2-20-13

[Can'tPickAWinner]

::handshake::

[Can'tPickAWinner]

Study Group: Wednesday's Top 25 NCAAB Betting Notes

The race towards March is on. Check out all of Wednesday's Top 25 betting action:

DePaul Blue Demons at Georgetown Hoyas (-15, 135)

It wasn’t long ago that No. 11 Georgetown was an unranked team that began Big East play with a 2-3 record. However, the Hoyas will put the conference’s longest winning streak on the line on Wednesday when they host DePaul. On Jan. 19, Georgetown provided South Florida with its only league win, but since that setback, the Hoyas have trumped three top-25 opponents and won seven straight overall.

The win streak has allowed Georgetown to move from the bottom half of the conference and into a three-way tie for first with Marquette and Syracuse, the latter of which it will meet Saturday. In the meantime, the Hoyas stand a good chance at remaining atop the Big East with a home game against the Blue Demons. DePaul snapped a nine-game slide with Saturday’s victory over Rutgers, but has lost 11 straight against Georgetown.

Providence Friars at Syracuse Orange (-12.5, 130)

Providence has suddenly put itself in major contention for a postseason bid after a four-game win streak, its longest in Big East play since 2004. The healthier Friars attempt to beat their third ranked team of the month when they travel to Syracuse on Wednesday. Providence was without guards Vincent Council and Kris Dunn for 10 and nine games, respectively, with injuries and leading scorer Bryce Cotton missed two close Friars’ losses. Providence must continue its strong play on the defensive end to win at the Carrier Dome for the first time since 1999.

Eighth-ranked Syracuse is only 3-3 its last six games, but is 15-0 at the Dome this season – 5-0 in league play. The contest will start a critical three-game stretch for the Orange, who host Georgetown on Saturday and play at Marquette on Monday. Syracuse won at Providence 72-66 on Jan. 9.

Minnesota Golden Gophers at Ohio State Buckeyes (-6, 121)

Both Minnesota and Ohio State have 18 victories this season, but neither is playing well entering Wednesday’s matchup at Columbus. The visiting Golden Gophers are far removed from a 15-1 start, losing seven of their past 10 and falling into a three-way tie for sixth in the Big Ten standings. Minnesota is last in conference games in defending the 3-point shot, which could prove problematic against the Buckeyes.

Ohio State is third in the conference in 3-point shooting (36.5 percent), and junior Lenzelle Smith Jr. (39.1 percent) and Deshaun Thomas (38.5 percent) rank in the top 12 in the Big Ten in shooting from beyond the arc. Ohio State is fifth in the conference standings, three games out of first.

Wisconsin Badgers at Northwestern Wildcats (+7, 112)

No. 17 Wisconsin will be fighting to keep its Big Ten title hopes alive when it travels to slumping Northwestern on Wednesday night. The Badgers are two games behind conference co-leaders No. 1 Indiana and No. 5 Michigan State, but are flying high after a routine 71-49 win over No. 18 Ohio State.

The Wildcats enter on a three-game losing streak, having posted a season-low 41 points against in-state rival Illinois on their home floor on Sunday. Its the longest skid of the season for Northwestern, and even a matchup against a Badger squad that's been less than adequate on the road would seem a tough place to stop it. Wisconsin hasn't lost to the Wildcats since Jan. 7, 2009, in Evanston.

Kansas Jayhawks at Oklahoma State Cowboys (-1.5, 138)

Oklahoma State puts its seven-game win streak on the line Wednesday against No. 9 Kansas in a critical Big 12 contest, with both teams trailing first-place Kansas State by a half-game. The 14th-ranked Cowboys are trending upward behind the play of freshman point guard Marcus Smart, who scored a career-high 28 points in an 84-79 overtime win over Oklahoma on Saturday.

Kansas bounced back after suffering its first three-game losing streak since 2005 with dominating wins over Kansas State and Texas last week. Oklahoma State ended Kansas’ 33-game home win streak with an 85-80 victory Feb. 2, but the Jayhawks have defeated the Cowboys in five of the last seven games. Kansas freshman guard Ben McLemore, who leads the Big 12 in scoring in conference play at 17.8 points per game, had 23 points against the Cowboys in the first matchup.

Houston Cougars at Memphis Tigers (-19, 158)

Memphis staved off a second-half rally from Marshall last time out to win its 16th straight game, the second longest streak in the nation. The 19th-ranked Tigers host Houston Wednesday in a Conference USA game needing two more wins to clinch their second-straight conference title. Memphis has try to avoid looking past the Cougars with Southern Mississippi, its lone threat in the conference, on deck.

Houston is coming off a heart-breaking loss to Tulsa in triple overtime. The Cougars scored five points in the final five seconds of regulation to force the extra sessions but ran out of gas in the final period. TaShawn Thomas was named the conference's Player of the Week averaging 27.5 points and 13 rebounds over a pair of games last week.

Colorado State Rams at UNLV Runnin' Rebels (-3, 138)

Colorado State has a clear route to sole possession of first place in the Mountain West. It will be far from easy though. To reach a showdown for the top spot in the league on Saturday with New Mexico, the 21st-ranked Rams must first end UNLV’s 13-game home winning streak on Wednesday night. Colorado State has won six straight contests since losing at New Mexico on Jan.23. That came one game after beating UNLV 66-61 at home. The Rams have five players averaging at least 9.9 points and led the nation in rebounding through Monday.

UNLV has lost three of its last five games, but the two victories were against No. 16 New Mexico and talented San Diego State at home where the Runnin’ Rebels are 15-1 overall and 7-0 in the league. UNLV, led by freshman Anthony Bennett, could use another key victory to seal an NCAA bid.

Washington Huskies at Arizona Wildcats (-12, 137)

A Pac-12 championship is still within reach for No. 12 Arizona heading into its game Wednesday night against visiting Washington. The Wildcats ended a two-game losing streak with a win Sunday against Utah, leaving them a game behind first-place Oregon with five remaining. Washington ended a three-game losing streak with Saturday’s victory against Oregon State. The Huskies, the defending conference champions, were picked to finish fifth in the Pac-12 but are tied for eighth with Stanford.

Washington has one of the premier scorers in the Pac-12 in junior guard C.J. Wilcox but he was stymied by Nick Johnson when these teams met Jan. 31, scoring 11 points on 4-for-16 shooting in the 57-53 win by the visiting Wildcats. That was part of an overall decline by Wilcox, in which he shot 34.9 percent from the floor during an eight-game stretch that resulted in seven losses. He regained his touch against Oregon State, shooting 7-for-14 and scoring 24 points.

Santa Clara Broncos at Gonzaga Bulldogs (-15, 142)

No. 3 Gonzaga appeared to have cleared the last major hurdle on the way to an undefeated season in the West Coast Conference when it eased past Saint Mary's to cap a sweep against its biggest conference rival. The Zags host dangerous Santa Clara needing one more win to match the most its ever had in regular-season play. Kelly Olynyk continues to state his claim for national Player of the Year winning the conference's weekly honor for the second time last week.

Rising Santa Clara looks to end the Zags' eight-game winning streak in the one-sided series. Gonzaga has won 26 of the last 27 meetings. Santa Clara coach Kerry Keating has beaten Gonzaga just once, that coming in 2011. The Broncos beat Pepperdine last game 70-60 as senior Raymond Cowels III scored the 1,000th point in his career.

[Can'tPickAWinner]

DAVE ESSLER

CBB Wednesday Cliff Notes

Kansas at Oklahoma State: Both teams tied w/K-State in the loss column, so this has really big implications. Most brackets have these two as #4 and #5 seeds, so a win here, especially by the Cowboys, can go a long, long, way. They could be a bit weary, both physically and mentally, after the OT win over the Sooners. However, they'd better be ready because they beat Kansas in Kansas this season, and very few teams do that. But, aside from a game at ISU later, they should be favored to win out, so winning here is even more important. Kansas also plays at ISU and at Baylor, who they beat soundly. Mental edge here probably goes to the home team, but Kansas does have the size and the experience advantage. Cowboys still a bit young, but they do get to the FT line, as does Kansas. Because the Jayhawks have had some turnover issues, I doubt I could take them on the road. And because Oklahoma State hasn't been a great offensive rebounding team, that may mean more fast break/transition baskets, and in what ought to be a close game I would lean to the over, as almost-too-easy as it looks. I do think the number gets bet up, so the sooner the better on that one, or, wait til very late and see what happens. This is a Kansas team that lost to TCU, and even given the spot they were in, losing SU in that one is tough for me to forget. They play TCU next, and if I were them I'd almost be thinking about beating the shit out of the Horned Frogs more than playing the Cowboys, so lean Oklahoma State here.

Colorado State at UNLV: OK, so NOW the Rebels are back in bettors favors and we've forgot all about the Rams, or so it seems. Highly unlikely I could fade a team that rebounds as well as CSU, and CSU is tied in the loss column with the Rebels. CSU beat the Rebels by five at home a month or so back in a game that really was fairly even (statistically), but they key thing was that the Rams were able to slow the game down. Clearly that's not what the Rebels want here. I probably want no part of this game, since the Rams simply don't play defense to create turnovers, and that's what they'll need to keep this a close game. If there's a total it will probably be over 140, which might tempt me to take the under. I simply don't expect CSU to buckle even if the Rebels play "their" game, and would lean to UNLV a bit but as I said a second ago, I cannot bet against the better coached team.

Minnesota at Ohio State: Well, we were all over Iowa the other night after watching what they did to Penn State, and we loved Wisconsin over the Buckeyes, so we've been right on these teams recently. Now, both teams come in after brutal losses. Usually in that case I'd tend to go with the better coach, which IMO is none of the above. As I said last week, without Sullinger and other options Craft had last year, his numbers almost across the board are down this season. Both teams have big game in the near future, but Minnesota has six days off while OSU has Michigan State on Sunday. Both of these teams are likely #6 and #7 type seeds if the season were to end right now, so there're really no place to go but up, which would seemingly put more pressure on OSU given the preseason hype. Minnesota hasn't won on the road in conference since they beat Illinois almost six weeks ago, which is always tough for me to back, However, there's the chance they they simply couldn't play worse than they did against Iowa and are under valued here. Buckeyes only conference home loss was to Indiana. I suppose because the Gophers turn the ball over too much and are near the bottom of the conference in defending the perimeter, I'd have to lean Ohio State here, provided they can not allow Minnesota extra possessions, since the Gophers are the number one offensive rebounding team in the Conference. Ohio State just has more ways to win this game, but winning and covering are two different things. This could be one of those game where I take the OSU ML 1* and the Gophers plus the points 3*. Or something to that effect. Again, often times it's all about the number(s) and not so much who is playing that dictates what I might do personally.

Iowa State at Baylor: This is a big game if for no other reason than the fact that they are tied for fourth in the Conference, which obviously makes for a big advantage come Tournament time. Plus, neither team is a lock to get into the Big Dance. Many people smarter than me have them both as either last-in or last-out, so there's probably much more at stake here than a rematch of an ISU eight point win earlier this season. ISU still hasn't won a road conference game, but they do have a gimme coming up, so they can put all their eggs in this one basket, because it's quite likely the difference between and NCAA bid and the NIT. Baylor's only home loss was by three points to Oklahoma. What I don't really like about taking Baylor here is that they will play fast, which is exactly the type of game ISU wants. I'd feel much better about laying those points if the Bears were a slow-down team, and did not have the rematch at Oklahoma Saturday. ISU does have the experience factor going for them, and for as under sized as they are, are a much better rebounding team than one might think. To me, this game has the potential to be the public undoing of the day.

Illinois State at Evansville: Well, for a while there E'ville were the cash machine. They lost a tough one to Creighton at home on Saturday, which was their first home loss (conference) this season, and they've got a chance to avenge an earlier loss to Illinois State. I do have to wonder how much emotion that Creighton loss sapped from them. Their simply not a great defensive team, and Illinois State has already proved they can win on the road, beating the aforementioned Jays. They themselves lost that tough one to Witchita State (this IS the time of year when good team simply find way to win) so this game is more about who rebounds mentally better. See coaching. I think I'd have to take Dan Muller. Illinois State is just a more complete team with some size. I don't like road teams, but with enough points I could be swayed. Because Evansville will want to slow this game down and keep it in the 60's, but Illinois State will want it faster and in the 70's, I do lean over if there is a total. Simpy because ISU has been able to force teams, on the road, to pick up the tempo. Again, see coaching.

[Can'tPickAWinner]

BONES BEST BET

WGC Accenture Match Play Championship

Alright guys tournament starts today and we can't wait!! There's some serious money to be made here and that we plan on doing. We're taking four guys to win and the rest of our bets will be head to head to head matches. Our typical strategy is to select one guy from each bracket but this year in the Hogan bracket we love both Kuchar and Bradley so we've decided to leave someone off in Tiger's bracket. Once our guys reach it to the quarter finals, we have all kinds of hedging possibilities and that's exactly what we plan on doing.

Futures

Schwartzel +1700 *1 unit*

Kuchar +3000 *0.5 units*

Bradley +3500 *0.5 units*

Watney +4000 *0.5 units*

Match Ups

Moore -105 over Furyk *1 unit*

Day -130 over Z Johnson *1 unit*

Lawrie +115 over Piercy *1 unit*

Watney -160 over Toms *1.5 units*

Wood +163 over Watson *0.75 units*

Colsaerts +110 over Haas *1 unit*

Sterne +125 over Dufner *0.75 units*

Parlay Match Ups

Woods + Schwartzel +103 *2 units*

Kuchar + Bradley +119 *1 unit*

Donald + Garcia +124 *1 unit*

Poulter + Westwood +125 *1 unit*

[Can'tPickAWinner]

Goldsheet

OKLAHOMA CITY by 14 over Houston (Wednesday, Feb. 20)

ST. JOHN'S by 16 over South Florida (Wed., Feb. 20)
COLORADO STATE by 8 over Unlv (Wed., Feb. 20)

[Can'tPickAWinner]

Mighty Quinn

Mighty hit with N.C. State (-8 1/2) Tuesday.

Wednesday it’s Southern Mississippi. The surplus is 45 sirignanos.

[Can'tPickAWinner]

Accenture Match Play Championship

Betting Preview & Picks
by Matt Fargo

After an exciting finish at the Northern Trust Open, the PGA Tour heads to Arizona for the WGC - Accenture Match Play Championship from The Golf Club at Dove Mountain in Marana.

This is a field of the Top 64 players in the world that play until one winner remains and, with it being the only match play event of the season on the PGA Tour, it definitely gets some added attention. All but two players ranked in the Top 50 - Brandt Snedeker and Phil Mickelson - are teeing it up in this event.

The WGC Match Play starts a day earlier to accommodate the six rounds and concludes with a 36-hole final match Sunday. Unlike the NCAA tournament, where the higher seeds normally advance, anything can happen here. And, while rankings are still important, they are not to be taken too much into consideration.

In the last 12 years in this event, a No. 1 seed has won it only three times and that, of course, was Tigers Woods - the only player to win this event three times.

There are plenty of upsets throughout but for the most part, a low seed usually takes home the prize. In four of the last five years, a No. 3 seed or better has won the event and in the past 14 years, 11 winners have come from a No. 6 seed or better, including seven of the last nine years where a No. 4 seed or better has won. Some big upsets were in 2006 with 13th-seeded Geoff Ogilvy, Steve Stricker in 2001 as a No. 14 seed and Kevin Sutherland the next year as a No. 16 seed.

Taking a look at last year, No. 6 seed Hunter Mahan defeated No. 1 seed Rory McIlroy 2&1. In the first round, 15 of the 32 matches saw the higher seed pull off the upset including 16th-seeded Ernie Els defeating No. 1 seed Luke Donald 5&4. The other No. 1 seeds, Martin Kaymer, Rory McIlroy and Lee Westwood, all won comfortably in their first match and McIlroy and Westwood both made it out of their bracket and into final four before Westwood lost to McIlroy 3&1 in the semis.

Rory McIlroy, Tiger Woods, Luke Donald and Louis Oosthuizen are the No. 1 seeds this year. Woods is the favorite at +1,000 with McIlroy right behind him at +1,200 and then Donald coming in at +1,500. Oosthuizen is a distant +2,500.

There are 12 first-time participants in the field this week with two matches pitting rookie against rookie. McIlroy, Donald and Oosthuizen are all facing first timers in the first round with Woods getting the bad draw and catching Charles Howell III, who has 11 matches under his best.

There will be four tournament picks, one from each bracket so no player can knock out another before reaching the semifinals. These are overall tournament picks, not just winning their respective brackets. Additionally, matchup winners will be provided each day.

Jones Bracket: Charl Schwartzel (+1,500) is a No. 3 seed but his odds are like a top seed and for good reason. He has been lights out since November, finishing fifth at the SA Open Championship, T3 at the DP World Tour Championship, first at the Alfred Dunhill Championship and second at the Joburg Open. His PGA Tour debut last week resulted in a T3 at Riviera. He is 5-4 in this event with all four losses going at least the max.

Hogan Bracket: Matt Kuchar (+3,000) opened with a 64 at Riviera last week before fading but his game is just fine for this event. He lost to eventual champion Luke Donald in the semis two years ago and beat Bubba Watson in the consolation match to finish third. Last year, he made it to the quarters before losing to eventual champion Hunter Mahan. He is 9-3 in this event and don’t forget he won the U.S. Amateur, so this is a great format for him.

Player Bracket: Lee Westwood (+2,500) will have to take out favorite Tiger Woods or hope someone else does in order to get out of this bracket. Prior to last year, there was no shot as Westwood had never won a second-round match in 11 attempts. But he made it all the way to the semifinals before losing to McIlroy, so the monkey is off his back. He has looked good in two starts this year and, if not for two bad Saturday's, his results could be a lot better.

Snead Bracket: Nick Watney (+4,000) is getting great value. He is in a bracket with Luke Donald and Ian Poulter - the 2011 and 2010 champions respectively - so it won't be easy. But he has the game for it and an upset to those two opponents could happen prior to Watney facing them. He has played well this year and a week off should help. He has made three starts in this event and has won the first two matches each year, including a win over Tiger Woods in 2012.

Recommended tournament win four pack at the WGC - Accenture Match Play Championship
All for 1 unit

Charl Schwartzel (+1,500)

Matt Kuchar (+3,000)

Lee Westwood (+2,500)

Nick Watney (+4,000)

[Can'tPickAWinner]

Accenture Match Play Championship

Round 1 picks

Matt Fargo will be providing his picks for each round the Accenture Match Play Championship from The Golf Club at Dove Mountain in Marana. Check out his six picks for Wednesday’s opening round matchups and get his overall tournament winner selections and event preview:

Jones Bracket

Ryan Moore -105 over Jim Furyk

Moore is a solid overall sleeper. He has been playing very well this year and made it to the quarters last year before losing to Luke Donald. Furyk has never reached the quarters and his Ryder Cup play last year shows his match play makeup is suspect.

Hogan Bracket

Branden Grace +129 over Robert Garrigus

This is purely a value play where we have the higher-ranked player getting a big number for no apparent reason other than name recognition. Both Grace and Garrigus are rookies in this event so there is no advantage there. And, while Garrigus has played excellent in 2013 on the PGA Tour, the same can be said about Grace on the European Tour.

Fredrick Jacobson -117 over Ernie Els

Here we have a similar instance of a lower seed favored over a higher seed but this one makes sense. Jacobson is coming off a T3 at the Northern Trust last week, his second straight Top-7 showing, and his exceptional putting can be the difference. Els played well last week but his record here is suspect over the last decade.

Nicolas Colsaerts +103 over Bill Haas

Haas was in control at Riviera on Sunday with a three-shot lead but five bogeys in a seven-hole stretch did him in. He has lost in the first round in both starts here and his collapse is still fresh in his mind. Colsaerts lost to Lee Westwood here last year but he won the Volvo Match Play last season, so this format is for him.

Player Bracket

David Lynn +180 over Webb Simpson

When Rory McIlroy ran away with the PGA Championship last year, who finished solo second? Not many people will guess it was Lynn, who was very successful on the European Tour before his move to the PGA Tour this year. Simpson finished T6 last week but his first-round loss to Manassero last year is a concern, especially at this price.

Snead Bracket

John Senden +120 over Bo Van Pelt

Van Pelt was in a similar position a year ago as he was the higher seed but lost to Mark Wilson 3&2. He has not played well to start the season and right now can’t be trusted as a favorite. Senden missed the cut at the Northern Trust last week but was playing well prior to that. He won his first two matches here a year ago 4&3 and 6&5.

[Can'tPickAWinner]

JOE WIZ FREE PLAY

Over 205 Dallas and Orlando.

[Can'tPickAWinner]

DCI College Basketball
The Daniel Curry Index

02/20/13 Predictions

Season
Straight Up: 3091-1050 (.746)
ATS: 1407-1441 (.494)
ATS Vary Units: 4086-4406 (.481)
Over/Under: 388-375 (.509)
Over/Under Vary Units: 408-443 (.479)

America East Conference
BOSTON U. 65, Albany 58
HARTFORD 60, New Hampshire 50
VERMONT 65, Maine 54

Atlantic 10 Conference
GEORGE WASHINGTON 74, Fordham 62
ST. BONAVENTURE 76, Massachusetts 74
Xavier vs. RHODE ISLAND: TOO CLOSE TO CALL

Big 12 Conference
BAYLOR 77, Iowa State 72
Oklahoma 73, TEXAS TECH 59
OKLAHOMA STATE 69, Kansas 67

Big East Conference
GEORGETOWN 78, DePaul 58
ST. JOHN'S 65, South Florida 53
SYRACUSE 70, Providence 60

Big Sky Conference
NORTHERN COLORADO 74, North Dakota 66

Big Ten Conference
OHIO STATE 65, Minnesota 59
Wisconsin 59, NORTHWESTERN 52

Big West Conference
Cal Poly 75, CAL STATE FULLERTON 73
LONG BEACH STATE 80, UC Davis 68
UC IRVINE 66, Pacific 64
UC Santa Barbara 64, UC RIVERSIDE 62

Colonial Athletic Association
George Mason 64, HOFSTRA 56
NORTHEASTERN 66, James Madison 64
OLD DOMINION 69, UNC Wilmington 67

Conference USA
MEMPHIS 89, Houston 65
SOUTHERN MISS 71, Utep 60
TULSA 76, East Carolina 73
UCF 76, Marshall 66

Horizon League
Uic 66, WISCONSIN-MILWAUKEE 62
Wright State 62, CLEVELAND STATE 61

Mid-American Conference
OHIO 66, Eastern Michigan 53

Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference
Hampton 65, UMES 56

Missouri Valley Conference
DRAKE 72, Bradley 70
Illinois State 74, EVANSVILLE 70

Mountain West Conference
BOISE STATE 71, Air Force 67
Colorado State 69, UNLV 67

Ohio Valley Conference
EASTERN KENTUCKY 82, Austin Peay 66
JACKSONVILLE STATE 75, Southeast Missouri 69
Murray State 69, MOREHEAD STATE 67
Tennessee State 72, SIUE 63

Pacific-10 Conference
ARIZONA 73, Washington 63
ARIZONA STATE 70, Washington State 60

Patriot League
American 57, NAVY 52
ARMY 72, Colgate 63
Lafayette 63, HOLY CROSS 61

Southeastern Conference
ALABAMA 67, Mississippi State 49
KENTUCKY 68, Vanderbilt 56
Ole Miss 75, SOUTH CAROLINA 66
Texas A&M vs. AUBURN: TOO CLOSE TO CALL

Southern Conference
APPALACHIAN STATE 79, The Citadel 64
College of Charleston 68, WESTERN CAROLINA 67
DAVIDSON 81, Furman 53

Southland Conference
Stephen F. Austin 58, SAM HOUSTON STATE 50

Summit League
Oakland 77, FORT WAYNE 71

West Coast Conference
GONZAGA 80, Santa Clara 61

Non-Conference
South Dakota State 74, CSU BAKERSFIELD 63
UT ARLINGTON 75, Texas-Pan American 53

[Can'tPickAWinner]

DCI Pro Basketball
The Daniel Curry Index

02/20/13 Predictions

Memphis vs. TORONTO: TOO CLOSE TO CALL
Detroit 97, CHARLOTTE 95
CLEVELAND 98, New Orleans 97
INDIANA 97, New York 90
Miami 99, ATLANTA 96
MILWAUKEE 99, Brooklyn 97
Oklahoma City 110, HOUSTON 107
MINNESOTA 95, Philadelphia 93
DALLAS 107, Orlando 94
L.A. LAKERS 99, Boston 96
GOLDEN STATE 106, Phoenix 99

[Can'tPickAWinner]

DCI Pro Hockey
The Daniel Curry Index

02/20/13 Predictions

Season: 78-59 (.569)

PITTSBURGH 4, Philadelphia 3
St. Louis vs. COLORADO: TOO CLOSE TO CALL
Los Angeles 3, CALGARY 2

[Can'tPickAWinner]

Gamblers Data

Free Play Wednesday

Kings -125

[Can'tPickAWinner]

Gold Medal Club Selections 20/02/2013
CBB:
25* #763 Texas A&M +1
#788 UNLV -3
#784 Long Beach State -7.5
NHL:
#4 Calgary +105

[Can'tPickAWinner]

NBA

Hot Teams
-- Memphis won its last four games (4-5 AU). Raptors won their last five games (1-4 last five HF).
-- Indiana won six of its last eight games (11-7 last 18 HF).
-- Pistons won three of last five games (2-0 AF).
-- Hornets won four of last six games (19-10 pts A).
-- Nets won last three games, with two in OT (2-5 last seven AU).
-- Miami won last seven games, covered last four (5-3 last eight AF). Hawks won three of last four games (2-3 HU).
-- Houston won/covered its last four home games (2-2 HU).
-- Dallas won three of last four, covered 14 of last 17 games (9-3 last 12 as HF).
-- Celtics won eight of last ten games (4-1 last five AU).

Cold Teams
-- Knicks lost three of their last four games (4-3 AU).
-- Bobcats lost eight of their last ten games (8-10 HU).
-- Cleveland lost last three games, by 8-1-8 points (10-14 pts H).
-- 76ers lost last six road games (4-10 last 14 AU). Minnesota lost five of its last six games (2-5 last seven HF).
-- Bucks lost five of their last six games (0-5 last five HF).
-- Thunder lost last two games, by 15-10 points (2-5 last seven AF).
-- Magic lost 14 of its last 15 games (1-6 last seven AU).
-- Lakers lost three of last five games (6-11 last 17 HF).
-- Suns lost six of their last eight games (5-7-1 last 13 AU). Warriors lost their last six games (1-4 last five HF).

Totals
-- 10 of last 13 Memphis road games stayed under total.
-- Six of last eight New York road games stayed under total.
-- Over is 7-3-1 in Detroit's last eleven road games.
-- Last three Cleveland games stayed under the total.
-- Seven of last eight Philly road games stayed under total.
-- Six of last eight Brooklyn road games went over the total.
-- Six of last eight Atlanta home games went over the total.
-- Seven of last nine Houston home games went over total.
-- Four of last five Dallas home games went over the total.
-- Last five Laker home games stayed under the total.
-- Ten of last twelve Golden State games went over total.

Back-to-backs
-- Memphis is 6-3 vs spread on road if it played night before. Raptors are 9-2 if they played night before, 4-0 at home.
-- Detroit is 5-4 vs spread on road if it played night before. Bobcats are 5-8 vs spread if they played night before.
-- New Orleans is 4-7 vs spread if it lost the night before.
-- Bucks are 1-6 vs spread at home if they played night before. Brooklyn is 3-7 vs spread on road if it played night before.
-- Magic is 4-2 vs spread on road if it played night before.
-- Boston is 2-6-2 vs spread on road if it played night before.
-- Phoenix is 3-6 vs spread on road if it played night before Warriors are 7-6-1 vs spread if they played night before, 2-2 at home.

[Can'tPickAWinner]

Free Selection from Arthur Ralph Sports

Our Free Plays are 985- 733 (57 + %) over the last 4 1/2 years !

Free Winner WED: St John's -8

[Can'tPickAWinner]

NCAA Basketball Picks

Vanderbilt at Kentucky

The Commodores look to take advantage of a Kentucky team that is 3-12 ATS in its last 15 games against SEC opponents. Vanderbilt is the pick (+10 1/2) according to Dunkel, which has the Wildcats favored by only 8. Dunkel Pick: Vanderbilt (+10 1/2). Here are all of today's games.


WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 20
Time Posted: 6:30 a.m. EST


Game 723-724: NC-Wilmington at Old Dominion (7:00 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: NC-Wilmington 45.525; Old Dominion 53.897
Dunkel Line: Old Dominion by 8 1/2
Vegas Line: Old Dominion by 6
Dunkel Pick: Old Dominion (-6)


Game 725-726: George Mason at Hofstra (7:00 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: George Mason 51.858; Hofstra 50.368
Dunkel Line: George Mason by 1 1/2
Vegas Line: George Mason by 6 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Hofstra (+6 1/2)


Game 727-728: DePaul at Georgetown (7:00 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: DePaul 58.686; Georgetown 70.629
Dunkel Line: Georgetown by 12
Vegas Line: Georgetown by 14 1/2
Dunkel Pick: DePaul (+14 1/2)


Game 729-730: James Madison at Northeastern (7:00 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: James Madison 52.700; Northeastern 56.669
Dunkel Line: Northeastern by 4
Vegas Line: Northeastern by 5 1/2
Dunkel Pick: James Madison (+5 1/2)


Game 731-732: Wright State at Cleveland State (7:00 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Wright State 55.298; Cleveland State 51.137
Dunkel Line: Wright State by 4
Vegas Line: Wright State by 1
Dunkel Pick: Wright State (-1)


Game 733-734: South Florida at St. John's (7:00 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: South Florida 54.506; St. John's 65.933
Dunkel Line: St. John's by 11 1/2
Vegas Line: St. John's by 7 1/2
Dunkel Pick: St. John's (-7 1/2)


Game 735-736: Minnesota at Ohio State (7:00 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Minnesota 65.596; Ohio State 74.985
Dunkel Line: Ohio State by 9 1/2; 133
Vegas Line: Ohio State by 5; 127
Dunkel Pick: Ohio State (-5); Over


Game 737-738: Providence at Syracuse (7:00 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Providence 62.499; Syracuse 77.539
Dunkel Line: Syracuse by 15; 132
Vegas Line: Syracuse by 12 1/2; 136
Dunkel Pick: Syracuse (-12 1/2); Under


Game 739-740: Oklahoma at Texas Tech (7:00 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Oklahoma 66.337; Texas Tech 54.879
Dunkel Line: Oklahoma by 11 1/2; 144
Vegas Line: Oklahoma by 10; 140
Dunkel Pick: Oklahoma (-10); Over


Game 741-742: Massachusetts at St. Bonaventure (7:00 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Massachusetts 58.989; St. Bonaventure 64.117
Dunkel Line: St. Bonaventure by 5
Vegas Line: St. Bonaventure by 2 1/2
Dunkel Pick: St. Bonaventure (-2 1/2)


Game 743-744: Fordham at George Washington (7:00 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Fordham 50.391; George Washington 60.385
Dunkel Line: George Washington by 10
Vegas Line: George Washington by 11
Dunkel Pick: Fordham (+11)


Game 745-746: Xavier at Rhode Island (7:00 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Xavier 58.406; Rhode Island 59.355
Dunkel Line: Rhode Island by 1
Vegas Line: Xavier by 2
Dunkel Pick: Rhode Island (+2)


Game 747-748: Mississippi at South Carolina (7:00 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Mississippi 62.922; South Carolina 59.282
Dunkel Line: Mississippi by 3 1/2
Vegas Line: Mississippi by 6
Dunkel Pick: South Carolina (+6)


Game 749-750: Marshall at Central Florida (7:00 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Marshall 51.395; Central Florida 60.296
Dunkel Line: Central Florida by 9
Vegas Line: Central Florida by 7 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Central Florida (-7 1/2)


Game 751-752: Illinois State at Evansville (8:00 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Illinois State 60.919; Evansville 61.282
Dunkel Line: Even
Vegas Line: Illinois State by 1 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Evansville (+1 1/2)


Game 753-754: Bradley at Drake (8:00 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Bradley 57.057; Drake 59.340
Dunkel Line: Drake by 2 1/2
Vegas Line: Drake by 4 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Bradley (+4 1/2)


Game 755-756: Mississippi State at Alabama (8:00 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Mississippi State 50.688; Alabama 62.658
Dunkel Line: Alabama by 12
Vegas Line: Alabama by 15
Dunkel Pick: Mississippi State (+15)


Game 757-758: Vanderbilt at Kentucky (8:00 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Vanderbilt 60.098; Kentucky 68.160
Dunkel Line: Kentucky by 8
Vegas Line: Kentucky by 10 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Vanderbilt (+10 1/2)


Game 759-760: Air Force at Boise State (8:00 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Air Force 64.004; Boise State 64.070
Dunkel Line: Even
Vegas Line: Boise State by 6 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Air Force (+6 1/2)


Game 761-762: UTEP at Southern Mississippi (8:00 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: UTEP 59.679; Southern Mississippi 64.091
Dunkel Line: Southern Mississippi by 4 1/2
Vegas Line: Southern Mississippi by 7 1/2
Dunkel Pick: UTEP (+7 1/2)


Game 763-764: Texas A&M at Auburn (8:00 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Texas A&M 59.462; Auburn 62.786
Dunkel Line: Auburn by 3 1/2
Vegas Line: Auburn by 1
Dunkel Pick: Auburn (-1)


Game 765-766: Illinois-Chicago at WI-Milwaukee (8:00 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Illinois-Chicago 49.799; WI-Milwaukee 44.670
Dunkel Line: Illinois-Chicago by 5
Vegas Line: Illinois-Chicago by 3
Dunkel Pick: Illinois-Chicago (-3)


Game 767-768: East Carolina at Tulsa (8:00 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: East Carolina 58.051; Tulsa 57.856
Dunkel Line: Even
Vegas Line: Tulsa by 2 1/2
Dunkel Pick: East Carolina (+2 1/2)


Game 769-770: Houston at Memphis (9:00 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Houston 51.625; Memphis 73.260
Dunkel Line: Memphis by 21 1/2
Vegas Line: Memphis by 18
Dunkel Pick: Memphis (-18)


Game 771-772: Kansas at Oklahoma State (9:00 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Kansas 71.530; Oklahoma State 74.568
Dunkel Line: Oklahoma State by 3; 140
Vegas Line: Oklahoma State by 1; 135 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Oklahoma State (-1); Over


Game 773-774: Wisconsin at Northwestern (9:00 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Wisconsin 69.905; Northwestern 64.112
Dunkel Line: Wisconsin by 6; 110
Vegas Line: Wisconsin by 8; 115
Dunkel Pick: Northwestern (+8); Under


Game 775-776: Iowa State at Baylor (9:00 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Iowa State 65.872; Baylor 73.223
Dunkel Line: Baylor by 7 1/2; 150
Vegas Line: Baylor by 4 1/2; 146 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Baylor (-4 1/2); Over


Game 777-778: Cal Poly at CS-Fullerton (10:00 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Cal Poly 57.718; CS-Fullerton 51.046
Dunkel Line: Cal Poly by 6 1/2
Vegas Line: CS-Fullerton by 1 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Cal Poly (+1 1/2)


Game 779-780: UC-Santa Barbara at UC-Riverside (10:00 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: UC-Santa Barbara 48.525; UC-Riverside 49.535
Dunkel Line: UC-Riverside by 1
Vegas Line: UC-Santa Barbara by 2 1/2
Dunkel Pick: UC-Riverside (+2 1/2)


Game 781-782: Pacific at UC-Irvine (10:00 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Pacific 52.716; UC-Irvine 57.515
Dunkel Line: UC-Irvine by 5
Vegas Line: UC-Irvine by 2 1/2
Dunkel Pick: UC-Irvine (-2 1/2)


Game 783-784: UC-Davis at Long Beach State (10:00 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: UC-Davis 55.061; Long Beach State 58.041
Dunkel Line: Long Beach State by 3
Vegas Line: Long Beach State by 7 1/2
Dunkel Pick: UC-Davis (+7 1/2)


Game 785-786: Washington State at Arizona State (10:00 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Washington State 58.258; Arizona State 66.980
Dunkel Line: Arizona State by 8 1/2
Vegas Line: Arizona State by 6 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Arizona State (-6 1/2)


Game 787-788: Colorado State at UNLV (10:15 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Colorado State 69.653; UNLV 66.962
Dunkel Line: Colorado State by 2 1/2; 133
Vegas Line: UNLV by 3 1/2; 140 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Colorado State (+3 1/2); Under


Game 789-790: Washington at Arizona (11:00 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Washington 57.934; Arizona 71.510
Dunkel Line: Arizona by 13 1/2; 142
Vegas Line: Arizona by 12; 136
Dunkel Pick: Arizona (-12); Over


Game 791-792: Santa Clara at Gonzaga (11:00 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Santa Clara 60.950; Gonzaga 76.505
Dunkel Line: Gonzaga by 15 1/2; 148
Vegas Line: Gonzaga by 13; 144
Dunkel Pick: Gonzaga (-13); Over


Game 793-794: College of Charleston at Western Carolina (7:00 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: College of Charleston 53.546; Western Carolina 52.425
Dunkel Line: College of Charleston by 1
Vegas Line: College of Charleston by 2 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Western Carolina (+2 1/2)


Game 795-796: Furman at Davidson (7:00 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Furman 42.780; Davidson 62.983
Dunkel Line: Davidson by 20
Vegas Line: Davidson by 22
Dunkel Pick: Furman (+22)


Game 797-798: Oakland at IPFW (7:00 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Oakland 54.270; IPFW 50.816
Dunkel Line: Oakland by 3 1/2
Vegas Line: Oakland by 2
Dunkel Pick: Oakland (-2)


Game 799-800: Austin Peay at Eastern Kentucky (7:00 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Austin Peay 45.527; Eastern Kentucky 59.912
Dunkel Line: Eastern Kentucky by 14 1/2
Vegas Line: Eastern Kentucky by 12
Dunkel Pick: Eastern Kentucky (-12)


Game 801-802: Murray State at Morehead State (7:00 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Murray State 50.964; Morehead State 48.402
Dunkel Line: Murray State by 2 1/2
Vegas Line: Murray State by 1 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Murray State (-1 1/2)


Game 803-804: SE Missouri State at Jacksonville State (8:00 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: SE Missouri State 48.678; Jacksonville State 51.162
Dunkel Line: Jacksonville State by 2 1/2
Vegas Line: Jacksonville State by 5
Dunkel Pick: SE Missouri State (+5)


Game 805-806: Tennessee State at SIU-Edwardsville (8:00 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Tennessee State 52.836; SIU-Edwardsville 48.045
Dunkel Line: Tennessee State by 5
Vegas Line: Tennessee State by 7
Dunkel Pick: SIU-Edwardsville (+7)


Game 807-808: The Citadel at Appalachian State (8:00 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: The Citadel 40.133; Appalachian State 51.499
Dunkel Line: Appalachian State by 11 1/2
Vegas Line: Appalachian State by 10 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Appalachian State (-10 1/2)


Game 809-810: North Dakota at Northern Colorado (9:00 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: North Dakota 45.030; Northern Colorado 50.015
Dunkel Line: Northern Colorado by 5
Vegas Line: Northern Colorado by 6 1/2
Dunkel Pick: North Dakota (+6 1/2)


Game 811-812: Belmont at Eastern Illinois (8:00 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Belmont 59.432; Eastern Illinois 49.252
Dunkel Line: Belmont by 10
Vegas Line: Belmont by 12 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Eastern Illinois (+12 1/2)


Game 813-814: Eastern Michigan at Ohio (7:00 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Eastern Michigan 50.381; Ohio 69.112
Dunkel Line: Ohio by 18 1/2
Vegas Line: Ohio by 15
Dunkel Pick: Ohio (-15)

[Can'tPickAWinner]

Today's NBA Picks

Oklahoma City at Houston

The Thunder look to build on their 7-1-1 ATS record in their last 9 games when playing on 3 or more days of rest. Oklahoma City is the pick (-2 1/2) according to Dunkel, which has the Thunder favored by 4 1/2. Dunkel Pick: Oklahoma City (-2 1/2). Here are all of today's picks.


WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 20
Time Posted: 7:30 a.m. EST


Game 701-702: Memphis at Toronto (7:00 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Memphis 119.374; Toronto 117.868
Dunkel Line & Total: Memphis by 1 1/2; 191
Vegas Line & Total: Toronto by 2; 186
Dunkel Pick: Memphis (+2); Over


Game 703-704: New York at Indiana (7:00 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: New York 116.671; Indiana 125.427
Dunkel Line & Total: Indiana by 9; 187
Vegas Line & Total: No Line
Dunkel Pick: N/A


Game 705-706: Detroit at Charlotte (7:00 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Detroit 117.183; Charlotte 111.272
Dunkel Line & Total: Detroit by 6; 192
Vegas Line & Total: Detroit by 3; 195
Dunkel Pick: Detroit (-3); Under


Game 707-708: New Orleans at Cleveland (8:00 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: New Orleans 118.800; Cleveland 119.432
Dunkel Line & Total: Cleveland by 1; 200
Vegas Line & Total: No Line
Dunkel Pick: N/A


Game 709-710: Philadelphia at Minnesota (8:00 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Philadelphia 114.465; Minnesota 118.907
Dunkel Line & Total: Minnesota by 4 1/2; 199
Vegas Line & Total: No Line
Dunkel Pick: N/A


Game 711-712: Brooklyn at Milwaukee (8:00 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Brooklyn 112.746; Milwaukee 118.516
Dunkel Line & Total: Milwaukee by 6; 190
Vegas Line & Total: Milwaukee by 3; 193
Dunkel Pick: Milwaukee (-3); Under


Game 713-714: Miami at Atlanta (8:00 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Miami 126.652; Atlanta 122.795
Dunkel Line & Total: Miami by 4; 200
Vegas Line & Total: Miami by 5; 197
Dunkel Pick: Atlanta (+5); Over


Game 715-716: Oklahoma City at Houston (8:00 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Oklahoma City 128.561; Houston 123.955
Dunkel Line & Total: Oklahoma City by 4 1/2; 215
Vegas Line & Total: Oklahoma City by 2 1/2; 220
Dunkel Pick: Oklahoma City (-3 1/2); Under


Game 717-718: Orlando at Dallas (8:30 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Orlando 104.996; Dallas 124.548
Dunkel Line & Total: Dallas by 19 1/2; 200
Vegas Line & Total: Dallas by 10; 205 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Dallas (-10); Under


Game 719-720: Boston at LA Lakers (10:30 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Boston 114.158; LA Lakers 122.672
Dunkel Line & Total: LA Lakers by 8 1/2; 199
Vegas Line & Total: LA Lakers by 7; 196
Dunkel Pick: LA Lakers (-7); Over


Game 721-722: Phoenix at Golden State (10:30 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Phoenix 110.677; Golden State 120.786
Dunkel Line & Total: Golden State by 10; 200
Vegas Line & Total: Golden State by 8 1/2; 203 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Golden State (-8 1/2); Under

[Can'tPickAWinner]

Today's NHL Picks

St. Louis at Colorado

The Blues look to build on their 9-1 record in their last 10 games versus Northwest Division opponents. St. Louis is the pick (-120) according to Dunkel, which has the Blues favored by 1 1/2. Dunkel Pick: St. Louis (-120). Here are all of today's picks.


WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 20
Time Posted 7:30 a.m. EST


Game 1-2: Philadelphia at Pittsburgh (7:30 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Philadelphia 11.701; Pittsburgh 12.224
Dunkel Line & Total: Pittsburgh by 1/2; 6
Vegas Line & Total: Pittsburgh (-160); 5 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Pittsburgh (-160); Over


Game 3-4: Los Angeles at Calgary (10:00 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Los Angeles 11.803; Calgary 10.500
Dunkel Line & Total: Los Angeles by 1 1/2; 4 1/2
Vegas Line & Total: Los Angeles (-125); 5 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Los Angeles (-125); Under


Game 5-6: St. Louis at Colorado (10:00 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: St. Louis 11.776; Colorado 10.119
Dunkel Line & Total: St. Louis by 1 1/2; 5
Vegas Line & Total: St. Louis (-120); 5 1/2
Dunkel Pick: St. Louis (-120); Under

[Can'tPickAWinner]

POWER PLAY WINS

Arizona -12 over Washington

[Can'tPickAWinner]

StatFox Super Situations™ - FoxSheets

CBB MINNESOTA at OHIO ST.

Play On - Home favorites of 3.5 to 9.5 points (OHIO ST) good shooting team (45-47.5%) against an excellent defensive team (<=40%), in a game involving two good ball handling team (<=14.5 TO's) after 15+ games.
67-31 over the last 5 seasons. ( 68.4% 32.9 units )
10-5 this year. ( 66.7% 4.5 units )

CBB AUSTIN PEAY at E KENTUCKY

Play On - A road team vs. the money line (AUSTIN PEAY) off a road win, a bad team, winning 20% to 40% of their games on the season.
68-98 over the last 5 seasons. ( 41.0% 56.4 units )
11-21 this year. ( 34.4% 3.1 units )

CBB DEPAUL at GEORGETOWN

Play Against - A favorite vs. the 1rst half line (GEORGETOWN) after beating the spread by 48 or more points total in their last ten games, top level team, winning 80% or more of their games on the season.
89-45 over the last 5 seasons. ( 66.4% 39.5 units )
20-17 this year. ( 54.1% 1.3 units )

[Can'tPickAWinner]

StatFox Super Situations™ - FoxSheets

NBA NEW ORLEANS at CLEVELAND

Play On - Home underdogs (CLEVELAND) in non-conference games, extremely well rested team - playing 3 or less games in 10 days.
46-18 since 1997. ( 71.9% 26.2 units )

NBA OKLAHOMA CITY at HOUSTON

Play On - Home teams with a money line of +135 to -155 (HOUSTON) off a road loss, winning between 51% and 60% of their games on the season.
64-31 over the last 5 seasons. ( 67.4% 31.7 units )
11-5 this year. ( 68.8% 5.2 units )

NBA NEW YORK at INDIANA

Play Against - Home favorites of 2 to 5.5 points vs. the first half line (INDIANA) after playing 3 consecutive home games, playing with 3 or more days rest.
44-17 since 1997. ( 72.1% 25.3 units )
2-0 this year. ( 100.0% 2.0 units )

[Can'tPickAWinner]

Celtics at Lakers: What Bettors Need to Know

Boston Celtics at Los Angeles Lakers (-7.5, 196.5)

The Los Angeles Lakers play their first game since the death of longtime owner Jerry Buss on Wednesday when they host the Boston Celtics, who lost 97-90 in Denver on Tuesday. The Lakers are hoping for a fresh start after the All-Star break, but they’re still 3 1/2 games behind the Houston Rockets for the eighth and final playoff spot in the Western Conference. They’ll need to go 16-12 over their final 28 games just to reach .500.

Boston, which is 8-2 since losing point guard Rajon Rondo with a season-ending knee injury, played well in the first three quarters against Denver before fading in the final minutes. Leading scorer Paul Pierce was held to 10 points on 2-of-14 shooting, but he had 24 points, seven rebounds and six assists in the Celtics’ convincing 116-95 win over the Lakers at TD Garden on Feb. 7. Boston has struggled on the road with an 8-16 record.

TV: 10:30 p.m. ET, , ESPN, Comcast SportsNet New England (Boston), Time Warner Cable SportsNet (Los Angeles)

ABOUT THE CELTICS (28-25, 22-28-3 ATS): Boston began its five-game road trip with too many mistakes down the stretch against the Nuggets, but there were a number of bright spots. Forward Jeff Green scored a season-high 20 points on 8-of-12 shooting, while guard Avery Bradley chipped in 17 points. Pierce and Kevin Garnett continue to be mentioned in talks with Thursday’s trade deadline fast approaching, but president of basketball operations Danny Ainge has said it’s unlikely the Celtics will move either player. Garnett, averaging 15.1 points and 7.7 rebounds, has indicated that he would not waive his no-trade clause.

ABOUT THE LAKERS (25-29, 21-32-1 ATS): If Los Angeles is going to make a playoff push, it needs to start against the Celtics. Coach Mike D’Antoni said the team spent the recent break thinking of ways to better utilize point guard Steve Nash and center Dwight Howard. The latter has posted solid numbers while failing to click with 14-time All-Star Kobe Bryant. Howard leads the league in rebounding with 11.8 per game, but he’s scored more than 25 points only five times. Bryant, who scored a game-high 27 points against Boston earlier this month, has made one of his last 30 3-point attempts over his last 14 games.

TRENDS:

* Celtics are 4-1 ATS in the last five meetings in Los Angeles.
* Over is 3-1-1 in the last five meetings.
* Celtics are 16-7-1 ATS in the last 24 meetings.
* Underdog is 5-1 ATS in the last six meetings.
* Road team is 5-1 ATS in the last six meetings.

BUZZER BEATERS:

1. Bryant is averaging 25.6 points in 27 career regular-season games against Boston.

2. The Celtics are 5-20 when trailing after three quarters.

3. The Lakers are 2-3 since F Pau Gasol suffered a torn plantar fascia injury to his right foot on Feb. 5.

[Can'tPickAWinner]

NCAAB

Wednesday, February 20

-- Northeastern lost its last two games after starting 12-1 in CAA play; 10 of Huskies' last 11 games were decided by 7 or less points- they won nine of last 11 games vs James Madison, winning three of last four here, with wins by 16-22-12 points. Dukes won seven of last nine games, are 3-4 on CAA road, with all three wins by 7 or less points. CAA home favorites of 6 or less points are 11-19 against the spread.
-- Ohio State won its last five games vs Minnesota, with four of the five wins by 10+ points; Gophers lost last five visits here, by 14-16-6-22-3 points. Buckeyes lost three of last four games, but losses were against top 10 teams- they're 3-3 as Big Dozen home favorite, winning at home by 26-3-9-9-10 points. Gophers also lost three of last four; they're 2-2 as road underdog. Big Dozen home faves of 6 or less points are 12-7.
-- Syracuse (-11) won 72-66 at Providence Jan 9, game they trailed by 6 with 13:49 left; Orange were 3-21 from arc, Friars 9-18, but Orange beat PC for 11th straight time, winning by 25-7-17-7-23 points in last five games played here. Syracuse is 3-2 as home favorite, with four wins by 11+ points, Friars won last four games, all as underdogs- they're 3-2-1 as road dogs. Big East double digit home favorites are 6-11 vs spread.
-- Illinois State (-7) beat Evansville 67-62 Jan 26, game they trailed by 4 in last 11:00; State outscored Aces 21-11 on foul line, making 21-31 on charity stripe. Redbirds are 2-5 as home faves, winning last four home games by 2-5-36-20 points- they blew 5-point lead in last 0:40 Sunday vs Wichita. MVC home underdogs of 5 or less points are 14-6 vs spread. Aces lost four of last five games, covered four of last five as a dog.

-- Kentucky (-12) beat Vanderbilt 60-58 in Nashville Jan 10, surviving a 18-0 Vandy run midway thru second half; Vandy grabbed 20 offensive boards that nite. Wildcats lost last two games since Noel got hurt, by 17-30 points- Tennessee shot 58% against them last game. SEC double digit home favorites are 10-12 vs spread. Vandy lost five of last seven games, but three of their last four losses were by four or less points.
-- Air Force (+3) beat Boise State 91-80 Jan 19; Lyons had 37 points on 18 shots from floor, as Falcons scored 1.28 ppp, but Flyboys are 1-3 in last four games, 1-4 on MWC road, with only win at Wyoming- they've lost road games by 5-39-23-5 points. MWC home favorites of 7 or less points are 11-5 vs spread. Boise State lost six of last nine games; they're 3-1 SU at home, 1-2 as home fave, winning by 7-5-7 points.
-- Southern Mississippi is 3-2 as C-USA home favorite, winning home games by 11+ points, with loss to Memphis; four of their last six games were decided by 4 or less points. UTEP allowed 74+ points in last three losses, 67 or less in its last five wins; Miners are 2-3 on road in C-USA, losing by 3-6-18 points. C-USA home favorites of 8 or less points are 17-10 vs spread. Southern Miss has rematch with Memphis up next.
-- Oklahoma State (+9.5) upset Kansas 85-80 in Lawrence Feb 2; Brown hit 7-10 behind arc, rest of Cowboys were 1-14. State won seven games in row, are 6-0 at home in Big X, with last three wins by 2 points or in OT. Kansas won last two games by 21-26 points after losing previous three games; they won at Ohio State, in only other game they were dog this season. Big X home teams are 3-1 vs spread if number is 3 or less.
-- Iowa State (-4) beat Baylor 79-71 Feb 2, making 60% inside arc and outscoring Bears 25-11 on foul line; Cyclones lost last four road games, by 5-2-9-3 points (2-1 as road dog). Baylor lost four of last six games; they're 3-3 as home favorites, winning in Waco by 7-11-10-27-20, with a loss to Oklahoma. Big X home favorites of 6 or less points are 8-4 vs spread. Cyclones' last seven games all went over the total.

-- Pacific won five of last seven games with Cal-Irvine, going 5-4 in last nine visits here; Tigers are 9-3 in last 12 games, but 2-4 on road in Big West, with three of four losses by 8 or less points. Anteaters are 7-0 at home in conference, with five of seven wins by 7 or less points, or in OT. Big West home favorites of less than 5 points are 10-14 vs spread. Irvine is 4-3 vs spread as a Big West home favorite this season.
-- Favorites are 7-2-1 vs spread in Colorado State's MWC games; Rams (-3.5) beat UNLV 66-61 Jan 19, outscoring Rebels on foul line 19-9 in game they trailed by 3 with 3:40 left. State won last six games, winning by 11-3-4 points in last three road games. MWC home favorites of less than five points are 6-3 vs spread. UNLV is struggling without dynamic PG, but they're 5-0 at home in MWC, winning by 5-12-12-9-2 points.
-- Arizona (-4.5) beat Washington 57-53 in Seattle Jan 31, just second series win in last seven tries for Wildcats; teams were combined 4-30 on arc that game. Huskies' win in Tucson LY was their first in last six trips here, with losses by 30-20-9-17-11 points. U-Dub lost last four games on road, by 8-5-2-11 points; they're 5-2 as road dog. Pac-12 double digit home favorites are 2-8 vs spread. Arizona is 1-5 as a home favorite.
-- Gonzaga (-5.5) shot 63% inside arc, outscored Santa Clara 27-17 from foul line in 81-74 road win Jan 5, Zags' 20th win in last 22 series games. Gonzaga won eight of last nine visits here. Zags are 2-3 as WCC home favorite, winning home games by 5-20-14-26-19 points. Broncos are 0-3 vs spread as WCC dog this year; they're 3-2 on road, losing by 4-17 points. WCC double digit home favorites are 6-8 vs spread.

[Can'tPickAWinner]

NHL

Wednesday, February 20

Hot teams
-- Penguins won three in row, eight of last ten games.
-- Kings won three of their last four games.
-- Blues won three of their last four games.

Cold teams
-- Flyers lost six of their last eight games.
-- Flames lost four of their last five home games.
-- Avalanche lost four of their last six games.

Totals
-- Over is 8-3-1 in last twelve Penguin-Flyer games.
-- Five of last seven Calgary games went over the total. Under is 10-1 in last 11 games between Calgary-LA.
-- Over is 7-1-1 in last nine St Louis games; last five Colorado-St Louis games stayed under the total.

Series records
-- Penguins won three of last four games against Philly.
-- Kings won five of their last seven games with Calgary.
-- Avalanche won nine of last 12 vs St Louis, but lost last two.

[Can'tPickAWinner]

CAPPERS ACCESS

Syracuse
Oklahoma
Kansas

[Can'tPickAWinner]

Paul Leiner

100* Ohio State -5

[Can'tPickAWinner]

5Lines

Total Line for 02/20/2013
(Lost last game)
Today's Winning Team is:
NBA - Orlando Magic : over 206
Cost: -110

Run Line for 02/20/2013
(Lost last game)
Today's Winning Team is:
NBA - Los Angeles Lakers : -7.5
Cost: -110

[Can'tPickAWinner]

BONES BEST BET

Flyers / Penguins OVER 5.5 -121 *1.5 units*
This is just the 2nd time the total has been 5.5 in the last 9 games between these rivals, it reached 7 in the playoffs, these teams are almost always good for a fireworks display.

With the Pens scoring no less than 3 goals in each of their last 8 wins, and the Flyers coming off a 7-0 victory against the Islanders, the red lights should get a workout tonight.

[Can'tPickAWinner]

BEN BURNS
10-3 NHL RUN

7* Pittsburgh -154 over Philadelphia

[Can'tPickAWinner]

Jimmy Boyd

5* CBB Santa Clara +13.5
4* NBA Houston Rockets/Oklahoma City Thunder UNDER 219.5
4* DePaul +14
4* South Florida/St Johns UNDER 118.5
3* Minnesota +5.5
3* Illinois Chicago -3
3* Vanderbilt +11
3* Evansville +1
3* Detroit Pistons/Charlotte Bobcats OVER 195
3* Miami Heat/Atlanta Hawks UNDER 197.5
3* Dallas Mavericks -10.5
3* LA Lakers -7

[Can'tPickAWinner]

DAVID BANKS

February 20, 2013

Boston Celtics vs. Los Angels Lakers What has traditionally been one of the best rivalries in the NBA continues Wednesday night when the Boston Celtics (28-24, 21-28-3 ATS) visit the Los Angeles Lakers (25-29, 21-32-1 ATS) at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, CA at 10:35 ET on ESPN. The difference this time is that neither team is assured of a playoff berth, although the Celtics rallied nicely when they lost Rajon Rondo for the season and they are actually in decent shape as the seventh seed in the East right now. The Lakers on the other hand are on the outside looking in as the 10th seed in the West, 3 games behind Houston for the eighth and final playoff spot.Most people thought that the Boston season ended when Rondo tore his ACL, but instead the Celtics have prospered and actually improved on both sides of the ball since he went down. They upset LeBron James and the Miami Heat in the first game after Rondo's diagnosis was revealed and they have not slowed down since as that started their 8-1 run going into the All-Star break. That run included a 116-95 rout of these Lakers in Boston, and the Celtics averaged 99.7 points while allowing only 92.7 points in those nine games. They are starting to get balanced scoring again with veterans Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett combining for 33.6 points per game and with Jason Terry and Jeff Green also both averaging double-digits. Just as importantly, Boston is finally starting to play defense like it has the last few years after looking like an old team on that side of the ball for much of this season, as they have held their last five opponents to a miniscule 41.1 percent shooting going into a Tuesday night date in Denver. The recent hot spell leaves Boston 1 games ahead of eighth place Milwaukee and more importantly 5 games ahead of ninth place Philadelphia.Now, the Lakers were favored by many to reach the NBA Finals after adding Dwight Howard and Steve Nash during the off season, but instead the team has had no chemistry when those two stars, Kobe Bryant and Pau Gasol have all been healthy, which to be fair has not happened very often. Nash and Howard have already missed time with injuries and now Gasol is out for another month with a torn plantar fascia in his foot. That means that Kobe has basically been a one man show for much of the season and the end result has been the Lakers being four games under .500 overall and just 16-11 here at Staples while fighting for their playoff lives coming out of the All-Star break. The biggest disappointment has probably been Howard, who appears hindered offensively while battling a shoulder injury and who has not improved the Laker defense like he was expected to. In fact, the Lakers allowed 105.2 points per game on an unacceptable 48.6 percent shooting over the last five games before the break.The Celtics are 16-7-1 ATS in the last 24 head-to-head meetings and 4-1 ATS in the last five meetings in Los Angeles. Boston is also on a 7-2 ATS run overall since losing Rondo. The Lakers are 4-10 ATS in their last 14 games vs. teams with winning straight up records.
Pick: BOSTON CELTICS +7.5

[Can'tPickAWinner]

NBA Basketball Play of the Day February 20, 2013 6:43 AM by GT Staff

NBA Basketball

709 Philadelphia 76ers +3½ at Minnesota Timberwolves at 5:05 p.m. PT

The last time that the 76ers were a dog against the T-wolves was way back in 2007 and the only time the Minnesota T-wolves covered versus the 76ers as a home chalk was even further back, it was in 2003.

709 76ers +3½

[Can'tPickAWinner]

GamingToday’s Consensus Picks February 20, 2013 6:20 AM by GT Staff

NBA Basketball

701 Memphis Grizzlies +1½

709 Philadelphia 76ers +3½

717 Orlando Magic +10½

719 Boston Celtics +7

722 Phoenix Suns/Golden State Warriors UNDER 203½

NCAA Basketball

740 Texas Tech +10

741 Massachusetts +2½

748 South Carolina +6

754 Drake -4

762 Southern Miss -7½

769 Houston +18½

771 Kansas Pick

774 Northwestern +8

778 CS Fullerton -1½


Results

2012-13 NBA Tues (5-2-1) Overall Record: 185-188-5

2012-13 NCAA BK Tues (3-2-0) Overall Record: 175-204-10

[Can'tPickAWinner]

Hockey Crusher
St Louis Blues -117 over Colorado Avalanche
(System Record: 17-1, won last 3 games)
Overall Record: 17-12

Basketball Crusher
Alabama -15 over Mississippi St
(System Record: 64-3, won last 2 games)
Overall Record: 64-43-1

Soccer Crusher
Charleroi + Cercle Brugge OVER 2.5
This match is happening in Belgium
(System Record: 359-14, won last 2 games)
Overall Record: 359-312-42

[Can'tPickAWinner]

BRANDON LANG

Underdog Winner
#9 in a row

15 dime

Texas Tech Red Raiders +10.5

[Can'tPickAWinner]

Betting Line Moves NCAAB 2/20
814 ohio -16

[Can'tPickAWinner]

Robert Ferringo

6* Providence/Syracuse Over 136.5

2* Wisconsin -8
2* Baylor -4.5
2* Oklahoma St -1
2* Providence +12.5
2* Arizona St -6.5

1* Houston +19
1* Colorado St +4
1* Santa Clara +13.5
1* Eastern Kentucky -12
1* Central Floridia -7.5

Teaser: Providence +17.5/Wisconsin -3

[Can'tPickAWinner]

Sports Cash System Play of the Day:

Kansas +1 over Oklahoma State (NCAA College Basketball)

[Can'tPickAWinner]

MajorCovers 2/20

Vanderbilt +10.5

[Can'tPickAWinner]

Stephen Nover | NBA Sides - Wednesday, Feb 20 2013 7:05PM
701 MEM 1.5(-110) BetOnline vs 702 TOR triple-dime bet

Stephen Nover | NBA Sides - Wednesday, Feb 20 2013 8:05PM
715 OKL -2.5(-110) Bookmaker.com vs 716 HOU double-dime bet

[Can'tPickAWinner]

Wunderdog Sports Free Pick

Game: Oakland at I P F W (7:00 PM Eastern)
Pick: Oakland -2.5 (-110)
The Oakland Golden Grizzlies have had some good teams in the past and before all is said and done, this team may be amongst them. The Grizzlies have rolled to a 10-4 conference record, having won eight straight games, and will be a factor come Summit Conference Tournament time. IPFW has struggled to a 12-16 record on the season, and just doesn't have the upset variables here to take down the Grizzlies. Oakland has been a superior momentum team where they are 36-14-1 ATS in their last 51 when following an ATS win. The Grizzlies express keeps on keepin' on, so take them here.

[Can'tPickAWinner]

xpertpicks

ncaab:
Georgetown -14 over DePaul
Alabama -15 over Mississippi State
Colorado State +3 over UNLV

nba:
Dallas -10 over Orlando
LA Lakers -7.5 over Boston

nhl:
Pittsburgh -160 over Philadelphia
Calgary +105 over Los Angeles

[Can'tPickAWinner]

Doc Sports

6* Arizona St -6 1/2

[Can'tPickAWinner]

Robert Ferringo's Picks For NHL Hockey
2-Unit Pick Take #6 Colorado (+1.00) over St. Louis (10pm, Wednesday, February 20)
Tough scheduling spot for the second consecutive night for the Blues after arriving yesterday morning from Vancouver after plane problems then playing at home last night vs San Jose losing 2-1 then hopping back on a plane and flying to the thin air of Denver to play Colorado tonight. Colorado is off a 6-5 victory at home vs Nashville after blowing a 4-1 lead in Edmonton on Saturday but the Ave's are playing better hockey scoring 14 goals in their last three games while scoring just 23 goals in their first eleven games. Colorado was slowed by injuries early on and they're a young team but this team is starting to improve. I think this is a tougher spot for the Blues then last night and now they face a younger and quicker team then the San Jose team that the Blues played last night looks good to me to be able to take advantage of this situation at even money.

[Can'tPickAWinner]

Indian Cowboy's Picks For College Basketball

2-1 yesterday, 0-1 day before, 3-0 prior to that. We are currently on a 5-2 run the last 3 days, winning last week, winning month of January and winning 6 of 8 weeks. Working hard to have a winning February.

5-Unit Play. #735. Take Under 126 Minnesota vs. Ohio State (Wednesday @ 7pm est).

4-Unit Play. #739. Take Oklahoma -10 over Texas Tech (Wednesday @ 7pm est).

4-Unit Play. #755. Take Mississippi State +15.5 over Alabama (Wednesday @ 8pm est).

Minnesota and Ohio State hook up for what should be an important game for both teams. For starters, Minnesota who though is 18-8 overall, has stumbled in conference play as they are 6-7 overall and come off a defensive performance giving up 71 points to Iowa on the road. To put that in perspective, this team gave up 53 to Wisconsin in overtime at home. Look for Minnesota to step up defensively on the road as the public heavily favors Ohio State here on a short line. The short line makes me think that Minnesota is in for a bounce-back and the public probably gets buried as this line is relatively short considering Ohio State comes off one of the worst losses ever in the Thad Motta era. The Michigan State game for Minnesota totaled at 111 on the road, the Northwestern game totaled 103 on the road and the Wisconsin game totaled 99 points on the road. I think this game will be very similar to the Ohio State vs. Wisconsin game which totaled 107 as Ohio State is a top 25 defense that comes off giving up 71 points in their last game. Look for this contest to be defensive by nature from start to finish as it likely totals around 110 this evening. Mississippi State remembers their pummeling at the hands of Alabama a 75-43 final on their home floor earlier. Rick Ray's team has gone through some turmoil and their fair share of troubles, but they are a team that is coming together despite some off court issues. This team is 2-10 in conference play but played well at LSU after their debacle at home against Missouri. This team will likely come together as a team on the road against Alabama who typically doesn't blowout teams in general and getting 15.5 points on a total of 121 or so is worth a wager from us here. Finally, I'm not a huge fan of taking road favorites but I'll make an exception here for Oklahoma. I watched the Oklahoma vs. Oklahoma State in its entirety and that was a contest in which Oklahoma probably should have won. They turned the ball over late and this is a team that really needs this win to continue to stay relevant not only in the Big12 but in the national picture for a big to the Dance. This team has the depth and has great coaching with ex-Hawks coach Kruger. Chris Walker's Texas Tech team had a great effort at West Virginia but struggles to put together back to back decent games in the Big12. Combine that with this team being outside the top 250 in turnover margin and they face an Oklahoma team who typically bounce-back well after a loss and a team that beats their opponents who are outside the the top 225 by an average of 15-20 points, Oklahoma is a decent play here despite Tech having revenge. Look for Sam Grooms and this top 60 defense to have a good day on the road today and likely win this contest by double-digits.

Leans: Ole Miss and Cleveland State (Leans for all sports published on my page on the bottom everyday by 12pm est. Just working to add more value to the daily page everyday).

Indian Cowboy's Picks For NBA Basketball

4-Unit Play. #707. Take New Orleans +2.5 over Cleveland Cavaliers (Wednesday @ 8pm est).

4-Unit Play. #712. Take Milwaukee Bucks -3.5 over Brooklyn Nets (Wednesday @ 8pm est).

4-Unit Play. #705. Take Detroit Pistons -3.5 over Charlotte Bobcats (Wednesday @ 7pm est).

New Orleans could very well win this game Outright. This is a team that is on the rise but in a subtle and under the radar way. This is a squad that should have probably beaten the Bulls in their most recent game. But they fell short and you can't blame them considering the Bulls had revenge from New Orleans beating them earlier in they ear. The Hornets are the same team that has covered a series of games including beating Portland 99-63 at home, beating Detroit and Atlanta Outright on the road and beating a Phoenix team (who just beat Portland on the road) on the rise. Look for the Hornets to continue to play well here and with their stout defense and the public likely gets buried here as this line is relatively short for a reason as the oddsmakers are expecting an Outright New Orleans victory. What if I told you that the Bucks have covered at least the last 10 times they have faced the Nets, would you be surprised? Well, they have. The most recent cover was on the road losing in overtime to the Nets in a game they probably should have won. Now Milwaukee faces them on a home and home and I've always believed it favors the team who come off a straight up loss such as the Bucks. Milwaukee has not covered in quite some time except for yesterday's cover (prior to that had struggled to cover ATS wise), but I do like them with the motivation to do well today in front of their home crowd. Milwaukee is still 26-26 and in the playoff mix and a win here would go a long way. The reason why the Pistons are favored here is that the Bobcats typically do not do well coming off a big win and in this case a straight up win on the road against Orlando. Detroit lost to Charlotte probably taking them lightly at the Palace earlier this year and now look to get some revenge on the road. Detroit comes off a bad loss at home to Memphis who just hammered them and I suspect they will want to get back on their feet on the road here. The Pistons have played well of late including beating Milwaukee on the road Outright and San Antonio at home. Detroit has won the last 3 on the road at Charlotte and I suspect they will likely get their revenge here on the road as wlel.

Leans: Lakers.


Indian Cowboy's Picks For NHL Hockey
4-Unit Play. #6 Take Colorado Avalanche +110 vs. St. Louis (Wednesday @ 10:05 pm est)
The Avalanche continued to develop a very strong core of young players in 2011-12, finishing with (88) points and a (41-35-6) record, (20) points higher than they finished 2010-11. General Manager Greg Sherman reaffirmed his confidence in head coach Joe Sacco by signing him to a two-year extension. The Avs get a great break here as the St. Louis Blues were stuck in Vancouver for (15) hours after playing the Canucks with plane troubles and didn't get back to St. Louis until 6 a.m. and then had a game last night against the Red Wings. Now they have to get back on a plane and travel to play in the ?Mile High City? at the Pepsi Center. St. Louis is (3-9) in the last (12) meetings including just (6-22-4) in the last (32) meetings in Colorado with the Home team (5-0) in the last (5) meetings. Blues play some sour notes on their visit to Denver.

[Can'tPickAWinner]

Jack Jones
20* Ohio State -5
15* Drake -4
15* Kansas +1

20* Heat / Hawks Under 197.5
15* Indiana Pacers -3.5
15* Nets / Bucks Under 195
15* Golden State Warriors -8
College Basketball Premium Picks

-= TOP PLAY =-
NCAA-B | Feb 20 '13 (7:00p)
MINNESOTA U vs OHIO STATE OHIO STATE
-5-111 at 5dimes
20* Big Ten GAME OF THE WEEK on Ohio State -5

The Ohio State Buckeyes should be a much bigger home favorite over the Minnesota Golden Gophers tonight. Both teams are struggling of late, but I like Ohio State's chances of snapping out of it better since it is playing at home tonight.

Both teams have lost three of their last four. However, Minnesota's losses have come to Iowa, Illinois and Michigan State, while Ohio State's losses have come against Wisconsin, Indiana and Michigan with two of those on the road. That's why I'm much less worried about the Buckeyes' recent struggles rather than the Gophers. Minnesota really hasn't been playing well for quite some time now as it has lost seven of its last 10 games overall. This team is consistently overvalued.

Ohio State has really dominated this series in recent meetings. It has gone 5-0 SU & 4-1 ATS in its last five meetings with Minnesota. Four of those wins came by double-digits.

The Buckeyes are 13-2 at home this season where they are outscoring opponents by 18.4 points/game. The Gophers are 0-4-1 ATS in their last 5 games overall. The Buckeyes are 10-2 ATS in their last 12 home games vs. a team with a road winning % of less than .400. The favorite is 11-1 ATS in the last 12 meetings. The Buckeyes are 5-1 ATS in their last 6 home meetings with the Gophers. Take Ohio State Wednesday.

NCAA-B | Feb 20 '13 (8:00p)
BRADLEY vs DRAKE DRAKE
-4-102 at 5dimes
15* Missouri Valley GAME OF THE NIGHT on Drake -4

The Drake Bulldogs will roll tonight over the Bradley Braves in Missouri Valley Conference action. Drake wants revenge from a 57-67 loss at Bradley on January 29th in their first meeting of the season. I look for them to get it tonight considering how poorly the Braves have played on the road this year.

Bradley is 3-7 in true road games this season. In fact, it is 0-6 SU & 1-5 ATS in its last 6 road games in MVC play, losing by double-digits each time. Its road losses over this span include Indiana State (53-68), Northern Iowa (53-84), Evansville (56-66), Wichita State (39-73), Creighton (58-75) and Illinois State (59-79).

Drake comes in hungry for a win following four straight losses to tough competition in Illinois State, Evansville, Wichita State and Northern Iowa. It's not like the Bulldogs are playing that bad either as three of the four losses came by single digits. Drake is 7-5 at home this season which includes impressive wins over Evansville (83-69), Creighton (74-69) and Indiana State (74-71).

Drake is 9-1 ATS after having lost 5 or 6 of their last 7 games over the last 3 seasons. It is coming back to win in these spots by an average of 9.0 points/game. The Braves are 2-8 ATS in their last 10 games vs. a team with a losing S.U. record. The Bulldogs are 4-0 ATS in their last 4 games following a ATS loss. Bet Drake Wednesday.

NCAA-B | Feb 20 '13 (9:00p)
Kansas vs OKLAHOMA STATE Kansas
+1-105 at 5dimes
15* Kansas/Oky State ESPN Wednesday No-Brainer on Kansas +1

The Kansas Jayhawks are going to be highly motivated for revenge tonight. They lost their only home game of the season to these same Oklahoma State Cowboys by a final of 80-85 on February 2nd. I look for these Kansas players to want this game more than any other game they have played this season because of it.

Oklahoma State is one of the most overrated teams in the country. It has simply been getting all of the breaks in close games of late. Four of its last six wins have come by 5 points or less. It won't be so fortunate tonight.

Bill Self is 16-7 ATS revenging a straight up loss vs opponent as a favorite as the coach of Kansas. The Jayhawks are 5-1 ATS in their last 6 games following a SU win of more than 20 points. The Cowboys are 1-8 ATS in their last 9 games vs. a team with a winning % above .600. The road team is 4-0 ATS in the last 4 meetings. Roll with Kansas Wednesday.

NBA Basketball Premium Picks

NBA | Feb 20 '13 (7:05p)
New York Knicks vs Indiana Pacers Indiana Pacers
-3½-104 at 5dimes
15* NBA Wednesday No-Doubt Rout on Indiana Pacers -3.5

The Indiana Pacers should be a much heavier home favorite over the New York Knicks tonight. The home team has won both meetings this season with New York proving victorious 88-76 on November 18th, and Indiana winning 81-76 on January 10th. I look for this trend to continue tonight considering how dominant Indiana has been at home this season.

The Pacers are easily one of the best home teams in the league. They are an outstanding 21-5 at home this season and 16-10 ATS in the process. They are outscoring opponents by an average of 8.4 points/game at home this year while limiting them to 88.2 points/game and 40.7 percent shooting.

The Knicks are 0-3-1 ATS in their last 4 games overall with losses to Washington, LAC and Toronto. The Pacers are 6-0 ATS in their last 6 after scoring 100 points or more in their previous game. Indiana is 5-1 ATS in its last 6 games vs. a team with a winning % above .600. Take the Pacers Wednesday.

-= TOP PLAY =-
NBA | Feb 20 '13 (8:05p)
Miami Heat vs Atlanta Hawks Total
197½ un-105 at 5dimes
20* NBA TOTAL OF THE MONTH on Heat/Hawks UNDER 197.5

The books have set the bar too high tonight in this contest between the Miami Heat and Atlanta Hawks. I look for a low-scoring, defensive battle as this will be the first game for both teams since the All-Star break. Each has had about a week off and both will have extra time to prepare for one another, which favors the defense.

One look at the recent meetings between these teams and it's easy to see that the books have missed their mark tonight. Not counting overtime, each of the last 19 meetings between the Hawks and Heat have seen 197 or less combined points. This makes for a perfect 19-0 system backing the UNDER dating back to 2009 pertaining to tonight's total set. Enough said. Bet the UNDER in this game Wednesday.

NBA | Feb 20 '13 (8:05p)
Brooklyn Nets vs Milwaukee Bucks Total
195 un-110 at BetOnline
15* NBA Wednesday Total ANNIHILATOR on Nets/Bucks UNDER 195

This is a classic home-and-home situation as the Brooklyn Nets and Milwaukee Bucks just played last night. Brooklyn won at home 113-111 (OT) in an absolute thriller. Now, they'll head to Milwaukee for the rematch just 24 hours later. These situations favor the defenses, and as a result I look for a low-scoring affair tonight. This will also be the 4th meeting of the season between these teams, and familiarity also favors lower scoring games.

Brooklyn is 15-9 to the UNDER in all road games this season. It is scoring just 92.5 points/game and allowing 94.5 points/game on the road this year, combining with its opponents for an average of 187.0 points/game. That number right there shows that there is some value with this UNDER tonight.

The Nets are 9-1 to the UNDER in road games versus poor foul drawing teams - attempting <=24 free throws/game - 2nd half of the season over the last 2 seasons. Brooklyn is 10-1 to the UNDER in road games versus teams who are called for 21 or less fouls/game - 2nd half of the season over the last 2 seasons. The Nets are 9-1 to the UNDER in road games after a win by 6 points or less over the last 2 seasons. Milwaukee is 9-1 to the UNDER after 4 straight games committing 14 or less turnovers over the last 2 seasons.

The UNDER is 5-0 in Bucks last 5 after allowing 100 points or more in their previous game. The UNDER is 4-0 in Bucks last 4 games following a S.U. loss. These last six trends combine for a dynamite 46-4 (92%) system backing the UNDER tonight. Roll with the UNDER in this game Wednesday.

NBA | Feb 20 '13 (10:35p)
Phoenix Suns vs Golden State Warriors Golden State Warriors
-8-108 at 5dimes

[Can'tPickAWinner]

Tom Freese 10* NHL NO BRAINER

5-3 NHL YTD

LA KINGS

[Can'tPickAWinner]

Scott Rickenbach 8* NHL ROAD WARRIOR

Philadelphia Flyers

[Can'tPickAWinner]

Profitbets

galatasary pk 50u


barcelona -1 50u

[Can'tPickAWinner]

Sweetjones55 2/20

Miami Heat -4.5

Oklahoma City Thunder -2.5

[Can'tPickAWinner]

Jt - bpo

College of Charleston -2.5

Air Force + 7
UNC Wilmington +6
Bradley + 4

[Can'tPickAWinner]

Bryan Leonard | NBA SidesWed, 02/20/13 - 8:05 PM
triple-dime bet
715 OKL -2.5 (-110) Bookmaker.com vs 716 HOUAnalysis:715 Oklahoma City at Houston
The Thunder are one team who has the ability to play the preferred up tempo game of the Rockets, and they do it better than Houston. The Thunder have beaten the Rockets 120-98 at home and 124-94 in Houston. Off back to back losses for only the second time all season and with lowly Minnesota on deck the Rockets will get the full attention of the Thunder tonight. Oklahoma City is now 10-3 ATS on the season off a loss.
Houston is a solid play against middling and lesser teams but when facing an elite squad or a deep team they have struggled. How about losses by 10 and 8 to the Clippers, byš 6 and 3 to Miami, by 8 and 10 to Denver, by 6, 8 and 22 to San Antonio and the afore mentioned blowouts at the hands of the Thunder. Houston has yet to beat an elite or deep team all season. That trend continues here.
PLAY OKLAHOMA CITY

[Can'tPickAWinner]

Andre Gomes

Single Dime Play Orlando/Dallas Over 206

[Can'tPickAWinner]

Denver Money NHL ML- Wednesday, Feb 20 2013 10:05PM
ML 3 LOS (-105) Bookmaker.com vs 4 CAL single-dime bet

Denver Money NHL ML- Wednesday, Feb 20 2013 10:05PM
ML 5 STL (-120) 5dimes (http://www.5dimes.com/) vs 6 COL double-dime bet

[Can'tPickAWinner]

Dave Essler CBB Sides - Weds. Feb 20 2013 7PM
742 St. Bonaventure -2.5 (-110) 5dimes (http://www.5dimes.com/) vs 741 Umass double-dime bet

Dave Essler CBB Sides - Weds. Feb 20 2013 7PM
729 James Madison 5.0 (-110) Justbet (http://justbet.cx/) vs 730 Northeastern double-dime bet

[Can'tPickAWinner]

Rocketman

The Cal Poly Mustangs travel to Cal State Fullerton to take on the Titans on Wednesday night. Cal Poly comes in with a 12-11 SU record this year while Cal State Fullerton is now 12-13 SU overall this season. Cal State Fullerton is 11-3 ATS last 3 years against good defensive teams allowing 64 points per game or less. Cal Poly is 2-10 SU on the road this year where they are scoring only 60 points per game.

Cal State Fullerton is scoring 80.5 points per game overall this year and 78.3 points per game at home this season. Cal Poly is 5-14-1 ATS last 20 road games. Cal Poly is 3-10-1 ATS last 14 road games against a team with a non-losing home record. Cal State Fullerton is 5-1-1 ATS last 7 home games after three or more consecutive road games.

Cal Poly is 1-5 ATS last 6 meetings overall in this series. We’ll play Cal State Fullerton for 3 units tonight! Thanks and good luck, Rocky

Play On: 3* (#778) Cal State Fullerton -1 1/2

[Can'tPickAWinner]

Torrissi

5* on ok st

[Can'tPickAWinner]

Sports Cash System Free Pick for 2/20

Central Florida -7 over Marshall (NCAA College Basketball) (NCAA College Basketball)

[Can'tPickAWinner]

SB Professor NHL Picks 2/20

1. Philadlephia Flyers +159

[Can'tPickAWinner]

Dr. Ed Meyer | NBA Total - Wednesday, Feb 20 2013 7:05PM
703 NYK / 704 IND UNDER 187.0 double-dime bet

[Can'tPickAWinner]

spartan | NHL ML - Wednesday, Feb 20 2013 10:05PM
ML 6 COL +107 vs 5 STL single-dime bet

[Can'tPickAWinner]

SB Professor NBA Original Picks 2/20

717. Orlando Magic +11 (service play)

Rest of Games
702. Toronto Raptors -1
712. Milwaukee Bucks -4
720. Los Angeles Lakers -7

[Can'tPickAWinner]

Allan Eastman

Toronto -1
Celtics +7 1/2

[Can'tPickAWinner]

RTG Sports
(21-7 Run)

Houston Rockets +3.5
Mississippi Rebels -5.5

[Can'tPickAWinner]

Burns 10* CBB

UNLV

[Can'tPickAWinner]

DOC'S NBA - 2/20

#715 Take Oklahoma City -3 over Houston (8 p.m. EST, Wednesday)

#703 Take Indiana/New York UNDER 185.5 (7 p.m. EST, Wednesday)

[Can'tPickAWinner]

MATT YOUMANS

COLLEGE BASKETBALL (49-34-1)
2/20 Kansas (+1) over OKLAHOMA STATE

[Can'tPickAWinner]

Ben Burns

Main Event Lakers

Personal Favorite UNLV

[redman]

Anyone have Kelso's plays?

[Can'tPickAWinner]

Gorilla George

NCAAB
(765)Illinois-Chi -3
(769/770)Houston/Memphis ov149.5
(787)Col st. +4
(757)Vanderbilt +11
(739)Oklahoma -9
(771/772)Kan/Ok St un136.5
(735/736)Min/OSU un127
(761/762) So Miss/Utep ov124


NBA
GS Warriors -8
Mia Heat/Atl Hawks un197
OKC Thunder -2.5
Brk Nets/Mil Bucks un195
Det Pistons/Cha Bobcats ov195
Mem Grizzlies/Tor Raptors un187
NY Knicks +4
NO Hornets/Cle Cavs ov195


NHL
Pitt Penguins ML -170

[Can'tPickAWinner]

Sports Reporter NBA & NCAA

NBA
Oklahoma City/Houston Over 220

NCAA
UNLV

[Can'tPickAWinner]

Master Sports

4.5 Kentucky
4 Kansas
4 Northwestern
3Old Do
3 OHio State

3 Detroit
3 Cleveland

[Can'tPickAWinner]

Kelso

Dallas Mavs (100*)

Arizona State (20*)

Colorado State (20*)

10* 2 Team Parlay Arizona State & Colorado State

Ole Miss (20*)

[Can'tPickAWinner]

Wayne Root

Minnesotta (Millionaire)

Rhode Island (No Limit)

Lakers (Inner Circle NBA GOM)

Oklahoma State (Pinnacle)

[Can'tPickAWinner]

BRAD WILTON

40 Dime Oklahoma - 10

[Can'tPickAWinner]

The Philly Godfather

My Moves



[791] SANTA CLARA +13½-110 500: +13.5
[768] TULSA -2-120 (B+½) 500: -2
[800] EASTERN KENTUCKY -12-110 500: -12
[749] MARSHALL +7½-110 500: +7.5
[804] JACKSONVILLE ST -5-110 500: -5
[744] GEO WASHINGTON -11-110 500: -11
[729] JAMES MADISON +5½-110 500: +5.5
[724] OLD DOMINION -6-110 500: -6

[Can'tPickAWinner]

Matt Fargo 10* NBA ENFORCER

LA LAKERS

[Can'tPickAWinner]

Betting Line Moves
762 southern miss - 8
758 kentucky - 10 1/2
796 davidson - 21 1/2

[Can'tPickAWinner]

Marc Lawerence
Knicks
Kansas

[Can'tPickAWinner]

Marco D'Angelo
2* UNLV

[Can'tPickAWinner]

Seabass Report for Wednesday:
200 Toronto in NBA
200 East Carolina
200 Providence
100 Atlanta Hawks
100 Northwestern

[Can'tPickAWinner]

Godfatherlocks

Syracuse,
Houston Rockets,
Los Angeles Lakers

[Can'tPickAWinner]

Dr Bob
Oklahoma
Vanderbilt

George Washington
Austin Peay
Mississippi St
Cal Poly

[Can'tPickAWinner]

Spreitzer
double-dime bet 727 DePaul 14.0 (-110) 5dimes (http://www.5dimes.com/) vs 728 Georgetown


double-dime bet 717 ORL / 718 DAL UNDER 206.0 5dimes (http://www.5dimes.com/)



dime bet 711 Brooklyn / 712 MIL OVER 193.0 5dimes (http://www.5dimes.com/)
double-dime bet 701 MEM / 702 TOR OVER 186.0 5dimes (http://www.5dimes.com/)



triple-dime bet 788 UNLV -3.5 (-110) Bookmaker.com vs 787 Colorado St.
triple-dime bet 702 TOR -1.5 (-110) 5dimes (http://www.5dimes.com/) vs 701 MEM

[Can'tPickAWinner]

RickJ's Handicapping Picks Wedn College Hoops
1/2 Unit Play
749 Marshall +7

[Can'tPickAWinner]

Dr Bob
Oklahoma
Vanderbilt

George Washington
Austin Peay
Mississippi St
Cal Poly

[Can'tPickAWinner]

Larry Ness

Legend play: UNLV

29* Club play: Pacers

[Dancin' Shoes]

LEGIT PICKS

Wednesday 2/20/13 Plays...

HIGHEST RATED 6* ROCKETS +3.5 (5:05PM PST)

3* GEORGE WASHINGTON -12 (4PM PST)

2* OHIO STATE -6 (4PM PST)

---LEGIT PICK'S WARNING: Practicing Money Management & Shopping Lines Can Lead to Long Term Success--

[Can'tPickAWinner]

Sports bank
kansas under

[Can'tPickAWinner]

Millionaires club
st bonaventure

[Can'tPickAWinner]

Your Bookies Money (Carolina Sports)

Brooklyn/Milwaukee Under 194.5 3*

[Can'tPickAWinner]

Doctor sports
oklahoma city thunder

[Can'tPickAWinner]

Alatex 15 Superplay Baylor

[Can'tPickAWinner]

Kelso

100 Units Dallas
20 Units Ole Miss
20 Units Arizona State
20 Units Colorado State
10 Unit Parlay Arizona st and Colorado st

[Can'tPickAWinner]

Chicago Syndicate
Top - Under Pacers, Over Baylor
Reg - Under Bobcats, Kansas, SE Missouri St

LA Syndicate
Top - Lakers, Colorado State
Reg - Under Suns, Washington State, Arizona

[Can'tPickAWinner]

vegas runner

KY
Flames

[Can'tPickAWinner]

Andre Gomes
Double Memphis and Detroit. Single Boston under, Houston over, Milwaukee under, Minnesota under, Orlando over, Brooklyn, Miami, Houston