The unbeaten Syracuse Orange and head coach Jim Boeheim can make history both collectively and individually with a victory tonight over the slumping Pitt Panthers. Game time is set for 7:30 PM ET at the Carrier Dome.
Sportsbooks originally opened with Syracuse favored by -15 with a total of 138.5, but early NCAA basketball betting action had pushed the the spread to 13 and the total to 136.5. With so much action on the undefeated Orange, I think we will find great value in adding the Panthers to our NCAA basketball picks tonight, expecting them to cover.
The Orange (19-0 SU, 13-5 ATS) are one victory away from recording the best start to
a season in school history. In addition, Boeheim needs one more victory to
tie Adolph Rupp for fourth place in career wins among Division I coaches. The
game will be televised by ESPN and ESPN3 as part of the networks “Big Monday”
lineup.
In its victory over the Friars, Boeheim’s club had four
players score in double figures led by Kris Joseph’s 13 points. Scoop
Jardine scored 10 while Dion Waiters and Mookie
Jones came off the bench to contribute 12 and 10 points, respectively. It was
Boeheim’s 875th career victory leaving him one shy of catching Rupp.
SU is one of three unbeaten teams remaining in
Division I. Baylor (17-0) plays Kansas tonight while Murray State (18-0) takes
on Morehead State on Wednesday.
Problems
for the Panthers
Pittsburgh (11-7 SU, 4-9 ATS) has lost its last six games (five as an ATS
favorite) and sits dead last in the Big East with a record of 0-5. The Panthers
are also the only winless team in the conference.
The Panthers latest defeat came Saturday at
Marquette where the Golden Eagles escaped with a 62-57, decision. Ashton Gibbs, who entered the game 4 of 21
from beyond the arc in Big East play, was 4 for 8 from downtown and finished
with a game high 29 points. Gibbs is Pitt’s leading scorer (16.9 ppg) while
Nasir Robinson (12.4 ppg) and Tray Woodall (12.4 ppg) also average double
figures in scoring. Robinson also leads the team with 6.8 rebounds per game.
Head coach Jamie Dixon is in his ninth year at the
helm of the Pittsburgh program after spending four years as an assistant coach
with the Panthers. Suffice to say this is one of the toughest campaigns he’s
had to endure, and it’s not just the losses
but the gruesome nature of the beat downs. Take the embarrassing 62-39 defeat
to Rutgers. The Panthers came into the game as -9 point favorites but hit just 21
percent of their shots (12 of 57) en route to a team that they would normally handle
with ease.
For the past decade, Pitt has been the best team in
the regular season in the Big East. The Panthers went 262-65 from 2001-11. That
.801 winning percentage was among the top five in NCAA Division I in that span.
Only Kansas, Duke, Memphis and Gonzaga boasted better records. But unless they
have a miracle turnaround, the longest NCAA tournament streak in the Big East
Conference will come to an end this season. The Panthers have made 10
consecutive NCAA tournaments, three more than Villanova.
THE
SERIES
Syracuse leads the all-time series against
Pittsburgh, 61-38. However, the Panthers have won the last five meetings
between the two schools and dealt SU its first loss of last season following
an 18-0 start. The Orange’s last win against Pittsburgh was a 65-61 victory on
March 11, 2006.
The Panthers are 13-3 ATS in their last 16 games
against the Orange. Syracuse is on an ATS streak of 5-1 and 8-2 dating back to
December 10.
The ‘under’ has cashed in eight of the Panthers last
10 road games and is 16-5-1 in their last 22 league tilts. The Orange is 7-3-1
to the low side in its last 11 home games.
Harvey’s Take: It’s the Big East where anything can happen. The
Panthers need a win badly and would love nothing more than to end another long
winning streak. I’ll take Pitt and +15 points but Syracuse gets the win and its
20th straight win.
Good luck!