In a battle between two teams desperately trying to climb the ranks of the Big East standings, the Cincinnati Bearcats pay a visit to the XL Center this Thursday night to tangle with the Connecticut Huskies. Tip off for this conference clash is set for 7 p.m. (ET), and the game will be broadcast nationally on ESPN.

The Bearcats have been in and out of the Top 25 all season, but they have taken a steady fall downward with just one victory in their last four games. They are now 19-7 straight up on the year and 7-6 in conference play. Cincinnati has failed to cover in four of its last six games to fall to 10-12 against the spread. The total has stayed “under” in its last seven games.

Connecticut has gone 5-2 SU and 4-3 ATS in its last seven games to improve to 17-7 SU and an even 10-10 ATS overall. It is 7-5 in Big East play, which is actually just 2.5 games out of first place. The total has stayed under in its last three games after going “over” in its previous four.

Cincinnati at Connecticut Betting Storylines

Cincinnati is averaging 69.8 points a game this season. However, it has not been able to eclipse that total in its last seven games and is scoring just 61.4 points a game during that stretch. Sean Kilpatrick leads the Bearcats with 18 points a game with Cashmere Wright (13.3 points) and JaQuon Parker (11 points) also scoring in double-figures, but things drop off pretty quickly from there.

The team as a whole is shooting just 41.1 percent from the field and 32.3 percent from three-point range overall, but these number drop even further on the road to just over 40 percent from the floor and under 29 percent from beyond the arc. Cincinnati has held its opponents to 58.5 points a game this season and is averaging 40.7 rebounds a game, which is the seventh highest total in the nation.

The Huskies match up well with an average of 70.6 points a game and have done a better job shooting the ball in hitting 45 percent from the field and 34.3 percent from three-point range. They have four different players averaging at least 11 points a game, led by Shabazz Napier’s 16.3 points-per-game total. Ryan Boatright is a close second with 15.4 points, and both players are shooting better than 44 percent from the floor.

Connecticut will be at a distinct disadvantage under the boards with just 32.5 rebounds a game, and its defense is allowing an average of 65.1 points a game. If it is going to come away with a win against the Bearcats, it will have to find a way to do a better job in both of these areas.

Cincinnati at Connecticut NCAA Basketball Betting Odds and Trends

BetOnline has opened the Huskies as two-point home favorites, but the “over/under” line for this game has yet to be set.

The Bearcats are 20-8 ATS in their last 28 road games and 18-7 ATS in their last 25 games following an ATS loss. The total has stayed under in their last five games on the road.

The Huskies are 4-0 ATS in their last four games following a SU loss and 11-5 ATS in their last 16 conference games. The total has stayed under in four of their last five home games.

The road team in this series is 5-1 ATS in the last six meetings, and the total has stayed under in three of the last four games. Cincinnati is just 2-5 ATS in the last seven games between the two.

Cincinnati at Connecticut Picks and Betting Predictions

This should be a great matchup between two quality teams that are trying to find their form at the right time of the year. Cincinnati remains the better all-around ball club, but that is negated somewhat by its current form and playing this game on the road. In what should remain a close, low-scoring battle right down to the wire, the play is on the Huskies to win and cover the tight spread at home.

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