Best Sports Picks
Cincy -3
OK St. -5.5
Seabass
300 Toronto
30 OK State
Steam 100 Ind/Sac Over
Erin Rynning
Playmaker - Golden State/Minnesota Over
Regular - New Jersey/Milwaukee Over
Tommy Ryder
Oklahoma State -5
Matt Rivers
100,000♦ Auburn
50,000♦ Florida State
Brian King
25 Dime NBA Non Conference Game of the Week
Sacramento Kings +2'
Craig Davis
40 Dime - RAPTORS
15 Dime - PACERS
10 Dime - ST. JOHN'S
TORONTO RAPTORS --- Guys, I realize I’ve been in a funk the last four or five days, and sometimes that happens to the best of us. I’ve also seen day after day after day of winning selections in the recent past and it always begins with a big selection. Today I have another one of those big plays and it probably has you scratching your head. Toronto? Seriously? Absolutely. To be completely honest with you, just about every trend in the book says the Raptors are the wrong side of this game, and I’m guessing a LOT of people are going to play the Rockets laying the points at home because they’ve dropped just six games there all season. Toronto is just 1-7 ATS in their last 8 road games and 4-11 ATS in their last 15 overall. They just got whipped in Dallas Sunday night and were beaten by 20 two nights before that in Phoenix. Houston, on the other hand, has won seven of their last eight overall and their last nine games played at home, covering four of their last six home games. So why back Toronto in this one?
Well, aside from having just an enormous gut feeling the Raptors are due for a breakout performance, I feel the Raptors are playing looser than the Rockets right now and I believe Houston will look past this team… and why shouldn’t they? As previously stated, Toronto has been just plain bad recently. Can they really be excited about playing this game with a trip to Utah coming up next, followed by Phoenix and Memphis at home, the Nuggets on the road and the Lakers back at home? Trust me, they are looking way ahead of this game and will be lucky to come out of the Toyota Center with a win. Let’s also not forget the Raptors have played the Rockets extremely well the last five years, covering 8 of the last 11 meetings including a 94-73 blowout win back in early January. Toronto has also taken two of the last three SU in Houston and covered three of the last five there.
And one final note… Toronto C Chris Bosh was recently referred to as the “RuPaul of big men in the NBA” by Shaq after Bosh complained about Shaq’s 45-point performance vs. the Raptors was aided by officials failing to call Shaq for three seconds in the lane. What better way to motivate a player than calling him RuPaul?? Bosh comes out on fire and will give Yao Ming everything he has to offer. The Raptors shoot free throws as well as anyone in the NBA and will take the Rockets by surprise, easily covering this high number on the road.
THE GOLD SHEET'S HOOP LATE PHONE SERVICE
NBA
Chicago/Charlotte Over 192½
College
WISCONSIN-MILWAUKEE -7 over Loyola-Chicago
TENNESSEE STATE +11½ over Murray State
Las Vegas Sport Picks
NBA:
2* Pacers/Kings over 214
3* Houston Rockets -8
5* Warriors/T-Wolves over 227
NCAA:
2* Cincy -2.5
4* Oklahoma St -5
6* Auburn/Alabama over 144
NHL:
2* Capitals -170
5* Flyers/Bruins over 5.5
Donnie Black
20* Florida State +12.5 ACC GOY
Jake Timlin
900♦ New Mexico Lobos
With the league title up for grabs I expect for the Lobos to damage the Utes outright title hopes tonight as New Mexico rolls big time at the Pit tonight.
After suffering a one point loss in Salt Lake City you have to believe that New Mexico will be more than ready to get their revenge against the Utes tonight. I mean with at least a share of the regular season title up for grabs if New Mexico wins out I all the motivation needed for the Lobos is there tonight. Not helping the Lobos out will be the fact they will be at home tonight in the Pit where they are a one of the best home teams in the nation winning 14 of their 16 home games this season by an average 17 ppg, including a perfect 7-0 at home in league play this season winning 6 of those 7 games by double digits.
Meanwhile, for Utah they are fresh off a 13 point loss at BYU the Utes are human on the road this season at just 6-6 straight up as I look for the U to continue to be average on the road tonight as they will have a hard time dealing with the hostile Pit.
Bottom line, I don’t see the Lobos losing at home tonight and in fact I don’t see the Utes being able to keep things close tonight in the Pit as I fully expect close to a double digit win for New Mexico.
Take the Lobos minus the points!
100♦ Florida State Seminoles
Bonus action I love the Seminoles plus the points tonight in Durham. After all given that Florida State has covered 4 of the past 5 meetings, including at home as an underdog earlier this season there is just no reason why Duke should be a double digit chalk tonight. Not when the Seminoles have been very competitive this season going 15-7-1 ATS overall this year and even better going 8-2 ATS in their last 10 games as a road underdog. Meanwhile, as talented as Duke is at home they lack much size in the paint to match up with the tall Seminoles who are starting to get more production out of their big men. Flat out, Florida State is better than most people think and it will show as the Seminoles push Duke tonight. With that take Florida State plus the points as they stay well inside the number.
All Sports Picks
Devils -160
Preds -140
C-Stars Sports
1000 Units Top Play Wake Forest minus the points over Maryland
1000 Units Top Play New Jersey/Milwaukee OVER the total
1000 Units Top Play - NHL - Nashville over Edmonton
50 Units Toronto/Houston OVER the total
50 Units - NHL - Carolina +185 over Washington
2-Minute Warning
10 Dime Consensus Club
North Carolina Charlotte
Bobby Maxwell
400-Unit College Book Buster - OKLAHOMA STATE
The Cowboys are playing their best basketball of the season and they shouldn't have any trouble with the Wildcats in this Big 12 matchup. Play Oklahoma State and watch as they win this one by 12.
Okie State has won five straight and covered the number in each one, including Saturday's 68-59 home win over Texas, cashing as a one-point home chalk. They have won four straight at home and they have stepped up the defense during this five-game winning streak, holding the opposition to 67.4 points per game, seven points less per game than the rest of the season.
The Cowboys have also owned this rivalry, winning five of the last six matchups with Kansas State. They've also won eight of the last 10, including the last time these two met in Stillwater with an 84-70 win as three-point favorites. The home team is 4-1 ATS in the last five series contests.
Oklahoma State is on ATS runs of 7-3-1 at home, 7-2-1 as a home favorite and 5-0 in Big 12 action and 5-0 as a favorite. On the other side, Kansas State is on ATS slides of 9-19-2 overall, 5-15-1 in conference play, 4-12-1 on the road and 1-5 after a non-cover.
The Cowboys are doing it with defense and they're playing a team that is horrible on the road. Play Oklahoma State in this one.
100-Unit MWC Must-Play - NEW MEXICO
New Mexico at home is just too tough. The Lobos are 14-2 at home this season and they will get the crowd going and get going themselves when Utah comes calling tonight. New Mexico is a talented basketball team and they'll win this one by at least eight tonight.
These teams have played some tight games lately, with four of the last six going to overtime and the other two being decided by a total of two points. New Mexico has won the last four in Albuquerque (3-1 ATS), including a 77-67 home win last season as five-point favorites.
The first meeting between these two this season ended with Utah winning 69-68 at home but failing to cover as a five-point favorite.
Utah just got beat pretty soundly at BYU on Saturday, losing 63-50 as a six-opint underdog. If these guys are playing cupcakes on the road, they win and cover, but give them a tough game and they struggle on the highway - at BYU and at UNLV.
New Mexico has won three in a row and eight of 10 and at home they have dominated teams, winning eaqch of their last five by double digits except for OT games against UNLV and Colorado State. The Pit is a tough place to play as the Lobos are 5-2 ATS in their last seven at home and 23-11 ATS in their last 34 as a home favorite. Meanwhile, the Utes are 1-5 ATS in their last six as a road underdog.
The Lobos are 5-2 ATS in their last seven matchups with Utah in New Mexico and we're playing them to make it 6-2 with a big win in this one.
100-Unit NBA E-Z Winner - DETROIT PISTONS
Tell you what, it doesn't take a brain surgeon to see what has made the Pistons effective the last two games - the absence of Allen Iverson. He went down with a back injury, Rip Hamilton went back into the starting lineup and they've won two straight games over two of the top three teams in the Eastern Conference. Hmmmm?
He's still out and we'll play the Pistons tonight back at home hosting the Nuggets. They were on an eight-game losing streak and then went to Orlando Friday night without Iverson. They left with a 93-85 victory as a 9 1/2-point underdog and then followed that up with a 105-95 win in Boston on Sunday, covering that line as an 8 1/2-point 'dog.
Today they are back home and even though they haven't played well at the Palace of Auburn Hills, we think they'll keep doing what they did over the weekend, spreading the ball around and playing tough defense.
Detroit has won five in a row over Denver (4-1 ATS) and eight of the last 10 meetings. Even in this disastrous season, the Pistons went to Denver and got a 93-90 win as a 4 1/2-point underdog. Last year at home, Detroit beat the Nuggets 136-120 as a 4 1/2-point favorite and they are 5-1 ATS in the last six meetings against Denver in the Motor City.
The Nuggets are 0-5 ATS against the Eastern Conference, 1-5 ATS overall and 1-4 ATS after getting a day off.
Let's play the Pistons in this one as they get some chemistry back without Iverson in the lineup.