Black Widow

6* W id ow W is egu y ESPN Thursday Night G AM E OF THE Y EA R on East Carolina +13.5(-110 at SIA)

East Carolina is getting no respect from the odds makers tonight, and they really should be. The Pirates have won 4 of their last 5 games, and they always play Virginia Tech tough. They upset the Hokies 27-22 last year as an 8.5-point dog, and lost 7-17 in 2007 as a 28-point dog. They have a lot of core guys back from last year's team with 16 returning starters in all, so there is plenty of talent left on this year's team to pull off the upset. ECU has been off since 10/27 which has given them a couple extra days to prepare for the Hokies, which should be an advantage. VA Tech is just 1-2 in road games this season, giving up 29.2 points/game. This Hokies' defense is human this year, and that's why they have struggled. ECU is 3-0 at home this year, scoring 32.3 points/game and allowing just 17.0 points/game, outscoring their foes by more than 15 points/game. The Hokies are 3-10 ATS in their last 13 non-conference games. The Pirates are 4-0 ATS in their last 4 games as a home underdog of 10.5 or greater. The Pirates are 8-1 ATS in their last 9 games as an underdog of 10.5 or greater. Take East Carolina and the points.