Friday 1/1/16 service plays chatter/comps/requests & other stuff...

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

NCAAF

Outback Bowl, Tampa January 1
Tennessee is 7-5 this year, despite blowing double digit leads in two home losses; both teams here won last five games. Last six years, SEC bowl favorites are 27-16-1 vs spread. SEC teams are 4-2 vs Big 14 teams in this bowl last six years; under is 3-0-1 in last four. Northwestern lost consecutive games 38-0/40-10 after a 5-0 start; they're 6-2 vs bowl teams. Vols are 2-4 vs bowl teams. Jones is 2-2 in bowls, winning 45-28 LY in his first bowl with Tennessee. Fitzgerald is 1-4 SU in bowls but covered four of the five games; that bowl win is only one in school history.

Citrus Bowl, Orlando
Michigan allowed 16 or less points in seven of nine wins; they are 2-3 allowing more than 16. Harbaugh split two bowls when he was at Stanford. Florida was outscored 56-17 in losing last two games after 10-1 start; they gained 262 or less TY in last three tilts. SEC teams beat Big 14 in this bowl the last five years, covering four of them; last three went over total. Michigan lost thee of its last four bowls; favorites were 3-0-1 vs spread in those games. Florida won four of last five bowls; McElwain won his only bowl at Colorado State. Florida OC Nussmeier had same job at Michigan LY.

Fiesta Bowl, Glendale AZ
Ohio State allowed 17 or less points in its last six games, losing to Michigan State on last play; Buckeyes won national title LY but had QB issues this year- they threw for total of 159 yards in last two games. Notre Dame is 3-2 in its last five bowls, despite being underdog in four of five; Kelly is 5-3 overall in bowls. Ohio State is 3-2 in last five bowl games; underdogs won last three SU. Dogs covered this bowl three of last four years; over is 3-1-1 in last five Fiesta Bowls. Meyer is 9-2 in bowl games, winning 2 of 3 at OSU. Irish covered five of six vs bowl teams TY, is 3-0 as an underdog.

Rose Bowl, Pasadena
Stanford is 3-2 in last five bowls, splitting pair here; this is third Rose Bowl in last four years for Cardinal. Iowa is in Rose Bowl for first time in 25 years; they lost last three bowls by 17-7-17 points. Hawkeyes are expected to have big crowd edge here. Cardinal is 11-1 in last 12 games, scoring 30+ in all 12, after 16-6 openng loss at Northwestern. Stanford beat USC twice, UCLA, Notre Dame, Cal, Wazzu, lost to Oregon by 2- their schedule was much harder than Iowa's. Pac-12 teams won this bowl four of last five years; three of last four went over total.

Sugar Bowl, New Orleans
Last seven years, SEC teams are 10-2 in bowls vs Big X squads; last three Sugar Bowls were won by underdogs of 8-14-15 points- five of last six went over total. Oklahoma State was 10-0, then lost last two games, allowing 103 points; QB Rudolph was banged-up and that limited their offense. Cowboys won four of last five bowl games, scoring 39.2 ppg. Ole Miss is 5-3 vs bowl teams this year; they lost 42-3 in bowl LY after winning previous six bowls- they allowed 300+ passing yards in three of last four games, 427+ TY in four of last six. Ole Miss QB Kelly is Jim Kelly's nephew.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

'Rose Bowl'

Stanford Cardinal champions of the Pac-12 Conference and Iowa Hawkeyes the runner-up in the Big Ten championship game square-off in this New Year's Day Rose Bowl in Pasadena.

Stanford with one of the premier offensive weapons in the game in RB Christian McCaffery racking up 2387 all-purpose yards with 12 majors closed the season 11-2 with a 9-4 record against the betting line. Defensively, Stanford held opposing teams to an average of 23.1 points a game. Cardinals enter 6-1 ATS in their last seven neutral site games and have been good bets at this time of the year, they're 5-1 ATS in their last six bowl games.

Iowa finished the season 12-1 overall with a 7-5-1 record against the betting line. Hawkeyes offense averaged 32.1 points a game, while the defense remained one of the stingiest in the nation allowing an average of 18.5. The Hawkeyes are 5-2 ATS their last seven during Bowl season but a cash-draining 2-6 ATS in its the eight against a Pac-12 opponent.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Handicapped by Chatsworth Consortium at Northfield Park

Always check program numbers.
Odds shown are morning line odds.


Race 14 - Post: 10:20 - 1 mile. PACE - Class Rating: 70 - Purse:$3200 - FILLIES & MARES NON WINNERS $1500 IN LAST 5 STARTS THAT ARE N/W $25,000 IN 2015. NO. 9 STARTS FROM 2ND TIER NORTHFIELD


CONSORTIUM CHOICES


Chatsworth Consortium

# 9 CMR BRESHA 5/2


# 6 UPLAND HANOVER 5/1


# 3 WHATS YOUR FANTASY 7/2


The choice here is CMR BRESHA. She has been racing quite well and the TrackMaster Speed Ratings are among the best in the grouping. Good for a win bet just off the terrific prior class figures. Have to like this contender. With a great 70 TrackMaster Speed Rating last time out, will very likely be a factor in this competition. UPLAND HANOVER - May be the best in the grouping here, showing good figures of late. Average speed is a solid 75. With a 78 avg class figure, this horse has one of the best class edges in the pack. WHATS YOUR FANTASY - Could most likely dominate this field of horses given the 73 TrackMaster Speed Rating recorded in her most recent race. Race players love to play the driver of this mare - exemplary win stat recently.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Handicapped by The Walker Group at Hawthorne

Always check program numbers.
Odds shown are morning line odds.


Race 7 - Allowance - 6.0f on the Dirt. Purse: $21000 Class Rating: 82

FOR ILLINOIS REGISTERED, CONCEIVED AND/OR FOALED. FILLIES AND MARES FOUR YEARS OLD AND UPWARD WHICH HAVE NEVER WON $9,800 ONCE OR A STATE BRED RACE OTHER THAN MAIDEN, CLAIMING OR STARTER OR WHICH HAVE NEVER WON TWO RACES. WEIGHT, 124 LBS. NON-WINNERS OF A RACE SINCE DECEMBER 1 ALLOWED 2 LBS. A RACE SINCE NOVEMBER 1 ALLOWED 4 LBS. (CLAIMING RACES NOT CONSIDERED IN


RECOMMENDED CHOICES

The Walker Group Picks

# 4 THREE TOOTSIES 9/5


# 3 MY MOMENT 5/1


# 5 SHAME ON THE NIGHT 12/1


THREE TOOTSIES looks respectable to best this field. Overall the speed figures of this racer look very strong in this contest. Could beat this field given the 81 speed fig recorded in her last outing. Must be given consideration given the class of races run recently. MY MOMENT - Kirby has her trained quite well to break quickly out of the gate. Must be carefully examined based on the competitive speed figure recorded in the last contest. SHAME ON THE NIGHT - Is a very solid contender based on figs garnered as of late under today's conditions. Conditioner boasts very strong win figs at this distance and surface.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Handicapped by The Walker Group at Laurel

Always check program numbers.
Odds shown are morning line odds.


Race 6 - SO - 8.5f on the Dirt. Purse: $23000 Class Rating: 91

FOR FOUR YEAR OLDS AND UPWARD WHICH HAVE STARTED FOR A CLAIMING PRICE OF $16,000 OR LESS AND WHICH HAVE NEVER WON THREE RACES OR CLAIMING $16,000 TO $14,000 AND WHICH HAVE NEVER WON THREE RACES. WEIGHT, 124 LBS. NON-WINNERS OF TWO RACES AT A MILE OR OVER SINCE NOVEMBER 1 ALLOWED 2 LBS. SUCH A RACE SINCE THEN ALLOWED 4 LBS. CLAIMING PRICE $16,000, FOR EACH $1,000


RECOMMENDED CHOICES

The Walker Group Picks

# 2 LOCKPORT 6/1


# 1 SILENT CRITIC 12/1


# 4 ROYAL CAVIAR 5/1


LOCKPORT is tough to overlook as the bet in here. Is a strong contender based on figures garnered lately under today's conditions. Recent numbers for the jock - 15 win percent - make this gelding stand out in this field. Bettors should probably feel comfortable with this pick given Sanchez's recent profits at the window. SILENT CRITIC - His 79 average has this gelding with among the strongest speed figures in this contest. Ice has a strong winning percentage with horses running in dirt route races. ROYAL CAVIAR - Looks solid to be up near the front end at the first call. The speed figure of 91 from his latest race looks competitive in here.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Handicapped by The Turf Club Analysts

Bar

Gulfstream Park - Race #2 - Post: 12:35pm - Maiden Claiming - 5.0 furlongs on the Turf. Purse: $18,000 Class Rating: 73

Rating: Golden DollarGolden DollarGolden DollarGolden Dollar

#5 SHUTTER SHOCK (ML=7/2)
#1 WIND WARNING (ML=8/1)


SHUTTER SHOCK - Sneaky speed on this one. He'll probably be stalking horses on the back side, then demolish them down the stretch. Monjes drops him down to this class. You don't need too much more handicapping knowledge to believe this one has a good chance at this level. WIND WARNING - In this race here, this thoroughbred has clearly shown signs that he likes the grass. His speed ratings are the highest in the field for this distance & surface. This animal didn't run well on the soft turf in his last race at Gulfstream Park. You probably want to overlook that performance.

Vulnerable Contenders: #7 R CAT DADDY (ML=3/1), #2 I'M JUST A MYTH (ML=5/1), #4 KIRKIES DREAM (ML=6/1),

R CAT DADDY - Improbable that this horse will finish better than he did last time out of the box when finishing fourth. In any contest of 5 furlongs, I like to bet on a contender that has been sharp in sprint races recently. I'M JUST A MYTH - Have to put a question mark next to the last speed figure since it was garnered on the soft turf. A 'bounce' is likely to happen for this horse today. May rebound next time. KIRKIES DREAM - Tough to put any dough on this gelding on the win end. Likes to finish in the money though. This gelding recorded a speed rating in his last event which probably isn't good enough in today's event.


STRAIGHT WAGERS:
Bet on #5 SHUTTER SHOCK to win if you can get at least 7/5 odds

EXACTA WAGERS:
Box [1,5]

TRIFECTA WAGERS:
5 with 1 with [2,4,10] Total Cost: $3

SUPERFECTA WAGERS:
Pass

SUPER HI 5 WAGERS:
None

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Handicapped by The Turf Club Analysts

Bar

Santa Anita - Race #5 - Post: 2:33pm - Maiden Claiming - 7.0 furlongs on the Dirt. Purse: $23,000 Class Rating: 82

Rating: Golden DollarGolden DollarGolden DollarGolden Dollar

#8 ULUCKYDEVIL (ML=8/1)
#3 MOUNTAIN HERO (ML=3/1)
#1 KIWI ATTITUDE (ML=6/1)


ULUCKYDEVIL - Lezcano was aboard this gelding in the last race and was impressed enough to take the animal right back. Have to give this gelding a shot. Ran a solid race in the last race within the last month. Look at this gelding's PP lines. With each contest he keeps getting closer. I think that the addition of blinkers today will keep his mind on the race at hand. This gelding is most obviously on the improve with speed ratings of 17, 53, 77 last three out. MOUNTAIN HERO - Earnings per start is something that I believe can be an important handicapping factor. This animal is ranked number 1 in this bunch. KIWI ATTITUDE - I like that last outing on Dec 3rd at Los Alamitos (Thoroughbre where he finished sixth. This animal could be tough in today's contest, especially since Kennedy rode last out and now should be more familiar with this one. Personally, I wouldn't worry about where he finished in his last race (sixth). Should improve right here, with some pretty good odds.

Vulnerable Contenders: #5 BOLITAR (ML=5/2), #7 FIN DE SEMAINE (ML=6/1), #4 ROALN WITH BOLEN (ML=8/1),

BOLITAR - Can't play this steed in today's sprint of 7 furlongs. Hasn't even finished in the money in a short distance event of late. FIN DE SEMAINE - Can't invest in this horse in today's sprint of 7 furlongs. Hasn't even finished in the money in a sprint clash recently. ROALN WITH BOLEN - I just don't have a positive sensation about this steed in this race.


STRAIGHT WAGERS:
Play #8 ULUCKYDEVIL to win if you can get odds of 3/1 or more

EXACTA WAGERS:
Box [1,3,8]

TRIFECTA WAGERS:
Box [1,3,8] Total Cost: $6

SUPERFECTA WAGERS:
[1,3,8] with [1,3,8] with [1,2,3,8,10] with [1,2,3,8,10] Total Cost: $36

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Handicapped by Rick Needham at Aqueduct

RACE #8 - AQUEDUCT - 3:43 PM EASTERN POST


The Lost In The Fog Stakes

6.0 FURLONGS WINTERIZED INNER DIRT TRACK THREE YEAR OLDS STAKES $125,000.00 PURSE

#7 KING KRANZ
#2 CONDO KING
#4 JAN'S RESERVE
#1 ZEN PAPA

Well folks ... here in this stakes event which honors the career of Lost In The Fog, considered by many to be "the fastest horse in the world" ... he won his first 10 starts (including two Breeders' Cup stakes), 11 of his 14 lifetime starts across the country, and career earnings of $978,099 until his life was cut short by lymphoma during his four-year-old season. Here in the initial running of this test, #7 KING KRANZ has hit the board in "POWER RUN FASHION" in four straight starts, missing a "Circle Trip" in his last "adventure" by just a "photographed neck" at the wire. #2 CONDO KING is the overall speed and pace profile leader, and has hit the board in each of his three career starts to date, including a "POWER RUN WIN" to break his maiden in his last start. Jockey Angel Arroyo was in his irons for that win, which produced more than a 1,000% profit for their efforts, and Arroyo is back this afternoon for his 2nd ride, gunning for back-to-back "Circle Trips!"

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

SPOT PLAYS

For Friday


TRACK (RACE) HORSE, MORNING LINE


Aqueduct (4th) Big East, 4-1
(9th) Kitty Ride, 6-1

Delta Downs (2nd) Su Elegancia, 6-1
(4th) Richmond County, 3-1

Fair Grounds (3rd) Pink Stiletto, 9-2
(7th) Declan's Gold, 9-2


Golden Gate Fields (1st) B C Z Middleton, 3-1
(8th) Irene's Cherub, 7-2


Gulfstream Park (2nd) Shutter Shock, 7-2
(5th) The Sundrop Kid, 4-1


Hawthorne (3rd) Bubuzela, 5-1
(8th) Elizabeth's Fever, 6-1


Laurel Park (2nd) Rydell, 7-2
(4th) Mike the Hab, 8-1


Santa Anita (4th) Giant Ego, 7-2
(9th) Flyin for a Livin, 4-1


Sunland Park (8th) Dances for Kamia, 7-2
(9th) Zach's Dash, 8-1


Tampa Bay Downs (6th) Otto Shootie, 6-1
(7th) National, 4-1


Turfway Park (2nd) Swayze Lady, 7-2
(7th) Sweet Platinum, 4-1

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Friday's six-pack

Some more NFL trends to ponder with Week 17 upon us..........

-- Baltimore is 3-13-2 vs spread in its last 18 games.

-- Buffalo is 12-5-1 vs spread in its last 18 AFC East games.

-- Steelers are 14-7-1 vs spread in last 22 AFC North games.

-- Denver is 17-6 vs spread in its last 23 AFC West games.

-- Miami covered once in its last nine games.

-- Arizona is 18-9 vs spread in its last 27 games.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Dave Cokin

Bonus Play Friday

NOTRE DAME vs. OHIO STATE 1:00 PM

Take: OHIO STATE -6

This sure looks like the holiday headliner in terms of marquee appeal, and there’s a good chance it lives up to expectations. Two explosive teams to be sure, and getting revved up for the battle should not be any problem for either side.

Just on the raw numbers, I have Ohio State by a shade more than six points, so from that standpoint, it looks like a perfect oddsmaking job by the guys who set the lines. But I’ll go beyond those numbers and focus on some other aspects that might lead to a winner.

First, there’s the rushing data. Teams owning better yardage both offensively and defensively have been a cash cow this bowl season, and that’s not a fluke. To date, including the just completed Alabama romp, qualifying sides are 11-3 straight up and 1-4 vs. the line. In this game, the offensive numbers are a virtual wash, but the Buckeyes are slightly ahead on the per game average.

Defensively, it’s another story and this is probably the key for me. Notre Dame has had some real trouble at times defending the run, and they’re surrendering 4.5 yards per carry for the season. That doesn’t compare favorably with Ohio State’s sturdy 3.4 ypc on defense.

There’s no way I’m going to try and diminish anything Notre Dame has accomplished this season. Brian Kelly has done a great coaching job with this edition of the Irish, and they’re exactly four points away from being unbeaten. Both losses were on the road by two points each, and those came against Clemson and Stanford. So I can easily see why those supporting the Irish here feel they have a great case to be made for their side.

Of course, the flip side of that is Ohio State being a one-loss team, and that loss came in a game where they never trailed until the Michigan State game winning FG on the final play. But it was also a game they lost to a Spartans squad that was minus its QB and in which the Buckeyes were substantial favorites.

I don’t think there’s anything easy about this game in terms of coming up with the winner beforehand. But as I’ve been focusing on the run games throughout these bowls and doing quite well, I’m not going away from what is a winning formula. The one time I did was with BYU and I paid the price for that error in judgment.

I think the Buckeyes will win that ground game duel, and if they do they’re likely winners. The spread is a hurdle, but under a TD I’ve got to roll with Ohio State today.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Jim Feist

Jim Feist's Bonus Play for Friday, Jan. 1, 2016 7:05 PM EST

(801) ORLANDO MAGIC VS (802) WASHINGTON WIZARDS

Take: (801) ORLANDO MAGIC

Reason: Your Bonus Play for Friday, January 1, 2016 is in the NBA scheduled contest between the Orlando Magic and the Wizards in Washington. A tough spot for the banged up home team, with Washington dropping two in a row to the Clippers and Raptors. Orlando is in town, the No. 5 team in the East, winning 7 of 9. Orlando coach Scott Skiles is hoping to build a defense-first mindset that will carry the Magic when they struggle to score. Wednesday was one of those nights, and his young team answered the challenge. Nik Vucevic had 20 points and nine rebounds, and the Magic rallied for a 100-93 victory over the Brooklyn Nets. Vucevic has scored 20 or more points in seven straight games. Evan Fournier added 17 points and five assists for Orlando. The Magic held the Nets to just 20 points in the final 12 minutes and overcame a 10-point deficit in the second half. Brooklyn was outrebounded 50-37. One of the beneficiaries of the Magic's recent rotation changes has been fourth-year forward Andrew Nicholson. He is averaging career highs in points (8.0), rebounds (4.3) and minutes per game (18.3) this season. Orlando is 6-0-1 ATS on the road and the Magic are 13-4-1 ATS in their last 18 games overall. Play Orlando.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Arthur Ralph Sports

Bonus Play: FRI OKL State +7

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Jack Jones

Notre Dame vs Ohio State

Jack's Free Pick Friday: Notre Dame +6.5

The Ohio State Buckeyes are getting a ton of respect from oddsmakers in this game because of their dominant win over the Michigan Wolverines in their season finale. I believe it's too much respect as they should not be favored by nearly a touchdown against the Fighting Irish. I look at this as a very evenly-matched game, and I certainly question the motivation of the Buckeyes in a lesser bowl game after winning the National Championship last year. Of course they are going to get up for rival Michigan, but this is a different story.

I think Notre Dame will be the more motivated team to try and prove to the playoff committee that it deserved to be in the four-team playoff. There's no question the Fighting Irish were good enough to get in, but they had a couple bad breaks in two road losses to Clemson and Stanford by a combined four points. They missed a 2-point conversion that would have forced OT against Clemson, and they gave up a last-second 45-yard field goal to Stanford after going ahead on a TD of their own with only 30 seconds to play.

The Fighting Irish have been hearing about their failures in big games leading up to this bowl game, which will only add fuel to their fire. They lost in the 2012 National Championship to Alabama. In fact, the program hasn't won a major bowl game since 1993. That is not lost on these players and coaches as they prepare for the Fiesta Bowl with an extra determination to prove their doubters wrong.

Notre Dame certainly played a more difficult schedule than Ohio State this season. It played the 20th-toughest schedule in the country, while the Buckeyes faced the 61st-toughest slate of games. The Fighting Irish put up tremendous numbers offensively against that tough schedule. They averaged 34.7 points, 472 yards per game and 7.1 per play against teams that allow 24.5 points, 368 yards per game and 5.4 per play. It also gave up 22.4 points, 362 yards per game and 5.5 per play on defense.

Ohio State was not the offensive juggernaut this season that it was a year ago. It only averaged 429 yards per game against teams that gave up 388 yards per game. The Buckeyes struggled to put away teams like Northern Illinois (won by 7) and Indiana (won by 7), and they lost against the best team it played in Michigan State. The Buckeyes were held to 14 points and 152 total yards in that loss to the Spartans in their 11th game of the season.

The Buckeyes are just 3-11 ATS off a road win over the last three seasons. Brian Kelly is a sensational 30-14 ATS as an underdog in all games he has coached. Kelly is also 23-9 ATS against teams with a winning percentage of better than 75% in all games he has coached. The Fighting Irish are 7-1 ATS in their last eight games vs. teams with winning records. Take the points with Notre Dame Friday.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Dave Price

Florida vs Michigan

Dave's Friday Bonus Play: 1* on Michigan -4

The Key: This is certainly going to be a defensive battle between Florida and Michigan. I think these teams are evenly matched defensively. The difference for me here is that Michigan has the better offense, and it will be the more motivated team. The Wolverines have a sour taste in their mouths that they want to get out from a bad loss to Ohio State in the season finale. Meanwhile, the Gators' season has already been considered a success because they won the SEC East and played in the conference title game against Alabama. Win or lose for the Gators, there will be no consequences. Michigan's offense has put up at least 28 points in 9 of 12 games this year. Florida's offense has been held to 28 or fewer points in 10 of 13 games this season. I certainly trust Jake Rudock and company more than Treon Harris and this awful Florida offense. Take Michigan.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Freddy Wills

Notre Dame vs Ohio State

1* Bonus Play Ohio State -6

Ohio State should be motivated to be playing Notre Dame in my opinion and they will face a team that is just not very good on the defensive side of the ball. Notre Dame got a lot of respect this year, but this team was 74th in yards per carry defense. Now they have to deal with a mobile QB, and arguably one of the best running backs in the country in Ezekial Elliot who wants to finish his career with a bang. Notre Dame is 0-7 SU and 1-6 ATS in their last 7 games played in the month of January.

This is probably the best defense Notre Dame is faced all year ranking 2nd in yards per play. Notre Dame faced 3 top 25 units and averaged 21.67 ppg and that came against offenses that really could not stay on the field in Boston College and Temple. Urban Meyer is also 9-2 SU and ATS in bowl/playoff games over his coaching career. So I don’t really worry about a motivation factor here at all for his team. "Notre Dame was my dream school growing up," Elliott said. "But in recruiting, they had some other plans, what position they wanted me to play." Elliot is a vocal leader on this team, you have other players stating seeing the college football playoff commercials has been humbling and that they want to make a statement.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Ray Monohan

Iowa vs Stanford

Friday 5* CFB Free Pick Stanford ATS

The Cardinal and Hawkeyes bring in two similar styles of play into the Rose Bowl Game, but motivation plays a major factor here. The Hawkeyes were one stop away from being in the College Playoff and taking on Alabama. However, they allowed Michigan State to compile an 8 minute game winning drive that really took it to their morales.

Iowa will certainly be respecting the tradition of the Rose Bowl, but do they really want to be here? Especially after having the chance to see Michigan State play in the Semi Final on New Years Eve.

Look for Stanford to really wear this Hawkeyes team down. Should the Cardinal get out to an early lead, they can really take the Hawkeyes focus out of this game. The Cardinal were favored by 6.5 points or more in 12 of its 13 games this season and went 9-3 ATS in those games.

Back Stanford ATS.

Good Luck, Razor Ray.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Brandon Lee

Tennessee vs Northwestern

10* FREE NCAAF PICK (Tennessee -8)

The Volunteers are one of the most underrated teams of the bowl season and I look for them to come out and make a statement against a Northwestern team that simply doesn't have enough offensive fire-power to keep pace with a high-powered Tennessee offensive attack. The Volunteers averaged 34.3 ppg against opponents that only gave up 25.6 ppg on average. The Wildcats scored just 20.7 ppg against teams that allowed 25.8 ppg. Northwestern had that big win over Stanford early in the year, but they also lost by 38 at Michigan and 30 at home to the Hawkeyes. Tennessee may have a mediocre 8-4 record, but they could have easily been undefeated. They had a lead in all 4 of their losses, including a 17-3 4th advantage on Oklahoma and 14-13 lead at Alabama with less than 3 minutes to play. Tennessee is a team to watch out for in 2016 and are just too talented for the Wildcats, which is why the books have set this line where they have, begging for you to take Northwestern. Give me the Volunteers -8!

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Mike Lundin

76ers vs Lakers

5* NBA Free Pick Los Angeles Lakers

The two worst teams in the NBA will do battle on New Years Day when the 6-27 L.A. Lakers host the 3-31 Philadelphia 76ers at Staples Center. The 76ers may have won two of their last three, but this looks like a pretty rough spot as they play their fifth consecutive on the road and they'll have to face the Clippers here in L.A. tomorrow. The Lakers carry some positive momentum as well coming off a meriting 112-104 win at Boston Wednesday. Kobe Bryant recorded his first double-double of the season and he has scored in double digits in each of his last 12 games. He and the whole Lakers team will be looking to redeem themselves for a 103-91 loss at Philadelphia a month ago, and I like the Lakers in this matchup.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Pure Lock

Colorado vs. California

FREE CBB play Friday

Colorado +6 1/2 (CBB)