1-9-14

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[Can'tPickAWinner]

Heat at Knicks: What bettors need to know

Miami Heat at New York Knicks

The last thing the stumbling New York Knicks need is a distraction - but they have one looming as they prepare to host the Miami Heat on Thursday evening. The Knicks are reportedly looking to deal enigmatic guard J.R. Smith following his latest discretion - untying Greg Monroe's shoe during New York's 89-85 win over Detroit and earning a $50,000 fine in the process. The Knicks will have their hands full with a Heat team looking to build on its three-game winning streak.

While the Knicks continue their slow implosion in a year when a top-4 seed in the East is up for grabs, the Heat are rolling along in what looks more than ever like a showdown with the Indiana Pacers in the conference finals. The two-time defending NBA champions steamrolled the New Orleans Hornets 107-88 on Tuesday night to improve to 3-1 in the new year. Not even home-court advantage is on the side of the Knicks, who are 5-12 at Madison Square Garden.

TV: 8 p.m. ET, TNT

ABOUT THE HEAT (27-8): Miami has long been known for using a small-ball lineup, but head coach Erik Spoelstra isn't afraid to clog the paint. With Chris Bosh and Chris Andersen in at the same time, the Heat limited New Orleans to one offensive rebound over the final 24 minutes of the rout. "It wouldn't be as effective now if (Bosh) hasn't had the evolution that he's had," Spoelstra told the Miami Herald. "He knows how to play on the perimeter now, he knows how to play with another big that doesn't compromise our spacing and he can still get to the rim."

ABOUT THE KNICKS (12-22): Smith's tumultuous tenure with the Knicks appears to be coming to an end following his shenanigans against the Pistons. Head coach Mike Woodson referred to Smith's tactics as "unacceptable" in an interview on an ESPN New York radio show. "I'm not happy about this, because he was warned, he comes back and he makes the same mistake, and it's not right," Woodson said. "It's just got to stop. I keep saying this every time something pops up, but it's got to stop."

TRENDS:

* Under is 7-0 in the last seven meetings in New York.
* Favorite is 8-3 ATS in the last 11 meetings.
* Knicks are 4-0 ATS in their last four games overall.
* Over is 9-2 in Heat last 11 vs. NBA Atlantic.

BUZZER BEATERS:

1. New York has won four of the previous six meetings, while the road team has prevailed in three straight.

2. Bosh averages 20.3 points and 8.7 rebounds in 36 career games against the Knicks.

3. Miami is 21-5 when scoring 100 or more points, while New York is just 7-5.

[Can'tPickAWinner]

Thunder at Nuggets: What bettors need to know

Oklahoma City Thunder at Denver Nuggets

Kevin Durant is doing his part to make up for the loss of Russell Westbrook but the Oklahoma City Thunder are still finding it more difficult to win. The Thunder will look to bounce back from a tough loss when they visit the red-hot Denver Nuggets on Thursday. Durant put up an NBA season-high 48 points at Minnesota on Saturday and matched that number at Utah on Tuesday, but Oklahoma City only got the win in one of those contests.

The Thunder won their first two after Westbrook went down but dropped three of the next five, including the 112-101 loss at Utah on Tuesday in which they were burned down the stretch by Gordon Hayward. “That’s not how we play,” coach Scott Brooks said of the poor defensive effort. “That’s not what makes us successful. I knew the guys were going to battle back and make a game out of it. We had a chance to cut it to two or three but our defense gave up 58 percent shooting.” Oklahoma City will need to tighten things up against a Nuggets squad averaging 125.7 points during a three-game winning streak.

TV: 10:30 p.m. ET, TNT

ABOUT THE THUNDER (27-8): Durant has gone for 33 or more points in five of the seven games since Westbrook went out with a knee injury and Reggie Jackson is producing in the point guard spot but the absence of Serge Ibaka (flu-like symptoms) on Tuesday hurt the defense. “(I want to see) toughness and even more toughness and some fight,” Durant said. “We just have to stay together. We lost a basketball game on the road. It’s not the end of the world. … We just have to regroup and be better next game.” Oklahoma City had won eight in a row on the road before falling to the Jazz.

ABOUT THE NUGGETS (17-17): Denver cleared the air with a series of meetings around the New Year and is surging in the last three games. The Nuggets destroyed the Boston Celtics 129-98 on Tuesday after putting up 137 points on the Los Angeles Lakers in the previous contest. “Coach let us hoop,” forward Kenneth Faried said of the difference the last few games. “He just let us get out and play. He figured out that this altitude (in Denver) is a killer for teams and the personnel that we have is people who will get out and run, play great defense, and it’s fun when we do that instead of just calling plays all the time.”

TRENDS:

* Under is 6-1-1 in the last eight meetings in Denver.
* Thunder are 1-4 ATS in the last five meetings.
* Over is 4-0 in Nuggets last four overall.
* Thunder are 5-1 ATS in their last six games following a S.U. loss.

BUZZER BEATERS:

1. The Thunder won in Denver 105-93 on Dec. 17 and have taken each of the first two meetings this season.

2. Faried is averaging 18 points on 69 percent shooting over the past three games.

3. Oklahoma City G Thabo Sefolosha is dealing with a finger injury and is just 5-for-22 from the field in the last three games.

[Can'tPickAWinner]

While you were sleeping: Catching up on college hoops betting

With the college football season drawing to a close, the focus shifts to what has been a largely entertaining NCAA basketball campaign.

Most of the attention has been centered around the impressive crop of freshmen, but a handful of teams have made waves in their own right. From pleasant surprises to stunning disappointments, college basketball bettors have had no shortage of drama through the first half of the season.

Here are some of the highlights from the NCAA hoops season to date:

The Undefeateds

The Arizona Wildcats are the strongest of the unbeatens, surging to the top of the Top 25 rankings behind strong contributions from guard Nick Johnson, forward Aaron Murray and one of the strongest benches in college.

No. 2 Syracuse is also perfect thanks to a balanced scoring attack and stingy defense. Iowa State, Wisconsin and Wichita State enter the new year unbeaten, with the ninth-ranked Cyclones facing the biggest challenge to their perfect record with games against Kansas, Kansas State and Oklahoma State over the next month.

Overall, the five undefeated teams combine for an impressive 45-18-1 ATS, covering at a 71 percent rate.

The Letdowns

The three teams with the most highly touted first-year players have all stumbled out of the gate - relatively speaking, at least. The Kentucky Wildcats have slipped to 14th in the rankings despite a sensational start from forward Julius Randle, who is averaging 18.1 points and 10.6 rebounds while shooting 56.4 percent from the field.

Jabari Parker's Duke Blue Devils have plummeted to 16th, though Parker has excelled with 20.1 points and 7.7 rebounds. The Kansas Jayhawks are down to 18th, with Andrew Wiggins averaging 15.8 points but looking anything like a consensus No. 1 pick.

Those three college basketball heavyweights are a combined 19-19-1 ATS as of Tuesday.

Best ATS bets

Not only has Wichita State rolled to a 15-0 record to open the campaign, the Shockers have also provided bettors with tremendous value, going 9-2-1 ATS despite being favored by double digits six times in that stretch. The Cincinnati Bearcats are a low-scoring juggernaut, going 1-8 O/U, but are a strong ATS play at 7-2.

Iowa State is a robust 9-3-0 ATS, as are Big East leaders Villanova and Creighton, however, the Bluejays could be playing without star forward Doug McDermott, who injured his shoulder, and PG Grant Gibbs, who suffered a knee injury Tuesday.. Illinois has had one of the most interesting ATS campaigns of all, going 7-3 ATS with a whopping four pushes so far.

Best O/U bets

Rider has been the most reliable Over play in Division-I so far, going 8-1 O/U thanks to a top-75 offense and a defense that has surrendered 70 or more points on 11 occasions already. Sooner slugfests have been all the rage, with Oklahoma going 9-2-1 O/U thanks to an 87.3 scoring average that ranks it fifth in the nation entering Tuesday. Seton Hall's quick start in the Big East has been fueled by a 10-4-0 O/U mark that has been helped, at least in part, by three overtime games over the past seven weeks.

[Can'tPickAWinner]

Football Crusher
no play
(System Record: 54-4, lost last 2 games)
Overall Record: 54-49-1

Hockey Crusher
Phoenix Coyotes -160 over Minnesota
(System Record: 52-1, won last game)
Overall Record: 52-34-1

Basketball Crusher
Wyoming +3.5 over New Mexico
(System Record: 32-3, won last game)
Overall Record: 32-40-1

Soccer Crusher
Real Madrid + Osasuna UNDER 4
This match is happening in Spain
(System Record: 504-18, lost last 2 games)
Overall Record: 504-437-74

[Can'tPickAWinner]

Today's NHL Picks

Washington at Tampa Bay

The Lightning host the Capitals tonight where they are 6-1 in their last 7 games against Washington. Tampa Bay is the pick (-145) according to Dunkel, which has the Lightning favored by 1 1/2. Dunkel Pick: Tampa Bay (-145). Here are all of today's picks.

THURSDAY, JANUARY 9 Time Posted: 6:30 a.m. EST

Game 51-52: Dallas at New Jersey (7:00 p.m. EST) Dunkel Ratings: Dallas 12.220; New Jersey 11.061 Dunkel Line & Total: Dallas by 1; 6 Vegas Line & Total: New Jersey (-130); 5 Dunkel Pick: Dallas (+110); Over

Game 53-54: Florida at Buffalo (7:00 p.m. EST) Dunkel Ratings: Florida 9.985; Buffalo 11.354 Dunkel Line & Total: Buffalo by 1 1/2; 4 Vegas Line & Total: Buffalo (-125); 5 Dunkel Pick: Buffalo (-125); Under

Game 55-56: Toronto at Carolina (7:00 p.m. EST) Dunkel Ratings: Toronto 11.257; Carolina 10.327 Dunkel Line & Total: Toronto by 1; 6 Vegas Line & Total: Carolina (-135); 5 1/2 Dunkel Pick: Toronto (+115); Over

Game 57-58: Washington at Tampa Bay (7:30 p.m. EST) Dunkel Ratings: Washington 10.358; Tampa Bay 11.836 Dunkel Line & Total: Tampa Bay by 1 1/2; 5 Vegas Line & Total: Tampa Bay (-145); 5 1/2 Dunkel Pick: Tampa Bay (-145); Under

Game 59-60: Anaheim at Nashville (8:00 p.m. EST) Dunkel Ratings: Anaheim 12.727; Nashville 10.519 Dunkel Line & Total: Anaheim by 2; 6 Vegas Line & Total: Anaheim (-155); 5 1/2 Dunkel Pick: Anaheim (-155); Over

Game 61-62: Minnesota at Phoenix (9:00 p.m. EST) Dunkel Ratings: Minnesota 11.298; Phoenix 10.397 Dunkel Line & Total: Minnesota by 1; 4 Vegas Line & Total: Phoenix (-170); 5 Dunkel Pick: Minnesota (+150); Under

Game 63-64: St. Louis at Calgary (9:00 p.m. EST) Dunkel Ratings: St. Louis 13.247; Calgary 9.942 Dunkel Line & Total: St. Louis by 3 1/2; 6 Vegas Line & Total: St. Louis (-190); 5 1/2 Dunkel Pick: St. Louis (-190); Over

Game 65-66: Detroit at San Jose (10:30 p.m. EST) Dunkel Ratings: Detroit 11.373; San Jose 10.422 Dunkel Line & Total: Detroit by 1; 5 Vegas Line & Total: No Line Dunkel Pick: N/A

Game 67-68: Boston at Los Angeles (10:30 p.m. EST) Dunkel Ratings: Boston 12.107; Los Angeles 10.768 Dunkel Line & Total: Boston by 1 1/2; 6 Vegas Line & Total: Los Angeles (-135); 5 Dunkel Pick: Boston (+115); Over

[Can'tPickAWinner]

NCAA Basketball Picks

Arizona at UCLA

The Wildcats head to Pauley Pavilion for a Pac-12 showdown against at UCLA team that is coming off a 107-73 win over USC and is 2-8 ATS in its last 10 games after scoring 100 points or more in the previous game. Arizona is the pick (-2) according to Dunkel, which has the Wildcats favored by 7. Dunkel Pick: Arizona (-2). Here are all of today's games.

THURSDAY, JANUARY 9 Time Posted: 6:00 a.m. EST

Game 505-506: UL-Monroe at TX-Arlington (1:00 p.m. EST) Dunkel Ratings: UL-Monroe 46.971; TX-Arlington 56.047 Dunkel Line: TX-Arlington by 9 Vegas Line: TX-Arlington by 5 Dunkel Pick: TX-Arlington (-5)

Game 507-508: South Florida at Temple (7:00 p.m. EST) Dunkel Ratings: South Florida 53.281; Temple 66.023 Dunkel Line: Temple by 12 1/2 Vegas Line: Temple by 5 1/2 Dunkel Pick: Temple (-5 1/2)

Game 509-510: Memphis at Louisville (7:00 p.m. EST) Dunkel Ratings: Memphis 68.223; Louisville 75.082 Dunkel Line: Louisville by 7; 152 Vegas Line: Louisville by 9 1/2; 144 1/2 Dunkel Pick: Memphis (+9 1/2); Over

Game 511-512: George Mason at VCU (7:00 p.m. EST) Dunkel Ratings: George Mason 54.269; VCU 71.518 Dunkel Line: VCU by 17 Vegas Line: VCU by 15 1/2 Dunkel Pick: VCU (-15 1/2)

Game 513-514: DePaul at Butler (7:00 p.m. EST) Dunkel Ratings: DePaul 56.040; Butler 63.708 Dunkel Line: Butler by 7 1/2; 127 Vegas Line: Butler by 10; 133 1/2 Dunkel Pick: DePaul (+10); Under

Game 515-516: Florida State at Clemson (7:00 p.m. EST) Dunkel Ratings: Florida State 63.701; Clemson 69.401 Dunkel Line: Clemson by 5 1/2; 118 Vegas Line: Clemson by 2; 124 1/2 Dunkel Pick: Clemson (-2); Under

Game 517-518: Auburn at Mississippi (7:00 p.m. EST) Dunkel Ratings: Auburn 54.129; Mississippi 69.222 Dunkel Line: Mississippi by 15 Vegas Line: Mississippi by 11 1/2 Dunkel Pick: Mississippi (-11 1/2)

Game 519-520: Florida Atlantic at Louisiana Tech (7:30 p.m. EST) Dunkel Ratings: Florida Atlantic 50.242; Louisiana Tech 72.307 Dunkel Line: Louisiana Tech by 22 Vegas Line: Louisiana Tech by 17 Dunkel Pick: Louisiana Tech (-17)

Game 521-522: Florida International at Rice (8:00 p.m. EST) Dunkel Ratings: Florida International 49.437; Rice 53.315 Dunkel Line: Rice by 4 Vegas Line: Rice by 2 Dunkel Pick: Rice (-2)

Game 523-524: Georgia State at Western Kentucky (8:00 p.m. EST) Dunkel Ratings: Georgia State 58.000; Western Kentucky 57.942 Dunkel Line: Even Vegas Line: Western Kentucky by 1 1/2 Dunkel Pick: Georgia State (+1 1/2)

Game 525-526: Troy at Arkansas State (8:00 p.m. EST) Dunkel Ratings: Troy 47.236; Arkansas State 56.394 Dunkel Line: Arkansas State by 9 Vegas Line: Arkansas State by 11 1/2 Dunkel Pick: Troy (+11 1/2)

Game 527-528: George Washington at LaSalle (8:00 p.m. EST) Dunkel Ratings: George Washington 60.637; LaSalle 65.997 Dunkel Line: LaSalle by 5 1/2 Vegas Line: LaSalle by 3 Dunkel Pick: LaSalle (-3)

Game 529-530: Southern Mississippi at North Texas (8:00 p.m. EST) Dunkel Ratings: Southern Mississippi 60.391; North Texas 51.269 Dunkel Line: Southern Mississippi by 9 Vegas Line: Southern Mississippi by 7 Dunkel Pick: Southern Mississippi (-7)

Game 531-532: Marshall at TX-San Antonio (8:00 p.m. EST) Dunkel Ratings: Marshall 50.209; TX-San Antonio 40.225 Dunkel Line: Marshall by 10 Vegas Line: Marshall by 8 Dunkel Pick: Marshall (-8)

Game 533-534: South Alabama at AR-Little Rock (8:00 p.m. EST) Dunkel Ratings: South Alabama 50.456; AR-Little Rock 54.658 Dunkel Line: AR-Little Rock by 4 Vegas Line: AR-Little Rock by 2 Dunkel Pick: AR-Little Rock (-2)

Game 535-536: Pepperdine at BYU (9:00 p.m. EST) Dunkel Ratings: Pepperdine 57.082; BYU 65.270 Dunkel Line: BYU by 8 Vegas Line: BYU by 14 1/2 Dunkel Pick: Pepperdine (+14 1/2)

Game 537-538: Arizona at UCLA (9:00 p.m. EST) Dunkel Ratings: Arizona 75.915; UCLA 68.775 Dunkel Line: Arizona by 7; 137 Vegas Line: Arizona by 2; 144 1/2 Dunkel Pick: Arizona (-2); Under

Game 539-540: Tulane at Tulsa (9:00 p.m. EST) Dunkel Ratings: Tulane 47.455; Tulsa 57.192 Dunkel Line: Tulsa by 9 1/2 Vegas Line: Tulsa by 13 Dunkel Pick: Tulane (+13)

Game 541-542: Charlotte at UTEP (9:00 p.m. EST) Dunkel Ratings: Charlotte 55.702; UTEP 62.976 Dunkel Line: UTEP by 7 1/2 Vegas Line: UTEP by 3 1/2 Dunkel Pick: UTEP (-3 1/2)

Game 543-544: Marquette at Xavier (9:00 p.m. EST) Dunkel Ratings: Marquette 65.593; Xavier 67.709 Dunkel Line: Xavier by 2; 135 Vegas Line: Xavier by 4 1/2; 129 1/2 Dunkel Pick: Marquette (+4 1/2); Over

Game 545-546: Northwestern at Iowa (9:00 p.m. EST) Dunkel Ratings: Northwestern 57.209; Iowa 72.208 Dunkel Line: Iowa by 15; 132 Vegas Line: Iowa by 17; 138 1/2 Dunkel Pick: Northwestern (+17); Under

Game 547-548: Michigan at Nebraska (9:00 p.m. EST) Dunkel Ratings: Michigan 72.741; Nebraska 62.342 Dunkel Line: Michigan by 10 1/2; 130 Vegas Line: Michigan by 4; 137 1/2 Dunkel Pick: Michigan (-4); Under

Game 549-550: UC-Davis at CS-Northridge (10:00 p.m. EST) Dunkel Ratings: UC-Davis 43.612; CS-Northridge 48.308 Dunkel Line: CS-Northridge by 4 1/2 Vegas Line: CS-Northridge by 8 1/2 Dunkel Pick: UC-Davis (+8 1/2)

Game 551-552: UC-Riverside at CS-Fullerton (10:00 p.m. EST) Dunkel Ratings: UC-Riverside 46.851; CS-Fullerton 51.862 Dunkel Line: CS-Fullerton by 5 Vegas Line: CS-Fullerton by 7 1/2 Dunkel Pick: UC-Riverside (+7 1/2)

Game 553-554: Stanford at Oregon State (10:00 p.m. EST) Dunkel Ratings: Stanford 63.644; Oregon State 63.307 Dunkel Line: Even Vegas Line: Stanford by 2 Dunkel Pick: Oregon State (+2)

Game 555-556: Arizona State at USC (10:00 p.m. EST) Dunkel Ratings: Arizona State 66.283; USC 60.548 Dunkel Line: Arizona State by 5 1/2; 135 Vegas Line: Arizona State by 2 1/2; 141 1/2 Dunkel Pick: Arizona State (-2 1/2); Under

Game 557-558: Hawaii at Cal Poly (10:00 p.m. EST) Dunkel Ratings: Hawaii 55.617; Cal Poly 59.435 Dunkel Line: Cal Poly by 4 Vegas Line: Cal Poly by 2 Dunkel Pick: Cal Poly (-2)

Game 559-560: Santa Clara at St. Mary's (10:00 p.m. EST) Dunkel Ratings: Santa Clara 55.899; St. Mary's 65.218 Dunkel Line: St. Mary's by 9 1/2 Vegas Line: St. Mary's by 12 Dunkel Pick: Santa Clara (+12)

Game 561-562: Loyola-Marymount at San Diego (10:00 p.m. EST) Dunkel Ratings: Loyola-Marymount 53.399; San Diego 57.299 Dunkel Line: San Diego by 4 Vegas Line: San Diego by 2 Dunkel Pick: San Diego (-2)

Game 563-564: San Francisco at Pacific (10:00 p.m. EST) Dunkel Ratings: San Francisco 57.868; Pacific 59.596 Dunkel Line: Pacific by 1 1/2 Vegas Line: Pacific by 4 1/2 Dunkel Pick: San Francisco (+4 1/2)

Game 565-566: California at Oregon (11:00 p.m. EST) Dunkel Ratings: California 62.192; Oregon 76.573 Dunkel Line: Oregon by 14 1/2 Vegas Line: Oregon by 8 1/2 Dunkel Pick: Oregon (-8 1/2)

Game 567-568: Gonzaga at Portland (11:00 p.m. EST) Dunkel Ratings: Gonzaga 72.623; Portland 59.162 Dunkel Line: Gonzaga by 13 1/2 Vegas Line: Gonzaga by 8 1/2 Dunkel Pick: Gonzaga (-8 1/2)

Game 569-570: UC-Irvine at Long Beach State (11:00 p.m. EST) Dunkel Ratings: UC-Irvine 58.491; Long Beach State 54.935 Dunkel Line: UC-Irvine by 3 1/2 Vegas Line: UC-Irvine by 1 Dunkel Pick: UC-Irvine (-1)

Game 571-572: Manhattan at Quinnipiac (9:15 p.m. EST) Dunkel Ratings: Manhattan 59.442; Quinnipiac 55.048 Dunkel Line: Manhattan by 3 1/2 Vegas Line: Manhattan by 1 Dunkel Pick: Manhattan (-1)

Game 573-574: Davidson at Furman (7:00 p.m. EST) Dunkel Ratings: Davidson 54.620; Furman 40.831 Dunkel Line: Davidson by 14 Vegas Line: Davidson by 11 Dunkel Pick: Davidson (-11)

Game 575-576: The Citadel at Wofford (7:00 p.m. EST) Dunkel Ratings: The Citadel 37.646; Wofford 56.662 Dunkel Line: Wofford by 19 Vegas Line: Wofford by 16 1/2 Dunkel Pick: Wofford (-16 1/2)

Game 577-578: NC-Greensboro at Appalachian State (7:00 p.m. EST) Dunkel Ratings: NC-Greensboro 43.997; Appalachian State 49.587 Dunkel Line: Appalachian State by 5 1/2 Vegas Line: Appalachian State by 3 Dunkel Pick: Appalachian State (-3)

Game 579-580: Samford at Chattanooga (7:00 p.m. EST) Dunkel Ratings: Samford 43.089; Chattanooga 44.725 Dunkel Line: Chattanooga by 1 1/2 Vegas Line: Chattanooga by 4 1/2 Dunkel Pick: Samford (+4 1/2)

Game 581-582: North Dakota State at IPFW (7:00 p.m. EST) Dunkel Ratings: North Dakota State 61.417; IPFW 54.839 Dunkel Line: North Dakota State by 6 1/2 Vegas Line: North Dakota State by 5 Dunkel Pick: North Dakota State (-5)

Game 583-584: South Dakota State at IUPUI (7:00 p.m. EST) Dunkel Ratings: South Dakota State 53.547; IUPUI 46.209 Dunkel Line: South Dakota State by 7 1/2 Vegas Line: South Dakota State by 3 1/2 Dunkel Pick: South Dakota State (-3 1/2)

Game 585-586: SIU-Edwardsville at Jacksonville State (8:00 p.m. EST) Dunkel Ratings: SIU-Edwardsville 44.151; Jacksonville State 47.679 Dunkel Line: Jacksonville State by 3 1/2 Vegas Line: Jacksonville State by 7 Dunkel Pick: SIU-Edwardsville (+7)

Game 587-588: Belmont at SE Missouri State (8:00 p.m. EST) Dunkel Ratings: Belmont 55.676; SE Missouri State 50.978 Dunkel Line: Belmont by 4 1/2 Vegas Line: Belmont by 2 Dunkel Pick: Belmont (-2)

Game 589-590: Eastern Illinois at Tennessee Tech (8:00 p.m. EST) Dunkel Ratings: Eastern Illinois 41.441; Tennessee Tech 47.946 Dunkel Line: Tennessee Tech by 6 1/2 Vegas Line: Tennessee Tech by 8 1/2 Dunkel Pick: Eastern Illinois (+8 1/2)

Game 591-592: Idaho State at North Dakota (8:00 p.m. EST) Dunkel Ratings: Idaho State 44.618; North Dakota 52.830 Dunkel Line: North Dakota by 8 Vegas Line: North Dakota by 6 Dunkel Pick: North Dakota (-6)

Game 593-594: Sacramento State at Northern Arizona (8:30 p.m. EST) Dunkel Ratings: Sacramento State 42.494; Northern Arizona 46.026 Dunkel Line: Northern Arizona by 3 1/2 Vegas Line: Northern Arizona by 7 1/2 Dunkel Pick: Sacramento State (+7 1/2)

Game 595-596: Weber State at Northern Colorado (9:00 p.m. EST) Dunkel Ratings: Weber State 55.826; Northern Colorado 59.352 Dunkel Line: Northern Colorado by 3 1/2 Vegas Line: Northern Colorado by 1 1/2 Dunkel Pick: Northern Colorado (-1 1/2)

Game 597-598: Montana at Eastern Washington (9:00 p.m. EST) Dunkel Ratings: Montana 49.669; Eastern Washington 52.881 Dunkel Line: Eastern Washington by 3 Vegas Line: Eastern Washington by 1 1/2 Dunkel Pick: Eastern Washington (-1 1/2)

Game 599-600: Montana State at Portland State (10:00 p.m. EST) Dunkel Ratings: Montana State 47.804; Portland State 48.627 Dunkel Line: Portland State by 1 Vegas Line: Portland State by 3 Dunkel Pick: Montana State (+3)

[Can'tPickAWinner]

Free Selection from Arthur Ralph Sports

Free winner THURS So Miss -7

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Cappers Access

Memphis +9.5
UCLA +1.5
Iowa -17

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Gamblers Data

Free Plays Thursday

Butler -10

Michigan -4

[Can'tPickAWinner]

WINNING POINTS

COLLEGE BASKETBALL

Texas-Arlington* over Louisiana-Monroe by 5
Monroe scored 31 at Ohio State, then 103 vs. Sun Belt archrival Louisiana-Lafayette
(74 in regulation 40 minutes). They don’t play much defense in the Sun Belt, but this
UL-M team doesn’t make many outside shots regardless of the caliber of D being
played.
TEXAS-ARLINGTON, 71-66.

Temple* over South Florida by 10
Year after year, it seems as if USF head coach Stan Heath goes out of his way to recruit players that couldn’t make shots if they were playing 5-on-4. Injury riddled point guard Anthony Collins has been unseen for a while now.
TEMPLE, 73-63.

Arizona over UCLA* by 5
The #1-ranked, unbeaten UofA Wildcats have held many good foes to less than their
season scoring averages. By comparison, UCLA’s ability to make stops doesn’t look so
good.
ARIZONA, 76-71.

Tulsa* over Tulane by 10

UTEP* over Charlotte by 6

Xavier* over Marquette by 7
Any opposing program with a fair to good hoops pedigree has been making Marquette
look like a bunch of mopes this season: Ohio State, Arizona State, San Diego State,
Wisconsin, New Mexico, Creighton. And why did we even include that joke of an
Arizona State program?
XAVIER, 67-60.

***BEST BET
Iowa*over Northwestern by 31
The Hawkeyes whipped last year’s Northwestern edition by 20 on the road, 14 home,
and this year’s Northwestern edition in a Year One bunch coached by a Coach K
Klone, developed on the branch of a very small tree. More like a bush. This team will
be lucky to get out of the 50s against anyone with a pulse, and lucky to hold anybody
that can score to less than 70.
IOWA, 82-51.

***BEST BET
Nebraska* over Michigan by 5
When Michigan beat Nebraska 62-47 in Ann Arbor last year, they were a 16-0 team.
Nebraska held them to 38.9% shooting from the field. Nebraska began this year’s Big
Ten season by facing two of the best teams, Ohio State and Iowa, on the road. The 0-2 team comes home for a big game against an unranked foe missing three key components from last year’s win – the scoring of Burke and Hardaway, and the rebounding of McGarry. Hardaway – big guard – got 11 rebounds in that game. Is Nick
Stauskas or Spike Albrecht about to crash the boards like that? Don’t think so.
NEBRASKA, 67-62.

CS Northridge* over Cal Davis by 6

CS Fullerton* over Cal Riverside by 7

Stanford over Oregon State* by 2
0-2 Pac 12 OSU comes home to face lousy head coach Dawkins and habitually overrated Stanford side. Not that Oregon State is some kind of money side. They can
shoot 50% from the field and still lose and not cover because they are a sloppy team.
STANFORD, 73-71.

Arizona State over USC* by 1
Smokin’ Herb’s visitors need to win to cover, on the road? How unappealing. But USC
will be caught out of position on defense very often.
ARIZONA STATE, 71-70.

Cal Poly-SLO* over Hawaii by 5
Hawaii mailed it in here a year ago, losing 88-59. What should anyone expect when
a team has to fly 3,000 West for a conference road game? Why do they even let this
team compete?
CAL POLY-SLO, 78-73.

St. Mary’s* over Santa Clara by 16
The host Gaels rebounded from an 0-3 Hawaii trip to win two of three WCC games
on the road. They had a tune-up, non-conference home game Monday night and
seem to be in the process of righting the ship.
ST. MARY’S, 78-62.

San Diego* over Loyola Marymount by 4
A team like San Diego, scoring only 69 ppg, would seem like a weak thing to have in
your hand if you need to win outright to cash a ticket. Yet off an 0-3 SU start on the
conference road, the WCC home opener will be cooked to their taste.
SAN DIEGO, 70-66.

**PREFERRED
Pacific* over San Francisco by 14
Visiting USF is an atrocious free-throw shooting team; Pacific is one of the best. That
alone could help swing the game in Pacific’s favor if all else is equal, which, given the
two sides’ defensive profiles, all else is not equal.
PACIFIC, 74-60.

Oregon* over California by 15
Cal won at Stanford without two regular rotation players Jabari Byrd and Ricky
Kreklow. You’d rather see them ready to play if you want to take them as a road dog
vs. Oregon, which we wouldn’t be interested in doing even if they are.
OREGON, 82-67.

Gonzaga over Portland* by 11
The Sam Dower injury alert has been gold for pro-Gonzaga players. Lose one big stiff
who was never an offensive key, and the others fly so free. He’s back, and they’re coming off a 69% shooting game, so beware.
GONZAGA, 73-62.

Long Beach State* over Cal Irvine by 2
The visiting Anteaters could be favored, but mostly via potential and hype, not any
demonstrable progress they have made.
LONG BEACH STATE, 65-63.

[Can'tPickAWinner]

Steve's Golf Picks

Charles Howell III
Rory Sabatinni
Jordan Spieth
Roberto Castro
Jason Dufner
John Rollins

Head to Head

Castro over VJ Singh
JRollins over Ken Duke

[Can'tPickAWinner]

WINNING POINTS

PRO BASKETBALL
Miami over *New York by 6
LeBron James and Dwayne Wade always like playing at Madison Square Garden, but
the Knicks have Carmelo Anthony back after going 0-3 without him and they have
some much needed confidence after upsetting the Spurs on the road last Thursday.
MIAMI 104-98.

Oklahoma City over *Denver by 7
The Nuggets had dropped six of their last eight home games through Monday and
were 1-8 ATS in their last nine overall games through this past Saturday.
OKLAHOMA CITY 101-94.

[Can'tPickAWinner]

POINTWISE

COLLEGE KEY RELEASES
LOUISVILLE over Memphis (Thurs) RATING: 2
UCLA over Arizona (Thurs) RATING: 4

(1:00) TEXAS-ARLINGTON 72 - La-Monroe 55 _____ _____

(7:00) TEMPLE 66 - South Florida 63 (ESPNU) _____ _____

(7:00) LOUISVILLE 95 - Memphis 71 (ESPN) _____ _____

(7:00) VA COMMON 74 - George Mason 64 (CBSC) _____ _____

(7:00) BUTLER 79 - DePaul 62 (FOX1) _____ _____

(7:00) Florida State 68 - CLEMSON 65 _____ _____

(7:00) MISSISSIPPI 73 - Auburn 64 _____ _____

(7:30) LOUISIANA TECH 76 - Florida Atlantic 58 _____ _____

(8:00) RICE 70 - Florida International 63 _____ _____

(8:00) WESTERN KENTUCKY 71 - Georgia State 67 _____ _____

(8:00) ARKANSAS STATE 62 - Troy 56 _____ _____

(8:00) LASALLE 75 - George Washington 74 (NBCS) _____ _____

(8:00) Southern Mississippi 69 - NORTH TEXAS 62 _____ _____

(8:00) Marshall 66 - TEXAS-SAN ANTONIO 60 _____ _____

(8:00) South Alabama 68 - ARK-LITTLE ROCK 61 _____ _____

(9:00) BYU 76 - Pepperdine 54 _____ _____

(9:00) UCLA 75 - Arizona 71 (ESPN) _____ _____

(9:00) TULSA 73 - Tulane 53 _____ _____

(9:00) UTEP 67 - Charlotte 60 (CBSC) _____ _____

(9:00) XAVIER 70 - Marquette 64 (FOX1) _____ _____

(9:00) IOWA 72 - Northwestern 58 (ESPNU) _____ _____

(9:00) NEBRASKA 66 - Michigan 61 (ESPN) _____ _____

(10:00) CAL-NORTHRIDGE 73 - Cal-Davis 72 _____ _____

(10:00) CAL-FULLERTON 69 - Cal-Riverside 64 _____ _____

(10:00) Stanford 81 - OREGON STATE 75 _____ _____

(10:00) SO CALIFORNIA 72 - Arizona State 71 (CBSC) _____ _____

(10:00) CAL-POLY SLO 74 - Hawaii 62 _____ _____

(10:00) SAINT MARYS 79 - Santa Clara 57 _____ _____

(10:00) SAN DIEGO 80 - Loyola-Marymount 72 _____ _____

(10:00) PACIFIC 66 - San Francisco 56 _____ _____

(11:00) OREGON 75 - California 58 (FOX1) _____ _____

(11:00) Gonzaga 79 - PORTLAND 76 (ESPNU) _____ _____

(11:00) LONG BEACH STATE 69 - Cal-Irvine 68 _____ _____

BEST BETS
LOUISVILLE (2)
BUTLER
GEORGE WASHINGTON
UCLA (4)
NEBRASKA
STANFORD
CAL-POLY SLO

[Can'tPickAWinner]

POINTWISE

NBA BASKETBALL

(8:00) Miami Heat 106 - NEW YORK KNICKS 103 (TNT) _____ _____

(10:35) Oklahoma City Thunder 117 - DENVER 106 (TNT) _____ _____

BEST BET
OKLAHOMA CITY (4)