WINNING POINTS
NBA
***BEST BET
*Milwaukee over Houston by 7
Yao Ming and the Rockets got the better of Milwaukee and Yi Jianlian when the teams
met at Houston in early November during a much anticipated and publicized
matchup, 104-88. The Bucks are eager to return the favor. There aren’t too many marquee matchups played in Milwaukee, but thanks to Yao and Yi this makes the grade. Jianlian is popular with his Bucks teammates so look for the Bucks to go all out here.MILWAUKEE 101-94.
***BEST BET
*Sacramento over Chicago by 13
The Kings are in the second of consecutive games, but should be strongly motivated
having lost by one to the Bulls at the United Center in a controversial finish. Kings
coach Reggie Theus used to play for the Bulls. The Kings entered the final week of
January averaging 109.5 points during an eight-game span. The Bulls have been crippled by various injuries. Their best player, Luol Deng (check status), has been missing time because of Achilles’ tendinitis. Ben Gordon (check status) also has been missing in action. SACRAMENTO 108-95.
COLLEGE
Saturday, February 2
***BEST BET
Connecticut* over Pittsburgh by 18
We got Thabeet, we got Thabeet, we got Thabeet, yeah, we got Thabeet. UConn leads the nation with 9.1 blocked shots per game. Hasheem the dream is sixth individually, accounting for 3.9 per game. Calhoun’s recent suspension of second-leading scorer Jerome Dyson is the public diversion, overshadowing Pitt’s destiny to eventually drop down in road performance against the better Big East teams, given the hand coach Dixon is forced to play, a hand he must stand pat with while card counters are aware that the dealer eventually has aces to put in play against him. “I’ll Turn it Over Three Times a Game” Dyson’s suspension gets the attention of the rest of UConn’s players and pulls a sometimes careless team tighter together. CONNECTICUT, 84-66.
Creighton* over Wichita State by 26
You can’t go wrong if you play a little bit of that Creighton song. Wichita State head
coach Greg Inflated-Head Marshall is reportedly eyeing South Carolina after less than
70% of a season with Wichita, 1-8 in Missouri Valley play as the week began. He is
fielding an about-to-be labeled non-competitive squad in the wake of injuries, and
players who haven’t bought into his system yet and may never. Creighton was just 5-4 SU in the Mo Valley as the week began. Head coach Dana Altman will rent violins
for the student section to play sad tunes during breaks in front of the 17,371 Omahans fully expecting an impressive sweep of the season series via better depth (Creighton can play 10 for more than 10 minutes) and togetherness. CREIGHTON, 79-53
THE SPORTS REPORTER
BEST BET
“CINCINNATI over MARQUETTE by 3
Other than the blanks they fired at St. John’s and Notre Dame, Bearcats have been a
consistent thorn in the competition since the commencement of Big East play. Off last
season’s nightmare, Deonta Vaughn, John Williamson and friends have made this year’s conference playlist all about payback, and the motivation/focus spin has worked well. Defense is the keyword (only Vaughn averages double digits), and the market has yet to catch up. Until Marquette begins to shoot better away from Milwaukee, our tack should notch another scalp. CINCINNATI, 65-62.
BEST BET
*UCLA over ARIZONA by 3
[Arizona, plus the points] C Lorenzo Mata-Real returned from his concussion to participate in Bruins’ rout of Oregon State. F Luc Richard Mbah a Moute didn’t make it back from his head bump, but Darren Collison and Kevin Love carried the day, once they turned on the jets in the second half. When fully healthy (a rare occurrence), UCLAns are a splendid team, but college kids are college kids, and don’t believe they’ll grant this precocious opponent sufficient respect, going in. Suspect it’s going to take quite the second half for the Sons of Wooden (and Sam Gilbert) to pull this off. UCLA, 77-74
THE GOLD SHEET
*NBA KEY RELEASES*
ATLANTA by 15 over New Jersey
DENVER by 18 over Charlotte
COLLEGE
**KEY RELEASES **
TEXAS TECH by 17 over Oklahoma St.
SAINT LOUIS by 12 over Massachusetts
DEPAUL by 1 over Notre Dame
CTO
BRADLEY over *Evansville...Sure, preseason contender Bradley already out of MVC race due to surprising frontunner Drake. But still support deep Brave squad back to full strength with recent return of irreplaceable sr. floor general Ruffin (14 ppg, 6 apg), who missed 7 contests (Bradley just 2-5 in those games), including 77-76 victory vs. regressing Evansville (1-8 in MVC at presstime; 6 wins LY) Jan. 12.Braves coming 6-5 juco F T. Wilson (27 pts., 7 rebs., 4 assists) itchin’ for rematch after monster game in earlier clash, while Ace Gs Holsinger & Ely receive greater attention after combining for sizzling 10 of 17 from tripleville in 1st tilt.
BRADLEY 79 - *Evansville 67 RATING - 11
USA Sports Consulting
Brian Smith
Washington State -4.5 - 2 units
Washington -3 - 1 unit
Santa Clara +7 - 2 units
Tenn Chattanooga +5 - 1 unit
Earl Morgan
Villanova -3 - 1 unit
Arkansas -3.5 - 2 units
Mississippi State +2 - 3 units
Providence +1 - 3 units
South Florida -4.5 - 2 units
Nick Parsons
New Jersey Nets at Atlanta Hawks
With Kidd apparently on the trading block again, New Jersey is doing its best to overcome the distraction. The Nets ended a seven-game road-losing streak with a 94-85 win over Miami on Friday night, getting 11 points and 12 assists from Kidd, but I expect them to stumble today in Atlanta. Yes, the Hawks have lost three straight, but they are still a fantastic 7-3 ATS their last ten in friendly confines and are a dominant 11-6 ATS this season when playing the roll of favorite. I look for the Nets to fall to 9-14 ATS as an underdog this season while the HAWKS take care of business at home and improve to 4-1 ATS off an upset loss as a favorite!
Comps
Dave Cokin
California @ Washington
Play: Cal +3.5
Cal got a win they really needed with an outstanding effort in Pullman Thursday as they got the measure of Washington State. Washington was no match for Stanford in a lopsided home loss and the Huskies continue to have lots of trouble when they can't play their tempo. With the big momentum charge off the Thursday upset, I give the Golden Bears an excellent shot to complete the weekend sweep. Cal plus the small spot is my Saturday free opinion.
James Patrick
Ohio State vs. Iowa
A pair of former coaching mates at Butler square off for the first time in Big Ten action as the Buckeyes travel to Iowa City to match hoops with the Hawkeyes. Thad Matta hasn't received the type of recognition he deserves for the job he has done with this Ohio State Basketball Team. A tough site for road teams as Carver Hawkeye Arena will be buzzing as the Buckeyes always draw well on the road. We see this game in the 50's and for that reason we are calling #802 Iowa Hawkeyes as our Saturday complimentary selection in college basketball.
Marc Lawrence
Play On: Wyoming
Note: Cowboys return to Laramie off a 5-point win as 14-point dogs at Utah with triple revenge from a trio of losses suffered last year against BYU. Conference tournament revenge has worked quite well for the Cowboys, who are 4-0 SU & ATS when playing with the same. They are also 4-0 SU & ATS at home off a win against the Cougars in this series. Can't fade numbers like those with a hungry home dog. Grab the points in this payback.
Greg Daraban
Portland (7-14) at St. Mary's (17-3)
WCC matchup in Moraga. Portland is 1-4 in league play,but they are catching a bit of a break. St.Mary's has a date with Gonzaga in 48 hours so they will be looking ahead and Portland has a good enough team to stay close.Take Portland
Tom Scott
Kentucky at GEORGIA
Play ON:GEORGIA minus the points
This deep into the season, you rarely find a team who has not lost a home game all year at this price, especially when the opponent has yet to win a road game this year. That's what you have with the Georgia Bulldogs. Couple that stat with this idea: Georgia is a winning team off back-to-back losses facing an opponent who is off back-to-back wins. That situation almost always produces line value and it has today. The Dawgs have taken down Wake Forest, Georgia Tech, Alabama and Arkansas, all with better records than Kentucky, on this floor and has done it decisively. We acknowledge that the Bluegrass Cats are improving but Georgia hasn't yielded the banner on this court and we don't think the Dawgs are going to give it up today. Lay the little deuce and take home the bone.
PREDICTION: GEORGIA 74 - Kentucky 62
Comps
John Ryan
Game: Davidson at Tennessee Chattanooga
Prediction: Tennessee Chattanooga
Reason: Ai Simulator 3* graded play on UT-Chatanooga - Supporting this graded play is a system that has gone 27-5 ATS for 84% since 1997. Play on home teams as a dog or pick after going over the total by 48 or more points total in their last seven games and is a good team winning 60-80% or more of their games on the season. AiS shows a 75% probability that UTCHAT will lose this game by 4 or fewer points and a 53$ probability that they will win the game SU. It also projects a 90% probability that UTCHAT will have 12+ more foul shots than Davidson. Note that UTCHAT is 7-1 ATS when they attempt 10+ more free throws than their opponents in a game this season. Take UTCHAT
Robert Ross
Game: New York Knicks at Seattle SuperSonics
Prediction: Seattle SuperSonics
Reason: Finale of a five-game road trip for the Knicks. Also their fifth game in seven nights or their third in four nights, however you want to slice it. They suffered a tough OT loss last night in Portland and are now 0-for the trip and 4-18 S/U on the road. Sonics are 14-9 ATS at home and won at New York on December 12 117-110. Take Seattle.
Jimmy The Moose
Game: Atlanta Thrashers at Washington
Prediction: over
Reason: Atlanta played last night and the games played over the total. The over is 4-1 in their last 5 games played with 0 day rest. The over is 7-1 in the Thrashers last 8 games vs. a team from the Southeast Division. The over is 5-1-1 in the Capitals last 7 games played with 1 day rest between games. The over is 4-1-1 in Washington's last 6 home games. The last 2 meetings between the clubs played the over. The over is 6-2 in Atlanta's last 8 trips to Washington. Play the over.
Jimmy Boyd
Louisiana State U vs. Alabama
Take Alabama Crimson Tide
1 Unit on Alabama -9.5 The LSU Fighting Tigers haven't done much fighting on Saturdays. They are a pathetic 4-22-1 ATS in their last 27 Saturday games. The Tigers are 3-7 ATS in their last 10 road games and only 2-8-1 ATS in their last 11 games vs. a team with a winning S.U. record. LSU is also just 2-8-1 ATS in the last 11 meetings in this matchup. The home team is on a 4-1-1 ATS run. LSU doesn't have the near the talent that it even had last season when it was a mediocre team. Bama big at home today.
Bill Young
Massachusetts vs. Saint Louis
Take Saint Louis Billikens
1* on Saint Louis +3 Saint Louis is a much better home team this season that it’s almost like night and day. Saint Louis is 8-3 in home games this season. Saint Louis is 4-0 ATS and 3-1 straight up against Umass in their last 4 meetings. Saint Louis is 19-7 ATS after playing 2 consecutive games as a road underdog since 1997. Saint Louis is 24-9 ATS at home when the line is +3 to -3 since 1997. Saint Louis will use their home-court advantage where they are most comfortable to pull out this home win. Take Saint Louis and the points.
John Martin
Pittsburgh vs. Connecticut
Take Pittsburgh Panthers
1 Unit on Pittsburgh +3.5 The Pittsburgh Panthers will make a statement in the Big East conference Saturday when they go on the road and completely destroy Uconn. Connecticut is still playing without their top score in Jerome Dyson and a key role player in Doug Wiggins. Suspensions to these players will catch up to the Huskies Saturday. Pittsburgh is outscoring their foes by nearly 14 points a game this season. Pittsburgh is 19-9 ATS in road games against conference opponents over the last 3 seasons. Going on the road has been a blessing for the Panthers. Pittsburgh is 7-1 ATS after playing a home game this season. Cash in with Pittsburgh as the underdog.
Larry Cook
Cleveland State vs. Loyola
Take Loyola Ramblers
3* on Loyola Chicago +1 Loyola Chicago is a solid home underdog in Saturday’s contest with Cleveland State. After Cleveland State’s hot start to the season, they have cooled off tremendously in losing 3 consecutive games for a snap back into reality. Loyola has won back-to-back games at Valparaiso and then at home against Youngstown State. We will take the hotter team, especially catching points at home Saturday. Loyola has won back-to-back home meetings with Cleveland State as well, so they are very confident here. Cleveland State is 11-25 ATS in road games off a road loss against a conference rival since 1997. Loyola is 19-6 ATS in home games after covering 2 of their last 3 against the spread since 1997. Bet Loyola Chicago at home.
Matt Fargo
Stanford vs. Washington State
Play:Washington State -4
Washington St. looks to bounce back off a tough home loss against California on Thursday as it welcomes Stanford. The Cougars were hurt by two things against the Bears that they normal prosper with and that was free throw shooting and three-point shooting, where it shot 64.7 percent and 35.7 percent, both significantly below their season averages. The Cougars have not been swept in a weekend Pac Ten Conference series under head coach Tony Bennett.
Stanford has now won four straight games and is playing some of the best basketball in the conference. It took care of a mediocre Washington team on Thursday night but will find the going much more difficult here. The Cardinal have been struggling on offense and now will face the third best defense in the country so things are not bound to improve. Stanford has topped 70 points only once in its last 10 games after doing so seven times in its first 10 games.
In that game against the Bears, Washington St. was outscored in the second half for just the 2nd time this season. The likelihood of a bounce back is strong as it has responded very well in the past in these spots. They have not lost consecutive games since its final two games of the 2005-06 season as they have gone 9-0 in games following a loss over that span. This includes a perfect 4-0 record at home where the average win has been by 15.8 ppg and the overall margin of victory in those nine games has been 10.3 ppg.
Washington St. leads the Pac Ten in fewest turnovers per game and is second in both free throw shooting and shooting from the floor. However it is the defense that is the strength of this team as mentioned and that is what it looks to improve upon. In seven conference games, the Cougars have allowed foes to shoot 48.4 from the floor, almost 10 percent better than foes were hitting eight games into the 2006-07 season. The points allowed have been down and that is due to pace of play.
Expect that defense to get a lift here as Stanford is shooting just 42.7 percent on the road and 43 percent over its last 10 games. The game results from Thursday set up Washington St. in a great situation. Play on home teams as a favorite or pick that are coming off a home loss going up against an opponent off a road win by 10 points or more. This situation is 49-23 ATS (68.1 percent) over the last five seasons with the average point differential being +8.9 ppg. Play Washington St. Cougars 1.5 Units
Frank Rosenthal
SATURDAY'S EARLY LEADS
722 CINCY+2.5
725 PITT+4
729 VIRGINIA+5
739 OK ST+5.5
750 BAMA-9.5
755 FLORIDA+4
765 MIAMI FL+15.5
789 SO BAMA-7
803 DE PAUL+11
807 CAL+3.5
829 DRAKE-3.5
845 BRADLEY-3
854 PENN ST+11.5
874 UCLA-8
891 ARIZONA ST+9
HUDDLE UP SPORTS
Big 12 Lock of the Year
Texas A&M -8
Best Bets
Pittsburgh +3'
Memphis -22
Massachusetts -3
Virginia Tech -5