6pm on ESPN2.
Tonight is a father-daughter night for me. It’s a “Cinderella Ball” that my daughter’s school has, so I have to set the DVR and hope the Western Ky-Louisiana-Lafayette game doesn’t cut too far into the start of the game. It’s probably wrong that that there’s a small part of me hoping that snow we’ve been getting today in the Cleveland area cancels the event. Especially since in another year or two it will be about some boy trying to take her to a dance.
Pitt is only a 4-point favorite in this game. CBS Sportsline in their picks, says Pitt is an 8-point favorite, so the majority are picking Maryland to cover but all are going with Pitt to win based on that.
I think this will be a desperate Maryland team. They have NCAA hopes, that are fading fast as they sit at 8th in the ACC. They lack any quality wins. It’s a home game. Over half their remaining games are against teams higher than they are in the ACC standings.
Best game: No. 18 Duke at No. 20 Pittsburgh (7 p.m., ESPN). The new ACC. Monday will be a proving ground for Pittsburgh, which is still getting very little respect nationally despite an 18-2 record with two losses by a combined six points. Meanwhile, Duke seems to have bounced back from whatever was ailing the Blue Devils at the start of January, winning four in a row – including Saturday’s throttling of Florida State. This is the first of two brutal road games for Duke, which travels to Syracuse on Saturday night. Monday will be a contrast of styles. Pittsburgh wants to get to the rim and the offensive glass, finishing in the paint or going to the foul line. Meanwhile, Duke relies heavily on its plethora of perimeter shooters – and the dynamic duo of Jabari Parker and Rodney Hood. The battle between those two and Lamar Patterson will be fun.
