The Syracuse Orange beat Seton Hall last night to earn a tilt with the Connecticut Huskies this evening at Madison Square Garden. The two clubs last played on February 11th in Storrs, Connecticut with the Huskies grabbing a 63-49 victory. Tonight's Big East Tournament showdown tips off at 9:30pm ET and will be televised live on ESPN.
NCAA Basketball Picks: Syracuse vs Connecticut at Sportsbook.com are favoring UConn to come away victorious again, this time -5 against the spread.
Connecticut finished the regular season with an impressive 27-3 record and a 15-3 mark in Big East action. The Huskies, winners of 16 of their last 18 games, fell to Georgetown to open conference play and they succumbed to the Pittsburgh Panthers twice. They ended their schedule with a loss to the Panthers last Saturday at the Peterson Events Center in Pennsylvania, a development that relegated them to third place in the final conference standings.
Jim Calhoun's team had trouble scoring the ball against the Panthers as they shot a miserable 37.7 percent from the field. They only connected on 4-of-14 from beyond the arc and they shot a pathetic 52.6 percent from the charity stripe in the 60-70 loss. Center Hasheem Thabeet was the biggest bright spot for the Huskies; the big man scored 14 points, snared 13 boards, and blocked five shots.
Connecticut, which averages 76 points per game, is 10-1 away from home this season and 4-0 in neutral site games with wins over LaSalle, Miami (FL), Stony Brook, and Gonzaga.
Syracuse, currently ranked 18th in the AP Poll, moved their overall record to 24-8 last night with an 89-74 victory over Seton Hall. The win was the fifth in a row for the Orange, all by double digits with the exception of an 86-79 overtime win against Marquette.
The 'Cuse led by five at halftime, but outscored the Pirates 53-43 in the second half to advance to tonight's quarterfinal round. Jim Boeheim saw five of his players reach double figures in points, led by guards Jonny Flynn and Eric Devendorf who had 19 apiece. Flynn, the team's leading scorer at 17.3 per game, also handed out a game high 11 assists. The Orange hit 56.9 percent of their field goal attempts and knocked down 9-of-18 from downtown in the triumph.
Syracuse is now 3-1 in neutral site games this year and 5-4 in true road games. They are averaging 80.3 points per game while allowing 70.9 per outing.
Sportsbook.com's NCAA Basketball Predictions: Syracuse vs Conneticut
Syracuse Orange +5 (-110), Over 145.5 (-110), +175 (Moneyline)
Conneticut Huskies -5 (-110), Under 145.5 (-110), -210 (Moneyline)
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