Robert Ferringo
3-Unit Play. Take Wyoming (-3) over Northeastern
2-Unit Play. Take Oakland (-4) over Kent State
1.5-Unit Play. Take Weber State (+12.5) over San Diego State
2-Unit Play. TEASER: Take UTEP (+7) over Nevada AND Take New Mexico (-2.5) over Nebraska
1-Unit Play. Take St. Mary’s (-4) over Washington State
1-Unit Play. Take South Carolina (-3) over Davidson
3-Unit Play. Take Wyoming (-3) over Northeastern
2-Unit Play. Take Oakland (-4) over Kent State
1.5-Unit Play. Take Weber State (+12.5) over San Diego State
2-Unit Play. TEASER: Take UTEP (+7) over Nevada AND Take New Mexico (-2.5) over Nebraska
1-Unit Play. Take St. Mary’s (-4) over Washington State
1-Unit Play. Take South Carolina (-3) over Davidson
Handicapper: IndianCowboy
Sport: College Basketball
Game: Kent State Golden Flashes @ Oakland Golden Grizzlies - Tuesday March 17, 2009 7:00 pm
Pick: 4 unit(s) ATS: Oakland Golden Grizzlies -4 (-110) (Play of the Day)
4 Unit Play. #522. Take Oakland -4 over Kent State (Tuesday @ 7pm est). If you are looking for some solid dogs today who can win outright and more importantly cover, as those are my favorite plays, take a long look at Northeastern at Wyoming (you can read my research on my page why), or UAB on the road at Notre Dame as the public likely gets buried there, or even UNLV catching 7 at Kentucky as this is the same Rebel team that won at BYU and at Louisville - incredibly tough to do. Having said that, let's take Oakland today. Oakland might be one of the hottest teams in the country that no one is talking about coming into this game. Remember, they played a great game againts North Dakota State and frankly should have won that game. If they win that game, they woudl be dancing but simply collapsed with a double-digit lead as North Dakota State essentially won on a buzzer beater. Oakland has been dominant at home even beating Oral Roberts by double-digits earlier this year. Oakland even lost to Cleveland State, the Champs of their respective conference by 3 on the road. Remember, Cleveland State beat Butler on the road to win their conference championship. Kent State has been a bit weak on the road this year losing to the likes of Ohio, Buffalo, Akron, losing to Cleveland State by nearly 26 on the road and even a team outside the top 250 in Western Carolina at home. Oakland came into this game winning 9 straight ballgames and should have won the Championship and I think they are at a solid price here as small chalk. Oakland has consistently beaten some quality teams at home by double-digits and shoots just under 70% at home for free throws. They are a great story and I think it will be great for America to see this team play some more and I hope they make it to MSG. This team beat Oregon and Wisconsin Green-Bay on the road. Remember, Oakland is a top 70 team while Kent State is a top 125 team. Kent State when facing top 70 teams on the road has lost by 5 to Miami of Ohio (top 110), lost by 14 to Akron on the road(top 100), lost by 11 to Buffalo on the road (top 125), and lost by 6 to Ohio on the road (top 200). In fact, if my numbers serve me right, Kent State has not beat a top 100 team all year on the road and I expect them to have the same trouble tonight riding into a hot Oakland team. Let's take the Tourney caliber team, at home, on the short lay, who are 5-0-1 ATS against a team with a winning record and the Golden Flashes of Kent State are 0-9 ATS in non-conference games.
GL,
Sport: College Basketball
Game: Kent State Golden Flashes @ Oakland Golden Grizzlies - Tuesday March 17, 2009 7:00 pm
Pick: 4 unit(s) ATS: Oakland Golden Grizzlies -4 (-110) (Play of the Day)
4 Unit Play. #522. Take Oakland -4 over Kent State (Tuesday @ 7pm est). If you are looking for some solid dogs today who can win outright and more importantly cover, as those are my favorite plays, take a long look at Northeastern at Wyoming (you can read my research on my page why), or UAB on the road at Notre Dame as the public likely gets buried there, or even UNLV catching 7 at Kentucky as this is the same Rebel team that won at BYU and at Louisville - incredibly tough to do. Having said that, let's take Oakland today. Oakland might be one of the hottest teams in the country that no one is talking about coming into this game. Remember, they played a great game againts North Dakota State and frankly should have won that game. If they win that game, they woudl be dancing but simply collapsed with a double-digit lead as North Dakota State essentially won on a buzzer beater. Oakland has been dominant at home even beating Oral Roberts by double-digits earlier this year. Oakland even lost to Cleveland State, the Champs of their respective conference by 3 on the road. Remember, Cleveland State beat Butler on the road to win their conference championship. Kent State has been a bit weak on the road this year losing to the likes of Ohio, Buffalo, Akron, losing to Cleveland State by nearly 26 on the road and even a team outside the top 250 in Western Carolina at home. Oakland came into this game winning 9 straight ballgames and should have won the Championship and I think they are at a solid price here as small chalk. Oakland has consistently beaten some quality teams at home by double-digits and shoots just under 70% at home for free throws. They are a great story and I think it will be great for America to see this team play some more and I hope they make it to MSG. This team beat Oregon and Wisconsin Green-Bay on the road. Remember, Oakland is a top 70 team while Kent State is a top 125 team. Kent State when facing top 70 teams on the road has lost by 5 to Miami of Ohio (top 110), lost by 14 to Akron on the road(top 100), lost by 11 to Buffalo on the road (top 125), and lost by 6 to Ohio on the road (top 200). In fact, if my numbers serve me right, Kent State has not beat a top 100 team all year on the road and I expect them to have the same trouble tonight riding into a hot Oakland team. Let's take the Tourney caliber team, at home, on the short lay, who are 5-0-1 ATS against a team with a winning record and the Golden Flashes of Kent State are 0-9 ATS in non-conference games.
GL,
Dave Malinsky
GAME: Northeastern @ Wyoming Mar 17, 2009 9:00PM
SPORT: College Basketball Picks
PICK: Wyoming
Offered at: -2.5 Logan's
REASON FOR PICK: 4* #590 WYOMING over NORTHEASTERN
We think the markets got this one wrong in the early morning trading, and now that -2 has become available in a few spots with the host Cowboys it is “go time”. Why did the mistake happen? Let’s go back to an early-season ticket that we cashed on Northeastern to set the stage –
"4* #524 NORTHEASTERN over WILLIAM & MARY
It is conference time, and that means the “real season” in places like the Colonial Athletic Association, where smaller programs know their only chance to be Dancing in March is to win the conference. That means that November/December results can be all about preparing for league play, instead of piling up wins over even weaker sisters, and it also means that the oddsmakers and betting markets can have a difficult time making early evaluations. This is just such a setting. We believe a case can be made that considering the level of the program, no team has done more to be ready for this stage than Bill Coen and his Huskies.
First, Northeastern came out of last season in decent shape, with all five starters returning from a team that exceeded expectations to finish at .500 in CAA play. To build that chemistry even more they took a trip to Canada in late summer, going 6-1 in those seven games, and then came an early schedule that had the Huskies play at places like Memphis, Michigan, Providence, South Florida and Indiana, while also winning a cross-town trip to Harvard, and hosting Rhode Island. It had them well-prepared for their conference opener at James Madison, where they picked up a key win a month ago, and now in their first game at Matthews Arena since December 3rd they are being priced far short here."
Northeastern won that game easily, of course, but note exactly what we were saying above – not necessarily that the Huskies were good, but that they were ahead of their opponent in terms of development. And that continued through the first cycle of C.A.A. play, where they sat in first place at the end of January. But then the other teams began to develop their rhythm, and Northeastern was exposed for being the mediocre squad that heads to Laramie tonight. The Huskies were beaten by the likes of William & Mary (in the rematch of that winning ticket above), Drexel, Georgia State and Towson in an ugly slide to close the campaign, and have suffered the double whammy of not only missing a trip to the Big Dance that they once thought was in their sights, but not making the NIT either. Now a mediocre squad that has only played one game in the month of March, and has not won since February 25th, brings rustiness, a lack of enthusiasm, and also the difficulty of going from sea level to one of college basketball’s highest venues, a court that sits a 7,059 feet. They are in trouble.
Accentuating the difficulties is that Wyoming will come to play. The Cowboys harbored no real tourney expectations this year, so this is a true reward, and while Northeastern has had only a loss to Towson in all of March, heath Shroyer’s squad has been battle-tested by facing Brigham Young, Utah and Mew Mexico twice in that same span. And he is open about this being a reward - “This is only the seventh time in 20 years that this program has been to a postseason tournament, so we’ve made a lot of progress. I’m really proud of our guys. I’m really happy for our seniors (guards Brandon Ewing and Sean Ogirri, and forward Tyson Johnson) that they get to extend their careers and really lay a foundation for where this program is and where we hope to go … There hasn’t been a player in uniform the last six years who’s gone to a postseason tournament, so this is a big deal for them."
It is a particularly big deal for Ewing, one of the best players in the history of the program, and leads to matchup advantages against a slower Northeastern back-court. And the Wyoming floor leader is ready for it, while also acknowledging what the home advantage is worth - “This is big. I’ve never been into postseason play, and that’s one thing I’ve always wanted to do since coming to college … They’re coming from sea level to this high altitude. We want to try to run it down on them a little bit, but I’m sure they’ll try to suck it up.”
Look for Wyoming to not only be the more enthusiastic team early, but also the fresher one in the latter stages, and with guards Ewing (83.4 percent) and Ogirri (86.1) among the nation’s best at the free throw line, they are more than capable of closing it out with a late lead.
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GAME: Northeastern @ Wyoming Mar 17, 2009 9:00PM
SPORT: College Basketball Picks
PICK: Wyoming
Offered at: -2.5 Logan's
REASON FOR PICK: 4* #590 WYOMING over NORTHEASTERN
We think the markets got this one wrong in the early morning trading, and now that -2 has become available in a few spots with the host Cowboys it is “go time”. Why did the mistake happen? Let’s go back to an early-season ticket that we cashed on Northeastern to set the stage –
"4* #524 NORTHEASTERN over WILLIAM & MARY
It is conference time, and that means the “real season” in places like the Colonial Athletic Association, where smaller programs know their only chance to be Dancing in March is to win the conference. That means that November/December results can be all about preparing for league play, instead of piling up wins over even weaker sisters, and it also means that the oddsmakers and betting markets can have a difficult time making early evaluations. This is just such a setting. We believe a case can be made that considering the level of the program, no team has done more to be ready for this stage than Bill Coen and his Huskies.
First, Northeastern came out of last season in decent shape, with all five starters returning from a team that exceeded expectations to finish at .500 in CAA play. To build that chemistry even more they took a trip to Canada in late summer, going 6-1 in those seven games, and then came an early schedule that had the Huskies play at places like Memphis, Michigan, Providence, South Florida and Indiana, while also winning a cross-town trip to Harvard, and hosting Rhode Island. It had them well-prepared for their conference opener at James Madison, where they picked up a key win a month ago, and now in their first game at Matthews Arena since December 3rd they are being priced far short here."
Northeastern won that game easily, of course, but note exactly what we were saying above – not necessarily that the Huskies were good, but that they were ahead of their opponent in terms of development. And that continued through the first cycle of C.A.A. play, where they sat in first place at the end of January. But then the other teams began to develop their rhythm, and Northeastern was exposed for being the mediocre squad that heads to Laramie tonight. The Huskies were beaten by the likes of William & Mary (in the rematch of that winning ticket above), Drexel, Georgia State and Towson in an ugly slide to close the campaign, and have suffered the double whammy of not only missing a trip to the Big Dance that they once thought was in their sights, but not making the NIT either. Now a mediocre squad that has only played one game in the month of March, and has not won since February 25th, brings rustiness, a lack of enthusiasm, and also the difficulty of going from sea level to one of college basketball’s highest venues, a court that sits a 7,059 feet. They are in trouble.
Accentuating the difficulties is that Wyoming will come to play. The Cowboys harbored no real tourney expectations this year, so this is a true reward, and while Northeastern has had only a loss to Towson in all of March, heath Shroyer’s squad has been battle-tested by facing Brigham Young, Utah and Mew Mexico twice in that same span. And he is open about this being a reward - “This is only the seventh time in 20 years that this program has been to a postseason tournament, so we’ve made a lot of progress. I’m really proud of our guys. I’m really happy for our seniors (guards Brandon Ewing and Sean Ogirri, and forward Tyson Johnson) that they get to extend their careers and really lay a foundation for where this program is and where we hope to go … There hasn’t been a player in uniform the last six years who’s gone to a postseason tournament, so this is a big deal for them."
It is a particularly big deal for Ewing, one of the best players in the history of the program, and leads to matchup advantages against a slower Northeastern back-court. And the Wyoming floor leader is ready for it, while also acknowledging what the home advantage is worth - “This is big. I’ve never been into postseason play, and that’s one thing I’ve always wanted to do since coming to college … They’re coming from sea level to this high altitude. We want to try to run it down on them a little bit, but I’m sure they’ll try to suck it up.”
Look for Wyoming to not only be the more enthusiastic team early, but also the fresher one in the latter stages, and with guards Ewing (83.4 percent) and Ogirri (86.1) among the nation’s best at the free throw line, they are more than capable of closing it out with a late lead.
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Handicapper: IndianCowboy
Sport: NBA Basketball
Game: Boston Celtics @ Chicago Bulls - Tuesday March 17, 2009 8:35 pm
Pick: 4 unit(s) ATS: Chicago Bulls +2 (-110) (Play of the Day)
4 Unit Play. #556. Take the Chicago Bulls +2 over the Boston Celtics (Tuesday @ 8:30pm). I'm gald we were able to cash with the Thunder +5 outright over the Spurs last night. Let's do the same with another outright winner with the Bulls tonight over the Celtics. If you can, wait until later this afternoon to see if you can get a better price on this game as 71% of the public likes the Celtics on the road here coming off a loss. But, the Celtics are banged up and they are - let's face it - a mediocre team without Garnett. Yes, the Celtics are medicore without Garnett. On top of that, they do not have Big Baby's body tonight either as he is out as well. Yes, the Celtics have Allen (who went 2/11 yesterday) and Pierce who went 4/15 from the field yesterday. This team just lost to the Bucks on the road as 6 point chalk and now they are laying 2 to the Chicago Bulls who are turning their season around? The Bulls have run through the Hornets at home winning by 18, have revenge coming into this game, beat the Bucks, Golden State and Houston all at home. The Bulls, unlike the Celtics are healthy. This team has Miami grad John Salmons, Rose, Gordon, rebounding machine Noah, Tyrus Thomas, depth with Tim Thomas, Brad Miller and Kirk. This team has size, length and great guard play. The Celtics have very little size to bang around with the likes of K. Thomas, T. Thomas, Brad Miller and Noah today and the bigs will have a big impact on this game. I see the Bulls going to the line often and winning this game likely outright today despite the C's on a bounce-back. After all, remember, the C's lost back to back games to the Magic and Heat just recently. The Bulls have covered their last 6-0 ATS at home recently and 4-1 ATS as underdogs of late as well. The Celtics are 1-7 ATS in their last 8 as favorites and 0-4 ATS in their last 4 road games overall
Sport: NBA Basketball
Game: Boston Celtics @ Chicago Bulls - Tuesday March 17, 2009 8:35 pm
Pick: 4 unit(s) ATS: Chicago Bulls +2 (-110) (Play of the Day)
4 Unit Play. #556. Take the Chicago Bulls +2 over the Boston Celtics (Tuesday @ 8:30pm). I'm gald we were able to cash with the Thunder +5 outright over the Spurs last night. Let's do the same with another outright winner with the Bulls tonight over the Celtics. If you can, wait until later this afternoon to see if you can get a better price on this game as 71% of the public likes the Celtics on the road here coming off a loss. But, the Celtics are banged up and they are - let's face it - a mediocre team without Garnett. Yes, the Celtics are medicore without Garnett. On top of that, they do not have Big Baby's body tonight either as he is out as well. Yes, the Celtics have Allen (who went 2/11 yesterday) and Pierce who went 4/15 from the field yesterday. This team just lost to the Bucks on the road as 6 point chalk and now they are laying 2 to the Chicago Bulls who are turning their season around? The Bulls have run through the Hornets at home winning by 18, have revenge coming into this game, beat the Bucks, Golden State and Houston all at home. The Bulls, unlike the Celtics are healthy. This team has Miami grad John Salmons, Rose, Gordon, rebounding machine Noah, Tyrus Thomas, depth with Tim Thomas, Brad Miller and Kirk. This team has size, length and great guard play. The Celtics have very little size to bang around with the likes of K. Thomas, T. Thomas, Brad Miller and Noah today and the bigs will have a big impact on this game. I see the Bulls going to the line often and winning this game likely outright today despite the C's on a bounce-back. After all, remember, the C's lost back to back games to the Magic and Heat just recently. The Bulls have covered their last 6-0 ATS at home recently and 4-1 ATS as underdogs of late as well. The Celtics are 1-7 ATS in their last 8 as favorites and 0-4 ATS in their last 4 road games overall
VEGAS EXPERTS
Nebraska at New Mexico
Terrible first round draw for the Cornhuskers as they get the team with potentialy the greatest home court edge in the entire tournament. New Mexico is 23-9 ATS L32 home games, favored in all but one of those contests while Nebraska is just 11-22 ATS in road games. Offensive is the problem for the Huskers outside of Lincoln as they average a scant 58.9 PPG on the road. New Mexico is averaging over 78 PPG here in Albuquerque.
Play on: New Mexico
Nebraska at New Mexico
Terrible first round draw for the Cornhuskers as they get the team with potentialy the greatest home court edge in the entire tournament. New Mexico is 23-9 ATS L32 home games, favored in all but one of those contests while Nebraska is just 11-22 ATS in road games. Offensive is the problem for the Huskers outside of Lincoln as they average a scant 58.9 PPG on the road. New Mexico is averaging over 78 PPG here in Albuquerque.
Play on: New Mexico
