The San Francisco Dons and the Memphis Tigers will play in an interesting non-conference matchup in college basketball on Saturday. Memphis opens its season at home with high expectations high after going 29-6 last year, while San Francisco enters with momentum off a 98-53 rout of a lower division opponent in its opener. Here, you will find my breakdown of this contest, including my San Francisco vs Memphis prediction.
Our San Francisco vs Memphis Pick
Pick: Memphis Tigers -3.5
Confidence: 3/5
Game Snapshot
- Matchup: San Francisco Dons @ Memphis Tigers
- Date & Time: Saturday, November 8, 2025, 3:00 PM ET
- Venue: FedExForum, Memphis, Tennessee
- Broadcast: ESPN+
Key Storylines
- Memphis opens its season at home and has strong expectations after a 29-6 record last year, including a 16-2 conference record. The Tigers averaged approximately 79.9 points per game last season and they will try to be productive on offense with a retooled roster.
- San Francisco enters 1-0 after dominating their first outing and they return experienced guards such as Tyrone Riley IV and Ryan Beasley.
- The tempo is expected to be fast in this game. Memphis ranked among the nation’s top 35 in possessions per game last season and San Francisco also plays at an uptempo clip. This could be more of a track-meet than a grind.
Head-to-Head & Betting Trends
- Last season, Memphis defeated San Francisco 68-64 in San Francisco. After scoring just 22 first-half points, Memphis surged to win via a 46-33 advantage in the second half.
- Memphis went 16-19 ATS last season and only 6-9 at home.
- San Francisco was 17-14 ATS overall last year and 5-5 as an away underdog.
San Francisco vs Memphis Model Projection
Score Projection: San Francisco 71 – Memphis 77
Win Probability: San Francisco 38%, Memphis 62%
Final Thoughts
I think that this has the potential to be one of the more entertaining games on the college basketball schedule on Saturday. Both of these teams have legitimate NCAA Tournament level talent and will try to get one of those non-conference wins that could be looked at favorably by the selection committee in March, even if they don’t manage to win their conference tournament.
As for the outcome of this game, I’ll lay the points with the Memphis Tigers on their home floor. Memphis should have the edge on defense against their WCC opponents in this matchup. I’ll trust the numbers and go with the Tigers to get a win in their first game of the 2025-26 season.
