Blake Krass provides his preview, prediction and pick for Thursday’s college basketball game between Wichita State and Memphis.

The Memphis Tigers host the Wichita State Shockers in a Thursday night American Conference battle. The game tips off at 9:00 p.m. ET in Memphis, Tennessee.

The Tigers are listed as 1.5-point home favorites on DraftKings Sportsbook, with the total set at 147.5 points. Let’s dive into a full preview, prediction, and pick for this American showdown.

Memphis vs. Wichita State prediction, preview

Wichita State is surging late in the American Conference season. With a win in this game, Wichita State can move into a tie for second place in the conference. The Shockers likely need to win their conference tournament to get into the Big Dance. The way that the American tournament is set up, the top two seeds get an automatic bye all the way to the semifinals. So, if Wichita State can finish in second place in the conference, it only needs to win two games to get into March Madness. The Shockers have won five of their past six games, with the lone loss coming to South Florida, the top team in the conference. They will look to keep that momentum going in a tough road test against Memphis.

It has been a disappointing season for Penny Hardaway’s team. Memphis has made the NCAA Tournament three of the past four years. Even the year they missed out, they went 22-10. This year, they are a middle-of-the-pack American team, with a 12-15 record overall. The Tigers have lost four straight games coming into this matchup. Memphis’ main struggle has been putting the ball in the basket, a pretty important facet of the game. The Tigers rank 226th in the nation in offensive rating. They try to push the pace because they do have good athletes, but the team both lacks an elite individual scorer and doesn’t operate efficiently as a group. It looks like a lost season for Memphis, unless it can pull off a miracle run in the American tournament.

Memphis vs. Wichita State pick

My best bet is on the Wichita State Moneyline. The Shockers should find a way to win this one as short underdogs. Oddsmakers are giving a lot of respect to Memphis because of its on-paper talent and good coaching. However, this Memphis team seems completely lost at the moment. During their four-game losing streak, the strong defense they leaned on all season has vanished. Memphis has struggled to score all season, but played great team defense. However, over the last four games, they have given up 85 points per game. Memphis likes to play fast, ranking 58th nationally in adjusted tempo. If they try to run at that pace but aren’t hustling defensively to get back in transition, they will continue to give up easy buckets.

Wichita State is a good three-point shooting team, ranking fourth in the conference in three-point percentage. The Shockers also don’t give the ball away, with the third-fewest turnovers per game of any team in the conference. Memphis can beat you with smothering defense and getting easy buckets in transition, while forcing you to make tough shots. However, if Wichita State protects the ball and can hit some shots from beyond the arc, it should cruise to victory. In the first matchup this season between these teams, Wichita State led for 92% of the game and went on to win 74-59. It might not be as dominant a win on the road, but the Shockers should still get it done.

Best Bet: Wichita State ML (+100)