Huskies vs. Wildcats NCAAB Handicapping Prediction
When Big East play began it looked as if defending champion UCONN (16-10) was a shoe in to play in the Big Dance, but since winning their first 2 conference games they are only 4-8 since.
When Big East play began it looked as if defending champion UCONN (16-10) was a shoe in to play in the Big Dance, but since winning their first 2 conference games they are only 4-8 since.
Texas (17-10) is 0-6 facing ranked opponents this season, but they have a good chance to change that facing a struggling Baylor (22-5) team that has lost 3 of their last 4 games.
Florida got over their 2-game losing streak by winning their last game and there is a god shot they will add another W in this game facing a reeling Arkansas team that has lost 4 of their last 6 games. NCAAB lines have Florida as a 5-point away favorite with a total of 145.5.
A red-hot No. 8 North Carolina Tar Heels are aiming to take sole possession of first place in the ACC with win over the visiting Clemson Tigers on Saturday evening, who have struggled all season long, but are coming of a huge upset over No. 22 Virginia on Valentine’s Day.
If it was the only game the Bruins won all season, it would still be the one, and now they look to extend their short win streak to two when they head to Madison Square Garden to take on a sinking St. Joseph’s Red Storm team that has lost their last four straight.
UConn is the defending national champion, but the Huskies have been struggling quite a bit of late. Jim Calhoun is still away from the team, and the Huskies seem to be missing a spark.
There isn’t the same hatred in this game as there is surrounding the date between these two in November on the football field, but there is plenty on the line in this one.
The Tampa Bay Rays may not be the flashiest of teams and they may not have made ground breaking free agency moves in the offseason but they are somehow still a force to be reckoned with in the AL East.
Spring Training has begun! Can you feel the excitement in the air? Or is it just the winter nip that still grips most of our fine continent? It is time to look into the crystal ball and to predict who among the 32 MLB teams will be the last one standing in October.
Some of the characters have changed but there is still little extra juice in the building when the Suns and Lakers face off.
The defending NBA Champions seem to have hit their stride of late. After a slow start to the year, the Mavericks have won five straight games to get to 19-11 on the season.
A couple short weeks ago the Milwaukee Bucks were playing great basketball and the Orlando Magic were in a terrible funk. Fast forward to today and the roles have been reversed.
The need for change was obvious in Beantown and that is just what they got – not so much in the talent on the field but in management.
The Baltimore Orioles have their hands full once again in 2012 just to remain competitive and to finished the season with a .500 record.
The Portland Trail Blazers will be playing their final game of three consecutive games in three nights, aiming to end their three-game home losing streak, returning from Golden State to host the Los Angeles Clippers for the second time this season at the Rose Garden on Thursday night.
Derrick Rose hasn’t played for a little over a week, and he is expected to miss this game as well.
8:00 PM EST on TNT
NBA Gambling Odds from BetOnline
NBA Betting Favorite: Off
Over/Under: Off
Still, the Celtics will have a difficult game against the Bulls in Chicago. Kevin Garnett missed last night’s game for the Celtics, and he is questionable for this one. These teams have split their last six meetings with each other. Boston beat the Bulls 95-91 on Sunday, so Chicago will be looking for revenge in this one.
Boston has benefited nicely from the return of point guard Rajon Rondo. Rondo is arguably the team’s best player at this point, and he is the facilitator for the offense. Rondo averages 9.8 assists per game. Paul Pierce leads the Celtics in scoring at 17.8 per contest. Ray Allen, Rajon Rondo, and Kevin Garnett all average about 14 points per game. Brandon Bass is out until the end of the month, and that is a significant loss for the Celtics in the paint. [soliloquy id=”82219″]
Boston has been winning with defense of late. Last night’s loss to Detroit was unexplainable, and Boston will have to play much better if they expect to win this one on the road.
The Bulls miss Derrick Rose in a big way, but this is still a decent team without Rose. Luol Deng put up 23 points Tuesday against Sacramento, and he seems to be fully healthy once again.
Chicago has no shortage of quality big men with Joakim Noah, Carlos Boozer, Taj Gibson, and Omer Asik. Kyle Korver and C.J. Watson are both shooting it very well from deep this year for the Bulls, but it is much more difficult for them to get open looks without Rose in the lineup.
The Bulls are one of the best rebounding teams in the league, and they will need to control the glass to win this game.
The Bulls are 10-1 at home, and the Celtics are notoriously bad on the back end of a back-to-back. I think Chicago will dominate in the paint and win this one.
Prediction: Chicago 91 Boston 87