The Connecticut Huskies have just not been that competitive this season under Kevin Ollie. UConn is 7-3 and its only quality win this season came against Oregon. The Huskies got pummeled by Michigan State and Arkansas when they traveled to Portland on Thanksgiving, and they barely squeaked by Columbia and Monmouth before losing to Syracuse two weeks ago. UConn is desperate for a signature win. The Huskies will try to get one against the Arizona Wildcats.
This war on the floor will go down Thursday, December 21, 2017, at 9 p.m. ET at the McKale Center in Tucson, Arizona. The game will be televised live on ESPN2. We'll have NCAA basketball odds at BookMaker.eu available for this and every game on the college basketball Thursday schedule.
Opening College Basketball Odds at BookMaker.eu
Connecticut has not been good against the number this season. The Huskies won outright as an underdog against Oregon, but they have now failed to cover in each of their last six games. The good news is that they haven’t been losing to anyone they should be beating. However, they should be more competitive against the quality teams they are facing.
The Wildcats never want to travel to the Caribbean again. Arizona lost all three games at the Battle 4 Atlantis, but is 9-0 when playing inside the United States this year. This team has won six in a row since that debacle last month, and they have picked up quality victories against teams like UNLV, Texas A&M, and Alabama in the process. Arizona has one of the more prolific offenses in the country. That has led to the over going 8-2 in its games this year.
Key Stat
Arizona has been extremely efficient from the floor this season. The Wildcats’ four leading scorers are each hitting at least 56.7 percent of their shots from the field. That’s a phenomenal number and has helped this team get back to covering large spreads.
Allonzo Trier and Deandre Ayton are leading the way for this team. Trier is an All-American candidate at guard and is averaging 22.3 PPG, while hitting 41.8 percent of his threes. Ayton is an up and coming seven-footer with oodles of talent. He is currently hitting 62 percent of his shots from the floor, and he is a decent free throw shooter too.
The Wildcats recently welcomed back Rawle Alkins too. He has looked very good through three games, and he gives Arizona another guard that can fire away from range.
Matchup to Watch
Connecticut has been just the opposite this season. The Huskies are one of the least efficient teams in the country. None of their starters are shooting better than 45 percent from the floor this season and that is a major problem.
Jalen Adams has been the team’s best shooter so far. He is the Huskies’ leading scorer and is hitting 45 percent from the field. Adams went just 5-18 against Coppin State though and has been wildly inconsistent this year.
The Huskies don’t have anyone that can shoot the three aside from Terry Larrier. Larrier is hitting 43.5 percent of his triples this season, but no one else on the team is hitting better than 34 percent. Additionally, the other three starters are all hitting under 29 percent of their attempts.
Free College Basketball ATS Picks
It’s hard not to like the Wildcats in this one. Arizona has underachieved this season, but this team is more talented than almost any other squad in the country. It can play the inside-outside game effectively and has blown out most of its opponents at home.
Look for the spread in this game to open up in the double digits and don’t be afraid to play the chalk. Arizona is miles better than Connecticut and will prove it on Thursday night.
College Basketball Odds: Arizona 92, Connecticut 69
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