Connecticut vs Bucknell | Prediction & Pick

Kemba and Connecticut try to buck Bucknell’s upset bid

Having earned a place in college basketball folklore by winning five games in five nights on the world’s biggest stage, the Big East champion Connecticut Huskies set their sights on winning six more consecutive games in the NCAA Tournament. That journey begins Thursday when they face the Patriot League champion Bucknell Bison in Washington.

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#3 Connecticut (26-9, 9-9 Big East) vs. #14 Bucknell (25-8, 13-1 Patriot)

Date/Time: Thursday, March 17, 7:20 PM ET
Venue: Verizon Center in Washington, DC.
Broadcast: TNT

Money Line: UConn -700, Bucknell +500
Spread: UConn -10 ½
Over/Under: 132 ½

Kemba Walker had a career-defining tournament last week in New York for the Huskies. The junior paced UConn’s run to the conference tournament title by scoring 130 points over those five games, shooting 47.1 percent from the field over that span. Walker finished second in the league for the season in scoring average at 23.5 PPG.

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But Walker wasn’t a one-man gang for Jim Calhoun’s Huskies. Jeremy Lamb (10.3 PPG) and Alex Oriakhi (10.0 PPG) also averaged double figures in points per contest, with Oriakhi contributing 8.5 rebounds per game – second best in the Big East. In fact, UConn tends to dominate opponents on the glass, averaging 39.6 boards per contest.

Bucknell is no slouch though, and the Huskies will not be overlooking the Bison. Bucknell posted out-of-conference wins against fellow tourney teams Richmond and Boston University, and suffered ‘quality losses’ to Villanova, Marquette, and Princeton. The Bison have won ten straight and 19 of their last 20 overall. Connecticut also understands that the last two times the Bison played in the tournament (2005 and 2006) they posted upset victories in the first round against Kansas and Arkansas.

The Bison are paced by Mike Muscala, who led the club in scoring (14.9 PPG) and rebounding (7.4 RPG) on the season. Bryson Johnson (11.7 PPG) also averages double figures, while Darryl Shaizer led the Patriot League in assists at 5.6 per contest.

The odds makers have the UConn Huskies as a -10.5 point favorite with an over/under of 132.5.

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Prediction: Fatigue wasn’t a factor for the Huskies at MSG last week, and even though they should win due to their athletic ability, Bucknell will keep this game closer than many experts think. The key for the Huskies will be avoiding overconfidence from their conference tournament run. Calhoun is a terrific in-game coach and that advantage will be utilized to UConn’s advantage.

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Connecticut Huskies Betting Trends:

• Connecticut is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games
• The total has gone OVER in 4 of Connecticut’s last 5 games