Eric Schroeder
Off my shocking free pick loser on Valpo yesterday, I'll bounce back with Florida Gulf Coast, minus the points against North Florida. A senior writer from the Associated Press recently tweeted "Dunk City is back," and it couldn't be any more true about the Eagles.
They are far superior to the North Florida Osprey, and will have no trouble winning the Atlantic Sun Tournament today. Florida Gulf Coast is at home for this tournament title game, as the higher seed. And that won't bode well for the Osprey, who are 5-13 away from home this season.
When these two met on Jan. 30, the Eagles won big, 74-59, in this same arena. Nothing is different at this point, except the Eagles are that much better.
3* FLORIDA GULF COAST
Jack Brayman
Playing the home underdog here, even though I know Purdue dominated the teams’ Feb. 1 meeting at Mackey Arena.
The thing to note about that game is the Wildcats played without both Scottie Lindsey and Nathan Taphorn. Both are back, albeit Lindsey is still looking to get to 100 percent, but the Wildcats are poised to make a run at this Purdue team.
Despite having lost five of their last eight games, the Wildcats are in after defeating Michigan. Northwestern stands at (21-9 overall and 10-7 Big Ten).
Take the 'Cats, as they look to shock the 16th-ranked Boilermakers.
5* NORTHWESTERN
SCOTT RICKENBACH
Canucks vs. Ducks
Play: Over 5½
The Canucks are off of a big 4-3 win over the Kings in LA last night and Vancouver has now given up 3 goals or more in 7 of its last 8 games. The over is 6-2 in Canucks Sunday games this season. Anaheim has averaged 3.2 goals per game in its last 6 games against the Canucks and the Ducks are seeking revenge for a 3-2 loss at Vancouver in late December. Anaheim has scored 5 goals in each of its last two home games and getting points in the standings is critical for the Ducks right now. They'll continue to put plenty of pucks on net here but are still without #1 goalie John Gibson. With Jonathan Bernier getting the start (no unders and 11 goals allowed in his last 4 starts), I'll ride the over in this one as we look to cash the big plus money on that side of this total!
BRANDON LEE
Minnesota vs. Wisconsin
Play: Wisconsin -7½
The Badgers have hit a wall down the stretch and come into their regular season finale having lost 3 straight and 5 of their last 6 overall. Last time out they gave away the game in the final minutes of a 57-59 home loss to the Hawkeyes. This team is too good and I just like this spot for Wisconsin. They desperately need to get some momentum going into tournament time and I look for them to get just that in their home finale. Even with that loss to Iowa, Wisconsin is still 14-2 at home. It's also worth noting that the Badgers were just 11.5-point favorites over Iowa at home and I don't think there's much, if anything that separates the Hawkeyes and Gophers. Add in this being their final home game and we are getting exceptional value here with Wisconsin.
RAY MONOHAN
Pelicans vs. Lakers
Play: Lakers +6
The Lakers welcome in the Pelicans Sunday night and Los Angeles plus the points is the move here. The Pelicans have just had a hard time figuring things out since acquiring Cousins.
They continue to put up fights, but this is a young Lakers team who can really give them fits here. The Pelicans have struggled on the road this season, going a mediocre 9-21 while averaging under 100 points per contest.
Some trends to note. Pelicans are 2-6 ATS in their last 8 games following a ATS win. Pelicans are 0-4 ATS in their last 4 Sunday games.
The Pelicans will struggle here, as this is just too many points to lay on the road.
MIKE LUNDIN
Sharks vs. Wild
Play: Under 5½
The San Jose Sharks have allowed just one goal in regulation in each of their last five games. On Sunday they'll visit the high-scoring Wild at Xcel Energy Center, but Minnesota was blanked in a 1-0 loss at Columbus on Thursday. The Sharks rank 2nd in goals allowed in the NHL this season, giving up 2.32 goals per game while the Wild rank 4th conceding 2.35 gpg. The first meeting of the season saw a total of nine goals scored, but I think defense will rule this time around.
TEDDY DAVIS
Thunder vs. Mavs
Play: Mavs +1
The Mavs are worth a look here as they continue to fight for the 8th spot in the playoffs. This team has really turned their season around. I also don't trust the Thunder on the road as they have dropped 2 consecutive to Portland and Phoenix neither one of those teams are playing better than the Mavs are right now. Mavs have won 4 of their last 5 home games only loss being the Celtics
JIMMY BOYD
Warriors vs. Knicks
Play: Knicks +10
I like the value here with New York as a double-digit dog at home against the Warriors. Golden State didn't look good at all without Durant in Thursday's 87-94 loss to the Bulls and I just think this team is going to continue to struggle for a bit, especially with the way Curry and Thompson are shooting at the moment. Neither could buy a basket against Chicago. The Knicks aren't a great team, but I think they are more than capable of keeping this within single digits on their home floor and wouldn't be shocked if they won this game outright.
Last time out the Knicks lost 102-105 at Philadelphia and that's worth noting as they are 12-3 ATS in their last 15 off a loos by 3 points or less and 12-2 ATS in their last 14 home games after playing a division opponent. Warriors are 1-7 ATS in their last 8 games on Sunday, 1-4 ATS in their last 5 against a team with a losing record and 0-4 ATS in their last 4 road games.
CHASE DIAMOND
Purdue vs. Northwestern
Play: Northwestern +3½
Huge game for Northwestern at 21-9 they take on 24-6 Purdue. Even with Northwestern's superb record they still lack that statement win. In fact they have no big wins so this game is very important to seating for March Madness and to show the world this team is legit. Northwestern is 14-3 at home this season Purdue just 5-4 on the road and Northwestern seeks revenge in this one from last months beatdown at Purdue 80-59. 63% of the public are betting the road Purdue I love siding with the sharps here and taking Northwestern.
FRANK JORDAN
Indiana Pacers vs. Atlanta Hawks
Play: Indiana Pacers +3
Indiana is sliding having dropped eight of 10, but the Hawks aren't doing much better having dropped six of 10. Something has to give to day in Atlanta between these two clubs in need of a win. These two teams are fifth and sixth in the East with the Hawks being three games better than the Pacers. Indiana is 10-20 on the road while Atlanta is 17-13 at home. Atlanta is 23-14 in conference play while Indiana is 16-19. These two teams only met once before in Indiana with the Hawks winning 96-85 with Millsap and Howard combining for 41 points and the Hawks getting 34 off the bench while the Pacers had four starters in double digits, but only six points off the bench. Paul George shot just 6 of 22 from the field and 2 of 11 from three. George is starting to heat up putting 22 points up on Leonard who is known to shut down players. Look for George to have a bust out game scoring 25+ points as the Pacers squeak out a win in Atlanta 105-104.
SPORTS WAGERS
CALGARY -½ +122 over N.Y. Islanders
Give the Islanders all the credit in the world for never quitting and for putting themselves in position to lock up that final Wild Card spot in the East. By now, you all know the story. There are six teams vying for one playoff spot. Five will be disappointed but right now, it is the Islanders that hold that coveted spot. However, the Islanders are truly up against it here. First, the Isles will play their sixth straight on the road after playing in Chicago on Friday. They played a great game on Friday but lost it in OT after the red-hot Blackhawks scored with less than a minute to go in regulation to tie it. Still, the Isles picked up another point and have now picked up seven out of a possible 10 points on this trip so far. Additionally, the Isles will move into another time zone here, their third one on this trip to play an afternoon game in Calgary. Talk about taking players out of routine and this is as tough as it gets.
While the Islanders were giving the Blackhawks a difficult time on Friday, Calgary has having a difficult time with the Red Wings. Calgary would go onto win that game in OT but pretty it was not. You take the results of the past game by each team here and it has influenced the market. The result of that is great value on the Flames. Calgary can absolutely be excused for a weaker performance against Detroit after a hugely emotional win over Los Angeles the game prior. The game against Detroit was a “danger” spot but Calgary still found a way to get it done. The Flames figure to be much sharper here after that win and weaker effort against Detroit. Furthermore, the Flames lost to the Islanders earlier this year in Brooklyn. They lost twice to them last year too. That’s four straight that Calgary has lost to the Islanders and now the red-hot Flames get the Islanders in a very difficult scheduling spot. Lastly, there is value. The Islanders went into Chicago as a +160 dog on Friday night. Today they’ll play the hottest team in the league and Calgary is not even close to being priced in the same range as Chicago was. Not often is their value in spotting -133 but in this case there is tremendous value. That said, we still can’t do it so the alternative is to spot a half puck. That’s tremendous value too.
Carolina -½ +117 over ARIZONA
As a +220 dog in Carolina on Friday night, Arizona won 4-2. Forget the result because it means nothing and focus on the price. The market focuses on results and as a result of that, we get the Hurricanes at a hugely reduced price here. To recap, Carolina goes from a -247 favorite over Arizona on Friday night to a -141 favorite in the span of 48 hours. What that final score on Friday doesn’t tell you is that the Coyotes were dominated. The puck possession numbers were sick in Carolina’s favor and the shots on net were 34-22 in favor of the ‘Canes too. Arizona now returns home after a three game trip and they’ll return home without Martin Hanzel, which leaves a big hole up the middle for the ‘Yotes.
Carolina Coach, Bill Peters is beside himself and went completely off the rails after Carolina outshot Tampa Bay 31-15 on Wednesday but lost 4-3. Peters called Eddie Lack the worst goaltender in the game that has not come up with a big save all season long.
Cam Ward then allows four goals on 22 shots in another loss on Friday. The Hurricanes are going to miss the playoffs this year because just like last year, they have pathetic goaltending that was not addressed in the off-season. Address that need and the ‘Canes are a top-10 team for sure and the numbers back it up. Carolina is a top possession team. They rarely get outplayed or out-worked and the opposition rarely has the puck more than they do. Over its last two games, Carolina has outshot the opposition, 68-38 and they’re 0-2 in those games. Four games ago, the ‘Canes outshot Calgary 35-24 and lost again. Recently against Pittsburgh (six games ago), the ‘Canes held the Pens to 22 shots on net while firing away 30 and lost again. We could go on and on with the same redundant thing this year and all of last year regarding Carolina losing games they were the much better team in and it’s all because of weak goaltending. That doesn’t mean they’ll win today but a livid coach and some frustrations against a team they should dominate comes into play here and so does the value. Again, Carolina was -247 on Friday night against this same team and now they are being exceptionally short-changed in a better situational spot.
SPORTS WAGERS
Purdue -4 over NORTHWESTERN
Purdue is in. Purdue is not only in, they have clinched the #1 seed in the upcoming Big-Ten Tournament that starts on Wednesday. What you are going to read or hear about is that the Boilermakers have nothing left to play for until the postseason gets underway but that is not true at all. Every goal of every single team going to The Dance is to get the highest possible seed because the higher the seed, the easier the opponent. The Boilermakers are not going to be a #1 seed but a #2 or #3 seed is within their reach and a win over Northwestern may just be the victory that pushes them a seed higher. We’re simply suggesting that the Boilermakers will show up today and should that come to pass, the Wildcats are ripe to get whacked.
It is a well-documented fact that Northwestern is the only Power-5 Conference team that has NEVER make it to the Main Event. That all changed on Wednesday when the Wildcats defeated Michigan in what has to be the most thrilling and historic victory ever for this program. That last second miracle play sent Northwestern’s players, coaches, fans and alumni into a frenzy that they still haven’t come down from. With that victory, Northwestern moved to 21-9 overall. With their victory over the Badgers in Wisconsin three weeks ago combined with yesterday’s victory over Michigan, every bracketologist has the Wildcats a lock to get in. Jerry Palm of CBS Sports actually said he thought Northwestern would be in even without beating Michigan. Joe Lunardi has the Wildcats heading west to take on Virginia Tech. Shelby Mast (USA Today) sees Northwestern heading the opposite direction. Her latest bracket predicts the Wildcats going to the Villanova-led East Region for a rematch with Virginia Tech from last year’s Big Ten-ACC Challenge. Regardless, everyone has the Wildcats penciled in and now this game is going to take a back seat to everything else that is going on. It’s Senior Day. This Northwestern team is the first ever to make it to March Madness. It is going to be a hugely emotional day for players, coaches and fans but that emotion is not going to take place on the court. The Wildcats are in one of the biggest letdown spots we have ever seen and it seems near impossible for them to have a big game against a juggernaut opponent like the Boilermakers.
Wunderdog
Golden State @ New York
Pick: New York +10.5
Golden State won the first meeting 103-90 on Dec. 15 as the Knicks covered as a 17-point underdog, and now New York is getting double digits with the Warriors coming off two losses and playing without injured Kevin Durant. It was the first time the Warriors have dropped two straight regular season games since April 2015. Golden State shot just 38.6 percent in its 94-87 loss to Chicago on Thursday and just 20.0 percent on six of 30 shooting from three-point range. Stephen Curry scored 23 points, but made only 10 of 27 field goals. The Knicks have covered two of their last three, but lost 105-102 at Philadelphia on Friday with Lance Thomas scoring a season-high 21 points. Golden State is 0-5 ATS its last five games overall and 0-4 ATS its last four road contests.
Alex Smart
Boston vs. Phoenix
Play: Phoenix +6.5
The Suns are off two consecutive top tier performances , thanks to a reserve group that has performed at a hight level. The Suns smashed the Charlotte Hornets 120-103 and the Oklahoma City Thunder 118-111 on Thursday and Friday. Now with the momentum of those wins behind them, I expect they will be confident enough to play a talented Celtics crew very tough tonight in the desert. Yes, the Celtics are off two straight wins, with the first one coming at home vs the Cleveland Cavaliers. The second win came on the road after the team flew West to the west coast to play the Lakers, as they were still feeling good after their above mentioned win vs the Cavs. But as alot of us know, jet lag has a delay effect, and now I expect the Celtics to be on tired legs in this spot and susceptible to being upset. I know the Suns are also a little tired playing, their 3rd game in 4 nights, but they are one of the leagues better conditioned teams as is evident by HC Watson Suns going 17-6 ATS L/23 when playing their 3rd game in 4 days . PHOENIX is also 15-6 ATS in non-conference games this season.
Ken Thomson
UNC-Greensboro -123
I've followed the Southern Conference wire to wire so far.....a couple tidbits...Chattanooga was a MAJOR disappointment and was already knocked out of the tournament yesterday by Wofford.....the Terriers are playing pretty solid ball right now. Furman also got knocked out yesterday after a solid year but the team that deserves the most credit is UNC Greensboro. The Spartans are ( 24-8 ) on the season and finished first in Conference. After two separate 6-game winning streaks earlier in the season, NC Greensboro now finds themselves on an eight game win streak including a home win by 19 points againt Wofford on February 15th. The Terriers also beat UNCG by 19 points back in late January so the slate is even at 1-1 with the rubber match today. If the Spartans can slow down the solid 3-point shooting of Wofford they should be able to grind out a victory and advance to the Final tomorrow night vs. ETSU-Samford game. Three players lead the way for the Spartans with Francis Alonso ( 15 ppg )- Diante Baldwin ( 13 ppg / 4 apg ) and RJ White ( 13 ppg / 7 RB ). Alonso is one of the best 3-point shooters in the nation at just under 49% with ( 95 for 196 ) triples on the season. Speaking of three's.....that's the key for Greensboro to win.....slowing down the Wofford 3-point barrage that will be attempted by Magee, Garcia & Hoover. The trio has made ( 235 of 566 ) trifectas on the season. Should be a fun game but I'm looking for UNCG to win a close one by 4-8 points.