Georgetown Hoyas vs. West Virginia Mountaineers Betting Odds

Opening Line: Georgetown +2/ West Virginia -2 O/U 132.5

Time: 9 PM EST Saturday March 13, 2010 on ESPN

Well, tonight is for all the marbles, as the 6th ranked West Virginia Mountaineers face the 22nd ranked Georgetown Hoyas in the Big East conference tournament finals. Both teams will go dancing, but the winner will improve their seed in the NCAA tournament. The Big East is considered the toughest conference in the college game this season and if WVU can win tonight they may snag a #1 seed in the Big Dance.

This season WVU is 13-17 ATS and Georgetown is 15-12 ATS.

In the semifinals of the conference tourney last night Georgetown crushed Marquette 80-57 and WVU beat Notre Dame 53-51.

In their only match up this season West Virginia beat Georgetown at home 81-68 in the beginning of this month.

Georgetown will have to figure out a way to score on a stellar WVU defense that has held opponents to 33.7% shooting in the tournament.

The Mountaineers have to keep the Hoyas solid backcourt from bombing away from deep, especially G Chris Wright (averaging 19 ppg in tourney) and they have to contain C Greg Monroe in the paint. Monroe had a monster game yesterday going for 23 points, 13 rebounds and 7 assists in the win over Marquette.

Last night the Hoyas' guards were solid hitting on 6/12 of their 3-point bombs.

The Hoyas knocked out the Mountaineers in the semifinals of the 2008 Big East tournament, but since that time WVU has won 2 straight over Georgetown.

WVU is led by their great frontcourt with 3 forwards averaging in double figures led by Da'Sean Butler (17.1 ppg).

The Mountaineers have been playing great D in the conference tournament, but their offense has not shooting only 35% from the floor in the quarterfinals win over Cincinnati and squandering a late 10-point lead last night against Notre Dame.

To open up the lane for the forwards to operate WVU has to drain some outside shots. Last night they were only 3/19 from behind the 3-point arc.

Betting Trends

Georgetown is 4-0 ATS in their last 4 games, 5-0 ATS in their last 5 neutral site games, and has an Under record of 6-2 in their last 8 games after a win.

West Virginia is 1-4 ATS in their last 5 neutral site games and has an Under record of 4-1 in their last 5 neutral site games.

Our Selection : These two teams totalled 149 points in their earlier meeting, a Mountaineers easy 81-68 victory on Mar 1st. The Hoyas were without their leading scorer Austin Freeman in that game, so we look for Georgetown to put a few more points tonight against West Virginia. We don't think that the Mountaineers will match their 81 point output as the Hoyas are playing solid defense. Our numbers see this being a 72-70 type game. Take Over 131.5 points.