ACC, Big East battle for supremacy
ACC, Big East battle for supremacy
Monday's latest college basketball rankings should list the third No. 1 team of the season after Pittsburgh fell at Louisville on Saturday, 69-63. Most likely, the new top dog will be the second ACC team of the year to occupy the position after Duke (16-1) and Wake Forest (16-0) each pulled off impressive weekend victories. With both splitting the 2-3 slots last week, we could have two No. 1's from the ACC.
No. 1 truly is just a number. The Pittsburgh Panthers are the latest top-ranked college basketball team to fall from grace; Pitt fell 69-63 to the Louisville Cardinals (-2) on Saturday after two weeks atop the AP poll. The North Carolina Tar Heels had previously coughed up their No. 1 spot by losing to the Boston College Eagles (+23).
This is probably going to happen all year long. There are so many strong teams in the ACC and the Big East that losses are inevitable – Pittsburgh was a vulnerable road dog against then-No. 20 Louisville. The Panthers should be a better value now that their bubble has been burst and their profile lowered in the eyes of the betting public. We’ll find out on Monday how Pittsburgh responds to adversity.
Syracuse at Pittsburgh (-8)
Monday, Jan 19, 7:00 p.m. (ET) ESPN
Jim Boeheim’s Orange program is back on the national radar at 17-2 SU and 9-7 ATS. The most recent Syracuse loss was at Georgetown (-6½), but the Hoyas’ dominance was partly due to the loss of guard Andy Rautins (38.8 percent from downtown) to a knee injury. Rautins returned Saturday with 10 points in a 93-74 rout of the visiting Notre Dame Fighting Irish (+3½). Five other Syracuse players put up double figures against the Irish.
While the Orange fill up the win column, Ken Pomeroy’s efficiency stats have Syracuse ranked just No. 28 in Division I after Saturday’s action. Pittsburgh (16-1 SU, 6-5-1 ATS) is rated No. 5, and the Panthers have a significant edge on the glass versus the Orange. Sophomore forward DeJuan Blair is by far the nation’s top offensive rebounder, scooping up 26.5 percent of opportunities. Syracuse, though taller overall than the Panthers, is No. 178 in Division I in defensive rebounding.
Michigan at Penn State
Tuesday, Jan 20, 9:00 p.m. (ET)
The Michigan Wolverines (13-5 SU, 7-5-1 ATS, No. 63 Pomeroy) looked like they were having a renaissance of their own, but Big Ten play has brought the rebuilding program back to earth. Michigan has lost two in a row to go 3-3 SU and 2-4 ATS in conference action. John Beilein’s Wolverines go heavy on the 3-pointer, which makes up 46.4 percent of their shot attempts, but they only connect on 33.8 percent from downtown – that ranks No. 181 in Division I.
Penn State (14-5 SU, 8-3-1 ATS, No. 77 Pomeroy) has delivered big-time for handicappers thus far. The Nittany Lions have a tremendous Big Three of Talor Battle, Stanley Pringle and Jamelle Cornley, and they have some depth as well. The Lions hit 38.7 percent from long range (No. 22 in the nation) and are very good at taking care of the ball. They should be able to deal with Beilein’s tricky 1-3-1 defense better than most teams.
Virginia Tech at Wake Forest
Wednesday, Jan 21, 7:00 p.m. (ET) ESPN2
The Demon Deacons are the last of the unbeatens at 16-0 (8-4 ATS, No. 7 Pomeroy). They followed up their major victory over North Carolina (-6½) with a pair of road wins over Boston College (+3) and the Clemson Tigers (-2½). Wake Forest’s No. 3-ranked defense piled up 11 blocks against Clemson. Combine that with the No. 7-ranked pace in the nation (74.9 possessions per game), and Wake never gives the opposition a chance to breathe. The Deacs have cashed in five times in a row on their march to the top of the polls.
Virginia Tech (12-5 SU, 5-7 ATS, No. 85 Pomeroy) shouldn’t be that much of a test for Wake Forest. The Hokies aren’t especially good at any particular aspect of the game; however, they did manage to extend the Xavier Musketeers (-2) to overtime before losing 63-62, and they did beat the St. John’s Red Storm (-1) by 14 points, both on neutral ground. Getting starting forward J.T. Thompson (hernia) back in the lineup gives Tech some athleticism in the paint, although he’s very much a tweener at 6-foot-6 with no perimeter game. The Hokies are 6-1 SU and 3-3 ATS since Thompson’s return.
Monday's latest college basketball rankings should list the third No. 1 team of the season after Pittsburgh fell at Louisville on Saturday, 69-63. Most likely, the new top dog will be the second ACC team of the year to occupy the position after Duke (16-1) and Wake Forest (16-0) each pulled off impressive weekend victories. With both splitting the 2-3 slots last week, we could have two No. 1's from the ACC.
No. 1 truly is just a number. The Pittsburgh Panthers are the latest top-ranked college basketball team to fall from grace; Pitt fell 69-63 to the Louisville Cardinals (-2) on Saturday after two weeks atop the AP poll. The North Carolina Tar Heels had previously coughed up their No. 1 spot by losing to the Boston College Eagles (+23).
This is probably going to happen all year long. There are so many strong teams in the ACC and the Big East that losses are inevitable – Pittsburgh was a vulnerable road dog against then-No. 20 Louisville. The Panthers should be a better value now that their bubble has been burst and their profile lowered in the eyes of the betting public. We’ll find out on Monday how Pittsburgh responds to adversity.
Syracuse at Pittsburgh (-8)
Monday, Jan 19, 7:00 p.m. (ET) ESPN
Jim Boeheim’s Orange program is back on the national radar at 17-2 SU and 9-7 ATS. The most recent Syracuse loss was at Georgetown (-6½), but the Hoyas’ dominance was partly due to the loss of guard Andy Rautins (38.8 percent from downtown) to a knee injury. Rautins returned Saturday with 10 points in a 93-74 rout of the visiting Notre Dame Fighting Irish (+3½). Five other Syracuse players put up double figures against the Irish.
While the Orange fill up the win column, Ken Pomeroy’s efficiency stats have Syracuse ranked just No. 28 in Division I after Saturday’s action. Pittsburgh (16-1 SU, 6-5-1 ATS) is rated No. 5, and the Panthers have a significant edge on the glass versus the Orange. Sophomore forward DeJuan Blair is by far the nation’s top offensive rebounder, scooping up 26.5 percent of opportunities. Syracuse, though taller overall than the Panthers, is No. 178 in Division I in defensive rebounding.
Michigan at Penn State
Tuesday, Jan 20, 9:00 p.m. (ET)
The Michigan Wolverines (13-5 SU, 7-5-1 ATS, No. 63 Pomeroy) looked like they were having a renaissance of their own, but Big Ten play has brought the rebuilding program back to earth. Michigan has lost two in a row to go 3-3 SU and 2-4 ATS in conference action. John Beilein’s Wolverines go heavy on the 3-pointer, which makes up 46.4 percent of their shot attempts, but they only connect on 33.8 percent from downtown – that ranks No. 181 in Division I.
Penn State (14-5 SU, 8-3-1 ATS, No. 77 Pomeroy) has delivered big-time for handicappers thus far. The Nittany Lions have a tremendous Big Three of Talor Battle, Stanley Pringle and Jamelle Cornley, and they have some depth as well. The Lions hit 38.7 percent from long range (No. 22 in the nation) and are very good at taking care of the ball. They should be able to deal with Beilein’s tricky 1-3-1 defense better than most teams.
Virginia Tech at Wake Forest
Wednesday, Jan 21, 7:00 p.m. (ET) ESPN2
The Demon Deacons are the last of the unbeatens at 16-0 (8-4 ATS, No. 7 Pomeroy). They followed up their major victory over North Carolina (-6½) with a pair of road wins over Boston College (+3) and the Clemson Tigers (-2½). Wake Forest’s No. 3-ranked defense piled up 11 blocks against Clemson. Combine that with the No. 7-ranked pace in the nation (74.9 possessions per game), and Wake never gives the opposition a chance to breathe. The Deacs have cashed in five times in a row on their march to the top of the polls.
Virginia Tech (12-5 SU, 5-7 ATS, No. 85 Pomeroy) shouldn’t be that much of a test for Wake Forest. The Hokies aren’t especially good at any particular aspect of the game; however, they did manage to extend the Xavier Musketeers (-2) to overtime before losing 63-62, and they did beat the St. John’s Red Storm (-1) by 14 points, both on neutral ground. Getting starting forward J.T. Thompson (hernia) back in the lineup gives Tech some athleticism in the paint, although he’s very much a tweener at 6-foot-6 with no perimeter game. The Hokies are 6-1 SU and 3-3 ATS since Thompson’s return.