Jeff Benton
40 Dime Marquette
93-63 and 96-67. Those are the final scores of the last two meetings between Providence and Marquette on Marquette’s home floor. And no, the visiting Friars didn’t come out on top in either game. In fact, the Golden Eagles are 6-1 SU and 5-2 ATS all-time against Providence, winning each of the last five meetings overall and all four meetings at the Bradley Center in Milwaukee (by an average of 19 ppg!).
Past history is hardly the only reason for this play. There’s also the fact that the Friars can’t win on the road no matter where they go. They’ve lost all eight true road games this season, and you can point to two reasons for their road woes: 1) They shoot just 37.8 percent from the field (including 27 percent from beyond the three-point arc); and 2) They surrender nearly 85 ppg while allowing opponents to hit nearly 50 percent of their shots.
Then again, defense has been a problem all season long for the Friars. In their last five games alone – all losses to Big East opponents – they’ve given up 83, 75, 79, 93 and 94 points. And going back to Jan. 31, Providence has lost six of its last seven games (2-5 ATS) while yielding an average of 81 ppg.
While Providence is in a 1-6 funk, Marquette is coming off conseceutive impressive wins over Seton Hall (73-64 as a 7 ½-point home favorite) and UConn (74-67 in OT as a 4½-point road underdog). Also, the Golden Eagles’ 13-3 home record features solid victories and spread-covers over West Virginia (79-74), Notre Dame (79-57) and Syracuse (76-70).
Admittedly, Marquette hasn’t been much of a moneymaker lately (4-5 ATS last nine games, all in conference). Still, the Eagles are 25-12-1 ATS in their last 38 Big East contests, and they’ve also cashed in 11 of their last 16 home games. On top of that, Providence has just one cover in its last six on the highway, and Marquette has gotten to the window in each of its last four games against the Friars, cashing each time as a favorite.
Blowout city here, guys. Lay the points with confidence as Marquette continues its dominance of Providence.
Sam Paolini
20* Devils -135
Calgary -1.5 +200
Jimmy Boyd
3* Lakers +1
3* LaSalle -1.5
LPW Sports Forecast
6 Units Oklahoma City +1
6 Units Phoenix/Indiana Over 213.5
2-Minute Warning
10 Dime Cincinnati
Al DeMarco
15 Dime Wisconsin
10 Dime Washington
5 Dime Cincinnati
Andy Fanelli
50 Dime Michigan State
30 Dime Memphis Grizzlies
30 Dime Orlando Magic
Anthony Redd
40 Dime Pittsburgh.
Brett Atkins
20 Dime Purdue
Chuck O'Brien
50 Dime Memphis Grizzlies
Craig Davis
40 Dime Xavier
Derek Mancini
20 Dime Miami Heat
Joel Tyson
20 Dime North Carolina
10 Dime Dallas
Matt Rivers
200,000♦ Pittsburgh
Trace Adams
1000♦ Oklahoma City
500♦ Louisville
Chip Chirimbes
Xavier vs. Dayton
Play: Dayton +3
Two huge rivals that always bring the crowd to its feet when Xavier (21-6, 12-1) plays in Dayton against the Flyers (19-9, 7-6). Dayton is 14-3 at home where the hosts have won seven straight in this series and nine of the last 10. Despite winning only 4 times in their last 21 Sunday contests and the favorite winning 14 of the last 19 the Flyers are the side.
Steve Budin
Orlando Magic
Tim Trushel
Spurs Under
EZWinners
Mich St
Keith Glantz
50* Xavier
50* Louisville
50* Maryland
50* Michigan St.
Larry Ness
9* Daytime Dominator - UConn +3.5
Not much was expected of UConn this season after the Huskies finished 16-16 last year with an opening round loss in the NIT. However, Kemba Walker and an excellent freshman class got UConn off to a terrific start in 2010-11. The Huskies won the Maui Tournament early on, beating then-No. 2 Michigan st and then-No. 9 Kentucky. UConn would open 10-0 and a Jan 8 win in OT at Texas kicked off a six-game winning streak which left them at 17-2 and ranked 5th in the nation. However, the Huskies have lost FIVE of eight since, including two straight as they visit Cincinnati on Sunday. UConn lost 74-67 in OT at home vs Marquette in its last outing, the team's first contest since the NCAA leveled sanctions against the program over recruiting violations. Calhoun will be suspended for next season's first three Big East games but he will be back on the bench here, after missing Thursday's game to be with his family following the death of his sister-in-law. Cincinnati is 22-6 (9-6) but played a very 'soft' non-conference schedule. Mick Cronin's is looking for his first NCAA berth in five seasons as Cincy and a win over UConn would all but lock an at-large bid up. However, I'm taking the Huskies here, who are even more desperate. UConn comes in 20-7 but its 8-7 Big East record leaves the Huskies tied for ninth in the Big East and only the top-eight teams receive a bye in the upcoming conference tournament. What's more, Calhoun's team will well-remember seeing a five-game winning streak over Cincinnati end last year, when the Bearcats won BOTH meetings over the Huskies. Walker (23.0-5.3-4.5) has not been "lights out" like in the early part of the season lately but he's still averaging more than double the points of any Bearcat. In fact, note that Cincy's three-top scorers, guard Dixon (11.2), the 6-9 Yates (11.1-6.7) and guard Kilpatrick (9.9) all came off the bench in the team's latest win, a 58-46 win at Georgetown. Freshman guards Lamb (9.6-4.7) and Napier (8.0-3.0 APG) join Walker on the perimeter with the 6-9 Oriakhi (10.4-8.7) and 6-8 freshman Smith (6.8-5.5) being the biggest frontcourt contributors for UConn. The Bearcats hold opponents to 58.2 PPG (6th in the nation) but when has a Calhoun team ever shied away from a defense game? UConn holds opponents to 39.2 percent from the floor (ranks 13th) and while Cincy owns a deeper bench, UConn owns the "difference-maker" in Walker. Take the points!
Mike Lineback
LA Lakers
Portland 1st Half -2.5
Dr Bob
Sunday College Opinions
West Virginia (-3½) over RUTGERS
West Virginia is coming off a 13 point loss to Pitt, but Mountaineers’ coach Bobby Huggins is 79-49-4 ATS in his coaching career following a loss, including 45-9-2 ATS after a loss of 8 points or more. My ratings favor the Mounties by 3 ½ points using all games this season, but by only 2 points using conference games only and Huggins’ squad clearly isn’t playing as well as they did earlier in the season. I’ll lean with West Virginia based on Huggins’ career trend after a big loss.
Massachusetts (+2) over LA SALLE
LaSalle is just 22-48-2 ATS in home games under coach John Giannini, including 6-34 ATS when facing a team with a win percentage of .400 or higher and not getting at least 5 points (0-15 ATS recently). Unfortunately, LaSalle isn’t favored by as much as I think they should be so I’ll just lean with U Mass as an underdog in this game. I’d take Massachusetts in a 2-Star Best Bet at +3 or more.
Passing NBA/NCAAB
Helmut
Wisconsin Under 129
JB Sports
3* Thunder
2* Blazers