LT's Lock Of The Day
Oregon +3'
EZ Winners
5 STAR: (536) ARIZONA (-2) over Washington State
(Risking $550 to win $500)
1 STAR: (512) VIRGINIA TECH (+8.5) over Duke
(Risking $110 to win $100)
1 STAR: (524) WISCONSIN-GREEN BAY (-3.5) over Cleveland State
(Risking $110 to win $100)
1 STAR: (530) OREGON STATE (+8.5) over Usc
(Risking $110 to win $100)
1 STAR: (552) OREGON (+3.5) over Ucla
(Risking $110 to win $100)
NBA
1 STAR: (505) NEW JERSEY (+9) over Golden State
(Risking $110 to win $100)
Comps
Lou Diamond
My free pick of the day is the game between (501) SAN Spurs and (502) MIA Heat. Take "Under". NBA TOTAL OF THE YEAR HITS YESTERDAY! Today I have 2 HUGE college basketball WINNERS that are sure to get there. Get them while their hot! Under is 4-0 in Spurs last 4 overall. Under is 4-0 in Spurs last 4 vs. Eastern Conference. Under is 8-1 in Spurs last 9 vs. a team with a losing S.U. record. Under is 7-1 in Spurs last 8 games as a favorite of 5.0-10.5. Under is 7-1 in Spurs last 8 road games. Under is 5-1 in Spurs last 6 games as a favorite. Under is 14-4 in Spurs last 18 games as a road favorite. Under is 7-3 in Spurs last 10 road games vs. a team with a home winning % of less than .400. Under is 9-4 in Spurs last 13 vs. NBA Southeast. Under is 37-18-2 in Spurs last 57 Thursday games. Miami Under is 11-2 in Heat last 13 vs. a team with a winning S.U. record Under is 13-2 in the last 15 meetings. Under is 6-1 in the last 7 meetings in Miami.
MATT RIVERS
For Thursday take Washington State
Even without their head coach in Lute Olson Arizona is a talented team led by Chase Budinger, Jerryd Bayless and a few others but these guys have not shown me enough to make me believe they can beat what is turning out to be a borderline great Washington State team.
All the Cougars seem to do is impress game after game. In the one game they looked mediocre at UCLA Derrick Low, Robbie Cowgill, Taylor Rochestie, Kyle Weaver, Arron Baynes and the fellas went on a furious late run and not only almost covered but almost shocked the world after being down 20 early on against a great UCLA group. This team can shoot the lights out and, as usual, are as disciplined as any team with that patient offense that will lull you to sleep and play defense with the best of them.
The Wildcats have played a tough schedule and are a good team but they are no longer anything more than good. This is one of the most underachieving college programs over the past 15 or so years as they have had so much pro talent it's not even funny.
At some point Washington State will run out of gas a little on the highway as they have already won hard fought contests at Baylor, Washington, Gonzaga and USC but I don't see this being that time.
TONY WESTON
We stay in the ACC where Duke plays at Virginia Tech in what should be an entertaining game for about a half. Duke, in many peoples? minds, is the best team in the country, sitting at 15-1 SU. The Blue Devils have done a good job of dominating opponents this season winning by an average score of 85-64.1.
Virginia Tech, on the other hand, has lost three of its last four lined games and is only 3-2 ATS at home this year. Also, over their L5 games the Hokies have scored an average of 67 points per game, 14 less than the Blue Devils? 81 per in that stretch.
Duke will continue to dominate and throttle Virginia Tech by at least 15.
Take the Blue Devils
4* DUKE (1* to 5* Scale)
Marc Lawrence
Game: New Jersey Nets at Golden State Warriors Jan 24 2008 10:35PM
Prediction: New Jersey Nets
Reason: Play On: New Jersey
Note: Nets invade Golden State in the midst of a West Coast road swing knowing they are 12-4 ATS on this floor. Better yet, New Jersey is 12-1 ATS as a dog in this series. No surprise to see the Nets snap their losing way here today.
Jimmy The Moose
Game: Pittsburgh Penguins at Philadelphia Flyers
Prediction: over
Reason: The Penguins have played the under more often than not this season but tonight expect them to play over the total. The Flyers have played over the total in their last 7 games. The Flyers have also played the over in 4 straight home games. Their last 7 games vs. Eastern Conference team's have played the over. The over is 7-0 in Pittsburgh's last 7 trips to Philadelphia. The over is 7-1 in the last 8 meetings overall between the clubs. Play the over.
Karl Garrett
The Nets losing streak is currently at 6 straight, and their last pair of losses have been absolute embarrassments, as they have lost by 24 at Phoenix on Sunday, and 34 at Sacramento on Monday!The G-Man expects the Nets to save a little face tonight on TNT, and keep this game against the Warriors close at least.Golden State isn't exactly tearing it up right now, as Nelly's team may be on a 5-2 straight up run, BUT the Warriors are just 2-6 against the spread their last 8 home games, and just 3-7 against the spread their last 10 games when installed as the favorite.New Jersey did win the season's first meeting in December at home, and the Nets are 8-2 straight up - 9-1 against the spread the last 10 times these teams have faced one another.
I am grabbing the points and looking for a close game tonight in Oakland.
2* NEW JERSEY
Brandon Lang
10 Dime
SPURS
WARRIORS
5 Dime
LOYOLA CHICAGO
Free - DUKE
MR. A's
San Antonio Spurs -8
Golden State Warriors -9
Johnny Guild
Virginia Tech Hokies +8.5
Dayton Flyers +11
Arthur Ralph Comp
Boise State
JEFF BONDS
TRIPLE -DIME PLAY
Siena -2.5 vs Loyola, Md
Siena will undoubtedly get revenge tonight, after getting swept by Loyola in MAAC play last season.
The key factor for this matchup will be the fact that Siena leads the conference in turnover margin (+2.8) while Loyola has a turnover margine of -2.1 per game.
Siena leads the all-time series at 31-11 and has beaten opponents in conference play by an average margin of 14.9 points.
The road team has covered in nine of the last 10 meetings and Siena is 4-0 ATS the last four meetings at Loyola Maryland.
STAN SHARP
double-dime bet MIA / 501 SAN Over 184.5
Analysis: Today Stan's Top NBA Totals bettor has made a Big Bet on the Miami/ San Antonio Game OVER the Total. Stan has looked at the Game and Stan has this game landing between 194-198 Total Points. TAKE SAN ANTONIO/MIAMI OVER as STAN'S NBA TOTAL BIG BET OF THE WEEK and make them a DOUBLE DIME PLAY
JWhip
dime bet GSW / 505 NJN Over 215.0
Analysis: Nets/Warriors Over 215
The New Jersey Nets enter this game on a season high-tying six game losing steak. They are allowing opponents to shoot 50 percent from the field with an average 111 points per game during the slide.
New Jersey is among the lowest-scoring teams in the NBA, which is not helping their current losing steak, averaging just 94 ppg. We have to give more an effort according to Nets forward Vince Carter and the Golden State Warriors defense looks to give them the needed helping hand.
The Warriors are giving up a league-worst 107 points per game this season, including 109 points last time out to the lowly Timberwolves.
Defense wins championships and the non-existence of defense helps us win wagers.
Nets last five road games: allowing 117 ppg.
Warriors last five home games: allowing 111 ppg.
Jim Feist Comp
IND Pacers/MIL Bucks "Over"
A couple of weak defensive teams meet. Indiana allows 105 ppg, second most in the league, while the Bucks allow 47% shooting by opponents, second worst. This is a difficult scheduling spot for Indiana, their third game in four nights and the second of a back-to-back road spot. Tired legs means bad defense. The Pacers are on a 4-1-1 run over the total, the Bucks are on a 3-0 over run. Don't look for any defense, play the Pacers/Bucks over the total!
Alex Smart
Boise State -11.0
Boise State have proven to be an explosive team this season, averaging 80.9 PPG , and are off a 95-80 beat down of a pretty good Nevada team last time out . The Hawaii Warriors, the visitors tonight are always a threat at home, but on the mainland their not reliable or consistent team at all, as is evident by losing 7 of their L/11 SU and more importantly failing to cover 9 of those tilts. With the Broncos playing with revenge here for a 92-75 loss on the big island last year, you can bet they will come out with all guns blazing in an attempt to return the favor in merciless double digit fashion. Final notes & Key Trends: The favorite is 5-0 ATS L/5 in this series. Play on Boise State
LT Profits
Nevada +4.5
A couple of 10-win teams get together tonight when the Nevada Wolf Pack visit the New Mexico State Aggies in WAC action.
However, New Mexico State is just 10-10 overall, and they have been overvalued by the oddsmakers based on past reputation, as they are just 5-11 against the spread. Furthermore, they have already lost two home games this year in a building where they have been almost unbeatable in the past, and they are just 2-4 ATS at home. They are coming off of a non-covering nine-point home win over a horrible Louisiana Tech team as 20-point chalk.
Now Nevada is 10-7 straight up, and they have dominated the head-to-head series with the Aggies, winning four of the last five meetings. They are looking to redeem themselves after getting upset at home by Boise State, and the last time they played on the road, they visited the islands of Hawaii and romped away with the 18-point victory.
We feel that the Wolf Pack are a tad underrated right now while New Mexico State continues to be overrated, so we look for Nevada to continue their dominance in this series.
CBB Free Pick: Nevada +4.5
Tony Karpinski
Dayton vs. Xavier
Play: Point Spread: -11 Xavier
Xavier - 11 over Dayton Are you kidding me? The lower ranked team giving points to the higher ranked team? Did Vegas make a mistake? Hardly! The Musketeers are 4-0 ATS vs. a team with a winning S.U. record, 4-0 ATS as a home favorite of 7.0-12.5, 5-1-1 ATS on Thursday, 4-1-1 ATS at home vs. a team with a winning road record, and 38-17-1 vs. a team with a winning % above .600. The Flyers are just 4-9 ATS as a road dog, 1-4 ATS on Thursday, and 1-4 ATS at Xavier. The home team is 5-2 ATS in the last 7 meetings and 4-0 ATS in the last 4. Xavier wins by 20!
Michael Cannon
15 Dime
DUKE
Lay the points with Duke on the road tonight over Virginia Tech.
Duke will look to avenge last season’s 69-67 overtime loss to Virginia Tech in the conference opener. That game started Duke on a 9-10 slide that ended with an opening-round loss in the NCAA tournament.
This year the Blue Devils are deeper and play a more up-tempo offense. Duke ranks second to North Carolina in the ACC with 85.0 points per game and is third in the nation with an average scoring margin of 20.9 points.
Virginia Tech will be shorthanded tonight, as second-leading scorer Jeff Allen is suspended for bumping an official in the Hokies 81-70 loss at Georgia Tech on Saturday.
Duke quicker tempo helps force turnovers on the defensive end and also to overcome a lack of size. Virginia Tech doesn’t have the guards to handle the Blue Devils pressure, so expect a lot of easy fastbreak points for Duke.
Lay the points with Duke as they grab the road win and cover.
5 Dime
XAVIER
Lay the points with Xavier tonight when they host rival Dayton.
At first glance this would appear to be a gift if you’re siding with Dayton, but a closer look reveals why the line maker has installed Xavier as such a big favorite tonight.
First off, Xavier has dominated the Flyers over the years at home, winning 22 straight in Cincinnati including all seven games at the Cintas Center.
Secondly, Dayton will be without two of its top scorers, Chris Wright and Charles Little.
That’s going to put more pressure on Brian Roberts to carry the offense, and although he’s stepped it up against other top teams in the nation, Xavier has held him to 14.0 points on 36.4 percent shooting in three games.
Xavier won all three games against Dayton last season, with an average margin of 15 points.
Lay the points as Xavier continues to manhandle Dayton with the win and cover.
CLEVELAND STATE
Take Cleveland State as the small road dog tonight over Wisconsin-Green Bay.
Cleveland State is undefeated in Horizon League play and has won six straight overall. Included in that streak are wins over then 12th-ranked Butler and Valparaiso, two teams that were picked to finish well ahead of the Vikings in the conference standings. They have also knocked off Florida State and South Florida this year.
The Vikings have bought into second-year coach Gary Waters system, which features an unselfish offense and relentless defense.
Wisconsin-Green Bay has lost three in a row and currently sits at 3-4 in league play.
Cleveland State is the better team and their confidence is sky high right now.
Take the small number with Cleveland State and don’t be surprised to see them pull off the outright win.
Matty O'Shea
MIL / IND Over 208.5
Analysis: Neither of these teams know how to play defense, as the Pacers are the highest-scoring team in the Eastern Conference yet also surrender the most points in the East. In fact, they have given up an average of 111.2 points in their last 9 games in dropping 6 of them. The OVER is 7-1-1 Indiana's last 9 games vs. Central Division opponents and 10-4-1 in the team's last 15 road games. The Bucks haven't been much better, allowing 37 points in the 4th quarter of a 114-105 home loss to Phoenix on Tuesday. They are giving up 103.4 points per game in their last 5 and have seen the total go OVER in 3 straight. This all adds up to a high-scoring affair in my opinion, so bet the OVER as my Double Dime NBA Total Play O' the Week
ATS Consultants
Newsletter Plays
Hockey
Boston over NY Islanders - Pref
Under in Dallas/Buffalo - Pref
Hoops
Va. Tech covers over Duke 70-73 - Pref
Wash St. Over Arizona 74-65 - Pref