Black Magic Sports
1 Unit on Minnesota -7
The Minnesota Golden Gophers are going to be a serious contender in the Big Ten this season in Tubby Smith’s second year on the job. The Gophers are 6-0 this season, blowing teams out along the way. They are outscoring their opponents by 12.7 points/game overall, and 15.0 points/game at home. Virginia is down this season, after losing their best player in Sean Singletary who averaged nearly 20 points/game last year. The Cavaliers already have two losses on their resume, including a terrible 82-86 home setback against Liberty. That loss proves that this team is down. Virginia is 4-2 this season, but two of their wins came at home by just 2 points each against Radford and South Florida. Virginia won’t even be competitive tonight as Minnesota wins by double-digits with ease. The Cavaliers have always been a terrible road team dating back to 1997. Virginia is 44-73 ATS in their last 117 road games overall. Minnesota is a perfect 10-0 ATS after a game where they made 60% of their shots or better since 1997. The Gophers are shooting nearly 50% from the floor on the season, getting easy scores from their post players on a regular basis. The Gophers will get easy looks inside all game, while Virginia is forced to try and win the game from the perimeter. Cash in with Minnesota as the favorite.
Jeff Alexander Sports
1 Unit on New Jersey Nets -5.5
The red hot Nets have won 3 in a row and 7 of 9 SU and ATS and they return home from a 4-game road trip tonight to take on one of the worst team in the NBA. New Jersey has had Washington 's number.New Jersey has won 7 of 8 matchups over the last 3 seasons while posting a perfect 4-0 mark at home during that span. The Nets are 18-4 SU and 14-7-1 ATS in all home meetings with Washington since 1996.These teams have already met this season and the result was a 10-point win for the Nets at Washington .Since, the Nets have improved while the Wiz have gotten worse. We'll also keep in mind that Washington is 0-8 ATS in road games on Tuesday nights over the last 3 seasons.Lay the number.
Black Widow Sports
1* on Purdue -2
Purdue cannot wait to get back on the floor after a tough 87-82 loss to Oklahoma at Madison Square Gardens last time out in a game they should have won. But this resilient team has a short memory, and they will be ready to go when the undefeated Duke Blue Devils come to town tonight. Duke seriously hasn’t played a tough opponent all season, and with Purdue playing Boston College and Oklahoma in back-to-back games heading in, they will be battle tested and ready to go Tuesday. Both teams have all 5 starters back and are expected to compete for a National Championship, but Purdue has a huge edge at home here. Purdue is 14-4 ATS (+9.6 Units) in home games when playing against a team with a winning record over the last 3 seasons. This is a team that shows up to play against the best opponents in the country when playing at home. Purdue is 9-1 ATS (+7.9 Units) as a home favorite of 6 points or less or pick over the last 3 seasons. Better yet, Purdue is 6-0 ATS (+6.0 Units) as a home favorite of 3 points or less or pick over the last 3 seasons. To put the icing on the cake, Purdue is 21-9 ATS in their last 30 home games overall. The Boilermakers defend their home court better than any team in the country, and Duke will be no exception tonight. Take Purdue and lay the points.
Scott Spreitzer
Washington Wizards at New Jersey Nets
New Jersey is rolling, having won seven of their last nine. If the Nets can score, they're going to win. In New Jersey's last seven wins, they have scored 115, 119, 129, 112, 116, 105, and 117 points. This is good news for New Jersey backers tonight because the Wizards have played little defense. The Wizards are 2-12 to start the season and it's getting worse by the game. Washington has allowed each of their last five opponents to top the century mark. One team is scoring at will, the other is not offering any resistance. I'll back the Nets on Tuesday night.
Play on: New Jersey
Vegas Experts
Ohio State at Miami (FL)
The Hurricanes are the more experienced team here, returning four starters and we all know how the ACC dominates this yearly competition. Miami has covered 19 of its last 28 games overall, including 11 of 13 when laying points. More impressive is that they have covered 11 of their last 12 non-conference tilts. Ohio State has played only one "decent" team all year long and only beat Bowling Green by four as 16-point chalk. Chalk one up for the ACC here.
Play on: Miami (FL)
John Ryan
CS Fullerton vs. LSU
Play: LSU -15
Ai Simulator 3* graded play on LSU (CBB) – AiS shows a 70% probability that LSU will win this game by 15 or more points. Based on the AiS LSU has a 92% probability of out rebounding CS-Fullerton by a MINIMUM of 10 rebounds. Note that CSF is just 5-21 ATS (-18.1 Units) in road games when they grab 10+ fewer rebounds than their opponents in a game since 1997. Supporting this graded play is a system that has gone 27-6 ATS for 82% since 2002. Play on home favorites of 10 or more points that is a marginal losing team from last season who won 40-49% of their games and after 2 or more consecutive wins. LSU is in a very strong role noting they are 12-3 ATS (+8.7 Units) in home games after allowing 60 points or less 2 straight games since 1997. Take LSU.
Ben Burns
Game: Washington Huskies at California
Prediction: California
Good news. The Huskies played a competitive game last week. Bad news. That game came against instate rival, Washington State, the only other team on the West Coast as bad as them. The Huskies couldn't even win either, losing by a score of 16-13. Including that result, Washington is now 0-9 SU/ATS its last nine games and an awful 1-10 ATS (0-11 SU) on the season. There's no reason to think that the Huskies will be able to hang with Bears either. You may recall what happened when Cal took on Washington State. The Bears won 66-3! That was on the road, too. This should be another one-sided affair. Lay the big number.
DUNKEL
NCAAB
Duke at Purdue
The Blue Devils look to take advantage of a Purdue team that is just 4-9 ATS against the ACC since 1997. Duke is the underdog pick (+2 1/2) according to Dunkel, which has the Blue Devils favored straight up by 2. Dunkel Pick: Duke (+2 1/2).
Game 717-718: Troy at Dayton
Dunkel Ratings: Troy 44.830; Dayton 69.939
Dunkel Line: Dayton by 25
Vegas Line: Dayton by 20
Dunkel Pick: Dayton (-20)
Game 719-720: Valparaiso at Cleveland State
Dunkel Ratings: Valparaiso 57.303; Cleveland State 61.517
Dunkel Line: Cleveland State by 4
Vegas Line: Cleveland State by 7
Dunkel Pick: Valparaiso (+7)
Game 721-722: Ohio State at Miami (FL)
Dunkel Ratings: Ohio State 69.901; Miami (FL) 72.112
Dunkel Line: Miami (FL) by 2
Vegas Line: Miami (FL) by 8
Dunkel Pick: Ohio State (+8)
Game 723-724: Villanova at Pennsylvania
Dunkel Ratings: Villanova 71.762; Pennsylvania 53.164
Dunkel Line: Villanova by 18 1/2
Vegas Line: Villanova by 13 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Villanova (-13 1/2)
Game 725-726: Iowa at Boston College
Dunkel Ratings: Iowa 57.028; Boston College 67.238
Dunkel Line: Boston College by 10
Vegas Line: Boston College by 8
Dunkel Pick: Boston College (-8)
Game 727-728: South Carolina at Princeton
Dunkel Ratings: South Carolina 62.298; Princeton 46.551
Dunkel Line: South Carolina by 16
Vegas Line: South Carolina by 11 1/2
Dunkel Pick: South Carolina (-11 1/2)
Game 729-730: Clemson at Illinois
Dunkel Ratings: Clemson 72.741; Illinois 70.019
Dunkel Line: Clemson by 3
Vegas Line: Illinois by 1 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Clemson (+1 1/2)
Game 731-732: William & Mary at Loyola-Chicago
Dunkel Ratings: William & Mary 52.647; Loyola-Chicago 55.482
Dunkel Line: Loyola-Chicago by 3
Vegas Line: Loyola-Chicago by 6
Dunkel Pick: William & Mary (+6)
Game 733-734: St. Louis at Southern Illinois
Dunkel Ratings: St. Louis 56.191; Southern Illinois 62.069
Dunkel Line: Southern Illinois by 6
Vegas Line: Southern Illinois by 8
Dunkel Pick: St. Louis (+8)
Game 735-736: Houston at Middle Tennessee State
Dunkel Ratings: Houston 63.984; Middle Tennessee State 59.307
Dunkel Line: Houston by 4 1/2
Vegas Line: Middle Tennessee State by 3
Dunkel Pick: Houston (+3)
Game 737-738: Georgia at Western Kentucky
Dunkel Ratings: Georgia 58.627; Western Kentucky 68.422
Dunkel Line: Western Kentucky by 10
Vegas Line: Western Kentucky by 4
Dunkel Pick: Western Kentucky (-4)
Game 739-740: Central Michigan at Marquette
Dunkel Ratings: Central Michigan 50.751; Marquette 70.386
Dunkel Line: Marquette by 19 1/2
Vegas Line: Marquette by 23
Dunkel Pick: Central Michigan (+23)
Game 741-742: CS-Fullerton at LSU
Dunkel Ratings: CS-Fullerton 53.967; LSU 69.992
Dunkel Line: LSU by 16
Vegas Line: LSU by 12 1/2
Dunkel Pick: LSU (-12 1/2)
Game 743-744: South Alabama at Southern Mississippi
Dunkel Ratings: South Alabama 57.409; Southern Mississippi 62.451
Dunkel Line: Southern Mississippi by 5
Vegas Line: Southern Mississippi by 6 1/2
Dunkel Pick: South Alabama (+6 1/2)
Game 745-746: UC-Irvine at Utah State
Dunkel Ratings: UC-Irvine 48.470; Utah State 64.791
Dunkel Line: Utah State by 16
Vegas Line: Utah State by 18 1/2
Dunkel Pick: UC-Irvine (+18 1/2)
Game 747-748: Duke at Purdue
Dunkel Ratings: Duke 74.393; Purdue 72.009
Dunkel Line: Duke by 2
Vegas Line: Purdue by 2 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Duke (+2 1/2)
Game 749-750: Nevada at Colorado State
Dunkel Ratings: Nevada 57.488; Colorado State 57.439
Dunkel Line: Even
Vegas Line: Colorado State by 3 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Nevada (+3 1/2)
Game 751-752: Loyola-Marymount at Arizona
Dunkel Ratings: Loyola-Marymount 40.905; Arizona 67.142
Dunkel Line: Arizona by 26
Vegas Line: Arizona by 28
Dunkel Pick: Loyola-Marymount (+28)
Game 753-754: Virginia at Minnesota
Dunkel Ratings: Virginia 61.097; Minnesota 62.993
Dunkel Line: Minnesota by 2
Vegas Line: Minnesota by 7
Dunkel Pick: Virginia (+7)
Game 755-756: Marist at Memphis
Dunkel Ratings: Marist 51.181; Memphis 85.161
Dunkel Line: Memphis by 34
Vegas Line: Memphis by 27
Dunkel Pick: Memphis (-27)
Game 757-758: Idaho State at Washington State
Dunkel Ratings: Idaho State 46.136; Washington State 75.990
Dunkel Line: Washington State by 30
Vegas Line: Washington State by 20
Dunkel Pick: Washington State (-20)
Info Plays
3* on Ohio State +8
Reasons why Ohio State covers the spread Tuesday
1.) Ohio State has reloaded, not rebuilt. Buckeyes’ head coach Thad Matta is one of the best recruiters in the country, and he has 2 starters back this season to team up with a great class of freshman that will give Miami a run for their money tonight. Ohio State is 3-0, winning their first three games by 23.0 PPG. In two of the wins, Ohio State limited Delaware State to 42 points and Samford to a ridiculous 22 points. The Buckeyes’ defense alone gives Ohio State a shot to pull off the upset in this ACC vs. Big Ten Challenge.
2.) Big expectations that Miami cannot live up to. The Hurricanes have not been known to be a basketball program, but after narrowly missing the NCAA Tournament last year, this team has big expectations that they cannot possibly live up to. Odds makers have the Hurricanes overrated, and we’ll capitalize on it Tuesday. Miami already has a 13-point loss to Connecticut to really show how poor this team stacks up against the best teams in the country.
3.) System Play. We’ll Play On - Any team (OHIO ST) - off 2 or more consecutive home wins, first 5 games of the season, after closing out last season with 3 or more straight spread covers. This is a 44-19 ATS System hitting 69.8% since 1997. This Ohio State team finished last season strong, and they are off to an impressive start this season with an average margin of victory of 23 PPG. We’ll continue to ride this money train tonight. Bet Ohio State on the road.
PRICELESS PICKS
1 Unit on LA Clippers +11.5
Off a big confidence-boosting win to gain some momentum, I like the Clippers to give the Mavs a run for the money tonight. LA will have added confidence in this matchup because it has already beaten the Mavs by 11 points earlier this season. Dallas is just 2-4 SU and 1-5 ATS at home this season and yet odds makers continue to overvalue this team. The Mavericks are 1-5 ATS in their last 6 home games vs. a team with a losing road record and 1-4 ATS in their last 5 games following a SU win of more than 10 points. Take the Clips catching double digits tonight.
LT Profits
Miami Florida -8.0
The Miami Hurricanes are currently ranked 22 in the country, and we look for them to flex their muscles at home tonight vs. a Ohio State Buckeyes team that has feasted on cream puffs so far.
Sure, the Buckeyes are 3-0, but wins over Samford, Delaware State and Bowling Green will not exactly strike fear into anyone. Furthermore, Bowling Green is the best team in that bunch, which is not saying much, and the Buckeyes failed to cover that contest while barely escaping with a 61-57 win at home.
They are now stepping way up in class while playing away from home for the first time this year, which seems like a fatal combination. It is also worth noting that they failed to cover at home in this challenge vs. North Carolina last season, and they are 0-4 straight up and 0-3-1 ATS on the road vs. ACC foes since 2002 while losing by an average of -11.3 points.
Now granted, Miami also has a deceptive 4-1 record as they too have a couple of non-lined wins vs. outclassed opponents and they lost their most meaningful game vs. Connecticut. However, the Buckeyes are a far cry from the Huskies, who the Canes trailed by just seven points in the second half before Connecticut pulled away, and the Southern Miss team that Miami beat by 10 points on a neutral court is better than any team Ohio State has faced.
The bottom line here is that Miami is the more athletic team from the better conference, and when you add in the home court advantage, the Hurricanes should win handily.
Pick: Miami-Florida -8
JB Sports
San Antonio -4
Drew Gordon
Detroit at SAN ANTONIO -5
Say what you will about the Spurs when they're not healthy, but with their core intact and having a couple games to shake off the rust, look for them to make a statement against the Pistons tonight. The public has been down them this season, and their 9-7 record might "seem" to back that trend, but we all know the Spurs are downright nasty, especially at home. A tough road loss to the Rockets in their last one only further serves to motivate San Antonio, and that's bad news Detroit-backers.
Speaking of Detroit-backers, you have to be concerned about the lack of chemistry on this Pistons team. We all wondered what the switch from Billups to Iverson would mean, and having missed a practice and gotten benched already (something Billups would never do) has gone a long way in answering that question. All of a sudden the rest of the Pistons are becoming a little more insubordinate - Tayshaun gripping about minutes, Wallace always on the verge of a meltdown - and thats simply not the way you want to head into a marquee match up against a excellent opponent.
Finally, Detroit won and covered both meetings last year, and don't think for a second that the Spurs don't know that. As mentioned above, San Antonio will be looking to make a statement here, and fact is, they'll be doing it against a weaker Detroit team this time around. Iverson might fill up the stat sheet, but right now, he's hurting the team as much as he's helping them (defensively & chemistry-wise). In the end, Detroit is in no condition to be battling a hungry Spurs team hell bent on getting their r-e-s-p-e-c-t back.
Take San Antonio over Detroit in this NBA match up.
2♦ SAN ANTONIO
South Alabama +6 at SOUTHERN MISSISSIPPI
Just don't see this many points separating these two schools, as the Jaguars are playing far too well to look any other way in this contest. South Alabama is fresh off winning the USA Basketball Classic, and while beating a team like UC Davis handily in the Finals might not seem that impressive. Remember, they're playing a Golden Eagles team that just barely beat Iona in their last game (and needed OT to beat La Salla)... So let's not overesimate Southern Miss in this spot either!
From a match up standpoint, the one weakness the Jaguars have is covering the 3-point line, allowing 41% from deep range thus far. However, it might not matter in this match up, as the Golden Eagles are NOT a proficient 3-point shooting team, knocking in just 29% on the season. Also, while statiscally the defenses are similar (both allowing about 67 ppg L5 games), the Jaguars have played the tougher competition, which tells me their defense is better, despite the stats.
Finally, while the best player on the floor might be Southern Miss G Jeremy Wise, you give the edge in overall balance to South Alabama trio, with Tilford outside, and Davis and Coleman down-low. The fact the Jaguars have posted a combined 33 asissts in their last two games is key, because it shows they're moving the ball well, and should pick up nicely were they left off after beating UC Davis. In the end, expect a close hard-fought contest, as the Jaguars grab the cash, and possibly the outright upset Tuesday night in Hattiesburg!
Take South Alabama plus the points over Southern Mississippi in this college hoops match up.
3♦ SOUTH ALABAMA
Dennis Macklin
Game: Clemson at Illinois
Prediction: Illinois
Clemson is off to it's annual fast start spanking the weakest of weak non-conference opponents. The Tigers do have a nice 71-70 win in only road game at NCC but Illinois is whole different animal. Illini kids took their licks last year and it's paid dividends at the Illini come of two nice close wins in Texas Tourney vs Kent and Tulsa. Big 10 Home faves 12-6 this year and this is one of the toughest home floors in conference. Take Illinois.
Larry Ness
Duke @ Purdue
PICK: Purdue
The ACC/Big 10 Challenge is celebrating its 10th year, an event which has been dominated by the ACC. No school has had more success than Duke, which has yet to lose in this event. The No. 4 Blue Devils are 7-0 this year, averaging 83.7 PPG. Five of their seven games have been at home, only venturing away from Durham to win the 2K Sports Classic championship in MSG, beating Southern Illinois 83-58 and Michigan, 71-56. No. 9 Purdue also made a 'pit stop' in MSG this November, losing the NIT Final this past Friday to Oklahoma (87-82 in OT). Duke has four players averaging in double digits, led by the 6-8 Singler (16.7-6.9) while nine players are averaging at least 13 MPG. Matt Painter's Purdue team had that great freshman class last season and three sophomores lead the way this year. Guard Moore (16.7-5.3-3.8) is the team's leading scorer while in the frontcourt, there is the 6-8 Hummel (14.2-6.5) and the 6-10 Johnson (9.8-3.0). Purdue stood up well against Oklahoma and its player-of-the-year candidate Blake Griffin in MSG and I expect them to 'stare down' Duke here. This is Duke's first true road game this year and only its second trip to West Lafayette, all-time. The Boilermakers have won 13 in a row here at Mackey Arena and I'll remind everyone of how well they played vs Oklahoma. Purdue led by four early in overtime against the Sooners but was outscored 11-2 to close the game. Here at home, that won't happen. Take Purdue.