The Duke's Sports
Texas (-11) for 2 Units
The Longhorns have dropped four straight in this series and should win this one with authority. Texas is well rounded offensively, defensively stifling, and very strong on the boards. This game should be overwhelming for Bears' PG A.J. Walton, who is having trouble filling the shoes of the departed Tweety Carter. The Bears have shown their inconsistencies at 0-5 ATS off a SU win. And Baylor controls a 1-5 ATS mark as a road dog. Texas is strong as chalk this year at 7-1 ATS and 10-1 ATS against teams with a winning % above .600. Texas the call.
Evan Altemus
1* UCLA -12
UCLA is playing better and better and they have been great at home lately. They are 4-1 ATS and 5-0 straight up in their last 5 home games. The Bruins have shown an ability to beat teams by margin, especially lately and at home. Meanwhile, Oregon State has shown an ability to lose by margin and are coming off of a double digit loss at USC in their last game. The Beavers have really had a hard time scoring, being held under 60 points in several recent games. That's not a good match-up against a UCLA team that has played better and better defense as the season has progressed. Look for the Bruins to win by margin.
Nick "BookieKiller" Parsons
10* Idaho +7.5
For a number of different reasons I believe the value in this contest is on the
The Vandals are 13-7-1 ATS their last 21, including 5-3-1 ATS their last nine on the road; on Wednesday they massively upset Utah State 64-56 as 9-point underdogs; that was this teams second straight win and suffice to say I expect it to continue to build momentum as it looks to avenge an earlier loss to rival Boise State.
This is a spot that Idaho has excelled in all year; 8-4 ATS as an underdog; 8-3 ATS vs. conference opponents and 8-2 ATS when playing against a team with a winning record.
On the other side of the court: Boise State is 9-13 ATS its last 22, including just 3-6 ATS its last nine in front of the home town crowd; on Thursday they beat Fresno State 75-61 as 7 1/2-point favorites; that victory snapped a four game losing streak with losses coming to: New Mexico State (87-96 in OT as a "pick"); Louisiana Tech (60-70 as 5 1/2-point favorites); Hawaii (66-73 as 13-point favorites); and Utah State (77-49 as 11-point underdogs).
This is a position that Boise State has struggled in all year; just 6-9 ATS as a favorite; 1-10 ATS vs. conference opponents and 2-7 ATS when playing against a team with a winning record.
Bottom line: This is a huge game for both teams; the last time they met the Broncos won 70-67 on January 22nd in Moscow.
I believe that Idaho rides the wave of momentum this evening after their second win over a ranked team.
These teams are similar in that they rely on balanced scoring; Idaho has five players averaging between 8.9 and 11.4 points per game, and Boise State has four between 9.6 and 14.4 points per game.
"If you're going to win a big game, you've got to make winning plays, and that means getting the loose balls, taking some charges, making a key block, making the extra pass," Idaho coach Don Verlin said.
Idaho also has the advantage of having an extra day off between games; overwhelming factors that all point to the visitors as the prudent wager in this situation; 10* "BOOKIEKILLER" on IDAHO!
Marc Lawrence
3 Units Tennessee +5.5
The Gators upset of the Volunteers earlier this year in Knoxville should no longer be a surprise considering that the favorite in Florida games is a head-turning 3-16 ATS this season. That number can mostly be attributed to the Gators' 3-8 ATS mark at the O'Connell Center and ties in nicely to Tennessee's 10-4 ATS mark in this series when taking points. The Vols are also a relentless 6-0 ATS in this matchup when seeking revenge and that number should improve if they continue to play to the level of their competition this season. In fact, when facing less than .770 opposition, Tennessee is just 4-8 ATS. However, when taking on a .770 or greater foe, Bruce Pearl's boys have sung Rocky Top on six of eight occasions. And speaking of Pearl, this is just his second game back from an eight-game suspension. The Vols dropped the first one at Kentucky so we'll expect a focused effort as they try to close the gap in the SEC East. With the Gators arriving off a double-revenger with South Carolina, it looks like another dog-day late afternoon in Gainesville. Vols, outright. We recommend a 3-unit play on Tennessee.
David Malinsky
4* Washington St -6.5
For all of the numbers crunching that we can do to break down the strengths and weaknesses of basketball teams, sometimes the sport just “happens”, and generates a scoreboard result that is rather shocking, but also simply does not mean all that much. If you saw Stanford’s 45-28 halftime lead here in Pullman on Thursday night you were witnessing just such an event – a Cardinal team that entered the game shooting 30.3 percent from 3-point range in Pac 10 play exploded from the gate by nailing their first seven triples. That is not hitting a spin on a roulette wheel; it is closer to cashing a lottery ticket. Yet the markets can not help but stamp that final score with their seal of approval, which means outstanding value to back the Cougars in a setting in which they now bring a chip on their shoulder for multiple reasons, Thursday’s embarrassing loss being one, and also that earlier bitter O.T. loss to these Bears in Berkeley. Or rather, to some of these Bears.
The key for Cal in that home O.T. win was the play of FR Allen Crabbe, who scored 30 points, knocking down 4-6 from 3-point range. It was an early coming of age for Crabbe, who leads the team in minutes played in Pac 10 action, while also second in scoring, second in rebounds, and third in assists. But we do not expect to see him here – he suffered a mild concussion at Washington on Thursday night and did not practice yesterday. It can be a major blow for a young team that lacks depth (Crabbe is one of four players that average at least 33.6 minutes in league play), especially with little prep time for Mike Montgomery to re-work the chemistry. And given the way they melted down at Washington on Thursday after Crabbe left the floor, confidence will be a major issue.
The Cougars have no such confidence issues – they have already beaten Washington, Arizona State and both Oregon schools by more than this spread on this court in Pac 10 play, while also routing Gonzaga here by 22. They were simply left helpless against that brilliant, and unexpected, Stanford shooting on Thursday (the game plan against the Cardinal is to show a lot of zone and make them shoot from the perimeter, which they did), all the while their own pendulums got stretched out pretty far when they knocked down just 3-18 themselves from long range. Now they bring the focus and energy to break this one open against a young and fragile team, and going from a night start on Thursday to this late afternoon tip-off challenges that Cal lack of depth even more.
Sports Bank
500 Cal Irvine
Gameday Sports
3* Richmond
3* Texas
3* Seton Hall
3* Valparaiso
Kelso
200 Units Nebraska
Oregon
San Francisco
Larry Ness
10* UNLV
10* Michigan
9* Southern Cal
8* Colorado
8* Houston U
8* Nebraska
8* San Jose St
8* Vandy
8* Wisconsin
8* Villanova
Helmut
Northern Illinois Over 142
MTi Sports
4'* Kings Over
4* Bucks
4* Spurs Under
Scott Spreitzer
Utah
Nebraska
Seton Hall
Sam Paolini
20* Wash Under
10* Toronto
10* Minnesota
Ben Burns
Rockets
Washington U
Villanova
Colorado
Tampa Bay Lightning
St. Louis/Minnesota Under
KELSO
200 Units Nebraska -4.5
25 Units Pacers +2
10 Units Louisville -2
10 Units Wisconsin -1.5
5 Units Oregon +7.5
5 Units San Francisco +9.5
3 Units UNLV -1
3 Units Vanderbilt -1