Dave Essler - CBB Dime Play
522 Missouri 3.0 (-120) SportsInterAction vs 521 LSU
Analysis: I am buying this to +3 simply because I don't like hooks, period. No pun intended. Missouri's record may not reflect it, but since Jakeenan Gant was cleared to play. He is a Freshman, but a very good one. Since he's been in the Tigers lost by three on a neutral site to Illinois (who may not suck that bad, see last night) and then lost in OT to Oklahoma State. His first game back was the Xavier loss, which was a bad loss, but how much chemistry and rotation could there have possibly been? IMO that's one of the biggest reasons the Tigers have seemingly under achieved this season is his suspension. It came at a very inopportune time and he didn't travel to Hawaii with the team. Missouri was very closed about discussing the issue, so there could be more we don't know (isn't there always!). I actually think this effected Missouri way back when and may well be an issue as to why they have seemingly under acheived. I do like the Senior leadership of Missouri's back court, and the Tigers of Missouri have played a much tougher schedule. I am not a Johnny Jones fan, and the LSU Tigers have not played a meaninful game in a month, since they beat WVU in Morgantown. Granted, that's a feat, but that was then and this is now. The more I think this through, the more I want to go 3* on this one, but from my perspective that would really be only to sell more, and that's not my goal here. With that in mind, I don't do it free, but.......and, not unlike our win on the Illini last night, the early and significant amount of tickets/bets seem to bear all this out.
522 Missouri 3.0 (-120) SportsInterAction vs 521 LSU
Analysis: I am buying this to +3 simply because I don't like hooks, period. No pun intended. Missouri's record may not reflect it, but since Jakeenan Gant was cleared to play. He is a Freshman, but a very good one. Since he's been in the Tigers lost by three on a neutral site to Illinois (who may not suck that bad, see last night) and then lost in OT to Oklahoma State. His first game back was the Xavier loss, which was a bad loss, but how much chemistry and rotation could there have possibly been? IMO that's one of the biggest reasons the Tigers have seemingly under achieved this season is his suspension. It came at a very inopportune time and he didn't travel to Hawaii with the team. Missouri was very closed about discussing the issue, so there could be more we don't know (isn't there always!). I actually think this effected Missouri way back when and may well be an issue as to why they have seemingly under acheived. I do like the Senior leadership of Missouri's back court, and the Tigers of Missouri have played a much tougher schedule. I am not a Johnny Jones fan, and the LSU Tigers have not played a meaninful game in a month, since they beat WVU in Morgantown. Granted, that's a feat, but that was then and this is now. The more I think this through, the more I want to go 3* on this one, but from my perspective that would really be only to sell more, and that's not my goal here. With that in mind, I don't do it free, but.......and, not unlike our win on the Illini last night, the early and significant amount of tickets/bets seem to bear all this out.
VegasButcher (NBA)
Toronto Raptors -12.5
Charlotte is on a 3-game winning streak while Raptors are coming off a 3-game losing one. Today I expect both streaks to end. While Toronto had 3-full days to rest/prepare for today’s game, Charlotte is on a b2b, 3in4, and a grueling 5in7 scenario here. After playing @ HOU on 12/31, Charlotte travelled home for a game vs CLE on 01/02, then went back on the road to Orlando and Boston, came back home for yesterday’s game against NO, and now back on the flight, to Canada last night. That’s a ton of travel in the last week. If ‘travel fatigue’ isn’t an issue, playing so many games in the last week should be. Yesterday’s game against the Hornets was very close and required a second-half comeback from the Hornets. They outscored the Pelicans by 11 in the 2nd half to win the game with Walker, MKG, and Henderson all logging 36 minutes each. Without Jefferson, these 3 guys are Charlotte’s primary scorers and I’d expect their efficiency level to be poor today in such a tough physical spot. Hornets already rank as the 3rd least efficient offensive team in the league and I don’t see them exceeding that expectation tonight. Toronto is well rested, they are at home, and they rank as the #1 offensive team in the league. They outscore the Hornets by 13.1 points per 100 possessions on average this season and as long as they do that tonight, this play should cover.
Houston Rockets -7 (1st half)
Rockets are on the road and playing on a b2b in their 3rd straight road-game, so not sure if the effort will be there for the full 48-minutes. But for at least the first half I expect them to dominate this undermanned Knicks squad. With Anthony, JR Smith, Amare Stoudemire, and Shumpert playing most of the minutes this season the Knicks have compiled a 5-33 record so far, the worst mark in the league. Now NY has guys like Acy, Aldrich, Prigioni, Claderon, and Hardaway Jr leading the charge with ‘no-names’ like Wear, Galloway, Larkin, Smith, and Early coming off the bench. Houston doesn’t just have a superior starting lineup, they have a very deep bench now with Brewer, Terry, Josh Smith, and Papanikolaou. Even if the starters are playing fewer minutes tonight than normal due to facing an inferior opponent AND being in a fatigue spot, Houston has enough firepower on the bench to dominate NY regardless. Even though Houston should blow out the Knicks in this game, “first-half only” is a safer play from my standpoint, as I would expect the starters to log most of their minutes during the first 24 minutes of the game.
Toronto Raptors -12.5
Charlotte is on a 3-game winning streak while Raptors are coming off a 3-game losing one. Today I expect both streaks to end. While Toronto had 3-full days to rest/prepare for today’s game, Charlotte is on a b2b, 3in4, and a grueling 5in7 scenario here. After playing @ HOU on 12/31, Charlotte travelled home for a game vs CLE on 01/02, then went back on the road to Orlando and Boston, came back home for yesterday’s game against NO, and now back on the flight, to Canada last night. That’s a ton of travel in the last week. If ‘travel fatigue’ isn’t an issue, playing so many games in the last week should be. Yesterday’s game against the Hornets was very close and required a second-half comeback from the Hornets. They outscored the Pelicans by 11 in the 2nd half to win the game with Walker, MKG, and Henderson all logging 36 minutes each. Without Jefferson, these 3 guys are Charlotte’s primary scorers and I’d expect their efficiency level to be poor today in such a tough physical spot. Hornets already rank as the 3rd least efficient offensive team in the league and I don’t see them exceeding that expectation tonight. Toronto is well rested, they are at home, and they rank as the #1 offensive team in the league. They outscore the Hornets by 13.1 points per 100 possessions on average this season and as long as they do that tonight, this play should cover.
Houston Rockets -7 (1st half)
Rockets are on the road and playing on a b2b in their 3rd straight road-game, so not sure if the effort will be there for the full 48-minutes. But for at least the first half I expect them to dominate this undermanned Knicks squad. With Anthony, JR Smith, Amare Stoudemire, and Shumpert playing most of the minutes this season the Knicks have compiled a 5-33 record so far, the worst mark in the league. Now NY has guys like Acy, Aldrich, Prigioni, Claderon, and Hardaway Jr leading the charge with ‘no-names’ like Wear, Galloway, Larkin, Smith, and Early coming off the bench. Houston doesn’t just have a superior starting lineup, they have a very deep bench now with Brewer, Terry, Josh Smith, and Papanikolaou. Even if the starters are playing fewer minutes tonight than normal due to facing an inferior opponent AND being in a fatigue spot, Houston has enough firepower on the bench to dominate NY regardless. Even though Houston should blow out the Knicks in this game, “first-half only” is a safer play from my standpoint, as I would expect the starters to log most of their minutes during the first 24 minutes of the game.
River City Sharps
Many people thought Dayton's promising season ended the day that starting and backup centers Devin Scott and Jalen Robinson were both kicked off the team and from the university. The Flyers were already thin on the front line and their absence meant that the tallest player for UD would come in at 6'6". Credit Archie Miller for understanding the need to change the way the Flyers play in order to make up for the size problems they are now faced with...and boy have those changes worked. The Flyers havewon four straight since the players were kicked off the team and many would argue the Flyers are playing their best basketball of the season. They opened up A10 play with a good win over Duquesne and now take their show on the road for a game with St. Bonaventure. We think this is going to be a pretty close game with the Flyers winning in the end. A big issue for the Bonnies is their inability to defend three-point shooters as they are surrendering over 40% at home this season. Dayton will take plenty of 3's, led by Jordan Sibert and Kyle Davis, and the Flyers new offensive gameplan has resulted in lots of open looks for these talented wing players. The Flyers have owned this series, going 14-5 straight up since 1997 and 2-0 SU and ATS in their last two meetings. This is a UD team that plays REALLY HARD and really shares the basketball...fun team to watch and Miller has them playing confident and at a high level. On a neutral floor, UD wins this game by 10-15, but we are calling for a 5-point win here in Olean tonight. The Sharps say...
3 UNITS - DAYTON (-1)
Many people thought Dayton's promising season ended the day that starting and backup centers Devin Scott and Jalen Robinson were both kicked off the team and from the university. The Flyers were already thin on the front line and their absence meant that the tallest player for UD would come in at 6'6". Credit Archie Miller for understanding the need to change the way the Flyers play in order to make up for the size problems they are now faced with...and boy have those changes worked. The Flyers havewon four straight since the players were kicked off the team and many would argue the Flyers are playing their best basketball of the season. They opened up A10 play with a good win over Duquesne and now take their show on the road for a game with St. Bonaventure. We think this is going to be a pretty close game with the Flyers winning in the end. A big issue for the Bonnies is their inability to defend three-point shooters as they are surrendering over 40% at home this season. Dayton will take plenty of 3's, led by Jordan Sibert and Kyle Davis, and the Flyers new offensive gameplan has resulted in lots of open looks for these talented wing players. The Flyers have owned this series, going 14-5 straight up since 1997 and 2-0 SU and ATS in their last two meetings. This is a UD team that plays REALLY HARD and really shares the basketball...fun team to watch and Miller has them playing confident and at a high level. On a neutral floor, UD wins this game by 10-15, but we are calling for a 5-point win here in Olean tonight. The Sharps say...
3 UNITS - DAYTON (-1)
HARRY BONDI
College Basketball Free Pick
ARIZONA (-6) over Oregon
10:30 p.m. ET
Seventh ranked Arizona will be fully focused tonight as they head to Oregon, a place they have lost the last 3 times they have visited. The Wildcats got their wake up call when they lost December 23rd to UNLV. They didn’t play defense against the Running Rebels and had 12 days to practice their defenive fundamentals and came back and annihilated Arizona State 73-49 last Sunday. We have been told by our people close to Arizona that they have had a good week of practice and expect them to handle the Ducks easily tonight
College Basketball Free Pick
ARIZONA (-6) over Oregon
10:30 p.m. ET
Seventh ranked Arizona will be fully focused tonight as they head to Oregon, a place they have lost the last 3 times they have visited. The Wildcats got their wake up call when they lost December 23rd to UNLV. They didn’t play defense against the Running Rebels and had 12 days to practice their defenive fundamentals and came back and annihilated Arizona State 73-49 last Sunday. We have been told by our people close to Arizona that they have had a good week of practice and expect them to handle the Ducks easily tonight
LINEMAKERS LAS VEGAS
There are 56 college basketball games on the board tonight with three ranked teams in action, and while there are plenty of interesting storylines, perhaps the most compelling is ‘what in world has happened to UCLA?'. The Bruins have lost five straight and failed to cover seven in a row.
It was only six weeks ago, around Thanksgiving, when the Bruins were 4-0 (3-1 ATS) and ranked No. 22 in the nation, and many college basketball observers assumed second-year coach Steve Alford had things in control. But since then, the roof has caved in, and UCLA has gone 4-7.
For bettors here in Las Vegas backing the Bruins, it‘s even worse – they’ve covered only once in their last 10 games.
In the Don Best/Linemakers college basketball power ratings, UCLA has dropped 6 points since opening the season as the 16th-rated team. With their massive slide, they are now tied for No. 49, and that drop is as conservative as it is only because the team’s preseason rating is still part of the equation.
Granted, during its five-game losing streak, UCLA did play three ranked opponents and was an underdog in all five, including getting +15.5 against No. 1-ranked Kentucky in a 83-44 neutral-court loss.
As good as Bryce Alford, the coach’s son, was early in the season (20 points and 9.7 assist per game through the first four), he’s done a complete 180. He’s missed his last 19 shot attempts and is 5-for-39 in his last three games.
Alford’s shooting woes are easy to blame for the Bruins slide, but Yahoo! Sports Jeff Eisenberg points out that UCLA has only three scholarship guards this season because Colorado State transfer Jon Octeus and incoming freshman Jonah Bolden did not meet academic requirements and blames coach Alford for not having a contingency plan.
Of course, having your top four scorers shooting 43 percent or less and the team shooting only 41 percent overall can make any coach look bad.
After four lousy performances away, the bewildered Bruins return home to Westwood to host Stanford tonight. The 10-3 Cardinal are 1-point favorites.
Stanford is riding a four-game win streak (3-0-1 ATS), which includes a 74-71 overtime win at then-No. 9 Texas as an 11-point underdog. Senior guard Chasson Randle is averaging 18.8 ppg just like last season, although his 41 percent shooting from the field is below the high standards (47 percent) he set a year ago.
For a town like Los Angeles where the press and fans are a little more laid back than the rest of America, UCLA’s downward spiral has been the talk of the town – people have seemed to accept what the Lakers have become. The pressure is on and the question tonight is how they’ll respond to it all.
Does coach Alford rally his troops and get an inspired performance? Does the Pauley Pavilion crowd give the home team an edge and Bryce Alford some confidence? Or will playing at home have a reverse effect as the crowd voices its displeasure if things don’t turn around early in the first half?
The Linemakers' lean: The line is right where it should be, with maybe a 1-point premium on UCLA in what could be considered a pick ‘em game, but until we see UCLA’s most prominent player -- Bryce Alford -- start hitting some shots, or someone else take over, it’s hard to side with the Bruins. Our play is Stanford, a squad playing well above expectations. If there’s one school that can be inspired by the opportunity to kick a rival while its down, it’s Stanford against UCLA in any sport. The play is Stanford -1.
There are 56 college basketball games on the board tonight with three ranked teams in action, and while there are plenty of interesting storylines, perhaps the most compelling is ‘what in world has happened to UCLA?'. The Bruins have lost five straight and failed to cover seven in a row.
It was only six weeks ago, around Thanksgiving, when the Bruins were 4-0 (3-1 ATS) and ranked No. 22 in the nation, and many college basketball observers assumed second-year coach Steve Alford had things in control. But since then, the roof has caved in, and UCLA has gone 4-7.
For bettors here in Las Vegas backing the Bruins, it‘s even worse – they’ve covered only once in their last 10 games.
In the Don Best/Linemakers college basketball power ratings, UCLA has dropped 6 points since opening the season as the 16th-rated team. With their massive slide, they are now tied for No. 49, and that drop is as conservative as it is only because the team’s preseason rating is still part of the equation.
Granted, during its five-game losing streak, UCLA did play three ranked opponents and was an underdog in all five, including getting +15.5 against No. 1-ranked Kentucky in a 83-44 neutral-court loss.
As good as Bryce Alford, the coach’s son, was early in the season (20 points and 9.7 assist per game through the first four), he’s done a complete 180. He’s missed his last 19 shot attempts and is 5-for-39 in his last three games.
Alford’s shooting woes are easy to blame for the Bruins slide, but Yahoo! Sports Jeff Eisenberg points out that UCLA has only three scholarship guards this season because Colorado State transfer Jon Octeus and incoming freshman Jonah Bolden did not meet academic requirements and blames coach Alford for not having a contingency plan.
Of course, having your top four scorers shooting 43 percent or less and the team shooting only 41 percent overall can make any coach look bad.
After four lousy performances away, the bewildered Bruins return home to Westwood to host Stanford tonight. The 10-3 Cardinal are 1-point favorites.
Stanford is riding a four-game win streak (3-0-1 ATS), which includes a 74-71 overtime win at then-No. 9 Texas as an 11-point underdog. Senior guard Chasson Randle is averaging 18.8 ppg just like last season, although his 41 percent shooting from the field is below the high standards (47 percent) he set a year ago.
For a town like Los Angeles where the press and fans are a little more laid back than the rest of America, UCLA’s downward spiral has been the talk of the town – people have seemed to accept what the Lakers have become. The pressure is on and the question tonight is how they’ll respond to it all.
Does coach Alford rally his troops and get an inspired performance? Does the Pauley Pavilion crowd give the home team an edge and Bryce Alford some confidence? Or will playing at home have a reverse effect as the crowd voices its displeasure if things don’t turn around early in the first half?
The Linemakers' lean: The line is right where it should be, with maybe a 1-point premium on UCLA in what could be considered a pick ‘em game, but until we see UCLA’s most prominent player -- Bryce Alford -- start hitting some shots, or someone else take over, it’s hard to side with the Bruins. Our play is Stanford, a squad playing well above expectations. If there’s one school that can be inspired by the opportunity to kick a rival while its down, it’s Stanford against UCLA in any sport. The play is Stanford -1.
Cleveland Insider
NBA (1-1 yest)
Toronto Raptors -12.5 over Charlotte Hornets
CBB (9-7 L2 days)
Richmond Spiders -7.5 over George Mason Patriots
Iowa Hawkeyes -3 over Michigan State Spartans
Northeastern Huskies -2.5 over James Madison Dukes
Arizona State Sun Devils pk over Oregon State Beavers
UCLA Bruins pk over Stanford Cardinal
San Diego Toreros -10 over Loyola Marymount Lions
NHL (2-3 L2 days)
Philadelphia Flyers -110 over Washington Capitals
NBA (1-1 yest)
Toronto Raptors -12.5 over Charlotte Hornets
CBB (9-7 L2 days)
Richmond Spiders -7.5 over George Mason Patriots
Iowa Hawkeyes -3 over Michigan State Spartans
Northeastern Huskies -2.5 over James Madison Dukes
Arizona State Sun Devils pk over Oregon State Beavers
UCLA Bruins pk over Stanford Cardinal
San Diego Toreros -10 over Loyola Marymount Lions
NHL (2-3 L2 days)
Philadelphia Flyers -110 over Washington Capitals
