Best in all the Land – (22) Syracuse at (1) Connecticut
Syracuse takes on Connecticut in a huge Big East showdown on Wednesday night. The Orange has been a bust against the spread so far this season going 9 and 11 overall and 2 and 4 on the road. Syracuse is okay straight-up at 18 and 6 but they have to make sure they don’t go on a losing streak or else they will find themselves out of the Big Dance come March. That’s how tough the Big East is this season.
Connecticut is the number one ranked team in the nation because they are 22 and 1 straight-up. That’s the best record in college basketball this season. The fact that they’ve won so many games while playing out of the Big East is a huge plus. The Huskies have begun to improve their record ATS and are now 9 and 8 overall. But their against the spread record of 1 and 6 at home has hurt college basketball bettors all season.
Here is the BetUS online sportsbook betting line for this game.
Syracuse Orange +11 ½ -110 O 149 -110
Connecticut Huskies -11 ½ -110 U 149 -110
Here are a few online wagering trends for this game.
The Syracuse Orange is 1 and 4 against the spread in their last 5 games versus a Big East opponent.
The Syracuse Orange is 2 and 6 against the Huskies in the last 8 meetings in Connecticut.
The Connecticut Huskies are 1 and 5 against the spread in their last 6 games at home.
The Connecticut Huskies are 4 and 1 against the spread in their last 5 games overall.
Connecticut can play like the greatest college basketball team since Lew Alcindor donned sneakers for UCLA at times. Then, at other times, they can play like a bunch of lousy gym rats.
It just depends on whether or not UConn has their defense going. When they play defense the way they are supposed to, the Huskies are not only unbeatable but a virtual lock ATS.
But if they don’t play defense well, and at times they haven’t, then the Huskies end up having to escape versus lesser opponents. For instance, Connecticut only beat Michigan by 8 points in their last game at home as -16 ½ point favorites against the spread. Before Michigan they destroyed DePaul, Notre Dame and Providence and Louisville. The Louisville game was on the road.
The Huskies tend to relax at home. Does the Orange have enough to take advantage?
I don’t think so. In their last five games, Syracuse has been manhandled by Providence, Villanova, Louisville and Pittsburgh. A lone victory against West Virginia is the only positive in that stretch.
I just don’t believe Syracuse is close to Connecticut. The Huskies should put the Orange out of their misery early by building a 20 plus lead in the first half of this game.
Syracuse vs. UConn Prediction:
I’ll be making an online bet that the Connecticut Huskies cover the -11 ½ point spread.
