Texas A&M (27-6) might be the lower seed (No. 3) when it takes on two-seed Memphis (32-3) in tonight’s South Regional Semi-Final game at the Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas but offshore oddsmakers see Memphis as the underdog installing the Aggies the favorite to win the game by a -3.5-point chalk (136 total).With the game in the Alamo City, there’s no doubt who the crowd favorite will be. The Aggie faithful will scarf all the tickets they can to make this game a virtual home game for Texas A&M.
The Aggies appear to be the more proven team having had to battle their way through a difficult BIG 12 schedule while the Tigers had it easy playing in the watered down Conference-USA. Critics think Memphis wouldn’t have fared as well had it been a member of a more challenging league. Tonight Memphis can prove its worth by making the Aggies their 25th straight victim.
If Memphis is to win, they might have to do it without leading scorer Chris Douglas-Roberts who might have to sit the game out due to a sprained ankle. Memphis coach John Calipari expects it to be a game time decision if Douglas-Roberts suits up.
The Tigers play a pressure defense and transition offense taking advantage of their depth having nine players who average at least 10 minutes a game. Douglas-Roberts averages 15.4 points per game, but Jeremy Hunt, Joey Dorsey and Antonio Anderson can all contribute offensively.
Texas A&M will be led by All-American guard Acie Law IV who averages 18.2 points per game overall and has put up a 23-point average per game in the NCAA Tournament. Three other starters, Josh Carter, Joseph Jones and Antanas Kavaliuskas averaged double digits during the regular season.
The winner of the Texas A&M-Memphis game will play the winner of the Tennessee-Ohio State game on Saturday (time TBA). The winner of Saturday’s game will advance to the NCAA Final Four March 31-April 2 in Atlanta.
Point-Spreads.com pick: Memphis +3.5
