(15) Purdue (23-6, 16-10 ATS) at Ohio State (17-12, 12-13 ATS)
With its NCAA Tournament hopes fading fast, freefalling Ohio State desperately needs a signature victory, and it gets that opportunity tonight when it hosts first-place Purdue at Value City Arena.
The Buckeyes have dropped four straight games (1-3 ATS), including Saturday’s ugly 71-57 loss at Minnesota as a 2½-point road underdog, their worst Big Ten defeat of the season. Ohio State (8-8, 7-9 ATS in the Big Ten) is mired in a 2-6 ATS slump, including two straight upset home losses to Wisconsin and Indiana.
Purdue hits the road after consecutive double-digit home wins over Minnesota on Wednesday (65-53) and Northwestern on Saturday (68-43), improving to 13-1 in its last 14 games and 13-2 ATS in its last 15. The Boilermakers are tied with Wisconsin atop the Big Ten standings at 14-2 (13-3 ATS), but they hold the tiebreaker over the Badgers based on sweeping their two-game season series.
Purdue’s current 13-1 run started with a 75-68 upset victory over the Buckeyes as a one-point home underdog on Jan. 12. Prior to that win, the Boilermakers had lost eight straight to Ohio State and they were just 2-11 ATS in the previous 13 meetings. Also, going back several years, Purdue is 2-5 ATS in its last seven visits to Value City Arena.
The Buckeyes are 3-5 ATS in Big Ten home games, including 1-4 ATS in the last five. Conversely, Purdue is 5-2 in Big Ten roadies (6-1 ATS), and for the season, the Boilers are 8-3 ATS on the highway.
The under is 8-3 in Purdue’s last 11 outings (all in Big Ten action). The under is also on runs of 40-19 for Purdue in league play, 7-2 for Ohio State overall, 8-2 for Ohio State at home and 4-1 the last five times these teams have faced off in Columbus, Ohio.
ATS ADVANTAGE: PURDUE and UNDER
Florida State (17-12, 9-17 ATS) at (1) North Carolina (27-2, 19-7 ATS)
North Carolina, which reclaimed its top spot in the rankings yesterday, preps for Saturday’s rematch against Duke when it hosts Florida State at the Dean Smith Center in Chapel Hill.
Trailing by 14 points at halftime, the Tar Heels needed a furious rally to get past Boston College on Saturday, pulling away for a 90-80 victory for its sixth win in a row, catapulting Roy Williams’ club to the No. 1 ranking. UNC is tied with Duke atop the ACC standings at 12-2 SU and 8-6 ATS, though it did come up just short as a 10½-point chalk at Boston College, ending a three-game ATS winning streak.
Florida State has caught fire at the right time, following up a 1-5 slump with three straight victories, most recently routing North Carolina State 72-62 on the road. Although the Seminoles cashed as a two-point road underdog at N.C. State, they’re still just 4-12 ATS in their last 16 games, including 4-10 ATS in ACC play (6-8 SU).
The Seminoles took North Carolina to overtime on Feb. 3, but fell apart in the extra session in losing 84-73 as a 9½-point home underdog. The Tar Heels have won seven straight in this rivalry, and they’re 4-0 ATS in the last four clashes.
North Carolina is 13-2 SU and 10-2 ATS in the Dean Dome this season, and 36-17-1 ATS in its last 54 at home. Conversely, the Seminoles are 5-8 SU and ATS on the highway, including 3-4 SU and ATS when visiting ACC foes. The winner has covered the spread in each of Florida State’s 13 road contests and all 12 of North Carolina’s lined home games.
The over is 15-6 in North Carolina’s last 21 games, including 10-4 in ACC play and 3-0 in its last three. The over is also 17-7 in the Heels’ last 24 Tuesday contests. However, the under is 17-7 in FSU’s last 24 ACC games and 3-0 in the last three meetings in this rivalry.
ATS ADVANTAGE: NORTH CAROLINA
UNLV (22-6, 15-9-1 ATS) at New Mexico (22-7, 20-7-1 ATS)
Two of the top three teams in the Mountain West Conference clash in Albuquerque, where New Mexico hosts the Rebels in a battle of teams trying to make a case for an at-large NCAA Tournament berth.
UNLV carries a three-game SU and ATS winning streak into this contest, routing TCU 74-55 as a 13-point home chalk on Saturday to improve to 11-3 in conference play (7-7 ATS). The Rebels have also won five of six and 10 of their last 12, but both losses have come on the road in Mountain West play to BYU (74-48) and Utah (81-73).
New Mexico had a six-game SU and ATS winning streak halted a week ago tonight at The Pit, falling to BYU 70-69 in overtime as a 4 ½-point home chalk. The Lobos are 9-5 SU and ATS in league play, good for third place in the behind BYU and UNLV. The winner has covered the spread in all 14 of New Mexico’s Mountain West contests.
Right before going on its just-ended six-game winning streak, the Lobos went to Las Vegas and got blasted 79-60 as a 5½-point road underdog. UNLV has won the last four meetings in this series, but New Mexico is 4-1 ATS in the last four overall, including 2-0 ATS at home. Also, the underdog is 7-3 ATS in the last 10 meetings.
The loss to BYU dropped the Lobos to 15-2 at home this year (13-3 ATS), including 5-2 SU and ATS in league play.
UNLV is on ATS streaks of 21-10 overall, 8-2-1 on Tuesdays and 4-1 when coming off a spread-cover.
The over is 4-0 in the last four series meetings, 13-2-1 in New Mexico’s last 15 overall, 8-1-1 for New Mexico in its last 10 in Mountain West play and 10-5 for New Mexico at home this year. However, the under is 5-0-1 in UNLV’s last six overall and 16-5-1 in its last 22 on Tuesday.
ATS ADVANTAGE: UNLV and OVER
Toronto (32-26, 32-25-1 ATS) at Orlando (38-23, 38-22-1 ATS)
The Raptors try to put the brakes on a two-game slide when they head south to Orlando to battle the Magic.
Toronto has played its last two games without All-Star center Chris Bosh (injury), and the results haven’t been pretty, as the Raptors experienced upset losses at home to the Pacers (122-111 as an 11-point favorite) and on the road at Charlotte (110-98 as a 3 ½-point chalk). The mini-slide comes on the heels of a 5-1 SU and ATS run.
The Magic have been idle since Saturday’s 118-92 rout of the Knicks as an 11½-point home chalk. Orlando 6-2 SU and ATS in its last eight, including 4-0 SU and ATS at home.
These teams have faced off twice already this year, both times in Canada. Orlando won the first contest 105-96 as a 4½-point underdog way back on Nov. 7, while the Raptors rolled 127-110 as a 3½-point chalk on Feb. 20. Toronto is 7-2 SU and 8-1 ATS in the last nine clashes, including 4-0 ATS when visiting Amway Arena.
Toronto is 8-1 ATS in its last nine when coming off a non-cover and 9-3 ATS when an underdog of 4 to 10 points. Meanwhile, Orlando is on pointspread streaks of 6-1 on Tuesday and 4-1-1 when playing on two days’ rest.
For the Raptors, the over is on runs of 6-2 overall, 7-2 on the road, 9-1 against the Eastern Conference and 5-0 versus the Southeast Division. Also, the over is 5-3 in Orlando’s last eight at home and 3-0 in the last three series meetings between these squads.
ATS ADVANTAGE: OVER
Phoenix (39-20, 26-31-2 ATS) at Portland (31-29 SU and ATS)
In desperate need of a victory, the backsliding Suns head to Portland to face a Blazers’ squad looking to get on a run to get back in the playoff hunt.
Phoenix followed up Wednesday’s 120-103 loss at New Orleans with Saturday’s 119-114 upset home loss the Sixers as a 9½-point chalk. Since Shaquille O’Neal was inserted into the starting lineup, the Suns are 2-4 SU and ATS, and going back to Jan. 31, they’re mired in a 4-8-1 ATS funk, including 2-7-1 ATS at home.
Portland stunned the red-hot Lakers 119-111 on Friday as a six-point home underdog for its first two-game winning streak since early January, but the Blazers couldn’t get to three in a row, falling 110-104 at Golden State on Sunday. However, they did cash as a 6 ½-point road underdog to move to 4-0 ATS in their last four after going 1-14 ATS in their previous 15.
This is the first meeting of the season between these former Pacific Division rivals. Phoenix has had the upper-hand lately, winning the last six in a row (4-1-1 ATS) and nine of the last 10 (7-2-1 ATS). That includes three consecutive SU and ATS victories at the Rose Garden. Going back even further, Phoenix is on a 19-7-1 ATS roll against the Blazers (5-1 ATS at Portland); the favorite is 8-2-1 ATS in the last 11 meetings; and the visitor is 4-1 ATS in the last five.
Prior to Friday’s win over the Lakers, the Blazers had failed to cover in nine straight home games, after starting the season 16-5 ATS at the Rose Garden. On the bright side, they’ve cashed in four straight versus the Pacific Division, and they’re 6-1 ATS in their last seven on Tuesday.
Phoenix is 6-2 ATS in its last eight on the road. However, the Suns are 2-7 ATS in their last nine against the Northwest Division and 2-8 ATS in their last 10 when playing on two days’ rest.
Portland has followed an 8-2 “under” streak by topping the total in its last two. Also, the Suns have gone over the total in four straight games and eight of their last nine overall, and the over is 6-1 in their last seven on the road (3-0 last three) and 5-1 in their last six on Tuesday.
Finally, the over is 13-3 in the last 16 series meetings overall, including 7-1 in the last eight clashes in Portland.
ATS ADVANTAGE: PHOENIX and OVER
Gametimepicks.com
Phoenix Suns sign sharpshooter Giricek for remainder of season
March 4, 2008
PHOENIX (AP) -The Phoenix Suns signed guard Gordan Giricek on Tuesday to a contract for the rest of the season.
Giricek, waived by the Philadelphia 76ers on Friday, joins his fifth NBA team. The 6-foot-6 Croatian played parts of six seasons with Memphis, Orlando and Utah before being traded to Philadelphia last Dec. 29.
Suns general manager Steve Kerr called the 30-year-old Giricek ``an excellent shooter, a solid defender and a proven playoff performer.''
He shot a career-best 42.6 percent from 3-point range for the Jazz in 2006-07. He has averaged 9.6 points in 362 NBA games.
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