Gallagher-Iba Arena – Stillwater, OK
Tip-off: Tuesday, 8:00 p.m. ET
Line: Oklahoma State -7

In the first tough test of the season for both teams, No. 7 Oklahoma State will host No. 11 Memphis in the beginning of the Old Spice Classic.

Both of these teams cruised past cupcake opponents to begin the season as the Tigers covered a 22.5-point spread in a 95-69 win against Austin Peay on Thursday, and the Cowboys won three games by an average of 47.3 points per game. Now these programs will meet for the first time since Oklahoma State beat Memphis 70-53 in the 2004 NCAA Tournament. The Cowboys may be in for another win, as home favorites of 3.5 to 9.5 points are 39-10 ATS (80%) since 1997 when leading their last three games by 5+ points at half, with four returning starters from last season in the first 10 games of the season. Still, Oklahoma State is just 3-14 ATS (18%) since 1997 after scoring 40 or more points in the first half of two consecutive games, and the Tigers are 51-32 ATS (61%) as a road underdog (or pick) since 1997.

Which highly-ranked team will remain unbeaten on Saturday? For the latest college basketball picks, check out The Platinum Sheet for all the StatFox Experts selections every week throughout the entire 2013-14 season. The experts have started the season on fire, going 60% ATS (27-18-5) in college basketball Best Bets, led by StatFox Scott's 80% ATS (8-2) record and StatFox Zach's 67% ATS (6-3-1) mark. StatFox Brian and StatFox Dave are both a profitable 56% ATS (5-4-1) in college hoops Best Bets.

Josh Pastner’s Memphis squads are always filled with top recruits and this year is no different, featuring a lineup well balanced between returning players and incoming freshmen. Senior PG Joe Jackson runs the show and scored 16 points with seven assists in the team’s opener, after averaging 13.6 PPG and 4.8 APG last season. However, he turned the ball over three times against Austin Peay, a bad trend after he coughed it up 2.8 times per game a year ago. Fellow senior SG Michael Dixon Jr. (15 points, four steals, four rebounds in opener) is also a top returning scorer on the wing. SGs Chris Crawford (11 points, eight rebounds, four steals, four assists) and Geron Johnson (11 points, 10 rebounds, four assists) both had huge games against Austin Peay. Such a deep crew of guards allows this team to play at a fast pace, often attempting to out run its opponents. Their main veteran presence down low is 6-foot-9 sophomore PF Shaq Goodwin, turned the ball over five times in the opener, but still had 10 points, two rebounds and two blocks. He scored 7.4 PPG and grabbed 4.4 RPG in only 20.7 MPG last season. He’ll be aided down low by highly regarded freshman SF Austin Nichols, who recorded six points and five rebounds in his first taste of collegiate action. Six-foot-7 freshman swingman Nick King can also help down low, scoring 13 points and snagging five rebounds against Austin Peay.

The star for Oklahoma State is sophomore PG Marcus Smart (13.7 PPG, 4.3 RPG, 3.3 APG), who could’ve been a top pick in June’s NBA Draft but opted to return this season. He hasn’t had to do much against the Cowboys’ easy early-season foes, but has dominated specifically on the defensive end, averaging 4.0 SPG thus far. Taking the scoring load off him has been sophomore SG Phil Forte (21.0 PPG), who stands at just 5-foot-11 but has been red-hot to start the year. He has hit 14-of-22 threes (64%) to start the year, hitting 6-of-7 in the team’s most recent contest. Smart and Forte are two of six Cowboys averaging double-figure points so far. Senior SG Markel Brown (15.3 PPG, 3.7 APG, 2.7 threes per game) is another dangerous perimeter weapon, while swingman Le’Bryan Nash is more of a threat down low, averaging 13.7 PPG and 6.3 RPG. Nash is shooting 59.1% from the field and 88% from the line (15-of-17) to start the year. Freshman SG Stevie Clark (10.0 PPG, 5.7 APG) has been an effective scorer and distributor to start the year, helping Smart play off the ball more, while junior SF Brian Williams (10.0 PPG on 67% FG, 4.0 RPG) can play useful minutes on the perimeter. Like the Tigers, the Cowboys are built off their frenetic guard play, though look for sophomore C Kamari Murphy (4.5 PPG, 6.0 RPG in 15.5 MPG) to get some key minutes. The 6-foot-8 post player is averaging 2.0 BPG and could be big for this team on the boards against guys like Goodwin and Nichols.