DUNKEL INDEX
LA Lakers at Houston
The Lakers look to bounce back from last night's loss in Memphis and build on their 5-1 ATS record in their last 6 games when playing with 0 days of rest. LA is the pick (-5) according to Dunkel, which has the Lakers favored by 7 1/2.Dunkel Pick: LA Lakers (-5)
Game 501-502: Memphis at Atlanta (7:00 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Memphis 116.995; Atlanta 119.470
Dunkel Line & Total: Atlanta by 2 1/2; 188
Vegas Line & Total: No Line
Dunkel Pick: N/A
Game 503-504: Washington at Toronto (7:00 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Washington 112.170; Toronto 120.505
Dunkel Line & Total: Toronto by 8 1/2; 210
Vegas Line & Total: No Line
Dunkel Pick: N/A
Game 505-506: Oklahoma City at New Jersey (7:00 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Oklahoma City 119.774; New Jersey 113.021
Dunkel Line & Total: Oklahoma City by 7; 191
Vegas Line & Total: Oklahoma City by 5; 196 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Oklahoma City (-5); Under
Game 507-508: Detroit at Miami (7:30 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Detroit 113.096; Miami 122.788
Dunkel Line & Total: Miami by 9 1/2; 197
Vegas Line & Total: Miami by 12; 191
Dunkel Pick: Detroit (+12); Over
Game 509-510: Portland at Boston (7:30 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Portland 116.028; Boston 121.073
Dunkel Line & Total: Boston by 5; 197
Vegas Line & Total: No Line
Dunkel Pick: N/A
Game 511-512: Orlando at Chicago (8:00 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Orlando 120.628; Chicago 127.470
Dunkel Line & Total: Chicago by 7; 191
Vegas Line & Total: No Line
Dunkel Pick: N/A
Game 513-514: Charlotte at New Orleans (8:00 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Charlotte 117.035; New Orleans 126.332
Dunkel Line & Total: New Orleans by 9 1/2; 206
Vegas Line & Total: No Line
Dunkel Pick: N/A
Game 515-516: Minnesota at Dallas (8:30 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Minnesota 114.978; Dallas 122.631
Dunkel Line & Total: Dallas by 7 1/2; 197
Vegas Line & Total: Dallas by 10 1/2; 205
Dunkel Pick: Minnesota (+10 1/2); Under
Game 517-518: LA Lakers at Houston (8:00 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: LA Lakers 124.680; Houston 117.016
Dunkel Line & Total: LA Lakers by 7 1/2; 212
Vegas Line & Total: LA Lakers by 5; 206
Dunkel Pick: LA Lakers (-5); Over
Game 519-520: Milwaukee at Denver (9:00 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Milwaukee 115.044; Denver 119.742
Dunkel Line & Total: Denver by 4 1/2; 197
Vegas Line & Total: No Line
Dunkel Pick: N/A
Game 521-522: Indiana at Utah (9:00 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Indiana 121.987; Utah 127.193
Dunkel Line & Total: Utah by 5; 201
Vegas Line & Total: Utah by 8; 193
Dunkel Pick: Indiana (+8); Over
Game 523-524: San Antonio at LA Clippers (10:30 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: San Antonio 125.063; LA Clippers 115.187
Dunkel Line & Total: San Antonio by 10; 197
Vegas Line & Total: San Antonio by 7; 204 1/2
Dunkel Pick: San Antonio (-7); Under
NCAAB
Temple at Central Michigan
The Owls look to build on their 7-1 ATS record in their last 8 games versus the Mid-American Conference. Temple is the pick (-8) according to Dunkel, which has the Owls favored by 11. Dunkel Pick: Temple (-8)
Game 525-526: George Washington at George Mason (7:00 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: George Washington 51.386; George Mason 65.209
Dunkel Line: George Mason by 14
Vegas Line: George Mason by 12
Dunkel Pick: George Mason (-12)
Game 527-528: Northeastern at Providence (7:00 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Northeastern 58.060; Providence 62.214
Dunkel Line: Providence by 4
Vegas Line: Providence by 7 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Northeastern (+7 1/2)
Game 529-530: St. Joseph's at Drexel (7:00 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: St. Joseph's 52.510; Drexel 56.621
Dunkel Line: Drexel by 4
Vegas Line: Drexel by 8 1/2
Dunkel Pick: St. Joseph's (+8 1/2)
Game 531-532: Fordham at Harvard (7:00 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Fordham 43.355; Harvard 59.092
Dunkel Line: Harvard by 16
Vegas Line: Harvard by 14
Dunkel Pick: Harvard (-14)
Game 533-534: Temple at Central Michigan (7:00 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Temple 65.948; Central Michigan 54.703
Dunkel Line: Temple by 11
Vegas Line: Temple by 8
Dunkel Pick: Temple (-8)
Game 535-536: Xavier at Miami (OH) (7:00 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Xavier 64.718; Miami (OH) 58.743
Dunkel Line: Xavier by 6
Vegas Line: Xavier by 7 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Miami (OH) (+7 1/2)
Game 537-538: Richmond at Old Dominion (7:00 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Richmond 64.352; Old Dominion 65.815
Dunkel Line: Old Dominion by 1 1/2
Vegas Line: Old Dominion by 3 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Richmond (+3 1/2)
Game 539-540: Charlotte at East Carolina (7:00 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Charlotte 50.716; East Carolina 59.124
Dunkel Line: East Carolina by 8 1/2
Vegas Line: East Carolina by 6
Dunkel Pick: East Carolina (-6)
Game 541-542: Wright State at Cincinnati (7:00 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Wright State 55.692; Cincinnati 62.073
Dunkel Line: Cincinnati by 6 1/2
Vegas Line: Cincinnati by 11
Dunkel Pick: Wright State (+11)
Game 543-544: Western Michigan at Towson (7:00 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Western Michigan 56.006; Towson 54.048
Dunkel Line: Western Michigan by 2
Vegas Line: Western Michigan by 1
Dunkel Pick: Western Michigan (-1)
Game 545-546: Akron at Detroit (7:00 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Akron 57.421; Detroit 59.736
Dunkel Line: Detroit by 2 1/2
Vegas Line: Detroit by 5
Dunkel Pick: Akron (+5)
Game 547-548: Florida at Central Florida (7:00 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Florida 66.382; Central Florida 59.916
Dunkel Line: Florida by 6 1/2
Vegas Line: Florida by 3 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Florida (-3 1/2)
Game 549-550: Florida International at Louisville (7:00 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Florida International 48.667; Louisville 67.692
Dunkel Line: Louisville by 19
Vegas Line: Louisville by 21 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Florida International (+21 1/2)
Game 551-552: VCU at South Florida (7:00 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: VCU 64.807; South Florida 58.945
Dunkel Line: VCU by 6
Vegas Line: VCU by 3
Dunkel Pick: VCU (-3)
Game 553-554: Indiana at Boston College (7:15 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Indiana 60.699; Boston College 62.307
Dunkel Line: Boston College by 1 1/2
Vegas Line: Boston College by 6
Dunkel Pick: Indiana (+6)
Game 555-556: NC State at Wisconsin (7:15 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: NC State 63.910; Wisconsin 74.690
Dunkel Line: Wisconsin by 11
Vegas Line: Wisconsin by 8
Dunkel Pick: Wisconsin (-8)
Game 557-558: Purdue at Virginia Tech (7:30 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Purdue 69.113; Virginia Tech 72.766
Dunkel Line: Virginia Tech by 3 1/2
Vegas Line: Virginia Tech by 2
Dunkel Pick: Virginia Tech (-2)
Game 559-560: Butler at Loyola-Chicago (8:00 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Butler 68.558; Loyola-Chicago 63.116
Dunkel Line: Butler by 5 1/2
Vegas Line: Butler by 4
Dunkel Pick: Butler (-4)
Game 561-562: Arkansas State at Memphis (8:00 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Arkansas State 48.527; Memphis 72.566
Dunkel Line: Memphis by 24
Vegas Line: Memphis by 17 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Memphis (-17 1/2)
Game 563-564: Oklahoma at Arkansas (8:00 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Oklahoma 57.143; Arkansas 63.860
Dunkel Line: Arkansas by 6 1/2
Vegas Line: Arkansas by 7 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Oklahoma (+7 1/2)
Game 565-566: Iowa State at Northern Iowa (8:00 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Iowa State 67.897; Northern Iowa 65.075
Dunkel Line: Iowa State by 3
Vegas Line: Northern Iowa by 2
Dunkel Pick: Iowa State (+2)
Game 567-568: Arkansas-Little Rock at Missouri State (8:00 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Arkansas-Little Rock 50.043; Missouri State 67.472
Dunkel Line: Missouri State by 17 1/2
Vegas Line: Missouri State by 16
Dunkel Pick: Missouri State (-16)
Game 569-570: Drake at Colorado State (8:00 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Drake 49.658; Colorado State 57.896
Dunkel Line: Colorado State by 8
Vegas Line: Colorado State by 11
Dunkel Pick: Drake (+11)
Game 571-572: Arizona at Rice (8:00 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Arizona 71.290; Rice 54.797
Dunkel Line: Arizona by 16 1/2
Vegas Line: Arizona by 8 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Arizona (-8 1/2)
Game 573-574: BYU at Creighton (8:00 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: BYU 70.181; Creighton 64.850
Dunkel Line: BYU by 5 1/2
Vegas Line: BYU by 7
Dunkel Pick: Creighton (+7)
Game 575-576: UNLV at Illinois State (8:00 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: 72.108; Illinois State 61.506
Dunkel Line: UNLV by 10 1/2
Vegas Line: UNLV by 10
Dunkel Pick: UNLV (-10)
Game 577-578: New Mexico at Southern Illinois (8:00 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: New Mexico 65.718; Southern Illinois 61.188
Dunkel Line: New Mexico by 4 1/2
Vegas Line: New Mexico by 1 1/2
Dunkel Pick: New Mexico (-1 1/2)
Game 579-580: SMU at Louisiana Tech (8:00 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: SMU 52.727; Louisiana Tech 53.752
Dunkel Line: Louisiana Tech by 1
Vegas Line: Louisiana Tech by 4 1/2
Dunkel Pick: SMU (+4 1/2)
Game 581-582: South Alabama at Alabama (8:30 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: South Alabama 47.612; Alabama 65.299
Dunkel Line: Alabama by 17 1/2
Vegas Line: Alabama by 15
Dunkel Pick: Alabama (-15)
Game 583-584: Western Kentucky at Vanderbilt (9:00 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Western Kentucky 57.050; Vanderbilt 70.327
Dunkel Line: Vanderbilt by 13 1/2
Vegas Line: Vanderbilt by 14 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Western Kentucky (+14 1/2)
Game 585-586: Utah State at Denver (9:00 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Utah State 63.291; Denver 53.968
Dunkel Line: Utah State by 9 1/2
Vegas Line: Utah State by 10
Dunkel Pick: Denver (+10)
Game 587-588: Pittsburgh at Duquesne (9:00 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Pittsburgh 74.054; Duquesne 60.036
Dunkel Line: Pittsburgh by 14
Vegas Line: Pittsburgh by 10 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Pittsburgh (-10 1/2)
Game 589-590: Maryland at Penn State (9:15 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Maryland 67.864; Penn State 66.238
Dunkel Line: Maryland by 1 1/2
Vegas Line: Penn State by 1
Dunkel Pick: Maryland (+1)
Game 591-592: Michigan State at Duke (9:30 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Michigan State 70.818; Duke 85.609
Dunkel Line: Duke by 15
Vegas Line: Duke by 11 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Duke (-11 1/2)
Game 593-594: UC-Irvine at San Diego (10:00 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: UC-Irvine 49.832; San Diego 54.008
Dunkel Line: San Diego by 4
Vegas Line: UC-Irvine by 1
Dunkel Pick: San Diego (+1)
Game 595-596: Loyola Marymount at UC-Santa Barbara (10:00 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Loyola Marymount 52.888; UC-Santa Barbara 58.779
Dunkel Line: UC-Santa Barbara by 6
Vegas Line: UC-Santa Barbara by 6 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Loyola Marymount (+6 1/2)
Game 597-598: Hawaii at Cal Poly (10:00 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Hawaii 53.529; Cal Poly 53.644
Dunkel Line: Even
Vegas Line: Cal Poly by 2
Dunkel Pick: Hawaii (+2)
Game 599-600: UC Davis at California (10:30 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: UC Davis 46.273; California 72.995
Dunkel Line: California by 26 1/2
Vegas Line: California by 16
Dunkel Pick: California (-16)
Game 601-602: Pepperdine at Pacific (10:30 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Pepperdine 47.758; Pacific 64.887
Dunkel Line: Pacific by 17
Vegas Line: Pacific by 12
Dunkel Pick: Pacific (-12)
Game 603-604: St. Mary's (CA) at San Diego State (10:30 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: St. Mary's (CA) 71.490; San Diego State 71.088
Dunkel Line: Even
Vegas Line: San Diego State by 6 1/2
Dunkel Pick: St. Mary's (CA) (+6 1/2)
Game 605-606: Elon at Furman (7:00 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Elon 46.051; Furman 51.744
Dunkel Line: Furman by 5 1/2
Vegas Line: Furman by 8
Dunkel Pick: Elon (+8)
Game 607-608: Jacksonville State at UAB (8:00 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Jacksonville State 41.078; UAB 67.039
Dunkel Line: UAB by 26
Vegas Line: UAB by 20
Dunkel Pick: UAB (-20)
NHL
Washington at St. Louis
The Blues look to build on their 14-2 record in their last 16 games against the Eastern Conference. St. Louis is the pick (+120) according to Dunkel, which has the Blues favored by 1/2 a goal. Dunkel Pick: St. Louis (+120)
Game 1-2: Nashville at Columbus (7:00 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Nashville 11.316; Columbus 11.601
Dunkel Line & Total: Columbus by 1/2; 4
Vegas Line & Total: Columbus (-155); 5
Dunkel Pick: Columbus (-155); Under
Game 3-4: Edmonton at Montreal (7:00 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Edmonton 12.280; Montreal 10.979
Dunkel Line & Total: Edmonton by 1 1/2; 6
Vegas Line & Total: Montreal (-230); 5 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Edmonton (+190); Over
Game 5-6: Boston at Philadelphia (7:00 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Boston 10.693; Philadelphia 11.661
Dunkel Line & Total: Philadelphia by 1; 5
Vegas Line & Total: Philadelphia (-145); 5 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Philadelphia (-145); Under
Game 7-8: Washington at St. Louis (8:00 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Washington 11.110; St. Louis 11.848
Dunkel Line & Total: St. Louis by 1/2; 6 1/2
Vegas Line & Total: Washington (-140); 5 1/2
Dunkel Pick: St. Louis (+120); Over
Game 9-10: Phoenix at Minnesota (8:00 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Phoenix 10.339; Minnesota 11.582
Dunkel Line & Total: Minnesota by 1; 6
Vegas Line & Total: No Line
Dunkel Pick: N/A
Game 11-12: Vancouver at Calgary (9:30 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Vancouver 11.947; Calgary 12.871
Dunkel Line & Total: Calgary by 1; 5
Vegas Line & Total: Vancouver (-125); 5 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Calgary (+105); Under
Game 13-14: Florida at Anaheim (10:00 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Florida 10.995; Anaheim 12.024
Dunkel Line & Total: Anaheim by 1; 4 1/2
Vegas Line & Total: Anaheim (-145); 5 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Anaheim (-145); Under
Marc Lawrence
Portland Trail Blazers at Boston Celtics
Prediction: Portland Trail Blazers
The Trailblazers will look to shake a four-game losing streak when they take on the Celtics in Beantown Wednesday night knowing that Portland is 17-7 SU and ATS in games off four losses exact in which the last loss was by eight or more points. With Boston in off a satisfying same season revenge win over Cleveland in its last game, look for the Blazers to improve to 7-0 ATS in this series when playing without rest as they back on the win track here tonight. We recommend a 1-unit play on Portland.
Frank Jordan
Lakers vs. Rockets
Play: Over 207
The Lakers are coming off a brutal loss to Memphis and scored under 100 points which is below their 108 average so far this season. Houston averages 103 thus far and could only muster 91 against Dallas last time out. Look for both of these teams to shoot above their average and get into the one teens. Play the Over
Jim Feist
Los Angeles Lakers vs. Houston Rockets
Play: Houston Rockets +5½
The Lakers have looked out of gas of late, especially Pau Gasol who is racking up plenty of minutes. They lost back to back games to the Jazz and Pacers, the latter at home. This is a difficult scheduling spot for the Lakers, playing their 3d game in 4 nights and the second of a back to back spot, playing at Memphis last night. The Rockets are rested and the home crowd will be fired up with the defending champs in town. Play the Rockets.
Rob Vinciletti
Los Angeles Lakers vs. Houston Rockets
Play: Los Angeles Lakers -5
The Lakers come in off an uncharacteristic 3 game losing streak. However they are set up in one of their better scenarios tonight. The Lakers are 8-0 straight up and Ats as a road favorite with no rest if they scored 90 or more as a road favorite last night and their opponent is coming home off a road game. They win by an average 13 points per game the past few years in this spot. Look for the Lakers to bounce back with a win and cover.
INSIDER ANGLES
Providence -7.5
The Providence Friars are off to a 6-1 start while the Northeastern Huskies are three points away from being 0-4, and although the Friars are considered a lower echelon Big East team, they are probably still too athletic for their opponents from the CAA here.
The Huskies are 2-2 this early season, but their two wins were by two points over Boston University in a non-lined game and by one point in overtime vs. Southern Illinois. They followed up those two narrow wins by losing at home by 16 points to Siena, although to be fair they did then perhaps play their best game of the season in a 56-54 loss at Utah State on Saturday. However, the long trip east from Utah may have the Huskies fatigued here a bit.
What is significant about the Huskies’ schedule so far as that their two win have come vs. teams ranked 119 and 139 respectively on the Pomeroy Ratings, while they have lost to the two better teams they have faced, which are ranked 41 and 97. Providence is ranked higher than Siena is at 76, which means there is an excellent chance that Northeastern loses its third straight game here.
Now, the 6-1 Friars are averaging 78.4 points per game and they are averaging 1.08 points per possession, which ranks 62nd in the country according to Pomeroy, Comparatively, Northeaster averages 0.99 points per possession, and that difference gets exponentially worse when you consider that Providence plays at the 12th fastest tempo in the country at 72.6 possessions per game, and it is the Friars that figure to control the pace at home.
Sure, the Huskies will try and slow the game down, but the Providence defense is 28th in the land in effective field goal percentage allowed, so slowing the pace would not help if Northeaster has a bunch or empty possessions.
We expect just that, and for Providence to eventually win this game by double-digits at home.
Matt Fargo
St Joseph's vs. Drexel
Play: St Joseph's +8
We won with St. Joseph’s in its last road game at Fairfield as it won outright as eight-point underdogs. We are getting an even higher number here in this Big Five rivalry and while this series has not been close in recent years, it has been dominated by the road team. Last season the Hawks defeated the Dragons by 10 points in overtime as five-point favorites and now they are getting as much as nine points on the road just over a year later. That is simply too big of a swing for two teams where not a lot has changed. St. Joseph’s used to be at the top of the Atlantic Ten Conference on an annual basis but last season was a disaster as the Hawks went 11-20 including just 5-11 in the conference. It was the first losing season in 10 years and while things won’t get dramatically better this season, things will improve. That is the key. St. Joseph’s will be better and yet the line has shifted 14 points. Granted it is a revenge game for Drexel however it is asking a lot to lay this many points, something it is not accustomed to. The Dragons are 3-1 on the season with their only loss coming on the road at Rhode Island. They are coming off an average season and while a lot of the key components are back this season, they are not expected to make a jump to the top of the Colonial. The big reason is because of the dismissal of All-CAA point guard Jamie Harris who was kicked off the team because of an armed robbery arrest. Drexel is shooting only 59.4 percent from the free throw line this season and that is a huge issue. St. Joseph’s is 18-5 ATS in its last 23 road games against teams outscoring opponents by 12 or more ppg while going 5-1 ATS in its last six games as an underdog. 3* St. Joseph’s Hawks
Tony Karpinski
Minnesota Timberwolves vs. Dallas Mavericks
Play: Dallas Mavericks -10
Dallas is 13-4 on the year and hosting a T-Wolves team who is just the opposite at 4-13. Dallas is red hot winning 6 in a row and doing it with their defense. Dallas averages 98 ppg while the T-Wolves give up 110 ppg. Minnesota has dropped 4 in a row and no one else is stepping up besides Michael Beasley and K Love. Dallas should roll in this one. Dallas WINS 114- 92
Bryan Leonard
Minnesota Timberwolves vs. Dallas Mavericks
Play: Minnesota Timberwolves +10½
The Timberwolves are well rested after not playing since Wednesday. Despite getting off to a poor start Minnesota is 4-4 ATS when taking to the road. They have always played well in Dallas covering eight straight meetings in "Big D". Dallas is playing great ball right now but this has to be considered a sandwich situation. The last four games the Mavs faced Oklahoma City, San Antonio (ending the Spur's long winning streak), Miami and arch rival Houston. They then travel to Utah on Friday to face the Jazz. You only have so much energy to expend and Dallas has really been pushed as of late against those elite foes. The Mavericks are always a dangerous bet when laying points at home. They are 3-5-2 ATS as a home favorite this year while never laying double digits.
The Mavericks will get the win here but it won't be easy.
Tom Stryker
St. Josephs vs. Drexel
Play: Drexel -8
Even though St. Joseph's holds a commanding 44-8 SU advantage in this series, I'm going to back head coach Bruiser Flint against his alma mater on Wednesday night.
The fact that this game is being played inside the Daskalakis Athletic Center (DAC) is huge for the Dragons. In its last 33 games at home, Drexel has produced a solid 21-11 SU and 19-11 ATS record. In this role checking in with momentum off a straight up win, the Dragons have performed much better notching a stellar 11-4 SU and 10-4 ATS record.
Along with those two strong team trends, there is a nice early season college system that supports Coach Flint's troops tonight. Since 1990, home teams at game five or less are a respectable 60-41 ATS provided they enter off a blowout home win of 40 points or more and take the floor with three days of rest or less. Favorites in this role are actually on a profitable 49-28-1 ATS run.
After opening the season with a pair of losses to Western Kentucky and Penn State, St. Joseph's has ripped off three consecutive wins over Norfolk State, Fairfield and Rutgers. Off that nice trifecta of victories, this will be a tough encore for the Hawks. Surprisingly, as a non-conference underdog coming off three or more straight up wins, St. Joe has struggled something fierce notching an ugly 2-8 SU and 3-7 ATS record.
The Dragons have been whipped in this series a number of times by the Hawks. For the first time since December of 1992, Bruiser's boys get St. Joe in the friendly confines of the DAC where they are tough to beat. Chalk up a nice win and cover for the home team. Take Drexel.
Steve Janus
Michigan State vs. Duke
Pick: Michigan St +11.5
While the Blue Devils have started the season on a roll, I think they are in for quite a game tonight against the Spartans. Head coach Tom Izzo will have Michigan State ready to play, and while they might not come away with a win, I think they easily keep it within 10 points. The Spartans are 16-6 ATS in road games versus excellent teams - shooting >=45% with a defense of = 80%), as it's 23-4 (85%) over the last 5 seasons.
Bryan Gillis
Florida Panthers vs. Anaheim Ducks
Play: Anaheim Ducks
Anaheim's power-play units have been surprisingly effective this year, with a 22.1 percent, ranking them eighth in the league thus far—a statistic that is strikingly similar to last year's 21.0 percent which let Anaheim hold the fifth seat in the league. Not much to complain about when discussing Anaheim's power play; they have been working hard to keep the puck in their opponent's zone, which usually converts into some scoring chances. Any team that has Teemu Selanne on their power-play unit is bound to see some production with Selanne ranked fourth in the league with five of his 11 goals coming on the power play.
The penalty killing units for Anaheim has seen a complete face lift, which has brought their penalty killing percentage up to 82.4 percent (ranked 15th) from last year's 79.3 percent (ranked 24th). Carlyle has started using some big bodied forwards, such as Corey Perry and Bobby Ryan, as the top point of the box of penalty killers. When one of those power forwards is paired with a smart and defensively-minded forward, such as Saku Koivu and two strong defenders, the penalty kill goes smoothly. This year, the Ducks have migrated away from the "collapsing box" strategy and thankfully kept the feet more active and kept pressure on their opponents away from the net.
Meanwhile,Florida has been in the bottom third of the league offensively this year.
BIG AL
San Antonio @ L.A. Clippers
PICK: L.A. Clippers +7.5
This game will be a big test for Blake Griffin & Co., and not just because the Spurs have defeated the Clippers 18 straight times and 26 of the last 27 meetings. But this season (with apologies to Boston, Orlando, the Lakers and, yes, MIami), the Spurs are the NBA's best club. San Antone won again last night in Golden State to move to 15-2, and it has yet to lose on the road this season. Of course, this hasn't surprised me, as I have the Spurs at 40-1 to win the NBA Championship, and also made a big play on them to go 'over' their 50.5 projected season wins. Still, all good things must come to an end, and there's value with the Clippers here, as the line is over 7 points (7 is the big "key number" in NBA betting, since it represents 3 possessions, and is a point where NBA teams quit fouling at the end of the games), and the Spurs are coming off 2 wins. San Antonio is 15-26 ATS as unrested favorites or PK off back-to-back wins, so let's fade Gregg Popovich's crew here. Our complimentary selection is on the Clippers.
Rocketman
Orlando Magic vs. Chicago Bulls
Play: Chicago Bulls -1.5
Looks like Boozer will play tonight for the Bulls who are 7-3 their last 10 games overall. Orlando is 0-6 ATS this year when playing on the road. Orlando is 1-5 ATS this year after a win by 10 points or more. Chicago is 8-1 ATS last 3 years when playing with 3 or more days rest. Chicago is 19-7 ATS last 3 years and 3-0 ATS this year after playing 3 consecutive road games. Orlando is scoring only 89.8 points per game on the road this year. Chicago is 5-1 SU at home this year where they are scoring 106.7 points per game. We'll recommend a small play on Chicago tonight!
Jimmy Boyd
1 Unit on Wisconsin Badgers -8
The Badgers are terrific on their home floor, where they get down and dirty on defense and don't turn the ball over. Following a loss to Notre Dame, the Badgers will hit the floor mighty hungry tonight.
Under coach Ryan, defense has been Wisconsin's staple. In fact, Ryan's teams are an impressive 18-4 ATS in home games versus good offensive teams scoring 77 or more points per game. The Badgers have held these teams to just 62.7 ppg while scoring 73.1.
NC State is just 2-5 ATS in its last 7 vs. the Big Ten while the Badgers are 10-1 ATS in their last 11 vs. the ACC. Lay the points with Wiscy.