LAS VEGAS TECH REPORT
Play: NEW YORK KNICKS -3.5
Comments: LAS VEGAS TECH REPORT (LVTR) SELECTION: NEW YORK KNICKS -3.5
We are catching the Pacers on a back to back. Oneil is is out and Tinsley who is the driving force to that team is seeing limited time due to recovery fron an recent injury. Knicks maybe a bad team, but they have been stepping up lately and showing a will to win. Pacers are 1-6 after back to back home losses.
Play: BOWLING GREEN -2.5 (CBB)
Comments: LAS VEGAS TECH REPORT (LVTR) SELECTION: BOWLING GREEN -2.5
Central Michigan is 0-6 ATS off a home win against a conference rival while Bowling Green is now14-4 ATS in all games this season. Bowling Green is 4-0 at home in MAC games, winning by 3-13-3 and 4 points. They are playing decent defense giving up an average of 57 ppg in their last four games. Central Michigan is 0-4 on the road vs the MAC conference losing by 13-11-20 and 15 points. They're 0-3 as a road dog in lined games.
Play: UNC CHARLOTTE +5.5 (CBB)
Comments: LAS VEGAS TECH REPORT (LVTR) SELECTION: UNC CHARLOTTE +5.5
This one maybe a little close for comfort for you guys that bite your nails but we feel that these two teams are evenly matched and Dayton is giving up too much here for the quality of team they have shown. UNC Charlotte is 4-1 against the spread versus Dayton and they seem to respond with bouncebacks after a loss going 11-2 in road games after a home loss. They have covered four of their last five games and they split two road games beating LaSalle. Dayton has lost four of their last five games, losing the last three on the road by 26-17-4 points. A-14 home favorites are 9-16 against the spread showing a home disadvantage against a strong road underdog in UNC Charlotte.
CASH & PROFIT EXPERTS
NBA
NEW JERSEY/ORLANDO UNDER 203
NEW ORLEANS +5
CBB
DUKE +4
Wayne Root
Chairman - Boston College
Millionaire - Syracuse
Money Maker - Oklahoma
No Limit - Oklahoma St
Insider Circle - Georgia
Billionaire - Duquesne
Malinsky
5* KANSAS STATE over NEBRASKA
The betting markets did us a small favor on this one this morning, dropping the opener to the point at which -10 has become common, but we doubt very much that the move comes into play in a game that has a chance to get real ugly.
The fact that there was any Nebraska money at all should not come as a surprise – we wrote about some of the issues associated with that Cornhusker game at Missouri in a Rim Shots column last Wednesday. There are a lot of mathematicians in the marketplace, and they get trapped into giving Doc Sadler and his team credit for a road win against a quality opponent when it did not mean anything of the sort because of the Missouri suspensions. Nebraska then got an additional break on Saturday, catching Iowa State in Lincoln sans leading scorer Wesley Johnson. As a result the Cornhuskers come away looking better than they really are, and that sets up tonight’s blowout, which comes both in terms of line value and matchups.
Kansas State has been nothing short of brilliant on this court in Big 12 play. The Wildcats shattered the pointspread by 51.5 points in thrashing Kansas, Iowa State and Texas A&M, and now the marketplace is telling us that Nebraska will hang closer than any of them, despite the fact that Kansas has a real live shot to be in San Antonio in April, and A&M is also on the way to the Dance. And State is only going to get better, as a young roster matures and learns how to play together. Getting upset at Missouri off of last Wednesday’s whipping of Kansas was only natural for a young team, but so is bouncing back with a major degree of focus here. The matchups take care of the rest.
Nebraska can’t score in this setting. Aleks Maric is the only Cornhusker that averages in double figures, but not only is he going to find it tough to get any separation from Michael Beasley, there is also a real expectation that the latter will get him into foul trouble at the other end of the court. So just where to the points come from? In Big 12 play they have shot an anemic 37.3 percent from the field, 31.7 from 3-point range and 62.9 from the free throw line. They are not a back door candidate at all because the perimeter offense is so erratic, and that makes this just a matter of time before a team that has played stifling defense here in Bramlage breaks the game wide open.
Seabass
10* G state +9
10* G tech +2
20* Syracuse -2.5
20* Okl -2.5
20* BC +1
20* Bradley -6
20* Duquesne -1
20* Utah -3
100* Miss St
SCOTT SPRITZER 25*
I'm laying the points with Bradley on Wednesday. Since Daniel Ruffin's return, the Braves have been playing lights-out basketball. They're 4-0 SU & ATS with their leader back on the floor. But you could see the improvement taking place even before Ruffin's return. BU won at Northern Iowa and took Drake to the wire before losing by a point. In fact, the Braves ride into Wednesday on a five-game win streak. Everyone on the offensive end has benefited from Ruffin's return, but it's on the defensive end where his significance gets overlooked. Over the last four games, Bradley has held the opposition to 27-percent from area code three, allowing just 20 of 74 attempts to ring true. In the last three games, BU has allowed just 55 made field goals, or 18.3 per game on 36-percent shooting. And, the Braves are forcing a minus-4 assist-to-turnover ratio, holding the opposition to UNDER 10 assists per night. This is all very bad news for a Missouri State squad that really hit the skids around Christmas time. The Bears are 4-9 SU & ATS since December 22, overall. They have lost eight straight road games since their season-opening win at Toledo. And, they're a dismal 0-8 ATS in lined road games this season. Bradley has lost four in a row to Missouri State, including a loss in early January, depsite leading by four points at the break. Of course, BU did not have Daniel Ruffin at the time and they were in the middle of a six-game losing skid. Well, the shoe is on the other foot in this one, and I believe Bradley will get their quadruple revenge without much trouble. I look for the Braves to win by 15-to-17 points. My 25* MVC GOM is a play on Bradley, minus points on Wednesday.
Larry Ness' Oddsmaker's Error-CBB (17-5 in CBB this season!)
My Oddsmaker's Error is on Seton Hall at 7:30 ET. Notre Dame entered the top-25 this past Monday (at No. 22) for the first time this year. Its stay may not last long. The Irish own an excellent frontcourt led by the 6-8 Harangody (20.4-10.)) who has made a dramatic improvement from the averages of 11.2 points and 6.2 rebounds he had as a freshman last year. He's joined by two 6-9 players in the starting frontcourt, Kurz (13.0-8.1) and Hillesland (5.5-5.0). The backcourt is in the capable hands of McAlarney (15.2-3.7 APG) and Jackson (7.1-4.5-6.0 APG), while swingman Ayers (8.1-3.6) and the 6-11 Zeller (4.5-2.4) add depth. Seton Hall will have to control the style of play in this game, in order to win. The Pirates don't have the size to match the Irish, as the only major contributor on the team bigger than 6-5, is the 6-9 Garcia (6.8-7.5). However, 6-5 senior Laing (19.5-7.3) is not only the team's leading scorer but he's also a terrific rebounder. Seton Hall owns an excellent perimeter game which features great depth. Joining Laing are PG Harvey (15.7-4.7 APG), 6-5 freshman Hazell (11.8), Nutter (10.5), Gause (8.1) and Larry Davis (6.6). Let's note that Notre Dame had BIG trouble away from South Bend against another similarly-styled team in Marquette, which trounced the Irish 92-66 in Milwaukee on Jan 12. By the way, guess who the Irish play this Saturday back in South Bend? You guessed it, Marquette. More to the point, this is only Notre Dame's FOURTH road game this year (Charlie Weiss should have such a schedule maker for the football team!) and Seton Hall comes in playing very well. The linemakers have overrated the Irish in this one and I'm calling for a double digit Seton Hall win. Oddsmaker's Error on Seton Hall.
Special K
20* Unconn + 3 1/2
10* Spurs/wizards Under 184
Net Prophet
NBA
LA Lakers -3' over Atlanta
Utah +2' over Denver
CBB
UNLV +3 over Utah
Alatex
15* UCONN
Sports Bank
500* Nebraska
Arthur Ralph
Super Pick College UTAH
900 DOGS: Georgia Tech & Connecticut
Cal. Sports
4'* Dayton
4*BYU
3*Akron
3*Minn U
3*E Car
Great Lakes
5* Lakers
4* Hornets
3* Orl.
4* Kansas St
3* N. Car
3* S.Diego St
Accu-Picks
4* Lakers
3* Bulls
4* Bradley
4* Minn U
3* St Joe
3* Rutgers
3* S Diego St
Bob Balfe
NBA Basketball
Hawks +4.5 over Lakers
College Basketball
Eastern Michigan +3.5 over Ohio
Reply With Quote
Savannah Sports
3 Units Bradley -6.5
3 Units Kent State -15
2 Units St Joseph +1
2 George Washington -3.5
1 Unit Wisconsin -7.5
INDIAN COWBOY
CHICAGO vs PORTLAND
Play: CHICAGO BULLS +6
Comments: Bulls +6
Winning overall in comp picks lately, but tread lightly as 2 of those 4 losses come recently. The Bulls faced against the Blazers at home recently and lost a tough game in overtime. They have been playing decent basketball of late including winning at Seattle and covering a 8 point spread in a relatively tight ballgame against a good Kings team. The Bulls were up 48-41 at the half only to let Portland come back in their last contest at home and lose in double-overtime. This game is similar to the game in which the Hawks faced the Blazers with revenge the other day and I think the Bulls hang tough if not possibly win outright on the road. The Blazers are a solid team at home in the Rose Garden but they have been less than impressive of late including nearly losing to the Knicks, Hawks and Nuggets at home and I think the Bulls will be competitive today. The Blazers are 0-5 ATS in their last 5 home games.
ST. JOESPH'S vs DUQUESNE
Play: Duquesne -1
Comments: INDIAN COWBOY SELECTION:
Duquesne -1
St. Josephs beat this team by a score of 89-41 so without a doubt the Dukes remember this game from last year. It was one of the worst beatings this team took as St. Josephs beat them with no remorse by 48 points. However, these aren't your dad's Dukes, they are a top 100 team facing a top 50 team at home. The Dukes are 9-2 at home and those 2 losses come against top 50 teams, however, those teams were also a Umass team that they do not necessarily match up well against and the other against Pittsburgh in which the spread was very low just a few points as the oddsmakers were expecting an upset. Well, they get their upset today. The public seems to love St. Josephs today because it seems so easy but St. Josephs struggled to defeat a George Washington team who is a top 200 team that they barely beat by a bucket. Remember, the Dukes are top 100. St. Joseph beat Temple but lost to top 100 Charlotte on the road as well who's ranking is nearly identical to the Dukes. I expect the Dukes to edge out St. Josephs today in a hard fought game. The favorite is 8-0-1 ATS in the last 9 meetings between these 2 teams.
INDIAN COWBOY'S PLAY OF THE DAY: OLD DOMINION vs NORTHEASTERN
Play: NORTHEASTERN -1 (POD)
Comments: INDIAN COWBOY'S PLAY OF THE DAY: NORTHEASTERN-1 (POD) These teams have played 3 times and they have gone back and forth in straight up wins. This is the fourth time they are facing off since realignment of these teams and ODU won last year 73-67 on the road and Northeastern looks to prevent them from winning back to back games on their home court. How do they size up in rankings? Northeastern is a top 175 team facing an ODU team that is ranked in the top 150. The 25 spots here makes this game a tossup but I like Northeastern with the revenge angle. Northeastern has also won back to back games including road wins over Delaware and Drexel. This team has yet to lose back to back home games this year and their last home game they lost a tight one to Hofstra so I expect them to do well tonight. ODU is an interesting team on the road - they will have one great game, and then struggle the rest. Their road games are as follows: They lost to Clemson on the road, then beat Georgia State, then they played a great game against Winthrop on the road, then lost to UAB by 16 on the road, then beat Towson on the road, then only to lose to Delaware on the road - a team that Northeastern beat on the road, then they got pummeled by George Mason on the road, only to come back and win a big game over William and Mary. This team has yet to win back to back road games while Northeastern has yet to lose back to back home games. I think ODU is in for a bit of a letdown here considering their big win over Georgia State at home as well. They are also in a sandwich spot getting ready for a big revenge game against George Mason at home so they possibly could be looking ahead. ODU has lost its last 5 games as underdogs ATS and Northeastern is 4-1 ATS as small home favorites of late.
Dr. Bob
Wednesday NBA Opinions
ATLANTA (+3 1/2) over L.A. Lakers
The Lakers added Pau Gasol in a trade with Memphis to make up for the absence of injured star C Andrew Bynum and Gasol played well in his Lakers’ debut last night (24 points, 12 rebounds). Los Angeles has now covered in 5 consecutive games, but that streak actually sets them up in a negative 22-62-1 ATS road letdown situation tonight against a Hawks team that is 8-1 ATS hosting an unrested team this season. I figure having Gasol and not having Bynum is about a wash and my ratings favor the Lakers by 3 ½ points if that assumption is correct. However, there is certainly a possibility that the Lakers are better with Gasol than they were with Bynum and that possibility will keep me off this game as a Best Bet. I’ll lean with Atlanta at +3 points or more.
Miami (+16) over DETROIT
Miami is the worst team in the NBA right now without Shaquille O’Neal in the lineup and I just don’t see how the Pistons can get up for this game after whipping Dallas in their last game and with a game against a good Blazers team coming up on Friday night. Detroit applies to a negative 16-61-1 ATS big home favorite letdown situation that is based on their win over Dallas and they also apply to a negative 51-133-2 ATS big home favorite look ahead situation. While Miami has been horrible, they have done pretty well as a big favorite this season, going 5-1-1 ATS as an underdog of more than 9 points (2-1-1 ATS without O’Neal). My ratings favor Detroit by 17.2 points, so the line is not quite high enough for me to play Miami in a Best Bet. However, I’ll lean with Miami at +16 or +16 ½ and I’ll take Miami in a 2-Star Best Bet at +17 points or more.
Wednesday College Opinion
BRADLEY (-6) over Missouri State
I’ve been riding Bradley lately, as the Braves have been an underrated team since pointguard Daniel Ruffin returned from injury 4 games ago. Bradley is 4-0 straight up and 4-0 ATS since Ruffin’s return and my ratings favor the Braves by 9 points over a Missouri State team that is 0-8 ATS on the road this season. Bradley has been a good bet at home against mediocre and bad teams under coach Jim Les, as the Braves are now 27-6 ATS when hosting a team with a win percentage of .600 or less. I’ll lean with Bradley at -7 points or less.