Steam On-Line Guaranteed Selections
LATE STEAM COLLEGE HOOPS BOMB
Louisville -20
Matt Fargo
8* VCU Rams
Old Dominion had its eight-game winning streak snapped last week at Northeastern as it fell by 10 points to the Huskies. The Monarchs did bounce back at home against William & Mary on Wednesday as it won by 19 points in a game was closer than the final score indicates. Playing on the road has been a roller coaster this season for Old Dominion who comes in with a 6-4 record in road games. Included in that record was a huge win at Georgetown and that is looking more and more of simply a bad game for the Hoyas than a good game for the Monarchs. The other five road victories came against William & Mary, who is having a solid season, but the other four came against teams ranked 278th, 264th, 186th and 230th. As a comparison, VCU comes into this game ranked 64th. Obviously this is a big game for the Monarchs to keep pace at the top of the standings but it may not matter as this is just as big of a game for the Rams as well. VCU comes in riding a three-game winning streak as well as wins in seven of its last eight games so it is definitely riding some momentum. The Rams are two games behind the three-team logjam in first place in the CAA so a win here will at least push it closer with five games left in conference action. Three of those are on the road and two are against Old Dominion and George Mason so protecting its home court is a must this late in the season. First place may be out of the question but right now it is about conference seedings as well as byes and early round games against lower ranked teams are of the utmost importance. The top four seeds receive byes in the CAA Tournament. The Rams are 11-1 at home this season with the lone loss coming against Northeastern and as a matter of fact, VCU is 24-2 in its last 26 home games with both of those losses coming against the Huskies so that tells me there have been matchup issues. That should not be the case here as VCU, despite being ranked 23 spots lower in the power rankings, have advantages in several important categories. Namely, offensive efficiency, free throw shooting and assist/turnover ratio, three of the biggest ones in my opinion. The Rams have an offensive efficiency rating of 113.2 which is top in the conference and good for 29th in the nation. The Monarchs bring in a solid defense to slow down the offense but playing on the road has not been nearly as good as playing at home where the defense has been stifling. VCU has an edge at the free throw line of seven percent and that jumps to over nine percent in home/road games and over the last five games, VCU is hitting 80 percent from the stripe while Old Dominion is hitting just 66.3 percent. That type of variance can be the deciding factor in a win or loss or a cover or non-cover. The assist/turnover ratio is not that significant overall but it is still an advantage and that always is a plus. The Monarchs are 1-7 ATS in their last eight road games against a team with a winning home record while the Rams are 10-3 ATS in their last 13 games against a team with a winning record. 8* VCU Rams
Cal Sports
4* SA Spurs
4* Va
4* Pitt
3* Ball St
3* Fordam
3* UCLA
3* Neb
3* Creighton
Great Lakes Sports
5* GOY Wichita St
4* KSU
4* Drake
3* St Louis
3* Wash St
4* SA
3* Chic
3* Hou
Tom Stryker
5* NM
3* L'ville
3* St Mary's
3* UAB
Marc Lawrence
4 Units Oklahoma
3 Units Utah Jazz
3 Units San Antonio Spurs
Sammy Jankus
Always play the OTHER SIDE of my game writeup.
Memphis at Minnesota
5* MEMPHIS -3
No doubt about it – the most INSANE line I've seen in a long time. Exhibit A: The Timberwolves, who are finally playing like an NBA team, enter off last night's 117-108 road win at Dallas as 10-point dogs. Exhibit B: The Grizzlies got POUNDED at home last night by 18 points in a SU favorite loss to Houston. Exhibit C: Minnesota is actually a home underdog in tonight's matchup! Folks, you don't have to be Steven Hawking to figure out who I like in this game… I'm putting every last penny I can find on the T'Wolves – so your play is on MEMPHIS.
The Duke's Sports
Michigan (pick) for 3 Units
The Wolverines desperately need a win and should come out with a sense of urgency here after all, the Wolves are 5-0 ATS off a SU loss. And Michigan sports a 7-0 ATS home mark vs a road team with less than a .400 win % as a traveler. The Badgers have had trouble on the road and really have a hard time finding their range on the perimeter. We'll look for Michigan zone to clog the inside penetrating lanes and force the Badgers to shoot the 3. On the other hand, the Badgers are vulnerable to the 3 on the road at 41%; consequently, we'll look for Harris and Sims to work their magic with penetration and kick-outs. It will be tough for the Badgers to hit their 8th straight win over the Wolverines here. We'll take Michigan.
Bob Balfe
SA Spurs -3.5
Lenny Stevens
20* Clemson
20* Richmond
10* Kansas St
10* Florida State
RAS
Santa Clara +7.5
Gonzaga +4
UTEP -6
Eastern Michigan -2
Teddy Covers
BYU
Creighton
Baylor
Erin Rynning
Playmaker: Milwaukee Over 206
New Orleans +8.5
Teddy June
All 10*
Dayton
Richmond
Texas Tech
UNLV
Michigan
Texas A&M
WAYNE ROOT
BILLIONAIRE GOY- Michigan
PERFECT PLAY - UNLV
NO LIMIT- Providence
Millionaire - Texas A&M
Legend - Dayton