Joyce Sterling
10* Air Force +1
King Creole
LAC / MIA Over 190
Miami / La Clips:
The SERIES between these two has gone 7-1 O/U in the last 8 games (6-0 O/U IN Miami). Avg OU line: 189.5. Avg total points scored: a whopping 201.4. That's an average OU margin of +11.9 points per game. The HEAT is 7-1 O/U in their last 8 games vs LOSING ( points in a '0/0' REST situation with n OU Line of 205 points in a game that went OVER the Total (CLIPS).
30-14 O/U since December: All NON-conference underdogs of 4 > points with an OU line of 205 .500) teams. the MAVERICKS are 6-0 O/U on 1 day REST... 6-1 O/U off a DD SU win... 5-0 O/U In their last 5 roles as a favorite... 5-1 O/U after allowing 100 > points... 5-0 O/U off an ATS win... and 5-1 O/U vs .400 points with an OU line of 205 points.
8-1 O/U since December: All NBA home favs of .500) teams... 4-0 O/U off an ATS loss... 4-0 O/U away vs an UNRESTED opp... 4-1 O/U as Wednesday DOGS... and 5-1 O/U after allowing 100 > points. The CELTICS are 5-0 O/U as Wed HF's 10 points with an OU line of 205 < points (CLIPPERS / GRIZZLIES / NETS).
6-0 O/U last 6 weeks: All NON-conference home favs playing with NO REST and off a SU loss (HEAT / CELTICS).
8-1 O/U last 6 weeks: All NBA road teams playing off a SU home win BUT an ATS loss (GRIZZ)... versus an opponent off a SU loss (CELTICS).
KELSO
5 Units South Flor +6.5
5 Units Marquette -3.5
5 Units Southern Mississippi -6.5
25 Units Ok State -7
5 Units Nuggets -7.5
Matt Fargo
Iowa State at Texas
Pick: 10* Texas -8.5
I have faded Texas numerous times down the stretch this season and a lot of those times it paid off as the Longhorns simply fell apart and struggled down the stretch. Because they started the season 17-0 and were ranked number one in the country at one point, they were overvalued in a lot of situations as the linesmakers had no choice but to inflate those lines based on public perception. However, I feel the value is actually on the side of Texas now and a lot of that is because of the first meeting between these two teams. The Longhorns were favored by eight points at Iowa St. less than two months back and that would have made them roughly a 12-point favorite on a neutral floor. Now Texas is favored by only nine points and while that first meeting was when Texas was playing good, this is a team no one should want to face come tournament time. Iowa St. came into the season with lofty expectations but it was another disappointing campaign as it finished 4-12 in the conference. Even though his numbers are solid, forward Craig Brackins took a step backwards and once projected as a lottery pick, that is not the case anymore. Some sources have called him lazy with the inability to make adjustments when needed. He had a very average game in the first meeting against Texas and he will likely struggle again against the solid Longhorns frontcourt. The Cyclones picked up an improbable road win at Kansas St. in their last game and while it may be a confidence boost, I do not see a repeat. The victory over the Wildcats snapped a 21-game road losing streak against ranked teams and while Texas is not ranked, I consider it right there. Texas’ depth will be a chief concern for the thin Cyclones. One of the biggest drawbacks for Texas was its ability to shoot free throws, which it simply could not do. The Longhorns have improved dramatically in that category, hitting 71.9 percent over their last five games and overall, they are hitting just 2.4 percent less than what the Cyclones are hitting from the line. The normal disadvantage is negated by the inability of Iowa St. to hit those foul shots as well. Other than that, Texas has advantages across the board, most notable offensive efficiency and overall efficiency. The Longhorns have an overall efficiency rating differential of +18.9 which is the second biggest of all of the conference games on the board today and that is a major difference. When we see a difference that big, we are usually dealing with a big double-digit line but that is not the case here. The Cyclones are 3-13 ATS in their last 16 games coming off a win as an underdog and they are 4-16-1 ATS in their last 21 games as underdogs between 7.0 and 12.5 points. Texas has been a non-covering machine of late but this is the time the gas pedal is pushed to the limit. 10* Texas Longhorns.
Derek Mancini
25 Units Texas -9
5 Units Philadelphia 76er +1
NHL PRO PICKS
Dallas +155
TIM TRUSHEL
20* Notre Dame Under
St Johns Under
Celtics Under
BEN BURNS
NON CONFERENCE BEST BET - DETROIT PISTONS +5.5
DIVISIONAL GAME OF THE MONTH - TIMBERWOLVES +7.5
FALSE FAVORITE GOM - CAL POLY SLO +2.5
PERSONAL FAVORITE - TEXAS LONGHORNS
BLUE CHIP - IOWA ST/TEXAS UNDER 145.5
SITUATIONAL GOM - PHOENIX COYOTES
ANNIHILATOR - CHICAGO BLACKHAWKS
Primetime Sports Advisors
20 Units Stephen F Austin
15 Units SMU
15 Units Missouri
15 Units Cal Fullerton
Lenny Stevens
10* Georgetown
10* Tulsa
10* Wash St
PPP
5% Georgetown
5% Texas Tech
5% Marquette
5% Missouri
4% East Carolina
4% Southern Miss
John Fina
Georgia Tech
Sal Devito
5* Oklahoma St
Clayton Rice
3* Charlotte
3* Tulsa
Tony Taylor
3* Nuggets/Twolves Over 216
3* Knicks/Spurs Over 207
Rex Rodgers
3* Chicago Blackhawks -180
Aalatex
15* Cal Poly
Cincy
Scott Delaney
60-Dime OKLAHOMA STATE COWBOYS
Been a long time since Billy Tubbs was in charge, and the Sooners were a threat to anyone in the Big 12. And though these two split the regular-season series, I have to side with the much-better Cowboys in this opening-round showdown. After losing in overtime in the first meeting, Oklahoma State throttled the Sooners, 97-76, on Feb. 13. The Cowboys have now covered three of the last four meetings.
And when you factor in junior guard James Anderson, who was the unanimous pick of the conference coaches for Big 12 Player of the Year, it’s hard to imagine the Cowboys allowing Oklahoma to stay close. He was also a unanimous All-Big 12 first team selection.
Anderson averaged 22.9 points, which currently leads the conference by 3.7 points over the next highest scorer, and also ranks fifth in the Big 12 in field goal percentage and 14th in the league in rebounding (6.0 per game).
Thus, my biggest question is how in the world will the 288th scoring defense stop Anderson? The Sooners allowed 73.4 points per game on 45.4 percent shooting, which ranked 280th in the nation.
The Sooners have looked horrible down the stretch, losing eight straight on the hardwood and six of eight to the books. Six of those eight losses came by double digits, while the average margin of loss was 11.6 points. The biggest loss was the 21-point thumping at the hands of Oklahoma State. The Sooners are also in on ATS slides of 2-5 after a straight-up loss, 3-8 against winning teams, 1-4 on neutral sites and 3-9 overall – all in Big 12 play.
As for the Cowboys, they closed the season on a winning run of 5-2 both SU and ATS, with the wins coming by average margin of 12 points. Checking the betting trends, the OSU is on winning streaks of 4-0 against losing teams, 23-8 on neutral courts, 19-8 off a straight-up win, 5-2 in conference play, 16-7 after covering and 26-10 overall.