Halftime Report

Virginia is giving their home crowd exactly what they were hoping for. They have jumped out to a quick 30-21 lead against Memphis.

Virginia came into the matchup with some extra motivation after the defeat they were dealt the last time these two teams faced off. We'll see if they're able to flip the script or if it'll just be more of the same.

Who's Playing

Memphis Tigers @ Virginia Cavaliers

Current Records: Memphis 8-2, Virginia 6-4

How To Watch

What to Know

Virginia will be in front of their home fans on Wednesday, but a look at the spread shows they might need that home-court advantage. They will be home for the holidays to greet the Memphis Tigers at 7:00 p.m. ET at John Paul Jones Arena. The Cavaliers' defense has only allowed 60.2 points per game this season, so the Tigers' offense will have their work cut out for them.

Virginia is headed into this one after the oddsmakers set last week's over/under low at 126.5, but even that wound up being too high. They enjoyed a cozy 59-41 victory over Bethune-Cook. on Thursday.

Multiple players turned in solid performances to lead Virginia to victory, but perhaps none more so than Jacob Cofie, who dropped a double-double on 12 points and ten rebounds. The team also got some help courtesy of Ishan Sharma, who had 12 points plus five rebounds.

Meanwhile, it may have taken overtime to finish the job, but Memphis ultimately got the result they hoped for on Saturday. They came out on top against Clemson by a score of 87-82. Having run the score up that high, both teams might be doing some extra defensive drills very soon.

Memphis' success was the result of a balanced attack that saw several players step up, but Tyrese Hunter led the charge by going 7 for 11 from beyond the arc en route to 23 points. Hunter had some trouble finding his footing against Arkansas State last Sunday, so this was a nice turnaround. Another player making a difference was Colby Rogers, who went 9 for 14 en route to 22 points.

Virginia's win was their sixth straight at home dating back to last season, which pushed their record up to 6-4. As for Memphis, their victory bumped their record up to 8-2.

Wednesday's game is shaping up to be a masterclass in shooting: Virginia has been dynamite from deep this season, having made 38.1% of their threes per game. However, it's not like Memphis struggles in that department as they've made 44.3% of their threes this season. Given these competing strengths, it'll be interesting to see how their clash plays out.

Not only did both teams in this Wednesday's match win their last matches, they also took care of their bettors and covered the spread. Going forward, Memphis is the favorite in this one, as the experts expect to see them win by 5.5 points. This will be their first time playing as the favorites on the road this season.

Odds

Memphis is a solid 5.5-point favorite against Virginia, according to the latest college basketball odds.

The oddsmakers had a good feel for the line for this one, as the game opened with the Tigers as a 4.5-point favorite.


The over/under is 131 points.

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Series History

Memphis won the only game these two teams have played in the last year.

  • Dec 19, 2023 - Memphis 77 vs. Virginia 54