Carlo Campanella
Akron Zips at Florida State Seminoles
Akron owns a solid 23-10 record as they head to FSU (19-14) on Tuesday night's NIT action. Florida State hosts this following a 12 point loss to North Carolina and we find them at just 1-7 ATS at home following a Conference game this season, losing those 7 games OUTRIGHT by an average of 2 points! We'll "take" the points with a Dog that won 23 games this year.
Play on: Akron
Alex Smart
Edmonton Oilers -135
The Edmonton Oilers prepare to take on a tired Phoenix Coyotes team off a hard fought 3-1 loss to Vancouver last night. The Coyotes, need wins to get in the final play off spot, and will be in desperation mode, but that will not be enough to notch a win, vs a surging Oilers team that has won 8 of their L9 home games , and is also on a quest for a post season appearance. Final notes & Key Trends: Coyotes goalie Ilya Bryzgalov is 1-3-0 with a 3.73 GAA in four career games against the Oilers, including two losses this season. The Coyotes are just 4 for their L33 PP opportunities, which is not a good omen for their chances tonight, against one of the leagues top power play killing units (84.7%)
Play on the Oilers
Vernon Croy
Calgary Flames vs. Columbus Blue Jackets
Play:Calgary Flames
1 Unit, Take Calgary ML, Calgary is the superior team here Tuesday night and they should be favored by at least -150 so we are getting great value with the Flames tonight. Columbus is just 5-12 after scoring 4 or more goals in their previous game and Calgary is 8-3 in their last 11 games after playing 3 consecutive road games. Columbus has struggled on the powerplay over their last 5 games converting at just 9.5% and their penalty kill has also suffered over their last 5 games with opponents converting 22.7% of their chances with the extra man against them.
Nelly
Alabama State + over Arizona State
Arizona State has been the team bringing the most complaints from the media about the bracket and it will be tough for the Sun Devils to play a great game in the opening NIT round after such dejection and resentment. The bottom line is that Arizona played a very weak non-conference schedule and played poorly down the stretch, losing ten of the final 15 games of the season. Alabama State lost in overtime in the semifinals of the SWAC tournament to lose out on a chance at an NCAA bid despite going 15-3 in conference play in the regular season to win the conference title. The Hornets start five upper-classmen including and have great size with four starters over 6'5" including 7'1" junior Chief Kickingstallionsims. Alabama State was the top scoring team in the conference and also featured the lowest turnover average as well. The Hornets did not pull off any big upsets in non-conference play but lost by 14 or less in all but one game this season through a schedule that featured a SEC team, an ACC team, and four Conference USA teams. Even though Arizona State played several of the worst teams in the nation they often struggled to deliver blowout wins and it will be very tough to take out a veteran Alabama State team that will be more excited about this game.
James Patrick Sports
Coppin State vs. Mount St. Mary
The Eagles of Coppin State have been playing them close of late as evidenced by their past four wins by a total of only six points. The Mountaineers better be ready for the Eagles as they are a crowd favorite whenever they get to the Big Dance. Our Tuesday selection is Coppin State Eagles.
Great Lakes Sports
NC Ashville at Ohio State
Play on: Ohio State Buckeyes
The Ohio State Buckeyes are 48-42 ATS the last three years including 35-30 ATS the last three years in the role of a favorite. The Buckeyes is also 40-31 ATS when playing a team with a winning record the last three years, and 78-66 ATS at home the last three years. We look for the Ohio State Buckeyes to dismantle NC Ashville for the NIT home ATS Win & cover tonight.
Jimmy The Moose
Game: Washington Capitals at Nashville Predators
Prediction: Washington Capitals
Reason: Both team's are fighting for a playoff spot. The Capitals have won 3 in a row while the Predators have dropped 3 of their last 4 games. Washington has won their last 5 vs. Western Conference opponents. The Capitals are 5-1 in their last 6 road games vs. a team with a winning home record. Nashville is 1-4 in their last 5 vs. Eastern Conference opponents. Nashville has lost their last 4 on home ice. Play on the Capitals +.
Vegas Sports Pics
S.F.Austin Lumberjacks + 9.5 over UMass Minutemen
UMass (21-10) is 3-7-1 ATS last 11 home games. SFA's (26-5) record includes a 66-62 win at Oklahoma on 12/02, a team which entered 58-1 previous 59 non-conference home games. The Lumberjacks have started the same starting five in all but one game this season.
Big Al McMordie
Los Angeles Lakers vs. Dallas Mavericks
Play:Dallas Mavericks
At 8:35 pm, our complimentary selection is on the Dallas Mavericks minus the points over the Lakers. Don't look now, but the Mavericks, who a lot of experts buried for dead earlier this season, are in the midst of a five-game win streak. And most impressive has been their play at home, where they have won 16 straight games with Dirk Nowitzki in the lineup (Dallas lost to Houston in a game Nowitzki missed due to a suspension). The Lakers suddenly have looked mortal, and have dropped four straight games ATS, while Dallas has covered five straight. Look for those two streak to continue tonight. Take Dallas minus the points.
Ross Benjamin
Oklahoma St. @ Southern Illinois
Pick:Southern Illinois –5.5
Any NIT home favorite off BB SU favorite losses, has won 32 or more games out of their last 40 at home, and has a better than .500 win percentage is 6-0 SU and ATS since 1990. The favorite has won those 6 games by an average of 15.0 points per game. Play on Southern Illinois minus the points as a 10* selection.
#1 SPORTS
Coppin State vs. Mount St. Mary's:
The Eagles (16-20, 7-10 MEAC) made an legendary run through the Mid-Eastern Conference Tournament beating Howard by 1, Hampton by 1 in OT, Norfolk State by 2, and finally Morgan State by 2 in the Championship Game but may be a decade past their prime to make a Big Dance splash. During the 90's, Coach Ronald "Fang" Mitchell's (342-281 in 21st year in Baltimore) crew took conference honors 9 of 10 seasons while receiving 2 NIT bids and 3 NCAA bids. This is not one of those squads. Coppin has been outscored by 6.0 points per game and out-rebounded by 4.4 board per game while posting poor shooting marks of .398 from the field and .318 from behind the arc. 6'2" senior PG Tywain McKee (16.6p, 4.3r, 3.1a) is a special player but this crew isn't much of the threat outside of their conference and drawing an average of 453 fans per home game doesn't exactly ready them for the big time.
The Mountaineers (18-14, 11-7 NEC) have won 8 of their last 9 contests and basically walked through the Northeast Conference Tournament, finishing off Sacred Heart 68-55 to take championship honors. This season's turning point for The Mount came on Janaury 24th when Coach Milan Brown (59-90 in 5th season in Emittsburg, MD) changed their ofensive approach to one of pushing the ball against Wagner and the results have been superb. In the 14 games since MSM has averaged 76.1 points per game, topped the 80-point mark 5 times, and piled up 10 wins. With the tempo, the bench has also puicked up. 6'3" freshman G Jean Cajou (6.9p, 2.5r, 1.3a) averaged 16.0 points in the post-season and took Tournament MVP honors while fellow bench mate 6'5" sophomore F Kelly Beidler (6.9p, 4.3r) averaged 15.0 points per game in the tourney. Starting guards 6'0" senior Chris Vann (14.4p, 3.1r, 1.2a) and 5'9" sophomore Jeremey Goode (14.3p, 3.3r, 5.5a) are going to be a handfull in Dayton.
As inspiring as the Eagles' run through their tournament was, the NCAA Tournament 64 vs. 65 match up is a mismatch up this season. Since the offensive change at mid-season, the Mountaineers are a completely different squad and bring too much firepower to this contest. Take Mount St. Mary's -7
Brandon Lang
10 DIME - Rockets
10 DIME – Florida State
5 DIME – Oklahoma State
5 DIME – Maryland
FREE - Stephen F. Austin
VEGAS EXPERTS
New Jersey Nets at Chicago Bulls
Bulls played last night, leading most of the way in New Orleans before flaming out in the 4th to lose both S/U and ATS. Home cooking has not been what the doctor ordered for the Bulls this year nor has a match with New Jersey which has beaten them twice already by eight and nine points. New Jersey is off a home upset win over Utah and goes back home tomorrow night to host Atlanta following this one-game road trip. NEW JERSEY is 24-12 ATS against Central division opponents over the last 2 seasons and 47-25 ATS in road games off an upset win as an underdog since 1996 while CHICAGO is 2-12 ATS against Atlantic division opponents this season.
Play on: New Jersey
Tom Stryker
Los Angeles Lakers vs. Dallas Mavericks
Play: Dallas Mavericks
How do you tune up for a string of games that includes the Lakers, Celtics and Spurs? Easy. Go on a 5-0 SU and ATS run versus the likes of New Jersey, New York, Charlotte, Indiana and Miami. Dallas is on a tear right now and the Mavs need to send Los Angeles a statement. Don't forget, back on March 2nd, Kobe popped for 52 points in the Lakers 108-104 overtime victory over the Mavericks.
Momentum is a powerful tool when handicapping the hardwood. If you don't believe me, consider the two following team situations. Off a straight up win of 20 or more points and matched up against an opponent that carries a won/loss percentage of .633 or better, Dallas is a profitable 23-8 ATS. Meanwhile, off back-to-back straight up losses, Los Angeles has produced a dismal 21-37 ATS mark including 6-22-1 ATS in this role battling a foe that enters off a straight up win.
Without the services of Paul Gasol (ankle), Phil Jackson's troops have slipped from high gear to neutral. Avery Johnson and the Mavs will focus their attention on LA's only threat at the moment - Kobe - and pick up win and cover number six.
Take Dallas.
Larry Ness
Ohio -7.5
REASON FOR PICK: The all-new CBI tourney tips off tonight with four games and similar to the NIT (and likely more so), a school's motivation is key. So many times we've seen in the past where schools have felt slighted by the NCAA committee and then "mailed in" their first NIT game. Could that be the case in the CBI, as well? Now it's safe to say Brown is excited to be here. The Bears' second-year head coach (Craig Robinson) may have gotten more 'ink' this year for being Barack Obama's brother-in-law but he's done an excellent job. He took over a program which had won just 12 games per season in the previous three years and after an 11-18 (6-8) mark last year, went 19-9 (11-3) this season. As for Ohio U, the Bobcats' 19-12 (9-7) season has to be considered a disappointment, especially losing to hated Miami-Ohio 74-61 in the MAC tourney. That being said, Athens is not "big time" CBB and Ohio certainly has a chance to do very well in the CBI, considering the field. Brown shoots an impressive 47.4 percent from the floor as a team, led by guards McAndrew (16.5-5.0) and Huffman (14.9-3.1). However, the Bears start a frontcourt of two 6-5 players, Sullivan (8.7-2.7) and Skrelja (8.6-6.7) plus the 6-7 Friske (3.9-3.3). The 6-9 MacDonald (6.4) comes off the bench as does the 6-8 Mullery (4.7-3.0), although he's listed as questionable in this game. Ohio's backcourt will be tested but the trio of Walther (12.1-3.5 APG), Whittington (8.0) and Allen (4.5-4.5 APG) have seen and matched up well against, much tougher competition than this. Note that Ohio's non-conference schedule included games with New Mex St, Temple, Maryland, Kansas, St Mary's, George Mason and Ivy League champ, Cornell (more on that later). Note that FOUR of those schools are in the "Big Dance," along with Kent St of the MAC, which Ohio U beat here in Athens, 71-59. Ohio's frontcourt tandem of the 6-8 Williams (16.2-9.7) and the 6-6 Tillman (13.2-7.4) figures to be awfully tough on Brown and the Bears know it. Cornell, which went through the Ivy League regular season 14-0, visited Athens back on Nov 17, losing 102-89. The Big Red lost by 13 points, despite shooting 49.2 percent as a team, including 12-of-28 on three pointers. It's unlikely that Brown will shoot that well and like Cornell, Brown will have no way of stopping Williams and Tillman who had games of 28 points and 15 rebounds (Williams) and 21 points and eight rebounds (Tillman) against Cornell. Ohio struggles on the road this year, averaging just about 60.0 PPG but at home, the Bobcats averaged 75.0 PPG, while going 12-1 SU and 10-3 ATS. The team's lone home loss came vs Akron, when the Zips shot 60.4 percent from three floor and still Ohio lost by just three. This one is a rout by the home side! CBI 1st Round GOY Ohio U (9*).
Oddsmaker's Error
Coppin State +8
REASON FOR PICK: Sports often offers us some unique symmetry. A case in point would be this year's Coppin St team, which becomes the 20th school in NCAA history to qualify for the NCAA tournament with a losing record. So I guess it is only fitting that the Eagles enter this year's tourney with 20 losses (16 wins), the most ever in a men's tournament. As everyone knows, Coppin State won 12 of its last 13 games, including four straight in the MEAC tourney (by a grand total of just SIX points!) to get here. Mount St Mary's will be its opponent in the play-in game. The Mountaineers also peeked at the right time, winning eight of their final nine games. As opposed to Coppin State, Mount St Mary's won all three of its Northeast tourney games by 10, 18 (over regular season champ Morgan St) and by 13 points (over Sacred Heart in the title game). Coppin St owns just one double digit scorer in guard McKee (16.6-4.3-3.1). Mount St Mary's counters with an excellent guard duo in Vann (14.4) and Goode (14.3-3.3-5.5). The Mountaineers also have freshman guard Jean Cajou (6.9) coming off the bench. Cajou scored 48 points in the just completed Northeast tourney, winning MVP honors. Neither team has much size, as no starters are bigger than 6-7. While both schools come in hot, it's fair to say that on paper, Mount St Marty's looks like the stronger team, especially considering its play in the Northeast tourney. All three of its wins came by double digits while Coppin St won its games by one, one (in overtime), two and two points. However, let's look at Coppin State's entire season. The Eagles opened 2-0 but then lost 19 of their next 21 games. However, a check of their schedule shows the team's first two losses came at Kent St and then at Xavier. From Dec 8 through Dec 27, the school lost at Arizona St, Ohio St, Dayton, Marquette, Indiana and Missouri. Now that's a schedule and I'm sure the school pocketed some nice "pay days." However, it also gave these players some 'big time" experience. So maybe the team's 12-1 run to end the year shouldn't be so much of a surprise? In comparison, a check of Mount St Mary's schedule shows nowhere near the level of competition Coppin State faced during its non-conference games. Look closely at the Mountaineers resume and you'll notice only Oregon and Oklahoma as big-name competitors. On the sidelines, Mount St Mary's is no longer led by coaching legend Jim Phelan, who was on the bench for 49 years, winning 830 career games. Instead, it's Milan Brown, who just completed his first winning season, after going 41-76 (.350) in his first four years. For Coppin St, "Fang" Mitchell is in his 22nd year of coaching (all at Coppin) and leads the Eagles to their fourth NCAA appearance. The last time was in 1997 and the Eagles upset No. 2 seed South Carolina, 78-65. Think that was a fluke? In the very next game Coppin lost 82-81 to Texas. I'll also note that NCAA play-in games in '02, '03, '04 and '05 featured teams with losing records. Each time, those schools won! Deja vu? You bet. Oddsmaker's Error on Coppin State (8*).
Sportscapping
Phoenix Suns -3.5
Steve Janus
Detroit Pistons -6
Madduxsports
Southern Illinois -5
PickLogic
Bulls-Nets OVER
Mighty Quinn
Virginia -13
Totals4U Free
Coppin St Over
Jim Feist
Rockets
Cappers Access
Mt St Marys
Maryland
Mike Wynn
Rhode Island
Joe Wiz
Alabama St
Suns
Dave Cokin
Arizona St
Redzone Sports
Richmond
ARTHUR RALPH COMP
Ohio U
GAMBLERS DATA COMP
Golden State -2
NATIONAL SPORTS SERVICE COMP
Golden St. -2
TV Hotline
UMass
Scott Spreitzer
Golden St
Huddle Up Sports
Akron
USA Sports Consulting
Brown +8
Scott Spreitzer
New Jersey Nets vs Chicago Bulls
My Underdog Shocker is a play on the New Jersey Nets, plus points over Chicago. The Bulls faded down the stretch in last night's loss to New Orleans. That's what this team does in the second of back-to-back nights. The Bulls are 0-4 SU, 1-3 ATS when they go from a road tilt to a home game in back-to-back nights. They allow 109 PPG in this spot, while scoring just 100 PPG, themselves, and I look for them to struggle once again. The Nets have played a very tough schedule in March. They opened the month with two straight games against San Antonio, and finished up a five-game road trip against New Orleans, Dallas, and Houston. They broke through with two straight wins over the Cavs and Jazz, and now look to make it three straight, with a definite step down in competition. Chicago is playing very little defense of late, allowing 109.2 PPG in their last five outings. As mentioned above, they have not won this season in the situation they're in tonight. And, this is not the spot to expect the defensive intensity to step up. I'm taking the points with the underdog and rested New Jersey Nets on Tuesday.