Date | Match Up | Rating | Score | Result | Profit | Lead Time | Analysis |
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03-07-22 | Knicks v. Kings -3 | Top | 131-115 | Loss | -115 | 17 h 21 m | Show |
My 9* PERFECT STORM is on the Sac Kings at 10:40 ET. The Knicks ended a seven-year postseason drought last year by going 41-31 but lost in the first round to the Atlanta Hawks, who made it all the way to the East Conference Finals. Expectations were high in Madison Square Garden to open the season but the Knicks visit Sacramento just 26-38, 5 1/2-games behind the Hawks, who currently hold the the No. seed (last of the 'play-in' teams). Most are aware of Sacramento's dilemma, as the Kings have missed the playoffs for 15 consecutive seasons. Things aren't looking good for Sacramento to snap that postseason drought this season, as the Kings are four games behind the No. 10 seed (Pelicans) plus first need to climb over Spurs and Blazers. The good news for New York is that after almost winning Friday at Phoenix (lost 115-114), the Knicks are coming off an impressive 116-93 win over the Los Angeles Clippers last night. The bad news? Sunday's game was the front half of a back-to-back that falls in the middle of a 12-day trip. The win snapped a seven-game losing streak and marked just New York's fourth win in its last 21 games! The Kings were 3.3 seconds away from a win on Saturday at Dallas, but Dorian Finney-Smith buried a three-pointer to give the Mavericks a 114-113 the victory. The loss clinched the Kings' NBA-record 16th straight season with a losing record, with one of the roughest patches in the schedule still to come. Starting Wednesday, Sacramento's next six games will be against the Denver Nuggets, Utah Jazz, Chicago Bulls, Milwaukee Bucks, Boston Celtics and Phoenix Suns. The Knicks have been led all season by PF Randle (19.6-10.0-5.2) and SF Barrett (19.0 & 5.8), while the Kings shook up their roster at the trade deadline. PG Fox (22.5 & 5.4 APG) and SF Barnes (17.2 & 6.0) are still around but have been joined by the 6-11 Sabonis. Sabonis has recorded double-doubles in NINE of his 10 games with Sacramento, including the last six. He's averaged 18.6-12.2-5.2 in that stretch. However, the Kings have gone 4-6 in those games. As I've noted often this season, the Kings don't lack talent, just wins. Undaunted, interim head coach Alvin Gentry stressed positives and one fixable issue after the heart-breaker in Dallas. "I thought we played great for most of the game," he insisted. "We have to do a better job of managing our turnovers." As noted, the schedule becomes VERY difficult starting Wednesday, so this is a great opportunity for Sacramento to pick up a win against a New York team that HAS to be at least a little bit fatigued by its current schedule. Lay the reasonable points. Good luck...Larry | |||||||
03-07-22 | Warriors v. Nuggets UNDER 223.5 | Top | 124-131 | Loss | -110 | 14 h 11 m | Show |
My 10* Western Conference O/U of the Month is on G St/Den Under at 9:10 ET. The Golden State Warriors opened 18-2 but cooled some, before winning NINE straight from Jan 21 thru Feb 7. Golden St was 41-13 on the morning of Feb 8 and the Suns were 40-13. However, the Warriors lost FOUR of five prior to the break and then returned to play with a win over the depleted Blazers However, they have lost FOUR in a row since. Doing the math and it's EIGHT losses in 10 games, as the Warriors have fallen EIGHT games behind Phoenix. The Warriors are tied with Memphis for the No. 2 seed and now the Jazz are within 2 1/2-games of Golden St and Memphis. The Nuggets outlasted New Orleans Sunday in OT, as Jokic had 30 of his 46 points after the third quarter and finished with 12 rebounds and 11 assists to notch his 17th triple-double of the season. Denver is 38-26 (No. 6 seed) and just ONE game behind Dallas (No. 5 seed) plus 2 1/2-games behind Utah (No. 4 seed). Denver's won the first two meetings this season against Golden St but that point seems moot. Why? Read along. Golden State has already announced that Curry, Klay Thompson, Andrew Wiggins, Andre Iguodala and Gary Payton Jr. won't play in Monday's game. Curry, Thompson and Wiggins will sit for rest while Iguodala (back) and Payton (knee) are nursing injuries. Obviously, that makes the Warriors severely short-handed BUT they do catch a scheduling break. The Nuggets are coming off an overtime win against New Orleans on Sunday night, host Golden St tonight and then travel to Sacramento for a game Wednesday night. That means Golden State catches them on the second night of back-to-back games. One more thing. Jokic (25.8-13.8-8.0) was rested Friday and there was talk he might not play Sunday. Is it possible the Nuggets will rest him here, off last night's Herculean effort in OT? Go U-N-D-E-R! Good luck...Larry | |||||||
03-07-22 | UL - Lafayette +3.5 v. Georgia State | Top | 71-80 | Loss | -110 | 10 h 39 m | Show |
My 9* Situational Stunner is on ULL at 7:00 ET. The Georgia State Panthers (17-10) face the Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns (16-14) Monday night in the Sun Belt Conference championship game from the Pensacola Bay Center. The Panthers topped ULL 65-58 in the regular-season finale at home and also won 68-64 in Lafayette back on Jan 27. The schools meet for the third time tonight, with the winner earning an NCAA automatic bid. Good luck...Larry | |||||||
03-07-22 | Furman +2.5 v. Chattanooga | Top | 63-64 | Win | 100 | 8 h 45 m | Show |
My Weekly Wipeout is on Furman at 7:00 ET. The 21-11 Furman Paladins and the 26-7 Chattanooga Mocs meet Monday in the Southern Conference championship game from US Cellular Center (Ashville, NC). The Paladins beat Samford on Sunday, while the Mocs Chattanooga are coming off a win over Wofford (also on Sunday).
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03-07-22 | Delaware +5.5 v. Towson | Top | 69-56 | Win | 100 | 9 h 49 m | Show |
My 10* Conference Tourney (CAA) Game of the Year is on Delaware at 6:00 ET. The Delaware Blue Hens and the Towson Tigers meet Monday in a CAA semifinal matchup from the Entertainment & Sports Arena in Washington DC. Delaware was limited to just 15 games last (7-8) but enters this game 20-12. Towson was an awful 4-14 last season but the Tigers rebounded to go 15-3 in CAA play (tied UNC-Wilmington for first place) and will take the court with a 25-7 record. All five starters were back this season for Delaware and SEVEN players chip in between 7.7 and 14.0 PPG. Nelson (14.0 & 5.1) leads a trio of guards in double digits, joined by Allen (12.1) and Anderson (10.9 & 3.6 APG). The 6-10 Painter (12.7 & 6.9) is joined up front by the 6-9 Carr (9.7 & 4.7) and 6-7 Davis (8.7 & 3.7). Similarly, Towson has SEVEN playing scoring between 6.5 and 14.3 PPG. It's a guard-oriented team with the 6-7 Thompson (10.9 & 6.7) being the best of a weak frontline group. However, Towson's perimeter game has served the team well, led by the duo of Timberlake (14.3 & 4.4) and Holden (13.6 & 8.7). Like so many conferences (outside of 'big-boy' status), the only path to the Big Dance is through a conference tourney title. Despite 25 wins, Towson is well aware there will be no at-large bid. Towson did beat Delaware twice (back-to-back games on Jan 24 and 27) but the Blue Hens own an advantage inside and can hold their own on the perimeter. No pressure here on Delaware that's my pick. Good luck...Larry | |||||||
03-06-22 | Raptors +5 v. Cavs | Top | 96-104 | Loss | -110 | 12 h 39 m | Show |
My 10* East Conf Game of the Month is on the Tor Raptors at 7:40 ET. The Toronto Raptors had won 50-plus games for FIVE consecutive seasons, before falling all the way to 27-45. As for the Cleveland Cavaliers, they entered this season having gone 60-159 (.274) the previous three seasons, after LBJ 'flew the coop' for the second time. The teams meet in Cleveland on Sunday with the 34-29 Raptors owning the No. 7 seed and the 36-27 Cavs holding onto the No. 6 seed, two games ahead of Toronto. Both teams are striving to avoid the play-in tournament, as they meet for the third time (of four) this season. Cleveland has won both meetings so far.
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03-06-22 | South Dakota +1 v. UMKC | Top | 74-61 | Win | 100 | 9 h 33 m | Show |
My 9* Situational Stunner is on South Dakota at 7:00 ET. The South Dakota Coyotes and UM Kansas City Roos meet Sunday in a Summit League quarterfinal contest from the Denny Sanford Premier Center in Sioux Falls. South Dakota St dominated the league by going 18-0, while 19-11 UMKC (12-6) finished ONE game better than 18-11 South Dakota (11-7) in league games. The difference being the Roos beating the Coyotes twice turning the regular season. South Dakota has four double digit scorers in guards Perrott-Hunt (15.0 & 4.2),Archambault (14.67 & 3.4) and Fuller (10.1). The 6-8 Kamateros (11.6 & 5,4) joins that guard trio, while the 6-7 Goodrick adds 7.2 PPG and a team-high 7.1 ROG. UMKC counters with four double-digit scorers of its own in guards Gilyard (16.9) and Nesbitt (12/2 & 6.6) plus SF Lamar (13.7 & 6.1) and the 6-9 Allick (13.1 & 6.3). There's not much difference between these two teams, as South Dakota averages 75.7 PPG to UMKC's 75.0, while UMKC shoots slightly better (48.1 to 46.6%). South Dakota enters on a 6-1 ATS run and UMKC on an 8-1 ATS run. No reason to expect the Roos to win for a THIRD straight time! Good luck...Larry | |||||||
03-06-22 | Boston University +3 v. Navy | Top | 80-85 | Loss | -115 | 6 h 15 m | Show |
My 10* Conf Tourney (Patriot League) Game of the Year is on Boston U at 4:00 ET. The Boston University Terriers and the Navy Midshipmen meet Sunday in conference tourney play (Patriot League) from Alumni Hall (Navy's home court). Three schools from the league have had 20-win seasons, Colgate, Navy and Boston U. Colgate is the regular season champs (16-2), Navy was second (12-6) and BU third (11-7). Navy won both regular season meetings between the two schools and will go a three-game sweep, with the advantage of being at home. The Terriers punched their ticket to the conference semifinals with a 76-64 win over Loyola-Maryland, as Javante McCoy (17.3) had 26 points on 11 of 14 shooting. Fellow guard Whyte (13.0 & 5.9) had 19 points and the 6-10 Mathon (15.1 & 10.3) added 17 & 12. Navy reached the semis with a 71-64 win over American. John Carter, Navy's lone double-digit scorer at 13.3 PPG, led the way with 21 points. Navy has six players averaging between 5.1 and 8.6 PPG but the team's other four starters combined for only 15 points in the win over American. Guard Summers (8.5 & 4.8) came off the bench to score 13 points but Navy's best frontcourt player, the 6-6 Nelson (8.6 & 4.5), had just TWO points and ONE rebound. Yes, Navy won both regular season meetings with Boston (AND is playing at home) but note that Navy is 3-7 ATS in its last 10 games overall and 1-7 ATS in its last eight home games. Boston University is 11-5-2 ATS in its last 18 road games and 7-3 ATS in its last 10 games against a team with a winning percentage above .600. BU's McCoy is just as good (maybe better) than Navy's Carter plus the Midshipmen have no one to match up with BU's 6-10 Mathon. No season sweep by Navy, even while playing at home. Boston's U's 'cry' is "We want Colgate!" Good luck...Larry | |||||||
03-06-22 | Suns v. Bucks -7 | Top | 122-132 | Win | 100 | 9 h 24 m | Show |
My 9* PERFECT STORM is on the Mil Bucks at 3:40 ET. The Phoenix Suns entered the All-Star break at 48-10 but had just lost Chris Paul for six-to-eight weeks. There was 'talk' that just maybe, the Suns couldn't hold on the West's best record. Then, Booker entered COVID protocols and things looked even worse. However, the Suns are 3-2 since the break and with Golden St 'folding' (Warriors have lost four straight and right of 10)) the Suns still own a 'healthy' EIGHT-game edge on the West's No. 2 (now Memphis, as Golden St has fallen 8 1/2-games off the pace). The Suns visit Milwaukee Sunday after for a rematch of last year's NBA Finals, when after taking the first two games, the Suns lost FOUR in a row. The Suns got some satisfaction by trouncing the Bucks 131-107 back on Feb 10 in Phoenix. Milwaukee will be looking for its fourth consecutive win. After dropping back-to-back games against the Philadelphia 76ers and Brooklyn Nets sandwiching the All-Star break, Milwaukee has won its past three following a 118-112 road win over the Bulls on Friday night. Miami leads the East, Philly is three back and Milwaukee and Chicago are 3 1/2-games back. The East will be a 'battle to the end,' as despite sitting just 25-25, Boston has won 13 of 15 since Jan 29 and is only 1 1/2-games back of the Bucks and Bulls (five behind the Heat).
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03-06-22 | Penn State v. Rutgers -5.5 | Top | 58-59 | Loss | -110 | 5 h 1 m | Show |
My 9* Las Vegas Insider is on Rutgers at 12:00 ET. The Nittany Lions won't be 'dancing' in their first year under coach Micah Shrewsberry, as after losing THREE of four, they'll head to Piscataway, NJ at just 12-15 (7-12 Big Ten) to take on Rutgers (17-12 / 11-8 Big Ten). Schools finishing 11 through 14 will have to play on the first day (Wednesday) of the Big Ten tournament in Indianapolis next month. The Nittany Lions enter today's game tied with Maryland for the 10th-seed (Terps are at Michigan St). In contrast, Rutgers has an outside chance at the No. 4 seed. It must beat Penn State but also have and have No. 23 Ohio State AND No. 24 Iowa lose their finales. Pickett (13.0-4.0-4.3) leads a trio of guards for Penn St, along with Sessoms (11.3) and Dread (6.1). The 6-6 Lundy (12.3 & 5.2) leads the way up front, along with the 6-9 Harrar (10.4 & 10.0) and the 6-9 Lee (7.7 & 6.3). Rutgers has a starting lineup consisting of four guards and the 6-11 Omoruyi (11.8 & 8.0). Baker (12.2 & 3.8 APG) entered the season with 101 starts on his resume and 6-6 guard Harper (15.8 & 6.1) can be a 'nightmare' matchup issue for many teams. Mulcahy (8.9-4.0 & 5.1) and McConnell (6.5 & 5.2) are the final two starters, while the 6-6 Hyatt (4.5 & 2.9) is the 6th-man. After a rough start to the season with three bad non-conference losses, Rutgers forced its way onto the NCAA Tournament bubble in February with FOUR straight wins over top-25 teams (Scarlet Knights own six Quadrant 1 wins). Penn State handled Rutgers 66-49 back on Jan 11 but that was in University Park Penn St is a sad 1-9 on the road, the worst mark in the Big Ten. Steve Pikiell came to Rutgers (from Stony Brook) for the 2016-17 season and his 2019-20 team won 20 games (NCAA tourney was canceled) and then got the Scarlet Knights into the "Big Dance" last season, winning a game before losing in the round of 32. Pikiell has made "The RAC" (Rutgers Athletic Center) a brutal venue for visiting teams. Rutgers is 13-3 at home this season and enters 41-9 (.820) at home the last two-plus seasons. I'm laying the points. Good luck...Larry | |||||||
03-05-22 | BYU +2.5 v. San Francisco | Top | 63-75 | Loss | -110 | 14 h 8 m | Show |
My 10* Conference Tourney (WCC) Game of the Year is on BYU at 10:30 ET. Mark Pope is in just his third season at BYU but has delivered a 44-15 two-year mark, including 20-7 last season. BYU got off to its best start under Pope, beating four NCAA Tournament teams from a season ago, Cleveland State, San Diego State, Oregon and Texas Southern. The Cougars did not begin the season ranked but moved to No. 18 in the AP poll, before rising to No. 12 (after the Utah win on Nov 27), the school's highest ranking that far into the season in 40 years. BYU was 17-4 through late-January but a four-game skid saw them fall to 17-8 and only 5-5 in WCC play). San Francisco's Todd Golden worked as an assistant under Kyle Smith and when Smith left for Washington St, took over as head coach. The Dons went 22-12 in his first season (2019-20) but last season's team, hurt by a 17-day stint away from the court due to COVID, finished just 11-14. However, the Dons are "back this year." The Dons opened 10-0 and finished the regular season 23-8 (10-6 in WCC). The teams split their two meetings this season, as the road team won each contest. They meet again Saturday in Paradise, Nv (adjacent to Las Vegas). BYU lost guard Averette (11.7 PPG / 2nd-leading scorer) and the 7-3 Haarms (11.3 & 5.0) but got the unexpected return of guard Barcello (16.1-4.7-4.2 LY). He leads in scoring at 17.2 PPG and fellow guard Lucas adds 10.7 PPG and 4.7 APG. The frontcourt features the 6-6 Traore (9.2 & 8.4), the 6-6 Knight (7.4 & 3.4) and the 6-8 Lohner (6.7 & 6.3). SEVEN San Francisco players have participated in all 31 games this season for the Dons. Guards Bouyea (17.0-5.0-4.1) is the top scorer, followed by the 6-9 Massalski (13.6 & 9.4), guard Shabazz (13.4) makes it three double digit scorers. The other four 31-game participants are guards Stefanni (9.7) and Rishwain (7.1) plus the 6-10 Tape (4.9 & 4.3) and the 6-8 Kunen (4.1 & 3.2). BYU had to play last night (SF had a bye) but the Cougars had little trouble dispatching Loyola Marymount 85-60. Barcello had 22 points, Traore 15 & 11 and Lohner 6 & 10. No doubt that these teams are pretty evenly matched, but I actually see it as advantage that BYU played last night and expect the Cougars to roll that positive 'mojo' over into tonight's contes. Good luck...Larry | |||||||
03-05-22 | St. John's v. Marquette -4 | Top | 77-85 | Win | 100 | 14 h 8 m | Show |
My 9* Las Vegas Insider is on Marquette at 9:00 ET. Saturday marks the first meeting of the season between Marquette and St John's, after the two teams' first contest scheduled for Dec 29 was canceled due to COVID-19 protocol.
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03-05-22 | Boise State +3.5 v. Colorado State | Top | 68-71 | Win | 100 | 14 h 44 m | Show |
My 9* Situational Stunner is on Boise St at 8:30 ET. The Boise St Broncos and Colorado St Rams meet Saturday at the Moby Arena in Fort Collins. It's the regular season finale for both schools. Bosie is 24-6 and at 15-2 in MWC play, has secured the No. 1 in the upcoming tourney. CSU is 23-4 overall, including 13-4 in MWC) play, giving them a half-game lead over SD St for the No. 2 seed. These schools met back on Feb 13 in Boise, with the Rams coming away with a 77-74 OT win.
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03-05-22 | Stanford v. Arizona State -6 | Top | 56-65 | Win | 100 | 5 h 35 m | Show |
My 9* Weekend Wipeout is on Arizona St at 3:00 ET. I'm looking at this Pac-12 game between Stanford (15-14 / 8-11) and Arizona St (13-16 / 9-10) and see teams heading in opposite directions. Stanford won the previous meeting 79-76 back on Jan 22 at Palo Alto and today's meeting is in Tempe, as both schools conclude the regular season,
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03-05-22 | Miami-FL v. Syracuse -1 | Top | 75-72 | Loss | -105 | 6 h 27 m | Show |
My 9* ACC Game of the Month is on Syracuse at 1:00 ET. It's the regular-season finale for both the Miami Hurricanes (21-9, 13-6 ACC) and the Syracuse Orange (15-15, 9-10). Miami escaped with an 88-87 home win over Syracuse in their previous meeting on Jan 5 and the 'Canes take a 9-2 road record into today's contest. Only Boise St, Duke, Southern California, Wisconsin, VCU and Davidson join Miami with at least nine road wins and two or fewer losses. Meanwhile, after a Sweet 16 run last season, Syracuse is just a .500 team in the current season (11-4 at home). The game will be decided by which team's starting-five plays better. Miami head coach Jim Larranaga has led the Hurricanes to seven, 20-win seasons in his 11 years, to all three of the school's 25-win seasons and to two of the school's three Sweet 16 appearances. By the way, I could also throw in him leading unheralded George Mason to a Final 4 appearance back in 2006. The 'Canes came into the season off an 'ugly 10-17 season (4-15 in the ACC) last year but have 'righted the ship.' Miami is led by the guard trio of McGusty (17.4 & 4.9), Wong (15.5 & 4.3) and Moore (12.5 & 4.2 APG). Miller is a fourth guard and adds 9.3 & 5.8. Miami's lone big man of note is the 6-10 Waardenburg (8.8 & 4.1). Jim Boeheim is in his 46th season as a head coach and is coming off another Sweet 16 run in last year's "Big Dance" (The Orange finished 18-10). However, it's been 'tough sledding' for the Orange this season. Boeheim relies wholly on his starting five, with son Buddy averaging 19.0 PPG. His backcourt partner Girard (13.3 & 4.2 APG) returned at PG from last season. However, two key transfers have made major impacts. Swider, a 6-9 transfer from Villanova, is averaging 13.7 & 6.6 plus Boeheim's oldest son Jimmy (a 6-8 graduate transfer from Cornell), is adding 13.3 & 6.1. The 6-11 Edwards returns up front and chips in 12.0 & 6.1. Depth has been an issue all season, but that's the case with Miami as well. Miami's headed to the "Big Dance" but the only way Syracuse makes it is to win the ACC tourney. However, the motivation here is all on the side of The Orange, as it is the team's final home game and the team can't possibly forget losing at Miami (by ONE point!), after leading by 18 points in the first half! The 'Cuse rolls! Good luck...Larry | |||||||
03-04-22 | Southern Illinois +3.5 v. Drake | Top | 52-65 | Loss | -105 | 12 h 55 m | Show |
My 10* Conference Tourney (MVC) Game of the Year is on Southern Illinois at 9:30 ET. The Southern Illinois Salukis are 16-14 (9-9 MVC) and the Drake Bulldogs are 22-9 (13-5 MVC) as the two schools get set to meet Friday. The Missouri Valley Tournament is known as "Arch Madness," as it's held in St Louis. The two schools have met twice during the regular season but while Drake won both n]meetings, the Bulldogs had their hands full with the Salukis. Southern Illinois has had its ups and downs this season, including a 3-8 run in January/February. However, the Salukis had won four straight before losing their season finale to Drake, The 6-6 Domask (15.0 & 5.1) is the team's best player, joined by guards Jones (14.7), Coupet (11.1 & 4.7) and Verplancken (6.8). no other player averages as much as 5 PPG. Drake's Darian DeVries is in his fourth season in Des Moines (70-29 his first three) and you may remember Drake opening 18-0 last season. However, the Bulldogs lost in the MVC tourney (Arch Madness) but the Bulldogs still went 'dancing,' earning the first at-large bid in program history (Drake also finished at 26-5). Head coach DeVries had the inside track on recruiting his son Tucker (Gatorade POY in Iowa) and he has delivered by leading the team in scoring at 13.6 PPG. Three more guards join him in the starting lineup, the 6-3 Sturtz (11.0 PPG and a team-high 7.5 RPG), Penn (10.6) and Wilkins (10.3). The 6-6 Hemphill (9.8 & 5.3), the 6-6 Murphy (8.8 & 5.) and the 6-10 Brodie (6.3 & 4,6) are the frontcourt contributors. There is no doubt that Drake is the better team but the Bulldogs won just 60-59 at SIU on Jan 17 and then only beat the Salukis 62-60 at home in the season finale for both teams (Feb 26). There will be no at-large bid this season for Drake, so all the pressure is on them to win this tourney. My bet is that Drake could very well lose right here. Take the points! Good luck...Larry | |||||||
03-04-22 | Hawks v. Wizards +4 | Top | 117-114 | Win | 100 | 11 h 56 m | Show |
My 10* Division Game of the Year (Southeast) is on the Was Wizards at 7:10 ET. The 30-32 Atlanta Hawks are currently tied with Charlotte for the No. 9 spot in the East's playoff race but the 28-33 Washington Wizards are just 1 1/2-games behind the two teams, looking to sneak into the 'play-in' round by earning the No. 10 seed. The teams have split the first two meetings this season, each winning on their home court. Atlanta put together a strong second half on Thursday to beat the Chicago Bulls 130-124. The Hawks scored 40 points in the fourth quarter and used a late 11-0 run to erase a nine-point fourth-quarter deficit. Trae Young scored 39 points. Young had sprained his left ankle against Boston on Tuesday and had been a game-time decision because of the injury. How about here? Young (28.1 & 9.3 APG) leads the way but PF John Collins (16.8 & 7.9) has not played since Feb 11 and will likely miss again here. However, Atlanta's depth is impressive with FIVE more double digit scorers. Bogdanovic (14.0 & 3.9), Hunter (12.6), Huerter (11.7), Gallinari (10.8 & 4.6) and center Capela (10.6 & 12.1) make for a very solid group. Washington hasn't played since Tuesday when it defeated the Detroit Pistons 116-113 to open a three-game homestand. The Wizards are trying to make a playoff run despite the absence of Bradley Beal (23.2) to season-ending left wrist surgery. Then there is Kristaps Porzingis and his right knee bruise. Porzingis has not played since being acquired in a trade with Dallas at the Feb. 10 deadline. The Wizards are led by Kyle Kuzma (17.0 & 8.8), who has a career-high 23 double-doubles this season and posted his first career triple-double on Feb 10 against Brooklyn. Kentavious Caldwell-Pope is averaging 11.9 PPG and undersized center Gafford (9.1 & 6.0) has been quietly effective. Also note that with Harrell gone in a trade, the 6-8 Hachimura has scored in double digits in SIX of his last games (11.4 PPG). Atlanta almost "gave one way" last night but saved itself with that late 11-0. It's hard to trust them away from (especially laying points), as the Hawks are only 11-19 on the road this season. Washington has won EIGHT of its last 11 meetings against the Hawks at Capital One Arena dating back to 2016. The Wizards beat Atlanta 122-111 on Oct 28 in Washington and the well-rested Wizards catch the Hawks in the second of a back-to-back. Take the home dog. Good luck...Larry | |||||||
03-04-22 | Buffalo v. Kent State -2.5 | Top | 65-70 | Win | 100 | 9 h 7 m | Show |
My 9* Weekly Wipeout is on Kent St at 6:00 ET. The Buffalo Bulls and Kent State Golden Flashes meet Friday at the M.A.C. Center in Kent, Oh. Both schools come in playing VERY well, as Buffalo had won NINE straight before losing its last game 92-76 to Toledo (Bulls have won 13 of their last 16). Meanwhile, Kent comes in having won 11 straight (8-2-1 ATS) since falling Jan 21 at Buffalo (64-51). This is the final game of the regular season. Kent St is 15-4 is just one game behind 1st-place Toledo but the Rockets are home to Bowling Green (13-17 / 6-12). Jim Whitesell is in his 27th season as a head coach, including his THIRD at Buffalo. He was named the head coach at Buffalo in April of 2019, filling the void left by Nate Oats when he resigned to take the head coach job at Alabama. The Bulls returned four starters from last season's 16-9 team and this year's team will be one of eight MAC schools (12-team league) heading to Cleveland for the MAC tourney (opens a week from Thursday). Buffalo's starting-five is very good. 6-5 SF Williams (19.2 & 5.0) is joined in the frontcourt by the 6-7 Mballo (13.6 & 8.8) and the 6-10 Skogman (8.1 & 6.4). PG Segu (15.3 & 5.3) is joined in the backcourt by Jack (9.7 & 4.6). Brewton (5.5) adds depth in the backcourt and the 6-8 Fagan (4.1 & 4.3 in the frontcourt. Rob Senderoff is in his 11th season at Kent and at 20-9 so far, has led the Golden Flashes to 20 wins SEVEN times. Guards Carry (18.7-4.5-4.7) and Jacobs (11.9 & 7.6) are the team's top scorers. Five more players average between 5.2 and 8.7 PPG. This is a guard-oriented team, as fellow guards Garcia and Santiago each average 8.7 points. The 6-11 Hamilton (8.3 & 6.50 is the top frontcourt player. Buffalo's nine-game winning streak ended with a THUD, falling 92-76 at home vs Toledo. Now, the Bulls meet the revenge-minded Golden Flashes on their home court, who have at least an outside chance at tying Toledo for 1st in the MAC. The Golden Flashes have won 11 straight since that loss at Buffalo, going 8-0-1 ATS before falling to cover their last two, laying big points. No real impost to worry about here. Make it an even DOZEN straight wins on Friday night. Good luck...Larry | |||||||
03-04-22 | High Point v. Winthrop -6.5 | Top | 51-68 | Win | 100 | 8 h 26 m | Show |
My 9* Situational Stunner is on Winthrop at 6:00 ET. The Big South tourney continues on Friday from Bojangles Coliseum in Charlotte, when the High Point Panthers (No. 7 seed) will meet the Winthrop Eagles (No. 2 seed) in the quarterfinals. The Panthers (now 14-17) were able to advance to the quarterfinals after defeating the 10-seed Hampton Pirates, 84-77 in OT on Wednesday. The Eagles finished their regular season with an overall record of 21-8 and earned the 2-seed after finishing conference play with a 14-2 record (Longwood led the Big South with a 15-1 conference record). High Point's head coach is Tubby Smith, who returned to coach his alma mater. This marks his 31st season as a head coach but entered this season just 34-53 in his first three seasons at High Point. The Panthers are led by an excellent trio consisting of guards Wright (18.5-4.3-3,4) and House (11.8 & 4.2) plus 6-5 SF Austin (14.5 & 7.8). Austin was terrific vs Hampton (24 & 16), while House added 19. That said, High Point needed OT to beat a Hampton team that finished its season just 9-19. Winthrop entered this season having averaged 21.8 wins over the previous eight seasons, including a 23-2 season last year. Mark Prosser is in his first year as the school's head coach but had previously worked at Winthrop as an assistant. The 6-9 Burns (15.3 & 4.6), the 6-7 Hightower (11.5 & 5.6) and guard Good (11.) lead the way. The 6-7 Talford (8.8 & 4.7) and guard Anumba (7.4 & 3.8) are both regular contributors, while four more guards combine to chip in 21 PPG. Winthrop comes in having won 15 of its last 17 games (since Dec 31) and has run off EIGHT straight wins since losing 92-88 at Longwood (see above) on Jan 29. The ONLY other loss in the team's last 17 games came in a 65-56 loss at High Point. Winthrop WILL remember and this efficient offensive team (48.9% shooting ranks 8th in the nation) has too much firepower here for Tubby's team. Lay it! Good luck...Larry | |||||||
03-03-22 | Lakers +2.5 v. Clippers | Top | 111-132 | Loss | -105 | 12 h 7 m | Show |
My 10* 'Battle 4 LA' is on the LA Lakers at 10:10 ET. The Lakers and Clippers meet for the fourth time this season Thursday night. The Lakers have lost three straight (six of their last seven), while the Clippers have won four straight (six of their last seven). The Clippers are stuck in limbo until Paul George and Kawhi Leonard return, while after standing pat at the deadline AND losing Anthony Davis (ankle) for at least a month, LBJ may have trouble even keeping the Lakers in the play-in tournament James has missed 17 games with a number of ailments and has been playing through left-knee soreness. That said, he's averaging 28.9-8.0-6.3. Westbrook's numbers look good (18.1-7.7-7.3) but as all know, he has NOT fit in as well as the Lakers had hoped (how's that for an understatement?). Vet Anthony (13.6 & 4.2) has been steady all season off the bench plus guards Monk (12.7) and Horton-Tucker (9.5) have been valuable contributors in the backcourt. The Clippers have played without star Kawhi Leonard all season and have been without Paul George (24.7-7.1-5.5) since before Christmas. More bad luck came when Powell, who averaged 21.0 PPG in three games for the Clippers (he was acquired in a trade), was lost to a broken bone in his foot. PG Jackson (16.7-3.6-4.6), guards Kennard (11.6) and Mann (10.6) plus center Zubac (9.9 & 8.2) have been the steadiest contributors. According to LBJ, the Lakers have not lost confidence. "Obviously, at the end of the day we've got to come in here and win ball games and we got to play better," he said. "But as long as we got more games to play, we still have a chance. So that's my confidence. I hate losing." The Clippers have won all three of their previous meetings with Lakers this season but look at the final scores; 119-115, 111-100 and 105-102. FOURTH time IS the charm for the Lakers Take whatever points offered! Good luck...Larry | |||||||
03-03-22 | Iowa +2 v. Michigan | Top | 82-71 | Win | 100 | 11 h 19 m | Show |
My 9* Situational Stunner is on Iowa at 9:00 ET. The Big Ten features five top-25 schools (tied for most with the SEC) and No. 24 Iowa (21-8 / 11-7 Big Ten) is on the road tonight in Ann Arbor to take on Michigan, arguably the Big Ten's biggest disappointment. The Wolverines were ranked No. 6 in the preseason poll but enter this game 16-12 (10-8 Big Ten) and with a suspended head coach in Juwan Howard. Fran McCaffrey is in his 12th season at Iowa City and he's delivered seven, 20-win seasons in his first 11 (now 8 in 12). The 6-8 Murray twins (Keegan and Kris) were freshmen last season at Iowa. Keegan gained playing time as the year wound down but Kris was lost in the shuffle. This season, Keegan leads the team in scoring (23.3) and rebounding (8.6) while his brother Kris chips in 9.9 & 4.5. Returning players like the 6-9 Patrick McCaffrey (10.7 & 3.8) and guard Bohannon (11.0) have both played well. The 6-9 Rebraca (6.0 & 5.8), guards Perkins (6.6 )and Toussaint (4.6-3.6 APG) plus 6-7 freshman Sandfort (4.8) round out a deep group. To say the least, Juwan Howard's season has NOT gone as planned (Wolverines were 23-5 last year). Howard is currently serving a five-game suspension for his role in a postgame skirmish at Wisconsin on Feb 20, with Phil Martelli stepping in as the acting head coach. Michigan's starting-five includes 7-1 center Dickinson (18.3 & 8.4) and the 6-11 Diabate (9.2 & 5.5) up front, plus a trio of guards. Brooks (11.9) and Houstan (10.9 & 4.1) score in double digits, while PG Jones (10.1-4.9-4.5) runs the offense. The two most reliable reserves are forwards Williams and Johns, but they combine for the modest totals of 8.0 PPG and 4.6. Michigan has won two of three without Howard, including an 87-70 rout Tuesday over Michigan State, as leading scorer Hunter Dickinson scored a career-high 33 points. That likely kept the Wolverines on the right side of the NCAA bubble. However, few better teams have played than Iowa over the past month. The Hawkeyes have won four in a row and seven of eight games. The lone blemish in that stretch was a 84-79 home loss to Michigan on Feb 17. Iowa shot just 4 of 18 from three-point range in that game plus the Hawkeyes couldn't stop Michigan freshman Moussa Diabate, who scored a season-high 28 points. Considering that Iowa averages 83.7 PPG (5th-best in the nation), don't expect them to shoot that poorly again and as for Diabate, he averages only 9.2 PPG on the season (his effort at Iowa was 19 points higher than his average). Iowa gets its revenge, as the Hawkeyes have no margin for error in earning the No. 4 seed for the Big Ten tourney (tied at 11-7 with Ohio St), that comes with a double-bye. Good luck...Larry | |||||||
03-03-22 | Bulls v. Hawks +5 | Top | 124-130 | Win | 100 | 11 h 54 m | Show |
My 9* PERFECT STORM is on the Atl Hawks at 7:10 ET. The Chicago Bulls were 31-41 last season, missing the postseason for the FOURTH consecutive year but have reinvented themselves as a threat in the Eastern Conference this season. However, coming off back-to-back losses, the 39-23 Bulls have fallen 1 1/2-games back of 41-22 Miami (current No. 1 seed). Atlanta finished last season strong (41-31 regular season record) and then beat the Knicks and 76ers, before losing to the Bucks, the eventual NBA champs, in the Eastern Conference finals. However, it's been a struggle for the Hawks this season, as they welcome Chicago to Atlanta just 29-32. The Hawks own the No. 10 seed (last to get into the 'play-in' round) but they are just ONE ahead of the Wizards. Chicago's DeMar DeRozan (28.2-5.3-5.0) and Atlanta's Trae Young (27.9 & 9.3 APG), two of the NBA's top scorers, will be in the spotlight on Thursday night when the Bulls try to sweep the season series on their final trip to Atlanta. The Bulls have won the first three meetings against the Hawks, including 112-108 on Feb 24 in Chicago. LaVine (24.5-5.3-5.0) joins DeRozan for a potent 1-2 'punch,' while center Vucevic (17.9 & 11.6) is averaging a double-double on the season. PG Ball (13.0-5.4-5.1) is out until late-March and while he's missed, guards White (13.8) and rookie Dosunmu (8.2) have stepped up. The Hawks got a scare on Tuesday when Young sprained his left ankle after Boston's Marcus Smart slid into him and earned a Flagrant 1 in the first quarter. Young returned midway in the second quarter and produced 31 points in 37 minutes. He said the ankle stiffened through the game, but did not foresee a long-term issue. PF John Collins (16.8 & 7.9) has played since Feb 11 and will likely miss again here. However, Atlanta's depth is impressive with FIVE more double digit scorers. Bogdanovic (13.9), Hunter (12.5), Huerter (11.6), Gallinari (10.8 & 4.6) and center Capela (10.6 & 12.1) make for a very solid group. DeRozan is averaging 30.7 points, 7.0 assists and is shooting 62.7 percent from the floor against the Hawks this season, while Young is averaging 30 points and 10 assists against the Bulls. I'd call that a 'push!' Hawks head coach Nate McMillan recently told reporters. "We're still in the race, but we have to be better to finish the season and play ourselves into it." Well, it's time to step up NOW! I'm taking the points and calling for a SU win by the Hawks. Good luck...Larry | |||||||
03-03-22 | Detroit v. Northern Kentucky -3.5 | Top | 59-77 | Win | 100 | 12 h 10 m | Show |
My 10* Conf Tourney (Horizon) Game of the Year is on No. Kentucky at 7:00 ET The Detroit Titans and the Northern Kentucky Norse meet Thursday in Horizon League Tournament college action from BB&T Arena the Norse's home court). Mike Davis took over at Detroit for the 2018-19 season and inherited a mess (school was off B2B eight-win seasons). His Titans were just 31-53 in his first three seasons but this team has improved slightly (currently 14-14). Darrin Horn took over at Northern Ky when John Brannen left for Cincinnati. His first team went 23-9 but the Norse fell to 14-11 in his second. This year's team is 18-11, including 14-6 in league (finished just a half-game behind regular season leaders Cleve St and PFW.
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03-02-22 | Connecticut -4 v. Creighton | Top | 62-64 | Loss | -110 | 13 h 5 m | Show |
My 9* Las Vegas Insider is on UConn at 8:30 ET. No. 18 UConn (21-7, 12-5 Big East) will visit Omaha tonight to take on Creighton (19-9, 11-6). Both teams look to bolster their potential seeding in the upcoming Big East Tournament (both schools are likely at-large NCAA tournament teams).The Huskies have won five in a row for the third time this season and are coming off victories over Villanova and Georgetown. Creighton is coming off an ugly 72-51 loss at then-No. 11 Providence that snapped a six-game winning streak.
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03-02-22 | Presbyterian v. Campbell -2 | Top | 72-75 | Win | 100 | 13 h 60 m | Show |
My 10* Conf Tourney (Big South) Game of the Year is on Campbell at 8:00 ET. The Presbyterian Blue Hose and the Campbell Camels meet in Big South tourney action from the Bojangles Coliseum in Charlotte. Both schools returned all five starters from the previous season but Presbyterian comes into the conference tournament as the #11 seed, finishing with a record of 12-19 including 4-12 in conference play and Campbell comes in as the #6 seed, with a record of 15-12 including 8-8 in conference games. Presbyterian has SEVEN players who have played 30 or 31 games (team has played 31), led by guard Harrison (17.0) and the 6-7 Hill (11.9 & 6.4). Campbell has SIX players getting 24-plus minutes while averaging between 7.0 and 14.1 PPG. That group includes five guards plus the 6-8 Carralero (9.3 & 5.3). The Camels have three guards scoring in double digits, led by Henderson (14.1 & 5.6) and followed by Whitfield (11.0) plus Clemons (10.1 & 5.1). The Camels were expected to be better than 15-12 but the Blue Hose have really underachieved, at 12-19 and 4-12 in conference play. Campbell IS the better team and is playing with revenge, having lost 64-58 at Presbyterian in the teams lone meeting of the regular season. Campbell "gets it right" here, on a neutral court. Good luck...Larry | |||||||
03-02-22 | Hornets +3.5 v. Cavs | Top | 119-98 | Win | 100 | 10 h 20 m | Show |
My 10* PERFECT STORM is on the Cha Hornets at 7:10 ET. The Charlotte Hornet lost NINE of 10 prior to the break and after a 125-93 victory in the first game coming off the break, have lost two in a row. Charlotte is now just 30-33. That gives them the No. 9 seed in the East but just ONE game ahead of the No. 11 seed, which is the "last team left out" of the play-in round. Charlotte was 33-39 last season (but lost its first game in the 'play in' round. The Cleveland Cavaliers entered this season having gone 60-159 (.274) the last three seasons, after LBJ 'flew the coop' for the second time, this time to Hollywood, instead of South Beach. However, the Cavs have EASILY been one of the NBA's biggest surprise teams this season with a 36-25 record (No. 5 seed) That said, the Cavs have lost FOUR of their last five contests heading into Wednesday night's home game against the Hornets. The Hornets have FIVE players averaging 16 points or more. PG Ball (19.9-5.4-7.) is followed by Bridges (19.9 & 5.2), Rozier (19.0-4.3-4.4), Oubre (16.3 & 4.2) and Hayward (16.1 & 4.6). Hayward is sidelined with an ankle injury but the newly acquired PF Harrell has averaged 14.6 & 7.0 in his seven games with the team. Cleveland lost Sexton (16.0 PPG) for the season to a knee injury early on and then vet PG Rubio (13.1-4.1-6.6) went down with a knee injury as well after 34 games (he's also done for the year). PG Darius Garland (20.3 & 8.0 APG) has a bone bruise in lower back and is listed as day-to-day. Caris LeVert (13.3), who has a sprained foot, and Rajon Rondo (sprained big toe) remain unavailable. Center Allen (16.2 & 11.0), rookie Mobley (14.8 & 8.2) and Markkanen (13.9 & 5.3) do give the Cavs an edge inside. Both teams have current issues but I will note that the Hornets are 9-3-1 ATS in their last 13 road games. Good luck...Larry | |||||||
03-02-22 | Middle Tennessee v. Charlotte +2.5 | Top | 56-60 | Win | 100 | 12 h 30 m | Show |
My 9* Situational Stunner is on Charlotte at 7:00 ET. The Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders and the Charlotte 49ers meet Wednesday C-USE play from Halton Arena in Charlotte. Middle Tennessee has rebounded from a 5-18 season (3-13 C-USA) to 22-7 so far this year, leading the East Division at 13-3. Charlotte is 15-13 on the season, including 8-8 in league games.
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03-01-22 | Arizona -4.5 v. USC | Top | 91-71 | Win | 100 | 14 h 43 m | Show |
NOTE: I made a slip of the mouse and selected Arizona. instead of USC. The play is on the Trojans. My 10* Conf Game of the Month (Pac 12) is on USC at 11:00 ET. The top-six AP teams all lost last Saturday. No. 1 Gonzaga remained No. 1 and Arizona remained No. 2. The connection between those two schools is that first-year Arizona head coach Tommy Lloyd was a longtime assistant under Gonzaga's Mark Few, before he accepted the job in Tucson when Sean Miller was fired after 12 seasons with the Wildcats. 25-3 Arizona (15-2 Pac-12) travels to LA to take on 25-4 USC, which is second in the Pac 12 at 14-4, a half-game ahead of crosstown rival UCLA. Arizona can clinch the Pac-12 regular-season title win at No. 16 USC and is also trying to solidify a top seed in the NCAA Tournament. The Wildcats are coming off Saturday's 79-63 loss at Colorado but hope to repeat a 72-63 win at home over USC back at Arizona on Feb 5. The Wildcats own four double digit scorers, led by 6-6 guard Mathurin's 17.1 PPG (he adds 5.7 RPG). The 6-7 Tubelis averages 15.4 & 6.6 and the 7-1 Koloko adds 11.7 & 7.3 plus PG Kriisa is good for 10.2 PPG and 5.0 APG. Four more Arizona players chip in between 6.5 to 7.4 PPG. The Wildcats average 84.4 PPG (3rd in the nation). USC was 25-8 last season (made the Elite 8) but head coach Andy Enfield (who will ever forget Florida Gulf Coast!) has retooled the Trojans quickly after losing Evan Mobley to the NBA draft (3rd overall pick). USC opened the current season 13-0 and in the Jan 10 AP poll, was ranked No. 5. It was the school's highest ranking since also being No. 5 way back in December of 1974! Mobley's 6-10 older brother Isaiah leads in scoring (14.6) and rebounding (8.4) and is joined by the 6-9 Goodwin (11.6 & 6.7) and the 6-9 Agbonkpolo (8.0 & 3.) in the frontcourt. Ellis (12.3), and Peterson (12.5 & 6,4) make for an excellent backcourt duo. Here's the rub. The Trojans have won SIX consecutive games following their Feb 5 loss at Arizona and are making a habit of winning close contests, including a 70-69 victory at Oregon on Saturday. Four of their past five victories -- UCLA, Washington State, Oregon State (in double overtime) and Oregon -- came by a total of NINE points. That makes them a very ;live' underdog in this contest. When USC lost at Arizona, Drew Peterson made just 1-of-13 FG attempts (0-of-6 on threes). However, he comes into the rematch full of confidence after scoring 20 points and hitting the go-ahead three-pointer with 11.5 seconds left against Oregon. He's been USC's best player during its six-game winning streak, averaging 18.8 points in the streak. Bow Wow! Take the home dog. Good luck...Larry | |||||||
03-01-22 | Warriors +1 v. Wolves | Top | 114-129 | Loss | -110 | 13 h 47 m | Show |
My 10* Wet Conf "Best of the Best" is on the GS Warriors at 8:10 ET. When Phoenix PG Chris Paul was lost for six-to-eight weeks, there was some talk that maybe the Warriors could 'run down' the Suns for the West's top record. However, while the Suns have lost two of three since returning from the break, the Warriors have yet to show any signs that they are ready to make a huge surge. Golden State dropped four of five going into the break and after a 132-95 rout of Portland, completely fell apart in the 4th quarter in Sunday's loss to Dallas (more in a bit). The Warriors visit Minnesota tonight to take on a Timberwolves team that has won 9 of 13 since Jan 30 to match its season high at four games above .500 (33-29).
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03-01-22 | Toledo v. Buffalo -2 | Top | 92-76 | Loss | -110 | 12 h 26 m | Show |
My 9* Situational Stunner is on Buffalo at 7:00 ET. The 23-6 Toledo Rockets and 19-8 Buffalo Bulls square off on Tuesday in MACtion from the UB Alumni Arena, as the MAC plays its final week of the regular season. Toledo is 15-3, one game better than Ohio and Kent St, who are both 14-4. As for Buffalo, the Bulls are 13-4. When these two teams met back on January 25, Toledo walked away with an 86-75 win (Rockets are 12-1 at home). Tod Kowalczyk is in his 12th season at Toledo and lost his best player from last year in PG Jackson (18.1-6.1-5.9), who transferred to Arizona St. Three-point shooter Littleson (47.2% on threes last season) also left to play in Belgium. However, three double-digit scorers returned in guard Ryan Rollins plus frontcourt players like the 6-6 Millner and the 6-7 Shumate. Rollins (19.2 & 6.1) leads the way plus Shumate (15.5 & 6.2) and Millner (14.7 & 5.9) have also fulfilled expectations. Boise St transfer Dennis (12.5 & 6.0) and Moss (8.7 & 5.5) join Rollins in the backcourt to round out an excellent starting-five. Jim Whitesell is in his 27th season as a head coach, including his THIRD at Buffalo. He was named the head coach at Buffalo in April of 2019, filling the void left by Nate Oats when he resigned to take the head coach job at Alabama. The Bulls returned four starters from last season's 16-9 team and this year's team will be one of eight MAC schools (12-team league) heading to Cleveland for the MAC tourney (opens a week from Thursday). Buffalo's starting-five can match Toledo's. 6-5 SF Williams (19.3 & 5.1) is joined in the frontcourt by the 6-7 Mballo (13.7 & 8.7) and the 6-10 Skogman (8.1 &6.5). PG Segu (15.1 & 5.3) is joined in the backcourt by Jack (9.6 & 4.6). Brewton (5.6) adds depth in the backcourt and the 6-8 Fagan (4.2 7 4.4) in the frontcourt. Toledo has had an excellent season (s 20-7-1 ATS) but I'm going with the Bulls. As noted, Buffalo lost at Toledo back on Jan 25 and then lost its next game at home to Ohio. However, the Bulls enter this game having won NINE in a row while averaging a whopping 85.9 PPG. Good luck...Larry | |||||||
02-28-22 | Alcorn State v. Texas Southern -5.5 | Top | 75-72 | Loss | -110 | 12 h 57 m | Show |
My 10* Conf Game of the Year (SWAC) is on Texas Southern at 8:30 ET. The Alcorn State Braves opened 1-11 in non-conference play but have gone 11-4 in SWAC games. Texas Southern knows the feeling," as the Tigers were just 2-7 in non conference action, before turning their season around with a 12-4 record in the SWAC. Both schools play in the North Division, so the winner of this contest will end the night in first place. Alcorn St still has two left (both at home), while Texas Southern will have just one game remaining after this one. Landon Bussie is in just his second season with the Braves (his first head coaching gig) and he's authored an impressive turnaround, after Alcorn St was only 6-13 last season (shortened by COVID). The Braves have a deep team, with NINE players averaging 19-plus minutes. The backcourt is led by Thomas (10.2-3.5-3.9), Montgomery (9.7) and Brewton (8.8 & 5.0) plus two 6-8 players, Agnew (8.7 & 4.7) and Henry (8.1 7 5.) are the two top frontcourt performers. Texas Southern's Johnny Jones has been around for quite awhile. He spent 11 seasons at North Texas and five at LSU before coming to Texas Southern five years ago. The Tigers are also deep, with 10 players averaging between 18 and 25 minutes and between 4.8 and 9.5 PPG. Two 6-9 players, Nicholas (9.5 & 5.8) and Walker (9.4 & 4.5) are the top frontcourt performers, while Henry (8.1) and Etienne (8.1) headline a deep backcourt. These teams met back on Jan 15 in Lorman, Ms, with the Braves coming away with a 73-72 win. However, let me note that Alcorn St, a team that's making only 41.1% of its FG attempts on the season (317th in the nation), connected on 51%. The Braves WON'T repeat that here in Houston. Here's something one can't overlook. Texas Southern began this season with a 152-41 (.788) record in SWAC games the previous 11 seasons and are now 12-4 this year. Just a reminder as to why I like Texas Southern here, the Tigers won 69-54 at then-No. 20 Florida 69-54 back on Dec 6. Lay the points! Good luck...Larry | |||||||
02-28-22 | Maryland-Eastern Shore v. Morgan State -3.5 | Top | 48-82 | Win | 100 | 9 h 26 m | Show |
My 9* Situational Stunner is on Morgan St at 8:00 ET. The Maryland-Eastern Shore Hawks and Morgan State Bears meet Monday in MEAC action college at the Hill Field House in Baltimore. Both the Hawks and Bears are 10-13 this season, with the Hawks going 6-7 in league play, while the Bears are 5-6. Maryland-Eastern Shore comes in off back-to-back wins, after losing four of its previous four. As for Morgan St, it has won three of four, with its lone loss coming by just two points to Howard (Howard is the league's second-nest team at 8-4).
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02-28-22 | Bulls +4 v. Heat | Top | 99-112 | Loss | -110 | 12 h 44 m | Show |
My 10* PERFECT STORM is on the Chi Bulls at 7:40 ET. The Chicago Bulls had won six in a row before dropping a 116-110 decision to Memphis on Saturday. The 39-22 Bulls now head to 'South Beach' tonight to take on the 40-21 Miami Heat, who own a slim ONE game lead over Chicago for the East's No. 1 seed. The Eastern Conference's top-4 teams are separated by a modest 3 1/2-games and its top-six by just five! The Bulls were 31-41 last season, missing the postseason for the FOURTH consecutive year but have reinvented themselves as a threat in the Eastern Conference this season. Billy Donovan's team is led by wing players DeRozan (28.3-5.3-5.1) and LaVine (24.6-4.8-4.5). DeRozan comes in having scored 31-plus points in each of his last 10 games. Chicago center Nikola Vucevic chips in 17.9 & 11.7) and while PG Ball is missed, White (13.9) and rookie Dosunmu (8.1) have stepped in to replace Ball as the lead guards. Ball was averaging 5.1 assists before he got hurt but White (2.9) and Dosunmu (3.1) are sharing playing time in his place. Tristan Thompson, who signed with Chicago on Feb 19, gives the Bulls a fierce rebounder off the bench. Thompson has averaged 8.5 & 5.0 in his two games but has an 8.5 career rebound average! Butler, who played his first six NBA seasons with the Bulls, leads Miami in scoring (21.9) and steals (1.8). Herro, who is averaging 20.3 points, is one of the top bench players in the NBA, and versatile center Bam Adebayo leads the team in rebounds (10.3) while averaging 19.0 points and 3.5 assists. PG Lowry and defensive-minded forward P.J. Tucker are both VERY important to Erik Spoelstra. Lowry ranks eighth in the league in assists (7.9) and Tucker leads the NBA in three-point percentage (45.4). However, Lowry is sitting out Monday's game due to personal reasons(?). Yes, it's been a terrific turnaround for Chicago BUT...the Bulls are a combined 1-10 against the six other teams that started this week with a winning percentage of better than .600: Phoenix (0-1), Golden State (0-2), Memphis (0-2), Utah (1-0), Miami (0-2) and Philadelphia (0-3). That said, the Bulls have yet to have a losing month this season (are 8-4 in February). Miami is 20-7 at home but are only 14-13 ATS. I just feel as if Chicago is due for a win here against one of the East's best teams. Take the points! Good luck...Larry | |||||||
02-27-22 | Pelicans v. Lakers -1.5 | Top | 123-95 | Loss | -110 | 14 h 2 m | Show |
My 9* Late Show is on the LA Lakers at 10:10 ET. The NBA returned from the All-Star break with both the New Orleans Pelicans and the Los Angeles Lakers looking to strengthen their postseason prospects. The teams meet tonight in LA and here's a statement and question surrounding the contest. Right now, Zion Williamson does NOT look like the cornerstone the Pelicans had hoped for and after standing pat at the deadline and losing Anthony Davis (ankle) for at least a month, can LeBron drag LA into the playoffs? New Orleans took advantage of the absence of Chris Paul (who has a fractured thumb) in its first game back, winning 117-102 and snapping the Suns' eight-game winning streak. Meanwhile, the Lakers lost105-102 to the Clippers. The Lakers missed their first 10 shots and fell behind by as many as 16 points in the first half. They rallied to take a six-point lead at the end of three quarters but fell behind again and in the final seconds, LBJ's potential tying jumper from the corner bounced off the rim.
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02-27-22 | Mavs +4.5 v. Warriors | Top | 107-101 | Win | 100 | 12 h 26 m | Show |
My 10* PERFECT STORM is on the Dal Mavs at 7:40 ET. The Golden State Warriors 'limped' into last week's All-Star break having lost FOUR of five games to fall 6 1/2 behind first-place Phoenix. However, Golden State returned to action on Thursday, knowing that Suns have lost PG Chris Paul and just maybe, there's a window of opportunity for them to catch the Suns. The Warriors had little trouble in Portland on Thursday, winning 132-95 (note: The Suns opened the door a bit with a home loss to the New Orleans Pelicans the Friday night. The Warriors will host the Dallas Mavericks tonight and know that the Mavs are a team playing VERY well, despite a 114-109 loss at Utah in the team's return from the All-Star break on Thursday.
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02-27-22 | Princeton v. Harvard +3 | Top | 74-73 | Win | 100 | 5 h 2 m | Show |
My 10* Situational Stunner is on Harvard at 12:00 ET. The 20-5 Princeton Tigers and 13-11 Harvard Crimson meet Sunday in Ivy league play from the Lavietes Pavilion. The Tigers have won FIVE straight to move to 10-2 in the Ivy standings. They got some help Saturday from Cornell, who beat Yale, dropping Bulldogs to 10-3. Princeton and Yale are fighting for the Ivy's No. 1 seed and a Princeton win would give the Tigers a one-game lead (both have just one game remaining). Harvard is just 5-7 but it puts them just a half-game back of 6-7 Brown. That's notable, as only the Ivy's top-four teams make the league tourney and with Princton, Yale and Penn having locked up the top-three seeds, a Harvard win means both the Crimson and Bears would be tied at 6-7 heading into next Saturday, when Harvard hosts Dartmouth (a VERY winnable contest!), while Brown plays at Yale (good luck Bears!). The Tigers own the Ivy's best trio in Guards Wright (15.2 & 7.2) and Llewellyn (15.0 & 4.1) plus the 6-8 Evbuomwan (15.0-6.2-4.9). Llewellyn had a season-high 29 points as Princeton beat Harvard 74-67 on Friday night and now the teams meet again, although this time in Cambridge. Harvard began the season with two excellent 6-7 players in forward Ledlum and big guard Kirkwood. That duo had started along with guards Sakota and Tretout plus the 6-6 Catchings. However, Ledlum (16.7 & 9.3) has not played since Jan 7 but Kirkwood 17.9 & 5.8) has had an excellent season. Sakota (11.6), Tretout (8.1) and Lesmond (8.5) join him on the perimeter. Catchings (8.9 & 3.9) has recently begun to get help from the 6-8 Forbes, who has averaged 9.7 & 6.0 in seven February games. There is little doubt that Princeton is the better team (Tigers average 80.3 PPG, 11th-best in the nation) but if only it was that easy when it comes to 'picking winners!' Case in point, consider this: Look what happened yesterday. For the first time in college basketball history, SEVEN top-10 teams lost on the same day. No. 1 Gonzaga, No. 2 Arizona, No. 3 Auburn, No. 4 Purdue, No. 5 Kansas, No. 6 Kentucky and No. 9 Texas Tech all lost, surpassing the previous record of six top-10 teams in the Associated Press poll losing in one day. Saturday was also the first time the top-six teams in the top-25 poll all lost on the same day, according to ESPN Stats & Information research. Princeton didn't actually have an easy time with Harvard Friday night on its homecourt, winning by SEVEN points as a 7 1/2-point favorite. I expect Harvard to go "all out" here, as if the Crimson can sneak into the Ivy tourney, it will be held right here on Harvard's homecourt, the Lavietes Pavilion. Let's 'bark' with the home dog! Good luck...Larry | |||||||
02-26-22 | USC +4 v. Oregon | Top | 70-69 | Win | 100 | 15 h 22 m | Show |
My 10* Situational Stunner is on USC at 10:00 ET. No. 16 Southern California heads to Eugene, Or. on Saturday with a 24-4 overall record, including 13-4 in the Pac 12. Arizona (15-1) leads the Pac 12 but USC, UCLA (12-5) and Oregon (11-6) are all looking to nail down a top-4 seed for the Pac 12 tourney. USC has won FIVE straight, after escaping with a 94-91 double-overtime win at Oregon St (Beavers are last in the conference), while Oregon (18-10 / 11-6) comes off an impressive 68-63 home win over UCLA on Thursday.
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02-26-22 | Spurs v. Heat UNDER 225.5 | Top | 129-133 | Loss | -110 | 11 h 11 m | Show |
My 10* O/U Game of the Month is on SA/Mia Under at 8:10 ET. Prior to last year, San Antonio had never missed the playoffs in consecutive seasons. Now, three straight is a very real possibility, as the Spurs are just 24-36. That leaves them 11th in the West, one game behind the No. 10 seed (last of the play-in' teams). The Spurs won 157-153 in double-overtime at home last night over the Washington Wizards and then caught a late-night flight into Miami for tonight's game vs the Heat. Miami lost in the 2020 NBA Finals to the Lakers, but last season fell to 40-32 and got eliminated 4-0 in the first round of the playoffs by the Bucks. However, Miami is currently 39-21, tying them with Chicago for the East's No. 1 seed.
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02-26-22 | Raptors v. Hawks -2 | Top | 100-127 | Win | 100 | 13 h 13 m | Show |
My 9* PERFECT STORM is on the Atl Hawks at 7:40 ET. The Toronto Raptors played better than .700 basketball for THREE straight seasons (won the NBA title in 2019) but last year fell all the way to 27-45. Toronto won EIGHT straight from Jan 29 thru Feb 10, to climb back into the East's playoff picture. However, Toronto has lost THREE of four since, including an 'ugly' 125-93 loss at Charlotte last night (Hornets entered the game on a 1-9 run). The Raptors never led and trailed by as many as 41 points. The Raptors will be in Atlanta tonight to take on the Hawks. Atlanta came into last season having gone 73-1598 (.316) the previous three years but went 41-31 during the regular season. The Hawks then reached the East Final, before falling to Milwaukee. This season has been a HUGE disappointment, as after losing 112-108 Thursday in Chicago, the Hawks are just 28-31.
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02-26-22 | Wisconsin +2.5 v. Rutgers | Top | 66-61 | Win | 100 | 10 h 57 m | Show |
My 9* Las Vegas Insider is on Wisconsin at 6:00 ET. No. 13 Wisconsin (22-5, 13-4 Big Ten) is tied with No. 4 Purdue (also 13-4) atop the Big Ten conference standings and will host the Boilermakers on Tuesday, However, the Badgers will be in Piscataway, NJ on Saturday to take on a dangerous Rutgers team (16-11 / 10-7 in Big Ten). It's NOT possible that Wisconsin could be 'looking ahead," as the Scarlet Knights came to Madison back on Feb 12 and posted a 73-65 victory, amid a stretch of four wins over top-25 opponents.
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02-26-22 | Kentucky +3 v. Arkansas | Top | 73-75 | Win | 100 | 7 h 24 m | Show |
My 9* Marquee Classic is on Kentucky ay 2:00 ET Kentucky men's basketball team went just 9-16 last season, but all knew that was an aberration, as the Wildcats were ranked No. 10 in the AP's preseason poll. No. 6 Kentucky (23-5, 12-3 SEC) visits No. 18 Arkansas (22-6, 11-4 SEC)), one game behind Auburn (25-3, 13-2 SEC) in the conference standings, but one game up on Arkansas and Tennessee (Vols are also 11-4 in the SEC). Coach Cal may have to go without guards Washington (12.4 & 6.1) and Wheeler (9.6 & 7.1 APG), as Washington is dealing with an ankle injury and Wheeler with a wrist issue. 6-6 freshman reserve guard Bryce Hopkins (2.4) scored 11 of his career-best 13 points during a key, 15-2 Kentucky run, in the Wildcats' 71-66 Wednesday win over LSU. FOUR Wildcats finished in double figures, including POY candidate Oscar Tshiebwe (16.4 & 15.3), who paced Kentucky with 17 points and 16 rebounds, registering his 10th consecutive double-double. The 6-7 Brooks (11.1 & 4.5) has been solid all season plus coach Cal also has two other quality guards in Grady (12.4) and Mintz (9.0). The Kentucky offense ranks 9th in scoring (80.6 PPG) and 15th in FG percentage (48.6). Also note that the Wildcats are holding opponents to 65.3 PPG, for an average winning margin of 15.3 PPG. Eric Musselman is in his third season at Fayetteville, after four OUTSTANDING seasons at Nevada. He won the CBI title in his first season, then went to three straight NCAA tourneys (4-year record of 110-34!). He was 20-12 in his first season at Arkansas, then went 25-7 last season (Elite 8 appearance). His current team is led by a trio of guards in double digits. The group includes Notae (18.7-4.4-3.4), Umude (11.1 & 4.6) and Toney (10.3 & 5.4). The 6-10 Williams adds 10.4 & 9.6 and is really the lone frontcourt player of note. Guards Lykes Davis (9.0 & 4.3) and Lykes (8.4) round out what has basically been a six-man rotation. Arkansas scored 77.5 and allows 67.4 PPG. I realize that Arkansas is on a sweet 12-1 SU & ATS run coming in but Kentucky leads the all-time series 33-12 and I won't pass up getting points with Coach Cal, even if the Wildcats have to play a little short-handed. Good luck...Larry | |||||||
02-26-22 | Oklahoma State v. Oklahoma -3.5 | Top | 62-66 | Win | 100 | 5 h 51 m | Show |
My 9* Rivalry of the Month ("Bedlam") is on Oklahoma at 12:00 ET. The Oklahoma State Cowboys lost just one player from last season's 21-9 team but it was a huge loss. Cade Cunningham (20.1 & 6.2) left to become the first player chosen in the 2021 NBA Draft. The Cowboys have long known they wouldn't be advancing to the postseason, thanks to an NCAA ban, so they will probably be looking to make the most of the few chances they have left. Oklahoma St is just 13-14 (6-9 Big 12) and visits Oklahoma today, having already dealt the Sooners a 64-55 setback on Feb 5. It's been a rough first season for head coach Porter Moser (of Loyola-Chicago fame), as after opening 11-2, the Sooners have lost 12 of 15 to come into this contest just 14-14 (only 4-11 Big 12). This heated rivalry is nicknamed "Bedlam" and it's produced some great football games over the years. In hoops, it may not be quite the same, but it still means a lot to the two schools and the players. Okla St has just one frontcourt player of any note and that's the 6-10 Cisse (7.2 & 6.0). The team revolves around a quartet of guards, led by Anderson (11.7) and Thompson (11.0) plus Williams (9.00 and Likekele 7.3 & 5.6). As for the Sooners, they have a quality starting-five, with all getting 25-plus minutes of playing time. The 6-9 Grooves (12.1 & 5.2) is joined by the 6-6 Hill (9.1 & 5,9) up front, while Gibson (11.9), Goldwire (10.1 & 3.4 APG) and Harkless (10.0 & 4.1) comprise an excellent guard trio. However, Harkless was lost for the season last week due to injury. Oklahoma was 12-3 at one point, with three wins over ranked teams, but its season has come apart. However, a "Bedlam" game with hated-Okla St will surely be enough motivation, especially since the Sooners lost in Stillwater. An at-large berth is now no more than a dream but note that EIGHT of Oklahoma's losses in its 3-12 run have come against a ranked opponent. 13-14 Oklahoma is hardly a ranked opponent and is only 2-7 in road games on the season. The points seem 'cheap!' Oklahoma in a R-O-U-T! Good luck...Larry | |||||||
02-25-22 | Mavs +6.5 v. Jazz | Top | 109-114 | Win | 100 | 11 h 22 m | Show |
My 9* Situational Stunner is on the Dal Mavericks at 9:10 ET. The Utah Jazz owned the NBA's best record last season and at 28-10 in early January, were in the mix for the West's best record along with Phoenix and Golden St. However, the Jaz would close January on a 2-11 run. Utah rebounded to win its first six games of February but blew a late 12-point lead in losing to a Los Angeles Lakers team finishing without injured Anthony Davis, in its final game before the All-Star break. The Jazz return from the break at 36-22, fourth in the West. They welcome the Mavs to Salt Lake City tonight, a team that was just 15-17 through Christmas but one which has gone 20-7 since. Dallas is now 35-24 and just 1 1/2-games behind Utah in the West standings (No. 4 seed earns home court in the first round).
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02-25-22 | 76ers v. Wolves +3 | Top | 133-102 | Loss | -110 | 12 h 28 m | Show |
My 10* Weekly Wipeout is on the Min Timberwolves at 8:10 ET. The "big story" surrounding this meeting is that James Harden (22.5-8.0-10.2 with the Nets) is expected to make his long-anticipated debut for the Philadelphia 76ers when they take on the Minnesota Timberwolves on Friday. Harden sat out the first four games since the trade with a strained hamstring, although the Sixers went 3-1. He hasn't played since Feb 2, when he scored four points for the Nets in a road loss to the Sacramento Kings. Philly is 35-23 (current No. 3 seed in the East), three games behind the top-seed 39-21 Bulls. As most are aware, it's a real logjam in the East, as the top-six seeds are separated by just 4 1/2-games. Minnesota returned from the All-Star break last night with a 119-114 win over red-hot Memphis, moving to 32-28. However, the T-wolves are currently just the No. 7 seed in the West, as they look to earn a playoff berth for just the SECOND time since 2004! Harden joins a Philly team that remains deep, despite sending Curry and Drummond (along with Simmons) to Brooklyn for Harden. Embiid (29.6 & 11.2) is the current favorite for league MVP plus PF Harris (18.7 & 7.3) is of All-Star quality. Maxey (16.9 & 4.6 APG) has replaced Simmons at PG (an upgrade?) and THREE more players (guards Milton and Korkmaz plus SF Niang), chip in between 8.9 and 9.9 PPG. Minnesota revolves around its "Big 3" of center Towns (24.4-9.7-4.0), swingman Edwards (21.6 & 4.8) and PG Russell (19.2 & 7.0 APG). Guard Beasley (12.0) joins that trio in double digits, while FIVE more players averaged between 7.2 and 9.3 PPG. In last night's win, Russell had 37 points and nine assists, while Towns added 22 & 11. However, Edwards made just 1 of 11 shots (0-6 on threes) for just FIVE points. Beasley came up big with 17 points off the bench. These teams met way back on Nov 27 in Philly, as Embiid won his personal 'battle' with Towns, going for 42 & 14, while Towns had 28 & 10. However, Minnesota eked out a 121-120 win in two OTs. I'm sure anyone yet knows how well Harden will "blend in" with Philly, so I'm backing the small home underdog in this one (expect Edwards to bounce back with a big effort!), to win "with room to spare!" Good luck...Larry | |||||||
02-25-22 | St. Louis v. Richmond -2.5 | Top | 66-68 | Loss | -110 | 12 h 58 m | Show |
My 10* Conf Game of the Year (A-10) is on Richmond at 7:00 ET. The Saint Louis Billikens will travel to the Robins Center to take on the Richmond Spiders for Friday night action in the A-10. Davidson (13-2) leads the conference, followed by VCU and Dayton (both 12-3), plus 10-4 St Bonaventure. The Billikens improved to 19-9 on the season after a 72-61 Tuesday win over St Joseph’s Hawks (StL is 10-5 in the A-10). Meanwhile, the Richmond Spiders improved to 18-10 on the season with an 84-71 win over George Washington, also on Tuesday (Richmond is 9-6 in the A-10). St Louis has solid depth with SEVEN players averaging between 7.2 and 16.2 PPG. The Billikens are led by SG Jimerson (16.2) and PG Collins (11.4 & 8.1 APG). Nesbitt (9.2 & 4.4) and Thatch (8.7 & 5.3) are also backcourt contributors. The 6-9 Okoro (10.5 & 7.6) is the top frontcourt player, joined by the 6-9 Linssen (7.8 & 3.8) and SF Hargrove (7.2 & 4.5). Richmond counters with a strong frontcourt, led by the 6-7 Burton (16.6 & 7.4), the 6-10 Golden (14.8 & 6.4) and the 6-7 Cayo (8.9 & 4.4). PG Gilyard (12.6 & 6.0 APG) is the best backcourt player, joined by Sherad (6.7) and Gustavson (4.8). The Billikens defeated the Spiders by a 76-69 margin earlier this season in St Louis (Jan 2) but note that Richmond is 10-3 SU at home, with two of the losses coming by THREE points to Davidson (13-2)m and by TWO points to VCU (12-3), the A-10's top-two teams. The revenge angle is NO guarantee but I thinks it fits (AND works) well in this spot, Home team wins this one comfortably. Good luck...Larry | |||||||
02-25-22 | Northwestern +1.5 v. Penn State | Top | 60-67 | Loss | -108 | 8 h 21 m | Show |
My 9* Oddsmaker's Error is on Northwestern at 7:00 ET. The top-four Big Ten schools earn a double-bye in the upcoming tourney but in this game between the Northwestern Wildcats (13-13, 6-11 Big Ten) and the Nittany Lions (11-13, 6-10), the MAJOR goal is avoiding the first day of the tournament. Schools finishing 11 through 14 will have to play on the first day (Wednesday) of the Big Ten tournament in Indianapolis next month. At 6-10, the Nittany Lions are currently 10th, while the 6-11 Wildcats are 11th. Northwestern head coach Chris Collins said he and his team's mission is clear. "This was an important game," Collins said after his team's 77-65 win over Nebraska on Tuesday. "We've got three games left and we'd like to climb in the standings a little bit." Northwestern concludes the regular season at No. 25 Iowa and then hosts Minnesota (4-13). 6-10 senior Nance leads Northwestern in scoring (16.1) and rebounding (6.4) and teams with 6-10 center Young (8.8 &4.3) and the 6-9 Beran (6.5 & 4.3) up front. Junior PG Buie (15.0 & 4.4 APG) and fellow guard Berry (7.3) are joined by guard Audige, who didn't make his season debut until Dec 5. He's averaging 10.7 & 4.2 on the season. Pickett (13.0-4.0-4.1) leads a trio of guards for Penn St, along with Sessoms (11.5-3.5-3.0) and Dread (6.5). The 6-6 Lundy (12.3 & 5.3) leads the way up front, along with the 6-9 Harrar (10.7 & 9.8) and the 6-9 Lee (7.8 & 6.9). A note of concern is that Lee has missed the last three games (? for this one). Penn State lost to Maryland 67-61 on Monday and after tonight's contest, must visit No. 15 Illinois and Rutgers. That means, the Wildcats would have an excellent chance to escape the dreaded Wednesday bracket for the first time since 2018 with a "W" tonight over the Nittany Lions. Collins and the Wildcats get a second shot at Penn State, as the Nittany Lions shot 52 percent in the second half of a 74-70 win at Northwestern back on Jan 5. Turnabout is fair play. The pointspread indicates "close call" but I'm calling for a "W-I-P-E-O-U-T!" Good luck...Larry | |||||||
02-24-22 | UCLA -3 v. Oregon | Top | 63-68 | Loss | -110 | 10 h 45 m | Show |
My 9* Late Breaker is on UCLA at 9:30 ET.
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02-24-22 | Montana v. Southern Utah -6 | Top | 74-82 | Win | 100 | 11 h 41 m | Show |
My 9* Under the Radar Crusher is on Southern Utah at 9:00 ET. The 17-10 Montana Grizzlies will travel to the America First Events Center in Cedar City, Utah to take on the 17-9 Southern Utah Thunderbirds. The Big Sky is in its final two weeks of the regular season with Montana St (13-3) sitting atop the standings followed by 12-5 Weber St. Southern Utah is tied with Northern Colorado at 11-5, while Montana is at 10-6. The teams met back on Feb 7 at Montana, as the Grizzlies won 78-67. The 6-9 Bannen (14.6 & 8.1) is joined by a trio of Montana guards that make up the core of the team. The backcourt includes Beasley (11.9), Whitney (10.8) and PG (9.3 & 5.1 APG). Southern Utah has four double digit scorers in guards Jones (15.5 & 4.8), Knight (13.9-4.2-4.3) and Marin (10.8), joined by the 6-6 Fausett (12.8 & 8.5). Three others chip in between 6.5 and 7.9 PPG, including 6-11 starting center Spurgin (7.0 & 4.4). I don't think either of these teams are capable of knocking off Montana St or Weber St in the conference tourney but I do see Southern Utah easily avenging its Feb 7 loss at Montana in this one. The Grizzlies have struggled on the road this season, posting a 4-9 record with recent losses at 6-20 Idaho State and 8-18 Idaho. Southern Utah hasn’t been great ATS this season but the Thunderbirds are still one of the better teams in the Big Sky, own a 10-3 home record and average 79.7 PPG to rank 21st in the nation. Lay the points! Good luck...Larry | |||||||
02-24-22 | Grizzlies v. Wolves +3 | Top | 114-119 | Win | 100 | 13 h 11 m | Show |
My 10* West Conf Game of the Month is on the Min T-wolves at 8:10 ET. The Memphis Grizzlies opened the season 9-10 but now have the league's third-best record at 41-19. The Grizzlies take to the road tonight, as the NBA gets back on the court after its All-Star break. The Timberwolves welcome the Grizzlies to Minnesota having won SEVEN of 10 and at 31-28, own the West's no. 7 seed. The T-wolves are looking to secure only their SECOND playoff berth since 2004. Minnesota seems assured of a "play-in" spot (EIGHT games clear of the No. 11 seed) but it would surely love to earn a top-six seed (currently trail Denver by a modest 2 1/2-games). Memphis leads the NBA by going 40-20 ATS (22-5 SU and 21-6 ATS its last 27 games prior to the break) but don't dismiss the Timberwolves. They hobbled into the All-Star break after playing SEVEN games in 11 days but the break should have them fresh. Minnesota has the best offensive efficiency in the NBA over the past 15 games and are more than capable of matching Memphis on the offensive end (Grizzlies are tied with the Hornets for the league scoring lead at 113.8 PPG). Take the home dog! | |||||||
02-24-22 | Hawks +4.5 v. Bulls | Top | 108-112 | Win | 100 | 13 h 9 m | Show |
My 9* PERFECT STORM is on the Atl Hawks at 8:10 ET. Atlanta finished last season strong and then beat the Knicks and 76ers, before losing to the Bucks, the eventual NBA champs, in the Eastern Conference finals. However, it's been a struggle for the Hawks this season, as they return from the break just 28-30. That leaves them with the East's No. 10 seed (last of the 'play-in' round seeds) and just one game better than the Wizards. In contrast, the Chicago Bulls were 31-41 last season, missing the postseason for the FOURTH consecutive year but have reinvented themselves as a threat in the Eastern Conference this season. Chicago's 38-21 record leaves them tied with Miami for the East's best record, although as many likely know, the top-six seeds in the East are separated by only 4 1/2-games.
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02-24-22 | IUPU Ft Wayne +6 v. Oakland | Top | 81-70 | Win | 100 | 10 h 5 m | Show |
My 10* Conf Game of the Year (Horizon League) is on Purdue-Ft Wayne at 7:00 ET. Cleveland St leads the Horizon League at 15-4, as the conference enters the final week of its regular season. The next six schools are separated by just two games but as noted, time has all but run out. That said, there is plenty to play for regarding seeding for the conference tourney. The Purdue Fort Wayne Mastodons will travel to the Athletics Center O’rena in Rochester, Mi to take on the Oakland Golden Grizzlies tonight in Horizon League play. The Mastodons are currently second at 13-6, while Golden Grizzlies are 11-6. Oakland won its home game 76-68 over Purdue Fort Wayne back on Jan 15 but "current form" favors Purdue Fort Wayne (more in a bit).
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02-23-22 | Cincinnati +2.5 v. UCF | Top | 61-75 | Loss | -110 | 11 h 2 m | Show |
My 10* Situational Stunner is on Cincinnati at 9:00 ET. The Cincinnati Bearcats and UCF Knights face off Wednesday in a AAC showdown at CFE Arena in Orlando. Houston (11-2) and SMU (10-3) are fighting for the AAC regular season title, while 17-10 Cincy is just 7-7 in league play, while 16-9 UCF is 8-7. This marks the lone regular season meeting between the two schools. The Bearcats have a new coach in Wes Miller (CCAA bids with UNC-Greensboro in 2018 and 2021) and Cincy's top-four scorers are guards. DeJulius (14.7) is the leading scorer, followed by Davenport (13.8 & 5.3). Adams-Woods (9.1) and Saunders (7.2) round out the top-four. Up front, it's 6-5 SF Newman (6.6 & 4.0), the 6-11 Lahkin (4.5 & 3.9) and the 6-9 Oguama (4.5 & 4.2). Central Florida was just 11-12 last season but head coach Johnny Dawkins returned all FIVE starters. UCF is, like Cincy, pretty much a perimeter-heavy group. Guards Green (13.6), Perry (11.2-3.9-4.4) and Mahan (10.6 &4.3) all score in double digits. Mahan left the last game with a foot injury and is questionable for this one, so Johnson (5.9) and Freeman (4.9) may get more "PT." Up front, the 6-8 Walker (7.9 & 5.5) and the 6-11 Diong (6.9 & 5.8) are the biggest contributors Cincy won FOUR of five to close January but is now just 2-4 in February. As for UCF, the Knights are a modest 4-4 in their last eight. While Cincy is not a strong road team, UCF is 1-5 ATS in its last six games against a team with a winning straight up record. Take the points. Good luck...Larry | |||||||
02-23-22 | Duke -4.5 v. Virginia | Top | 65-61 | Loss | -110 | 10 h 11 m | Show |
My 9* Marquee Classic is on Duke at 7:00 ET. The once all-powerful ACC is having a down year, as 23-4 Duke (currently No. 7) has been the only ranked team for most of the season. That changed Monday, as 17-10 Virginia 'snuck into' the latest poll at No. 25. For the Cavs to stay in the top-25, they'll have to repeat their 69-68 win at Duke (Feb 7) tonight in Charlottesville. Duke has won all four games since its loss to UVA and at 13-3, is one game ahead of 12-4 Notre Dame for 1st place in the ACC. Meanwhile, Virginia has won FIVE of its last six games and at 11-6, is tied with Wake Forest for 5th in the ACC (note: UVA has also clinched its 11th consecutive winning ACC record!). Coach K is on the verge of completing his 47th season as a head coach (42 years at Duke) and brought in a trio of highly-regarded freshmen for his final season. None have been more impactful than the 6-10 Banchero, who leads in scoring (16.9) and rebounding (8.4). The 7-0 Williams is also having a strong freshman season, adding 10.6 & 6.8. Freshman guard Keels (12.0-4.0-3.2) rounds out that incoming trio. Guards Moore (13.9 & 4.6) and Roach (7.3 & 3.5 APG) plus the 6-6 Griffin (9.9 & 3.5) round out the main contributors (Griffin is also a freshman). Tony Bennett's UVA team won a national championship in 2019 and from the 2013-14 season through the championship season of 2018-19, the Cavs avenged 29.7 wins per season. The Cavs ended last season 18-7, after a first-round NCAA loss to 13th-seed Ohio U. It was a very uneven start to the current season, but the Cavs have 'settled in.' The only returning starter for UVA is PG Clark (9.9 & 4.1 APG). Guard Beekman (7.7 & 5.0 APG) is back, as is the 6-11 Shedrick (7.1 & 5.4), but UVA's two-most important players are transfers. The 6-6 Gardner comes from East Carolina and leads in scoring (15.3) and rebounding (7.1) plus guard Franklin comes via Indiana and chips in 11.6 PPG. Of concern for UVA in this game is that Franklin left his last game with a toe injury (questionable for tonight). As always, Bennett's team is one of the nation's best defensive squads in the nation, allowing just 60.1 PPG (13th). However, Duke will bring an excellent offensive team to John Paul Jones Arena, one which averages 80.1 PPG (16th) on 48.3% shooting (17th). In contrast UVA is averaging only 63.4 PPG (333rd) and Duke's defense is no slouch, allowing 65.3 PPG. Lay the points, as the Dookies get their revenge win and a COVER! Good luck...Larry | |||||||
02-23-22 | Xavier +2.5 v. Providence | Top | 92-99 | Loss | -110 | 9 h 28 m | Show |
My 9* Big East Showdown is on Xavier at 7:00 ET. The 11th-ranked 22-3 Providence Friars got a nice break last night, as UConn knocked off Villanova. The Wildcats' Big East record fell to 14-4 (two games left), while Providence sits 12-2 with three games remaining. The Friars welcome Xavier to town and are hoping that they've gained some positive mojo after rallying from a 19-point second-half deficit to stun host Butler 71-70 in overtime on Sunday. Providence is looking to nail down its first regular-season Big East title in program history. The Musketeers trailed by 17 at halftime and cut the deficit to four with 11 minutes left in their last game, but lost 72-61 at UConn on Saturday. Xavier has now lost two straight and six of its last nine games to fall to 17-9 (7-8 in the Big East). Xavier head coach Travis Steele was badly in need of a 20-win season when the 2021-22 CBB season tipped off back on Nov 9. He took over from Chris Mack (23.9 wins per season with NINE straight Big Dance bids), who took over from Sean Miller (24 wins per season and NCAA bids in his last four seasons of his five-year stint). The Musketeers entered the season having won just 51 games (17 per) in Steele's first three seasons, without an NCAA bid. Xavier was "looking good" at 14-3 through Jan 19 but time is running out on that 20-win season. Xavier's starting-five looks like this. The 7-0 Nunge (13.4 & 7.2) and the 6-9 Freemantle (9.8 & 5.4) start up front, with guards Scruggs (12.0-4.5-4.2), Jones (10.2 & 7.5) and Johnson (9.8) comprising a strong backcourt. Guards Kunkel (8.3) and Odom (6.0) add backcourt depth, while the 6-8 Hunter adds 5.0 & 3.4 off the bench in the frontcourt. Some bad news is that Johnson has missed the last two games with a knee injury (?). Ed Cooley arrived in Providence for the 2011-12 season and led the Friars to FIVE straight NCAA tournaments from 2014-2018. Providence is coming off a mediocre 13-13 season last year but that's all changed this season. The Friars have three double digit scorers 6-10 center Watson (14.2 & 5.6), plus guards Durhman (13.4) and Bynum (12.2 & 4.2 APG). Reeves (9.3) adds depth in the backcourt, while the 6-8 Horchler (10.0 & 8.5) and the 6-7 Minaya (6.3 & 5.7) contribute up front. Some bad news here is that Durhma was held out of the Butler game with a sports hernia (?). When these teams met in Cincinnati back on Jan 26, Xavier rallied from a seven-point second-half deficit to take a two-point lead in the final minute, only to lose 65-62 on a three-pointer with one second left. Lots of pressure here on Providence and I'm going to take the points with Xavier. Good luck...Larry | |||||||
02-22-22 | UNLV v. Nevada -1.5 | Top | 62-54 | Loss | -110 | 16 h 48 m | Show |
My 10* Weekly Wipeout is on Nevada at 11:00 ET. Instate rivals the UNLV Runnin’ Rebels and the Nevada Wolf Pack meet in WC action from the Lawlor Events Center on Tuesday night in Reno. The Rebels lost head coach TJ Otzelberger to Iowa St and replaced him with Kevin Kruger (Lon's son), giving him his first=ever head coaching gig. As for the Wolf Pack, this is Steve Alford's (most know his history) third season at Nevada, having gone 19-12 and 15-9 in his first two seasons. However, with all five starters returning, a strong season was anticipated. However, that has NOT been the case. Boise St (12-2) and Wyoming (11-2) have been the class of the 11-school MWC, with UNLV checking in at 16-11 overall (8-8 MWC) and Nevada coming into this game just 12-13 (6-8 MWC) The UNLV Runnin’ Rebels are coming off a VERY impressive 72-51 win over Colorado State on Saturday. Leading scorer Bryce Hamilton (21.6 & 4.8) had 20 & 11 vs CSU, while the 6-9 Hamm (8.4 & 9.7) added 12 rebounds plus seven points. The 6-6 Williams (13.4 PPG) joins Hamilton as UNLV's only other double digit scorer on the season. Nevada PG Sherfield (19.5-4.5-6.4) leads the way, with fellow guard Cambridge adding 16.9 & 5.3. Nevada has a pair of 7-footers in Baker (12.0 & 5.4) and Washington (10.1 & 6.2), but Washington has been out since Jan 25 (finger dislocation). The Wolf Pack lost 69-58 in Las Vegas back on Feb 1 (made just 3 of 17 three-pointers) but Nevada enters this game on a three-game winning streak. With road games at Boise St and Wyoming up next (the MWC's two-best teams) a "W" here against hated instate rival UNLV would be a big deal. The Rebels are just 3-8 away from home this season, so the play is on Nevada. Expect a comfortable win. Good luck...Larry | |||||||
02-22-22 | Villanova v. Connecticut -1.5 | Top | 69-71 | Win | 100 | 13 h 46 m | Show |
My 9* Marquee Classic is on UConn at 8:00 ET. Villanova head coach Jay Wright owns two national titles (2016 and 2018) and was coming off a Sweet 16 appearance last season with four starters coming back for the current season. 'Nova opened the year as the AP's 4th-ranked team but the Wildcats were just 7-4 through mid-December. That said, THREE of those losses came to then-No. 2 UCLA, then-No. 6 Purdue and then-No. 2 Baylor. The No. 8 Wildcats have won 14 of 16 since that 7-4 start and will take a five-game winning streak as it travels to Hartford, Ct for a matchup with No. 21 UConn. Dan Hurley had a nice run at Rhode Island (won 25 & 26 games his last two seasons with NCAA bids) which got him the UConn job. He's in his fourth season and last year got UConn into the NCAAs. UConn is 19-7 overall, including 10-5 in the Big East in the current season. Wright is going with a basic six-man rotation so far this season. Collin Gillespie has fully recovered from an MCL injury that ended his 2020-21 campaign early. He leads the Wildcats in scoring with 16.6 PPG. Fellow guards Justin Moore adds 15.5 & 5.3 and Daniels chips in 9.7 PPG in the role of 6th-man. Up front, it's the 6-7 Samuels (10.1 & 6.1), the 6-8 Dixon (9.9 & 6.6).and the 6-7 Slater (9.2 & 3.7). Guards Gole (16.2-3.6-4.3), Martin (13.6 & 7.0) and Jackson (6.8 & 7.4) start in the UConn backcourt, while the 6-9 Sanogo (15.1 & 8.6) and 6-9 Whaley (7.4 & 4.9) start up front. The 6-9 Polley (7.6) is the top reserve, with guards Hawkins and Gaffney combining for 10.5 PPG. 14-3 Villanova can't afford a stumble if it wants to overtake 12-2 Providence for another regular-season conference title and UConn is looking to secure a top-five seed in the Big East, avoiding an opening round game. The Huskies are currently tied with Creighton at 10-5 for third in the Big East. UConn is 12-2 at home and a win over Villanova would put them in great shape in the Big East, as two of their final three games after tonight come against 0-15 Georgetown and 3-13 DePaul. Take the home team. Good luck...Larry | |||||||
02-22-22 | Arkansas v. Florida +1.5 | Top | 82-74 | Loss | -110 | 12 h 40 m | Show |
My 9* Las Vegas Insider is on Florida at 7:00 ET. The SEC has five schools ranked in the AP's top-25 and this past Saturday, THREE of them lost (No. 3 Aub, No. 17 Tenn and No. 24 Ala). No. 18 Arkansas and unranked Florida were on the winning side of two of them. The Razorbacks' 58-48 win over Tennessee marked the second time in four games that Arkansas had beaten a ranked SEC opponent. As for the Gators, their 63-62 win over then-No. 2 Auburn was easily the school's best win of the season (Florida entered Saturday's contest 0-5 vs ranked SEC foes on the season).
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02-21-22 | New Mexico State v. Seattle University +2 | Top | 68-55 | Loss | -110 | 15 h 40 m | Show |
The 3rd play of my STP is a 10* on Seattle at 10:00 ET. New Mexico St has pretty much dominated the WAC since joining in the 2005-06 season, winning nine WAC conference tourneys (2020 tourney was canceled in a year in which the Aggies were 25-6 / 16-0 in the WAC). Chris Jans is in his fifth season In Las Cruces and is his first four, produced a 95-25 record, despite last season's 12-8 mark. However, despite losing four starters, the Aggies are 22-4 overall, including 12-2 in the WAC, which leaves them tied with surprising Seattle (21-6 / 12-2 WAC). Head coach Jim Hayward was set to enter his fifth season leading the Redhawks, but he resigned on November 11, 2021, after it was reported that he had twice repeated racial slurs. Assistant coach Chris Victor was named interim head coach This si Victor's first Div I head coaching job, but he did inherit FIVE returning starters.
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02-21-22 | The Citadel v. Samford -6.5 | Top | 74-76 | Loss | -110 | 13 h 43 m | Show |
The 2nd play of my STP is a 9* on Samford at 8:00 ET. Chattanooga (12-4) and Furman (11-5) are the class of the Southern Conference but Samford (18-9 / 8-7) has put together a solid season as the Bulldogs welcome The Citadel to Birmingham on Monday night. The Citadel 'limps' into Birmingham 11-15 overall, including 5-10 in conference games.
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02-21-22 | West Virginia v. TCU -4 | Top | 67-77 | Win | 100 | 9 h 24 m | Show |
The 1st play of my STP is a 9* on TCU at 8:00 ET. The Big 12 Conference has FOUR schools in the AP's top-25, with Kansas (11-2) leading the way over Baylor and Texas Tech (both 10-4). Tonight's game between West Va (14-11 / 3-10 Big 12) and TCU (16-8 / 5-7 Big 12) is not what one would call a marquee matchup. However, both have quality head coaches in West Va's Bob Huggins and TCU's Jamie Dixon. Both schools enter looking to end three-game losing streaks but note that West Virginia has lost 10 of its last 11 contests! The guard duo of Sherman (18.5) and McNeil (13.2) lead the way for West Va, while the 6-7 Bridges (9.2 & 5.1) is the team's top frontcourt player, with no other frontcourt player averaging as much as 5.0 PPG. Guard Johnson (5.2), while Curry adds 8.0 PPG. TCU has a trio of guards scoring 10-plus PPG in Miles (14.7-3.8-4.0), Baugh (10.6-4.2-4.0) and Miller (10.4 & 6.4). The frontcourt starters are the 6-6 O'Bannon (9.6 & 4.1) and the 6-11 Lampkin (6.6 & 6.0). This is the first of two meetings between the two schools but while West Va's season has imploded (was 13-2 after a Jan 11 win but is 14-12 now), TCU still harbors at-large hopes at 16-8. Getting to .500 or better in Big 12 play, would sure help the team's cause. West Va is 1-7 on the road this season, including 0-6 in Big 12 play, losing by an average of 14.3 PPG. Lay the small points. Good luck...Larry | |||||||
02-20-22 | Marquette +1.5 v. Creighton | Top | 82-83 | Win | 100 | 7 h 49 m | Show |
My 9* Las Vegas Insider is on Marquette at 3:00 ET. Marquette (17-9, 9-6) earned a 77-66 win over Georgetown on Wednesday night to snap a two-game losing streak and will take its 17-9 overall record (9-6 in Big East play) to CHI Health Center in Omaha to face Creighton, which is 17-8 overall (9-5 in the Big East) and riding a four-game winning streak after beating DePaul 71-59 on Thursday night. The Golden Eagles and Bluejays met back on Jan 1 in Milwaukee, when Creighton came away with a 75-69 win in double overtime.
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02-20-22 | St. Peter's -1 v. Siena | Top | 70-84 | Loss | -110 | 7 h 45 m | Show |
My 10* Conf Game of the Year (MAAC) is on St Peter's at 2:00 ET. Rick Pitino's Iona Gaels are the class of the MAAC, as they are 21-6 overall, including 13-2 in league play. However, while the Saint Peter’s Peacocks and the Siena Saints are each a modest 12-10 overall, they are battling for second place in the MAAC. St Peter's is 10-5 and Siena 9-5, as the two schools meet Sunday afternoon from the MVP Arena in Loudonville, NY (Siena's homecourt). The Peacocks will look to build on a 70-59 win over Fairfield their last time out, while the Saints will try to bounce back from a 62-53 loss to Marist. St Peter's is coached by Shaheen Holloway, who is in his fourth season (just 42-45 in his first three). The Saints are led by guard Banks (10.9) and the 6-7 Ndefo (10.0 & 6.2), who is a two-time Defensive POY in the MAAC. The 6-7 Drame brothers have also been crucial in setting the defensive tone Holoway is looking for. Fousseymi is averaging 7.4 & 7.1 and Hassam 6.0 & 5.3. Joining Banks in the backcourt are Edert (8.9) and Lee (7.1). Siena lost FOUR starters from last season and is led this season by Cal Poly transfer Rogers, who leads the team in scoring at 14.2 PPG. He's joined in the backcourt by Northwestern transfer Gaines (11.2 & 7.0) plus 6-9 returning PF Stormo adds 10.7 & 7.0. Hopkins (7.9) returns in the backcourt but Platek's (9.0 & 3.6) season ended back in early Dec and freshman guard Billups (5.7 & 4.8) is currently dealing with a knee injury (left last game and is questionable here). These schools met way back on Dec 5, with Siena winning 60-58. In that game, the Saints made 8 of 15 threes, to the Peacocks 2 of 9. St Peter's is the better team, is playing with revenge and sports a 7-1 ATS run in road games! Meanwhile, Siena is just 6-5 SU & ATS at home this season. I'm "all over" St Peter's in this one. Good luck...Larry | |||||||
02-19-22 | Colorado v. Stanford -2.5 | Top | 70-53 | Loss | -110 | 13 h 48 m | Show |
My 9* West Coast Crusher is on Stanford at 10:00 ET. The Colorado Buffaloes have won four in a row to bolster their postseason hopes, reaching 17-9 overall, including 9-7 in Pac 12 play. The Buffs will travel to the Bay Area to face the Stanford Cardinal, who have lost four of their last six games, with ALL losses coming by single digits (Stanford is just 15-11, including 8-8 in Pac 12 play). Colorado is looking for a sweep of its three-game road trip and has righted the ship after losing three straight and five of six in late January and early February. As for Stanford, it has a chance to finish strong, with only one of its last four games coming against a ranked team (March 3 at Arizona). Tad Boyle took over at Boulder in the 2009-10 season and has led the Buffaloes to 20-plus wins EIGHT times and into the NCAA Tournament FIVE times (would have been six but the 2020 tourney was shut down because of COVID. The Buffaloes have ridden the play of the 6-9 Walker (14.7 & 9.4), who has recorded a double-double in FIVE consecutive games. He had 19 points and tied a career high with 15 rebounds in a 70-62 win at Cal on Thursday night. The 6-8 Battey (11.5 & 4.5) and the 6-10 da Silva (9.3 & 3.7) start up front with Walker, while the starting guards were Barthelemy (11.0) and Parquet (6.9). However, Parquet is now lost for the season, meaning more "PT'' for guards Simpson (7.2) and Clifford (6.6 & 4.7). Jerod Haase had a nice four-year run at UAB (80-53) and got the Stanford job when it fired Johnny Dawkins. He won two NIT titles while at Palo Alto but the school and fans wanted NCAA tourney wins. Haase may be on the 'hot seat' after going 82-74 in his first five years, with just one postseason invite in 2018, to the NIT (Cardinal lost their first game). FIVE of Stanford's top-six scorers are frontcourt players. PG O'Connell (7.1 & 3.7 APG) runs the show but the team's main production comes from the 6-8 Ingram (11.3 & 6.6), the 6-9 Delaire (10.8 & 4.3), the 6-7 Jones (10.6 & 4.3), the 6-8 Angel (7.8 & 3.0) and the 6-9 O'Keefe (4.5 & 4.8). The Buffs are in MUCH better shape than the Cardinal but are playing a THIRD straight road game plus Stanford is playing its final home game of the regular season. A "W" here and with winnable games ahead at Cal and ASU, could get Stanford to 18 wins, prior to the Pac 12 tourney. A couple of wins there and Hasse may get that NCAA bid. It's a long shot but the 'dream' is all but over with a loss at home tonight! Good luck...Larry | |||||||
02-19-22 | Long Beach State v. UC-Santa Barbara -4.5 | Top | 71-84 | Win | 100 | 12 h 28 m | Show |
The third play of my STP is a 9* on Cal-Santa Barbara at 10:00 ET. It's Big West conference play tonight from the Thunderdome in Santa Barbara, as the Long Beach State Beach 49ers will play the UC Santa Barbara Gauchos. Long Beach State Beach has won 11 straight games, to reach 15-9, including 10-1 in Big West play. Meanwhile, a modest three wins in their last four have the Gauchos are 11-10, 3-5 in league play.
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02-19-22 | Cornell v. Harvard -4.5 | 72-77 | Win | 100 | 10 h 33 m | Show | |
The second play of my STP is an 8* play on Harvard. Yale (9-1) and Princeton (8-2) are fighting for the Ivy League title and are surely not looking over their shoulders at 13-9 Cornell (5-6) or Harvard 12-10 (4-6). Brian Earl is in his fifth season at Cornell, entering the current season with a 42-73 record. Using that as a backdrop, I guess this season's current 13-9 record 'ain't half bad!" Tommy Amaker is in his 15th season at Harvard and while he led The Crimson to four straight NCAA tourneys from 2012-15, the school hasn't been back since.
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02-19-22 | Virginia v. Miami-FL -1.5 | Top | 74-71 | Loss | -110 | 8 h 39 m | Show |
The first play of my STP is an 8* on Miami at 5:00 ET. It's an Atlantic Coast Conference contest from 'South Beach' tonight, as the Virginia Cavaliers (16-10 / 10-6 ACC) visit the Miami Hurricanes (19-7 / 11-4). The Cavs have won four of their last five games, including victories over two of the ACC's top-three teams in Duke and Miami. Virginia defeated Miami 71-58 at home back on Feb 5. It was Miami's most lopsided ACC loss this season. Duke and Notre Dame lead the ACC at 12-3, while Miami is just ONE game back (UVA is 2 1/2-games out of first place).
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02-19-22 | Tennessee +3.5 v. Arkansas | Top | 48-58 | Loss | -110 | 12 h 37 m | Show |
My 9* Marquee Classic is on Tennessee at 4:00 ET. Two of the hottest teams in the SEC will meet tonight from Bud Walton Arena in Fayetteville, Arkansas, as the Tennessee Vols (19-6 /10-3 SEC) will take a five-game winning streak into their matchup with the Arkansas Razorbacks (20-6 / 9-4), who have won 10 of their last 11. The SEC has five top-25 teams, with Auburn atop the league standings at 12-1, Tenn and Kentucky are tied at 10-3, while Arkansas lurks at 9-4. The Vols just won 76-63 at home over Kentucky on Tuesday, while Arkansas followed its 80-76 (OT) Feb 8th home win over Auburn (snapped the Tigers' 21-game winning streak), by losing at Alabama but winning at Missouri. This is the first of two meetings between the SEC contenders, as the teams will meet March 5 in Knoxville (regular season finale). Tennessee head coach Rick Barnes has been a winner at every stop, with three NCAA berths at Providence, three in four years at Clemson and 16 in 17 years at Texas. This is his seventh season at Tennessee, and he's led the Vols to three NCAA berths the last four years (exception was when COVID shut down the postseason). Junior guard Vescovi (13.8-4.4-3.2) and freshman PG Kennedy Chandler (13.3 & 4.9APG) lead the way for Tennessee. Some bad news is that the 6-8 Nkamhoua (9.6 & 5.6) has been lost for the season, but the Vols have a solid player in the 6-9 Fulkerson (7.8 & 4.9) plus the 7-0 Plavsic (4.1 & 3.4) and the 6-10 Hartley-Hatfield (3.3 & 2.4) will see more time. Perimeter players Jordan-james (8.8 & 5.6) and Zeigler (8.7) add excellent depth. Defense has always been a Rick Barnes specialty and his team is allowing just 63.1 PPG (35th). Eric Musselman is in his third season at Fayetteville, after four OUTSTANDING seasons at Nevada. He won the CBI title in his first season, then went to three straight NCAAA tourneys (4-year record of 110-34!). He was 20-12 in his first season at Arkansas, then went 25-7 last season (Elite 8 appearance). As noted, this year's team is 20-6, led by a trio of guards in double digits. The group includes Notae (18.8-4.5-3.5), Umude (11.4 & 4.6) and Toney (10.3 & 5.3). The 6-10 Williams adds 10.2 & 9.3 and is really the lone frontcourt player of note. Guards Lykes and Davis both average 8.7 PPG, as Musselman has basically stuck with a six-man rotation. Tennessee had four players in double figures against Kentucky with Vescovi leading with 18 points and Kennedy Chandler adding 17. Also key was the contribution of 6-11 freshman Jonas Aidoo, who was limited by illness early in the season. Aidoo stepped in for injured Olivier Nkamhoua and played a season-high 18 minutes with five points and seven rebounds against the Wildcats. He also blocked three shots, including two against Kentucky player-of-the-year candidate Oscar Tshiebwe. His tip-in with 11:10 remaining started a 10-0 scoring run that gave the Vols a 65-45 lead with 6:27 remaining on the clock. This is a HUGE game for both sides and I'm taking the points. Good luck...Larry | |||||||
02-19-22 | Towson v. College of Charleston +4 | Top | 80-77 | Win | 100 | 9 h 22 m | Show |
My 10* Conf Game of the Year (CAA) is on Coll of Charleston at 4:00 ET. The Towson Tigers travel to Charleston, SC to take on the College of Charleston at the SECU Arena. Towson has rebounded from an 'ugly' 4-14 season (3-9 in CAA) play) to enter this game 20-7, including 11-3 in CAA play. The COC has a new head coach this season in Pat Kelsey, who came from a nine-year stint at Winthrop in which he was 185-95 overall, including going 24-10 and 23-2 the last two seasons. The Cougars were just 9-10 last season (COVID-shortened) but are 14-11 this season, although an unimpressive 6-7 in ACC play. The Tigers have four double digit scorers in guards Holden (13.9 & 7.7), Timberlake (13.8 & 4.6) and Gibson (10.3) plus the 6-7 Thompson (10.4 & 6.4). The fifth starter is guard Rizzuto (8.3) plus Guar Nolan (9.6 & 4.1 APG) and the 6-8 Gray (7.1 & 4.4) are the top reserves. The Cougars can match those four double digit scorers in 6-6 forward Meeks (14.5 & 8.8) plus guards Smith (12.0), Tucker (11.3) and Underwood (7.6 & 3.4 APG). Starting alongside of Meeks, Smith and Underwood are the 6-7 Burnham (7.4 & 4.3) and the 6-8 Smart (3.6 & 4.3). Here's the rub. Towson began its three-game road swing to end the regular season Thursday night, as the Tigers rolled past UNC Wilmington 79-55. Thompson led the way with 15 points and 12 rebounds, while Gibson chipped in 14, Holden scored 13 and Antonio Rizzuto had 10. More importantly, it moved Towson to 11-3 in CAA play, just a half-game back of 12-3 UNC-Wilmington. Now, just two nights later, the Tigers play at Charleston, which 'hung' with the Tigers back on Jan 20, losing 74-67 at Towson. Of more importance, this is Charleston's FINAL home game of the season. "Upset Alert!" Take the points. Good luck...Larry | |||||||
02-19-22 | Texas Tech v. Texas -3 | Top | 61-55 | Loss | -115 | 8 h 10 m | Show |
My 9* Texas Two-Step is on Texas at 12;00 ET. Chris Beard left Lubbock and its beloved fan base last April to take over the Texas program (after Shaka Smart was fired) and created plenty of hurt feelings that haven't been soothed over the past 10 months. Mark Adams worked under Beard since his first season as a Division I head coach (started at Arkansas-LR) and instead of following Beard to Austin, decided to stay in Lubbock as Tech's head coach. These two bitter rivals played on Feb 1 in Lubbock, with the Red Raiders exacting a bit of revenge (on Beard) in a 77-64 win over the Longhorns. The two go at it again at high noon ET on Saturday, this time in Austin. The Red Raiders (20-6 / 9-4 Big 12) head to Austin after a come-from-behind 83-73 win at home over No. 7 Baylor on Wednesday that produced Texas Tech's first season sweep of the Bears since 2005. The 6-8 Obanor (10.3 & 5.2) had 23 points and grabbed 13 rebounds, both season-highs, and recorded his first double-double of the season. The 6-8 Williams (13.5 & 4.5) added 17 points, while guard Arms (8.2 & 4.0) had 15 and fellow guard Shannon (11.7) added 14. The Red Raiders played without big guard McCullar (10.8 & 5.3), who was out with an ankle sprain. Texas (19-7 / 8-5 Big 12) heads home after a two-game road trip that ended with an 80-78 win at Oklahoma in overtime on Tuesday Texas lost the first game at Baylor). The 6-6 Allen scored 20 points, including a key tip-in with 11 seconds remaining in overtime, as the Longhorns made the needed plays in the final minute of the extra period and held on. Andrew Jones (10.4) added 20 points for Texas, with PG Carr (11.1 & 3.5 APG) and the 6-7 Bishop each adding 16 points. Texas played without 6-9 center Mitchell (8.7 & 4.0) who did not make the trip with the team due to personal reasons. Kansas leads the Big 12 at 10-2, with Texas Tech and Baylor tied at 9-4 (Texas sits at 8-5). Expect maximum intensity and physical play in this one. "We were in desperation mode, so at halftime we knew we had to get after it from the very beginning of the second half," Texas Tech coach Mark Adams said. Tech rallied from a seven-point halftime deficit and outscored Baylor 51-34. "Emphasis was (to) just play hard and be aggressive. We're bigger and longer than they are, get some deflections and show our size more. And I thought we did that." Coming off that big win, I believe the motivational edge shifts to the Longhorns (and particularly to Beard), after losing on Feb 1 in Lubbock (see above). Revenge works here. Hook'em Horns! Good luck...Larry | |||||||
02-17-22 | Rockets v. Clippers UNDER 228.5 | Top | 111-142 | Loss | -110 | 14 h 2 m | Show |
My 10* Western Conf O/U Game of the Month is on Hou/LAC Under at 10:40 ET. The Houston Rockets and the LA Clippers meet tonight in LA, as the NBA's All-Star break is set to begin on Friday (teams don't return to play until next Thursday). Both teams are coming off contests against the NBA-best Phoenix Suns (48-10 ), as the Clippers are coming off a 103-96 road defeat to the Suns on Tuesday, while the Rockets gamely battled the Suns on Wednesday in an eventual 124-121 defeat. Houston had a slim lead with 1:56 to play before the Suns pulled ahead. The Rockets own the West's worst record at 15-42, while the Clippers are 29-31, leaving them as the West's No. 8 seed. LA is just three games behind the Nuggets (No. 6 seed, the last of the guaranteed playoff spots) but are also FIVE games clear of the No. 11 seed (New Orleans. The Rockets played inspired basketball against Phoenix, out rebounding them 49-42, while taking 97 shots to 86 for the Suns. All that without Christian Wood (17.6 & 10.2) and Kevin Porter (13.7 & 6.2 APG). who were late scratches due to a stomach bug. Dennis Schroder scored 17 of his 23 points in the second half of his second game and first start with the Rockets. He added nine assists and six rebounds but had six turnovers. Jae'Sean Tate (12.5 & 5.6) scored 22 for the Rockets with 10 rebounds, while Eric Gordon (14.3) had 10 of his 20 in the fourth quarter. Houston's Alperen Sengun (8.8 & 4.8) tied his career hi14.3gh with 19 points and set a career high with 14 rebounds in his fifth career start. The Clippers have been without Kawhi Leonard (knee) all season and without Paul George (elbow) since December. The most recent injury was to new arrival Norman Powell (18.7 PPG in 40 games for Portland) who is out indefinitely with a broken bone in his left foot. Powell and Robert Covington (7.6 & 5.7 in 48 games for Portland) were picked up before the trade deadline to give the Clippers more firepower down the stretch, but it remains unclear when Powell will return. That said, the Clippers still gave the Suns a game Tuesday as Marcus Morris (15.9 & 4.8) scored 23 points and Nicolas Batum (9.0 & 4.5) added 18. The Clippers forced 16 Suns turnovers, but Phoenix shot 48.9 percent from the floor to 41.2 percent for Los Angeles. I'm assuming BOTH teams are looking forward to the break and with SO many missing and questionable players, I see this game as a 'dead' Under. That's the play! Good luck...Larry | |||||||
02-17-22 | San Francisco +3 v. St. Mary's | Top | 64-69 | Loss | -110 | 12 h 2 m | Show |
The third play of my STP is a 9* on San Francisco at 10:00 ET. Full, detailed analysis Thursday morning by 11:00 ET. | |||||||
02-17-22 | Colorado v. California +2.5 | 70-62 | Loss | -110 | 14 h 27 m | Show | |
The 2nd play of my STP is an 8* on Cal at 9:30 ET. Full, detailed analysis Thursday morning by 10:00 ET. | |||||||
02-17-22 | Oregon -4 v. Arizona State | Top | 57-81 | Loss | -110 | 12 h 46 m | Show |
The 1st play of my STP is a 10* on Oregon at 9:00 ET. Dana Altman has been a HUGE winner in his coaching career and Oregon was ranked 13th in the AP's preseason poll. The Ducks did little right to open the season, splitting their first 12 games, before embarking on a season-saving run of 11 wins in their last 13 games. Oregon is now 17- 8 (10-4 in the Pac 12) and should have an NCAA Tournament bid on its mind. However, first things first. 12-1 Arizona will likely be the Pac 12 tourney's No. 1 seed but Oregon and USC (each 10-4) plus 9-4 UCLA, are all fighting to get one of the Pac 12's top-four seeds. Bobby Hurley (a member of the "Coaching Hurleys") came to Arizona St for the 2015-16 season. His six-year record (entering this season) was 104-83. After leading the Sun Devils to three straight 20-win seasons, last year's team flopped to 11-14 (7-10 Pac 12). The Sun Devils are just 8-15 overall this season and at 4-9 in Pac-12 play, are not thinking top-four seed like the Ducks. Oregon is coming off a 62-59 win over Washington State on Monday at Eugene, as the Ducks have won five of their past six games. However, that one loss is a concern because it occurred last week at home against California, 78-64. With four losses in conference play, and on the bubble when it comes to the NCAA Tournament, Oregon coach Dana Altman said, "There is no big picture. The big picture is Thursday night, and trying to win a game," he said. "We lost a game to Arizona State in Eugene, so we should be ready to roll." Will Richardson is Oregon's leading scorer at 15.1 PPG but scored only eight points in the previous meeting with the Sun Devils. He made just 2 of 14 shots from the floor, including 1 of 9 from three-point range. He scored in double figures in each of the next 15 games, before managing just seven while in foul trouble against Washington St on Monday. Fellow guards Young (11.3) and Harmon (11.2) join Richardson in double figures. 6-11 center Dante (8.2 & 5.6) plus the 6-7 Guerrier (9.0 & 5.3) typically start, while the 6-6 Williams (7.5 & 5.0) and the 6-11 Kepnang (4.7 & 2.8) come off the bench. Arizona State took an early season hit when returning guard Bagley (10.8 PPG) was lost to a knee injury after just THREE games (was averaging 10.4). Horne (12.5), Heath (9.9) and Jackson (9.5 & 3.9 APG) have taken up the slack in the backcourt. 6-6 SF Lawrence (10.5 & 6.9) and the 6-9 Graham (9.1 & 4.5) are the lone frontcourt players of note. Arizona is averaging a woeful 63.9 PPG (322nd) on 39.2% shooting (352nd). Arizona State is hoping that its bounce-back performance at Washington State last weekend is a sign of things to come, as the Sun Devils start a stretch of five games in 10 days. Tonight's contest launches its busy stretch with home games Thursday against Oregon and Saturday against Oregon State. After that come three games on the road next week at UCLA, Colorado and Utah. Oregon is seeking to nail down a top-four seed for the Pac-12 plus is also trying to burnish it's at-large resume. That's motivation enough but NO WAY that Oregon forgets its 69-67 OT loss at home to ASU back on Dec 5, a time BEFORE the Ducks have 'hit their stride!' Lay the points. Good luck...Larry | |||||||
02-17-22 | Wizards v. Nets -3.5 | Top | 117-103 | Loss | -110 | 12 h 40 m | Show |
My 9* Weekly Wipeout is on the Brk Nets at 7:40 ET. The Washington Wizards were 34-38 last season and qualified for the playoffs via the 'play-in' round. However, they were quickly bounced 4-1 by the 76ers. The Brooklyn Nets were 48-24 last season (East's No. 2 seed) and after taking out the Celtics in five games, played a thrilling seven-game series against the Bucks, losing Game 7 at home 115-111 in OT. Expectations this season were for Washington to again be contending for one of the East's lower seeds, but the Nets were favorites to win the East behind the trio of KD, James and Kyrie. The two teams meet Thursday (final game for all NBA teams before a six-day All Star break), with Washington at 26-31 and the Nets at 31-27. The Wizards are currently 1 1/2-games behind the No. 10 seed (last of the play-in spots) but also just two games back of the No. 9 seed. As for the Nets, the team imploded by losing 11 straight games from Jan 23 thru Feb 12, to fall from being at or near the top of the East standings to currently owning just the No. 8 seed, leaving them among the 'play-in' seeds. The good news is, the Nets enter this game on a two-game winning streak and are just two games back of the No. 6 seed. Washington eked out a 113-112 home win over the Nets a week ago but is 3-10 in its past 13 contests. Three of the team's five double digit scorers on the season ware currently not available. Leading scorer Beal (23.2-4.7-6.6) is out for the season with an injury plus PF Harrell (14.1 & 6.7) and guard Dinwiddie (12.6 & 4.7 APG) have both been traded. More bad news comes in the fact that undersized center Gafford (8.9 & 6.0), is also out with an illness. Kristaps Porzingis has yet to make his debut due to a bruised right knee after being obtained from Dallas. Porzingis has missed NINE straight games since his last appearance on Jan. 29 and will sit out again Thursday. Taht leaves SF Kuzma (16.5 & 8.8) and guard Caldwell-Pope (11.7) as the only regulars from the Washington team that went 13-7 in its first 20 games. The Brooklyn story is well-known. It began with Kyrie's non-vaccinated status, making him ineligible to play home games and then KD went down with an injury (last played on Jan 15 and is not expected to be back until sometime after the All-Star break). The final 'kicker' was Harden's trade deadline deal that sent him to Philly. However, the Nets may be regaining their footing following a pair of drastically different wins. After matching the largest comeback in franchise history, the Nets attempt to reach the All-Star break with three straight wins Thursday night when they host the Washington Wizards. The Nets halted their 11-game skid with Monday's 109-85 wire-to-wire rout of the Sacramento Kings. Two days later, the Nets erased a 28-point deficit and pulled off an impressive 111-106 win over the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden last night, putting them in position for three straight wins for the first time since getting four straight wins Dec 10-16. Simmons has yet to play for Brooklyn but both Curry (20 points last night) and center Drummond (11 & 19 vs the NYK) have made immediate impacts. Patty Mills is also new and he's averaging 13.2 PPG on the season. Rookie Cam Thomas (9.6) scored 16 of his 21 points in Brooklyn's 38-point fourth quarter, while LaMarcus Aldridge (13.7 & 8.8) added 18 points and James Johnson (5.9) finished with 14. Here's the bottom line. Washington 'limps' into its final game before the All-Star break having gone 3-16-1 ATS its last 20 contests. "W-I-P-E-O-U-T Alert! Good luck...Larry | |||||||
02-16-22 | Nuggets v. Warriors -5.5 | Top | 117-116 | Loss | -110 | 10 h 24 m | Show |
My 9* PERFECT STORM is on the GS Warriors at 10:10 ET. The Phoenix Suns have pulled away in the West and at 47-10, own a 5 1/2-game lead over the 42-16 Warriors. Golden St will host the Denver Nuggets on Wednesday in San Francisco The Nuggets enter at 32-25, which places them 6th in the Western Conference, the last guaranteed spot in the playoffs Denver has played all season without Murray (21.2 PPG last season) and Porter played just NINE games (9.9 & 6.6) before going down. Last year's MVP Jokic (25.8-13.7-7.9) has basically 'mirrored' his stats from last season and is still surrounded by some solid talent. Swingman Barton (15.4-5.0-4.0), PF Gordon (14.6 & 5.7), PG Morris (12.6 & 4.3 APG) and SF Green (10.5) have been consistent. Unfortunately Morris is dealing with a concussion and will miss this game. That means Denver's reserves will need to step up. Hyland (8.8) has moved ahead of Campazzo (6.0 & 3.7 APG) as the team's second-string PG but both will get more minutes with Morris out. Swingman Forbes has been an excellent pickup, averaging 9.8 PPG in his 14 games with the team. Curry (25.8-5.3-6.3), Wiggins (17.9 & 4.2) and Poole (16.4) have been Golden St's "Big 3" this season but now Thompson (17.1 PPG in 15 games) is back. When Thompson starts, Poole comes off the bench. Golden St has gotten used to playing without Green (7.9-7.6-7.4) with Porter (8.3 & 8.2) stepping up. Forward Kuminga (7.9) plus guards Lee (8.1) and Payton (6.7) have been valuable contributors. Then there is center Looney, who has started all 58 games, averaging 6.2 & 7.5). Golden St lost 119-104 Monday night.at the LA Clippers, the team's THIRD loss in its previous four games. In that stretch, the Warriors have been outrebounded by an average of 48.5 to 40.3. That has to change and of course, Denver is led by Jokic, the NBA leader in double-doubles (45) and triple-doubles (15), having 15 of the former and eight of the latter in his past 16 games. Golden State has allowed at least 111 points in each of its past four games but still ranks 4th in points allowed (103.5 per), plus 2nd in both opponents FG percentage (43.%) and three-point percentage (33.3%). I believe this is Golden St's "game to win," remembering an 89-86 home loss to Denver way back on Dec 28th. Lay the points. Good luck...Larry | |||||||
02-16-22 | Raptors v. Wolves UNDER 230 | Top | 103-91 | Win | 100 | 10 h 26 m | Show |
My 10* O/U Game of the Week is on Tor/Min Under at 8:10 ET. The Toronto Raptors have followed an eight-game winning streak with back-to-back losses, and they will try to rebound Wednesday night when they oppose the Minnesota Timberwolves in Minneapolis. Toronto fell all the way to 27-45 last season but that eight-game winning streak has them 'knocking on the door' for a guaranteed playoff spot in the East. The Raptors are currently just 1 1/2-games behind the red-hot Celtics, who have taken over the No. 6 seed. However, it should also be noted that in the East, Toronto is still within FIVE games of the No. 1 seed (Miami, which is 37-21).
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02-16-22 | Winthrop v. Gardner-Webb -3.5 | Top | 81-70 | Loss | -115 | 12 h 31 m | Show |
My 10* Conf (Big South) "Best of the Best" is on Gardner-Webb at 7:00 ET. The Winthrop Eagles and the Gardner-Webb Runnin’ Bulldogs meet Wednesday from Paul Porter Arena in Boiling Springs, NC. Winthrop was 23-2 last season but this season began with a new head coach in Mark Prosper. Gardner-Webb, unlike Winthrop, has not been much of a threat in the Big South during Mark Crat's tenure (now in his 9th season). The Big South has two divisions (North and South). Longwood (19-6 / 11-1) has run away with the North but Winthrop (17-8 / 10-2) is being challenged in the South by Gardner-Webb (15-10 / 9-3).
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02-16-22 | Illinois -3 v. Rutgers | Top | 59-70 | Loss | -110 | 9 h 8 m | Show |
My 9* Situational Stunner is on Illinois at 7:00 ET. Illinois routed Rutgers by 35 points when the teams met on Dec 3 but much has changed (especially for Rutgers), since that meeting. Illinois is one of five top-25 teams in the Big Ten and sits atop the conference at 11-3. Rutgers is unranked but at 9-5 in league play, is still very much alive to get one of the conference's top-four seeds (double-bye).
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02-15-22 | Wisconsin v. Indiana -3 | Top | 74-69 | Loss | -110 | 8 h 24 m | Show |
My 9* Late Breaker is on Indiana at 9:00 ET. The Big Ten has FIVE schools in the AP's top-20. Purdue is the highest ranked at No. 5 but at 11-4, trails No. 12 Illinois (11-3). No. 15 Wisconsin is 19-5 overall and 10-4 in the Big Ten (third-place), as it visits Bloomington, In on Tuesday to take on 16-8 Indiana, which is just 7-7 in Big Ten play. The Badgers find themselves in a four-way fight at the top of the conference standings (Mich St is 9-4) and Saturday's 73-65 home loss to Rutgers sure didn't help. Greg Gard is now in his seventh season at Madison, taking over when Bo Ryan retired. Wisconsin featured four, 5th-year seniors and three regular seniors last season but of the 14 scholarship players this season, 10 are classified as freshmen for eligibility purposes. Guard Davison began the season with 124 career starts and is averaging 14.4 & 4.1 and is joined by freshman guard Hepburn (7.5). The "big story" has been guard Davis (7.0 & 4.1 LY), who is averaging 20.3 & 8.2 this season. Rounding out the starting-five, after limited playing time last season, are the 6-9 Wahl (11.6 & 5.7) and the 7-0 Crowl (9.1 & 4.4). Indiana lost its final six games of last season and the Hoosiers fired head coach Archie Miller. They then hired Mike Woodson (former Indiana player under Bob Knight) to lead the team in the 2021-22 season, Indiana opened 6-0 but is a modest 10-8 since, including 7-7 in Big Ten play). The 6-9 Jackson-Davis (17.5 & 8.3) is the team's best player, joined up front by the 6-8 Thompson (10.7 & 7.8) and the 6-7 Kopp (6.0 & 2.5). Guards Johnson (10.4-3.6-4.5), Stewart (6.7 and Galloway (6.0) are getting the backcourt minutes (Phinisee was averaging 5.1 PPG but has been sidelined with an ankle injury since late Jan). Wisconsin is known for its defense and is allowing 66.4 PPG but it may surprise that Indiana is allowing 63.8 PPG. What's more, Wisconsin is allowing opponents to shoot 43.7% (221st), while Indiana is holding opponents to 37.6% shooting (5th-best in the nation). The Hoosiers are coming off a 76-61 loss at Michigan State on Saturday (team's third straight loss), dropping to 2-6 on the road this season. However, the Hoosiers are 13-2 at home. This contest is a rematch of the Big Ten opener for both teams back on Dec 8, a game Wisconsin won 64-59. However, the Badgers needed to rally from a 22-point deficit to edge Indiana at home. The 'shoe' is on the other foot in this one and I look for the Hoosiers to earn the win, dealing the Badgers a 'hurtful' loss in their quest for a Big Ten regular season title. Revenge is a dish best served cold and I expect it to be very 'cold' tonight in Assembly Hall for the Badgers. Good luck...Larry | |||||||
02-15-22 | Villanova -4 v. Providence | Top | 89-84 | Win | 100 | 13 h 46 m | Show |
My 9* Marquee Classic is on Villanova at 8:00 ET. Big East supremacy will be at stake Tuesday when No. 10 Villanova visits No. 8 Providence. Villanova (19-6, 12-3) is the model program of the conference, while Providence (21-2, 11-1 Big East) is in first-place coming off a 13-13 season (9-10 in the Big East). Villanova head coach Jay Wright owns two national titles (2016 and 2018) and is coming off a Sweet 16 appearance last season with four starters coming back, 'Nova opened the year as the AP's 4th-ranked team but the Wildcats were just 7-4 through mid-December. That said, THREE of those losses came to then-No. 2 UCLA, then-No. 6 Purdue and then-No. 2 Baylor. Villanova is 12 and 2 since then, as Wright is going with a basic six-man rotation so far this season. Collin Gillespie has fully recovered from an MCL injury that ended his 2020-21 campaign early. He leads the Wildcats in scoring with 16.2 PPG. Fellow guards Justin Moore adds 15.2 & 5.0 and Daniels chips in 9.27PPG in the role of 6th-man. Up front, it's the 6-7 Samuels (10.2 & 6.1) the 6-8 Dixon (10.0 & 6.7).and the 6-7 Slater (9.0 & 3.7). Ed Cooley arrived in Providence for the 2011-12 season and led the Friars to FIVE straight NCAA tournaments from 2014-2018. Providence is coming off a mediocre 13-13 season last year but that's all changed this season. The Friars have three double digit scorers 6-10 center Watson (13.6 & 5.7), plus guards Durhman (13.4) and Bynum (11.6 & 4.2 APG). Reeves (8.9) adds depth in the backcourt, while the 6-8 Horchler (9.9 & 8.5) and the 6-7 Minaya (6.6 & 5.8) contribute up front. Villanova always plays excellent defense and this season is no different (62.2 PPG ranks 26th) but Providence has held opponents to a modest 64.6 PPG (61st). This is the first of two meetings between the two schools, with the second coming Mar 1 (regular season finale for both) and Villanova is well aware that a loss here and the Friars will move to 12-1, leaving the Wildcats at 12-4 (steep hill to climb). Villanova has won SIX of its last eight road games against Providence and I'll back "the model program of the conference" in this Marquee Classic. Lay the points. Good luck...Larry | |||||||
02-15-22 | Celtics v. 76ers +2 | Top | 135-87 | Loss | -110 | 10 h 9 m | Show |
My 10* Division (Atlantic) Game of the Year is on the Phi 76ers at 7:40 ET. The Philadelphia 76ers acquired James Harden along with Paul Millsap on Thursday from the Brooklyn Nets for Ben Simmons, Seth Curry, Andre Drummond and two first-round draft picks. However, Harden's strained hamstring is expected to be sidelined through at least the All-Star break. 34-22 Philadelphia defeated Oklahoma City and Cleveland in consecutive games this past weekend without Harden and tonight welcome rival Boston to Philly on Tuesday. The red-hot Celtics will be looking for their NINTH consecutive victory in Tuesday's game. The Celtics were a season-worst three games under .500 when they were 18-21 thru Jan 6 but have since gone 15-4 to reach 33-25. EIGHT straight wins (10 of 11) have moved Boston into the East's No. 6 seed (last guaranteed playoff spot) and just 4 1/2-games back of top-seeded Miami (37-20). The Celtics defeated the Atlanta Hawks 105-95 on Sunday thanks in large part to Jayson Tatum's 38 points and 10 rebounds. Jaylen Brown added 17 points and nine rebounds for the Celtics, who looked completely in sync offensively. Tatum (25.7 & 8.4) and Brown (23.5 & 6.6) lead the way but there have been times when Tatum and Brown have been criticized for "not playing well with others" but Celtics first-year head coach Ime Udoka recently said, "We know we're much harder to beat when both are firing on all cylinders. They've been shooting better, attacking better, and making plays, and we expect that from those two." However, Boston needs to keep others involved. Boston was active at Thursday's trade deadline. First, they acquired point guard Derrick White from the San Antonio Spurs for Josh Richardson, Romeo Langford and a 2022 first-round pick. Then, they acquired forward Daniel Theis from the Houston Rockets for guard Dennis Schroder and big men Enes Freedom and Bruno Fernando. Theis, a former Celtic, is averaging 8.4 points and 5.0 rebounds in 26 games (21 starts) this season. White has averaged 14.5-5.0-3.5 in his two games and along with Smart (11.8-4.0-5.4) form an excellent backcourt. Big men Horford (10.0 & 7.5) and Robert Williams (10.0 & 9.7) give Boston the look of a "real contender!" Philadelphia is 34-22 (No. 4 seed) but as I've mentioned often, the top-5 East teams are separated by just 2 1/2-games. The Sixers have been resilient while waiting for Harden to make his team debut. Joel Embiid produced his fourth career triple-double with 40 points, 14 rebounds and 10 assists in a 103-93 win over the Cavaliers on Saturday. Embiid (29.5-11.2-4.5) joined Wilt Chamberlain as the only other Sixers player in history to accumulate a 40-point triple-double. Philly guards Thybulle (5.9) and Milton (10.1) are back and join Maxey (17.0-3.6-4.7), who is developing as a star at PG. Harris (18.9 & 7.4) forms an excellent center/PF duo with Embiid. SF Niang (9.3) continues to play well plus Korkmaz (8.9) and Green (6.6) add depth. Yes, Boston has won EIGHT straight but look closer. FOUR of those wins have been on the road to. Boston's 'victims' have been 23-34 New Orleans, 12-45 Detroit, 13-46 Orlando and the free-falling Brooklyn (has lost 11 of 12). Philadelphia has taken TWO of three from Boston this season and in this final regular season meeting, will make it THREE wins in a row over the team's hated-rival. Good luck...Larry | |||||||
02-15-22 | Memphis v. Cincinnati +3 | Top | 81-74 | Loss | -103 | 11 h 44 m | Show |
My 10* Las Vegas Insider is on Cincinnati at 7:00 ET. The Memphis Tigers got hot at the end of last season and head coach Penny Hardaway led his alma mater to the NIT championship. Memphis opened the current CBB season ranked 12th in the AP poll but it's far from 'smooth sailing' for the Tigers, who are currently a modest 14-8 and have long ago fallen from the rankings. However, the Tigers have won FIVE straight (all in league play) and are 8-4 in the AAC, 1 1/2-games behind conference leaders Houston and SMU (both 9-2). The Tigers travel to Cincinnati to take on the 16-8 Bearcats (just 6-5 in AAC play) tonight. The Bearcats have a new coach in Wes Miller (NCAA bids with UNC-Greensboro in 2018 and 2021), who was hired after John Brannen was let go amid controversy.
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02-14-22 | Dayton v. Rhode Island +2.5 | Top | 63-57 | Loss | -110 | 11 h 39 m | Show |
My 9* Weekly Wipeout is on Rhode Island at 9:00 ET. The 17-8 Dayton Flyers and the 13-10 Rhode Island Rams meet Monday from Ryan Center in Kingston, RI in A-10 action. Dayton is 9-3 in conference play (tied with VCU), as both chase 10-2 Davidson. Rhode Island is only 3-4 in conference play but comes off a confidence-building 72-65 win over Davidson in its last game. The two schools met back on Jan 28 in Dayton, with the Flyers barely edging the Rams, 53-51.
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02-14-22 | Spurs v. Bulls -5 | Top | 109-120 | Win | 100 | 11 h 55 m | Show |
My 10* Las Vegas Insider is on the Chi Bulls at 8:10 ET. The SA Spurs had their playoff streak of 22 in a row snapped in the 2019 season when they went 32-39. The Spurs went 33-39 last season, qualifying for the play-in' round but failed to advance, making it TWO straight non-playoff years for "Pop." The Spurs are currently 22-35 and one behind the No. 10 seed, the final spot for the 7-10 'play-in' round. The Chicago Bulls were 31-41 last season, missing the postseason for the FOURTH consecutive year but have reinvented themselves as a threat in the Eastern Conference behind Zach LaVine and the free agent signing of DeMar DeRozan. They also picked up center Nikola Vucevic from Orlando last season (where his talents were wasted) plus added Lonzo Ball as a free agent prior to this season. Chicago is currently 36-21, one game behind the top-seeded Miami Heat in the East (note: top-5 seeds separated by just 2 1/2-games). The Spurs head to Chicago after a 124-114 win in New Orleans on Saturday (team's third straight win), as Dejounte Murray (20.0 & 9.3) scored 31 points and distributed 12 assists in the victory, giving him the 30-10 achievement in back-to-back games. The Spurs also have five more players averaging in double digits. The group includes Johnson (15.6 & 6.0), Poeltl (13.0 & 9.0), McDermott (11.7), Vassell (11.6 & 4.3) and Walker (10.9). The Bulls came from behind to beat Oklahoma City 106-101 at home on Saturday (also the team's third straight win) behind DeRozan's 38 points. DeRozan (27.7-5.2-5.1) has now scored 30 or more points in six consecutive games (a career-high), and the last Bull to score 30-plus in seven straight games was Michael Jordan in 1996-97. Zach LaVine (24.6-4.9-Center 4.5) missed Saturday's game with a sore left knee and left the team on Sunday to see a specialist. He is considered questionable for the contest with the Spurs and could miss the rest of the week leading up to the All-Star Break. Center Vucevic missed some time due to COVID and is currently dealing with a knee issue but he's playing these days and is averaging a double-double (18.0 & 11.7) on the season. Ball is sidelined but rookie guard Dosunmu (8.0) has made the most of his extra "PT." He is averaging just over 10 PPG since Jan 1 and in his last two games, he has scored 26 points, grabbed 12 rebounds and handed out 19 assists. The Spurs beat the Bulls 131-122 in San Antonio back on Jan 28, but expect the Bulls to 'return the favor tonight,' in a BIG way! Good luck...Larry | |||||||
02-14-22 | West Virginia +3.5 v. Kansas State | Top | 73-78 | Loss | -110 | 10 h 44 m | Show |
My 10* Situational Stunner is on West Va at 7:00 ET. The Big 12 Conference has FOUR schools in the AP's top-20, with Kansas (9-2) leading the way over 9-3 Baylor and 8-4 Texas Tech. Tonight's game between West Va (14-10 / 3-8 Big 12) and Kansas St (13-11 / 5-7 Big 12) is not what one would call a marquee matchup. However, both have quality head coaches in West Va's Bob Huggins and Bruce Weber of Kansas St. The Mountaineers just got pounded 81-58 Saturday at Oklahoma State, suffering their EIGHT loss in nine games. The Wildcats come into this game with momentum after rallying Saturday for a 75-69 overtime win at Iowa State. They allowed just 29 points after halftime, limiting the Cyclones to 31.4 percent shooting from the floor. The guard duo of Sherman (18.4) and McNeil (13.4) lead the way for West Va, while the 6-7 Bridges (9.2 & 5.0) is the team's top frontcourt player. Guard Curry (8.5) is the only other West Va player averaging as much as 5 PPG. Kansas St has a trio of guards averaging in double digits, led by Pack (17.7). He's joined by Smith (12.0 & 8.4) and PG Newell (11.5 & 5.1 APG). The 6-9 Massoud (6.3 & 2.8) and the 6-10 Ezeagu (4.3 & 3.0) add little in the way of much help in the frontcourt. West Virginia edged Kansas State 71-68 back on Jan 9 in Morgantown. At that point, WVU was 12-2 on the season but is just 2-8 since then. It's "revenge" for Kansas St but I want NO part of laying points with the Wildcats. Interestingly, Monday night's game offers an opportunity for the winner to possibly make a late run into the 68-team NCAA field next month. Each has some high-profile games left on the schedule and with four Big 12 teams in the top-15 of the NCAA's NET rankings through Saturday night's games, a late season run and a "W" (or two) in the Big 12 tourney may just 'do the trick!' I'm with Huggins and the Mountaineers. Good luck...Larry | |||||||
02-13-22 | Rams -4 v. Bengals | Top | 23-20 | Loss | -109 | 108 h 44 m | Show |
My 10* SB 56 Super Pick is on the LA Rams at 6:30 ET. The Super Bowl is back in the Los Angeles mark for the EIGHTH time, as only Miami (11) and New Orleans (10) have hosted more. Sunday's game will be played at SoFi Stadium (home to the Rams), as for the SECOND consecutive year a team has played host to a Super Bowl playing in its home stadium (the Bucs hosted SB 55 last year at Raymond James). No team had hosted a Super Bowl in its home stadium for the first 54 Super Bowls but it's now happened in back-to-back seasons. Could the Cards make it three years in a row by hosting next year's Super Bowl in Glendale, Az? Seems like a stretch but how many had the Bengals, coming off a 4-11-1 year and having last won a playoff game in the 1990 season, reaching this year's Super Bowl? Or for that matter, how many had the Rams as the NFC favorite to be here, led by Matthew Stafford and his 0-3 career record in the postseason during his 12 years with the Lions? Anyway, it's the Bengals and Rams in Super Bowl 56, playing in the same city as the first-ever Super Bowl. That game was played in the LA Coliseum, as Lombardi's Packers beat Hank Stram's Chief 35-10. The game was played on Jan 15, 1967 (1966 season) with the official merger not coming until the start of the 1970 season. Those were the days! | |||||||
02-13-22 | Colorado State +3 v. Boise State | Top | 77-74 | Win | 100 | 9 h 19 m | Show |
My 10* Las Vegas Insider is on Colorado St at 4:00 ET. The 19-3 Colorado State Rams (9-3 in MWC) and the 19-5 Boise State Broncos (10-1 in MWC) meet Sunday afternoon from the ExtraMile Arena in Boise in a major showdown in the MWC. Boise St is tied with Wyoming at the top of the conference standings, while CSU sits 1 1/2-games behind the two leaders. This is the first of two meetings between the two schools, who will meet again March 5 in Fort Collins (season finale for both teams). CSU's head coach Niko Medved is in his fourth season at Fort Collins, coming off a 20-8 record last season in which the Rams finished fourth in the NIT. Colorado State lost just ONE of its first 17 games but then lost B2B games to UNLV and Wyoming, before winning three in a row. David Roddy leads the Rams in scoring (19.3) and rebounding (7.7), while PG Isaiah Stevens averages 15.5 PPG and a team-high 4.9 APG this season. John Tonje (10.3) comes off the bench to give the Rams a third double-digit scorer. Guards Jacobs (5.2 & 4.2) and Moore (5.8) join the 6-9 Thomas (6.2 & 3.5) to complete the starting-five. Lake, Rivera and Moors combine to contribute 12.9 PPG. Boise St's Leon Rice is in his 12th season, having produced EIGHT 20-win seasons in his first 11, including two NCAA teams (the most recent coming back in 2015). Last year's team went 19-9, before losing in the NIT quarterfinals, just missing a ninth, 20-win campaign. The Broncos opened just 3-4 but have won 16 of 17 since, losing only Feb 3 at Wyoming (72-65). Boise St has depth issues but has a very solid starting-five. The backcourt is missing Doutrive (9.4 & 4.6), who last played on Nov 30 but Shaver (12.7 & 3.7) and 6-8 guard Akot (11.0 & 3.2) form a quality duo. Up front, it's the 6-7 Kijab (14.1 & 6.4), the 6-7 Degenhart (10.3 & 3.7) and the 6-10 Armus (6.9 & 8.3). The 6-7 Smith (5.3 & 3.2) comes off the bench. Defense is Boise's 'bread-and-butter,' allowing 59.2 PPG (9th). This is a HUGE game for Colorado St, as loss likely leaves the regular season title to either Wyoming or Boise. However, a "W'' keeps them right in the mix. Let me note that Boise St comes in on an 0-4 ATS run in its last four home games. Take the points. Good luck...Larry | |||||||
02-13-22 | Connecticut -3.5 v. St. John's | Top | 63-60 | Loss | -110 | 4 h 50 m | Show |
My 9* Big East Showdown is on UConn at 12:00 ET. St. John's (13-10, 5-7 Big East) will host No. 24 UConn (16-7, 7-5) in Madison Square Garden at high noon on Super Bowl Sunday. The Red Storm haven't played since Tuesday, when they trailed by 20 points with four minutes left before mounting a furious rally in a 75-69 loss to No. 15 Villanova. UConn also ran out of time in its 74-68 loss Friday night at No. 25 Xavier. The Huskies allowed Xavier to shoot almost 50 percent from the floor (26-of-53) and never led in the second half. They trailed 47-37 with 13:39 left before getting within three points three times, including twice in the final two minutes. Mike Anderson (no connection at all to St John's or the Big East) was a surprise choice as the Red Storm's head coach after Chris Mullen left and the 'jury is still out' in his third season. The 6-8 Champagnie is listed as a guard and leads St John's in scoring (18.5) and rebounding (6.6). The 6-9 Wheeler (9.6 & 4.1) and the 6-11 Soriano (6.1 & 5.7) are the Red Storm's lone big men of note. Guards Alexander (14.9-4.6-5.2), Addae-Wusu (9.3 & 4.3), Mathis (8.3 & 4.0) and Smith (6.3) give St John's a deep perimeter group. Dan Hurley had a nice run at Rhode Island (won 25 & 26 games his last two seasons with NCAA bids) which got him the UConn job. He's in his fourth season and last year got UConn into the NCAAs. Guards Gole (16.3-3.7-4.4), Martin (13.7 & 6.6) Jackson (7.0 & 7.3) start in the backcourt, along with the 6-9 Sanogo (15.2 & 8.3) and Whaley (7.4 & 4.90. The 6-9 Polley (7.6) is the top reserve. Here's the rub. St John's has BOTH Champagnie (exited the last game with a hip injury, and it is unclear if he will suit up against UConn) and Alexander (missed the previous game due to a right ankle injury, and it is uncertain if he will play vs UConn) listed as questionable. I'm NOT sure I'd want St John's if that duo was 100 percent healthy and I sure won't take St John's with the current status report. Remember, the Huskies own a 115-109 double overtime win over Auburn (Nov 24) and even though they limp in having lost three of four, that lone win was an 80-72 victory over No. 18 Marquette on Tuesday. This is a great matchup for UConn. Lay the points. Good luck...Larry | |||||||
02-13-22 | CS-Fullerton +1.5 v. Hawaii | Top | 55-72 | Loss | -110 | 12 h 7 m | Show |
My Late Breaker is on CS-Fullerton at 11:59 ET. The 14-7 CS-Fullerton Titans will travel to the Stan Sheriff Center in Honolulu to take on the 11-8 Hawaii Rainbow Warriors this Saturday night in Big West play. A close look at the Big West standings reveals that while 10-1 Long Beach St (10-1) is the 'class' of the conference, the 8-2 Titans and 7-3 Rainbow Warriors are still within striking distance. Fullerton lost 71-61 this past Tuesday at Long Beach St, while Hawaii lost its 3rd straight game two nights ago, 73-66 at home to Long Beach State Beach. Fullerton is led by the 6-7 Anosike (16.5 & 8.1) and only guard Milstead (10.9) joins him in double digits. However, five more players chip in between 7.0 & 9.8 PPG, led by guard Maddox (9.8) and the 6-8 Lee, who is the team's top rebounder (6.9) outside of Anosike. Hawaii features a solid starting-five. Guards Coleman (14.9) and Madut (10.4) are joined by a frontcourt of the 6-7 Desrosiers (11.6 & 7.4), the 6-9 da Silva (11.1 & 6.8) and the 6-10 Hepa (9.6 & 4.9). Both teams are coming off losses to conference 'bully' LB St, so a "W" here is priority No. 1 for both Fullerton and Hawaii. I view Fullerton as the better team and the Titans are 5-1 ATS in their last six games following a ATS loss. Meanwhile, Hawaii is only 1-6 ATS in its last seven games vs a team with a winning percentage above .600 (Fullerton is 14-7, .667). Fullerton doesn't play again until Feb 17, so why not enjoy their one-game stop in 'paradise!' The Titans are the play. Good luck...Larry | |||||||
02-12-22 | UCLA -1.5 v. USC | Top | 64-67 | Loss | -110 | 15 h 46 m | Show |
My 9* Las Vegas Insider is on UCLA at 10:00 ET. All remember UCLA's great run to the Final 4 last season and with a 'TON' of talent back, the Bruins began the season ranked No. 2 in the AP's preseason poll. USC was 25-8 last season (made the Elite 8) but head coach Andy Enfield (who will ever forget Florida Gulf Coast!) has retooled the Trojans, after losing Evan Mobley to the NBA draft (3rd overall pick). USC opened the current season 13-0 and in the Jan 10 AP poll, was ranked No. 5. It was the school's highest ranking since also being No. 5 way back in December of 1974! Now, on Super Bowl Eve, less than 10 miles from where the big game will be played, cross-town rivals No. 12 UCLA and No. 21 USC meet at Galen Center in a game with Pac-12 Conference title implications.
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02-12-22 | Drake v. Bradley -1.5 | Top | 59-68 | Win | 100 | 9 h 11 m | Show |
My 9* play is on Bradley at 8:00 ET (3rd of my STP). Drake's Darian DeVries is in his fourth season in Des Moines (70-29 his first three) and you may remember Drake opening 18-0 last season. However, the Bulldogs lost in the MVC tourney (Arch Madness) but the Bulldogs still went 'dancing,' earning the first at-large bid in program history (Drake also finished at 26-5). What's more, Drake returned all FIVE starters from that team. Bradley's Brian Wardle is in his 7th season at Bradley, having gone just 93-102 in his first six (12-16 last season). Drake come is 17-8 (8-4 in MVC) and Bradley 14-11 (8-5 in MVC). The teams meet tonight from the Carver Arena in Peoria. | |||||||
02-12-22 | New Mexico State v. Utah Valley +3 | Top | 68-72 | Win | 100 | 9 h 51 m | Show |
My 10* Conf Game of the Year (WAC) is on Utah Valley St at 4:00 ET. New Mexico St has pretty much dominated the WAC since joining in the 2005-06 season, winning nine WAC conference tourneys (2020 tourney was canceled in a year in which the Aggies were 25-6 / 16-0 in the WAC. Chris Jans is in his fifth season In Las Cruces and is his first four, produced a 95-25 record, despite last season's 12-8 mark. However, despite losing four starters, the Aggies are back atop the WAC at 20-3 overall, including 10-1 in league play. Utah Valley St has nowhere near that kind of pedigree and Mark Madsen is in just his third season as a head coach. The Wolverines were just 11-19 and 11-11 in his first two seasons but Madesen (who will EVER forget him 'dancing' while celebrating a Lakers' title) has this year's team at 15-8 overall but just 6-5 in WAC play. The Aggies have an excellent guard duo in Allen (top scorer and top rebounder at 19.6 & 7.0) plus Rice (12.8 & 5.7). That duo gets little help, as no other guard averages as much as 5 PPG. The frontcourt does have depth (but no major producers) in the 6-7 MCants (8.5-5.0), the 6-7 Tillman (6.6 & 3.1), the 6-10 McNair (6.5 & 5.0) and the 6-11 Alok (5.9 & 2.4). As for Utah Valley, the 6-11 Aimaq (18.9 & 13.2) is the best big man in this game and gets some support from the 6-9 Fuller (7.3 & 4.6). Four guards chip in between 7.5 and 11.3 PPG, led in scoring by Harding (11.3 & 4.2) and in assists by PG Nield (4.5). New Mexico will likely win the WAC tourney title again but this Utah Valley St team is 'sneaky good' and is 8-2 at home this season. I'm issuing an "Upset Alert!" Take the points. Good luck...Larry | |||||||
02-12-22 | VCU v. George Mason -2 | Top | 85-70 | Loss | -110 | 8 h 39 m | Show |
My 9* play is on George Mason at 4:00 ET (1st of my STP). The VCU Rams and George Mason Patriots meet Saturday in A-10 action from the EagleBank Arena in Fairfax, Va. The VCU Rams come in having won FIVE of six and are now 15-7 overall, including 8-3 in league play. George Mason beat Richmond on Wednesday but enters just 3-3 in its last six games (12-10 overall and 5-4 in league play). Davidson leads the A-10 at 10-1, while VCU is tied with StL and Dayton at 9-3.
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02-12-22 | Murray State v. Morehead State +3.5 | Top | 57-53 | Loss | -110 | 6 h 6 m | Show |
My 9* play is on Morehead Dt at 4:00 ET (2nd play of STP). The Murray State Racers just entered the AP poll on Monday (at No.23), for the first time since a one-week stay in March of 2015. Having won 13 straight games since a Dec 22 loss at Auburn, tends to build one's resume. Murray St (23-2 / 13-0 in OVC) will travel to Ellis T. Johnson Arena to take on the Morehead State Eagles late Saturday afternoon. Morehead St is 19-7 overall and 11-2 in OVC play (tied with Belmont).
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02-11-22 | Fresno State +6 v. Colorado State | Top | 50-65 | Loss | -110 | 12 h 15 m | Show |
My 9* West Coast Crusher is on Fresno St at 9:30 ET. The 16-7 Fresno State Bulldogs and the 18-3 Colorado State Rams meet Friday in MWC play from Moby Arena in Fort Collins. Fresno State is just 6-4 in MWC play, while Colorado St is 8-3, trying to run down MWC leaders Wyoming and Boise St (both are 9-1).
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02-11-22 | Nuggets +5.5 v. Celtics | Top | 102-108 | Loss | -110 | 10 h 23 m | Show |
My 9* Weekly Wipeout is on the Den Nuggets at 7:40 ET. The Den Nuggets were just 18-18 thru Jan 5 but have won 12 of 18 (SEVEN of their last 10) to move to 30-24. Denver is now the West's No. 6 seed, the final guaranteed playoff spot. The Nuggets will have a tough job moving up in the 'loaded' West, so keeping teams like Minnesota and both LA teams 'at bay,' is priority No. 1. Denver is in Boston tonight to take on the Celtics, who enter on a SIX game winning streak (eight of 10 since sitting 23-24 on Jan 21). 31-25 Boston is currently the East's No. 7 but is just ONE game back of the No. 6 seed plus more notably, only FIVE games behind the East's No. 1 seed. Denver has played all season without Murray (21.2 PPG last season) and Porter played just NINE games (9.9 & 6.6) before going down. Last year's MVP Jokic (25.8-13.6-7.9) has basically 'mirrored' his starts from last season and is still surrounded by some solid talent. Swingman Barton (15.6-4.0-4.1), PF Gordon (14.7 & 5.7), PG Morris (12.6 & 4.3 APG) and SF Green (10.3) have been consistent. Unfortunately Morris is dealing with a concussion and will miss this game. That means Denver's reserves will need to step up (more in a bit). Tatum (25.5 & 8.4) and Brown (23.9 & 6.5) lead the way. There have been times when Tatum and Brown have been criticized for "not playing well with others" but Celtics first-year head coach Ime Udoka recently said, "We know we're much harder to beat when both are firing on all cylinders. They've been shooting better, attacking better, and making plays, and we expect that from those two." However, Boston needs to keep others involved. Boston was active at Thursday's trade deadline. First, they acquired point guard Derrick White from the San Antonio Spurs for Josh Richardson, Romeo Langford and a 2022 first-round pick. Then, they acquired forward Daniel Theis from the Houston Rockets for guard Dennis Schroder and big men Enes Freedom and Bruno Fernando. Theis, a former Celtic, is averaging 8.4 points and 5.0 rebounds in 26 games (21 starts) this season. Denver's offense still revolves around Jokic, who has posted four straight games with at least 20 points and 10 rebounds. However, the team's bench has played a key role over the past week. The Nuggets' bench outscored the Knicks' reserves 61-34 in Tuesday's 132-115 win over the Knicks. Hyland (8.6) scored 22 points vs the Knicks and has moved ahead of Campazzo (5.8 & 3.7 APG) as the team's second-string PG. Both will get more minutes with Morris out plus swingman Forbes has been an excellent pickup, averaging 9.9 PPG in his 11 games with the team. Boston lost Schroder (14.4) and Richardson (9.7) in Thursday's trades, which will put more pressure on Smart (11.5-54.0-5.4). Up Front, Horford (10.0 & 7.5) and Robert Williams (9.8 & 9.5) have been reliable all season. These teams are pretty evenly matched, so taking the points makes sense. In fact, with Boston shaking its roster up Thursday, I'm calling for Denver to win this game OUTRIGHT! Good luck...Larry | |||||||
02-11-22 | Kent State v. Akron -3.5 | Top | 66-64 | Loss | -110 | 8 h 1 m | Show |
My 10* Oddsmaker's Error is on Akron at 7:00 ET. The Kent State Golden Flashes and Akron Zips meet Friday in MAC play action from the James A. Rhodes Arena in Akron. Kent State is 14-9 and comes in on a FIVE-game winning streak while Akron has won three in a row to reach 16-6. Toledo and Ohio lead the MAC (both are 11-2), with Akron (9-3) and Kent (9-4) hoping to catch up. Kent returned four starters from last year's 15-8 team and owns a deep backcourt. Carry (17.6-4.7-4.8) leads the way with fellow guards Jacobs (11.6 PPG and a team-high 7.6 RPG), Santiago (8.9) and Garcia (8.5). The 6-11 Hamilton (8.6 & 6.7) and the 6-7 Beck (6.6) are the team's top frontcourt players. Akron pretty much relies on its starting-five. The 6-8 Ali leads in scoring at 13.7 PPG, while the 6-7 Freeman is the leading rebounder (11.0), while adding 12.9 PPG. Guards Castaneda (13.2) and Trimble (10.7) add double digit scoring in the backcourt, while fellow guards Walton (7.3) and Tribble (7.1) are solid contributors. These rivals met back on Jan 14 in Kent, with the Golden Flashes winning 67-55. That game was the first of what's now been a 7-1 run by Kent St. However, let me add that since that loss, Akron has gone 7-1, as well. The Zips are 10-1 at home and that follows them going 28-5 at home the previous two seasons. Both teams play solid D but the Zips have allowed just 59.3 PPG during their three-game winning streak. Revenge, plus their dominating home record (see above) makes Akron the play at this 'undervalued' price. The Zips win by double digits. Good luck...Larry | |||||||
02-10-22 | Bucks +4 v. Suns | Top | 107-131 | Loss | -110 | 12 h 57 m | Show |
My 10* NBA Finals Rematch is on the Mil Bucks at 10:00 ET. The Milwaukee Bucks are the defending champions but it's been far from 'smooth sailing' this season. However, the Bucks wrap up a four-game Western road trip tonight in Phoenix, having won EIGHT of 10. It has been a much-needed surge, after the Bucks lost SIX of eight from Jan 3-17. Milwaukee is now 35-21, just a half-game behind the 35-20 Heat, for the East's top record (note: The East's top-5 teams are separated by just 2 1/2-games). I'm sure Milwaukee has not forgotten the thrill of winning the NBA title but I'm equally sure that the Phoenix Suns haven't shed themselves of "the agony of defeat." Tonight is the first rematch of the teams that battled in last season's NBA Finals, Milwaukee visits 44-10 Phoenix. Milwaukee has been dominant while winning the first three contests of this four-game game road trip, as the Bucks have averaged 135 points with a winning margin of 22.7 points. Antetokounmpo scored 44 points on 17-of-20 shooting during Tuesday's demolition of the Lakers. Milwaukee led by 30 in the third quarter before cruising to a 131-116 win. Antetokounmpo (29.2-11.3-6.0) leads the way for Milwaukee, joined by SF Middleton (19.5-5.6-5.3), PG Holiday (17.9-4.7-6.7) and PF/C Portis (15.6 & 9.1). Guards Allen (11.7) and Connaughton (10.2 & 4,4) have been regular contributors plus Cousins has been a valuable signing, averaging 9.1 & 5.8 in just 17 minutes over 17 games (five starts). Phoenix ended a 10-season playoff drought last year by going 51-21 (one win shy of Utah's NBA-leading 52 wins) and made it all the way to the Finals. The Suns took the first two games at home but then saw the Bucks win FOUR in a row, to win the team's second-ever NBA title. The first came way back in the 1970-71 season, led by Lew Alcindor (now Kareem) and the Big O. The Suns opened the current season just 1-3 but then ripped off 18 consecutive wins! Another 1-3 'drought' followed, but the Suns are currently on a 17-2 run, giving them a 44-10 (.815) record. The balanced Suns can place six or seven players in double figures on any given night. Booker (25.7-5.3-4.3) and Paul (15.0-4.5-10.4) are a terrific guard duo. Center Ayton (16.1 & 10.4) is surrounded by SF Bridges (13.1 & 4.3) and PF Crowder (8.9 & 5.2). The Suns also have SF Johnson (11.9 & 4.2), guard Payne (10.5) and center McGee (10.0 & 7.1). Throw in the 6-8 Biyombo, who was signed in January and over 15 games has averaged 8.9 & 6.9 in 22 minutes. Talk about an embarrassment of riches! Both teams come in healthy, although the Suns' Payne will sit with a wrist injury. The revenge motive is clearly with the Suns plus Phoenix has won five of the last six regular-season meetings against the Bucks. Neither team has a weakness and both enter on a roll. "It is kind of like a rematch, right?" Bucks PG Jrue Holiday told TNT after Tuesday's 131-116 road win over the Los Angeles Lakers. "We know what's at stake. We know what happened last year. We know they're going to be focused and we're going to be focused as well." Forget revenge, Take the points. Good luck...Larry | |||||||
02-10-22 | Purdue v. Michigan +3.5 | Top | 58-82 | Win | 100 | 9 h 54 m | Show |
My 9* Late Breaker is on Michigan at 9:00 ET. The Big Ten features five teams in the AP's top-25. 19-3 Purdue is ranked 3rd (no other Big Ten is higher than 13th) but since all THREE of the Boilermakers' losses are in league play, they find themselves in a three-way tie with Illinois (#13) and Wisconsin (#14) atop the conference standings at 10-3. Michigan opened the season ranked 6th in the AP's preseason poll but as we approach Valentine's Day the Wolverines are just 12-9 overall and 'buried' in the Big Ten at 6-5. Purdue beat Michigan 76-72 Feb 5 at home and now visits Crisler Arena looking for a series sweep. Matt Painter is in his 17th season at Purdue and after the Boilermakers matched their best start through 17 games under Painter (Purdue also started 15-2 during the 2010-11 and 2017-18 seasons), Purdue is 19-3. 7-4 sophomore Edey (14.8 & 7.5) teams with 6-10 senior Williams (12.3 & 8.1), the 6-6 Gillis (7.1 & 3.3) and 6-10 freshman Furst (4.7 & 4.0 ) up front. The perimeter is led by Ivey (17.7-5.1-3.3) and Stefanovic (11.9), while Thompson (5.5), Hunter (5.3) and Newman (5.3) add depth. Purdue is quite an offensive juggernaut, averaging 84.5 PPG (4th) on 50.8% shooting (3rd). Juwan Howard's season has NOT gone as planned (Wolverines were 23-5 last year). Michigan's starting-five includes 7-1 center Dickinson (18.1 & 8,3) and the 6-11 Diabate (8.4 & 6.1) up front, plus a trio of guards. Brooks (11.0) and Houstan (10.3 & 4.3) score in double digits, while PG Jones (9.2-4.4-3.9) runs the offense. The two most reliable reserves are forwards Williams and Johns, but they combine for the modest totals of 9.2 PPG and 4.9 RPG. Michigan can't match Purdue's firepower, averaging 72.4 PPG, 12 points less than the Boilermakers. However, Michigan 'hung' with Purdue last Saturday in West Lafayette, never losing contact and falling by just six points. In this quick turnaround revenge spot, I'm 'barking' with the home dog. Take the points but expect a Michigan win. Good luck...Larry | |||||||
02-10-22 | Georgia State v. Coastal Carolina | Top | 61-50 | Win | 100 | 9 h 56 m | Show |
My 9* Oddsmaker's Error is on Ga St at 7:00 ET. The 9-10 Georgia State Panthers will travel to The HTC Center (Conway, SC) to take on the 12-10 Coastal Carolina Chanticleers for a Thursday night game in Sun Belt action. Neither team has been competitive in league play, as Ga St is just 3-5 and Coastal Carolina is 4-6 (SBC leader App St is 9-3 and NOT looking over its shoulder). The Panthers have depth, as EIGHT players chip in between 5.9 and 14.6 PPG. Guards Allen (14.6-3.7-3.0), Williams (12.0-4.0-3.8) and Roberts (12.0) all score in double digits The front court is led by the 6-8 Nsoseme (9.8 & 10.3), the 6-10 Thomas (6.6 & 5.9) and the 6-7 Hudson (5.9 & 5.2). Nsoseme began the season sidelined with an injury but returned in January and has made HUGE contributions The 6-9 Mostafa (14.9 & 9.9) gets some help from up front from the 6-9 Likayi (6.2 & 5.4) for Coastal Carolina, which also features guards Cole (14.9) and Williams (13.1) plus PG Dibba (7.8-4.6-6.1). George State comes into this game with a losing record but the Panthers have won three of their last four games. No doubt that Nsoseme's presence is starting to make an impact (he'll match up well vs Mostafa), as the Panthers have held their last six opponents to an average of just 64.7 PPG. I believe that the oddsmakers are slow in recognizing the marked improvement from the Panthers. Ga St lost at home 72-68 (OT) to Coastal Carolina on Jan 22 but note that Nsoseme had 19 & 15 in that one. Revenge "wins the day" in this one. Good luck...Larry |
Service | Profit |
---|---|
William Burns | $1,056 |
Ross Benjamin | $790 |
Joey Tron | $511 |
Ricky Tran | $501 |
Dan Kaiser | $445 |
Sean Murphy | $296 |
Jimmy Boyd | $286 |
Matt Fargo | $220 |
Ray Monohan | $36 |