Raging Bull
Arsenal/Hull City over 2.5 (English FA Cup)
MK Dons -125 (English League 1)
Maddux Sports
Basketball
3 units on Cleveland -6
3 units on George Mason +6
3 units on New Mexico -7.5
Free Pick Notre Dame -5.5
Karl Garrett
20 DIMER - ST. MARY'S GAELS
10 DIMER - RHODE ISLAND RAMS
Well to hear it on the television, the Gaels were shafted out of the Big Dance. I am not so sure, as the loss of Mills really let the air out of St. Mary's chances to cop an at-large bid. So what do you do now?
Well, you show the tourney committee they were wrong to leave you out of the field-of-65, and you go out and take care of business tonight on your home floor.
I expect the energy level to be sky-high from the home crowd, and I expect the Gaels to eventually pull away from the Cougars.
Make no mistake, Washington State is a solid team, and they are likely to hang around for a long spell in this game, but in the end, the Gaels will win this one by double-digits.
The Cougars did have a nice little flurry of wins, and covers near the end of the season, but still wound up on the short side in 7 of their final 12 games straight up. The Gaels lone loss in their last 8 games came in the WCC championship game against Gonzaga, and the Gaels did cover ALL 3 tries in that span as a single digit favorite. This is a price that is right up St. Mary's alley, and I expect them to cover the impost.
10 DIMER - RHODE ISLAND RAMS
I believe the Rams can win tonight's game outright, but am glad to be getting a few points in this one.
URI played them close down the stretch, as their last 4 games were decided by, 2, 2, 1, and 4-points! Expect this one to be close as well.
Niagara came within 40 minutes of an automatic ticket to the big show, and while I am sure they will have a rabid home crowd rooting them on, I am not so sure they will be able to distance themselves from this A-10 rep.
Rhode Island went a solid 8-6-2 against the spread on the road this season, and were on a 6-game winning streak prior to their final 2 games which both ended in close losses.
I say take the points with the Rams tonight.
Steve Zukiel
50 Unit NHL Mismatch
Chicago vs New Jersey
Play: New Jersey-134
These two teams come into this game headed in opposite directions. Chicago is coming back down to earth after a torrid start to the season. They have now lost four of their last five and seven of their last 10. The high-flying New Jersey Devils are headed in the opposite direction as they have now won three straight and seven of eight and an even more impressive 21 of their last 26. History is about to be made tonight as well as Devils' goalie Martin Brodeur is looking to break Patrick Roy's record of All-Time Wins! Take the Devils in this one.
LARRY NESS
20* PERFECT STORM
Bill Coen of Northeastern went just 27-36 in his first two seasons but will all five starters back from last year's 14-win team, expectations were much higher this year. One can't argue with the Huskies 18-11 season so far. The team has a pair of big 6-4 guards in Janning (14.1-4.6) and Allen (9.7-5.1) plus decent size along its frontcourt in the 6-8 Adako (111.3-4.2), the 6-8 Spates (7.8) and the 6-9 Ogougboh (7.1-4.4). However, there is very little depth. Checking in on the Wyoming's season shows quite an improvement as well. Steve McClain led the Cowboys to a 22-9 year in 2001-02, upsetting Gonzaga in the NCAA's first round but over his last four years, the team averaged just 14.3 wins. Heath Schroyer came in last year and Wyoming went just 12-18 and saw its season end with an opening round loss in the MWC to Colorado St, a school which had just gone 0-16 during the MWC's regular season. This year's team had nowhere to go but UP, after that. That Cowboys did just that, led by two senior guards, Ewing (18.4-3.3-5.3) and Wichita St transfer, Ogirri (14.8), who helped WSU to a Sweet 16 appearance a few years back. Wyoming is somewhat smaller along its frontline than Northeastern but the 6-6 Muojeke (13.7-5,30 and the 6-5 Johnson (13.3-7.5) can both "rebound the ball," while the 6-9 Thiam (5.4-5.2) and the 6-9 Waddell 94.9-38) give them some needed size. Wyoming has been a "tough out" here in Laramie, winning its first 13 home games. The Cowboys lost at home to Utah on Feb 7 and after reaching 15-1, finished with back-to-back home losses to BYU and New Mexico. The Cowboys avenged that loss to new Mexico by knocking off the Lobos 76-67 (at plus-10) in the MWC tourney but then fell to Utah, which won the whole tourney. The Cowboys haven't been in the postseason in a half-dozen years and this home game IS a big deal. As for Northeastern, this is not a only a VERY long trip but the team has faced a very 'choppy' schedule since ending its regular season on Feb 28. The Huskies didn't play their first CAA tourney game until Mar 7, losing 58-54 to Towson. Adako scored 23 points in that game but no other starter had more that EIGHT points. The Huskies shot 40.0 percent as a team, including a woeful 2-13 from beyond the arc. Six players were used off the bench (for a total of 36 minutes), accounting for a combined THREE points. Now, after a 10-day layoff, this Boston-based school must fly to Laramie, Wyoming to face a team which played extremely well at home and is EXCITED to be playing in ANY postseason tourney. PERFECT STORM 20* Wyoming.
RAS
UTEP +2
Washington St +4.5
Brandon Lang
25-Dime Penn State
5-Dime Kentucky
5-Dime Washington State
FREE - Alabama State
Robert Ferringo
3-Unit Play. Take Wyoming (-3) over Northeastern
2-Unit Play. Take Oakland (-4) over Kent State
1.5-Unit Play. Take Weber State (+12.5) over San Diego State
2-Unit Play. TEASER: Take UTEP (+7) over Nevada AND Take New Mexico (-2.5) over Nebraska
1-Unit Play. Take St. Mary’s (-4) over Washington State
1-Unit Play. Take South Carolina (-3) over Davidson
SMOOTH44
WASHINGTON STATE +5 -120
N.I.T CBB GAME OF THE WEEK
St. Mary's feels like they were snubbed by the NCAA Committee and so does the public!! And oddsmakers know this which is why the line opened where it did. However, I feel very different than most and feel St. Mary's got pretty much what they deserved. Afterall, their strength of schedule is only 150 which is a far cry from where the Committee wants you to be. Although it would only be reasonable to think St. Mary's comes out looking to prove a point history suggests they fall flat on their faces. Teams who feel jilted have failed miserably in the past. More than that is the match up itself. The question I ask is HOW ON EARTH IS ST. MARY'S GOING TO DEAL WITH WSU'S DEFENSE? St. Mary's hasn't seen anything close to this all season long. And forget about Patty Mills - the kid is good but he is not 100%! My power rankings have the wrong team favored and I will not ignore it. My Prediction: Washington State 66 St. Mary's 55
(CBB) 7:00PM EST
RHODE ISLAND +5 -120
GEORGE MASON +6
*BE A LITTLE PATIENT BECAUSE YOU WILL PROBABLY BE ABLE TO GET A BETTER LINE
UAB +6
*BE A LITTLE PATIENT BECAUSE YOU WILL PROBABLY BE ABLE TO GET A BETTER LINE
Las Vegas Sport Picks
NBA:
2* Celtics -1
3* Timberwolves/Spurs under 192
6* Clippers/Warriors over 223
NCAA:
2* Nevada -1.5
4* Rider/Liberty under 147.5
5* Nebraska/New Mexico over 126.5
8* Wyoming -2.5
NHL:
2* Capitals -110
5* Thrashers/Penguins over 6.5
Tony George
Washington State vs. Saint Marys CA
Redemption time for the Gaels who were snubbed by the NCAA and they look to beat up a not so good Cougar team that struggled BIG on the road this season, while St. Marys only home loss was to Gonzaga. I cannot back a team on the road who averages 59 ppg on offense for the season unless they get close to double digits. Pat Mills is rested and will play better for St Marys, he is one of the top players on the west coast when healthy.
Play 1 Unit on St. Marys
Northeastern vs. Wyoming
Wyoming has an uptempo high scoring offense while Northeastern is a slow it down type team that plays good defense. This faviors a home team who can score, and Northeastern has averaged just 59 ppg on the road and 58 ppg on offense their last 5 which explains their 2-6 ATS their last 8 games. .
Play 2 Units on Wyoming.
Scott Rickenbach
2* (Top Play) Sacramento Kings (+) @ Atlanta
This looks like the perfect ‘trap game’ for the Hawks and, while the Kings may not win this game outright, Sacramento certainly will have plenty of opportunity to ‘hang around’ in this one! The Kings, contrary to what their ugly record would lead you to believe, have actually done a good job of ‘hanging around’ in games recently. In their last 9 games – a stretch where the Kings went just 2-7 – Sacramento only lost one game by a margin greater than 8 points. Tonight, on Tuesday, the Kings are catching about a dozen points against a Hawks team that easily could under-estimate them. After all, Sacramento is 0-26 against the Eastern Conference. It’s an amazing run of futility as no team in the NBA has ever gone winless against the other conference. The Kings are aware of how bad things have been and this is a big part of the reason they’ve been so competitive lately. They’ve proven that they’re determined to get a win on this road trip to the East. Tonight, believe it or not, could prove to be the perfect spot to do just that! Atlanta is on a five game winning streak but all five victories have come against teams that are either in playoff position or are battling for playoff position. Tonight it will be tough for the Hawks to maintain their intensity against a team that is an ugly 14-52 on the season. The key with the Kings is they have some scorers like Kevin Martin that are capable of single-handedly keeping them in games late. The return of point guard Beno Udrih is also big. He had missed 7 games with a sprained ankle before coming back against Washington on Sunday. In that game Udrih scored 10 points and had 7 assists as he came off the bench for the first time this season. In their first match-up with Atlanta this season, the Kings only lost by 5 and Udrih had 18 points. In his other two games against Atlanta in his career, Udrih is averaging 21.5 points per game. While the Kings are getting healthier it is likely that the Hawks will still be without Marvin Williams. Yes, Atlanta has been playing well even without him but his absence means there is less depth on this Hawks team. Depth is critical to covering a big number because, if you have a good sized lead late, you’ll eventually be emptying the bench to try and rest your starters for the next game. Here it’s very questionable as to whether the Hawks will ever even get that big lead. Martin and Udrih will combine with Spencer Hawes and Francisco Garcia to give the Hawks all they can handle here. Also, Andres Nocioni has already proven to be a solid pick-up for the Kings and rookie Jason Thompson has averaged 16.5 points per game in his last two games and he grabbed 14 rebounds against the Wizards on Sunday. Yes, the Kings are currently without Bobby Jackson but they’ve also got Rashad McCants who is capable of going for double digits when given the playing time. Yes, it’s a lot of new faces on the Kings now but they’ve already proven that they’ve gelled enough to be a very competitive basketball team. In going 2-7 in their last nine games, note that the average margin of defeat has been six points per game. The available points for tonight’s game, as of early Tuesday morning, is DOUBLE that – a full dozen! We’ll grab the value with the underdog Kings as they should absolutely be in this one all the way! This team is not competing like a team that is 14-52 on the season. They are giving it their all night in and night out and we look for more of the same at Atlanta! Play Sacramento plus the points as a Top Play selection
Dr. Canada
New Jersey Devils -160
Flyers/Red Wings over 6
Washington Capitals -110
Thrashers/Penguins over 6.5
Raging Bull
NBA:
Boston Celtics -1
LA Clippers vs. Golden State Warriors over 223
LA Lakers vs. Philadelphia 76ers over 202.5
NCAA:
Wyoming -2.5
Penn State -6
Nevada -1.5
Nebraska vs New Mexico over 126.5
Adam Meyer
Morehead State -2.5
Notre Dame -6.5
Wyoming -2.5