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The Georgetown Hoyas and Connecticut Huskies are both right in the thick of their conference seasons, but they're going to take a moment on Saturday to go back to their Big East roots. The two will match wits with one another in Storrs this weekend in a non-conference clash which will surely have the field of an old conference showdown.
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HOW THE GEORGETOWN HOYAS CAN COVER THE SPREAD
The Hoyas have gotten a huge boost from their bench of late. L.J. Peak and Jessie Govan have proven to give some really valuable minutes for when D'Vauntes Smith-Rivera and Isaac Copeland are either on the bench or not quite producing as well as they should be.
These men are going to have to keep the team going offense, because aside from Smith-Rivera and Copeland, there isn't another double-digit scorer on this team.
It's easy to say that the Hoyas can't fall behind in this game by a huge margin, because there isn't a team in America which tries to fall behind by double-digits in any game. The Hoyas though, just aren't built to come back from large deficits, and with this game being one with a limited number of possessions, this is a game in which the visitors have to at least stay remotely close the whole way.
HOW THE CONNECTICUT HUSKIES CAN COVER THE SPREAD
The Huskies have been playing out of this world defense in recent weeks, and we think that's going to be the key to not just getting to the NCAA Tournament, but staying in it if they get there.
Connecticut's path to winning has been to limit possessions, play great half-court defense, and be efficient with its opportunities offensive. There isn't a Kemba Walker or a Shabazz Napier on this team, and that's surely hurting, but give Kevin Ollie all the credit in the world for rediscovering an identity for his team.
The Huskies shoot 47.0 percent from the field and 76.1 percent from the line, and if those two things keep up in this game, they'll have a good chance to win.
ANALYSIS AND ODDS PREDICTION
It's strange to think that the Huskies have really found themselves defensively without the injured Amida Brimah in the lineup, but they certainly have answered the call. Tulane and Houston combined to score just 99 points in two games against these Huskies, and they've kept four of their last five foes to 60 points or fewer.
It's also helping to bring Rodney Purvis off the bench where he probably belongs as a sparkplug when the offense really needs to get going. It isn't unusual to see the Huskies struggle out of the blocks offensively, but Purvis provides the energy off the bench that most teams at this level just don't have.
Georgetown is still an underachieving team as we see it, while the Huskies have turned themselves into probably the second best team in the AAC behind SMU.
If there's a difference which has to be found in this game, it's that home court advantage. Connecticut is 4-2 ATS at home this season. Sure, the Hoyas are coming off of an upset at Xavier and a win at St. John's, but we've also seen this team fall flat against Creighton and get tested far too hard at Charlotte just before the holidays.
This won't necessarily be the prettiest game in the world, but the Huskies will get the job done in what could be an emotional game.
Connecticut 61, Georgetown 55
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