West Virginia Mountaineers at No. 8 Connecticut Huskies
Monday, 1/9/12, 7:00 PM EST, TV: ESPN2
Opening Point Spread: Connecticut -5
Current Betting Line: Connecticut -5
Opening Total: 137.5
Current Total: 139
Odds Courtesy of Bookmaker
West Virginia has started Big East Conference play with a 3-1 record, including a 74-62 victory over the Georgetown Hoyas as two-point home favorites. “We’ve been up and down sometimes and we’ve got to get more consistent, but when we play like this, I think we’re tough to beat,” stated Mountaineers forward Kevin Jones. Head coach Bob Huggins has wins over 20 ranked teams since he has been the head coach at West Virginia. The team is 1-3 ATS as a road underdog of 3.5 to 6 points the last two-plus years.
The Mountaineers are 0-8 against the Huskies in games played at Connecticut, while tallying a 4-13 mark in this series as conference rivals. West Virginia has been led offensively by the play of Truck Bryant, who has averaged 18.4 points for the conference’s third-best mark, which includes 24.8 points a contest during Big East play. It’s still important to note that he’s managed to score just 9.0 points on 26.9 percent shooting in three meetings against the Huskies.
Connecticut dropped both games of its recent road trip against Seton Hall and Rutgers, failing to cover the spread as three and six points favorites respectively. “We weren’t very well-prepared to play basketball the last two games,” commented Huskies head coach Jim Calhoun. “I am incredibly disappointed in how we’re playing right now.” The Huskies are led offensively by guard Jeremy Lamb, who is averaging 18.2 points per game. He has managed to top the 20-point mark five times this year. Connecticut is 2-4 ATS as a home favorite of 3.5 to 6 points the last two-plus campaigns.
The Huskies are a perfect 6-0 when playing in Hartford this season, posting a 224-81 all-time mark when playing inside the XL Center. Connecticut hasn’t lost three consecutive games since March 2010, but could definitely bounce back due to hitting a Big East-leading 42 percent from beyond the arc on its home court. Sophomore guard Shabazz Napier has been battling a sore ankle recently that has limited his practice time, but he did manage to pour in 23 points in 38 minutes played in the team’s loss against Rutgers.
Bettors will likely back the Huskies due to their 7-3 ATS mark versus Big East opponents, while the Mountaineers are 3-7 ATS in the last 10 meetings.
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