Panthers hope to make it two in a row in clash with Hoyas

NCAA Basketball Betting Lines

01/28/2012 - Pittsburgh, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Coming off their first win in more than month, the Pittsburgh Panthers will try to make it two in row as they play host to the ninth-ranked Georgetown Hoyas in a Big East Conference bout this afternoon at the Petersen Events Center.

Georgetown is an impressive 16-3 on the year, and the team has won six of its first eight league games. A 52-50 triumph at home over Rutgers last Saturday was the most recent, and ran the team's current win streak to three in a row, which comes after losing a pair of games to West Virginia and Cincinnati. The Hoyas are 4-1 in true road tilts this season, winning its last two away from home.

Pittsburgh's troubles have been well documented at this point, as an 11-1 start has all but been erased following a stretch in which coach Jamie Dixon's club lost eight in a row. An 86-74 win over Providence on Wednesday night stopped the bleeding, but at just 1-7 in conference play, the Panthers have some serious work to do earn enough victories to qualify for the upcoming Big East Conference Tournament. For a team that had one of the most dominant homecourt advantages in the country over the last several years, Pitt's 8-5 home mark this season leaves quite a bit to be desired.

Georgetown owns a 40-34 lead in the all-time series with Pittsburgh, but the Panthers have won four of the last five meetings. The Hoyas did win the most recent game played in the Steel City, taking a 74-66 decision during the 2009-10 season.

Solid defensive play has been Georgetown's strength this season, as foes are averaging a mere 59.4 ppg in hitting 39.3 percent of their field goal attempts, and only 29.2 percent of their three-point tries. The Hoyas also own favorable margins in both rebounding (+5.8) and turnovers (+1.5), while offensively, boasting three double-digit scorers, each of whom helps the team produce 72.1 ppg on typical shooting outputs of 47.3 percent overall and 36.5 percent from beyond the arc. Jason Clark is a 50.2 percent shooter who leads the team with 15.9 ppg, while Hollis Thompson, who also connects on better than half of his total shots, tallies 14.0 points and 5.2 rebounds per game, and Henry Sims adds 11.8 points and 5.5 caroms per contest. Sims was high man in GU's recent win over Rutgers, as he logged a double-double consisting of 12 points and 10 boards, while Clark went 8-of-10 at the free-throw line to finish with 11 points. The Hoyas shot just 29.3 percent from the floor, but claimed a whopping 25-4 advantage in points from charity stripe to earn the hard-fought victory.

The backcourt duo of Ashton Gibbs and Tray Woodall combined for 39 points in leading Pittsburgh back to the win column earlier this week, as the Panthers clawed their way past visiting Providence in an 86-74 final. With the effort, Gibbs raised his team-leading scoring average to 16.7 ppg, and he has hit 15 three-pointers in his last three games to up his long-distance shooting percentage on the year to .352. Nasir Robinson chipped in with 14 points against the Friars, and Lamar Patterson came close to notching a double-double as he finished with nine points and 11 rebounds. The Panthers shot 49.2 percent from the floor, nailing 11 treys along the way, and they won the rebounding battle (40-35) while committing only 10 turnovers. Robinson (12.1 ppg, 6.8 rpg) and Woodall (11.6 ppg, 7.1 apg) round out the double-digit scorers for a Pittsburgh team that is averaging 71.4 ppg this season, while giving up 67.0 ppg. The Panthers are +10.2 in rebounding differential, but they commit roughly two and a half more turnovers than do their opponents on average.

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Mayweather picked to beat De La Hoya
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