Packing for Vegas: College Basketball Picks Nov. 20

Are the basketball hoops not 10' high in Puerto Rico? Are the courts not 94' long and 50' wide? Are the official balls not spherical?

As far as I know, the basic elements of the game are the same in Puerto Rico as they are in the United States. Which begs the question: Why is No. 12 Memphis only a 23-point favorite over winless Chattanooga this afternoon in the first round of the Puerto Rico Tip-Off?

The Tigers did play at midnight on Monday, but they have enough depth to overcome a little fatigue. In that game, against UMass, Memphis only shot 39 percent, including an abysmal 2-of-19 from behind the arc. The Tigers still won by 22, as nine different players saw at least nine minutes of action.

Chattanooga, on the other hand, is on the opposite side of two early season blowouts. The Mocs were crushed 114-75 by Tennessee in their opener and lost 103-75 to Missouri on Monday. Ten Tennessee Volunteers and 11 Missouri Tigers played double-digit minutes against Chattanooga, and Memphis figures to employ a similar strategy.

With its aggressive pressure defense, Memphis should be able to force a bunch of turnovers against the sloppy Mocs.

In my opinion, even a somewhat travel-weary, potentially sloppy Memphis team wins this game (4:30 ET, ESPN2) by at least 30.

In Other Memphis News:

It was announced yesterday that Memphis snagged another big-time player: ESPN's top-rated recruit in the country, Xavier Henry. Nothing against the shooting guard from Oklahoma State, as one obviously does not ascend to the top of one's class without being ridiculously good at basketball, but his recruiting video is lame. Really lame. Check it out here.

I'm sorry, but they could've made a video of me doing that stuff. The entire video is a compilation of wide-open threes and a couple fast-break lay-ups, mostly against the same team. Also, most of the time the defense appears to be hoping the ball will go in the hoop, just because they seem too lazy to get a rebound if it missed. The way Henry trots back on D -- which I'll call the "Henry Hobble" -- is reminiscent of Willis Reed in his twilight years, or anyone over 40 who plays pick-up at your local gym.

Calapari must have seen a different video.

Today's pick: Memphis -23; 2 units.

Season Record: 2-0 (100%), +3 units