Play By Play Inc.
CBB
VIRGINIA TECH -7
TULSA -1.5
MASSACHUSETTS at SYRACUSE Over 163
NBA
BOSTON -10
Hot Lock Sports
Portland Trail Blazers vs Seattle SuperSonics Under 205
Rob Veno
Virginia Tech -7.5 (618)
Blue Chip: Ohio State Over 140
Fairway Jay
Dayton +6.5
20* Big Drive: California +8
Ohio State Over 140 -110
Jeff Alexander Sports
1 Unit Sacramento Kings +12.5
Since Houston's 22-game win streak, the Rockets have lost 3 of their last 4 games and are clearly being overvalued here. After a terrible loss to the Memphis Grizzlies, the Kings will be out for blood and ready for revenge. The Kings are 4-1 ATS in the last 5 meetings in Houston and 5-2 ATS in the last 7 meetings overall. The Underdog is an impressive 4-1 ATS in the last 5 meetings. The Kings are 9-4-1 ATS in their last 14 road games vs. a team with a home winning % of greater than .600. We'll take the points.
DOC'S
3 Unit Play.Take Virginia Tech -7½ over UAB
It is all about home cooking in this round of the never ending NIT Tournament. This will be the Blazers second straight road game and that will eventually catch up with them. The Hokies took North Carolina to the wire last weekend and have a chip on their shoulder to prove that they still belong. They won by 32 points in their opener and will follow that up with another double digit victory on Monday. UAB will have no answer for A.D. Vassallo and expect him to go off for 20+ points again.
4 Unit Play.Take Mississippi -5½ over Nebraska
The Rebels have been a completely different squad when playing in Oxford this season and are much more athletic then the Huskers. Nebraska lives and dies by the play of Aleks Maric and he will find it tough going against the Rebels athletic front line. He will also not get many calls inside the paint and be forced to shoot long jump shots. Ole Miss is scoring just under 80 points per game and quite frankly Nebraska, much like Oklahoma or Washington State simply cannot score enough points to be successful. Big Red bows out of this NIT, as the Rebels move on to likely face Virginia Tech in the quarterfinals.
STRIKE POINT SPORTS
3-Unit Play.Take California +8 over Ohio State
Underdogs have done extremely well in the NIT thus far, primarily because home teams are being given way too much credit in the lines. Ohio State is one of those teams. In this match-up we have two solid middle of the road teams in their respective conferences. The difference is that Cal was tested much more in the Pac-10 than was Ohio State in the Big Ten. Personally, I think the Bears are the better team, and had this been a neutral site, it might be a PK situation. And while this is in Columbus, the Buckeyes haven't shown enough to be this heavy of a favorite. Cal has the best player in this game in Ryan Anderson, and with DeVon Hardin and Patrick Christopher, the Pac-10 rep has enough to make it a highly competitive game and stay inside the number.
4-Unit Play.Take Old Dominion +8.5 over Virginia
Come on now. Virginia has been an ACC bottom feeder all season long. They are not a very good team, and we saw that by not covering a similar spread vs. a medicore Richmond team in their previous NIT game. The Wahoos won by just two as an 11.5-point favorite. ODU is better than the Spiders, and I expect them to show that with a strong effort in Charlottesville in this one. The Monarchs will be in it during the second half with a good shot to win this game outright. Play the underdog here.
2-Unit Play.Take Utah +1.5 over Tulsa
The Utes were a strong lean of ours in round one as they went on the road and won at UTEP by double figures. Well, Tulsa isnt that much better than the Miners, so I'd say Utah will be good enough to make it 2-for-2 vs. C-USA teams in the NIT.
FERRINGO
1.5-Unit Play. Take Tulsa (-2) over Utah
1.5-Unit Play. Take 'Under' 128.5 Utah at Tulsa
Tulsa has an 18-game nonconference home winning streak and is 13-3 ATS on their home court. Both teams like to slow things down and play deliberately so I see a game played in the 50's or low 60's. Home teams have been the play in these postseason tournaments so we'll look for this trend to continue as the Hurricanes beat their former WAC rivals.
1.5-Unit Play. Take Bradley (-6) over Ohio
This play is based on how each team looked its last time out, with Bradley scoring a nice win over a Big East foe and Ohio having to sweat out a win over an Ivy League team. Ohio has been streaky on the road and Bradley didn't start playing its best ball until late in the year. I like the Braves in a blowout.
Michael Cannon
15 Dime –
OLD DOMINION
Take the points with Odu tonight when they take on Virginia in the CBI tournament.
Virginia had to withstand a major effort from Richmond last week and barely escaped with the win.
Now they face a better overall team than Richmond but they are still laying a lot of points here.
I guess it’s the mid-majors not getting respect here, but Odu has the ability to harass star Cavalier guard Sean Singletary, forcing Virginia to beat them with someone else.
Virginia has also had major flaws on defense this season, and I doubt they will be rectified by the time this game tips off.
Odu shouldn’t be intimidated in this setting, as they went into Norfolk back in December and knocked off Virginia Tech, 72-69.
Tech is a better team than Virginia, so you know how this one should go if Old Dominion plays the kind of game its capable of.
Take the generous points with Old Dominion as they stay within the number tonight.
10 Dime –
CALIFORNIA
Take the points with Cal tonight when they travel to take on Ohio State in the 2nd round of the NIT.
Cal has played much better on the road this year than at Berkeley, where it’s failed to cover its last nine games. But, the Bears have been money on the road, going 7-1 ATS in their last eight on the road in Pac-10 play.
Ohio State just isn’t as strong as the pointspread seems to indicate. The Buckeyes aren’t very dynamic and since Cal played a tough Pac-10 schedule they should be able to hang in Columbus tonight.
Cal is 9-4 ATS overall on the road this year, including 5-1 ATS in its last six overall.
Ohio State is 0-4 ATS in its last four after an ATS win and has failed to cash in consecutive games in almost two months.
Take the points with Cal as they stay within the number tonight.
Johnny Guild
UAB (23-10) at Virginia Tech (20-13)
Virginia Tech Hokies - 7.5
Gamblers World
Dayton vs. Illinois State
Prediction: Illinois State Redbirds
Current Line: -7 Over/Under: 122 Reason: The season will end for either the Dayton Flyers or the Illinois State Redbirds Redbird Arena Monday. One will go home, one will advance to the next round of the NIT. Oddsmakers currently have the Redbirds listed as 7-point favorites versus the Flyers, while the game's total is sitting at 122. Dayton held off a late surge to defeated Cleveland State 66-57 in the opening round of the NIT tournament on Wednesday. Dayton covered the 7-point spread, but the 123 points fell UNDER the posted total of 127. Brian Roberts shot 7-for-10 from the field with 21 points to lead Dayton. Kurt Huelsman added 12 points, while Marcus Johnson and Andres Sandoval chipped in with 11 apiece in the win. Illinois State was outplayed in the second half, but managed to hang on and defeat Utah State 61-57 on Wednesday in the first round of the NIT tournament. Illinois State failed to cover the 7.5-point spread, and the combined score fell UNDER the posted total of 130. Osiris Eldridge led the way with 14 points, and Dinma Odiakosa added 11 in the win. Team records: Dayton: 22-10 SU, 13-14 ATS Illinois State: 25-9 SU, 15-17 ATS Dayton most recently: When playing on Monday are 5-5 After playing Cleveland State are 3-0 After a win are 5-5 Illinois State most recently: When playing on Monday are 4-6 After playing Utah State are 1-1 After a win are 6-4 A few trends to consider: Dayton is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games The total has gone OVER in 4 of Dayton's last 5 games The total has gone OVER in 5 of Dayton's last 7 games on the road Dayton is 4-2 ATS in its last 6 games Illinois State is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games at home The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Illinois State's last 5 games at home The total has gone UNDER in 7 of Illinois State's last 8 games Illinois State is 7-1 SU in its last 8 games
BEN BURNS
COLLEGE BASKETBALL
ILLINOIS STATE
Game: Dayton vs. Illinois State
Prediction: Illinois State Reason: I'm laying the points with ILLINOIS STATE. Neither team was happy to be here but both are seemingly determined to show people what the NCAA Tournament missed out on. I feel that the Redbirds have the advantage and that they'll be the team which advances and gets a chance to do so. The Flyers started out the year by playing very well. However, despite closing the season on a fairly high note, they've still won just eight of their past 17 games. That slide had a lot to do with the injury to 6-8 prize freshman Chris Wright, who went down for the season on Jan. 9th. Their win came in the first round came as -7 home favorites vs. Cleveland State and they lost by nine vs. Xavier in their previous game. Tonight, the Flyers will face the unenviable task of trying to win at Redbird Arena, where Illinois State is 16-1 on the season. After limiting Utah State to 57 in the first round, the Redbirds have now held seven of their past eight opponents under 60 points. For the season, they've allowed an average of just 56.2 points per game at home. The Redbirds' defense got even stronger with the return of senior guard Dom Johnson. He is arguably their best defensive player and had missed the previous five games. He returned for the MVC Tournament, steadily increasing his playing time and was up to 28 minutes against Utah State. Despite failing to cover in the first round (which has helped to keep tonight's line reasonable) the Redbirds are still a healthy 12-7-1 ATS (17-3 SU) the last 20 times that they were listed as home favorites in the -6.5 to -9 range. During that stretch, Dayton is just 3-10 ATS (2-11 SU) when listed as a road underdog in the +6.5 to +9 range. Without Wright in the lineup to contend with, the Redbirds have the defense to slow down Dayton's leading scorer, Roberts. I look for them to win their 15th straight non-conference home game in relatively convincing fashion. *Personal Favorite
NBA
GRIZZLIES
Game: Denver Nuggets vs. Memphis Grizzlies
Prediction: Memphis Grizzlies Reason: I'm taking the points with MEMPHIS. The general public will look at this game and many will say to themselves: "This one is easy. The Nuggets are a good team and they've got a lot to play for. The Grizzlies are a bad team and they've got nothing to play for..." Granted, all that is true. However, I often look at things differently than most and I see Memphis having several advantages. For starters, based on public perception (see above) the line was somewhat inflated to begin with and has already been bet up from its opener. That gives us excellent line value. Next, the Grizzlies may not have anything to play for but they've actually quietly been playing some of their best basketball of the season recently. In fact, since getting embarrassed by these same Nuggets nearly two weeks ago, the Grizzlies have gone a perfect 5-0 ATS (3-2 SU) including back to back outright victories. Even the two losses were by just three points (at Golden State!) and by four points, at Minnesota. Note that the Grizzlies are 7-4 SU the last 11 times they hosted the Nuggets and that none of the four losses came by more than four points. A closer look at the 3/12 loss at Denver shows that the Grizzlies were in a very tough scheduling spot, as they were facing a rested Denver team and were playing in the high altitude after coming off a game vs. the high-flying Suns the previous night. This time, it's the Grizzlies who have the schedule in their favor. While the Grizzlies had yesterday off, Denver played a hard fought game vs. the Raptors up in Canada. The Nuggets, who could easily get caught looking ahead to their next four games (Dallas, Golden State and a home and home vs. Phoenx) are now playing both the second of back to back games and also their fifth game in the past seven days. With the Nuggets at 0-7 SU (1-6 ATS) the last seven times (1-9 SU L10) they played the second of back to back games, I feel that taking the generous points with the revenge-minded home dog is the way to go.*Western Conf. GOW
SONICS
Game: Portland Trail Blazers vs. Seattle SuperSonics
Prediction: Seattle SuperSonics Reason: I'm taking the points with SEATTLE. While I respect the results the Blazers have achieved this season, the Sonics should be happy to see them come to town. For starters, the Blazers represent a step down in class from their recent opponents as their last four games came against the Jazz, Suns, Lakers and Nuggets, three of which came on the road. Additionally, the Sonics have played well against the Blazers this season. In fact, they lost by only four points at Portland in February and beat the Blazers by a dozen in the lone meeting here at Seattle. Including that result, the Sonics have won seven of their last nine home games against Portland. Note that the two losses came by only nine combined points, losing by four and five points respectively. The Blazers managed a victory in their most recent road game (at LA Clippers) by 11 points. However, they had gone just 6-12 SU in their 18 previous road games and NONE of those six victories came by more than seven points. Despite earning the cover at LA, the Blazers are still just 44-61 (42%) ATS the past three seasons when facing a team with a losing record. It's also worth noting that they only managed 83 points in their last game and that they're 10-15 ATS the last 25 times they failed to score 85 or more points in their previous game. During that stretch, the Sonics have gone 33-28-2 ATS when coming off three or more consecutive losses. Facing a team which they know they can compete against, I expect a huge effort from the Sonics and won't be surprised if they score outright win. *Northwest Divisional GOW
NHL
UNDER Canadiens/Senators
Game: Ottawa Senators vs. Montreal Canadiens
Prediction: under Reason: I'm playing on Montreal and Ottawa to finish UNDER the number. The first two meetings of this season series, back in October and November, had over/under lines of 5.5. One game went 'over' and one game went 'under.' Several months later, with much more on the line, we're getting an over/under line of six. I feel that the extra half goal gives us excellent value for a game in which I'm expecting to be tight and relatively low-scoring. The Sens lost 5-4 last time out. However, they had seen the UNDER go 7-1 their previous eight games with none of those games producing more than six combined goals. For the season, they've seen the UNDER go 17-12 after scoring four or more goals in their previous game and 18-11 when facing a team with a winning record. That brings the UNDER to 73-56-5 (56.6%) when they've faced winning teams the past three seasons. The Canadiens come off a 3-2 shootout win over Boston on Saturday. That brought the UNDER to 5-2 their last seven games with only one of those producing more than six goals - it had seven. For the season, the Canadiens have seen the UNDER go 9-4-3 when playing a home game with an over/under line of six or greater, 46-32-9 in that situation the past three seasons. With Montreal goalie Carey Price sporting a 1.38 goals-against-average in his last five home starts, I don't expect to see Ottawa have back to back big offensive outbursts. Look for the final combined score to be lower than expected. *Annihilator
Iron Horse 10* NIT Total Of The Year
Game: UAB at Virginia Tech
Prediction: Under
Reason: Virginia Tech, known for their stingy defnese that's holding foes to just 64 points per game, comes off their best offensive effort of the season, shooting an awesome 65% from the field during a 94-62 victory over Morgan State. Expect things to cool down as they square off against UAB on Monday night as we find Tech posting a 0-2 Over/Under record after making 54% or better of their shots this season, and has now gone "Under" in 9 STRAIGHT games after scoring 85 points or more! Toss in the fact that UAB is 0-7 (Over/Under) as road dogs between 6.5 and 12 points and we'll back the UNDER.
10* Play On UNDER
Priceless Picks
1 Unit on NY Knicks +5
New Jersey is a pathetic 2-9 SU and ATS in division games this season and has gone down to the Knicks in all 3 meetings this season. We'll take the Knicks again here getting a 5-point gift from oddsmakers. New Jersey is 0-7 ATS in road games versus poor pressure defensive teams - forcing <=14 turnovers/game - 2nd half of the season this season, 6-14 ATS when playing their 3rd game in 4 days this season, 4-12 ATS revenging a home loss vs opponent this season, and 7-17 ATS after 2 or more consecutive losses this season. Expect the Knicks to bounce back tonight at home against a team it is very confident against.
ARTHUR RALPH
UAB
NORTH COAST
4* OHIO/BRADLEY OVER.
4* CAL
SportsKingz
V.TECH -7 (15 UNITS)