College Basketball Betting – #13 Connecticut at #12 Georgetown

College Basketball Betting – #13 Connecticut at #12 Georgetown

Saturday, January 9 th – 12:05 PM ET

College Basketball Betting Spread: 

The Week That Was: Connecticut 

The Huskies moved to 2-1 in Big East play with a pair of home-court victories. 

On Saturday, Jan. 2, UConn whipped Notre Dame, 82-70, behind four standout performances from coach Jim Calhoun’s lineup. Forward Stanley Robinson outplayed Notre Dame big man Luke Harangody by posting 22 points and snatching 16 rebounds. Robinson was helped out by guards Jerome Dyson (20 points and 10 assists) and Kemba Walker (11 points and 10 assists), who both delivered double-doubles in this off-campus game in Hartford, Conn. A fourth contributor to the Connecticut cause was junior center Charles Okwandu, who produced 10 points and hit all five of his field goal attempts in a game his team won by 12 points.  

On Wednesday, Jan. 6, UConn returned to its campus site – Gampel Pavilion in Storrs, Conn. – and earned a hard-fought 71-63 win over visiting Seton Hall. Connecticut forced only six turnovers from the Pirates, but the Huskies more than made up for that defensive deficiency by hounding Seton Hall into 35.5 percent shooting from the field. With Connecticut hitting 51 percent of its shots, the Huskies had too much scoring punch for coach Bobby Gonzalez’s Pirates.  

The Week That Was: Georgetown 

The week began in suburban Chicago for coach John Thompson III’s ballclub. Georgetown waxed a DePaul team that could very possibly go winless in the Big East regular season for the second straight year. The Hoyas made quick work of the anemic Blue Demons in a comfortable 67-50 victory. Georgetown had four players score in double figures and shot 57 percent for the game. At the other end of the floor, DePaul hit only 39 percent of its field goal attempts and was unable to generate any sustained rhythm in its halfcourt sets. The quiet and businesslike performance was just what Georgetown needed, but a few days later in Milwaukee, the Hoyas ran into a buzzsaw. 

On Jan. 6 at the Bradley Center, the homestanding Marquette Golden Eagles clipped the Hoyas, 62-59. Georgetown shot 49 percent, but since the Hoyas forced only nine Marquette turnovers, they couldn’t get easy baskets in transition. With the Golden Eagles hitting 12 of 26 3-point shots, GU’s steady shooting didn’t matter as much as it ordinarily would have. Another key element of the three-point loss was that GU big man Greg Monroe scored only nine points and had only six shot attempts. 

Outlook & Pick 

This game will be on Georgetown’s home court, but the Hoyas will be bothered by UConn’s depth, length and defense. This is a game that should be played in the low 60s and will not feature a very fast tempo. Connecticut has rarely enjoyed an intact roster this season, but a Georgetown team that has won ugly on many occasions might have to win another inelegant game. The verdict here is that Connecticut will disrupt Georgetown’s “Princeton offense” and walk out of Washington, D.C., with a victory. 

College Basketball Pick: Connecticut