Lenny Del Genio
Pittsburgh Steelers
Tony George
Arizona Cardinals
Rocketman
Pittsburgh Steelers
ATS Sports Club
NBA Winners
Boston Celtics -14
Orlando Magic -6
NCAA Winner
Michigan State Spartans -13
NHL Ice-Melter Winner
Washington Capitals vs. Ottawa Senators Over 5.5
KELSO
50 units Duke -22
5 units Rider -7.5
Seabass
100* Orlando
300* Portland St
50* Duke
30* St Joes
20* Rider
Opposite Action Plays
Pittsburgh Steelers
JB Sports
Pittsburgh Steelers
Mike Lineback
Cavaliers/Pistons Under
BIG AL
At 2 pm, our selection is on the Virginia Cavaliers plus the points over Duke. Earlier this week, Wake Forest won a huge game over the then-No. 1-ranked Blue Devils, 70-68 on a buzzer beater. But big games like that take a toll not only on the winner (Wake Forest suffered a letdown yesterday, and lost to Georgia Tech), but also on the loser, as it's often tough to bounce back from emotional defeats. Indeed, Duke is a miserable 12-33 ATS off a loss of 7 points or less since Feb. 4, 1995. And this is a great spot to go against a team suffering a hangover, as Duke is playing a mediocre Virginia team, with a game against #12 Clemson up next, and is laying over 20 points. Although Virginia has dropped four straight games, and five of six, the Cavaliers have a big "rest advantage" this afternoon in that they have been off for eight days. Junior guard Calvin Baker said that the rest will "give us a chance to clear our minds. No one has given up hope." Finally, off its loss, Duke falls into a negative 26-85 ATS system of mine that goes against .750 (or better) favorites of -12 or more points which are off a loss, and matched up against a foe off back-to-back losses. Look for Virginia to sneak within the number this afternoon. Take the points.
BIG AL SUPER PLAY
At 6:20 pm, our selection is on the 'under' in the Pittsburgh/Arizona game. Two weeks ago, we played both conference championship games 'over' the total and were rewarded with a 23-14 Pittsburgh victory and a 32-25 Arizona triumph. But off those two 'overs,' I'm going to reverse gears and look for a low-scoring game here. I'm well aware that Arizona has a high-octane offense, but the Cards have yet to play a defense as good as Pittsburgh's, and only one team this season has scored more than 24 points vs. Pitt, and that was Tennessee (in a 31-14 Titans win). But the Steelers turned the ball over four times that afternoon against a strong Tennessee defense, and I don't see Arizona's defense forcing that many turnovers. For the season, Pitt only committed three or more turnovers in three games (and was 0-3 in those games). But the Steelers were 14-1 in games where they had two or less turnovers, so that's really the key here. And the three teams which forced the Steelers into all those turnovers were the Giants, Titans and Eagles -- all with much better defenses than Arizona. But Pittsburgh only surrendered 12.9 ppg outside of those three games, and really came on toward the end of the season when it gave up 14 points or less in seven of its last nine games. The bottom line is that Pittsburgh is the better team than Arizona, and will most likely dictate the tempo of this game, and turn it into a "field position" game like we saw two weeks ago vs. Baltimore. Indeed, this Steeler defense is the best to make a Super Bowl since Baltimore's led it to the 2000 championship. On offense, I look for the Steelers to pound the ball early with RBs Willie Parker and Mewelde Moore, and mix in some medium-range passing routes. The Steelers' offensive line has not impressed me this season, and the Cards' defense will be able to sack QB Ben Roethlisberger (Arizona has had seven sacks in its three playoff games), which will limit Pittsburgh's offensive output. But Pitt should play most of this game in the lead, and should the Steelers get out to a 14-point advantage, I would expect coach Mike Tomlin to make ample use of his running game, which would take time off the clock faster, and increase the chances that it goes 'under' the total. With the line higher than any of the last 22 Steeler games, we'll take advantage of the "inflation" and play the Super Bowl 'under' the total.
Game Time Sports
5* Pittsburgh
CAL SPORTS
4* Dayton
3* Cleveland Cavs
1* Penn St Under
1* Duke Over
1* Iowa
Ben Burns
Under Mich St
Sac
Detroit
Tor
RON RAYMOND
5* Magic / Raptors Under 199
5* Canisius /Rider Under 138.5
Will Cover
4* Cavs / Pistons Under