Connecticut (29-3) –6, o/u 155 vs. Washington (26-6), 9:55 p.m. Eastern, CBS
by Ultimatecapper.com Staff
College hoops fans will find out which dog has more fight in them when the Connecticut Huskies take on the Washington Huskies in an NCAA Washington, D.C. regional semi-final Friday night at the MCI Center.
Enigmatic Connecticut tied for first place with Villanova in the Big East regular season, then lost in a lackluster performance to Syracuse in the conference tournament.
Washington, which has won 10 of its last 11 games, took second place in the PAC 10 regular season, then got upset by Oregon in the conference tournament.
In their first-round game last week, UConn struggled for much of the game against Albany, rallying to win but never coming close to covering the 20-point spread. The Huskies then staved off Kentucky 87-83 as nine-point chalk in the second round.
Washington beat Utah State 75-61 as six-point favorites in their first-round bout, then rallied as two-point underdogs to beat Illinois 67-64 in the second round.
Neither team has done much for its financial backers this season. Connecticut is 14-13 against the spread, all as favorites. Washington is 15-15 vs. the number this season, but they’ve won both games they’ve been underdogs in (over Illinois and Arizona).
UConn played one game vs. a PAC 10 team this season, beating Arizona 79-70 in November. Washington split two close games with the Wildcats this season.
Both teams beat Gonzaga early in the season, Washington 99-95 and Connecticut 65-63.Washington made it to the Sweet 16 in last season’s NCAA tournament before falling to Louisville. Connecticut lost in the second round last year to North Carolina State.
Connecticut shoots 47% from the floor, 36% from 3-point range and 70% from the line this season. Washington shoots 47% from the field, 37% from long range and 75% from the stripe.
These are two of the best rebounding teams in the country. Connecticut owns a +10 rebounds per game margin, Washington +7. A couple of statistical differences are evident; Uconn holds opponents to 38% field goal shooting, Washington 43%. And Connecticut led all of D1 in blocked shots at over nine per game.
UConn starts two seniors, two juniors and a freshman, and has five players averaging in double figures in points per game.
Washington starts three seniors and two freshmen.
In the RPI at NCAAsports.com, Connecticut is #3, Washington #35. The Sagarin PREDICTOR ratings at usatoday.com have the two teams rated much closer, with Connecticut ranked 3rd at 91.9, Washington 8th at 89.3.
The Sagarin conference ratings rank the Big East as the strongest out of 31 Division 1 leagues this season, the PAC 10 7th.
The under is a collective 30-27 in Connecticut and Washington games this season.
The Ultimatecapper.com Pick: Uconn has looked vulnerable at times lately. We'll take the 6 points and hope that Washington brings their "A" game.
