Saturday January 23, 2:00PM – Texas vs Connecticut
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(best matchup featuring a top 5 team)
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@Hartford
Last game for Texas: 71-62 loss at Kansas State (ATS loss 1)
Last Game for Connecticut: 75-59 victory over St. Johns (ATS win -9)
Last Meeting: Texas 82 – Connecticut 78 (ATS push – 2008)
Line: Texas -1
The Big East is a monster and if teams are not careful their season can unravel quickly. For UConn they had trouble getting off the mat after a tough loss at Georgetown and quickly followed it with losses in two more games against Pitt and Michigan. This weekend they play the number one team in the country, a team which has to figure out how to get back on top after suffering their first loss of the season. This game will have lots of emotion on both sides especially because the Huskies are still learning to play without their coach Jim Calhoun.
I give a lot of credit to Kansas State but what I saw in their game against the Longhorns was a Texas team that was very tight emotionally. Coming off the recent scare against A&M they looked afraid, playing not to lose instead of to win. It was not pretty. Now with perfection behind them they can get back to playing their aggressive and athletic brand of basketball. The Huskies prefer a similar style but don’t have nearly the horses that Texas does. Especially look for a return to form from Damion James. 
I imagine he will be matched up with Stanley Robinson, which will be a great matchup. James has the advantage in skill and won’t mind banging with the Huskies up front. Texas should also consider making Balbay their true PG. Jai Lucas has been a bust and J’Covan Brown is inconsistent. It is time to start thinning the rotation for the stretch run and against a non-conference opponent desperate for a win is a good time to start.
This is a good but not great UConn team and they are missing their coach. The Huskies have a nice starting backcourt but I am not impressed with their frontcout including the aforementioned Robinson. They are still leading the nation in blocks but there isn’t the sort of intimidation that they have had in the past with Thabeet and Okafor. There is no one up front who is a reliable scorer and that really hurts when either guards, Dyson or Walker are off – neither shoots a great percentage. UConn also seems to be experiencing a dearth of leadership with this group. There is just no fire in them. He wasn’t even drafted but this team misses Jeff Adrien a lot. He was physical, fearless and consistent. Qualities that are lacking from this team.
Score Prediction:
Texas – 74
Connecticut – 67
Pick: A mostly close game will turn into another loss for the Huskies. Texas will rebound and prove that they are still a genuine final four contender. For now the Longhorns are still number 1 and getting them at -1 seems like a steal.
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One reply on “NCAA Hoops Predictions: Longhorns vs. Huskies”
I agree I like Texas in this one. The Longhorns will want to bounce back from their loss to KSU. UConn doesn’t look good, dropping their last three.