Date | Match Up | Rating | Score | Result | Profit | Lead Time | Analysis |
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02-04-22 | 76ers v. Mavs -1.5 | Top | 98-107 | Win | 100 | 12 h 44 m | Show |
My 9* Las Vegas Insider is on the Dal Mavs at 10:10 ET. The Philadelphia 76ers are currently 30-21, placing them in a virtual tie with the 33-21 Milwaukee Bucks. Both teams are just ONE game back of the 32-19 Bulls and 33-20 Heat, who are in a virtual tie for the East's top record. The Sixers will head to Dallas with an impressive 14-7 record against the Western Conference, with the Mavs sporting a 29-23 record. Dallas is a whopping 12 1/2-games back of the West's No. 1 seed (Phoenix) but it is just two games back of the 4th-seed Jazz (top-four seeds earn the home court edge in the opening round of the playoffs). |
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02-04-22 | San Diego State v. Colorado State -2.5 | Top | 57-58 | Loss | -110 | 15 h 42 m | Show |
My 10* CBB Game of the Week is on Colorado St at 9:00 ET. The 12-5 San Diego State Aztecs and the 16-3 Colorado State Rams meet Friday in MWC action from Moby Arena in Fort Collins. Brian Dutcher was a longtime assistant under Steve Fisher (beginning in Michigan) and lasting through all of Fisher's great teams at SD St. Fisher stepped away and Dutcher took over in the 2017-18 season, going 22-11, 21-13, 30-2 and 23-5 the previous four years. San Diego State started the season 10-3, losing to only BYU, USC and Michigan. However, the Aztecs are just 2-2 since January 22, losing to Boise State and Utah State alongside wins over UNLV and New Mexico. 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.
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02-04-22 | Hawks +2.5 v. Raptors | Top | 114-125 | Loss | -110 | 10 h 26 m | Show |
My 10* Eastern Conference Game of the Month is on the Atl Hawks at 7:40 ET. The Atlanta Hawks will visit the Toronto Raptors Friday night, with both teams coming off Thursday wins. The Hawks beat the Suns 124-115 in Atlanta, upping their record to 25-26. Atlanta is now the No. 10 seed in the East, the last of the 'ply-in' seeds. Meanwhile, the Raptors beat the Bulls 127-10 at home, upping their record to 27-23. That gives them the No. 7, but they are just 1 1/2-games back of the 6th-seeded Nets (last guaranteed seed). The two teams just met this past Monday in Atlanta, with the Raptors winning 106-100, snapping the hawks' seven-game winning streak! The Toronto Raptors won the NBA title (led by Kawhi) back in 2019 and even after he "went Hollywood" on them, followed with records of 58-24 and 53-19 the next two seasons. However, the Raptors fell to just 27-45 last season. However, Toronto has moved to the right side of .500 with FOUR straight wins to reach 26-23. Toronto has FIVE players averaging 14.7 PPG or more and all five tallied 16 points or more in beating the Bulls. PF Siakim (21.1-8.5-5.2) led with 25 points, 13 rebounds and seven assists, Three more Raptors scored exactly 21 points, PG VanVleet (21.5-4.7-7.1), SF Anunoby (18.7 & 5.4) and rookie Barnes (14.7 & 7.8). Trent (18.1) had his streak of five games with 30 or more points end when he scored 16 points. The streak matched the team record set in 2016 by DeMar DeRozan. The 6-9 Boucher (9.0 & 5.9) came off bench to add 16 points. Atlanta PG Trae Young (28.1 & 9.2 APG) returned from a shoulder injury to lead the Hawks with 43 points against the Suns. PF Collins (16.7 & 8.0) had 19 points and 10 rebounds but went to the locker room with a shoulder injury in the fourth quarter. He returned to the bench and said his shoulder has hurt all week, and it was aggravated when he tangled with Chris Paul on Thursday. Collins expects to play Friday. Center Clint Capela (11.1 & 12.7) is back from an injury, but his absence gave former No. 1 draft choice Onyeka Okongwu an opportunity to show what he can do. Okongwu didn't play until Dec 17 because of offseason shoulder surgery, but after some early tenuous performances he has become increasingly productive. He's up to 9.2 & 6.1 on the season. PG Young (27.9 & 9.5 APG) is now a bonafide All Star plus Collins just continues to put up All Star-like numbers. Then there is Atlanta's depth, with Hunter chipping in 12.8 PPG, Bogdanovich 12.5 PPG, Huerter 11.7 PPG and Gallinari 10.2 PPG. Atlanta's loss on Monday to Toronto is its ONLY "L" in its last NINE games. While the Hawks were handling the Suns last night, the Raptors needed a three-pointer at the buzzer to send the game into OT, where they would go on to get the win AND the cover. I'm 'all over" the red-hot Hawks in this one. Good luck...Larry |
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02-04-22 | Harvard +4.5 v. Brown | Top | 65-50 | Win | 100 | 12 h 27 m | Show |
My 9* Ivy League Master Class is on Harvard at 7:00 ET. The 10-7 Harvard Crimson and the 10-12 Brown Bears meet Friday in Ivy League action from the Pizzitola Sports Center in Providence. The Ivy League did not play basketball last season due to COVID, so Brown's Mike Martin is in his 10th season with the Bears and Tommy Amaker in his 15th with the Crimson. Amaker has by far the better resume with seven, 20-win seasons (four NCAA berths), compared to Martin's one, 20-win season. Harvard comes in 2-3 in Ivy play and Brown just 2-5, while 5-1 Princeton, 4-1 Yale and 5-2 Penn are atop the 'Ancient 8' standings.
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02-03-22 | Washington v. California -2 | Top | 84-63 | Loss | -105 | 15 h 53 m | Show |
My 9* Situational Stunner is on Cal at 11:00 ET. Kyle Smith won the CIT in his last year at Columbia (2015-16), going 25-10. He then left for San Francisco and had a nice three-year run of 63-40. He's now in his third season at Washington and after going 30-29 in his first two years, is 11-8 (6-3 in the Pac 12) this season. Mark Fox had a great five-year run at Nevada, going 123-43, including three straight NCAA appearances. He then left for Georgia and in nine seasons, went just 163-133 (just two NCAA appearances). He's been at Cal for three years, going 14-18, 8-20 and 9-13 this season, including 2-9 in Pac 12 play.
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02-03-22 | Lakers +3 v. Clippers | Top | 110-111 | Win | 100 | 14 h 39 m | Show |
My 10* Game of the Week ('Battle 4 LA') is on the LA Lakers at 10:10 ET. The Los Angeles Lakers and Los Angeles Clippers are co-tenants at Staples Center but have met just ONCE so far this season. However, the two intra-city rivals will meet tonight for the first of THREE games in the span of a month. The Lakers are expected to be without LeBron James (29.1-7.7-6.3) for a fifth consecutive game as the star deals with swelling in his left knee. Meanwhile, the Clippers will be without a pair of stars, Kawhi Leonard, who hasn't played all season after knee surgery, and Paul George (24.7-7.1-5.5), who is out due to a torn ligament in his right elbow. The injury woes of both teams have them struggling in the playoff race. Both are currently headed for the 'play-in' round, as the 26-27 Clippers are the West's No. 8 seed and the 25-27 Lakers the No. 9 seed. The Lakers have played just one game with James and Anthony Davis since Dec 17. Davis missed 17 consecutive games with a knee injury, while James hasn't played since Jan 25. There is no timetable for James' return, which will happen once the knee swelling subsides, according to coach Frank Vogel. The Lakers won last night (99-94 victory over the visiting Portland Trail Blazers), as Davis (23.4 & 9.7) scored 30 points and grabbed 15 rebounds. Despite playing in just four games since he has returned, Davis is expected to be back on the court Thursday on consecutive days. He has scored at least 27 points in each of the past three games. Westbrook (18.7-7.9-7.8) was supposed to give LA a 'Big 3' but there remains talk that he could be moved by the trade deadline. Carmelo (13.6) remains ageless and scored 24 points last night. Monk (12.4) has been a steady presence as of late and scored a season-high 33 points and matched his career high of 10 rebounds in LA's 129-121 loss in Atlanta on Sunday. The Clippers are back home after a 4-4 road trip and were dragging at the end of the road swing, looking sluggish on defense in a 122-116 defeat against the Indiana Pacers on Monday. George hasn't played since Christmas, with the Clippers going 9-12 over that time. Two-way player Amir Coffey (8.5 & 3.1) has emerged, averaging 13.2 points and 4.3 rebounds per game since Dec 26 and 15.3 points with 4.2 rebounds since Jan 9. Withe George sidelined, the team's leading scorer is PG Jackson (16.5 & 4.0 APG), with PF Morris (15.3 & 5.1) right behind him. Swingman Kennard (12.1) and guard Mann (10.1 & 5.1) also score in double digits. The 7-0 Zubac (9.6 & 8.0) is questionable with a calf injury and that's NOT good news for the Clipps. The Clippers won the first meeting with the Lakers, 119-115 back on Dec 3 but I expect the Lakers to win Part 2 of this 'Battle 4 LA.' The Clippers return home after that eight-game road trip but have no home court edge here vs the Lakers, who also call Staples Center home. Take the points. Just a thought. One of these days LBJ will get back in the lineup, "Wouldn't it be Nice" (as the Beach Boys sang) if he joined the fray tonight? Good luck...Larry |
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02-03-22 | Boise State v. Wyoming | Top | 65-72 | Win | 100 | 11 h 58 m | Show |
My 10* Conf Game of the Year (MWC) is on Wyoming at 9:00 ET. The Boise State Broncos and the Wyoming Cowboys meet Thursday in college basketball action from Arena-Auditorium in Laramie. The two MWC rivals just met Jan 25 in Boise, where the Broncos eked out a 65-62 win (Wyoming covered as a 5 1/2-point underdog). 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. However, after a spotty 3-4 record through seven games, the Broncos have won 14 straight contests. At 17-4, a 20-win season 'is in the bag!' Jeff Linder came from No. Colorado where he won 26 (CIT champion), 21 and 22 games in his final three years, earning him the Wyoming gig. His first team went 14-11 but this year's team is an impressive 15-2. 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. However, the Cowboys went 9-2 over their first 11 games and have now gone 8-1 thei last nine, to reach 17-3 (lone loss was to Boise!). 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 (12.9 & 4.0) and 6-8 guard Akot (11.4) form a quality duo. Up front, it's the 6-7 Kijab (13.3 & 6.3), the 6-7 Degenhart (9.3 & 3.2) and the 6-10 Armus (6.9 & 8.7). The 6-7 Smith (5.6 & 3.2) comes off the bench. Defense is Boise's 'bread-and-butter,' allowing 58.3 PPG (8th). The 6-9 Ike (19.7 & 8.9) and PG Maldanado (19.4-5.5-6.4) make for quite an inside-outside duo for Wyoming. They are joined in the starting lineup by guards Jeffries (11.4 & 4.8) and DuSell (9.9) plus the 6-9 Oden (8.5 & 5.0. DuSell's hamstring injury kept him out for a couple of games, with Wenzel (5.2) starting in his place. Team defense is solid, allowing 66.0 PPG. Boise St is 8-1 in MWC play, with Wyoming lurking at 6-1. A Wyoming "W" sets up a real 'horse race' for the league's regular season title and that's EXACTLY what I expect. Wyoming just barely lost at Boise on Jan 25 (see above) and is a perfect 9-0 SU at home. Wyoming may not win "going away," but at this bargain of a price, the Cowboys won't need to. Good luck...Larry |
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02-03-22 | Bulls v. Raptors -3 | Top | 120-127 | Win | 100 | 11 h 20 m | Show |
My 9* Las Vegas Insider is on the Tor Raptors at 7:40 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 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. Chicago surged to the top of the Eastern Conference on the strength of a nine-game winning streak from Dec 19 thru Jan 7, averaging 120.2 points per game over their winning streak and never scoring fewer than 108 points in any of those outings. However, the Bulls have 'cooled, going 6-8 over their last 14, although they come into this game on a 4-1 run. The Toronto Raptors won the NBA title (led by Kawhi) back in 2019 and even after he "went Hollywood" on them, followed with records of 58-24 and 53-19 the next two seasons. However, the Raptors fell to just 27-45 last season. Toronto has moved to the right side of .500 with three straight wins to reach 26-23.
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02-02-22 | Blazers +4 v. Lakers | Top | 94-99 | Loss | -113 | 12 h 34 m | Show |
My 10* PERFECT STORM is on the Por Blazers at 10:40 ET. The Portland Trail Blazers are 21-30 (current No. 10 seed in the West) as they end a four-game road trip tonight in LA against the 24-27 Lakers, who are 24-27 (current No. 9 seed). The Lakers are back home after a six-game road trip in which they went just 2-4. LA got Anthony Davis (23.2 & 9.5) back from a knee injury but in the process, lost LeBron James (29.1-7.7-6.3) to his own knee issue at the same time. The Trail Blazers know injury issues well. Star guard Damian Lillard (24.0 & 7.3) has been out since the start of the new year and had abdominal surgery. He won't be evaluated again until later this month. Center Cody Zeller and forward Larry Nance Jr. are out with knee injuries and forward Nassir Little had season-ending shoulder surgery Tuesday. However, a look at the team's starting lineup in its last game, shows a team capable of competing. McCollum (20.8-4.2-4.5) was joined in the backcourt by Simons (15.6), while center Nurkic (14.6 & 10.7) was surrounded by SF Powell (18.4) and PF Covington (7.8 & 5.6), who is an excellent defender. Davis and James have played together just ONCE since Dec 19, a 106-96 road victory over the Brooklyn Nets on Jan 25. At 16-14 before Davis went down for 17 consecutive games, the Lakers are 24-27 now and as noted, headed for the 'play-in' round. "I still believe that we got a good team, we just haven't been all the way healthy for our team," Davis said, according to the Los Angeles Times. "LeBron is now out, I just came back. I think the most frustrating part is that we can't finish games. We've had a lot of games that we had won and teams come back and beat us." Westbrook (18.9-7.8-7.7) was supposed to give LA a 'Big 3' but there remains talk that he could be moved by the trade deadline. Carmelo (13.4) remains ageless and Monk (12.6) just scored a season-high 33 points and matched his career high of 10 rebounds in LA's last game (a 129-121 loss on Sunday). However, the Lakers continue to lack any real sort of 'chemistry' and after routing the Blazers 139-106 New Year's Eve in Portland, may just get caught 'flat' here, even though they've lost THREE in a row coming in. Take the points. Good luck...Larry |
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02-02-22 | Nuggets v. Jazz UNDER 224.5 | Top | 104-108 | Win | 100 | 12 h 55 m | Show |
My 9* O/U Game of the Week is on Den/Uah Under at 10:10 ET. The Utah Jazz and Denver Nuggets enter their Wednesday matchup in Salt Lake City coming off losses to the same team, the Minnesota Timberwolves. In Denver's case, the Nuggets saw their five-game winning streak come to an end Tuesday in a 130-115 loss at Minneapolis. In comparison, not only did the Jazz fall 126-106 to the host Timberwolves on Sunday to extend their losing streak to five games (11th loss in last 13 games), but they also lost Joe Ingles (7.2) for the rest of the season due to a torn left anterior cruciate ligament. Utah's slump has dropped them to 30-21, 11 1/2-games behind the West's top team, Phoenix. In fact, the Jazz have fallen to the No. 4 seed, four games behind Memphis. Denver checks in at 28-22, placing them 6th (last guaranteed playoff spot) and just 1 1/2-games back of the Jazz.
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02-02-22 | Villanova -4.5 v. Marquette | Top | 73-83 | Loss | -108 | 9 h 6 m | Show |
My 10* Big East Game of the Month is on Villanova at 10:00 ET. No. 24 Marquette (15-7, 7-4 Big East) saw its seven-game winning streak come to an end Sunday in a 65-63 road loss to then-No. 17 Providence. The Golden Eagles will be severely tested again tonight, when they host No. 12 Villanova (16-5. 9-2 Big East). Villanova head coach Jay Wright owns two national titles (2016 and 2018) and coming off a Sweet 16 appearance last season with four starters coming back, opened the year as the AP's 4th-ranked team. However, 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 visits Milwaukee having won NINE of its last 10, with that lone loss coming at home to Marquette 57-54 back on Jan 19. 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 17.1 PPG. Fellow guards Justin Moore adds 15.5 & 4.9 and Daniels chips in 9.2 PPG in the role of 6th-man. Up front, it's the 6-7 Slater (11.2 & 3.7), the 6-7 Samuels (11.0 & 6.4) and the 6-8 Dixon (7.9 & 5.9). Shaka Smart was booted out of Austin after a disappointing six-year run at Texas but has done quite a job at Marquette, which did not return a SINGLE starter from last season's disappointing 13-14 team. However, Marquette has a deep eight-man rotation, led by 6-7 freshman Lewis (16.5 & 7.9) and Maryland transfer, Morsell (13.4). Joining that duo in the starting lineup are freshman guard Kolek (6.7 & 4.1) plus frontcourt players like the 6-8 Prosper (6.0 & 3.4) and the 6-10 Kuath (5.5 & 4.2), Adding depth are guard Elliott (7.2), freshman guard Jones (7.7) and 6-9 freshman Ighodaro (5.9 & 3.5). Marquette suffered a four-game losing streak from Dec 11 thru Jan 1 but then won SEVEN in a row (beat FOUR ranked teams), before losing 65-63 at Providence this past Sunday. A "W" here and it will be Villanova (9-2) and Providence (currently 9-1) in a two-team race for the Big East's No. 1 seed. Since the loss to Marquette, the Wildcats have regained their form on both ends of the court. Expect the revenge-minded visiting side to avenge that earlier loss, reminding all Big East teams just why they were ranked No. 4 in the preseason AP poll. Good luck...Larry |
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02-02-22 | Wisconsin +7.5 v. Illinois | Top | 67-80 | Loss | -110 | 15 h 41 m | Show |
My 9* Marquee Classic is on Wisconsin at 9:00 ET. There is a three-way tie atop the Big Ten between Michigan St, Illinois and Wisconsin (all three are 8-2). Purdue (No. 4) is the highest-ranked team in the league and lurks at 7-3. No. 11 Wisconsin (17-3) will be in Champaign tonight to take on No. 18 Illinois in the only regular-season matchup between the two. Wisconsin is coming off a 66-60 home victory over Minnesota on Sunday and will be playing its third game in seven days. As for Illinois, it rallied for a 59-56 victory at Northwestern on Saturday, overcoming a 51-46 deficit over the final 5:36 of the game. 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 15.7 & 4.2 and is joined by freshman guard Hepburn (7.8), who has just 25 turnovers while playing 31 minutes per game! The "big story" has guard Davis (7.0 & 4.1 LY), who is averaging 21.4 & 7.9 this season Rounding out the starting-five, after limited playing time last season, are the 6-9 Wahl (10.8 & 5.8) and the 7-0 Crowl (9.1 & 4.6). Brad Underwood became a star at SF Austin, going 89-14 with three straight NCAA appearances. He was hired at Oklahoma St and went 20-13, leading the Cowboys to the 'Big Dance," He was then lured to Illinois but his first two seasons resulted in 14-18 and 12-21 records. Those days are now in the rearview mirror, as the Fighting Illini have gone 21-10, 24-7 and now 15-5 so far this season. Much like Wisconsin, Illinois has an excellent starting-five but little depth. 7-foot junior center Kofi Cockburn (21.1 & 11.6) had missed the two previous games due to concussion protocols but returned with 22 points and nine rebounds against Northwestern. Guard Curbelo (10.2-4.5-4.3) has cleared COVID protocols but hasn't played since Jan 21 (questionable here). With Curbelo sidelined, Saturday's starting-five consisted of four guards, Plummer (15.8), Frazier (13.1), Grandison (10.7 & 3.9) and Williams (3.9 & 5.6) joining Cockburn. The 6-10 Hawkins (6.2 & 4.6) came off the bench. Here's the rub. Illinois won both meetings last season (Cockburn had 42 points and 21 rebounds in the Ilini's two-game sweep of Wisconsin) and has won its past three meetings against Wisconsin. However, the Badgers had won 15 straight in the series prior to that. Wisconsin comes in having won NINE of 10, losing only to Michigan St. TOO many points to give the Badgers in this one. Take them! Good luck...Larry |
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02-02-22 | Syracuse v. NC State -1.5 | Top | 89-82 | Loss | -110 | 11 h 15 m | Show |
My 9* Oddsmaker's Error is on NC St at 9:00 ET. The once-mighty ACC has only ONE team in the latest AP poll and that's No. 9 Duke. Neither Syracuse (10-11, 4-6) nor NC State (10-12, 3-8), who meet tonight in Raleigh, have any dreams of being ranked this season. Forget the polls, the two schools are just trying to avoid the ACC 'basement!'
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02-01-22 | Texas +5.5 v. Texas Tech | Top | 64-77 | Loss | -110 | 13 h 34 m | Show |
My 9* Rivalry Rout is on Texas at 9:00 ET. Chris Beard left Lubbock and its beloved fan base last April to take over the Texas program and created plenty of hurt feelings that haven't been soothed over the past 10 months. The best revenge the Red Raiders can take on Beard for switching allegiances would be to beat his Longhorns tonight at United Supermarkets Arena. No. 23 Texas (16-5, 5-3 in the Big 12) visits Lubbock to take on No. 14 Texas Tech (also 16-5, 5-3 in the Big 12) expecting an intense atmosphere, knowing that Red Raiders officials have brought in wrestling legend and wild man Ric Flair to rile up the sold-out crowd and keep it at a fever pitch. When Texas fired Shaka Smart after six unfulfilling seasons, Chris Beard 'jumped ship,' at Tech and took the at Texas. Beard brought in seven transfers with NCAA Division I experience. 6-6 Timmy Allen was named All-Pac 12 at Utah last season (17.2 & 6.4) and leads Texas in scoring (11.8) and rebounding (6.5) but his scoring is down 5 PPG. The same goes for PG Carr (19.6 & 4.9 APG last year with Minnesota), who is averaging a more modest 10.6 PPG and 3.3 APG. Guards Jones (10.1) and Ramey (9.8) join Carr in the backcourt, while 6-9 center Mitchell (8.9 & 4.2) and 6-7 forward Bishop (5.9 & 4.6) join Allen up front. The 6-9 Disu (5.5 & 4.5) is the only other player of note. Defense is the team's 'calling card,' as Beard's team ranks 1st in the nation, allowing 54.5 PPG. 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. Tech began turning heads early in Big 12 play, while leading scorer Terrence Shannon was dealing with an injury and did not play. Shannon (12.0 PPG) returned but is again dealing with a bad back and is listed as questionable for this one (he sat out the Jan 29 game) healthy. SIX players are averaging 23-plus minutes per game (including Shannon), with five guards (all 6-5 or taller), joined by the 6-8 Williams (13.5 & 4.6). McCullar (10.5 & 5.6) Obanor (10.4 & 5.1) and Warren (10.3) average 10-plus points, while Arms (8.4 & 3.8 just misses. Three others combine to add 13.1 PPG.. Texas squandered a 17-point lead last Saturday at home vs Tennessee, allowing the Volunteers to tie the game at 51-all as it scored just one point in the last 5:32. However, that ONE point, Timmy Allen's free throw with 6.2 seconds to play, was the game-winner! As for Texas Tech, it rolled tp a 76-50 victory at home over Mississippi State on Saturday in another SEC/Big 12 Challenge contest. That "W" leaves Tech 13-0 at home but besting Beard's team will NOT come easily and I sure would NOT even consider laying points. Tech will want this one badly but I'm calling for the Texas D to be the difference and will call for a Texas OUTRIGHT win. Good luck...Larry |
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02-01-22 | Davidson v. St Bonaventure -3 | Top | 81-76 | Loss | -114 | 11 h 26 m | Show |
My 9* Weekly Wipeout is on St Bonny's at 7:00 ET. Full, detailed analysis Tuesday morning by 10:00 ET. |
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02-01-22 | Kansas -4.5 v. Iowa State | Top | 70-61 | Win | 100 | 8 h 18 m | Show |
My 10* Big 12 Game of the Month is on Kansas at 7:00 ET. The Kansas Jayhawks are reeling from an 80-62 thrashing at home this past Saturday against Kentucky in the Big 12/SEC Challenge. The 17-3 Jayhawks (6-1 Big 12) dropped from No. 5 to No. 10 in Monday's AP poll and now travel to Ames, Iowa to take on No. 20 Iowa State, which is 16-5 (but just 3-5 in the Big 12). These two conference rivals met back on Jan 11, when Iowa State battled Kansas to the wire at Allen Fieldhouse in Lawrence. Bill Self's Jayhawks finished 21-9 last season, including a loss in the second round of the NCAA Tournament. That was not what was expected of a team ranked No. 6 in the AP's preseason poll. Kansas began the current season ranked No. 3 and opened with an 87-74 win in the Champions Classic at Madison Square Garden on the opening night of college basketball (Nov 9) over Michigan St. Kansas is led by a pair of big guards in the 6-5 Agbaji (20.9 & 4.9) and the 6-6 Braun (15.2 & 5.9). Guard Remy Martin (19.1 PPG last season), an Arizona State transfer, was named the preseason player of the year in the Big 12 but has been a HUGE disappointment, averaging just 8.4 PPG. Martin still is trying to gain Self's complete trust on running the attack (it doesn't seem to be working). Harris (5.3 & 3.7 APG) has recently been starting at PG for Martin. The 6-7 Wilson (8.9 & 6.9) and the 6-10 McCormack (8.7 & 6.5) round out the starting lineup. The 6-8 Lightfoot (5.2 & 3.4) and guard Coleman-Lands (4.5) get time off the bench. Kansas is an excellent offensive team, averaging 80.6 PPG (15th) on 48.9% shooting (9th), while allowing 68.6 PPG. T.J. Otzelberger came from UNLV to take over an Iowa St team that went 2-22 last season (0-18 in the Big 12). The Hawkeyes opened 12-0 and were ranked No. 8 thru Dec 21 but did not play again until Jan 1, at then-No. Baylor. The Hawkeyes played the Bears close, losing 77-72 but that loss was the start of a 4-5 Iowa St run. A trio of guards lead the way for Iowa St, starting with standout Izaiah Brockington, who leads the team in scoring (16.8) and rebounding (7.8). He's joined on the perimeter by Hunter (10.6 & 4.7 APG) and Kalscheur (10.0). The team's best frontcourt players are the 6-8 Kunc (6.1 & 3.8), the 6-8 Enaruna (6.3 & 3.9) and the 6-9 Conditt (5.2 & 4.0). Guard Grill (7.3) is a solid contributor off the bench. Kansas remains first in the Big 12 race, but the Kentucky loss leaves them in a nasty mood. "It's not the end of the world or anything like that," the Jayhawks' Christian Braun said. "We have a lot of games ahead of us, so this is just something we have to forget about and move forward and get some wins." Kansas dug an early hole and never recovered from a 51-31 halftime deficit. "I'm not going to dwell on it at all. We weren't tough; we didn't take away what you must do to win," Self said after Kentucky shot 50.8 percent in snapping the Jayhawks' five-game winning streak and handing them their first home loss this season. Iowa State remained unbeaten in nonconference play with a 67-50 win over Missouri on Saturday in another game of the Big 12/SEC Challenge. The Cyclones held the Tigers to 42.9-percent shooting while forcing 18 turnovers. "We can be really good, and we will be really good when we do that," Otzelberger said of the defensive surge. "It's my job to demand that every day. It's the cornerstone of how we'll move our team forward." However, the Cyclones have dropped FOUR of their last six league games, including their last conference home game, a 59-44 loss to TCU. Une has to 'look hard' to find Kansas losing at home by double digits but the fact is, the Jayhawks are 4-0 ATs in their last four games f |
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01-31-22 | Heat v. Celtics -2.5 | Top | 92-122 | Win | 100 | 11 h 40 m | Show |
My 10* PERFECT STORM is on the Bos Celtics at 7:40 ET. As the final day of January dawns, the 32-18 Miami Heat own the East's best record but just barely. Bottom line is, the top-six teams in the East are separated by just 2 1/2-games. It's my opinion that Miami's Erik Spoelstra doesn't get his due when the discussion of the NBA's best coaches comes up. He led the 'South Beach 3' to four NBA Finals (2-2) and in 2020, shocked the NBA with his team's run to the Finals, before losing 4-2 to the Lakers. The Heat have dealt with numerous injuries and COVID absences, but despite all that, they are 32-18 (.640) up from last season's 40-32 (.556) record. As for the Celtics, they are 26-25 on the season and the franchise which is tied with the LA Lakers for the most all-time NBA titles (each own 17), is currently the East's No. 9 seed, Boston may quite possibly need to the reach the postseason by making it through the 'play-in' round (how the mighty have fallen). Miami is coming off a 124-120 loss in overtime at home on Saturday to the Raptors. Miami played without former Raptors All-Star guard Kyle Lowry (13.4-4.5-8.3) because of personal reasons and it's unclear if he will play here. The good news for Miami fans is that the team's top-three players are all healthy and/or COVID-free. Swingman Butler (22.0-6.3-6.3), guard Herro (20.3-4.9-4.0) and center Adebayo (17.8 & 10.1) make for quite a trio. Miami's depth is also impressive and one of the main reasons it sits atop the East. Five more players chip in between 8.6 and 12.0 PPG. Boston is coming off a 107-97 win over the Pelicans on Saturday. Tatum (26.2 & 8.4) and Brown (24.3 & 6.6) again led the way. Tatum scored 38 points, while adding eight rebounds and seven assists. Brown chipped in 31 points for Boston, whose only other double-digit scorer was Josh Richardson with 10 off the bench. "We know we're much harder to beat when both are firing on all cylinders," Celtics head coach Ime Udoka said. "They've been shooting better, attacking better, and making plays, and we expect that from those two." However, Boston needs to keep others involved. It's not as if Boston lacks talent. Schroder (14.8-3.4-4.5), Smart (11.3-4.0-5.4) and Richardson (9.7) form a solid backcourt, while big men Horford (10.1 & 7.2) and Roberts Williams (9.9 & 9.6) are quality NBA players. Miami has a rematch with the Raptors in Toronto tomorrow night and I'm looking for Tatum and Brown to continue their hot play and lead Boston to the "W" and cover! Good luck...Larry |
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01-31-22 | Duke v. Notre Dame +5.5 | Top | 57-43 | Loss | -110 | 8 h 54 m | Show |
My 10* Situational Stunner is on Notre Dame at 7:00 ET. Duke's visit to Notre Dame was scheduled to be played on January 1 (was postponed) but the Blue Devils and Fighting Irish will instead take the court tonight, January 31st in South Bend. As all know, this is Coach K's final season and will lead his Blue Devils into South Bend 17-3 and ranked 9th in the latest AP poll (new poll comes out this afternoon). Mike Brey is not exactly a 'newbie, as this his 27th season at Notre Dame. The Fighting Irish come into this contest at 14-6, overcoming a slow 3-4 start. Coach K brought in a trio of highly-regarded freshmen for his final season, none more impactful than 6-10 Banchero, who leads in scoring (17.6) and rebounding (8.3). The 7-0 Williams is also having a strong freshman season, adding 10.1 & 7.1. Freshman guard Keels (11.8 & 3.6) rounds out that incoming trio but hasn't played since a Jan 18th OT loss at FSU. With Keels out, guards Moore (15.4 & APG) and Roach (8.1 & 3.8 APG) plus the 6-6 Griffin (8.9 & 3.2) joined Banchero and Williams in the starting lineup. Mike Brey's team goes seven-deep. Guards Goodwin (14.9 & 5.6) and Wesley (15.0) are the top-two scorers, joined by Hubb (8.2 & 3.6 APG), Ryan (7.5) and Wertz (4.3) in the backcourt. The 6-9 Atkinson (11.6 & 6.3) and the 6-10 Laszewski (9.3 & 7.5) are the best (only?) frontcourt players. It's the only scheduled meeting of the season between Duke and Notre Dame, so that means there might not be another coaching matchup between Krzyzewski and Brey. As touched on earlier, ND opened only 3-4 (just 1-6 ATS) but the Irish turned their season around with a 66-62 home win over Kentucky back on Dec 11. That "W" has morphed into an 11-2 run the last 13 games, with the Irish going 9-4 ATS. This will be only the fourth ACC road game for Duke and one can't ignore Notre Dame's 9-0 record this season at Purcell Pavilion. Miami leads the ACC at 8-2, with Duke and Notre Dame both 7-2. Safe to say, this is a BIG game. The Jan 1 matchup was postponed, as Duke's team was in COVID protocol but with the new date, it means students are back on campus at Notre Dame. Is that just "A luck of the Irish" omen? I'll 'bite' and will take the home underdog. Good luck...Larry |
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01-30-22 | Bengals v. Chiefs -6.5 | Top | 27-24 | Loss | -125 | 152 h 44 m | Show |
My 10* 'Signature' 38-Club Play is on the KC Chiefs at 3:00 ET. The just-completed Divisional Round is being hailed as the NFL's "Greatest Postseason Weekend of All-Time" and you won't get an argument from me. Everyone has either watched, seen the highlights of or read the countless recaps of the four games, so I'll move on. The 2021 NFL season is down to its version of a 'Final Four, on January 30th, or Championship Sunday, if you prefer. The Cincinnati Bengals entered the postseason without a playoff win in 31 years but here in January, have won TWO playoff games in a seven-day span! After a 19-16 win over the Titans (on a last-second FG), the Bengals have advanced to the AFC Championship for the 1st time since the 1988 season, the same year in which they lost the 'John Candy Super Bowl' to the SF 49ers of Bill Walsh, Joe Montana, Jerry Rice and Ronnie Lott. Awaiting them at Arrowhead Stadium will be the KC Chiefs, who edged the Buffalo Bills 42-36 in what's being called 'the greatest game' in NFL history! I'm sure that statement could be debated, but one would have to come up with quite an argument. The Chiefs, who played in Super I and then won Super Bowl IV, the last played prior to the 1970 merger, now become the first team in NFL history to host a conference championship in FOUR consecutive seasons. |
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01-30-22 | Loyola-Chicago v. Drake +2.5 | Top | 68-77 | Win | 100 | 4 h 25 m | Show |
My 10* Situational Stunner is on Drake at 2:00 ET. The 16-3 Loyola-Chicago Ramblers and the 15-6 Drake Bulldogs meet Sunday in MVC action at The Knapp Center in Des Moines, Iowa. The Ramblers lead the MVC with a 7-1 record, while the Bulldogs are in second place at 6-2 (Mo St and No Iowa lurk at 7-3). Loyola went 26-5 last season and made an appearance in the NCAA's Sweet 16. However, Porter Moser left for Oklahoma and Cameron Kurtwig, who led the Ramblers into last year's Sweet 16 and helped them to a Final 4 appearance as a freshman, decided not to return for a "Super Senior" season. Drew Valentine, an assistant under Porter the last four seasons, took over as head coach. He's done an excellent job, as Loyola has won 12 of its last 13. Drake's Darian DeVries is in 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. Willaimson (12.4 & 4.9) and Norris (10.0 & 4.2 APG) start in the backcourt, while the frontcourt consists of the 6-7 Schwieger (10.2), the 6-7 Uguak (9.1 & 3.8) and the 6-10 Hutson (6.9 & 2.3) start up front. Guards Kennedey (7.9) and Hall (5.1 & 4.4) add backcourt depth, while the 6-7 Knight (7.8 & 3.6) helps out up front. Loyola is a strong defensive team, allowing just 61.1 PPG (24th). Drake's DeVries had the inside track on recruiting his son Tucker (Gatorade POY in Iowa) and he's delivered, by leading the team in scoring at 13.5 PPG. Three more guards join him in the starting lineup, the 6-3 Sturtz (10.9 PPG and a team-high 7.4 RPG), Penn (10.9 & 3.6 APG) and Wilkins (10.1). The 6-6 Murphy (9.9 & 5.4) is the fifth starter, while the 6-6 Hemphill (9.8 & 4.90 and the 6-10 Brodie (6.8 & 4.8) are important role players. Drake is also a solid defensive team, holding opponents to 66.8 PPG. "Arch Madness" is still a month away, but Drake could sure use a win here vs Loyola, which would get them to 7-2 and in a tie with the Ramblers atop the MVC (again, Mo St and No. Iowa lurk at 7-3). Seeding will matter when the teams get to St Louis and all MVC members are well-aware that the likelihood of an at-large bid (like Drake's last season) is pretty much a 'pipe dream.' The home dog 'barks' LOUDLY in this one. Good luck...Larry |
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01-29-22 | Tennessee +4 v. Texas | Top | 51-52 | Win | 100 | 13 h 34 m | Show |
My 9* Situational Stunner is on Tennessee at 8:00 ET. Saturday's Big 12/SEC Challenge game between No. 18 Tennessee (14-5) and 15-5 Texas, which just fell out of the rankings this past Monday, is much more than two of the nation's top teams getting together tonight in Austin. The game will mark the first time Tennessee head coach Rick Barnes has coached against the Longhorns since he was fired by Texas after the 2014-15 season. 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). Saturday's contest is more than just a homecoming for Barnes, it's an important game for both teams and not much of a respite from either's gauntlet of battles in the SEC and Big 12, respectively. When Texas fired Shaka Smart after six unfulfilling seasons, Chris Beard 'jumped ship,' leaving Lubbock (Texas Tech) to take the job at Texas (Austin), leaving some hard feelings behind. It hasn't been smooth sailing for Beard and his Longhorns, who opened No. 5 in the AP's preseason poll and remained in the AP rankings all season until Monday. Junior guard Vescovi (14.6 & 4.6) and freshman PG Chandler (13.5 & 4.9 APG) lead the way for Tennessee. The 6-8 Nkamhoua (8.3 & 6.0) and the 7-0 Plavsic (4.4 & 3.2) start up front, although the 6-8 Fulkerson may be the team's top frontcourt player (he's been coming off the bench, as of late). 6-6 guard Jordan-James missed a few games earlier but is back in the starting lineup, averaging 6.6 & 5.8. Guards Zeigler (7.0) and Powell (5.6) add depth in the backcourt. Defense has always been a Rick Barnes trademark and his team is allowing just 63.1 PPG (41st). Chris Beard brought in seven transfers with NCAA Division I experience. 6-6 Timmy Allen was named All-Pac 12 at Utah last season (17.2 & 6.4) and leads Texas in scoring (11.9) and rebounding (6.6) but his scoring is down 5 PPG. The same goes for PG Carr (19.6 & 4.9 APG last year with Minnesota), who is averaging a more modest 11.0 PPG and 3.4 APG. Guards Jones (10.1) and Ramey (9.4) join Carr in the backcourt, while 6-9 center Mitchell (9.3 & 4.3) and 6-7 forward Bishop (6.0 & 4.8) join Allen up front. The 6-9 Disu (5.8 & 4.6) is the only other player of note. Speaking of defense, Beard's team ranks 1st in the nation, allowing 54.7 PPG. VERY little, if anything, separates these two teams and while Texas is at home, I want ANY points I can get. Allen and Carr have both underachieved for Texas (see above) and while Beard is a terrific young coach, I'm going with 'old-timer' Rick Barnes to win the day and the game in his 'Homecoming!' Good luck...Larry |
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01-29-22 | Kentucky v. Kansas -4.5 | Top | 80-62 | Loss | -110 | 11 h 54 m | Show |
My 10* Marquee Classic is on Kansas at 6:00 ET. The 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. After a loss to Duke in the Champions Classic on the opening night of the season, the 16-4 Wildcats have won 16 of 19, losing only 66-62 at Notre Dame back on Dec 11, 65-62 at LSU on Jan 4 and 80-71 at No. 1 Auburn on Jan 22. John Calipari just claimed the 800th victory of his coaching career with an 82-74 OT win at home over Miss St on Jan 25. Bill Self's Jayhawks finished 21-9 last season, including a loss in the second round of the NCAA Tournament. That was not what was expected of a team ranked No. 6 in the AP's preseason poll. Kansas began the current season ranked No. 3 and opened with an 87-74 win in the Champions Classic at Madison Square Garden on the opening night of college basketball (Nov 9) over Michigan St. The 17-2 Jayhawks welcome the 12th-ranked Wildcats to legendary Allen Fieldhouse ranked 5th in the latest AP poll. Self's crowning achievement came in 2008 against Calipari when Kansas rallied to defeat Memphis in overtime for the national championship. Now, Self has Kansas in position to potentially overtake Kentucky as the winningest program in Division I history. The Wildcats stand 2,343-732 all-time, while the Jayhawks are 2,340-873. Talk about at Marquee Classic! The 6-9 Tshiebwe (16.3 & 15.2) and the 6-7 Brooks (10.2 & 4.3) are the two main frontcourt players for Coach Cal's team. SG Washington (13.6-4.2-4.6) and PG Wheeler (10.1 & 6.9 APG) lead a backcourt that also features Grady (12.1) and Mintz (98.6). The Kentucky offense ranks 9th in scoring (82.3 PPG) and 5th in FG percentage (49.7). Also note that the Wildcats are holding opponents to 64.8 PPG, for an average winning margin of 17.5 PPG. At issue might be Washington's ankle, which kept him out of the Miss St game and has him listed as questionable for this one. Kansas is led by a pair of big guards in the 6-5 Agbaji (21.3 & 5.0) and the 6-6 Braun (15.3 & 598). Guard Remy Martin (19.1 PPG last season), an Arizona State transfer, was named the preseason player of the year in the Big 12 but has been a HUGE disappointment, averaging just 8.4 PPG. Harris (5.2 & 3.7 APG) has recently been starting at PG for Martin. The 6-10 McCormack (9.0 & 6.7) and the 6-8 Wilson (8.9 & 6.8) round out the starting lineup. The 6-8 Lightfoot (5.2 & 3.2) and guard Coleman-Lands (4.6) get time off the bench. Much like Kentucky, Kansas is averaging 81.5 PPG (12th) on 49.3% shooting (10th), while allowing 67.9 PPG (average margin of13.6 PPG). Here's the rub. Forget the names on the jerseys. Kentucky's four losses have come to Duke in the Champions Classic on the opening night of the season plus at ND, at LSU and at Auburn (see above). Should we expect Kentucky's away from home woes to change here, in of the most difficult away venues in the nation (Kansas is 10-0 at home, with an average margin of victory of 19.2 PPG). Lay the points! Good luck...Larry |
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01-29-22 | Xavier -1.5 v. Creighton | Top | 74-64 | Win | 100 | 3 h 28 m | Show |
My 9* Afternoon Delight is on Xavier at 2:00 ET. 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. However, as Xavier gets set to visit Creighton on Saturday afternoon, the Musketeers are 14-5 (4-4 in Big East) and ranked 21st in the latest AP poll. Creighton head coach Greg McDermott is in his 12th season with the Bluejays and has won 20-plus games in 10 of his first 11. However, Creighton lost all FIVE starters from last year's 22-9 team that made a Sweet 16 appearance. It was supposed to be a rebuilding year for Coach McDermott but the Bluejays are a respectable 12-6 (4-3 in the Big East). The two schools met back on Jan 15 in Cincinnati and Xavier fought back from a five-point halftime deficit to defeat Creighton 80-73. Xavier's starting-five looks like this. The 7-0 Nunge (12.5 & 7.2) and the 6-9 Freemantle (8.5 & 5.0) start up front, with guards Scruggs (11.4-4.6-4.2), Jones (11.2 & 8.2) and Johnson (10.7) comprising a strong backcourt. Guards Kunkel (8.9) and Odom (5.8) add backcourt depth, while the 6-8 Hunter adds 6.1 & 3.9 off the bench in the frontcourt. Xavier comes in off back-to-back losses, 75-64 at Marquette and 65-62 at home against Providence. Xavier overcame a 14-point deficit to take the lead against No. 17 Providence before a late three-pointer by the Friars decided the game. Despite the defeat, the Musketeers' effort was not wasted on their coach and players. "I think people get caught up on wins and losses. I'm more focused on the quality of play on both ends," Xavier head coach Travis Steele said. "Our group has played really, really hard, we've competed every single night, but our execution level has got to be better." Following the loss to Providence, Xavier big man Jack Nunge said of Steele, "He told us we gotta have amnesia. Every night in this league is going to be a fight for 40 minutes. We gotta be ready to play Saturday against Creighton. They're playing as good as anybody in the league." McDermott has rebuilt Creighton quickly. The starting guards are freshman Nembhard (11.2 & 4.3 APG) and O'Connell (3.4 PPG last year), who is averaging 12.9 & 5.4 this season. 7-1 center Kalkbrenner returned (5.9 & 3.5 LY) and is a 'new man,' averaging 12.1 & 7.1. The 6-7 Hawkins is a Div II transfer and chips in 12.9 & 7.5 plus 6-7 freshman Kaluma adds 9.1 & 4.6. Alexander (5.2) is the only other player averaging as much as 5.0 PPG. Since the teams' last meeting, Creighton racked up home wins over St John's, 87-64, and DePaul, 60-47, before getting bounced at Butler 72-55 on Wednesday. Butler went on a 14-0 second-half run and held Creighton well under its 70.9-point scoring average. The Bluejays made only 2 of 22 on three-point attempts and shot 35.6 percent overall from the floor. The good news for Creighton is that McDermott will return to the bench following a week-long absence resulting from COVID-19 protocols and that the last time the Musketeers won at Omaha was in February of 2018. However, I'm on Xavier in this one, coming off that 'ugly' 72-55 loss at Hinkle Fieldhouse. Xaviers is the better team and despite its No. 21 ranking in the AP poll, the Musketeers are just 4-4 in Big East play, behind FIVE other schools (including 4-3 Creighton). No revenge here. Take the visitor to sweep the season series. Good luck...Larry |
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01-28-22 | Cleveland State v. Wright State -1.5 | Top | 71-67 | Loss | -110 | 13 h 4 m | Show |
My 10* Weekly Wipeout is on Wright St at 9:00 ET. The 13-4 Cleveland State Vikings (9-1 in Horizon play) and the 11-9 Wright State Raiders (8-3 in Horizon play) meet Friday at the Nutter Center in Dayton. The two teams tied for first-place (16-4) in the Horizon League last season, although it was the Vikings who won the conference tourney to advance to the 'Big Dance'.
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01-28-22 | Bulls v. Spurs +2.5 | Top | 122-131 | Win | 100 | 12 h 57 m | Show |
My 10* Game of the Week is on the SA Spurs at 8:40 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 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 surged to the top of the Eastern Conference on the strength of a nine-game winning streak from Dec 19 thru Jan 7, averaging 120.2 points per game over their winning streak and never scoring fewer than 108 points in any of those outings. However, in its 11 contests since, Chicago has averaged 106.5 points and failed to score more than 96 in three of them, going 4-7. The Bulls are currently 30-17, just a half-game back of the top seeded Heat (31-17). Note that the East's No. 1 thru No. 6 seeds are separated by just TWO games.
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01-27-22 | St. Mary's v. San Francisco -2.5 | Top | 72-70 | Loss | -110 | 14 h 15 m | Show |
My 10* Situational Stunner is on San Francisco at 10:00 ET. No. 2 Gonzaga (15-2 / 4-0) has dominated the WCC for two decades but there are THREE more schools from the conference having terrific years this season. BYU is 17-4, St Mary's is 15-4 and San Francisco is 16-4. The Saint Mary’s Gaels (3-1) and San Francisco Dons (3-2) meet Thursday at the War Memorial at the Sobrato, both chasing 4-0 Gonzaga and 5-1 BYU.
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01-27-22 | Texas State v. Texas-Arlington +2.5 | Top | 58-70 | Win | 100 | 12 h 13 m | Show |
My 9* Texas "2-Step" (Part 2) is on UT-Arlington at 8:00 ET. The 12-5 Texas State Bobcats and the 8-11 UT Arlington Mavericks meet Thursday in SBC play at the College Park Center. The Bobcats come into the contest 3-3 in their last six games, while the Mavericks are looking to snap a three-game losing streak. Texas St is 3-2 in SBC games and UT Arlington sits 4-4. Texas St head coach is in his second season with the Bobcats, after going 18-7 last season, when the Bobcats won the regular season SBC title (12-3) but lost in the conference tourney. Greg Young had been an assistant at UT Arlington from 2009-21 but this is his first head coaching gig. Guards Asberry (14.2 & 4.8), Harrell (10.3) and Adams (8.9 7 3.1) start for Texas St, while the 6-8 Small (11.5 & 7.0) and the 6-8 Martin (5.5 & 7.9) start up front. The 6-8 Caesar adds 9.0 & 5.2 off the bench. UT Arlington will own the best player on the floor in SG Azore (18.5 & 4.3), who is joined in the backcourt by Elame (7.7 & 3.0) and PG Levi (6.0-4.8-4.9). The 6-7 Mwamba (10.3 & 4.8) and the 6-9 Ehiogu (5.3 & 5.1) start up front, while 6-9 JC transfer Wilson adds 6.4 & 4.1 off the bench. Texas St IS the better team but its play on the road this year has been shaky. Meanwhile, the Mavericks have consistently played their best at home, winning by an average of 11 points and allowing opponents to hit just 34.6 percent from the floor. The home dog 'barks' LODLY in this one! Good luck...Larry |
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01-27-22 | Lakers v. 76ers -2.5 | Top | 87-105 | Win | 100 | 9 h 53 m | Show |
My 10* Weekly Wipeout is on the Phi 76ers at 7:40 ET. |
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01-26-22 | Marquette v. Seton Hall OVER 146 | Top | 73-63 | Loss | -115 | 12 h 6 m | Show |
My 10* Conference O/U Game of the Year (Big East) is on Marquette/Seton Hall Over at 8:30 ET. Shaka Smart was booted out of Austin but has done quite a job at Marquette, which did not return a SINGLE starter from last season's disappointing 13-14 team. Few teams in college hoops are hotter than Marquette (14-6 / 6-3 Big East), which entered the AP poll for the first time this past Monday at No. 22 (more details to follow). The Golden Eagles' visit Newark, NJ to face a revenge-minded Seton Hall team on Wednesday night. The Pirates opened 9-1 and were ranked 15th, before losing FIVE of their last eight to fall to 12-6 (3-5 Big East) and out of the rankings. Marquette was 3-0 last week, beating Seton Hall, Villanova and Xavier (all were ranked at the time). Smart had a disappointing six-year run at Texas but despite a four-game losing streak this season, he has confidence that his team has learned from its earlier losses. "Losing four in a row... I think what you take out of that as a team is we can win, we can find a way to win those games, but we've got to be a little bit better in a variety of areas," Smart said. "And I think we've continued to get better." Marquette has a deep eight-man rotation, led by 6-7 freshman Lewis (15.8 & 7.9) and Maryland transfer, Morsell (13.9 & 3.5). Joining that duo in the starting lineup are freshman guard Kolek (6.4 & 4.0) plus frontcourt players like the 6-8 Prosper (5.8 & 3.4) and the 6-10 Kuath (5.4 & 4.5), Adding depth are guard Elliott (8.1), freshman guard Jones (7.7) and 6-9 freshman Ighodaro (6.3 & 3.7). Kevin Willard took over at Seton hall for the 2010-11 season and had led the Pirates to four straight NCAA tournaments before the 2020 tournament was canceled because of COVID (Seton Hall was 21-9). However, the Pirates were just 14-13 last year and lost to the 6-10 Mamukelashvili (17.5 & 7.6), who was co-player-of-the-year in the Big East. However, the Pirates have EIGHT players scoring between 6.5 and 15.7 PPG. 6-6 swingman Rhoden leads in scoring (15.7), while adding 6.9 RPG. Senior guards Aiken (14.5) and Cole (10.0 & 4.1) join Rhoden in double digits. The 6-8 Yetna just misses at 9.9 PPG but is the team's leading rebounder at 7.9 per game. Two 6-10 players, Samuel (8.5 & 6.3) and Jackson (7.2 & 3.9) plus guards Richmond (8.1-3.7-3.7) and Harris (6.5) complete Seton Hall's 'Great 8.' Marquette hosted Seton Hall back on Jan 15 in a back-and-forth affair, decided by a controversial late whistle. With the game tied at 72, Marquette's Greg Elliott leaned into the Pirates' Bryce Aiken while attempting a shot, elbowing Aiken in the nose. However, the officials called the foul on Aiken, and Elliott's free throw with one second left won the game for Marquette. Aiken scored 28 points that day but entered concussion protocol and hasn't played since. That said, as noted above, Seton Hall has the depth to 'cover' Aiken's absence. That Jan 15 game ended 73-72 but I expect a higher-scoring game here, one in which Seton Hall avenges that loss with an OUTSTANDING offensive effort. It's Goin' Over! Good luck...Larry |
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01-26-22 | Raptors +4.5 v. Bulls | Top | 105-111 | Loss | -110 | 11 h 35 m | Show |
My 10* PERFECT STORM is on the Tor Raptors at 8:10 ET. The Toronto Raptors won the NBA title (led by Kawhi) back in 2019 and even after he "went Hollywood" on them, followed with records of 58-24 and 53-19 the next two seasons. However, the Raptors fell to just 27-45 last season. Toronto moved to the right side of .500 on Tuesday with a 125-113 defeat of Charlotte, with the win ending a stretch in which the Raptors had lost FIVE of seven. At 23-22, Toronto currently owns the No. 8 seed but the Raptors are closer to the No. 11 seed (last team out of the play-in round), than they are to the No. 6 seed (last guaranteed playoff spot). Toronto leads the No. 11 seed by just 1 1/2 games, while it sits FOUR games back of the No. 6 seed. 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. Chicago surged to the top of the Eastern Conference on the strength of a nine-game winning streak from Dec 19 thru Jan 7, averaging 120.2 points per game over their winning streak and never scoring fewer than 108 points in any of those outings. However, in its 10 contests since, Chicago has averaged 106.1 points and failed to score more than 96 in three of them. The Bulls are currently 29-17, just a half-game back of the top seeded Heat (30-17). Note that the East's No. 1 thru No. 6 seeds are separated by just TWO games. Toronto's win over Charlotte came without Fred VanVleet (21.7-4.7-7.0), who was sidelined with swelling in his right knee, and rookie Scottie Barnes (14.6 & 7.8), who had a right wrist injury. However, head coach Nick Nurse said both will travel to Chicago. Gary Trent Jr. (16.6) led the Raptors with a season-high 32 points and Pascal Siakam (21.3-8.3-5.1) just missed a triple-double with 24 points, 12 assists and nine rebounds. SF Anunoby (18.8 & 5.4) is having a career-year and big men Boucher (9.3 & 6.0) and Achiuwa (7.8 & 7.5) started with VanVleet and Barnes sidelined. Also note that guards Flynn and Banton combined for 21 points off the bench. There were 'whispers' that the 32-year-old DeMar DeRozan was on the downside of his career, but he's been one of the best players in the NBA so far this season, averaging 26.3-5.0-4.8. He was arrested in Chicago's last game but will play here. However, PG Ball (13.-5.4-5.1) is out until mid-March (knee) and center Vucevic (16.5 & 11.3) is listed as day-to-day with a knee issue. Zach LaVine (24.9-4.8-4.2) is back after missing a few games plus backup PG White (12.7) is around to fill in for Ball. Rookie guard Dosunmu (7.5) scored a career-high 24 points on personal bests of 10 made field goals and four made three-pointers, starting in the backcourt with DeMar DeRozan resting. Bottom line is, I like the Raptors plus the points. As noted above, the Bulls have underperformed for the last 10 games and I see Toronto building off last night's win, as the Raptors try to make a move up and OUT of the play-in round. Toronto may also be more than a little motivated against former teammate De Rozan plus are playing with revenge from a 111-108 home loss to the Bulls in late October. No surprise at all if Toronto wins it outright. Take the points. Good luck...Larry |
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01-26-22 | Iowa State +3.5 v. Oklahoma State | Top | 84-81 | Win | 100 | 7 h 2 m | Show |
My 9* Late Breaker is on Iowa St at 8:00 ET. T.J. Otzelberger came from UNLV to take over an Iowa St team that went 2-22 last season (0-18 in the Big 12). The Hawkeyes opened 12-0 and were ranked No. 8 thru Dec 21 but did not play again until Jan 1, at then-No. Baylor. The Hawkeyes played the Bears close, losing 77-72 but that loss was the start of a 2-5 Iowa St run that has dropped them to No. 23 in the latest AP poll at 14-5, (2-5 Big 12). The Cyclones will look to begin reversing their 2-5 start in the Big 12 when they take on Oklahoma State Wednesday night in Stillwater. |
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01-25-22 | Mavs v. Warriors -3 | Top | 92-130 | Win | 100 | 14 h 44 m | Show |
My 10* PERFECT STORM is on the GS Warriors at 10:10 ET. The 34-13 Golden St Warriors have been battling the 37-9 Phoenix Suns for the top spot in the West since Opening Day but have recently fallen 3-1/2 game behind the Suns. The Dallas Mavericks were just 16-18 through Dec 29 but have won 11 of 13 and now, at 27-20, hold the West's No. 5 seed. The Mavs play the opener of a two-day, two-game Western swing tonight at San Francisco's Chase Center and follow with a game Wednesday in Portland. The Warriors welcome the Mavs to San Francisco having failed to reach 100 points in SEVEN of their last 14 outings, a stretch during which they've gone just 7-7 despite having won their last two.
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01-25-22 | Texas -2.5 v. TCU | Top | 73-50 | Win | 100 | 12 h 46 m | Show |
My 9* Texas 'Two-Step' is on Texas at 9:00 ET. Chris Beard 'jumped ship,' leaving Lubbock (Texas Tech) to take the job at Texas (Austin) and left some hard feelings behind. It hasn't been smooth sailing for Beard and his Longhorns, who opened No. 5 in the AP's preseason poll and remained in the AP rankings all season until Monday. Texas is 14-5 (4-3 in Big 12 play) but just 2-3 in its last five games. Jamie Dixon (of Pitt fame) returned to his alma mater back for the 2016-17 season. He led TCU to the NIT title that season, then won 21 and 23 games the following two seasons, However, he came into this season off 16-16 and 12-14 seasons. However, his team heads into this contest having won 10 of 12 to reach 13-3 (3-2 in Big 12 play).
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01-25-22 | Wyoming +5.5 v. Boise State | Top | 62-65 | Win | 100 | 9 h 4 m | Show |
My 10* Late Breaker is on Wyoming at 9:00 ET. The 15-2 Wyoming Cowboys (4-0 MWC) and the 15-2 Boise St Broncos (6-0 MWC) get together tonight from ExtraMile Arena in Boise, with the winner ending the night in first place. Jeff Linder came from No. Colorado where he won 26 (CIT champion), 21 and 22 games in his final three years, earning him the Wyoming gig. His first team went 14-11 but this year's team is an impressive 15-2. 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. However, the Broncos are all but assured of a 20-win season this year. Wyoming won its first eight games this year, then hit a 1-2 stretch that featured losses to Arizona and Stanford. However, it's been SIX straight victories since, over Northern Iowa, USF, Utah State, Nevada, San Jose State and New Mexico. The 6-9 Ike (20.6 & 8.9) and PG Maldanado (17.8-5.8-6.7) make for quite a duo. They are joined in the starting lineup by guards Jeffries (11.4 & 4.8) and DuSell (10.8) plus the 6-9 Oden (8.6 & 4.9). DuSell is questionable with a hamstring injury, with Wenzel (5.4) starting in his place. Defense is a team strength (65.6 PPG) but depth is an issue. Boise St has depth issues as well but has a very solid starting-five. The backcourt is missing Doutrive (9.4 & 4.6), who last played on Nov 30 but Shaver (13.6 & 4.1) and 6-8 guard Akot (11.5) form a quality duo. Up front, it's the 6-7 Kijab (13.1 & 6.6), the 6-10 Armus (7.2 & 9.2) and the 6-7 Degenhart (9.2). Defense is Boise's 'bread-and-butter,' allowing 57.9 PPG (8th). While Boise is a terrific defensive team, note that Wyoming is no slouch in that department, either (see above). Meanwhile, Wyoming averages 78.4 PPG, compared to Boise's 67.8. When getting almost a full 'TD' worth of points, I'll say, "How 'bout dem Cowboys?". Take the points. Good luck...Larry |
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01-24-22 | Weber State v. Southern Utah -2 | Top | 92-84 | Loss | -110 | 12 h 12 m | Show |
My 10* Conference Game of the Year (Big Sky) is on Southern Utah at 9:00 ET. The Weber State Wildcats and the Southern Utah Thunderbirds square off in a Big Sky matchup from the America First Events Center in Cedar City, Ut on Monday night. Webber St head coach Randy Rahe arrived in Ogden for the 2006-07 season and led the Wildcats to an NCAA berth. He's still around, although Weber St's only NCAA appearance since Rahe's first season came in 2013-14. Todd Simon took over the Southern Utah program for the 2016-17 season, with the Thunderbirds going just 53-78 (.405) through his first four years. However, last season's team went 20-4 (won the Big Sky at 12-2) but lost in the conference semifinals in OT, therefore no NCAA bid. Weber St is 13-5 overall and leads the Big Sky at 6-1. Marquette transfer McEwen (17.2 & 4.4) leads the Wildcats in scoring, joined by fellow transfer (Utah Valley) Overton (12.6 & 4.0) and returning guard Jawara (11.8) to form a strong backcourt. 6-6 SF hJoes (Big Sky Freshman of the year last season) is averaging 12.8 PPG and leads in rebounding (10.1). The 6-9 Bassett is what's called a "super senior," and checks in adding 6.3 & 3.0. Southern Utah is 11-5 overall and at 5-1, is tied with No. Colorado, a half-game back of Weber St. The returning backcourt of Knight (15.1-4.2-4.3) and Marin (11.1 & 4.6) are a steady influence The starting frontcourt consists of forwards Jones (14.0 & 4.4) and Fausett (13.1 PG and a team-high 8.9 RPG) plus the 6-11 Spurgin (5.1 & 3.9). SF Butler (7.5 & 3.9) and guard Moody (6.7) are the key reserves. This is a HUGE game for Southern Utah, which along with No. Colorado, trails Weber St by a half-game at the top of the Big Sky standings. Southern Utah's only home loss (7-1) this season came to No. Colorado on Jan 1 (by 10 points), so winning here is almost a 'must!' FYI...the Thunderbirds' home loss to No. Colorado on Jan 1 is the team's ONLY home loss in the last 1-1/2 seasons (team was 14-0 last season and is now 7-1 this season). I'm on the T-birds! Good luck...Larry |
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01-23-22 | Jazz +4.5 v. Warriors | Top | 92-94 | Win | 100 | 12 h 46 m | Show |
My 9* Weekend Wipeout is on the Ut Jazz at 8:40 ET. The Jazz and Warriors have been battling the Phoenix Suns for the West's (and the NBA's) best record all season. As of Sunday morning, the Suns sit at 36-9, 3-1/2 games ahead of the 33-13 Warriors and 6-1/2 games ahead of the 30-16 Jazz, who have seen the Grizzlies slip past them into the No. 3 seed at 32-16. The Warriors have gone just 4-6 over their last 10 games (more later), after a 29-7 start, and now face a week in which they must deal with a tough four-game sequence book-ended by Utah and the Brooklyn Nets. Meanwhile, Jazz have won just TWICE in their last eight games, with injuries playing a role in Utah's recent regression. |
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01-23-22 | Nets v. Wolves -2 | Top | 125-136 | Win | 100 | 13 h 25 m | Show |
My 10* PERFECT STORM is on the Min T-wolves at 8:10 ET. If it's not ONE thing, it's ANOTHER!" The Brooklyn Nets had anticipated that a stretch of road games would give them significant minutes with their star trio of Kevin Durant, James Harden and Kyrie Irving on the floor. So, what happens? Durant sprained the medial collateral ligament in his left knee a week ago Saturday and will be sidelined for at least a month. The Nets complete a four-game road trip tonight in Minnesota, having won two of the first three, led by their part-time backcourt duo of James Harden and Kyrie Irving. Brooklyn dropped a seven-point decision in Cleveland on Monday when Harden and Irving combined for 49 points but then eked out a one-point win in Washington when the duo combined for 48 points. On Friday, the duo scored a collective 61 points of a 117-102 win in San Antonio. The duo combined for 26 points in the final 12 minutes when the Nets shot 60 percent and outscored the Spurs 38-28. Through all of this season's turmoil, the Nets currently sit atop the East with a 29-16 record. However, Chicago and Miami are just a half-game back and the top-six East seeds are separated by just THREE games.
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01-23-22 | Bills v. Chiefs -1.5 | Top | 36-42 | Win | 100 | 132 h 48 m | Show |
My 10* 'Signature' LEGEND Play is on the KC Chiefs at 6:30 ET. The Bills and Chiefs met in last year's AFC championship game, with KC winning at home. The two teams opened the 2021 season as favorites to meet again in this season's title game and while the Bills and Chiefs are meeting in the 2021 postseason (again in Kansas City), it's ONE week sooner than anticipated. However, at one point during the recently completed regular season a Buff/KC Part 2 was NOT looking likely. Buffalo was shocked in Week 1 at home by the Steelers (lost 23-16) and while the Bills rebounded quickly with FOUR straight wins, they would lose FIVE of their next eight to fall to 7-6, falling TWO games behind the 9-4 Pats. However, the Bills ended the season with FOUR straight wins (including a 33-21 victory in New England) to finish 11-6, while the Pats' lost THREE of four. The 11-6 Bills won the AFC East, with the Pats earning a wild card berth. The Bills hosted the Pats in the NFL's Super Wild Card Weekend and I'm pretty sure you KNOW how that turned out (more later, in case you missed it). The Chiefs entered the current season off back-to-back Super Bowl appearances (1-1) and having won FIVE consecutive AFC West titles. However, after just SEVEN games, the Chiefs were a sub-.500 team at 3-4! The 'cry' went out, "What's wrong with the Chiefs and in particular, Patrick Mahomes?" KC answered that question emphatically, going 9-1 to finish the regular season 12-5 and win the AFC West for the SIXTH straight season. However, that ONE loss (34-31 at Cincy on a last-second FG), cost KC the No. 1 seed. Tennessee (also 12-5) won the tiebreaker over Kansas City based on head-to-head win percentage (Titans beat the Chiefs 27-3 in Tennessee back in Week 7!). Again, in case you were asleep, the Chiefs beat the Steeklers 42-21 last weekend in a wild card game. Buffalo's Josh Allen (63.3% for 4,407 yards with 36 TDs and 15 INTs / 763 rushing yards on 6.3 YPC with 6 TDs) had a terrific season (again!) He then set a team playoff record with five TD passes in a 47-17 DESTRUCTION of the division-rival Patriots in a wild-card playoff game. Buffalo became the NFL's first team in the Super Bowl era to score on each of its seven possessions that didn't end with a kneel down. Allen completed 21 of 25 for 308 yards without an INT (QB rating of 157.8!), while adding 66 rushing yards. RB Singletary (870 yards / 4.6 YPC / 7 TDs) ran for 81 yards and two TDs, while TE Knox (49 catches / 9 TDs) had two TD receptions. Allen has a terrific group of WRs, led by Diggs (103 catches / 10 TDs) plus Beasley (82 catches), Sanders (42 / 14.9 / 4 TDs) and Davis (35 / 15.7 / 6 TDs). Buffalo's offense ranked 3rd in scoring (28.4 PPG) but its defense was No. in the NFL in points allowed (17.0) and yards allowed (272.8). That's a pretty sweet 'daily double.' Mahomes had an 'average' season (for him), completing 66.3 % for 4,839 yards with 37 TDs and 13 INTs (ho hum!). He then completed 30 of 39 for 404 yards with five TD passes and one iNT in the rout of Pittsburgh. RBs Williams (558 yards on 3.9 YPC with 6 TDs) and Edwards-Helaire (517 yards on 4.3 YPC with 4 TDs) have missed time all season. Both are questionable here but McKinnon, who ran for just 62 yards all season, ran 12 times for 61 yards (5.1 YPC) vs Pittsburgh. The Chiefs own the best WR-TE duo in the NFL with Hill (111 catches / 9 TDs) and Kelce (92 catches / 9 TDs) plus have depth at WR in Hardeman (59 catches) and Pringle (42 catches / 5 TDs). The KC offense has averaged 28.2 PPG (4th) but the defense has allowed 368.9 YPG, ranking 27th. The good news is that KC is allowing a more modest 21.4 PPG, which ranks 8th-best. The point spread here indicates that Buffalo would be a favorite on a neutral field and maybe that's right, as the Bills crushed the Chiefs 38-10 at KC back in Week 5. However, doesn't that give KC even more incentive here? Allen was great vs the Pats but note that in last year's AFC title game, Allen was badly outplayed by Mahomes. Allen threw 48 times (28 completions for 287 yards with two TDs and one INT (QB rating of 80.8). Meanwhile, Mahomes was 29 of 38 for 325 yards with three Tds and zero INTs for a 127.6 QB rating. Mahomes is 7-2 as a starter in the playoffs, losing only to Tom Brady (against the Pats in the 2018 AFC championship game) and in last year's Super Bowl vs the Bucs. Allen has become a star but he's NO Brady. My closing note is this. In SEVEN home playoff games (6-1 / loss to Brady and the Pats), Mahomes has completed 67.9% of his passes, while averaging 310.3 YPG passing. He's thrown 20 TDs passes in those seven, against just ONE interception in 249 attempts. KC "all the way!" Good luck...Larry |
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01-23-22 | Michigan +4.5 v. Indiana | Top | 80-62 | Win | 100 | 6 h 31 m | Show |
My 10* Situational Stunner is on Michigan at 3:30 ET. Michigan opened the season ranked 6th in the AP's preseason poll but didn't stay ranked for very long. A lengthy layoff due to the holiday break and COVID-19 issues didn't help and the Wolverines 'limp into Bloomington having played just FOUR games in a month but is off an 83-64 win over Maryland on Tuesday. To say the least It's been an up-and-down year for the defending Big Ten champions, as the Wolverines had a pair of conference games postponed the second week in January due to COVID-19 issues within the program. Michigan is just 8-7 overall, including 2-3 in the Big Ten. 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, before losing 112-110 (2 OTs) at Syracuse. The Hoosiers have also lost at Wisconsin, at Penn St and at Iowa but here at Assembly Hall, have gone a perfect 12-0, after they snapped a nine-game losing streak against Purdue, winning 68-65 on Thursday behind a career-high 20 points from Rob Phinisee. Indiana welcomes Michigan to Assembly Hall 14-4 overall, including 5-3 in the Big Ten. After center Hunter Dickinson (16.4 & 8.6) sat out a 68-53 loss at Illinois on Jan 14, the Wolverines were back at full strength against Maryland. Dickinson (21 points) led FOUR starters in double figures. Michigan's starting-five includes the 7-1 Dickinson and the 6-11 Diabate (9.1 & 6.1) up front, plus a trio of guards in Brooks (12.1) and Houstan (9.7 & 4.5) plus PG Jones (8.5-4.5-3.7), who runs the offense. The 6-9 Jackson-Davis (18.7 & 8.6) was limited against Purdue, playing just 11 minutes with four points and one rebound. The 6-8 Thompson (10.8 & 7.6) and the 6-7 Kupp (6.7 & 2.7) join Davis up front, while guards Johnson (10.0-3.6-4.1) and Stewart (7.3) start in the backcourt. Adding depth on the perimeter are Phinisee (5.7) and Bates (4.3). Indiana will look to avoid a letdown after an emotional Purdue win and how much Davis can contribute is really unknown. Obviously, Michigan was overrated at the start of the season, but the Wolverines are NOT a .500 team, either. Both teams are solid defensively and Michigan is OVERDUE for a "quality" win. Methinks, as Rod Stewart opined, "Tonight's the Night!" Take the points. Good luck...Larry |
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01-23-22 | Rams v. Bucs UNDER 48 | Top | 30-27 | Loss | -105 | 33 h 37 m | Show |
My 9* Division Round O/U Game of the Year is on LAR/TB Under at 3:30 ET. The Rams opened the season 7-1 but then lost THREE in a row, falling to 7-4 (Cards were 9-2 thru 11 games). At that time, it looked as if the Rams were headed for a wild card berth and the Cards for the division title. However, the Rams would win FIVE straight games and even with a Week 18 home loss to the 49ers (blew a 17-0 lead to lose in OT), were able to earn the NFC West title, as the Cards lost in Week 18 at home to Seattle. That set the stage for the Rams to play host to the Cards in the first-ever Monday night playoff game. It was a "no-contest," as the Rams were up 28-0 in the late third quarter on their way to a 34-11 (BTW...The Rams were my 10* Wild Card GOY pick!). Stafford picked up his first career playoff win (was 0-3 with the Lions), throwing a modest 17 times, completing 13 for 202 yards with two TDs and no INTs. RBs Michel (58 yards) and Akers (55) allowed the Rams to run for 140 yards, 41 yards more than the team's 99.0 YPG average on the season. The Rams defense, which somewhat underachieved this season, held the Cards to just 183 total yards.
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01-22-22 | North Carolina +2 v. Wake Forest | Top | 76-98 | Loss | -110 | 13 h 53 m | Show |
My 10* Situational Stunner is on North Carolina at 8:00 ET. North Carolina (12-5 / 4-2) and Wake Forest (15-4 / 4-3) have similar conference records as they head into Saturday night's meeting in Winston-Salem. Roy Wiliams retired after last season, ending his career with a first-round NCAA tournament loss and an 18-11 record with his beloved Tar Heels. Former North Carolina player Hubert Davis took over as head coach and the Tar Heels were ranked 19th in the AP's preseason poll. However, just when it appeared North Carolina might be picking up momentum, the Tar Heels 'crashed and burned' in Tuesday night's 85-57 loss at Miami. Steve Forbes took over at Wake Forest last season and suffered through a 6-16 (3-15 in the ACC) his first year. However, whether it has been in the JC ranks or his four-year stint at East Tenn St, Forbes has been known as 'quick-change artist.' Case in point. He took over at East Tenn St in 2015-16 and his four-year record was 130-43! His final team went 30-4 but "what might have been" in the Big Dance remains an unanswered question, as COVID shut the tournament down. Now, after a 'nightmare' first season, Forbes' Demon Deacon are off to an impressive start (see above). "Very disappointed in our fight, our competitiveness, our effort," UNC head coach Hubert Davis said. "In order to be a good team, you have to have leadership and there has to be somebody outside of myself, outside of the coaching staff, a voice in the locker room that's amongst the players that binds us together." The Tar Heels are looking for adjustments, perhaps mostly in mindset. North Carolina has an excellent frontcourt led by the returning 6-10 Bacot (17.2 & 11.2), 6-9 Oklahoma transfer Manek (12.4 & 5.6) and 6-11 Marquette transfer Garcia (9.1 & 5.5). Sophomore guard Love (14.1-3.5-3.4) teams with freshman Davis (13.7-3.8-3.5) in the backcourt, with Walton (3.9) and Black (3.5 & 4.4) adding support. Forbes has turned things around quickly at Wake, adding Oklahoma transfer Williams and an ETSU transfer in Williamson to be his starting guards. Williams (20.3-6.8-5.2) has been spectacular and Williamson, who came with Forbes last season from ETSU, is averaging 12.4 PPG. The 6-8 Mucius (10.5 & 3.8) returned up front but the 6-8 LaRavia (14.7 & 5.9) came from Indiana St, the 7-0 Walton (8.1 & 5.2) from Colorado and the 6-10 Sy (6.5 & 4.4) from Ole Miss. In Wednesday night's 80-64 victory at Georgia Tech, the Demon Deacons were without coach Forbes, who was ill, but it seems like he'll be back for the North Carolina game. "He'll be there," said Wake assistant coach Brooks Savage, who filled in. "It was in everybody's best interest that he take some time and not travel and get ready to go for Saturday." Kudos to Forbes and Wake but consider this, the Demon Deacons have reached the 15-win mark for only the THIRD time in a 12-season span. This season is 'rarefied air' for Wake Forest and catching the Tar Heels off an embarrassing 85-57 loss at Miami, is NOT a "good thing!" UNC is a two-point dog, so one could hardly call this an upset. However, take any available points but expect a North Carolina win "with room to spare," as North Carolina has won EIGHT of the last nine meetings with Wake Forest. Good luck...Larry |
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01-22-22 | Bengals v. Titans -3 | Top | 19-16 | Loss | -110 | 106 h 49 m | Show |
My 10* PERFECT STORM is on the Ten Titans at 4:30 ET. Zac Taylor arrived in Cincinnati for the 2019 season and the Bengals struggled to a 2-14 finish. Cincy then drafted Heisman-winner Joe Burrow as the No. 1 pick in the 2020 draft but Burrow was lost in the 10th game of the season, as the Bengals would only slightly improve by going 4-11-1. However, the Bengals went 10-7 in 2021 and won the AFC North for the first time since 2015. Then last Saturday, Joe Burrow led his team to its first playoff victory in 31 years, 26-19 over Las Vegas in an AFC wild-card game. Burrow (24 of 34 with 244 yards with 2 TDs and zero INTs for a QB rating of 110.4) led an efficient offense that scored on SIX drives. PK Evan McPherson became the first rookie to make four FGs without a miss in a postseason debut, and Germaine Pratt sealed it with a fourth-down interception in the dying seconds. It was a victory three decades in the making for the Bengals (last playoff win came back in 1990!) After going from worst to first in the AFC North with a generally young roster, the Bengals ended that embarrassingly long postseason drought that included EIGHT consecutive defeats. Mike Vrabel took over in Nashville in 2018 and after back-to-back 9-7 seasons, his Titans have now won the AFC South in two consecutive years, going 11-5 in 2020 and 12-5 here in 2021. Note, Tennessee's wild card team of 2019, made it all the way to the AFC championship game (1st time in 17 years!), before losing to the eventual Super Bowl champions Chiefs. This year's team not only won the AFC South but also earned the AFC's overall No. 1 seed, giving them last weekend off. Burrow has had an excellent season (70.4% for 4,611 yards with 34 TDs and 11 INTs. RB Mixon had a career season, running for 1,205 yards with 13 TDs, while catching 42 passes (3 TDs). WR Chase (also from LSU) caught 81 passes (18.0 YPC / 13 TDs) plus is joined by fellow WRs Higgins (74 / 14.7 YPC / 6 TDs) and Boyd ( 67 / 5 TDs) plus TE Uzomah (49 / 5 TDs). The Cincy defense allowed 22.1 PPG, a significant improvement after allowing 27.1 PPG over the previous three seasons. The Titans were 6-2 when RB Derrick Henry (937 yards / 10 TDs) was lost with a foot injury in Week 8. QB Ryan Tannehill (67.2% / 3,734 yards / 21-14 ratio) has had to shoulder more of the load, and he was often not up to the challenge. However, at 8-4, the Titans would win FOUR other their last five, including THREE straight to end the regular season, clinching the No. 1 seed. Kudos to Tannehill, who in that three-game winning streak, completed 73.4% of his passes with a 7-0 TD/INT ratio). WR Brown 63 catches / 13.8 YPC / 5 TDs) is the team's best receiver but Westbrook-Ikhine (38 / 5 TDs) and the now-healthy Juliuo Jones (31 / 14.0 YPC) are reliable targets. The Tennessee defense is stout, allowing 20.8 PPG (6th) and ranks second in the league in rushing yards allowed (84.8). Congrats to the Bengals but note they had just 308 total yards vs the Raiders and constantly settled for FGs. RB Mixon was held to 48 yards rushing on 2.8 YPC and the Tennessee rush D is a 'tough nut to crack' (see above). Henry could be back here and what a bonus that would be. However, I'm "all over" the Titans, either way. Consider the following. Both sides went 4-2 vs eventual playoff teams, but if we dig a little deeper, we see those records aren't equal. Both the Colts and Chargers were favored to win in Week 18, but they both lost. Tennessee would have been 6-2 against playoff teams if Tennessee and Los Angeles had won in the final week (and that's to go along with impressive victories over the Chiefs and Rams). If that scenario had played out, the Bengals would have been just 1-3 vs playoff destined teams. I noted the Tennessee D earlier but here's more. The Titans went from allowing 384 yards and 26.8 points a game during the first six weeks to only 300.3 yards and 17.5 points during the final 11 games, holding four of their last five opponents to fewer than 20 points. Tennessee went 7-2 SU at home and head coach Mike Vrabel is 4-0 SU & ATS following a bye, beating the closing point spread by an average of 19.1 points! Cincy is 'One & Done' this playoff season. Good luck...Larry |
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01-22-22 | Virginia v. NC State -1.5 | Top | 63-77 | Win | 100 | 7 h 2 m | Show |
My 9* Weekend Wipeout is on NC St at 4:00 ET. The Atlantic Coast Conference schools has typically been known as arguably the nation's top BKB conference, but a quick check of the latest AP poll will find only Duke (at No. 6) among the top-25. One sure won't find Virginia (11-7, 5-3) or NC State (9-10, 2-6) in any top-25 polls! 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. However, as noted, this season has NOT gone smoothly. However, UVA's season is going MUCH better than NC St's Kevin Keatts season is. He replaced Mark Gottfried in Raleigh five years ago. His three-year stint at UNC-Wilmington (his team won 28 and 29 games in his final two seasons, both ending with NCAA tourney berths), surely caught NC St's attention. Keatts' first three seasons in Raleigh went fine (21, 24 and 20 wins) but the Wolfpack's season pretty much ended on Feb 9 of last year, when Devon Daniels (16.5 & 5.2) was lost to an ACL tear (NC St would finish 14-11). The only returning starter for UVA is PG Clark, who chips in 9.1 PPG and 4.0 APG. Guard Beekman (8.1-3.6-4.8) is back, as is the 6-11 Shedrick (6.2 & 5.1), but UVA's two-most important players are transfers. The 6-6 Gardner comes from East Carolina and leads in scoring (14.0) and rebounding (7.0) plus guard Franklin comes via Indiana and chips in 12.2. With Daniels gone and the 6-11 Funderburk (12.6 & 5.6) declaring for the NBA but going undrafted, Keatts' had his work cut out for him entering the current season. The 6-7 Seaborn has blossomed into a 'do-everything" player for NC St, leading the team in scoring (19.3) and rebounding (9.4). Joining him in the starting lineup are freshman guard Smith (14.6 & 3.7), the 6-7 Hellems (14.2 & 4.7) and the 6-11 Dowuona (4.0 & 4.7). Guards Hayes (8.3) and UVA transfer Morsell (7.3 & 3.5) have been steady off the bench. Here's the rub. Do you believe in 'miracles?' Well, I may be exaggerating a little but consider this. Two Saturdays ago, North Carolina ended its SEVEN-game losing streak against Virginia. Last Saturday, Wake Forest snapped its NINE-game skid against the Cavaliers. Now it's NC State with a chance to "get off the schneid," as the Wolfpack will try to beat Bennett for the first time in Raleigh. All SEVEN times the Cavaliers coach has come to PNC Arena, he's walked out a winner. The late-1970s and early-1980s TV opined "Eight is Enough" but my bet here says, "SEVEN is enough!" NC St wins and wins impressively. Good luck...Larry |
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01-22-22 | Kentucky +4 v. Auburn | Top | 71-80 | Loss | -105 | 6 h 56 m | Show |
My 9* Marquee Classic is on Kentucky at 1:00 ET. No. 2 Auburn (17-0 / 6-0) will put its 14-game winning streak on the line Saturday when it hosts No. 12 Kentucky in a matchup of SEC teams. Withe Baylor losing twice last week, Gonzaga took over the No. 1 spot in the AP poll, while Auburn moved to No. 2. Interestingly, Auburn (36) had more first-place Votes than Gonzaga (25), but the Bulldogs edged the Tigers in overall points, 1,486 to 14,82. In the history of the AP poll, Auburn has reached No. 2 three times. The 1958-59 team reached second and finished eighth in the AP poll with a 20-2 record. The 1998-1999 team reached No. 2 but lost in the Sweet Sixteen. That team finished 29-4. The following season, Auburn started the season ranked fourth and reached No. 2, before faltering down the stretch and losing in the second round of the NCAA Tournament. That team finished 24-10 and ranked 24th.
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01-21-22 | Michigan State +4 v. Wisconsin | Top | 86-74 | Win | 100 | 14 h 25 m | Show |
My 10* Marquee Classic is on Michigan St at 9:00 ET. Tom Izzo and his Spartans started at No. 13 at the opening of the 2020-21 season and struggled in the regular season. Mich St made the NCAA tourney at 15-12 but was eliminated in a First Four game by UCLA. Michigan State began the current season unranked but enters this game at Wisconsin arnked No. 14 at 14-3 (5-1 in the Big Ten). Wisconsin was also unranked in the preseason but is now No. 8, with a 15-2 overall record, including 6-1 in the Big Ten. The Badgers are tied atop the conference with Ilinois, while the Spartans are just a half-game back. The Spartans do not have a 'big gun,' as the team's leading scorer is SF Brown (14.2 & 4.8). 7-0 center Bingham adds 9.7 PPG and a team-high 7.1 RPG. Joining those two in the starting lineup are guards Christie (10.4) and Walker (6.8 & 5.2 APG) plus the 6-9 Hauser, who has disappointed averaging only 6.8 & 6.1. Bench strength comes from the 6-9 Hall (9.7 & 4.8) and the 6-9 Marble (6.4 & 3.1) plus guard Hoggard (6.5 & 4.5 APG). Izzo-coached teams always play excellent defense and the Spartans are allowing 65.6 PPG, holding opponnest to just 39.1% shooting (24th). 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 15.1 & 4.1. The great news for Wisconsin fans is, fellow guard Davis (7.0 & 4.1 LY) is averaging 22.1 & 7.5 this season. Also back, after limited playing time last season, are the 6-9 Wahl (11.0 & 5.7) and the 7-0 Crowl (8.8 & 4.8). Freshman guard Hepburn (7.2) rounds out the starting-five. No other player averages as much as 4 PPG and that's not good news considering that Wahl is listed as questionable. Wisconsin extended its winning streak to seven with an 82-76 victory at Northwestern on Tuesday to move into a first-place tie with Illinois in the conference, while the Spartans were upset at home by Northwestern 64-62 in their last outing on Saturday, snapping a NINE-game winning streak. Wisconsin has won the last two matchups with Michigan State, including a 64-63 victory in the last meeting at home at the Kohl Center. However, prior to that, the Spartans had won EIGHT straight against the Badgers. Winning at the Kohl Center is NEVER easy but I really like taking a Tom Izzo team off and embarassing loss like at home to Northwestern. I sent out an "Upset Alert" Thursday on Indiana over Purdue and it's "deja vu all over agin" tonight with the Spartsna beating the Badgers. Good luck...Larry |
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01-21-22 | Grizzlies v. Nuggets -3.5 | Top | 122-118 | Loss | -109 | 11 h 11 m | Show |
My 10* Situational Stunner is on the Den Nuggets at 9:10 ET. The Memphis Grizzlies lost 132-110 to the Hawks on Nov 26, giving them a 9-10 record. However, the Grizzlies have gone 22-6 since. They are now 31-16 (No. 3 seed in the West), two games back of the Warriors and 5-1/2 games back of the Suns. Memphis was considered a team on the rise before the season began but it is now obvious its ascension has arrived sooner than expected. The Nuggets have had their issues, mostly with injuries and illnesses, and welcome the Grizzlies to Denver just 23-20, good enough for teh No. 6 in the West. The Nuggets are FIVE back of the No. 4 seed but well clear of the No. 11 seed (last team to miss the play-in round).
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01-21-22 | Heat v. Hawks -1 | Top | 108-110 | Win | 100 | 11 h 34 m | Show |
My 9* PERFECT STORM is on the Atl Hawks at 7:40 ET. The Atlanta Hawks ended a 10-game homecourt losing streak Monday with a second-half surge against the Milwaukee Bucks, and then did it again Wednesday, when an impressive second half carried them to a 134-122 win over Minnesota. However, the Hawks are just 19-25, leaving them THREE games back of the East's No. 10 seed (last team into the 'play-in' round). Visiting Atlanta tonight will be the 29-16 Miami Heat, who are in a virtual tie with the 28-15 Bulls for the East's No. 1 seed. At the moment, just 2-1/2 games separate the No. 1 seed and the No. 6 seed in the East. Miami beat the Portland Trail Blazers 104-92 on Wednesday for their second straight win and SIXTH in the last seven games. The Heat played without Tyler Herro (20.7-4.9-4.0), who entered the health and safety protocol, and Kyle Lowry (13.4 & 8.3 APG), who missed the last two games for personal reasons. Herro will miss the Atlanta game and Lowry's status is uncertain. There is good news though and that the Heat have Bam Adebayo (18.6 & 10.2) back in the lineup. He has played two games since thumb surgery had sidelined him since Nov 29, averaging 17.0 & 10.0. Adebayo had 20 points and 11 rebounds against Portland and helped offset the loss of Jimmy Butler, who was ejected after playing only 15 minutes. Swingman Butler (21.7-5.8-5.8) is Miami best player plus guards Strus (11.6) and Robinson (11.4) plus PF Tucker (8.2 & 5.6) are steady and consiotent contributors. Atlanta understands being shorthanded, as the Hawks have been without starting center Clint Capela (11.8 & 13.1) for the last six games (ankle) but have seen former No. 1 draft choice Onyeka Okongwu make big strides since he's been healthy. Okongwu didn't play until Dec 17 because of offseason shoulder surgery, but after some early tenuous performances he has become increasingly productive. He's up to 9.8 & 6.3 on the season, after averaging 13.7 PPG and 6.7 RPG in his last three games. PG Young (27.9 & 9.5 APG) is now a bonafide All Star plus PF Collins (17.2 & 8.0) just continues to put up All Star-like numbers. SG Bogdanovich (12.0 & 3.8) is out but Hunter (12.8) and Huerter (11.3) are both back in the lineup and playing well. Let's NOT forget that this Atlanta team made it all the way to the Eastern Conerence finals last season, where the Bucks ended the team's championship hopes. The Hawks have been one of the league's biggest undercahievers so far but may be starting to see a 'light at the end of the tunnel.' The Hawks make it THREE straight home wins tonight! Good luck...Larry |
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01-20-22 | USC -1.5 v. Colorado | Top | 61-58 | Win | 100 | 13 h 35 m | Show |
My 10* Conference Game of the Year (Pac 12) is on USC at 7:30 ET. 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! However, the Trojans lost 75-69 at Stanford on Jan 11, beat Oregon St (3-13) 81-71 at home and then lost 79-69 at home against suddenly surging Oregon last Saturday. USC (14-2 / 4-2) will try to get its season back on track Thursday night in Boulder against a Colorado Buffaloes team that is quietly gone 12-4 (4-2 in the Pac 12). 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. As noted above, Enfield has retooled the Trojans this season, with GREAT success. Mobley's 6-10 older brother Isaiah leads in scoring (15.3) and rebounding (9.2) and is joined by the 6-9 Goodwin (13.0 & 7.1) and the 6-9 Agbonkpolo (7.8 & 3.5) in the frontcourt. Ellis (12.6), and Peterson (11.1 & 5.8) make for an excellent backcourt duo, plus guard Anderson (5.8) and the 6-11 Morgan (4.3 & 3.2) contribute off the bench. The Buffs have a strong starting-five, led by a huge frontline. The 6-9 Walker (13.1 & 8.5), the 6-8 Battey (12.3 & 4.5) and the 6-10 da Silva (8.8 & 3.6). The starting guards are Barthelemy (11.1) and Parquet (7.1). Guards Simpson (6.9) and Clifford (6.2 & 5.1) add depth. Boyle's success at Colorado includes an unlikely domination of USC. The Buffs have beaten the Trojans SEVEN straight times! That said, the Buffaloes have lost ALL of their first three opportunities to beat a ranked opponent and had a fourth, against Kansas on Dec 21, canceled. This game could define which direction USC's season will go. In its 13-0 start, just THREE teams topped 70 points (a high of 73) but in losing TWO of three, the Trojans have allowed 75.0 PPG. I view this contest as almost a "must-win" situation for USC. Seven straight loses to Colorado surely brings USC's 'motivation factor' on a 1-10 scale to 10! Colorado has lost 73-61 to then-No. 5 UCLA, 69-54 to then-No. 13 Tennessee and 76-55 to then No. 6 Arizona. Why will the Buffs win here vs No. 16 USC? My bet says they WON'T! Good luck...Larry |
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01-20-22 | St. Louis v. Massachusetts +3.5 | Top | 85-91 | Win | 100 | 11 h 38 m | Show |
My 9* PERFECT STORM is a on UMass at 7:00 ET. Full, detailed analysis thursday morning by 10:00 ET. |
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01-20-22 | Purdue v. Indiana +3.5 | Top | 65-68 | Win | 100 | 10 h 37 m | Show |
My 9* Rivalry Rout is on Indiana at 7:00 ET. No. 4 Purdue is the highest-ranked Big Ten team but at 4-2 in league play, there are FIVE schools with better conference records than the Boilermakers' mark. Purdue heads to Bloomington tonight to take on bitter rival Indiana, which is 13-4 overall, including 4-3 in Big Ten play.
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01-19-22 | Raptors v. Mavs OVER 206.5 | Top | 98-102 | Loss | -110 | 12 h 2 m | Show |
My 10* East/West Total of the Year is on Tor/Dal Over at 8:40 ET. The No. 7 thru No. 10 seeds in both conferences enter the "Play-In" tourney to decide the No. 7 and No. 8 seeds. Toronto has won SEVEN of 10 and at 21-20, is the current No. 9 seed in the East. The Raptors are three games back of the No. 6 seed but just ONE game ahead of the No. 11 seed. Dallas has won NINE of 10 to reach 25-19, giving the No. 5 seed in the West, three games clear of the No. 7 seed. Toronto's top-three scorers have led the way. PG Fred VanVleet (21.9-4.8-6.7), PF Pascal Siakam (21.1-8.5-5.0) and SF Anunoby (19.2 & 5.o), who is having a career season). The Raptors also have two more significant scorers in Trent (16.4) and Florida rookie Barnes (14.5 & 7.9). Barnes is back after a knee injury but Trent remains out (??). Luka Doncic (24.6-8.6-8.8) had his fifth triple-double of the season with 20 points, 11 rebounds and 12 assists in the Mavs' most recent win, recording his 41st career triple-double. Kristaps Porzingis (20.3 & 7.9) added 13 points and eight rebounds on Monday. Porzingis and Doncic played together for the second consecutive game, the first time they have both been active for back-to-back games since Dec 8-10. PF Kleber (7.4 & 5.8) and guard Bullock (6.4) are out but the Mavs are pretty healthy right now. Guard Brunson (16.0 & 5.7 APG), swingman Hardaway (14.5) and SF Finney-Smith (10.5 & 4.8) all average in double digits. These teams met way back on oct 23, with Dallas winning 103-95. Do NOT expect a similar low-scoring contest here! Note that both Doncic and Porzingis have done well against Toronto. Doncic is averaging 24.2 points, 9.7 rebounds and 8.8 assists in six career appearances against the Raptors, including two triple-doubles. As for Porzingis, he has faced Toronto five times (since coming to Dallas) and averaged 20.2 points and 11.2 rebounds with four double-doubles. This O/U number is way too low. It's Goin' Over! Good luck...Larry |
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01-19-22 | Iowa v. Rutgers +3.5 | Top | 46-48 | Win | 100 | 14 h 32 m | Show |
My 10* Game of the Week is on Rutgers at 8:30 ET. Fran McCaffrey is in his 12th season at Iowa City and he's delivered seven, 20-win seasons in his first 11. Gone are consensus National Player-of-the-Year Garza (24.1 & 8.7) and Wieskamp (14.8 & 6.6) but the Hawkeyes opened 7-0, before dropping back-to-back Big Ten games to Purdue and Illinois, plus losing a third straight at Iowa St. However, the Hawkeyes have won SIX of their last seven (lone loss to now-No.8 Wisconsin). Iowa is 13-4 (3-3 in the Big Ten) and was the first team in the "others receiving votes" column of the latest AP top-25 poll. The Hawkeyes travel to Rutgers Wednesday night for a Big Ten game with the Scarlet Knights. 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. The current season has been a disappointment, with Rutgers checking in at 10-6 (4-2 Big Ten). Iowa survived last Sunday at Minnesota, winning 81-71. However, after taking a 16-point lead at halftime, the Golden Gophers charged back and cut the deficit to 74-71 with 90 seconds left. Iowa survived, as Keegan Murray, the nation's leading scorer at 23.9 PPG, drained a three-pointer with 59 seconds left to help Iowa rattle off the game's final seven points. 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 (23.9) and rebounding (8.1) while his brother Kris chips in 10.3 & 4.8. Returning players like the 6-9 Patrick McCaffrey (10.8 & 3.8) and returning guard Bohannon adds 10.9 PPG. Guard Perkins (7.6), the 6-9 Rebraca (6.1 & 6.1), guard Toussaint (5.4 & 3.9 APG) and 6-7 freshman Sandfort (5,2) round out a deep group. Iowa is averaging 86.2 PPG, fifth-best in the nation. Rutgers has a starting lineup consisting of four guards and the 6-11 Omoruyi (11.3 & 7.7). PG Baker (11.2 & 4.3 APG) entered the season with 101 starts on his resume and 6-6 guard Harper (16.6 & 6.8) can be a 'nightmare' matchup issue for many teams. Mulcahy (7.3 & 4.1) and Mcconnell (6.9 & 5.1) are the final two starters, while the 6-6 Hyatt (5.9 & 3.3) is the 6th-man. Rutgers is a slow-paced team, averaging 69.0 PPG (17 points less than Iowa) but also allows just 65.1 PPG. Rutgers earned its badly-needed first road win of the season Saturday at Maryland. The Terrapins jumped out to a 38-27 halftime lead but the Scarlet Knights cut their turnovers and clamped down on defense for a major swing in the second half, leading to a 70-59 win. The key here is that Pikiell has made "The RAC" (Rutgers Athletic Center) a brutal venue for visiting teams. Rutgers is 9-1 at home this season (beat Michigan and Purdue already) and enters 37-7 (.841) at home the last two-plus seasons. The Scarlet Knights 'rac up' another home win here! Good luck...Larry |
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01-19-22 | Wolves +2.5 v. Hawks | Top | 122-134 | Loss | -110 | 9 h 45 m | Show |
My 9* Oddsmaker's Error is on the Min T-wolves at 7:40 ET. The Atlanta Hawks broke a five-game losing streak Monday with their 121-114 home win over the Milwaukee Bucks. However, that's only HALF of the story. The victory also broke Atlanta's 10-game home losing streak. The Hawks will try to build on the momentum gained from breaking those streaks when they host the Minnesota Timberwolves on Wednesday. However, the Timberwolves have won two straight after a 112-110 road victory over the New York Knicks on Tuesday and they have won SIX of their last eight to creep to within one game of avoiding the play-in round of the playoffs. Atlanta has been hurt by the absence of center Clint Capela (11.3 & 13.1), who has missed five games with a sprained ankle. Without Capela, the Hawks have relied on Gorgui Dieng and Onyeka Okongwu, the team's 2020 first-round draft choice. The extra playing time seems to have benefited Okongwu (9.2 & 6.2), who didn't play until Dec 17 because of offseason shoulder surgery. Young's (27.7 & 9.4 APG) backcourt mate Bogdanovich (12.0) is out but the Hawks have Huerter (11.3) and Gallinari (10.3 & 4.2) to fill in. PF Collins (17.2 & 7.9) continues to play at an All Star level plus Hunter (12.1) finally returned on Jan 12 (had been out since Nov 12) and has averaged 15.8 PPG in his first four games back. |
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01-19-22 | Nets v. Wizards -1 | Top | 119-118 | Loss | -110 | 8 h 16 m | Show |
My 9* Weekly Wipeout is on the Was Wizards at 7:10 ET. If it's not ONE thing, it's ANOTHER!" The Brooklyn Nets had anticipated that a stretch of road games would give them significant minutes with their star trio of Kevin Durant, James Harden and Kyrie Irving on the floor. So, what happens? Durant sprained the medial collateral ligament in his left knee on Saturday and will be sidelined for at least a month. The first game of "Life without Kevin Durant" didn't go so well for the Nets."For me personally, it was a big hit," Kyrie Irving said after Brooklyn's 114-107 setback to the Cleveland Cavaliers on Monday. "You feel it energetically, the presence in the locker room. Everyone is going to feel it, but for me personally, it's like we just got back into the swing of things and here we are again. One of our guys is out for a long period of time. We've just got to face the reality, man, and move forward." The 27-16 Nets hope to get back on track Wednesday when they continue a four-game road trip against the 23-21 Washington Wizards. Washington snuck into the playoffs last season at 34-38 but lost in the 1st Round. The Wizards have been searching for an identity for some time now and MAY have found one this season. Washington welcomes the Nets to D,C, having won FOUR of five and at 23-21, That gives them the No. 8 seed but the Wizards are back healthy and I expect them to make a run at the No. 6 seed in the second half. With K.D. (29.3-7.4-5.8) sidelined, the Nets will likely lean on Harden (22.7-8.0-10.0) even more than usual plus Irving (20.0-5.5-35.0 in four games) will play in the road games. Patty Mills (13.4), SF Kessler Edwards (8.3 & 4.1) and the 6-9 Day'Ron Sharpe (6.1 & 4.3) all started in Monday's loss. Some good news was that PF/C Aldridge (13.3 & 5.6) made significant contributions for the first time in awhile, playing 22-1/2 minutes while scoring 13 points (added five rebounds). Beal (23.7-4.7-6.4) and Dinwiddie (13.7-4.5-5.8) make for a strong backcourt. Then there is the trio I like to call "Lakers-East," who have been MAJOR additions. SF Kuzma (15.7 & 8.9), PF Harrell (14.6 & 7.3), and swingman Caldwell-Pope (11.6) have really found a home on the East Coast. Undersized center, the 6-9 Gafford, is averaging 9.3 & 6.4. Here's the bottom line. While the Nets continue to battle with player issues, the Wizards are getting healthier. They were already playing well before leading scorer Bradley Beal returned in the last game. Then there is center Thomas Bryant, who scored 15 points off the bench on Monday, marking his highest total since he finished with 21 in Washington's 123-122 win over Brooklyn on Jan 3, 2021. More good news? Head coach Wes Unseld Jr. was out on COVID protocol. These teams are moving in opposite directions right now both on and off the court and I expect those trends to continue tonight, with Washington winning "with room to spare!" Good luck...Larry |
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01-18-22 | Clemson +3.5 v. Syracuse | Top | 78-91 | Loss | -100 | 9 h 29 m | Show |
My 9* Las Vegas Insider is on Clemson at 9:00 ET. Clemson is 10-7 (2-4 ACC) as it travels to play at 8-9 Syracuse (2-4 ACC) as both teams are slipping dangerously close to the bottom of the 15-team Atlantic Coast Conference standings (Pitt is 2-5, Va Tech 1-4 and Ga Tech 1-5). Clemson has lost THREE of four and Syracuse FOUR of five, dipping below .500 on the season. Brad Brownell arrived in Clemson for the 2010-11 season and after 11 years, he's led the Tigers to just four, 20-win seasons and three NCAA berths. This is his 12th season at the helm. Clemson has four players in double digits, led by the 6-10 Hall (14.5 & 5.8) and the 6-8 Tyson (11.2 & 6.1) in the frontcourt. Guards Amir-Daws (11.5), Collins (11.2 & 7.1) and Hemenway (5.3) have been starting in the backcourt lately. However, guard Honor (8.8) has started some plus the 6-8 Bohannon (4.8 & 4.1) adds support up front. The Tigers are a strong defensive team, allowing 66.5 PPG. 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). Boeheim's team this season goes just five-deep. His son Buddy leads the team in scoring at 18.9 PPG (adds 3.6 RPG and 3.6 APG), teamed with backcourt partner Girard (13.4 & 4.4 APG). Two key transfers have made immediate impacts. Swider, a 6-9 transfer from Villanova, is averaging 12.0 & 6.5 plus Boeheim's oldest son Jimmy (a 6-8 graduate transfer from Cornell), is adding 14.3 & 6.2 (he's now the second-leading scorer on the team, behind only his brother) The 6-11 Edwards returned up front and chips in 13.0 & 7.1. Depth has been an issue all season, plus Boeheinm's famed "2-3 zone" has allowed 75.6 PPG (320th), NINE points more than Clemson allows. I don't ever remember saying this when playing against Syracuse but look for Clemson's superior defensive play to be a difference-maker in this one against Syracuse. Take the points. Good luck...Larry |
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01-18-22 | Kansas v. Oklahoma +4 | Top | 67-64 | Win | 100 | 9 h 40 m | Show |
My 10* Situational Stunner is on Oklahoma at 7:00 ET. Bill Self's Jayhawks finished 21-9 last season, including a loss in the second round of the NCAA Tournament. That was not what was expected of a team ranked No. 6 in the AP's preseason poll. Kansas began the current season ranked No. 3 and opened with an 87-74 win in the Champions Classic at Madison Square Garden on the opening night of college basketball (nov 9) over Michigan St. The Jayhawks visit Norman tonight at 14-2 (3-1 Big 12) and ranked No. 7 in the latest AP poll. Porter Moser (of Loyola-Chicago fame) is in his first season at Norman and his Sooners are 12-5 (2-3 Big 12. The Jayhawks come in having won 10 of 11. Meanwhile, Oklahoma is off back-to-back losses for the first time this season, shooting just 17.1 percent from three-point range over the last two games. Kansas' 6-10 David McCormack was not happy coming off the bench to start Big 12 play. McCormack said his three-game stint with the reserve unit has given him motivation. "You always want to hear your name in the starting lineup," McCormack said. "At the same time, it is about production, whether you come off the bench or start. I guess you could say, (as Coach Bill Self) likes to say, (it) ‘lit a fire within me.' It just made me play a little bit harder, be a little bit more tenacious." McCormack returned to the starting lineup in Saturday's 85-59 win at West Virginia, with 19 points and a career-high-tying 15 rebounds. That said, he's averaging a modest 8.8 & 6.5 on the season. Kansas is led by a pair of big guards in the 6-5 Agbaji (20.6 & 4,8) and the 6-6 Braun (15.6 & 6.2). Guard Remy Martin (19.1 PPG last season), an Arizona State transfer, was named the preseason player of the year in the Big 12 but has been a HUGE disappointment, averaging 9.8 PPG (he has missed the last two games with a bone bruise in his right knee). Harris (5.0 & 3.9 APG) is the PG without Martin in the lineup and the 6-8 Wilson (7.8 & 6.2) rounds out the starting lineup. The 6-8 Lightfoot (5.2 & 3.1) and guard Coleman-Lands (5.2) get time off the bench. Kansas is a VERY efficient offensive team, averaging 81.9 PPG (13th) on 50.2% shooting (5th). Oklahoma pretty much relies on its starting-five (all get 25-plus minutes), as the 6-6 Hill (9.8 & 6.2) joins the team's leading scorer, the 6-9 Groves (13.1 & 6.0) up front The Sooners feature a trio of solid guards in Gibson (12.5), Harkless (10.2 & 4.9) and Goldwire (9.4 & 3.6 APG). Oklahoma's leading bench scorer is the 6-9 Chargois (SMU transfer), who is averaging 4.6 PPG but he missed Saturday's game due to an ankle injury and the timeline for his return is unclear. Oklahoma shoots the ball well (49.9% ranks 9th) but averages 72.4 PPG (nine less than Kansas). However, Moser really has his team 'working' on the defensive end, as the Sooners are allowing 62.1 PPG (29th). Yes, the Jayhawks have won 10 of the last 13 meetings with the Sooners, but Oklahoma has won THREE of the last four in Norman. The Sooners had responded with a win following each of their first three losses this season but couldn't continue that trend when they lost 59-58 in OT last Saturday at TCU. I'm 'barking' with this very 'live' home dog. Take the points. Good luck...Larry |
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01-17-22 | Cardinals v. Rams -4 | Top | 11-34 | Win | 100 | 86 h 37 m | Show |
My 10* Wild Card Game of the Year is on the LA Rams at 8:15 ET. The Arizona Cardinals opened the season 7-0 and through Week 13, stood at 10-2. However, the Cards would lose FOUR of their last five (lone exception was a 25-22 win at Dallas in Week 17 that clinched a playoff spot) to finish 11-6. That left them ONE game worse than the LA Rams, who captured the NFC West with a 12-5 record. The Rams opened the season 7-1 but then lost THREE in a row, falling to 7-4 (Cards were 9-2 thru 11 games). At that time, it looked as if the Rams were headed for a wild card berth and the Cards for the division title. However, the Rams would win FIVE straight games and even with a Week 18 home loss to the 49ers (blew a 17-0 lead to lose in OT), were able to earn the NFC West title, as the Cards lost in Week 18 at home to Seattle. That sets the stage for Rams to play host to the Cards in the first-ever Monday night playoff game. The Cardinals-Rams primetime showdown will be the third meeting between the teams, with the road team having won the previous two. The game will not only be Kyler Murray's playoff debut, but it will be the Cardinals' first appearance in the playoffs since 2015, when they defeated the Green Bay Packers in the divisional round but were blown out by the Carolina Panthers in the NFC Championship Game. As for the Rams, they are in the playoffs for the FOURTH time in Sean McVay's five seasons as head coach. This time around the Rams' QB is Matthew Stafford, who after 12 seasons with Detroit (where he put up monster numbers), will take the field looking to earn his first-ever playoff game (0-3 with the Lions!). Murray completed 68.2% for 3,787 yards with 24 TDs and 10 INTs. He missed three games during the regular season and hasn't been quite the same in his return, with just five TD passes in five games, without a rushing TD (had five in his first nine games!). He has really missed WR Hopkins (42 catches / 8 TDs), who last played on Dec 13 (still not available). Kirk (77 catches / 5 TDs) has had an excellent season and veteran AJ Green (54 catches / 15.7 TYPC / 3 TDs) has shown flashes of his earlier brilliance, but only at times. Rookie WR Moore has added a 'quiet' 54 catches (just 8.1 YPC) and TE Ertz (acquired from the Eagles in a trade during the season), has added 56 catches in his 11 games with the Cards. RB Conner has been hurt down the stretch but returned in Week 18 (52 yards and a TD), giving him 752 yards rushing on the season (just 3.7 YPC) but an impressive 15 TDs. His RB partner is Edmonds, who has run for 592 yards on 5.1 YPC. The Arizona defense has played well, holding opponents to 21.5 PPG (12th). Stafford has put up terrific numbers in his Detroit career but his move to LA was seen as a "get out of jail" opportunity. Stafford has put up excellent numbers again, completing 67.2% for 4,886 yards with 41 TDs and 17 INTs. WR Cooper Kupp set a Rams-record 1,947 receiving yards, while he also pulled off the WR 'triple crown,' leading the NFL in receptions (145), TDs (16) and receiving yards. Veteran WR Woods (45 catches / 4 TDs) was lost during the regular season but Jefferson (a third-year pro) has 50 catches on 16.0 YPC with 5 TDs. TE Higbee has 61 catches with 5 TDs. RB Sony Michel has run for 845 yards (4.1 YPC / 4 TDs), averaging 99.4 YPG during the team's five-game winning streak and Cam Akers may be "ready to go!" The LA defense has not been as good as it's been in previous seasons but does check in allowing 21.9 PPG (1th). Not bad. Here's the rub. The Cardinals are 8-1 on the road and while the Cardinals may have been the best team in the NFL up until late October. They’ve gone downhill losing (1-4 finish) and Kyler Murray hasn’t regained his early season dominance. He greatly misses the dynamic Hopkins, out for the season with a knee injury plus Murray’s running skills have diminished. Remember, this is Murray's first playoff start and he's had just two multiple touchdown games since Week 7. Stafford's 0-3 in the playoffs all time, but that was THEN and this is NOW. Stafford has thrown five TDs to one INT in two games against the Cardinals this year. It's "now or never" for the veteran. I'm laying the points and I'm also expecting an "A-effort" by Aaron Donald and the LA defense. Good luck...Larry |
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01-17-22 | Wyoming v. Nevada -2 | Top | 77-67 | Loss | -110 | 12 h 33 m | Show |
My 10* Conference Game of the Month (MWC) is on Nevada at 8:00 ET. The 12-2 Wyoming Cowboys (1-0 MWC) and the 8-6 Nevada Wolf Pack (2-1 MWC) meet in MWC action from the Lawlor Events Center on Monday. Jeff Linder came from No. Colorado where he won 26 (CIT champion), 21 and 22 games in his final three years, earning him the Wyoming gig. His first team went 14-11 but this year's team is an impressive 12-2. This is Steve Alford's 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. That has NOT been the case. Wyoming had its first four games of January postponed but finally got back on the court Jan 15, winning 71-69 at Utah St. The 6-9 Ike (19.7 & 8.4) and PG Maldanado (17.6-5.7-5.9) make for quite a duo. They are joined in the starting lineup by guards DuSell (10.8) and Jeffries (10.3 & 4.9) plus the 6-9 Oden (9.1 & 4.9). Defense is a team strength (63.5 PPG allowed ranks 57th) but depth is an issue. Nevada PG Sherfield (19.5-4.5-6.4) leads a starting lineup that features three guards, the 7-0 Washington (11.4 & 7.0) and the 6-7 Coleman (3.6 & 3.4). Sherfield's backcourt partners are Cambridge (16.4 & 4.6) and Blacksher (6.7 & 4.3). The 7-0 Baker comes off the bench to add 11.4 & 5.4. Wyoming beat Nevada BOTH times last season but I see that as a plus in motivation for the Wolf Pack, who really need a "W" in this one. Nevada is 3-2 SU in its last five games but 0-5 ATS. That all changes here. Wyoming went from Christmas until this past Saturday, without playing a game and now plays its second road game in three days. The "Time" and "Price" is just right for Nevada. Good luck...Larry |
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01-17-22 | Bucks v. Hawks +5.5 | Top | 114-121 | Win | 100 | 8 h 17 m | Show |
My 10* PERFECT STORM is on the Atl Hawks at 6:05 ET. Tonight's Milwaukee/Atlanta game will feature Milwaukee's Giannis Antetokounmpo (28.5 PPG ranks 3rd) and Atlanta's Trae Young (27.6 PPG ranks 4th) but also a Milwaukee team that's lost FIVE of its last seven while the Hawks have lost FIVE in a row. Antetokounmpo, a two-time league MVP, scored 30 points Saturday in a 103-96 loss to the Toronto Raptors. He has scored 30-plus points in SEVEN of his last eight games, and in the 16 games since the beginning of December, he has averaged 30.4 points and 10.7 rebounds. SF Middleton (19.1-5.5-5.3) is again having an excellent season but Milwaukee was without Jrue Holiday (18.4-4.6-6.7) for the fifth straight game because of a sore left ankle. Holiday practiced on Friday, but did not play on Saturday, and could return on Monday. However, Milwaukee coach Mike Budenholzer said he wasn't ready to rush Holiday back into the lineup. The good news is that both Allen (12.1) and Connaughton (10.5 & 4.6) are back from the COVID list. Center Brook Lopez has played just ONE game this season, but the 6-10 Bobby Portis (15.4 & 9.2) has really done an excellent job filling in (has played in 36 of 45 games). Atlanta has been hurt by the absence of center Clint Capela (11.3 & 13.1), who has missed four games with a sprained ankle. Without Capela, the Hawks have relied on Gorgui Dieng and Onyeka Okongwu, the team's 2020 first-round draft choice. The extra playing time seems to have benefited Okongwu (8.9 & 6.1), who didn't play until Dec 17 because of offseason shoulder surgery. Young's (27.6 & 9.3 APG) backcourt mate Bogdanovich (12.0) is out but the Hawks have Huerter (11.2) and Gallinari (10.2 & 4.2) to fill in. PF Collins (17.3 & 7.8) continues to play at an All Star level plus Hunter (11.6) finally returned on Jan 12 (had been out since Nov 12) and has averaged 14.3 PPG in his first three games back. Milwaukee is of course, the defending champs but at 27-18, curently own just the East's No. 4 seed (two games back of the No. 1 seed). As for the Hawks, their terrific playoff run last postseason seems like 'ages' ago, as they are just 17-25 and have currently lost 10 straight home games (hard to believe!). That said, my bet says 10 is ENOUGH. The Bucks are not as good as they were last year (team is averaging 111.6 PPG, down from a league-high 120.1 last season) and I'm "all over" the home dog in this one. Bow Wow! Good luck...Larry |
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01-17-22 | Utah v. Arizona State -1.5 | Top | 62-64 | Win | 100 | 6 h 20 m | Show |
My 9* Weekly Wipeout is on Arizona St at 4:00 ET. Craig Smith is in his first season as Utah's head coach (had a great three-year run at Utah St in going 74-24) and led the Utes to wins over Abilene Christian, Sacramento State, Bethune-Cookman, Boston College and Tulsa with an average margin of victory of 19.8 points to begin the season. However, a 75-64 loss at BYU on Nov 27 set in motion a 3-9 slide that includes a 1-6 start in the Pac 12. The 8-9 Utes have lost FIVE consecutive games with their last win coming back on Dec 21 at home against Fresno State. ASU head coach Bob Hurley is in his eighth season in Tempe, and it looks as if this year's team is no better than the one that went 11-14 last season. ASU opened 2-6, then won THREE in a row but the 5-9 Sun Devils (1-3 ac 12) have a three-game losing streak since winning at Creighton back on Dec 14 (COVID cancellations and postponements haven't helped). Utah saw its best player Timmy Allen (17.2 & 6.4) transfer to Texas but key returning players from last year's team are the 7-0 Carlson and the 6-9 Battin. Guards Worster and Anthony (6.4 & 8.6) followed Smith from Utah St plus guard Jenkins came via UNLV and Gach, who started at Utah but moved on to Minnesota, returned this year to play for Smith. Checking on the above-listed players finds that Carlson (13.5 & 6.4) has played well but Battin (5.8 & 4.5) has underachieved. Guards Gach (11.0), Jenkins (10.5), Anthony (8.9 & 7.3) and Worster (7.4-4.2-3.1 have all contributed plus freshman guard Stefanovic has added 7.1 PPG. Arizona State's scoring issues have suffered because returning guard Bagley (10.8 PPG) was lost to a knee injury after just THREE games (was averaging 10.4). That leaves two double digit scorers in guard Horne (13.4) and 6-6 SF Lawrence (10.4 & 7.5). Hurley was really counting on Toledo grad transfer Jackson, who was the MAC player-of-the-year last season, averaging 18.1-6.2-5.9. However, his scoring has been cut by more than half (7.3 PPG), while adding 4.1 RPG and 3.7 APG. The other two starters are guard Muhammad (6.5) and the 6-9 Graham (5.8 & 3.2). Guard Heath (9.9 & 3.8) and the 6-9 Gaffney (4.6 & 4.5) both get time off the bench. Either Utah or Arizona State will break back into the win column Monday afternoon but even though Utah looks like the better team on paper, it's hard to ignore that the Utes have lost four conference games on the road against USC, Oregon State, Oregon and Arizona by an average of 15.8 points! It sure doesn't help that Utah is without center Brendan Carlson, who is out for two to three weeks with an abdominal injury. I'm sticking with the home team here, expecting Utah to lose again by 10-plus points on the Pac 12 road! Good luck...Larry |
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01-17-22 | Nets v. Cavs -3 | Top | 107-114 | Win | 100 | 5 h 24 m | Show |
My 9* Situational Stunner is on the Cle Cavs at 3:10 ET. "If it's not ONE thing, it's ANOTHER!" The Brooklyn Nets had anticipated that a stretch of road games would give them significant minutes with their star trio of Kevin Durant, James Harden and Kyrie Irving on the floor. So, what happens? Durant sprained the medial collateral ligament in his left knee on Saturday and will be sidelined for at least a month. The 27-15 Nets have closed within a half-game of the East's No. 1 (Bulls) but now open a four-game trip Monday afternoon without K.D. when they visit the Cleveland Cavaliers. "Guys got to step up. It's simple," Harden said. "Obviously you know how great of a player KD is and what he brings to the table each and every night consistently. So, guys got to step up and fill that role and just continue to compete." No problem, right James? The Nets have played just two games with the trio since the unvaccinated Irving is ineligible to play home games due to New York City's vaccine mandate. In the first game with the trio, Brooklyn rallied from 19 down to beat Indiana on Jan 5 and in the second game, the Nets routed the Chicago Bulls on Wednesday. The Cavs welcome the Nets to town at 26-18. That's good enough for the East's No. 6 seed and with NO team sprinting out to a great start, the Cavs find themselves just 2.5 games back of the Bulls. That's some accomplishment, as the Cavs 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. The Cavs have EASILY been one of the NBA's biggest surprise this season, even though they 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). Monday begins a stretch in which the Nets play 12 of their next 17 on the road, but with Durant (29.3-7.4-5.8) likely sidelined for most, if not all, of the games. The Nets will likely lean on Harden (22.7-8.0-10.0) even more than usual. Harden totaled 27 points, 15 assists and eight rebounds Saturday and is averaging 27.2 points in 11 games since returning from COVID-19 protocol on Christmas. Irving (17.7-5.0-3.7 in three games) will play in the road games (we think?), while the Nets will also rely on Patty Mills (13.4), as well as rookies like guard Cam Thomas (7.7), the 6-9 Day'Ron Sharpe (5.9 & 2.2) and SF Kessler Edwards (8.0 & 4.2). The Cavs are starting a HUGE frontline with 6-10 center Allen (16.6 & 11.0) surrounded by two 6-11 players, rookie Mobley (15.0 & 8.0) and Markkanen (13.3 & 5.3). PG Graland leads the team in scoring (19.7) and assists (7.8). Rondo was just picked up to help in the backcourt (10.3-4.0-4.7 in his first three games) but he's out with an ankle injury. Former All Star Love has settled in coming off the bench and is averaging 14.0 & 7.2. Cleveland lost to Brooklyn TWICE within a week in November but is 17-9 since that time and enters on a four-game winning streak, after overcoming an 18-point deficit in an 107-102 win in Oklahoma City that capped an impressive 5-1 road trip with the only loss coming at Golden State back on Jan 9. In recent years, Cleveland did not have the talent to "avenge" losses, but this year is DIFFERENT. Rookie Evan Mobley, who missed the first two games against the Nets due to a right elbow injury, added 20 points Saturday and is averaging 17.8 points in 11 games since spending time in the protocol. PG Darius Garland scored 27 points and had a career-high 18 assists Saturday and has scored 59 points in his past two games following a three-game shooting slump. Believe it or not, Cleveland is actually inching closer in an Eastern Conference race where only 2 1/2 games separate the top six teams. The Cavs gain another 'inch' with a "W" in this one! Good luck...Larry |
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01-16-22 | Jazz -4.5 v. Nuggets | Top | 125-102 | Win | 100 | 11 h 28 m | Show |
My 10* Situational Stunner is on the Ut Jazz at 8:10 ET. The Utah Jazz visited Denver back on Jan 5 and won 115-109, even with center Rudy Gobert in the NBA's health and safety protocols at that time. That gave them EIGHT wins in their last nine but the Jazz haven' won since, dropping FOUR in a row (also 0-4 ATS). However, with a four-day break and Gobert returning to the lineup, the 28-14 Jazz are optimistic that they can end their skid when they play at Denver on Sunday night. Nuggets will be playing their second straight home game in as many nights, after routing the Los Angeles Lakers 133-96 on Saturday night. Denver is 22-19 on the season, giving them the No. 6 seed (the last guaranteed playoff spot), as seeds 7-10 enter the "Play-In" round to determine the West's No. 7 and No. 8 seeds.
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01-16-22 | 49ers v. Cowboys UNDER 51 | Top | 23-17 | Win | 100 | 49 h 49 m | Show |
My 10* Wild Card O/U Game of the Year is on SF/Dal Under at 4:30 ET. The San Francisco 49ers opened 2-0 but then lost four in a row (and five of six), to fall to 3-5. However, the 49ers closed on a 7-2 run, including winning 27-24 (in OT) at the LA Rams (trailed 17-0) to clinch the NFC's No. 6 seed at 10-7 in Week 18. The Dallas Cowboys lost their season opener 31-29 at Tampa (on a last second FG) but then won SIX in a row. Three losses in their next four followed but after a 36-33 OT loss to the Raiders in Dallas on Thanksgiving, the Cowboys would win four straight, lose 25-22 at home vs Arizona in Week 17 and rout the Eagles 51-26 in Philly in Week 18. Dallas finished 12-5, including an NFL-best 13-4 ATS. Dallas has Super Bowl 'dreams' but gets a tough matchup in San Francisco, which boasts a strong running game and a stronger run defense. RB Mitchell has 963 yards on 4.7 YPFC with 5 TDs plus WR Deebo Samuel has run for 365 yards on 6.2 YPC with 5 TDs. The 49ers are averaging 127.4 YPG rushing (7th) and the running game has made it a little easier for the oft-criticized Jimmy Garoppolo. Jimmy G should have answered his critics with excellent play down the stretch, finishing the season by completing 68.3% for 3,810 yards with 20 TDs and 12 TDs. WR Samuel was just named to the All-Pro team and it's well-deserved. His contributions to the running game have been HUGE, plus he's caught 77 passes with a 18.2 YPC average and 6 TDs. Fellow WR Aiyuk has 56 catches (14.8 YPC / 5 TDs) plus TE Kittle caught 71 passes with 6 TDs, despite missing three games. The San Francisco D is allowing 21.5 PPG and is holding opponents to just 103.5 YPG on the ground (7th). Dak Prescott is coming off a Week 18 game in which he completed 21 of 27 attempts for 295 yards and five TDs in just over three quarters of action. He's completing 68.8% for 4,449 yards with 37 TDs and 10 INTs, helping Dallas lead the NFL in scoring at 31.2 PPG. This year's team set a franchise record with 22 different players scoring at least one TD. The RB duo of Elliott (1,002 / 4.2 YPC / 10 TDs / 47 catches) and Pollard (719 yards on 5.5 YPC with 2 TDs) looks good on paper but I'll add a comment later. Lamb (79 catches / 13.9 YPC / 6 TDs), Cooper (68 catches / 12.7 YPC / 8 TDs) and Wilson (45 catches / 6 TDs) plus TE Schultz (78 catches / 8 TDs) provide a plethora of options for Dak. The Dallas offense gets all the accolades but the team's defense is allowing 21.1 PPG (7th), while leading the NFL with 34 takeaways. Zeke may have had a 1,000-yard season (no big deal with a 17-game schedule) and 10 rushing TDs but his 87 yards rushing in Week 18, was the first time he had more than 69 yards rushing in a game in his last 12 contests! Meanwhile, there might not be a more physical team than the 49ers and they match up well against Dallas because of their ground game and quick, short passing attack. Both teams play excellent defense and I see a much lower scoring game than the posted O/U line. Let's call it, "Under Downunder!" Good luck...Larry |
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01-16-22 | Eagles +9.5 v. Bucs | Top | 15-31 | Loss | -118 | 95 h 43 m | Show |
My 8* Situational Stunner is on the Phi Eagles at 1:00 ET. The Philadelphia Eagles opened the season 3-6 but then won SIX of seven to clinch a playoff spot, so their 51-26 loss at home to Dallas in Week 18 meant nothing. Coming off a 4-11-1 season in 2020, the 9-8 Eagles now set their sights on upsetting the reigning Super Bowl champs on Sunday in Tampa. The 13-4 Bucs won the NFC South for the first time since 2007, behind their 'second-year' QB Tom Brady. Rumor has it that Brady previously played for the Patriots, achieving a certain level of success.
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01-15-22 | Bulls v. Celtics UNDER 219.5 | Top | 112-114 | Loss | -110 | 13 h 2 m | Show |
My 10* East Conf O/U Game of the Month is on Chi/Bos Under at 8:40 ET. Both the Chicago Bulls and Boston Celtics will attempt to get back in the win column when they meet Saturday night in Boston. Chicago was blown out at home 138-96 by the Golden State Warriors last night, while the Celtics fell 111-99 at home to Philadelphia. 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. The Bulls sit atop the East with a 27-13 record but not only were they blown out last night by Golden St, they suffered the same fat Wednesday night at home, losing 138-112 to the Brooklyn Nets. Boston's first-year head coach Ime Udoka has seen his two superstars Tatum and Brown struggle at times to blend together and with the rest of the team, which partly explains Boston's 21-22 record. At the moment, Boston sits a half-game behind the East's No. 10 seed, the last of the seeds to make the "Play-In" round.
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01-15-22 | Patriots +4.5 v. Bills | Top | 17-47 | Loss | -110 | 31 h 16 m | Show |
My 9* Las Vegas Insider is on the NE Patriots at 8:15 ET. The New England Patriots and Buffalo Bills split their two regular season meetings (the visiting team won both games) and the two AFC East rivals are set for a rare third meeting (in the same season) on Saturday night in Orchard Park, NY. When's the last time the Pats and Bills squared off in a playoff game? If you guessed Dec 28, 1963, you win a lollipop. The then-Boston Patriots and the Buffalo Bills tied for the AFL's East Division title with records of 7-6-1 and met to decide which team would advance to the AFL championship game against the then-San Diego Chargers (11-3). The Pats dominated the Bills at War Memorial Stadium in Buffalo and then went on to take on the Chargers at San Diego's Balboa Stadium. The Pats should have saved themselves the trip, as the Chargers won 51-10. Fullback Keith Lincoln rushed for 206 yards on 13 carries, led the team with 123 yards in receiving, and completed a pass for 20 yards. Other than that, he was a non-factor. One last tidbit. The Chargers' 1963 championship win remains the ONLY major sports title for the city of San Diego, the longest drought for a major American city! There is no doubt that the Bills are the better team on paper but the game is NOT played on paper. In fact, the weather report may be "just what the doctor ordered" for the Pats and head coach Belichick, who isn't attending his 'first rodeo!' Consider the following. |
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01-15-22 | Alabama +2 v. Mississippi State | Top | 76-78 | Push | 0 | 8 h 15 m | Show |
My 9* Weekend Wipeout is on Alabama at 6:00 ET. Nate Oats spent four years at Buffalo and went 59-13 in his last two, making the Big Dance each time. That allowed him the opportunity to come to Alabama and after a 16-15 first season (COVID) he led the Tide to a 26-7 record and a Sweet 16 appearance last year. Gone from that team are the 6-7 Jones (11.2 & 6.6), who was not only the SEC player-of-the-year but also the league's Defensive POY. Also gone is veteran guard Petty (12.6 & 5.2). However, the Tide have plenty of talent left. That said, after opening 7-1 SU (6-2 ATS), Alabama has gone 4-4 SU and a money-burning 1-7 ATS, after a home loss to rival Auburn on Tuesday. No. 24 Alabama is now 11-5 (2-2 SEC) and will aim to get back on track in a road contest at Mississippi State on Saturday in Starkville. The Bulldogs are coached by Ben Howland, known for his success at first Pitt and then UCLA. He came to Miss St for the 2015-16 season and after going 14-17 and 16-16 in his first two years, won 20-plus games the next three. Last year's team finished with a modest 18-15 but its late season run got them into the NIT championship game, before losing 77-64 to Memphis. Mississippi State is 11-4 (2-1 SEC) is coming off an 88-72 home victory over Georgia The loss to Auburn snapped a 17-game winning streak at home for Alabama and now the Tide need to regroup and earn a road win. Alabama did return its top-two scorers from last season and guards Shackelford and Quinerly are again leading the way. Shackelford checks in at 16.1 & 5.9 and Quinerly at 15.4 & 4.4 APG. Swingman Ellis adds 12.1 & 6.3 and the 6-6 Gary 9.2 & 4.7 plus freshman center Bediako (6.8 & 4.3) is starting. Guard Davison (8.3-4.8-4.3), the 6-6 Miles (6.8 & 3.5) and the 6-8 Gurley (7.6 & 3.6) are all contributors. The Bulldogs have five double-digit scorers but the 6-11 Smith (14.2 & 7.8) hasn't played since Dec 29. He's expected back soon. The other four are guard Molinar (17.5-3.4-4.5), the 6-9 Brooks (10.8 & 76,7), the 6-7 Jeffries (10.7 & 5.1) and guard Moore (10.5). Filling in for Smith has been the 6-9 Davis (5.8 & 3.6). Saturday is the first of two meetings this season between the Bulldogs and Tide, as they're scheduled to play again on Feb 16 in Tuscaloosa. The Crimson Tide shouldn't lack confidence, as they went 3-0 against Mississippi State last season. The Tide rolls! Good luck...Larry |
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01-15-22 | Wake Forest +3.5 v. Virginia | Top | 63-55 | Win | 100 | 6 h 50 m | Show |
My 9* Situational Stunner is on Wake Forest at 4:30 ET. Steve Forbes took over at Wake Forest last season and suffered through a 6-16 (3-15 in the ACC) his first year. However, whether it has been in the JC ranks or his four-year stint at East Tenn St, Forbes has been known as 'quick-change artist.' Case in point. He took over at East Tenn St in 2015-16 and his four-year record was 130-43! His final team went 30-4 but "what might have been" in the Big Dance remains an unanswered question, as COVID shut the tournament down. Now, after a 'nightmare' first season, Forbes' Demon Deacon are 13-4 (3-3 in ACC). 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. Now, after a very uneven start to the current season, the Virginia Cavaliers finally appear to be picking up some traction. Virginia (10-6, 4-2 ACC) has won THREE of its last four games to take some momentum into a home game against Wake Forest on Saturday in Charlottesville. Forbes has turned things around quickly at Wake, adding Oklahoma transfer Williams and an ETSU transfer in Williamson to be his starting guards. Williams (20.7-6.7-5.0) has been spectacular and Williamson, who came with Forbes last season, is averaging 12.5 PPG. The 6-8 Mucius (9.9 & 3.6) returned up front but the 6-8 LaRavia (14.8 & 6.1) came from Indiana St, the 7-0 Walton (7.9 & 5.4) from Colorado and the 6-10 Sy (7.1 & 4.4) from Ole Miss. The only returning starter for UVA is PG Clark (9.6 & 3.9 APG). Guard Beekman (7.6-3.9-4.4) is back, as is the 6-11 Shedrick (5.9 & 5.3), but UVA's two-most important players are transfers. The 6-6 Gardner comes from East Carolina and leads in scoring (14.3) and rebounding (7.4) plus guard Franklin comes via Indiana and chips in 12.2 PPG. As always, Bennett's team is one of the nation's best defensive squads in the nation, allowing just 58.4 PPG (12th). This game is the only scheduled meeting this season between the two teams. Virginia defeated Wake Forest 70-61 in the lone meeting last season, the Cavaliers' NINTH consecutive victory in the series. However, that was THEN and this is NOW. Wake's football team had a record season in 2021 and while this year's basketball team has no Tim Duncans or Chris Pauls, Wake Forest is a better team than UVA this season. Take the points. Good luck...Larry |
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01-15-22 | Oklahoma -1 v. TCU | Top | 58-59 | Loss | -110 | 8 h 25 m | Show |
My 10* Big 12 Game of the Month is on Oklahoma at 4:00 ET. The 12-4 (2-2 Big 12) Oklahoma Sooners are coming off a 66-52 loss to No. 21 Texas on Tuesday night where the Sooners were just 1 of 13 from behind the three-point line. Meanwhile, the 11-2 TCU Horned Frogs are looking to build some momentum after Wednesday's 60-57 win at Kansas State gave TCU its first Big 12 victory of the season (1-1). This Saturday contest in Fort Worth is critical for both teams. Porter Moser (of Loyola-Chicago fame) is in his first season at Norman, and he has the Sooners at 12-4. The 6-9 Tanner Groves, Oklahoma's leading scorer at 13.5 PPG (adds 5.7 RPG), managed just one field-goal attempt in the loss to Texas and in general, Porter Moser's team looked discombobulated from the start. "We're good and we didn't play that way," Moser said. "We didn't play as tough as we needed to and smart as we needed to. Teams are going to speed you up, but you've got to work to get catches, you've got to work to get into your stuff. You've got to respond to that stuff. That's basketball at this level against very good defenses." Oklahoma pretty much relies on its starting-five (all get 25-plus minutes), as the 6-6 Hill (9.6 & 5.8) joins Groves up front. The Sooners feature a trio of solid guards in Gibson (12.7), Harkless (10.1 & 4.9) and Goldwire (9.3 & 3.8 APG). The Sooners are an excellent defensive team, holding opponents to 62.3 PPG (36th). Jamie Dizon (of Pitt fame) returned to his alma mater back for the 2016-17 season. He led TCU to the NIT title that season, then won 21 and 23 games the following two seasons, However, he came into this season off 16-16 and 12-14 seasons. However, his team heads into this contest having won EIGHT of nine and much like Oklahoma, relies on its starting-five as well. Miller (17.8-3.7-4.8) and Baugh (9.2-4.1-4.0) are the starting guards, while forwards Miller (10.5 & 7.1) and O'Bannon (9.7 & 3.8) surround 6-11 center Lampkin (5.5 & 5.8). TCU does get a little more help from its bench, as guard Peavy adds 6.3 & 5.1 and the 6-7 Coles chips in 4.8 & 3.3. Like Oklahoma. TCU 'brings it defense' every game, allowing 62.5 PPG (39th). However, Oklahoma makes 50.6% of its FG attempts, 4th-best in the nation. The bottom line here is this. The Sooners have responded with a win following each of their first three losses this season, with two of those wins coming over ranked opponents (then-No. 12 Arkansas by 88-66 and then-No. 11 Iowa St by 79-66!). Those are two quality wins! Then there is the fact that Oklahoma has won EIGHT consecutive games against TCU. Good enough for me! Good luck...Larry |
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01-14-22 | Cavs v. Spurs +3.5 | Top | 114-109 | Loss | -110 | 11 h 52 m | Show |
My 10* PERFECT STORM is on the SA Spurs at 8:40 ET. The San Antonio Spurs left on a seven-game road trip back on Dec 31, one that opened with a 118-105 loss at Memphis and ended on Jan 10 with a 111-96 loss at the NY Knicks. The Spurs were just 1-6 on the trip and returned home on Wednesday, only to lose 128-124 to the Rockets, who own the West's worst record at 12-31 The 15-26 Spurs hope to end a four-game losing streak when they host the Cleveland Cavaliers on Friday night. In contrast, to the Spurs, the 24-16 Cavaliers (current No. 6 seed in the East) come to San Antonio off back-to-back road wins, 109-108 at Sacramento and a shocking 111-91 win at Utah.
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01-14-22 | VCU v. St Bonaventure -2 | Top | 53-73 | Win | 100 | 11 h 8 m | Show |
My 10* Conference Game of the Month (A-10) is on St Bonaventure at 7:30 ET. The VCU Rams will travel to the Reilly Center to take on the St. Bonaventure Bonnies this Friday night in Olean, NY for an A-10 clash. The Rams enter this contest on a seven-game winning streak, after defeating the George Washington Colonials, 84-57, this past Tuesday. VCU is 10-4 on the season, including 3-0 in the A-10. The St. Bonaventure Bonnies snapped a two-game losing streak and improved to 9-3 on the season (1-0 in the A-10), after defeating the Lasalle Explorers, 80-76 (OT), this past Tuesday. Bothe schools have seen four games postponed or canceled from mid-December thru early January. Mike Rhoades has some pretty good credentials in his first four seasons in Richmond, going 80-41 with two NCAA bids. Last season's NCAA bid ended before his team was able to play its first round game with Oregon, as the VCU team had a COVID outbreak. The Rams lost Hyland (9.5 & 4.7) to the NBA and this season, have used a seven-man rotation. 6-6 senior forward Williams (11.3 & 6.0) is joined by in double digits by guard Baldwin (10.8 & 5.2 APG), who has played in just six games. However, he has played in all three January games, averaging 11.7 & 5.7 APG. Other contributors are guard Nunn (9.8), Curry (8.7) and Tsohonis (6.4) plus the 6-8 Stockard (7.3 & 3.9) and the 6-9 Ward (5.7 & 4.8) up front. VCU's strength is a defense allowing 57.1 PPG (8th). St Bonaventure is the defending Atlantic 10 regular season and tournament champions and was ranked No. 23 in the Associated Press preseason poll, the school's first ranking in the media poll since January 1971 (Can you say Bob Lanier?). However, many feel like the Bonnies have underachieved. I'm not so sure that is totally fair but it is fair to say the Bonnies have, at least so far, left something to be desired. However, this team has FIVE double digit scorers, giving them great balance. The group includes four guards and the 6-10 Osunniyi (10.1 & 7.3). The guards are Holmes (15.9-6.5-4.4), Lofton (15.9-3.8-3.8), Adams (13.5 & 7.5) and Welch (11.7 & 5.6). Recent form says VCU, which is 7-0 SU (6-1 ATS), while entering on a 9-1 ATS run the last 10 games. Meanwhile, St Bonaventure takes the floor tonight on an 0-7 ATS run. However, take note of this. The Bonnies beat the Rams twice last season, including by 16 at home and then by nine in the A-10 Tournament. This season, the Bonnies have victories over Marquette, Clemson, and Boise State, and I expect them to be prepared to play at their highest level tonight as well. I am not yet ready to concede that the well-balanced Bonnies' struggles will continue. Take St Bonaventure. Good luck...Larry |
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01-14-22 | Celtics +3.5 v. 76ers | Top | 99-111 | Loss | -101 | 6 h 9 m | Show |
My 9* Late-Breaker is on the Bos Celtics at 7:05 ET. A big criticism of the Celtics this season has been the team's over reliance on the duo of Tatum and Brown but the two All Stars have recently quieted the notion that "they can't play together!" Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown combined for 50 points and 27 rebounds in Monday's 101-98 win vs Indiana (Brown had a team-high 26 points to go along with a career-high 15 rebounds while Tatum added 24 points and 12 boards) and then in Wednesday's rematch, the duo combined for r67 points in the Celtics' 119-100 win at Indiana to complete a home-and-home series sweep of the Pacers. Brown had a game-high 34 points and Tatum chipped in 33. Tatum (25.7 & 8.4) and Brown a (24.5 & 6.6) are the team's 'Dynamic Duo' and the duo has performed like Superheros lately, combining for 50 or more points in three of their past four games and are averaging a combined 51.8 points between them over the last five. Boston is expected to be without guard Smart (11.6-4.0-5.3) for a second straight game but fellow guards Schroder (16.1 & 4.5 APG) and Richardson (10.4) are set to go. So are Horford (10.8 & 7.5) and Robert Williams (9.8 & 9.0), who are both solid big men. Philly center Joel Embiid (27.1-10.4-4.3) enters this contest having scored exactly 31 points in each of his last five games. The four-time All-Star center has been the 76ers' top point producer in 11 consecutive games, scoring fewer than 31 points just once during that stretch (23 vs Atlanta on Dec 23). PF Harris (18.4 & 7.5) is a great "No. 2 " plus the 76ers have excellent depth, despite Simmons not playing all season and with Melton (10.5) and Green (6.7) currently sidelined. PG Maxey (16.6-3.5-4.4) has had a solid season, with Curry chipping in 16.2 PPG and Korkmaz 9.3 PPG. The 6-7 Niang (9.9) and backup center Drummond (averaging 9.1 RPG in just 19 minutes), round out the main contributors. |
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01-13-22 | Indiana v. Iowa -3.5 | Top | 74-83 | Win | 100 | 14 h 42 m | Show |
My 10* Big Ten Game of the Year is on Iowa at 9:00 ET. Fran McCaffrey is in his 12th season at Iowa City and he's delivered seven, 20-win seasons in his first 11. Gone are consensus National Player-of-the-Year Garza (24.1 & 8.7) and Wieskamp (14.8 & 6.6) but the Hawkeyes opened 7-0, before dropping back-to-back Big Ten games to Purdue and Illinois, plus losing a third straight at Iowa St. The Hawkeyes then won FOUR in a row but again lost at Wisconsin. The Hawkeyes are 11-4 (1-3 in the Big Ten), as they welcome the Indiana Hoosiers to Iowa City on Thursday night. 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, before losing 112-110 (2 OTs) at Syracuse. The Hossiers have also lost at Wisconsin and at Penn St, arriving at Carver-Hawkeye Arena 12-3, including 3-2 in the Big Ten. The Hoosiers have used a seven-man rotation, led by the 6-9 Jackson-Davis (19.4 & 8.7), who is joined in the frontcourt by the 6-8 Thompson (10.7 & 7.7) and the 6-7 Kopp (7.1 & ). Xavier transfer Johnson (9.7-3.7-4.2) starts in the backcourt with Stewart (7.5), while veteran Phinisee (5.3) and freshman Bates chips in 4.9 PPG. 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 (24.7) and rebounding (7.9) while his brother Kris comes off the bench to chip in 9.4 & 4.6. Returning players like the 6-9 Patrick McCaffrey (11.2 & 3.6) and returning guard Bohannon adds 10.8 PPG. Perkins (7.8), 6-7 freshman Sandfort (5,8), the 6-9 Rebraca (5.9 & 5.9) and Toussaint (5.3 & 3.9) comprise a deep group. Here's the rub. Indiana averages 74.9 PPG (120th) and will have a tough time 'keeping up' with Iowa, which averages 86.7 PPG (4th). Especially when noting that Indiana is 0-3 SU on the road this season, while the Hawkeyes are 9-1 SU at home. After a 1-3 Big Ten start, Iowa really NEEDS a "W' in this one. My bet says the Hawkeyes get it "with room to spare!" Good luck...Larry |
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01-13-22 | Ohio State +4 v. Wisconsin | Top | 68-78 | Loss | -110 | 11 h 4 m | Show |
My 9* Marquee Classic is on Ohio St at 7:00 ET. Wisconsin (13-2, 4-1 Big Ten) has won FIVE in a row since losing 73-55 at Ohio State back on Dec 11. The now 13th-ranked Badgers moved up from No. 23 after winning 74-69 at then-third-ranked Purdue, defeating Iowa 87-78 in Madison and then holding on for a 70-69 victory at Maryland on Sunday after leading early by 21 points. Wisconsin will now welcome the 16th-ranked Ohio St Buckeyes (10-3 / 4-1 in the Big Ten) to Madison looking to avenge that Dec 11 loss (one of only two losses this season).
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01-12-22 | Nets +1.5 v. Bulls | Top | 138-112 | Win | 100 | 13 h 57 m | Show |
My 10* Situational Stunner is on the Brk Nets at 10:10 ET. NBA teams are approaching the midway point of the 82-game schedule and the surprising Chicago Bulls lead the Brooklyn Nets by 2 1/2 games atop the Eastern Conference standings. 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. The Nets lost to the Bucks in the East's semifinals last season and as all know, have dealt with the Kyrie "situation" all season. The Nets travel to Chicago in the midst of a four-games-in-six-nights crunch (as do the Bulls), hoping to avoid a series sweep by Chicago, which has won the first two meetings this season between the two teams. Durant (29.8-7.7-5.8) helped keep Brooklyn afloat with a double-double of 28 points and 10 rebounds against host Portland on Monday, but the Nets were unable to prevail, falling 114-108 for their FIFTH loss in seven games. Brooklyn was without James Harden (22.4-8.1-9.7), who is questionable for Wednesday's game with a hyperextended left knee. However, Nets head coach Steve Nash said that while Harden likely would be available against the Bulls, Brooklyn would continue to be cautious. PG Kyrie Irving, who recently returned to the Nets, did not play in either of the first two meetings with the Bulls. Irving, who chooses not to be vaccinated against COVID-19, is unable to play in New York City due to its vaccine mandate but can play on the road. He has scored 22 points in each of his first two contests this season. There were 'whispers' that the 32-year-old DeMar DeRozan was on the downside of his career, but he's been one of the best players in the NBA so far this season, averaging 26.2-5.2-4.8. He has energized the Chicago Bulls, along with LaVine (25.7-5.0-4.2), Vucevic (16.0 & 11.5) and Ball (13.1-5.5-5.1). Almost all of Chicago's key performers have missed a few games because of COVID but the team is pretty well set these days. Guard White is the most recent to return and is averaging 11.5 PPG, while SF Jones (6.5 & 3.5) has been starting with DeRozan in the frontcourt, along with true center Vucevic. Chicago routed the visiting Detroit Pistons 133-87 last night, as EIGHT Bulls scored in double figures. The Bulls notched their most lopsided win against the Pistons in the history of the rivals' 272-game series history, while matching a season high for points and made three-pointers (18) en route to its 10th win in 11 games. The Nets are on an 0-7 ATS slide but have been favored in all of those games. Brooklyn has been an underdog just FIVE times this season and after failing to cover in its first game, has won FOUR in a row when getting any number of points. The Nets are not much of a dog here but after two losses to the Bulls, the Nets will be highly motivated to gain a measure of respect with a win here, reminding the Bulls that they are "still the one" to beat in the East. Good luck...Larry |
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01-12-22 | Maryland +5.5 v. Northwestern | Top | 94-87 | Win | 100 | 9 h 10 m | Show |
My 9* Las Vegas Insider is on Maryland at 9:00 ET. There is "no crying in baseball" and there are 'no ties in college hoops', so either Maryland (8-7, 0-4 Big Ten) or Northwestern (8-5, 1-3 Big Ten) will snap a three-game losing streak when the teams meet Wednesday night in Evanston's Welsh-Ryan Arena. "I feel like we're close to turning the corner," Terrapins interim coach Danny Manning said after Maryland saw its comeback attempt fall short in a 70-69 home loss to then-No. 23 Wisconsin on Sunday. In a 95-87 loss to the then-13th-ranked Buckeyes on Sunday, Northwestern shot the ball well (47.1 percent from the floor, including 41.7 percent from three) but the Wildcats dropped their third straight, 95-87.
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01-12-22 | Utah State v. Colorado State -4.5 | Top | 72-77 | Win | 100 | 12 h 45 m | Show |
My 9* Weekly Wipeout is on Colorado St at 8:00 ET. Full, detailed analysis Wednesday morning by 10:00 ET. |
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01-12-22 | Celtics -2.5 v. Pacers | Top | 119-100 | Win | 100 | 9 h 38 m | Show |
My 9* PERFECT STORM is on the Bos Celtics at 7:10 ET. The Celtics are just 20-21 on the season and currently hold down the No. 10 seed in the East (last of the four "Play-In" seeds). The Pacers welcome Boston to Indianapolis at 115-26, FIVE games back of the Celtics and that 10-seed. These teams just met in Boston on Monday, overcoming a 12-point deficit in the third quarter to force overtime, but ultimately came up short in a 101-98 loss.
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01-12-22 | LSU v. Florida | Top | 64-58 | Loss | -110 | 12 h 55 m | Show |
My 10* Conference Game of the Month (SEC) is on Florida at 7:00 ET. Will Wade had success at VCU (took over for Shaka Smart) and that got him the gig at LSU. His first team went 18-15 (NIT) but his teams have won 25, 21 and 19 games the last three seasons (two NCAAs, which would have been three except for COVID cancellation). LSU lost 70-55 at then-No. 11 Auburn in its conference opener but followed with consecutive home victories against then-No. 16 Kentucky (65-60) and then-No. 18 Tennessee (79-67) last week. The Tigers have faced ranked teams in each of its first three SEC games. That streak will end when the No. 12 Tigers (14-1 / 2-1 SEC) face unranked Florida (9-5 / 0-2) on Wednesday night in Gainesville. Mike White has led the Gators to four NCAA berths in the last five seasons (would have been five, except for COVID cancellation). His Gators returned six seniors or graduate transfers to start this season and Floriuda opened 6-0. However, the Gators have lost FIVE of their last eight, including the last two, 83-70 at home to then-No. 15 Alabama and 85-73 at then-No.9 Auburn. LSU lost guard Thomas (22.8), forward Watford (17.0 & 7.4) and guard Smart (16.8-5.2-4.2) to the NBA and others to the transfer portal, leaving just FOUR returning players. The 6-7 Days decided to return and he's averaging 14,3 & 7.9 and joins a strong frontcourt that includes the 6-8 Eason (16.2 & 7.6), a Cincy transfer, and 7-0 freshman Reid (8.4 & 5.3). The backcourt is led by Missouri transfer Pinson (10.9-3.1-4.7), Murray (9.1) and Gaines (8.5-3.5-3.5). The Tigers held off the Volunteers in their last game, despite losing Xavier Pinson to a knee injury. Pinson's right knee bent awkwardly during a slip, and the starting point guard had to be helped to the locker room. However, the injury was diagnosed as just an MCL sprain and bone bruise. Pinson is listed as day-to-day but is unlikely to play here. Florida is led by the 6-11 Colin Castleton (15.6 & 9.2). Returning starters are guard Tyree Appleby (10.0 & 3.6 APG) and the 6-7 Anthony Duruji (9.1 & 4.4). Myreon Jones (Penn St transfer) adds 9.9 & 3.6 plus the 6-5 Fleming Jr. (20.1 & 7.4 at Charleston Southern last season) has dealt with a groin injury but is back and averaging 10.6 PPG. Florida trailed by as many as 13 points early at then-No. 9 Auburn on Saturday, but the Gators battled back to get within one point with more than eight minutes remaining. "We were right there within striking distance after a rocky start," Gators coach Mike White said. However, Florida couldn't get over the hump in an 85-73 loss, starting 0-2 in the SEC for the first time since the 2009-10 season. This is a HUGE game for the Gators and they catch LSU off a brutally-tough three-game stretch plus the Tigers will likely be without PG Pinson. Florida is the play. Good luck...Larry |
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01-11-22 | Warriors -2 v. Grizzlies | Top | 108-116 | Loss | -104 | 10 h 57 m | Show |
My 10* Game of the Week is on the GS Warriors at 8:10 ET. The Memphis Grizzlies got a HUGE victory over the Golden St Warriors last May with a "play-in" win on the road against the Warriors, denying Golden St a playoff berth. The clubs have split this year's earlier head-to-heads, with each commanding much more attention than your average NBA regular-season contest. First, the Grizzlies duplicated their play-in victory over the Warriors last May with another overtime triumph in the second week of the regular season. Then, two days before Christmas, Golden State, which had put itself one win from a playoff berth with a victory in the 2021 regular-season finale, finally avenged the eventual bid denial with a 113-104 win. Both of this season's two meetings came in San Francisco but tonight's game between the 30-9 Warriors and the Grizzlies will be contested in Memphis. The Warriors arrive in 'Graceland' at 30-9, tied with the Suns for the West's (and NBA's) best record at 30-9 but the bigger story has to be the return of Klay Thompson. Thompson needed just 40 seconds this past Sunday against the Cleveland Cavaliers to put up his first points since the 2019 NBA Finals. The hoop brought Warriors fans to their feet, but the best was yet to come. That occurred late in the second period, when Thompson, known more for his catch-and-shoot prowess, drove by taller opponent Jarrett Allen for a resounding dunk that formally stamped his Achilles and knee as fully repaired. Thompson scored 17 points in 20 minutes, as the Warriors won. What's more, the Warriors have also gotten a significant number of players back from COVID protocols. The Warriors original "Big Three' will all be in the starting lineup, as Thompson will join Curry (26.8-5.3-6.0) and the recently returned Green (7.9-7.6-7.4). Wiggins (18.8 & 4.4) and Poole (17.4) have been terrific this season and now, after stays on the COVID list, are back. Guard Lee (8.3) is also back plus center Looney (6.0 & 6.7) has quietly been a steady presence, playing in and starting all 39 games. The Memphis Grizzlies lost 132-110 to the Hawks on Nov 26, giving them a 9-10 record. However, the Grizzlies have won 19 of 23 since, as Memphis now owns a 28-14 record, good enough for the Western Conference's No. 4 seed. The Grizzlies will take a NINE-game winning streak into tonight's game after a 127-119 Sunday win at the Lakers..Morant 24.7-5.7-6.7) is the Grizzlies' star but scored just 16 vs the Lakers (he's battled knee issues for awhile). Some bad news is Dillon Brooks (18.4) is out with an ankle injury plus center Steven Adams (7.0 & 9.0) has now joined the health and safety protocol. Adams had played in AND started, all 40 games before missing the last two games. SG Bane (17.7 & 4.5) and SF Jackson (16.4 & 5.5) have been major contibutors all season, staying injury and COVID free. The Warriors have never been healthier and now with the addition of Thhompson, seem poised for a strong run in the seaosn's second half. Yes, Mmephis has won NINE in a row but the Grizzlies are facing some injury and COVID issiues to key players. I'm "all over" the Warriors in this one. Good luck...Larry |
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01-10-22 | Cavs v. Kings +5.5 | Top | 109-108 | Win | 100 | 11 h 32 m | Show |
My 10* Late-Breaker is on the Sac Kings at 10:10 ET. The Cleveland Cavaliers were in the WRONG place at the WRONG time last night in San Francisco, as the Warriors welcomed back Klay Thompson. Thompson contributed 17-points on 7-for-18 shooting (3-for-8, on threes), as the Warriors won 96-82. Cleveland's defense was NOT the problem, holding the Warriors to 40.2 percent shooting overall and 23.8 percent on three-pointers. However, when a team scores just 82 points, it VERY rarely wins. The Cavs won SIX in a row from Dec 8-18 but have since lost SIX of nine (22-18 on the season).
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01-10-22 | Georgia -2.5 v. Alabama | Top | 33-18 | Win | 100 | 103 h 21 m | Show |
My 9* Marquee Matchup is on Georgia at 8:00 ET. I'm not sure that most wanted to see Alabama and Georgia in the College Football Playoff title game at Indianapolis on January 11. Alabama took apart Georgia 41-24 in last month's SEC title game and the one-sided nature of the contest dulled excitement over a possible second meeting. However, after Alabama eased past Cincinnati 27-6 in its CFP semifinal and Georgia destroyed Michigan 34-11 in its semifinal, an all-SEC rematch is what's 'on the menu' Monday night. The Crimson Tide are defending champions and are looking for their FOURTH title in eight seasons under the CFP format. Coach Nick Saban has won SIX national titles at Alabama and seven overall. One of the CFP titles was a 26-23 overtime victory over Georgia in the 2017 championship contest. That came in Kirby Smart's second season at the helm, after his stint as Saban's defensive coordinator at Alabama. |
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01-09-22 | Grizzlies v. Lakers UNDER 226 | Top | 127-119 | Loss | -110 | 14 h 38 m | Show |
My 10* Late Show O/U play is on Mem/LAL Under at 9:40 ET. The Memphis Grizzlies lost 132-110 to the Hawks on Nov 26, giving them a 9-10 record. However, the Grizzlies have won18 of 2 since, as Memphis now owns a 27-14 record, good enough for the Western Conference's No. 4 seed. The Grizzlies will take an EIGHT-game winning streak into tonight's game with the Lakers, after a 123-108 win over the Clippers last night. The win came with head coach Taylor Jenkins on the sideline (COVID-19 protocol) and leading scorer Ja Morant (25.0-5.8-6.6) sitting out with soreness in his left thigh. The Grizzlies WON'T have to travel, as they are back in Staples Center again, to face the Lakers, whose four-game winning streak has them two games over .500 at 21-19. The Lakers are beginning to get healthy after being shorthanded most of the season and that's helped them produce their longest winning streak of the season. |
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01-09-22 | Chargers v. Raiders +3 | Top | 32-35 | Win | 100 | 49 h 23 m | Show |
My 10* 'Signature' LEGEND Play is on the LV Raiders at 8:20 ET. A meeting of 9-7 AFC West rivals (the Chargers and Raiders) on SNF in the final game of the league's first 17-game regular season includes this kicker: the winner earns a spot in the NFL playoffs. The Chargers were 8-5 through 13 games but lost at home in OT to KC and then lost at Houston to the lowly Texans, 41-29, falling to 8-7. Los Angeles arrives in Las Vegas feeling pretty fortunate to be 9-7 (and still 'alive'), after beating the Broncos 34-13 in Week 17 at home. The Raiders were 5-2 coming off a Week 8 bye but then went in the 'tank,' losing FIVE of their next six games However, they closed with three consecutive victories, including a 23-20 nail-biter last week at favored Indianapolis on a last-second 33-yard FG. That sets the stage for the final regular season game of the 2021 season.
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01-09-22 | Seahawks +6.5 v. Cardinals | Top | 38-30 | Win | 100 | 45 h 54 m | Show |
My 9* Las Vegas Insider is on the Sea Seahawks at 4:25 ET. The Arizona Cardinals went into Dallas in Week 17 and won 25-22, clinching a playoff berth for the first time since 2015 (I had Arizona as my Game of the Month, just saying!). Arizona opened the season 7-0 (were actually the last team to lose this NFL season) but after losing last 22-16 at home to the Colts in Week 16, had lost three in a row before last Sunday's win. The Cardinals can still win the NFC West title and earn a home playoff game, by beating the Seattle Seahawks. That is, if the 49ers can beat the Rams in LA. That's hardly far-fetched, as San Francisco has beaten Los Angeles FIVE straight times! As for the 6-10 Seahawks, they will finish with a losing record for the first time in the decade-long Russell Wilson/Bobby Wagner era. Seattle does come in off an outstanding effort, having snapped a two-game slide last weekend with a 51-29 victory over the visiting Detroit Lions. |
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01-09-22 | 49ers v. Rams OVER 44.5 | Top | 27-24 | Win | 100 | 23 h 58 m | Show |
My 9* Featured NFL Sunday O/U play is on SF/LAR Over at 4:25 ET. The San Francisco 49ers opened the season 3-5 but have been able to win SIX of their last eight games to reach 9-7 as they visit the Rams Sunday afternoon at Sofi Stadium. The Los Angeles Rams opened 7-1 but then lost THREE in a row to fall to 7-4. Meanwhile, Arizona was 9-2 after 11 games, so the Rams seemed destined for at best, a wild card spot. However, the Rams enter this contest on a FIVE-game winning streak to get to 12-4, while the Cards have fallen to 10-5. Both the Rams and Cards have clinched playoff spots but the Rams will capture the NFC West with a win over the 49ers, or a loss by the Cards. As for the 49ers, they are in as a wild card if they beat the Rams but could also 'sneak' into the playoffs if the Saints lose on Sunday in Atlanta. San Francisco head coach Kyle Shanahan, citing current key injuries, the COVID unknown and the general parity among the NFL's top teams, said this week the door is wide open this season for any playoff team to walk away with the hardware. "The goal to me is always: Just to get in," he professed. "Because if you get in, you got the shot. I've always felt like that, and it seems pretty strong this year, too." It's HARD to argue with him on this. The 49ers have won FIVE in a row against their longtime California rival and a SIXTH straight win could give them a psychological edge. A "W' would give the 49ers a third consecutive season-series sweep and a third straight win in LA. Jimmy Garoppolo went 15-for-19 for 182 yards and two TDs in a 31-10 home win over the Rams in Week 10 but suffered a partially torn ligament in his right thumb in the Week 16 loss at Tennessee. He sat out last week's 23-7 home win over the Houston Texans, a game in which prized rookie Trey Lance threw for 249 yards and two TDs. Shanahan has indicated that Garoppolo (68.0% for 3,494 yards with 19 TDs and 10 INTs), if deemed healthy, would get the start against the Rams. It figures to be a game-day decision. Mitchell has 'saved' the 49ers' running game this season, gaining 878 yards on 4.7 YPC with 6 TDs. He's topped 100 yards rushing in TWO of the last three games (133 in Week 15 at Minnesota and 119 at home vs Houston in Week 17). Then there is WR Samuel, who has 51 rushing attempts for 320 yards (6.3 YPC) and 7 TDs, while snaring a team-best 73 receptions (17.9 YPC / 6 TDs). TE Kittle (66 / 6 TDs) is active and WR Aiyuk has 50 catches (14.4 YPC) with 5 TDs. Matthew Stafford is sure happy to be out of Detroit, Stafford has completed 67.3% for 4,648 yards with 38 TDs and 15 INTs (QB rating of 103.5). The running game has been better behind Sony Michel (802 yards on the season), who has averaged 99.4 yards per game during the five straight wins. RB Darrell Henderson (688 yards on 4.6 YPC and 5 TDs) is on IR but Cam Akers could finally play after an offseason Achilles injury that was originally expected to cost him his season. WR Kupp leads the NFL in receptions (138), yards (1,829) and receiving TDs (15). Fellow WR Woods (45 catches / 6 TDs) remains on IR but second-year WR Jefferson has 48 catches on 16.1 YPC with 6 TDs (he caught just 19 passes as a rookie, playing in all 16 games!). TE Higbee adds 55 catches and 3 TDs. Cooper Kupp is in position to become the fourth player in NFL history to lead the league in receptions, yards receiving and touchdown catches. Only Jerry Rice, Sterling Sharpe and Steve Smith have won the triple crown. Kupp is also 12 receptions and 136 yards away from setting the single-season NFL records in both categories, although Kupp believes those potential achievements would deserve a big asterisk in a 17-game season. In the end, that's just a 'side story.' Neither team's defense has played up to snuff this season, as both find themselves in the middle-of-the-pack. The 49ers will know by kick-off if the Saints have won or lost in Atlanta. If New Orleans lost, the 49ers are in the postseason, win or lose but if the Saints were to win, the 49ers would need to beat the Rams to play next weekend. The Rams could be scoreboard watching as well, as the Cards are hosting the Seahawks at the same time. An Arizona loss clinches the division for the Rams win or lose. In the end, maybe all these "what ifs" are NOT worth worrying about. I expect the Rams to want to win this game pretty badly and end that five-game losing streak. I also expect LA to score here and for the 49ers, whether they need to win or not, to score enough for this game to 'fly' over the number. Good luck...Larry |
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01-08-22 | St. Mary's +3.5 v. BYU | Top | 43-52 | Loss | -108 | 12 h 47 m | Show |
My 10* WCC Game of the Year is on St Mary's at 10:00 ET. The 12-3 Saint Mary’s Gaels will travel to the Marriott Center to take on the 13-3 BYU Cougars this Saturday night in WCC play. Randy Bennett took over at St Mary's in 2001-02 and had his first 20-win season (25-9) in 2004-05. Starting in the 2007-08 season and going through the 2019-20 season, his Gaels won 20-plus games for 13 consecutive years. That streak ended with a 14-10 record last season. 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. 12 (after a Nov 27 win over Utah got them to 6-0), the school's highest ranking this far into the season in 40 years. However, BYU has since lost to Utah Valley, Creighton and Vandy, to fall out of the top-25. The Gaels won their 2nd straight game and improved to 12-3 on the season after defeating the Yale Bulldogs, 87-60, on December 28th. This is the team's first game since then. Saint Mary’s is led by the 6-10 Matthias Tass (12.5 & 5.2) and the 6-7 Dan Fotu, who comes off the bench to add 10.1 & 4.3. Starting up front with Tass is the 6-8 Bowen (5.4 & 6.5). The Gaels have a nice trio of guards in Johnson (10.3), Kuhse (10.1-3.7-3.5) and Ducas (9.4 & 4.1). Saint Mary’s is averaging a modest 68.8 PPG but its defense is holding opponents to 58.1 PPG (13th). 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 is surrounded by a 'deep' cast. Guard Lucas (10.1 & 5.0 APG) is the only other double-digit scorer, but fellow guard Johnson (8.1 & 3.4) and 6-6 forward Traore (8.0 & 7.6) are solid contributors. The 6-9 Baxter (7.6 & 3.0) was lost to an injury in early December but the 6-8 Lohner (6.6 & 6.8) and guard Knell (7.3) are part of the team's depth. I am well aware that BYU is 7-0 at home but my 'gut' says this BYU team is just a little overrated and that St Mary's Defense is more than capable of taking BYU out of its rhythm, while earning the outright win Upset alert! Good luck...Larry |
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01-08-22 | Bucks v. Hornets -1 | Top | 106-114 | Win | 100 | 10 h 5 m | Show |
My 10* Eastern Conference Game of the Month is on the Cha Hornets at 7:10 ET. The Milwaukee Bucks ran away from the Brooklyn Nets in their showdown Friday night, winning 121-109 in a rematch of their 2021 playoff series. A 38-point third quarter was among the high points for Milwaukee. The Bucks moved to 26-15 with the victory, placing them in a virtual tie with the 24-13 Nets for second in the East, as both teams trail the surprising Bulls by 2.5 games for the East's top spot. The Bucks are in Charlotte tonight to face the Hornets. Charlotte was 33-39 last season, missing the playoffs for the FIFTH consecutive season. That said, there was some optimism in Charlotte at the beginning of the season and the Hornets have played MUCH better, as they currently stand 20-19, just two games behind the East's No. 6 seed and 2.5 games back of the No. 5 seed. The Hornets have a notable performance to build off coming into this game against the Bucks, as they've been off since dominating the Detroit Pistons in Wednesday night's 140-111 victory. It was only one point off the franchise record for points in regulation. Giannis Antetokounmpo (28.0-11.4-6.0), who had missed Milwaukee's previous game because of non-COVID illness, had 31 points against Brooklyn. SF Middleton (18.6-5.3-4.9) is again having an excellent season, but PG Holiday (18.4-4.6-6.7) is currently in the league's COVID protocols. So are guards Allen (11.9) and Connaughton (11.1 & 4.7). The Bucks signed guards Langston Galloway and Jeff Dowtin to 10-day hardship contracts on Friday. Center Brook Lopez has played just ONE game this season, but Bobby Portis (15.6 & 9.0) has really done an excellent job filling in. Charlotte PG LaMelo Ball (19.3-7.3-7.8) missed some games earlier with COVID issues but it's pretty obvious that last season's rookie-of-the-year is the 'real deal!' Bridges (19.5 & 7.2) is having a 'career season' and returned to the lineup two games ago after a two-game absence. Hayward (17.2-4.8-3.7) has only missed one game plus guard Rozier (17.5) and swingman Oubre (16.6) give the Hornets FIVE players averaging 16-plus points. Oubre drained EIGHT of his nine three-pointers in the fourth quarter against Detroit, setting a franchise record for threes in a quarter. His output boosted the Hornets to a franchise-record 24 successful threes in the game. Milwaukee is averaging 112.3 PPG, but that's down from leading the NBA in scoring in each of the previous three seasons (Bucks averaged 120.1 PPG last season). The Hornet's ranks second in scoring this season at 115.5 PPG but also allow the most points (116.6 per). However, this is a tough spot for Milwaukee off its big win over Brooklyn and now head to well-rested Charlotte for not just one but TWO games (teams play again in Charlotte on Monday night). Milwaukee just eked out a 127-125 home decision against Charlotte back on Dec 1 despite LaMelo Ball's 36 points and nine assists in that game. I don't expect Milwaukee to be so fortunate tonight, with so many key contributors sidelined. Good luck...Larry |
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01-08-22 | Tennessee +2 v. LSU | Top | 67-79 | Loss | -110 | 8 h 46 m | Show |
My 9* Weekend Wipeout is on Tennessee at 6:00 ET. No. 21 LSU was able to hold off No. 16 Kentucky to get its first SEC win on Tuesday night. LSU had a NINE-point lead with 2:35 remaining but Kentucky got within a point and had the ball in the final minute for the chance to take the lead. However, Xavier Pinson made consecutive steals which led to LSU baskets to complete a 65-60 victory. There is no rest for the weary, as 13-1 LSU (1-1 in the SEC) will host the No. 18 Tennessee Volunteers (10-3, 1-1) Saturday in Baton Rouge. Tennessee made three consecutive three-pointers to tie Ole Miss late in regulation, then grabbed its first lead of the night in overtime and beat the Rebels 66-60 on Wednesday night. |
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01-08-22 | Notre Dame v. Georgia Tech +1.5 | Top | 72-68 | Loss | -110 | 7 h 51 m | Show |
My 9* PERFECT STORM is on Ga Tech at 6:00 ET. 8-5 Notre Dame (2-1 in the ACC) has won consecutive conference games against Pitt and North Carolina, while 6-7 Georgia Tech (0-3) is still trying to get in the win column in ACC play. Mike Brey is in his 27th season at Notre Dame. The Fighting Irish got off to a promising 3-1 start but then lost three consecutive games. However, the Fighting Irish beat then-No. 10 Kentucky 66-62 on Dec 11 and got their season turned around. Josh Pastner (of Memphis fame) led the Ga Tech Yellow Jackets to a 17-9 record and their first ACC tourney championship since 1993 last season but after a 5-1 start to the current season, Ga Tech has lost SIX of seven to fall under .500 on the season. Notre Dame's won FOUR straight and will be coming off one of its best wins of the season, a 78-73 home victory over North Carolina. The Irish only played seven players, but FOUR of them reached double figures in scoring. Nate Laszewski led the team with 20 points and eight rebounds, followed by Blake Wesley and Dane Goodwin with 18 and 17 points, respectively. Brey's team typically goes just seven-deep. Guards Goodwin (15.1 & 5.5) and Wesley (13.7) are the top-two scorers, joined by Ryan (8.7-4.2), Hubb (7.8) and Wertz (5.0) in the backcourt. The 6-9 Atkinson (11.4 & 6.5) and the 6-10 Laszewski (8.5 & 7.2) are the best (only?) frontcourt players. Georgia Tech had a tall task in its last outing, with a road game against No. 2 Duke on Tuesday (lost 69-57). Michael Devoe scored 21 points, but as a team the Yellow Jackets shot just 21 of 64 (32.8 percent) from the floor and saw two players foul out in a game they never really had a chance to win down the stretch. Ga Tech lost ACC player of the year Wright (14 & 8.0) and PG Alvarado (15.2-3.5-4.1) from last year but this season features a guard-dominated lineup led by Devoe (21.2-5.6-5.0) and 6-7 big guard Usher (18.8 & 6.8). Sturdivant (7.5), 6-6 SF Moore (5.9 & 4.2), guard Coleman (5.9) and swingman Smith (5.4 & 3.4) are also contributors. 6-10 centers Howard averages 6.2 & 5.5 but he's doubtful with an ankle injury. It's a 'PERFECT STORM' tonight in Atlanta, as the underachieving Yellow Jackets get the better of an Irish team coming off their big win over UNC, which came at home where they are 6-0. Notre Dame gets 'stung' tonight by Ga Tech! Good luck...Larry |
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01-08-22 | Virginia +6 v. North Carolina | Top | 58-74 | Loss | -114 | 5 h 26 m | Show |
My 9* Daydream Believer is on Virginia at 1:00 ET. 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. However, this year's team is a modest 9-5 (but 3-1 in ACC play) as it heads to Chapel Hill to take on the North Carolina Tar Heels. Roy Wiliams retired after last season, ending his career with a first-round NCAA tournament loss and an 18-11 record with his beloved Tar Heels. Former North Carolina player Hubert Davis took over as head coach and the Tar Heels were ranked 19th in the AP's preseason poll. However, at 10-4 (2-1 in the ACC), the Tar Heels are unranked and coming off a 78-73 loss Wednesday night at Notre Dame. Virginia enters on an uptick after ACC wins on the road over Syracuse and Clemson. Tuesday's 75-65 victory was particularly satisfying, considering two weeks earlier the Cavaliers lost to Clemson by 17 points. The only returning starter for UVA is PG Clark, who chips in 9.9 PPG and 4.2 APG. Guard Beekman (6.9-3.9-4.4) is back, as is the 6-11 Shedrick (6.8 & 5.6), but UVA's two-most important players are transfers. The 6-6 Gardner comes from East Carolina and leads in scoring (15.4) and rebounding (7.6) plus guard Franklin comes via Indiana and chips in 12.0 PPG. In Tuesday's physical game vs Clemson, Gardner (23 points) was a force as he drew eight fouls inside on the Tigers. Shedrick (eight points, six rebounds, four blocks) and reserve Francisco Caffaro (eight points) also helped the Cavaliers to a 34-22 edge on points in the paint. As always, Bennett's team is one of the nation's best defensive squads in the nation, allowing just 57.7 PPG (12th). North Carolina has a frontcourt led by the returning 6-10 Bacot (15.7 & 10.4), 6-9 Oklahoma transfer Manek (12.4 & 5.9) and Marquette transfer Garcia (10.0 & 5.5). Sophomore guard Love (15.6-3.8-3,3) teams with freshman Davis (13.7-3.6-3.6) plus Black (4.2 & 4.9) and Walton (3.9) in the backcourt. However, Garcia exited North Carolina's game against BC with a concussion and missed the Notre Dame game and will miss again here. Speaking of that game against Notre Dame, Bacot (21 & 7 vs the Irish) questioned his team's effort afterward. "It was just flat out an embarrassing loss," he said. "It's unacceptable that we can't win these games with all the talent that we have. It's unacceptable that we're not paying attention to our coaches and just not playing Carolina basketball. |
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01-07-22 | Kings v. Nuggets OVER 223.5 | Top | 111-121 | Win | 100 | 14 h 55 m | Show |
My 10* West Conf O/U Game of the Month is on Sac/Den Over at 9:10 ET. The Kings and Nuggets meet tonight in Denver. The Kings are just 16-24, leaving them 11th in the West, a half-game out of sneaking into the NBA's "Play-In" round, which features the 7-10 seeds playing for the last two playoff spots. Injuries and COVID-19 absences have piled up for the Nuggets but Denver checks in at 18-18. That gives them the No. 7 seed but the team is just ONE game back of the West's No. 5 seed. The Kings won't have center Richaun Holmes (12.6 & 8.7) against Denver after he went into COVID-19 protocol on Saturday. Terence Davis (9.5) sat out Wednesday's game with an ankle injury, and Chimezie Metu (9.1 & 6.5) is also in the protocol and will be out for Friday's game. PG Fox (20.9 & 5.2 APG) has scored 30 points in each of the Kings' last two games and is joined by guards Hield (15.7) and Haliburton (13.6-4.0-6.8) to form a terrific perimeter trio. SF Barnes (16.5 & 6.1) continues his solid play plus Baylor rookie Mitchell (9.4) has become a regular contributor. PF/C Bagley (8.0 & 7.1) is back healthy and has pulled down 12 rebounds in each of the team's last two games. With Denver suffering injuries and COVID absences last year's MVP has taken on more and more responsibility. It would be hard for Nikola Jokic (25.7-14.2-7.0) to do more than he did Wednesday night, when he scored 26 points with 21 rebounds and 11 assists in a 115-109 loss to the Utah Jazz. "26, 21 and 11, and you lose," acting Nuggets coach Popeye Jones said after Wednesday's game. "You feel it for him. I think I've said it numerous times since I've been sitting here. Most superstars wouldn't take it. ... He's a special guy." Jokic has had to carry a bigger load with long-term injuries to Jamal Murray (knee) and Michael Porter Jr. (back). Neither is coming back soon, and things became tougher with Aaron Gordon (14.2 & 5.5 playing with a hamstring injury, while Jeff Green and Zeke Nnaji were placed on the health and safety protocol list. The Kings lost at home to Atlanta on Wednesday night despite Trae Young, John Collins and Bogdan Bogdanovic sitting out. Unfortunately, for those hoping the Kings will finally break their 15-year playoff drought, it's not the only time Sacramento has lost to a team that is missing stars. The Kings have dropped games against the Los Angeles Lakers without LeBron James and Anthony Davis and to Dallas when Luka Doncic was sidelined. Sacramento is the worst defensive team in the league but will also be able score here in Denver, so I see this game 'soaring' over the total. Good luck...Larry |
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01-07-22 | Brown +3 v. Harvard | Top | 84-73 | Win | 100 | 11 h 49 m | Show |
My 10* Ivy League Game of the Month is on Brown at 7:00 ET. The 8-8 Brown Bears will travel to Lavietes Pavilion to take on the 8-4 Harvard Crimson this Friday night in Ivy League action. The Ivy League did not play basketball last season due to COVID, so Brown's Mike Martin enters his 10th season with the Bears and Tommy Amaker is 15th with the Crimson. Amaker has by far the better resume with seven, 20-win seasons (four NCAA berths), compared to Martin's one, 20-win season. Freshman guard Lilly (12.8) leads Brown in scoring, despite coming off the bench. The starting-five consists of 6-5 SF Choh (12.3 & 8.0), guards Wojcik (9.9), Friday (9.1) and Mitchell (4.4 & 3.9) plus the 6-9 Gainey (8.3 & 5.9). The 6-8 Owusu-Anane (6.8 & 3.7) contributes off the bench. Harvard has two excellent 6-7 players in forward Ledlum (16.7 & 9.4) and big guard Kirk (16.0 & 5.8).That duo starts along with guards Sakoat (11.4) and Tretout (8.1) plus the 6-6 Catchings (8.8 & 3.9). Brown comes in on a four-game slide, while Harvard is 7-1 at home. That begs the question, "Why is Harvard such a small favorite?" One reason could be that Harvard hasn't played since Dec 21 (NOT a positive), while Brown has played three times since Dec 27. Then there is this. Brown has consistently been undervalued in this spot by the oddsmakers, as the Bears are 6-1 ATS in their last seven vs a team with a winning percentage above .600 and 7-3 ATS in their last 10 road games against a team with a winning home record. Add to that, the Crimson are just 4-11 ATS in their last 15 games vs Ivy League opponents. Take the small points but expect a Brown 'upset' win! Good luck...Larry |
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01-06-22 | SMU v. Cincinnati -2 | Top | 60-77 | Win | 100 | 12 h 58 m | Show |
My 10* Game of the Month (AAC) is on Cincinnati at 9:30 ET. The SMU Mustangs and Cincinnati Bearcats meet Thursday in college basketball action at the Fifth Third Arena in Cicinnati. The Mustangs look to build on their EIGHT-game winning streak (covered the last six!), while Bearcats look for a win after winning FIVE of their last seven games. SMU head coach Tim Jankovich is just two years removed from severe sanctions that SMU faced due to none other than Larry Brown (great coach but one who knows how to leave a program in the dust!). SMU won 19 games before the 2019-20 season was shut down and then went 11-6 in a season that limited this team to 17 games because of COVID. The team's 10-3 start (8-0 at home) is impressive. Returning guards Davis (21.5-4.9-5.4) and Bandoumel (10.1) are a solid duo plus a great story is the reuniting of the Weathers' twins, who last played together at Mia-O back in the 2016-17 season. The two took different paths from there but are now 'one big family' at SMU. SF Marcus is averaging 10.4 & 7.0, while guard Michael adds 8.8 & 4.8. Fellow guard Nutall chips in 9.4 & 4.3 plus the 6-10 Clark is a Baylor transfer. He was averaging 14.6 & 6.4 in the 2018-19 season before a serious knee injury forced him to the sidelines. This his last hurrah and he's adding 6.4 & 4.0 in 18 minutes. Cincinnati has a great basketball tradition (remember the Big O?) and under Bob Huggins, then Mick Cronin, it was revived. From 1992 through 2019, the Bearcats appeared in 23 NCAA tourneys. John Brannen last just ONE season after Cronin left for UCLA and Wes Miller was hired for this season. His UNC-Greensboro teams had won 20-plus games in each of the last five seasons. He inherited four guards, who make up the 'heart' of this season's 10-4 team. Davenport (2.9 & 5.1) leads the way, followed by Dejulius (12.1), Saunders (8.8) and Adams-Woods (7.2). 6-5 SF Newman (6.5 & 4.2) is a Clemson transfer, and The rest of the frontcourt has SIZE! The 6-11 Lahkin (6.2 & 5.1) returns, along with 6-9 Wake transfer Oguama (5.4 & 4.6) and 6-11 Miss St transfer Ado (3.2 & 4.9). I noted earlier that SMU was on a six0-game ATS run but the Mustangs had opened the season going 1-7 ATS. Winning at Fifth Third Arena with its great home crowd, where Cincy's trademark defense (60.6 PPG ranks 29th) always gets turned up a notch is tough. The Bearcats take this one by double digits. Good luck...Larry |
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01-06-22 | Iowa +3 v. Wisconsin | Top | 78-87 | Loss | -110 | 10 h 16 m | Show |
My 9* Situational Stunner is on Iowa at 9:00 ET. Wisconsin (11-2, 2-1 Big Ten) registered a huge 74-69 road win over No. 3 Purdue on Monday, behind Johnny Davis' career highs of 37 points and 14 rebounds. However, the 23rd-ranked Badgers have had little time to enjoy the win, as high-scoring Iowa Hawkeyes arrive in Madison Thursday night. 11-3 Iowa (1-2 in Big Ten) is coming off an 80-75 victory at home over Maryland on Monday, a game in which Keegan Murray, the nation's leading scorer, scored 35 points! Fran McCaffrey is in his 12th season at Iowa City and he's delivered seven, 20-win seasons is his first 11. Gone are consensus National Player-of-the-Year Garza (24.1 & 8.7) and Wieskamp (14.8 & 6.6) but the Hawkeyes opened 7-0, before dropping back-to-back Big Ten games to Purdue and Illinois. 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 (24.5) and rebounding (8.2) while his brother Kris comes off the bench to chip in 9.2 & 4.7. Returning players like the 6-9 Patrick McCaffrey (11.3 PPG) and returning guard Bohannon adds 10.7 PPG. Perkins (8.4), 6-7 freshman Sandfort (6.2), the 6-9 Rebraca (6.1 & 6.2) and Toussaint (5.2) comprise a deep group. Iowa comes in averaging 87.4 PPG, second-best in the nation. 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 14.5 & 4.0. The great news for Wisconsin fans is, fellow guard Davis (7.0 & 4.1 LY) is averaging 22.3 & 7.3 this season. Also back, after limited playing time last season, are the 6-9 Wahl (8.9 & 5.0) and the 7-0 Crowl (8.5 & 4.6). Davis had career highs of 37 points and 14 rebounds in the upset of Purdue. However, as mentioned up top, there is "no rest for the weary!' It's a clash of styles (tempo), as Wisconsin holds opponents to 63.6 PPG, while Iowa averages 87.4, two 'TDs' more than Wisconsin. The Hawkeyes have won FOUR straight after dropping three in a row in early December plus have won the last FOUR meetings with Wisconsin, including a 77-62 victory last season at Madison. Upset (?) Alert. Good luck...Larry |
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01-06-22 | Ohio State +3 v. Indiana | Top | 51-67 | Loss | -103 | 10 h 13 m | Show |
My 10* Rivalry Game of the Month is on Ohio St at 7:00 ET. No. 13 Ohio State is still rounding into form after a three-week layoff due to COVID-19 issues. After an 87-79 overtime win at Nebraska, the Buckeyes will face another Big Ten road test on Thursday when they face the Indiana Hoosiers in Bloomington, Ohio St head coach Chris Holtmann has won 25, 20, 21 and 21 games in his first four seasons in Columbus and it's hard to believe that a fifth straight 20-win season isn't in the cards this season, as the Buckeyes are 9-2 (3- in Big Ten). Indiana is led by first-year coach Mike Woodson, who took over this season, after Archie Miller was abruptly fired after Indiana closed last season with SIX straight losses. He has the Hoosiers off to a 10-3 start (1-2 in Big Ten) but is also 9-0 at home. Ohio St's 6-7 Liddell (19.6 & 7.3) is again the team's best player but scored just 10 points on 2 of 14 shooting.at Nebraska. "E.J. has got to get his legs back," Holtmann said. "So does Justin (Ahrens) and so do a couple of other guys." Ohio State was 'rescued' by getting 35 points from freshman guard Malaki Branham (8.9). Liddell is joined up front by the 6-8 Key (10.1 & 6.2 / up from 5.2 & 3.4 LY) and the 6-6 Ahrens (8.4 & 3.0). The starting backcourt is freshman Branham (7.3) and PG Wheeler (7.2 & 4.1 APG), who is a transfer from Penn St. The 6-8 Young comes off the bench to chip in 10.0 & 6.7. The Hoosiers have used a six-man rotation, led by the 6-9 Jackson-Davis (19.3 & 8.2) and Xavier transfer Johnson, who adds 10.0-3.8-4.2 as the team's PG. The other four contributors are the 6-8 Thompson (10.8 & 8.0), 6-7 Northwestern transfer Kupp (7.6), plus guards Stewart (7.3) and freshman Bates (5.8). Ohio State has won this season with offense, ranking fifth in the Big Ten in scoring (76.7 PPG), third in three-point field goal percentage (39.7 percent) and second in overall field goal percentage (48.9 percent). Meanwhile, Indiana is holding opponents to just 61.6% (41st) on 35.4% shooting (3rd). As already noted, Indiana is 9-0 at home and has won SEVEN of those nine games by a margin of 10 points or more. However, the Hoosiers will be facing a ranked team for just the second time this season. The first one didn't end well, as back on Dec 8, Indiana lost at No. 22 Wisconsin 64-59, blowing a 22-point first-half lead. This is a bad matchup for the Hoosiers and expect them to suffer a second straight loss to a ranked opponent. Good luck...Larry |
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01-05-22 | Hawks v. Kings UNDER 231 | Top | 108-102 | Win | 100 | 11 h 15 m | Show |
My 10* O/U Game of the Week is on Atl/Sac Under at 10:10 ET. Full, detailed analysis Wednesday by 12 noon ET. |
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01-05-22 | North Carolina v. Notre Dame +3 | Top | 73-78 | Win | 100 | 13 h 38 m | Show |
My 10* ACC Game of the Year is on Notre Dame at 9:00 ET. Roy Wiliams retired after last season, ending his career with a first-round NCAA tournament loss and an 18-11 record with his beloved Tar Heels. Former North Carolina player Hubert Davis took over as head coach and the Tar Heels were ranked 19th in the AP's preseason poll. North Carolina heads to South Bend on Wednesday night at 10-3 (2-0 ACC) but unranked. Mike Brey is in his 27th season at Notre Dame. The Fighting Irish got off to a promising 3-1 start but then lost three consecutive games. However, the Fighting Irish beat then-No. 10 Kentucky 66-62 on Dec 11, sparking a 3-1 run. However, Notre Dame welcomes North Carolina to Purcell Pavilion just 7-5 (1-1 in the ACC). North Carolina has a frontcourt led by the returning 6-10 Bacot (15.3 & 9.9), 6-9 Oklahoma transfer Manek (12.7 & 5.8) and Marquette transfer Garcia (10.0 & 5.5). Sophomore guard Love (15.6-3.9-3,5) teams with freshman Davis (13.3-3.6-3.5) plus Black (4.2 & 4.5) and Walton (3.9) in the backcourt. However, it should be noted that Garcia exited North Carolina's last game with a head injury after a Boston College player fell on him. He didn't practice Monday. Brey's team goes seven-deep. Guards Goodwin (14.9 & 5.6) and Wesley (13.3 are the top-two scorers, joined by Ryan (8.5-4.3), Hubb (7.8) and Wertz (5.2) in the backcourt. The 6-9 Atkinson (12.2 & 6.5) and the 6-10 Laszewski (7.6 & 7.2) are the best (only?) frontcourt players. The Tar Heels are 3-0 overall in road games this season, although their three losses have come in neutral-court games. Their true road wins are at College of Charleston, Georgia Tech and Boston College. The road has been kind to North Carolina this season, as for the third time in Atlantic Coast Conference play (2-0 so far), North Carolina will be the visitor when it takes the court Wednesday night at South Bend. However, Notre Dame is a perfect 5-0 at home, including an impressive 66-62 win over Kentucky, which CRUSHED the Tar Heels 98-69 in Las Vegas back on Dec 18. Take the points Good luck...Larry |
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01-05-22 | Syracuse +2.5 v. Miami-FL | Top | 87-88 | Win | 100 | 11 h 41 m | Show |
My 9* Situational Stunner is on Syracuse at 8:00 ET. 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). Meanwhile, Miami head coach Jim Larranaga has led the Hurricanes to six, 20-win seasons in his 10 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. However, the 'Canes are coming off a 10-17 season (4-15 in the ACC) last year. Meanwhile, Syracuse enteres this game in South Beach just 7-6 (1-1 in the ACC), Miami has won SEVEN straight games overall to reach 11-3 (3-0 in the ACC), ONE of four teams unbeaten in ACC play, joined by bluebloods Duke, North Carolina and Louisville. Boeheim's team is led by his son Buddy, who is averaging 19.5 PPG (adds 3.4 RPG and 3.5 APG). His backcourt partner Girard (13.1-3.2-4.6) returned at PG but two key transfers have made immediate impacts. Swider, a 6-9 transfer from Villanova, is averaging 12.5 & 6.8 plus Boeheim's oldest son Jimmy (a 6-8 graduate transfer from Cornell), is adding 14.1 & 6.1 (he's now the second-leading scorer on the team, behind only his brother) The 6-11 Edwards returns up front and chips in 11.5 & 6.4. Depth has been an issue all season, plus Boeheinm's famed "2-3 zone" has allowed 75.6 PPG (318th). Miami is led by the guard trio of McGusty (18.3 & 5.9), Wong (16.5 & 4.0) and Moore (11.1), plus Miller adds 8.5 & 5.6 off the bench. Miami hasn't gotten modest production from the 6-9 Walker (6.1 & 2.3) and the 6-10 Waardenburg (7.4 & 3.8). Tonight, Larranaga is hoping that starting center Sam Waardenburg returns after missing two straight games due to COVID protocol. Miami has scored more than 90 points in two straight league games, something no other ACC team has accomplished since 2017 and NO Hurricanes team has ever accomplished! However, since joining the ACC, Miami is just 4-6 against Syracuse and the Hurricanes have not eclipsed 70 points against the Orange in ANY of those 10 games. Expect Syracuse to bounce back from that recent home t loss to UVA, behind the "Boehem Boys" and a return to some good old 2-3 zone defense. Take the points. Good luck...Larry |
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01-05-22 | VCU v. Dayton -2.5 | Top | 53-52 | Loss | -116 | 10 h 33 m | Show |
My 9* Oddsmaker's Error is on Dayton at 7:00 ET. The VCU Rams will travel to UD Arena to take on the Dayton Flyers Wednesday night in A-10 action. VCU's Mike Rhoades has some pretty good credentials in his first four seasons in Richmond, going 80-41 with two NCAA bids. Last season's NCAA bid ended before his team was able to play its first round game with Oregon, as the VCU team had a COVID outbreak. The Rams opened just 3-4 this season but enter this contest on a four-game winning streak to reach 7-4. Anthony Grant came from Alabama to Dayton for the 2017-18 season and his second and third seasons, won 21 and 29 games, respectively. However, the Flyers were just 14-10 last year, ending the season with a loss in the first round of the NIT. |