Free College Basketball Pick
#8 Villanova Wildcats (23-4, 12-3 Big East) at #4 Syracuse Orange (26-2, 13-2 Big East) Carrier Dome, Syracuse, NY, 9 PM 2/27/10
The Carrier Dome will be rocking on Saturday night with a sell-out crowd of at least 34,616 in attendance. This game will set the record for the highest attendance to an on-campus basketball game. The Dome is no stranger to setting attendance records, as the previous record also occurred in Syracuse, for senior day to say goodbye to former Orange player Gerry McNamara.
The game sold out weeks ago, and with good reason. It is a matchup between two top-ten teams and the top two teams in the Big East. Being in the top two says a lot in a conference like the Big East. There are currently five teams in the top-25, including three in the top-10. Almost every other team in the conference poses a threat too though. Villanova lost to unranked Connecticut, and Syracuse nearly lost to DePaul, last in the league.
Syracuse currently holds a one game lead over Villanova for top spot in the Big East. After suffering their second loss of the season to Louisville on Valentine’s Day, the Orange bounced back and have won two straight. Andy Rautins has stepped his game up of late, scoring 28 against Providence and 26 against Georgetown. Syracuse’s leading scorer Wesley Johnson (15.8 ppg) has struggled with injuries of late but continues to contribute offensively and defensively averaging 8.7 rebounds per game and helping to solidify Coach Jim Boeheim’s famous 2-3 zone.
Back to back losses for Villanova knocked them out of the top-5, but they recovered with a 74-49 thrashing of South Florida. Scottie Reynolds, playing in his final games as a student athlete has led the team all year, averaging 19 ppg.
This game has national implications, and don’t be surprised if this is not the final matchup between the two teams. The Big East tournament is fast approaching.
Syracuse is favored by 4.5 points.
Villanova Betting Trends:
Villanova is 16-8 ATS in its last 24 games |
Villanova is 2-5 ATS in its last 7 games |
Villanova is 21-4 SU in its last 25 games |
The total has gone OVER in 15 of Villanova's last 21 games |
Villanova is 5-2 ATS in its last 7 games on the road |
Villanova is 5-2 SU in its last 7 games on the road |
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Villanova's last 6 games on the road |
Villanova is 4-1 ATS in its last 5 games when playing Syracuse |
Villanova is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games when playing Syracuse |
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Villanova's last 6 games when playing Syracuse |
Villanova is 5-1 ATS in its last 6 games when playing on the road against Syracuse |
Villanova is 4-2 SU in its last 6 games when playing on the road against Syracuse |
Syracuse Betting Trends:
Syracuse is 10-4 ATS in its last 14 games |
Syracuse is 13-1 SU in its last 14 games |
The total has gone UNDER in 6 of Syracuse's last 8 games |
Syracuse is 21-2 SU in its last 23 games at home |
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Syracuse's last 5 games at home |
Syracuse is 1-4 ATS in its last 5 games when playing Villanova |
Syracuse is 1-5 SU in its last 6 games when playing Villanova |
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Syracuse's last 6 games when playing Villanova |
Syracuse is 1-5 ATS in its last 6 games when playing at home against Villanova |
Syracuse is 2-4 SU in its last 6 games when playing at home against Villanova |
Pick: Villanova +4.5
Stats by Bodog.com
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