No. 23 Pittsburgh Panthers at No. 17 Cincinnati Bearcats
Saturday, 2/9/13, 6:00 PM EST, TV: ESPN
Opening Point Spread: Cincinnati PK
Current Betting Line: Cincinnati -1.5
Opening Total: 121
Current Total: 123
Odds Courtesy of Bookmaker
Pittsburgh has won six of its last seven games, including a 56-46 victory over the Seton Hall Pirates as 16.5-point home favorites last time out, while going UNDER the total for a third consecutive contest. The Panthers have already won more overall games (19) and more Big East Conference games (seven) than they did a year ago. The team has three starters averaging in double figures, with senior guard Tray Woodall leading the way in scoring 10.8 points per game. Pittsburgh is 5-2 ATS as a road underdog of three points or less the last two-plus seasons.
The Panthers have used a 10-player rotation for most of the season, with each member averaging 4.3 points or more and at least 11.9 minutes. Through 24 games, Pittsburgh has outscored its opponents by a plus-16.9 margin, while out-rebounding foes by an average of 8.5 boards per game. Defensively, the team has allowed 55.4 points over the last seven games, which is a big improvement from surrendering 64.0 in the first four league contests.
Cincinnati returns home after earning a split of its recent two-game road trip, which includes a 54-50 defeat to the Providence Friars as four-point favorites Wednesday night, while going UNDER the total for the eight time in nine contests. “We started off sluggish,” stated Bearcats guard Sean Kilpatrick. He is averaging a team-high 18.3 points per game, while JaQuon Parker (10.7) and Cashmere Wright (13.9) also score in double figures. Cincinnati is 4-0 ATS as a home favorite of three points or less the last two-plus years, which can’t be ignored when making your college basketball picks against the spread Saturday.
The Bearcats are worth a long look when checking out the college basketball betting lines, considering they’ve won 10 of their last 15 games against ranked opponents. Since the 2010-11 campaign, Cincinnati is 6-1 in the second meeting against conference teams that it played earlier in the season. The program has dropped two of its last three home games in this particular series.
Sports bettors will likely back the Bearcats due to their 5-2 ATS mark following a straight-up loss, while the Panthers are 3-8 ATS following a win.
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