Top Team in the Nation – South Florida vs. Connecticut
Game-day: 2/21/2009
Tip-off: 2:00 pm est.
Another highly ranked team, the Connecticut Huskies, will try to bounce back from a terrible loss at the hands of the Pittsburgh Panthers. The Huskies not only lost the game but they lost Jerome Dyson for the season. Connecticut is still a very good team straight-up at 24 and 2, but their against the spread record in the BetUS online sportsbook leaves something to be desired at 10 and 10.Their record at home ATS is even worse at 2 and 7.
South Florida has an 8 and 17 record straight-up. They’re not going to get a bid to the NCAA Tournament but they have shown flashes of toughness this season. ATS the Bulls are 13 and 11. In away games they are 6 and 5 against the spread.
Here is my personal online betting line for this game.
South Florida +17 ½ -110
Connecticut Huskies -17 ½ -110
Here are a few online wagering trends for this game.
The South Florida Bulls are 2 and 5 against the spread in their last 7 games versus a team from the Big East.
The South Florida Bulls are 10 and 2 against the spread in their last 12 games after scoring less than 50 points in their previous game.
The Connecticut Huskies are 4 and 1 against the spread in their last 5 games versus a team with a winning percentage below .400.
The Connecticut Huskies are 5 and 2 against the spread in their last 7 games versus a team from the Big East.
South Florida has lost two games in a row straight-up. They were pummeled by Georgetown in their last as 5 ½ point underdogs. A game before they were destroyed by Notre Dame as 13 ½ point underdogs.
The last time these two teams played the Connecticut Huskies needed overtime to beat the Bulls by a single point. The Huskies were favored by only 7 points in that game.
Since that game South Florida has gotten worse while Connecticut supposedly has gotten better.
I see the Huskies as a huge favorite in this game, but I’m not sold on them absolutely dominating the Bulls. Connecticut should get the job done, and win by at least 10 to 14 points, but I don’t see them covering a spread of 17 ½ or higher.
UConn vs. South Florida Prediction:
That’s how I will play this game. If the Connecticut Huskies are -17 ½ or higher in the sportsbook, I will bet the South Florida Bulls. If the South Florida Bulls are at +16 ½ or lower in the sportsbook, then I will bet the Connecticut Huskies.
