Connecticut vs. Georgetown Line at Hoyas -2.5: February 1 College Basketball
Carrie Stroup here with your Connecticut vs. Georgetown line, which had the Hoyas at -2.5. I have a betting preview for the Baylor vs. Texas A&M game below as well. Both of these are for February 1, 2012. You can find all updated College Basketball lines here at Sportsbook.com and receive up to $250 in FREE CASH when you open an online wagering account today (based on initial deposit). Tell them CARRIE sent you.
Sportsbook.com Line & Total: Georgetown -2.5 & 129
Opening Line & Total: Hoyas -3 & 127
No. 14 Georgetown looks to add to Connecticut’s misery as it tries to hand the Huskies a fourth straight loss (SU and ATS) on Wednesday night.
Both schools have been terrible bets lately, as Connecticut is 2-7-1 ATS in its past 10 games while the Hoyas are 1-7 ATS in their past eight contests. But UConn has dominated this series, going 10-4 (SU and ATS) against Georgetown since 2000. Half of the Hoyas Big East wins have been by three points or less, and they don't score enough points (64.0 PPG in past eight games) to make this a blowout. They are also 8-20 ATS (29%) in Big East play over the past two seasons. The Huskies lost their past three games by a combined eight points and are now at full strength with talented guard Ryan Boatright back on the court after NCAA eligibility issues.
Connecticut’s 2-5 SU mark in its past seven games has mostly to do with an inefficient offense that has failed to reach 70 points in any of these contests. In the past two games, UConn has scored a mere 52.5 PPG on 38% FG. The biggest cause for the offensive woes lies with starting point guard Shabazz Napier, who has shot a woeful 32% FG with 22 turnovers during these seven games. He was 0-for-7 against Notre Dame on Sunday, taking two ill-advised three-point attempts in the final minute of that 50-48 defeat. Jeremy Lamb leads the team with 17.9 PPG, but only took nine shots in the loss to the Irish. Some of that was due to Notre Dame milking the shot clock on offense, but Lamb did have a few good looks that he passed up. Freshman center Andre Drummond (10.0 PPG, 7.8 APG) is also key to this team, as he has scored 15.3 PPG with 11.7 RPG in his team’s past three victories, but only 7.8 PPG and 8.6 RPG in its past five defeats.
Like UConn, Georgetown has also been ice-cold in the past two games, shooting 36.7% from the floor. After tallying 31 points (11-of-14 FG) three games ago, leading scorer Jason Clark (15.6 PPG) has attempted just 13 shots in these past two games. This will need to change on Wednesday, especially considering Clark averaged 18.0 PPG on 59% FG against UConn last year. The team’s No. 2 scorer, Hollis Thompson, has not been aggressive enough in taking the ball to the basket. After attempting 10 free throws against West Virginia, Thompson has earned a total of eight free-throw attempts in his past five games combined. To combat Drummond in the paint, Georgetown will look to leading rebounder, freshman Otto Porter (6.9 RPG). Porter has 8.8 RPG in his past four games.
BAYLOR BEARS (19-2) at TEXAS A&M AGGIES (12-8)
Sportsbook.com Line & Total: Baylor -7 & 128.5
Opening Line & Total: Bears -7.5 & 129.5
No. 6 Baylor is a heavy favorite on the road as they travel to take on the struggling Texas A&M Aggies for the second time this season.
The team’s first meeting this season was a nine-point home victory for the Bears, but they failed to cover the 13.5-point margin they spotted the Aggies. In fact, while Baylor is 5-3 SU over its past eight games against Texas A&M, the team is just 2-5-1 ATS in that span. The Aggies began this season just 1-5 ATS, yet have since turned things around to improve to a 7-7 mark overall, with a 6-2 ATS mark in Big 12 games. They have won three consecutive games ATS, led by the strong play of 6-foot-5 guard Elston Turner who is averaging 23.3 PPG in that span. Against the Bears earlier in the year, Turner displayed his shooting abilities with five 3-pointers and 21 points. The tough part about matching up with Baylor is overcoming the talents of Perry Jones III in the paint, something A&M showed it could do in their first matchup. Although they allowed him to notch a double-double, the rest of the Aggie defense was air-tight that game, holding the other Bears to 14-of-39 FG (35.9%). Receiving this many points at home, play on <b>TEXAS A&M</b> to win this game.
The Bears have a deep offensive attack, featuring five players who average double-digit points. Paced by Jones (14.7 PPG and 7.9 RPG) and his 55.4 FG%, the Bears rank eighth in the nation with a 49.4% clip from the field. Quincy Acy (12.6 PPG, 6.9 RPG) and Quincy Miller (12.8 PPG, 5.0 RPG) join Jones in the frontcourt, forming a formidable triumvirate in the paint. Pierre Jackson (12.5 PPG, 6.0 APG) orchestrates the offense as the team’s point guard, while Brady Heslip (10.0 PPG) is the beneficiary of many of his passes, knocking down 2.7 three-pointers per game on a healthy 46% clip.
Turner’s (14.7 PPG) hot play has guided the team lately, making the team dangerous. They have been doing well despite the absence of the team’s second leading scorer, Khris Middleton (12.4 PPG) who recently had knee surgery. The team could really take off if Ray Turner (9.7 PPG) steps up in Middleton’s absence, which he has failed to do so far. In the team’s two games without Middleton, Turner has scored zero and six points, respectively. But, the junior has the potential to do much more and repent for his previous performance against Baylor, when he scored just two points.
- Carrie Stroup, Gambling911.com Senior Reporter
