NCAA Tournament West Region Second Round
#3 Connecticut Huskies vs #14 Bucknell Bison
Verizon Center, Washington, DC
Thursday, March 17, 2011, 7:20 pm Eastern, TV: TNT
Opening Line: UConn -13
Current Line: UConn -10
Opening Total: 131 1/2
Current Total: 132
Money Line: UConn -625 / Bucknell +500
This line has dropped from -13 to -10 1/2. I believe this is because many people are unsure what kind of legs the Huskies will have after playing 5 games in 5 days last week to win the Big East Tournament. It was an amazing run for UConn that included wins over 4 ranked teams Georgetown, Pitt, Syracuse, and Louisville in the last four games of the tournament. I guess we will find out if the exertion was worth it as the #3 seeded Huskies take on the Patriot League Champs the #14 Bucknell Bison in this west region second round game. Connecticut was 26-9 overall and finished 9th in the Big East with a 9-9 record. Bucknell was 25-8 and won the Patriot League regular season title with a 13-1 record. The Bison have won 10 straight games including a 72-57 victory over Lafayette in the Patriot League Championship game. The Bison struggled out of the gate with a 2-6 record but have gone 23-2 since then.The winner of this game will play the winner of Cincinnati and Missouri in the third round.
Bucknell last made the NCAA tournament in 2006, but is no stranger to pulling off upsets. The Bison pulled first round upsets of Arkansas and Kansas in 2005 and 2006. Bucknell and UConn have played twice in history but not since 1953. For what it’s worth, UConn is 2-0 all time versus Bucknell. Connecticut is 8-0 ATS on neutral site courts and in tournament games this season having won the Maui Invitational and Big East Tournaments this season. UConn is 6-0 ATS in non-conference games this season.
Bucknell has no significant injuries right now. The Bison are led by forward/center Mike Muscala who averages 14.9 points, 7.4 rebounds, 1.4 assists and 2 blocks a game. He leads the team in points, rebounds, and blocks. Guard Bryson Johnson averages 11.7 points, 2 rebounds, and 1.1 assists. Guard/forward G.W. Boon averages 8.8 points and 3.8 rebounds a game. Guard Darryl Shazier averages 8.3 points, 3.6 rebounds, 5.6 assists and 1.4 steals a game. He leads the team in assists and steals. Bucknell is outscoring opponents 71-63 this season. The Bison are shooting 45% from the field and 40.2% from 3-point range. Bison opponents are shooting 39.2% from the field. Bucknell makes 78.6% of their free throws. Bucknell averages 34.1 rebounds and has a rebounding margin of +0.4. The Bison averages 14.7 assists and 11.4 turnovers a game. They force 11.9 turnovers a game on defense. The Bison average 3.2 blocks and 4.8 steals a game.
Connecticut has no significant injuries right now. The Huskies are led by dynamic guard Kemba Walker. The 6’1″ Walker is averaging 23.5 points, 5.3 rebounds, 4.3 assists, and 1.9 steals a game. He leads the team in scoring, assists, and steals. Guard/forward Jeremy Lamb averages 10.3 points, 4.4 rebounds, and 1.6 assists a game. Forward/center Alex Oriakhi averages 10 points, 8.5 rebounds and 1.7 blocks a game. He leads the team in rebounds and blocks. Guard Shabazz Napier averages 8.3 points, 2.3 rebounds, 3 assists, and 1.7 steals a game. UConn is outscoring opponents 73-66 on the year. The Huskies are shooting 43.3% from the field and 33.2% from 3-point range. Husky opponents are shooting 40.1% from the field. The Huskies shoot 75.5% from the free throw line. UConn averages 39.6 rebounds a game and have a rebounding margin of +4.1. UConn averages 13.1 assists and 11.7 turnovers a game. They force 12.1 turnovers a game on defense. They average 6.6 steals and 5.6 blocks a game.
Several years ago Syracuse made a similar run through the Big East Tournament, though they only had to win 4 games in 4 days. However, Syracuse exhausted so much energy that they were upset by Vermont in the first round of the tournament. A similar situation could happen here with Connecticut. Bucknell is a very good team who is one of the hottest teams in the country. Bucknell started off the season with losses at Villanova and Marquette also of the Big East. They were defeated handily in both games. However, Bucknell has improved vastly since then. I think Connecticut survives a close game but doesn’t cover.
our college basketball handicappers are red hot as the tournament is in full force. Don’t miss out on any winners form now until the Championship game next month.
