12-23-11

[Mr. IWS]

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[Mr. IWS]

*** WINNING POINTS ***

*3-STAR BEST BET UNLV over California by 15
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Playing a deep, aggressive man-to-man opponent on the road figures to be a big problem for Cal. The Bears’ gaudy record of 9-2 entering the week has been compiled mostly against hapless stiffs, lousy teams in coaching transition, or teams in drastic personnel transition. Although UNLV has a first-season coaching staff, they haven’t been dumb enough to change what was working for Lon Kruger, who left a well-stocked
cupboard.

UNLV, 78-63
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•Louisville over Western Kentucky by 29
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Mismatch on paper, and on the floor. Louisville is beginning to jell at a level that Western Kentucky won’t even hit this season.

LOUISVILLE, 86-57
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•Dayton over Illinois-Chicago by 16
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Big stiffs on road, vs. better-shooting home team.

DAYTON, 68-52
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•Providence over Rhode Island by 15
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Rhode Island needs a road map to find the basket and they don’t play much defense, either.

PROVIDENCE, 82-67
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•UCLA over Richmond by 3
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Bruins huffed and puffed and blew poor Cal-Davis down 80-something to 30-something. What good did it do them? Let’s see them try to play defense that well against Richmond’s better-drilled ‘alternative’ offense.

UCLA, 65-62
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•LAS VEGAS CLASSIC (Las Vegas, NV)
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Baylor over West Virginia by 3
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Baylor Bears. That’s our team, man. As long and scary as that Mississippi State team that West Virginia wilted down the stretch against.

BAYLOR, 70-67
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•St. Mary’s over Missouri State by 8
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Missouri’s State’s senior point guard Michael Bizoukas, who never saw more than 19 minutes per game in four seasons at DePaul, is now 31.1 minutes per game and averaging 6+ assists per game but will be coming off a very tough game vs. West Virginia for this second of back-to-backs.

ST. MARY’S, 74-66

[Mr. IWS]

***POINT WISE NCAA COLLEGE BASKETBALL ***

FRIDAY, DECEMBER 23 SCORE
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(5:00) UNLV 87 - California 76 (CBSC)
(7:00) LOUISVILLE 112 - Western Kentucky 77 (ESPN2)
(7:00) DAYTON 75 - Illinois-Chicago 48
(7:00) Providence 79 - RHODE ISLAND 67
(10:30) UCLA 80 - Richmond 72

LAS VEGAS CLASSIC CHAMPIONSHIP BRACKET
---------------------------------------------------------
(9:00) Baylor 86 - West Virginia 76 (ESPN2)
(11:30) St Mary’s 73 - Missouri State 68

ADDED GAMES
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(6:00) Ball State 59 - MOREHEAD STATE 54
(7:00) GEORGE MASON 77 - Manhattan 70
(7:00) PENNSYLVANIA 69 - Marist 59
(7:00) GEORGIA 81 - Furman 74

BEST BETS: UCLA

[Mr. IWS]

FRIDAY BETTORS' TIPS AND NOTES
Friday’s Betting Tips: UNLV Skidding ATS At Home
By Covers Staff


WHO'S HOT

NHL: New Jersey is 23-11 in its last 34 home games.

NHL: Winnipeg has won nine of its last 12 home games.

NCAAB: West Virginia is 5-1 against the spread in its last six.

NCAAB: Wisconsin has covered the number in seven of its last nine.

WHO'S NOT

NHL: The New York Islanders are 8-19 in their last 27.

NHL: Nashville is 5-17 in its last 22 games in Dallas.

NCAAB: UNLV is riding a 7-19 skid against the spread at home.

NCAAB: Western Kentucky is 3-9 against the spread in its last nine.

KEY STAT

1.48 – Philadelphia Flyers forward Claude Giroux returned to the lineup Wednesday after missing four games and didn’t miss a beat. He scored his 17th goal of the season and added three assists in a 4-1 win over Dallas. Giroux is putting up 1.48 points per game as he leads the league with 43 points in 29 games. The New York Rangers tangle with the Philadelphia Flyers Friday at Madison Square Garden in a preview of the Winter Classic on Jan. 2. Check out our take on the game in today's Ice Picks.

INJURY THAT SHOULDN'T BE OVERLOOKED

Brook Lopez, New Jersey Nets - Lopez has been diagnosed with a stress fracture of the fifth metatarsal in his right foot and will undergo surgery on Friday. There is no timetable for his return to action. The skilled 7-footer has been one of the most durable big men in the league, having not missed a game in any of his first three seasons. The 23-year-old averaged 20.4 points and six rebounds last season.

GAME OF THE DAY

Baylor Bears at West Virginia Mountaineers (N/A)

NOTABLE QUOTABLE

"We try to lead the country in rebounding. The past few games, we've set the mark of trying to out-rebound our opponents by 20." – Pitt Panthers forward Dante Taylor. The Panthers currently do sit first in the nation with a 13.0 rebounding margin heading into Friday’s game against Wagner.

TIPS AND NOTES

St. Louis Rams quarterbacks Sam Bradford and A.J. Feeley were held out of practice Thursday and likely won't be in the lineup for Saturday's game against the Pittsburgh Steelers. Bradford is recovering from an ankle injury that will force him to miss a second consecutive week. Feeley is battling a thumb ailment. Kellen Clemens will likely get his second consecutive start Saturday. The third-stringer threw for 229 yards and a touchdown in last week's game against the Cincinnati Bengals. The Rams are 16-point underdogs this weekend.

UCLA had four players ruled out for its bowl matchup against Illinois that has the Bruins set as 2.5-point underdogs. Quarterback Richard Brehaut was suspended one game for a violation of team rules and teammates Tony Dye, Alberto Cid and Isaiah Bowens were ruled academically ineligible. Cid is a starter at offensive guard while Bowens is a backup linebacker. Dye had already been ruled out due to an ankle injury. Brehaut started the first four games of the season but has not played since suffering a broken leg against Washington State on Oct. 8. The Bruins (6-7), who lost to Oregon in the conference championship game, will take on Illinois in the Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl on Dec. 31.

The Tennessee Titans enter Saturday's game against the Jacksonville Jaguars knowing they won't have a completely healthy Chris Johnson. The struggling running back is nursing an ankle injury that has hobbled him throughout practice this week. Titans head coach Mike Munchak acknowledged that Johnson won't see the bulk of the carries, and will likely share with backup Jamie Harper. "We're assuming Harper will get more carries than he normally would - just because we're assuming C.J. will be somewhat not himself," Munchak told reporters. Johnson is having the worst season of his four-year NFL career, racking up just 232 carries for 930 yards and four touchdowns. The Titans are pegged as 7-point favorites.

[Mr. IWS]

TRIPE A COMPUTER PLAY

40* - Baylor +4.5

[Mr. IWS]

ICE PICKS

Friday's Best NHL Bets

Philadelphia Flyers at New York Rangers (-120, 5.5)

As far as appetizers go, this one should be hearty.

HBO’s hit show 24/7 has done a fantastic job of setting the stage for the Winter Classic between these two clubs on Jan. 2, but Friday’s date at Madison Square Garden should be just as entertaining without all the fanfare.

And even though the Flyers are road underdogs here, you have to like their chances. The league’s leading scorer, Claude Giroux, just returned from his concussion and picked up four points in his first game back.

"He's clearly established himself as a top player in the league," Flyers coach Peter Laviolette said of Giroux. "He missed some time and wanted to get back in there. He's capable of that. It shouldn't surprise anybody."

The Rangers are playing in the second half of a back-to-back situation after visiting the Islanders Thursday night, so keep that in mind. They’re 3-1 in the second half of back-to-backs this season.

Make sure you catch the opening faceoff for this one. There could be some early fireworks.

PICK: Under 5.5


Tampa Bay Lightning at Colorado Avalanche (-125, 5.5)

When Martin St. Louis surprised the Tampa Bay Lightning by returning to the lineup early from an ugly injury, you had to think it would rally the troops. St. Louis did his part by scoring his 10th goal of the season, but the Lightning were hammered 7-2 by the Sharks Wednesday evening.

St. Louis, who suffered numerous facial fractures when he was hit with a puck earlier this month, wasn’t expected back until at least after Christmas.

"We didn't come out ready to battle," St. Louis told reporters. "You can have all the Xs and Os, but against that team, you have to be willing to battle in your own end, you can't give them time and space. You have to anticipate their play and jump them so you crowd their space right away, and we didn't do that.”

You can bet the Lightning will come out with a much better effort Friday, but Colorado’s on a roll right now. We’ll take a shot with the over.

PICK: Over 5.5

[Mr. IWS]

NHL NEWS AND NOTES
Preview: Philadelphia at NY Rangers & Tampa Bay at Colorado
By Covers Staff


Philadelphia Flyers at New York Rangers (-120, 5.5)

THE STORY: Claude Giroux admitted he was nervous upon making his return to the ice. His play on Wednesday, however, illustrated nothing of the sort. Sidelined for four games with concussion-like symptoms, the 23-year-old Giroux recorded his third four-point contest of the season to lead the Philadelphia Flyers to a 4-1 triumph over the Dallas Stars. Giroux regained sole possession of the NHL's points lead and extended his scoring streak to six games, notching four goals and 10 assists in that span. “I was kind of nervous to see how I felt after the first shift, whether the headaches and stuff were going to come back, but I got hit by (Dallas' Steve) Ott and it was a pretty big hit – so I felt great after that and it kind of made me more comfortable.” Giroux and the Atlantic Division-leading Flyers will look to continue their ascent when they visit the rival New York Rangers on Friday in a Winter Classic preview. For its part, the Rangers won their third straight and fifth in seven outings with a 4-2 triumph over New York Islanders on Thursday. John Tortorella's club, which does boast a 2-0 home victory over the Flyers on Nov. 26, can pull into a tie for first place in the Atlantic with a regulation win.

TV: 7 p.m. ET, NHLN, CSP, MSG

ABOUT THE FLYERS (21-8-4): For those of you keeping score, the NHL credited Daniel Briere with the game-tying goal in the waning moments of regulation in Monday's 3-2 shootout loss to the Colorado Avalanche. Originally, Wayne Simmonds was given the goal. Not to worry, however, as Simmonds continued his impressive surge by tallying against Dallas two nights later. Simmonds now has six goals and two assists in his last nine games.

ABOUT THE RANGERS (20-8-4): Marian Gaborik scored for the fifth time in three games to secure his eighth 20-goal season of his career on Thursday. With his 20th goal, Gaborik is now tied with Chicago's Jonathan Toews, Toronto's Phil Kessel and Tampa Bay's Steven Stamkos for the NHL lead. After former Flyer Martin Biron improved to 7-1-0 by turning aside 24 shots versus the Islanders, Henrik Lundqvist is expected to start Friday's tilt against Philadelphia. The 29-year-old Swede stopped all 29 shots he faced to blank the Flyers at Madison Square Garden earlier this season.

OVERTIME:

1. Philadelphia's power play received a jolt with the return of Giroux. After converting just one of their previous 17 with the man advantage, the Flyers netted a pair of power-play goals versus the Stars.

2. New York D Michael Del Zotto collected his fourth goal on Thursday and improved to a team-leading plus-19 on the season. LW Scott Hartnell leads the Flyers at plus-20.

PREDICTION: Rangers 3, Flyers 2


Tampa Bay Lightning at Colorado Avalanche (-125, 5.5)

THE STORY: The Colorado Avalanche have enjoyed playing against the Eastern Conference all season and have been unbeatable against anybody at home lately. The Avs are 8-1 against the East and have seven straight wins on home ice to equal the franchise record since moving to Denver in 1995. Colorado has a chance to improve both marks when the struggling Tampa Bay Lightning visit Friday. The Avs have won three straight overall and four of five while the Lightning are 3-8 in their last 11. Colorado hopes to exploit Tampa Bay’s problems in the defensive end. The Lightning dropped to the bottom of the league in goals against after a 7-2 loss at San Jose on Wednesday.

TV: 9 p.m. ET; SunSports (Tampa), ALT (Colorado).

ABOUT THE LIGHTNING (14-17-2): Tampa Bay’s special teams have been less than ordinary most of December. The Lightning are 4-for-37 on the power play the last 12 games and have allowed 10 power-play goals the last seven games. Tampa Bay has surrendered fewer than four goals in a game just three times in the last 11. One bit of good news is the return of Marty St. Louis, who missed five games with facial and nasal fractures before scoring his 10th goal Wednesday. Steven Stamkos was shut out at San Jose, but leads the team with 37 points.

ABOUT THE AVALANCHE (17-17-1): Colorado paid heavily to acquire goalie Semyon Varlamov from Washington in the offseason, but is getting much more payoff from veteran goalie Jean-Sebastien Giguere. The 34-year-old, signed as a backup, sports a .931 save percentage, has won three straight and is expected to start again Friday. Ryan O’Reilly leads a balanced offense with 23 points. Matt Duchene has just two goals in the last 14 games, but the 20-year-old has 11 overall to share the team lead with Paul Stastny.

OVERTIME:

1. Colorado has the NHL’s top road power play (29.8 percent), but is 14.1 at home.

2. Tampa Bay forward Ryan Malone will play against his cousin Brad Malone, a forward for the Avs.

3. The Avalanche had beaten the Lightning six straight before losing 6-5 in Tampa last season.

PREDICTION: Lightning 5, Avalanche 2.

[Mr. IWS]

COLLEGE FUNDS

Friday's Best CBB Bets

California Golden Bears at UNLV Runnin’ Rebels (-5, 138)

With a nasty flu bug and injuries depleting California’s roster, the Golden Bears had their work cut out for them in Monday’s meeting with UC Santa Barbara.

But Mike Montgomery’s club stuck together and cruised to a 70-50 win as an 8.5-point favorite, covering for the third consecutive game it has seen a pointspread.

Guards Justin Cobb and Allen Crabbe combined for 44 points, but it was a total team effort, especially at the defensive end.

"I thought this is just evidence of what a team can do if they're all on the same page," Montgomery said. "They didn't force anything. Nobody tried to be a hero. We played very good defense. ... Very, very good team effort."

UNLV knows a thing or two about defense as well, allowing just 55.4 points per game over the last five.

PICK: California Golden Bears


Mississippi Valley State at Wisconsin Badgers (-30.5, 126)

With one game left until the start of Big Ten play, No. 14 Wisconsin is beginning to peak at just the right time.

Always a strong defensive team under coach Bo Ryan, the Badgers have allowed an average of 45 points in four straight wins, capped by a 66-33 triumph over Savannah State before an eight-day break.

The Badgers held Savannah State to 14 points in the first half, marking the sixth time this season that the team had held an opponent under 20 points in the opening frame and ended up covering the number as 25-point favorites.

Wisconsin is expected to challenge for the Big Ten title behind senior guard Jordan Taylor and junior center Jared Berggren and will have to be careful not to overlook Mississippi Valley State with a trip to Nebraska looming next week.

PICK: Wisconsin Badgers

[Mr. IWS]

NCAA CBB NEWS AND NOTES
Preview: California at UNLV & Mississippi Valley State at Wisconsin
By Covers Staff


California Golden Bears at UNLV Runnin’ Rebels (-5, 138)

THE STORY: The last time No. 23 UNLV was ranked, back in late November, the Rebels responded by losing two games in a four-game stretch to fall out of the top 25. But now, after winning three straight games — including a 64-48 whipping of then-No. 19 Illinois — the Rebels are back in the top 25 and will try to stay there. The Rebels will host California Friday at the Thomas & Mack Center, which should be a difficult test. The Bears enter on a four-game win streak and haven’t lost since falling 64-63 at San Diego State on Dec. 4. UNLV leads the all-time series 3-1.

TV: 5 p.m. ET, CBS Sports Network.

ABOUT CALIFORNIA (10-2): Although California is off to a fast start this season, all 10 of its wins have come at home or on a neutral floor. As a result, there are still plenty of questions surrounding the Bears, who lost 92-53 to Missouri earlier this year. UNLV, much like Missouri, likes to play an up-tempo style, so it will be interesting to see if the Bears are able to make any adjustments. California has won all four of its games by 20 or more points during this most recent streak. In Monday’s 70-50 victory over UC Santa Barbara, Justin Cobbs led the way with a season-high 25 points.

ABOUT NO. 23 UNLV 12-2): In the win against Illinois, UNLV’s star forward Chace Stanback was limited to two points, both of which came on a pair of late free throws. But Stanback came out firing in the Rebels’ 81-63 victory over Louisiana-Monroe on Monday. Stanback, a senior, converted 8-of-9 3-point attempts and finished with a career-high 29 points for the Rebels, who are 7-0 at Thomas & Mack Center. UNLV made 14-of-23 3-pointers in the game, the fifth time it has converted 10 or more 3’s. Defensively, the Rebels turned in one of their best performances of the season, blocking seven shots and forcing Monroe into 18 turnovers.

TIP-INS

1. California won the last meeting 73-55 at UNLV in 2008.

2. UNLV has held three of its last five opponents to 54 points or less.

3. The Rebels are 3-0 against teams from BCS conferences.


Mississippi Valley State at Wisconsin Badgers (-30.5, 126)

THE STORY: With one game left until the start of Big Ten play, No. 14 Wisconsin is beginning to peak at just the right time. Always a strong defensive team under coach Bo Ryan, the Badgers have allowed an average of 45 points in four straight wins, capped by a 66-33 triumph over Savannah State before an eight-day break. Wisconsin is expected to challenge for the Big Ten title behind senior guard Jordan Taylor and junior center Jared Berggren and will have to be careful not to overlook Mississippi Valley State with a trip to Nebraska looming next week. The Delta Devils, who visit the Kohl Center on Friday, have dropped five straight and have not had much success against major-conference teams, falling to eight already this season.

TV: 5:30 p.m. ET, Big Ten Network

ABOUT MISSISSIPPI VALLEY STATE (1-9): The Delta Devils have played an extremely challenging schedule and will be taking on their third ranked team with the Badgers. Mississippi Valley State has shown a resiliency throughout the tough stretch, continuing to battle in the second half against No. 12 Florida despite being in a 46-22 hole at the break. The Delta Devils hoist an average of 24.3 3-point attempts, connecting on 33.7 percent, in an effort to get by with only three players taller than 6-5. Center Paul Crosby, 6-8, leads the team in scoring (13.7 points).

ABOUT WISCONSIN (10-2): The Badgers held Savannah State to 14 points in the first half, marking the sixth time this season that the team had held an opponent under 20 points in the opening frame. Wisconsin consistently is able to set its own pace and is leading the nation in scoring defense. The Badgers spread the ball around offensively, with four players averaging in double figures in scoring led by Berggren’s 12.3 points. Taylor has started off slowly, shooting 37.3 percent from the field, but is averaging 5.3 assists while keeping his turnovers down.

TIP-INS:

1. The Badgers have won 10 or more non-conference games in six of the last seven seasons.

2. Wisconsin took the lone previous meeting, 115-79, on Dec. 23, 1993, and are 8-0 all-time against SWAC schools.

3. The Delta Devils have yet to play a home game.

[Mr. IWS]

Priority Sports Info

CBB [742} UNLV -5 Rated: 3*
CBB [783} Valpariso Pk Rated: 3*

[Mr. IWS]

DCI NHL

Season: 157-121 (.565)

BOSTON 3, Florida 2
NEW JERSEY 3, Washington 2
Toronto vs. N.Y. ISLANDERS: TOO CLOSE TO CALL
Philadelphia vs. N.Y. RANGERS: TOO CLOSE TO CALL
Ottawa vs. CAROLINA: TOO CLOSE TO CALL
Pittsburgh vs. WINNIPEG: TOO CLOSE TO CALL
Nashville vs. DALLAS: TOO CLOSE TO CALL
Tampa Bay vs. COLORADO: TOO CLOSE TO CALL
PHOENIX 3, St. Louis 2
VANCOUVER 3, Calgary 2
SAN JOSE 3, Los Angeles 2

[Mr. IWS]

DCI CBB

Season
Straight Up: 1396-400 (.777)
ATS: 489-561 (.466)
ATS Vary Units: 1777-2235 (.443)
Over/Under: 519-521 (.499)
Over/Under Vary Units: 709-685 (.509)

Hawai'ian Airlines Diamond Head Classic
at Stan Sheriff Center, Honolulu, HI
Clemson 60, SOUTHERN ILLINOIS 50
Xavier 77, Hawai'i 58
Championship Semifinals
Kansas State 71, Utep 61
Long Beach State 72, Auburn 64

Continental Tire Las Vegas Classic
Final Round at Orleans Arena, Las Vegas, NV
Tennessee Tech 71, Bethune-Cookman 62
Texas A&M-Corpus Christi 68, Kennesaw State 64
Baylor vs. West Virginia: TOO CLOSE TO CALL
Saint Mary's 66, Missouri State 65

Non-Conference
ALBANY 69, Dartmouth 53
CINCINNATI 91, Chicago State 49
DAYTON 73, Uic 56
GEORGE MASON 69, Manhattan 60
GEORGIA 70, Furman 55
LOUISVILLE 79, Western Kentucky 52
Maine 72, BROWN 71
MARYLAND 81, Radford 55
MOREHEAD STATE 61, Ball State 59
OAKLAND 87, Western Michigan 76
OHIO 87, North Carolina A&T 58
PENN 75, Marist 62
PITTSBURGH 79, Wagner 60
Providence 74, RHODE ISLAND 71
Seton Hall 89, LONGWOOD 69
ST. BONAVENTURE 73, Saint Francis (Pa.) 56
ST. FRANCIS (N.Y.) 66, Norfolk State 65
TENNESSEE 76, East Tennessee State 66
UCLA 68, Richmond 64
UNLV 71, California 67
Valparaiso 77, Iupui 74
Vermont 69, TOWSON 56
WISCONSIN 80, Mississippi Valley State 46

[Mr. IWS]

Free Selection from Arthur Ralph Sports

778- 567 57 % Free Play Run over 3 YEARS

Free play 20-7 run FRI Marist + 11

[Mr. IWS]

Gamblers Data

Free Play Friday

Colorado -130

[Mr. IWS]

Hockey Crusher
Play of the Day:

San Jose Sharks -160 over Los Angeles Kings