Subscribe
Follow Us
Virginia looks for a ninth straight win as they face Pitt. It is time to continue our College Basketball odds series with a Pitt-Virginia prediction, pick, and how to watch.
Pitt comes into the game sitting at 15-8 on the year, and 6-6 in conference play. That places them in a tie for seventh place in the conference this year. They have won five of their last six games overall though. They started the winning with upsetting Duke on the road, winning 80-76. They would then beat Georgia Tech on the road before falling by four to Miami. Since that game, Pitt has won their last three, including beating NC State by three on the road last time out.
Meanwhile, Virginia is 19-5 on the year and 10-3 in conference play. After losing three of four when conference play got fully going, they have been great since. Virginia has won eight straight games, with some of them being very loose. It was a six-point win over North Carolina State, avenging an earlier loss. Further, they beat Clemson by a point on the road. Virginia also had one of the most dominating games of their year recently. In their last home game, Virginia beat Miami by 22 points, holding Miami to just 38 points in the game.
Here are the college basketball odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
College Basketball Odds: Pitt-Virginia Odds
Pitt: +6.5 (-110)
Virginia: -6.5 (-110)
Over: 122.5 (-115)
Under: 122.5 (-105)
How to Watch Pitt vs. Virginia
Time: 7:00 PM ET/ 4:00 PM PT
TV: ACC Network
Stream: fuboTV (Click for free trial)
Why Pitt Will Cover The Spread/Win
Pitt comes in ranked 63rd in KenPom's adjusted efficiency rankings this year. They are 76th in offensive efficiency but sit 68th in defensive efficiency this year. Pitt ranks 113th in the nation in points per game this year, while sitting 170th in effective field goal percentage. Blake Hinson leads the offense this year. He comes into the game with 17.9 points per game this year, while shooting 41.4 percent from three on the season. Meanwhile, Carlton Carrington comes in with 13.6 points per game and is also putting up a ton of three balls. He has 140 three-point attempts this year and hit 28.6 percent of them.
Article Continues Below
Pitt is 47th in the nation in rebounds per game this year and sits 11th in the nation in defensive rebounding percentage. Rebounding is led by Ishmael Leggett. He comes in with 5.4 rebounds per game this year, with most of them coming off the defensive end. Federico Federico comes in with 5.3 rebounds per game, with nearly half of his rebounds on the offensive glass this year. Meanwhile, Carlton Carrington and Ben Hinson both also have over five rebounds per game this year
Pitt is 40th in the nation in opponent points per game this year. Part of that is their 6.5 steals per game and 5.0 blocks per game. Federeiko Federiko has 1.4 blocks per game, while Zack Austin has 1.3 blocks per game, plus a steal per game. Further, Ishmael Leggett has 1.3 steals per game this year.
Why Virginia Will Cover The Spread/Win
Virginia is ranked 48th in KenPom's adjusted efficiency rankings this year. They are 118th in adjusted offensive efficiency and eighth in adjusted defensive efficiency. They are 324th in the nation in points per game, but first in the nation in assist-to-turnover ratio this year. Reece Beekman leads the offense this year. He comes into the game with 13.8 points per game this year, while he is shooting 44.7 percent. He also has 6.1 assists per game this year, leading the team. Second on the team in points is Isaac McNeely, who comes in with 12.3 points per game this year.
Virginia is 291st in the nation in rebounds per game this year. This is led by the guard Ryan Dunn. He comes in with 7.1 rebounds per game this year, with almost 2.5 rebounds per game on the offense end. That helps him with his 9.0 points per game as well. Beyond Dunn, five other players
Virginia is second in the nation in opponent points per game. They are 20th in the nation in blocks per game this year while sitting 52nd in steals per game this year. Beekman and Dunn have been great on defense this year. Beekman has 2.4 steals per game this year. Meanwhile, Dunn has 1.5 steals per game, while also having 2.1 blocks per game this year.
Final Pitt-Virginia Prediction & Pick
Both teams are much more focused on the defensive side of the ball than the offensive side. The Pitt offense is better than Virginia, but the difference between the Virginia defense and the Pitt offense is much bigger. What could keep this game close is rebounding. If Virginia does not shoot well, Pitt will be able to take advantage of that. Pitt has covered in five of their last six games, with the other game being a push. A major reason for that has been their rebounding. Take Pitt to keep it close.
Click here for more betting news and predictions
Final Pitt-Virginia Prediction & Pick: Pitt +6.5 (-110)
