COVERS - PICK 'N' ROLL
(Tracking Started On 2/22/2011)
3-3-0 (NBA)
3-3-0 (NCAA HOOPS)
MONDAY 2/27/2011
Atlanta Hawks at Denver Nuggets (-6)
Call it the Hinrich Effect.
With defensive minded point guard Kirk Hinrich on the team, the Hawks look like a totally different squad. The three previous games before he arrived the club was falling apart and had coughed up more than 100 points in each contest – all loses.
But when the former Jayhawks star suited up late last week in Golden State, he brought a whole new approach for the team. Playing nearly 17 minutes off the bench in his debut, he scored eight points with three rebounds, three steals and added a three-pointer, a free throw and a steal. Oh, and Atlanta won 95-79 over one of the top offensive teams in the league.
“It’s important that I understand what we are trying to do at both ends,” Hinrich said. “But a lot of times our lineups and our athleticism, I think the best way for us to play is to just play. Work hard on the defensive end and try to run.”
On the other bench, the Nuggets look good since trading Carmelo Anthony. In three games since shipping him to New York, the team is 2-1 SU and 3-0 ATS, with wins over Memphis and Boston. But Atlanta can match their depth and their athleticism and can counter with a renewed emphasis on defense and transition baskets.
Pick: Atlanta
Villanova Wildcats at Notre Dame Fighting Irish (-4)
To say that Villanova is in a tailspin would be an understatement.
The team know for its three-point shooting, trapping defense and wide-open attack have failed to crack the 68-point barrier in four of the past six games. Not surprisingly, the Wildcats are 2-4 SU and 0-6 ATS over that span. And did we mention the victories are a two-point overtime win against an awful DePaul team and a three-point defeat of a terrible Seton Hall side?
"Honestly, I feel like we're getting - believe it or not - a little bit better, but not good enough for this league," Villanova coach Jay Wright said. "I don't think we're getting worse. If we didn't play a Syracuse, a St. John's, a Pitt, maybe it might show. But it's not good enough right now for this league."
And it’s not helping Villanova that star guard Corey Fisher picked a fine week to take off. In losses to Syracuse and St. John’s – both at home – the senior stud was 4-for-26 from the field and 0-of-16 from beyond-the-arc.
"He got good looks," Wright said. "I don't know. I really don't. The best thing that we can tell him is to keep shooting it. We have confidence in him. We're going to ride him."
The Irish will have no problem with that approach.
At home this season, Notre Dame is 16-0 SU and 7-4 ATS in lined games. Over the past six weeks the team has been especially good in South Bend, posting a 4-1 ATS mark that includes a win over Louisville and Cincinnati.
Pick: Notre Dame
http://www.covers.com/articles/articles.aspx?theArt=224854
(Tracking Started On 2/22/2011)
3-3-0 (NBA)
3-3-0 (NCAA HOOPS)
MONDAY 2/27/2011
Atlanta Hawks at Denver Nuggets (-6)
Call it the Hinrich Effect.
With defensive minded point guard Kirk Hinrich on the team, the Hawks look like a totally different squad. The three previous games before he arrived the club was falling apart and had coughed up more than 100 points in each contest – all loses.
But when the former Jayhawks star suited up late last week in Golden State, he brought a whole new approach for the team. Playing nearly 17 minutes off the bench in his debut, he scored eight points with three rebounds, three steals and added a three-pointer, a free throw and a steal. Oh, and Atlanta won 95-79 over one of the top offensive teams in the league.
“It’s important that I understand what we are trying to do at both ends,” Hinrich said. “But a lot of times our lineups and our athleticism, I think the best way for us to play is to just play. Work hard on the defensive end and try to run.”
On the other bench, the Nuggets look good since trading Carmelo Anthony. In three games since shipping him to New York, the team is 2-1 SU and 3-0 ATS, with wins over Memphis and Boston. But Atlanta can match their depth and their athleticism and can counter with a renewed emphasis on defense and transition baskets.
Pick: Atlanta
Villanova Wildcats at Notre Dame Fighting Irish (-4)
To say that Villanova is in a tailspin would be an understatement.
The team know for its three-point shooting, trapping defense and wide-open attack have failed to crack the 68-point barrier in four of the past six games. Not surprisingly, the Wildcats are 2-4 SU and 0-6 ATS over that span. And did we mention the victories are a two-point overtime win against an awful DePaul team and a three-point defeat of a terrible Seton Hall side?
"Honestly, I feel like we're getting - believe it or not - a little bit better, but not good enough for this league," Villanova coach Jay Wright said. "I don't think we're getting worse. If we didn't play a Syracuse, a St. John's, a Pitt, maybe it might show. But it's not good enough right now for this league."
And it’s not helping Villanova that star guard Corey Fisher picked a fine week to take off. In losses to Syracuse and St. John’s – both at home – the senior stud was 4-for-26 from the field and 0-of-16 from beyond-the-arc.
"He got good looks," Wright said. "I don't know. I really don't. The best thing that we can tell him is to keep shooting it. We have confidence in him. We're going to ride him."
The Irish will have no problem with that approach.
At home this season, Notre Dame is 16-0 SU and 7-4 ATS in lined games. Over the past six weeks the team has been especially good in South Bend, posting a 4-1 ATS mark that includes a win over Louisville and Cincinnati.
Pick: Notre Dame
http://www.covers.com/articles/articles.aspx?theArt=224854
