Free Picks: Service Plays for Thursday, January 5

DUNKEL INDEX

NCAAB

Stanford at Oregon
The Ducks look to take advantage of a Stanford team that is 0-4 ATS in its last 4 Thursday games. Oregon is the pick (Pick) according to Dunkel, which has the Ducks favored by 2. Dunkel Pick: Oregon.

Game 541-542: Fordham at Massachusetts (7:00 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Fordham 46.531; Massachusetts 64.550
Dunkel Line: Massachusetts by 18; 136
Vegas Line: Massachusetts by 13; 139
Dunkel Pick: Massachusetts (-13); Under

Game 543-544: George Mason at Old Dominion (7:00 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: George Mason 60.111; Old Dominion 60.155
Dunkel Line: Even; 130
Vegas Line: Old Dominion by 3 1/2; 127
Dunkel Pick George Mason (+3 1/2); Over

Game 545-546: Michigan at Indiana (9:00 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Michigan 69.724; Indiana 71.749
Dunkel Line: Indiana by 4; 136
Vegas Line: Indiana by 7 1/2; 139 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Michigan (+7 1/2); Under

Game 547-548: Pittsburgh at DePaul (7:00 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Pittsburgh 64.069; DePaul 57.933
Dunkel Line: Pittsburgh by 6; 147
Vegas Line: Pittsburgh by 4 1/2; 144 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Pittsburgh (-4 1/2); Over

Game 549-550: UL-Monroe at Florida Atlantic (7:00 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: UL-Monroe 42.428; Florida Atlantic 58.722
Dunkel Line: Florida Atlantic by 16 1/2; 133
Vegas Line: Florida Atlantic by 13; 130
Dunkel Pick: Florida Atlantic (-13); Over

Game 551-552: Illinois-Chicago at Cleveland State (7:00 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Illinois-Chicago 46.310; Cleveland State 61.086
Dunkel Line: Cleveland State by 15; 122
Vegas Line: Cleveland State by 16; 125
Dunkel Pick: Illinois-Chicago (+16); Under

Game 553-554: Loyola-Chicago at Youngstown State (7:05 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Loyola-Chicago 47.719; Youngstown State 52.669
Dunkel Line: Youngstown State by 5; 137
Vegas Line: Youngstown State by 8 1/2; 128
Dunkel Pick: Loyola-Chicago (+8 1/2); Over

Game 555-556: South Florida at Villanova (8:00 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: South Florida 57.346; Villanova 66.681
Dunkel Line: Villanova by 9 1/2; 120
Vegas Line: Villanova by 8; 124
Dunkel Pick: Villanova (-8); Under

Game 557-558: UL-Lafayette at Western Kentucky (8:00 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: UL-Lafayette 54.752; Western Kentucky 50.210
Dunkel Line: UL-Lafayette by 4 1/2; 130
Vegas Line: UL-Lafayette by 2 1/2; 133 1/2
Dunkel Pick: UL-Lafayette (-2 1/2); Under

Game 559-560: North Texas at South Alabama (8:05 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: North Texas 54.010; South Alabama 55.817
Dunkel Line: South Alabama by 2; 138
Vegas Line: South Alabama by 4 1/2; 134
Dunkel Pick: North Texas (+4 1/2); Over

Game 561-562: Denver at Arkansas State (8:05 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Denver 55.104; Arkansas State 56.170
Dunkel Line: Arkansas State by 1; 117
Vegas Line: Denver by 1; 118 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Arkansas State (+1); Under

Game 563-564: Purdue at Penn State (8:00 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Purdue 67.986; Penn State 58.982
Dunkel Line: Purdue by 9; 122
Vegas Line: Purdue by 7; 126
Dunkel Pick: Purdue (-7); Under

Game 565-566: Middle Tennessee State at Troy (8:30 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Middle Tennessee State 62.824; Troy 52.066
Dunkel Line: Middle Tennessee State by 11; 148
Vegas Line: Middle Tennessee State by 9; 144
Dunkel Pick: Middle Tennessee State (-9); Over

Game 567-568: Pepperdine at Gonzaga (9:00 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Pepperdine 53.070; Gonzaga 73.255
Dunkel Line: Gonzaga by 20; 122
Vegas Line: Gonzaga by 22 1/2; 128
Dunkel Pick: Pepperdine (+22 1/2); Under

Game 569-570: Washington State at Utah (9:00 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Washington State 60.421; Utah 45.383
Dunkel Line: Washington State by 15; 125
Vegas Line: Washington State by 12 1/2; 132
Dunkel Pick: Washington State (-21 1/2); Under

Game 571-572: Stanford at Oregon (9:00 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Stanford 64.401; Oregon 66.436
Dunkel Line: Oregon by 2; 137
Vegas Line: Pick; 131 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Oregon; Over

Game 573-574: Washington at Colorado (9:00 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Washington 63.291; Colorado 62.578
Dunkel Line: Washington by 1; 141
Vegas Line: Washington by 2 1/2; 145
Dunkel Pick: Colorado (+2 1/2); Under

Game 575-576: St. Mary's at San Diego (9:00 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: St. Mary's 71.115; San Diego 50.783
Dunkel Line: St. Mary's by 20 1/2; 135
Vegas Line: St. Mary's by 17 1/2; 133
Dunkel Pick: St. Mary's (-17 1/2); Over

Game 577-578: Fresno State at Utah State (9:05 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Fresno State 53.527; Utah State 63.788
Dunkel Line: Utah State by 10 1/2; 133
Vegas Line: Utah State by 8; 126 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Utah State (-8); Over

Game 579-580: BYU at Loyola-Marymount (9:00 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: BYU 64.048; Loyola-Marymount 55.419
Dunkel Line: BYU by 8 1/2; 140
Vegas Line: BYU by 10; 145 1/2
Dunkel Pick Loyola-Marymount (+10); Under

Game 581-582: Santa Clara at Portland (11:00 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Santa Clara 54.036; Portland 49.263
Dunkel Line: Santa Clara by 5; 143
Vegas Line: Santa Clara by 2; 140 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Santa Clara (-2); Over

Game 583-584: Nevada at Idaho (11:05 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Nevada 60.631; Idaho 60.681
Dunkel Line: Even; 129
Vegas Line: Idaho by 2; 132
Dunkel Pick: Nevada (+2); Under

Game 585-586: California at Oregon State (10:00 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: California 65.238 Oregon State 67.113
Dunkel Line: Oregon State by 2; 148
Vegas Line: Pick; 143 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Oregon State; Over

Game 587-588: UC-Irvine at Pacific (10:00 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: UC-Irvine 45.759; Pacific 49.851
Dunkel Line: Pacific by 4; 130
Vegas Line: Pacific by 3 1/2; 134
Dunkel Pick: Pacific (-3 1/2); Under

Game 589-590: CS-Fullerton at UC-Santa Barbara (10:00 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: CS-Fullerton 51.121; UC-Santa Barbara 63.016
Dunkel Line: UC-Santa Barbara by 12; 152
Vegas Line: UC-Santa Barbara by 10; 145
Dunkel Pick: UC-Santa Barbara (-10); Over

Game 591-592: Cal Poly at Long Beach State (10:05 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Cal Poly 58.646; Long Beach State 69.862
Dunkel Line: Long Beach State by 9; 119
Vegas Line: Long Beach State by 10 1/2; 123
Dunkel Pick: Cal Poly (+10 1/2); Under

Game 593-594: UC-Riverside at UC-Davis (10:00 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: UC-Riverside 44.472; UC-Davis 43.900
Dunkel Line: UC-Riverside by 1; 129
Vegas Line: UC-Riverside by 2 1/2; 125 1/2
Dunkel Pick: UC-Davis (+2 1/2); Over

Game 595-596: Arizona State at USC (10:30 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Arizona State 53.828; USC 63.669
Dunkel Line: USC by 10; 101
Vegas Line: USC by 7 1/2; 106 1/2
Dunkel Pick: USC (-7 1/2); Under

Game 597-598: Arizona at UCLA (11:00 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Arizona 66.743; UCLA 69.643
Dunkel Line: UCLA by 3; 135
Vegas Line: UCLA by 1 1/2; 130 1/2
Dunkel Pick: UCLA (-1 1/2); Over

Game 599-600: Western Carolina at Chattanooga (7:00 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Western Carolina 52.727; Chattanooga 53.634
Dunkel Line: Chattanooga by 1; 130
Vegas Line: Chattanooga by 4 1/2; 134 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Western Carolina (+4 1/2); Under

Game 601-602: College of Charleston at Wofford (7:00 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: College of Charleston 60.673; Wofford 56.334
Dunkel Line: College of Charleston by 4; 127
Vegas Line: College of Charleston by 2; 131 1/2
Dunkel Pick: College of Charleston (-2); Under

Game 603-604: Davidson at NC-Greensboro (7:00 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Davidson 59.102; NC-Greensboro 48.644
Dunkel Line: Davidson by 10 1/2; 158
Vegas Line: Davidson by 11; 152 1/2
Dunkel Pick: NC-Greensboro (+11); Over

Game 605-606: Georgia Southern at Elon (7:00 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Georgia Southern 45.512; Elon 49.779
Dunkel Line: Elon by 4 1/2; 140
Vegas Line: Elon by 6 1/2; 138 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Georgia Southern (+6 1/2); Over

Game 607-608: The Citadel at Furman (7:00 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: The Citadel 40.737; Furman 53.495
Dunkel Line: Furman by 13; 132
Vegas Line: Furman by 11 1/2; 136
Dunkel Pick: Furman (-11 1/2); Under

Game 609-610: Canisius at St. Peter's (7:00 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Canisius 44.420; St. Peter's 50.155
Dunkel Line: St. Peter's by 5 1/2; 121
Vegas Line: St. Peter's by 7; 126 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Canisius (+7); Under

Game 611-612: Manhattan at Loyola-MD (7:30 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Manhattan 51.345; Loyola-MD 56.957
Dunkel Line: Loyola-MD by 5 1/2; 138
Vegas Line: Loyola-MD by 4 1/2; 136 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Loyola-MD (-4 1/2); Over

Game 613-614: Appalachian State at Samford (8:00 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Appalachian State 46.687; Samford 47.633
Dunkel Line: Samford by 1; 130
Vegas Line: Pick; 135
Dunkel Pick: Samford; Under

Game 615-616: Tennessee State at Tennessee Tech (8:00 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Tennessee State 49.621; Tennessee Tech 52.261
Dunkel Line: Tennessee Tech by 2 1/2; 144
Vegas Line: Tennessee Tech by 4; 139
Dunkel Pick: Tennessee State (+4); Over

Game 617-618: SE Missouri State at Tennessee-Martin (8:00 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: SE Missouri State 43.110; Tennessee-Martin 43.183
Dunkel Line: Even; 143
Vegas Line: SE Missouri State by 3; 141
Dunkel Pick: Tennessee-Martin (+3); Over

Game 619-620: Morehead State at Jacksonville State (8:00 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Morehead State 49.200; Jacksonville State 51.107
Dunkel Line: Jacksonville State by 2; 110
Vegas Line: Jacksonville State by 1 1/2; 116 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Jacksonville State (-1 1/2); Under

Game 621-622: Montana State at Idaho State (9:05 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Montana State 45.494; Idaho State 46.784
Dunkel Line: Idaho State by 1 1/2; 133
Vegas Line: Idaho State by 2 1/2; 137
Dunkel Pick: Montana State (+2 1/2); Under

Game 623-624: Weber State at Eastern Washington (9:05 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Weber State 52.275; Eastern Washington 57.697
Dunkel Line: Eastern Washington by 5 1/2; 149
Vegas Line: Eastern Washington by 3; 142 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Eastern Washington (-3); Over

Game 625-626: Northern Arizona at Portland State (7:00 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Northern Arizona 44.730; Portland State 53.058
Dunkel Line: Portland State by 8 1/2; 150
Vegas Line: Portland State by 6 1/2; 145
Dunkel Pick: Portland State (-6 1/2); Over

Game 631-632: Western Illinois at Oakland (4:00 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Western Illinois 50.968; Oakland 55.589
Dunkel Line: Oakland by 4 1/2; 135
Vegas Line: Oakland by 6 1/2; 141
Dunkel Pick: Western Illinois (+6 1/2); Under

Game 633-634: IUPUI at IPFW (7:00 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: IUPUI 52.344; IPFW 55.345
Dunkel Line: IPFW by 3; 158
Vegas Line: IPFW by 1; 154
Dunkel Pick: IPFW (-1); Over

Game 635-636: North Dakota State at Oral Roberts (8:05 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: North Dakota State 60.208; Oral Roberts 64.596
Dunkel Line: Oral Roberts by 4 1/2; 131
Vegas Line: Oral Roberts by 7; 135
Dunkel Pick: North Dakota State (+7); Under

Game 637-638: South Dakota State at Southern Utah (9:00 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: South Dakota State 60.805; Southern Utah 54.721
Dunkel Line: South Dakota State by 6; 150
Vegas Line: South Dakota State by 8 1/2; 151 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Southern Utah (+8 1/2); Under

Rob Vinciletti

Stanford vs. Oregon
Play: Stanford

he Cardinal are a solid 5-1 vs winning teams and 6-1 when the total is 130 to 140. When installed on the road in this price range they are 18-7 straight up and 8-1 after scoring 60 or less. They have won the last 2 here and take on an Oregon team that is 1-11 ats at home when the total is 130 to 135 and has failed to cover in 5 of 6 at home this season. As a home team in this price range they are just 5-13. Look for a surging Stanford team to get this one tonight.Take Stanford.

MATT FARGO

Fordham @ Massachusetts
PICK: Massachusetts -12.5

Fordham is coming off a big upset of Harvard on Tuesday to make it three straight wins for the Rams but that is where it ends. They were 11.5-point underdogs in that game and the fact that it was just two nights ago makes for this a tough situation for Fordham to come back from as it may still be celebrating in the Bronx. The Rams shot 48.8 percent from the floor including 50 percent from long range and they will be hard-pressed to duplicate that in Amherst.

Fordham is on a four-game cover streak as well which is adding to the value for Massachusetts. The Minutemen are on a five-game winning streak and at 11-3, they are off to a great start. The schedule has been far from strong but it does include a home win over Davidson two games back and overall the Minutemen are 8-0 at home. They were picked to finish near the bottom of the conference and while A-10 play is just getting underway, the momentum and confidence is huge right now.

While the situation is not good for Fordham, the matchup may be even worse. The Minutemen's pressing defense and up-tempo offense have produced a pace many opponents find uncomfortable and that will include Fordham which prefers a half-court game. Massachusetts is forcing 18.4 tpg and the Rams have a rather poor 0.77 assist/turnover ratio so we can expect to see some easy buckets for the home team. In home/road splits, the variances are even more in favor of Massachusetts.

This is also a revenge game for the Minutemen as they lost at Fordham last season in the regular season finale and that carried over into the Atlantic-10 Tournament where Massachusetts lost to Dayton in the first round to end their season at 15-15. The Rams come in 3-41 on the road since 2008-09 so winning is likely not even an option. Massachusetts is 7-3 ATS in its last 10 games as a home favorite while Fordham is 0-7 ATS in its last seven road games following three or more straight home games.

SEAN MURPHY

Calgary @ Boston
Pick: Boston -0.5

It's clear that the Flames have run out of gas on their current road trip, which wraps up on Wednesday night in Boston.

Calgary has dropped each of its last four games, and has all but thrown in the towel over the last two, firing only 39 shots on goal, while going 0-for-6 on the power play. Note that the Flames have given up 14 goals in regulation time during their current skid.

The Bruins dropped a tough 4-2 decision in Dallas on New Year's Eve, but a couple of days off seemed to serve them well, as they responded with a 6-1 win in New Jersey last night.

I don't like to back teams in their first game back home following a road trip too often, but in this case, I'll make an exception. The B's home dominance cannot be ignored. They're 11-2 in their last 13 games at TD Garden, with nine of those victories coming by multiple goals.

Boston has defeated Calgary in each of the last two seasons, outscoring the Flames by an 8-4 margin in those two contests. The Flames last win in this series came way back in 2008, a game in which they were actually favored.

I'm obviously not interested in laying the -240 price tag with the Bruins on the moneyline in this matchup. Instead, I'll recommend laying the half-puck in regulation time, as that puts us in a much more favorable price range. As far as I can tell, the Flames already have one foot on the plane back to Calgary. Take Boston -0.5 goals (regulation time) -139.

MARC LAWRENCE

South Florida @ Villanova
PICK: Villanova -8

The Wildcats return home to host USF at the Cat House with major revenge on their minds from being bumped from the Big East Conference tourney last year by the Bulls knowing they were 4-0 SU and ATS previously in this series prior to the loss. With Nova checking on off back-to-back losses and USF in off a win, look for revenge to rear its head here tonight. We recommend a 1-unit play on Villanova.

Jim Feist

Los Angeles Lakers vs. Portland Trail Blazers
Play: Los Angeles Lakers +3½

A battle of first place teams out West. The Lakers are a dog but playing well, on a 4-1 SU, 3-2 ATS run after a win over the Rockets scoring 108 points. Portland is in a let down spot coming off a big win over Oklahoma City which gave them first place in the Northwest division. And the Trail Blazers are 3-7-1 ATS in their last 11 vs. Western Conference. Play the LA Lakers!

JR O'Donnell

California Pk

The O'ster goes late steam tonight as we have the Cal Bears visiting the Oregon State Beavers with a start time of 10 PM EST! Cal is 12-3 (9-4 ATS) and the Beavers are 10-4 (6-3 ATS). Beavers score 82.6 ppg compared To Cal's 71.7, but have played only a couple quality opponents compared to Cal's "5" or "6"! This is a Cal team picked by many to finish 2nd behind the Arizona Wildcats in the P12, and returning "4" starters from a "18" win team. OSU on the other hand also returns "4" starters, but they are from a "11" win squad. Cal returns the conference freshman of the year plus a first and second team all conference player. The Beavers are better than last year, and their coach's goal is to rise to the middle of the pack in the P12! We give the edge to Cal in the backcourt, even in the frontcourt, and the edge off the bench. They presently have the second best record in the P12 overall. Cal has been 20-5 SU in their last 25 vs OSU, and 11-4 ATS in the last "15" at OSU.

FREE NHL PLAY FOR 1/5/2012: We're siding with the Ottawa Senators -125 (BetOnline) over the Tampa Bay Lightning. There is absolutely no quitting in this Senators club as they have twelve come-from-behind victories this year in 3rd period play. We faded the Lightning in Toronto two nights ago, and we'll do it again in Ottawa at this price. Tampa Bay is just 6-13-3 on the road this season (1-11 vs winning teams), where they average just 2.23 goals/game. Even worse, they've only won 4 games in their last 26 trips to Ottawa. Meanwhile Ottawa is on a 3 game winning streak and they're 6-2 in their last 8 overall. They should be highly motivated to continue this recent success in front of the home crowd. We'll take Ottawa -125. FREE PICKS NOW 134-72-1. Sign up to receive our Free Plays via email.

Andrew Lange

Montana St at Idaho St
Play: Under 137

The only way Idaho State is going to have success in the Big Sky this season is to shorten the game and play defense. The Bengals simply don't have the horses to trade scores on a nightly basis. Last time out, they went on the road and picked up a rare victory – a 57-55 win at Northern Colorado. The game featured only 53 possessions (and UNC likes to run typically). Montana State is off a rare performance as well as it hung 86 on Portland State. It was really the perfect storm for the Bobcats – weak opponent that doesn't play defense and likes to run. On the road, I don't think we'll see that type of outcome. The total in this series has never been higher that 135 (2-10 O/U) and in Pocatello, the game scores were 95, 133, 107, 113, and 125. Play it under.

SPORTS WAGERS

Chicago +108 over PHILADELPHIA

The Flyers are coming off that Winter Classic game in what has to be considered more of a showcase than a true home game. That was after five straight on the road and now they'll play their first game at the Wells Fargo Center since Decemeber 17. Philly comes into this game with plenty of issues to deal with. The signing of Ilya Bryzgalov as the team savior is not working out. Bryzgalov is fragile and even more so at home, where the boos are just waiting to rain down on him. Jaromir Jagr was injured in the WC and will miss some time and the Flyers have dropped three of four and five of their past seven games. The Blackhawks will go with Ray Emery here. Emery went 5-1-0 with a 2.11 GAA during a recent string of six consecutive starts. Chicago has won 10 of its last 14 games and they're 4-0 after a loss playing on two full days of rest like they will be doing here. Play: Chicago +108 (Risking 2 units).

TORONTO -½ +122 over Winnipeg

The Jets went into Montreal last night wanting to set a tone for what the players called a crucial four-game trip. They allowed seven goals against and lost 7-3. It was Winnipeg's eighth loss in its last 10 road games. Overall, they have five road wins in 18 games. Fresh in the Maple Leafs mind is a recent 3-2 loss in Winnipeg. The Leafs are coming off an impressive 7-3 voictory of their own over the Lightning. They completely dominated play. Toronto now has an opportunity to jump from 10th place in the standings to sixth with a win here. This is one of Toronto's most important games of the season and we like that Ron Wilson has decided to use Jonas Gustavsson over James Reimer. The Grabovski/Kulemin/Frattin line is heating up big time, giving the Leafs a solid complimentary second line to their dangerous and productive first line. The Jets are without Bryan Little and Dustin Byfuglien and while they may be able to overcome injuries at home, they once again proved they're very beatable outside of the MTS Center. Play: Toronto -½ +122 (Risking 2 units).

Columbus +196 over SAN JOSE

The Sharks are a quality squad that can beat any team in this league when they're on their game. However, the Sharkies have also been off their game far too many times this season and this looks like an extremely vulnerable spot for them. San Jose is coming off back-to-back games against Vancouver and Anaheim. They had lost three straight to the Ducks prior to last night so they came out determined to get that monkey off its back against one of its biggest rivals. They Sharks also wanted to beat the Canucks badly and they did. That's back-to-back wins over its two biggest rivals and three intense games in a row. Now San Jose will play its third game in four nights against a team they'll figure all they'll have to do to win is show up. The Jackets don't have many wins this season but if you take them lightly they''ll burn you. They have many quality players and they play good hockey but a lack of quality goaltending has cost them so many games this season. The Jackets have been off since New Year's Eve. They begin a four-game trip here and they should be so much fresher than this exhausted host coming off three intense games in a row, playing its third in four and tail-end of back-to-backs. Play: Columbus +196 (Risking 2 units).

Jeff Benton

Your Thursday freebie is the DePaul Blue Demons as the home underdog against the slumping Pittsburgh Panthers.

It is clear that Jamie Dixon's team is nowhere near as strong as previous Pitt editions, as the Panthers come into the Windy City this Thursday night looking to end a three-game winning streak that includes a loss to Wagner!

As for the Blue Demons, Oliver Purnell has this year's team on the verge of their 10th win already, and they recently had their five-game winning streak snapped by the #1 Syracuse Orangemen their last time out.

DePaul has covered in six of their nine lined contests, while Pittsburgh has burned their backers to a tune of 3-7 in their ten lined affairs.

Since joining the Big East conference, the Demons are winless straight up in seven games against the Panthers. Is tonight the night DePaul notches their first series win? It could happen, as Pittsburgh's funk precludes me from laying any points on the road right now with the Panthers.

Take the home underdog in this one.

1♦ DEPAUL

Matt Rivers

Thursday night's free play comes out of the Big Ten, as I take the live underdog Michigan Wolverines as they play at Indiana against the surprising Hooisers.

Tom Crean is ahead of schedule in his rebuilding efforts in Bloomington, as he has this year's Hoosiers team standing at 13-1 for the season, and on the verge of climbing into the nation's Top Ten. Kudos to Crean, but after games against Michigan State and Ohio State their last two times out, I expect the Hoosiers to be just a little fatigued tonight when they play host to a rising Michigan team that stands at 12-2.

The Wolverines continue to get solid guard play from Trey Burke and Tim Hardaway Jr., and Coach Beilein's team has been a solid money-maker against the spread on the road recently. Michigan has covered three of five away from Ann Arbor this season, and are on a 9-2 overall run their last eleven road games dating back to last year.

The Wolverines are also 13-3 against the spread their last 16 conference games, and have captured three of the last five series meetings against the Hoosiers outright.

I just don't see 7-points or so seperating these two evenly matched teams tonight.

Take Michigan plus the points.

4♦ MICHIGAN

Steve Janus

Portland Trail Blazers -3½

The Trail Blazers are a perfect 3-0 at home this season, while the Lakers come into this game 0-2 on the road. The Lakers are a public favorite, and are coming into this game overrated after their 108-99 win/cover over the Rockets on Tuesday. The Trail Blazers went on the road and beat the Thunder 103-93 that same night, but Portland just doesn't get that much attention. When you couple the lack of respect and how well the Trail Blazers play at home, it's easy to see why Portland -3.5 is a strong play tonight.

Portland is 11-4-2 ATS in their last 17 home games and 3-1-1 ATS in their last 5 games vs. a team with a winning S.U. record. The Lakers are just 2-6 ATS in their last 8 games as a road underdog of 0.5-4.5 and 1-4 ATS in their last 5 road games vs. a team with a home winning % of greater than .600.

SPORTS WAGERS

SAN ANTONIO -1½ over Dallas

Even with a 4-2 record, the Spurs are getting very little respect after going just 2-2 in their past four games. Their two wins came against Golden State and Utah while their two losses were against Minnesota and Houston so the disrespect is understandable. That works in our favor with this short line against a Mavericks team that will be playing its sixth game since last Thursday. If the Mav's were playing the Bobcats are some other useless team, it's one thing. But playing in San Antonio, under these conditions, where the Spurs went 36-5 a season ago and are 4-0 at home this season is a whole different story. The Spurs are still one of the best teams in the league and they play under the radar until playoffs roll around every year. They just go about their business of winning and putting away teams that they're supposed to. If you make one wager today, this should be it. Play: San Antonio -1½ (Risking 3.15 units to win 3).