12-31-13

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Prediction Machine

SIDES

244 MISS ST vs RICE -7 13.5 60.8% $88
246 TEX A&M vs DUKE -11.5 18.6 59.1% $71
239 ARI vs BC -7 11.4 56.7% $45
241 VA TECH vs UCLA 7 -4.4 54.5% $22

Straight-Up Picks

246 TEX A&M vs DUKE 45.6 27.0 74.2%
244 MISS ST vs RICE 32.6 19.1 70.9%
239 ARI vs BC 35.7 24.2 66.4%
242 UCLA vs VATECH 24.6 20.2 57.6%

Over/Under Picks

242 VA TECH vs. UCLA 48 44.8 - Under 55.1% $29
246 DUKE vs. TEXA&M 69 72.6 - Over 53.8% $15
240 ARI vs. BC 57.5 59.9 - Over 53.1% $8
244 RICE vs. MISS ST. 51.5 51.7 Over 50.2% $0

[Can'tPickAWinner]

ALLEN EASTMAN

4-Unit Play. Take #244 Rice (+7) over Mississippi State (4 p.m., Tuesday, Dec. 31) - Liberty Bowl
This one could be my Upset Special! I am looking hard at Rice on the moneyline and I think that they have a great chance of pulling the upset here. This Owls team is tough. They have one of the best players in a non-BCS conference in the country in Taylor McHargue. And they will be very excited for a chance to knock down an SEC school. The Owls have won four straight and nine of 10. Their one loss was at North Texas. This team played tight with Texas A&M to start the season and they are playing better now. Mississippi State is another team from a BCS conference that won't be motivated to cover this spread. They don't respect the opponent. They won't be up for the game at all. The Bulldogs are 1-4 ATS in neutral site games and the Owls are 14-6 ATS in their last 20 overall.

[Can'tPickAWinner]

DOC SPORTS

3 Unit Play. #239 Take Boston College Eagles +7.5 over Arizona Wildcats (Advocare V100 Bowl, Tuesday, 12/31, 12:30 pm ESPN) Mag 7 Game. We went against Arizona last year in their bowl game against Nevada and easily covered the spread despite the Wildcats winning in miraculous fashion (think Colorado State this year). Arizona has a great running back in Ka'Deem Carey, but BC can easily match that with their workhorse in Andre Williams, as he went for over 2,100 yards on the season. Despite the loss at Syracuse, I really liked the way Boston College played down the stretch. Remember they gave Florida State their toughest challenge of the entire regular season. Arizona beat Oregon, but that is not enough to make them this big of a favorite, especially since this game in not in the west. Arizona is 0-4 ATS in their last four games played during December. Boston College is 5-0 ATS in their last five games against teams with a winning record.

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Norm Hitzges picks of the pole (free) next 3 days

Dec. 31

• Rice +7 Mississippi St.

Jan. 1

• North Texas -6 UNLV
• Wisconsin -1 So. Carolina
• UCF +16 1/2 Baylor

COLLEGE BOWLS
DOUBLE PLAYS:

• Alabama -14 Oklahoma (Jan. 2)

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THE GOLD SHEET

COLLEGE BASKETBALL

Day Games
XAVIER 71 - St. John’s 70—Since the X-men (only 16-24 as home chalk
L3+Ys) tend to be overvalued at the Cintas Center, don’t mind taking 2+ hoops
with relentless, defense-minded St. John’s, leading the nation in blocks pg
(9.6). The Red Storms’ sweet-stroking 6-3 jr. G D’Angelo Harrison (19.9 ppg),
who just became the school’s all-time leader in 3-pointers made, can spread out
the aggressive Muskeeter defense, opening the middle for potent 6-8 soph F
Jakarr Sampson (12.8 ppg, 6.9 rpg). Note that Xavier is recouping from an allout
effort vs. vastly-improved Wake Forest on Saturday. 12-DNP

PRINCETON 77 - Kent St. 66—The “new Princeton” is pushing the pace a
lot more than we are used to seeing from the Tigers, as HC Sydney Johnson has
added a few new wrinkles to the traditional Pete Carril offense that now tries to
take advantage of numbers (when possible) on the break. Princeton’s balance
(four scoring DDs, led by red-hot G T.J. Bray at career-best 17.1 ppg) is likely
too much to overcome for the Golden Flashes, still looking for a legit go-to
scoring threat. 12-Prin +2' 62-50

Ohio St. 60 - PURDUE 59—Although OSU has remained unbeaten, it is
often leaving itself little room for error, as indicated by a recent miracle lastminute
rally vs. Notre Dame. Host Purdue is familiar with this assignment and
not intimidated, and the Boilermakers gained lots of confidence with their recent
road win at West Virginia when the Johnson brothers (Terone and Ronnie)
combined for 34 points. 12-Osu -8 74-64 CABLE TV—ESPN2

Richmond over NORTHEASTERN by 1 to 3—12-DNP

PROVIDENCE over Seton Hall by 7 to 10—12-Prov +5' 67-55, PROV -8'76-66

KANSAS ST. 67 - George Washington 66—K-State is beginning to find
some traction in recent weeks with star frosh G Marcus Foster (scored DDs in
ten straight) beginning to exert more influence. But not too interested in laying
points with the Wildcats against emerging GWU side that is deriving great
benefit from Indiana transfer Maurice Creek (16.8 ppg), who has ably filled what
appeared to possibly be a gaping hole at the shooting G spot for Colonial HC
Mike Lonergan. 12-Ksu -7' 65-62

ILLINOIS 77 - Indiana 68—In this Big Ten opener,willing to lay a short price
with a improved Illinois, which has learned how to “close” games, evidenced by
the thrilling 65-64 Illini squeaker over Missouri Dec 21. Young Indiana (11
frosh/sophs on roster) is down a tick from LY’s 29-7 league championship
edition (captured the Big Ten reg.-season title). So, with Illinois’ tireless 6-2 jr.
G Tracy Abrams (12.4 ppg, 3.2 apg) operating like a “coach on the court”
(according to mentor John Groce), expect the host to avenge LY’s 80-64
setback in the conference tourney vs. a Hoosier bunch lacking a sturdy interior
defense sans departed 7-0 C Cody Zeller, now donning a Charlotte Bobcat
uniform. 12-ILL +7 74-72, Ind -10 80-64 (CT-neut.) CABLE TV—ESPN2

SYRACUSE 75 - Eastern Michigan 61—In the next installment of teacher
vs. pupil, we must note that Jim Boeheim did not take it easy on disciple Rob
Murphy a year ago when Syracuse won by 36. Since then, however, the Eagles
have added a livewire scoring threat in 6-7 juco Karrington Ward (15.4 ppg).
Meanwhile, the Orange are in a sandwich spot after a contest vs. eastern rival
Villanova and with its new ACC schedule on deck. This time, the big points
might work with the student. 12-SYR -24' 84-48 CABLE TV—ESPNU

Michigan St. 68 - PENN ST. 60—Penn State now better equipped to make
some noise in the Big Ten now that key G Tim Frazier (18.2 ppg) is back from
LY’s injury, paring with former Southern Miss transfer D.J. Newbill (18.9 ppg),
and the Nittany Lions have enjoyed decent success in pre-league action. But
the Spartans’ recent comfortable win at Texas suggests that Tom Izzo’s MSU is
still very capable of rising up and squashing these sorts of challenges. Penn
State does not have a quality matchup for the Spartans’ 6-10 sr. Adreain Payne
(18.1 ppg; 33 vs. Longhorns). 12-Msu -11 81-72

NORTH CAROLINA over NC Wilmington by 24 to 27—12-DNP CABLETV—ESPNU

Louisville over UCF by 11 to 14—12-DNP CABLE TV—ESPN2

GEORGETOWN over DePaul by 9 to 12—12-GTWN -13' 90-66

TEXAS A&M over North Texas by 11 to 14—12-DNP

Night Games
IOWA ST. over Northern Illinois by 20 to 24—12-DNP

Memphis over SOUTH FLORIDA by 7 to 10—12-DNP CABLE TV—ESPN2

IOWA 82 - Nebraska 63—Deep, high-powered Iowa (88.9 ppg) has been
showing plenty of KO power this year, evidenced by its 5-1 spread mark laying
9 points or more. So, have no qualms laying around five baskets vs. NU quintet
in only its third game as a visitor (0-1 as visiting dog so far), recovering from a
physical battle at Cincy on Saturday. The well-rested Hawkeyes (off since Dec.
22) will likely wear down the Huskers, with savvy HC Fran McCaffrey effectively
using a 10-man rotation, now becoming deeeper with the recent return to health
of distance-shooting 6-5 jr. G Josh Oglesby, who missed the first 12 games due
to a broken foot. Defensively-sticky Iowa is allowing a paltry only 23% from the
arc, so odds are that the hustlin’ Hawkeyes add to their 12-4 home chalk mark
over L1+Ys. 12-NEB +6 64-60, IOWA -13 74-60

Villanova over BUTLER by 1 to 3—12-DNP

Connecticut over HOUSTON by 4 to 6—12-DNP CABLE TV—ESPN2

CREIGHTON 71 - Marquette 69—Tough-minded (under demanding 6th-year
HC Buzz Williams) Marquette continuing to be a “sound investment” as a
visiting underdog, judging from its 2-0 mark TY, with well-earned covers vs.
high-quality hosts Arizona State and Wisconsin. With the Eagles now reaping
the benefits from its third consecutive Top 25 recruiting class (6-4 frosh wing
Deonte Burton coming on strong), CU won’t easily pull away from pesky MU,
which trailed only 61-60 with 5:23 left in an eventual 75-68 setback vs. talented
New Mexico in Las Vegas on Dec. 21. 12-DNP

[Can'tPickAWinner]

WINNING POINTS

COLLEGE BASKETBALL
Xavier* over St. John’s by 4
Big East Basketball! Typical Xavier defense is not something St. John’s should excel
against. It’s back to “Syracuse” production for them following 100, 84 and 95 vs.
defenseless Fordham, San Francisco and Youngstown State.
XAVIER, 64-60.

Princeton* over Kent State by 12
This style of offense is not something Kent State sees in the MAC, or cares to see, as
evidenced by their 12-point home loss to the Tigers last year.
PRINCETON, 71-59.

Ohio State over Purdue* by 6
Purdue has revenge for a 74-64 home loss last season. Why are we not excited for
them?
OHIO STATE, 65-59.

**PREFERRED
Northeastern* over Richmond by 6
The home side plays a tenacious zone with good-sized, mobile guards who cover more
ground than the opponent realizes. Richmond is shooting 28.4% from three-point
range. When the dribble-penetration is denied and the outside shots aren’t falling,
what does Richmond have to fall back on?
NORTHEASTERN, 67-61.

Providence* over Seton Hall by 5
Is Providence the worst 10-2 team out there? We’ll like Seton Hall when we know that
they have their multiple injury situation in better shape.
PROVIDENCE, 70-65.

Kansas State* over George Washington by 11
If they beat Hofstra as expected, then GW will be 11-1 going into this. And 11-2 coming out of it.
KANSAS STATE, 70-59.

Illinois* over Indiana by 3

Syracuse* over Eastern Michigan by 22

Michigan State over Penn State* by 8

North Carolina* over NC-Wilmington by 25

Louisville over Central Florida* by 20

Georgetown* over Depaul by 17

Texas A&M* over North Texas by 18

Iowa State* over Northern Illinois by 27

South Florida* over Memphis by 1
The ol’ bang and hang. SOUTH FLORIDA, 71-70

Iowa* over Nebraska by 14

Butler* over Villanova by 2

Connecticut over Houston* by 10

Creighton* over Marquette by 12
Marquette’s lack of offense would be a big worry. The big crowd in the strange place?
Not a big deal. But it’s a true road game and they covered at Wisconsin and Arizona
State by only teenie-weenie itsie-bitsy margins.
CREIGHTON, 77-65.

[Can'tPickAWinner]

POINTWISE

COLLEGE KEY RELEASES
KANSAS STATE over Geo Wash (Tues) RATING: 3
LOUISVILLE over Cent Florida (Tues) RATING: 4

(12:00) XAVIER 64 - St Johns 63 (FOX1) _____ _____

(12:00) PRINCETON 67 - Kent State 56 _____ _____

(1:00) Ohio State 72 - PURDUE 63 (ESPN2) _____ _____

(2:00) Richmond 70 - NORTHEASTERN 62 _____ _____

(2:30) PROVIDENCE 71 - Seton Hall 65 (FOX1) _____ _____

(3:00) KANSAS STATE 68 - George Washington 56 _____ _____

(3:00) ILLINOIS 73 - Indiana 67 (ESPN2) _____ _____

(3:00) SYRACUSE 80 - Eastern Michigan 53 (ESPNU) _____ _____

(5:00) Michigan State 77 - PENN STATE 72 (BIG10) _____ _____

(5:00) NO CAROLINA 92 - NC-Wilmington 62 (ESPNU) _____ _____

(5:00) Louisville 88 - CENTRAL FLORIDA 69 (ESPN2) _____ _____

(5:00) GEORGETOWN 83 - DePaul 66 (FOX1) _____ _____

(5:30) TEXAS A&M 70 - North Texas 55 (FSN) _____ _____

(7:00) IOWA STATE 79 - Northern Illinois 58 _____ _____

(7:00) Memphis 81 - SOUTH FLORIDA 64 (ESPN2) _____ _____

(7:00) IOWA 70 - Nebraska 60 (BIG10) _____ _____

(7:30) BUTLER 75 - Villanova 74 (FOX1) _____ _____

(9:00) Connecticut 72 - HOUSTON 68 (ESPN2) _____ _____

(10:00) CREIGHTON 73 - Marquette 67 (FOX1) _____ _____

BEST BETS
KANSAS STATE (3)
LOUISVILLE (4)
HOUSTON

[Can'tPickAWinner]

POINTWISE

NBA
BASKETBALL

(1:05) BOSTON CELTICS 98 - Atlanta Hawks 96 _____ _____

(3:05) INDIANA PACERS 111 - Cleveland Cavaliers 92 _____ _____

(5:05) Golden State Warriors 96 - ORLANDO MAGIC 89 _____ _____

(7:05) HOUSTON ROCKETS 102 - Sacramento Kings 98 _____ _____

(7:05) SAN ANTONIO SPURS 110 - Brooklyn Nets 107 _____ _____

(8:05) Toronto Raptors 94 - CHICAGO BULLS 90 _____ _____

(8:05) OKLAHOMA CITY 100 - Portland Trailblazers 98 _____ _____

(10:35) LA LAKERS 108 - Milwaukee Bucks 93 _____ _____

BEST BETS
INDIANA (2)
TORONTO
LOS ANGELES LAKERS

[Can'tPickAWinner]

WINNING POINTS

PRO BASKETBALL
Atlanta over *Boston by 4
Revenge spot for the Hawks, who lost 94-87 at home to Boston on Nov. 23 when Jeff
Teague missed 12 of 15 shots from the field. There could be a Rajon Rondo sighting
by this time.
ATLANTA 99-95.

*Indiana over Cleveland by 14
Kyrie Irving has been red-hot, but the Cavaliers were 1-4 ATS this season when taking
eight or more points.
INDIANA 100-86.

Golden State over *Orlando by 2
Andre Iguodala should have the rust off. Andrew Bogut has been playing well, too,
providing a much needed rebounding and shot-blocking presence.
GOLDEN STATE 106-104.

*Houston over Sacramento by 8
The oddsmaker can't put a total high enough on this matchup. Houston ranked No.
2 in scoring, while the Kings are playing at a higher tempo since acquiring Rudy Gay
going over in eight of their last 10 through the third week of December. DeMarcus
Cousins doesn't play much defense, but his offensive numbers make him a legitimate
All-Star candidate.
HOUSTON 123-115.

**PREFERRED
*San Antonio over Brooklyn by 20
The Spurs have beaten the Nets the past five times by 10 or more points. The Nets
have no counter for Tim Duncan with Brook Lopez out for the season after breaking
his foot. The Spurs have too much respect for old warriors Paul Pierce and Kevin
Garnett to take the Nets lightly.
SAN ANTONIO 109-89.

*Chicago over Toronto by 1
The Bulls were 5-8 ATS at home through last Friday and dealing with a cluster injury
situation in their backcourt while Toronto had covered eight of its first 12 away
matchups.
CHICAGO 94-93.

**PREFERRED
*Oklahoma City over Portland by 13
No team had a better road record after 15 games than Portland at 12-3 SU. However,
the Thunder have revenge for a 111-104 road loss to the Trail Blazers early last month, catches Portland playing without rest and is 10-3 against the Portland in the last 10 meetings. Russell Westbrook has been on a tear averaging 22 points, 7.8 rebounds, 8.8 assists while shooting 47 percent from the field during his last five games through the third week of this month
OKLAHOMA CITY 111-98.

*Los Angeles Lakers over Milwaukee by 5
Even against a team as putrid as Milwaukee, it's difficult to get behind a Lakers squad
missing Kobe Bryant and their three leading point guards. Getting Matt Barnes back
isn't nearly enough.
LA LAKERS 103-98.

[Can'tPickAWinner]

THE GOLD SHEET

NBA BASKETBALL

"Day Games"
Atlanta 112 - BOSTON 105—By far, the preferred recommendation lately
in Atlanta games has been the “over,” which Hawks have gone in last six and 10
of last 11 thru Dec. 25. Atlanta had outscored opponents by an average of 21.4
points during a season-high three-game winning streak before suffering a 121-
119 overtime loss at Miami on Monday, as Hawks “O” has been percolating,
scoring 118.8 ppg over last four games thru Xmas. Meanwhile, Boston has lost
and failed to cover last three thru Dec. 27. 13-Bos +9 94-87 (194); 12-Bos +5
89-81 (187), ATL -5' 123-111 (2OT-184), BOS -4 107-102 (OT-188), BOS -2'
118-107 (194)

INDIANA 94 - Cleveland 80—After recent 5-game cover streak, Cavs
proceeded to drop three in a row vs. the number thru Xmas, including a pair of
especially ugly defeats at the hands of shorthanded Bulls and Pistons when
Cavs were beaten in all phases of the game. Cleveland is also surrendering
better than 41 ppg in the paint, which means it likely has its hands full with
Indiana bigs Roy Hibbert and David West. Interestingly, those two didn’t do
much in first meeting, scoring a combined 15 points, but Pacers nonetheless
hardly broke a sweat in 89-74 win at home on Nov. 2. “Totals” alert—Defensiveminded
Pacers “under” 11-3 at Bankers Life Fieldhouse thru Dec. 27. 13-IND
-8 89-74 (188); 12-IND -8 96-81 (190), Ind -4 99-89 (187), Ind -7 111-90 (189),
IND -14 99-94 (189)

Night Games
Golden St. 97 - ORLANDO 95—If nothing else, Golden State will be on
alert against Orlando bunch that scored a pair of upset wins over Mark
Jackson’s crew last season. But not too interested laying many points with
Warriors, just 3-5 as road chalk thru Dec. 28. Golden State’s other recurring
problem this season has been turnovers, a hefty 17.1 pg, one of the league’s
worst such marks. Might also look “under,” as Golden State has trended that
way away from Oakland (“under” 11-5 away prior to facing Cavs on Dec. 29).
12-Orl +10 102-94 (196), ORL +4 99-85 (194)

HOUSTON 116 - Sacramento 103—Let’s see if Houston is up for payback,
or whether matchups suggest Sacto is worth another look. What we do know is
that Kings rolled to 106-91 win at Sleep Train in recent Dec. 15 clash in what was
Rudy Gay’s first home game in a Sacto uniform; Gay scored 25, while
DeMarcus Cousins outplayed Dwight Howard, outscoring him 21-13. While
Gay does give Kings the small forward they have long desired, we don’t trust
Sacto to deliver a repeat performance. Rocket payback angle worth a look, as
well as Kings “over” trend (9-2 last 11 thru Dec. 26). 13-SAC +6' 106-91 (215);
12-SAC +6' 117-111 (218), Hou -4 112-102 (218), HOU -10' 121-100 (218)

SAN ANTONIO 111 - Brooklyn 94—No surprise if this price inflates a bit
after Brooklyn plumbed some new depths of ineptitude on Christmas against
the depleted Bulls, who rolled into Barclays Center and scored a 95-78 romp.
This after the bad news of a season-ending broken foot suffered by C Brook
Lopez. Bottom line is that Nets have little spark, suffer from questionable shot
selection, and are beaten off the dribble consistently on defensive end. Some
of these shortcomings could be traced to new HC Jason Kidd learning the
ropes. But whatever the reason, chemistry all wrong with Nets, and
oddsmakers are going to have to make it quite attractive for us to consider
visitor. Might also look “over,” as Spurs (“over” 5-1 last six thru Xmas) going that
way a lot lately. 12-SAN -9 104-73 (198), San -2 111-86 (195)

Toronto 91 - CHICAGO 89—Toronto management appears to be tanking
this season, as Raptors set its salary scale in order to prepare for a primo pick
in what should be a loaded draft next summer. Remaining Raptor players,
however, are not taking the cue, still playing hard enough to win at Oklahoma
City on Dec. 22 (first Thunder SU home loss of the season at the Peake!) after
winning at Dallas two nights earlier! We need little excuse to go against the
Bulls, especially when they lay points, as their 4-12 chalk mark thru Dec. 27
would attest. Raptors also 9-5 vs. line away thru Dec. 26. 13-Chi +1 96-80
(182), Tor +3 99-77 (187); 12-Chi -4' 107-105 (OT-184), Tor +4 101-98 (185),
TOR -2' 97-88 (188)

OKLAHOMA CITY 119 - Portland 108—Is it payback time for Ok City after
losing by 7 at Moda Center back on Dec. 4? Not if Thunder can’t do a better job
slowing down LaMarcus Aldridge, who erupted for a game-high 38 points that
night. But Blazers not covering as many numbers lately (no covers last four thru
Dec. 25), and Ok City usually handling imposts placed upon it by oddsmakers,
covering 8 of last 11 thru Dec. 26. We are inclined to look “over” every time
Portland steps on the court, given that Blazers have gone that way in 17 of their
last 20 games prior to facing Clippers on Dec. 26. 13-POR -2' 111-104 (205);
12-OKC -8' 106-92 (204), Okc -4' 87-83 (201), OKC -11' 103-83 (207), Okc -9'
106-90 (205)

LA LAKERS 98 - Milwaukee 96—Lake Show providing decent value this
season as host (9-4 vs. line), but almost all of that damage has come as a home
dog, not laying points, as the case will be against lowly Milwaukee. Lakers only
1-2 as Staples Center chalk thru Dec. 28. But with Kobe sidelined and Pau
Gasol’s status to be determined as he fights a respiratory infection, not sure we
went to recommend Lakers, and might rather trust Bucks, who had covered
three in a row thru Dec. 26 and are likely to welcome back F Larry Sanders from
thumb injury for this game. Conflicting “totals” angles, with L.A. “under” last five
thru Dec. 26, and Milwaukee “over” six straight thru same date. 12-LA -6 104-
88 (212), MIL +2 113-103 (210)

[Can'tPickAWinner]

Anthony Michael

CFB
#246 Texas A&M Aggies -12 (8:00 est) ESPN
Credit to Duke since they had their best season in a very long time but they are in a very bad spot here. The Aggies offense is very strong and Manziel will be very focused on upping his draft status with a big showing here. A&M struggled in their last 2 games at LSU and at Missouri, they will find the going much easier here against the Dukies. Duke was hammered in the ACC title game and I don' t see how that result will be any different here.

[Can'tPickAWinner]

Chicago Syndicate

NBA
Over Hawks
Under Pacers

CBB
Xavier
Purdue
Illinois (ML)
Michigan State
Iowa

[Can'tPickAWinner]

LA Syndicate

CBB
Houston
Northeastern

NBA
Thunder
Warriors & Over

[Can'tPickAWinner]

H&H Sports

NBA
Double Dime Over Rockets

CBB
Triple Dime Marquette
Double Dime Northeastern
Dime South Florida

[Can'tPickAWinner]

VEGAS SPORTS INFORMER
8* UCLA -7