Big East Tournament: Examining the Georgetown/Cincinnati Rematch
One of the more interesting games today is the re-match between Cincinnati (22-9, 12-6 Big East) and #13 Georgetown (23-7, 12-6 Big East) in the Big East tournament. These two teams met earlier in the season, when the Bearcats traveled to Georgetown and defeated the then #11 Hoyas 68-64. Despite their history, Cincinnati opened as a 3-point underdog and, according to Sports Insights’ College Basketball Betting Trends, is currently receiving just 32% of spread bets.
The tables below shows the College Basketball Betting Trends, closing lines and final scores from their previous matchup.
Game #1 – 1/9/12
| Team | Spread % | Opening Line | Closing Line |
| Cincinnati | 37% | +7 | +6 |
| Georgetown | 63% | -7 | -6 |
As you can see, despite receiving a majority of spread bets the line on Georgetown actually dropped a full point. When the line moves against the betting percentages it is referred to as reverse line movement — a strong indicator that sharp money likes the underdog.
The table below shows the line movement and College Basketball Betting Trends for Thursday’s game:
| Team | Spread % | Opening Line | Closing Line |
| Cincinnati | 32% | +3 | +3.5 |
| Georgetown | 68% | -3 | -3.5 |
This time, public betting has pushed the line from 3 to 3.5 which is what you would typically expect to happen.
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