Monday NCAA: Pittsburgh (23-2) at Connecticut (24-1)
The NCAA game of the week comes right away this week, with Monday night’s Big East showdown between Pittsburgh and Connecticut, a former and current No. 1, highlighting an important week for conference and potential NCAA Tournament seedings.
These two clubs certainly will be high seeds in the NCAA Tournament, with UConn looking likely as a No. 1 in the East. But Pitt could steal that away with a win Monday and in the rematch in the season finale. Currently the top-ranked Huskies lead the Panthers and Marquette by 1 ½ games in the Big East.
The Huskies, if you haven’t heard by now, will be without starting junior guard Jerome Dyson tonight and probably for the rest of the season. Dyson, the team’s second-leading scorer, tore the lateral meniscus in the knee in a game against Syracuse on Wednesday. He sat out Saturday’s win over Seton Hall and will have surgery on Monday. It basically depends on what doctors see on Monday on whether Dyson will return this year, although he admits that is doubtful.
“If they can go in and repair my knee, I’ll probably end up missing the rest of the season,” Dyson said. “The recovery period from that is about four months.”
If doctors can’t repair the meniscus, they would clean it out and Dyson might be back for the NCAA Tournament.
The Huskies have won 13 games in a row, their longest streak in the same season since the 1988-99 team won the national championship and won 19 straight. But at 24-1, this is the best start in school history.
Hasheem Thabeet is making a run at national player of the year honors. The junior center nearly had his second triple-double in two weeks, finishing with career-highs of 25 points and 20 rebounds while blocking nine shots in that win over the Pirates on Saturday.
But Pitt big man DeJuan Blair isn’t intimidated by Thabeet. The 6-foot-7, 265-pounder had 13 points and 13 rebounds in the last meeting with Connecticut (last February), while Thabeet shot 2-of-4 and had six points, seven rebounds and five blocks. The Huskies did win that lone matchup last season, however, 60-53. But Pitt also was without injured star guard Levance Fields in that one; Fields is averaging 11.1 points and 7.6 assists this year and had 13 assists in Saturday’s win over Cincinnati, Pitt’s fifth straight victory.
WagerWeb.com Game Trends
Panthers are 4-0 ATS in their last 4 games overall.
Panthers are 4-0 ATS in their last 4 vs. Big East.
Panthers are 5-1 ATS in their last 6 games vs. a team with a winning S.U. record.
Panthers are 5-1 ATS in their last 6 games vs. a team with a winning % above .600.
Panthers are 4-1 ATS in their last 5 Monday games.
Panthers are 4-1 ATS in their last 5 games following a S.U. win.
Panthers are 7-3-1 ATS in their last 11 road games.
Huskies are 5-1 ATS in their last 6 vs. Big East.
Huskies are 9-3-1 ATS in their last 13 Monday games.
Huskies are 5-2 ATS in their last 7 games following a S.U. win.
Huskies are 5-2 ATS in their last 7 games overall.
Huskies are 2-5 ATS in their last 7 home games.
Huskies are 1-6-1 ATS in their last 8 home games vs. a team with a road winning % of greater than .600.
Panthers are 4-1 ATS in the last 5 meetings in Connecticut.
Under is 7-3 in the last 10 meetings.
Road team is 7-3 ATS in the last 10 meetings.
Underdog is 5-2 ATS in the last 7 meetings.
NCAA Basketball Betting at WagerWeb.com
