Wednesday NCAA Basketball Picks: Pitt VS UConn, NC Tar Heels VS Clemson

Wednesday NCAA Basketball Picks: Kentucky took care of Florida last night, though they needed a strong final few minutes to slam the door, giving me a nice win to start the week. Lets hope that keeps going on Wednesday Night.

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Pittsburgh Panthers @ Connecticut Huskies (-6): The 15th ranked Huskies have struggled a little bit against ranked opponents, losing to Kentucky, Cincinnati, and Georgetown in the last month. But two of those games were on the road, all three losses came by 3 points or less, and one was a loss to the currently undefeated Wildcats. So listen, it’s not as bad as it seems. Plus, the Huskies are 10-0 at home this season, and have won each home contest by at least 8 points. The Huskies have covered each of their last 5 games and still the bettors are 65% in favor of Pittsburgh covering this game. Six points could make this one interesting, but I like the home team to cover here. I think UConn will be too strong for 20th ranked Pittsburgh, and the Panthers undefeated start to the Big East will come to an end.

North Carolina Tar Heels (+3) @ Clemson Tigers: What I see is a Clemson team that struggles when they lost the rebound battle and a Tar Heel team that more often than not wins the rebound battle. I’m not saying it’s all about boards, but that tells me the Tigers struggle against other bigs, and the Heels have a couple very good bigs and a handful of other guys that will give the Tigers trouble size-wise. Clemson hasn’t beaten the Tar Heels for a long time, as I know the Heels have won at least 10 in a row against the Tigers. Deon Thompson should score, but Ed Davis should have a good time eating up the glass.

Connecticut Huskies vs Notre Dame Fighting Irish Free Pick

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Connecticut Huskies (+6) @ Notre Dame Fighting Irish Free Pick: The Huskies luck just has to turn at some point. When you think about the talented teams they’ve had to play over the last handful of weeks, and the way they’ve played close with in every single loss, and then the terrible times they’ve had to go through as a team, one would have to believe some sort of justice is on the way for the Huskies. When would be a better time than against an Irish team that has lost their token luck?

Not only is the timing right, but the Huskies look like the better team to me. I know it’s being played in South Bend, and I know a lot’s on the line for the Irish and their head coach’s job – but so what, the same can be said for the last two weeks, and no wins came from those games.

Who has Notre Dame beat this year? Washington State, Washington (with BS calls to aid them to overtime- the luck of the Irish, if you will), Purdue, Michigan State, and Nevada. They also beat Boston College, easily their best win of the year. The Irish have won 2 games by more than a touchdown. Washington State (quite possibly the worst team in College Football) and Nevada (to open the season).  Thanks for the scheduling, but I’m not impressed.

To be honest, I’m more impressed with UConn’s losses than Notre Dame’s wins. North Carolina by 2. Pittsburgh by 3. West Virginia by 4. Rutgers by 4. Cincinnati by 2, 45-47. The heart break hasn’t stopped for the Huskies since their teammate was murdered. But they are a good team. They fight with the best of them. I like them to continue their stellar play and turn their recent tough-luck around.

Connecticut Huskies vs West Virginia Mountaineers Pick

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UConn Huskies (+7.5) @ West Virginia Mountaineers: The Huskies have to have heavy hearts coming into this game, but I’ll be rooting for them, and I think they have a very good chance. The Connecticut Huskies are as good as any team West Virginia has played thus far, and the Mountaineers haven’t impressed me with their ability to step on the gas. I know a lot has happened this week since their teammate was stabbed and killed at a school dance, and different teams react different ways, but from what I’ve heard from the Huskies, I like their chances to keep this one close on Saturday. I speak from experience when I say that a teammates death can cause a team to really come together, to rely on each other, to put the team first – those are all key things in team success. I’ll take them and a touchdown plus.