College Hoops Picks Feb. 2, 2009: Connecticut Huskies @ Louisville Cardinals

Connecticut Huskies (9-1, 20-1) at Louisville Cardinals (8-0, 17-3)

Monday, Feb. 2—7:00 PM EST

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Preview

Two elite Big East teams face off on Monday, and there is no reason to believe that this game is going to be anything but spectacular.

The Connecticut Huskies (No. 2 AP, No. 2 AP, 9-1, 20-1) have won nine conference games in a row after losing the Big East opener to Georgetown, and they have looked very strong along the way. This week saw many of the top ranked teams fall short, so the Huskies will be the top ranked team in the nation when the polls are released on Monday (top ranked Duke lost to No. 4 Wake Forest, No. 3 Pitt lost to Villanova, and No. 4 Wake Forest lost to Georgia Tech).

Connecticut has weapons across the board—in reality that's the only way you can make it to the top spot in the nation—but their true domination comes from their frontcourt. Forward Jeff Adrien and center Hasheem Thabeet are both averaging double-doubles this season—teams are generally very happy if they have one player who can average a double-double, let alone two.

But their backcourt is nothing to scoff at, either. Guards Jerome Dyson and A.J. Price average over 25 points between them, and Kemba Walker and Craig Austrie each average just under ten points per game.

The Louisville Cardinals (No. 7 AP, No. 7 Coaches, 8-0, 17-3) have been perfect in conference play so far, despite having less-then-stellar non-conference results. Their perfect status hasn't come easily, either—they have faced Pittsburgh, Syracuse, West Virginia, Notre Dame, and Villanova. With all of the upsets that happened this past week, the Cardinals should see themselves in the top five when the polls come out.

Their squad is just as impressive as the Huskies'—both in their frontcourt and backcourt.

Their frontcourt is lead by senior forward Terrence Williams and freshman forward Samardo Samuels. Between the two of them, they average 25 points per game and almost 15 rebounds. The Cardinals backcourt revolves around Jerry Smith and Edgar Sosa, two impressive junior guards who both continue to develop as the season progresses.

But perhaps the biggest key to the Cardinals game lies within Earl Clark, who can play in either the frontcourt or backcourt. He is Louisville's leading scorer, and is second on the list in rebounds and assists. He is averaging 34 minutes per game, and almost two blocks.

This matchup between these two Big East powerhouses is going to be one to watch. If you haven't seen a college hoops game yet this season, this is a fantastic one to start with. You will not be disappointed.

By The Numbers

	Record	Conf	ATS	RPI	SOS	PF	PA
Connecticut	20-1	9-1	9-7	7	38	79.1	61.8
Louisville	17-3	8-0	11-8	10	13	74.7	60.3

	FG%	D. FG%	3P%	D. 3P%	FT%	RPG	SPG	APG	TPG
Connecticut	48.9	38.0	37.4	31.6	68.9	43.8	6.4	15.8	11.9
Louisville	43.9	38.3	34.2	30.8	65.7	42.3	8.9	16.5	14.0

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Prediction

Current Line: Louisville -2.5

Connecticut ATS: 9-7, 2-0 when underdog
Louisville ATS: 11-8, 9-7 when favored

These two teams are very even by the numbers. This is only the third time this season that the Huskies have been the underdog, and both previous times they have walked away with the win. The Cardinals have been favored in six of their eight Big East games, and in those they are 5-1 against the spread.

Louisville and Connecticut match up well against the spread at home and on the road as well—Louisville is 7-5 ATS at home, while Connecticut is 6-3 ATS on the road.

With such similarities across the board, let's take a look at how the players compare:

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Backcourt

A.J. Price vs. Edgar Sosa

Price is averaging 12.3 points, 4.4 assists, 3.2 rebounds, and 2.4 turnovers per game, and is shooting 44 percent from beyond the arc.
Sosa is averaging 7.7 points, 2.6 assists, 1.5 rebounds, and 2.0 turnovers per game.

Price is one of the best point guards in the country and he is going to be very hard for Sosa to contain.

Jerome Dyson vs. Jerry Smith

Dyson is averaging 13.5 points, 4.3 rebounds, and 3.3 assists per game.
Smith is averaging 7.2 points and 2.5 rebounds per game, and is shooting 41.5 percent from beyond the arc.

Dyson has been a player the Huskies have relied on all season, and when called upon, he has stepped up. Smith, on the other hand, has been inconsistent this season—he was crucial against West Virginia and was good for 20 points, while he has also scored as few as zero points on more than one occasion.

Backcourt Advantage: Connecticut

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Frontcourt

Hasheem Thabeet vs. Samardo Samuels

Thabeet is averaging 13.0 points, 10.1 rebounds, and 4.0 blocks per game.
Samuels is averaging 13.3 points, 5.6 rebounds, and 1.5 blocks per game.

Thabeet has continued to establish himself as one of the elite big men of the Big East this season. He is coming off his first career triple-double (15 points, 11 boards, and 10 blocks), and he has made his presence in the paint known all season.

Samuels was the preseason co-Big East rookie of the year and has developed nicely as the season has progressed. He has grabbed three double-doubles this season and has fit very nicely into coach Pitino's offense.

Jeff Adrien vs. Terrence Williams

Adrien is averaging 14.1 points and 10.0 rebounds per game.
Williams is averaging 12.8 points, 9.3 rebounds, and 4.7 assists per game, and is hitting one-third of his three point attempts.

Adrien is the leading scorer for the Huskies and is averaging a double-double. He has ten double-doubles this season, and is on the court for an average of 34 minutes per game.

Williams is a very versatile player—he is great beyond the arc and is very close to averaging a double-double. When he's struggled offensively, he has been able to make his presence known on on the defensive end of the ball. Williams has done a great job this season impressing both fans and scouts.

Stanley Robinson vs. Earl Clark

Robinson is averaging 5.8 points and 4.2 rebounds per game.
Clark is averaging 13.5 points, 8.8 rebounds, 1.8 blocks, and 3.2 assists per game.

Robinson wasn't able to play in the beginning of the season, but he has come back strong (academics do that to you). Clark leads the Cardinals in points, and has been reliable all season. His twelve-game streak of double-digit points was broken against West Virginia when he only mustered up four points, but he was good for five assists, though.

Frontcourt Advantage: Push

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Connecticut and Louisville stack up very well against each other. The slight edge goes to Connecticut, but this should be a typical Big East game between two Goliaths that is tight until the very end.

Ryan's Pick: Connecticut +2.5

*This article is also featured on CBBPlace.com*

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