Pitt (11-7) has beaten Syracuse (19-0) in 8 of their last 9 match ups including the last 5 at the Carrier Dome, but the Orange are undefeated and the top-ranked team in the nation while the Panthers are reeling and have lost their first 5 Big East games.
Baylor (17-0) is one of only 3 undefeated teams in the nation, but can they beat Kansas (14-3) in their house where they have never won (0-9)?
The atmosphere will be buzzing on Saturday at Donald L. Tucker Center as the Florida State Seminoles host the No. 3 North Carolina Tar Heels in an ACC matinee.
The Connecticut Huskies may have lost a couple of road games recently but I don’t think they are too much to get excited about. This team still has just 3 losses on the season and is loaded with talent including a couple of potential lottery picks.
Saturday January 14
Purcell Pavilion at the Joyce, South Bend IN
11:00AM
Moneyline: Connecticut -125, Notre Dame +105
Spread: Connecticut -2
O/U: 131
Connecticut
They got back to winning beating West Virginia earlier in the week and have a chance to get on a nice run with their schedule over the next couple of weeks including two games against Notre Dame, this one on the road. No need to worry about the Huskies, Kemba is gone but this is still a final four capable team.
Those two potential lottery picks are Jeremy Lamb and Andre Drummond. Drummond may be just a freshman but he is one of the most imposing figures in college basketball. He shoots 61% from the floor but needs to improve at the line so they can leave him in late in tight games. That is assuming the ball would ever get away from Lamb in those situations, he is simply one of the smoothest players in the land. He averages 18ppg but is so fluid out there it looks like he could average 25 if he forced it a little more. This is a great duo and the supporting cast is pretty good too. This looks a bit like last year’s team that peaked at the right time. [soliloquy id=”82219″]
Notre Dame
I feel like the Notre Dame Fighting Irish are the team in the Big East that nobody talks about – maybe it is because they don’t play football in the league. Last year this team was very good and a dropoff was expected after significant graduation losses but nobody could have envisioned that their top player, slick shooting forward Tom Abromaitis would be forced to sit out the year due to injury. They have played a tough schedule and scrapped out some nice wins including winning at Louisville. They enter Saturday on a two game win streak.
With Abromaitis out it has been easier for guard Jerian Grant to emerge. He didn’t play a minute last year but leads the team in scoring at 13ppg. He and fellow sophomore guard Eric Atkins log serious minutes but they have to on a team that just doesn’t go very deep. The last real threat to be concerned with is forward Jack Cooley. He may have a bad haircut but he is a legit big averaging close to a double-double. The Huskies throw size on the floor in waves and he will have to be able to have some success scoring in close for the Fighting Irish to have a chance at upsetting Connecticut.
Spread Pick: Connecticut -2
O/U Pick: Over
Score Prediction: Connecticut 71 – Notre Dame 65
The Oklahoma State Cowboys have been trading wins and losses for the last 5 games. That pattern looks likely to continue as they visit a perfect Baylor team on Saturday – they won their last game just in case you didn’t know where I was going with this.
It’s tough to find a team that can match Kentucky’s athleticism. John Calipari has once again brought in an amazing crop of youngsters.
12:00 PM EST
College Basketball Gambling Odds from BetOnline
NCAA Basketball Betting Favorite: Kentucky -10
Over/Under: 136
This might be Coach Cal’s single best chance of winning it all yet. Tennessee has had an up and down season thus far. Cuonzo Martin is a great guy for the job, but it is just going to take this team some time to get back near the top. Can the Volunteers pull of a big upset at home or will the Wildcats roll?
How deep and talented is this Kentucky team? The Wildcats have six players that average at least ten points per contest. Freshman Anthony Davis has made a big name for himself already this season. Davis is averaging 12.8 points and 10.3 boards per game. He is also one of the best shot blockers the college game has seen in many years. Davis already has 76 blocks this year, and he alters a ton of shots in the paint. [soliloquy id=”82219″]
Doron Lamb and Terrance Jones are basically the “veterans” of this team as sophomores. Both of them shoot the ball extremely well from the outside. Kentucky is a strong offensive team, but most impressive is the fact that they are second in the nation in field goal percentage defense.
Tennessee isn’t nearly as deep of a team as they were a couple years ago. Bruce Pearl hurt this program quite a bit last year, and now it is up to Martin to get the team back on the right path. Trae Golden and Cameron Tatum form a nice backcourt for the Volunteers. Both of them can fill it up from beyond the arc. Jeronne Maymon is a solid player on the inside, but he will have his hands full in this matchup. The biggest problem Tennessee has had this year has been their weakness on the defensive end. The Volunteers rank in the lower half in all the major team defensive categories.
I think the pace will be quick enough to see this one get over the posted total. Kentucky should win, but I expect a valiant effort from Tennessee.
Prediction: Kentucky 74 Tennessee 66
Jose Aldo makes his 5th Featherweight Title defense on Saturday against up-and-coming wrestling prospect Chad Mendez.
For just the third time since 2000, all four home teams won straight-up in last weekend’s Wildcard Round of the NFL playoffs. Three of four favorites won and covered, with Denver being the lone underdog to win straight-up.
The big news in this one is whether or not the Chicago Bulls will get back reigning MVP Derrick Rose for their Friday night bout with the Boston Celtics who are reeling after back-back home losses.
One thing the Miami Heat will be hoping for in Denver, is that they can get the job done in just 48 minutes of basketball.
What a Wild Card Weekend! Nobody saw the Denver Broncos coming and if you did, congratulations! The weekend was just OK for my pocket book – those Broncos and the underwhelming Bengals let me down.
The news in Orlando hasn’t been very cheerful of late since Dwight Howard wants out of town. It hasn’t seemed to hurt the team’s play, as the Magic have started 6-3.
Virginia (14-1) has not lost since their 3rd game of the season and this game is a HUGE test against a Duke (13-2) team that they have lost to 7 straight times and 14 straight times at Cameron Indoor Stadium.
Both of these teams took a big step forward last year, but they are struggling to stay at that high level.
Cappers Picks Golf handicappers have all your latest golf news and information so be sure to make us your trusted source for up-to-the-minute golf details. PGA Golf betting fans will also have plenty golf action to focus on as this year’s Fed Ex Cup Championship and the Major’s are just around the corner.
The Texans looked great on both sides of the ball last week in their playoff win over Cincinnati, but now they have a tall task taking on a Ravens’ team that went undefeated at home this season and has a great defense.
