Announcement

**bryce** · 02-12-2010, 03:32 PM

I like your goy.
Gl Stardust

**BettorsChat** · 02-12-2010, 03:34 PM

gl Stardust

**ntorreg88** · 02-12-2010, 03:49 PM

gl star dust

**Stroker71** · 02-12-2010, 04:31 PM

Good luck today. I love Portland State and Waters has to be one of the most talented kids in the Big Sky! Having Said That...You got some big brass ones knowing that Portland lost by more than thirty a month ago! But...The way this conference hammers on each other I love the pick and I will follow for a small price. Thanks good luck with them! Keep em coming!

**StarDust Bum** · 02-12-2010, 04:39 PM

Another game that falls in the same catagory as tonights GOY Play......

Fairfield - 7:00 PM ET Rider +1 500 ( MAAC GOY )
Rider -

**StarDust Bum** · 02-12-2010, 05:21 PM

West Virginia at Pittsburgh

The football season is over, the NBA is on its All-Star break and the NHL is going to a few weeks off for the Olympics. Yet Friday night is still set with a great matchup on the college hardwood as the Backyard Brawl is set to go between the Panthers and Mountaineers at 9:00 p.m. EST on ESPN.

West Virginia (19-4 straight up, 10-13 against the spread) comes into this game primed for a let down slump after falling as a five-point home favorite to the Wildcats on Feb. 8, 82-75. There are numerous reasons for Bob Huggins to be upset with his team’s performance outside of not being refilled on his single-malt against Villanova. They shot 41 percent from the field, while they allowed the ‘Cats to hit 57 percent. And we can’t forget that the Mountaineers drained 18-of-32 of their free throws. But the biggest issue WVU has been its dependence on Da’Sean Butler.

Butler has averaged 17.1 points in his senior season in Morgantown. On Monday night, however, he scored 13 points, which was his lowest total since Jan. 16 versus Syracuse. Incidentally, that was the last time the Mountaineers were on the wrong side of the score.

Pittsburgh (18-6 SU, 10-8-2 ATS) was looking for anything to bring them out of a funk that saw them lose three out of four Big East games to end January. The Panthers appear to have turned the corner, winning two straight, covering the lone match that was on the board.

While Pitt had no problems in a 77-53 beatdown of Robert Morris, it was the 83-58 victory over the Pirates as a 4 ½-point home fave that showed they were back. Besides the fact the Panthers put up the most points they had all year, they were hitting shots from the field effectively (52 percent) and 20 of their 31 total buckets.

Las Vegas Sports Consultants has deemed this a match too close to call by making the Mountaineers one-point road favorites with a total of 127. Bettors can take Pittsburgh to win outright for a plus-140 (risk $100 to win $140).

The recent history of this rivalry has been tilted towards Pittsburgh with a 6-4 SU mark, but 5-5 ATS. The ‘under’ was 7-3 in those last 10 matchups.

Out of the last seven meetings of these teams, the home squad is 5-2 SU and 4-3 ATS.

The Panthers have been tough to beat on their home court, as evidenced by a 13-1 SU and 5-4-2 ATS.

West Virginia is 5-2 SU and 3-4 ATS in its seven true road games of the season. Bettors should also note that the ‘over’ hit in four of those seven contests for the Mountaineers as well.

Other Looks…

Normally you have a few other games to take a gander at in college hoops, but Fridays are designated for the mid-majors. The positive side to that is the Ivy League’s top club is ranked and rolling through conference foes. Let’s look at their fixture.

Cornell at Pennsylvania – 7:00 p.m. EST

The Big Red are worth the hype, getting medieval on the Ivy League with an average score of 80-55 in their last four league games. Cornell should keep it up against the Quakers as a 17-point road “chalk.” Bettors shouldn’t have any fear in taking the Big Red as they’ve won four straight against Penn, covering the spread in the last two. The ‘over’ is a solid total play as it’s 4-1 in the last five.

**StarDust Bum** · 02-12-2010, 07:40 PM

Backyard Brawl Revisited

In ESPN’s endless pursuit to attract viewers 24/7, an extremely rare Big East Friday night affair is on tap. Two rivals with long history of hatred collide for second time in nine days, this time in Pittsburgh. Off home loss to Villanova 82-75 as 5.5-point, West Virginia opens two game road trip, facing the pumped-up Panthers.

For just the fifth time in 180 meetings and the second in a row, West Virginia and Pittsburgh meet as ranked teams. The great aspect about these two teams facing off is the overused expression “these two teams really don’t like is each other” is 100 percent accurate.

The fan incident that occurred in Morgantown, with things being thrown on the floor and Pittsburgh assistant coach being hit in the face with a coin, will only serve to heighten the tension as the Peterson Center, since West Virginia punished 70-51 on Feb. 3.

The fifth-ranked Mountaineers (19-4, 9-13 ATS) are led by forward Da’Sean Butler, whose been carrying the load. Butler continues to move up in every important school hoops record and his support group has playing back to early season level. Though Pittsburgh’s roster isn’t setup the same as Villanova, expect them to use some of the defensive elements the Wildcats sprung on West Virginia, like the triangle and two, which limited Butler to 2 for 12 shooting. Coach Bob Huggins crew has room for improvement and is 7-0 ATS versus teams averaging 53 or less shot a game.

No. 25 Pittsburgh’s offense tends to plod along, needing concerted effort from everyone. This was shown when the Panthers (18-6, 11-8-2 ATS) lost four of five and averaged 60.4 points per game a few weeks ago. Coach Jamie Dixon has preached to his team about picking up the tempo to find easier shots. The Panthers have, scoring 160 points combined in last two wins. This approach has also worked at the defensive end, where they have held last two opponents below 37 percent shooting and Pitt is 6-0 ATS in home games having won two of last three games the last two seasons.

This becomes important since Pittsburgh has been victimized by some Big East’s top scorers, not having an answer. The Panthers players have been slow in making proper adjustments if someone from the opposing team gets hot, either not creating enough on-ball pressure or making poor rotations. West Virginia has a few different players that can hot, thus making correct evaluation is tantamount for club that is 15-6 ATS at home after playing a game as favorite.

The intensity will be off the charts since it is a Friday night, with a 9:00 Eastern start (giving Pitt students time to fuel up) and hated rival in town off a loss. Pittsburgh is a two-point home underdog with total of 126.5 at Sportsbook.com and is 13-5 ATS on their home floor against a team with a winning record. West Virginia expects a tough environment and coach Huggins will stress this is not the time to let one upset loss turn into two. However, the Mountaineers are 1-10 ATS and 7-0 UNDER after a combined score of 155 points or more.

Pittsburgh is 8-1 and 5-3-1 ATS in West Virginia’s last nine visits and 6-0 OVER revenging a road loss.

Announcement

The Bum's Friday's PODS + CBB Conference GOY !

The Bum's Friday's PODS + CBB Conference GOY !

Comment

Comment

Comment

Comment

Comment

Comment

Comment