King T Sports
Oregon State -2.5
Beavers have proven to be solid team with balance on both sides of the ball.
Boston College -3.5
BC has solid D and Vandy didn't exactly finish strong coming into this tilt.
LSU/Georgia Tech OVER 50
Both teams are vunerable to big plays and KTS expects plenty of fireworks in this game tonight.
3G-Sports
Air Force 10* Underdog Blaster
STEVE BUDIN
25 dime Georgia Tech
ATS
10 units on LSU (+4) Bowl GOY
5 units on Houston (-3 1/2)
4 units on Boston College (-3 1/2)
Pro Sports Plays
Take Oregon State (-2) over Pittsburgh
(10* Top NCAA Bowl Parlay Winner)
Oregon State has won 6 of the last 7 games and they have also won 17 of the last 21 games as a favorite. Oregon State has won 6 consecutive games when playing with two weeks or more of rest and they are averaging over 32 points a game on offense this season.
Take Kansas (-9) over Minnesota
(10* Top NCAA Bowl Parlay Winner)
Minnesota has lost 4 consecutive games to finish the regular season and they have also lost 17 of the last 21 games as an underdog. Minnesota has allowed an average of over 39 points a game on defense over the last 3 games.
ATS Financial
4 Units on Oregon St
3 Units on Kansas
Dr. Canada
Flames
Ducks
KELSO
100 Units Georgia Tech (-4) over LSU
3 Units Air Force (+3½) over Houston
3 Units Pittsburgh (+2½) over Oregon State
3 Units Boston College (-3½) over Vanderbilt
3 Units Kansas (-9) over Minnesota
BEN BURNS
I'm taking the points with VANDERBILT. The Eagles bring the better record to the table. However, the Commodores played in the extremely tough SEC, so there 6-6 record is arguably a lot better than some of the other 6-6 teams. Yes, the Commodores did struggle down the stretch. I successfully played against them in their losses vs. Mississippi State and Tennessee, so its not like I am unaware of their second half problems. Again, they were playing against some of the best teams in the country though and now they've had plenty of time to recover from that gruelling schedule. I expect the Commodores to enter today's game "fresh," much like they were at the beginning of the season. While the Eagles may be somewhat disappointed, without question, the Commodores will be extremely excited to be here and motivated to play well. After all, their players weren't even alive the last time (1982) that the Commodores played in a bowl game. As coach Bobby Johnson said: "I'm excited, our staff is excited and our players are excited about getting a chance to experience a bowl game. Getting to play in the Gaylord Music City Bowl is a fantastic reward for this football team and Vanderbilt University." Let's not forget that Vanderbilt beat teams like Mississippi, Kentucky, South Carolina and Auburn this season. While the Eagles do boast an excellent defense, their offense has struggled to replace Matt Ryan and they enter today's game still with questions at quarterback - much like Vanderbilt. Overall, the Eagles have averaged just 318 yards of offense, which makes covering more than a field goal away from home tough. Note that Boston College, is 5-8 ATS the last 13 times that it was favored in the -3.5 to -10 range. Conversely, Vanderbilt is 4-1 ATS the last five times it was an underdog in the +3.5 to +10 range and 7-2 ATS its last nine in the underdog role overall. After getting crushed by Virginia Tech in the ACC Title game, Boston College is 0-4 ATS its last four in December. With this game being played in Nashville, look for a highly inspired effort from the Commodores as they take this game down to the wire and earn at least the cover. *Main Event
I'm taking the points with LSU. The Yellow Jackets exceeded expectations this year while the Tigers underachieved. However, while those results have given us excellent line value, it should be remembered that the Tigers played in a much tougher conference. I feel that LSU matches up very well vs. the Yellow Jackets. I also believe that the Tigers are far more talented and dangerous than their record indicates. Georgia Tech has successfully implemented Paul Johnson's triple-option attack and runs the ball almost exclusively. However, the extra few weeks of preparation time gives extremely well-coached LSU time to learn all about what the Yellow Jackets do. Additionally, while LSU has had some trouble against the pass, the Tigers were excellent against the run, allowing just 3.3 yards per carry and 106 yards per game. The Tigers have been excellent under Les Miles in bowl games and I expect them to come in with a chip on their shoulder, looking to prove they are better than what they showed this year. The Yellow Jackets were great when "flying under the radar." That's over though and they're now laying points against a top tier team from an elite conference. Being "expected to win" is an entirely different matter and I look for them to stumble here. *New Year's Eve Best Bet
BOWL TOTAL OF MONTH
I'm playing on LSU and Georgia Tech to finish UNDER the total. This number has climbed from its opener and I feel that the current total is now too high, providing us with excellent value on the UNDER. Its true that LSU's defense wasn't quite as good this year, at least when compared to some of the Tigers' recent dominating units. However, the Tigers' "weakness" was against the pass and the Yellow Jackets don't have the type of passing attack to take advantage. The Tigers, who have seen the UNDER go 3-1 the last four times that they played in a dome, remained stout against the run this season, allowing just 3.3 yards per carry and 106 yards per game. Overall, LSU permitted a respectable 327 total yards per game. Georgia Tech's strength has been its defense, as the Yellow Jackets held opponents to just 18.2 points and 312 total yards per game. Overall, Georgia Tech games averaged 44.4 points on the season, with the UNDER going 6-4 in their games with a total. The Yellow Jackets, who closed out the season with back to back victories, have seen the UNDER go 9-3 the last 12 times they were coming off two or more consecutive wins and 9-4 their last 13 games (with a total) which were played on turf. With a heavy dose of the run from both teams helping to keep the clock moving and strong overall defensive play, I look for this evening's score to prove lower-scoring than most are expecting and the final combined score to fall beneath the generous number. *Bowl TOM
NBA GAME OF MONTH
I'm taking the points with OKLAHOMA CITY. The Thunder aren't the most talented team in the league and their overall SU record is among the worst. However, since making an early season coaching change, they've been extremely competitive almost every time that they take the floor. Indeed, Monday's pointspread victory vs. Phoenix brought the Thunder to 14-5 ATS their last 19 games, including 7-2 ATS their last nine. Monday's result also brought the Thunder to 4-1 ATS on the season when attempting to avenge an earlier home loss. That's worth noting, as the Warriors defeated them here earlier this month. While the Thunder haven't been winning many games outright, they've come very close to doing so, as they've been within five or less in the fourth quarter of four straight losses. I feel that the Warriors, who are terrible on the road, will provide a good matchup for the Thunder and that they have an excellent shot to finally break through with a SU victory. Already without Monta Ellis, the Warriors have been without Corey Maggette the past 13 games. He's currently listed as doubtful for tonight's game, although I'd still like the Thunder even if he played. While the Warriors did win here earlier, they're still a dismal 4-16 on the road for the year, including 2-13 their last 15. They were absolutely desperate for a victory the last time they came here, having been crushed by 35 points their previous game and having lost nine straight. They're off a home win over the Raptors this time though and with two wins in their last three games, it will be much easier to overlook the lowly Thunder, particularly on New Year's Eve and after recently having recently faced big name opponents like the Lakers and Celtics. Note that the Warriors are 1-4 SU/ATS on the season when coming off a SU win as an underdog and just 2-10 ATS (1-11 SU) when playing a road game with an over/under line of 210 or greater. The 12/8 loss here was one of Oklahoma City's rare non-competitive efforts under Coach Scott Brooks and I look for him to have his team fully ready for tonight's rematch. *December GOM
Paul Leiner
300* CFB Georgia Tech -4
50* NBA Over 189 Milw/Hou
25* CBB Louisville -13
25* CFB Pittsburgh +2.5
10* CFB Houston -3.5
CHARLIE
lsu vs ga tech over 52' (500*)
vandy +3' (30*)
air force -3 (20*)
boston college vs vandy under 40' (20*)
minnesota +10 (10*)
pitt +3 (10*) free play
Eddie Mush
Hoops:
8* Michigan -3
8* Evansville +7.5
8* St. Johns +8.5
10* William & Mary -6
10* Akron -9.5
Football:
4* Oregon St -2
6* Houston -4
Blade, how 'bout them Ducks!!!! Do you ever see Lone Star Sports??
Las Vegas Sport Picks
NCAAF:
1* GT -4
2* AF/Houston o64
2* Kansas -9
NBA (9-2 run):
1* Magic/Bulls o202
NCAAB:
1* Penn State -3
NHL:
1* Coyotes -130
1* Panthers/Islanders o5.5 even
Larry Ness
7* New Year's Eve Rout
SIU owns a proud BKB tradition and last year's disappointing 18-15 record (lost in the NIT's second round), saw a six-year NCAA run end. As for Northern Iowa, the Panthers had a three-year NCAA run from 2004-06 but they have won just 18 games in each of the last two seasons, both times missing out on any postseason play. Northern Iowa enters this game 6-6 on the season and SIU enters 5-7. Both teams lost their MVC openers on Sunday, although while SIU lost an the road at Bradley, Northern Iowa lost a double-OT game at home to 3-9 Indiana St. Now the Panthers will have to visit Carbondale (a very tough venue for a long time), on New Year's Eve. The Panthers lost the 6-6 Eric Coleman (12.3-8.8) from last year's team (was the squad's lone double-digit scorer LY and its leading rebounder) plus Josten (9.3), who was a solid backcourt performer. The 7-1 Egleseder (11.9-7.1) is this year's leading scorer and rebounder. He's joined in the starting lineup by the 6-8 Koch (10.8-4.5) and three guards. Sophomore Ahelegbe (11.6-3.6 APG), Farokhmanesh (9.8) a JUCO transfer plus freshman Moran (9.2-4.0). SIU had all sorts of trouble scoring away from Carbondale last year and the Salukis weren't all that much better at home. Too much pressure was but on the team's 6-7 inside duo of Falker (13.0-7.2) and Shaw (12.5-6.9) and the result was SIU failing to 'go dancing' for the first time in seven years. Both Falker and Shaw have graduated and I'm not sure TY's team will be any better. However, this is a great spot for the Salukis. The 6-8 Fay (11.8-4.6) is making the most of his increased palying time with Falker and Shaw gone (he averaged just 2.4-1.8 as a freshman LY) and 6-8 senior Boyle (8.3-5.0) hasn't been bad. Mullins (9.9-6.3 APG) is a solid PG and LY, was named the MVC's defensive p-o-y. He's joined on the perimeter by vet guard Clemmons (5.5) and two freshman, Dillard (10.8-3.8 APG) and Hare (5.5). These teams split two regular season games LY (SIU won in Carbondale 67-47) but Northern Iowa beat SIU 54-49 in the MVC tourney. SIU's Chris Lowry has had a nice run at SIU but could really use a win to get things headed in the right direction. What better spot to get one than here? Northern Iowa is already 0-3 SU on the road TY and is coming off a double-OT home loss in its MVC-opener against lowly Indiana St. SIU can ill-afford to lose its conference home opener and playing with a little revenge motive from LY's loss to Northern Iowa in the MVC tourney, should add some extra motivation. Northern Iowa can't possibly be thrilled about spending New Years Eve in Carbondale (would you be?) and that will show up in the final score. New Year's Eve Rout on Southern Illinois