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The Consensus Group Guaranteed Selections
Date: Friday, March 27, 2009
$25.00 Guaranteed: Today we are featuring our 9000* NBA NON CONFERENCE PLAY OF THE YEAR! You can get this HUGE WINNER for only $25 GUARANTEED! ALL FIVE of our handicappers are on this game and ALL FIVE of them are making this game a BEST BET!! The Computer Simulator gives our team an 89% chance of covering the spread for us. We are currently on a 234-126 guaranteed run will all selections! 3/27/2009
9000* NBA NON CONFERENCE PLAY OF THE YEAR
852 Toronto -5 7:05 EST
The Nuggets will be gunning for their 7th win in 8 games tonight against Dallas. They have beaten the Mavericks in al 3 previous meetings this season and have averaged 101.7 PPG against them. Even without Nene (suspended) Denver still seems to have Dallas’ number . Dallas continues to lack the will to play tough defense against teams like Denver who can both run the floor and shoot well from the outside.
1.5-Unit Play. Take North Carolina (-8.5) over Gonzaga
Look, I like Gonzaga. They’re a nice little squad. But they aren’t going to be able to hang with the Tar Heels. Because when it comes right down to it, the Bulldogs are just a really good mid-major. They’re not a BCS team and they don’t have BCS talent. And although everyone wants to jump on the Bulldogs bandwagon, they aren’t a Cinderella anymore and they aren’t sneaking up on anyone.
This year UNC is 0-5 ATS as a favorite of less than 10 points. However, three of those games were without Ty Lawson and the other two were on the road in conference. Last year UNC was 11-5 ATS as a favorite of less than 10 points per game, so it’s not a full line indicator. North Carolina is 36-15 ATS in nonconference games, 8-3 ATS in neutral site games and 6-1 ATS in the NCAA Tournament. Gonzaga is just 1-7 ATS in nonconference games and 0-4 ATS in its last four tournament games. The Bulldogs looked awful against Akron and weren’t much better against Western Kentucky.
As far as matchups go, Gonzaga doesn’t have anyone to guard Tyler Hansbrough. They don’t. If Josh Heytvelt tries to guard Hansbrough he’s going to get into foul trouble and then Gonzaga is really screwed. I love Heytvelt, but he’s a soft four, not a center. The only other recourse Mark Few will have would be 7-5 Will Foster, but he averages about seven minutes per game and he can’t be counted on to stop a First Team All-American. And on top of that, UNC has Deon Thompson, Ed Davis, and Tyler Zeller to contribute quality minutes in the post.
So we’ve established that Gonzaga won’t stop UNC down low. That leaves the matchup of Ty Lawson, Wayne Ellington and Danny Green against Jeremy Pargo, Matt Bouldin, and Micah Downs. I’ll go ahead and give UNC the check mark there. North Carolina is healthy, they have had a few days to prepare and work Lawson back into the flow, they have a major experience advantage, and they are used to playing a high level of basketball at this level. I think that it’s easy to get suckered in by the points. But when UNC is on they are 15 points better than all but about 12-15 teams in the country. Gonzaga isn’t one of those teams.
2.5-Unit Play. Take Syracuse (+1) over Oklahoma
If I’ve said it once, I’ve said it 1,000 times: the NCAA Tournament is about guard play. And right now the Orange have the better guards. They have played as well as any team in the country over the last three weeks and they are really peaking at the right time. If this game turns into an up-and-down affair, and I think it will, then I think that has to favor the Orange. I understand that Blake Griffin is a dominator. But Syracuse’s 2-3 zone has neutralized great big men before. And with all the talk about OU’s guards and if they are up to the task, I think that they will be easily baited into jacking up threes. Austin Johnson is a bit banged up and I don’t see him staying with Johnny Flynn. And if the Orange shoot the ball nearly as well as they have over the last three weeks then they are going to be nearly impossible to stop. Blake Griffin dominated the Big 12 this year. But other than Cole Aldrich and some Texas big men, where are the quality post players in that league? Nebraska? Kansas State? Oklahoma State? Baylor? All of those teams run three- and four-guard sets with no big men. Syracuse has three quality post players and ultra-strong Paul Harris. That gives them 20 fouls and some guys to throw the ball into in order to keep the Griffin boys honest on defense. Further, just like Memphis, you can't point to the top teams that Oklahoma has beaten this year. Syracuse beat Kansas in Kansas City and they beat Memphis in Memphis. OU lost at Arkansas. I think that's significant and I think that the focused, determined Orange team (the one that has been ridiculously snubbed from the past two tournaments) is going to stay hot and advance here.
Teasers
1-Unit Play. Take Syracuse (+6) over Oklahoma AND Take North Carolina (-3.5) over Gonzaga
1-Unit Play. Take North Carolina (-3.5) over Gonzaga AND Take Louisville (-4) over Arizona
One of the worst teams in hockey heads to Detroit to play one of the best. The Islanders come to Detroit playing out the string but to their credit are still playing hard but just way short on talent, they face a Detroit team that is fighting with the Sharks for the top spot in the West. Detroit goalie Chris Osgood will get his first start since Mondays meltdown in Calgary where he gave up three goal's on just fourteen shots before getting pulled. This has happen twice to Osgood and the Red Wings in the last month when he gave up eight goals to Columbus then was given two games off and came back and held St.Louis to two goals and a week before that gave up eight goals to Nashville and then came back to shutout the Blues. My point being this is a perfect spot for Osgood and more importantly the Red Wings to shutdown a punch less Islanders team and give their goalie some confidence back. This Total is sky high at 6 and I know the Red Wings could name the score but I don't see the Islanders doing much offensively and with a total this high you need both teams to put the back in the net to get over. Good value here on the under.
5000 Units March Madness Game of the Year! Syracuse over Oklahoma (hit his march madness total of year last night)
50 Units Arizona/Louisville UNDER the total
50 Units Gonzaga plus the points over North Carolina
Play on Michigan State at 9:35 ET. Spartans HC Izzo has dominated lower seeded teams in his tenure at East Lansing, going 22-3 SU all time. With this short a number, that's all we need to know here. This is also a regular season rematch as the Spartans won 75-62 in East Lansing back on January 10th. They led the game 37-18 at the half. Kansas shot just 40% and was outrebounded by 11. That being said, they actually outshot Michigan State in the game, which is frightening if you're a Jayhawks fan. Both KU stars - Collins and Aldrich - played 36 minutes. No key contributor for Michigan State played more than 29. The Big 10's negative rap does not apply to Michigan State. Kansas is a team that has overacheived. The Spartans are the more veteran team. As a neutral court favorite of six points or less, they have covered six straight. They have also covered six straight vs. Big 12 teams.
100* Play North Carolina (-8.5) over Gonzaga (NCAA)
North Carolina is 16-0 SU in non-conference games this season
North Carolina is 11-0 SU when playing their 2nd game in 8 days
North Carolina is 12-1 SU coming off an UNDER the total
North Carolina is 28-4 SU when playing as a favorite this season
100* Play Kansas (+1.5) over Michigan State (NCAA)
Kansas is 8-0 SU when playing on a Friday
Kansas is 7-0 SU when revenging a loss vs. an opponent
Kansas is 6-0 SU after scoring 60 points or less
Kansas is 3-0 SU when playing as a neutral court underdog
100* Play Oklahoma (-1) over Syracuse (NCAA)
Oklahoma is 16-1 SU in non-conference games this season
Oklahoma is 14-2 SU coming off an OVER the total this season
Oklahoma is 22-3 SU when playing as a favorite this season
Oklahoma is 8-0 SU after allowing 65 points or less in two consecutive games
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