ANTHONY REDD
20 Dime - St. Mary's
5 Dime - Notre Dame
5 Dime - UTEP
Karl Garrett
30 DIMER - STANFORD CARDINAL
10 DIMER - ST. MARY'S GAELS
10 DIMER - NJ NETS
30 DIMER - STANFORD CARDINAL
I am sorry, but the only reason this Oregon State is in this tournament is because the head coach is President Obama's brother in-law. How else can you explain letting in a team that was, and still is BELOW .500 into a post-season tournament?!?!?!
Stanford may have lost both regular season meetings with the Beavers, but the Cardinal did come through with a pull-away win, and cover earlier this month in the Pac 10 tournament, winning by 8 as the 7-point fave.
That cover put Stanford at 13-5 against the spread the last 18 series meetings!
The Cardinal have looked very strong in blasting both Boise State, and Wichita State by double-digits to get to this round, while the Beavers have had to go deep to the well to beat back both Houston, and Vermont in their first 2 rounds of this tourney.
Stanford will rout this team tonight by 10 points minimum!
10 DIMER - ST. MARY'S GAELS
G-Man getting all caught up in the Patty Mills story these days, as the Gaels feel that they should have been Big Dancin' instead of playing in the NIT. Either way, it has been fun to watch this St. Mary's team compete, and I have a feeling that they are not done with their "mission" just yet.
The Aztecs have had the few extra days to prep, and they are at home, but they have lost to this Gaels' team 4 of the last 5 times they have met, and they are just 1-3-1 against the spread in those 5. The most recent tilt came in December at San Diego State, and the Gaels did win outright by 3 as the 3-point fave.
Tonight we are getting a few points!?!?!? Take the Gaels!
10 DIMER - NEW JERSEY NETS
Definitely feel this price is inflated on the current #1 seeded Cavaliers, as the Nets are a decent 20-15 against the spread this season on the road.
New Jersey has lost badly the last 3 season series meetings, but overall, the Nets are 18-8 against the spread the last 26 series meetings, and they do catch the Cavaliers riding a 9-game winning streak, and as we all know in the NBA that the longer a winning streak mounts, the harder it gets for the winning team to cover the inlfated prices the linesmakers place on them.
Tonight is just such a case. New Jersey will not win outright, but they will cover this roomy impost.
Take the Nets and the points
Dr. Canada
Flames/Penguins over 6
Hurricanes -150
DAVE MALINSKY
4* CLEVELAND/NEW JERSEY UNDER
Although our last two forays with this concept have not worked, with one of them that bitter (for us) Portland/Cleveland overtime affair last Thursday, we will not back off of one of the strongest late-season concepts out there the way that Mike Brown gears his Cavaliers up for the playoffs by slowing the pace, and cranking up the defensive intensity. To recap, Brown went 14-3 to the Under as a home favorite after the All Star break LY, an indication of how he would manage games when his team had the ability to control the flow, and the run is 7-1 in the same category this season (remember that we only chart regulation scores), making for a lights-out 21-4 in tonights role the past two campaigns. And note that the more control he has the more he shuts things down when favored by -9 or more in that span it has been an 8-1 push to the Under in which the nine games finished a collective 125 points below the oddsmakers projections, or a substantial 13.9 per game. New Jersey can not do anything to change that flow without Devin Harris in the lineup. These two just played to a 184 on the Nets home floor on Sunday, but note how misleading that count was the game was only sitting on 126 after three quarters, before Brown eased off on the throttle and New Jersey scored 33 in the final period. Backing off then actually made a little bit of sense, with no particular reason to crush a team on the road with a rematch ahead. But tonight that intensity can be there for the full 48 minutes, as a special atmosphere is created for a Cleveland team out to set the franchise record for wins, and with only a Friday home game vs. Minnesota on deck the full focus can be unleashed.
4* ORLANDO/BOSTON UNDER
This is playoff basketball. There is only one game separating these teams in the battle for the #2 seed in the Eastern Conference, and the crucial home court advantage in their almost inevitable second-round hookup, and that means that in reality the playoffs start right now. It also means that we should not be seeing a Total in the low 90s for the teams that are currently #1 (Celtics) and #2 (Magic) in the NBA on our best set of defensive ratings. With these teams having played to a 165 and a 170 in their head-to-head encounters over the past two months, we have excellent value for an Under here.Although Kevin Garnett has only played 14:39, 17:07 and 17:51 in this first three games back, his return has brought Boston back to what we are accustomed to seeing in terms of pace and defense the Celtics held the Spurs to 77 points, the Grizzlies to 87 and the Clippers to 77 in that span. Now with Tuesday off to prepare for this one, and tomorrow off as well, Garnetts minutes can become an even bigger part of the equation, creating more of a wall around the basket for Dwight Howard to deal with.Orlando is starting to bring the kind of late-season focus that we like to see from a team that believes that a strong playoff run can be made there have only been three home games in the last two weeks, and they played 3-0 to the Under, by a collective 30.5 points.The Magic absolutely understand the pace they are going to have to play at in the second season, with a 10-4 run to the Under in their last 14 games against teams that would currently qualify for the playoffs, and this becomes an intense defensive battle from the start, with fast break opportunities few and far between.
4* SAN DIEGO STATE/SAINT MARYS OVER
When Madison Square Garden and a trip to New York are firmly within view, the intensity in the NIT picks up. And we know what intensity means at this time of year in a close game a lot of scrambling down the stretch, with neither side going down without a fight, since there literally is no tomorrow for the loser. And that helps to set up an easy Over in this short price range.The oddsmakers have trouble with teams like Saint Marys, because of the long absence of catalyst Patty Mills. Both the pace and the offensive efficiency numbers slowed without him, and those statistics clog up data bases. But it has been a 3-0 run to the Over with Mills in the lineup since the West Coast tourney, and in two NIT games he has exploded for 50 points. On Monday he only knocked down 1-10 triples in that win over Davidson, but still scored 23 points and dished out 10 assists, a sign that his energy is where it needs to be. Now we can also look for a few of those triples to fall, and there are a pair of pendulums at hand not only the bounce-back from Mondays poor shooting, but also a reversal from his 6-19 from the field, including 1-8 from 3-point range, in the earlier 67-64 win over these Aztecs in Anaheim back in December.Note that the first meeting got to 131 with more than an off-day from Mills as a factor leading San Diego State scorer Lorenzo Wade only had eight points in 19 minutes coming off of a seven-game suspension,and the two teams only made 11-34 3-point attempts and 12-23 at the free throw line. And it was in an antiseptic afternoon environment at a neutral site that also created little added spark on the court. That all changes tonight, and it brings us not only a high energy game early, but one in which the energy never does subside, as perhaps the two teams with the best cases for having been snubbed by the Big Dance go all out to prove their point.
Maddux Sports
3 units on Milwaukee +4
3 units on New York -6
3 units on San Diego State -3.5
NHL
3 units on Ottawa +135
Scott Rickenbach
2* (Top Play) Bradley Braves (-) vs Pacific
The scheduling situation here favors the Braves in a huge way. Both teams were in action on Monday and both teams were at home. Bradley defeated Oakland on an amazing last second 75-foot bank-shot while Pacific defeated Idaho by a ten point margin. A big key here with regards to scheduling is that, yesterday, the Braves were able to stay at home and prepare for this game. As for the Tigers, it was an entirely different story! Pacific left Stockton, California for the airport in San Jose at 4:30 in the morning. They then caught a plane trip that included a stop in Denver before arriving in Chicago. Finally, after a bus ride from Chicago to Peoria, Illinois, the Tigers arrived at about 8 in the evening yesterday for tonight’s game. Of course, Pacific coach Bob Thomason was less than thrilled with the travel arrangements. He was quoted as saying that he couldn’t recall the last time his team had not been able to work out the day before a game! Of course, this puts the Tigers at a big disadvantage here. Pacific also played a weaker regular season schedule than did the Braves. The Tigers also rely heavily on three pointers. The concern there is that they haven’t shot them well so far in this CollegeInsider Tournament and, also, they’re now on the road. Bradley is known to knock down their shots with solid regularity when they’re at home in the Carver Arena. The Braves also got a boost with the return of Dodie Dunson to his usual playing time (and usual production!) against Oakland on Monday. While it did take a “miracle” for the Braves to get that win against Oakland don’t let that scare you. That just gives Bradley even more momentum for this game. They have the luxury of staying at home, the whole campus is still buzzing about the huge game-winning shot, and the Braves will have more edges against Pacific than they had against Oakland. The Tigers are not as big inside as Oakland was in terms of height as well as bulk. This will allow the Braves to do a much better job on the glass and you can bet this is also being preached to them after they allowed the Golden Grizzlies way too many opportunities on the offensive glass. Without having to worry so much about second-chance points, the key here is going to be the perimeter play and that’s where the Braves talented backcourt is capable of taking over in a match-up like this. Dunson, Sam Maniscalco, and Chris Roberts combined to hit 8 of 14 three pointers for the Braves back-court in their thrilling win over Oakland. As noted above, the Braves are capable of “lighting it up” from the perimeter and the Tigers guards will struggle to keep up with the Braves here. We also expect a good crowd for this one and, as other Missouri Valley teams can attest to, the Braves have proven very tough to beat on their home floor. Keep in mind, that’s under normal travel circumstances. As for the Tigers and coming from the West Coast, there is nothing normal about the travel and tight scheduling situation entering this game! We take advantage by laying the short number here! Play Bradley minus the points as a Top Play selection
Big Al
At 9 pm, our selection is on the San Diego State Aztecs minus the points over St Marys.
Larry Ness
15* Situational Mismatch-NBA (60% run since Feb 6)
My 15* Situational Mismatch is on the Dal Mavs at 8:35 ET. Dallas (42-28) currently holds the eighth and final playoff spot in the West but the good news is the Mavs are only 2 1/2 games out of the No. 4 seed, which comes with home-court advantage in the first round. The bad news however, is that the surging Suns (winners of five straight) are just three games behind them and looking pretty good these days. That means "taking care of business" tonight vs the Warriors, is a MUST! I like the Mavs' chances. The Warriors fell to 0-2 on their four-game road trip last night, losing 107-106 at San Antonio. It marked the team's sixth consecutive road defeat and drops them to 6-30 SU on the road this year, going an equally sad 12-22-2 ATS. Who knows what Nelson is thinking these days? He and Crawford (18.8 PPG in 48 games with GS) have been at odds all year and Crawford has missed four straight games (you tell me why?). He's NOT expected to play here either plus Biedrins (12.4-11.5) and Belinelli (8.9) are also out. Playing will be Jackson (20.9-5.2-6.5) Maggette (18.9-5.6), Ellis (17.3), Azubuike (13.5-4.8), Morrow (8.5), Watson (8.5) and Turiaf (5.7-4.4). Thats a pretty solid core of players but the Warriors rank dead-last (112.0 PPG) in defense and the Mavs, even with Howard (18.0-4.9) out, continue to play well at home. Dallas opened 0-4 at home this season but has gone 25-4 since, including taking an eight-game home winning streak into this contest. Nowitzki (25.5-8.3) leads all scorers and Terry (19.8-3.6 APG) is back in fine form after missing eight games with a broken hand. The Warriors are off a tough one-point loss at San Antonio last night plus the Mavs will be well-focused after just losing 119-110 in Oakland on March 13. Dallas has won Golden State's last three visits to the American Airlines Center by an average margin of 23.6 points and that margin may be just about right again tonight. Situational Mismatch 15* Dal Mavs.
15* Tourney Bailout (8-4 or 66.7% since Mar 7)
My 15* Tourney Bailoit is on Stanford at 10:00 ET. Although it was by no means 'easy.' I won a HUGE play on Stanford when it beat Oregon State 62-54 in the first round of the Pac 10 tourney on Mar 11. The Cardinal avenged two regular season losses to the Beavers in that game, outscoring them 41-26 in the second half, to win by eight (laying seven). These teams meet for the FOURTH time this year tonight, with the winner getting a berth in next week's best-of-three CBI championship series. Who'da thunk it? Stanford was a 28-win team last year (lost in the Sweet 16) but lost the 7-0 Lopez twins to the NBA plus two quality role players in Finger and Washington off that team, as well as head coach Trent Johnson to LSU. Meanwhile, Ore St was coming off a 6-25 season, including a record-setting 0-18 regular season mark in the Pac 10 (the kind of record a team DOES'T want to achieve). Stanford hired Johnny Dawkins to take over for Johnson, giving him his first-ever head coaching gig, while OSU hired the president's brother-in law, Craig Robinson. Stanford opened 10-0 in non-conference play but went just 6-12 in its Pac 10 schedule. As mentioned, the Cardinal did beat OSU in the Pac 10 tourney but then lost to Washington. As for OSU, the Beavers were just 6-10 (1-5 in the Pac 10) on the day of Obama's inauguration but that following weekend, won at Cal and Stanford, sparking a four-game winning streak. The team swept Cal and Stanford again (Feb 19-21) and sat at 13-13 with three games left but lost all three, plus its first game of the Pac 10 tourney to Stanford. However, in the "pay for play" CBI, the 13-17 Beavers got a bid. The team is very limited, with guard Haynes (14.0) being its lone consistent scoring option and he comes off the bench. The 6-11 Schatenaar (9.8-3.8) fits well into Robinson's Princeton-style "high-post offense," plus the 6-5 Seth Tarver (7.8-5.1) became the first Oregon State player to lead the Pac-10 in steals since Gary Payton in the 1989-90 season. So how did the two teams get here? Stanford has played two terrific games, routing a solid Boise St team 96-76 at home and then ending Wichita's nine-game home winning streak with a wire-to-wire 70-54 victory on Monday. The 6-8 Hill (13.6-5.7) has been the team's best player, averaging 19.5 PPG and 6.0 RPG. Senior guard Goods (16.1-3.4) has averaged 13.5 PPG and reserve guard Green (6.5) scored 19 points vs Boise and came back with nine points at Wichita. PG Johnson (6.6-4.5 APG) joins Goods in the backcourt, 6-7 swingman Fields (12.7-6.6) has been a solid player all season and the 6-8 Owens (7.0-3.5) is Hill's partner inside. OSU ended the season on an 0-4 slide and over its final three games, averaged 53.3 PPG while shooting 40.3 percent from the floor, including 31.6 percent on threes. The Beavers were able to host a first round game in the CBI (pay for play, remember) and in an 'ugly' game, beat Houston 49-45. THe Cougars, who averaged 75.8 PPG this year, shot 15-of-53 (28.3 percent and the Beavers, who shot just 17-of-44 (38.6) themselves, were able to survive. Up next was Vermont and it was an entirely different game, as the Catamounts shot 50.9 percent but the Beavers made 51.9 percent of their shots (Haynes had 19 and Schaftenaar 14-10), coming away with a 71-70 overtime win. Maybe it's just Robinson's year? His brother-in-law had a pretty good 2008 (2009 may not be as good?) but I'm not buying it. Stanford has WAY more talent and the Cardinal have played two excellent games in this tourney so far. They are familiar with OSU's style of play by now (fourth meeting!) and winning this tourney would be no small feat for Dawkins and the program. Tourney Bailout 15* Stanford.
25* (2nd TY / won 1st!)
My 25* is on the Pho Suns at 10:35 ET. The Jazz had a season-high 12 blocks, made six steals and forced 12 turnovers in last night's 99-86 win over the Rockets. The victory pulled them within a half-game of the Northwest Division lead (12 regular season games remain for the Jazz) and snapped Houston's six-game win streak. Deron Williams (18.8-10.6 APG) had 19 points and 12 assists, Carlos Boozer (16.5-10.7) had 13 points and eight rebounds plus Mehmet Okur (17.5-7.8) scored 12 points, had six rebounds and added four blocks. Paul Millsap (13.7-8.7) filled in nicely for Boozer when he got in foul trouble and finished with 15 points, nine rebounds and three blocks. The Jazz are currently sixth in the West's playoff race. The Lakers have 'run away' from the rest of the pack for the conference's best record but the 2nd through 7th spots are separated by just 2 1/2 games. The Jazz don't get a breather tonight, traveling to Phoenix to take on the Suns. The Suns are currently "on the outside looking in" out West, trailing the 8th-place Mavs by three games. However, after losing six consecutive games from Mar 3-12, the Suns have suddenly won five straight, giving the team some hope. The winning streak began with a 106-95 home win over the Thunder and over their last four wins, the Suns have averaged an amazing 131.5 PPG. They've played the last three games without Barbosa (14.3) and of course, Stoudemire (21.4-8.1) has been sidelined since late-February. Shaq's (18.2-8.6) had a remarkable season and is joined ion the starting lineup these days by two small forwards, Hill (11.2-5.0) and Barnes (10.3-5.3). Richardson (17.5-9.6) and Nash (15.3-9.6 APG) start in the backcourt. The team is also getting minutes (and production) from Tucker (4.9), Dudley (4.5) and Amundson (4.1-3.3) these days. However, it's been Shaq (21.0 PPG) and Richardson (28.3-8.0) and Nash (16.8-6.0 APG) who have "led the way" the last four games. Utah has been a different team since Carlos Boozer returned to the lineup after missing 44 games due to a leg injury on Feb 23. They've played 14 times since then, going 11-3 (Boozer missed one game, so they are 10-3 with him in the lineup). After taking three games to "get up to speed," Boozer's been his old self, averaging 17.2 PPG and 11.5 RPG over his last 10 outings. However, Boozer or no Boozer, here's the rub! The Jazz have one of the league's best home records (30-6) but they're just 14-20 on the road. More notably, only ONE of those wins have come over a team that currently owns a winning record, the team's 93-80 victory in Philadelphia on Nov 11. Since Boozer has returned, the Jazz are 0-3 on the road vs winning teams, losing 100-93 in Atlanta, 140-129 in Miami and 105-87 in Orlando. In particular, Utah has been especially bad when facing its West competitors in the playoff hunt this year, going 0-8 SU on the road against the top nine teams in the West. Coming off a tough game last night with the Rockets can't help and the Suns should have little trouble "extending a margin" tonight against the Jazz. 25* Pho Suns.
RON RAYMOND
5* Wild / Islanders Over 5 -130
Best Bets
Pittsburgh Penguins -140
San Jose Sharks +105
Robert Ferringo
1-Unit Play.Take Bradley (-5) over Pacific
DOC
3-Unit Play Take Minnesota/Philadelphia UNDER 201
6-Unit NBA Game of the Month Take New Jersey/Cleveland UNDER 190
3-Unit Play Take Charlotte -6 ½ Over Washington
4-Unit Pick Take Boston/Orlando UNDER 189
NHL
3 Unit Play. Take Over 5 ½ in Minnesota @ New York
The Wild stay in New York to face the Islanders after losing 2-1 to the Rangers last night in a game which saw them only put up nineteen shots on net (Just ten through the first two periods) after putting thirty six on net at home vs. Edmonton on Sunday. For a team that is trying to make a playoff push that is terrible, but in realty this team just isn't good enough. The Wild are young with a small mix of veterans and they're missing two important veterans in Brent Burns and Mikko Koivu. Koivu loss looms large as the Wild lost 64% of the face-offs last night against the Rangers, a huge stat. The only good news for the Wild in his second game back high power scorer Marion Gaborik scored his first goal since Christmas after returning back the lineup Sunday from the inactive list. The Islanders youth movement continues after a six game road trip that saw them go 2-4, but in all this team hasn't quit and plays tough night in and out. These two teams meet back in December in a 4-1 Minnesota win that stayed under the total of 5.5. While I don't usually lay high, juice in this spot it makes sense, basically adding fifteen cents to get over what I believe to be a soft number at five goals I think holds great value. Both teams aren't known for they're offense but when you put two teams that are seen that way the odds maker adjusted and sometimes too much which I think has happen here. I believe they had the total right in the first matchup at 5.5 and that 1/2 goal is a big adjustment. I think this will be a fast paced played North/South game with a lot of scoring chances and I think we get the money here tonight.
Teddy Covers
NBA Big Ticket - Milwaukee +4
Donnie Black
20* Black Magic: Denver / New Orleans Under 196
Las Vegas Sport Picks
NBA:
2* Wizards +7
3* Warriors +9.5
6* Clippers/Knicks over 216
NCAA:
3* San Diego St. -3
Raging Bull
NBA:
LA Clippers vs. New York Knicks over 216
Golden State Warriors +9.5
NCAA:
St. Mary's vs. San Diego State over 128