Pittsburgh +5.0 (-110)
Fri February 15 ‘08 9:00p - Click Here for Current College Basketball Odds
We’ve actually got a game going Friday night that means something, and that’s normally hard to come by when college hoops gets into conference play. Both Pittsburgh and Marquette are jockeying for position within the crowded Big East, and the winner of this match-up will secure their 8th conference win. The Panthers invade freezing cold Milwaukee sporting an overall mark of 19-5. Of those 19 wins, only five have come on the road with four defeats. Marquette has also won their fair share of games this season, and come into tonight’s game with a respectable 17-6 SU mark. They’ve secured victories in 12 of their 13 home games this year, but lost the last time on their court to Louisville by a 71-57 count. They’ve also only managed a 3-5 ATS mark in their eight lined games in this venue.

Pitt was last in action on Tuesday night when they knocked off the Providence Friars by an 82-63 final count, and easily covered the 8.5-point spread in the process. The win was their second in a row, and 7th in their L/10 overall. Their last road game saw them drop a 60-53 decision in Storrs against the UCONN Huskies. The heart and soul of this club (Levance Fields) returns tonight after a six week hiatus, but one has to question how much of an impact he’ll have in this spot after riding the pine allowing his foot to heal.

Marquette picked up a victory their last time out at Seton Hall where the upended the Pirates by an 89-64 final count ultimately covering the 4-point spread. The win snapped a 2-game losing streak that saw them lose a 3-point decision at Notre Dame and suffer their first home loss as mentioned earlier against Louisville. Still, Head Coach Tom Crean’s club has secured victories in 6 of their L/10 overall, and in 4 of their L/5 home games.

Oddsmakers tagged the Golden Eagles 4-point home chalks with the ‘Total’ set at 137. Overnight bettors expect Marquette to get the best of the Panthers this evening regardless of Fields return since overnight action has seen the betting line increase to 5-points, with the ‘total’ hovering in the 136-137 range. Marquette has dominated this series since it began winning 4 of the 6 match-ups SU and covered the spread in 5 of those 6 contests as well. They won both regular season meetings with the Panthers last year, but Pitt got them when it mattered most by picking up an 89-79 decision in the Big East Tournament.

Will Levance Fields reintroduction to the court find the Panthers pick right back up to where they were when he broke his foot, or will Marquette continue to own them in the regular season? Tune to ESPN at 9:00 ET to find out!!!

CLICK HERE FOR MORE FREE COLLEGE BASKETBALL PICKS AND 2008 MARCH MADNESS PREDICTIONS