Wednesday 12-18-19 Free Plays / Trends / Betting Info / Etc

[Can'tPickAWinner]

Chris Jordan

My free play for tonight is on VCU over College of Charleston, as the Rams should have no trouble getting the money after a solid effort against Missouri State.

The Rams' defense was ridiculously sturdy during a 61-51 win on Sunday. The Rams forced 26 turnovers, the third time the black and gold have caused 25 or more this season, including 16 in the first half. It helped offset a rough half of shooting.

It became clear, however, the team builds confidence off forcing turnovers, especially when it isn't shooting the ball well.

By doing so tonight, it'll be tough for Charleston to compete when its guards are being trapped.

Look, fact is the expectations remain high for a Rams team that has been ranked as high as 25th in the AP poll and 19th in the coaches poll. VCU returns four starters from last season and 88.9 percent of its scoring from a 25-8 team that won the Atlantic 10 regular season crown and reached the dance.

It's games like this that will help meet expectations this season, as it's games like this the Rams are expected to win.

Lay the road chalk.

2* VCU

[Can'tPickAWinner]

Stephen DeAngelo

For Wednesday’s freebie, we’ll head to the college hardwood and lay the big points with Gonzaga against visiting North Carolina.



Just when it looked like things couldn’t get any worse for Roy Williams and the Tar Heels, they absolutely did. After consecutive ugly losses to Ohio State (74-49 at home) and Virginia (56-47 on the road), North Carolina returned to the Dean Dome on Sunday for a get-well game against Wofford … only to lose 68-64 as an 11½-point home favorite. It was UNC’s first game without star freshman Cole Anthony, who injured his knee in the Virginia loss and will be out at least a month after surgery.



Throw in a 73-63 loss to Michigan in a preseason tournament in the Bahamas, and the Tar Heels have dropped four of five after starting the season 5-0. What’s more, since barely covering a 10-point number in a season-opening 11-point home win over Notre Dame, UNC is a miserable 1-9 ATS.


Now they have to travel all the way to Spokane, Washington, to face a Gonzaga squad that’s 11-1, ranked #2 in the country and pretty much never loses on its home court. And by “pretty much never” I mean the Zags are riding a 28-game home winning streak that stretches back almost two years (last home loss was Jan. 18, 2018). That includes six home wins to start this season by an average of 30.8 points per game.



Granted, those six wins came against a bunch of garbage opponents, but it’s not like the Bulldogs don’t have some quality wins on their ledger. In addition to a 79-49 romp over Texas A&M as an 8½-point road favorite, Gonzaga is 3-0 against the Pac-12, defeating Oregon 73-72 in overtime in the same Bahamas tournament North Carolina was in, followed by road victories at Washington (83-76) and Arizona (84-80) in their last two games.



Since suffering their lone setback of the season (82-64 to Michigan in the Bahamas), Gonzaga’s offense has gotten back on track, tallying 101, 83 and 84 points. Defensively, it’s been business as usual for Mark Few’s squad, which is yielding just 63.3 ppg. Now here comes offensively challenged North Carolina, which has scored 64, 49, 47 and 64 points in its four losses while shooting a combined 35.8% from the field.



Without Anthony, the talented but super-young Tar Heels are in a world of trouble tonight against a Gonzaga squad that plays sensational basketball on both ends of the court and would love nothing more than to treat its fans to a blowout win against a perennial national power.

3* GONZAGA

[Can'tPickAWinner]

Mitchell Newman

Comp play for this Wednesday night is for Portland to record a rare win and cover as they host the Golden State Warriors.

Golden State stands at 5-23 straight up.

Portland stands at 11-16 straight up.

This meeting is a rematch of last year's Western Conference Finals, with the Warriors sweeping away the Blazers in 4 quick games.

Safe to say we definitely will not be seeing the Dubs back in the conference finals, let alone the playoffs for that matter and if the Blazers don't get hot in a hurry, they will likely be sitting this year's dance out.

Portland showed some resolve their last time out, edging the improved Phoenix Suns in Phoenix after getting spanked by the Nuggets in Denver the game prior. Portland's last home game saw them trample New York, 115-87, and there is no reason to think they won't do the same thing to Golden State tonight.

Steve Kerr's current crew is 3-13 away from home this season and they come into this mid-week road game having failed 6 of their last 9 against the spread.

The Warriors did beat the Blazers 127-118 in early November in their new arena in San Francisco, but they will not be able to duplicate that feat tonight.

I am calling for a Portland blowout tonight.

3* PORTLAND

[Can'tPickAWinner]

Cole Faxon

Dec 18 '19, 7:00 PM in 1h
NCAA-B | Richmond vs Old Dominion
Play on: OVER 128 -109

FREE PLAY on Richmond/Old Dominion over 128 -109

[Can'tPickAWinner]

Totals Guru

Dec 18 '19, 7:00 PM in 1h
NCAA-B | East Tennessee State vs LSU
Play on: UNDER 151½ -109

Free Total Annihilator On East Tennessee State vs LSU under 151½ -109

[Can'tPickAWinner]

Jack Jones

Dec 18 '19, 7:00 PM in 1h
NCAA-B | DePaul vs Cleveland State
Play on: DePaul -14½ -110 at betonline

Jack’s Free Pick Wednesday: DePaul -14.5
The DePaul Blue Demons are one of the most improved teams in the country. They have gone 10-1 this season with road wins over Iowa, Boston College and Minnesota. They also beat Texas Tech at home. I expect the Blue Demons to make easy work of the Cleveland State Vikings tonight.
DePaul finally got its wake up call with a predictable letdown loss to Buffalo at home following that upset win over Texas Tech. But the Blue Demons rebounded nicely with a 21-point win over Illinois-Chicago as a 15-point favorite last time out.
Cleveland State is in rebuilding mode this season. The Vikings are just 4-7 with their four wins coming against Edinboro, UNC-Wilmington, Eastern Kentucky and Robert Morris. They lost by 35 at Minnesota, giving them a common opponent with DePaul. They also lost by 46 to FIU, by 20 to Missouri State, by 27 to South Carolina, by 15 to Toledo, by 22 to Kent State and by 14 to Bowling Green. So, getting blown out is nothing new to them.
Cleveland State is 1-9 ATS in home games vs. good offensive teams scoring 77-plus points per game over the last three seasons. DePaul is 7-1 ATS in its last eight games overall. The Blue Demons are 11-4 ATS in their last 15 games as a road favorite. The Vikings are 13-28-1 ATS in their last 42 games vs. a team with wins more than 60% of their games. Bet DePaul Wednesday.

[Can'tPickAWinner]

Larry Ness

Dec 18 '19, 7:00 PM in 1h
NCAA-B | Tennessee vs Cincinnati
Play on: Tennessee -1½ -104 at pinnacle

My free play is on Tennessee at 7:00 ET.Tennessee lost 51-47 at home to then-No. 13 Memphis this past Saturday, as the Vols shot just 25 percent from the floor, the worst shooting performance in Rick Barnes' five years as Tennessee's head coach. It was the Vols' second loss of the season but 7-2 Tennessee dropped just two spots in the latest AP poll (from No. 19 to No. 21). The Vols are on the road tonight at Cincinnati, which suffered a stunning 67-66 loss to Colgate on its home floor (also on Saturday). The Bearcats, who are off a 28-7 season (while making their NINTH straight NCAA appearance), fell to 6-4.
Barnes led Tennessee to a 31-6 record last season and a berth in the Sweet 16 but the Volunteers graduated four starters, including SEC Player of the Year Grant Williams. Barnes has used the same lineup in all nine games and four of the starters are scoring in double figures. Senior guard Jordan Bowden (12.9 & 4.4) lead the way but is followed closely by senior PG Lamonte Turner (12.8. & 7.1 APG). Junior guard Yves Pons checks in at 11.9 & 5.8) and senior 6-9 forward John Fulkerson at 11. & 5.9. 6-6 freshman guard Josiah-Jordan James adds 7.0 PPG and a team-high 6.6 RPG. Defense is the team's strength, as the Vols are holding opponents to 55.3 PPG (5th) on 36.2% shooting (8th).
Mick Cronin has "taken his talents" to Westwood (UCLA), after a terrific 13-year run at Cincinnati. Taking over is John Brannen, who comes from No. Kentucky, where he won 20-plus games in each of the last three seasons, earning the Norse NCAA bids in 2017 and 2019. Senior guard Jarron Cumberland, was the 2019 American Athletic Conference Player of the Year, averaging 18.8-4.4-3.6 assists but he's had a troubled season, struggling with nagging injuries and with reports that he and Brannen are not "seeing eye-to-eye." He finished 2-for-8 from the floor for eight points against Colgate and is averaging 13.1 points, 5.5 less than last season, while shooting 33.7 percent from the floor, including 26.2 percent from 3-point range. Junior guard Keith Williams has moved past Cumberland as Cincinnati's leading scorer at 13.2 PPG, while adding 4.9 RPG. Jarron Cumberland's cousin Jaevin, a graduate transfer from Oakland, is averaging 11.5 PPG. Up front, it's the 7-1 Vogt (12.9 & 7.0) and the 6-8 Scott (8.3 & 9.3)
Tennessee's 51-47 defeat to Memphis on Saturday was especially painful, because it ended Tennessee's 31-game home winning streak, which had been the longest active run in the nation.Expect a bounce-back here from the Vols, as the Bearcats are currently a 'troubled' team. A Tennessee win would be 'sweet,' as it would be Barnes' 700th in a career that has spanned 33 seasons. I'll celebrate along with Barnes tonight with a play on the Vols.
Good luck...Larry

[Can'tPickAWinner]

Sal Michaels

Dec 18 '19, 7:05 PM in 1h
NBA | Hornets vs Cavs
Play on: Cavs -3 -105 at Bovada

Free Play on Cavs -3 -105

[Can'tPickAWinner]

Dustin Hawkins

Dec 18 '19, 7:05 PM in 1h
NBA | Hornets vs Cavs
Play on: Cavs -3 -103 at pinnacle

1 Dimer on Cavs -3 -103

[Can'tPickAWinner]

Dave Price

Dec 18 '19, 7:05 PM in 1h
NBA | Hornets vs Cavs
Play on: Cavs -3 -101 at pinnacle

Dave’s Wednesday Free Play:
1* on Cleveland Cavaliers -3
The Key: The Charlotte Hornets will be playing for a 2nd consecutive day and their 6th game in 9 days. They are coming off an upset win over the Kings last night at home and now are in a very difficult situation here traveling to Cleveland while running on fumes. The Hornets are 13-30 ATS when playing 8 or more games in 14 days over the last 3 years. Charlotte is 9-24 ATS after having won 4 or 5 of their last 6 games over the last 3 years. The Cavaliers are 12-4-1 ATS in the last 17 matchups. Take Cleveland.

[Can'tPickAWinner]

Mike Williams

Dec 18 '19, 7:05 PM in 1h
NHL | Ducks vs Devils
Play on: Ducks +110 at GTBets

1* on Ducks +110

[Can'tPickAWinner]

John Martin

Dec 18 '19, 8:05 PM in 2h
NBA | Pelicans vs Wolves
Play on: Wolves -7 +101 at pinnacle

1 Unit FREE PLAY on Minnesota Timberwolves -7
The Timberwolves have gone 0-7 SU & 0-7 ATS in their last seven games overall against a brutal schedule. They finally get a break in the schedule here and should take advantage. They have had four days off last playing on December 13th. And now they take on a New Orleans Pelicans team that has been even worse than them. The Pelicans are 0-13 SU & 1-11-1 ATS in their last 13 games overall. The Pelicans will be playing for a 2nd consecutive night after losing in overtime at home to Brooklyn last night. I expect their struggles to continue against the Timberwolves here. Minnesota is 7-1 ATS in the last eight meetings and 4-0 ATS in the last four home meetings. Give me the Timberwolves.

[Can'tPickAWinner]

Scott Rickenbach

Dec 18 '19, 8:35 PM in 2h
NHL | Oilers vs Blues
Play on: OVER 5½ -117

Scott "The Bulldog" Rickenbach NHL Rotation #27 Wednesday Free Pick OVER the total in St Louis Blues vs Edmonton Oilers @ 8:35 ET - The Blues are off a huge 5-2 win over the Avalanche. That was a big win for St Louis over a Colorado team that looks like one of the best in the league this season. Edmonton is off a tight 2-1 win at Dallas which was an upset win for the Oilers. Given the situation, don't be surprised if both teams see a little "let up" in their own zones in this game and that means we should see more goals allowed by each club in this one. Certainly there is a lot of firepower with each hockey club to warrant that expectation of more scoring here. Also, note that the last two meetings between the Blues and Oilers each totaled 7 or more goals. Edmonton had allowed 16 goals in their 3 games preceding the 2-1 win over the Stars. The over is 5-0 in the Blues last 5 games and 4 of the 5 games totaled 7 or more goals. The over is 3-1 this season in Edmonton's road games with a posted total of 5.5 goals. The over is 6-0 in the Blues last 6 games played on home ice. Look for another high-scoring barn-burner here. Free Pick OVER the total in St Louis

[Can'tPickAWinner]

Sean Murphy

Dec 18 '19, 9:05 PM in 3h
NBA | Magic vs Nuggets
Play on: Magic +9½ -105 at pinnacle

Wednesday NBA Free play. My selection is on Orlando plus the points over Denver at 9:05 pm et on Wednesday.
The Magic are in a tough spot here playing the second of back-to-back nights, in altitude no less, after suffering a close loss to the Jazz in Salt Lake City last night. I certainly feel that has been factored into this pointspread though. I'm anticipating another tightly-contested affair on Wednesday. Neither of these teams have been pushing the pace, with both sitting bottom-five in the league in pace rating over their last five games. As far as offensive rating, the difference between Orlando and Denver's results over that same stretch are negligible. I'm just not sure the Nuggets will ever be able to pull away and win this one by margin. Take Orlando (8*).

[Can'tPickAWinner]

Brandon Lee

Dec 18 '19, 11:00 PM in 5h
NCAA-B | Kentucky vs Utah
Play on: Utah +12 -115 at betonline

10* FREE NCAAB PICK (Utah +12)
No way I'm passing up a play on the Utes as a double-digit dog against the Wildcats. Kentucky comes in ranked No. 6 in the country and have won 6 straight, are a mere 2-5 ATS in their last 7 games. The books repeatedly inflate the line with the Wildcats and I think that's exactly what we are seeing here.
Outside of their big win over Michigan State in the opener, Kentucky really hasn't beat anyone of significance as the schedule has featured a bunch of cupcakes. While Utah does have a couple of head scratching losses, they also have some quality wins over the likes of Nevada, Minnesota and BYU.
I just don't think there's as big a gap between these two as this line would suggest. Not to mention the motivational edge for the Utes. Utah is going to bring it. Everyone wants to play their best against elite programs like Kentucky. As for the Wildcats, they could have a hard time not looking ahead to Saturday's highly anticipated showdown with No. 4 Ohio State.
Another thing to note with this matchup is that Kentucky really needs to get to the free throw line to make up for their awful shooting from outside (only averaging 4 made 3-pointers and shooting 29.4% from deep). Utah is 8th in the country in defensive free throw rate.
The only reason this isn't a premium play is there are some questions on whether or not Rylan Jones will suit up for Utah, but he's been practicing this week, so you have to believe he will be out there. Even if he doesn't pay I think Utah covers. With him they just might win outright. Take Utah!