Wichita State vs. Memphis prediction and odds for Thursday, January 19

The American Athletic Conference is Houston’s conference for the foreseeable future, however, Wichita State and Memphis at least have a shot to climb near the top of the standings.

Specifically, Penny Hardaway’s 13-5 Memphis Tigers who are just 3-2 in conference, but have tried to grab a hold of this conference in recent years. A big injury might derail their chances of doing that this year though, Alex Lomax is expected to miss at least 1-2 weeks with an ankle injury. He was out last game and Memphis barely handled Temple, 61-59.

After losing their first three conference games, the Shockers have bounced back and are winners of their last two, but Vegas does not like their chances tonight. Here are the odds:

Wichita State vs. Memphis odds, spread and total

Wichita State vs. Memphis prediction and pick

Lomax is not the No. 1 option for Memphis on the offensive end, that’s Kendric Davis, but he is a huge part of their success and they struggled on that end without him. Memphis averages nearly 80 points a game and plays as fast as any team in the country, but they only managed 61 points against Temple.

Their pace slowed from a season average of 76.3 possessions per game to 69.8 against Temple and their shooting dropped off completely. The Tigers only hit four of 23 three point attempts in that game and they finished with just 10 assists as a team. Lomax averages 8.1 points, 3.5 assists, and a team high 2.8 steals.

I expect Memphis’s offense to struggle even more against a Wichita State team that is 33rd in defensive efficiency. Hardaway’s team could also get pounded on the glass, because they are 317th in defensive rebounding percentage. Memphis should win the game, they’re 8-0 at home this year and even without Lomax they’re the better team, however, Wichita State will slow the pace of this game down and it’ll go under the total.

Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change