Harry Bondi
EASTERN MICHIGAN (+2.5) over Miami,Ohio
Five turnovers buried Eastern Michigan last week against Central Michigan and cost them a bowl bid, but there has been no quit in the Eagles all year and we expect them to bounce back big and take out Miami, Ohio tonight. Redhawks have been very inconsistent this season while Eastern has been in every game and are an amazing 11-0 ATS on the road their last 11. Eagles Outright.
Tommy Brunson
Stick with the series trends tonight that say to play Eastern Michigan and Miami-Ohio Under the posted total.
This series has seen each of the last 4 showdowns land Under the total, and the Eagles do come into this meeting having played 4 straight Unders in their last 4 games after having allowed 40 points or more to be scored against them.
Miami-Ohio has played 3 of their last 4 games overall Under the total, while the Under is also 5-1 the Redhawks last 6 home games contested.
Going to look for a defensive battle between these 2 MAC teams on Wednesday night.
In the Birds of Prey Battle, play the Eagles and Redhawks Under.
1* EASTERN MICHIGAN-MIAMI UNDER
Jack Brayman
I am genuinely confused about this line, as there is no way Western Michigan should be getting this much from Northern Illinois.
Not when the Broncos have the No. 2 scoring offense, to counter Northern Illinois' top-ranked scoring D.
The Huskies have the best defense in the league, but that doesn't mean Western Michigan isn't a formidable opponent. Not in the West Division.
Toledo is tied with Northern Illinois, both at 5-1 in league play. But Central Michigan is a half-game behind at 5-2 and Western Michigan is one game back at 4-2. An upset win tonight moves the Broncos into a tie for second place with CMU and No. Illinois, and the tiebreaker over the Huskies. CMU beat WMU on Nov. 1, so the Broncos have work to do.
That's why tonight is a must-win.
And the intangible to look at when deciphering whether or not to side with the better offense or better defense, is always special teams. And Western Michigan gets the nod.
I'll take the big points tonight with my free play.
1* WMU
Joey Juice
One of the keys to this game is that UCSB guard Marcus Jackson, who missed the opener with a hip injury, should play tonight. He is a 1,000-point scorer in his career and we'll obviously help this team score buckets.
Meanwhile, Pittsburgh has started five different freshmen in the first two games so far. Cal Santa Barbara always does well against losers, they are 15-5-1 ATS in its last 21 against opponents with winning percentages under .400. They are even better when those games happened on the road, UCSB is 7-2 ATS in its last nine on the road against opponents with losing home records.
The numbers for the Panthers are quite different. Pittsburgh is 0-7 ATS in their last seven overall, and 20-44-2 ATS in their last 68 at home. To make matters worse, they don't play well against winning teams either, 0-6 ATS in their last six against winning opponents. They also tend to lose in bunches, especially against the spread, Pitt is 0-5 ATS in their last five following a loss.
Take the points with UCSB.
4* CAL SANTA BARBARA
Eric Schroeder
My free play for tonight is on the Cleveland Cavaliers, laying a short number in Charlotte to the Hornets.
So a couple of things stand out for me, including an intangible involving the Golden State Warriors and Boston Celtics. I'll get to that in a moment.
But first of all, Cleveland has dominated the Hornets over the past three seasons, winning six straight and 10 of 11. And with so many questions continuing to swirl around the Cavaliers and whether or not they're even a formidable challenge in the Eastern Conference right now, this is a good spot for LeBron James to remind everyone.
After all, the King does sport a 39-6 career record in games against the Hornets, whether he was playing for the Cavaliers or the Miami Heat.
After ekeing out a 104-101 victory over the New York Knicks on Monday night, the Cavaliers can earn their third victory during a four-game road trip.
As for the Warriors and Celtics, well Golden State coach Steve Kerr said: "It sure looks like Boston is the team of the future in the East."
Motivation time for King James.
3* CAVALIERS
Chris Jordan
Another free NHL winner last night, with the Minnesota Wild getting it done over the Philadelphia Flyers. Tonight I'm sending you to Anaheim, where I like the Ducks and Boston Bruins to stay Under the posted number.
The headline appeared to be perfect: "Banged-up Bruins, dinged Ducks..."
That summarizes two normally competitive teams, suffering through a rough first couple of months of the season. But one thing these teams haven't lacked is the type of physicality coaches like to see.
Tonight, I'm banking on that physical play from the defensive side of the ice from both teams, and this one to stay low.
The Ducks come in after Sunday's tough 2-1 loss to the offensive Tampa Bay Lightning. That is an accomplishment in its own, considering the Lightning lead the league with nearly 4 goals per game. Anaheim goaltender John Gibson, who had 35 saves Sunday, has played solid over the first quarter of the season
Anaheim - which has stayed under in five of seven against Atlantic Division foes - allows 2.8 goals per game, while the Bruins - who are on a 4-1 under run against the Pacific Division - let in 3.1 goals, so they're both aware of how tough it will be to score tonight.
Play this one low.
1* Ducks/Bruins Under
Brandon Lee
Pistons vs. Bucks
Play: Bucks -4
Milwaukee is worth a look here as a short home favorite in Wednesday's division showdown against the Pistons. I believe we are getting great value here with the Bucks because of how well the Pistons have been playing. Detroit has one of the NBA's best records at 10-3 and have won 5 straight, but a big reason for the strong start is they have only played 5 road games. Their 5-game winning streak has also all come at home, as this will be the Pistons first road game in November.
The Bucks were already a good team, but the addition of Eric Bledsoe has taken them to another level and they are a perfect 3-0 SU and 3-0 ATS since he's been inserted into the starting lineup. It's also worth noting that this is a bit of revenge spot for Milwaukee, who lost at Detroit back on 11/3.
Chip Chirimbes
Kings vs. Hawks
Play:Kings +4½
These two clubs are a combined 5-22 on the season and it is a good thing that they get to play each other to pad at least one team's winning record. Atlanta is 0-4 at hone while the Kings are 1-7 on the road. Clashing trends have Sacramento 3-13 ATS in the last 16 meetings but the Hawks are a different team now and are just 2-9 ATS against losing teams.
John Martin
Raptors vs. Pelicans
Play: Pelicans -2½
The New Orleans Pelicans have quietly gone 5-1 SU & 5-1 ATS in their last six games overall. Now they are only laying 2.5 points at home to the Toronto Raptors, who are in a difficult situation here. The Raptors will be playing the 2nd of a back-to-back and their 3rd game in 4 days. They played two of the better teams in the NBA in Boston and Houston and now won't have a whole lot left for the Pelicans tonight. This is a revenge game for New Orleans after falling 118-122 in Toronto on November 9th less than a week ago.
Teddy Davis
76ers vs. Lakers
Play: Lakers +3
There is value here with the Lakers tonight catching points. I just dont think they should be underdogs here tonight. Lakers return home from a 4 game road trip. Their losses were against the Wizards, Celtics and Bucks all 3 of those teams are top teams in the Eastern Conference. I also like the fact that the 76ers last time out beat the Clippers, but the Clippers team is very banged up right now. I do like this Sixers team going forward just not this spot.
Scott Rickenbach
Rangers vs. Blackhawks
Play: Under 6
After an insane 7-5 home loss to New Jersey Sunday, Chicago will be ready to go in their own zone tonight. The under is 5-0 this season when the Blackhawks are off of a game where they allowed 4 or more goals. Also, Chicago's last 89 home games that have had a posted total of 6 goals or more have seen only 25 overs! That means only 28% of those games have gone over the total. As for the Rangers, this is the 4th time this season that they've entered a game on an over streak of 3 or more overs. NONE of the first 4 occurrences have resulted in an over and I don't expect this one too either. This is a big total consider the Blackhawks are totally focused on cleaning things up in their own end and getting a big game between the pipes too. Also, New York has allowed just 2.4 goals in their last 5 games.
Mark Franco
Kings vs. Hawks
Play:Hawks -4½
The Sacramento Kings have struggled offensively through their first 13 games, but the NBA’s second-lowest scoring offense travels to Atlanta on Wednesday to face a Hawks team that is allowing points in bunches. The Hawks are surrendering 110.4 points per game – fifth-worst in the league – and had a streak of seven games with 110-plus points allowed snapped in a 106-105 loss Monday at New Orleans, but the Kings have been just as bad on offense, scoring only 94.6 points per contest.
Not surprisingly, the two teams have combined to win just five games through the season’s first four weeks, Sacramento falling Monday 110-92 at Washington in failing to score 100 points for the ninth time in 13 games despite a 32-point first quarter.
Sacramento has lost three games by 27 points, and five of its road losses have come by 15-plus points.
Forward Tyler Cavanaugh impressed against New Orleans’ imposing frontcourt Monday, scoring a career-high 16 points (4-for-4 from 3-point range) with six rebounds. Dennis Schroder, Atlanta’s leading scorer at 19.8 points per game, has scored just 18 in his past two games on 7-of-34 shooting from the field. The Hawks rank fifth in the NBA in free-throw shooting (80.4 percent) and have made at least 70 percent of their attempts in all 14 games.
Kings G Vince Carter missed his third consecutive game Monday with a kidney stone.
Kings are 2-8-1 ATS in their last 11 games overall and are 0-6-1 ATS in their last 7 road games. Hawks are 7-3 ATS in their last 10 home games. Kings are 3-13 ATS in the last 16 meetings in Atlanta.
Dave Price
Magic vs. Blazers
Play: Blazers -5
The Orlando Magic are in the midst of a tough 4-game road trip and may not have much gas left in the tank. They are coming off an 18-point loss to the Nuggets and a 10-point loss to the Warriors, who were playing without Steph Curry. I like fading teams coming off Golden State because they don't usually get up for their next game like they do against the Warriors. The Blazers are coming off an impressive 17-point win over the Nuggets. Orlando is 2-11 ATS after covering 3 of its last 4 against the spread over the past 2 seasons. Portland is 14-3 ATS off a combined score of 185 or less over the last 3 years. The Magic are 16-37-1 ATS in their last 54 games following an ATS win. The Blazers are 6-0-1 ATS in their last 7 games following a win by more than 10 points.
SPORTS WAGERS
Boston +105 over ANAHEIM
The Bruins do not have a lot of appeal right now, as the injury bug has bit them hard with Brad Marchand being the latest casualty. However, there are many things to like about Boston. For one, they’ve made a commitment to youth and these young players on its roster bring with them a contagious enthusiasm. They are also talented. One such example among other is Charlie McAvoy, who makes nothing but smart decisions out there. Patrice Bergeron is still one of the best centers in the game. Boston has outstanding under the hood numbers on the defensive end but what this market sees is a banged up squad that has dropped the straight and six of its last eight games. What the under the hood numbers see is a correction to the good forthcoming. Boston outshot Toronto, 39-25 last game and lost. They B’s have out-Corsied nine (!) straight opponents. Had they been using Anton Khudobin instead of the struggling Tuukka Rask, we might be discussing a pretty good B’s run right now. Nevertheless, the Bruins are undervalued because of poor recent results and once again that provides us with an opportunity.
The Ducks recent results aren’t much better than Boston’s but Anaheim has more market appeal because they’ve been so good for so long. However, the Ducks come into this one amidst some adversity of their own. Anaheim continues to get constantly outplayed, which has led to seven losses in its past nine games. The Ducks are also banged up with several key players on the rack like Ryan Getzlaf, Ryan Kesler, Cam Fowler, Andrej Kase, and Patrick Eaves among others. The simple fact of the matter is that both teams have big deficits they need to fill with depth players. It really will come down to the secondary players or the depth to decide which team will dictate play. Thus far, the numbers suggest that Boston is better equipped to take it to the Ducks than the other way around. Randy Carlyle has never liked playing rookies while Boston’s rookies have been well-prepped all year. As long as John Gibson doesn’t steal one here, we absolutely like our chances of cashing this ticket.
Pass NCAAF & NCAAB
Will Rogers
Brigham Young vs. Princeton
Pick: Brigham Young +4.5
The set-up: The BYU Cougars opened the year with a 91-61 rout of Mississippi Valley State, leading by 20 at the half and were never challenged to rest of the way. The Cougars will be on the road here, venturing cross-country to Jadwin Gymnasium to take on the defending Ivy Champs, the Princeton Tigers. Princeton opened with an 85-75 defeat at the Butler Bulldogs. The Tigers trailed by 10 at the break and traded baskets the rest of the way with their defense unable to get stops. The Bulldogs connected at 54.4% and owned a 28-18 margin on the glass. These schools met for the first time last season,with the Cougars winning 82-73 at home.
BYU: The Cougars will surely miss center Mika, who averaged 20.3 & 9., as well as guard Nick Emery (13.1), who has left school regarding improper payments. However, guards Haws (13.8 ) and Bryant (11.7) are back, as is the 6-8 Childs (9.3 & 8.2). Bryant was the star in the team's opener, scoring 27 points, while Haws had 14 and Childs chipped in 13 & 10.
Princeton: The Tigers will miss small forwards Cook (13.6 & 5.1) and Weisz (10.6-5.4-4.2). Cannady (13.4) is the leading returning starter and he had 12 points vs. Butler. However, guards Bell (22) and Stephens (21) led the way against the Bulldogs, who were just too tough for Princeton. Looking at the boxscore, it's evident that Princeton needs some secondary scoring options and help on the boards.
The pick. I'm not convinced a change in venue from Provo to Princeton will change the result from last season's meeting.