Men's Basketball Odds and Picks: Syracuse Host West Virginia
Saturday, January 28, 2012
by Joe Rodriguez
7-0 sophomore Fab Melo anchoring the trademark 2-3 defense, Syracuse is 20-0 and a legitimate National Championship contender. With Melo out, the fourth-ranked Syracuse Orange are 1-1 and just one of several teams that might lay claim to the status of best in the Big East.
Melo's statistics ( 7.2 points and 5.7 rebounds in 22.6 minutes) don't jump off the page, but Syracuse's rise this season can at least in part be traced to the Brazilian maturing into a reliable offensive player and a defensive force averaging 3.0 blocks.
Melo will miss his third straight game due to academic issues when the Orange host West Virginia on Saturday. The West Virginia Mountaineers are exactly the type of team against which Melo would be useful due to the presence of Kevin Jones on the inside.
Jones leads the Big East in scoring (20.9) and rebounding (11.6) and should be leading a motivated team after West Virginia fell at St. John's on Wednesday.
- West Virginia Mountaineers @ Syracuse Orange
When: 1:00 PM ET, Saturday, January 28, 2012
Where: Carrier Dome, Syracuse, New York
TV: 1 p.m. ET, ESPNU
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Justbet Sportsbook currently have the Orange listed as 12-point favorites versus the Mountaineers.
West Virginia Mountaineers (15-6): The Mountaineers have flirted with the outskirts of the top 25 all season and sit in a cluster of teams tied for fourth place in the Big East. West Virginia ranks third among Big East teams in scoring (75.0) but sits 11th in scoring defense (66.5). The Mountaineers struggled on both ends in the 78-62 loss to St. John's, when they shot just 35.4 percent. Jones is averaging 24.2 points over the last six games and went for 22 points and 16 rebounds on Jan.7, when West Virginia took down No. 9 Georgetown.
Syracuse Orange (21-1): The Orange have won the last four meetings with the Mountaineers, including a 63-52 win at the Carrier Dome last season. Syracuse held Jones to just four points and five rebounds in that meeting. The Orange lost their first game without Melo at Notre Dame but bounced back earn a 60-53 win at Cincinnati on Monday. Rakeem Christmas did his best to fill in for Melo in that one, pulling down nine rebounds and blocking three shots.
1. West Virginia is last in the Big East in free throw shooting (64.0 percent).
2. The Orange lead the Big East in scoring (78.0) and turnover margin (7.05).
3. Syracuse leads the all-time series, 33-16.
BASKETBALL PREDICTION: Orange 77, Mountaineers 63.
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carrier dome - fab melo - kevin jones - rakeem christmas - syracuse orange - west virginia mountaineers
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