The No. 22 Pittsburgh Panthers have lost their last two games,
extending their ATS slide to 0-3 since Dec. 10. Jamie Dixons squad takes
its home floor on four days of rest in Sunday’s matchup against the Cincinnati
Bearcats, who are 2-1 ATS in their three road contests. The Cincinnati Bearcats
are on the hunt for a sixth straight win, having just taken down the Oklahoma
Sooners.
Sportsbooks opened Pittsburgh as a 5 ½-point favorite in the spread, with early
steam on the Panthers driving the number north to six. NCAA basketball Odds
makers first set the total at 130, remaining unchanged at most shops after
initial betting action.
Panthers blown away at Notre Dame
Pittsburghs' latest defeat came in Tuesdays 72-59 setback as a
three-point road favorite against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish. The
Panthers were outscored, 47-33, in the second half, while held to 40 percent
field shooting.
Panthers forward Talib Zanna notched his second double-double in
four games, finishing with team-highs of 13 points and 12 rebounds off the
bench. Zannas mates Ashton Gibbs and John Johnson added five assists and
two steals, respectively, while uniting for 17 points.
The contests combined 131 points ducked below the closing total of
131 ½, bringing the under to 4-1 in the Panthers last five board battles.
Pittsburgh struggled from long range, hitting 1-of-14 beyond the arc, while
outrebounding Notre Dame, 35-29.
Bearcats edge out Sooners at home
Cincinnati rallied for its fifth straight win in Thursdays 56-55
victory as a 6 ½-point home favorite against the Oklahoma Sooners.
Bearcats guard Cashmere Wright made two layups and a clutch free throw in the
duels final 40 seconds, finishing with eight points and five assists.
Wrights backcourt mate Sean Kilpatrick notched 17 points and a
season-high 10 rebounds, recording his first double-double of the year.
The Bearcats were held to 27.9 percent field shooting, while sinking 15-of-20
foul shots.
The tight affairs combined 111 points plunged below the total of
141, making the under 3-2 in the Bearcats last five board games. Both squads
united to drain 12-of-46 shots from three-point land, while Cincinnati was
edged out in boards, 43-35.
Back the Panthers as home chalk
Sunday's matchup is scheduled for 7 p.m. (ET), with ESPN3.com providing
televised coverage.
This handicapper is backing Pittsburgh at home, laying the points
and looking for the Panthers slide to end in this spot. Pitt is 3-0 ATS
in its last three meetings against the Bearcats, including last Februarys 71-59
win as nine-point home chalk.
Panthers senior Nasir Robinson is the Big East Conferences top
field shooter (65.5 percent), while Cincy is still without forward Yancy Gates
(13.5 PPG, 9.5 RPG) due to his six-game suspension. Gates last played in
the Bearcats 76-53 loss as 7 ½-point road dogs against Xavier on Dec. 10, the
sole spot for Cincinnati against a ranked foe this year.
Cincys chances are not in a position to improve at Pitt, with the
Bearcats going 1-4 ATS in its last five games against teams with winning
records. Mick Cronins crew ranks 13th in the Big Easts 16
squads for scoring (71.5 PPG), including a second-lowest mark of 62.8 percent
free-throw shooting.
Pittsburgh is 13-5-1 in its last 19 games that followed a loss, making the
Panthers undervalued in these spots. In your New Year's day NCAA basketball picks, look for the Panthers losing slump
to end, with Robinson and Co. starting their new year off with a blowout win to
get back on track.