Michael Cannon
25 Dime
GEORGETOWN
10 Dime
BUTLER
LOUISVILLE
Johnny Guild
No. 7 Miami-Florida (23-10) vs. No. 2 Texas (29-6) Texas Longhorns -6.5
No. 9 Arkansas (23-11) vs. No. 1 North Carolina (33-2) Over - 158
Rob Veno
Blue Chip: Detroit -3
San Diego +5.5
Georgetown -4.5
Arkansas +11
20* Blue Chip: Texas -6.5
CBB Memphis -9
ER Sports
Playmaker: Villanova Under 145.5
Playmaker: Dallas Under 184
Tony Mathews
25* UNC
Matty O'Shea
Davidson 5.5 vs Georgetown
Analysis: The Davidson Wildcats bring a nation-leading 23-game winning streak into this matchup against the Georgetown Hoyas and are a perfect 4-0 ATS as an underdog this season. Two of those dog covers came against top seeds UCLA and North Carolina while another was against Duke, which is proof Davidson can play with the big boys. The Wildcats should have a majority of the fans in Raleigh rooting for them to pull off the upset and advance to the Sweet 16. They also have arguably the best player in the tournament in Stephen Curry, who scored 40 points against Gonzaga in the first round and has hit more 3-pointers than anybody in the country. Curry connected on 8-of-10 shots from beyond the 3-point arc against the Bulldogs and will be the focus of Georgetown's defense. But Davidson has other offensive options and will be ready for one of their biggest games ever. There's just something about the Hoyas that I don't like this year, and it surfaced in a loss to Pitt in the Big East Tournament title game. They tend to be overconfident in certain situations, and I think this will end up being one of them. Bet Davidson as my Double Dime NCAA Tournament Underdog Play O' the Week.
WAS 3.0 vs DET
It's hard to figure out what's motivating the Detroit Pistons nowadays - if anything. They have already clinched a playoff berth and are pretty much locked into the second seed in the Eastern Conference. We faded them on Wednesday at Washington and will do so again here against what should be a very motivated Washington Wizards team playing on national television. The Wizards begin a tough five-game road trip after this game and would love nothing more than to gain some more confidence at home against the Pistons after winning at Orlando and Miami. Detroit is just 1-4 ATS in its last five road games and 1-4 ATS this season when playing with three days of rest or more. Look for another letdown for the Pistons and bet the Wizards as my Double Dime NBA TV Play O' the Week.
PSYCHIC
NCAAB
2 units Sienna +5.5
2 units Miami +7
3 units Mississippi State +9
5 units San Diego +5.5
WISEGUY
NBA
3 units Denver +3
DA STICK
5 units NYI/Phi OVER 5.5
Charlies Sports
Miss st vs Memphis over 138 (500*) .
Butler +4' (30*)
San Diego +5' (20*)
Texas -7 (20*)
Louisville -7 (10*)
Georgetown -5 (10*) free play
Kevin O'Neill
Memphis Under 138
Butler +4-
BEN BURNS
COLLEGE BASKETBALL
UNDER Oklahoma/Louisville
Game: Oklahoma vs. Louisville
Prediction: under Reason: I'm playing on Louisville and Oklahoma to finish UNDER the number. The Cardinals played a very high-scoring team (Boise State) in their opener, as the Broncos came into that game having averaged 84.8 points in 17 road/neutral games on the season. The Cardinals dominated defensively though, holding the Broncos to a mere 61 points. The Broncos hit 40 percent of their 3-point attempts this season, putting them among the nation's top 20, but were just 4-for-17 against the aggressive Louisville defense. Rick Pitino would comment: "We did a good job of stopping a tremendous 3-point shooting team." Despite the Cardinals shooting well themselves, the game still fell comfortably below the closing number. That marked the third time in four games that the Cardinals have held an opponent to 61 points or less, as they limited Georgetown to 55 and Villanova to 54. Note that the UNDER is now 24-13 their last 37 non-conference games which had a total. Additionally, its also worth noting that the Cardinals have seen the UNDER go 13-7 the last 20 times that they played with one day or less worth of rest in between games. While Friday's opponent averaged nearly 85 points per game on the road, today the Cardinals will face an opponent which scored a mere 62.8 points per game on the road this season, averaging just 27.1 in the first half. The Sooners make up for their lack of offensive explosiveness by playing solid defense, allowing an average of 63.4 points per game for the season and 62.4 their last five games. The Sooners saw their opener vs. St. Joseph's finish above the number with 136 (72-64) combined points. However, they'd previously seen seven straight games fall below the number. Despite Friday's result, the Sooners have still seen the UNDER go a highly profitable 44-25 their last 69 non-conference games which had a total. During that stretch, they've seen the UNDER go 44-21 (68%) when listed as underdogs. Cardinals forward Terrence Williams said: "This will be kind of the battle of our bigs versus their bigs." I also expect a physical defensive affair with the UNDER improving to 7-2 on the season when Louisville played a game with an over/under line in the 120s. *Blue Chip
TENNESSEE
Game: Butler vs. Tennessee
Prediction: Tennessee Reason: I'm laying the points with TENNESSEE. The fact that Butler has been covering lately while Tennessee has been struggling against the spread, has given us excellent line value with what I feel is the stronger team. Yes, both teams have 30 victories. However, Butler's victories came against significantly weaker opponents as Tennessee had to deal with the likes of Arkansas, Kentucky, Vanderbilt, Florida in SEC play play while Butler faced teams like Detroit, Youngstown State and Wright State in the Horizon League. Taking a look at the losses shows that Butler can be beaten by somewhat mediocre teams while the Volunteers only lose vs. the toughest teams or at the toughest venues. While Tennesee's losses came vs. Texas, Kentucky, Vanderbilt and Arkansas, Butler's losses came against Wright State, Cleveland State and Drake. The Bulldogs didn't beat any really elite teams either. On the other hand, the Volunteers knocked off Memphis when the Tigers were #1. They also beat the likes of Xavier, West Virginia and Gonzaga in non-conference action. After failing to win their conference tournament and not getting a #1 seed, the Vols come into the tournament with a chip on their shoulder. As Tennessee star Chris Lofton had to say: "We're out to prove something, so it should be a great game." The Vols got their "wake up call" in the first round as American hung around longer than expected and covered the spread. They'll be fully focused here, particularly as Butler beat them early last season, holding the Vols to a season low (44) in total points. As Lofton said: "Last year we overlooked Butler, being from the Horizon League." They won't make that same mistake twice. They're 3-1 SU/ATS after failing to cover the spread in three consecutive games the past few seasons and I expect them to record a convincing victory here. *Personal Favorite
UNDER Memphis/Miss. State
Game: Mississippi State vs. Memphis
Prediction: under Reason: I'm playing on Memphis and Mississippi State to finish UNDER the number. Its true that Memphis has an excellent offense, as they averaged 79.9 points per game. That number is somewhat lower on the road though, as they averaged 75.1 points in 15 games away from home. Note that the Tigers numbers are somewhat inflated due to playing in the relatively weak Conference USA. The Tigers did show that they were capable of playing low-scoring games when matched up against solid defensive non-conference teams earlier in the season though, as they beat Oklahoma 63-53 and beat USC 62-58. While Tigers' offense gets all the attention, the defense is also very strong. In fact, the 63 points they allowed in the first round was the most they had given up in their past six games. Their previous five opponents finished with scores of 51, 53, 56, 56 and 55. Despite their opener slipping over the number, the Tigers have still seen the UNDER go 17-7-1 their last 25 games in March. During the same stretch, they've seen the UNDER go 17-8 when playing with one or less day's rest in between games and 27-18 in 45 games (with a total) after scoring 80 or more points in their previous game. They'll face a strong Mississippi State defense which will be attempting to slow down the pace as much as possible. The Bulldogs allowed 64 points when playing away from home this season, while seeing the UNDER go 10-5. Look for the Bulldogs' Charles Rhodes and Jarvis Varnado to make things difficult inside and force the Tigers into a slower game. Note that the 6-9 sophomore Varnado needs six blocked shots to break Shaquille O'Neal's SEC record of 158, set in 1991-92. The Bulldogs faced Oregon in the first round and it became clear that the Ducks were intimidated by Varnado. Not only were they scared to come inside but they shot horribly from long-range, going just 2 of 21 with their second half 3-point attempts. I feel that the number is generous and I look for the final score to be lower than expected with the UNDER improving to 5-0 the last five times that the Bulldogs were listed as neutral court underdogs of three points or less. *2nd Rd Total of the Year
NBA
DALLAS
Game: San Antonio Spurs vs. Dallas Mavericks
Prediction: Dallas Mavericks Reason: I'm laying the points with DALLAS. I have a lot of respect for the Spurs and its hard to imagine that facing them would represent a "step down in class" from anyone. That's arguably the case here though, as the Mavs come off games vs. the Celtics and Lakers, arguably the top current team from each conference. While it remains to be seen which team will prove to be the best come playoff time, I expect the Mavs to be the best this afternoon. The fact that they lost the games vs. LA and Boston (both losses were very close) and the fact that they have struggled to beat top tier teams since the Kidd trade, makes this an extremely important game - both for playoff positioning and for pyschological reasons. The team badly needs a big win over a quality opponent. The defending champs certainly qualify as a 'quality opponent' and I expect the Mavs to come out with their guns blazing. They've played the Spurs tough in all three games. They lost by two points at San Antonio in December. Last month, also at San Antonio, they lost by three points, covering as five point underdogs. However, when the teams met at Dallas, the Mavs won by double-digits. That's not really surprising as both teams are MUCH better at home. The Spurs are 28-6 at San Antonio but just 18-17 at home. The disparity is even bigger for Dallas as the Mavs are a poor 15-19 on the road but an excellent 29-6 at home. Including the earlier win, the Mavs have won four of the last six regular season series meetings with the Spurs. They've won those games by an average of 18.3 points per game. I believe this game is more important to the Mavs and I expect them to be the "hungrier" team. Look for them to deliver an Easter Sunday victory for the home fans, covering the small number along the way. *TV GOW
TORONTO
Game: Denver Nuggets vs. Toronto Raptors
Prediction: Toronto Raptors Reason: I'm laying the small number with TORONTO. The Raptors have struggled recently. However, those struggles have come without Chris Bosh in the lineup and primarily on the road. Bosh is back (24 points in 37 minutes on Friday) and the Raptors are playing a home game on Easter Sunday afternoon. Note that the Raptors, who regularly play home games on Sunday afternoon, are 12-5 their last 17 in that situation with 10 of those victories coming by a minimum of five points. Overall, the Raptors have won six of their last eight games here with the six victories coming by an average margin of more than 21 points! The Raptors will have payback on their minds as they were embarrassed at Denver recently. Note that they didn't have Bosh in the lineup for that game and that they were playing the middle game of a 5-game road trip. This time, its the Nuggets who are playing the fourth game of a 5-game road trip. More important than getting 'revenge,' the Raptors desperately just need a victory. They've slipped in the standings and are in danger of falling to 500 on the season. With Bosh in the lineup, they're a better team than that and I expect them to respond with a massive effort here. Its true that the Nuggets have been tough on Toronto in recent years. However, its also worth noting that the teams faced each other here on this exact day last year. The Raptors held Iverson and Anthony to a combined 6-of-27 from the field and the Raptors rolled to a 27 point victory. The Nuggets haven't fared particularly well as underdogs, going just 8-12 ATS (4-16 SU) when getting points this season. That includes a 0-6 SU and 2-4 ATS mark their last six and a 4-8 ATS (1-11 SU!) mark their last 12. I look for history to repeat itself and for the Nuggets to struggle here for the second straight year. *Best Bet
Spritzer
ko.....................texas
tko...................okla
tko......................butler
tko...................gtown
3*.....................wkentuky
total................denver over 29
tko.................gold st
5*....................spurs
Cokin-
window.....................nova
under the hat..................davidson
3*...................memph
3*........................spurs
Feist
total.............................lville over 26
total...........................tenn over 39.5
personal best...................okla
personal best..................miss st over 38
steam..................sieana
steam.....................butler
platinum......................miami
platinum......................sieana
inner circle.......................w kentucky
ncaa executive dog of wk............davidson
total........................denver over 29
inner circle....................pistons
5*................................mavs
Frank Rosenthal
NBA HOOPS
SPURS+4 SB
WARRIORS+7 SB
OVER 230.5 SB
COLLEGE HOOPS
NOVA-5 SB
OVER 144 SB+
GEORGETOWN-4 SB
ÜNDER 132 SB+
UNC-10 SB
UNDER 158.5 SB
TEXAS-6 SB
OVER 139 SB+
MEMPHIS-8.5 SB
BUTLER+5 SB
OK+7.5 SB
OVER 125 SB+
OHIO ST-7.5 SB
NEBRASKA+6 SB
Paul Leiner
10* Over 228.5 Den/Tor
Ferringo ADVANTAGE PLAY
Take Oklahoma (+7) over Louisville
I love Louisville, but I think this number is a little thick. UL shot 50 percent from 3-point land on Friday. I don?t see them repeating that feat considering they shoot 34 percent on the season. Oklahoma shoots better from the free throw line, which I think plays a factor in this game, and they have the size to matchup with the Cards on the inside. This also goes back to our ?fade the Big East as a second-round favorite? theme. I see the pace of this game screeching to a halt in the second half, and Louisville, who I think will be leading, doesn't make its free throws. Kick in a lot of missed 3-pointers by the Sooners and I think this one is a close, grind-it-out contest played in the 50's. That makes the spread a bit too much and the total a bit too high. I don't see either team hitting 70 so we should be OK.
Computer Sports
MEMPHIS -9'
MadduxSports
Davidson +5
Jack Clayton
Warriors/Lakers Over
Mighty Q
Kentucky -5.5
VEGAS STEAMLINE
Butler/Tennessee UNDER 140
ARTHUR RALPH COMP
NORTH CAROLINA
NATIONAL SPORTS SERVICE COMP
Texas -6.5
BALLINPICKS
Texas -6.5
Handicapper World
Western Ky Huge
Louisville Regular
Armvin
Villanova
Play By Play
Va Tech
Tulsa
San Diego
Razor Sharp Sports
Ark/UNC Over
Jim Feist
Det/Wash Under
Totals4u
GST/Lakers Over
Cappers Access
Siena
Texas
Dave Cokin
North Carolina
Redzone Sports
Siena/Villanova Over
TV Hotline
Louisville
Steve Janus
Georgetown - 5
Sportscapping
Oklahoma + 7.5
Bob Donahue
Arkansas
Dr Vegas
Raptors
Glen Mcgrew
Tennessee
Nevada Sharpshooter
Louisville
Big Time Sports
Det/Wash Under
Scott Spreitzer
Raptors
Huddle Up Sports
Butler/Tenn Over
Joe Wiz
Golden St
Sports Advisors
Spurs
Lockline Sports
Louisville
Hawkeye Sports
Nuggets
Psychic Sports
GSt/Lakers Over
Valley Sports
Pistons
Arkansas
Pure Lock
Butler
Bob Akmens
Georgetown Under
Flyers Under
Mr Ernie
North Carolina