Georgetown Connecticut Betting – Defense Should Dominate When Hoyas Face Huskies
The Georgetown Hoyas are riding their defense to a string of eight straight Big East Conference victories. Connecticut’s defense is playing well, but the Huskies aren’t getting enough offense.
NCAA basketball betting: Georgetown Hoyas @ Connecticut Huskies
Why To Bet On Georgetown
The turnaround in Washington, D.C., has been rather pronounced over the past month. A Georgetown team that had been 1-4 in the Big East and was looking discernibly disjointed at both ends of the floor has suddenly turned a lot of frowns upside down. The Hoyas seemed to be a step slow; they weren’t understanding their roles on the court. Even now, GU’s offense isn’t exactly lighting up the night. Coach John Thompson III saw his team post only 64 points last Wednesday at Syracuse and then only 69 on Sunday versus Marquette. Yet, GU is throwing down defense that’s proving to eclipse and outweigh its offensive deficiencies.
The Hoyas are making tremendous rotations and playing textbook help-side defense. Their guards are pinching on the perimeter, and on the few occasions that an opposing guard gets into the paint, a bigger and longer body is there to stop dribble penetration and force a tough floater or a kick-out to a covered shooter. Opponents just aren’t getting good shots against the Georgetown defense – no sports betting pundit is in a position to disagree. It’s not as though GU’s defense was lousy before, but it’s fully dialed in right now, and the Hoyas are not giving up the putback baskets they had been surrendering in early January. Online betting experts have to think that against a Connecticut team whose star player, Kemba Walker, has been struggling for the past month, Georgetown can limit the Huskies to under 65 points. It’s not as though the Hoyas need an NHL trade deadline acquisition to improve their defense.
Why To Bet On Connecticut
The thing to realize about Connecticut is that, in an eerie parallel with Georgetown, the Huskies haven’t been playing poor defense on most nights. They got shredded by St. John’s last Thursday, 89-72, but before that admittedly bad outing, the boys from New England hadn’t allowed 70 points in regulation time since a Jan. 8 overtime win at Texas. Coach Jim Calhoun’s UConn crew has been a defensive force all season long.
The 2010 Connecticut team disintegrated into a pool of selfishness and greed, but the 2011 Huskies are playing together. This is not an underachieving team; its level of talent doesn’t match last year’s club, which possessed three returning starters from a roster that made the 2009 Final Four. This bunch of Huskies is simply limited near the rim. There’s no Hasheem Thabeet to dominate on the glass and alter opponents’ shots in the paint. Yet, Connecticut is headed toward an NCAA Tournament appearance. This is a hard-working team that can match Georgetown’s defense and use some clutch buckets by Walker to reach the finish line first.
How The Game Will Play Out
This has all the makings of a bare-knuckle brawl that lovers of NHL trade rumors might appreciate. Hoyas-Huskies should be played in the high 50s or the very low 60s. Possessions will be at a premium and neither team will be able to pull away. The sense here is that Georgetown, after grinding out a number of close wins, will experience just enough of a mental letdown for Connecticut to barge through the door. The Huskies have struggled in recent weeks and should be hungry enough to push past the Hoyas down the stretch. Take Connecticut in this game.
Georgetown Connecticut Betting Pick: Connecticut
