.jpg "Syracuse-vs.-Connecticut-(ESPN)")
The second part of a doubleheader in the Jimmy V Classic will pit two former Big East rivals against each other. The Connecticut Huskies have a quality win, but have struggled as of late and will be looking to right the ship. Meanwhile, the Syracuse Orange are off to a good start, but dropped a game to Kansas on Saturday and will try to avoid their second loss in non-conference play.
This war on the floor will go down Tuesday, December 5, 2017, at 9 p.m. ET at Madison Square Garden in New York City, New York. The game will be televised live on ESPN. We'll have NCAA basketball odds at BookMaker.eu available for this and every game on the college basketball Tuesday schedule.
Opening College Basketball Odds at BookMaker.eu
UConn was riding high after upsetting Oregon out in Portland last week, but things took a pretty brutal left turn following the victory. The Huskies were hammered by 20 by Michigan State and by 35 at the hands of Arkansas and didn’t come close to covering either game. Things didn’t get any better when they came back home as they needed overtime to get past both Columbia and Monmouth. Needless to say, UConn failed to cover both games.
The Orange hadn’t played a solid opponent prior to their last two games. Syracuse barely hung on for a win over Maryland, but didn’t even come close against the Jayhawks. The Orange have only covered two games all year in spite of their 6-1 record. Under is 5-1 in Syracuse games so far this season.
Matchup to Watch
Connecticut is going to have a hard time scoring in this one. The Huskies have not been a great shooting team under Kevin Ollie over these last few seasons and the same goes for this season. Connecticut is shooting just 41 percent from the floor as a team and two of its starters are hitting less than 36 percent of their shots from the floor. Only one rotation player is hitting at least 50 percent, and he has taken just 18 field goals.
Things are even worse from three-point range. Jalen Adams and Terry Larrier have proven efficient from range, but everyone else has been dreadful. Christian Vital, Antwoine Anderson, and Alterique Gilbert are all hitting under 28 percent from downtown.
It’s going to be tough for them to get going against this Syracuse team. The Orange have one of the top defenses in the country and have always been great against jump shooting teams. Syracuse should be able to shut down the Huskies’ offense.
Last Meeting
These two teams squared off at the Jimmy V Classic last year too. That game was tough to watch. Neither team shot particularly well and the game easily went under the 127.5 point total. Connecticut was able to outlast Syracuse 52-50 in the ugly affair.
Rodney Purvis was the star for the Huskies in that game, going 5-12 from beyond the arc. The rest of the team went just 2-13 though. Syracuse wasn’t able to buy a basket from distance either. The Orange managed to knock down just 14 of 54 field goals and 6 of 26 threes on the evening.
All in attendance are hoping that this one is a little easier on the eyes, but we are still in for a low scoring game in all likelihood.
Free College Basketball ATS Picks
Syracuse should be a decent favorite in this one. Although the Huskies won last season, the Orange are the better team coming into this game and have a little more depth than they did last year. Additionally, the Orange aren’t too bad on the offensive end of the floor and can hit shots. Yet again, this game won’t be pretty, but Syracuse will do enough to get the cover.
College Basketball Odds: Syracuse 65, Connecticut 57
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