NCAA Basketball Picks for Monday Jan 30: Pittsburgh vs West Virginia
Monday, January 30, 2012
by Joe Rodriguez
The West Virginia Mountaineers will try to snap a two-game losing streak when it returns home to take on a Pittsburgh Panthers team that has finally come to life.
The Mountaineers, 10-1 at WVU Coliseum, are coming off a heartbreaking 63-61 defeat to No. 4 Syracuse.
West Virginia appeared to tie the game at 63 after an apparent goaltending by the Orange, but it was never called. Kevin Jones then misfired on a 3-pointer at the buzzer.
The Panthers, meanwhile, improved to 12-0 at home against top-10 opponents by defeating No. 10 Georgetown 72-60, their second straight Big East win after an 0-7 start. However, Pitt is 0-4 in conference road games.
- Pittsburgh Panthers @ West Virginia Mountaineers
When: 7:00 PM ET, Monday, January 30, 2012
Where: WVU Coliseum, Morgantown, West Virginia
TV: 7 p.m. ET, ESPN
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SBG Global Sportsbook currently have the Mountaineers listed as 7-point favorites versus the Panthers.
Pittsburgh Panthers (13-9): Pittsburgh's season looked to be over after going 35 days without a win, a brutal stretch that began Dec. 23 with a 59-54 home loss to Wagner. However, the Panthers turned a corner with consecutive wins against Providence and the Hoyas. Tray Woodall's return has certainly helped. The junior guard missed five of the first six Big East games because of an abdominal injury. Over his last two games, Woodall is averaging 10 points and nine assists. Ashton Gibbs leads the Panthers with 16.5 points per game, while Nasir Robinson averages 12.6 points and a team-best 6.8 rebounds.
West Virginia Mountaineers (15-7): Jones and Darryl Bryant headline West Virginia's offense, which averages 74 points. Jones, a senior, leads the Big East in scoring (20.9) and rebounding (11.4). Bryant, meanwhile, ranks sixth in scoring with 17.1 per game. The Mountaineers are 40-2 in their last 42 home games against unranked opponents. If the Mountaineers hope to avoid a third consecutive loss — which hasn't happened since 2005-06 — they'll have to improve on their shooting percentage. In its last two losses, West Virginia has shot a combined 38 percent from the field.
1. Pittsburgh has won the last three games in the series by an average of seven points. However, the Mountaineers hold a 95-87 advantage all-time.
2. West Virginia is 58-10 in the WVU Coliseum under Bob Huggins, including a 31-9 mark in league games at home.
3. Since 2000, Pittsburgh leads the Big East with a 59 percent winning percentage on the road. This year, the Panthers are just 2-4 on the road.
BASKETBALL PREDICTION: Mountaineers 72, Panthers 66.
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ashton gibbs - bob huggins - darryl bryant - kevin jones - nasir robinson - pittsburgh panthers - tray woodall - west virginia mountaineers - wvu coliseum
