ARMVIN SPORTS
CBB
NC CHARLOTTE 9.5
Best Bet! TULSA -2.5
NHL
ANAHEIM 124
MINNESOTA 150
NEW JERSEY -130
WASHINGTON 115
Paul Leiner
Dayton/Cleveland State
Prediction: 10* Over 126 Dayton/Clev St
Chip Chirimbes
MINNESOTA TIMBERWOLVES
Tied for the second-worst record in the Western Conference, the Minnesota Timberwolves and Memphis Grizzlies meet Wednesday at the Target Center. At 16-50, Memphis and Minnesota are both one-half game ahead of Seattle for the worst record in the West, but the Timberwolves come in having won four of their last six, including a 99-90 win over the Clippers on Monday. They snapped a three-game home losing streak with their third straight win over Los Angeles. Minnesota shot 50 percent from the field, making at least half of its shots for the third straight game. Al Jefferson had 22 points and 14 rebounds and Ryan Gomes added 19 points.
Al McMordie
Morgan State Bears at Virginia Tech Hokies
Our member selection is on Morgan State plus the points over Virginia Tech. On the surface, this game doesn't look very attractive to bettors, but there is a super situation in this game that warrants our attention. The Hokies come into the contest off a string of seven consecutive pointspread covers. The knee-jerk reaction might be to play on Va Tech here against an over-manned Morgan State squad. But more often than not, knee-jerk reactions are wrong. Consider that, since 1991, teams on a seven-game ATS win streak are a miserable 8-24 ATS in the post-season vs. foes which are NOT off back-to-back wins, including 0-5 when playing on their home court. Look for Morgan State to keep this game close. Take the points.
Play on: Morgan State
BEN BURNS
COLLEGE BASKETBALL
MORGAN STATE
Game: Morgan State vs. Virginia Tech
Prediction: Morgan State Reason: I'm taking the points with MORGAN STATE. While neither team is thrilled to be here, I feel that Morgan State is the 'happier' of the two clubs. The Bears expected to reach the NCAA Tournament but were upset in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference championship by Coppin State. The Hokies, who lost a pair of heartbreakers down the stretch, hoped to receive an at large invitation. It didn't happen and they're feeling 'snubbed' as a result. With that mindset, I expect it to be difficult to bounce back and be expected to beat a team by more than 17 points. The Bears are well coached as Bozeman, the MEAC's coach of the year, led Cal to the NCAAs three times. Good coaching is important when trying to motivate a team in this situation and I expect Bozeman to be able to rally his troops. He was quoted as saying: "I keep encouraging them that there are not a lot of teams that still play, 22 wins is a great season and hopefully we can add to that." NCAA or NIT, the Bears are still in the Division I postseason for the first time in school history, making this a big deal for them. Note that Morgan State is 15-2 its last 17 games and the two losses came by just three combined points. The Bears also played some quality non-conference opponents tough, as they lost by only four at both Connecticut and Miami while losing by eight at Seton Hall. The Hokies are an up and coming team and they've certainly got some talent. However, with coach Greenberg calling the selection committee: "certifiably insane," I expect there to be some distraction, as the deflated players think about "what might have been." Facing a Morgan State squad which has allowed less than 70 points in eight straight games, look for the Hokies to have their hands full, falling to 3-7 ATS the last 10 times that they were listed as home favorites of greater than a dozen points. *NIT Opening RD GOY
NBA
NEW ORLEANS
Game: Houston Rockets vs. New Orleans Hornets
Prediction: New Orleans Hornets Reason: I'm playing on NEW ORLEANS. The Rockets streak finally came to an end last night. When teams are involved in such an extended winning streak like that, they're on a real emotional high the entire time. The longer the streak, the harder they typically "crash" (experience an emotional letdown) after the streak comes to an end. I expect that to be the case here. The Hornets, who beat Chicago by 11 points last time out, lost twice to the Rockets during "the streak." That's worth noting as we find them at 19-11-1 ATS the last 31 times that they faced an opponent which defeated them in the previous meeting. They're also 20-10-1 ATS the last 31 times they were coming off a double-digit victory. The Hornets, who had last night off, rallied from a double-digit deficit to beat the Bulls last time out. Look for them to build off that effort as they earn an important victory over their division rival this evening.
CLEVELAND
Game: Detroit Pistons vs. Cleveland Cavaliers
Prediction: Cleveland Cavaliers Reason: I'm playing on CLEVELAND. The Cavs will have major payback on their minds as the Pistons embarrassed them 109-74 at Detroit back in November. The Cavs are a different team now though and they're playing with a lot more confidence. They're also playing on their homecourt after having had last night off, while catching the Pistons off a game vs. Denver last night. Note that the Cavs are 65-43 SU the past three seasons when facing an opponent which defeated them in the previous meeting and that they're 3-0 SU/ATS the last three series meetings here at Cleveland. Looking back further and we find them at 9-3 ATS the last 12 times these teams met here. Addtionally, note the Lebron left in the second quarter of the earlier game. Despite the November loss, the Cavs are also a profitable 33-19-3 ATS during that stretch when facing a divisional opponent. I expect Lebron and co. to view this as a "statement game" and for them to deliver a huge effort.
INDIANA
Game: Charlotte Bobcats vs. Indiana Pacers
Prediction: Indiana Pacers Reason: I'm laying the points with INDIANA. If it wasn't completely "official" already, the Bobcats should have lost all hope of making the playoffs on Monday. Playing a "must win" game against Memphis, the team which had the fewest wins in the West, the Bobcats were outscored 56-30 in the second half. They're now five games behind eighth-place Atlanta and they've got three other teams in between them. Coach Sam Vincent described the Bobcats as: "out of gas." That's no surprise considering that this evening's game will be their sixth straight on the road. Afterwards, they return home for one game (vs. Miami) before immediately heading out to the West Coast for four games. After returning home from that trip, they'll play a home and home series against the Raptors, sandwiched by a game vs. the Cavs. In other words, they have no hope of making the playoffs. The players know this and I expect it to translate into a poor defensive effort tonight. That should spell trouble against an Indiana team which is still very much alive in the playoff race and which has scored 110 or more points in three of its last four games. The Pacers, who are two games ahead of the Bobcats and who have a signficantly easier remaining schedule, come off a momentum-building double-digit win over the Knicks. Mike Dunleavy scored 36 points and Danny Granger added 26 with 11 rebounds. While Indiana's last six victories have all come by a minimum of seven points, Charlotte's last six losses have all come by a minimum of eight points. Look for the Pacers to put up big points once again, avenging a pair of earlier losses at Charlotte and improving to 19-9 ATS the last 28 times they were listed as home favorites in the -3.5 to -6 range.
OVER pacers/bobcats
Game: Charlotte Bobcats vs. Indiana Pacers
Prediction: over Reason: I'm playing on Indiana and Charlotte to finish OVER the total. If it wasn't completely "official" already, the Bobcats should have lost all hope of making the playoffs on Monday. Playing a "must win" game against Memphis, the team which had the fewest wins in the West, the Bobcats were outscored 56-30 in the second half. They're now five games behind eighth-place Atlanta and they've got three other teams in between them. Coach Sam Vincent described the Bobcats as: "out of gas." That's no surprise considering that this evening's game will be their sixth straight on the road. Afterwards, they return home for one game (vs. Miami) before immediately heading out to the West Coast for four games. After returning home from that trip, they'll play a home and home series against the Raptors, sandwiched by a game vs. the Cavs. In other words, they have no hope of making the playoffs. The players know this and I expect it to translate into a poor defensive effort tonight. They should be better offensively than they have been recently though, as the Pacers allow a whopping 105.7 points per game. The Pacers always like to push the tempo and they'll definitely be looking to do so against a road-weary opponent. The Pacers have seen the OVER go 7-2-1 their last 10 games, scoring 110 or more points in three of their last four. Additionally, they've seen the OVER go 15-7-1 the last 23 times they played a game with an over/under line of 210 or greater, including 8-2 in 10 home games with a total of 210 or greater this season. Meanwhile, we also find the OVER at 4-0 this season when the Bobcats have played a game with an over/under line of 210 or greater. Its also worth noting that the Bobcats have seen the OVER go 37-20-1 (65%) the past three seasons after having lost three or more consecutive games, including an 11-5-1 mark this season. Look for those numbers to improve with defense becoming a forgotten word for the evening. *Blue Chip
SONICS
Game: Phoenix Suns vs. Seattle SuperSonics
Prediction: Seattle SuperSonics Reason: I'm taking the points with SEATTLE. This is a very tough spot for the Suns to be laying this many points. Not only are they coming off a late win at Portland last night but they've got a trio of huge games (Boston, Houston, Detroit) on deck. In other words, it will be easy to look past the lowly Sonics. That will prove costly though as, despite losing SU, the Sonics have played the Suns tough in all three of this season's previous meetings. In fact, each of those games was decided by eight points or less and Seattle was a perfect 3-0 ATS, holding the Suns below their regular scoring average in each game. The Suns were favored by 12 in the lone meeting here at Seattle and they won by 'only' seven. Including that result, the Suns are just 5-11 ATS the last 16 times that they were listed as road favorites in the -9.5 to -12 range, including a 1-6 ATS mark in that role the past three seasons. In addition to the fact that they are playing with "triple revenge," the Sonics should be highly motivated to bounce back from an extremely embarrassing (168-116!) loss at Denver a few nights ago. Note that they're 15-12 ATS on the season when coming off a double-digit loss. Denver's 168 points were the most given up in regulation this millennium and the Sonics are determined to give a much better effort this evening. Coach P.J. Carlesimo: "Once it's over, it's over You don't forget about it, but you don't dwell on it either. We can carry it forward or we can put it behind us. I think we'll put it behind us." Star rookie Kevin Durant agrees that Seattle can and will bounce back: "That was very tough to handle, but we put that behind us. We came in today and had one of our best practices of the year. We practiced very hard, competed all practice. That's something we needed to do to build up for tomorrow against the same type of team. I think we'll be alright." Look for a big effort from Durant and co. as they give the Suns a tougher game than expected once again, improving to 8-1 ATS the last nine series meetings. *Western Conf. Game of the Week
Madduxsports
Utah State +8.5
Mighty Quinn
Illinois State -8.5
RedZone Sports
Washington/Valpo over
ARTUR RALPH
UAB
GAMBLERS DATA
Orlando -7.5
Razor Sharp Sports
NC Char/Nebraska Over
Jim Feist
Sixers
Cappers Access
Dayton
Calif
Totals4u
Hawks/Nets Under
Dave Cokin
Nebraska
Joe Wiz
Atlanta
UC Santa Barbara
TV Hotline
Bradley
Scott Spreitzer
Dayton
Huddle Up Sports
Pacers
Glen Mcgrew
Pistons
Bob Donahue
Hornets
Vegas Steamline
Grizzlies
Matt Fargo
Phoenix Suns vs. Seattle Supersonics
Play: Seattle Supersonics
Seattle was absolutely embarrassed in its last game at Denver as the Nuggets ran up the score in the 52-point loss. Denver put up 107 shots so while simply a good shooting night is the excuse it is giving, the Nuggets clearly rubbed it in. The Sonics wish it was Denver visiting tonight but the Suns will have to do to try and recover from that defeat. Coming off a loss like that is going to motivate any team and on the flip side, the Suns might be coming in a little overconfident after seeing that Denver explosion.
This is not a good spot for the Suns anyway. Phoenix is coming off a win last night at Portland and that game was extremely physical. It was the biggest home loss for the Blazers this season, and Phoenix led by as many as 18 points. After this game, the Suns have games against Houston, Detroit and Boston so getting out of here with just a win is what they are looking for. Overlooking this Sonics team is a danger as well and even though the Suns are playing extremely well, this is the NBA we are talking about.
Phoenix has owned this series as it has won the first three meetings this year but by no means was any of those victories blowouts. Seattle covered all three of those games as the losses came by just seven, eight and four points. Most encouraging is the reports out of Seattle. The Sonics had one of their best practices of the season on Tuesday and that is exactly what you need to hear coming from a young team that cannot get caught up in that Denver loss. Seattle is a respectable 5-6 in its last 11 home games
Seattle falls into a very solid contrarian situation. Play on home underdogs of 10 or more points that are coming off three or more consecutive losses, a team that has won fewer than 25 percent of its games going up against a team with a winning record. This situation is 47-20 ATS (70.1 percent) since 1996. Seattle has covered seven of the last eight in this series while the Suns are a miserable 3-7-1 ATS in their last 11 games as a favorite of 11 points or more. Play Seattle Supersonics 1 Unit
Philly Connection
Charlotte/Nebraska Under
EZ WINNERS
NBA GOY
10 STAR: (636) NEW ORLEANS (-4.5) over Houston
(Risking $1100 to win $1000)
The Rockets 22 game win streak was ended last night by Boston. It will be interesting to see how Houston handles the difficult schedule that they have ahead of them, but I think tonight is a great spot to play heavily against them. The Rockets have been playing with great emotion and feeding off of the home crowd and have did not have a flat spot during their 22 game winning streak. I don't think they were flat in last nights loss, as the game was tied at halftime. They simply ran out of gas and could not handle the inside presence of Boston. I think that flat spot will happen tonight when they travel to New Orleans to play the Hornets. There are several other reasons that I like the Hornets tonight.
1. This is a double revenge game for New Orleans. After winning the first meeting between these two teams this season, the Hornets have dropped two straight meetings including a 20 blowout the last time that they played in New Orleans.
2. The Rockets struggle to score. Houston is not a great offensive team and they have struggled to score points, especially in the second half in their last two games against the Lakers and Celtics. That should continue to happen in this game as the Hornets are a top 5 defensive team and I'm sure they will be focused on a strong defensive effort after allowing the Rockets to score 100 and 106 points in their last two losses to Houston. During their win streak the Rockets shot the lights out from three point land. I don't see that happening tonight with tired legs on the road.
3. This is a back to back game for Houston and their third game in four nights. T-Mac, Rafer, Battier and Scola have all played big minutes recently. This usually leads to a low energy game.
4. Houston is only 2-5 against the spread after a loss by 10 or more points this year and only 1-8 against the spread after scoring 85 points or less in the previous game.
5. I have even ran biorhythms on this game (like I do for pitchers in baseball) and the entire Houston starting 5 is at their lowest physical biorhythm cycle. This means that they are more likely to lack energy and tire faster then usual. Once again, back to back and third game in four nights. Chris Paul, by the way is at the highest possible biorhythm peak. He should have a huge game.
There is also a very strong trend in Hornets games this year. If you can pick that straight up winner of the game you would also pick the spread winner 90% of the time. The point spread has only been a factor in 7 out of the Hornets 67 games this season and in the 45 games that New Orleans has won they have covered the spread in 40 of those games! I don't see the Hornets losing a third straight game to Houston under these conditions tonight, so I'll lay the points here for my NBA GOY!
Josh Dean
300* Tulsa
100* Boston (MLB)
100* Denver
Free Pick: Seattle
Ryan 7* NHL
San Jose -160
Michael Cannon
Wednesday's Plays...
20 Dime –
CHARLOTTE
Take the points with Charlotte tonight when they travel to take on Nebraska in the NIT.
The 49ers have played very well down the stretch, with the exception of the A-10 semifinal loss to Temple. But, I can absolve them for that performance simply because it was an off night for Charlotte and Temple has also been playing well.
I full expect Charlotte to bounce back tonight against a Nebraska team that’s lost three of its last five contests.
Charlotte has a solid backcourt combination of Leemire Goldwire and Lamont Mack, who were both hot from the floor in the five games prior to the Temple loss.
Nebraska should win this game, but I don’t expect them to blow a 49ers team out that has covered 13 of its last 15 overall games.
Take the points with Charlotte as they stay within the number.
10 Dime –
CLEVELAND STATE
Take the points with Cleveland State when they take on Dayton tonight.
The Vikings have been overachieving all season long, and there’s no reason to think that won’t continue tonight. They were hanging close in the Horizon League title game against Butler until Cedric Jackson went down with an ankle injury.
Jackson should be good to go for tonight and that will help Cleveland State hang close again tonight.
Dayton has been playing good defense lately, but they still aren’t the same team without Chris Wright, who’s been out since January with a broken ankle.
Cleveland State is 7-1 ATS in its last eight games, while Dayton is just 5-11 ATS in its last 16 overall.
Take the points with Cleveland State as they stay within the number tonight.
5 Dime –
VIRGINIA COMMONWEALTH
Take Vcu minus the points tonight when they host Uab.
The Blazers might be a bit disappointed playing tonight when in fact it looked like they were going to be going to the NCAA’s.
But they were destroyed in their regular-season finale against Memphis and then were upset against Tulsa in the first round of the C-USA tournament.
Now they have to travel to take on an equally dismayed Vcu bunch who were ignored by the selection committee even though they won the Colonial regular-season title.
The Rams have a dynamic backcourt combination of Eric Maynor and Jamal Shuler, who should be able to dictate the tempo and pace.
Vcu is 21-10-1 ATS in its last 32 games overall.
Lay the points as the Rams grab the win and cover.
TULSA
Lay the small number with Tulsa tonight when they host Miami (Oh).
Tulsa gets a nice reward in this NIT invite after its second consecutive 20-win season.
The Golden Hurricane have a great inside-outside combination of guard Ben Uzoh and center Jerome Jordan which should make the difference in this game.
Miami could be emotionally spent after a few weeks that included a MAC tournament semifinal loss to eventual champ Kent State.
Tulsa is 10-2 ATS in its last 12 games overall.
Take Tulsa as they grab the win and cover over Miami.
VALPARAISO
Take the points with Valpo tonight when they travel to take on Washington in the CBI.
The Crusaders had a strong finishing kick, winning six straight before falling to Cleveland State in the Horizon League semifinals.
There’s no reason to think they can’t stay close against an erratic Washington team that failed to get consistent performances from anyone other than Jon Brockman, who missed their first round Pac-10 tournament loss to Cal after suffering a sprained ankle in a March 8 loss at Washington State.
Brockman should be able to go tonight, but if he isn’t at full strength the Huskies will struggle just to win let alone cover tonight.
Washington is just 2-6 ATS in its last eight home games, while Valpo has covered two of its last three.
Take Valpo as the road dog as they stay within the number tonight.
GAMBLERS WORLD
TIP OF THE DAY
Sport: NBA Basketball Game: 7:00PM, Miami Heat vs. Toronto Raptors
Prediction: Toronto Raptors
Current Line: -16.5 Over/Under: 201
Reason: The Miami Heat and the Toronto Raptors will both be gunning for a victory on Wednesday when they meet at Air Canada Centre. Oddsmakers currently have the Raptors listed as 16.5-point favorites versus the Heat, while the game's total is sitting at 201. The Heat roared back with 42 points in the fourth quarter on Tuesday, as they defeated the Bucks 112-106. The Heat won the game as 9.5-point underdogs, while the 218 points made it OVER the posted total of 202. Jason Williams led the way with 21 points and 10 assists, while Chris Quinn added 17 off the bench. The Raptors fell 96-79 to the Jazz last time out, as 14-point underdogs on the road. The combined score fell UNDER the posted total of 213. Jose Calderon shot 6-for-12 from the field with 16 points and seven assists for the Raptors. Current streak: Toronto has lost 5 straight games. Team records: Miami: 12-54 SU, 24-41-1 ATS Toronto: 34-33 SU, 35-32 ATS Miami most recently: When playing on Wednesday are 6-4 Before playing Washington are 3-7 After playing Milwaukee are 6-4 After a win are 1-9 Toronto most recently: When playing on Wednesday are 4-6 Before playing Cleveland are 5-5 After playing Utah are 4-6 After a loss are 4-6 A few trends to consider: The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Miami's last 5 games when playing Toronto Miami is 6-2 SU in its last 8 games when playing on the road against Toronto Miami is 14-6 SU in its last 20 games when playing Toronto Miami is 1-8 SU in its last 9 games The total has gone OVER in 6 of Toronto's last 7 games at home Toronto is 4-1 ATS in its last 5 games when playing Miami The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Toronto's last 5 games when playing Miami Toronto is 5-2 SU in its last 7 games at home
EZ WINNERS
NCAA
1 STAR: (648) VIRGINIA COMMONWEALTH (-5.5) over Alabama-Birmingham
(Risking $110 to win $100)
1 STAR: (650) MISSISSIPPI (-12.5) over Cal Santa Barbara
(Risking $110 to win $100)
1 STAR: (669) MIAMI-OHIO (+4) over Tulsa
(Risking $110 to win $100)
1 STAR: (671) UTAH (+1.5) over Utep
(Risking $110 to win $100)
1 STAR: (654) NEBRASKA (-9.5) over NC Charlotte
(Risking $110 to win $100)
Wolkosky Milan
10* DETROIT -1
10* MEMPHIS +7½
10* NEW ORLEANS -4½