West Virginia Takes on #13 Syracuse as Slight Underdog in Basketball Sportsbook

The West Virginia Mountaineers travel to Syracuse on Valentine’s Day as an underdog in the online sportsbook.

#13 Syracuse has lost 6 out of their last 8 games. They battle a hungry West Virginia team that is in need of a victory. While Syracuse appears set to receive a bid to the NCAA Tournament, the Mountaineers will need to win games on the road in the Big East in order to secure a bid to the Big Dance.

Will the ‘Cuse find a way to not only win the game but to also cover the spread?

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West Virginia Mountaineers (16-8) at #13 Syracuse Orange (20-6)

Where: Carrier Dome, Syracuse, New York

When: Feb. 14th, 2010 at 7:00 pm EST

TV: ESPN

NCAAB Betting Lines

West Virginia Mountaineers +5 -110 O 133 -110

Syracuse Orange -5 -110 U 133 -110

Check out some betting trends for this game.

• The West Virginia Mountaineers are 5 and 2 ATS in their last 7 games following an ATS victory.

• The West Virginia Mountaineers are 1 and 5 ATS in the last 6 meetings.

• The Syracuse Orange is 5 and 11 ATS in their last 16 home games.

• The Syracuse Orange is 1 and 4 ATS in their last 5 games following an ATS loss.

The Syracuse Orange has definitely hit a rough patch during their season. The ‘Cuse has gone 5 and 5 against the basketball online betting spread in their last 10 games. They’ve gone 4 and 6 straight up in those last 10 games.

But this past Saturday, on February 12th, the Orange displayed grit and courage in order to get back into a game versus the Louisville Cardinal on the road. Down by 17 points, Syracuse made a furious rally in the second half. A questionable call or two gave the ‘Cuse another “L”, 69 to 73, but the Orange still showed that they can play against tough teams.

Sometimes a loss will do more good to a basketball team than an actual victory. If the Orange takes the Louisville loss and thinks about the positives regarding it, then they can go on a nice run in the Big East. Syracuse battles a West Virginia team on Feb. 14th that just hasn’t gotten it together yet. The Mountaineers are 3 and 5 against the spread overall this season in their away games.

They’ve gone 0 and 3 versus the basketball odds in their last 3 games.

West Virginia’s last game, a victory over DePaul 82 to 71, wasn’t bad, but taking on the ‘Cuse in the Carrier Dome is a much tougher prospect than beating up on one of the worst teams in the Big East. The issue for the Mountaineers is the fact that they shoot 32.1% from behind the 3-point line. That ranks them 271st in college basketball this season. The only way to really beat Syracuse’s excellent zone defense is to bury three-pointers and force their wing defenders to go out beyond the arc.

Then, you dump the ball into the middle. When a team can only shoot 32.1% from behind the arc, Syracuse’s press becomes incredibly effective. I have to back the ‘Cuse versus the against the spread basketball lines in this game. West Virginia is a decent team, but they don’t match up all that well with Syracuse.

I’m going to back the Orange at -5 to cover the spread versus the West Virginia Mountaineers on Monday, February 14th.

NCAA Odds Betting Pick: Syracuse Orange -5

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