Info Plays
3* on Penn State +15.5
Penn State already beat the Michigan State Spartans by 9 points at home earlier this season. This spread is much too high for an overrated Spartans’ team to cover. Here is a stat that can’t be ignored. Michigan State is 14-0 at home this season, but they have only cover the spread in 4 of those 14 games. Penn State may lose this one, but it won’t be by the large amount of points the oddsmakers are expecting. Michigan State is just 3-9 ATS in conference play. Penn State is 7-0 ATS versus very good shooting teams making better than 48% of their shots over the last 2 seasons. Bet Penn State on the road.
Wayne Root
Chairman - Va Tech
Millionaire - Utah Utes
No Limit - Miami Fl
Insiders Circle - Illinois
Billionaire - Nebraska
KELSO
25* St Louis (CBB)
5* Mich St
4* Eastern Kentucky
3* LA Lakers
Wunderdog
Game: New York Knicks at Philadelphia
Pick: New York Knicks +6.5
The Knicks still aren't putting many games in the win column, but have been doing so against the sub-.500 teams on the road on a regular basis. Since the first of the year the Knicks are 10-3-1 ATS on the road and that includes 4-1 SU and 5-0 ATS over the sub-.500 teams. On the season the Knicks margin on the road against sub-.500 teams is just -1.1 point per game! Philadelphia saw a five-game winning streak go up in flames on the road in Minnesota last night, and the Knicks won a momentum building thriller on the road in OT down in Washington. Like the Knicks in this spot as they have a shot to win this one, so we will take the points here.
Mike Rose
Utah @ BYU u133
Mountain West action heats up tonight when the (15-8) Utah Utes invade Provo to take on heated rival BYU and their gaudy 20-5 SU mark. Utah currently sits 3-games in back of the Cougars for the top spot in the conference with SD State, New Mexico, and UNLV in between. Away from Salt Lake City, the Utes have been very mediocre. They own a 5-5 SU mark, but they’ve made their backers very happy by cashing in 7 of those 10 games ATS. As for the Cougars, they’re a perfect 13-0 SU in the comfy confines of the Marriott Center, but they’ve only managed a 4-4-1 mark ATS in their nine lined games.
We last saw Utah on Saturday afternoon when they struggled to put away an undermanned San Diego State Aztecs club. The 6-point win fell four short of covering the 9-point spread, but the win was their fourth in a row and 5th in their L/6. The Utes have taken part in four Mt. West road games this season and stand at 2-2 SU and ATS. Most recently, they went into Colorado Springs and upended the Air Force Falcons by a 67-59 final count and before that defeated Colorado State by 15-points easily covering the 8-point spread. Their pair of road losses came in overtime to both SD State (whom they just beat) and to New Mexico.
Since getting pasted at UNLV for their only conference loss of the season, BYU has rattled off 8 straight victories and covered the spread in six of those affairs. They’re coming off a huge revenge game that saw them dish out the same type of punishment to UNLV that they received when they paid Sin City a visit back in mid January. The 74-48 win was their moist lopsided conference win of the season, but they’ll have to get right back up tonight to welcome in their most hated rival.
BYU went into SLC and escaped with a 55-52 road win and cover about a month ago, and the win was their 3rd in a row over their instate rivals. Utah is a poor 2-5 ATS the L/7 meetings with BYU, and they’re a very poor 3-8 ATS their L/11 games as a visiting underdog. Total players take note: The Under is 8-2 ATS in the Cougars L/10 against teams playing .600 ball, and 4-1 ATS in the Cougars L/5 games in which they were favored by 7-12.5 points. The Under is also 4-1 ATS the L/5 times the Utes have been installed road pups.
Bob Balfe
NBA Basketball
Bucks +6 over Pistons
College Basketball
Miami FL +6.5 over Duke
Illinois Chicago +5 over Butler
Georgia State +10 over NC Wilmington
Savannah Sports
3 units Virginia Commonwealth -3.5
Gambler's Data
3* VCU -3.5
3* Portland State -2.5
3* Cal State Northridge -8
1* Dallas Stars
Inside Las Vegas Sports
Richmond Spiders + 1 over Charlotte 49ers
West Virginia Mountaineers - 1 over (at) Villanova Wildcats
UAB Blazers - 3.5 over Houston Cougars
Wisconsin Badgers - 1.5 over (at) Illinois Fighting Illini
Drew Gordon
1. 200,000* New Mexico
2. 50,000* Florida Atlantic
3. 50,000* Maryland
4. 50,000* Bucks
1. New Mexico- Lobos are rolling right now, and find themselves in the perfect position to gain ground on UNLV in the MWC standings with a win tonight against a sputtering Air Force squad.
Not only has New Mexico been a great bet in this series, going 7-1 ATS over their last 8 meetings, but the Lobos are playing excellent basketball right now, winners of 4 in a row SUATS! Fact of the matter is New Mexico is not only winning, but crushing their opposition, beating Colorado State and Wyoming by a combined 85 points! Then, they went on to win at San Diego State 73-63 as 1-point road favorites. Followed finally by an easy 20-point home win over Texas Christian Saturday... 4 impressive victories anyway you look at it!
Biggest issue for the Falcons is just keeping up with Lobos surging offense. We saw this in their first meeting, as the Lobos took a quick 32-17 halftime lead and never looked back. This time around, the Lobos are arguablly playing even better basketball, averaging 77 ppg on 50% shooting over their last 5 games! Wondering about Air Force's numbers over that same span - just 55 ppg on 44% shooting.
Match ups are also a big issue for the Falcons, as they have no one who can stick with J.R. Giddens. He had a solid game in their first meeting (15 points, 12 boards), but expect even better numbers tonight, as he's been on fire, averaging 27 ppg and 10 boards over his last 3 contests! While some teams can take advantage of the Lobos lack of size, the Falcons aren't one of them. Like New Mexico, their leading rebounder is also a guard, 6'6 G Henke, but unlike the Lobos, he averages only 4 rebounds per game!
Bottom line, more of the same tonight, as the Lobos are clearly the superior team here. Air Force will try to slow the game down, but the way the Lobos have been shooting (50% from floor 45% from 3-point L5 games) there's little hope of that. It may be slightly closer this time around, but much like their first meeting, New Mexico goes up early and never looks back.
Take New Mexico comfortably over Air Force as your top-rated play of the day.
2. Florida Atlantic- Despite a relatively short trip to the visting Owls, it might as well be an ocean apart, as there's nothing "golden" about the Golden Panthers on the road this season, going 0-9 SU this season. True, their 5-4 ATS on the highway, but that's thanks to some bloated double-digit spreads. With the line being relatively close in this contest, the Panthers road woes remerge tonight.
First and foremost, Florida International forgets how to score the basketball when they travel, averaging a pathetic 58 ppg on 40% away. Guys, we've seen them fail time and again on the road, managing only 50 points at Denver for example! Florida Atlantic's defense isn't great, but they're much better at home, allowing 71 ppg on a respectable 42% shooting. Solid home wins and covers over Arkansas State and New Orleans only stregthen my point.
Second, the Owls remember well their last meeting, where FIU beat them handily 69-58 back on January 5th. Payback is a bitch, and the Panthers are about to find out how bad it can get tonight on the road. Remember guys, the Panthers are a different team in hostile territory, and the Owls will be looking forward to some redemption in this one.
Finally, if you look back at the tape, its clear the Panthers played one of their best game of the season at home against Florida Atlantic, shooting 55% from the floor and the 3-point line! They also were able to limit both Owls leading scorers Monroe and Graham to single digit disappointing efforts... Look for a much more focused effort on both ends of the floor tonight in Boca Raton. Owls protect their house and grab the cash in this one!
Take Florida Atlantic over Florida International in this Sun Belt match up.
3. Maryland- Payback has been common theme throughout Wednesday's card, and in yet another example of a solid revenge oppurtunity, Maryland gets their shot at redemption hosting Virginia Tech tonight.
We all remember their last match up, as the Hokies defeneded their house, beating the Terrapins outright 67-66 in Blacksburg. Now the tables have turned, as Virginia Tech gets a taste of their own medicine tonight in College Park. Just ask Florida State, N.C. State, or Virginia how hard it is to beat Maryland at home, as all three fell by double digits in the Terrapins last 3 home games!
Clearly the biggest difference tonight is the Hokies will not be able to contain the Terrapins offense like they did in Blacksburg, allowing only 66 points on 40% shooting (16% from 3-point). Maryland averages 75 ppg on 47% shooting (37% from 3-point) in College Park, and lately their offense has been even better, led by G Greivis Vasquez and his outstanding play at the point guard position.
Speaking of Vasquez, he's the catalyst of this Terrapins offense, and the fact he had a terrible game in their first meeting (2 of 14 shooting 10 points just 3 assits) only serves to motivate the surging guard in this one.
Finally, the Terrapins defense is what seals the deal, allowing just 64 ppg on 37% shooting at home this season. Virginia Tech managed only 35% shooting AT HOME against this Terrapins defense in their last meeting! What do you think will happen tonight on the road, where Va. Tech averages only 39% shooting this season?! In the end, Maryland has the home court, and enough motivation to blow this Hokies team out of the building... Expect them to play accordingly!
Take Maryland BIG over Virginia Tech in this ACC showdown.
4. Bucks- Everyone seems to think the Pistons are going to blow the Bucks away tonight in Milwaukee, but I'm not convinced. True, Detroit lost badly at home yesterday to Orlando, but playing in the tailend of a back-to-back against a fully rested Bucks squad is not going to be as easy as some believe.
Granted, the Bucks struggled mightily going into the break, losing 7 of their last 8 SU, but several things did stand out. First, they got covers against both New Orleans and at Dallas, two of the West's best teams. And second, while the Bucks have been garbage on the road, they're solid at home, going 13-11 SU and 11-13 ATS. Not great numbers by any means, but much better than most people give them credit for.
Another issue I have with the Pistons is that despite winning games SU, they haven't been very impressive on the road of late against the number, going just 2-7 ATS over their last 9 on the highway! This should immediately tell you the Pistons are overvalued on the road, and that trend continues tonight.
Finally, if you look over their home vs. away stats, the fact of the matter is these two teams aren't that far apart. Milwaukee scores a bit more than Detroit, while the Pistons defense is slightly better. Granted this is by no means a dead-set way of handicapping basketball, but it helps prove my point that the Pistons are far from unbeatable on the road.
Bottom line, everyone will be jumping all over the Pistons tonight, especially with what looks like a favorable line, but don't be fooled! The Bucks are solid at home, and coming off a nice restful weekend, they'll give a "max-effort" tonight in an attempt to start the second half of the season better than their first.
Take the Bucks plus the points over the Pistons in this NBA match up.
Karl Garrett
30 DIMER - WISCONSIN BADGERS
Can't believe how little respect they are giving Wisconsin in this spot, as they are clearly the superior team, and yet this line is so low!
I will take the Badgers to add to Illinois' season of misery tonight in Champaign. The Illini have dropped 6 of their last 8 games, and are just 3-5 against the spread in that span. Illinois is also on an 0-3 series run against Wisconsin, with their lone series cover coming by a half-point earlier this season in Madison.
The Badgers have been a wrecking ball on the road this year where they have covered in 6 of their 9 lined games, while the Illini are just 3-8-1 against the spread at home thus far this year.
I just don't see Illinois having enough to contend for the full 40-minutes tonight, even at home!
Take the Badgers.
10 DIMER - MARQUETTE GOLDEN EAGLES
On the surface this looks like a lot of points to be laying, but is it really? St. John's after a 3-game winning streak has had their doors blown off the last 2 times on court, and #3 is all lined up and ready to cash this evening as Marquette comes in off their huge romp over Pitt on Friday night.
The Eagles have won their last pair of games, and 5 of their last 7 as well, while covering in 3 straight, and 4 of 5. They have also handled the Johnnie's in ALL 3 series meetings since 2003 both straight up, and against the spread.
Tom Crean's team is looking to improve their stock in the Big Dance, and tonight is one of those games you need to flex your muscles and take care of business. Take care of business they do!
Go with Marquette.
10 DIMER - KANSAS STATE WILDCATS
The Wildcats are a very young team, and consistency has been an issue for them this campaign, but it looks like K-State should have no problem tonight in Lincoln as they face a Nebraska team that doesn't have the firepower to stay with the Wildcats for the full session.
The Huskers come into this one having dropped their last pair, and 3 of 4, and they have failed in 8 of their last 10 games against the spread! Included is a 74-59 loss at Manhattan at the start of this month, that drops Nebraska to just 3-6 both straight up, and against the spread in the last 9 series meetings.
Kansas State comes into this one on an 8-2 straight up, and spread run (including that win and cover over Nebraska in early February), and at 18-6 for the season, this is a game they must control from the get-go if they wish to be considered as a serious "contender" come March Madness.
I am laying the points!
10 DIMER - DETROIT PISTONS
It didn't take long for Detroit's 10-game winning streak to go "poof", as Orlando routed them at the Auburn Palace last night. The G-Man expects the Pistons to come out strong tonight, as Milwaukee enjoyed last night off for an extended All Star break, and could be caught as flat as the Pistons were caught last night!
The Bucks are only 1-7 straight up their last 8, and have dropped their last 4, while failing the posted price in their last pair. Milwaukee is also 0 for 5 their last 5 meetings with the Pistons, including 0-2 this year while failing the last 3 against the number.
After getting humbled by nearly 20-points at home last night, expect the Pistons to tigthen the screws tonight, and dump the Bucks.
INDIAN COWBOY
PLAY OF THE DAY: CLEVELAND vs INDIANA
Play: Cleveland/Indiana Over 204 (NBA pod)
Comments: INDIAN COWBOY'S PLAY OF THE DAY: Cleveland/Indiana Over 204 (NBA pod) There is a simple trend, when the Pacers are an "active dog" the games go over. In fact, I actually think the Pacers are likely to win this game, but I will lay off going against a Cavs team that has lost back to back ballgames. The Pacers come off a near 20 point loss to the Pistons, have revenge against the Cavs from an earlier season loss and the line itself indicates that this game is likely to be a close game and the public similar to the Pistons are hovering over the Cavs as the second biggest public favorite play. When the pacers played the Spurs, the magic, Houston and Detroit - all of which were 3-7 point spreads in which they were home underdogs - the games went over 194, 194, 202 and 214.5. I think much the same today as this game is likely to go over as the Cavs will look to be competitive as will the Pacers who will show up in a big way for this game as they return home. The over is 4-0 in the last 4 meetings between these 2 teams and the over is 5-0 when the Cavs face a team with a losing home record.
DETROIT vs MILWAUKEE
Play: MILWAUKEE +6 (NBA)
Comments: INDIAN COWBOY SELECTION: Milwaukee +6 (NBA) No team likes to be embarrassed by 45 points and in particular to be held to 65 points but the Bucks were. This team was truly embarrassed on the road and despite the Pistons losing yesterday to the Magic and looking to bounce-back today, I like the Bucks to show a lot of heart today - just like they did against the Hornets at home - losing, but still covering the 6 point spread. I think similar to that, they will cover the spread today. In short, I like the Bucks on revenge, on a bounce-back from a tough home loss and the public is hounding the Pistons today similar to Davidson to the tune of over 80% and I think that spells disaster for the Pistons cover. The Pistons are 1-6 ATS in their last 7 road games.
LA Lakers vs Phoenix
Play: LA Lakers +3.5
Comments: INDIAN COWBOY SELECTION: LA Lakers +3.5 I respect the Suns and their decision to get Shaq, and frankly, I think he will fit in well with the Suns despite some folks having some doubts. However, despite the Suns acquiring Shaq, I think Gasol is more valuable than Shaq given his play this year and his all around game of being able to score, pass, defend and his ability to get to the line and shoot free throws well. The Lakers have won every game since the coming of Gasol, except for one - on the road against the Hawks which they avenged in their last game with a big win. Now, they face a Suns team they look to also avenge their loss. The Lakers have won 9 of 10 and they were a solid team with Gasol, evidenced by their win on the road at Toronto with revenge, win at Washington, at New Jersey, at Miami, Charlotte and at Minny - all games in which they covered. I frankly think the Lakers are a better team than the Suns given their bench and I think this pushes them over the top today. The Suns will win many games with Shaq, just not today in my opinion, as the Lakers are 7-1-1 as road underdogs and the Lakers are 5-1 ATS in their last 6 games on the road at Phoenix.
Jim Kruger
Wisconsin -2
UNC- Charlotte -1
Portland St -2.5
Brandon Lovell
20* Suns
Kiki Sports
1 unit NO-2.5
2 unit Maryland -8
1 unit Wisconsin
Winning Points Online NBA.
**PREFERRED
Phoenix* over LA Lakers by 12
Rested home team pointing for the high-profile home game meets visitor in second of back-to-back nights. This is what Phoenix does best. Shaq/Gasol is merely the diversion. Lakers PG Derek Fisher is not as his best in up-tempo road affairs. Having Gasol is nice, but they'd still need Bynum to clog the middle against Stoudamire and they don't have him until March. PHOENIX, 114-102.
Greg Price
LA Lakers+3.5
Houston +3.5
ProInfoPlays
10* WV
Da Stick
20* Dallas under
OODS ON SPORTS
NBA
Indiana +2.5
Under 203
New Jersey +4
Over 189
Dallas +3
Over 190
NCAA Hoops
Illinois-Chicago +4.5
Under 131