Wayne Root
Millionaire - Virginia Tech -5½
Billionaire - Ga. Tech -5.5
No Limit - TCU +5
Teddy June
10* Miss St
ROCKETMAN
5* Sac Kings
4* Okla City
3* Portland Blazers
3* Tenn Martin
TONY GEORGE
NCAA Small Conference Game of the Month
Eastern Illinois -4
Eastern Illinois making a push for a Ohio Valley conference tourney bid, as they are a game out, and Tenn Martin just a deplorable team whom I can honestly say from their stats and performance index, is out of the conference tourney as the worst team in the Ohio Valley. They also allow 73 ppg and are playing a team who also shoots 80% as a team from the charity stripe. Only the top half of the teams in this conference get to play in a conference tourney and Eastern Illinois can get a winnable road game here if they come in motivated..I like their chances. Play 1 Unit on EIU
RON RAYMOND
5* Mavericks / Thunder Under 195
SPECIAL K
20* K Bomb
Georgia Tech -5.5
Nick "BookieKiller" Parsons
IOWA +4
For a number of different reasons I believe the value in this contest is on Iowa:
DeShawn Sims had 21 of his 27 points for Michigan in the second half, Manny Harris pitched in 20 points, and the Wolverines beat Minnesota 71-63 on Thursday night.
Michigan, the Big Ten’s worst 3-point shooting team, went 7-for-14 from behind the arc and used that confusing, smothering 1-3-1 zone defense to send the Gophers (5-6, 14-9) to a costly defeat.
Keep in mind though that Michigan is a poor 2-7 SU its last nine on the road.
On the other side of the court: The sixth-ranked Boilermakers looked more like coach Matt Painter’s teams from previous years while grinding out a 63-40 win Saturday. JaJuan Johnson had 21 points and 10 rebounds to help Purdue win its seventh straight after a three-game skid.
The Boilermakers held Iowa to 30 percent shooting and outrebounded the Hawkeyes 34-29. It was the fewest points Purdue has allowed in Big Ten play and its largest victory margin in a conference game this season; I expect a rebound tonight.
Remember, Iowa is in fact 6-3 ATS its last nine overall.
Bottom line: Home court advantage can't be overlooked in this case; look for IOWA to improve to 3-1 ATS this year as an underdog of 3 1/2 to 6 points and for Michigan to fall to 4-9 ATS this year when playing the roll of favorite.
6* IOWA
Mike Lineback
DALLAS MAVERICKS +4.5
Dallas will be playing with a shot in the arm tonight in Oklahoma City. Team must be excited about the additons of Butler, Haywood and Stevenson. Not to mention, Mavs are playing with a sense of urgency after struggling since January & after Denver beatdown before break. Believe Dallas are more equipped to handle All-Start break than a younger Thunder team. Dirk & Kidd particapted in All-Star festivities, but are seasoned veterans, and were fortunate to have game hosted in their backyard. On the other hand, Kevin Durant, had a very busy break. The Oklahoman reports, "Durant made a community appearance at an elementary school, had two mega media sessions on Friday and Saturday, served as an assistant coach to the rookies in the annual Rookie Challenge, successfully defended his H-O-R-S-E competition title, made appearances for Nike and Gatorade, attended All-Star Saturday night’s events and played in the big game on Sunday. And we haven’t even mentioned the weekend’s non-stop parties... Durant was noticeably fatigued following Sunday’s game..." Needless to say, tonight's game will be a tough challenge for the young Superstar. Yes, Dallas may be facing some initial acclimation & chemistry issues, but strongly believe Butler, Haywood & Stevenson will be fine tonight. If anyone can ease their transition, it is Jason Kidd. Plus, neither Butler or Haywood need plays called for them. Butler can create his own offense & is a tough defender. Haywood is one of the best young centers in the league--double, double threat on any given night. And Stevenson gives Dallas another defender to slow Durant, along with Marion & Butler. Dallas have won both meetings this season. The dog is 6-1-1 last 8 meetings in this series. Take Dallas.
Lenny Del Genio
15* Division Total of the Week.
Jazz/Rockets Over 202.5
Bob Balfe
Knicks +6.5 over Bulls
This matchup particularly favors the Knicks because of their high-powered offense. Although their defense is not spectacular (although they did hold Chicago to only 81 points in their last meeting), Chicago simply does not have the scoring credentials to be able to keep up with the NY attack. Chicago is arguably the most overvalued team in the NBA right now. It is shocking that they have been battling around .500 all season. The Knicks are statistically a poor road team because of their inability to defend the 3-point game, but Chicago will fail to knock them down, regardless of whether they are contested or not. Duhon historically has always been able to guard Rose fairly well and that will prevent any type of momentum offensively for the Bulls. Look for David Lee to have a very solid game also. The Knicks have a very good chance of walking away with the outright victory tonight, so be safe and take NY with the points!
Kentucky -3 over Mississippi State
At first glance, this looks like a trap bet to take Kentucky, however if you study the matchup, there is valid reasoning behind the oddsmakers setting this line so low. The most obvious reason is that the Bulldogs beat Kentucky last year (as well as the previous 2 seasons) on Kentucky's home court. This year, each team's free throw and 3-point % and shots attempted per game are virtually similar. Obviously, Kentucky is the better basketball team and can only lose when both Cousins and Wall have a poor game. If only one of these two freshman studs have a poor game, Kentucky will still dominate you. The guard play of Mississippi State is no match for Kentucky and Cousins will see a lot of looks, especially in the second half when the Bulldogs place more emphasis on preventing the drive and denying Wall the ball. Again, it seems like a trap bet, but Kentucky will have no problem tonight and will win by a heavy margin, easily covering the spread.
Marc Lawrence
North Carolina +5
As bad as the Tar Heels have been this season and the defending champions have been very, very bad we think this is the perfect opportunity to make a withdrawal from the Carolina Blue Bank. Thanks to the Yellow Jackets’ 73-71 upset of UNC one month ago we know the Tar Heels approach same-season home loss revenge games with the cold determination of an assassin, going 5-0 ATS in their last five outings. They are also 9-4 SU and 10-3 ATS as single-digit dogs with same-season loss revenge, including 8-0 ATS the last eight. The clincher comes courtesy of HC Roy Williams’ record with UNC and Kansas since 1990: 20-11-1 as a dog of 3 or more points including 4-0-1 with revenge and 5-1 SU and 6-0 ATS away with same season revenge.With the Yellow Jackets a pitiful 3-12 SU and 2-12 ATS after facing Wake Forest and an almost-as-bad 4-15 SU and 6-13 ATS in games before Maryland, the points become the play here tonight. Yes, the Heels may be down this year but the Techsters are in a tough spot against the wrong coach here tonight. We recommend a 3-unit play on North Carolina.
Opposite Action Plays
Sacramento Kings +6
ALATEX
15* South Fla -2
PAYNE SPORTS
GOW Miss St +3
RAS
Old Dominion Ov 132.5
VA Commonwealth Un 137
Depaul Ov 129