THE SPORTS ADVISORS
COLLEGE BASKETBALL
(22) Pitt (19-5, 12-7 ATS) at Marquette (17-6, 9-9 ATS)
In search of its third straight victory, Pitt travels to Wisconsin to renew its rivalry with the Golden Eagles as these two square off in a rare Friday Big East matchup.
The Panthers got five 3-pointers and six assists from Ronald Ramon in Tuesday?s 82-63 rout of Providence, easily covering as an 8?-point home chalk. Ramon also hit the game-winning 3-pointer at the buzzer on Nov. 7 as Pitt beat West Virginia 55-54 at home, but failed to cover as a three-point chalk. The Panthers are 7-4 SU and ATS in Big East play, going 2-3 on the road in league play (3-2 ATS).
Marquette snapped a two-game losing skid with an 89-64 burial of Seton Hall on the highway Tuesday, cashing easily as a four-point favorite. The Golden Eagles won their first 12 home games this year before suffering an ugly 71-57 loss to Louisville on Feb. 4 as a three-point ?dog. Marquette is 7-5 in the Big East (5-7 ATS), including 4-1 at home (1-4 ATS).
Pittsburgh lost both regular-season meetings with Marquette last season, falling 77-74 in overtime as an eight-point home favorite and 75-71 as a one-point road underdog. However, the Panthers got their revenge in the Big East tournament, eliminating the Golden Eagles with an 89-79 win as a 5.5-point chalk.
Dating back to 2003, Marquette is 4-2 against Pitt (5-1 ATS), with the last three regular-season meetings decided by a total of nine points.
The Eagles are on ATS runs of 12-3-1 against teams with a winning road record, 4-1 on Fridays and 5-1 against teams with a winning overall record. Meanwhile, Pitt has thrived in Friday tip-offs, going 13-2-1 ATS in their last 16.
The Panthers are 3-1 ATS as an underdog this season, but Marquette is 5-1 ATS as a favorite of 12 points or fewer.
The under is 15-5 in the Panthers? last 20 road games, 7-2 in their last nine Friday contests and 9-2 in their last 11 road games against teams with a home winning percentage better than .600. Conversely, Marquette has flown over the total in 20 of their last 28 Big East games, five of their last seven overall and five of their last seven on Friday. Also, the last six series meetings between these schools have soared over the posted price.
ATS ADVANTAGE: OVER