Northcoast
Marquee - Boise St Over
Rocky Sheridan
5* Boise/Idaho Over 63
5*Indiana Pacers -3
5* Northwestern Wildcats -9
KELSO
50 Units Atlanta -3
10 Units UNLV -22
5 Units Central Michigan -5
5 Units Boise State 34.5
3 Units Buffalo -3
3 Units Old Dominion pk
Power Play Wins
Idaho +34.5
O.C. Dooley
3 Units Atlanta Hawks -3
This is a “message” game for Atlanta who are making their initial ESPN national appearance this evening, one day removed from the Atlanta’s NFL representative winning a nationally televised thriller. The Falcons certainly are getting much more national attention even though the Hawks got a brand new season (6-0) off to a sensational start. Not much was expected from the Hawks who not only made very little personnel changes in the offseason, this is the same squad that essentially “quit” on their head coach during last year’s playoffs where they were swept by a combined 99-point count in the second-round. Even though the Hawks got off to a 6-0 start this campaign, it was against a “soft” schedule and now they are on an 0-3 skid after facing three opponents (Suns, Magic, Bucks) who made the postseason a year ago. Most of the wagering interest for this game surrounds the visitor as Utah has had games already this week on NBA-TV and ESPN. Back on Tuesday the Jazz came from 22-point down to upset mighty Miami on the road, and they also recovered from an 18-point road deficit Wednesday as they upset Orlando. To put this in proper perspective Utah has just become the first team in the shot-clock era which began in 1954 to win 3 consecutive games after trailing by “double digits” at halftime. In those three contests Utah in both the second-half and overtime sessions ended up outscoring the opposition by a whopping 59-point margin. Considering that the Jazz also defeated a very talented Oklahoma City contingent as a 7-point road underdog, one has to wonder why Atlanta is even favored this evening, much less by a 3+ point margin. One of the reasons why they are the favorite is that one year ago Atlanta SWEPT the season series against Utah which was a rare event. I have found out that the Hawks depleted roster may get a boost this evening as a pair of small forwards who have been sitting out with injury (Marvin Williams, Mo Evans) could return to the court after practicing yesterday. The Hawks already have a healthy Al Horford who is #2 in the league in field-goal percentage (66.3) while Josh Smith is #2 in blocked shots (3.2) per contest. For those who were with me Monday Night in a “5 UNIT” Best Bet COVER with the Hawks, I talked in-depth about new head coach Larry Drew who certainly paid his dues spending 18 long years as an assistant coach, with the most recent 6 in Atlanta. This is the same Larry Drew who in his playing days was on a Lakers roster that featured the likes of Magic Johnson, James Worthy and Byron Scott. The Hawks are coming off an ugly home loss against an underdog opponent (Milwaukee) they actually eliminated in last year’s playoffs. We have seen an interesting wagering pattern involving Atlanta who has actually ALTERNATED “spread” wins-and-losses in SEVEN consecutive outings, and following that pattern the Hawks will COVER the spread this evening on ESPN
2 Units Buffalo -3
We actually have a pair of strange scenarios involving the city of Buffalo this weekend as the winless NFL Bills have actually been cast as a field-goal favorite. This is the same line in college football this evening for the Buffalo Bulls who are in the midst of a horrible 1-7 skid where they have been outscored by an average of 24 points per contest. One has to wonder why Buffalo is being asked to lay so many points especially since the offense is averaging a mere 15-points per contest. From a pure wagering standpoint Buffalo is the “healthier” side tonight as they have NO players listed on the latest injury report, which is not the case for Ball State who have both an offensive tight end and defensive linebacker cast as “doubtful” to play. Buffalo certainly is facing a beatable foe this evening as Ball State has horrible national rankings in both passing (#114) and total offense (#110). On the other side of the football Ball State has permitted at least 30 points on the scoreboard FIVE times in the past six outings. Buffalo has been a financial disaster this season (2-7 ATS) but one of the “spread triumphs” came in a near pick-em spot where the oddsmakers felt they actually had a chance to win on the scoreboard. Buffalo’s other spread victory came way back in week-one against a Division I-AA opponent. Entering last week Buffalo was actually ranked in the national “Top-30” in pass defense. Part of that pass defense is Davante Shannon who has just set a school-record (238) for career “solo” tackles. Last week Buffalo defensive end Steven Means (8 tackles, 1 interception, 1 fumble recovery) put up some very impressive statistics. Here is a 71-PERCENT SYSTEM (37-15 past five years) which plays ON teams like Buffalo after scoring “17 or less” points in three consecutive outings, against an opponent who put at least 37 points on the scoreboard in the prior game. That system goes “against” Ball State who won in Double-OT a week ago against one of the worst (Akron) offensive teams in the country, and “favors” Buffalo’s college football squad
ATS Lock Club
3 Units Boise St
6 Units C Michigan
4 Units Fla. Atlantic
3 Units UCLA
The Boss
1000% godfather Boise St
700% round table Ball St and Over, Over Boise St
Wayne Root
Billionaire - Atlanta
Millionaire - Seton Hall
Passing Football
Lenny Del Genio
Brown +2
How in the world does Fordham, who went 2-26 SU last season, find itself in the favorite role? They didn't win a single A-10 game last season and must deal with the transfer of G Jio Fontan, who left for the greener pastures of USC. 1st year HC Tom Pecora prefers a three-guard lineup (as his mentor Villanova HC Wright did), but the problem here is that he has only one good guard. Up front, the two incumbent starters are likely to replaced by a pair of Pecora's own recruits, so expect rotation issues. Brown, meanwhile, is the darkhorse in the Ivy League this season. Senior F Sullivan (12.3 PPG) is an all-conference type. This is a young but talented group with as many as three sophomore starters. Listen to this systems. Home teams that shot the ball 39% or worse from the floor last season (that's Fordham, we're taking here) are just 4-22 ATS in openers the past five years. Brown is our CBB Oddsmaker Mismatch.