Scott Rickenbach
NCAAB Game 1* (regular play) Alabama Crimson Tide (+) @ Lousiana State
University My reputation is as a contrarian handicapper and I certainly won't be with the public money in this one. Who is going to want Alabama and their winless SEC road record? Well, let's just say that I know I am in the minority on this one but, you know what, that's just fine by me. That's because, through the years, being a contrarian handicapper has served me quite well and I expect it do so once again in this nice spot on Wednesday. The key here is what most bettors will key in on here in terms of recent wins and losses compared to what I will key in on in this spot.
While many will see a strong, recent run for Louisiana State University it should be noted that some favorable scheduling had a lot to do with that. Certainly LSU deserves some credit and definitely Alabama does not at all fit the mold of a 'road warrior'. However, the Tigers just don't match-up all that well with the Crimson Tide. The Tide already proved this out when they beat the Tigers in Alabama earlier this season. Also, the Crimson Tide do come in very hungry in this game. They just lost a tough three point game on the road and an officiating mistake at the end of the game made Coach Gottfried and his players feel like their chance to win was simply taken away by the officials' error.
The Tide desperately want to get into the win column on the SEC road and this extra motivation at this time of year should be considered when capping a game. In this case, the Tide also catch the Tigers at a good time. LSU is coming off of a game where they rallied from being down double digits to get the win. Now, look for the Tigers to possibly relax a bit. The psychology of sports can play a huge role in the outcome and we foresee a natural 'let-up' coming for the Tigers in this one. LSU knows that it's 'just' Alabama coming to town for this game and the Tigers are certainly aware that the Crimson Tide are winless on the road this season. In their minds, they've already circled a win on their calendar for this game...and you know what that generally means...this one has 'upset' written all over it. We expect to be in the minority here, but that is precisely the way we see this game playing out. The Tigers have not shot the ball well in their last five games and the Crimson Tide are capable of putting up big points on the scoreboard and they will do so again here.
Play Alabama plus the points as a regular selection.
Tom Freese
Game: Wyoming at BYU
Prediction: BYU
Reason: BYU is 37-19 ATS as double digit favorites and they are 25-13 ATS their last 38 home games. The Cougars are 21-10 ATS their last 31 Conference games and they are 7-1 ATS off winning ATS in two of their last three games. Wyoming is 19-38 ATS away off a home win and they are 15-30 ATS off two or more straight wins. The Cowboys are 1-8 Straight Up and 2-7 ATS their last 9 games at Provo. PLAY ON BYU
WINNERS EDGE
NBA
Toronto Raptors + 2.5 , 2 units
NJ Nets / Memphis Grizzlies under 201.5 , 2 units
CBB
Virginia + 5.5 , 2 units
Georgia +2.5 , 1 unit
Michael Cannon
Take Florida as the home dog tonight when they host Tennessee.
The Gators are not quite locked into the Big Dance, so expect them to come out supremely motivated in front of their home crowd.
Florida will be out to avenge their 22-point blowout loss at Knoxville back in February. They have worked extensively on shutting down the oppositions perimeter game during a recent six-day layoff, and they went out and held Georgia and Mississippi State to 9 of 35 shotting from beyond the arc.
Tennessee has won only four conference road games by a total of just 16 points, and only one of those wins came against an NCAA tournament caliber team.
Take the points with Florida tonight as they stay within the number at home.
4* FLORIDA
Karl Garrett
Great value tonight in Amherst with the visiting La Salle Explorers. The G-Man is not sure if you are aware, but La Salle is a phenomenal 11-0-1 against the spread on the road this season. Overall, the Explorers sport a money-making 29-10-2 road spread mark their last 41. It is obvious this team from Philly likes life on the highway!
I will take the points here, as this line is a tad inflated with the Minutemen on a 4-game win and cover tear. UMass also drilled La Salle the last time these schools met, 102-63 in February of 2007. Problem is, UMass is just 2-6-1 against the spread their last 9 at home, and are an overall 4-7-1 against the line this year at the Mullins Center.
Great chance for the Explorers to keep this one close, and stay inside of the number. At 11-0-1 versus the spread on the highway this year, I will roll the dice with La Salle to cover.
3* LA SALLE
Sports Gambling Hotline
Very tricky spot for the Blue Devils this Wednesday night, as their much bally-hooed showdown with North Carolina is up next this Saturday night at Cameron Indoor.
With that fact in mind, we will side with the host and the points. Virginia has been playing a much better brand of basketball after their near-upset of North Carolina back on February 12th, as the Cavs have now covered 5 in a row, and have been able to win outright in 3 of their last 4.
Duke has failed the number in their last pair of games, and the Blue Devils are just 1-5-1 against the spread their last 7 games, all as the favorite.
In this series, Virginia did win outright in overtime the last time Duke paid a visit to Charlottesville. The Cavaliers have gone 5-1-1 against the spread the last 7 clashes.
Play on the Wahoos plus the number.
2* VIRGINIA
JIM FEIST
After playing the Lakers Tuesday, it's going to seem like night and day against the lifeless Clippers, riding a 6-game skid. Sacramento has star power with Ron Artest and Kevin Martin, who combined for 61 points in Sunday's come-from-behind win over Miami. Also, PG Ben Udrih is more secure in his role since regaining his starting position after Mike Bibby was traded to Atlanta. Udrih's play over the last three games has been impressive, scoring 23 points Sunday and 25 against Dallas and Atlanta. The Clippers are 11-21 SU, 13-19 ATS at home. The Kings add to LA's lost season. Play the Kings!
Bobby Maxwell
Tennessee is fighting for the outright SEC championship and can assure itself at least a tie with a win over the Gators today. Florida is playing for a chance to defend its NCAA Tournament title as this squad is directly on the bubble and assured of nothing.
The Vols have dominated this series lately, winning 7 of the last 10 SU and ATS including a 104-82 blowout home win back on Feb. 5 as 9 1/2-point favorites. Tennessee has taken two of the last three in Florida (2-1 ATS).
Tennessee has been busy, beating top-ranked Memphis, falling to Vanderbilt and then edging rival Kentucky on Sunday 63-60. Now the Vols go to Florida to maybe put the finishing touches on the defending champs.
The Gators are just 3-5 (2-6 ATS) in their last eight overall and lost at home to Mississippi State 68-59 on Saturday as 3 1/2-point favorites. This team hasn't cashed a ticket at home since Jan. 27 when they routed Vanderbilt 86-64 as 5 1/2-point favorites.
Let's go ahead and lay the small chalk on the road with the Vols. They have the experience to get this one by 10.
3* TENNESSEE
How about this rematch tonight? Anyone remember the 116-110 5OT game these two played back on Jan. 23? Baylor won that one on the Aggies' home court as nine-point underdogs and this one isn't going 25 extra minutes as the Bears take care of business in regulation.
Baylor is 8-1 ATS in the last nine meetings with Texas A&M and the Bears come into this one having won three straight and having gotten the cash in four straight. Baylor beat Missouri 100-89 at home on Saturday as five-point favorites and they are 12-3 on the home court this season.
The Bears had a rough stretch in the Big 12 schedule but looks to have snapped out of it with that big win back on Feb. 23 over Kansas State, 92-86 as one-point 'dogs.
Texas A&M comes into this one having lost four of its last five including a terrible 64-37 road loss at Oklahoma on Saturday as one-point 'dogs. It's no surprise that offense is where this team struggles and it's where Baylor excels.
Play the Bears to win this one by 10.
4* BAYLOR
Alex Smart
Milwaukee Bucks
BIG AL
Florida Gators +3
Big Al McMordie
SMU
RAZOR SHARP
VILLANOVA -9.5
HAWKEYE
UTAH & MINNESOTA UNDER 203
PLATINUM PLAYS
VANDERBILT - 4'
MIKE WYNN
Tulane -3.5
NEVADA SHARPSHOOTER
WISCONSIN -18.5
TRACE ADAMS
Kentucky Wildcats
BEN BURNS
COLLEGE BASKETBALL
SOUTH CAROLINA
Game: Kentucky vs. South Carolina
Prediction: South Carolina Reason: I'm laying the small number with SOUTH CAROLINA. Headed nowhwere in the postseason and with a coach that is retiring, alot of people thought that the Gamecocks no longer cared. They showed that wasn't the case last time out though, as they rallied from a 12-point first-half deficit for a 69-63 victory at Auburn, proving that they weren't just content to "play out the string." Their final game comes at Tennessee, where nobody wins, so this is by far their best chance to earn a final victory for Coach Dave Odom and is their last chance to do so in front of the home fans. I expect the the Gamecocks to rally around Odom and build momentum from the comeback win at Auburn. Note that South Carolina is 11-6 ATS when coming off a win over a conference opponent the past three seasons. During that stretch the Gamecocks are also an impressive 12-1 ATS when playing in the month of March. South Carolina played Kentucky fairly tough when the teams met earlier at Lexington. The Gamecocks lost 78-70 at Lexington. The Wildcats shot 51% from the floor and got 22 points and nine rebound from Patrick Patterson. They're not likely to shoot so well away from home though and they won't have Patterson available as he's out from injury. I also believe that this is an extremely difficult spot for the Wildcats. In addition to having a huge "revenge" game on deck vs. Florida in their home and regular season finale, the Wildcats are also coming off a very hard fought loss at Tennessee and figure to "have left a lot on the floor." Look for the loss of Patterson to catch up with them here as the revenge-minded Gamecocks earn the win and cover. *Personal Favorite
SETON HALL
Game: Syracuse vs. Seton Hall
Prediction: Seton Hall Reason: I'm taking the points with SETON HALL. After a tough loss at St. John's, the Pirates still need a win (or a loss by St. John's) to make the Big East Tournament. They host a bad Rutgers team next, so that shoudn't be a problem. However, they still haven't given up the (rather far-fetched) idea that they have a shot at the Big Dance. In order to achieve that goal, they need to win both these regular season games and then make some major noise in the Conference Tournament. In fact, they'd probably still need to win the tournament, or at least advance to the finals, to have a shot. I'm not saying that's going to happen. However, it does provide the Pirates with plenty of motivation here. Syracuse is in the much the same position. In fact, the Orange have an identical conference record, are fighting to "stay on the bubble" and they're also coming off a rather devastating loss. I feel that they're more "deflated" about their position in the standings than the Pirates though. The Pirates' primary goal at the beginning of the season was just to make the Big East Tournament. Syracuse, on the other hand, always has fairly lofty expectations. Those expectations grew bigger when the team won six in a row over Christmas. The Orange have come crashing back to earth recently though, losing five of six, including each of their three road losses. That includes a double-digit loss vs. South Florida, a team which isn't nearly as good as Seton Hall. The most recent loss, vs. rival Pittsburgh, was arguably the worst of the bunch. The Orange turned the ball over 18 times against the Panthers, and made numberous mental mistakes while blowing an 11 point lead in the final four minutes. The Orange are a young team, one which is both banged-up and tired. They're just 2-7 ATS on the season when facing a team which averages 77 or more points per game, 6-15 ATS in that role the past three seasons. Today, they'll face a Seton Hall team which averages 78 on the season and 83.5 here at home. Look for the Pirates, who are 11-4 at home on the year, to do the better job of shaking off the recent loss, earning the minor upset along the way. *False Favorite GOM
ATS Consultants
Newsletter Plays
Preferred Plays
Detroit over Boston Celtics 90-88
Kentucky over S. Carolina 78-71
Oklahoma State over Oklahoma 77-65
Over Anaheim/Chicago
Cappers Access
Virginia
Seton Hall
Baylor
GAMBLERS WORLD
Buffalo Sabres
Cajun-Sports
Game:Tennessee Volunteers vs. Florida Gators
Rating: TWO-Star
Selection: FLORIDA GATORS +3
Analysis: We head down to Florida for what will likely be one hell of a game in Gainesville tonight. A month ago this Vols team put the worst loss on the Gators this season and scored more points on the Gators than any conference team since the 80’s. Florida is not locked into the Big Dance and would love nothing better than helping themselves by getting a little revenge on this Tennessee team. The Gator’s have been working on their three point defensive schemes and that work has paid recent dividends as evidenced in the games against Georgia and Mississippi State where they were held to a combined 9 of 35 from behind the arc. The Vols hit 13 of 29 treys in their first meeting but duplication of that feat will be next to impossible here. We are getting a highly motivated Gator squad against a Vols team that has only won four games on the SEC road by a combined 16 points and only one of those wins was versus a quality opponent. We also know the Gators are 8-1 SU in their last home game of the season and the Vols are 2-8 ATS as SEC road chalk. Florida is 13-3 ATS off a SU loss and going under in their last game when playing at home. Tennessee qualifies in a few negative technical situations, first we know that teams off two ATS losses and are now installed as division road favorites are 43-69 ATS. Teams off a SU win and ATS loss facing a division foe as an away favorite are 42-64-1 ATS. Teams that are off an ATS loss at home and now installed as a division road favorite are 64-109-2 ATS and if they are a 3 to 6.5 point favorite that records drops to 25-49-1 ATS. Take the points here as the Gators get their revenge with a possible straight up win over the Vols tonight.
2-Minute Warning
Vanderbilt
Rocco Spacamuro
500* Virginia +5.5
Lock of the Day
TENN-3
Florida does not match up well with Tennessee! Tennessee smoked Florida last month by 22 points. Florida lost AT HOME just four days ago to Mississippi State. The week before Florida lost AT HOME to LSU. They also lost to Arkansas last month by 19 points. The Gators are having big problems shooting the basketball. Tennessee scores whenever they want! Tennessee scored 104 points vs. Florida in their first meeting. Florida cannot keep up with this hot Tennessee team!
Tennessee is a LOCK!
Wunderdog MLB
Cincinnati at Boston
Pick: Cincinnati +141
The Red Sox will give Lester the ball to start, and he will be followed by Lopez and then Delcarmen. The Reds will give the ball to top-pitching prospect Homer Bailey who will be out to impress, followed by Volquez, and Ramirez. The Red Sox have only scored nine runs in their last three games and aren't exactly knocking the cover off the ball. The Reds meanwhile, have been producing runs every day to the tune of 41 over their last six or nearly seven per game. Like the Reds in this one.
Minnesota at New York Yankees
Pick: Minnesota +162
This is kind of ridiculous odds for a spring-training game, and their is certainly no value on the Yankees here. This is the product of the Yankees pitching being perfect for five innings yesterday and the hype surrounding Ian Kennedy making his first spring start. He will face Kevin Slowey. The Twins have plated 22 runs in last three, while the Yanks have plated just four in last two. Value resides with the Twins here.
Chicago White Sox at Colorado
Pick: Chicago White Sox +116
White Sox areon a torrid spring pace producing 44 runs in their last five games for almost nine a game. They send Mark Buehrle to the hill, followed by Scott Linebrink. Colorado sends Franklin Morales followed by Jason Hirsh. Like the hot bats of the White Sox right now and with two frontline pitchers slated, the Sox could hold down the Rox here.
Locksmith Sports
1 Unit on Indiana Pacers +10.5
Houston's long win streak has caused the books to do something ridiculous here - put the Rockets in the double digit chalk role without Yao Ming. A 3-day layoff will stop some of Houston's momentum. Indiana has blown the doors off each of its last two opponents and I like the Pacers to keep pace with the Rockets in this one. Indiana is 5-0 ATS versus Houston the last 3 seasons and 8-2 ATS in the last 10 meetings in Houston. Houston is only 12-23 ATS in home games versus good offensive teams - scoring 99+ points/game over the last 2 seasons. The Pacers are 19-9 ATS when playing with 2 days rest over the last 2 seasons. I like a rested Pacers team to take it to the Rockets tonight as Houston looks ahead to its upcoming date with Dallas tomorrow.
Bob Akmens CBB Totals
3* UL Monroe/Middle Tennessee State under 137.0
3* Wyoming/BYU over 140.5
NHL
3* Washington/Buffalo over 6.0 -120
Jeff Alexander Sports
1 Unit on Florida +3
You're about to see just how talented this young Florida team is and just how good of a motivator Billy Donovan is tonight. The Gators are 15-3 at home this season and they are coming off a home loss to Mississippi State, putting them in a bounce back spot here. Tennessee has lost back-to-back games against the spread as Vandy beat them on the road and Kentucky really challenged them at home. Florida will look back to the butt kicking that Tennessee gave them in early February for motivation. The Vols are just 2-9 ATS as a road favorite or pick over the last 2 seasons and 2-12 ATS in road games after 1 or more consecutive unders over the last 2 seasons. The Gators are 14-4 ATS when the line is +3 to -3 over the last 3 seasons and 14-5 ATS in March games over the last 3 seasons. Take Florida at home.