchup, as both teams have key differences. The Tigers like to run with the ball while the Cavaliers slow the pace down. A defensive grinding matchup usually favors Cavaliers.