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Posted at 12:15 PM EST

American Tournament - FedExForum - Memphis, TN

2:30 PM EST. UCF had likely punched its ticket to The Big Dance with its 23 wins this season and a 13-5 mark in the American, but if there was any doubt, a pair of wins over ranked opponents in Cincinnati and Houston to close out the year certainly sealed the deal. While those wins will carry a ton of weight, the cupcakes that the Knights feasted on early in the year should also be accounted for. UCF played a non-conference schedule that ranked 263 in the nation. Schools like Illinois State, Stetson, and Grambling State were pushovers, but the Knights got a scare early when they squeaked out an 80-79 win over FAU as 21½ chalk. After picking up that signature win against the Bearcats on March 7 and propelling themselves into the field of 68, the Knights dropped a game at Temple to end its regular season and we're not sure what’s going to motivate them today in what should be a very hostile environment.

The Tigers are the fifth seed here to UCF’s #4 seed, but with this American tournament being played in Memphis, they are the home team to be sure. Memphis is a bubble team, but they did win 20 games and played a tougher schedule than UCF. The Tigers have one game under their belt already after blasting Tulane 83-68 in the opening round, but all the market will see is that they did not cover the 16½ point spread. The Tigers also failed to cover in a 66-63 win over Tulsa in their season finale, but that game came on the heels of a tightly contested road loss to the Bearcats. The Tigers have been a team on the verge of getting over the hump all season and they need this game so much more than the Knights. Memphis is undervalued and that this game takes place in their backyard makes the Tigers an appealing pooch here. We doubt they'll be flat in front of what should be a healthy home crowd at the FedExForum and we’re betting that they “want it more”.

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