Teams looking to turn around their recent fortunes meet in the first round of the 2021 ACC Tournament when the 13th-seeded Miami (FL), Hurricanes face the 12th-seeded Pittsburgh Panthers on Tuesday. The winner will face fifth-seeded Clemson on Wednesday. Miami (8-16) finished 4-15 in conference play, losing 10 of its last 11 games. Pittsburgh (10-11) finished 6-10 in conference play, but dropped nine of its last 11.
Tip-off from the Greensboro Coliseum in Greensboro, N.C., is set for 2 p.m. ET. Miami leads the all-time series 23-20, including a 7-3 edge in ACC games. The Panthers are three-point favorites in the latest Miami vs. Pittsburgh odds from William Hill Sportsbook, while the over-under for total points scored is set at 136.5. Before making any Pittsburgh vs. Miami picks, be sure to see the college basketball predictions and betting advice from SportsLine's proven model.
The SportsLine Projection Model simulates every Division I college basketball game 10,000 times. Over the past four-plus years, the proprietary computer model has generated an impressive profit of over $2,600 for $100 players on its top-rated college basketball picks against the spread. It has also returned over $400 on all top-rated college basketball picks this season. Anyone who has followed it has seen huge returns.
Now, the model has set its sights on Miami vs. Pitt in the ACC Tournament 2021. You can head to SportsLine to see its picks. Here are several college basketball odds and trends for Pitt vs. Miami:
Miami, Fla., vs. Pittsburgh spread: Pittsburgh -3
Miami, Fla., vs. Pittsburgh over-under: 136.5 points
MIA: Last won the ACC Tournament championship in 2013
PITT: Has shot 50 percent or better from the field in the second half in three of the past four games
Why Miami can cover
Despite their struggles, the Hurricanes have a number of bright spots, including leading scorer sophomore guard Isaiah Wong, who averages 17.1 points, five rebounds, 2.3 assists and 1.1 steals per game. He is hitting 43 percent of his field goals, including 35.6 percent of his 3-pointers, and 80.2 percent of his free throws. In the first meeting with the Panthers, he poured in 21 points, and has reached double figures in 20 games, including nine with 20 or more. He has one double-double, a 17-point, 12-rebound effort against Stetson on Dec. 4. His highest point total was a 30-point performance against 16th-ranked Louisville on Jan. 16, a 78-72 Miami victory.
Also leading the Miami offense is senior guard Kameron McGusty, who is nearly automatic at the free throw line, connecting on 84.8 percent of his free throws. He is averaging 12.5 points, 3.7 rebounds, 2.8 assists and 1.2 steals per game. He is coming off a 27-point, six-rebound and five-assist effort against Boston College on Friday. McGusty has reached double figures in 11 games, including three of Miami's last four. He missed the first meeting against Pittsburgh.
Why Pittsburgh can cover
The Panthers are the only team in the ACC with three players ranked in the top 16 in scoring, but only one has chosen to stay with the program. Sophomore forward Justin Champagnie averages a double-double with 18.4 points and 11.1 rebounds per game. Champagnie has scored in double figures in all 19 games he's played in, posting 13 double-doubles, including a 31-point, 14-rebound effort against Duke on Jan. 19. In the regular-season meeting with the Hurricanes, he scored 10 points and grabbed nine rebounds. On Saturday at Clemson, he scored 13 points.
With the exit of junior guards Au'Diese Toney and Xavier Johnson, who announced they are transferring out of the program, sophomore guard Ithiel Horton is looking to step up his play for the Panthers. Against Clemson on Saturday, Horton finished with 11 points, the ninth double-figure scoring game of the season. His best performance of the year was a 20-point effort against Syracuse on Jan. 16. In the first meeting at Miami, Horton poured in 18 points, grabbed two rebounds and dished out two assists.
How to make Pittsburgh vs. Miami picks
The model is leaning under on the total, projecting the teams to combine for 135 points. It also says one side of the spread hits well over 50 percent of the time. You can only see the pick at SportsLine.
So who wins Pittsburgh vs. Miami? And which side of the spread hits well over 50 percent of the time? Visit SportsLine right now to see which side of the spread you need to jump on, all from the computer model that has crushed its college basketball picks.
