Pittsburgh – The Panthers are on a red hot 7-2 ATS run. They are 2-0 without their star point guard and three-point marksman Ashton Gibbs who is slated to return for Wednesday’s game against South Florida.
Georgetown – Immediate reaction to this year’s Hoyas squad always takes an offensive tone and tilts toward their dependence on the perimeter shooting of Austin Freeman, Chris Wright and Jason Clark. However, this team has been an “under” magnet in Big East play posting a 9-3 mark with only three of their games exceeding 135 points.
Syracuse – There’s a current perception that the Orange’s trademark 2-3 defense is underachieving and not up to the customary standards. That thought may have been true in January but it is quickly becoming false here in February as Syracuse has limited four of its five opponents this month to 42.3% field goal shooting or less. At home in conference play, Syracuse has posted a 5-2 “under” mark.
Notre Dame – Now on a 6-1 ATS tear, Notre Dame and their “Iron Six” are looking like legitimate Sweet 16 material. They are second to Georgetown in conference FG percentage shooting at 46.6% from the floor and they’ve allowed just one opponent to shoot better than 44.6% in their last seven games.
Louisville – Fully healthy now, look for Louisville head coach Rick Pitino to really turn up the tempo on conference foes. Despite being shorthanded for the entire conference season up until now, Louisville games have averaged 141.5 points per game. Last week saw the Cards post back-to-back “overs” and that theme is likely to continue.
Connecticut - Since their 82-81 non-conference win at Texas on January 8, Connecticut has transformed into a money making “under” machine. Ten games since that time have resulted in an 8-2 “under” record including 5-1 at home where only one contest totaled more than 133 points. Erratic low post offense from Alex Oriakhi and limited perimeter options to stretch a zone have caused all-everything Kemba Walker’s shooting percentage to plummet in league play.
West Virginia – Even with outstanding 11-for-22 50% three point shooting last night at Syracuse, West Virginia could still muster only 52 points. Their 6-of-25 from two-point range and 58% foul shooting showcased once again that this team cannot knock down shots on a consistent basis. They have now played six consecutive Big East road “unders” with the average game total being 119.5. They now have their full complement of players and Bob Huggins isn’t demanding that they play slow but their inability to score inside against rugged league opponents really hurts their offense. With Cam Mitchell (9-of-15) and John Flowers (7-of-14) now on hot streaks from beyond the arc, the Mounties could have some “over” value considering their next five matchups.
Cincinnati – Big East play has hit the Bearcats like a brick as they’ve gone 2-8 ATS over their last 10 games and 3-9 overall. Cincy has not scored 60 points in six of its last eight games and only Providence’s 39.7% FG shooting is worse than the Bearcats’ 40.3% mark in league play. Have to also note that Cincinnati’s owns the worst three-point defense in the league yielding 38.8% and three of their next five games are against very good long distance shooting teams.
