Connecticut vs. South Florida - 2/23/20 College Basketball Pick, Odds, and Prediction
Photo by Peter G. Aiken-USA TODAY Sports
South Florida Bulls (11-15) at Connecticut Huskies (14-12)
College Basketball: Sunday, February 23, 2020 at 2:00 pm (Harry A. Gampel Pavilion)
The Line: Connecticut Huskies -7.5 -- Over/Under: 123.5 Click Here for the Latest Odds
Where to Watch: CBSSN Stream College Basketball all season on ESPN+. Sign up now! 
The South Florida (USF) Bulls (11-15, 4-9 CONF) and the Connecticut (UConn) Huskies (14-12, 5-8 CONF) will meet on Sunday, February 23rd for an American Conference matchup at Gampel Pavilion in Storrs, CT. The game will be played at 2:00 PM eastern time.
USF is coming off a 65-55 road loss to Wichita State in their last game. USF is on a three-game losing streak currently, as their offense has struggled mightily in that span, only scoring 53.6 points per game in that span. USF is currently five games under .500 in conference play this season. UConn is coming off a tough, 93-89 double-overtime loss at Temple in their last game. This was a hard-fought loss for UConn, who led late in the first overtime period but could not close out the game. UConn has now lost two of their last three games overall.
USF scores 61.8 points per game on 40.7 percent field goal shooting this season. USF’s leading scorer is G David Collins, who scores 13.8 points per game. The leading rebounder for USF is F Michael Durr, who earns 6.1 rebounds per game. USF allows 61.6 points per game to the opposition, therefore they have a +.2 scoring differential so far this season. USF also earns 33.6 rebounds, 9.8 assists, 2.0 blocks, and 7.7 steals per game as a team.
UConn scores 71.5 points per game on 41 percent field goal shooting this season. UConn’s leading scorer is G Christian Vital, who scores 14.8 points per game. The leading rebounder for UConn is C Josh Carlton, who earns 6.5 rebounds per game. UConn allows 66.6 points per game to the opposition, thus they have a +4.9 point differential so far this season. UConn also earns 38.5 rebounds, 12.8 assists, 6.3 blocks, and 6.9 steals per game as a team.
USF is 14-11-1 against the spread this season and 5-4-1 against the spread in their last ten games. USF is also 3-3-1 against the spread on the road so far this season. UConn is 16-10 against the spread this season and 6-4 against the spread in their last ten games. UConn is also 9-5 against the spread at home so far this season.
I like UConn in this matchup, as USF's struggle to put points on the board consistently can hurt them against a team like UConn. I like UConn to grab a big home win in front of their home crowd and control most aspects of the game, including the boards.
Ronald’s Pick UConn -7.5
AUTHOR: Ronald Romanelli
Mitch's Take...
