NCAA Basketball Weekend Preview

The first weekend of 2009 also delivers the first weekend of conference play on the college basketball betting schedule. Conference matchups this weekend involving ranked squads include No. 3 Pittsburgh at No. 11 Georgetown in the Big East, and No. 24 Ohio State at No. 21 Minnesota in the Big Ten.

Pittsburgh faced Rutgers on Wednesday in their first Big East contest, and after a slow start they knocked off the Scarlet Knights 78-72 as a 14-point favorite on the college basketball odds. The Panthers trailed by four points at the half against Rutgers, but took control in the second half to secure the victory. Sam Young led Pitt with 18 points and Brad Wanamaker dropped in 15 points.

Georgetown had a stiff test in the Big East opener on Monday night against No. 2 Connecticut. The Hoyas passed the test with a surprising 74-63 win as a 6.5-point road underdog. Georgetown jumped out to a quick lead in the win with an 18-3 run and they never allowed the Huskies to get back in the game while extending their winning streak to seven games. DaJuan Summers scored 18 points to lead the Hoyas, while Greg Monroe and Chris Wright each netted 16 points in the upset.

The Panthers had the Hoyas’ number last season with a pair of victories over Georgetown. Pittsburgh defeated the Hoyas 69-60 as a 1-point home underdog and rolled to a 74-65 victory as a 5-point underdog later in the season. Pittsburgh’s win at Georgetown last season was their first since 2004.

Ohio State heads to Minnesota on Saturday hoping for better results than the last time they visited the Golden Gophers. The Buckeyes ripped Minnesota 76-60 as an 8-point favorite at home last season, but in Minnesota the Golden Gophers buried the Buckeyes 71-57 as a 2.5-point favorite.

The Buckeyes barely survived their first Big Ten matchup on Wednesday, escaping with a 68-65 win over Iowa as an 8-point favorite. Ohio State led by eight points at halftime, but watched as the Hawkeyes slowly chipped away at their lead. Ohio State stood their ground late in the game, as Jon Diebler scored a season-high 27 points to secure the win.

Minnesota began Big Ten play against No. 10 Michigan State on Wednesday and the Spartans handed the Golden Gophers their first loss of the season in a 70-68 defeat. Minnesota struggled to find their game against the in-your-face Spartans, as they were outrebounded 49-27 and shot a season-low 39 percent from the floor. Al Nolen led Minnesota with 14 points and seven assists, while leading scorer Lawrence Westbrook was held to 11 points.