Yale at UConn: What Bettors Need to Know
By Covers.com
Yale Bulldogs at Connecticut Huskies (-18)
No. 19 Connecticut rode a bit of an emotional roller coaster in its season opener, showing how good it could be and how much it still needs to improve. The Huskies, who host Yale on Monday, built a 17-point second-half advantage in Friday’s 78-77 win over Maryland, but nearly blew it at the end following Shabazz Napier’s fifth foul. Despite going scoreless without its best player over the last 1:30 of the contest, Connecticut forced a pair of missed shots over the final 13 seconds to hang on.
Niels Giffey’s 13 points sparked a strong effort from the Huskies’ reserves, who accounted for 31 points in the victory. “We learned that we’ve got a deep bench… and that we can win games without Shabazz, too. Last year, it didn’t seem like that sometimes,” Giffey said. The Bulldogs succeeded where Maryland failed in Saturday’s 93-77 season-opening win over Central Connecticut State, overcoming a 17-point second-half deficit behind 26 points and 13 rebounds – both career highs – from Justin Sears.
ABOUT YALE (1-0): The Bulldogs led the Ivy League in rebounding margin last year (plus-3.9) and got off to a good start in that regard in the season opener, outboarding the Blue Devils 44-33. "(Sears) really turned it around by chasing (the ball) on the glass," coach James Jones said about his sophomore. Sears contributed 16 points and 10 rebounds during Yale’s 53-point explosion over the final 20 minutes – the most points it has scored in a half against a Division I opponent since 2003.
ABOUT CONNECTICUT (1-0): Freshman center Amida Brimah debuted with five points, three blocks and three rebounds in 15 minutes off the bench, prompting coach Kevin Ollie to say, “He's going to be a force. …You don't see a lot of people with that love for the game." Napier stated after the game that he drew a technical foul for “boasting” after his assist that gave the Huskies their 17-point lead; the Terrapins immediately countered with their 27-11 game-ending run. "I apologized for talking …we learned we can pull it out no matter what," Napier said.
TRENDS:
* Huskies are 6-1 ATS in their last seven games following a ATS loss.
* Bulldogs are 7-3 ATS in their last 10 road games.
* Over is 7-0 in Bulldogs last seven non-conference games.
* Under is 4-1 in Huskies last five vs. Ivy League.
TIP-INS:
1. Connecticut has won 67 straight games against in-state opponents and 12 in a row against the Bulldogs.
2. The Huskies drained 10 3-pointers against Maryland – a benchmark they reached six times last season.
3. Yale and Connecticut are meeting for the first time since the 2003 Preseason NIT.
NCAAB Preview
UConn won its last three games vs Ivy League teams by 8-13-14 points, but none of those was against Yale from New Haven. Huskies were up 17 over Maryland, but a taunting technical on Napier sent Terps on 11-0 roll, and UConn had to hang on to win by point. Yale has 4 starters back from LY, beat Central Connecticut 93-77 in its opener.
Temple (-4.5) held off local rival Penn 78-73 in opener; they led by 15 with 9:01 left. Owls had 20 offensive rebounds, but only played 8 guys. Owls lost four starters from LY, when they beat Kent State 80-66- they shot 65.5% inside arc. Flashes have three starters back from 21-14 club that went 9-7 in MAC- they crushed a D-III team in their opener.
Oklahoma beat Alabama 82-73 in opener, after being down a point at the half; Sooners shot 50% inside arc, were +7 at foul line- they've got two starters back from LY's 20-12/11-7 team. North Texas has three starters back from LY's 12-20/7-13 disaster, when they shot 28.6% from the arc; Mean Green struggled to beat Northwood by 5 in their opener.
SMU (-10) beat TCU 69-61 in its opener, holding Frogs to 30% inside the arc (8-18 outside it); Mustangs lost 72-50 at URI LY, when Rams made 10-23 from arc, shot 54% inside it. SMU has all five starters back as it moves up to new AAC. Rhode Island was 33-49 from foul line in its opener, playing 10 guys 10+ minutes in a 97-77 win over Maine.
Rutgers has three starters back from 15-16/5-13 team as alum/former NBA coach Jordan takes over; Knights beat Florida A&M 92-84 in their opener, but only played two subs more than 8 minutes (46-41 at half). UAB has four starters back from 16-17/7-9 team that loss at Rutgers LY 88-79- it was 50-33 at half. Rutgers was 29-33 from foul line, shot 63% inside arc- they survived turning ball over 22 times.
Eustachy is terrific coach, but Colorado State lost all five starters from LY's 26-9 team that beat Missouri in first round NCAA game. Could be long night for Rams against Gonzaga, which lost three starters from LY's 32-3 team that went 16-0 in WCC, but is still picked #14 in country. Zags beat Bryant by 24 in opener, Rams beat some NAIA team by 29.
Arizona has terrific new PG in Duquesne transfer McConnell, who will make teammates better, unlike LY's PG. Wildcats beat Cal Poly by 16 in opener, missing 16-36 foul shots. Long Beach is in same league as Cal Poly but they're more athletic. 49ers overschedule; they lost at Arizona by 22 LY and also lost to USC-Carolina-Syracuse-Ohio State-UCLA. Didn't beat any of them, but it makes them tougher in Big West.
Stanford has three starters back from 19-15/9-9 team; they struggled to beat Bucknell by 4 in opner, playing bench total of 26 minutes, which is not much at all, especially in a season opener. BYU beat Weber State by 9 in opener, jumping out to 22-7 lead; Cougars have three starters back from LY, but they don't have any seniors on the roster- thats a problem.
Tennessee State got waxed by 30-15 points in first two games of its trip to Hawai'i, scoring 55 points in both games. Tigers have 4 starters back from LY, but brought in JC kids to bolster roster. Western Michigan is 1-1 after losing by 10 at Hawai'i, beating New Mexico State by 6; WM lost three starters from LY's 22-13/10-6 team.
Belmont outscored local rival Lipscomb 33-9 from foul line in 87-83 win in its season opener; thats a big game for them. Bruins lost three starters from 26-7 team that won OVC in its first season there. Richmond snuck by Delaware 71-69 in its opener, getting outscored 27-18 from foul line. Spiders have three starters back from 19-15/8-8 team- they return eight of their top ten scorers from LY.
South Dakota lost 68-46 to St Bonaventure in its opener, going 4-18 on arc, turning ball over 17 times (-7); Coyotes have four starters back but have new coach after LY's 10-20/5-11 team. Canisius is picked #3 in the MAAC; they've got three starters back from 20-14 team that made it to CIT LY. This is season opener for Canisius, advantage for Coyotes.
Milwaukee lost 76-72 to Loyola (Horizon rival until this year), turning ball over 18 times (-7) in its opener; Panthers lost three starters from a 8-24/3-13 team that still beat Davidson 83-78 at home, holding them to 36% from floor. Wildcats are less experienced this year; they got waxed 111-77 at Duke in their opener- this is major step down in competiton.
Northern Arizona lost its leading returning scorer last week, but won its opener by 11 at UTSA anyway, solid win; Lumberjacks have couple of starters back from LY, but Murphy has brought in players to get more depth, so they're improved. Texas Tech got huge upgrade with Tubby Smith as coach- they beat Houston Baptist by 15 in its opener.
Armadillosports.com