WUNDERDOG
Wisconsin at Purdue
Pick: Wisconsin +3
The Wisconsin Badgers have dropped three straight games, and now have fallen out of favor with the public and the oddsmakers. If this line came out before the three straight losses, all to very good teams I might add, the Badgers would be a slight favorite. This is now a desperate team that plays rock solid defense and ranks No. 1 in the country, allowing just 35.2%. As long as they play defense like that they will be in every game going forward. Purdue has yet to taste defeat at home where they are 9-0 on the season, but have played against just one legitimately good team in Illinois. Purdue has been awful after covering a game as they are 0-7 ATS following an ATS win. The Badgers' poor offensive performance in previous gamea has been followed by a winner as they have gone 3-0-1 ATS after scoring 50 points or less. Play on Wisconsin.
MTi Sports
Detroit Pistons at Milwaukee Bucks
Prediction: Milwaukee Bucks
Milwaukee is 3-6 this season; a perfect 3-0 at home and a ?perfect? 0-6 on the road. They are off a big with over the Spurs and we expect them to be able to handle the Pistons in this spot. The Bucks are 6-0 ATS (8.8 ppg) with at least one day of rest after a win in which they shot at least ten three-pointers and made at least half of them and 6-0 ATS (5.8 ppg) off a win in which they trailed by 10+ points. Detroit is 3-20 ATS (-8.9 ppg) with rest after a loss in which Tayshaun Prince scored fewer than 10 points. Consider laying the points with Milwaukee.
Lenny Del Genio
Magic at Warriors
Prediction: Over
When these teams met last season, they combined for a record 36 three-pointers made in a 123-120 final in favor of the Warriors. Orlando has scored 104 & 107 points its last two games. They've gone Over 11 of their last 15 visits to Oakland. Play Over Orlando/Golden State.
Jimmy Boyd
1 Unit Minnesota +9.5
Indiana appears ready to challenge for a Big Ten title, but I'm not ready to lay this many points with the Hoosiers in Big Ten play, especially against a Minnesota team that will be leaving it all on the floor in hopes of ending a 4-game skid. The Hoosiers were favored by 7.5 points over Michigan in their most recent home game and only won by 2 points. This Minnesota team went on the road and played Michigan to a 5-point game so I have no doubts it can hang around tonight. Indiana is an improved team, but we can't forget that it is 1-9 ATS in its last 10 Big Ten contests and 3-7 ATS in its last 10 games as a home favorite of 7.0-12.5 points. We also can't forget that the underdog is 6-1 ATS in the last 7 meetings in this series. The Golden Gophers have either won or lost by 3 points or less in each of their last 7 meetings with the Hoosiers. We'll take the points.
Steve Janus
Detroit Pistons +8
With the Pistons coming into this game having lost five straight, your first thought might be to jump on Milwaukee, who is coming off an impressive home win over the Spurs. However, I think the line has been inflated due to how bad the Pistons appear to be playing. Detroit has played an absolutely brutal schedule to start the season. Their last five games have came against the Bulls, 76ers, Knicks, Bulls, and Mavericks.
The Bucks are excited about the return of center Andrew Bogut, but it's not like this team was playing all that great before he left the team for personal reasons. Outside of that win over the Spurs on Tuesday, their two other wins this season came against the Timberwolves and Wizards.
The Pistons will be playing without one of their key players in Rodney Stuckey, but Detroit has had a lot of success against Milwaukee in years past. The Pistons have won 5 of the last 8 in the series and are 6-2 ATS in those games.
Detroit got hammered in their last game, falling 86-100 to Dallas. Believe it or not that actually is a good thing for the Pistons tonight, as they are 10-4 ATS in their last 14 games following a double-digit loss at home.
Milwaukee is just 1-7 ATS in their last 8 games as a favorite, 1-5 ATS in their last 6 games vs. a team with a winning % below .400, and just 2-8 ATS in their last 10 vs. division opponents.
Bryan Power
Philadelphia Flyers @ NY Islanders
PICK: Philadelphia Flyers
The Islanders are coming off a pretty surprising 5-1 win over the Red Wings Tuesday night as +150 underdogs. Now, they must turn around and host a Flyers team that has dominated them through the years, going 12-1 the last 13 head to head matchups. This is only the second meeting this year between these Atlantic Division rivals. Philly took the first 4-3 here in Long Island back in November. They too enter tonight off a win in their previous game, beating Carolina on the road, 2-1. Playing consecutive road games has not bothered this Flyers team all season as they're 10-2 when in that situation. This is pretty good value going against an Islanders team that still ranks near the bottom of the Eastern Conference in points. Lay the juice here.
SORTS WAGERS
Oregon State +5½/+210 over ARIZONA
We often talk about NHL teams' dreading the three-game trip to Western Canada and the Pac-12 has a similar version of it. Arizona's coach Sean Miller had this to say about last week's trip to UCLA and USC, “I don't know a conference in the country that has a team leave on a Wednesday and get back at 12 midnight on Sunday. "Every team in our conference has a segment of the season that's like that but it puts a lot of pressure on our team. That Thursday-Sunday (combination), if you're the road team in particular, is the biggest disadvantage our conference can offer”. Whether it's a ploy to challenge his team or not, the coach understands he's in a tough situational spot here against a solid Beavers club. Oregon State is fourth in the country in points scored and sixth in assists. They have some skewed numbers as a result of playing a bunch of marshmallows but they also took Stanford to 4 OT's before losing by a bucket. A two-point loss to the Commodores is another credible loss. Besides, who have the Wildcats played or beaten to warrant being this big a choice in this spot? They've played one ranked team and lost by six. They hosted Gonzaga and lost by 11. The Beavers have shown more consistency in their shooting, they certainly have the deeper bench and they're in a favorable spot too. Play: Oregon State +5½ (Risking 1.05 units to win 1) Play Oregon State +210 (Risking 1 unit).
SPORTS WAGERS
Cleveland +7 over PHOENIX
The Suns have won three in a row at home with the smallest margin of victory being by nine points. In its last two home games, Phoenix beat the Bucks by 16 and the Trail Blazers by 25. What all that has created is an overpriced and overvalued team that really has no business being this big a favorite over any team that's not in a unfavorable spot. The Cavaliers didn't play last night so they'll come in here somewhat fresh. They've lost two in a row and three of four so there's no letdown spot either. There really isn't a lot that seperates these two in terms of talent but there is in hope. The Suns have none while the Cavaliers are going to be competitive in many more games this year and for years to come. So, recent results in the span of a week have the Suns at an inflated price against a team that is going to get better and better as the season progresses. Both teams come in with 4-5 records but the Cav's have an edge on the boards and in scoring and that's a combination that is more than capable of pulling off the upset. Play: Cleveland +7 (Risking 2.16 units to win 2).
Larry Ness
Drexel -4
Bruiser Flint's Drexel team is never an 'easy out' in Philadelphia, as VCU found out last Sunday (Dragons won 64-58). That being said, George Mason is playing very well as of late. The Patriots enter on five-game win streak (including wins over College of Charleston and Old Dominion), as Paul Hewitt's team now has suspended senior guard Andre Cornelius back since mid-December (he's averaging 9.5 PPG off the bench in six games). The team starts a trio of guards in Vaughns (11.6), Allen (8.3-3.5-3.8) and Wright (8.2) plus up front, the 6-6 Pearson (18.2-8.3) and the 6-9 Morrison (9.8-7.4). Still, I like these Dragons. I had them Sunday and will play them again here. Massenat (12.7-3.7 APG), freshman Lee (11.1-5.1) and Thomas (7.8) start in the backcourt, as once again Fouch, who led the team in scoring last year at 14.9 PPG, is coming off the bench (he missed the first four games TY but is back and averaging 10.7 PPG). The other two starters are 6-5 forward Givens, who is second in scoring (12.2) and leads in rebounding (7.1), plus the 6-9 McCoy (3.7-6.7). The 6-8 Ruffin (5.5-6.1) comes off the bench and I believe this 'group of Dragons' are well-equipped to "extend the margin" tonight vs the Patriots, with the memory of last year's lone meeting (a 71-47 GMU win in which Drexel made just 32.1%, including 1-of-11 on three-pointers) still a painful one. Home team gets a big win.
ROCKETMAN
Clemson @ Boston College
Play: Clemson -8.5
Clemson is 9-6 SU overall this year while Boston College is 5-10 SU overall on the season. Clemson defense has been tough allowing only 57.6 points per game overall this year and 63.2 points per game on the road this season. Clemson is 9-2 ATS overall vs Boston College since 1997. Tigers are 4-0-1 ATS in their last 5 vs. Atlantic Coast. Eagles are 1-4 ATS in their last 5 games following a ATS win. Eagles are 1-4 ATS in their last 5 home games vs. a team with a winning road record. Eagles are 0-5 ATS in their last 5 home games. Tigers are 8-2-2 ATS in the last 12 meetings. Favorite is 6-2-1 ATS in the last 9 meetings. We'll recommend a small play on Clemson tonight!
Jeff Scott Sports
3 UNIT PLAYS
Charlotte/ Atlanta Over 182: The Bobcats have been involved so some lower scoring games (for them) of late, but i expect that trend to reverse tonight. The Bobcats have been struggling on offense as they have put up just 90.9 ppg on the season, including just 78 ppg in their last 3, but tonight they face an Atlanta squad that has been struggling at the defensive end. The Hawks have allowed just 92.5 ppg on the year, but in their last 3 games they have allowed teams to score 97 ppg. Atlanta is a big fave in this game so 90+ points for the Bobcats here would be golden as I really expect the Hawks to hit at least 95 in this one. Atlanta has hit 106+ points in 2 of their last 3 games and while they were held to just 84 points last night, let's note that was vs a top 5 defense. Charlotte doesn't even have a top 25 defense as they have allowed 101.9 ppg (29th) on 46.1% shooting. They have been playing better at that end of the floor of late, but I expect Atlanta to come out and put some points on the board, after being held to 84 last night. I expect around 190 in this one.
MILWAUKEE-8 over Detroit: Talk about a mismatch on paper. This is one sad Detroit team as they come in last in the league in scoring, putting up just 82.8 ppg and what's worse is the fact that they have averaged a mere 76.2 ppg on 38.6% shooting on the road this year. About 20 CBB teams average more than that. In contrast we have a Milwaukee team that has put up 93.2 ppg overall and a very nice 102 ppg in their home games so far. That's 26 ppg more than the Pistons average on the road. Milwaukee is just 3-6 on the year but they did get Andrew Bogut (he missed 4 games) back in their last game and they are a much better team with him in the lineup. Milwaukee is and also has been a much better team at home and they are 3-0 this year and have outscored their opponent by 9 ppg, while Detroit has gone 0-4 on the road and has been outscored by 17.6 ppg in those games. Detroit just isn't playing well at all right now as they have lost 5 in a road, while being outscored by 14+ points in each one and I just don't see how they can keep this one close tonight. KEY TREND--- DETROIT is 12-25 ATS when playing 8 or more games in 14 days over the last 3 seasons.
2 UNIT PLAY
New York/ Memphis Over 192.5: NEW YORK is 21-10 OVER when playing 8 or more games in 14 days over the last 2 seasons, while MEMPHIS is 17-6 OVER in a home game where the total is between 190 and 199.5 points over the last 2 seasons.
1 UNIT PLAY
PHOENIX -7 over Cleveland: CLEVELAND is 10-21 ATS after a non-conference game over the last 2 seasons, while PHOENIX is 46-28 ATS after having won 2 of their last 3 games over the last 3 seasons.
NHL Predictions
Philadelphia Flyers -138
The Flyers have won 3 of their last 4 since the Winter Classic, including a 5-4 home win over Chicago, a 3-2 home win over Ottawa, and a 2-1 road victory over the Hurricanes on Tuesday. They are 25-12-4 on the season and a stellar 15-6-2 on the road this year. The New York Islanders are coming off an impressive 5-1 victory against Detroit, but are just 15-19-6 on the season and just 9-9-3 on home ice. Note that the Flyers are scoring an average of 3.22 goals on the road, while the Islanders are scoring just 2.3 goals per game on the season (a slightly higher 2.57 per game at home). Sergei Bobrovsky has been the better of the two Flyers goalies and will get the start tonight. He is 9-3-1 on the year with a 2.45 GAA and .919 SV%. Evgeni Nabakov is expected to start for the Isles. He is 6-10 with a 2.66 GAA and .910 SV%. Take note that the Flyers have won 7 straight meetings between these two teams, including an OT win in New York already this season. The Flyers are 21-6-1 in their last 28 meetings in New York, and 39-13-1 in their last 53 meetings overall. Philadelphia is 16-5 in their last 21 road games vs a team with a losing home record dating back to last season, while the Islanders are just 2-7 in their last 9 games as a home underdog. Take the Flyers money line.
Nashville Predators +100 In Regulation
After a nice little streak the Avalanche have dropped two straight games - a 4-0 loss in St Louis and a 4-1 home loss against tonight's opponent. The Avs are 23-20-1 on the season, and 10-9-1 on the road. Nashville has gotten over a rough patch by winning 5 of their last 6 games. Wins have come against Minnesota, St Louis, Calgary, Carolina and Tuesday's 4-1 win over Colorado. Nashville is 23-15-4 and 12-7-3 at home. The Predators are scoring 3.20 goals per game over their last 5, while the Avs are scoring just 2 goals per game over their past 5. Both teams are averaging 2.20 against L5. Colorado is missing Matt Duchene , while Erik Johnson is questionable with a hand injury that kept him out of their Tuesday meeting. Note that the Avalanche are just 3-8 in their last 11 games following a home loss of 3+ goals, and they are just 8-22 in their last 30 road games vs a team with a winning home record. Nashville is 8-2 in their last 10 home games, and 7-1 in their last 8 games as a favorite. Nashville has taken 6 straight meetings between these two teams, and 4 straight in Nashville. All 6 of their wins against Colorado have come in regulation, and I don't see why they can't do it again tonight at home as they are playing good hockey right now.
Anaheim Ducks +130
It might look strange betting on one of the league's worst road teams (the Ducks are 3-10-5 on the road), but Anaheim has looked impressive in winning 3 straight games. Although all games were at home, the Ducks beat the Islanders 4-2, Columbus 7-4, and Dallas 5-2 on Tuesday. Anaheim is scoring 3.80 goals per game of their last 5. The Flames are going through some injury problems right now, but have managed to win two straight after losing their previous 5 (which included a 9-0 loss in Boston a week ago). The Flames beat New Jersey 6-3 on Tuesday despite being outshot 38-14. Anaheim may turn to goalie Jeff Deslauriers tonight in their first of a back to back. Deslauriers stopped 26 of 28 shots in his season debut Tuesday in a 5-2 win. Note that the Flames are averaging just 2.60 goals per game over their last 5 while giving up 4.20 goals against per game. These two teams haven't met yet this year, but the Ducks won all four meetings last season, including 5-4 and 4-2 victories in Calgary as underdogs. Anaheim matches up well with this Flames team who are missing a few players in their lineup, and I look for them to enjoy their second 4 game winning streak of the season as they pull off an upset.
Jeff Alexander
1 Unit Virginia Cavaliers +11
Virginia has a chance to make a major statement with a win over Duke tonight. The Cavs have lost 7 in a row to the Blue Devils so they will certainly be lacking no motivation. The Cavaliers are 15-3 ATS in their last 18 road games, 11-0 ATS in their last 11 road games vs. a team with a home winning percentage of greater than .600, 9-0 ATS in their last 9 games as a road underdog and 5-0 ATS in their last 5 games as a road underdog of 7.0-12.5 points. The Blue Devils are 3-13-1 ATS in their last 17 games as a home favorite of 7.0-12.5 points and 2-8-1 in the last 11 home games in this series. Take Virginia.
Black Widow
1* Stanford -23
The Stanford Cardinal should have no problem making easy work of the Utah Utes tonight. Utah is one of the worst teams in college basketball, especially on the road. The Utes are 0-7 SU & 1-6 ATS in road games this season, getting outscored by an average of 26.3 points/game. They have lost their last three true road games all by 29 points or more. The lost at Colorado 33-73, at Weber State 51-80 and at Fresno State 52-82. Stanford has a better team than all three of those schools, and they've been especially dominant at home. The Cardinal are 9-1 in home games this season and outscoring opponents by 15.6 points/game. While Utah has played games away from home this season, three of those were on a neutral court. The Utes are 0-4 SU & 0-4 ATS in true road games, getting outscored by an average of 30.0 points/game. Take Stanford and lay the points.
Dave Price
1 Unit Golden State Warriors +3
With momentum (following a big win over the Heat) and a day of rest on their side, expect the Warriors to take care of business against an Orlando team that just played a taxing game in Portland last night. The Magic are 3-9 ATS in their last 12 games when their starting 5 players combine for more than 160 minutes the previous day and 1-6 ATS in their last 7 games as a favorite of 4.5 points or less. Also, the home team is 5-0 ATS in the last 5 in this series. Take the points.