Bob Balfe
Cavs +2 over Magic
UMass -1 over St. Louis
Wayne Root
Vegas Legend - Wisconsin (-12) over Northwestern
Millionaire - Ohio State (+4½) over Michigan State
KB Hoops
5* Duke -13 *POD*
4* Pittsburgh +1.5
4* St. Louis +1.5
4* Marquette +1.5
3* Michigan St -4
4* Nuggets -4
4* Magic -2
Marc Lawrence
Pittsburgh +2
When we last saw Villanova, they were getting ambushed at home by UConn on Big Monday. Things won’t get any easier this afternoon for Jay Wright’s 3rd-ranked Wildcats as they take to the Big East highway for a matchup with revenge-minded Pitt. The top-seeded Panthers were one win away from a trip to last year’s Final Four before they ran into the Wildcats in the regional finals, dropping a 78-76 heartbreaker. There’s more than one way to skin a Wildcat and our PLAYBOOK database provides plenty of options. For starters, the boys from Philly have dropped their last six SU and their last eight ATS in this building. Jamie Dixon’s Panthers also prowl with a solid 10-4 ATS mark with tourney revenge, including 5-1 ATS at home. They are also 9-0 SU and ATS as a conference pick or dog in games off a SU and ATS win. Despite losing more games this season (6) than they did all of last year (5), the Panthers have only dropped one game at the Petersen Events Center. That makes 35 of 36 SU wins at home. Sweet revenge for the Panthers. We recommend a 4-unit play on Pittsburgh.
Cal Sports
4* Nuggets
3* Dayton
3* Arizona State
Triple Crown
3* Phoenix
Jeff Benton
40 Dime: DUKE
Forget about the fact these teams have virtually the same record, with Duke at 22-4 and Virginia Tech at 21-4. Those won-loss marks could not possibly be more misleading. Because while the Blue Devils were playing non-conference opponents like Arizona State, UConn, Wisconsin, Gonzaga, St. John’s and Georgetown, Virginia Tech was fattening up against the likes of Brown, NC-Greensboro, Campbell, Delaware, VMI, Charleston Southern, Longwood, North Carolina Central and Maryland-Baltimore City.
The best non-conference opponent on the Hokies’ schedule? That would be Temple, and Va-Tech lost 61-50 as a 4½-point neutral-site underdog. The only non-conference opponents from power conferences that the Hokies faced were Iowa, Georgia, Penn State and Seton Hall. Yes, Va-Tech won all four games (by an average of just 7.3 points). But do you know the combined in-conference record of those four teams? How about 13-38!
Put it another way: Duke is 22-4 and ranked sixth in the country. Virginia Tech is 21-4 and hasn’t been ranked all season long. You know why? Because the Hokies have one of the worst schedule strengths of any team in the country – it’s why they’re on the NCAA Tournament bubble despite their 21-4 record.
Back to Duke: Not only have they faced a MUCH tougher slate, but the Blue Devils have annihilated every single opponent that’s come into their gym. We’re talking 14 wins in 14 tries, with 13 of those victories being by double digits (the only exception was a nine-point victory over St. John’s). Duke has played six ACC home games so far – five versus teams that are or were ranked in the Top 25 – and those six wins were by 14, 19, 20, 20, 21 and 21 points. Yes, the Devils covered the spread in all six games.
If that’s not enough to convince you that Virginia Tech is in BIG trouble today, this should: The Blue Devils have won the last three meetings in this series and four of the last five (all SU and ATS). That includes last year’s 25-point home win as a 17-point chalk. Duke has also cashed in five straight Sunday games (all on national TV); Va-Tech is 1-5 ATS in its last six on Sunday.
Bottom line: This is a major, major mismatch. And the fact is, Virginia Tech – which barely eked out home wins over Virginia and Wake Forest in its last two games – has been living on borrowed time. Tonight, the Hokies will get served a huge dose of reality, as Duke – which averages 88.7 ppg on 49.3 percent shooting at home and holds visitors to 61.1 ppg on 38.9 percent shooting – posts yet another blowout win at Cameron Indoor.
JB Sports
3* Portland
Friends of Mike Lee
3* New Orleans
Anthony Redd
25 Dime - St Louis
Brandon Lang
10 DIME - CLEVELAND CAVALIERS
The Cleveland Cavs have not lost 3 games in a row all year long.
I don't see today being the first time.
Back in October when the NBA season first started, the Cavs lost their first 2 games of the year to Boston at home and the following night at Toronto.
They crushed Minnesota by 17 in game 3.
Then December 8th they lost at Memphis by 2 in OT followed by a 10 point loss at Houston the next night.
They came back home to beat Portland in game 3.
Now they find themselves off back-to-back losses to Denver at home by 2 in OT and the next night at Charlotte by 17, matching their previous worse loss by 17 at Washington on November 18th.
This is an angry bunch today.
As for Orlando, they are imploding right before everyones eyes.
They blew another big lead at home to the Mavs to lose outright by 10 bringing their current run to 4-3 SU their last 7 and 3-4 ATS.
What alarms me about this basketball team is how they are melting down against good teams in the 2nd half and that my friends is poor coaching.
Cleveland just knocked off Orlando by 9 in their last meeting and considering the fact the Cavs are 6-0-1 ATS their last 7 games as an underdog, this is good value today.
For the Magic, how about 8-20 ATS as a home favorite of less than 4 points which tells you they don't win or cover close games.
I just don't see Cleveland losing 3 in a row this afternoon and sure as hell not to Orlando.
Cavs are the right side.
5 DIME - DUKE BLUE DEVILS
Great spot for Duke.
At home tonight they get a Virginia Tech team they match up very well against.
The Dukies are on a 8-2 tear SU, and 6-3-1 ATS but they have been doing some serious money making damage at home in every ACC game.
Ask Maryland who just got rocked by 21, or Georgia Tech who got rocked by 19 or how about Florida State who got rocked by 14.$ Or how about Wake Forest who got rocked by 20 or Boston College who got rocked by 20 and Clemson who got rocked by 21.
Every single ACC game has been a blowout cover with exception of the Florida State game and they still covered that by 2.
The Hokies are talented but they are undisciplined and to be took you can't be that type of team and like the 6 ACC teams before them, they will go down by 20 or more today as well.
With Virginia Tech 1-4 ATS last 5 meetings and the Dukies on a 13-3 run ATS at home it's all Duke Blue Devils today.
Roll Duke
FREE PICK - ARIZONA WILDCATS
Tim Trushel
20* Portland
Scott Spreitzer
CBB AFTERNOON ANNIHILATOR *GAME OF THE YEAR!*
Wisconsin
Larry Ness
10* Perfect Storm - Duke
"26-Club" Play - Portland Trailblazers
Craig Davis
75 Dime – VILLANOVA