2-18-13

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Free Selection from Arthur Ralph Sports

Our Free Plays are 984- 733 (57 + %) over the last 4 1/2 years !

Free Winner MON Fairfield -2

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Gamblers Data

Free Play Monday

Coyotes -160

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Cappers Access

Pittsburgh -10.5
Kansas st -11

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NCAA Basketball Picks

Norfolk State at Hampton

The Spartans look to build on their 9-3 ATS record in their last 12 games versus MEAC opponents. Norfolk State is the pick (-1) according to Dunkel, which has the Spartans favored by 3. Dunkel Pick: Norfolk State (-1). Here are all of today's games.

MONDAY, FEBRUARY 18 Time Posted: 8:00 a.m. EST

Game 701-702: Hofstra at Drexel (7:00 p.m. EST) Dunkel Ratings: Hofstra 45.368; Drexel 59.403 Dunkel Line: Drexel by 14; 122 Vegas Line: Drexel by 12 1/2; 117 1/2 Dunkel Pick: Drexel (-12 1/2); Over

Game 703-704: Notre Dame at Pittsburgh (7:00 p.m. EST) Dunkel Ratings: Notre Dame 61.435; Pittsburgh 74.705 Dunkel Line: Pittsburgh by 13 1/2; 117 Vegas Line: Pittsburgh by 10; 123 1/2 Dunkel Pick: Pittsburgh (-10); Under

Game 705-706: Georgia State at William & Mary (7:00 p.m. EST) Dunkel Ratings: Georgia State 56.948; William & Mary 52.726 Dunkel Line: Georgia State by 4 Vegas Line: Georgia State by 1 Dunkel Pick: Georgia State (-1)

Game 707-708: Rutgers at Villanova (9:00 p.m. EST) Dunkel Ratings: Rutgers 58.660; Villanova 64.415 Dunkel Line: Villanova by 6; 126 Vegas Line: Villanova by 10; 130 1/2 Dunkel Pick: Rutgers (+10); Under

Game 709-710: West Virginia at Kansas State (9:00 p.m. EST) Dunkel Ratings: West Virginia 61.982; Kansas State 69.567 Dunkel Line: Kansas State by 7 1/2; 133 Vegas Line: Kansas State by 11; 127 Dunkel Pick: West Virginia (+11); Over

Game 711-712: Iona at Fairfield (7:00 p.m. EST) Dunkel Ratings: Iona 55.627; Fairfield 55.799 Dunkel Line: Even; 138 Vegas Line: Fairfield by 2; 143 Dunkel Pick: Iona (+2); Under

Game 713-714: Eastern Washington at Portland State (10:30 p.m. EST) Dunkel Ratings: Eastern Washington 44.945; Portland State 48.091 Dunkel Line: Portland State by 3 Vegas Line: Portland State by 4 1/2 Dunkel Pick: Eastern Washington (+4 1/2)

Game 721-722: Norfolk State at Hampton (7:00 p.m. EST) Dunkel Ratings: Norfolk State 52.967; Hampton 50.018 Dunkel Line: Norfolk State by 3; 136 Vegas Line: Norfolk State by 1; 132 Dunkel Pick: Norfolk State (-1); Over

Game 723-724: Bucknell at Lehigh (7:00 p.m. EST) Dunkel Ratings: Bucknell 58.464; Lehigh 58.331 Dunkel Line: Even; 126 Vegas Line: Lehigh by 2 1/2; 131 Dunkel Pick: Bucknell (+2 1/2); Under

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Today's NHL Picks

Toronto at Florida

The Maple Leafs look to take advantage of a Florida team that is 0-6 in its last 6 games against teams with a winning record. Toronto is the pick (-120) according to Dunkel, which has the Maple Leafs favored by 2 1/2. Dunkel Pick: Toronto (-120). Here are all of today's picks.

MONDAY, FEBRUARY 18 Time Posted 7:30 a.m. EST

Game 1-2: Ottawa at New Jersey (1:00 p.m. EST) Dunkel Ratings: Ottawa 11.703; New Jersey 10.348 Dunkel Line & Total: Ottawa by 1 1/2; 5 1/2 Vegas Line & Total: New Jersey (-185); 5 Dunkel Pick: Ottawa (+165); Over

Game 3-4: Philadelphia at NY Islanders (1:00 p.m. EST) Dunkel Ratings: Philadelphia 10.450; NY Islanders 11.955 Dunkel Line & Total: NY Islanders by 1 1/2; 5 Vegas Line & Total: NY Islanders (-115); 5 1/2 Dunkel Pick: NY Islanders (-115); Under

Game 5-6: Nashville at Colorado (3:00 p.m. EST) Dunkel Ratings: Nashville 11.211; Colorado 11.655 Dunkel Line & Total: Colorado by 1/2; 5 1/2 Vegas Line & Total: Nashville (-125); 5 Dunkel Pick: Colorado (+105); Over

Game 7-8: Toronto at Florida (7:30 p.m. EST) Dunkel Ratings: Toronto 12.268; Florida 9.875 Dunkel Line & Total: Toronto by 2 1/2; 5 Vegas Line & Total: Toronto (-120); 5 1/2 Dunkel Pick: Toronto (-120); Under

Game 9-10: Carolina at Montreal (7:30 p.m. EST) Dunkel Ratings: Carolina 12.616; Montreal 11.203 Dunkel Line & Total: Carolina by 1 1/2; 6 Vegas Line & Total: No Line Dunkel Pick: N/A

Game 11-12: Calgary at Phoenix (9:00 p.m. EST) Dunkel Ratings: Calgary 10.883; Phoenix 11.434 Dunkel Line & Total: Phoenix by 1/2; 5 Vegas Line & Total: Phoenix (-170); 5 1/2 Dunkel Pick: Phoenix (-170); Under

Game 13-14: Columbus at Anaheim (10:00 p.m. EST) Dunkel Ratings: Columbus 11.979; Anaheim 11.715 Dunkel Line & Total: Columbus by 1/2; 6 Vegas Line & Total: Anaheim (-210); 5 1/2 Dunkel Pick: Columbus (+175); Over

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RickJ's Handicapping Picks Monday College Hoops
1/2 Unit Play
704 Pitt U123.5

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Chicago Sports Connection

STRAIGHT BET
Feb 18
NHL [6] TOTAL u5-115 (NAS PREDATORS vrs COL AVALANCHE)

Sticking with UNDER NASHVILLE until they play a high scoring game....
or the totals post @ 4.5.
12 of 14 UNDER this year.

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StatFox Super Situations™ - FoxSheets

CBB HOFSTRA at DREXEL

Play Under - Road teams against the total in a game involving two horrible offensive teams (<=63 PPG), after scoring 50 points or less.
46-18 over the last 5 seasons. ( 71.9% 26.2 units )
1-0 this year. ( 100.0% 1.0 units )

CBB BUCKNELL at LEHIGH

Play On - Road teams with a money line of +135 to -155 (BUCKNELL) very good team - outscoring their opponents by 8+ points/game, after allowing 25 points or less in the first half last game.
176-119 over the last 5 seasons. ( 59.7% 49.0 units )
27-30 this year. ( 47.4% -6.2 units )

CBB BUCKNELL at LEHIGH

Play Under - Home teams where the first half total is 60.5 to 65.5 making 8 or more 3 point shots/game on the season, in February games.
89-45 over the last 5 seasons. ( 66.4% 39.5 units )
2-2 this year. ( 50.0% -0.2 units )

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Dave Essler

CBB Monday Cliff Notes

Bucknell at Lehigh: Few people (well, JRO does) realize what a rivalry this is, outside of the area. Had my daughter not gone to Bucknell, I probably wouldn't either. I was only magnified two years ago in the Conference Championship when Bucknell won on a bit of a dicey home non-call. Lehigh guard and likely NBA first round pick, C.J. McCollum, broke his foot earlier in the year and may not risk further injury and return. So, this IS their GOY and then won at Bucknell earlier this season by by holding Bucknell to only 2-14 from behind the arc, while shooting 10-18 from deep themselves. They were horrid from inside, which is not entirely surprising since the Bison's interior defense is one of the best in the nation, as well as the most experienced. Lehigh is, even without McCollum, one of the most efficient and best shooting teams in the nation, Their only real weakness is rebounding, but Bucknell simply won't want to run with them. I look for more of the same here as Muscala and Wilman (for Bucknell) should have their way inside, while Lehigh will hit their shots. The wild card in this game is probably Lehigh's Gabe Knutson. If he can stay out of foul trouble and hit a few outside shots, they win, of not, the Bison do. It's almost that simple. I look for this game to go over, if not sooner then later. If Lehigh gets ahread they won't worry about running it up, and if not then there will be free throws to the bitter end.

Iona at Fairfield: Big game in terms of Conference seeding as both teams want to get into the top four. Right now, Iona has a one game lead over Fairfield, who have one six of seven but have not played a decent team in a month. The Gaels looked pretty bad in that double OT game at Manhattan, and I really wonder if they didn't peak a bit too early. Clearly that took a ton of energy, both physical and mental, from them. And, they've got a BB game against Indiana State, Saturday, on the road. They did beat Fairfield earlier this season at home. I still have to lean to the Stags here. I think they'll slow this game down (who doesn't against Iona when they can) and I simply cannot trust Iona's offense to make up for their total lack of defense on the road. Add to that that the Stags defense is number one in the MAAC in terms of efficiency and they lead the MAAC in steals as well as offensive rebounding. With that in mind, and should there be a total, I lean under.

Notre Dame at Pittsburgh: Two teams that irked me, or should I say I irked myself with on Saturday. I had said I thought that the Panthers were the most over rated team in the Top 25 and should have been all over Marquette, and I had said that the Friars were favored for a reason, and failed to play either of them. Both teams probably played themselves out of a top four, hence bye, in the Big East Conference Tournament, so perhaps the focus has changed. Interesting thing here is that Notre Dame has played the worst Big East SOS while the Panthers have played the best SOS. That in and of itself might make me lean Pittsburgh, but at home they're tough, losing only to Cincinnati way back when we thought Cincinnati was good. I really think the Irish are falling victim to not only that weak Big Easy schedule, but one of the worst non-conference schedules in the nation. Clearly Pitt will be laying a lot of points, especially with people figuring that they'll bounce back from that Marquette game. They might, but with both teams being extremely methodical and a low scoring game expected, it may behoove us to consider taking the points. Pitt's NOT going to pile up three pointers, and they are not a great free throw shooting team. Notre Dame can match their size, and in a slower paced game the lack of a bench may not hurt Notre Dame as much as it might against a quicker team. Not to mention that these schools really don't like each other. However, the Irish beat them badly in South Bend last year, so we've got that to consider as well. Panthers SHOULD be seriously motivated here because they SHOULD win their remaining games, and if that put them at 25-6 for the season and 13-5 in the Big East, with no real bad losses, then they may get a decent seed in spite of how the Tournament goes.

Rutgers at Villanova: Villanova off a huge win at Uconn (one we did get right) but that was predictable after Uconn's big game against Syracuse. I suppose that would make people want to hop on the Wildcats train here, and I can understand that. But, even though Rutgers has an awful W/L record, they've played the middle of the pack Big East teams reasonable tough, so this may be an inflated number. Rutgers has been known to play some defense and both teams have been known to turn it over, which gives me an immediate lean to the under in this one. What might scare me off Rutgers is that fact that 'Nova is a great rebounding team and should control both ends of the glass. With them coming off that huge win in Storrs and not really facing a team that might motivate them, I really could make the case for the dog here. It'd probably have to be Rutgers, given that they've got the third best three point % in the Big East, while Villanova's weakness, if there is one on defense, is defending the perimeter. This looks like a sloppy game to me, and that total does like enticing. I see it probably around 132 or so. We'll see what happens.

West Virginia at K-State: The Wildcats were another team I said in Saturday's thread we liked but neglected to play. Hopefully it steered someone in the right direction. Having said that and convincing win over Baylor, this will be a big number, especially given that WVU barely squeaked by Texas Tech at home, and the fact that K-State already beat them in Morgantown. Both teams shot well over 50% from the floor in that game, and if K-State hadn't committed ten more fouls, hence sending WVU to the line a lot, they may have won that going away. However, if WVU hadn't shot 55% from the charity stripe, then THEY might have won. K-State is tied for the Conference lead, so there's really no reason they shouldn't me motivated. This one comes down to turnovers. WVU leads the conference in creating them, and K-State's offense leads the Conference in not turning it over. So, if the Wildcats are not 100% focused, WVU will be. And if they can NOT turn it over against a team that does create them, they can stay within range provided they continue to hit three's.

[Can'tPickAWinner]

HANDICAPPING KINGS

JIMMY (ALL SPORTS)

3:05PM Nashville Predators vs Colorado Avalanche
[5] Nashville Predators -120

7:35PM Calgary Flames vs Phoenix Coyotes
[11] UNDER 5.5 -125

10:30PM Eastern Washington vs Portland State
[714] Portland State -4.5 -110

PJ (TENNIS)

1:10PM Thomaz Bellucci vs Diego Sebastian Schwartzman
[318] Diego Sebastian Schwartzman +155

1:30PM Ryan Harrison vs Lukasz Kubot
[238] Lukasz Kubot +195

PERRY (SOCCER)

ITALY - SERIE A - SS LAZIO ROMA/AC SIENA UNDER 2.5 -160 (245PM)

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PAUL LEINER

100* Bucknell +2

50* Over 127 West Virginia / Kansas State

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NHL

Monday, February 18

NHL afternoon action: President's Day betting previews

Ottawa Senators at New Jersey Devils (-190, 5)

After struggling mightily in their first game without Erik Karlsson, the Ottawa Senators will look for a better performance on Monday afternoon when they visit the New Jersey Devils. Ottawa suffered its second straight loss and sixth in eight outings following a 3-0 setback to provincial rival Toronto on Saturday. Craig Anderson turned aside 28 shots as the Senators dealt with the absence of the reigning Norris Trophy winner, who is lost for the season after severing his left Achilles tendon versus Pittsburgh on Wednesday.

New Jersey suffered its second defeat in three games as John Tavares recorded his fourth career hat trick to propel the New York Islanders to a convincing 5-1 decision on Saturday. Ilya Kovalchuk extended his point streak to six games with an assist - which was his 800th career point. The Devils won three of the four meetings last season, with Kovalchuk netting a pair of goals in the finale on April 7.

TV: 1 p.m. ET, RSNE (Ottawa), MSG (New Jersey)

KEY BETTING TRENDS:
Senators are 11-3 in their last 14 games following a loss of 3 or more goals
Senators are 0-5 in their last 5 road games.
Senators are 0-4 in their last 4 vs. Atlantic.
Senators are 1-8 in the last 9 meetings in New Jersey
Devils are 7-0 in their last 7 games following a loss of 3 or more goals
Devils are 1-7 in their last 8 Monday games
Devils are 6-1 in their last 7 in the third game of a 3-in-4 situation
Under is 8-1-3 in Devils last 12 following a loss of 3 or more goals

ABOUT THE SENATORS (7-6-2): Coach Paul McLean's club has been sizzling in Canada's capital - and has struggled everywhere else. Ottawa is just 2-5-0 on the road this season and faces a team which has collected 13 of a possible 16 points at home (6-1-1). MacLean noted that Ben Bishop will get the start in goal on Monday. Despite the Senators' woes, captain Daniel Alfredsson kept a positive outlook. "We played a pretty solid road game," Alfredsson said after the team's loss to Toronto. "They get their bounces on their two bounces and we can't find ours. Overall, the new guys came in and the whole team played a solid road game and gave us a chance to win."

ABOUT THE DEVILS (9-3-3): Johan Hedberg gave Martin Brodeur a day off on Saturday, but the latter is expected to be back in net against the Senators. Brodeur split a pair of decisions versus Ottawa last season. Patrik Elias has collected two goals and nine assists in his last seven contests. Elias leads the club with 15 helpers while David Clarkson has a team-best 10 goals. Clarkson, however, has tallied twice in 17 career contests against the Senators.

OVERTIME

1. Devils D Marek Zidlicky had the lone goal on Saturday for the Devils. It was his first since a 4-2 triumph over Philadelphia in Game 4 of the second round of the playoffs.

2. After leaving the Garden State, Ottawa will open a four-game homestand versus the Islanders.

3. Kovalchuk has three goals and seven assists on his point streak.



Philadelphia Flyers at New York Islanders (-105, 5.5)

John Tavares is fast becoming one of the NHL’s elite offensive players as he attempts to lift the New York Islanders into the playoffs for the first time since the 2006-07 season. Tavares takes a five-game, goal-scoring streak into a matinee against the visiting Philadelphia Flyers on Monday. The fourth-year center has 11 goals in the last 10 games, highlighted by his fourth career hat trick in the 5-1 victory over the New Jersey Devils on Saturday. Tavares and linemate Matt Moulson have combined for 18 of the 44 goals for New York, which has won two straight after a five-game skid.

The Flyers appeared to be turning things around earlier this month, but have dropped three of their last four games - including a listless 4-1 loss at Montreal on Saturday. Philadelphia will need to find some consistency on offense and get its power play going to climb in the standings.

TV: 1 p.m. ET, CSN (Philadelphia), MSG-Plus (New York).

KEY BETTING TRENDS:
Flyers are 3-7 in their last 10 games playing on 1 days rest
Flyers are 1-6 in their last 7 road games.
Flyers are 1-8 in their last 9 vs. Atlantic.
Islanders are 4-1 in their last 5 after allowing 2 goals or less in their previous game
Under is 4-0 in Flyers last 4 vs. a team with a losing record
Under is 5-1 in Flyers last 6 vs. Atlantic
Over is 11-1-1 in Islanders last 13 after allowing 2 goals or less in their previous game
Over is 8-3 in Islanders last 11 vs. a team with a winning % below .400
Under is 5-1 in the last 6 meetings in New York
Road team is 5-1 in the last 6 meetings

ABOUT THE FLYERS (6-9-1): Philadelphia generated only 19 shots on goal against the Canadiens and is averaging 23.3 the last three games. Captain Claude Giroux and defenseman Kimmo Timonen both told reporters that the team was “going through the motions,” and needed to compete at a higher level after Saturday’s game. It doesn’t help that the Flyers are 2-for-21 on the power play in the last seven games. Giroux has only three goals and is a minus-6 through one-third of the season. Jakub Voracek and Brayden Schenn share the team lead in scoring with 11 points. On the bright side, the Flyers have killed 33 of 35 power plays in February.

ABOUT THE ISLANDERS (6-7-1): The Islanders have suddenly caught fire on the power play. They have converted seven of their last 12 opportunities with the man advantage. Tavares has five goals and half of his 20 points on the power play and Moulson has four of his seven goals when the Islanders have the extra man. New York would like to get more from forwards Frans Nielsen and Kyle Okposo, who have each recorded only one goal. Goalie Evgeni Nabokov (6-5-1) has stopped 66 of 70 shots the last two games to raise his save percentage to .906.

OVERTIME

1. The Islanders were sixth in the NHL in scoring (3.14) through Saturday, while the Flyers stood 24th (2.38).

2. Philadelphia G Ilya Bryzgalov is expected to play his 400th NHL game.

3. D Lubomir Visnovsky has four assists and is a plus-2 since joining the Islanders.

[Can'tPickAWinner]

Scott Rickenback Top Underdog

8* Philadelphia Flyers

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Jimmy Boyd

4* Bucknell +2.5

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BIG AL's MONDAY NHL HOCKEY BAILOUT BLOWOUT WINNER!

Game Date/Time: 2/18/13 7:35 pm
Our Selection: Maple Leafs Opponent: Panthers Line: -116 Rating: Opinion
Analysis: At 7:35 pm, our selection is on the Toronto Maple Leafs over the Florida Panthers. The Toronto Maple Leafs may not have the best defense in the NHL this season, but they probably have the most improved. Last season Toronto allowed an unsightly 3.16 goals per game, second highest only to the Tampa Bay Lightning (who are still having problems in that department this year) however so far in 2013, Toronto has lowered that number by over 1/2 goal per game to 2.57. It also hasn't hurt their performance that at the same time they've improved their defense, the Leafs have also beefed up their goal scoring from last season, going from an average of 2.77 to 2.86, and while that improvement isn't as dramatic, Toronto's offense has heated up quite a bit recently, scoring 21 goals in its last six games heading into Monday night, including a 3-0 shutout of Ottawa on Saturday. It seems that Florida's defense has inherited the troubles that Toronto had last season, as the Panthers have allowed 47 goals in their first 13 games for a league-high 3.62 GA per game, and it has really shown in the standings as Florida is the worst team, at least in the East, if not entire league. This is the first meeting of these two this season, so look for Toronto to avenge its four losses (0-4) at the hands of the Panthers in 2011-2012. Take the Leafs.

BIG AL's BIG MONDAY NCAA HOOPS HIGH ROLLER!

Game Date/Time: 2/18/13 9:00 pm
Our Selection: W. Virginia Opponent: Kansas St. Line: +11 Rating: Opinion
Analysis: At 9 pm, our selection is on the West Virginia Mountaineers + the points over Kansas St. The main storyline in this game is that it will be the first game coached by Bob Huggins at Bramlage Coliseum since he left Kansas St. for WVU after just one season on the job. These two squads did meet a little over five weeks ago in Morgantown, and the Wildcats came away with a 1-point win, 65-64. K-State is 9-3 in conference play, and sits in a tie for first place, while WVU is 6-6 (though it has won four of its last five games). The Wildcats won 81-61 vs. Baylor on Saturday (as a 4.5-point favorite), while WVU eked out a 2-point win vs. Texas Tech (as a 14-point favorite). I fully expect another low-scoring, hard fought game, and the double digits are too good to pass up. Indeed, winning double digit underdogs are an awesome 38-13 ATS since 1991 when playing with same season revenge, if they're off a pointspread loss, and matched up against a foe playing with 1 day or less of rest. And Big 12 teams are a poor 14-25 ATS this season in conference games off a SU/ATS win. Take West Virginia.