Karl Garrett
St. Joseph's (+8) at RHODE ISLAND
My free play run stands at 12-5-1 coming into Tuesday's action, and I will gladly take the points in the St. Joe's-Rhode Island contest, as the Rams certainly don't look like the same team that they were earlier this season.
Rhode Island comes into this one in a tailspin, losers of 5 of their last 7 straight up, and the Rams are a money-burning 3-8 against the spread in their lined home games this season.
True, the Hawks sport only 11 wins on the season, but they do enter riding a 2-game win streak, and they have also won 7 of the last 10 series meetings.
The Rams punished the Hawks, 101-74 earlier this year in Kingston, but the underdog is on a 7-2 spread run the last 9 series meetings.
G-Man will ride the dog once again in this A-10 first opening round battle.
1♦ ST. JOSEPH'S
Redzone Sports
St. Josephs vs. Rhode Island
Play: Over 147
These teams both can fill it up and they just do not play any D when they battle!! Rhode Island will score early and often vs Martelli's Hawks @ a packed Ryan Center. Last outing the Rams scored 101 and average a smooth 83 points per game. Play the sharp line movement here as 148.5 was the opening line and it was slammed to 151. a few fast facts : Over is 23-5 in Rams last 28 home games vs. a team with a losing road record. & these 2 have played over a perfect 4-0 last 4, we are not stats & trends players at all but a few solid facts here puts our camp on this baby!!
Tom Freese
Wright State at Butler
Prediction: Butler
Wright St is 20-11 overall and they are 12-6 in League Play. Guard Vaughn Duggins scores 14.4 points a game. Guard Todd Brown scores 13 points a game. N'Gai Evans scores 9.4 points a game. Forward Cory Coopwerwood scores 9.3 points and 6.1 rebounds a game. Guard Troy Tabler scores 9.2 points a game. The Raiders score 68.3 points a game. Wright St is 1-11-1 ATS their last 13 road games and they are 1-9-1 ATS their last 11 road games vs. a team with a team with a winning home record. Butler is 27-4 overall and 18-0 in league Play. Forward Gordon Hayward scores 15.6 points and 8.6 rebounds a game. Guard Shelvin Mack scores 13.9 points a game. Forward Matt Howard scores 12.2 points a game. Forward Willie Veasley scores 10.4 points a game. The Bulldogs are 70.1 points a game. Butler is 17-6 ATS off a win where they did not cover the spread and they are 12-3-1 ATS after less than 60 points in their last game. PLAY ON BUTLER -
MTi Sports
Toronto Raptors at LA Lakers
The Lakers are 0-7 OU (-12.3 ppg) after two away losses in which Kobe Bryant took more than 20 shots in each and 0-4 OU (-11.5 ppg) after a loss in which Andrew Bynum shot worse than 33% from the field. Also, the Lakers are The Lakers are 0-5 OU (-13.7 ppg) when facing a team they lost to in their previous same-season match-up and 0-7 OU (-10.9 ppg) as a home favorite after a road loss in which they committed fewer than ten turnovers.
Play on: Under
Jeff Alexander
1 Unit on Utah Jazz -3.5
The Bulls likely hang tough for a while tonight, but when it's all said and done I expect the Jazz to come away with a win and cover. The Bulls have lost 4 in a row SU & ATS as they have really been affected by the absence of the injured Joakim Noah. It has also not helped that both Luol Deng and Derrick Rose are banged up. Not having Noah really hurts on the defensive end. The Bulls have allowed their opponents to score at least 100 points in 7 straight games. In 4 of those games, they've allowed 110 or more. Defense figures to fail them again tonight. Chicago is only 1-8 ATS when playing against a good team (Win Pct. 60% to 70%) this season, losing to these teams by an average score of 92.1 to 107.0. Take Utah.
SPORTS WAGERS
Nashville +1.06 over ATLANTA
All these games between teams fighting for a playoff spot are so crucial right now and this one is no exception. The Preds sit in seventh spot, just a point ahead of Detroit and just two points ahead of Calgary. Atlanta is in 10th and sit just a point behind the Rangers in ninth and three points behind the Bruins for the final spot. Both teams have dropped two straight but the difference is that the Preds lost to Detroit and Vancouver while the Thrashers lost to Tampa and Carolina. Furthermore, the Thrashers lost Evander Kane in that game on Saturday and without Kane in the two weekend games the Thrashers were outscored 10-2. The Thrashers are full of defensive deficiencies while the Preds play a much more disciplined style and they’re a lot tougher to beat. Nashville is extremely strong defensively, they have solid and consistent goaltending while the Thrashers have neither. So, give me a tag with the more disciplined squad and the better defensive team, throw in more reliable goaltending and chances are good we’ll see the cashier when this one is in the books. Play: Nashville +1.06 (Risking 2 units).
ANAHEIM -½ -1.08 over Columbus
One would have to believe the Jackets would put forth a better effort tonight than the brutal performance they displayed last night. They lost 6-0 in L.A. and were outshot 35-11. Having said that, even its best effort is unlikely to get the job done here. The Jackets not only have no life in them (five straight losses) but they also lost Rick Nash and last night and the Jackets without Nash are like the Colts without Manning. This is a team in big time trouble and as it turns out, it wasn’t Ken Hitchcock after all. Meanwhile, this talented host continues to underachieve and losing here would have to be about as devastating a loss as they’ve had all year. The Ducks are fading fast and are now six points behind the Red Wings for the final spot but in order to get there they’re going to have to leapfrog over St. Louis, Dallas and Calgary. In other words, a loss here and the season is pretty much finished. Frankly, it’s hard to envision the superior Ducks in desperation mode losing to this intruder playing its third game in four days and the tail end of back-to-backs, minus Nash. Play: Anaheim -½ -1.08 (Risking 2.16 units to win 2).
Florida +1.63 over MINNESOTA
These two seldom get together and in fact, have not faced one another in over two years. The last time the Panthers beat the Wild was way back in 2001 but that was just eight games ago. The away team in these situations usually has an edge because the arena lacks the atmosphere that a rival brings. Furthermore, the Panthers have looked especially sharp in its last two game, beating both Philly and Carolina and scoring 11 times in the process. The Wild has lost two straight and that includes a 2-1 loss to Edmonton. Minnesota has now scored just three goals over its last two games and when laying big juice with struggling offenses is very bad strategy. The Panthers may not win here but they’re chances of doing so have to be considered just as good and this price absolutely seals the deal. Go Panthers. Play: Florida +1.63 (Risking 2 units).
Red Dog Sports
Montana vs. Northern Colorado
Play Under 131
When these two have met the under has profited 4 of the last 5 times. Look for a game in the 65-62 range that finishes under the total.
Chuck O'Brien
George Washington (+11') at DAYTON
Take George Washington plus the points at Dayton in opening-round Atlantic 10 tournament action.
First off, I don’t see the motivation for Dayton to win this game by this kind of huge margin. A victory of any kind tonight sends the Flyers to Atlantic City for the conference quarterfinals Wednesday. So you’d think the first chance they get to pull their starters, they’ll do so.
As it is, the Flyers stumbled to the finish line, losing five of their final seven games (1-5-1 ATS), costing themselves any chance of getting an at-large bid to the Big Dance. Meanwhile, George Washington was pretty competitive down the stretch, winning four of its final seven games. And if you look at the Colonials’ last 12 contests, you’ll find five outright victories and seven losses by margins of 5 (Richmond), 6 (at Rhode Island), 4 (at Charlotte), 7 (Duquesne), 4 (at Richmond), 9 (St. Joe’s) and 13 (at Temple, which won the Atlantic 10 regular season title).
Prior to coming up short of cashing in its last two games, George Washington had been on a 7-2 ATS roll, and the Colonials have covered in four of their last five road games (only non-cover was Saturday at Temple by a half-point), five of their last seven as a road underdog and five of their last seven against winning teams. George Washington, which finished just two games behind Dayton in the A-10 standings, will find a way to cover this inflated number, either keeping it close throughout or sneaking in the backdoor after Dayton calls off the dogs.
3♦ GEORGE WASHINGTON
Rocketman Sports
ST John's vs. Connecticut
Play: Connecticut -4
Connecticut is 3-0 SU overall against St. John's the past 3 years. Red Storm are 2-6 ATS in their last 8 Tuesday games. Red Storm are 1-3-1 ATS in their last 5 games as an underdog. Red Storm are 1-3-1 ATS in their last 5 games vs. a team with a winning SU record. Huskies are 5-2 ATS in their last 7 neutral site games as a favorite. Favorite is 5-1 ATS in the last 6 meetings. Red Storm are 1-5 ATS in the last 6 meetings. We'll recommend a small play on Connecticut today!
Scott Spreitzer
Penn at Princeton
Pick: Princeton
The Tigers have been outstanding money-makers this season, going 14-2 ATS. Tonight, they have a chance to put the final touches on a strong season that should lead to a postseason berth, likely in the NIT. But a loss would not only mean they'd have to settle for one win shy of 20, but would also likely be left out of a postseason invitation. Princeton owns the nation's stingiest defense, holding the opposition to 52.1 ppg on 39.6% shooting which ranks 25th in FG percentage allowed in the nation. The Tigers will welcome a Penn Quakers' team that's won just 3 of 14 road games this season. The Quakers are one of the worst offensive teams in college baskets, yet allow over 72 ppg to the opposition. In fact, they're 336th in FG percentage allowed, with opponents making over 47% of their shots against them. That's an important note because, as reported by other sources, Princeton is a strong 15-2 SU when they top 40% from the field. Princeton is on a 20-6 ATS run in their last 26 games, while Penn is just 2-8 ATS in their last 10 following a spread loss. Look for Princeton to all but wrap-up a postseason berth with the win on Tuesday. I'm laying the points on senior night with Princeton.
Jack Jones
Boston Celtics vs. Milwaukee Bucks
Play Boston Celtics +1.5
Boston is finally healthy, and the Celtics are starting to play up to their potential now that we are in the stretch run of the season. The Celtics have won 4 straight games, and catching points against the Bucks tonight, I'll ride them to another victory. Milwaukee is playing great basketball as well, but this team is certainly overvalued right now because of their recent run. The Bucks have won 9 of their last 10, but 8 of those wins came against teams that were at .500 or worse. So it has been a bit deceptive. Their only win against a team with a winning record came against Cleveland, who were playing without Lebron James. Boston has won 7 of their last 8 meetings with the Bucks.
This play also falls into a system that is 115-66 (64%) since 1996. It tells us to bet on all teams where the line is +3 to -3 (BOSTON) - excellent shooting team (>=47.5%) against an average defensive team (43.5-45.5%). There are just mismatches across the board in this game working in the Celtics' favor, and that's why Boston has owned Milwaukee over the last 3 years and they'll continue their dominance over the Bucks tonight. Go with the Celtics.
Wunderdog
Portland State vs. Weber State
Play Portland State +8
There is a good battle looming here as these teams have not seen much separation in terms of attacking each other. They met twice during the regular season each winning on their home court, but by very small margins as they were 3 and 5-point games. That makes the lofty number here very inviting on a competent Vikings team that certainly will respect Weber State, but not fear them. The Vikings lost to Montana State twice during the season and mustered the energy to beat them, to get to this game. The Wildcats haven't been very receptive to the neutral court where they are 2-8 ATS in their last 10. I'll go Portland State here.
Jimmy Boyd
1 Unit on Los Angeles Lakers -10.5
Off 3 straight defeats, look for the Lakers to send a message to the struggling Raptors tonight. Toronto has dropped 5 of its last 6, with 4 of those losses coming by at least 13 points. Plus, the Lakers should be further motivated by a l-point loss at Toronto in January. The last time the Raptors visited the Lakers they fell by 13 points, and this one should end up at least as bad. The Raptors are 0-7 ATS in their last 7 games overall and 0-4 ATS in their last 4 games as a road underdog of 11.0 or greater (line moved to -11 at some books). Lastly, the Lakers are 14-4 ATS in home games after failing to cover 8 or more of their last 10 against the spread under coach Jackson, winning in these spots by an average of 15.3 points. We'll take the Lakers.
Tony George
Toronto vs. Los Angeles
Play: Toronto +11
What the hell is LA doing laying this number they way they are playing? Toronto can scopre and LA's offense has been in the crapper. I am making this short and sweet, LA has NO business laying this number until they are playing better...period. Prove it, and I might lay it with them against a weak sister who allows over 114 ppg (their last 5), Toronto can play some ball and score enough to hang tough. TRENDS DO REVERSE...RAPTORS DUE FOR A COVER, THEY HAVE DROPPED 7 STRAIGHT ATS!! Ugly, ugly dog, but going against public consensus here.
Black Widow
1* on Butler -7
This is a home game for Butler in the Horizon League Championship, played in Indianapolis, Indiana. Butler lost in the title game last season to Cleveland State, and went on to lose in the first round of the NCAA Tournament to LSU. With all 5 starters back from that team, this Bulldogs' squad will be extra motivated to make sure they continue their momentum by winning the championship this time around. Butler is riding the nation's longest winning streak at 19 games. "It's a little bit of unfinished business - you feel like that when you get all that way and then you don't finish the deal," Bulldogs forward Matt Howard said. "It's the same thing this year. We're focused, we want to win. We don't feel comfortable with where we are." Wright State is 3-11 ATS in all road games this season, and 0-6 ATS (-6.6 Units) in road games off a win against a conference rival this season. In a home game for the Bulldogs, and with this team looking to make amends for last year's loss in the title game, we'll take Butler and lay the points.