NCAA Basketball Free Pick – Thursday, February 24, 2011
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West Virginia (17-9, 8-6 Big East) at #6 Pittsburgh (24-3, 12-2 Big East)
Date/Time: Thursday, February 24, 2011, 9:00PM EST
Venue: Petersen Events Center in Pittsburgh, PA.
Broadcast: ESPN
Money Line: West Virginia +260 / Pittsburgh -320
Spread: Pittsburgh -7 ½
Over/Under: 129 ½
The Mountaineers got a shot of confidence following up their loss to Syracuse with a 72-58 shocker over Notre Dame on Saturday, and will seek to derail Pitt on the road come Thursday.
Although West Virginia was expected to win the game, a 14-point margin was not.
It seems that the Mountaineers usually get a big boost when playing at home, but the Fighting Irish were hot, having won five straight. WVU never wavered, maintaining good control of the ball throughout, and staying out of foul trouble. The Mountaineers turned the ball over just five times, keeping possession when it counted most and committed only 14 fouls.
Darryl Bryant (11 PPG) paced the Mountaineers, shooting 45 percent for 24 points, 12 of those points coming from three-point range. Joe Mazzulla chipped in seven big assists, as West Virginia did a good job spreading out the Irish.
The win moved the Mountaineers to 8-6 in the Big East, 3-5 on the road, and 4-4 against teams ranked in the top 25. Bob Huggins’ squad seems to be poised for a NCAA Tournament appearance. However, they still need a strong finish to solidify that position.
Offensively, the Mountaineers are averaging 70.6 points as they are shooting 43.5 percent from the floor and grabbing 37.4 offensive rebounds per game. Leading scorer Casey Mitchell is averaging 14.8 points while Kevin Jones is averaging 12.7 points and 7.1 rebounds. Defensively Pittsburgh is allowing 64.2 points per game while their opponents shoot 40.6 percent from the field and they are 190th in defensive rebounding.
Meanwhile, No. 6 Pittsburgh slammed head on into a wall, snapping their five-game win streak, being upset by the Red Storm in Big East action, 60-59 in New York on February 19. The win was Pitt’s second only loss in Big East conference action as they remain in 1st place 1 ½ games ahead of the losing Irish.
Ashton Gibbs, who leads the team with 16.7 points per game, did his best to keep the Panthers in it with 26 points, including 18 points coming from beyond the 3-point arc.
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Pittsburgh will look to rebound, and playing at home where they are an impressive 15-1, will certainly help their efforts.
On offense, Pitt is averaging 75.6 points per game while shooting 47.2 percent from the floor and grabbing 40.9 offensive rebounds per game. Defensively Pittsburgh allows 61.3 points per game while shooting 40.3 percent from the field and ranking seventh in the country in defensive rebounding.
The odds makers have the Pittsburgh Panthers as a -7.5 point favorite with an over/under of 129.5.
Matt’s Free Pick: Points or Over/Under – While Pittsburgh got the win in the first game in Morgantown, it was a tight one, and this one looks to be as well. The outright win is a tough one here, so taking the points or the over/under are your best bets.
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West Virginia Mountaineers Betting Trends:
- West Virginia is 3-7 ATS in its last 10 games on the road
- The total has gone UNDER in 5 of West Virginia’s last 5 games on the road
- West Virginia is 3-6-1 ATS in its last 10 games when playing on the road against Pittsburgh
- West Virginia is 1-5 SU in its last 6 games when playing on the road against Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh Panthers Betting Trends:
- Pittsburgh is 22-3 SU in its last 25 games
- The total has gone UNDER in 6 of Pittsburgh’s last 8 games
- Pittsburgh is 8-1 SU in its last 9 games at home
- Pittsburgh is 8-3 SU in its last 11 games when playing West Virginia
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