11-18-11

[timbob]

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[Mr. IWS]

David Chan aka The Dragon (4-1 last night, +26 units !!!)

CFB- Toledo @ Central Michigan PICK:10* Central Mich +14.5 "SCORPION"
CFB- Oklahoma St @ Iowa St PICK: 10* Iowa St +25 "SUPER BLOWOUT"

[Mr. IWS]

LuckyDaySports

Friday's Comp Play

NCAAF
Oklahoma State/Iowa State OVER 68

[Mr. IWS]

NHL NEWS AND NOTES
Blackhawks-Flames Preview

Chicago Blackhawks at Calgary Flames (+120, 5.5)

With their power play finally coming around, the Chicago Blackhawks have been piling up goals in winning their last four games.

Last week in Chicago, the Calgary Flames managed to hold the Blackhawks to their lowest goal total of their streak but still found themselves on the wrong end of a lopsided score.

Chicago looks to continue its surge and recent dominance over the Flames on Friday night.

Despite being led by proven goal scorers Jonathan Toews, Patrick Kane, Marian Hossa and Patrick Sharp, the Blackhawks' power-play unit ranked last in the league Nov. 8, converting at 8.8 percent (5 for 57).

Since then, Chicago (12-4-3) has gone 6 for 14 with the extra man (42.9 percent) and has scored 21 goals in winning all four games.

"The last three or four games it's crawling, it's slowly coming back," left wing Andrew Brunette said after Chicago went 2 for 3 on the power play in Wednesday's 5-1 win over Vancouver.

Brunette and Kane had power-play goals against the Canucks, while Toews, Sharp and Steve Montador also scored for the Blackhawks, who were without defenseman Brent Seabrook due to a lower-body injury.

Toews has been leading the way during the winning streak, tallying five goals and three assists.

"We've been scoring a lot of goals lately, which is good, and hopefully we can keep it up," said Kane, who will turn 23 on Saturday.

Kane, tied with Hossa for the team lead with 21 points, had an empty-net goal in last Friday's 4-1 win over the Flames (7-9-1).

Calgary held the Blackhawks to 1 for 4 on their power play and three goals until four seconds remained, a minor victory considering what Chicago's offense has accomplished lately.

The Blackhawks improved to 15-4-0 against the Flames since 2008-09, which includes a first-round playoff series in 2009. Toews has again been instrumental to Chicago's success, with three goals and three assists in his last four games in the series.

Although the Blackhawks have routinely given the Flames trouble, they were outscored 10-3 in losing their two games in Calgary last season.

The Flames, however, haven't been enjoying much success at the Saddledome lately. They've been outscored 11-2 in losing their last three games there and are 2-4-1 in their last seven in Calgary.

One of the biggest reasons for those struggles is the Flames' home power play, which is a league-worst 2 for 40 (5.0 percent). In Tuesday's 3-1 home loss to Ottawa, Calgary went 0 for 6 with the man advantage.

"Your power play is normally your best players, and the best players got to produce on the power play," coach Brent Sutter said.

That obviously hasn't been the case, as captain Jarome Iginla has yet to score a power-play goal in nine home games.

Calgary's defense has also been a little shaky lately, yielding at least three goals in each of the last four games.

That doesn't bode well for facing the red-hot Blackhawks, who are 10-0-2 when scoring at least three goals.

Miikka Kiprusoff stopped 27 shots in Chicago last week and has posted a 3.84 goals-against average in losing his three starts in Calgary this month. He is 2-8-2 with a 4.02 GAA in regular-season games against the Blackhawks since 2008-09.

Chicago's Ray Emery got the start against the Flames last week and made 24 saves, improving to 3-1-1 with a 1.19 GAA lifetime versus Calgary.

Starter Corey Crawford, who has a 2.34 GAA in winning his last three starts, is 2-1-0 with a 2.68 GAA against Calgary in his career.

[Mr. IWS]

ICE PICKS

Friday's Best NHL Bets

Buffalo Sabres at Carolina Hurricanes (+120, 5.5)

Patience is running very thin in Carolina.

The Hurricanes have dropped seven of their last eight and were absolutely terrible in Wednesday’s listless 4-0 loss to Montreal. They were outshot 36-25, failed to convert on six power play attempts and even show any resistance until it was too late in the third period.

Eric Staal continues to struggle with just eight points on the season and didn’t look any better in his third game as a left winger, a strategy Paul Maurice is trying to take some heat off his captain.

Carolina now has more points than only the Islanders and woeful Blue Jackets and can’t afford this slide to continue much longer. Rumors are beginning to swirl.

"That was a very bad game," GM Jim Rutherford told reporters Wednesday. "I am looking at everything (but) no decisions have been made. I have a lot of ideas in my head but I have not come to any conclusions yet."

The Sabres are also coming off a bad loss, but we like their chances of bouncing back a lot more than Carolina’s.

PICK: Buffalo


Chicago Blackhawks at Calgary Flames (+120, 5.5)

Sometimes it’s better to start an extended road trip with stiff test and set the tone for the rest of the swing.

The Blackhawks jumped all over the Canucks in their first game of a six-contest road trip on Wednesday, pounding Vancouver 5-1. Captain Jonathan Toews scored and added a helper and Marian Hossa dished out three assists to help Chicago to its fourth straight victory.

“We just played much smarter,” Toews told reporters. “We did give up scoring chances, but not too many of them. ... When we did get in trouble, we were just being smart and not making it worse than it was.”

The Blackhawks were whistled for just three penalties all night long and that kind of discipline will serve them well moving forward. Calgary has won only once in the last four games and won’t be any match for the Hawks if they bring it again Friday.

PICK: Chicago

[Mr. IWS]

NCAA CBB NEWS AND NOTE
Winthrop-Marquette Preview

Winthrop Eagles vs. Marquette Golden Eagles (-18)

While Marquette's ultimate goal is to win the NCAA tournament, a Big East conference tournament title is also coveted.

At this point, however, Buzz Williams would simply like to win an in-season tournament, something his team has never accomplished since he took over the program.

Williams' 21st-ranked Golden Eagles look to take the first step toward reaching that goal Friday night when they face Winthrop in the Paradise Jam tournament.

Marquette (2-0) arrives in the Virgin Islands after easily defeating Norfolk State 99-68 in an opening-round game Monday at the Bradley Center. Jae Crowder led the way with 25 points and 10 rebounds, while Darius Johnson-Odom added 24 points for the Golden Eagles, who opened the season with last Friday's 91-37 win over Mount St. Mary's.

"We're not, as a team, worried about offensive things," Crowder said. "We can score in a lot of difference ways. We know that."

After the win over Norfolk State, Williams said his team "ran three plays out of 80-something possessions."

He believes that helps his team react better and will be beneficial down the road for an NCAA tournament run.

First, though, the fourth-year Marquette coach would like to see his team make a run in the Virgin Islands.

"We've never won a championship since we've been here," he said. "Haven't won one in the postseason in New York or the NCAA. Have not won a championship in any exempt event."

In Williams' first season, the Golden Eagles lost in the final game of the 2008 Chicago Invitational. In the 2009 Old Spice Classic, they lost to Florida State in the championship game. Last season, Marquette lost to top-ranked Duke in the semifinals of the CBE Classic.

To win that elusive championship, Williams will likely continue to lean heavily on Johnson-Odom and Crowder.

Through two games, Johnson-Odom has 40 points on 13 of 20 shooting (65.0 percent), while Crowder has 39 points -- hitting 15 of 24 from the floor (62.5 percent).

"We're going to play really good teams, really good players that have really good coaches while in the Virgin Islands, but as much as it should be about our opponent, more of it needs to be about us," Williams said. "Can we do what we've done in practice for five weeks, two scrimmages and our first two regular-season games? Can that transfer to we win three games in four days?"

This will be Marquette's second game against Winthrop after losing the first meeting 71-64 in 2005.

Marquette was unranked in that meeting, but Winthrop (0-2) has been outscored by an average of 32.8 points in losing four straight games to Top 25 opponents since a 76-70 win over No. 19 Miami in 2007.

Winthrop lost its Paradise Jam opening-round game to Virginia 69-48, although the game was much more competitive than the final score indicates. The score was tied at 44 with 9:37 remaining in the second half before the Cavaliers closed the game on a 25-4 run.

Senior guard Reggie Middleton had 16 points and Andre Jones added 12, but no other starter scored more than four.

"You know, I'm disappointed but very proud of my team," Winthrop coach Randy Peele said. "The bottom line is that with 10 minutes to go in the game I think the score was tied and we scored four points in the last 10 minutes of the game."

The winner of this game will face either Mississippi or Drake on Sunday.

[Mr. IWS]

COLLEGE FUNDS

Friday's Best NCAAB Bets

Winthrop Eagles vs. Marquette Golden Eagles (-18)

Early in the year, so coaches will try to hammer a system into his team, forcing it upon its players in hopes that it will eventually become second nature. You wouldn’t classify Marquette bench boss Buzz Williams as one of those coaches.

Marquette is coming off a 99-68 destruction of Norfolk State Monday night and Williams didn’t exactly run out of ink in his whiteboard marker.

"We're always pretty good toward the end of the year because we're not teaching our guys a play, we're teaching guys how to play," Williams told reporters. “We ran three plays out of 80-something possessions."

It’s probably a good tactic to help boost confidence, especially when this team isn’t going to struggle offensively anyway. Jae Crowder paced Marquette with 25 points and 10 boards.

The Golden Eagles now face off against Winthrop in their first game of the Paradise Jam Tournament in the U.S. Virgin Islands and should come out flying again.

PICK: Marquette -18


Davidson Wildcats at Duke Blue Devils (-18.5)

After notching his historic 903rd victory at Madison Square Garden, Mike Krzyzewski brings his Blue Devils back to Cameron Indoor Stadium. It was a great night for Coach K on Tuesday, but don’t expect any sort of letdown for Friday’s game.

Seth Curry and Andre Dawkins combined for 46 points and 10 rebounds in Duke’s 74-69 victory over Michigan State as a 7-point favorite.

Curry will be pivotal to Duke’s success this season as he has been handed the keys to the offense as the squad’s point guard again. He wasn’t ready for the role last season, but he’s saying all the right things this year.

“I need to be a vocal leader, to get my team in set plays, and kind of tell everybody where to go and have control of the system,” Curry told reporters. “I’ve been off the ball a lot and just worried about the scoring. Now I’m handling the ball and having everyone rely on me to get into the offense.”

We like Duke's makeup this year, but this line seems pretty inflated already.

PICK: Davidson +18.5

[Mr. IWS]

Oklahoma State at Iowa State: What Bettors Need To Know

Oklahoma State Cowboys at Iowa State Cyclones (+27, 67)

THE STORY: It’s starting to look like No. 2 Oklahoma State controls its own destiny in terms of getting to the BCS Championship Game. Of course, that’s always up for debate when talking about the BCS.

The Cowboys have a good cushion in the standings over third-ranked Alabama and, along with No. 1 LSU and No. 11 Houston, remain one of three unbeaten teams in the country. Oklahoma State still has a home game against fifth-ranked Oklahoma looming at the end of the schedule, but it must first get past pesky Iowa State on Friday night.

The Cowboys, off to their best start in school history, have won the last two meetings with the Cyclones, including a 34-8 victory in Ames in 2009.

TV: 8 p.m. ET, ESPN

LINE MOVES: Oklahoma State opened as low as -24 and was bet up to -27.5. The total opened as low as 66 and has risen to 67.5 points.

WEATHER: The forecast for Ames is calling for a chance of rain and winds blowing south at 9 mph. Game-time temperatures will dip into the low 40s.

ABOUT OKLAHOMA STATE (10-0, 7-0 Big 12, 8-2 ATS): Quarterback Brandon Weeden and wide receiver Justin Blackmon were named two of the 15 semifinalists for the Walter Camp Player of the Year Award this week after a 66-6 shellacking of Texas Tech on the road last weekend.

Weeden is now considered one of the frontrunners for the Heisman Trophy. The 28-year-old senior is third nationally in passing yardage and tied for second with 31 touchdowns - 14 of which have gone to Blackmon. In the victory over Texas Tech, the prolific duo connected for 102 yards and two scores.

ABOUT IOWA STATE (5-4, 2-4 Big 12, 4-5 ATS): Before their bye last weekend, the Cyclones reeled off consecutive victories at Texas Tech and against Kansas to get within striking distance of their second bowl berth during coach Paul Rhoads’ three years with the program. Iowa State has its work cut out for it to reach the six-win mark, though. After this home game against Oklahoma State, the Cyclones finish the season with road trips to No. 5 Oklahoma and No. 17 Kansas State.

EXTRA POINTS:

1. In the last 12 years, Oklahoma State is 10-2 in the game prior to playing rival Oklahoma.

2. The home team is 4-1 in the last five meetings between these schools, with an average margin of victory of 28 points.

3. Iowa State rushed for more than 250 yards in each of its past two wins, including 368 at Texas Tech.

TRENDS:

* Favorite is 6-0 ATS in their last six meetings.
* Home team is 4-1 ATS in their last five meetings.
* Cyclones are 2-6 ATS in their last eight conference games.
* Cowboys are 6-1 ATS in their last seven conference games.

PREDICTION: Oklahoma State 54, Iowa State 14. This Cowboys’ offense can’t be stopped, and they’ll move within one win of a likely appearance in the BCS title game.

[Mr. IWS]

BANG THE BOOK

Friday's Best NCAA CFB Bet

Oklahoma State Cowboys at Iowa State Cyclones (+27, 67)

The Oklahoma State Cowboys are just two games away from the BCS National Championship Game. If they can beat the NCAA football odds in this one against the Iowa State Cyclones on Friday night, they’ll be just one step away from the biggest game in school history.

The Pokes really have to be careful of complacency in this game. They are probably going to have their sights set on Bedlam in two weeks against the Oklahoma Sooners, and if they forget about the current task, they could find themselves in trouble even though they are clearly the better team. Remember, this is the same Iowa State team that went into Lubbock and smashed the Texas Tech Red Raiders, who beat the Sooners the week before. There really isn’t any stopping this offense for the most part. Averaging 565.3 yards per game is third in the nation, and the end result has been 51.7 points per game, second in the land. RB Joseph Randle has 993 rushing yards and 23 total touchdowns on the year, simply stunning numbers for just 10 games. WR Justin Blackmon needs seven receptions to reach the 100 barrier this year, and he has 1,142 yards and 14 TDs. But of course, there is QB Brandon Weeden, the Heisman Trophy candidate. He has 3,635 passing yards and a whopping 73.1 completion percentage, and he has 31 touchdown passes already on the year.

Iowa State has a 5-4 record this year, and that leaves it just one game from bowl eligibility with three to play. Easy, right? Well, maybe not so much… This is the final home game of the season, and the last two games are at the Oklahoma Sooners and Kansas State Wildcats. Needless to say, it’s an uphill battle from here for the Cyclones, though they have won back to back games to get back above the .500 mark. The defense has been challenged all year by the brutal Big XII, and this is no exception. Five teams have already scored at least 33 against ISU, and would surprise us if that number didn’t stretch to eight by the end of the year. The ‘D’ has allowed 29.8 points and 420.0 yards per game thus far. Offensively, the team’s leading touchdown producer, James White has seven scores, less than a third of Randle has accounted for. In fact, the entire offense for Iowa State the whole year has a grand total of 27 touchdowns, four fewer than Weeden has thrown.

Oklahoma State Cowboys @ Iowa State Cyclones Pick: There is just a little too much respect right now for the Cowboys. Asking a team to give up 27 points at the beginning of the game is just so much on the road in a conference game. Play on the Cyclones and don’t be surprised if this game ends up being a heck of a lot closer than this spread suggests.

PICK: Iowa State +27

[Mr. IWS]

Friday’s Betting Tips: Bettors Bank On OSU's Road Record

WHO'S HOT

NCAAF: Oklahoma State is 6-1 against the number in its last seven conference games.

NCAAF: Toledo is 4-0 against the spread in its last four versus a team with a losing record.

NCAAB: Winthrop is 12-5 against the number in its last 17 neutral site games.

NCAAB: The under is 19-7 in Marquette’s last 26.

NHL: Chicago has won eight of its last 10 versus Calgary.

WHO'S NOT

NCAAF: Central Michigan is 1-10 against the spread this season.

NCAAF: The over is 8-20 in Iowa State’s last 28 overall.

NCAAB: Xavier is 4-10-1 against the spread in its last 15 home games.

NCAAB: Duke is 1-4 against the spread in its last five home games.

NHL: Colorado is 6-20 in its last 26 home games.

KEY STAT

10 – The basketball Duke Blue Devils have won 38 consecutive games at home and have won 32 of those games by at least 10 points. They opened as 18.5-point favorites at home to Davidson.

INJURY THAT SHOULDN'T BE OVERLOOKED

Adam Burish, Dallas Stars – Burish is expected to be out for four weeks with a broken hand after he was hit with a shot. He was off to a good start with three goals and five assists to go along with 32 penalty minutes for the Stars. The good news is Dallas activated Steve Ott from the injured reserve and the pesky forward is expected to be in the lineup Friday against Colorado.

GAME OF THE DAY

Oklahoma State at Iowa State Cyclones (27, 67.5)

NOTABLE QUOTABLE

"There's no worse feeling than letting down your other 10 team members. Sometimes you feel worse for the player than the player feels for himself. These guys are trying their guts out to put points on the board and they were playing very, very well coming to the end of the day. It's just the way it played out, unfortunately for us." – International captain Greg Norman on trailing 4-2 to the United States at the President’s Cup.

TIPS AND NOTES

Oklahoma State is working on a ridiculous 20-6-1 run against the spread on the road heading into Friday’s game at Iowa State. The Cowboys have covered the number in all five of their visiting dates this season and almost 72 percent of Covers.com Consensus bettors are backing them as big 27-point favorites against the Cyclones.

Missouri football coach Gary Pinkel was arrested on suspicion of drunken driving on Wednesday night. The 11-year coach of the Tigers was pulled over for moving violations at approximately 10:15 p.m. in Columbia (Mo.) and jailed on suspicion. He was released from Boone County Jail after posting a $500 bond. The sheriff's department has video footage of the arrest, but will not air it until the investigation is completed, according to KMOU-TV. Missouri announced Thursday that Pinkel will miss Saturday's game against Texas Tech. The Tigers are set as 18-point home favorites.

Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Michael Vick missed his second consecutive day of practice, leaving his status uncertain for Sunday's game against the New York Giants. Vick played with two broken ribs in last week's stunning loss to the Arizona Cardinals. He was not on the practice field Thursday, though little has been said about his status. Backup Vince Young will likely get the start if Vick can't play. The 31-year-old Vick has thrown for 2,193 yards with 11 touchdowns and 11 interceptions. He has also run the ball 65 times for 535 yards.

Washington freshman quarterback Nick Montana will start his first career game against Oregon State on Saturday. Montana, son of Hall of Fame quarterback Joe Montana, will start in place of Keith Price, who is dealing with a knee injury. Montana entered in relief of Price in a loss to Southern California last week, going 9 of 15 for 73 yards with his first career touchdown pass.

[Mr. IWS]

DCI CFB

Week
Straight Up: 5-2 (.714)
ATS: 0-6 (.000)
ATS Vary Units: 0-27 (.000)
Over/Under: 5-1 (.833)
Over/Under Vary Units: 13-3 (.813)

Season
Straight Up: 867-302 (.742)
ATS: 313-325 (.491)
ATS Vary Units: 1716-1803 (.488)
Over/Under: 311-322 (.491)
Over/Under Vary Units: 782-817 (.489)

Friday, November 18, 2011
Big 12 Conference
Oklahoma State 50, IOWA STATE 21
Mid-American Conference
Toledo 55, CENTRAL MICHIGAN 38

[Mr. IWS]

DCI CBB

SEASON
Straight Up: 283-63 (.818)
ATS: 73-114 (.390)
ATS Vary Units: 326-579 (.360)
Over/Under: 96-93 (.508)
Over/Under Vary Units: 151-148 (.505)

2K SPORTS CLASSIC
at Madison Square Garden, New York, NY
ST. JOHN'S 69, Texas A&M 64 Championship
Arizona 79, Mississippi State 68
Lynchburg Subregional at Lynchburg, VA
Lehigh 74, William & Mary 72
LIBERTY 67, Eastern Kentucky 63
Valparaiso Subregional at Valparaiso, IN
Akron vs. VALPARAISO: TOO CLOSE TO CALL

AUTO OWNERS INSURANCE SPARTAN INVITATIONAL
Round Robin at campus sites
MICHIGAN STATE 74, Texas Southern 51
Ualr 64, EASTERN MICHIGAN 60
WISCONSIN-MILWAUKEE 78, Iupui 69

BERYL SHIPLEY CLASSIC
Round Robin at Lafayette, LA
Cal State Fullerton 74, Nicholls State 71
LOUISIANA-LAFAYETTE 85, Houston Baptist 66

CHARLESTON CLASSIC
at TD Arena, Charleston, SC
Lsu 67, Western Kentucky 64
Vcu 70, Georgia Tech 60
Championship Semifinals
Northwestern 67, Tulsa 65
Seton Hall 70, Saint Joseph's 63

CHICAGO INVITATIONAL CHALLENGE
at campus sites
BYU 101, Longwood 66

GLOBAL SPORTS SHOOTOUT
Round Robin at campus sites
OHIO STATE 85, Jackson State 45

PUERTO RICO TIP OFF
at Coliseo de Puerto Rico, San Juan, PR
Colorado 80, Maryland 76
Iona 79, Western Michigan 71
Championship Semifinals
Purdue 69, Temple 66
Wichita State 61, Alabama 60

SOUTHWEST SHOWCASE
at Verizon Arena, North Little Rock, AR
Arkansas 77, Houston 69

U.S. VIRGIN ISLANDS PARADISE JAM
1st Round at UVI Sports & Fitness Center, Charlotte Amalie, USVI
Drexel 73, Norfolk State 57
Marquette 81, Winthrop 56
Ole Miss 71, Drake 64
Virginia 67, Tcu 56

UTPA TOURNAMENT
Round Robin at Edinburgh, TX
Texas State 80, Toledo 66
USC Upstate 68, TEXAS-PAN AMERICAN 67

NON CONFERENCE
Boston College 77, Holy Cross 65
CHATTANOOGA 75, Kennesaw State 64
CLEVELAND STATE 74, St. Bonaventure 65
DUKE 89, Davidson 65
FORDHAM 70, Binghamton 64
GEORGIA STATE 69, McNeese State 66
INDIANA STATE 69, Ball State 59
JACKSONVILLE 71, Samford 56
New Mexico 69, ARIZONA STATE 64
NOTRE DAME 83, Delaware State 45
OKLAHOMA 79, Coppin State 64
Saint Peter's 70, FAIRLEIGH DICKINSON 54
Stanford 80, UC DAVIS 69
TULANE 75, Umes 60
UCF 74, High Point 57
VILLANOVA 76, Delaware 58
XAVIER 78, Miami (Ohio) 61
YOUNGSTOWN STATE 71, UC Riverside 68

[Mr. IWS]

Mighty Quinn

Mighty hit with the Broncos (+6) Thursday.

Friday it’s Toledo. The deficit is 2984 sirignanos.

[Mr. IWS]

Gamblers Data

Free Play Friday

Chicago Blackhawks -140

[Mr. IWS]

Football Crusher
Play of the Day:

Toledo + Central Mich UNDER 75