Let’s visit the Harry A. Gampel Pavilion where the Connecticut Huskies (13-6; 10-6) take on the Georgetown Hoyas (9-11; 7-8) in a rematch of this Big East affair. The game starts 12:00 p.m. ET this Saturday. online sports betting odds have the Huskies as sizable favorites for good reason and you won’t hear any disagreements here.
UConn and GU already met on February 23, which the Huskies won comfortably by 13 points. It should be a similar result as we check this college basketball betting preview with odds available from the BetUS online sportsbook.
Georgetown vs Connecticut Betting Preview: Quick Look at Each Team
Georgetown: Energy!
As is with this school’s history, the Hoyas are a big and athletic team. They ranked first in the conference in rebounds (39.3) and are able to make up for their lack of scoring prowess. The Hoyas only shoot at 42.1 percent accuracy, which is ninth in the conference and 267th overall.
Against lower-tier competition, that isn’t a problem as the Hoyas average 11.8 offensive boards per game. They get a good chunk of their points from putbacks and second chances.
Senior guard Jahvon Blair paces the team with 15.6 points per game while the frontcourt combo of Jamorko Pickett and Qudus Wahab combine for 25 points and 16.1 boards. They’ll be a handful for most Big East opponents.
The Hoyas make up for their lack of polish with energy. But they are just too inefficient on offense and average more turnovers (16) than assists (13.7) to threaten the conference’s best teams.
Connecticut: Howling into March
The Huskies look to head into the NCAA March Madness tournament on a big win. They already beat the Hoyas, but they can’t afford to be at anything but their best in this game.
Sophomore guard James Bouknight leads the team with 20.1 points and 5.8 boards. But he remains a pure scorer and averages more turnovers (2.9) than assists (1.5). R.J. Cole has been the team’s primary playmaker with his 4.1 assists.
The Huskies like to play a slow tempo style and make the most of their possessions. They’ll need to improve on their shooting and decision-making, but they have generally been able to pick apart their opponents hence their impressive 14-5 record against the spread.
KenPom ranks UConn’s offense and defense within the top-35. This is a tough and gritty team that takes care of the rock and pounds the glass, two qualities that will make them a tough out in the NCAA tournament.
Georgetown vs Connecticut Betting Preview: UConn Overcomes Lively Georgetown
The Hoyas were supposed to match up well against the Huskies, hence the +4.5 spread. Instead, the Huskies took over in the second-half and beat the Hoyas at their own game: outrebounding them and shooting the ball much more effectively.
UConn grabbed 18 offensive rebounds and took 13 more shots than the Hoyas despite only hitting two of their 11 threes. The guard combo of Bouknight and Cole combined for 37 points as the former had a double double.
I don’t expect things to change much although the spread is larger for the Huskies here. The Hoyas have only lost to the Huskies in their last five games. But unless they figure out how to lock down the Huskies’ potent guards and how to produce more efficient offense, they’ll always be a step behind.
UConn should win this one comfortably again.
Pick: Connecticut to win and cover
