Miami Hurricanes (29-7) vs. UConn Huskies (29-8)
April 1, 2023 8:49 pm EDT
The Line: UConn Huskies -5 / Miami Hurricanes +5 ; Over/Under: 149.5
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The Miami Hurricanes and the UConn Huskies meet Saturday in NCAA Tournament Final Four college basketball action from NRG Stadium. UConn is 29-8 overall on the year. The Huskies beat Gonzaga on Saturday in tournament activity. As for Miami, they’re 29-7 so far and fresh off a win over Texas in the Elite Eight. Check back all season long for free college basketball picks at Sports Chat Place.
UConn Huskies
The Huskies posted a 24-7 record over the course of the regular season. UConn beat Providence in the Big East Tournament but then lost to Marquette in game two. So far in the national tournament the Huskies have beaten Iona, St. Mary’s, Arkansas and Gonzaga.
Back on Saturday versus Gonzaga, the Huskies took a 39-32 edge into the second half. UConn caught fire from there on a 43-22 run and bagged the blowout win 82-54. Jordan Hawkins was the top team scorer on 20 points, and Andre Jackson had 10 assists with nine rebounds and eight points.
Miami Hurricanes
Over on the Miami side, their regular season ended up at 24-6 overall. The Hurricanes beat Wake Forest 74-72 in the ACC Tournament before falling to Duke 85-78. Since then Miami has beaten Drake, Indiana, Houston and Texas in the national tournament.
In Sunday’s tournament matchup versus Texas, Miami was down 45-37 in the locker room. The Hurricanes stormed back on a 51-36 second-half run for an 88-81 comeback win. Leading the way was Jordan Miller with 27 points. Wooga Poplar added 16 points with six rebounds.
ANDREW’S FREE PICK
I’m going to stick with UConn in this one. The Huskies are rolling right along in this tournament, and they haven’t had a vulnerable showing yet. The wins have come 87-63 over Iona, 70-55 versus St. Mary’s, 88-65 versus Arkansas and 82-54 in the Gonzaga matchup. Against the Bulldogs on Saturday, the Huskies shot 41.7 percent from the field with a 48-40 rebounding advantage (13-9 offensive) and just eight turnovers. That makes 70 or more points in four straight games and 68 or more in 10 straight outings for UConn. As for Miami, they played very well in the second half during their comeback win versus Texas. The Hurricanes shot 59.2 percent overall and hit 28 free throws but weren’t especially sharp on the boards. I like UConn to assert their dominance here in an entertaining matchup.
