Smooth44/ WSP
Knockout Punch - Atlanta
OTHER PICKS
NY-KNICKS -6 -120
TENN-MARTIN +3 -120
OKLAHOMA -2 -120
Craig Davis
25 Dime - LOUISVILLE
15 Dime - NUGGETS
Paul Leiner
500* NJ/Phi Over 191
50* Gtown/Lville Over 132
Taw Jackson
NBA
Knicks OVER 224.5 (G.O.D)
1* 76ers -2
1* Warriors -4
CBB
Kansas +4.5 (O.D.W.)
Georgetown +2.5 (O.D.W.)
HARDBALL
20* CELTICS -2
20* KNICKS -7
20* JAZZ -7.5
20* NETS +2
20* HORNETS -8.5
Is this Hardball Technology???
DR BOB
3 Star Selection
***New Orleans (-8 ½) over SACRAMENTO
Sacramento is officially the worst team in the NBA now that they’ve traded away Brad Miller, as the Kings are a couple of points worse in 14 games this season without Miller than they’ve been overall. I doubt that New Orleans will show the struggling host any mercy given the Hornets’ consecutive losses at the Lakers (in overtime) and the next night in Utah (an 88-102 loss). New Orleans is 25-11-1 ATS following consecutive losses and they’re also 17-3 ATS in their last 20 games following a double-digit road loss and 32-14 ATS the last two seasons as a favorite after a pointspread loss. In other words, the Hornets generally bounce-back from bad performances and I don’t see the Kings competing in this game against a focused Hornets’ team. In addition to the favorable team trends, New Orleans also applies to a very strong 72-17-1 ATS bounce-back situation that is a perfect 3-0 ATS for me this season. The Kings are just 4-11-1 ATS this season as a home underdog or pick and my ratings favor the Hornets by 9 ½ points, so there is a bit of line value on our side as well. I’ll take New Orleans in a 3-Star Best Bet at -9 points or less and for 2-Stars at -9 ½ points
David Malinsky
5* Top of the Ticket
Louisville/Georgetown Under
The markets have been helping us on this one so far, pushing the plateau to 133 in most key precincts, but now that the move has stalled it is time to get in play. After these teams played to a 107 and a 110 head-to-head LY there is ample room at the anticipated pace, especially with an added caveat that makes this particular meeting even better.
Have you noticed how short the Monday college basketball boards are this season? It is only because of ESPN that we have the games that we do have, since they present awful schedule cycles for the teams. Virtually everyone plays on Saturday, which makes these settings two games in three days, and while that is not a big deal with conferences that have natural travel partners (like the Pac 10), for the Big East it is a conundrum, especially since there is no such thing as an easy game in that league these days. The Monday games produce slower tempos and lower levels of offensive efficiency, and the patterns for Rick Pitino and John Thompson in these settings has been rather remarkable the past two seasons.
This will be the sixth Saturday/Monday Big East cycle for Louisville the past two campaigns, with the previous five all playing Under, by a collective 65.5 below the projections (note, as always, that we only use regulation scoring in our tracking, which would explain why others might show a different count for the Cardinals because of their overtime vs. Notre Dame this season). For Georgetown this will be game #7, with the first six also all playing Under, by a collective 70 points below the projections. Add the two patterns together and it is an 11-0 to the Under, with the oddsmakers pricing the games an average of 12.3 points above the final result.
We do not expect that to be any different here; if anything the notion of tired legs is even more extreme this time. Louisville is 26 games into a difficult schedule (#20 Sagarin and #25 Pomeroy), and Georgetown 25 into a downright brutal one (#3 from both sources). And note that the average of 108.5 that they played to LY was not a result of some offensive flukes – the two teams actually combined to shoot 45.3 percent in those games, which is higher than we would anticipate for tonight. That makes this a stodgy affair in which nothing comes easily, and we have excellent value at the new market rate.
The Consensus Group Guaranteed Selections
9000* COLLEGE HOOPS BAILOUT BOMB
Oklahoma -2.5
Marc Lawrence
Never Lost College Hoops Super Play!
Play On: Georgetown +2
When the Hoyas play host to Louisville in a key Big East battle tonight they will do so knowing they are 23-6 SU and 15-7 ATS at home in games off a SU favorite loss, including 10-0 SU and ATS if the loss was at home the previous game. Catching the Cardinals off a revenge win over Cincinnati is good. Putting them up against a sub .640 opponent off a SU favorites loss when the Cardinals are coming off a conference game is better (0-10 ATS since 1998). Look for Georgetown to get back on the winning track here tonight.
We recommend a 5-unit play on Georgetown.
Executive
250% Atlanta +7'
Steam On-Line Guaranteed Selections
9000* COLLEGE HOOPS BOOKIE BUSTER BLOWOUT
Georgetown +2
Larry Ness
7* Eastern Conf GOW (68.8% run)
The Pacers have decided to sit Danny Granger (25.0) for two-to-three weeks and they also announced on Friday that swingman Mike Dunleavy, who had a career year last season (19.1-5.2-3.5), will be out indefinitely due to recurring soreness in his right knee. Dunleavy missed the first 34 games of the season with the injury and returned to play 18 games, averaging 15.1 PPG. That leaves Indiana quite short-handed as they try to follow yesterday's 98-91 home win over the Bulls with a win tonight in MSG vs the Knicks. Point guards TJ Ford (14.9-5.1 APG) and Jarrett Jack (11.3-3.8 APG) were both in yesterday's starting lineup along with Daniels (13.6), Murphy (13.4-11.5) and rookie center Hibbert (6.1-2.8). Murphy led the Pacers with 27-14 in Sunday's win but Indiana will face a team tonight (the Knicks), which all of a sudden, has an abundance of players. Harrington (21.2-9.7) has thrived in his 42 games with the team, while power forward Lee (16.5-11.9) and 5-9 guard Nate Robinson (16.3-4.1-3.9) are having career years. Chandler has upped his scoring average from 7.3 PPG as a rookie to 13.9 this year, while Duhon (signed as a FA from the Bulls) is averaging 12.5 PPG and 7.9 APG. D'Antoni also has Richardson (10.7), who is a proven scorer in this league, 6-10 rookie Gallinari (6.1) and Jared Jeffries (4.8-4.2). In some recent trades, the Knicks have added power forward Wilcox (13.4-7.4 the last two years with the Sonics) and guard Larry Hughes, who has a career averages of 14.7-4.4-3.2 (now in his 11th season). The Knicks just may 'sneak' into that final playoff spot in the East. The Pacers are a terrible road team, having lost 10 straight (3-6-1 ATS) away from home, before winning at Minnesota on Feb 20. They are 7-23 SU away from home this year, allowing 108.7 PPG. Meanwhile, the Knicks are a solid 16-12 SU and 17-1 ATS at home, averaging 108.2 PPG. Eastern Conf GOW on NY Knicks -7 (7*).
KBHoops
NBA
5* Sacramento UNDER 203.5 +100 **POD**
4* Utah UNDER 205.5
CBB
4* Tenn Martin OVER 142 -120
Karl Garrett
20 DIMER - UTAH JAZZ
10 DIMER - LOUISVILLE CARDINALS
Teddy June
10* Georgetown