Street Rosenthal
*200 Bowling Green +1
*200 Nebraska -3
*200 Cleveland Cavaliers -6
*300 New York Knicks -3
Trey Scott
*200 North Carolina -25
*200 UAB +3
*200 Nebraska/Arizona OVER 40.5
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All 2 Units
Bowling Green -1
Nebraska -3
Maryland -11.5
St Bonaventure -9
Massachusetts +8
Toronto Raptors -5.5
Utah Jazz -7
THE BOOOOJ
25 Units on Bowling Green (+1) over Idaho
10 Units on Arizona (+2.5) over Nebraska
10 Units on Sacramento (-2) over Philadelphia
DR BOB
**Nebraska (-1) 21 Arizona 13
Nebraska is the best defensive team in the nation and they should be able to win this game on the strength of that unit. The Cornhuskers defense played pretty well the first couple of games, but that unit really became a dominant one with LB Phillip Dillard starting playing in week 3. Dillard wasn't even starting until later in the year, but he led the team in tackles per game and had 11 tackles for loss. With Dillard contributing along with the nation's top defensive player Ndamukong Suh (23 tackles for loss and 11 passes defended as a defensive tackle!), Jared Crick (9.5 sacks and 15 total TFL), and Barry Turner (16 TFL) the Huskers simply dominated. In those last 11 games the Huskers yielded just 3.9 yards per play to teams that would combine to average 5.7 yppl against an average defensive team.
Arizona's spread attack is very similar to the one that Texas Tech employs and people will cite the 31 points that the Red Raiders scored against Nebraska back in October. However, Texas Tech only gained 259 total yards at a modest 4.5 yppl in that game and were helped by an 82 yard fumble return touchdown and a +2 in turnover margin. Arizona has a pretty good offense, averaging 5.6 yppl against teams that would allow 5.1 yppl to an average team, but Nebraska still has a huge advantage with their defense and the Huskers have shut down much better offensive units than the Wildcats possess. My math model forecasts just 4.2 yppl for Arizona in this game, so scoring will be difficult for the Wildcats.
Unfortunately for Nebraska, their offense went from being pretty good to being dismal over the second half of the season. The Cornhuskers were only 0.1 yppl worse than average offensively for the season (5.3 yppl against teams that would allow 5.4 yppl to an average team), but quarterback Zac Lee ran up his passing stats against bad defensive teams while struggling mightily against good defensive teams. I would rate the Huskers' offense at 0.6 yppl worse than average when I take out the early season games against bad defensive teams. Arizona's defense is 0.7 yppl better than average, allowing 5.1 yppl to teams that would average 5.8 yppl against an average defense, and my math model (after making the negative adjustment to Nebraska's offense) projects just 4.4 yppl for Nebraska in this game.
Nebraska's other advantage, besides their great defense, is their outstanding special teams, which rank among the best in the nation. My math model favors Nebraska by 3 1/2 points in this game even after significantly downgrading their offense and the Cornhuskers apply to a very good 71-28-2 ATS bowl game statistical match-up indicator while Arizona applies to a negative 3-22 ATS bowl game angle. I'll take Nebraska in a 2-Star Best Bet at -1 or better. I'll also lean with Under 38 points or higher.
Tom Feese
10* Nebraska
Teddy Covers
Neb/Az Over
Celtics
UAB
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Atlanta +143
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Keith Fredrick
Bowling Green at Idaho
Play: Bowling Green +1
Idaho has dropped five in a row coming into this contest while Bowling Green has won six of its last seven to qualify. Even though this is in the home state of the Vandals, it is still not the Kibbie Dome, and UI was 2-3 away from the cozy confines of the Kibbie Dome this season. Matchup wise prefer the BGSU passing offense (309 yards per game thru the air) agaisnt an Idaho pass defense allowing almost 270 aerial yards per contest. Fly with the Falcons here
Bryan Leonard
Bowling Green at Idaho
Play: Over +68
We look for plenty of points to be scored here as both teams have major advantages offensively. Bowling Green scored 30 or more points in seven of their last eight games and this Idaho defense hasn't stopped anyone all season. Idaho allowed more than 35 points per game this year and were even worse down the stretch. Because of a thin team the Vandals were forced to play backups on an already questionable stop unit. The Vandals don't put pressure on the quarterback which makes life easy for good opposing quarterbacks and Bowling Green has a very good one in Tyler Sheehan.
Idaho is participating in a rare bowl game. They started the season strong and secured bowl eligibility very early. They did so by simply outscoring the opposition. But once they became bowl eligible they seemed to lose their focus. But now with plenty of time to prepare off three straight losses we expect the Vandal offense to be deadly. Bowling Green doesn't have superior athletes on the defensive side of the football and we feel Idaho can score at will. With both teams being far more polished on the offensive side of the ball we expect this game to fly over the posted total.
PLAY OVER
Jamie Tursini
Nebraska at Arizona
Play: Arizona +3
This line has made a big move from Arizona being a 1 point favorite.Both defenses are very good no doubt. But the offensive edge goes to Arizona and the QB edge is very big and that's where the game will be won here. I think the line move is the wrong move, and we'll take advantage of that.
Judd Hall
Nebraska at Arizona
Play: Under +41
I am fully aware that the Wildcats know how to find the end zone. But I'm also pretty sure that the Cornhuskers have one hell of a defense, anchored by Suh. Bo Pelini has had a few weeks to set up a scheme to stump Arizona's offense. Given the futility of Nebraska's offense, the 'under' makes perfect sense.
DAVID MALINSKY
4* Nebraska -2
ANTHONY REDD
40 Dime - Idaho
20 Dime - Arizona
Nick "BookieKiller" Parsons
Phoenix -1.5
An impressive 86-77 win at Orlando on Christmas Day without Paul Pierce(notes) improved the Celtics to 13-1 on the road, but they found a pair of unexpected hurdles on the West Coast leg of their trip.
After blowing a three-point lead in the final 10 seconds and losing 92-90 on a buzzer-beater to the Los Angeles Clippers on Sunday night, the Celtics coughed up a 16-point first-quarter lead in a 103-99 defeat to lowly Golden State on Monday.
I believe that Boston is going to suffer another "letdown" this evening, following a very similar pattern to their road swing at this time last year; Boston is just 2-5 ATS its last seven overall and just 2-4 ATS is last six on the road.
On the other side of the court: Before facing the Los Angeles Lakers on Monday night, Phoenix (20-12) had lost three of four, including its first two home defeats. But the Suns erased any bad feelings with a 118-103 win over the reigning NBA champions.
Alvin Gentry had been upset after the Suns allowed a season-high in points in a 132-127 loss at Golden State on Saturday, but his team held the Lakers to 43.5 % shooting.
Remember, Phoenix always plays tough in front of the home town crowd; 4-2 ATS its last six at the US Airways Center.
Bottom line: No need to overanalyze this one; Phoenix has the home-court advantage and is coming off a big victory while the Celtics are a road-weary and injury riddled team that desperately needs to get back to friendly confines to regroup; look for PHOENIX to move to 8-5 ATS this season in non-conference games and for Boston to fall to 1-6 ATS this year off an upset loss as a favorite!
9* SUNS
Tony George
Nebraska +1
Bottom line, Nebraska’s Suh a 1 man wrecking crew who almost alone de-railed the entire BCS series with Nebraska almost beating Texas (actually they did) and losing the Big 12 championship by 1 point. The PAC 10 is overrated and the Mountain West went 2-0 against them and a so so USC team managed to beat a weak ACC team in BC. The starting QB, RB and WR for the Wildcats are all not 100%. That is not good news against the best front 4 in college football on defense who just held high octane Texas to 13 points. Nebraska offense takes some heat and QB Lee is average at best, but funny thing is they average only 4 ppg less on offense that Arizona. Nebraska lost to Virginia Tech by a point, and Texas by a point, and were division champs, and are the better team. Pellini will have them sky high here…defense wins big games, Huskers win by 7. Play 1 Unit on Nebraska.