The Pittsburgh Panthers are coming off short rest to host fellow Big Easter West Virginia tonight at the Petersen Events Center in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The conference tilt is set to get under way at 7:00pm ET and will be televised on ESPN's Big Monday. West Virginia vs Pittsburgh college basketball picks at BetUS.com have the visiting Mountaineers listed as a +7.5 underdog.
Pittsburgh has now reeled off three straight wins since falling at Villanova 57-67 on January 28th. The Panthers had a dominating performance in their last outing, pounding Big East bottom feeder Depaul 92-69 at the Allstate Arena in Rosemont, Illinois. Sophomore forward DeJuan Blair led the charge against the Blue Devils as he tossed in 32 points, hitting on 14-of-23 from the field, and snagged 14 rebounds, nine of which were offensive.
Aiding Blair was senior point guard Lavance Fields. Fields dished out a career high 16 assists and added 13 points for good measure. Pittsburgh carried a 42-33 lead into halftime, but poured it on the Blue Devils in the second half, outscoring them 50-36.
The Panthers, despite their stellar record, are in fourth place in the Big East standings. Jamie Dixon's team, at 8-2 in conference play and 21-2 overall, is still staring up at Connecticut, Marquette, and Louisville. Pitt has already fallen to the Cardinals, but they have home and away outings against UConn in the next few weeks and they have a home tilt with Marquette slated for March 4th.
Pittsburgh, currently ranked fifth in the AP Poll, is 14-0 at the Petersen Events Center this season where they are averaging 83.6 points per game and allowing a meager 62. The Panthers beat West Virginia earlier this season by a score 79-67 in Morgantown, WV.
West Virginia has played solid basketball this season, but they have fallen victim to a brutal Big East schedule since ringing in the new year. The Mountaineers have dropped games to Connecticut, Marquette, Pittsburgh, Louisville, and Syracuse since the 6th of January. However, they did win their last conference contest, which took place on February 7th, 86-59 against Providence.
The Mountaineers, 5-5 in Big East play and 16-7 overall, are 5-3 on the road this year. They average 71 points per game away from home and give up an average of 66.4.
BetUS.com's West Virginia vs Pittsburgh College Basketball Picks:
West Virginia Mountaineers +7.5 (-110), Over 136.5 (-110), +270 (Moneyline)
Pittsburgh Panthers -7.5 (-110), Under 136.5 (-110), -330 (Moneyline)
