OffshoreInsiders
Clemson (15-3) vs Georgia Tech (13-4)
Big game and tough choice for bettors since these two teams have alternated wins seven straight times. GT hasn’t shown the ability to win the big one on the road but is 8-1 at home and 12-4 in its last 16 against the spread. I like the Yellow Jackets. Pick: Georgia Tech
Tennessee (14-2) vs Alabama (11-6)
Few bandwagons are picking up steam quicker than Tennessee’s. After all, the Vols slew Kansas. We can expect a tight, low-scoring game; the under is 21-7 for Tennessee’s last 28 games and 6-2 in Alabama’s last eight home games. The Vols are just 2-9 ATS in their last 11 meetings with Alabama but they’re flying high, having won six straight and riding the hot play of Wayne Chism. Alabama, on the other hand, has lost two straight. Pick: Tennessee
Purdue (14-3) vs Illinois (12-6)
What to make of Purdue? Three straight losses after a 14-0 start. Ouch. Now it faces Illinois, who is undefeated at home this season. Purdue is 2-6 in its last eight ATS but Illinois is tempting fate, even at home, going 4-9 in the last 13 ATS. Purdue has to wake up sooner or later. I say it happens Tuesday. Pick: Purdue
Northern Iowa (16-1) vs Wichita St. (16-3)
Look out for the road warrior known as Northern Iowa. It’s 15-3 in its last 18 road games and 6-0 straight up on the road this year. The road team is also 8-3 ATS in the last 11 meetings between these two teams. Ride the (very) hot hand. Pick: Northern Iowa.
SPORTS WAGERS
Toronto +1.26 over ATLANTA
The Leafs had to have left the building last night in a very good frame of mind after a late goal bailed them out from blowing a 3-0 lead. The Leafs were very strong for the first two periods against what was a hot Nashville squad and now they’ll take a step down in class when facing the reeling Thrashers. The Leafs have two good wins in its last three, which aside from last night includes a 4-0 win over the Flyers. The Leafs are 6-2 vs the Southeast and that’s where the Thrashers reside, in the NHL’s worst division. The Thrashers lost again last night, this time 1-0 in Florida. They’ve now lost 12 of its last 15 games with only wins over that stretch coming against the Canes, the then decimated Sens and the Rangers in OT. The Thrashers have been held to two goals or less in five of its last seven and the only teams they scored on were Carolina and Ottawa, whom at the time were in a horrible funk. Both teams will play three in four and back-to-back but the difference is the frame of mind of these two, as the Thrashers are reeling and will return home to a half empty arena while the Leafs are gaining steam once again. Play: Toronto +1.26 (Risking 2 units).
NY Islanders +1.30 Over PITTSBURGH
There was no line (goaltending situation) at the time of this writing but one thing is certain and that is the Pens will be favored. Based on that, and I can certainly guess that the Pens will be about –1.40 to -1.50 favorite, the play here is the Islanders. The Islanders are red-hot with four wins in a row and six wins in seven games. They played yesterday but it was an afternoon game and they completely dominated the Devils for three periods. The Islanders are scoring goals, their determination and work ethic is second to nobody and they can’t wait to get back on the ice. This team is feeling it right now. Meanwhile, the Pens return home from a very tough five game trip that took them through Toronto, Minnesota and Western Canada for three games. That’s always a tough excursion and they’ll play tonight with a third string goaltender that was rocked in his only start in Vancouver in the last game of said trip. The Pens really haven’t been playing well for over a month now and absolutely have no advantage in this one. The Pens are beating up on struggling teams and in fact, its last four wins have come against the reeling Thrashers, Flames, Oilers and the Leafs playing its fourth game in five nights. That’s four wins in its last 12 contests and none of them were noteworthy. Play: NY Islanders +1.30 (Risking 2 units).
Spartan
Illinois +2.5 vs Purdue
We have all clearly seen how tough it can be to travel in conference play and prevail. It really does not matter whether it is the Big 10, Big 12 and Big East, when you hit the road you had better have some thick skin and bring your A game guys. We cashed last night with a huge Triple Star as #1 ranked Texas had to travel into Kansas State, it was a situation just screaming for the Horns to go down and they did exactly that.
Now here we have a home mutt with Illinois welcoming Purdue into town. I like our chances here with the host Illini. They have beaten the Boilermakers in three of the last four games, Purdue streaked to a 13-0 start to the year but have dropped their last pair of games and now have another tough road appearance. Big 10 home dogs have been where the money is at and I'm sticking to that scenario here tonight. Tonight's free pick is a suggestion to wager on Illinois at home catching the 2.5 points.
Nick "BookieKiller" Parsons
ATL -125 vs TOR
After being shut out, the Thrashers try to bounce back Tuesday night against a Toronto Maple Leafs team that has yielded the most goals in the NHL; for a number of different reasons I believe we're getting fair value on the home side in this situation:
The Maple Leafs (17-24-9) have yielded the league-worst goals allowed total; 173. They managed to beat Nashville 4-3 on Monday, but it wasn't pretty.
Toronto built a 3-0 lead nine minutes into the game, but allowed the Predators to score twice in the third period to tie it. Phil Kessel's goal with 5:48 left broke the tie, ended a personal eight-game goal-scoring drought and gave the Maple Leafs just their second victory in seven games.
Despite that victory, its important to keep in mind that Toronto is just 2-5 its last seven overall and a brutal 1-5 its last six on the road.
On the other side of the rink: The Thrashers beat Carolina 5-3 on Saturday, but were unable to carry over any momentum from that win, suffering a 1-0 loss to Florida on Monday; expect a rebound.
It's true that Atlanta is just 3-12 its last 15, but it has already performed extremely well in this spot already this season; 5-3 (+1.8 units) when playing in a "back-to-back" situation.
Bottom line: In exact contrast; Toronto is a brutal 4-7 (-1.6 units) when playing on back-to-back days.
No need to overanalyze this one; the Leafs are forced to play another road game less than 24 hours later and will be tired; when taking all of the above factors into consideration, the THRASHERS are certainly worth a serious look here.
Tom Freese
Purdue at Illinois
Play: Purdue
Purdue has two big time players in E'Twaun Thomas and Robbie Hummel. Thomas scores 17.5 points a game and Hummel averages 16.6 points a game. No other players score more than 6.5 points a game. Hummel also grabs 7 rebounds a game. Purdue is 14-3 overall and but just 2-3 in Conference Play. The Boilermakers will look at this games as a must win game. Illinois is 12-6 overall and they are 4-1 in Conference play. The have four double figure scorers. They are led by guard Demtri McCamey and his 14.8 points and his 5.8 assits a game. Center Mike Tisdale scores 12.2 points a game and pulls down 6.1 rebounds a night. Forward Mike Davis scores 11.2 points a night and grabs 9.4 rebounds. AJ Richardson chips in with 10.4 points a night. PLAY ON PURDUE -
VEGAS EXPERTS
Purdue at Illinois
Can't see the Boilermakers losing a fourth straight game, so let's take advantage of a short number. Illinois is just 1-10 ATS when taking three or less at home and is off a ten-point loss to Michigan State themselves. Narrow conference wins over likes of Indiana and Penn State don't look that impressive.
Play on: Purdue
LT Profits
Cleveland Cavaliers vs Toronto Raptors
The Cleveland Cavaliers wrapped up a winning 3-2 West Coast road trip by nipping the Los Angeles Clippers on Saturday, and now upon returning home, they immediately find themselves in a revenge spot vs. the Toronto Raptors.
Now granted, the Cavaliers are only 20-21-1 against the spread despite their 31-11 straight up mark, which is not surprising considering they have become such a public team. However, this is one game that they should be motivated for, and if Cleveland plays at peak level as we expect, they should win this game by double digits.
With only 11 losses all year, the Cavaliers have obviously not been in many revenge spots as they are here, as this is their first meeting with Toronto since a 101-91 loss north of the border in their second game of the season. However, in three of those revenge spots, the Cavs beat the Chicago Bulls by 14 points, the Houston Rockets by 25 and the Washington Wizards by 23, with all three of those rematches coming here at home.
Now the Raptors are a hot team, as they have won seven of their last 10 games to improve to 21-20 overall. They have thrust themselves into contention for a low-seed playoff spot, but that may actually work against them here. This is because this could potentially turn into a first round playoff preview, so in addition to the obvious revenge motive, Cleveland may also want to send a message of what to expect come April.
While we respect what Toronto has done of late, we still feel that a motivated Cavaliers team should handle them rather easily.
Pick: Cavaliers -9.5
Jimmy Boyd
1 Unit on Illinois Fighting Illini +3
Purdue is struggling, having lost 3 in a row, and it gets no easier tonight against an Illinois team that has performed very well against the Boilermakers of late. Illinois has won 3 of the last 4 meetings between these two teams, sweeping the regular season series last year before losing to the Boilers in the Big Ten tourney. You can bet the Illini have not forgotten about that defeat. The Illini will be further motivated by their first Big Ten defeat this season to Michigan State last game. A big key for the Illini tonight will be the play of 7-1 junior Mike Tisdale. Tisdale had been averaging 20.3 points in his first four Big Ten contests before the Spartans held him to just two points last game. Expect him to bounce back strong tonight. Illinois is a perfect 10-0 at home this season so I'll gladly take these 3 points on its home floor. Plus, plays on home teams where the line is +3 to -3 off a road loss by 10 points or more, on Tuesday nights, are an impressive 38-16 ATS the last 5 seasons. The Boilermakers are also just 2-8 ATS in their last 10 games as a road favorite. Take Illinois and the points.
JR TIPS
Raptors at Cavaliers
The Eastern Conference leading Cavaliers look to avenge an early season loss to the Toronto Raptors as they open a three-game homestand tonight. Despite the loss in their first matchup against the Raptors, LeBron James had 23 points, 12 assists and 11 rebounds in losing for the first time in six games against Toronto. Cleveland is coming off a 3-2 West Coast trip finishing with a 102-101 victory over the Clippers on Saturday night. Toronto has won 10 of 13 after beating the Mavs in Dallas 110-88 while center Andrea Bargnani who had 28 points in this season's first matchup with the Cavs had 22 versus the Mavericks as the 7-footer has averaged 20.8 points and 9.2 rebounds over his last five games. This is a tough spot for the Cavaliers playing their first game at home after a long West Coast road trip. In the NBA, the toughest game to play is the first game back at home and the Oddmakers are giving up way too many points to a hot Toronto team that is playing their best basketball of the season. The Cavs should get the win but 9 ½ points is too many to give this Raptor team as this game will close in the 4 th quarter.
TAKE TORONTO +9.5
Michael Cannon
Toronto +10 at CLEVELAND
I am 67-46-3 with my last 116 free plays!
Take the points with the Raptors tonight on the road over the Cavaliers.
Toronto has won 10 of its last 13 games (9-4 ATS), including a 4-2 SUATS run on the road. The Raptors have scored more than 100 points in six straight games during their stretch.
The Cavs return home after a five-game road trip, and typically this is not the spot you want to back a heavy home chalk.
Cleveland is just 2-6-1 ATS in its last nine overall and 2-5 ATS in its last seven at home.
Take the points with the Raptors as they stay within the number on the road.
3♦ TORONTO
Karl Garrett
Indiana at MIAMI -5'
G-Man on a 6-2 comp play run the last 8 days.
Normally, I don't like to back a team after a long road trip in their first game back at home, but after 6 straight on the road for the Heat, and another 2 roadies on deck after this one tonight, I have to back Miami to handle matters tonight against Indiana.
Miami has already clobbered Indiana twice this season both straight up, and against the spread, and the hat-trick is definitely within reach, as Indiana has been a money-burner on the road this season sporting an 8-12 spread mark in their 20 highway dates.
With this being the only home game in a 9 game span, I expect Miami to come out strong and take down the Pacers by double-digits once again.
Lay the points with Miami this Tuesday night.
4♦ MIAMI
Chris Jordan
Northern Iowa +3' at WICHITA STATE
Looked very close at actually rating this game as a premium selection, but became hesitant when I looked at the trap theory ...
"Why is a ranked team catching points at an unranked conference rival?"
Usually that tells you the trap is taking the ranked underdog, but I can't shy away from Northern Iowa's defense, which has been the bread and butter of the 16-1 Panthers who are 7-0 in Missouri Valley Conference play and have held four league opponents to less than 50 points.
Northern Iowa is a unique team that has learned to play with one another, literally, as the Panthers have had the same lineup on the floor for 30 straight games ... talk about stability.
Coach Ben Jacobsen has his squad fine-tuned, as it ranks third in the nation in scoring defense, limiting foes to 54.9 points per game. And it only gets better in MVC play, as the Panthers yiled an average of 51.0 points.
In this series, Northern Iowa has won seven of nine against the Shockers.
I realize Wichita State has been tremendous at home this season, outscoring opponents by an average of 19.2 points while winning all 11 games there, but the Panthers are far too disciplined to overlook the importance of this conference showdown.
5♦ NORTHERN IOWA
Brett Atkins
I'm 6-4 with my last 10 free selections and I'm adding to that win total today as I lay the points with Tennessee as the Vols travel to Alabama for an SEC matchup with the Crimson Tide.
Tennessee is riding a six-game winning streak and playing with so much confidence after taking down then-No.1 Kansas on Jan. 10, 76-68 as a five-point underdog. The Vols will get the job done at Alabama tonight.
Tennessee’s Wayne Chism is the real deal as he put up 26 points and grabbed 12 rebounds in the Vols’ 71-69 OT win over Ole Miss on Saturday. He played a game-high 41 minutes and showed why he is one of the elite in the SEC.
Alabama has dropped two straight, falling to Vandy at home 65-64 as a 1 ½-point favorite on Wednesday and then losing Saturday at Arkansas 71-59 as a 1 ½-point pup. The problem with the Crimson Tide is they cannot score enough points. They have managed just 66.6 over their last five games while Tennessee is putting up 76.4 points a game in the last five.
The Vols are 4-1 ATS in their last five overall while Alabama is on ATS slides of 1-4 at home, 3-8 as a home ‘dog and 1-4 on Tuesdays.
I love when a player decides he is going to rise above and lead his team and that is what Chism is doing right now. Go ahead and lay the chalk with Tennessee as they will easily get this one in Alabama.
4♦ TENNESSEE
Jay McNeil
Won for a second straight day with my free play, picking Kansas State to take down No. 1 Texas. That improved my record to 16-11 over the past 27 days, and I'm going with an NBA play today to keep my momentum going forward!
The Heat are back home after a season-long six-game road trip, and they are going to take full advantage of this opportunity with just five home games until Feb. 23.
Miami already has two wins over Indiana this season, and star guard Dwyane Wade has averaged 28.5 points in those games. The Heat won both games by at least 13 points, and the Pacers are shooting just 33.8 percent against them.
Miami has won four straight and seven of eight games at home against Indiana, which is just 4-16 on the road this season.
The home team is 6-1 ATS in the last seven meetings between the teams, and the Pacers are just 1-4 ATS in their last five games as a road underdog. Take the Heat to cover the points at home tonight.
3♦ MIAMI
Joel Tyson
Monday winner on Oklahoma City for free.
For Tuesday, take the points with Toronto at Cleveland.
The Cavs just played 5 straight on the road, and they will host the Lakers on Thursday in the marquee matchup of the week, so this looks like a "letdown" spot if there ever was one.
The Raptors are on a 10-3 straight up run their last 13, and a 9-4 spread run in those 13 games. Toronto also won outright early in the year against Cleveland.
This one should be a lot closer than the point spread suggests.
Take the points.
4♦ TORONTO