Wunderdog NHL (PREMIUM)
Game: New Jersey at Carolina (7:00 PM Eastern)
Pick: 4 units on New Jersey -125 (moneyline) (risk 4 to win 3.2)
Game: New Jersey at Carolina (7:05 PM Eastern)
Pick: 2 units on New Jersey-1.5 goals +240 (puckline) (risk 2 to win 4.8)
Game: Ottawa at Detroit (7:10 PM Eastern)
Pick: 3 units on Detroit -150 (moneyline) (risk 3 to win 2)
Game: Washington at St. Louis (8:00 PM Eastern)
Pick: 3 units on St. Louis +170 (moneyline) (risk 3 to win 5.1)
Game: Washington at St. Louis (8:05 PM Eastern)
Pick: 4 units on St. Louis +1.5 goals -190 (puckline) (risk 4 to win 2.1)
Game: New Jersey at Carolina (7:00 PM Eastern)
Pick: 4 units on New Jersey -125 (moneyline) (risk 4 to win 3.2)
Game: New Jersey at Carolina (7:05 PM Eastern)
Pick: 2 units on New Jersey-1.5 goals +240 (puckline) (risk 2 to win 4.8)
Game: Ottawa at Detroit (7:10 PM Eastern)
Pick: 3 units on Detroit -150 (moneyline) (risk 3 to win 2)
Game: Washington at St. Louis (8:00 PM Eastern)
Pick: 3 units on St. Louis +170 (moneyline) (risk 3 to win 5.1)
Game: Washington at St. Louis (8:05 PM Eastern)
Pick: 4 units on St. Louis +1.5 goals -190 (puckline) (risk 4 to win 2.1)
Wunderdog NCAAB
Game: L S U at Vanderbilt (1:30 PM Eastern)
Pick: 3 units on L S U +16 (-110) (risk 3 to win 2.7)
Game: Nebraska at Texas (4:00 PM Eastern)
Pick: 3 units on Nebraska +14 (-110) (risk 3 to win 2.7)
Game: Iowa at Purdue (4:30 PM Eastern)
Pick: 5 units on Iowa +20 (-110) (risk 5 to win 4.6)
Game: Air Force at B Y U (6:00 PM Eastern)
Pick: 3 units on Air Force +23.5 (-110) (risk 3 to win 2.7)
Game: Colorado at Kansas State (6:00 PM Eastern)
Pick: 3 units on Colorado +14.5 (-110) (risk 3 to win 2.7)
Game: Harvard at Brown (7:00 PM Eastern)
Pick: 3 units on Harvard -10 (-110) (risk 3 to win 2.7)
Game: Tennessee at Kentucky (9:00 PM Eastern)
Pick: 3 units on Tennessee +10 (-110) (risk 3 to win 2.7)
Game: Eastern Carolina at U T E P (9:05 PM Eastern)
Pick: 3 units on Eastern Carolina +22 (-110) (risk 3 to win 2.7)
Game: San Diego at Gonzaga (10:00 PM Eastern)
Pick: 5 units on San Diego +17.5 (-110) (risk 5 to win 4.6)
Game: L S U at Vanderbilt (1:30 PM Eastern)
Pick: 3 units on L S U +16 (-110) (risk 3 to win 2.7)
Game: Nebraska at Texas (4:00 PM Eastern)
Pick: 3 units on Nebraska +14 (-110) (risk 3 to win 2.7)
Game: Iowa at Purdue (4:30 PM Eastern)
Pick: 5 units on Iowa +20 (-110) (risk 5 to win 4.6)
Game: Air Force at B Y U (6:00 PM Eastern)
Pick: 3 units on Air Force +23.5 (-110) (risk 3 to win 2.7)
Game: Colorado at Kansas State (6:00 PM Eastern)
Pick: 3 units on Colorado +14.5 (-110) (risk 3 to win 2.7)
Game: Harvard at Brown (7:00 PM Eastern)
Pick: 3 units on Harvard -10 (-110) (risk 3 to win 2.7)
Game: Tennessee at Kentucky (9:00 PM Eastern)
Pick: 3 units on Tennessee +10 (-110) (risk 3 to win 2.7)
Game: Eastern Carolina at U T E P (9:05 PM Eastern)
Pick: 3 units on Eastern Carolina +22 (-110) (risk 3 to win 2.7)
Game: San Diego at Gonzaga (10:00 PM Eastern)
Pick: 5 units on San Diego +17.5 (-110) (risk 5 to win 4.6)
Jeff Benton
Saturday's Action
40 Dime: OKLAHOMA STATE
10 Dime: PORTLAND
Oklahoma State
The Big 12 conference has the biggest home/road dichotomy of any league in the country, and these two teams playing in Stillwater today fall right in line with that discrepancy. Both teams are 11-1 on their home courts, with Oklahoma State’s lone home defeat coming at the hands of Texas (72-60 back on Feb. 1, the Cowboys’ most recent home game). Sandwiched around that loss to Texas were a pair of road defeats at Missouri and Texas Tech, meaning the Cowboys come into this game in an 0-3 SU and ATS slump.
However, if you eliminate the Texas loss – by the way, Oklahoma State was a 2½-point underdog in that game, so it wasn’t a “bad” loss or anything – the Cowboys have won their other 11 games at Gallagher Iba Arena by nearly 20 points per game (79.6-60). That includes a trio of comfortable Big 12 home wins and covers over Texas Tech (81-52), Colorado (90-78) and Texas A&M (76-69). Go back to last season and Oklahoma State is an impressive 16-1 SU and 8-2-1 ATS in lined games on its home floor, including 8-1 in Big 12 home games (7-2 ATS).
The last team other than Texas to win in Stillwater? Indeed, it was Oklahoma last Jan. 26 (an 89-81 victory). But remember: The Sooners, with Blake Griffin leading the way, were a Top 10 squad last year (one that made it to the Elite Eight of the NCAAs). This year, Oklahoma is just 13-10 overall, including 2-9 SU and 3-8 ATS away from Norman (1-6 SU and 2-5 ATS in true road games).
The Sooners have hit the highway four times in Big 12 play and were competitive only once (65-62 loss at Texas A&M as a 7½-point underdog). Aside from that, Oklahoma has lost at Baylor 91-60, at Texas Tech 75-65 and at Nebraska 63-46. Throw in a 14-point loss at Gonzaga, and it’s clear that OU is a terrible traveler.
To further hammer home the home-road angle, consider that Oklahoma State allows just 62.8 ppg at home (including the Texas loss) and holds opponents to 40.4 percent shooting. The Sooners give up 76 ppg on the road and allow 46.7 percent shooting (39 percent from three-point land). And the Cowboys average 37 rebounds per contest at home; the Sooners average 30.3.
Finally, get a load of some of these pointspread trends: Oklahoma, in addition to failing to cash in four of its last five games overall, is 15-34-3 ATS in its last 52 road games and a lengthy 23-49-3 ATS in its last 75 road games against teams that have a winning home record. Meanwhile, the Cowboys are on ATS runs of 20-8-1 overall, 20-6-2 at home, 13-6 in conference, 17-8-1 against opponents with a winning overall record and a perfect 8-0 when playing at home against opponents that have a losing road mark.
Throw in the fact this is a double-revenge situation for Oklahoma State – which not only is seeking payback for last year’s home loss to the Sooners but also for letting one get away at Oklahoma a month ago when they lost 62-57 in overtime, shooting a miserable 27.5 percent for the game – and everything about this matchup screams Cowboys. (And because OSU is coming off three straight losses and non-covers, we’re getting value in the line, too!)
Portland
Portland is a very, very underrated team, a team that gets lost in the West Coast Conference shadow of Gonzaga and tonight’s opponent, St. Mary’s. But this isn’t so much a play on the Pilots as it is a play against St. Mary’s, which is likely to come into this contest still hung over after yet another loss to Gonzaga on Thursday.
The Gaels have been fighting an uphill battle against Gonzaga for several years now, and just when it looked like they might FINALLY get over the hump the other night, they fell completely apart once again. St. Mary’s jumped on Gonzaga quickly (12-5 lead) and even though the Bulldogs battled back and hit a three-pointer at the halftime buzzer to take a three-point lead, it was still a ballgame. But the Gaels couldn’t hold onto the ball (17 turnovers that lead to 22 Gonzaga points), and they got outscored 41-25 in the final 20 minutes.
That complete second-half meltdown has me believing the Gaels (who had won their first seven true road games) are not going to be right mentally for tonight. After all, it was just a month ago that Gonzaga won on St. Mary’s home court, and 48 hours later the Gaels turned around and hosted Portland, and though they rallied for a 77-72 win, it wasn’t easy (and they failed to cash as an eight-point favorite). Also, look at last year when St. Mary’s went 10-4 in the West Coast Conference, but two of those losses came in back to back road games at Gonzaga and (you guessed it!) Portland – and the Gaels followed up that loss at Gonzaga with an ugly 18-point loss to the Pilots. As is the case tonight, only 48 hours separated those two games.
Portland comes into this game having won six of its nine conference games (in addition to the five-point loss at St. Mary’s, the Pilots fell twice to Gonzaga, including a three-point home defeat), and it is 6-2 SU and 6-1-1 ATS in its last eight contests, including five double-digit wins and a nine-point road victory. The Pilots are also 4-1-1 ATS in their last six home games and 7-2-1 ATS in their last 10 Saturday contests, while St. Mary’s has failed to cover in four of its last five against teams that have a winning record and four of its last five when coming off a non-cover. Finally, the favorite has covered in 14 of the last 19 meetings between these teams.
Lay the small price and don’t be surprised if this is another blowout similar to last year when these foes met in Portland and the Pilots rolled 84-66.
Saturday's Action
40 Dime: OKLAHOMA STATE
10 Dime: PORTLAND
Oklahoma State
The Big 12 conference has the biggest home/road dichotomy of any league in the country, and these two teams playing in Stillwater today fall right in line with that discrepancy. Both teams are 11-1 on their home courts, with Oklahoma State’s lone home defeat coming at the hands of Texas (72-60 back on Feb. 1, the Cowboys’ most recent home game). Sandwiched around that loss to Texas were a pair of road defeats at Missouri and Texas Tech, meaning the Cowboys come into this game in an 0-3 SU and ATS slump.
However, if you eliminate the Texas loss – by the way, Oklahoma State was a 2½-point underdog in that game, so it wasn’t a “bad” loss or anything – the Cowboys have won their other 11 games at Gallagher Iba Arena by nearly 20 points per game (79.6-60). That includes a trio of comfortable Big 12 home wins and covers over Texas Tech (81-52), Colorado (90-78) and Texas A&M (76-69). Go back to last season and Oklahoma State is an impressive 16-1 SU and 8-2-1 ATS in lined games on its home floor, including 8-1 in Big 12 home games (7-2 ATS).
The last team other than Texas to win in Stillwater? Indeed, it was Oklahoma last Jan. 26 (an 89-81 victory). But remember: The Sooners, with Blake Griffin leading the way, were a Top 10 squad last year (one that made it to the Elite Eight of the NCAAs). This year, Oklahoma is just 13-10 overall, including 2-9 SU and 3-8 ATS away from Norman (1-6 SU and 2-5 ATS in true road games).
The Sooners have hit the highway four times in Big 12 play and were competitive only once (65-62 loss at Texas A&M as a 7½-point underdog). Aside from that, Oklahoma has lost at Baylor 91-60, at Texas Tech 75-65 and at Nebraska 63-46. Throw in a 14-point loss at Gonzaga, and it’s clear that OU is a terrible traveler.
To further hammer home the home-road angle, consider that Oklahoma State allows just 62.8 ppg at home (including the Texas loss) and holds opponents to 40.4 percent shooting. The Sooners give up 76 ppg on the road and allow 46.7 percent shooting (39 percent from three-point land). And the Cowboys average 37 rebounds per contest at home; the Sooners average 30.3.
Finally, get a load of some of these pointspread trends: Oklahoma, in addition to failing to cash in four of its last five games overall, is 15-34-3 ATS in its last 52 road games and a lengthy 23-49-3 ATS in its last 75 road games against teams that have a winning home record. Meanwhile, the Cowboys are on ATS runs of 20-8-1 overall, 20-6-2 at home, 13-6 in conference, 17-8-1 against opponents with a winning overall record and a perfect 8-0 when playing at home against opponents that have a losing road mark.
Throw in the fact this is a double-revenge situation for Oklahoma State – which not only is seeking payback for last year’s home loss to the Sooners but also for letting one get away at Oklahoma a month ago when they lost 62-57 in overtime, shooting a miserable 27.5 percent for the game – and everything about this matchup screams Cowboys. (And because OSU is coming off three straight losses and non-covers, we’re getting value in the line, too!)
Portland
Portland is a very, very underrated team, a team that gets lost in the West Coast Conference shadow of Gonzaga and tonight’s opponent, St. Mary’s. But this isn’t so much a play on the Pilots as it is a play against St. Mary’s, which is likely to come into this contest still hung over after yet another loss to Gonzaga on Thursday.
The Gaels have been fighting an uphill battle against Gonzaga for several years now, and just when it looked like they might FINALLY get over the hump the other night, they fell completely apart once again. St. Mary’s jumped on Gonzaga quickly (12-5 lead) and even though the Bulldogs battled back and hit a three-pointer at the halftime buzzer to take a three-point lead, it was still a ballgame. But the Gaels couldn’t hold onto the ball (17 turnovers that lead to 22 Gonzaga points), and they got outscored 41-25 in the final 20 minutes.
That complete second-half meltdown has me believing the Gaels (who had won their first seven true road games) are not going to be right mentally for tonight. After all, it was just a month ago that Gonzaga won on St. Mary’s home court, and 48 hours later the Gaels turned around and hosted Portland, and though they rallied for a 77-72 win, it wasn’t easy (and they failed to cash as an eight-point favorite). Also, look at last year when St. Mary’s went 10-4 in the West Coast Conference, but two of those losses came in back to back road games at Gonzaga and (you guessed it!) Portland – and the Gaels followed up that loss at Gonzaga with an ugly 18-point loss to the Pilots. As is the case tonight, only 48 hours separated those two games.
Portland comes into this game having won six of its nine conference games (in addition to the five-point loss at St. Mary’s, the Pilots fell twice to Gonzaga, including a three-point home defeat), and it is 6-2 SU and 6-1-1 ATS in its last eight contests, including five double-digit wins and a nine-point road victory. The Pilots are also 4-1-1 ATS in their last six home games and 7-2-1 ATS in their last 10 Saturday contests, while St. Mary’s has failed to cover in four of its last five against teams that have a winning record and four of its last five when coming off a non-cover. Finally, the favorite has covered in 14 of the last 19 meetings between these teams.
Lay the small price and don’t be surprised if this is another blowout similar to last year when these foes met in Portland and the Pilots rolled 84-66.
