Traditional basketball powers looking to polish their resumes and punch their ticket to the tournament will meet in Storrs on Thursday night when the Connecticut Huskies host the Cincinnati Bearcats.
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HOW THE CINCINNATI BEARCATS CAN COVER THE SPREAD
Unlike much of college basketball, the Bearcats have a deep bench that they use effectively to get their starters rest throughout the game. Eight guys on the roster all average at least 15 minutes per game and only one Bearcat averages over 30 minutes a game.
They'll need these role players against another team that has a similarly deep bench.
The Bearcats are also fantastic at forcing turnovers due to their style of pressing and playing up tempo basketball. Against Tulane last time out, Cincinnati forced 19 turnovers, 10 of which were steals, en route to a 40 point lead and an easy win.
Gary Clark has exemplified the type of style that Cincinnati plays this season. The sophomore is averaging 10.1 PPG and 8.4 RPG, not bad numbers by any stretch. However, where Clark really stands out are when you look at his blocks and steals.
Clark is averaging 1.2 steals and 1.2 blocks per game and is a terror on the defensive end.
HOW THE CONNECTICUT HUSKIES CAN COVER THE SPREAD
Connecticut started AAC play shakily with losses against Tulsa and Temple, but have bounced back and shown why they are considered one of the teams to beat in the conference.
Shonn Miller has been a revelation on the court for the Huskies with him averaging 13.1 points per game, but more impressively is doing it while shooting 58.9 percent from the floor while averaging almost nine shots per game. The Cornell transfer has been phenomenal for UCONN and the Huskies are very grateful to have landed him this offseason.
Daniel Hamilton has also played a large part in UCONN's success, but needs to work on his shooting. Hamilton only converts at a 38 percent clip from the floor and 32.3 percent from behind the three point line, but is a rebounding devil. He is currently averaging close to nine rebounds per game and is also averaging close to five assists per game.
Hamilton is a do it all type that will look to contribute in every way possible against the Bearcats feisty defense.
ANALYSIS AND ODDS PREDICTION
On the season, the Bearcats are 7-10 ATS altogether but 3-3 on the road. Connecticut is currently 8-6-1 ATS overall and 5-2 against the number at home.
Both teams have had a knack for playing games that combine to go under the total this NCAAB season. The under is 8-6-1 in Huskies games with a lined total and 4-3 in Connecticut.
The under has been even more prevalent in Bearcats games, with it recording a 10-7 mark to date. The under has also cashed in five of the Bearcats six away games this year.
Lately, Cincinnati has been struggling against the number in going 2-3 ATS in its last five, while UConn is on a bit of a tear, winning its last three games both SU and ATS.
With SMU ineligible for the tournament this year, both these times are vying to see who can win the American and presumably get a pretty good seed in the tournament. Cincinnati head coach Mick Cronin just picked up the 200th win of his career and is a pretty solid coach, but UCONN's Kevin Ollie is already one of the best in the business and will get the job done on Thursday night.
Connecticut 79, Cincinnati 71
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