Memphis basketball vs Virginia score prediction: Latest news, injury updates

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The Memphis basketball team’s grueling non-conference streak continues in Virginia.

Penny Hardaway’s 22nd-ranked Tigers (8-2) and the unranked Cavaliers (6-4) will tip off Wednesday (6 p.m. CT, ESPN2) at John Paul Jones Arena, where the home team is undefeated (5-0) this season. Virginia lost just twice at home all last season, to North Carolina and Pitt.

But these Cavaliers underwent a seismic shift not very long before zero hour. Longtime coach Tony Bennett suddenly announced his retirement in mid-October, and the program is still dealing with the aftermath. Award-winning transfer Jalen Warley announced his departure in the wake of Bennett’s departure, and Virginia’s other newcomers haven’t exactly lived up to expectations under new head coach Ron Sanchez.

Memphis is coming off a big road win over Clemson, while Virginia’s previous game was a win over Bethune Cookman.

Here are three things to look out for ahead of Wednesday’s game.

Get more from Moussa Cisse and Baraka Okojie

The five-man group of Tyrese Hunter, PJ Haggerty, Colby Rogers, Nicholas Jourdain and Dain Dainja has gotten the lion’s share of playing time for Memphis this season.

After last week’s win over Clemson, however, Hardaway acknowledged that center Moussa Cisse and guard Baraka Okojie came up big for the Tigers, albeit in relatively limited minutes — Cisse getting 24 and Okojie just six.

In 11 second-half minutes, Cisse scored eight points and had five rebounds before trailing late. Okojie made just his sixth field goal of the season on an aggressive drive during a crucial sequence in the second half.

“We’ve told him to be more aggressive,” Hardaway said of Okojie. “He looks a little indecisive out there and that might be my fault. So I have to calm him down because I know he has more to give us. I don’t want to take away his confidence. I think I kind of took away his confidence with the way I subordinated him.”

Hardaway said Cisse had shown signs of going in the opposite direction mentally. That maybe he tried to do too much and it hurt him.

“A lot of these guys want to contribute — we win and they want to contribute more,” Hardaway said. “So, it’s a reverse effect. They put too much pressure on themselves and can’t perform. (Cisse) went and did what he should do every single night. That’s what we expect from him.”

The turnover is still lurking

A lot has gone right for Memphis this season because of how many things it does well.

The Tigers are still one of the best 3-point shooting teams in the country. They have one of the most efficient offenses in Division I, and the defense has been a big part of their success as well.

But turnovers have kept the offense from being even better. Memphis has turned the ball over on 19.6% of its possessions this season – one of the 80 worst ratios in the country. Of particular concern is the Tigers’ non-stealing turnover percentage. Of their 141 turnovers, only 73 have come as a result of their opponent making a steal. This ratio ranks 338th in the country.

In the game against Clemson, Memphis committed 16 turnovers and Clemson had only six steals.

“Early turnovers were really bad. We were down 10-0,” Hardaway said. “We were in control and defended at a high level. Then we just got a little slack.”

Virginia basketball scouting report

The best thing the Cavaliers do offensively is shoot the 3-pointer. They have connected 38.1% of the time, which is top-50 in the country.

Isaac McKneely, the team’s leading scorer, is shooting 46.9% from deep this season. He is by far the highest volume shooter on the team with 64 attempts. No one else has more than 26.

But that’s about all Virginia does well offensively, as the Cavaliers are averaging just 61.4 points per game. game (the second-worst scoring offense among all power conference teams).

While turnovers have been a prominent issue for Memphis, Virginia has been worse. The Cavaliers commit a bunch (12.3 per game) and don’t force many (9.7 per game). Their minus-2.6 turnover margin was 310th in college basketball through Saturday’s games.

But Virginia has been stingy defensively. Its opponents have scored just 60.2 points per game, an overall top-20 mark. Only two teams have scored more than 80 points against the Cavaliers this season: Florida and St. John’s.

Memphis basketball score prediction vs. Virginia

Memphis 74, Virginia 64: Wednesday’s game represents another chance for the Tigers to prove they are the real deal. They won’t waste it.

Reach sportswriter Jason Munz at [email protected] or follow him @munzly on X, the social media app formerly known as Twitter.