Bearcats vs Panthers CBB Basketball Spread/Handicapping
The Bearcats were cruising along undefeated until getting stunned by New Mexico last week. The Lobos are a good team but it should have been a game the Bearcats win if they are truly a contender this season.
#8 Cincinnati Bearcats (12-1) vs #24 Pittsburgh Panthers (12-1)
Monday December 31
Petersn Events Center – Pittsburgh, PA
12:00PM
Moneyline: No ML Currently listed
Spread: Pittsbugh -6.5 at GTBets
O/U: 124.5
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Cincinnati
Now they need to rebound quickly as they start their Big East season with a tough road game against an opponent they have struggled with – last year was the first year they beat Pitt since 2008.
The Lobos forced a bare knuckle brawl upon Cincy which used to be their forte.
This year with a more perimeter oriented attack they just didn’t make enough shots to win, falling short by one point. It is a team game but if you want to point fingers you have to look at leading scorer guard Sean Kilpatrick who shot 5 for 22 – the whole team was at 31%.
The Bearcats need to be more aggressive as they shot just 4 free throws the entire game.
This is the Bearcats first road game, first conference game and first game after their first loss of the season which might sound like thrice the reason to fade them. They are just 5-4 ATS this year so it is not like they were burning things up at the window even when they were winning.
I think they can bounce back and play a tight game in the conference opener. Excellent value here.
Pittsburgh
Pitt has just one loss, a close one to Michigan, one of the top teams in the country.
When you look at the rest of their schedule it looks like they were just going for some easy victories. [ad-6571516] More than half their games weren’t even lined and the only win of note was against Lehigh – a small conference tournament darling from last year.
Big East play will bring their first battle in a while so you wonder where their intensity level might be.
There was a lot of hype about freshman big man Stevan Adams coming into the season.
He was supposed to be a legit center and potential lottery pick but he hasn’t shown all that much yet. The Panthers best player has surprisingly been power forward Talib Zanna, who leads the team in scoring and rebounding.
His ppg have doubled from last season but you have to wonder how much competition has been a factor.
In those few lined contests the Panthers are just 3-3 ATS so far.
They are a top defensive team and based on what we saw from Cincinnati against New Mexico a defensive battle might emerge. I wonder who is going to provide the scoring for these guys when they really need it. It is nice that Zanna has improved but he can be shutdown.
Its hard to like Pitt as a medium favourite for me.
Spread Pick: Cincinnati +6.5
O/U Pick: Over
Score Prediction: Cincinnati 68 – Pittsburgh 62
