Vic Monte
500* Louisville
500* Temple
Jim Hurley
Early Plays
3* Missouri -12.5 First Round GOY
2* Utah St +5
Alf Musketa
USC vs. Boston College
Pick: USC -2
We are very high on the Pac 10 in this Tournament. USC won the Conference Tournament and they had to, to get in. None of the games that they played were given to them, their talent and especially defense won their ticket to the Big Dance beating UCLA, Cal and ASU all teams in the Tournament. In the game vs. UCLA the top shooting team in the Nation, held them to 27% shooting with their in your face style of defense.Boston College after beating then unbeaten North Carolina has come down to earth and lost five of their last nine games including losses to NC State and Miami, both whom are not in the tournament.
Lay the points.
Marc Lawrence
Minnesota at Houston
Play: Minnesota +11.5
When the Timberwolves take on the Rockets in Houston this evening they will be playing with same season triple revenge, a role in which they are 13-7 ATS when playing on the road and off a loss. With the Rockets looking dead ahead to a big revenge rematch with San Antonio, look for Houston to drop to 2-14-2 ATS as home favorites in games before playing the Spurs here tonight. Take the points with Minnesota.
Matt Fargo
8* NBA SUPREME ANNIHILATOR *23-14 RUN*
Philadelphia at Golden State
Play: Philadelphia -1
As expected, the Sixers put up a dud against Phoenix the night after defeating the Lakers on a last second three-pointer. I had no interest in grabbing the points against the Suns and also had no interest in putting down seven points on Phoenix despite the probably letdown effect. Philadelphia has how had a day to regroup and we will see a fully focused team tonight. The New Year started slow for Philadelphia with consecutive losses to Dallas and San Antonio but on January 6th, the Sixers started to get things rolling. A seven-game winning streak ensued and since then, they have gone a solid 21-11 to completely turn around what was thought to have been a lost season. The loss of Elton Brand was thought to be devastating at the time but Philadelphia has been more than fine. In the 29 games he played this season, the Sixers went 13-16. In the 37 games he has been absent, they have gone 21-16. It may be coincidental or that other players step up in but either way, this is a team to be on the look out for as there is some great balance and team chemistry working right now. The Sixers are far from out of the woods however as they are currently sitting in the sixth spot in the Eastern Conference but are just five games away from falling into ninth place because of that horrible start that cost head coach Maurice Cheeks his job. They are a game and a half behind Miami for the fifth spot and that is a coveted slot right now as the first round matchup will be Atlanta as opposed to facing either Boston or Orlando is the opening round of the playoffs. Letdowns seem to be common place following games against Los Angeles and tonight, the shoe goes on the other foot. Golden St. is coming off a game last night against the Lakers and even though it lost, it was a close game throughout and the Warriors put in a big effort against their division rivals. The Warriors have been playing better as they have won three of their last four games at home but two of those came against the Clippers and Nets so I am not sold on how strong their home court is currently looking. Philadelphia is 23-9 ATS in its last 32 road games coming off a road loss. When playing on no rest or extended rest of three or more days, the Sixers are 7-18 ATS but everything in-between has been fine, going 23-15-3 ATS when playing on one or two days of rest. 8* Philadelphia 76ers
JB Sports
TORONTO RAPTORS
Rocketman
MICHIGAN STATE
Opposite Action Plays
OHIO STATE
Lenny Del Genio
UTAH STATE
Tony George
MISSOURI
Maddux Sports
Hockey
3 units on Los Angeles +240
Dr. Canada
Kings/Pens over 6
Red Wings/Thrashers over 6.5
NSA
20* Tennesse vs Oklahoma St OVER 156.5
20* Utah St +4.5
20* North Dakota St +10
10* Syracuse -11.5
10* West Virginia -9
Opinions
Temple +5.5
Pittsburgh -19.5
Missouri -12.5
Erin Rynning
Utah
Robert Ferringo
6-Unit Play. Take #850 Marquette (-4.5) over Utah State (12:30 p.m., Friday, March 20)
Note: This is my Game of the Month.
This play is all about value and all about going against the public. And I don't know about now, but that's what March used to be all about. The Golden Eagles have been completely written off without Dominic James. However, I still see a talented and experienced core of seniors that don't want to go down without a fight. With the exception of the first half against Villanova this team played well in The Garden. And even though they have been on a savage slide, let's look at who they are losing to - Pitt, Louisville, Connecticut, Syracuse and Villanova. Has Utah State played anyone even close to the caliber of that? I don't think so. I'm a big fan of the WAC and I can say that it was the weakest this year that I've seen it in a decade. Utah State played a terrible nonconference schedule and a weak conference schedule, and the last time they stepped out to face someone they got rocked by a St. Mary's team that is in the NIT. I love the pressure that Marquette can put on the perimeter, and if McNeal and/or Matthews is on today this one could be ugly. I think that the Golden Eagles are undervalued at the moment as nearly 70 percent of the action is on the Aggies today. I'd like to see the public get humbled today and watch everyone kick themselves for missing out on this mismatch.
4-Unit Play. Take Stephen F. Austin (+12) over Syracuse (12:15 p.m., Friday, March 20)
I just think that there are a lot of reasons why this is a really sharp play and this was the first matchup that jumped out at me when I saw the lines. And not just because I'm a Syracuse fan. The dreaded noon tip in quintessential letdown spot for SU after their amazing MSG run. They are playing some "who?" team. The Orange face the No. 1 field goal defense in the country and a team whose adjusted tempo is No. 300 (of 342), which means they could grind the Orange down.Further, the Southland Conference teams are 3-0 ATS in L3 tournaments and Syracuse (for some reason) never plays well in Florida. Everyone (in SU Nation) is already looking ahead to Arizona State, Oklahoma and North Carolina in our bracket. Makes it a “Letdown/Look Ahead" spot. Syracuse is just 22-37 ATS as a double-digit favorite dating back to 2003. There are four three-year starters on senior-laden team that has gone 50-13 over the last two years.
2.5-Unit Play. Take #830 Arizona State (-5.5) over Temple (2:45 p.m., Friday, March 20)
I'm backing James Harden and a handful of systems that suggest that the Sun Devils will overperform their seed. Playing No. 6 seeds after a loss is 26-15-1 ATS in the past several tournaments.
2-Unit Play. Take #838 Oklahoma State (+2) over Tennessee (Noon, Friday, March 20)
I'm not big into the SEC and I'm not big into teams that don't care of the ball. I konw that Oklahoma State is a turnover waiting to happen, but playing on higher seeds as underdogs has been a solid 14-7 ATS in recent years.
2-Unit Play. Take #826 Wake Forest (-8) over Cleveland State (9:40 p.m., Friday, March 20)
The same systems that were at play in the Washington winner that we rolled out yesterday are at work here. It's all about No. 4 seeds that are off an upset loss in their conference tournamand and going against dogs of 3.0 or more after an upset win of 6.0 or more in their own conference tournament. That last system alone is 43-21 ATS over the last 12 years. My initial thought was Cleveland State, a team that I like a lot. But I also thought Mississippi State would put up a fight yesterday to, so we're going to trust the system.
2-Unit Play. Take #852 Florida State (-2.5) over Wisconsin (9:55 p.m., Friday, March 20)
Yesterday we missed our ACC-over-the-Big 10 play but I think that we are going to get this one. How much gas does FSU have left in the tank after their run in Atlanta? I'm not sure, but I think they have enough to take down this Badgers team. FSU has been banging heads with top-tier ACC teams all season long and has proven itself against better competition. I love Bo Ryan. I do. But I think that after a few tourney snubs over the last two years Toney Douglas and Co. are ready to unload.
2-Unit Play. Take #833 Siena (+3) over Ohio State (9:40 p.m., Friday, March 20)
I'll take the short line on a team that was in the Sweet 16 last year. Siena was a team that was humbled earlier in the year with an overambitious schedule. Also, they just were not knocking down outside shots earlier in the season. But this is a veteran squad with a lot of options and I think that they are going to raise their game today.
2-Unit Play. Take #847 Cornell (+13) over Missouri (3 p.m., Friday, March 20)
A lot of the systems that were at work in the Memphis game yesterday are at play in this game. Basically, it's about fading teams that made strong ATS runs in their conference tournaments, teams that are heavy favorites off three or more straight wins, and playing on double-digit underdogs that were in the tournament last year. No. 3 seeds off back-to-back wins or more are just 4-14 ATS in the last 12 years. We'll go against the "hot" team and see if Cornell can handle the pressure.
1.5-Unit Play. Take #844 Kansas (-9.5) over North Dakota State (12:30 p.m., Friday, March 20)
Again, there are just a load of systems at work here that suggest a bounceback performance by the higher seed. Playing on teams that were No. 1 seeds in their conference tournaments that were upset in those tourneys (a la Washington) have been a strong, strong play in the past decade. Again, the public is all over NDSU so we're going to go the other way.
1.5-Unit Play. Take ‘Under’ 128 Dayton vs. West Virginia (3 p.m., Friday, March 20)
1.5-Unit Play. Take ‘Under’ 122.5 Wisconsin vs. Florida State (9:55 p.m., Friday, March 20)
Today's Teasers:
2.5-Unit Play. TEASER: Take #826 Wake Forest (-3) over Cleveland State (9:40 p.m.) AND Take #846 West Virginia (-4) over Dayton (3 p.m., Friday, March 20)
2-Unit Play. TEASER: Take Stephen F. Austin (+17) over Syracuse (12:15 p.m.) AND Take #842 Boston College (+7.5) over USC (7:20 p.m.)
1.5-Unit Play. TEASER: Take #833 Siena (+8) over Ohio State (9:40 p.m.) AND Take #844 Kansas (-4.5) over North Dakota State (12:30 p.m.)