Archive for February 2011
Villanova Wildcats vs. Notre Dame Fighting Irish
February 28, 2011 | 
Author The Notre Dame Fighting Irish is 4-point home favorites over the Villanova Wildcats tonight in Big East action. The over/under for the game is set at 140. Both teams are preparing to make a deep run in the March Madness tournament.
Villanova is 21-8 overall and 12-14 against the spread. In Villanova’s last game on Saturday they lost to St. John’s 81-68 as 6-point home favorites. The game was all but over in the first five minutes as the Red Storm bolted their way to an early 18-4 lead. Paced by Dwight Hardy’s career-best 34 points, including 5-of-9 from long range, St. John’s outplayed the Wildcats in every phase of the game on both ends of the court. It was the sixth consecutive loss for the Wildcats and they have failed to cover the spread in nine of their last ten games.
The Notre Dame Fighting Irish are 23-5 overall and 14-10 against the spread. They won their second straight game on Saturday when the beat the Seton Hall Pirates 60-48 as 9-point home favorites. Seton Hall possibly caught the Irish looking ahead to Monday’s game early on as Seton Hall went to the locker room up by three, 27-24. A 13-0 run in the second half helped Notre Dame avoid the upset in front of their home fans. Seniors Tim Abromaitis and Ben Hansbrough combined for 43 of the 60 Irish points, adding 15 rebounds between them. The win left Notre Dame a perfect 16-0 at home this season and 8-4 against the spread at home.
Villanova has won and covered the last two in this series, one at home and one in South Bend. Last season’s 90-72 victory for the Wildcats came as 11-point home favorites; they were three-point underdogs when they topped Notre Dame on its home floor two years ago, 77-60. Both games finished below the total. For tonight’s game, I am taking Notre Dame minus the 4 points and the under. Villanova is a team that has lost its swagger and has been playing with no confidence, while Notre Dame seems like they are a very confident group, led by their seniors. The game should be played at Notre Dame’s tempo, which will keep the teams from running. That is why I am taking the under 140
Picks
Under 140
Notre Dame Fighting Irish -4 Villanova Wilcats
Posted in College Basketball, Sportsbook | 
Tags: College Basketball, College Basketball betting, Notre Dame Fighting Irish, Villanova Wildcats | 
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Boston Celtics vs. Utah Jazz
The new look Boston Celtics is 4-point road favorites against a revamped Utah Jazz team. The over/under for the game is set at 191. This will be an interesting game as both teams pulled off major trades right before the trade deadline last week.
Nenad Krstic and Jeff Green are both newly infused into the Boston lineup, and at least for now, things have not gone smoothly. Green only scored seven points in 18 minutes off of the bench against the Los Angeles Clippers on Saturday, while Krstic had nine points and six boards in 21 minutes in the starting lineup, replacing the departed Kendrick Perkins. Still, it is apparent that this is a team that is still going to be playing great defense each game. Boston holds its opponents to just 91.2 points per game this year. The trick is going to be figuring out where the inside offense will come from with Perkins gone, and both Shaquille O’Neal and Jermaine O’Neal sidelined with injuries. Glen Davis and Kevin Garnett can do the job, but they are both more or less power forwards and not centers, something that might really come back to hurt this team later on down the line in the season.
The Jazz did what they had to do by getting rid of Deron Williams, who help run legendary coach Jerry Sloan into retirement. The Jazz got Derrick Favors, who is a great young piece to the puzzle, and he has played well thus far since coming to Utah. Utah already has Andrei Kirilenko, Paul Millsap and Al Jefferson in the starting lineup, and we are probably just a matter of a couple of weeks away from Mehmet Okur coming back as well. All of which are very talented big men. The success of the Jazz will come down to its guard play. Devin Harris is a nice point guard to plug in as a starter, but he obviously isn’t Deron Williams. Harris had 17 points and 12 assists in the loss to Detroit on Saturday.
Boston hasn’t won a game here in Utah since December 2007, losing 90-85 two seasons ago as 1-point favorites and 110-97 as 1-point underdogs last year. Today however will be different, as the Celtics will win quite handily. I am laying the 4-points, and fully expect to the Celtics to win the game quite easily. They have more talent and better depth, which will put them over the top.
Pick
Boston Celtics -4 Utah Jazz
Kansas St. Wildcats vs. Texas Longhorns
The Texas Longhorns are 9-point home favorites this evening over the Kansas St. Wildcats. The over/under total for the game is 135. This is an important game in the Big 12 schedule.
Texas is 24-5 overall and 17-7 against the spread. They return home from a 91-89 loss to Colorado on Saturday, a game in which the Longhorns lost a huge 22-point first-half lead. Texas who was 6-point road favorites, took a 48-33 lead into the locker room and then fell victim to Alec Burks in the final 20 minutes. Burks tallied 33 points to lead all scorers and grabbed 10 rebounds to record his third double-double for the season, all coming in Big 12 action at home. The defeat was the second straight on the road for Texas after dropping a 70-67 decision at Nebraska as 6-point underdogs a week earlier. Colorado’s 91 points marked a season-high against a Longhorns defense that has averaged giving up just 60.7 points per game, 19th in the nation. Both of the recent road losses went “over’†the total. The “under†however is 16-7 this year in Texas’s games. The defeat also dropped Texas from the sole lead in the Big 12 standings and into a tie for the top spot with Kansas, each with 12-2 conference marks.
Kansas St. is 20-9 overall and 10-13 against the spread. They are in the middle of a 4-game winning streak. They beat Missouri 80-70 at home on Saturday. Kansas St. jumped out quickly to take a 10-0 lead before the Tigers clawed their way back into the contest. The game was close through most of the second half with Kansas State nursing a 58-57 lead with a little over seven minutes remaining. Rodney McGruder, Jacob Pullen and the rest of the Wildcats then took over to outscore Missouri 22-13 the rest of the way. The late surge lifted Kansas State to the cover as 3-point spread.
Kansas State has won three of the last four regular season meetings with Texas. Texas last topped Kansas State at home in Feb. 2005, a 75-72 overtime victory. I believe that Texas will tonight’s game but fail to cover the nine points. This game will be a close one throughout with Texas pulling it out in the end. Wager on Kansas State plus the nine points.
Pick
Kansas St. Wildcats +9 Texas Longhorns
Posted in College Basketball, Sportsbook | Tags: College Basketball, College Basketball betting, Kansas St. Wildcats, Texas Longhorns | Comments Closed
Pittsburgh Panthers vs. Louisville Cardinals
The Louisville Cardinals are 2-point favorites at home verse the Pittsburgh Panthers this afternoon in Big East action. The over/under for the game is set at 134. Both teams are primed to make a run at March Madness, but just a few days before March they play in a key conference game.
Louisville is 21-7 overall on the season and 15-10 against the spread. They need a win to help maintain a spot in the top 4 of the conference standing which would give the Cardinals a bye in the first two rounds of the Big East tournament. The Cardinals are coming off consecutive wins over UConn and Rutgers. Tuesday’s 55-37 win at Rutgers was the lowest total point in a Big East game this season. Louisville was 4-point road favorites against Rutgers. Only two Cardinals reached double figures in the boxscore, Preston Knowles and Kyle Kuric, but they didn’t really need much more than that to defeat a Rutgers team that shot under 30 percent from the field and connected on just 13 field goals. Louisville is 17-2 at home this season.
Pittsburgh is 25-3 overall on the season and 12-11 against the spread. They can guarantee itself at least a tie for the regular season title in the Big East with a win. With two victories in their last three games, the Panthers can lock up the No. 1 seed for the Big East tourney and that would go a long way to giving Pittsburgh a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament. The Panthers last played on Thursday when they beat West Virginia 71-58. Pittsburgh was favored by 9 in the game and overcame a 31-30 halftime deficit with a 17-5 run to open the final 20 minutes of play. Pittsburgh managed to convert 15 of its 23 shots in the second half while holding West Virginia to just six field goals in 23 second-half attempts. The final score fell “under†the 130-point total, the fourth consecutive “under’†in Pittsburgh games this year.
Pittsburgh was a two-point underdog at home the last time the two teams played in January of 2010, and came away with an 82-77 victory in overtime, easily “over†the 136-point total. I see today’s game being a high scoring affair as both teams like to push the ball and have effective offenses. My only wager for today’s game is over the 134-point total.
Pick
Over 134
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New York Knicks vs. Miami Heat
The Miami Heat is 9-point favorites over the New York Knicks this evening at home. The over/under total for the game is set at 215. Both teams are trying to improve their playoff positioning, with the Knicks currently in sixth place and the Heat battling Boston for the top spot.
New York retooled itself in the offseason with the acquisition of Amare Stoudemire. But the Knicks really made headlines with the recent arrival of Carmelo Anthony, giving them a powerful frontcourt duo. The Knicks are 29-27 overall and have an outstanding record against the spread of 35-21. New York had a three game winning streak snapped on Friday when they lost to Cleveland as 8-point road favorites 115-109. The combined 224 points went “over†the 221-point total. The Knicks have now failed to cover in their past two games. Stoudamire led the Knicks with 31 points and 11 rebounds, while Anthony had 27 and eight. Point guard Chauncey Billups accounted for 26 and eight assists in the loss. The Knicks are 17-6 against the spread in their last 23 road games, while the “under†is 8-3 in the previous 11 road games.
The Miami Heat are 43-16 overall and 30-29 against the spread. Miami improved its roster dramatically with the addition of LeBron James and Chris Bosh this past off-season. The Heat is the favorites to win the NBA title with odds of 2 to 1. Miami has won four of their last five games. On Friday, they beat the Washington Wizards 121-113 as 16-point home favorites. Shooting guard Dwayne Wade led all scorers with 41 points along with five rebounds, while James provided 25, nine and seven assists. Bosh accounted for 15 and eight, while point guard Mario Chalmers added 14. The combined 234 points soared well above the “over†of 203. The “over†is 5-3 in the Heat’s past eight games. The Heat has only covered the spread once in their last four games.
Miami had won seven games in a row against New York before losing to the Knicks on January 27th as 3-point road favorites. The combined 181 points never seriously threatened the 213-point closing total. The “under†is 4-1 the past five games in this series. I expect the Heat to hammer the Knicks tonight and win by double-digits. I’m laying the 9-points and taking the Heat to win big. I expect a lot of garbage time in this one as the new look Knicks will need time to gel together.
Pick
Miami Heat -9 New York Knicks
Posted in NBA, Sportsbook | Tags: LeBron James, Miami Heat, NBA, NBA betting, New York Knicks | Comments Closed
Maryland Terrapins vs. North Carolina Tar Heels
The North Carolina Tar Heels are 6-point favorites at home over the Maryland Terrapins in ACC Conference action. The over/under for the game is set at 140. ACC betting fans will love to sink their teeth into this fantastic Sunday night showdown.
Many have already written off the Terrapins as having no shot of making the March Madness Tournament. Though I admit that Maryland has a lack of quality wins, the prospects of ending the regular season on a five-game winning streak and 10 wins in the ACC makes me believe that there is at least hope to make it into the field as an at-large team. The play of Jordan Williams is going to be of paramount importance. The big man has frustrated some of the best teams in America this year, and he is going to have to be the subject of an upset if there is one brewing. Williams is averaging 17.2 points per game and 11.5 rebounds per game. The rest of this team is definitely challenged to find both scoring and rebounding. Dino Gregory is the second best rebounder on this team at 6.0 per game, and he is the only other man averaging more than 3.5 RPG. Terrell Stoglin and Cliff Tucker are both double-digit scorers, but they’re the only other ones on the squad and certainly aren’t stars like Williams is.
The only team that has beaten North Carolina since January 16 is the Duke Blue Devils. The Tar Heels have really found their stride, and they’re moving towards a very high seed in the NCAA Tournament this season. However, lately the Tar Heels seem to be having at least some minimal issues with teams on their home court. They struggled offensively against Boston College on February 19th winning 48-46. Tyler Zeller who averages 14.4 points per game and 7.4 rebounds per game leads the Tar Heels. Harrison Barnes has picked up his play in the 2nd half of the season and now averages 13.5 points per game and 5.7 rebounds per game.
The Terrapins have won four of the last five games over the Tar Heels and are 5-0 against the spread in those games. Maryland won last year at home convincingly 92-71. I expect North Carolina to take revenge today and easily cover the six point spread at home.
Pick
North Carolina Tar Heels -6 Maryland Terrapins
Posted in College Basketball, March Madness, Sportsbook | Tags: College Basketball, College Basketball betting, Maryland Terrapins, North Carolina Tar Heels | Comments Closed
San Diego St. Aztecs vs. BYU Cougars
The San Diego St. Aztecs are 4-point favorites over the BYU Cougars in the biggest game of the Mountain West regular season. The over/under total for the game is 140. Both teams are 12-1 in Mountain West play this year. BYU is the 7th ranked team in the country while San Diego is ranked 6th in the country.
San Diego St. is 27-1 and its only defeat was to BYU, 71-58 as 5-point road underdogs on January 26th. The combined 129 points went “under†the 145-point total. BYU’s star guard Jimmer Fredette had a game for the ages in that first meeting scoring 43 points on 14-of-24 shooting from the floor, including five-of-eight from beyond the arc. Fredette leads the nation in scoring at 27.4 points per game. The 6-foot-2 senior is averaging two points more per game than Marshon Brooks of Providence, the second-leading scorer in the country. Fredette has scored 33 and 28 points, respectively, during his last two visits to San Diego’s Viejas Arena.
BYU swept the Aztecs last season winning 71-69 as one-point road underdogs and 82-68 as 7-point home favorites. San Diego State, though, will be rested having not played since last Saturday. San Diego State is currently ranked seventh in the country defensively surrendering 58.6 points per contest. The Aztecs are 15th in defensive field goal percentage holding foes to 39.3 percent shooting. The obvious key for the Aztecs is slowing down Fredette. He scored 34 points in the Cougars’ 84-76 hard-fought victory this past Wednesday against Colorado State. It was the first time in six games Fredette broke the 30-point barrier. BYU failed to cover as 13-point home favorites. The combined 160 points went “over†the 148-point total.
San Diego State is led in scoring by Kawhi Leonard, who is averaging 15.2 points a game. The Aztecs have won seven in a row since falling to the Cougars. The Aztecs beat Air Force, 70-58, as 10-point road favorites in their last game. The combined 128 points went “over†the 121-point total. San Diego State is 7-5 against the spread in its home games.
I see this game as one of the “games of the year.â€Â I do believe San Diego St. will get their revenge and beat BYU on their home court. Laying 4 points is a little high but I will still make a small play on the San Diego St. Aztecs.
Pick
San Diego St. Aztecs -4 BYU Cougars
Posted in College Basketball, Sportsbook | Tags: BYU Cougars, College Basketball, College Basketball betting, San Diego St. Aztecs | Comments Closed
Chicago Bulls vs. Milwaukee Bucks
The Chicago Bulls are 3-point road favorites tonight against the Milwaukee Bucks. The over/under total for the game is 182. Tonight is the Bulls first game of a five game road trip.
The Chicago Bulls are 39-17 overall and 34-22 against the spread. After the all-star break they lost in their first game back 118-133 as 8-point favorites to lowly Toronto on Wednesday. It was the second-most points Chicago has let up this season. Big man Joakim Noah returned after missing 30 games with a thumb injury. He showed his value with 16 rebounds in 25 minutes, but the Bulls got caught looking forward to their game the next night verse the Miami Heat. The next night the Chicago Bulls surprised the Miami Heat by beating them 93-89 as 3-point road underdogs. The 182 combined points scored went “under†the 192-point total. The “over†was 4-0 in Chicago’s previous four. Chicago has now won five of their last six games, winning their last four before the all-star break. The Bulls are an excellent home team as they are 26-4 overall but on the road they are only 13-13.
The Milwaukee Bucks are 22-35 overall and 27-30 against the spread. The Bucks are starting a four game home stand tonight. The Bucks are 1-1 since the all-star break. They beat Minnesota on Tuesday night, 94-88 as eight-point home favorites. Starting point guard Brandon Jennings had 27 points and Corey Maggette added 20 off the bench. Milwaukee had a back-to-back at the Knicks on Wednesday and it was made infinitely harder by the debut of New York forward Carmelo Anthony. The former Nugget had 27 points in front of the raucous crowd. The Bucks’ John Salmons had 27 of his own and they at least “covered†the 7-points in the 114-108 loss. The 222 combined points scored went way “over†the 199-point total. It was Milwaukee’s highest output in regulation since January 8, and the “under†was 9-1 in its previous 10 games. The Bucks are 14-13 at home this year and have a 12-15 record against the spread. The “under†is 19-8 in Bucks home games this year.
Both meeting this year between these two teams were played in Chicago. Chicago won and covered in both. Despite this game being played in Milwaukee I believe the results will be the same. I am laying the 3 points and taking the Bulls tonight.
Pick
Chicago Bulls -3 Milwaukee Bucks
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Florida Gators vs. Kentucky Wildcats
The Kentucky Wilcats are 8-point home favorites over Florida this afternoon. The over/under total for the game is 137. March Madness is just around the corner, and this is a quality SEC matchup
Florida is 21-5 on the season and 9-13 against the spread. The Gators currently sit atop the SEC East Division standing by 2.5 games over second-place Vanderbilt, while the Kentucky Wildcats are tied for fourth. Florida is riding a five game winning streak in to today’s game. The Gators continued their winning ways by beating Louisiana State Sunday as a 10-point road favorite, 68-61. The combined 129 points went “over†the 121-point closing total, helping the “over†improve to 3-1 the past four games.
Kentucky is 19-8 overall and 10-12 against the spread. Kentuchy had their two game winning streak snapped on Wednesday when they lost in overtime to Arkansas as a seven-point road favorites, 77-76. The combined 153 points toppled the 140-point closing total, helping the “over†cash the fourth consecutive contest. Kentucky is just 2-6 against the spread in there last eight games. Coach John Calipari’s team is now just 1-6 overall in conference road games, but an unblemished 6-0 at Rupp Arena.
Florida beat Kentucky on February 5th as one-point home underdogs, 70-68, while the combined 138 points went “over†the 134-point closing total. Senior forward Chandler Parsons stepped up with 17 points and 12 rebounds for the Gators. This game is a tough game to call. Kentucky is a different team at home then on the road. I do believe they will win today at home, keeping their perfect record at home.  However, I don’t see them covering the 8-point spread. Taking Florida plus the eight points seems to be the smart play in this game. I will also take the “over†137. I expect a lot of points in this game as both coaches like to play an up tempo style.
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LEBRON, BENEDICT ARNOLD, AND THE AMERICAN COWARD
Whenever I meet someone from Cleveland, they erupt with hateful lectures about Lebron James when they find out that I live in Miami. It’s amazing how one basketball player can rip the soul out of a city, simply by changing job locations.
Cavs owner Dan Gilbert called LBJ a Benedict Arnold. How classic is that? Is it safe to assume that since Arnold’s moment of betrayal came in 1779, people in Cleveland carry grudges for over 230 years? Will they still hate on their former hometown basketball player in the year 2241? Will Cleveland even be around in 230 years? It will burn to the ground, either by spontaneous combustion, or from a smoldering Keith Richards cigarette butt that was overlooked by the staff at the Rock-n-Roll hall of fame.
I was going to write about the absurdity of people thinking that Lebron’s motivation for leaving was greed. Here’s a little bit of information that most people, even in Miami, are not aware of: Lebron not only took less money to play for the Heat, he gave up an additional few million dollars after Dwayne Wade called him and said Miami Heat roll player Udonis Halsem’s mother was dying in the hospital. Along with Chris Bosh, the two superstars each took additional pay cuts so that Halsem, who was negotiating what probably will be his last NBA contract, could make enough money to never worry about taking care of his family again. His mother passed away a few days after he signed, knowing that her son was going to be alright.
I was also going to dedicate a paragraph or two to the absurdity of Clevelanders to think that their city can compare to Miami as a desirable place to live. However, I’m not one to jump in for an extra couple of flogs at a dead horse. People have been making fun of our national joke for a century. Busting on Cleveland is not only too easy; it is also considered comedy of the lowest order, just below puns.
The Lebron James hate-fest reaches far beyond Northern Ohio, and has consumed most of the Midwest. People have turned on this 25 year-old athlete with such venom, that he is now spoken of in the same breath as all the rapists and dog fighters that dot the professional sports landscape. Vick, Roethlisberger, and Kobe have all been forgiven. Why not Lebron?
It’s because he violated the Norman Rockwellesque myth that Midwesterners and small town enthusiasts value so much. All my friends back in Kentucky pretend to think this way also, so I know it well. It is the belief that life is perfect in a nice, safe, small town, where everyone is ethical, and a handshake is golden. Why live anywhere else? Why take a risk and move to a big city, filled with crime and diseases?
This runs contradictory to another treasured American belief: That our country is wide open with opportunity, and whether you must get there by wagon train, bus, or 757, you must seek out your destiny in this land of opportunity. Success simply will not come to you. The talented and brilliant among us have always moved to the major coastal cities to seek their fame and fortune. That is the true American way.
So, here are three facts:
1. Benedict Arnold tried to sell out West Point to the British because he was passed over for a promotion. He also took more money (The Brits paid better).
2. LBJ left Ohio because he knew that he could not win a championship if he stayed. It is impossible to attract talent to play in Cleveland. Money was not an issue.
3. Cleveland people are upset because they needed Lebron to remain. His celebrity validated their own pathetic decisions to live in an undesirable location. They needed him to sacrifice his own dreams, so that they could all feel good about their own lack of initiative in life.
This is all you need to know to shut up these Lebron haters. I know that #3 hurts, but it is the truth. Strip away the small town crap, and loyalty nonsense, and you’re left with a bunch of cowards, desperately clinging to the only hope they’ll ever have of being proud. Come on Cleveland – Move to Miami. Be somebody! Life is too short.
Posted in Bobby C | Tags: basketball, benedict arnold, Chris Bosh, Cleveland, Dwayne Wade, heat roll, Keith Richards, Kentucky, Kobe, LeBron James, Miami, Miami Heat, Midwesterners, NBA, nba contract, Northern Ohio, rock n roll hall of fame, Sports | 1 Comment »
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