Jacksonville vs Pittsburgh Picks and Odds (Dec. 21)
By Robert Duff in College Basketball
Published:
- The Pittsburgh Panthers are 5.5-point home favorites over the Jacksonville Dolphins in an NCAA men’s basketball game scheduled for Tuesday, December 21
- Pitt (4-7) wound up beating St. John’s on Saturday for a season-first win over a high-major opponent
- The Dolphins are 7-3 but just 2-3 away from home
The Jacksonville Dolphins are coming to Pittsburgh riding a three-game winning streak. They’ll be facing a 4-7 Panthers team coming off their biggest win of the NCAA men’s basketball season.
Pitt edged St. John’s 59-57 in the Gotham Classic on Saturday at Madison Square Garden. Meanwhile, Jacksonville was fashioning its thee-game run of wins at the expense of UNCW, Southern Mississippi and Webber International.
Perhaps that explains why oddsmakers are setting the Panthers as 5.5-point home favorites. Pitt is 3-5 straight up at home this season.
Jacksonville vs Pittsburgh Odds
| Team | Moneyline | Spread | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jacksonville Dolphins | -+188 | +5.5 (-110) | O 118.5 (-110) |
| Pittsburgh Panthers | -230 | -5.5 (-110) | U 118.5 (-110) |
Odds as of December 20th at FanDuel.
Tuesday’s tipoff is set for 2pm ET at the Peterson Events Center. The broadcast is being carried by the ACC Network.
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Jacksonville Dolphins Betting Trends
Jacksonville still appears to be in the process of seeing how all the pieces best fit together. The Dolphins have utilized seven different starting lineups in its 10 games this season. That ties them for the fourth-most in the country.
Jacksonville is third in the nation in scoring defense, allowing only 54.1 points per game. The Dolphins have held three opponents under 50 PPG and eight teams to less than 60 ppg. They are averaging 18.6 ppg off of turnovers.
.@JAX_MBB remains undefeated at home on the season with an 87-48 victory over Webber International!👏#ASUNMBB 🏀 | #JUPhinsUp🐬 pic.twitter.com/T8hWNQgXu9
— ASUN Men's Basketball🏀 (@ASUN_MBB) December 18, 2021
Jacksonville is 28th in the NCAA in rebounding margin (+8). JU is also 16th nationally in steals per game (10.2). The Dolphins lead the ASUN in rebounding margin, scoring defense and three-point field goal defense (28.4). They’re also second in steals per game (10.2) and third in FG % defense ().
Graduate student guard Jordan Davis is the Dolphins’ top scorer. He’s averaging 11.2 ppg. Right behind him at 11.0 ppg is redshirt junior guard Kevion Nolan. He was a preseason All-ASUN selection. Davis has dished out a team-leading 21 assists. Redshirt junior forward Osayi Osifo is grabbing a team-best 5.6 rebounds per game.
Pittsburgh Panthers Betting Trends
The Panthers are 1-3 against the spread as a betting favorite this season. Pitt is 4-1 ATS in the last five games.
Three of the past five games for Pitt have been decided by a made field goal in the final five seconds of play. Pitt’s past five games have been decided by five points or fewer and by a combined 11 points
overall. The Panthers are 3-3 SU on the season in games decided by five points or fewer.
Connected.#H2P pic.twitter.com/Ai62Vemtjw
— Pitt Basketball (@Pitt_MBB) December 20, 2021
The Panthers have held four of their past five opponents to fewer than 60 points scored. They are allowing just 58.4 points per game in that span.
Sophomore forward John Hugley leads the Panthers in points (15.1) and rebounds (8.0) per game. He’s scored in double figures a team-best eight times. Senior guard Jemarius Burton is netting 11.0 ppg. He has scored in double figures in each of the past four games. That’s including a career-high 20 points in Saturday’s win over St. John’s. Burton is averaging 14.8 ppg in that span.
Panthers vs Dolphins Prediction
Pittsburgh was the winning team in two of three previous meetings from Jacksonville. The lone win by the Dolphins came on December 26, 1978. Then again, this is the first game between the two schools since 1988.
Pittsburgh’s win over St. John’s was the school’s first triumph this season against a high-major opponent. Jacksonville is 0-3 against high-major opposition, with losses to Georgia, Minnesota and UCF.
Feelin' right at home pic.twitter.com/wRi9MPGnxH
— Pitt Basketball (@Pitt_MBB) December 20, 2021
The 7-3 Dolphins are just 2-3 on the road this season. However, they’re 7-1 ATS in their last eight games.
When analyzing Pitt’s dismal home mark, it’s including a 3-5 against the spread record. For that reason alone, at the very least it’s worth taking the points and making a play on Jacksonville.
Pick: Jacksonville Dolphins +5.5 (-110)
Sports Writer
An industry veteran, Bob literally taught the course on the history of sports at Elder College. He has worked as a Sports Columnist for Postmedia, appeared as a guest on several radio stations, was the Vice President of the Society For International Hockey Research in Ontario, and written 25 books.
