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Big Ten tournament: Wisconsin vs. Indiana
Indiana Hoosiers vs. Wisconsin Badgers (+6.5, 127)
A spot in the Big Ten tournament championship game is on the line when top-seeded Indiana and fourth-seeded Wisconsin meet in Saturday’s semifinals in Chicago. The No. 3 Hoosiers dispatched Illinois in Friday’s quarterfinals while the No. 23 Badgers advanced by overcoming a double-digit deficit to knock off Michigan. Wisconsin won the regular-season meeting 64-59 at Indiana. The early season loss surely provides the Hoosiers with even more motivation to end an 11-game losing streak against the Badgers.
Wisconsin coach Bo Ryan didn’t want to discuss the Badgers’ longstanding dominance of the Hoosiers after beating the Wolverines. “I don’t even think about those kind of things,” Ryan said. “Never have. And people that know me will tell you that.” Indiana’s 59 points in the first meeting is its second-lowest output of the season. The Hoosiers average 80.8 points and are 16-1 when scoring 80 or more this season. Indiana had a 38-26 rebounding edge in the win over Illinois. “I think our guys really, really understand how important rebounding on both ends is, and specifically how important guard rebounding is,” Indiana coach Tom Crean said afterward.
TV: 1:40 p.m. ET, CBS
ABOUT INDIANA (27-5): Sophomore forward Cody Zeller had 23 points and 10 rebounds in the January loss to Wisconsin and excelled in the victory over Illinois by scoring 24 points on 9-of-12 shooting and collecting nine rebounds. Junior guard Victor Oladipo had a solid all-around game against the Illini with 12 points and 11 rebounds and senior forward Christian Watford scored 15 points as five Hoosiers reached double digits. “These guys are so unselfish and they’re so selfless with one another,” Crean said. Indiana is in the tournament semifinals for the first time 2006 as the program bottomed out badly before Crean arrived to revive it.
ABOUT WISCONSIN (22-10): The Badgers made a stunning turnaround in their 68-59 victory over Michigan by scoring three times as many points (51) in the second half than the first (17). Wisconsin’s 17.2 percentage over the first 20 minutes was a season-low for a half and the Badgers shot 60.7 percent in the second half while tallying their most points in a half this season. Sophomore point guard Traevon Jackson led the way with 16 points and frustrated Big Ten Player of the Year Trey Burke for much of the contest. Jackson is aware of the chatter that the Badgers don’t have the type of talent that schools like Indiana and Michigan do. “When we play together as a team, we can get beat anybody,” Jackson said. “Yeah, these guys are NBA guys, but we believe in ourselves as well.”
TRENDS:
* Over is 4-1 in Badgers’ last five overall.
* Badgers are 9-2 ATS in the last 11 meetings.
* Over is 4-1 in Hoosiers’ last five neutral site games.
TIP-INS
1. Indiana’s last victory over Wisconsin came Jan. 31, 2007 when the Badgers were ranked second in the nation.
2. Badgers junior G Ben Brust had four of Wisconsin’s eight 3-pointers against Michigan.
3. The Hoosiers racked up nine steals against Illinois, including two by freshman point guard Yogi Ferrell, whose 71 steals are three shy matching the school record held by Isiah Thomas (1980-81). -
Atlantic 10 semis: Butler vs. Saint Louis
Bulter Bulldogs vs. Saint Louis Billikens (-3, 124)
Saint Louis looks to continue its dominance when the No. 16-ranked and top-seeded Billikens play fifth-seeded Butler in the Atlantic 10 semifinals Saturday in Brooklyn, N.Y. Saint Louis, which has won 13 of its last 14 games, is coming off a 72-55 victory over ninth-seeded Charlotte in Friday’s semifinals. The Billikens finished 13-3 in the conference, winning their first outright regular-season title since 1957.
Butler, which has won four straight, defeated fourth-seeded La Salle 69-58in Friday’s semifinals after beating 12th-seeded Dayton 73-67 in Thursday’s first round. The Bulldogs finished third in the conference at 11-5. Butler was swept by Saint Louis in the regular season, losing 65-61 on Feb. 22 in Indianapolis and falling 75-58 on Jan. 31 in St. Louis.
TV: 1:30 p.m. ET, CBS
ABOUT BUTLER (26-7): The Bulldogs, who are in their first season in the A-10 after leaving the Horizon League, have big wins over Gonzaga, Indiana and Marquette and likely will make their fifth NCAA Tournament appearance in six seasons under head coach Brad Stevens. Stevens guided Butler to four Horizon League regular-season championships, three league tournament titles and back-to-back NCAA national runner-up finishes during the 2009-10 and 2010-11 seasons. Senior guard Rotnei Clarke, who leads Butler in scoring (16.8), led five Bulldogs in double figures with 14 points against La Salle on Friday.
ABOUT SAINT LOUIS (25-6): Junior forward Dwayne Evans scored a career-high 25 points and grabbed nine rebounds to lead the Billikens past Charlotte. Evans finished 8-for-9 shooting and 9-for-9 from the foul line. Evans, who was selected to the A-10 First-Team All-Conference squad, leads the team in scoring (13.3) and rebounding (7.6). Senior forward Cody Ellis, the A-10 Sixth Man of the Year, has come off the bench in all 31 games and is second on the team in scoring (10.2). Senior guard Kwamain Mitchell (10.1) and junior guard Mike McCall Jr. (10) also average double-digit points.
TRENDS:
* Over is 5-1 in Bulldogs’ last six neutral site games.
* Billikens are 6-0 ATS in their last six Saturday games.
* Billikens are 7-0 ATS in their last seven games vs. a team with a winning percentage above .600.
TIP-INS
1. Saint Louis interim head coach Jim Crews on Tuesday was named National Coach of the Year by The Sporting News and Atlantic 10 Coach of the Year by the conference. Crews took over the program in August after it was announced that Rick Majerus would not coach this season. Majerus died during the season.
2. Evans has scored in double figures in 13 straight games.
3. Butler sophomore F Kameron Woods scored six of his 10 points and grabbed all nine of his rebounds in the second half against La Salle.Comment
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Rangers at Penguins: What Bettors Need to Know
New York Rangers at Pittsburgh Penguins (-145, 5.5)
Sidney Crosby has tormented many an opponent - and the New York Rangers are no exception. The captain will look to continue his individual dominance and guide the Pittsburgh Penguins to their eighth straight win when they host their Atlantic Division rival on Saturday afternoon. Crosby has 59 points in 42 career games versus the Rangers - including an assist in Pittsburgh's 6-3 triumph at Madison Square Garden on Jan. 20 and another in the 3-0 win on Jan. 31.
Crosby, who leads the NHL in assists (35) and points (47), set up Pascal Dupuis for a pair of third-period goals in Thursday's 3-1 victory over Toronto. New York was not as fortunate as captain Ryan Callahan's team high-tying ninth goal was the lone bright spot in a 3-1 setback to Winnipeg. The loss was the Rangers' second straight and seventh in 11 road contests (4-6-1).
TV: 1 p.m. ET, NHL Network, MSG
ABOUT THE RANGERS (13-11-2): Coach John Tortorella did his best to put his team's troubles in perspective. "I am not down on the team. I don't think we are far off," Tortorella said after Friday's practice. "Our mindset is so important. We can't talk ourselves into more of a mess." Mired in the "mess" is Henrik Lundqvist, who has dropped his last three decisions despite yielding only eight goals. The reigning Vezina Trophy winner stopped 40 of 47 shots in the two games versus Pittsburgh.
ABOUT THE PENGUINS (20-8-0): Although Marc-Andre Fleury shares the NHL lead in victories (14) with Montreal's Carey Price and Boston's Tuukka Rask, the netminder might be a spectator on Saturday. Tomas Vokoun registered his third career shutout versus the Rangers after stopping 28 shots in the last meeting. Fleury would likely get the call for Sunday's return match with visiting Boston, which is out for revenge after yielding a trio of third-period goals in a 3-2 loss on Tuesday.
TRENDS:
* Rangers are 0-6 in the last six meetings.
* Over is 9-2-1 in Penguins’ last 12 Saturday games.
* Rangers are 4-9 in their last 13 road games.
OVERTIME
1. Pittsburgh LW Chris Kunitz has collected 11 goals and seven assists in his last nine contests. He had just one assist in the two previous meetings with New York.
2. Rangers C Derek Stepan had an assist on Thursday to extend his point streak to three games. Stepan notched a pair of helpers in New York's 6-3 loss to the Penguins on Jan. 20.
3. Reigning Hart Trophy winner Evgeni Malkin skated with strength coach Mike Kadar on Friday, but will miss his fourth straight game with an upper-body injury.Comment
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UFC 158 Betting: St-Pierre Big Fave to Shut Up Diaz
UFC 158: Nate Diaz (+425) vs. Georges St-Pierre (-550)
The UFC welterweight title is on the line as champion Georges St-Pierre takes on his arch rival Nick Diaz in the main event of UFC 158. This is one of the biggest fights of the year and the tension has reached a tipping point during fight week, so fans can expect nothing less than an amazing fight Saturday night.
St-Pierre (23-2) is the long-time UFC welterweight champion and is looking to make his eighth-consecutive title defense. The champion called out Diaz because of all his trash talk over the last few years and is out to shut Diaz up for good this weekend.
Diaz (26-8, 1 NC) is the ultimate bad boy of mixed martial arts. After losing a close decision to Carlos Condit at UFC 143, Diaz tested positive for marijuana metabolites and has been sitting out on the sidelines for the past year. He wasn’t next in line for a title shot - Johny Hendricks was - but because St-Pierre specifically requested the matchup with Diaz, UFC president Dana White made the fight.
Diaz is one of the best boxers in the sport of MMA and has an incredible ground game, as he possesses a very dangerous submission arsenal off his back. Of his 26 victories, 13 have come by way of KO and eight have come via submission. If Diaz can keep the fight with St-Pierre on their feet, he can certainly win by knockout. But if he gets taken down and put on his back for five rounds he will definitely lose the fight.
If the high price tag on GSP says anything, it’s that St-Pierre is more than likely going to win this fight. So the only question is how?
While most believe that St-Pierre is going to win via decision, he has the ability to finish Diaz. St-Pierre can take Diaz down and beat him up on the ground then pick up the pace on a tired and beaten opponent, get a dominant position on the ground and rain down blows until the referee or ringside physician stop the fight.
The “St-Pierre wins inside the distance” prop, which can be had around +400, holds value with a good possibility that he stops Diaz with strikes (or less likely, a submission).Comment
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CAPPERS ACCESS
Florida
Miami-Fla
WisconsinComment
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Mighty Quinn
Mighty missed with Michigan (-2) Friday.
Saturday it’s the Wizards. The deficit is 150 sirignanos.Comment
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Gamblers Data
Free Play Saturday
Penguins -150Comment
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Free Selection from Arthur Ralph Sports
Our Free Plays are 999-742 (57 + %) over the last 4 1/2 years !
Free winner Sat up Celtics -15Comment
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DCI College Basketball
The Daniel Curry Index
03/16/13 Predictions
Season
Straight Up: 3796-1313 (.743)
ATS: 1821-1844 (.497)
ATS Vary Units: 5092-5393 (.486)
Over/Under: 556-511 (.521)
Over/Under Vary Units: 627-601 (.511)
America East Conference Tournament
Championship at Patrick Gymnasium, Burlington, VT
VERMONT 59, Albany 55
Atlantic 10 Conference Tournament
Semifinals at Barclays Center, Brooklyn, NY
Vcu 80, Massachusetts 77
Saint Louis 65, Butler 60
Atlantic Coast Conference Tournament
Semifinals at Greensboro Coliseum, Greensboro, NC
North Carolina 77, Maryland 68
NC State 71, Miami (Fla.) 69
Big 12 Conference Tournament
Championship at Sprint Center, Kansas City, MO
Kansas 71, Kansas State 66
Big East Conference Tournament
Championship at Madison Square Garden, New York, NY
Louisville 64, Syracuse 58
Big Sky Conference Tournament
Championship at Dahlberg Arena, Missoula, MT
Weber State vs. MONTANA: TOO CLOSE TO CALL
Big Ten Conference Tournament
Semifinals at United Center, Chicago, IL
Indiana 66, Wisconsin 61
Ohio State 60, Michigan State 59
Big West Conference Tournament
Championship at Honda Center, Anaheim, CA
UC Irvine 67, Pacific 63
Conference USA Tournament
Championship at BOK Center, Tulsa, OK
Memphis 76, Southern Miss 72
Great West Conference Tournament
Championship at Jones Convocation Center, Chicago, IL
CHICAGO STATE 66, Houston Baptist 63
Mid-American Conference Tournament
Championship at Quicken Loans Arena, Cleveland, OH
Akron 69, Ohio 67
Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference Tournament
Championship at Lawrence Joel Veterans Memorial Coliseum, Winston-Salem, NC
Morgan State 60, North Carolina A&T 58
Mountain West Conference Tournament
Championship at Thomas & Mack Center, Las Vegas, NV
UNLV 63, New Mexico 61
Pacific-12 Conference Tournament
Championship at MGM Grand Garden Arena, Las Vegas, NV
Ucla 72, Oregon 68
Southeastern Conference Tournament
Semifinals at Bridgestone Arena, Nashville, TN
Ole Miss 67, Vanderbilt 66
Florida 62, Alabama 52
Southland Conference Tournament
Championship at Leonard E. Merrell Center, Katy, TX
Stephen F. Austin 65, Northwestern State 62
Southwestern Athletic Conference Tournament
Championship at Special Events Center, Garland, TX
Southern 64, Prairie View A&M 56
Western Athletic Conference Tournament
Championship at Orleans Arena, Las Vegas, NV
New Mexico State 67, UT Arlington 62Comment
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DCI Pro Basketball
The Daniel Curry Index
03/16/13 Predictions
Season
Straight Up: 640-300 (.681)
ATS: 506-459 (.524)
ATS Vary Units: 1288-1151 (.528)
Over/Under: 495-470 (.513)
Over/Under Vary Units: 673-612 (.524)
WASHINGTON 99, Phoenix 92
BOSTON 103, Charlotte 85
Indiana 93, PHILADELPHIA 89
SAN ANTONIO 111, Cleveland 95
Memphis 95, UTAH 93
PORTLAND 103, Detroit 94Comment
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DCI Pro Hockey
The Daniel Curry Index
03/16/13 Predictions
Season: 150-101 (.598)
BOSTON 3, Washington 2
PITTSBURGH 4, N.Y. Rangers 2
BUFFALO 3, Ottawa 2
Minnesota vs. COLORADO: TOO CLOSE TO CALL
Winnipeg vs. TORONTO: TOO CLOSE TO CALL
Montreal vs. NEW JERSEY: TOO CLOSE TO CALL
Carolina vs. TAMPA BAY: TOO CLOSE TO CALL
Phoenix vs. COLUMBUS: TOO CLOSE TO CALL
N.Y. Islanders vs. FLORIDA: TOO CLOSE TO CALL
Anaheim vs. ST. LOUIS: TOO CLOSE TO CALL
Chicago vs. DALLAS: TOO CLOSE TO CALL
VANCOUVER 3, Detroit 2
LOS ANGELES 3, San Jose 2Comment
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Guaranteed Picks Today 3/16
7-6 yesterday
Butler
Bama
NC State
Albany
Grizz
Pacers
U IndianaComment
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Lang 100 dimer
NC State +2Comment
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Hockey Crusher
Chicago Blackhawks -130 over Dallas Stars
(System Record: 34-1, won last 4 games)
Overall Record: 34-19
Basketball Crusher
NC State +2 over Miami
(System Record: 74-4, won last game)
Overall Record: 74-53-4
Soccer Crusher
Quilmes + Independiente UNDER 2.5
This match is happening in Argentina
(System Record: 371-14, lost last game)
Overall Record: 371-321-43Comment
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