Pittsburgh ML Over UConn: College Basketball Feb. 16, 2009 Against the Spread

My pick against the spread:

Pittsburgh ML over UConn

Pittsburgh (23 - 2) (10 - 2) is traveling to Connecticut as winners of their last five, all by a double digit margin. Four of those five wins were against Big East opponents.

The Panthers are led by what I feel is the most talented front court tandem in the nation. F Dajuan Blair is averaging 15 and 12, and F Sam Young is averaging 18 and six.

However, the key player in the Panthers success does not come from the front court. PG Levance Fields has been the floor general for this talented team and is dropping eight assists a game.

Fields has had 56 assists in his last five games, all being wins for the Panthers. Pitt has been a very hot team fueled by the prolific floor vision Fields possesses.

UConn (24 - 1) (12- 1) has one their last twelve games, all vs. Big East opponents.

The Huskies are led by Hasheem Thabeet, who is coming off of a near triple double being only one block short of the plateau.

Thabeet is the most powerful defensive force in the country with his 7 foot 3 frame and ridiculous wingspan. I believe that if anyone is going to beat Thabeet inside, it is going to be the front court of the Panthers.

F Jeff Adrien is also averaging a double double for the Huskies and has been Thabeet's right hand man in the post all year long.

UConn is without their most talented Guard, Jerome Dyson. Some feel that it won't matter much, but UConn has only played Syracuse and Seton Hall without him. The Huskies could beat Syracuse and Seton Hall without Thabeet either.

When playing a team like Pittsburgh, UConn will really miss their junior guard who is a reliable scoring option for the Huskies. In what could be argued the Huskies biggest game of the season, it is a big problem if you are missing your best guard, no matter how well Thabeet plays.

A lot of people are in denial about Dyson's injury affecting the outcome of this game, but most of those people also think Syracuse is a final four team.