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Oklahoma State vs Pittsburgh Odds & Picks

The 8th seeded Oklahoma State Cowboys have the daunting task of facing the #1 seed in the East Region, the Pittsburgh Panthers in second round NCAA tournament action.  Pitt surprisingly struggled a bit in the first half of their first round game against East Tennessee State, but my guess is the Panthers will be refocused and ready to play their best ball on Sunday.  Oklahoma State won in exciting fashion, holding off a late surge by their opponent, Tennessee and holding on for a 77-75 victory.  Looking at the college basketball odds for this game, the Pittsburgh Panthers are favored by 8 points over Oklahoma State.

Oklahoma State earned an impressive and somewhat surprising win over Tennessee on Friday, surprising because this team is well off the national radar.  The Cowboys are a bit undersized in this match up, but they can count on points from just about anywhere on the court from any number of players.  They also have a solid bench, which should give them fresh bodies on the court in what shapes up to be a physical game against the Panthers.  The Cowboys will definitely try to establish the three point shot against Pitt since they clearly can’t bang with them in the paint.  If they find their stroke early and often enough, this could be a much closer game than most expect it to be.

The Pittsburgh Panthers won on Friday night, but it wasn’t pretty.  They looked sloppy on offense and lazy as far as rebounding.  That kind of play might have gotten them past E. Tenn. State, but any more lackadaisical play in this tournament will have the Panthers sent home as the first #1 seed to be knocked out.  Pitt gave away 18 turnovers against the Buccaneers on Friday, which was the main reason the game was as close as it was.  They’ll need to avoid the kind of performance against Oklahoma State.  If the Panthers can hold onto the ball, they have a big advantage in the frontcourt and should be able to pound away at the Cowboys in the paint all night.  One thing they’ll need is for DeJaun Blair and Sam Young to stay out of foul trouble.  This team is the best in the nation when they are playing smart basketball, but you get the feeling watching them that they are still a little rough around the edges.

On paper Pitt wins this game handily.  They have a backcourt that can compete with OSU’s and they have a huge advantage in the frontcourt with Blair and Young.  At this point Pitt is their own worst enemy.  If they overlook Oklahoma State and play sloppy, uninspired basketball against the Cowboys, they just might lose, but my instincts tell me they will come out an make a statement so I’m willing to give the 8 points and take the Panthers.

Pick - Take Pitt -8