Matt Rivers
For Tuesday take Maryland at home.
Just a few weeks or even days ago it appeared that Maryland was out of the NCAA Tournament picture. But after some very quality wins including shocking North Carolina at home and upsetting NC State on Sunday as the four point road dog Gary Williams' team is all of a sudden back in the discussion.
Grevis Vasquez has really stepped it up in leading the Terps and at home here in another lay it on the line type of a game I'll take my chances with Maryland at this cheaper than cheap price. The sharpshooter went for 33 against the Wolfpack and appears to really have it cooking of late leading the way.
I do fully admit that Wake Forest is the more talented team on the floor today as Jeff Teague and company were ranked number one at one point for a reason. But things have not come as easy of late and the Demon Deacons have been coming back down to Earth over the last six or so weeks after the great undefeated start.
Teague, Aminu, Johnson, McFarland and the rest of the visitors have struggled mightily at times on the road. The Deacs did just win and cover in Charlottesville against a poor Virginia team but before that dropped four straight away from Winston Salem including horrible showings at Georgia Tech, Miami and NC State. The Deacs were flat out blown out and embarassed at points in those games and handed the Yellow Jackets their lone ACC win on the season.
In another do or die game for the Terps I can see them respond here at Cole for sure!
Tony Weston
Today's Selection:
We came through easily last night as Texas makes easy work of Baylor to give us a Comp Play winner.
We’re nailing Comp Play winner No. 2 in a row tonight as we’re heading to Big Ten country where we’re taking Michigan State on the road at Indiana.
In this matchup you’re looking at two Big Ten teams heading in complete opposite directions with Michigan State sitting atop the conference and Indiana just counting the days until this season is over.
The Spartans come into this game on a roll lately, having covered in seven of their last 10 games and going 8-2 SU in that stretch. On the road, Michigan State is almost better than at home, where it has covered in seven of its last nine games away from East Lansing and has covered in five of its last six games when installed as a road favorite.
Now the Spartans get a shot at an Indiana team that has covered only once in its last five home games and has to deal with a Michigan State team that rolled it 75-47 on Feb. 7 as a 21-point favorite.
Over their last two meetings the Spartans have destroyed the Hoosiers, winning both ATS and SU by an average of 28.5 points per game.
Michigan State will roll Indiana once again and get over easily in this one. Take the Spartans big in this one tonight.
3♦ MICHIGAN STATE
Craig Davis
Another day, another free play winner on Elon College over Davidson. I told you Davidson would win, but I also told you the line was simply too large to lay. Correct on both counts. If you’re keeping tabs at home, that makes six straight FREE PLAY winners and nine of the last 12. I’m on an incredible run of free play winners and I’m going to continue it tonight with some huge DIME plays in the NBA and college hoops. Don’t miss out on these winners.
Okay, so onto free play winner #7 in a row. If you’ve been with me since the beginning of the year, you know I was rolling along quite well until these last five days. As the season winds down it gets tougher and tougher to spot a winner in the colleges because certain teams start resting players because they have conferences wrapped up. This was the case for Davidson last night and will be the case for Weber State tonight. They have just one conference loss all season (vs. this same Montana State team) and are four games ahead of the team with the next best record. Being that this is the last conference game for both teams and it’s senior night for Montana State, I feel comfortable backing the home team catching a few points.
I fully realize Weber State is the clearly superior team but even with their starting five on the floor they couldn’t figure out MSU back in January. The Bobcats have a losing overall record and losing record in conference play, but with a win tonight they can send their seniors out on a winning note in their final home game ever. With the starters on the bench in the second half, the Bobcats sneak in for a second half win and cover.
Montana State completes the season sweep of Weber State with a 73-69 home win.
3♦ MONTANA STATE
Drew Gordon
Phoenix at ORLANDO -7
Wait a second? But the Suns just beat the Lakers outright 118-111 Sunday, so why in the hell would I lay this many with the Magic? That's the question most average bettors are asking themselves, and then they're quick to throw away money on Phoenix tonight, which is a big mistake and here's why:
First, we know Vegas isn't stupid, and if you think they're giving you a bargain with the Suns plus the points, then you need to get your head examined! The Suns may have beaten the Lakers at home Sunday, but two things differ here:
A. The Suns are on the road, where they're an average team SU, and a piss-poor bet as Phoenix-backers will tell you, going 11-16-1 ATS away. Sure, they beat the Lakers in classic revenge game, but do you remember the score of their prior meeting at Staples? The Lakers rolled 132-106, in a total shellacking of a road weary Suns team Feb 26th.
And B. We know the Suns and especially Shaquille expended a hell of a lot of energy in that contest. Sure they've had time to recover physically, but there's no doubt, its tougher to "get up" from a motivational standpoint after a huge win over the Lakers. In other words, I'm expecting a big fat letdown here by O'Neal and company.
Also, let's not forget, the Magic lost to the Pistons in their last home game, and will be looking for the bounce back in front of their home fans. Sure, they beat Philadelphia on the road the very next day after the Detroit loss, but they played terribly against Detroit, scoring only 85 points (16 points under their average at home). Look for Howard to lead his team to victory tonight, after he had a quiet game against the 76ers due to foul trouble. O'Neal has been on fire, but a match up against the best center in the league, Howard, is just the thing to cool him down! Magic roll!
Take Orlando over Phoenix in this NBA match up.
2♦ ORLANDO
Karl Garrett
Virginia +15 at CLEMSON
Way too many points for Clemson to be laying tonight, as the Tigers have hit a rough patch, and covering this big number is very improbable.
Clemson has dropped their last pair, and 4 of their last 7, and they are also 3-4 against the spread in those 7 games. Included in that span is an overtime loss at Charlottesville to the Cavaliers on February 15th.
Virginia has won 7 of the last 9 series meetings overall, and the underdog in the series is on a 10-3 spread run the last 13 meetings.
The Wahoos may only be 9-16 for the season, but by the looks of the series results, the Cavs sure have had the Tigers number of late.
For the year the Tigers are no better than .500 against the spread at home at 5-5-1, while the Cavaliers stand at 6-3 against the spread on the road this season.
G-Man expects the proverbial "back door" to be wide open in this one.
Take Virginia plus the points.
2♦ VIRGINIA
Sports Gambling Hotline
Kansas State at OKLAHOMA STATE -4'
Now 19-7-2 our last 28 comp play releases!
College winner tonight on Oklahoma State minus the points at home against Kansas State.
Both schools are coming off home wins on Saturday, but we are not sure we trust the Wildcats on the road, as K-State is just 4-12-1 against the spread in their last 17 roadies.
Oklahoma State is charging hard down the stretch, as Saturday's win over Texas made it 5 straight wins and covers for the Cowboys.
Travis Ford's team is also on a 7-3-1 spread run their last 11 at home.
Okie State is 5-1 straight up the last 6 meetings against Kansas State, covering 3 of the last 4.
We say lay the small wood with the sizzling Cowboys tonight.
Play on Oklahoma State.
4♦ OKLAHOMA STATE
Michael Cannon
Florida State +12' at DUKE
Take the points with Florida State tonight when they travel to take on Duke.
I know the game is in Cameron and that means lots of non-calls against the Blue Devils and phantom calls against the Seminoles, but Florida State really has an excellent chance of keeping this game close throughout.
The Seminoles have won six of their last eight, including Saturday’s win over Clemson. Florida State is 9-3-1 ATS on the road this year.
Duke has bounced back since back-to-back losses to North Carolina and Boston College, but its not like they knocked off any ACC heavyweights.
The Blue Devils are soft inside and the opposition has had an easy time driving the lane against them, so I expect Florida State to attack them there tonight.
Florida State has covered eight of the last 10 meetings with Duke, including the last four at Cameron.
The Seminoles are on additional ATS runs of 10-4-1 overall, 11-3-1 on the road, 13-4-2 in ACC play, 13-4-1 as a dog and 7-3-1 as a road dog.
Take the points with Florida State as they keep it within the number.
5♦ FLORIDA STATE
Bobby Maxwell
Wake Forest at MARYLAND +2'
Can anybody stop Maryland's Greivis Vasquez? This guy is single-handedly getting the Terps at least onto the bubble when it comes to NCAA Tournament talk.
They will get the job done at home in this one as Wake Forest comes into town. Maryland has won four of its last six games and Sunday night they went to N.C. State and got a 71-60 win as four-point 'dogs with Vasquez getting 33 points and five assists. In their home upset win over North Carolina on Feb. 21, he put together a triple-double performance to beat the Tar Heels in overtime.
Maryland has won four straight in this series and swept two games last season, winning 71-64 at home and 74-70 at Wake Forest. The Terps are 5-2 ATS in their last seven ACC games while the Demon Deacons are just 1-4 ATS in their last five road contests.
Maryland is going to have to step up on defense because Wake Forest can put points on the board. But look for them to get it done today at home. It'll be tight but the Terps will get the win in the final two minutes. Play Maryland.
3♦ MARYLAND
GINA
Chicago Bulls at Charlotte Bobcats
The Charlotte Bobcats have won their last three games and should grab their fourth straight victory when they square off against the shorthanded Bulls tonight at home. Chicago has dropped four of their last five road games, and will probably be without forwards Luol Deng and Tim Thomas. The Bobcats are 8-3 both straight-up and against the spread in their last 11 games and 9-2 ATS in their last 11 at Charlotte Bobcats Arena.
Charlotte Bobcats -2½
Mr A
Phoenix Suns + 7
Houston Rockets -9
Memphis Grizzlies +15
Andre Gomes
DET / DEN Under 189
This is going to be an emotional game for Chauncey Billups and the Pistons as Billups will make his first game as a Pistons' opponent tonight at the Palace. Detroit suddenly started winning and made it with great style by beating Orlando and Boston on the road. Allen Iverson didn't play in those games and the Pistons had a better team chemistry and Richard Hamilton played great as a starter.
The Nuggets meanwhile is coming from a disappointing loss in Indiana having a letdown after a big win against the Lakers. Their offense was horrible in that game shooting only 36.2 % from the field. For this game Carmelo Anthony won't play tonight and the Nuggets without him are a better defensive team. In fact, the Nuggets are 10-5 Under without Carmelo in this season, these are relevant numbers as the Nuggets are 31-29 Over in the season. I think we will se a low scoring game in here. Billups will control the tempo of the game and naturally he is fired up to make a great game. The Nuggets can play some defense in tough games, just look for the outcome of the latest "physical games" of the Nuggets: LAL 90-79; BOS 76-114; @ PHI 101-89; @ORL 82-73; @ MIA 99-82. All these games finished well bellow the total line and this game won't be different.
The Pistons scored 105 points in Boston last game which is a great number; however they went 34-40 for the charity stripe. 40 free throws attempts aren't normal numbers for the Pistons as they averaged only 22.6 FT/games in this season so I don?t expect such numbers for tonight and I don't expect as well them to reach the 100's points tonight, remember that the Under is 6-2 in Pistons last 8 after scoring 100 points or more in their previous game. This is also the first home game after their longest road trip of the season and usually the teams became rusty in the first home game. The Pistons are a good example as the Under is 4-1 in Pistons last 5 home games following a road trip of 7 or more days.
Both teams already faced each other in Denver and the Pistons won 93-90. I expect similar numbers for tonight and my fair line for this game is 186/187 points. Take the Under in here.
Rocketman
Loyola Chicago @ Wisconsin Milwaukee
Play: Wisconsin Milwaukee -7
Loyola Chicago comes into the Horizon League tournament with a 14-17 record while Wisconsin Milwaukee is 16-13 on the season. Wisconsin Milwaukee, the higher seeded team, gets to play at home tonight and should have a nice advantage there as they are 11-3 SU at home this season. Wisconsin Milwaukee has beaten Loyola Chicago in both meetings this year winning at home 72-58 back in January and winning in Loyola Chicago 80-66 back in January as well. Loyola Chicago is only 9-17 ATS this season. Loyola Chicago is 3-12 ATS this year when playing against a team with a winning record. Loyola Chicago is 1-8 ATS this year when playing against a team with a winning record after 15 or more games. Wisconsin Milwaukee does well in 1st round tournament games going 5-1 ATS since 1997. We'll recommend a small play on Wisconsin Milwaukee tonight!
Stephen Nover
Memphis Grizzlies +15 at Los Angeles Lakers
Having played hard in three straight games - Suns, Nuggets and Suns again - I see the Lakers taking it easy in this home matchup. Los Angeles is 2-9 against the spread in its last 11 home games versus road teams with a winning percentage under 40 percent.
Memphis has had three days of rest and practice in LA having last played on Saturday. The Grizzlies traditionally play the Lakers tough having covered 13 of the past 17 times.
After this game, the Lakers meet only the Timberwolves during the next six days. I see them having trouble getting focused and energized for this matchup. They know the stretch run holds far more important upcoming matchups when they meet the Blazers, Rockets, Spurs and Mavericks.
I also can see Marc Gasol having a strong effort against his brother Pau. There's a time to ride the Lakers and fade them. This is a good fade opportunity.
Rob Homyak
Auburn Tigers at Alabama Crimson Tide
5 units on Alabama
Oddsmakers currently have the Crimson Tide listed as 1-point favorites versus the Tigers, while the game's total is sitting at 144.
Auburn ran over Mississippi State, 76-58 at Humphrey Coliseum Saturday.
Auburn covered as 5-point road favorites while the final score played under the 142.5-point total.
Alabama destroyed Mississippi 90-69 at C.M. 'Tad' Smith Coliseum Saturday.
Alabama covered as a 5.5-point road underdog while the final score played over the 146.5-point total. SEC rivals Alabama Crimson Tide host the Auburn Tigers. This meeting is the second this season. Auburn beat Alabama, 85-71, back in January. Still, Alabama holds an 84-54 advantage in the all-time series. Alabama when playing on Tuesday are 7-3 and 4-0-1 ATS in its last 5 games. ALABAMA is 54-33 ATS (+17.7 Units) in home games after a conference game since 1997.
Home team is 4-1 ATS in the last 5 meetings.
Crimson Tide are 4-0 ATS in their last 4 games vs. a team with a winning S.U. record.
Crimson Tide are 4-0 ATS in their last 4 games overall.
Crimson Tide are 4-0 ATS in their last 4 vs. Southeastern.
Who2BetOn
Stars / Sharks Under 5.5
In this season of increased scoring in the NHL, the San Jose Sharks and the Dallas Stats have continued to go Under with some consistency and we expect that this to be the case again when they square off tonight.
The Sharks have now gone Under in five consecutive games, with an miniscule average combined total score in these five contests of just 3.60 goals per game. San Jose has been stingy at home all season, allowing only 2.06 goals per game in The Tank, and they have not allowed more than two goals in three straight home games and in five of their last seven home contests.
The Stars are also on a nice Under run of 4-1 in their last five games, with an average combined total score in those games of 4.20 goals. They have had problems on the offensive end, failing to exceed three goals in any of those five games including not topping two goals in their last four contests, and they are only averaging 2.55 goals per game on the road for the entire season.
As you might expect, the last two head-to-head meetings this year have produced scores of 3-1 and 1-0 respectively, so look for more of the same tonight.
Pick: Stars / Sharks Under 5.5
JOHNNY GUILD
Denver Nuggets at Detroit Pistons
The Nuggets vigorous offense is presently struggling. Denver has lost four of their last six games, going 1-5 ATS. To boot, they will be without leading scorer Carmelo Anthony tonight, suspended for one game. Take the Pistons at Palace of Auburn Hills in a low scoring fight. Denver has lost its last three games away from home, 0-3 ATS and the total has gone 'under' in 10 of the last 14 meetings in this series.
Detroit Pistons -3
NCAAB
Oklahoma St. Cowboys -5.5
Auburn Tigers +1.5
Syracuse Orange -15