Monday NCAA: West Virginia (16-7) at Pittsburgh (21-2)

West Virginia and Pittsburgh renew the Backyard Brawl on Monday night, with both entering off easy wins on Saturday.

The Panthers beat WVU earlier this season and are 7.5-point favorites tonight on WagerWeb.com.

Pitt has won three games in a row since a double-digit loss to Villanova. On Saturday, DeJuan Blair was a one-man wrecking crew against DePaul, scoring a career-high 32 points and adding 14 rebounds in the 92-69 victory.

West Virginia crushed Providence on Saturday, 86-59, behind senior Alex Ruoff’s game-high 24 points, including six-for-seven from 3-point range. Ruoff had been struggling from the field - after hitting a school-record nine 3-pointers Dec 23, Ruoff is shooting just over 30 percent from long range during Big East play.

Pitt won the first meeting 79-67. There were 11 ties and 10 lead changes. The Panthers shot 60 percent from the field in the first half and 53.6 percent for the game while limiting WVU to 41.1 percent. The Mountaineers did win the rebounding battle, 34-31, but committed 13 turnovers to just nine for Pitt. WVU now has lost five of the last six meetings and 12 of the last 17. The Mountaineers

WVU starting forwards Da’Sean Butler and Devin Ebanks will have their work cut out against Blair, who reminds some of Charles Barkley. He had 11 rebounds and 16 points during that first meeting. Pitt junior Jermaine Dixon has made 16 of his past 32 shots from behind the 3-point arc after missing 36 of his first 43. are 1-5 against ranked Big East foes this year and they last won at Pitt in 2005.

But Pitt coach Jamie Dixon is worried about his defense. Big East opponents are shooting 42.8 percent from the field, which, if it stands would be the highest opponent shooting percentage since Dixon became head coach.

“We have to get better on defense,” Dixon said.

Offensively there are no issues. The Panthers have scored 90 or more points in each of their past three games. Louisville and Villanova, the only teams to beat Pitt this season, were able to hold them to 61 and 57 points, respectively. The Panthers are 14-0 in Petersen Center this season.
WagerWeb.com Game Trends
* Mountaineers are 5-1 ATS in their last 6 games following a SU win of more than 20 points.
* Mountaineers are 4-1 ATS in their last 5 games as a road underdog.
* Mountaineers are 4-1 ATS in their last 5 games as an underdog.
* Mountaineers are 14-4-1 ATS in their last 19 games as a road underdog of 7.0-12.5.
* Mountaineers are 10-3-1 ATS in their last 14 games as an underdog of 7.0-12.5.
* Mountaineers are 6-2 ATS in their last 8 Monday games.
* Mountaineers are 3-8 ATS in their last 11 games following a ATS win.
* Panthers are 4-0 ATS in their last 4 games as a favorite of 7.0-12.5.
* Panthers are 4-1 ATS in their last 5 games overall.
* Panthers are 4-1 ATS in their last 5 games as a home favorite of 7.0-12.5.
* Panthers are 4-1 ATS in their last 5 vs. Big East.
* Panthers are 5-2 ATS in their last 7 games vs. a team with a winning S.U. record.
* Panthers are 5-2 ATS in their last 7 games vs. a team with a winning % above .600.
* Panthers are 5-2 ATS in their last 7 home games.
* Panthers are 5-2 ATS in their last 7 games as a home favorite.
* Panthers are 9-4-1 ATS in their last 14 Monday games.
* Panthers are 1-4 ATS in their last 5 games following a SU win of more than 20 points.
* Favorite is 10-4-1 ATS in the last 15 meetings.
* Mountaineers are 5-12-1 ATS in the last 18 meetings.

NCAA Basketball Betting at WagerWeb.com