ESPN’s basketball double-header, a Big Monday feature, offers contrasting styles in both matchups. The first of the two coming from Kentucky when Louisville hosts Big East rival Connecticut. SportsOptions.com and Tony Finn combine for matters of the basketball minds.
Connecticut at Louisville (-4, 130)
When: 7:00 PM ET, Monday, February 6, 2012
Where: KFC Yum! Center, Louisville, Kentucky
THE STORY: Two of the best defensive teams in the Big East lock horns on Monday when Connecticut travels to No. 25 Louisville.Connecticut at LouisvilleThe Huskies, playing without head coach Jim Calhoun (medical leave), snapped a four-game losing streak by routing Seton Hall, 69-46, on Saturday. The surging Cardinals, meanwhile, have won four straight, including a 78-66 home victory over Rutgers.
TV: 7 p.m. ET; ESPN, ESPN3.com
ABOUT CONNECTICUT (15-7, 5-5 Big East): The Huskies rank third nationally — one spot ahead of the Cardinals — in field-goal percentage defense, holding foes to 36.7 shooting from the floor while blocking 6.7 shots (6th in Division I). They are vulnerable from the perimeter, however — Connecticut allows opponents to hit 34 percent from 3-point range, 15th in the Big East, and also rank 14th in the league in turnover margin (minus-2.1). The Huskies are led by sophomore shooting guard Jeremy Lamb (17.6 ppg) and freshman center Andre Drummond (10.2 ppg, 7.7 rpg, 2.7 bpg), who blocked seven shots against Seton Hall.
ABOUT LOUISVILLE (18-5, 6-4 Big East): Much like the Huskies, the Cardinals have been extremely effective in limiting opposing offenses close to the basket, allowing just 37 percent shooting overall, but they haven’t been great at defending the 3-point shot (33.3 percent). Louisville does rank sixth nationally in steals (9.5), and sophomore center Gorgui Dieng (10.2 ppg, 9.5 rpg, 3.5 bpg) is the fifth ranked shot-blocker in the nation. A balanced offense is led by senior shooting guard Kyle Kuric (13.2 ppg), one of six players averaging at least 8.5 points. Freshman power forward Chane Behanan scored a career-best 23 points against Rutgers, hitting his first 10 field-goal attempts.
TIP-INS:
1. The two schools have split their 12 meetings, but Louisville had won four in a row prior to Connecticut’s 69-66 victory in the Big East tournament final last March.
2. The Cardinals are 3-2 against the Huskies in Louisville, including a 71-58 win on Feb. 18, 2011. Louisville swept the two regular-season meetings last year, posting a 79-78 double-overtime victory at Connecticut on Jan. 29.
3. Four of the five previous meetings played in Louisville have been decided by exactly 13 points each, with the other decided by 14.
Take Louisville and lay the small number. UConn isn’t not only dealing with some bumps and bruises the absence of their leader is BIG.
———————
Texas at Texas A&M (+3, 125)
When: 9:00 PM ET, Monday, February 6, 2012
Where: Reed Arena, College Station, Texas
THE STORY: It’s the 222nd meeting between Texas and Texas A&M, but it very well could be the last. Barring a matchup in the Big 12 Tournament in March, these hated rivals won’t face each other again — at least for the foreseeable future — after the Aggies depart for the SEC next season. With a 22-7 record against Texas A&M during his 13-plus seasons in Austin, Texas coach Rick Barnes is no stranger to this rivalry. First-year Aggies coach Billy Kennedy, on the other hand, is facing Texas for just the second time after falling 61-51 in Austin on Jan. 11. Texas has won four straight in this series and is ahead 136-85 all-time.
TV: 9 p.m. ET; ESPN
ABOUT TEXAS (14-9, 4-6 Big 12): As much as Texas’ loaded freshman class seems to be improving as the season wears on, senior Clint Chapman is surprisingly progressing the fastest of anyone on the roster. Chapman, a 6-foot-10 senior who played sparingly during his first three seasons, had a career-high 20 points to go with nine rebounds and five blocks in the Longhorns’ 74-57 rout of Texas Tech last week. It was the fifth double-digit scoring effort of Chapman’s career, and all of those have come in Big 12 play this season.
ABOUT TEXAS A&M (12-10, 3-7 Big 12): After dropping a game at Kansas State over the weekend, the Aggies are in serious danger of seeing their six-year NCAA Tournament streak come to an end. Texas A&M, picked as the preseason co-favorite with Kansas to win the Big 12, only has league wins over Texas Tech, Oklahoma and Oklahoma State — three of the conference’s weaker teams. Junior guard Elston Turner has caught fire of late, averaging 19.2 points over the past five games and reaching double figures in 10 of Texas A&M’s last 11 contests.
TIP-INS:
1. In four Big 12 wins, the Longhorns are surrendering only 53 points per game. In six losses, they’re allowing 76.2.
2. Seven of Texas’ nine losses this season have come by six points or less, and five were against top-10 opponents.
3. Texas A&M starters Dash Harris and Khris Middleton have both missed the past three games with injuries. Their statuses for Monday are uncertain.
Play to the low side of the Total — UNDER 125
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