Sam Martin
New York Knicks at Orlando Magic
Prediction: Orlando Magic
It took a while, but Orlando is finally starting to gel after their major roster overhaul, and not only have they won four straight games but they have big wins over San Antonio and Boston - games they won by a combined 30 points. New York has crashed back to Earth after their long winning streak, and come into this game losers of four of their last six overall, and they can't have confidence after losing to the league's elite teams recently. Orlando jumps out to an early lead and never looks back!
SPORTS WAGERS
TENNESSEE –1.01 over North Carolina
The first thing to note here is the venue, which essentially makes this a home game for the Vols. The next thing to note is the incredibly tough schedule that Tennessee played and those tough opponents they faced paid off for them down the stretch when they won its final four games all by double digits in very impressive fashion. Tennessee played Oregon, Florida and LSU, Georgia Alabama and South Carolina in six of the first eight games of the year. Not only did they benefit from playing those top programs but they were able to hold their own too. They finished the year ranked 60th in the nation in points allowed and 37th in passing yards. The Vols carry huge momentum into this Bowl game while the Tar Heels do not. This has been a tough year for North Carolina because of suspensions to key players and high expectations that were never met. Still, they had some very tough opponents too in LSU, Va. Tech and Florida St but they labored down the stretch, narrowly beating Duke by five in the regular season finale. The Tar Heels will also be without two of their most important players in Bruce Pelic and Bruce Carter and if momentum and determination count for anything then the Vols are in great shape here. Big crowd in favor of the Orange doesn’t hurt either. Play Tennessee –1.01 (Risking 2.02 units to win 2).
New York +7½ over ORLANDO
Everything has gone perfect for the Magic since “the trade” and that has caused somewhat of an overreaction in the number for this one. The adjustment factor has not set in yet but with easy wins over Cleveland and New Jersey in its last two after beating the Spurs and the C’s, this one reeks of trouble. Offensively, the Magic has gone off like fireworks in three of their last four games and that, too, has caused an inflated number. You can be sure that there’s going to be an adjustment period any time now in which the Magic will struggle for a few games. Enter the Knicks, the most improved team in the NBA by far (we exclude Miami for obvious reasons). The Knicks have six guys that can light it up and go off for 235 or more. Raymond Felton is striving away from Larry Brown and even Landry Fields is on the verge of being an impact player if he already isn’t. Three of the Knicks last four losses have come against Miami twice and Boston once. They beat the tough Bulls on Christmas day and smoked the Thunder the game prior to that. The Knicks are not only very capable of keeping this one close but winning it outright. Play: New York +7½ (Risking 2.14 units to win 2).
Columbus +1.09 over TORONTO
The Leafs are very close to turning this thing around and could be a team to watch over the next few weeks. Toronto has lost four of its last five but deserved a much better fate in three of those four losses against Carolina, Atlanta and Vancouver, in which they clearly were not outplayed in any of them. However, as long as Francois Beauchemin and Carl Gunnarsson keep logging big minutes on defense the whole team will suffer because both are not NHL caliber. Surprisingly the Leafs had a lot of energy in their last game on Tuesday against the Canes after spending nearly three days trying to get out of New Jersey. It didn’t take a toll on the team but the hangover from that is very likely to rear its ugly head for this one. Expect the Leafs to be flat, therefore giving the Jackets a great opportunity to win. Columbus has been better on the road all year and although they’re laboring they got a much-needed win over the Wild in its last game. The Blue Jackets also have at least five regulars from the Toronto area including Rick Nash so you know they’ll be jacked to play here. The Maple Leafs are on our radar as a very undervalued squad and we’re going to get some nice prices on them in the near future but this is a difficult spot for them due to that aforementioned hangover. Play: Columbus +1.09 (Risking 2 units).
Boston –1.01 over ATLANTA
The Bruins rarely lose to the Thrashers and in fact, have beaten them in 11 of 12 meetings over the past three years. In addition, the Bruins own one of the best road records in the league with an 11-5-1 record while the Thrashers have just one win in its last five home games and that lone win came against the Devils. The B’s have also won the first two games of its current five-game road, they’ve won four of their last five and they’re feeling it right now. By contrast, Atlanta has lost four straight and have allowed 17 goals over that stretch. Ondrej Pavelec will start for the fourth consecutive game and he just might be feeling a little fatigued and not as confident. Pavelec gave up a career-high six goals Tuesday while making 30 saves. He has a 4.31 GAA during a personal three-game skid and is 1-2-1 against the Bruins with a 4.44 GAA in six career meetings. Hot vs cold gets the call. Play: Boston –1.01 (Risking 2.02 units to win 2).
Bryan Leonard'
Central Michigan at UNLV
Play: UNLV
Tough travel spot for the Chippewas who fly from Mount Pleasant to Las Vegas during the holidays. After a four game homestand in which they lost outright to Wright State, Detroit and South Dakota State what do you think will have the players attention tonight, the glitz and glamour of Las Vegas right before New Years Eve or a basketball game in which they have very little chance to win? This is the only game for the Chippewas in an 18 day span so it's very likely that they will take in the festivities in sin city.
UNLV is off a road win at Kansas State but the Wildcats played without their two best players who were suspended. With this being the final tuneup before conference action we expect the Runnin' Rebels to be fully focused. The last three games played at home they were less than impressive in beating Boise State by 3, losing to Santa Barbara and beating a weak Southern Utah team by 22. The Rebels need a statement game before league action starts and the Chippewas will be the unwanted victims.
EZWINNERS
New York Knicks +7
New York is a combined 0-4 against Boston and Miami this season and they will be looking for a breakthrough victory against an Eastern Conference powerhouse. The Magic have won four straight games with their remade roster, but I think this is too much of a margin to ask the Magic to win by. Amare Stoudamire is having a huge year for the Knicks and Stoudemire went 11-1 in his career against Orlando with Phoenix and has posted four straight double-doubles versus the Magic, averaging 23.3 points and 12.0 rebounds. I expect him to have another big game as the Knicks keep it close in a battle of two teams that shoot the most three pointers in the league. The Knicks are 14-3 against the spread in their last seventeen games as a road underdog. Take the points.
Wunderdog Sports
Kansas State vs. Syracuse
Play: Kansas State +1
Syracuse used to be a Bowl mainstay but the program had recently done a belly-flop. Now the Orangemen appear to be heading back into a relevant program. The Cuse used a #5 ranked defense to supply most of their wins this season as their offense struggled all season, most notably down the stretch. The Cuse offense has been pathetic as they managed 14 or less points in five of their 12 games. Their offense is ranked #106 in the nation. Over the last two games they tallied a grand total of 13 points, and over the last three, just 26. That is under 9 points per game, so no matter how good the defense is, they are very likely to struggle here. Not many teams make it to a Bowl game scoring 7 or less in their previous two games, and the ones that have cover the pointspread just 30% of the time. Kansas State has a big weapon in Daniel Thomas who rushed for just shy of 1,500 yards on the season (9th in the nation). The Wildcats have gone 12-5 ATS in the game following a 200+ rushing yards performance. They are also 5-1 ATS after scoring 40+ in their last game. My computer matchup likes Kansas State to win here and I agree. Play the Wildcats.
Carolina Sports
Kansas State vs. Syracuse
Play: Under 48
Cuse struggles on offense and has a solid defense all season. Look for KState to not be sharp with all this time off. The situation favors both defenses in this on and with Cuse having struggles all year on offense, this look like a game that will easily go under. Our projected final is Cuse 23-17.
Jack Jones
Iowa State +2
Iowa State is one of the most underrated teams in the country this season. The Cyclones have opened the season with an 11-2 record. Their only losses came at Northern Iowa by 6 points and vs. California by a mere 3 points. I expect them to roll over Virginia tonight, a team that has several bad losses on their resume already. Virginia's 4 losses have come against Stanford by 21, Washington by 43, Wichita State by 12 and Seattle by 6. They just lost to Seattle at home their last time out by a 53-59 final score. Iowa State is scoring 79.5 PPG and allowing 59.8 PPG this season while outscoring opponents by 19.7 PPG.
ISU has a ton of balance which makes them hard to stop. All 5 starters for Iowa State average 9.8 PPG or more. Diante Garrett is scoring 17.2 PPG and Scott Christopherson is putting up 15.2 PPG to lead the way. Melvin Ejim is averaging 13.1 PPG and 6.8 RPG while shooting over 60% from the field. Darion Anderson is averaging 11.8 PPG while leading the team in rebounding at 8.5 RPG from the guard position. The Cyclones are 6-1 ATS in their last 7 road games. ISU is 10-3-1 ATS in their last 14 games overall. Virginia is 0-7 ATS after scoring 25 points or less in the first half last game over the last 2 seasons.
Dave Price
1 Unit on Old Dominion +8.5
This Old Dominion team, which returns four starters from a squad that upset Notre Dame in the opening round of the NCAA tournament, is not getting the respect it deserves tonight, especially when you consider that it played Mizzou to a 5-point game a season ago. The Monarchs are 4-1 ATS in their last 5 games as a road underdog of 7.0-12.5 points. Expect them to take Mizzou right down to the wire tonight. Take the points.
Tony George
Nebraska -13
This line dropped. So be it. A TON of Services on Washington to cover the number as these two teams meet for the second time this season, with the mighhty Huskers in good form headed in here. They hung over 50 on the Huskies in Seattle earlier this year and ran over over them in a total whitewash. Of course the whole world thinks QB Jake Locker will redeem himself after completing 4 passes in game 1, but NU has torn up good QBs all year.
Nebraska wants this win, there is plenty of motivation and unlike the last 3 games of the season, QB Martinez is 100 percent and that spells trouble for Washington. NU pulls away late in this one, too much running game and now a duel threat QB fast as lightning and healthy. Nebraska beat Arizona in this very same Bowl Game last year 33-0 and I expect another good defensive showing from NU and some serious frustration taken out on an outmanned Washington team who lost to every good team they played this year. Nothing has changed.
Black Widow
1* on Portland Trail Blazers +1
Portland remains one of the best home teams in the league. They have passionate fans out west, and this team tends to respond at home because of it. The Blazers are 10-3 SU & 8-5 ATS in 13 home games this year, scoring 98.4 points/game and allowing 91.8 points/game while outscoring foes by 6.6 points/game. Portland is 34-20 ATS (+12.0 Units) after having lost 2 of their last 3 games over the last 3 seasons. The Blazers are 70-44 ATS (+21.6 Units) as a home underdog of 6 points or less since 1996. The Jazz are 1-6 ATS in their last 7 games following a S.U. win. Utah is 3-7-1 ATS in their last 11 games as a favorite of 0.5-4.5. Portland is 37-18 ATS in their last 55 games as a home underdog. Take the Blazers and the points.
Info Plays
3* Tennessee +1
Reasons why Tennessee will cover:
1) This is a completely different Tennessee team than the one that started the season 2-6, as freshman Tyler Bray has stepped in at quarterback and really turned things around, winning all four of his starts after replacing Matt Simms.
2) North Carolina really had some high expectations coming into this season, but with all the suspensions on the defensive side of the ball they were never able to live up to their expectations, and I think they are going to struggle to come in motivated to win this game. The Tar Heels finished the season just 1-5 ATS in their last 6 games overall.
3) The Volunteers are also finished the season playing extremely well on the defensive side of the ball, and figure to be ready for the Tar Heels passing attack, as Tennessee is 22-7 ATS in road games vs. good passing teams with a completion pct. of 58% or better. since 1992.
Karl Garrett
Kansas State vs. SYRACUSE (P) - at Bronx, N.Y.
Afternoon comp play winner on Syracuse in the innaugural Pinstripe Bowl over Kansas State.
For one thing, expect the Orange to have a few more fans in the seats at Yankee Stadium, and for another I prefer the 'Cuse stop unit to that of the sieve-like defense of the Wildcats.
2nd year coach Doug Marrone has Syracuse in their first bowl since the 2001 season, and the Orangemen did cover 5 of their 7 road games this year.
Kansas State certainly has the more versed offense, but I am not so sure they can exploit this stout Orange defense which has allowed an average of just 18 points per game, and only 3.6 yards per carry on the ground.
Points could be hard to come by in this contest, and while I am not willing to make this a paid play on Karl Garrett sports, the G-Man realizes that someone has to win, and it might as well be the Orangemen.
In this pick'em spot, G-Man goes with the 'Cuse!
4♦ SYRACUSE
Bobby Maxwell
North Carolina vs. Tennessee (+1), at Nashville
For my comp selection, after an ugly 2-6 start to the season, Tennessee has come on strong down the stretch and won four straight to close out the regular season. Now the Vols are practically at home for the Music City Bowl in Nashville and will have a large following in this one. Look for them to play a very good game on defense and win this one outright.
Over the last four games, Tennessee gave up 14 points or less in all four. They scored road wins at Vanderbilt and Memphis and home wins over Kentucky and Mississippi, cashing in each of their last five games, including a close loss in South Carolina.
Vols’ QB Tyler Bray grew up a lot this season and became the top freshman passer in Tennessee history, surpassing the numbers put up by Peyton Manning. He threw for a career-best 354 yards against Kentucky in the season finale and finished with 14 TDs and just 7 INTs after taking over for Matt Simms.
Key to this game is the Tennessee secondary. The Vols have intercepted 17 passes this season, good for ninth in the country, but they do allow 266.5 yards passing per game. It’s seems like it’s all or nothing for these guys and they will have to pressure North Carolina QB T.J. Yates into a mistake as he’s had 79 pass attempts without an INT.
North Carolina finished just 1-5 ATS while the Vols come in on ATS runs of 5-0 overall, 6-0-1 as an underdog of up to three points and 4-0 after a spread-cover. I love the fact the game is in Tennessee’s back yard. Go ahead and play Tennessee in this one as the Vols are coming to finish off a great second half to the season.
4♦ TENNESSEE
Michael Cannon
Washington (+14) vs. Nebraska, at San Diego, CA
Take the points with Washington in tonight’s Holiday Bowl over Nebraska.
The Cornhuskers can’t be happy with this bowl game. They had the Big 12 championship and a BCS bowl invitation in their hands, and then dropped it.
Nebraska blew a 17-0 lead to Oklahoma and instead of playing in a BCS bowl in its last year in the Big 12, the Cornhuskers have to come here to face an opponent they waxed in September.
On the other sidelines, Washington is happy to be here. They started the year 3-6 SU and it was looking like quarterback Jake Locker made a big mistake in returning for his senior season, but the Huskies went on a late run and grabbed the Pac 10’s last bowl slot.
Big 12 bowl chalks of six or more points are 0-6 ATS against the Pac-10, while Washington is a solid 7-2 SUATS in bowl games off a SU and ATS win.
Teams that played in the same bowl the previous season are also a money burning 3-12 ATS when playing off a loss in their last regular season game.
Take the points with Washington for the cover.
3♦ WASHINGTON
Chris Jordan
Washington vs. Nebraska at San Diego
The only thing remotely close to these two, is that there is a city named Washington in the state of Nebraska. Other than that, the Cornhuskers completely outclass this football team.
There's a reason this line is so big, and it's because the Huskies have underachieved, despite having a preseason-Heisman candidate in Jake Locker. He underachieved too, and make note, these two met back in September, so the Huskers' defense will know what to expect and how to defend against him.
Nebraska - which won this exact same bowl last year, defeating Arizona, 33-0 - is going to be able establish the tempo and dominate on both sides of the ball, the same way it did on Sept. 18 on Washington's home field in Seattle, in a 56-21 rout.
The Huskers rushed for 383 yards, and will have no trouble establish their run game early once again, to control the tempo and manage the clock. And the longer their offense is on the field, the more rested the defense will be to hamper Locker.
Now, here's where we get tricky, with all that I've said: I want you playing Nebraska in the first half of this football game. I think the Huskers could end up getting flat in the second half, and might be ripe for a backdoor cover. See, there were bigger hopes this season, and to have to rematch U-Dub in the same bowl they played in last year, well, I don't know how long the excitement will stick around.
Nebraska generally comes out like gangbusters, outscoring foes 99-30 in the first quarter; conversely, the Huskies are usually outscored in the first 15 minutes 81-48. If that trend continues, you're going to see Nebraska roll to a big enough halftime lead that should cover the 7' points.
3♦ NEBRASKA FIRST HALF
Bobby Maxwell
New York at ORLANDO (-7')
For my comp selection, the new-look Magic shoot for their fifth straight win as they welcome in the Knicks for the first time this season. Orlando has looked very good lately and it seems the new pieces of the puzzle in the Magic lineup are starting to fit very well. I’ll lay the points with Orlando in this one.
The Magic swept a quick two-game trip to New Jersey and Cleveland, finishing with the 110-95 win at Cleveland on Tuesday, cashing as 7 ½-point favorites. What’s going on is Orlando is starting to hit from the outside and it’s making the inside game for Dwight Howard much easier.
Newly acquired Gilbert Arenas finished with 22 points and 11 assists and newcomer Jason Richardson added 20 points.
Orlando dominated the Knicks last season, winning all three matchups by double digits. The Magic shot 54 percent from the floor in those games and they made 38 three-point shots in the three games. Orlando has won six of the last seven against New York and the Magic are 13-6 ATS in the last 19 matchups, including 7-3 ATS in the last 10 in Orlando.
As long as the Magic can hit enough three-point shots to open up the middle, they are going to be tough to beat. The Knicks don’t play much defense anyway, so let’s go ahead and lay the points with Orlando. Play the Magic here tonight.
2♦ ORLANDO
Scott Delaney
Pepperdine at MIAMI, FLA (-18)
A post-Christmas jaunt to the South, for the Pepperdine Waves, might end upo doing some good once West Coast Conference action begins, but for the here and now, it's not doing their morale any good.
Not in my eyes anyway.
After getting thumped by Alabama, 83-60, on Tuesday in Tuscaloosa, more of the same should be on tap tonight against a physical Miami team that won last year's matchup in Malibu, Calif., by 23 points, 86-63.
This game closes out the year for the Hurricanes, so a blowout win is only fitting on their home court, with a balanced effort from the starting trio of Durand Scott (13.4 points per game), Malcolm Grant (15.4) and Reggie Johnson (12.1).
Pepperdine, unfortunately, doesn't have the thoroughbreds Miami has, and banks on one person to do everything - that's junior guard Keion Bell, who is averaging 21.4 points per game.
That won't cut it against a team that boasts plenty of motivation, having won eight of its last nine games.
The Hurricanes went 3-0 over three days in the Las Vegas Holiday Hoops Classic at South Point Arena last week, knocking off Oral Roberts, 69-56; Rice, 73-67; and Akron, 69-61.
Now, I know we're dealing with an awfully dangerous lookahead situation, as the 'Canes have Duke on deck this Sunday, but Pepperdine is decent enough name that I don't believe Miami is going to look past it. I think, instead, it'll want to put on a show for the home crowd, one night shy of New Year's Eve.
Lay the chalk.
2♦ MIAMI, FLORIDA
Chris Jordan
Temple (+6) at VILLANOVA
A Philadelphia rivalry, and quite frankly, the best of the Big 5 college basketball showdowns in my opinion.
The Owls have impressed me enough to believe they're worth a shot with the six points against Jay Wright's boys, who have been dormant for eight days and in their last two games beat up on Delaware and Monmouth-New Jersey, by an average final of 77-47.5.
Sorry, but no way is Temple an inferior team of 30 points, and no way do the Owls let up on the rusty Wildcats tonight.
Temple has been off the same amount of time, but after waltzing through some game Mid-American teams - and remember the Owls are still rivals in that conference, as they play in the MAC in football - the Owls were busy beating up on Maryland and Georgetown.
Temple has a good team, and if the Wildcats are already thinking about Big East Conference play, which opens up on Jan. 2, they're staring down the barrel of an upset loss outright.
I'm not ready to make that prediction, but I'm thinking the Owls keep this within a bucket or two.
Yes, the 'Cats are ranked 8th, and the Owls are 25th in one and receiving votes in another, but Temple is 9-2 SU and 8-3 ATS, while 'Nova is 3-4-1 ATS to go along with its 10-1 straight-up mark.
The betting trends continue to side with me as well, as Temple is on winning streaks of 4-0 versus the Big East, 5-1 in non-conference play, 4-1 after a straight-up win, 10-3 after an ATS win and 5-2 overall.
On the other hand, the 'Cats are mired in ATS slides of 3-11 after a straight-up win, 2-7 against winning teams, 1-4 in non-conference action and 2-11 on Thursdays.
Take the points in this one, as Temple keeps it close.
3♦ TEMPLE
Chuck O'Brien
Temple (+6) at VILLANOVA
Now for Thursday’s first of two complimentary selections in college basketball, take the points with Temple against Big Five rival Villanova.
Indeed, this is a revenge spot for Villanova – the Wildcats lost 75-65 as a three-point road favorite at Temple last year, ending a seven-game winning streak in this series (6-0-1 ATS). Still, this pointspread is too high for a rivalry contest, especially since I don’t believe much separates these two squads. Temple comes in at 9-2 (8-3 ATS), including impressive back-to-back, three-point wins over Georgetown and Maryland. The Owls’ only two losses were on neutral courts against Cal and Texas A&M by seven and three points, respectively.
Villanova is 10-1 but just 3-4-1 ATS, and when you examine the Wildcats’ schedule to this point you see one quality team in Tennessee (and the Vols handed Villanova their only loss, a 78-68 drubbing) and one big-name team that’s average at best this year (UCLA). The Wildcats’ other victims: Bucknell, Marist, Boston University, Lafayette, Delaware, Monmouth-New Jersey and the three other Big Five rivals (St. Joe’s, Penn and LaSalle).
When you concentrate just on those latter three games, you see two decent wins over St. Joe’s (71-60) and Penn (65-53), one narrow victory (84-81 at LaSalle) and three non-covers (all as a healthy favorite). Those three contests are part of Villanova’s ongoing 1-4 ATS slump.
Furthermore, Villanova has failed to cover in four of its last five against Atlantic-10 teams, seven of nine against winning opponents, 10 of 14 following a SU victory and 11 of 13 on Thursday. On the flip side, Temple is on ATS runs of 35-16-1 overall (5-1 in the last six), 44-20-2 against teams with a winning record, 5-2 on the road, 8-3-1 on Thursdays and 4-0 versus the Big East. And the Owls’ wins over Georgetown and Maryland both came in the role of underdog.
4♦ TEMPLE
Joel Tyson
Temple (+6) at VILLANOVA
Big 5 meeting tonight in Philly, and I am taking the Owls plus the points against their cross-city rival Villanova.
Temple stopped a 4-game straight up and against the spread losing streak in this series their last time out, and the Owls appear primed to make it 2 straight their way with the solid effort tonight.
The Owls bring a 6 game winning streak into tonight's game, and they have gone 4-2 against the spread in their lined away games thus far this year.
Jay Wright's Wildcats are on a 5 game winning streak of their own, but they have only been able to cover 1 of their last 6 lined games this season.
Things got very close for the 'Cats against another in-city rival, La Salle the other week for 'Nova, and I think things will be very close once again tonight for the Top-10 ranked Wildcats tonight.
Take Temple plus the points to cover this number.
1♦ TEMPLE
Craig Davis
Temple (+6) at VILLANOVA
Today's free play is on the Temple Owls in college basketball, plus the points.
Two key points and a few key trends help me with this selection today.
First off, who has Villanova played this year? Seriously... look at that schedule. Tennessee? UCLA? Yeah, that's about it... and I wouldn't even call those two teams great competition. Tennessee has lost some UGLY games against bad teams since beating 'Nova back in early December. They are not nearly as good as we thought they were.
The Vols beat a horrible UT-Martin team last night by a mere six points... and they were lucky to get that. Yeah, this is the same UT-Martin team that lost to Ohio State Monday, 100-40.
UCLA is more of a "name school" than a good program this year and will struggle to compete with Washington or the Arizona schools for the Pac 10 title.
So, again I ask, who has Villanova really played? Should they be favored at home against Temple? Yeah, probably. But not by 7... and I can see this number going up to 8 by later in the day. I would suggest holding off your wager on this game until probably an hour before tip off, just in case it does go up.
Temple is still feeling good about itself after their 68-65 win over then 8th-ranked Georgetown. They won that game like they win most of them... defense.
Temple's defense is the reason they seem to be in every game they play, and since the Wildcats don't really know anything about defense, I'm sure Temple will be glad to teach them a few things.
Juan Fernandez is a flat-out thief, contributing 17 steals so far this year, including four in Temple's last game alone. Temple is allowing a mere 58 PPG against a better schedule than Villanova has played, and I have no doubts the Wildcats won't intimidate Temple here today.
Take the Owls plus the points as your free play of the day.
3♦ TEMPLE
Michael Cannon
TCU (+6') at TULSA
Take the points with Tcu tonight on the road over Tulsa.
The Horned Frogs are no pushovers this year. The addition of Virginia Tech transfer Hank Thorns and juco transfers Sammy Yeager and J. D. Cadot has added a ton of athleticism to this team that they didn’t have in years past.
Tulsa hasn’t fared well as a home chalk recently, going 7-13 ATS in the last season plus, including 1-2 ATS this year.
The Golden Hurricane defense is ranked last in Conference USA, so Tcu should be able to keep this one close.
Take the points with Tcu for the cover.
3♦ TCU
Stephen Nover
Old Dominion (+8) at MISSOURI
I'll take this many points with a strong Old Dominion squad on the verge of breaking into the top 25.
The Monarchs are 9-2, extremely well-coached and play strong defense giving up 60.5 points per game. They nearly upset Missouri last year forcing 24 turnovers in a 66-61 loss at the South Padre Island Invitational.
Old Dominion is 4-1 ATS versus teams with a winning mark and in its last five non-conference matchups.
Missouri has won 55 straight non-league games at home. The Tigers, though, are 2-5 ATS the past seven times they've met a foe with a winning mark.
The Tigers also are vulnerable to Old Dominion's strong defense as they've had a cluster problem at point guard. They already are on their third starting point guard. Old Dominion can frustrate Missouri, which likes to play up-tempo.
The Monarchs aren't going to be intimidated playing at Missouri. They are road and battled-tested under Blaine Taylor upsetting Notre Dame in the first round of the NCAA Tournament last year.
2♦ OLD DOMINION
Jimmy Boyd
1 Unit on Utah Jazz -1
Utah is 7-3 SU and ATS versus Portland the last 3 seasons, and I expect it to continue its dominance in the series tonight as it draws extra motivation from a home loss to the Blazers on Dec. 27. The Jazz just played last night, but they have been sensational in the second game of back-to-backs, going 6-2 this season. And here's the icing on the cake: Utah is a perfect 10-0 ATS when playing their 2nd road game in 2 days over the last 2 seasons, winning in this situation by an average score of 102.1 to 94.5. Portland has been a solid home team in recent years, but the Jazz have won 3 straight at the Rose Garden. Lay the points with Utah tonight.