Bodog Beat

If you don’t feel like watching 10 consecutive hours of Super Bowl pre-game on Sunday, your best NCAA bet of the day comes at 2 p.m. ET when Syracuse visits Cincinnati, with the Orange opening as short favorites on Bodog’s college basketball odds.

Let’s get the big injury news out of the way for Syracuse first. Star forward Wes Johnson landed hard on the court after being fouled during Tuesday’s win over Providence. It looked bad, yet he stayed in the game but only played just a few minutes in the second half – SU didn’t need him with a big lead. Johnson has some pain in his leg but did return to practice on Thursday and should play Sunday. Johnson is the team’s heart and soul, leading the Orange in scoring (16.7 ppg) and rebounding (9.7 rpg). SU is 22-1 for the first time ever (4-1 ATS on the road) and has won nine games in a row since losing to Pitt.

Cincinnati (14-8) has something in common with Syracuse: The Bearcats have also only lost once at home this season (11-1, yet only 1-6 ATS), and that came to Pittsburgh as well. UC is a totally different team at home – it has lost four of its past six games overall, but all four came on the road. However, Cincinnati doesn’t have much size inside, so Syracuse center Arinze Onuaku could dominate, as he did Tuesday against Providence. Onuaku leads the Big East in field goal percentage, and the Orange lead the nation in that category.

When making your college basketball bet on this game, know that SU lead the all-time series with Cincinnati, 4-2, including an 87-63 home win last season. But beware of Syracuse possibly getting caught in a trap game Sunday. The Orange nearly were upset in their last road game, at DePaul, and have UConn, Louisville and Georgetown following the Bearcats. Plus Cincy is squarely on the NCAA bubble and “needs” this one much more.

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