Jack Jones
Indiana Pacers -1
The Indiana Pacers are showing great value at home tonight over the Philadelphia 76ers. These are two pretty evenly-matched teams in the Eastern Conference as each is eight games over .500. The home-court advantage gives the Pacers the nod in this one.
Indiana is 12-5 at home this season where they are outscoring opponents by 7.2 points/game. The Pacers have really stepped it up defensively this season, allowing just 90.6 points on 41.9 percent shooting at home. Philly is just 9-9 in road games this year.
A big reason why the 76ers are getting so much respect with this line is the fact that C Spencer Hawes is supposed to return from injury. But head coach Doug Collins has stated that he will limit Hawes to five minutes per quarter, so he won't make much of an impact in this game as he just tries to get his feet wet.
The 76ers are 1-9 ATS in their last 10 games vs. a team with a winning S.U. record. Philly is 1-4 ATS in their last 5 games as an underdog of 0.5-4.5. The 76ers are 2-6 ATS in their last 8 road games. The Pacers are 4-1 ATS in their last 5 games as a favorite. Bet the Pacers Wednesday.
NHL Predictions
Coyotes / Canucks Under 5
This will be the 3rd meeting between Phoenix and Vancouver this season. The Canucks have won 2 of the 3 meetings, with each team winning a game in a shootout. The final scores of the games have been 5, 3, and 3. With two of those goals scored in shootout that means that just 9 goals were scored in 190 minutes of play. The Coyotes have won just once in their last 7 games and they have scored just 2 goals or less in 6 of their last 8. The Canucks have lost 5 of their last 7 games, and have only scored more than 2 goals twice in those 7 games. The Canucks are averaging just 2 goals per game over their last 10. Note that the UNDER is 3-1-1 in the Coyotes last 5 overall, and 6-1 in their last 7 road games. The UNDER is also 12-4-5 in the Coyotes last 21 vs a team with a winning record. The UNDER is 5-2-1 in the Canucks last 8 overall, and 21-7-2 in their last 30 home games vs a team with a losing road record. Not only has the UNDER hit all three times between these two teams this season, the UNDER is 4-0 in their last 4 meetings and 8-0 in their last 8 meetings in Vancouver. Mike Smith and Roberto Luongo are going to try and lead their respective teams to a big win tonight, and I could see this being another tight, low scoring game. Take the UNDER.
SPORTS WAGERS
Cleveland +6/+220 over MILWAUKEE
Prior to losing to the Raptors at home last night, the Cavs' had won three in a row which included wins at Denver and Oklahoma City. Had this game been played before last night's loss, the Bucks would be about a 2½-3 point choice. Because of that one loss in a letdown spot, we get an inflated number here and one we intend to take full advantage of. Milwaukee is a horrible favorite when spotting more than four points. As a 7½-point choice against the Wizards, they won 119-118. As an eight-point choice over Phoenix they won by two. As a nine-point pick over New Orleans they won by three and as 4½-point chalk in Detroit, they lost outright. Those are the Bucks last four games when giving up 4½ or more. After playing its last two on the road in New Jersey and Toronto, Milwaukee returns home for one game before heading west for weekend games in Golden State and Portland. The Cavs' just keep improving. Those three wins in a row were no fluke. They rebound and defend relentlessly, they play with true heart and desire and they absolutely have a great chance to win this one outright after a loss to Toronto. Play: Cleveland +6 (Risking 1.5 units to win 1 Play: Cleveland +22 (Risking 1 unit).
California -3 over South Florida
Right or wrong, it appears as though the oddsmakers are giving the Bulls of USF a bit too much credit here. Much of that sentiment can be attributed to the Bulls respectable and surprising 12-6 record in the powerful Big East. But truth be told, things really fell into place for South Florida in conference play after some of the division’s power teams found themselves facing the Bulls immediately following more notable programs. When push comes to shove, this USF team is just not that strong. They ranked 328th in scoring, 189th in rebounds and 256th in assists per game. It was their defense that kept them in most games but let's also not ignore that the Bulls went just 8-7 in out-of-conference competition with losses to Old Dominion, Penn State, Auburn and Southern Miss to name a few. Cal labored down the stretch with three losses in its last four games but two of those losses came against eventual conference champ Colorado. The Golden Bears have four players averaging double figures. This is one of the most proficient offenses in the nation. Cal has gone 88-46 in Mike Montgomery’s four seasons, with this being his third trip to the Dance. South Florida has been exposed on a few occasions already this season and you can expect them to be exposed one last time by this savvy and superior foe Play: California -3 (Risking 2.12 units to win 2).
BUFFALO -½ +120 over Colorado
The Avalanche are certainly in this playoff picture, as they're one of four teams tied for that final eighth spot in the Western Conference. They've won four of their past five, which has them overvalued when we take a close look. Colorado's last four wins have come against Minnesota twice, Edmonton and Anaheim, the latter two in OT and with three of those four games played at the Pepsi Center. That's four struggling teams. The last three non-struggling teams they played, Nashville, Pittsburgh and Columbus (who had won four straight before back-to-back losses to the Blues), the Avs' lost all three and were outscored 11-3. Colorado also has a recent 5-1 road loss to the Jets. They've hung in there and deserve credit for doing so but the Sabres are playing as hard and as well as any team in the league. Buffalo has picked up points in 11 of its past 13 games, winning nine of those and losing two in OT. Ryan Miller is playing outstanding between the pipes and we should see a little extra effort here in response to Tyler Myers' three-game suspension. Sabres have won five straight at home while the Avs' have not responded well to legit teams over the past while. The Sabres are definitely legit. Play: Buffalo -½ +120 (Risking 2 units).
Joseph D'Amico
Northern Iowa vs. St. Josephs
Play: St. Josephs -6
Offense has been an issue for Northern Iowa all season long. The Panthers post a mere 65.2 PPG and possess just one player that averages DDs in Anthony James (12.9 PPG). James represents the only true scorer on the team. Opponents double-up on the Guard and the supporting cast falls by the waist side. They have gone just 7-8 SU and 3-10-2 ATS over their L15 contests. Not to mention they must face 6'9" , CJ Aiken today. The Hawks Forward has tallied 119 blocks this season. Joining Aiken is a unit that possesses 4 players that post 10 or more PPG. The talented back court of Carl Jones and Langston Galloway combine for 32.6 PPG and 8.0 RPG. NIU has no one to contain or even slow down the St. Joe's Guards. The Hawks are a monster team at home, going 13-3 SU and 10-3 ATS as a host this season. The Panthers are 0-6-2 ATS their L8 games played on the road, 2-5 ATS their L7 games played vs. teams with a winning SU record, and 0-5-1 ATS their L6 road games vs. teams with a winning home record. The Hawks are 14-3 ATS their L17 games following a SU loss, 16-5 ATS their L21 games played as a favorite, and 23-10 ATS their L33 games played overall. Take St. Joe's.
Rocketman
Buffalo @ American
Play: Buffalo -3
Buffalo is 13-4 SU and ATS as a road favorite of 3 points or less or a pick. Buffalo is 15-3 SU as a favorite this year. American did go 13-1 SU at home this year but let's face it, the Patriot League isn't quite the league the Mid-American league is. Bulls are 7-2-2 ATS in their last 11 games following a SU loss. Bulls are 6-2 ATS in their last 8 games following a ATS win. Eagles are 5-11 ATS in their last 16 games vs. a team with a winning % above .600. Buffalo is scoring 72.7 points per game overall this year and led by MAC Player of the Year, Mitchell Watt, who averaged 16.6 points per game this season. American has had a good defense all year long but I feel like Buffalo will control the tempo and take care of business here tonight. We'll recommend a small play on Buffalo tonight!
Tony Stoffo
Bowling Green vs. Oakland
Play: Bowling Green +4
One sharp money plays for today - and it goes here on the Falcons of Bowling Green. And I can see why the money has come in on the Falcons in this spot as they will be the team taking the court this evening with emotion on their side. As this will be the first time that Bowling Green will be playing in a postseason game since 2009. Plus on the court they will dominate the smaller Golden Grizzlies on the glass. The Falcons are the very live dog here this evening. Play on - Road teams as an underdog or pick (Bowling Green) - off an embarrassing home loss scoring less than 60 points, a marginal winning team (51% to 60%) playing a winning team. This situational trend has gone 76-43 hitting at a 64% clip. Bowling Green is 7-0 ATS as a road underdog of 3.5 to 6 points over the last 3 seasons. Oakland is 0-6 ATS in home games after scoring 75 points or more 5 straight games over the last 3 seasons.
Dave Price
Charlotte Bobcats +8
Charlotte is the worst team in the NBA, but it catches Houston at the right time. This one has all the makings of a letdown for the Rockets following last night's big 1-point win over the Thunder. Plus, Houston is dealing with a several injuries/illnesses to key players. The Rockets are 1-8 ATS in their last 9 games overall, 0-5 ATS in their last 5 games as a favorite, 0-7 ATS in their last 7 games vs. a team with a losing record and 0-5 ATS in their last 5 vs. the Eastern Conference. Bet the Bobcats.
Jeff Alexander
Phoenix Suns -4.5
The Jazz have been a terrible investment on the road where they are 5-15 SU & 7-13 ATS on the season. They are 3-7 ATS in their last 10 road games and 0-4 ATS in their last 4 games as a road underdog of 4.5 or fewer points. The Suns have really started to be a force at home where they have won 5 of their last 6 SU and ATS. They have won 5 in a row against the Jazz with those wins coming by an average of 10.8 points. Take Phoenix.
WUNDERDOG
Quinnipiac at Pennsylvania
Pick: Quinnipiac +4
The little school in Hamden,CT that is perhaps an equal to Penn in academics, but little known on the hardwood. Quinnipiac is always strong off the glass and the last four years they have had a rebounder in the nations top 35 and Ike Azotan at 9.3 boards per contest is the latest addition. Many consider Yale the equal to Penn in terms of Ivy talent this season and the Bobcats beat Yale by 6 in the regular season so they won't be mismatched here. The Quakers are struggling down the stretch at just 2-6-1 ATS in their last nine, including 1--1 ATS in their last six at home. Play on Quinnipiac in this one.