The past two No. 1 teams in the land have lost their first week at the top, and that’s very possible to happen again Monday when top-ranked Connecticut faces a mammoth test at Louisville.
The Cardinals have opened as 3-point favorites on WagerWeb.com.
UConn is back at No. 1 for the first time in three years, having won nine games in a row. But UL has the same winning streak and sits atop the Big East with Marquette. Six of Louisville’s wins in the streak have come by 10 points or less, including 69-63 over West Virginia on Saturday, a game the Cardinals led by 20 at halftime before needing a couple of big stops in the final minutes to avoid a collapse.
The Cardinals could become the first team in 16 years to knock off two different No. 1s in the same season. They beat then top-ranked Pittsburgh on Jan. 17.
The Huskies enter off a rout of Providence. That may not sound like much, but PC had owned Connecticut in the past few years. In that game, Huskies center Hasheem Thabeet posted the seventh triple-double in UConn history, scoring 15 points to go with 11 rebounds and 10 blocks. At 7-foot-3, he will cause major problems for a Louisville team that has no player taller than 6-9.
Senior forward Terrence Williams is averaging 12.8 points, 9.3 rebounds and 4.7 assists, leading the Cardinals in the latter two categories and nearly in all three.
The Huskies have played 40 games in which they and the opponent are in the top 10. Connecticut is 25-15 in those matchups and 5-3 all-time when both teams are ranked in the top five. UConn has won four of six meetings against Louisville, including 69-67 last year.
The Cards have won eight of their past nine regular-season games against ranked teams — and 9 of 11 overall the past two seasons, including four straight this year.
This is the only regular-season matchup between these two this season.
“That fact makes this game even more important,” UConn guard A.J. Price said. “If they win they control their own destiny. We have no say in it.”
WagerWeb.com Game Trends
* Huskies are 5-1 ATS in their last 6 games as a road underdog.
* Huskies are 5-1 ATS in their last 6 games as an underdog.
* Huskies are 5-1 ATS in their last 6 road games.
* Huskies are 5-1 ATS in their last 6 road games vs. a team with a winning home record.
* Huskies are 4-1 ATS in their last 5 road games vs. a team with a home winning % of greater than .600.
* Huskies are 8-3-1 ATS in their last 12 Monday games.
* Huskies are 3-8 ATS in their last 11 games as a road underdog of 0.5-6.5.
* Huskies are 3-9 ATS in their last 12 games as an underdog of 0.5-6.5.
* Huskies are 6-20-1 ATS in their last 27 games after scoring more than 90 points in their previous game.
* Cardinals are 7-1 ATS in their last 8 games following a S.U. win.
* Cardinals are 7-1 ATS in their last 8 games overall.
* Cardinals are 6-1 ATS in their last 7 games as a favorite.
* Cardinals are 5-1-1 ATS in their last 7 Monday games.
* Cardinals are 4-1 ATS in their last 5 games vs. a team with a winning S.U. record.
* Cardinals are 4-1 ATS in their last 5 games vs. a team with a winning % above .600.
* Cardinals are 21-7-1 ATS in their last 29 games as a favorite of 0.5-6.5.
* Cardinals are 8-3-1 ATS in their last 12 games as a home favorite of 0.5-6.5.
* Cardinals are 37-14-2 ATS in their last 53 vs. Big East.
* Cardinals are 7-21-2 ATS in their last 30 home games vs. a team with a winning road record.
* Cardinals are 5-17-2 ATS in their last 24 home games vs. a team with a road winning % of greater than .600.
NCAA Basketball Betting at WagerWeb.com
No comments:
Post a Comment