Bet On College Basketball – Big East Teams in Action Early

Some of the best Big East teams in the nation will be college basketball odds favorites in early games on Saturday, January 8th.

The #13 Georgetown Hoyas battle the West Virginia Mountaineers while #4 Syracuse takes on the Seton Hall Pirates and the #5 Pittsburgh Panthers host Marquette. Will the ranked Big East teams cover the likely spreads in the Sportsbook?

Check out a preview of all three games below.

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Jan. 8th – NCAA BB Games

West Virginia Mountaineers (9-4) at #13 Georgetown Hoyas (12-3)

When: 11:00 am EST

Fair Basketball Odds: West Virginia +4 ½

Analysis: Basketball odds makers are almost assuredly going to make the Hoyas at least a 4 ½ point and possibly up to a 6 ½ point fave on Saturday. It would be a mistake for basketball handicappers to jump all over G’Town to cover the spread versus a less than spectacular West Virginia squad. The Hoyas have gone 1 and 2 straight up and 0 and 3 ATS in their last 3 games. Georgetown fans will point to the fact that the Hoyas 2 losses were on the road and they take on West Virginia at home and there is some validity to that argument. The Mountaineers are 0 and 3 ATS and 1 and 2 straight up, with losses to St. Johns and Marquette, just like the Hoyas. What does that mean? It means that these 2 teams are probably much closer in terms of talent than a lot of sports handicappers might believe. I like to take the points when 2 evenly matched teams butt heads on the hardwood.

#4 Syracuse Orange (15-0) at Seton Hall Pirates (7-8)

When: 12:00 pm EST

Fair Basketball Odds: Syracuse -13 ½

Analysis: Undefeated Syracuse leaves something to be desired in the college basketball betting sportsbook. The ‘Cuse is 5 and 8 ATS this season. The Orange should have no trouble putting a serious beat down onto the Seton Hall Pirates, however, because Seton Hall isn’t close to The ‘Cuse in any way, shape, or form. The Pirates are also 5 and 8 ATS on the season. The difference is that the Pirates have lost games straight up to Richmond and Dayton this season. Seton Hall is going to have a tough time keeping the Orange from killing them on the boards. The Pirates are also going to have a tough time putting the ball in the basket versus an Orange D that allows only 37.7% from the field on average. The ‘Cuse should roll all over the Pirates on Saturday.

Marquette Golden Eagles (11-4) at #5 Pittsburgh Panthers (14-1)

When: 2:00 pm EST

Fair Basketball Odds: Marquette +4 ½

Analysis: The vaunted Panthers, like so many teams in the Big East, just aren’t that great versus the sports betting spread. Pitt is 2 and 3 ATS at home this season. I’m actually not expecting them to cover on Jan. 8th versus a Marquette team that puts the s-c-r into scrappy. Marquette is riding a 3 game winning streak both straight up and ATS. The Golden Eagles’ offense has been very good this season, they average 80.8 points per game and 50% from the field, while their D is coming around; Marquette is now allowing only 42.7% from the field. Pittsburgh’s D is one of the best in the nation, teams score only 62.4 points against them on average, but the Panthers couldn’t cover a -5 ½ point spread versus Providence in their last, an 83 to 79 victory, and Marquette is a better team than Providence.

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