Bobby Maxwell
Villanova vs. Duke -2', at Boston
Easy FREE winner on the college hardwood Wednesday with Notre Dame as the Irish crushed Kentucky. Today we've got a sweet comp play with Duke, laying the chalk with the Blue Devils over Villanova.
Seems like the betting public is in love with Villanova in this matchup, but we love Duke in this one because they've got athletic, talented guards that will dominate today's game.
The Blue Devils won their fifth straight game on Saturday, beating Texas 74-69 but coming up short as a 7 1/2-point favorite. During this five-game streak, they are outscoring opponents by nine points per game.
Gerald Henderson is the leader of this team and he put up 24 points against the Longhorns on Saturday. Duke is back in the Sweet 16 for the first time since 2006 and you know Coach K. has got a great gameplan in place with four days to get ready for this one.
Villanova lost in the Sweet 16 last year to Kansas, gettig blown out 72-57 as 12-point underdogs. The Wildcats are on ATS slides of 1-4 as a neutral-site underdog and 3-7 in the Big Dance.
Duke has great guard play and when they put the clamps on Scottie Reynolds, Villanova is going to be dazed and confused. If the Blue Devils hit some early three-pointers, this game could get ugly early. Play Duke.
4♦ DUKE
Drew Gordon
Xavier +7 vs. Pittsburgh at Boston, MA.
Solid Free Play winner on the Celtics covering at the Magic 84-82 last night! We switch our attention to the college ranks Thursday with similar results...
Despite all the love the Panthers, Pittsburgh-backers better be real careful in this match up, as the Musketeers are no pushover, and I fully expect them to keep this game competitive throughout.
We know from last year that this Xavier team has the talent necessary to hang with the big boys, and that'll be true once again here tonight. You see, in order to match up with Pitt, you better have size, and that's exactly what Xavier has with Brown, Love, Frease and McLean. True, of the 3, only Brown has any real offensive talent, but the other 3 are true bigmen and provide more than enough beef to slow stud bigman DeJuan Blair.
In fact, these two teams are built quite similar, in that, they both have solid big men (Blair vs Brown), solid wing players (Young vs Raymond), and plenty of depth. Of course, we give the edge in the PG department to Pitt's Fields, but the guard trio of Anderson, Jackson, and Holloway match up very well overall with Pitt's backcourt.
Finally, the two main edges Pitt uses to win games are all but nuetralized in this contest - rebounding and defense. Xavier excels in both areas, and if you need any proof, check out their double-digit win over a resurgent Wisconsin team (which knocked out red-hot FSU) Sunday! They not only won the battle of the boards (34 to 28), but held the Badgers to just 28% shooting... So do you really want to lay this many points with the Panthers?! I don't, as Xavier keeps this game well within the number Thursday night!
Take Xavier plus the points over Pittsburgh in this college hoops match up.
2♦ XAVIER
Karl Garrett
Xavier (+7) vs. PITTSBURGH - at Boston, MA
Let's go to the Big Dance tonight, and play the Xavier Musketeers plus the points as they take on Pittsburgh in Boston.
The "X"-Men are quite familiar playing at this stage, as 2 of their last 3 Big Dance trips have been to the Sweet 16 or deeper, and I don't think they are going to be outclassed by a Pitt team that did a tightrope dance in each of their first 2 tourney games, surviving against East Tennessee State, and Oklahoma State to get to this matchup.
Pittsburgh has looked the shakiest of the number one seeds, and perhaps it is because they have not been past the Sweet 16 in years. The collar on their jerseys seems very tight to the G-Man, and this impost looks particularly tall to clear.
Xavier is a deep, and experienced team, and if they are able to limit their turnovers, I see them giving the Panthers a major scare this Thursday night.
G-Man playing the underdog Musketeers in this one!
2♦ XAVIER
Michael Cannon
Purdue (+7) vs. Connecticut, at Glendale, AZ
Take the points with Purdue tonight when they take on Connecticut.
At first glance this would appear to be an easy game for the Huskies, but that’s why they play the games.
Purdue is not going to go quietly, I can promise you that. If anything, the Boilermakers are capable of matching the physical play of UConn in the paint and that right there will keep Purdue close throughout the game.
The Boilermakers also boast a supremely balanced offensive attack and the entire team comes at its opponent for the full 40 minutes.
The Huskies are on a 3-6 ATS slide in their last nine games, while the Boilermakers are on ATS runs of 12-5-1 as an underdog, 4-1 as a neutral-site dog and 6-2 as a tournament pup.
Take the points with Purdue as they battle and stay within the number tonight.
2♦ PURDUE
Sports Gambling Hotline
Purdue vs. CONNECTICUT -7 - at Glendale, AZ
How can we not like the Connecticut Huskies, as all Jim Calhoun's team has done is win their first pair of tournament games by 56, and 26-points to get to this Glendale game against the # 5 seed Boilermakers who were taken to the limit in the first two rounds, escaping against Northern Iowa, and Washington.
To us, UConn has looked like the strongest of the four # 1 seeds that are still playing in this round, and we see them winning this game by double-digits. Quite frankly we are surprised that the Huskies aren't laying 10-points in this game, so we definitely feel we are getting some line value with the chalk tonight.
We give Purdue credit for advancing to the Sweet Sixteen, but we feel Texas A&M coach Mark Turgeon summed it up best when his team was routed by the Huskies, "too big, too fast, too good".
That happens to be the case once again tonight.
Play on Connecticut.
5♦ CONNECTICUT
Jrtips
LAKERS vs. PISTONS
Armed with a big lead early in their last game, the Los Angeles Lakers emptied their bench and put their depth on display.The injury-depleted Detroit Pistons haven't had many chances to do that lately.The Lakers look to take advantage of the Pistons' ongoing injury woes and win at The Palace for the first time in more than seven years Thursday night. The Los Angeles (56-14) have the best record in the Western Conference, and had a big lead early in their last game, emptying their bench and putting their depth on display. The Lakers won 107-89 at Oklahoma City, their sixth in seven games as Bryant and Gasol helped build a 17-point lead after one quarter and six Lakers scored in double figures. Every game is important for the Lakers who face the struggling Pistons (34-36), who have lost five of six dealing with injuries to three of their starters. Allen Iverson is sidelined indefinitely with a sore back, Richard Hamilton has a nagging groin injury that's forced him out of the last five and Rasheed Wallace has sat out eight in a row with a strained left calf. Iverson isn't expected back soon, and the statuses of Hamilton and Wallace for tonight's game is questionable. Tayshaun Prince and Will Bynum scored 20 points apiece, but Detroit couldn't keep up with Chicago in the second half of a 99-91 road loss. Prince is averaging 18.7 points but shooting 43.1 percent over his last nine games. The Pistons have won nine straight meetings at The Palace against the Lakers but with this depleted lineup due to injuries, there is no way the Pistons can score enough points to keep up wit the Lakers. Even if Hammilton and Wallace maracously come back tonight somehow, they won't be 100 percent healthy and their timing and stamina will be off. Lakers will take care of this one early again.TAKE LAKERS-7 1/2
Jeff Scott Sports
4 UNIT PLAY (NCAA Tourney Total Of The Year)
Missouri/ Memphis Over 141.5
The Over is 8-1 in Missouri's last 9 NCAA Tournament games and 24-8-1 in their last 33 games as an underdog, while the Over is 7-1 in Memphis' last 8 NCAA Tournament games as a favorite. Missouri is a team that like s to push the ball as they come in averaging 81.5 ppg (5th in Nation) on 47.3% shooting (33rd). Missouris has also averaged 75.8 ppg in their neutral site games and 78 ppg in their last 6 overall. Memphis is also a solid scoring team, as they average 74.7 ppg (60th), including averaging 73.8 in their neutral site games and 71.8 ppg in their last 5 overall. Missouri allows 66.9 ppg on the year, but they did allow Marquette 79 points in their last game and they have allowed 8 of their last 18 opponents to hit 72+ points. Memphis has one of the best defenses in the nation as they allow just 57.6 ppg overall and just 53.8 ppg in their last 5 games, but they have allowed 70 points in each of their 1st 2 tourney games and neither of those teams possessed the offense that Missouri has. Both teams are more than capable of hitting 70 in this one, and that will make it an easy over here. Easily in the 150's.
3 UNIT PLAYS
UConn -6.5 over Purdue
The Boilermakers are 1-5 ATS in their last 6 games following a ATS win, while the Huskies are 5-0 ATS in their last 5 games following a SU win of more than 20 points. Purdue has been on a nice run as they are coming off a Big 10 tourney title and then 2 wins in the first 2 rounds. The Purdue offense has has not been great this year as they have averaged just 69.3 ppg overall and just 65 ppg when they play away from home this year. During thei rcurrent 5 game win streak they have scored 69.4 ppg, but on just 41.2% shooting. They will need better shootimg vs this UConn team if they hope to keep it close, but it won't be easy. The Huskies are one of the better defensive squads in the nation, as they allow just 63.5 ppg (71st) on just 37.4% shooting (3rd). The Huskies are also one of the better scoring teams in the nation as they have averaged 78.5 ppg (16th) on 47.5% shooting (26th). The Huskies habe also scored 91.6 ppg on 48.7% shooting in their neutral games this year. UConn is also 1st in the nation in rebounding at 40.5 rpg and they have outrebounded their opponents ny 11 rpg (also 1st in nation). Despite the good defense the Boilers play, they will not be able to slow down this high powered UConn attack. At the other end of the floor Purdue just doesn't score enough to be able to keep this close, especially vs a very good UConn defense. UConn won their 1st 2 games by a combined 84 points, while Purdue took their 1st 2 by just 7 total points. UConn should have another easy time of it here as they win this one by double digits.
(Power Angle Play)
UConn/ Purdue Over 134
The Over is 5-1-1 in Boilermakers last 7 NCAA Tournament games as an underdog, while the Over is 11-2-1 in Huskies last 14 games following a SU win of more than 20 points. Uconn has played 7 neutral site games this year and those games have averaged 166.5 ppg. Now i know that one of those games was a 6 OT game and put up 244 points, but if you take that game out then their neutral site games have still averaged 153.5 ppg. Purdue has played in 7 neutral site games also and those games have averaged 137.5 ppg. Purdue hasn't been involved in many high scoring games this year, but when playing some teams (recently) that like to push it, like Washington (150) & Indiana (148), they have been high scoring. As you can see from some of the numbers in the above writeup, the Huskies are a team that likes to push it. I can easily see them hitting 75+ in this one while the Boilers should hit 60+ on their own. Don't be surprised if this one is in the 150's.
POWER ANGLE For This Play--- The Huskies are 14-3 in Huskies last 17 neutral site games as a favorite.
2 UNIT PLAYS
Villanova +2 over Duke
The Wildcats are 10-4 ATS in their last 14 games vs. a team with a winning % above .600, while the Blue Devils are 2-10 ATS in their last 12 NCAA Tournament games as a favorite and 2-8-1 ATS in their last 11 vs. Big East. Villanova is playing with a huge amount of confidence right now as a they have crushed teams like, Notre Dame, Providence, American and UCLLA in their last 6 games. The Cats have averaged 77 ppg overal, including 81.6 ppg in their last 14 games and 84.5 ppg in the 1st 2 games of the tourney. Duke is playing good ball right now, but they have been inconsistent this year and I feel that Cats will take advantage of that and move on to the Elite Eight.
Pittsburgh/ Xavier Under 138.5
The Under is 7-0 in Musketeers last 7 neutral site games, while the Under is 5-1 in Panthers last 6 neutral site games. Xavier's neutral site games have averaged just 125.4 ppg on the year, including just 116.5 ppg in their last 4 on a neutral floor. Pitt's neutral games have avaerged 135 ppg. Xavier has allowed just 61.9 ppg on the year, including just 52 ppg in their last 4 game. Pitt comes in allowing just 64.5 ppg overall on just 41.1% shooting. Neither team like to push the ball and with 2 good defenses on the floor I don't see how this one hits 139 points. I say it's in the high 120's.
1 UNIT PLAY
Memphis -4.5 over Missouri
SportsKingz
U CONN -6.5
XAVIER / PITT UNDER 138.5
MEMPHIS -4.5
Nick Parsons
Edmonton Oilers @ Phoenix Coyotes
We're getting good value on the home team here; Phoenix may be coming off a 6-2 road loss in Anaheim, but it is in fact a fantastic 5-1 (+6.1 units) its last 6 games when playing with 3 or more days of rest! The Oilers scored first and controlled the first period, then tried to sit on the precarious lead for 40 minutes. Big mistake. Outshot 31-8 in the second period and the first 10 minutes of the third, they finally caved in, allowing three Wings goals in the third to lose their last time out. Edmonton is a poor 18-19 in the second half of the season. Play on PHOENIX!
Jimmy Boyd
1 Unit on LA Lakers -7.5
Both Rasheed Wallace and Rip Hamilton have both been downgraded to doubtful tonight and with the Lakers competing hard with Cleveland for the best record in basketball to lock up home court throughout the playoffs, I don't expect them to take any nights off. Right away, I like the over/under range the odds makers have set as the Lakers are 7-0 ATS in a road game where the total is between 190 and 199.5 points this season, winning in these spots by 10.4 points this season. The Pistons are 11-25 ATS in home games this season and just 4-12 ATS in home games after 1 or more consecutive losses this season. Detroit struggled with a healthy roster this season and is really struggling without one. We'll lay the number.
Tom Freese
Missouri vs. Memphis
Play: Over 141
Memphis is in a 137-95 OVER System that says to Play OVER on all teams when the Total is between 140 and 149.5 after covering 3 of their last 4 games ATS vs. an opponent who covered 5 or 6 of their last 7 games ATS. Memphis is 8-1 OVER their last 9 Big Dance games. Missouri is 24-8-1 OVER their last 33 games as an underdog and they are 6-0 OVER their last 6 games as Big Dance underdogs. Missouri is 7-2 OVER their last 9 neutral site games. PLAY ON 'OVER'
Big Al Mcmordie
Phoenix Suns at Portland Trail Blazers
Prediction: Portland Trail Blazers
At 10:35 pm, our member selection is on the Portland Trail Blazers minus the points over Phoenix. Last night, the Suns won their fifth straight game -- by four points at home over Utah. However, that game set up well for the Suns, since the Jazz came in off a home win over Houston the night before. But now, that same "win-and-travel" situation confronts Phoenix, with this road game at Portland after a home win the previous night. The Suns have been dreadful this year as an underdog (6-14 ATS) and even worse on the road after scoring 100 points in four straight games (1-8 ATS). Take the Trail Blazers.
LT Profits
Los Angeles Lakers @ Detroit Pistons Under 193.5
The Los Angeles Lakers and the Detroit Pistons have gone Under in four of their five meetings the last three years, and we look for these clubs to continue this pattern tonight.
Sure, the Lakers have topped the 100-point mark in six of their last seven games, but it is no coincidence that the lone Under came vs. an Eastern Conference team (Philadelphia) and that five of the six Overs came vs. Western teams that play the same run-and-gun as the Lakers. The Pistons have always done a good job of slowing the pace vs. LA, and we expect this game to be played at their pace at home.
Now the Pistons are actually playing to more Overs than usual this season, but the Under is still 36-32-2 in all of their games and their home games are averaging a combined 189.1 points, which is safely below this posted total. Given that they do not want to try and run with the Lakers, look for Detroit to employ the same strategy they have employed in their recent meetings.
In fact, the Lakers have managed just 89 and 78 points respectively in their last two trips to Motown, and while they should pass those numbers here, we still look for a safe Under.
Pick: Lakers, Pistons Under 193.5
Yankee Capper
NHL
Columbus Blue Jackets -130
NBA
Chicago Bulls -5.5
NCAA HOOPS
Old Dominion -6.5
Memphis -4.5
Rocketman
Purdue vs. Connecticut
Play: Purdue +6.5
Purdue comes in with a 27-9 record this year while Connecticut is 29-4 on the season. Purdue is 28-14 ATS last 3 years when playing against a team with a winning record after 15 or more games. Purdue is 7-1 SU this year in all neutral court games. Purdue is 8-1 SU in all tournament games this year. Purdue has a very good defense allowing only 59.4 points per game overall this year. We all know defense wins ball games. Purdue is 5-0 their last 5 games while Connecticut is only 3-2 SU their last 5 games. A lot of points not to pass up in this game. We'll recommend a small play on Purdue tonight!