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College Basketball Betting: No. 1 Memphis Loses to No. 2 Tennessee as Perfect Season Ends
Wayne Chism outduels Shawn Taggart for the rebound during the Vols' upset victory. (AP Images)
The chase for perfection will have to resume another year.
The No. 1 Memphis Tigers lost their first game of the season, falling to in-state rival Tennessee, 66-62, on Saturday night. The second-ranked Volunteers will likely take over the top spot in the national college basketball polls for the first time in school history.
Tyler Smith hit a turnaround jumper from inside the paint to give Tennessee a one-point lead with 26.5 seconds to play. J.P. Prince, who scored 12 points off the bench, hit two free throws with 8.8 seconds to go to secure the win.
The point spread favored Memphis by 5.5 points while the betting total fell under 156 points.
Smith scored a team-high 16 points and Wayne Chism added 13 as the Volunteers battled for the win in front of a raucous crowd in Memphis. The Tigers fell to 26-1 while the Vols improved to 25-2. It was Memphis’ first loss at home in 48 games.
The 1976 Indiana team was the last one to go unbeaten.
In other top 10 games on Saturday:
Oklahoma State 61, No. 4 Kansas 60: Byron Eaton hit the decisive free throws and finished with a game-high 26 points as the Cowboys pulled off their second big upset of the week. Following a victory over No. 7 Texas, Oklahoma State shocked the Jayhawks in Stillwater, Ok. The underdog Cowboys beat the 11.5-point spread.
No. 5 Duke 86, St. John’s 56: The Blue Devils showed signs they’re over their recent slump as they went on a 32-9 run in the first half to put away the Red Storm. Freshman Kyle Singler had 16 points at Cameron Indoor Arena as Duke covered the 23.5-point spread.
No. 6 UCLA 75, Oregon 65: The Bruins overcame an 11-point deficit in the second half at Pauley Pavilion. Darren Collison had 17 points and Russell Westbrook added 16 for UCLA, which was favored by 14.5.
No. 7 Texas 62, Oklahoma 45: D.J. Augustin’s 19 points helped the Longhorns rout their Big 12 opponent in Austin, Texas. The Longhorns were favored by 7.5.
No. 16 Drake 71, No. 8 Butler 64: Sophomore Josh Young scored 25 points, including three field goals late in the game, to power Drake to an upset in Indianapolis. Butler was favored by six.