UConn faces West Virginia in key Big East battle
The Big East is starting to get a taste of what it?s like to be in the Big Ten.
For the past few weeks, teams in the highly competitive Big Ten have been beating the snot out of each other in conference play. Thanks to that pounding, the Big Ten has been reduced to four teams in the Top 25, down from six last week.
This past week, it has been the Big East?s turn.
On Monday, the No. 1 UConn Huskies went head-to-head with the No. 4 Villanova Wildcats and were upset 69-64 as 3-point road favorites in front of nearly 21,000 hostile fans at the Wachovia Center in Philadelphia.
It was just the second loss of the year for the Huskies, who are 22-2 overall and 9-2 in Big East play. The loss dropped UConn a game behind Villanova in the conference standings.
Meanwhile, No. 11 West Virginia had risen to No. 9 in rankings and was leading the conference until they ran into No. 14 Pittsburgh last week. They lost that game 57-53 as 4-point road dogs before beating No. 15 Georgetown 69-56 as 4.5-point road favorites.
Then on Tuesday, the Mountaineers were stunned at Seton Hall losing 71-64 as a 5-point road chalk. At 18-6 overall and 9-2 against conference teams, that loss should drop WVU further in the rankings.
Fresh off their losses, the Huskies and the Mountaineers will have to battle each other on Saturday in what should be the game of the weekend (3:45 p.m. ET, CBS). Whoever loses will drop in the conference standings and will take a further hit in the national rankings.
UConn enters the game averaging 81.7 ppg, the top-scoring offense in the conference and No. 7 in the nation. The Huskies? starters have shared the ball effectively with four players averaging more than 10 ppg. Sophomore F Rudy Gay has led the way with 16.1 ppg. Guard Marcus Williams is netting 10.2 ppg and leads the conference in assists with 7.8 apg.
The Huskies have also had a strong presence inside with 6-10 forward Josh Boone and 6-11 Hilton Armstrong. With the help of Boone and Armstrong?s long arms, UConn leads the conference in rebound margin (+10.5) and ranks No. 1 in the nation in blocked shots (9.3 bkpg)
Part of Villanova?s success against the Huskies was their ability to force turnovers. UConn had 17 in total, with Williams committing six. Their guard-heavy attack also was able to pick apart the Huskies? defense with three-pointers.
Heading to West Virginia, UConn likely has some comfort knowing they?ll be facing a team that lost to Seton Hall - the Huskies spanked the Pirates 99-57 last Saturday. Yet, UConn could have problems matching up with the Mountaineers, much like they did with Villanova.
West Virginia has been winning this season despite some obvious shortcomings. The Mountaineers have not been sharp on the boards and have the worst rebounding margin in the Big East (-9.0). They also have the second-fewest blocked shots and have a tendency to allow opponents to find a clear lane to the hoop.
?We get dunked on more than any team in the country,? West Virginia coach John Beilein told reporters recently.
But what has been the bread-and-butter for the Mountaineers this season has been their ability to create turnovers and their proficiency beyond the arc. At +8.21, WVU is the runaway leader in the Big East in terms of turnover margin (Cincinnati is second at +4.32). And the Mountaineers are second in the conference in steals at 8.96 per game.
As far as three-pointers are concerned, the Mountaineers are averaging 10 per game, the most in the Big East and second in the nation. Leading the three-point hit parade are the team?s two top scorers, center Kevin Pittsnogle and forward Mike Gansey. Together, they are averaging nearly five treys per game.
The Mountaineers? ability to create turnovers and drain three-pointers is precisely the formula used by Villanova used to upset the Huskies.
The Huskies head into Saturday?s game with a solid 12-7 record against the spread. In their past 11 games, they are 8-3 ATS. Despite their high-scoring offense, they have seen just eight of 19 games top the total.
The Mountaineers are 11-10-1 ATS overall, but have gone 8-3-1 ATS through their past 12. On the total, West Virginia is 9-12-1 O/U overall and 1-7-1 O/U in their past nine.
Other nationally-televised Saturday games featuring Top 25 teams:
No. 5 Gonzaga at Loyola Marymount (6:00 p.m. ET, ABC)
Michigan at No. 16 Michigan State (4:00 p.m. ET, ESPN)
No. 21 N.C. State at Virginia Tech (1:00 p.m. ET, ABC)
Iowa State at No. 19 Oklahoma (1:00 p.m. ET, ABC)
Missouri at No. 22 Kansas (3:45 p.m. ET, CBS)
No. 24 Bucknell at Northern Iowa (12:00 p.m. ET, ESPN2)
Perry--
BetWWTS.com
The Big East is starting to get a taste of what it?s like to be in the Big Ten.
For the past few weeks, teams in the highly competitive Big Ten have been beating the snot out of each other in conference play. Thanks to that pounding, the Big Ten has been reduced to four teams in the Top 25, down from six last week.
This past week, it has been the Big East?s turn.
On Monday, the No. 1 UConn Huskies went head-to-head with the No. 4 Villanova Wildcats and were upset 69-64 as 3-point road favorites in front of nearly 21,000 hostile fans at the Wachovia Center in Philadelphia.
It was just the second loss of the year for the Huskies, who are 22-2 overall and 9-2 in Big East play. The loss dropped UConn a game behind Villanova in the conference standings.
Meanwhile, No. 11 West Virginia had risen to No. 9 in rankings and was leading the conference until they ran into No. 14 Pittsburgh last week. They lost that game 57-53 as 4-point road dogs before beating No. 15 Georgetown 69-56 as 4.5-point road favorites.
Then on Tuesday, the Mountaineers were stunned at Seton Hall losing 71-64 as a 5-point road chalk. At 18-6 overall and 9-2 against conference teams, that loss should drop WVU further in the rankings.
Fresh off their losses, the Huskies and the Mountaineers will have to battle each other on Saturday in what should be the game of the weekend (3:45 p.m. ET, CBS). Whoever loses will drop in the conference standings and will take a further hit in the national rankings.
UConn enters the game averaging 81.7 ppg, the top-scoring offense in the conference and No. 7 in the nation. The Huskies? starters have shared the ball effectively with four players averaging more than 10 ppg. Sophomore F Rudy Gay has led the way with 16.1 ppg. Guard Marcus Williams is netting 10.2 ppg and leads the conference in assists with 7.8 apg.
The Huskies have also had a strong presence inside with 6-10 forward Josh Boone and 6-11 Hilton Armstrong. With the help of Boone and Armstrong?s long arms, UConn leads the conference in rebound margin (+10.5) and ranks No. 1 in the nation in blocked shots (9.3 bkpg)
Part of Villanova?s success against the Huskies was their ability to force turnovers. UConn had 17 in total, with Williams committing six. Their guard-heavy attack also was able to pick apart the Huskies? defense with three-pointers.
Heading to West Virginia, UConn likely has some comfort knowing they?ll be facing a team that lost to Seton Hall - the Huskies spanked the Pirates 99-57 last Saturday. Yet, UConn could have problems matching up with the Mountaineers, much like they did with Villanova.
West Virginia has been winning this season despite some obvious shortcomings. The Mountaineers have not been sharp on the boards and have the worst rebounding margin in the Big East (-9.0). They also have the second-fewest blocked shots and have a tendency to allow opponents to find a clear lane to the hoop.
?We get dunked on more than any team in the country,? West Virginia coach John Beilein told reporters recently.
But what has been the bread-and-butter for the Mountaineers this season has been their ability to create turnovers and their proficiency beyond the arc. At +8.21, WVU is the runaway leader in the Big East in terms of turnover margin (Cincinnati is second at +4.32). And the Mountaineers are second in the conference in steals at 8.96 per game.
As far as three-pointers are concerned, the Mountaineers are averaging 10 per game, the most in the Big East and second in the nation. Leading the three-point hit parade are the team?s two top scorers, center Kevin Pittsnogle and forward Mike Gansey. Together, they are averaging nearly five treys per game.
The Mountaineers? ability to create turnovers and drain three-pointers is precisely the formula used by Villanova used to upset the Huskies.
The Huskies head into Saturday?s game with a solid 12-7 record against the spread. In their past 11 games, they are 8-3 ATS. Despite their high-scoring offense, they have seen just eight of 19 games top the total.
The Mountaineers are 11-10-1 ATS overall, but have gone 8-3-1 ATS through their past 12. On the total, West Virginia is 9-12-1 O/U overall and 1-7-1 O/U in their past nine.
Other nationally-televised Saturday games featuring Top 25 teams:
No. 5 Gonzaga at Loyola Marymount (6:00 p.m. ET, ABC)
Michigan at No. 16 Michigan State (4:00 p.m. ET, ESPN)
No. 21 N.C. State at Virginia Tech (1:00 p.m. ET, ABC)
Iowa State at No. 19 Oklahoma (1:00 p.m. ET, ABC)
Missouri at No. 22 Kansas (3:45 p.m. ET, CBS)
No. 24 Bucknell at Northern Iowa (12:00 p.m. ET, ESPN2)
Perry--
BetWWTS.com
