College Hoops Picks Jan. 31, 2009: Providence Friars at Connecticut Huskies

Providence Friars (14-6) at Connecticut Huskies (19-1)

Saturday, Jan. 31—4:00 PM EST

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Preview

The Providence Friars (6-2, 14-6) are towards the top of the Big East after gaining six wins in its first eight games, most recently defeating Syracuse at home. In the two losses, they fell by seven points to Georgetown and nine points to Marquette.

The Huskies (8-1, 19-1) have been on fire since they suffered their only loss of the season in the Big East opener. They most recently defeated DePaul by 22, and have looked strong against almost everyone they've faced. If they can walk away victorious against the Friars, the Huskies will most likely be the top-ranked team in the nation (since Duke lost this past week to Wake Forest), unless Wake leapfrogs them.

Connecticut has four players averaging double-digit points and two of them (Jeff Adrien and Hasheem Thabeet) are averaging double-doubles. The Friars rely on seven players, although their starting lineup is probably the most dominant. They are lead by Weyinmi Efejuku with 13.4 PPG.

Stats

	Record	Conf	ATS	RPI	SOS	PF	PA
Providence	14-6	6-2	7-7-1	61	54	80.7	73.5
Connecticut	19-1	8-1	8-7	7	37	78.4	61.9

	FG%	D. FG%	3P%	D. 3P%	FT%	RPG	SPG	APG	TPG
Providence	46.4	44.6	32.5	33.0	67.6	41.4	8.0	15.7	14.2
Connecticut	49.0	38.3	37.5	31.8	68.5	43.2	6.3	15.8	12.2

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Prediction

Current Line: Connecticut -14.0

Providence ATS: 7-7-1, 2-2 when underdog
Connecticut ATS: 8-7, 6-7 when favored

The Huskies should win this game, but the Friars are going to give them more trouble than they expect. They will most likely be distracted by the potential of the top national ranking, so I expect the Friars to keep it close.

Pick: Providence +14.0

*All statistics for this article have come from StatSheet.com*

*This article is also featured on CBBPlace.com*