Robert Ross
Syracuse Orange at Notre Dame Fighting Irish
Not going to trifle with the Irish right now. Notre Dame is 18-3 its last 21 contests, 15-0 at home and 7-0 at home vs. Conference foes. Against this Syracuse brings a 2-5 record on the Big East road and three losses in its last four games. Sure, the Orange has been playing some ranked opponents: it gets another one here.
Play on: Notre Dame
Vegas Experts
North Carolina State Wolfpack at Virginia Cavaliers
Virginia team that can hardly win a game is favored by a fairly large number here. Cavs have only two wins in their last 12 games: both against Boston College. North Carolina State lost to Boston College, on the road, as well as at Maryland, home to Clemson and home to the Tar Heels in what has become a four-game losing streak but all those losses could be deemed excusable. The Wolfpack has this contest then a home date with FSU followed by home to Duke and at Wake Forest on its schedule so unless it gets this one and the FSU game it could be looking at an eight-game skid to end the season and bye-bye post-season hopes. The club has shown itself capable of winning on the road with wins at South Carolina, Seton Hall and FSU. And it has won and covered three of the last five in the series including last year here by a 79-71 score.
Play on: N.C. State
Jimmy The Moose
Game: Chicago Blackhawks at Anaheim Ducks
Prediction: over
Reason: Chicago played on Saturday vs. the Kings in a game where they come out on top, 6-5. The Blackahawks have played the over in 4 of their last 6 games. The Ducks are an oppotunistic team and they will take advanatge of a tired Chicago team. Look for Anaheim to be on the power play often tonight and to capatilize a few times. The over is 2-1-1 in Anaheim's last 4 games. The team's have played over the total in 3 of their last 5 meetings.
Play the over.
Nelly
Auburn – over Alabama
The hardwood Iron Bowl has little meaning this season as both Auburn and Alabama barely float above the .500 mark and feature 3-8 records in the SEC. Alabama won by 20 in the first meeting this season as the teams played a fast-pace high scoring game that Alabama carried by delivering twelve 3-point shots and turning the ball over amazingly just four times. The Tide has averaged 17 turnovers per game in the last two contests so a repeat performance is highly unlikely. Auburn actually won both meetings last season including a 24-point blowout at home so the Tigers will be geared up for this game with little else to play for this season. Alabama has not won a road game since early November when they narrowly edged Mercer 90-83. Although Auburn is certainly beatable at home the Tigers have played respectable through a challenging stretch of the SEC schedule, winning at Mississippi and playing very close with Vanderbilt and Kentucky. This will be the biggest home game of the season for Auburn and in closely lined game the Tigers can deliver.
James Patrick Sports
Pistons vs. Suns
With the Pistons showing signs of fatigue of late we like #502 Phoenix Suns as our Sunday complimentary selection in NBA Hoop action. Don’t expect Phoenix to drop two in a row on their home court.
Marc Lawrence
Play On: Auburn
Note: Tigers play host to arch-rival Alabama with major revenge on their minds from a 20-point loss at Tuscaloosa earlier this season. To make matters worse, Auburn checks into this contest off a 19-point loss against top-ranked Tennessee as they now dropped six of their last seven games. They are, however, 12-11 on the season and need this game like blood to keep any post-season (read: NIT) chances alive. The history book tells us they are 9-2 ATS at home in this series. They're also 9-1 ATS as a pick or dog of less than 16 points when playing with same season loss revenge of 20 or more points. With the Crimson Tide 0-6 SU on the road against lined teams this season, we'll cast a strong vote Auburn's way here today.
Dave Cokin
Syracuse @ Notre Dame
Play: Notre Dame -5'
Tough task for the Orange today. Notre Dame plays with incredible confidence on their home court, and the Irish also have a decided advantage in depth and upperclassman leadership. Big game for 'Cuse as far as their tourney hopes are concerned, but I don't think they can get it done at this locale. Notre Dame minus the points is the opinion.
Vegas Sports Pics
Louisville Cardinals - 1 over (at) Pittsburgh Panthers
Pittsburgh (19-7, 7-6) vs. No.18 Louisville (21-6, 11-3) enters on a momentum building six game win streak shooting 47.9 percent allowing 35.1 percent shooting. The Cardinals, who have won 11 consecutive February games, won at Pittsburgh 66-53 last season.
Notre Dame Fighting Irish - 6 over Syracuse Orange
Syracuse (17-10, 7-7) at No.21 Notre Dame (20-5, 10-3) is 16-0 at home averaging 83.7 points allowing 67.1 points. The Irish lead the Big East in both scoring and rebounding margin. They went 2-0 over Syracuse last season including an 89-83 win in the Big East tournament.
St. Joseph's Hawks + 2.5 over (at) Rhode Island Rams
Rhode Island (20-7, 6-6) vs. St. Joseph's (16-8, 7-4) is 9-5 away from home off losing at No.10 Xavier 76-72 on 02/10. The Hawks are 3-2 last five games at Rhode Island, the two losses coming by a combined six points.
Wake Forest Demon Deacons + 15.5 over (at) North Carolina Tar Heels
No.3 North Carolina (25-2, 10-2) vs. Wake Forest (16-8, 4-5) enters off an 86-73 home win over then No.2 Duke on 02/17, snapping the Blue Devils' 12 game win streak. The Deacons off a 6-1 run in this series are 0-3 (SU & ATS) last three meetings.
California Golden Bears + 10 over (at) Stanford Cardinal
No.9 Stanford (21-4, 10-3) vs. California (15-9, 6-7) with five players averaging double figures scoring leads the PAC 10 averaging 78.2 ppg. The Bears are 4-1 last five road games off winning at (17-9) Arizona State 76-73 on 02/16. Cal won at Stanford 67-63 last season.
CTO
L.A. LAKERS over *Seattle (NBA)...Los Angeles has been an excellent play on the road this season, as its 8-1 spread mark on recent 9 game road trip would attest. The re-tooled Lakers have covered 5 of 6 chances laying more than 6 points away from home this season.Seattle’s retread HC P.J. Carlesimo has been underwhelming, to say the least, and ownership’s impending movement of the team out of Seattle (“inevitable” according to NBA commissioner David Stern) has been an overriding distraction for the team. With L.A.’s Kobe Bryant playing “warrior” ball, Lakers will fight to the finish in the West.
L.A. LAKERS 109 - *Seattle 92 RATING - 11
Winning Points
***BEST BET
Boston over *Portland by 13
Boston defeated Portland by 10 points at home during the middle of last month when
the Trail Blazers were playing much better. The Celtics won and covered an eight-point spread despite missing point guard Rajon Rondo. The Trail Blazers have trouble handling Ray Allen and Kevin Garnett. The Celtics had covered 65 percent of their games through the All-Star Game, while posting the league’s best mark.
BOSTON 104-91
***BEST BET
Sacramento over *Orlando by 5
The Kings may lack maturity, but they don’t lack for firepower with their main scorers
healthy. Their recent pattern has been play well against tougher teams, while laying
an egg against bad clubs. This month for example they’ve defeated the Hornets and
Jazz while covering versus the Warriors and Rockets. But they’ve also lost to the Sonicand Grizzlies. The Magic came out of the break having lost three of their last four home games.
SACRAMENTO 113-108
Daniel Perkins
Wisconsin Badgers @ Ohio State Buckeyes
Pick: Ohio State pk
Reasoning: The Wisconsin Badgers will have it tough if they want to keep their top 10 ranking after Sunday. The Badgers make the trip into Ohio State to take on the 17-9 Buckeyes. Ohio State opened up as a early 1.5 point favorite and they were quickly bet down to 0.5. They have proven to be a great bet against the spread when playing a team at home with a winning percentage greater .650. The Buckeyes have cashed in at the window 11 of 14 times this season. At home they have one of the best shut down defensive units in the league allowing a stiff 58.1 points per contest. Wisconsin comes into this contest with a 22-4 overall record and a 12-2 Big ten record. The Badgers lost twice to the Boilermakers. Purdue and Ohio State possess very styles of play. Purdue averages around 68 points per game on offense and hold teams at home under that 60 point margin just like the Buckeyes. Wisconsin has struggled to get quick starts on the road against good defensive teams; against Iowa (#5 ranked in the nation) the Badgers were trailing by 3 at halftime. Against Indiana (61.0 ppg allowed) the Badgers were down 2 at the break. Ohio State has led at the break in three of their last four home games, all three of those games turned out to be convincing Buckeye wins. I look for this trend to continue and the Buckeyes will get a big performance from their defensive unit today against the Badgers. With the Golden Gophers on the heels of Ohio State in the standings and Michigan State on deck for the Badgers, This is a great spot to take the even money home team . Jump on the Ohio State bandwagon Sunday afternoon.
#1 Sports
Wisconsin at Ohio State
Wisconsin (21-4, 14-2 BIG 10, #10 AP) topped the Golden Gophers of Minnesota on Saturday at the Kohl Center by the score of 65-56, using the balanced scoring (top five scorers 12, 11, 11, 11, and 11) and stiff defense that only Purdue (twice) has been able to crack amongst their conference opponents. Head coach Bo Ryan (163-59 in 7th season at Madison, 82-30 Big 10) has used his swing offense to rack up 546 wins in 24 college seasons, as well as six consecutive invitations to the NCAA Tournament. His offense is an approach that eschews the racking up of statistics by its stars in favor of swinging the ball to create angles on defenders for the open man. Player attitude is absolutely key and Buckey has bought-in players in spades.
Former Parade High School All-American 6'11" 235 senior F/C Brian "Polar Bear" Butch (12.6p, 7.0r, 23 blocks) and former First Team All-State Selection from New York 6'0" sophomore G Travon Hughes (12.4p, 3.0r, 2.5a, 35 of 105 from 3-point) could each be racking up huge numbers in other programs, yet are the biggest preachers of team basketball to their lesser-pedigreed mates. A five-game summer tour through Italy created lifelong bonds for these students athletes (we can actually use this term with a straight face in this case), and here's a good example of the love. Hughes lists his single, greatest career accomplishment as dunking on 6'11" 260 teammate and backup forward Greg Stiemsma (2.8p, 3.0r, 30 blocks)... in practice. It's an understatement to say these guys like playing hoops together.
Joining Hughes and Butch in the starting lineup are 6'7" 222 junior F Marcus Landry (11.0p, 5.2r, 1.4a), 6'2" senior G Michael Flowers (9.6p, 4.0r, 2.3a, 31 of 78 from 3-point), and 6'7" 220 G/F Joe Krabbenhoft (7.6p, 6.7r, 2.8a). Each are serious scrappers on the boards for a crew that averages a solid 36.5-30.0 rebounding advantage per game in 2007-2008. From the bench come 6'2" sophomore G Jason Bohannon (7.6p, 2.2r) and 6'10" 208 freshman F Jon Leurer (4.1p, 1.7r), each of whom can tinkle the twine from downtown, combining for 46 makes in 105 attempts from deep.
Wisconsin's team defense will test you as well, allowing just 55.4 points per game this season (versus the 68.7 they score) on .386 shooting from the field and .322 shooting from behind the arc.
Badger fans (and we count ourselves among that group, if you couldn't tell) will tell you that a special nod to the success of this program - as well as all of Wisconsin's teams - must be given to former Athletic Director Pat Richter. A 9-time letter winner at Wisconsin and 8-year tight end for the Washington Redskins, Richter inherited in 1989 an athletic program hampered by outmoded facilities and a $2.1 million yearly deficit. In 2004 he handed his successor and former Badger football coach Barry Alvarez a program with the state-of-the-art Kohl Center, a completely renovated Camp Randall Stadium, and a $6.4 million surplus. In the words of Ronald Reagan's 34th and final speech from the Oval Office, "All in all, not bad, not bad at all."
Ohio State (17-9, 8-5 BIG 10) dropped their third conference game in their last five opportunities with a 70-80 stumble to Michigan at Ann Arbor on Sunday, despite another strong performance by 7'0" 265 freshman C Kosta Koufos (13.8p, 7.0r, 47 blocks). Koufos might not fill the shoes of the departed Greg Oden (15.7p, 9.6r, 105 blocks in 2006-2007) in the minds of the Buckeye faithful, but he is actually a much more polished player than Oden was last season. Completely comfortable outside of the paint, Koufos can nail the jumper, put the ball on the floor, and attack the basket - making him more in the mold of a Nowitzki or Gasol than the man he replaces. With 34 points and 22 boards in his last two games, the Canton Colossus is certainly a tough assignment for any big man.
Joining the Greek Goliath (Our nicknames may be a little corny, but don't be surprised when you hear them on ESPN some day; it has happened, unaccredited, before) in the paint is 6'8" 225 senior F Othello Hunter (9.4p, 6.7r, 32 blocks), who has also been sharp lately with 35 points and 23 boards in his last three games, plus 6'9" 245 senior F/C Matt Terwilliger (3.3p, 2.5r) and 6'8" 260 freshman F Dallas Lauderdale (1.0p, 1.6), who bring the beef off the bench. Running the show for the Buckeyes' offense that averages 67.9 points per game on .457 shooting from the field is 6'1" senior Jamar Butler (14.2p, 3.5r, 6.3a, 39 steals). The former "Ohio Mr. Basketball," Butler has exploded from the decent stats he posted in 2006-2007 (8.5p, 2.1r, 3.6a) to become one of the premier point guards in college basketball, while remaining a bankable option from behind the arc with 71 makes in 183 attempts this year. Throw in starting swingmen 6'5" sophomore F/G David Lightly (8.7p, 3.7r, 2.3a) and 6'6" freshman Evan Turner (8.3p, 4.1p, 2.5a), plus 6'6" freshman Jon Diebler (6.8p, 2.4r, 1.2a, 40 of 134 from 3-point), and reigning Big 10 Coach of the Year Thad Matta (98-31 in 4th season at Columbus) has a decent mix of talent to make a run at his eighth consecutive 20+ win season in the college ranks.
This is the third Division I program that Coach Matta has succeeded at (24-8 at Butler, 78-23 at Xavier), and Ohio State is having solid success, but the off-season personnel losses are simply too much to overcome for Matta's crew to notch their third straight Conference Championship. In addition to Oden, the departure of Ron Lewis (12.7p, 3.6r, 64 makes from 3-point), Mike Conley Jr. (11.3p, 3.4r, 238 assists), and Daequan Cook (9.8p, 4.3r, 54 makes from 3-points) from the 2006-2007 Buckeye team (35-4, 15-1 BIG 10) that lost to the Florida Gators in the National Championship Game has certainly brought Ohio State back to the field, and would have likely crippled most other programs. For now, the faithful at Value City Arena will make do with a unit that grinds a little on offense, works hard on defense (60.1 points allowed on .378 shooting from the field and .303 from behind the arc), and has a legitimate shot at an invitation to The Big Dance.
The Badgers are in a dogfight with Purdue and Indiana for Conference Championship honors, while the Buckeyes are clearly part of the second tier this season, but playing road favorites in the Big 10 is a deep, dark place where handicappers go to curl up and die. Add in some of the unknowns that go with a first meeting between these clubs and we'll take Ohio State plus the points on Sunday.
Bobby Maxwell
Wisconsin (pk) at OHIO STATE
We're 7-3 with our last 10 FREE selections and we're right back on the college hardwood today with a complimentary play on Wisconsin as the Badgers are in Columbus to take on Ohio State in a Big Ten battle.
The Badgers come into this one having won three straight and six of seven. They've got their game working while Ohio State has become one of the most inconsistent teams in the Big Ten.
Wisconsin has proven to be one of the best road teams in the country, going 8-2 SU and 7-3 ATS on the road this season and they do it with defense when they hit the highway, allowing just 58 points and 40.3 percent shooting on the road.
The Badgers went to Illinois on Wednesday and scored a 71-57 win as a one-point road favorite, the four straight Big Ten victory for them (3-1 ATS). They are tied for the top spot in the conference and now go to Ohio State to face a Buckeyes squad that lost its last home game and is just above mediocrity in the confrence (8-5 SU, 7-7 ATS).
Wisconsin is 7-3 SU and 6-4 ATS in the last 10 meetings with Ohio State. The Buckeyes are just 1-4 ATS in the last five Sundays while the Badgers are 7-3 ATS in Sunday tip-offs.
We like the way this Wisconsin team has come together this season and they will deliver a big road win today against the Buckeyes. Play Bo Ryan's Badgers today
3* WISCONSIN
Karl Garrett
La Salle (+8) at DUQUESNE
Payback time for the Explorers, as LaSalle got whipped up on at home by Duquesne 101-84 earlier this month in the City of Brotherly Love.
LaSalle may not be able to win this one outright, but the Explorers are easily playing their best basketball of the season, and do catch the Dukes in a bit of a rut, as Duquesne comes back home saddled with a two game slide, and losses in 4 of their last 7.
LaSalle is a perfect 9-0-1 against the spread on the road this season, and they come into the Steel City riding a 3-game winning streak, and wins in 5 of their last 7.
Overall on the road, LaSalle is a money-making 27-10-2 their last 39 games, while the Iron Dukes are on a 3-9 spread run on their home hardwood.
G-Man says the points are worth a look today with a LaSalle team that has a chance to hit the .500 mark for the first time this late in a season in a long time.
4* LA SALLE
Sports Gambling Hotline
Penn State at MINNESOTA -11'
At 16-9, Minnesota faithful have belief that first year coach Tubby Smith is going to lead them into the Big Dance next month, so it is imperative the Golden Gophers handle the poor-traveling Nittany Lions this afternoon at the Williams Gym.
We say lay away with Minnesota today, as they put a hurting on Penn State!
Penn State is just 2-9 away from Happy Valley this season, and the points haven't been much of a help either, as they are just 3-8 against the spread away from home this year.
Minnesota is fresh off a nice comeback win and cover at home against Michigan earlier this week, as the Gophers improved their home mark to a respectable 10-4, while covering in 6 of 11 lined home games.
The Golden Gophers won the season's first meeting at Penn State 76-73, as they have now taken the last 6 series meetings both straight up, going 5-1 against the spread.
We say to lay the points in this one, as Minnesota notches another W to their season total.
Play on the Gophers.
3* MINNESOTA
Jim Feist
MEM Grizzlies and CLE Cavaliers.
Take "Under". It doesn't help a struggling offense to trade away its best offensive player, but that's what Memphis did in giving away Pau Gasol. Memphis is on a 9-4 run under the total. Cleveland is getting back to playing tough defense like they had a year ago when they won the East. It won't be difficult to shut down this struggling Memphis offense. Play the Grizzlies/Cavs under the total
HUDDLE UP SPORTS
Virginia -6
MIKE WYNN
LaSalle +9
TOTALS 4U
SACRAMENTO/ORLANDO OVER 216
TV HOTLINE COMP
DUQUESNE -9
VEGAS STEAMLINE
Idaho St +3½
RAZOR SHARP SPORTS
WRIGHT ST +9½
COMPUTER SPORTS
MINNESOTA-11
MadduxSports
Portland +6.5
Cajun Sports
Game: Dallas Mavericks vs. Minnesota Timberwolves
Line: Dallas Mavericks -6.5
Rating: TWO-Star
Selection: DALLAS MAVERICKS -6.5
This series has seen the Mavericks fail to cover the large prices at home versus Minnesota but have little trouble covering the smaller price at the Target Center. The last three trips here by Dallas has seen them handle this T-Wolves team with ease. On Jan 6th Dallas defeats Minnesota 100 to 78, April 11th of last season saw them win 105 to 88 and on February 27th of last season the Mav?s won 91 to 65. Dallas is 14-7 ATS in games played in Minnesota since 1996. Minnesota is coming in off a 1-point loss to the Champs 100 to 99 against San Antonio on Thursday night a game in which T-Wolves guard Sebastian Telfair missed a shot at the buzzer which would have given Minnesota the win but it was not to be. We expect them to come out flat here and Dallas to be ready to play as Jason Kidd gets more productive each time out for his new team. We have a system that backs our position on the Mav?s and it tells us to Play Against NBA home underdogs of 3.5 to 9.5 points in a game involving two teams who average shooting 33%-36.5% from behind the arc, a team that averages 14.5-16.5 turnovers per game against a team that averages 14.5 or less turnovers per game, 56-26 ATS since 2003.