No.22 Virginia takes on Clemson in ACC affair

NCAA Basketball Betting Lines

02/14/2012 - Clemson, SC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The 22nd-ranked Virginia Cavaliers continue their Atlantic Coast Conference road swing with a visit to the Littlejohn Coliseum to square off with the Clemson Tigers.

This will be the 119th battle between the Cavaliers and Clemson. Virginia holds a 68-50 lead in the all-time series after its 65-61 victory in the contest played on Jan. 31st this season. The Cavaliers shot 55.8 percent from the floor to push past the Tigers in this year's initial meeting.

Head coach Tony Bennett's team comes in with a 19-5 overall record and a 6-4 mark in league play after its 70-52 loss to the North Carolina Tar Heels on Saturday. The Cavaliers hung tough in the first half and went into the intermission trailing by only three points before the Tar Heels ran away with it. Virginia's first four losses had been by a combined 10 points. Virginia is an elite team defensively as it ranks second in the nation in scoring defense with an allowed average of just 51.9 ppg on 38.9 percent shooting. Only five teams have eclipsed the 60-point mark against the Cavaliers this season. Virginia's focus on the defensive end has left it with a sub par scoring average of 63.5 ppg.

Forward Mike Scott continues to lead Virginia with averages of 17.1 points and 8.2 rebounds per game. Scott is leading the ACC in field goal efficiency with a connection rate of 59.8 percent. Joe Harris complements Scott nicely from the guard slot. Harris is the team's second leading scorer with 12.5 ppg after he went 2-of-9 from the field to score eight points against Florida State. Jontel Evans is the top distributor for the Cavaliers as he his dishing out a team- high 3.8 assists per contest.

Clemson snapped a three-game losing streak its last time out with a decisive 78-58 victory over Wake Forest on Saturday. The decision made Clemson 12-12 overall and 4-6 in league action. The Tigers shot 58.2 percent from the field and made 8-of-18 from three-point range in the contest with the Demon Deacons. The offensive showing was encouraging, as Clemson has now shot above 35 percent from beyond the arc in two straight games. The Tigers are averaging 65.3 ppg. Brad Brownell has shown to be a defensive-minded coach this season as his team is second in the league in scoring defense, allowing a mere 60.3 ppg.

Clemson is led by the duo of Andre Young and Tanner Smith. Young is averaging a team-best 13.6 ppg on 40.9 percent shooting from the field. The senior guard has scored in double-figures in three-straight games coming into tonight. Young's field goal percentage has not been superb as of late, as he has gone 14-of-37 from the floor in his last three games. Smith plays well opposite the 5-9 Young in the backcourt, as he is second on the team in scoring with 11.3 ppg. Smith chipped in 20 points and five assists versus Wake Forest. Devin Booker provides inside toughness for the Tigers and is coming off of a nine- point, seven-rebound outing.

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Big East Conference odds

Work left to do: Villanova, Syracuse, DePaul, West Virginia, Providence

Notre Dame and Louisville appear to have done enough to make the move, so we'll make them locks. The Cardinals, despite a modest RPI, are trending way up and have clinched at least a tie for third in the Big East, which should be more than enough with their pair of big road wins. Villanova got back to .500 and gets back to more solid footing. Syracuse got a very important road win and crippled a fellow contender in the process. West Virginia's fate could be in its hands Tuesday at Pitt.

Work left to do:

Villanova [18-9 (7-7), RPI: 21, SOS: 5] Pounded Rutgers to get back to .500. If Cats can get their last two (at UConn, vs. Syracuse), that should be enough with strong computer numbers and a host of wins away from The Pavilion. The Cats have beaten Texas and swept the Big 5 (never easy in Philly), but have a couple of losses to bubble teams (Xavier, Drexel), too. I still think they'll be OK, possibly even at 8-8.

Syracuse [20-8 (9-5), RPI: 53, SOS: 62] History says 10 wins will be plenty, but it might be hard for the Orange to get that last one with a final two vs. G'town, which is trying to win the league title, and at Villanova, which will be desperate for a W. The relative lack of nonconference heft and the weak computer numbers are still concerns, but the Orange have won four in a row and got a very, very big win at Providence on Saturday.

DePaul [16-12 (8-7), RPI: 54, SOS: 18] Beat Cincy and should get past South Florida to get to 9-7, but then what? They have beaten Kansas and Cal (right after the DeVon Hardin injury) earlier this season, but also have lost to Bradley and Purdue, among others. They'll likely need a couple of BE tourney wins, too, but we'll see ...

West Virginia [19-7 (8-6), RPI: 58, SOS: 125] The game at Pitt on Tuesday night could decide the Mountaineers' fate (barring a deep tournament run). They can still get to 9-7 in the Big East without it by beating Cincinnati, but the nine wins would be against UConn, Villanova, St. John's, South Florida, DePaul, Rutgers, Seton Hall twice and the Bearcats. Beating bubble foes is fine, but where's the beef? Outside of beating PG-less UCLA in nonconference play (still a top quality win), there's not a lot to fall back on (besides maybe NC State). WVU vs. Syracuse would be an interesting debate, as the teams don't play in the Big East regular season. WVU has the best win, but Cuse has played the much better schedule.

Providence [17-10 (7-7), RPI: 70, SOS: 33] The Friars likely saw their at-large hopes die at home in the four-point loss to Syracuse, barring an unexpected run to the Big East semis or more. The RPI, bad already, won't be helped by playing St. John's and South Florida in the final two league games.

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