Connecticut is in crisis-mode, and its starting point guard is publicly questioning the heart of his teammates. And if the defending national champions can’t beat a shorthanded Villanova team that’s reeling after blowing a 20-point lead to Notre Dame, its NCAA Tournament “bubble” may burst. SportsOptions.com offers up the betting preview and Tony Finn the Free Pick.
Connecticut at Villanova (+3.5, 137)
When: 7:00 PM ET, Monday, February 20, 2012
Where: The Pavilion, Villanova, Pennsylvania
THE STORY: For all its talent, UConn’s lack of leadership is one reason it is in danger of becoming just the 20th defending champion to miss the NCAA Tournament the following year. Meanwhile, the Wildcats will likely miss the NCAA Tournament for the first time in eight years. Villanova, the worst shooting team in the Big East (41.4), will once again be without Maalik Wayns – the conference’s third-leading scorer – and key reserve guard James Bell. This is the first meeting since Kemba Walker hit a floater with 2.5 seconds left to give UConn a 61-59 win in Storrs last season. The victory marked the Huskies 17th win in 25 meetings with Villanova, since 1996.
TV: 7 p.m. ET; ESPN, ESPN 3
ABOUT CONNECTICUT (16-10, 6-8 Big East): Coming off a blowout of DePaul, Connecticut had a prime chance to boost its NCAA Tournament resume at home against No. 13 Marquette Saturday, but fell flat in a 79-64 defeat. It was the Huskies’ seventh loss in nine games. Connecticut entered as the third-best rebounding team in the conference, but was outrebounded 30-27 by the much-smaller Golden Eagles. Connecticut came undone after a senseless technical foul called on freshman guard Ryan Boatright for trash-talking. The only good news is sophomore guard Jeremy Lamb has emerged from a funk and is averaging 18.3 points on 53.0 percent shooting over the last three games.
ABOUT VILLANOVA (11-15, 4-10 Big East): The young Wildcats have lost five of six after Saturday’s meltdown. Villanova was on the verge of stunning the 25th-ranked Fighting Irish without Wayns (sprained MCL) and Bell (ankle) when the Big East’s second-worst defense (71.9 points) reared its ugly head. Notre Dame hit nine of its 12 three-pointers in the second half of a 74-70 overtime win. Redshirt freshman forward JayVaughn Pinkston bounced back from a one-for-13 performance by scoring 24 points. Wayns, the team’s unquestioned leader, who is averaging 17.8 points and 4.5 assists, has missed the last two games and is listed as doubtful for this contest. Meanwhile, Bell will sit out a second straight game. The team’s best three-point shooter (35.8), Bell was averaging 13.0 points over five games before leaving the win over Providence with a sprained left ankle.
TIP INS:
1. “I’ve got to question a lot of these guys’ hearts. It just looked out there like we gave up at the end,” sophomore point guard Shabazz Napier, on Connecticut’s second-half effort against Marquette.
2. UConn Hall of Fame coach Jim Calhoun (back), who will miss a sixth straight game, will be re-evaluated at the end of this week.
3. The last defending national champion to miss the NCAA Tournament the following year was North Carolina in 2009-10.
Tony Finn’s Free Pick: UConn -3.5
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