Info Plays
3* Lakers -6
Reasons why the Lakers will cover:
1) Los Angeles is one of a few teams that can really match up well with Dwight Howard of the Magic, and even though Howard and the Magic won easily at home against the Lakers early in the season, this Lakers teams is on a mission right now, and will not lose to the Magic on their home court.
2) The Lakers are 8-2 ATS in their last 10 games overall, and are 6-1 ATS in their last 7 games vs. a team with a winning S.U. record.
3) Play on favorites of 3.5 to 9.5 points - revenging a loss where team scored less than 85 points, in a game involving two good teams (60% to 75%). It's 32-10 over the last 5 seasons.
Jack Jones
Miami Heat -4.5
The Miami Heat suffered their worst loss of the season in San Antonio the last time these teams got together. The Heat lost 95-125 on the road on March 4th which was part of a 5-game losing streak for Miami. This has been a very streaky team all season, and the Heat are getting hot coming into the rematch. They beat the defending champion Lakers 94-88 followed by a blowout victory over Memphis 118-85 heading into this contest.
The Heat will be out for revenge against a Spurs team that is just 3-8 ATS in their last 11 games overall. Miami is 24-9 at home this season, winning by 9.2 PPG. The Spurs are 1-5 ATS in their last 6 games vs. a team with a winning S.U. record. San Antonio is 1-5 ATS in their last 6 games playing on 1 days rest. The Heat are 5-2 ATS in their last 7 vs. Western Conference foes. Look for one of the best performances of the season from an inspired and motivated Miami team tonight. Bet the Heat Monday.
Dave Price
1 Unit on Miami Heat -4.5
A win over the two-time defending NBA champion Lakers has sparked the Heat, which went on to destroy Memphis by 33 Saturday. Now, the Heat appear poised to avenge the 125-95 defeat they were handed at San Antonio early this month - easily their most embarrassing loss of the season. The Spurs are 3-8 ATS in their last 11 games overall and 1-5 ATS in their last 6 games vs. a team with a winning SU record. The Heat are 5-2 ATS in their last 7 vs. the Western Conference. Lay the points.
Larry Ness
Buffalo @ Quinnipiac
PICK: Quinnipiac +2
College basketball’s postseason kicks off tonight with Buffalo visiting Quinnipiac in the third-annual CollegeInsider.com Tournament. The Bulls finished 18-13 (8-8 in the MAC) but hardly played well down the stretch, losing seven of their last 11 games. Filzen (15.7) and Mulkey (13.5-3.9-4.5) form an imposing guard duo, joined by 6-5 swingmen Barrett (6.6-4.7) and the 6-7 Robinson (5.4-2.5) plus the 6-9 Watt (8.0-5.4) in the starting lineup. The 6-6 McCrea (11.5-6.5) comes off the bench and is the team's best frontcourt producer. Quinnipiac finished 22-9 overall and 13-5 in the Northeast Conference. The Bobcats, unlike the Bulls, have played well down the stretch, winning 10 of their last 12 games. The losses came at LIU (league regular season and tourney champs) and in the conference tourney to two-time defending champs Robert Morris, 64-62. Three guards are in the starting lineup, including Johnson (16.1-4.2-3.6) and Twyman (12.8-3.8-3.4), who should match up favorably with Filzen and Mulkey. The 6-7 Rutty (14.6-9.5) will be the best frontcourt player in this game, having averaged 14.9-10.1 the last three seasons. The 6-7 Jackson (6.5-4.9) joins him in the starting lineup (the fifth starter is guard Brown, averaging 6.2-4.9) with two freshman coming off the bench, guard Langston (7.1-4.4) and the 6-6 Azotam (5.2-5.5). James Johnson and Justin Rutty both earned All-NEC First-Team honors and the Bobcats led the nation in offensive rebounds (16.1 per game) while finishing second in rebounding as a whole (42.3 RPG). The Bulls went 5-9 SU on the road this year and then lost its lone neutral-site game at the MAC tourney in Cleveland last Thursday to Kent St. Quinnipiac is making its second straight postseason appearance, the only ones for the team at the Division I level but this year, the setting is much different. The Bobcats were the No. 1 seed in the NEC last year but lost on their home court 52-50 to Robert Morris in the title game. A full week later, the team traveled to Blacksburg to play Va Tech in the NIT’s opening round and got hammered, losing 81-61. The team is in a much better frame of mind this time around plus gets a home game against a very beatable foe. Head coach Tom Moore spent 13 years as an UConn assistant under Calhoun and now in his fourth season, is ready to get a postseason win. Take those Bobcats.
Sam Martin
San Antonio Spurs at Miami Heat
Prediction: San Antonio Spurs
Despite Miami's comeback win over the Lakers last week, we're still not sold on the Heat quite yet. LA lost that game due to a huge offensive rebounding performance by Miami, and we don't expect San Antonio to give up that many rebounds here tonight. The Spurs are a one of the best road teams in the NBA and we think they'll come out with extra focus after losing big at home against the Lakers in their last big showdown against one of the league's elite teams. Spurs have a good chance of winning outright, and an excellent chance of staying within this generous number.
Sac Lawson
Buffalo -1.5
Simply put, this team is better than Kent St and Akron both. This was the best team in the MAC. Don't get me wrong, I fully understand the amount of sharp bettors that are going to see a small school from the NEC that is getting the first round game on their home floor, and see tons of value in that. And there would be value in this situation, if they weren't playing Buffalo.
A lot of people will look at Quinnipiac's rebounding ability and be impressed, keep in mind those stats are compiled against one of the easiest schedules in the country, literally. If Buffalo played their schedule, they'd lose two or three games, tops. But the public already knwos that. Here's my problem with Quinnipiac: They don't get to the line, and when they do, they shoot free throws terribly. They don't force turnovers, and they don't necessarily defend the post very well.
Buffalo will have a size advantage down low, they'll be able to get to the line, and they'll be able to enforce their will on the glass (regardless of what statistics may tell you). Buffalo has more experience, more explosiveness offensively, more versatility in their personnel, and the pure talent to win this tournament. Quinnipiac has home court edge as a small school that is just happy to be playing right now. That's a big edge, don't get me wrong. But I really like this Buffalo squad, and I'm very hesitant to be confident in a Quinnipiac team that was poor offensively, even against some of the worst teams in the nation. Taking Buffalo for 1.5 units.