Mike Volpe 6-1 in bowl games after last nights win
Holiday BowlDecember 27, 20078 PM ET on ESPN
Arizona State Sundevils (O/U 62) versus Texas Longhorns -1 The Sundevils have dropped two of their four games outright and have lost four straight against the spread. As an underdog Arizona State has dropped four of the last five including a loss in last year’s Hawaii Bowl. 4* Play on the Texas Longhorns -1
Northcoast Infomercial
California Sports
4* New Mexico -5
Economy Club
Tampa Bay
Cajun-Sports
Holiday Bowl (San Diego, CA)
This Bowl Game features a first year Head Coach at one University and the other Coach leading his team to 10 straight seasons with at least nine wins. Dennis Erickson has done a masterful job with his Arizona State Sun Devil team as they come in ranked 12th in the nation with 10 wins in the regular season and a share of the PAC 10 Title, not too bad for his first season at the helm at ASU. While Texas head man Mack Brown has been consistent if nothing else as his Longhorns come in ranked 17th in the nation and a chance for a 10-win season.
Coach Erickson has brought a sense of stability and confidence to this program and that is reflected in both his offensive and defensive squads. On offense ASU QB Rudy Carpenter has been outstanding throwing for 250+ yards per game on 63% completions and a very impressive 23 touchdowns to only 8 interceptions. They have also averaged a little over 32 points per game on 12.7 yards per point.
ASU’s defense has been equally impressive holding opponents to 19.5 points per game. Their rush defense is allowing a little over 100 yards rushing per game on 3.6 yards per carry. Their pass defense is not quite as stout as their rush defense but they are only allowing 247 yards passing per contest on the year and forcing opponents to 18.5 yards per point.
The Longhorns have shown the ability to score as well averaging 35.2 points per game on the season on 467 yards of total offense. The Longhorns offensive attack is lead by QB Colt McCoy who has completed 65% of his passes for 261 yards per game. He has also thrown for 21 touchdowns which is very productive but when you add to that fact he has thrown 18 to the other team the numbers are not quite as remarkable.
The Texas defense is where the key for this game is found. The Longhorn defense is ranked 109th in the nation in pass defense allowing 275 yards passing per game. They are allowing over 24 points per game and in their last three contests they have averaged allowing 38.7 points per game and 534.3 yards of total offense. These types of numbers if they continue in this game will translate into a long day for the Longhorns as the ASU offense led the PAC 10 in passing efficiency.
Motivation is always important in any sport but it is especially important in College Bowl Games where you might have one team disappointed in the Bowl they are playing in because they had higher hopes for their season and then you have a team that is excited to be in the Bowl and looking forward to playing their opponent. Well based on the Longhorn Players themselves we think we know who will be the more motivated team in this contest.
The Texas Longhorns were hoping for bigger and better things at the start of the season than the Holiday Bowl. Texas started the year 4-0 and then lost their National Championship hopes when dropping back-to-back games in the Big 12. Texas coach Mack Brown said: “We didn’t play to our standards. Our guys need a really good opponent to get up for.” His players have one now in Arizona State, but most of the senior players are not happy with the team's finish, including DT Frank Okam who said: “This (the Holiday Bowl) is not where we want to be.”
There are a couple technical situations that back our position against the Longhorns. The first one is when Texas has played in a minor bowl coming in off a straight up loss and not an underdog of four or more points we find they are 0-5 ATS failing to cover by an average of over 17 points per game. The second tech situation finds Texas in the same situation but facing an opponent off a straight up win by two or more points the Longhorns check in at 0-5 ATS and failing to cover the number by an amazing 22 points per game.
From a situational standpoint we know to “Play Against” CFB Neutral field favorites in minor bowl games (played in December), in a non-conference game between two teams from major division 1-A conferences, 53-19 ATS the last ten seasons and 12-4 ATS the last three years. “Play Against” CFB Neutral field favorites (TEXAS) - in minor bowl games (played in December), good team, winning 60-80% or more of their games on the season, 48-18 ATS the last ten seasons and already a perfect 2-0 ATS this year.
Finally we have a Super System that backs our play on ASU. Following a straight up win but a poor spread performance where a team failed to cover the spread or score 21 points after scoring at least 21 points in its previous 3 games they have bounced back strong as evidenced by this Super System. It says to Play ON a team with 21+ days rest off a SU win & ATS loss/push, scoring less than 21 points in its last game and scoring 21+ points in each of its 3 games before that, 18-0 ATS since 1980. This system qualifies a Play ON Arizona State (+)
Root
Chairman - Texas Longhorns
Millionaire - Hawaii
Doc's Sports
Sport: College Football
Game: Arkansas Razorbacks @ Missouri Tigers - Tuesday January 1, 2008 11:30 am
Pick: 1 unit (Free Play) ATS: Missouri Tigers -3 (-110)
Free Play. #2 Take Missouri -3 over Arkansas (Tuesday January 1st, 11:30 am Fox) If coaching has any impact on this game, one would have to figure Missou has a huge edge, as they recently gave Coach Pinkel an extension. Arkansas forced out their coach, as Houston Nutt thought Ole Miss had brighter pastures in the future. The Hogs still cannot throw the football whatsoever and expect the Tigers to crowd the line of scrimmage and not let McFadden or Jones beat them. The Tigers have an explosive offense led by Heisman finalist Chase Daniels, who can beat you with his arm or his legs. This line is low because Vegas expects Missouri to be down about playing in the Cotton Bowl instead of the Orange Bowl, but I expect just the opposite to occur, as the Tigers come out and make a statement. It also helps to have revenge on their minds, as Arkansas knocked them off in 2003, 27-14. Docs Sports is your place for consistent winners in the NFL, NBA, NHL, and College Basketball, with 36 years of winning experience. Be sure to check back for daily updates from some of the finest minds in the industry.
OC DOOLEY COMP
1 UNIT” NBA NATIONAL-TV TOTAL (Cavaliers at Mavericks OVER 193 in an 8:05 eastern tipoff on TNT-TV): Cleveland actually faced Dallas way back on opening night when the squad put only 74 combined points on the scoreboard, and LeBron James was held to just 10 points. I just have a feeling “the king” will score many more points tonight, considering that he has averaged a whopping 29 points per game lifetime against the Mavericks. The player that I will be watching closely is Dallas point guard Jason Terry who has had 2 of his absolute best 5 career performances against Cleveland, including a massive 43 POINT effort back in the 2003 campaign. Also note that Mavs superstar Dirk Nowitzki has averaged OVER 20 points per game in his career when opposing the Cavs defense. Speaking of that Cleveland defense, they certainly looked good in a Christmas Day cover against Miami. Following that contest, LeBron James mentioned to the assembled media that when his team plays solid defense, they quote “look good”. The problem is that Cleveland’s defense has NOT put up very many solid performances, as they have already allowed opponents to score 100+ points on the scoreboard SEVENTEEN times in 29 total games. To put this in proper perspective, Cleveland allowed the opposition to score in “triple digits” only 18 times all of last year, spanning from November-through-June! Getting back to that Christmas Day game that was on National TV, the Cavs offense just happened to put a healthy 96 points on the scoreboard, led of course by LeBron’s 25 point, 12 assist output. What caught my attention most was off the BENCH as guard Daniel Gibson contributed 16 points. Tonight’s total has started to drop from an opening figure of 194 points, due to the fact that Dallas last night lost a low scoring affair in Utah where the team was lucky even to make the 90-point barrier. But consider that last night was the only ROAD game that Dallas is playing in a rather lengthy EIGHT game stretch, so I fully expect their offense to rebound this evening. My database research indicates that Cleveland has played OVER in 9 of 15 ROAD games this season, where the awful defense has permitted 100 points per pop. Dallas just happens to be 8 of 13 OVER the total so far in front of the HOME fans, where the defense has been shockingly poor permitting 99’ points per contest. Note that ever since Mike Brown has been head coach, Cleveland is 53-36 OVER the total after consecutive games when the team has been cast as a favorite.
LVTR 3-1 yesterday
CFB
Arizona Sate +3
Over
NBA
Boston Celtics
Doc's
CBB
4* Senton Hall
Yankee Capper
NCAA Football
2 Units - Arizona State +2 ½
NBA
2 Units - Boston Celtics -9 ½
NHL
5 Units - Montreal Canadiens
1 Units - NY Islanders
Robert Ferringo
2-Unit Play. Take #711 New Mexico (-5.5) over Hawaii (11:50 p.m., Thursday, Dec. 27)
I?ve found it shocking how bad the Warriors have been at home this year, dropping five of their eight contests on the island. New Mexico is the best team they?ve faced yet and has already beaten Hawaii by 29 points. The Warriors are also going to be without starting center Steve Verwers, who broke his leg yesterday in practice. That doesn?t bode well for a team that was outrebounded 33-18 in the last meeting. In all, New Mexico is 23-2 SU against Hawaii and I think they manage another double-digit win tonight. New Mexico is 11-2 ATS in nonconference games while Hawaii is 6-20-1.
2-Unit Play. Take #715 Rider (+2.5) over Drexel (7:30 p.m., Thursday, Dec. 27)
Rider has won three straight road games and hasn?t taken any bad losses this year. The Dragons have only beat third- and fourth-tier schools this season and I don?t think they have enough firepower in this one. Drexel is 8-24-1 ATS at home and a better Dragons team than this lost to Rider last year. The Broncs brought back about 90 percent of their scoring from that game while the Dragons have about 40 percent. (And this is a win-win situation. If we do lose this one we?ll likely get better value against the Dragons and make a killing going against Drexel next Monday vs. St. Joe?s.)
2-Unit Play. Take #710 Seton Hall (-2.5) over North Carolina State (7:30 p.m., Thursday, Dec. 27)
N.C. State has been underwhelming this season and has dropped both of its road games. The Wolfpack also lost its point guard and leading assist man, leaving them only three scholarship guards on the roster. Seton Hall?s backcourt is its strength and to this point the Pirates are 5-0 on their own turf. This one should be close, but if The Hall can knock down some jumpers they should control this one
Black Magic Sports
NCAA Basketball:
5 Unit Black Magic NCAA on ESPN 2 BEST BET on Nevada +21.5
Nevada has plenty of talent to keep this one close against the North Carolina Tar Heels Thursday. First Team All-WAC selection Marcellus Kemp is back this year after averaging 18.5 points a game last season. He will give the Tar Heels match-up troubles all game. Kemp is putting up over 19 points a game this season. Nevada has now won 5 straight games so they are playing their best ball of the year heading into this contest. Nevada is 27-8 ATS after a game with 9 or less assists since 1997. Nevada is 14-3 ATS after 2 or more consecutive unders since 1997. Nevada is 14-4 ATS off a road win over the last 3 seasons. Cash in with Nevada as the underdog.
NCAA Football:
4 Unit Holiday Bowl BEST BET on Arizona State +2.5
The Arizona State Sun Devils should not be the underdog Thursday. The Sun Devils are 5-1 ATS in their last 6 games against Big 12 opponents. The Longhorns are 2-9-1 ATS Longhorns are 2-9-1 ATS in their last 12 games as a favorite of 0.5-3.0 points. The Longhorns are 1-6 ATS in their last 7 Bowl games as a favorite. We will play against the Neutral Field favorites in minor bowl games (played in December), good team, winning 60-80% or more of their games on the season. This System is 48-18 over the last 10 seasons with a 73% winning ratio. Cash in with Arizona State as the underdog.
ATS LOCK
3* Arizona St. +2 1/2
Hoops
3* Seton Hall -2 1/2
ATS FINANCIAL
3* Over 61 1/2 Az St.
Hoops
3* North Carolina -21
JB Sports
L. A. Clippers +8
Rocketman Sports
Cleveland Cavaliers +7
LT Profits
Arizona St. +2.5
NICK PATRICK NBA SELECTIONS 32-28 2007-08
suns -8
NICK PATRICK 2007-08 45-61 CBB
PASS THURSDAY
NICK PATRICK FOOTBALL 63-79
DOUBLE PLAY ZONA STATE +2.5
JIMMY PRICES NBA SELECTIONS 26-32 2007-08
Dallas -6.5
JIMMY PRICES CBB 66-61 SELECTIONS
DREXEL -2.5
SETON HALL -2.5
BEN BURNS ROAST (7-1 )
Hawaii
Burns NHL
Phoenix coyotes
Burns main event-Texas
Spritzer
tko...................texas
5 star total...........texas over
tko gow.........seton hall
3 star hammer.............celtics
Cokin--fat man releases..........rider, ariz st
window.............new mex
under the hat......................g tech
3 star action play..................utah
total.................ariz st over
Feist--total...............ariz st over 62
inner circle.................rider
5 star executive..................seton hall
personal best..............celtics
total....................celtics under
5 star executive....................suns
INDIAN COWBOY
New Mexico -5.5 POD
Texas/Az St. u 62
Suns/Clips o 211
Frank Rosenthal
College Football
Holiday Bowl
404 AZ St
Under 63
NBA
702 Mavs-6
703 Suns-7
College Hoops
708 NCU-20
712 Hawaii+6.5
Marco D'Angelo CBB Sides Single-Dime Bet
710 Seton Hall -2.5 (-110) BetUS vs 709 North Carolina St.
Analysis: Seton Hall plays host to NC State tonight. Seton Hall has had a lot of close games this year which will pay dividends down the road. Tonight they fit in a situation I love and that's taking a team who returns home off of a loss and wins but doesn't cover. When this happens I almost always will take that team in their next game. Look for Seton Hall to Win by 7-10 Points. TAKE SETON HALL as MARCO'S COLLEGE PLAY OF THE DAY and make them a SINGLE DIME PLAY.
Marco D'Angelo | NBA Total Double-Dime Bet
702 DAL / 701 CLE Over 192.0 Bodog
Analysis: Cleveland takes to the road to Battle Dallas. Dallas returns home off of last nights loss in Utah. These two already played this year with Dallas pounding Cleveland 92-74. The Total in that game was 184 and they went Under by 18 so I ask you why is tonight's total 192. It's not because these 2 are coming off of High Scoring Games as each played in a low scoring game in last as Dallas was in a 99-90 game while Cleveland was in a 96-82 Game. The total is low because Vegas wants you to take the Under. That's why I'm taking the Over. Look for the Total Points in this one to be between 201-206. TAKE CLEVELAND/DALLAS OVER as MARCO'S NBA PLAY OF THE DAY and make them a DOUBLE DIME PLAY.