1-31-13

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Study Group: Thursday's Top 25 NCB Betting Notes

Check out our quick-hitting betting notes on all of Thursday’s ranked college basketball games:

Illinois at (9) Michigan State (-10.5)

Michigan State attempts to bounce back from a loss to Indiana and keep its perfect home record intact when the Spartans host sinking Illinois. Michigan State had won six straight games before the loss at Indiana and is one of four Big Ten teams with two or fewer conference losses. The Spartans are 11-0 at home as they entertain the Fighting Illini, who are just 3-6 after a 12-0 start. The Spartans have won five consecutive matchups at home, holding the Illini to an average of 55.0 points on 36.3 percent shooting. Illinois is 3-12 ATS in its last 15 road games.

(10) Butler at Saint Louis (-2)

Butler got a boost last week when leading scorer Rotnei Clarke returned to the starting lineup after missing three games with a sprained neck. He picked up where he left off Saturday against Temple, scoring 24 points and distributing a career-high nine assists in the 83-71 win. St. Louis ranks 16th in the nation in scoring defense, allowing just over 57 points a game. The Bulldogs are 6-0 ATS in their last six games overall and on the road.

(8) Arizona at Washington (+6.5)

Arizona, which has lost five consecutive games on Washington’s home floor, tries to end that skid when it visits the Huskies. The Wildcats have lost two of their past five after a 14-0 start and hope last Saturday’s 74-50 trouncing of USC is the start of another long streak. The Huskies have lost three straight following a 4-0 start in conference play. But Washington hasn’t lost four consecutive games since the 2007-08 campaign. The Wildcats are 1-4 ATS in their last five meetings.

(7) Gonzaga at Loyola Marymount (+15.5)

Gonzaga is in its customary first-place spot in the West Coast Conference and seeks to remain unbeaten in league games when it visits Loyola Marymount on Thursday. The Bulldogs have won 10 of their last 11, the only blemish a last-second loss to Butler on Jan. 19. That also was Gonzaga’s lone road loss in six outings this season. Loyola Marymount has lost four consecutive games and last played Jan. 24 when it suffered a 60-57 home loss against Pepperdine. The Lions are tied for last in the nine-team league with Portland. Loyola Marymount is 0-4 ATS in its last four games.

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Exposing the Top 25: Where The Polls Went Wrong

Each week throughout the college basketball season, Covers Expert Jesse Schule will dissect the new Top 25 rankings, looking for betting value. He'll showcase the most overrated team, along with the most underrated ranked team, and an unranked squad that he feels should be in the Top 25.

Most Underrated Top 25 Team - Florida Gators (16-2, 11-4 ATS)

The Gators have quietly won eight straight games overall, and have covered the spread in the last seven of those victories. Florida is shooting 49.3 percent from the field, good enough to rank in the top 10 in the nation, but is also getting it done on the defensive side of the ball. The Gators have held opponents to fewer than 50 points in three of their last four games, and haven't allowed 60 points in any of their last seven contests.

Florida will face Ole Miss this Saturday, and it has taken the last three meetings with the Rebels. The only other ranked opponent the Gators will face this season will be Missouri, who they’ve already blown out at home 83-52.

Most Overrated Top 25 Team - Arizona Wildcats (17-2, 9-8 ATS)

The Wildcats are very fortunate to have a record of 17-2 and they’ve gotten lucky more than once in recent games. Arizona has faced two Top-25 teams this season, and it won each of those games by a single point, defeating Florida 65-64, and sneaking by San Diego State 68-67.

Arizona has failed to cover the points in seven of its last 10 games overall, despite winning eight of 10. The Wildcats have a couple of tough games coming up against Pac-12 rivals Washington and Stanford, and it wouldn't be a surprise to see them lose at least one of those two games.

Unranked Team That Should Be Ranked – Notre Dame Fighting Irish (16-4, 9-8 ATS)

After losing three of their last five, the Irish have fallen out of the rankings, but two of those three losses were close games against tough teams. Admittedly, they looked terrible getting blown out by the Hoyas at home, losing 63-47, but bounced back with a solid road win over South Florida last time out.

Notre Dame is one of the best shooting teams in the country, hitting 50 percent from the field. The Irish are 4-3 in Big East play, tied with No. 24 Cincinnati, who they already beat earlier in the year.

Notre Dame will host Villanova Wednesday night, and the Wildcats have just knocked of two of the nation's top five teams. If the Irish can get the win at home Wednesday, you can expect to see them back in the rankings next week.

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Phoenix Open
Golf betting preview and picks
by Matt fargo

The PGA Tour leaves California and heads to Arizona for the Waste Management Phoenix Open, played at TPC Scottsdale.

Six of the top-10 players on the money list are in action as well as six of the top 10 in the FedEx Cup standings. Only three players ranked in the OWGR top 10 are playing: Brandt Snedeker, Bubba Watson and Jason Dufner. But there are nine past Phoenix Open winners in the field and 10 major championship winners. Other notables include Phil Mickelson, Nick Watney and Rickie Fowler.

Kyle Stanley (+5,000) is the defending champion and what a story it was. After blowing a seven-shot lead the previous week at the Farmers Insurance Open, he found himself eight shots back heading into Sunday at TPC Scottsdale and was able to make it all up thanks to a 65. It helped that 54-hole leader Spencer Levin imploded with a 75, but Stanley's turnaround from the previous week was pretty special.

Rickie Fowler (+1,600) showed a lot of resiliency last week at Torrey Pines as he opened with a 77 on Thursday and fought back to go -13 the rest of the way to finish T6. That was his second T6 of the season after a similar finish at the opening Hyundai Tournament of Champions. He finished solo second in his debut at the Waste Management in 2010 and has had a T13 and a T26 the last two years.

The value may be thin but Phil Mickelson (+2,200) could be due for a breakout. He is the hometown favorite here and success has come with that. Lefty has two wins here as well as a runner-up in a playoff and six additional top-10s. He has not exactly started strong this year with a T37 and a T51, but playing for a third straight week could be very beneficial in getting his game in order.

We used Hunter Mahan (+2,500) last week and we will go back to him here. He was rather inconsistent at the Farmers Insurance Open, but was good enough for a T15 which should provide confidence heading here. He won this event in 2010 by one shot over Fowler so he knows how to get around. He skipped last year after a T29 in 2011, which was a disappointment after blowing it in Torrey Pines the previous week.

Bo Van Pelt (+3,500) had an outstanding season a year ago with a flurry of top-10 finishes and while this year has been average, it will get better for sure. He was -5 going into the final round at Torrey Pines but put up an 81 to finish a distant T78. He has had success at TPC Scottsdale, finishing T18 two years ago and backed it up with a T8 last year - just five off the lead. He is ready for his first win in over three years.

Josh Teater (+7,000) is not a household name and because of that we’re getting great odds with him here. The Tiger Woods win at the Farmers overshadowed everyone else and that included Teater who quietly tied for second place. He had a run of three straight top-10s in July and August last year and closed with a T5 at Walt Disney. He opened this year with a T15 at the Sony, so last week was no fluke.

Recommended Tournament Win Five Pack at the Waste Management Phoenix Open.
All for 1 Unit

Rickie Fowler (+1,600)

Phil Mickelson (+2,200)

Hunter Mahan (+2,500)

Bo Van Pelt (+3,500)

Josh Teater (+7,000)

2012 Record to date after 36 events: +51.6 Units
2013 Record to date after 4 events: -11.5 Units

Hyundai Tournament of Champions -5 Units
Sony Open in Hawaii -5 Units
Humana Challenge - 5 Units
Farmer Insurance Open +3.5 Units

[Can'tPickAWinner]

THE GOLD SHEET

THURSDAY, JANUARY 31

★★★KEY RELEASES★★★
GONZAGA by 24 over Loyola Marymount

GEORGE MASON over Drexel by 1 to 3—11-DRE -4 60-53
JAMES MADISON over Hofstra by 4 to 6—11-Jmu +2' 62-60, Hof +3' 71-69
PROVIDENCE over Connecticut by 3 to 5 —11-PROV +5 72-70 CABLETV—ESPN2

MICHIGAN ST. 69 - Illinois 52—With perimeter-oriented Illlinois living and
mostly dying from the 3-point line in Big Ten play, support defensively-fierce &
resilient conference contender MSU (38% FGs, 60 ppg), which is 6-2 vs. the
spread its last 8 following a SU loss. You can be sure 6-1 jr. Spartan floor
general Keith Appling (13.5 ppg, 4.1 apg) can’t wait to return to the hardwood
after scoring a season-low 3 points before an early exit (played only 19
minutes!) in Michigan State’s spread-covering 75-70 defeat at Indiana Sunday.
MSU players won’t need any motivational speech from HC Tom Izzo after
recalling a season-worst 24% FGs in LY’s unsightly 42-41 upset loss at
Champaign-Urbana. Illinois is a bankroll-zapping 4-19 vs. the spread its last 23
in Big Ten action. 11-ILL +1' 42-41 CABLE TV—ESPN2

FLORIDA ATLANTIC over La.-Monroe by 8 to 11—12-ULM +5' 65-64; 11-FAU -13 58-30
Middle Tenn. St. over FLORIDA INTL. by 7 to 10—12-MTS -16' 69-52; 11-MTS -17' 71-66, Mts -10' 70-59

New Mexico St. 73 - TEXAS ST. 58—Regional sources were suggesting it
was only a matter of time before Marvin Menzies’ international NMSU roster
began to coagulate and start to dominate its limited WAC opposition; the Ags
have now won their last seven and have covered their last four, with 6-8 French
physical specimen Bandja Sy (17.2 ppg) emerging as a force in the paint and 7-
5 (!), 355-lb. Canadian RS frosh monster Sim Bhullar (shades of Andre The
Giant!) making enhanced contributions, each taking some of the scoring burden
off a pair of other Toronto Maple Leaf fans—Ontario products skywalking soph
G Daniel Mullings (14.5 ppg) and sr. swingman Tyrone Watson (11 ppg). Road
teams have covered the last nine Texas State games! 12-NMS -15 78-67; 11-DNP

LA.-LAFAYETTE over North Texas by 3 to 5—12-Ull +8' 80-76; 11-ULL -5 64-62, Ull +6 57-53, Unt -3' 65-62 (CT-neut.)

ARKANSAS ST. over South Alabama by 5 to 7—12-Asu +3' 63-54; 11-USA -3' 74-57

Denver 67 - UTSA 52—Another “wacky” WAC trend worth noting is how
road teams are 8-0-1 vs. the number the last nine UTSA games, while Joe
Scott’s value-laden Denver has covered 5 of last 6 overall. The seasoned
Pioneers (paced by srs. F Chris Udofia & G Case Hallam) have not been
spooked on the conference trail, and Denver getting an extra boost in recent
weeks from 6-5 soph sharpshooter Brett Olson (13.3 ppg last three; 50%
beyond the arc in those games). Nore Pioneers “under” 6-2 last eight. 12-DEN
-15' 75-50; 11-DNP

Wis-Green Bay 69 - ILL.-CHICAGO 64—Though up-and-down UIC is
coming off a 55-49 upset win at Horizon challenger Wright State on Saturday,
unconvinced the undersized, erratic-shooting Flames (39% FGs) can duplicate
that stingy defensive effort vs. inside-oriented Green Bay. The Phoenix’ highlyproductive
bigs—7-1 C Alec Brown (12.6 ppg, 6.7 rpg) & 6-9, 265-pound F
Brennan Cougill (11.5 ppg, 6.2 rpg)—are effectively working in tandem in a highlow
post attack, while excited 5-10 soph G Keifer Sykes (Chicago native; 15.3
ppg; 42% from the arc) keeps ICU from collapsing in the paint area. The
aforementioned Brown is chomping at the bit after scoring 21 (including 2 of 3
from the arc!) & blocking 4 shots in Green Bay’s 53-47 home series win Jan. 12.
Have faith the Phoenix nab their first win as a visitor this campaign. 12-WGB -
7 53-47; 11-WGB -13 71-68, Wgb -3' 71-63

IOWA 81 - Penn St. 57—Since this is Iowa’s only home game over a threeweek
period, inclined to lay the lumber vs. offensively-challenged Penn State
squad generating a meager 50 ppg away from “Happy Valley.” Hawkeyes’ top
two scorers 6-6 G Roy Devyn Marble (14.4 ppg) & 6-8 soph Aaron White (13.4
ppg, 6.1 rpg) figure to bounce back with more formful performances after
combining for only 6 of 22 from the field in a tight 65-62 OT loss at improving
Purdue on Sunday. Fran McCaffery’s Iowa squad is a profitable 17-7 vs. the
spread at Carver-Hawkeye Arena L1+Ys. 11-IOWA -6' 77-64, PSU -3 69-64
CABLE TV—ESPNU

WESTERN KENTUCKY 68 - Troy 67—We would need to get a very
favorable number in order to support Ray Harper’s WKU, which has dropped 6
of its last 7 vs. the number. Troy (5-1 vs. spread last six) and its 4-G lineup has
been offering much better value lately. 12-Wky -5 75-71; 11-Troy +4 67-65,
TROY -1 83-77

Butler over SAINT LOUIS by 1 to 3—11-DNP
ALABAMA 74 - Arkansas 63—Alabama missed a golden chance to
maintain momentum after last week’s home win over Kentucky by stubbing its
toe on Saturday at Tennessee, with the Tide hurting its chances by making only
5 of 11 FTs. But Bama should bounce back in Tuscaloosa, simply because
visiting Arkansas has proven it can’t play on road (winless in all six away from
Bud Walton, and no covers last three, including embarrassing Saturday loss at
South Carolina). Mike Anderson’s pressure game not working as well away
from Fayetteville, and the Tide has the athletes and ball-handlers to cope with
Arkansas’ pressing tactics. 11-ALA -11' 72-66, Ala +2 79-68 CABLE TV—ESPN2

Arizona over WASHINGTON by 1 to 3—11-Was +5 69-67, WAS -3 79-70CABLE TV—ESPN

Oregon St. 65 - CALIFORNIA 64—Situation becoming desperate for Craig
Robinson’s OSU, which has notched only one Pac-12 win to date. But even
though the Beavers are losing SU lately, they’ve still covered four of their last
five. By now it is obvious that Mike Montgomery’s Cal side is dangerously
imbalanced, with no consistent interior scoring threats, forced to relying almost
solely upon Gs Allen Crabbe (Pac-12 leading 20 ppg) and former Minnesota
transfer Justin Cobbs (14.7 ppg). Bears just 3-9 last 12 vs. spread, also “under”
8-2 last 10 as well. 11-OSU -2 92-85, CAL -9' 77-63 CABLE TV—ESPNU

Byu 73 - PEPPERDINE 69—With Pepperdine’s underrated G duo of 6-2 sr.
Lorne Jackson (14.4 ppg) & 6-4 soph Jordan Baker (11.8 ppg, poured in 41 in
last 2 tilts) in a shooting groove, points worth considering with the Waves,
who’re 3-0-1 as a home underdog this term. Pepperdine determined to play 40
full minutes after getting outscored 46-16 in the second half of a 76-51 setback
in Provo Jan. 10. Cougs playing third straight away game for the first time this
season. 12-BYU -18 76-51; 11-Byu -13 77-64, BYU -18' 86-48

SANTA CLARA 81 - Portland 63—Note that SCU has offered much better
value on the road (7-1 vs. the line) than at the Leavey Center (where the Broncos
have covered only 1 of last 8 this season). But tech factors don’t make much of
a case for Portland (no covers last four, or six of last seven overall), either. Eric
Reveno’s roster lacks dynamism and shot creators, so SCU can pull away if
shotgun G Kevin Foster’s three-pointers (he’s shooting more than nine of them
per game!) are falling as Broncos look to avenge UP’s hat trick from last season.
11-POR +3 84-74, Por +5 84-78, Por -1 74-70 (CT-neut.)

Hawaii 70 - UC RIVERSIDE 60—We’re going to consider Hawaii’s egg laid
last Thursday at Cal Poly as a one-off, because the Warriors recovered in time
to beat UCSB and the Thunderdome on Saturday and improve their mainland
spread mark to 4-1. Because Hawaii has had a few more days to adjust to the
Pacific Time Zone (the Warriors stayed in California after last week’s games on
the Central Coast), no reason Gib Arnold’s side can’t dominate limited UCR, as
it did on Jan. 5 at Honolulu, hitting 55% from the floor and 63% from beyond arc
in breezing to 76-61 win. Arnold now receiving quality contributions from
Nebraska transfer F Christian Standhardiner, who scored 31 in last Saturday’s
win over the Gauchos in Santa Barbara. 12-HI -11' 76-61; 11-DNP

SEATTLE 59 - San Jose St. 58—San Jose hasn’t won a game (5 straight)
since top scorer G James Kinney (20.6 ppg) was suspended earlier this month,
and the Spartans also have no covers last four. We’re hoping that new Spartan
AD Gene Bleymaier keeps this disciplinary development in consideration when
deciding the fate of capable and personable HC George Nessman, whose job
is reportedly on the line. But Nessman’s notorious scheming might be enough
to make the points work vs. low-variance Seattle, another WAC entry in whose
games the homecourt edge doesn’t seem to matter (road teams are 8-1 vs. the
line last nine Redhawks games). Cam Dollar’s Seattle doesn’t get enough
offense from its backcourt (former juco Prince Obasi the top-scoring G at a
mere 8.5 ppg). 12-SJS -6' 76-71; 11-Sjs (NL) 84-74

IDAHO 70 - Utah St. 58—Several tech trends of note in this season’s WAC
(check put our cover story), many of those involving go-with teams on the road.
In fact, would you believe the road team has covered the last nine Idaho games?
As for Utah State, however, it’s been go-against at any site lately, with the Utags
dropping their last seven vs. the line, and losing their last four SU since their first
(G Preston Medlin at 16.3 ppg) and third (F Kyisean Reed 12.1 ppg) leading
scorers went down with injuries earlier in the month. Chance for Stew Morrill
disciple Don Verlin to get one against his former mentor and to avenge USU’s
82-75 OT win at Logan back on Jan., 5 when the Ags were at full strength. 12-
USU -8 82-75 (OT); 11-IDA -2 57-54, USU -5' 67-50, USU -6 76-56 (CI)

CS FULLERTON 88 - CS Northridge 74—Northridge’s early-season
pointspread magic has disappeared more quickly than the Sacramento Kings’
defense, as Bobby Braswell’s Matadors have dropped 8 of their last 9 vs. the
number after considerable early-season pointspread success. Lack of a
defensive work ethic has punished CSN in the last month and was ruthlessly
exposed by a rampant CSF on Jan. 5 at the Matadome, where the Titans rolled
to an 105-86 romp, scorching the nets with 59% shooting (37 points from G D.J.
Seeley). Fundamentals no better for Matadors in rematch. 12-Csf +3' 105-86;
11-Csf -6 70-68, CSF -12' 87-76

★★★Gonzaga 76 - LOYOLA-MARYMOUNT 52—Gonzaga has endured
more than a few scares (and blemishes) in recent years at Gersten Pavilion. But
this season could be different, as LMU wild man HC Max Good lacks the
dimensions of the past few years with a roster that’s forced to do almost all of
its business from the perimeter. No wonder the Lions are only 5-11 vs. the
number in 2012-13. Major edge for Gonzaga in the paint, especially with
versatile 7-0 jr. starter Kelly Olynyk, and with extra size being provided by
rugged 6-9 Sam Dower and impressive 7-1 Polish frosh Przemek Karnowski off
the bench. Note four straight “unders” for the Zags. 11-Gon -10' 62-58, GON
-12' 78-59 CABLE TV—ESPN2

Arizona St. 61 - WASHINGTON ST. 59—Herb Sendek’s ASU has put itself
on the NCAA radar with last Saturday’s romp past UCLA. With a muchimproved
backcourt led by do-everything 5-10 frosh Jahii Carson (17.1 ppg),
versatile swingman Carrick Felix (15.1 ppg), and Liberty transfer Evan Gordon
(Eric’s bro; 11.1 ppg), the Sun Devils not likely to get rattled in the Palouse.
Especially since Ken Bone’s Wazzu side has been performing in an uneven
manner with soph G DaVonte Lacy in an extended shooting slump (just 11 of 50
from floor in Pac-12 play!) and not providing consistent support for main threat,
F Brock Motum (18.9 ppg). Note that ASU is 5-1 vs. line last six and also “under”
8-1-1 last 10 entering Pullman. 11-ASU +2' 71-67, WSU -9 72-50

NBA BASKETBALL

★★★ KEY RELEASES ★★★

★★★UNDER the TOTAL OKLAHOMA CITY 92 - Memphis 91—Round
One of potential Western playoff preview went to Memphis in a mild upset at
Chesapeake Energy Center on Nov. 14 in 107-97 Grizzlies win. Memphis
slowed Russell Westbrook (only 6 of 19 from floor) that night as Rudy Gay
erupted with season-high 28 points for winners. The recent template for road
success in this testy series was really established last season when the visiting
team won three of four meetings. But Thunder backers will argue that their
lineup rotation is more settled in late January than it was in mid-November, with
G Kevin Martin having fully embraced his sixth-man role since. Still, Memphis
defense (89.3 ppg) ranks near the top in points allowed, Grizzlies had covered
5 of last 7 away thru Jan. 27, and Thunder might have forgotten what he feels
like to play at home (where it hasn’t performed since Jan. 16) after subpar 2-4
road trip. All making for a compelling case in support of underdog Memphis.
Also note Grizzlies “under” 19-6-1 last 26 prior to facing Sixers on Monday night.
12-Mem +5' 107-97 (195); 11-Okc -1 98-95 (193), Okc -3 100-95 (193), OKC -
9 101-94 (193), Mem +7' 94-88 (196) CABLE TV—TNT

GOLDEN ST. 110 - Dallas 102—Dallas finally making some noise, winning
6 of last 8 SU and covering 8 of last 9 prior to last night’s game at Portland. Most
expected that the return of a healthy Dirk Nowitzki would began to pay dividends
for Mavs; while they struggled in the early days of his return from knee injury,
Nowitzki still wasn’t 100% in those games, and it was taking a roster full of new
additions since last season to get used to his presence. Dallas has also started
to win on the road, taking last two as visitor prior to last night at the Rose Garden
after dropping 9 of previous 10. Meanwhile, Golden State’s play has been back
and forth in recent weeks, but Steph Curry was scoring 25.8 ppg last five (prior
to Monday at Toronto) since missing a few mid-January games after reinjuring
his ankle, and Warriors did beat Mavs (though Dirk-less at the time) at
AmericanAirlines Center by 4 in OT on Nov. 19 when Curry poured in 31.
Warriors also solid 8-4 as Oracle Arena chalk, so we don’t mind laying a few
buckets with Mark Jackson’s crew. Note Mavs “over” 9-3 in January prior to last
night vs. Blazers. 12-Gs +5' 105-101 (OT-200); 11-GS -3' 111-87 (193), Dal -6'
112-103 (197), DAL -13 104-94 (201) CABLE TV—TNT

[Can'tPickAWinner]

POINTWISE

COLLEGIATE
BASKETBALL PROPHECY

THURSDAY, JANUARY 31 SCORE

COLLEGE KEY RELEASES
BUTLER over Saint Louis RATING: 3

(7:00) GEORGE MASON 64 - Drexel 57 (NBCS)
(7:00) JAMES MADISON 75 - Hofstra 68
(7:00) PROVIDENCE 71 - Connecticut 67 (ESPN2)
(7:00) MICHIGAN STATE 69 - Illinois 54 (ESPN2)
(7:00) FLORIDA ATLANTIC 68 - La-Monroe 60
(7:30) Middle Tennessee State 72 - FLA INTERNATIONAL 67

(8:00) New Mexico State 73 - TEXAS STATE 63
(8:00) LA-LAFAYETTE 76 - North Texas 71
(8:00) ARKANSAS STATE 64 - South Alabama 62
(8:00) Denver 67 - TEXAS-SAN ANTONIO 58
(8:00) Wisc-Green Bay 70 - ILLINOIS-CHICAGO 69
(8:00) IOWA 81 - Penn State 59 (ESPNU)
(8:00) WESTERN KENTUCKY 77 - Troy 66

(9:00) Butler 76 - SAINT LOUIS 68 (CBSC)
(9:00) Arkansas 71 - ALABAMA 70 (ESPN2)
(9:00) Arizona 73 - WASHINGTON 72 (ESPN)

(10:00) CALIFORNIA 67 - Oregon State 66 (ESPNU)
(10:00) Byu 78 - PEPPERDINE 63
(10:00) SANTA CLARA 75 - Portland 65
(10:00) Hawaii 67 - CAL-RIVERSIDE 66
(10:00) SEATTLE 74 - San Jose State 69
(10:00) Utah State 77 - IDAHO 74
(10:00) CAL-FULLERTON 85 - Cal-Northridge 82

(11:00) Gonzaga 76 - LOYOLA-MARYMOUNT 63 (ESPN2)
(11:00) WASHINGTON STATE 70 - Arizona State 66

BEST BETS: MICHIGAN STATE, BUTLER, MIDDLE TENNESSEE STATE,
OREGON STATE

NBA BASKETBALL

THURSDAY, JANUARY 31 SCORE

(8:05) OKLAHOMA CITY 102 - Memphis 101 (TNT)

(10:35) Dallas Mavericks 115 - GOLDEN STATE 111 (TNT)

BEST BETS: MEMPHIS

[Can'tPickAWinner]

WINNING POINTS

COLLEGE BASKETBALL

Thursday, January 24

Mississippi* over Tennessee by 15
People who take road underdogs that struggle to score, against home teams averaging
more than 80 ppg, set themselves up for two hours of ESPN TV misery and that’s all
we’ll say about this. Watch and see if we’re right or not.
MISSISSIPPI, 73-58

VCU over Richmond* by 11
Michigan* over Purdue by 16
James Madison* over Delaware by 6
Arkansas-LR* over Florida Atlantic by 7

***BEST BET
Virginia over Virginia Tech* by 16
First-season mess of a home side allowing more than 70 ppg, vs. relatively well-drilled
and fundamentally sound visiting outfit. You have Tech coming off an OT win and a
1-point win, each against weaker. Virginia is 0-2 SU and ATS on the ACC road, but
the losses bring focus for getting over that hump, and the first-loss was in Wake’s
home-cooked opener, then at a Clemson team that plays defense first. Va. Tech plays
defense in the future.
VIRGINIA, 68-52

Florida State* over Clemson by 2
After scoring only 36 points at Virginia, you’d have to worry about FSU’s ability to
separate from another good defensive outfit like Clemson’s, and then there’s the head
injury to reserve forward (22 minutes per game) 6’8’’, 240 Terrance Shannon to consider.
FLORIDA STATE, 59-57

UL-Lafayette* over Florida International by 5
Middle Tennessee over North Texas* by 8
South Alabama* over Western Kentucky by 7
Arkansas State over Troy* by 5

***BEST BET
Utah* over California by 14
Cal is a bunch of wimpy-burgers heading to Salt Lake elevation and into the doublerevenge
of the Utes. Leading scorer Alan Crabbe has been held to 20% to 50% of his
19.8 ppg average in the last three games. Their best big on the bench is a 35% freethrow
shooter. Their third guard Tyrone Wallace makes only 34% from the field. Utah
is 0-2 SU in Pac 12 home affairs, so they’ll be locked in for this and gained confidence
with a road win at Washington over the weekend, in which leading scorer Jarred
Dubois didn’t score until the final minutes but they still won by 9.
UTAH, 68-54

Arizona* over UCLA by 14
Since the Bruins could lose to #21 Oregon by 9 on their home floor, they can lose by
double-digits to #7 Arizona on the road, right?
ARIZONA, 81-67

***BEST BET
UNLV* over Wyoming by 22
Uh-oh. That 9-point first half that San Diego State had at Wyoming? It could be leveled
off with one big, half by UNLV as Wyoming ventures away from Laramie to face
an opponent that can abuse them with various size and/or bulk edges in various spots.
With senior guard Luke Martinez suspended, Wyoming hits the road without its leading
scorer (14 ppg, 42% on treys), a kid who also gets 2.1 steals per game. Coming in
angry off a loss at NCAA-side Colorado State makes the set-up even nicer for the
Neon Leon Rice’s Runnin’ Rebels.
UNLV, 71-49

Utah State* over Texas-Arlington by 9
Loyola-Marymount* over Pepperdine by 10

***BEST BET
Colorado* over Stanford by 19
Stanford beat Colorado by 20, and 24 points last season, yet Colorado won the Pac 12
Tournament. Go figure, right? Two aberrationally large losses need to be offset by an
aberrationally large win to help the world get back in sync, right? Stanford’s two Pac
12 wins have been against lily-livered road team Washington State, and wimpy-burger
Cal. Coming off the rivalry win, the Cardinal head to Boulder still shooting only
40.5% from the field (only 30.5% on three-pointers). Colorado has played four of six
Pac 12 games on the road so far and is due for a home biggie.
COLORADO, 76-57

Seattle* over Texas-San Antonio by 8
Idaho* over Texas State by 19

***BEST BET
Portland* over San Francisco by 11
Nobody in their right mind would take Portland after they just lost a pair of home
games by 22 and 22 to Gonzaga and St. Mary’s, right? But visiting USF – losers of 10
of their last 13 games -- isn’t Gonzaga or St. Mary’s, is it? Fact of the matter is that
Portland had played three WCC road games prior to those up-in-class, no-contest
home blowout match-ups, and is finally in their place against an opponent that can’t
overwhelm them. USF’s leading scorer is a 6’7” forward – big deal, right? – and their
most frequent three-pointer shooter Cody Doolin is hitting a miserable 25.8% on ’em.
PORTLAND, 68-57

Hawaii over Cal Poly-SLO* by 1
Hawaii will no doubt try to work its size edges (’Bows top three scorers are 7’0”, 6’9”,
6’8”) against a home team getting only 31 rebounds per game, 10 fewer than Hawaii
grabs. It might work, which would be unusual for Hawaii on the road, but sometimes
these things happen.
HAWAII, 68-67

Louisiana Tech over San Jose State* by 4
Cal-Davis* over CS Fullerton by 1
Pacific* over Cal-Riverside by 13

Cal-Santa Barbara* over CS Northridge by 9
When Northridge was 9-3 ATS, didn’t we say that they were probably on their way to
9-9 ATS? Yes, we did, and they’re now 9-8 ATS. Ha-ha. One more to go.
CAL SANTA BARBARA, 69-60

Arizona State* over USC by 1
Trojans – now with yet another head coach – are 2-0 ATS on the Pac 12 road so far
and Smokin’ Herb’s Sun Devils can’t possibly as good as their 3-2 conference record
looks.
ARIZONA STATE, 61-60

Gonzaga* over BYU by 12
The ’Zags can be a) happy they were in position to win at Butler despite flying in and
playing on very short rest, b) angry as all get-up after losing the game via sloppy play
at the end. Brigham Young often loses the games it figures to lose on the road.
GONZAGA,81-69

St. Mary’s* over San Diego by 18
In their 4-0 SU start to WCC play, San Diego played crap-crap-crap-crap. Now they’re
on the road against quality, which, last Saturday, resulted in a 17-point loss at BYU.
So, good luck to any prospective road dog backers.
ST. MARY’S, 78-60

[Can'tPickAWinner]

PLAYBOOK MARC LAWRENCE

COLLEGE BASKETBALL

MICHIGAN ST over Illinois by 21
Coming off last year’s 42-41 nail-biter over the Spartans in his
fi rst season at the helm in Champaign, John Groce takes his
Illini to East Lansing where Tom Izzo will have his 13th-ranked
team rested and ready for revenge. That 41-point output was
the lowest for an Izzo squad since 2008. And a rested Sparty
is a dangerous Sparty, as State is 7-1 SU and 4-2 ATS with 3 or
more days rest this season. Toss in Izzo’s sterling 90-60-2 ATS
career mark in regular season Big Ten games when playing with
3 or more days of rest, including 24-11-1 ATS with revenge,
and you’ve got the makings of a blowout in East Lansing (see
this week’s AWESOME ANGLE for more). After a 12-0 SU start
this season, Illinois has dropped fi ve of their last eight contests,
including a 2-4 mark in January conference action. Now, coming
off Sunday’s Michigan revenger, a situation where the Illini
are just 1-7 SUATS off the Wolverines versus .666 or greater
opponents, things could get ‘Groce’ at the Breslin Center.
Remember, it’s that time of the year – Izzo time in East Lansing
– so go with the green in order to grab the green.

FLA ATLANTIC over La-Monroe by 15
Middle Tenn St. over FLORIDA INT’L by 7
New Mexico St. over TEXAS ST by 5
LA-LAFAYETTE over North Texas by 1
ARKANSAS ST. over South Alabama by 4

Denver over TEX-SAN ANTONIO by 8
ILLINOIS-CHICAGO over Green Bay by 6
IOWA over Penn St by 21
WESTERN KENTUCKY over Troy by 12
Butler over SAINT LOUIS by 3

ALABAMA over Arkansas by 1
Arizona over WASHINGTON by 6
CALIFORNIA over Oregon St by 10
Byu over PEPPERDINE by 11
SANTA CLARA over Portland by 17

Hawaii over UC RIVERSIDE by 1
SEATTLE U over San Jose St by 10
IDAHO over Utah St by 7
CS FULLERTON over CS Northridge by 8
Gonzaga over LOYOLA MARYMOUNT by 7
WASHINGTON ST. over Arizona St by 4

NBA BASKETBALL

Thursday, January 31

OKLAHOMA CITY over Memphis by 8

GOLDEN STATE over Dallas by 4

[Can'tPickAWinner]

Mighty Quinn

Mighty missed with La Salle (-8 1/2) Wednesday.

Thursday it’s Michigan State. The surplus is 45 sirignanos.

[Can'tPickAWinner]

NBA

Hot Teams
-- Grizzlies won five of last seven games (4-4 AU).
-- Golden State won five of last seven games (8-4 HF). Mavericks won six of last nine games (5-1 last six AU).

Cold Teams
-- Thunder is 2-3 in last five games (9-5 last 14 HF).

Totals
-- Three of last four Memphis games went over total; Thunder's last three games stayed under.
-- Last five Dallas games, six of last seven Warrior games went over the total.

Back-to-backs
-- None

[Can'tPickAWinner]

CBB

-- Home side won 10 of last 13 Drexel-George Mason games; Dragons lost last four visits here, by 19-47-1-24 points. Drexel won three of its last four games, is 3-1 on CAA road, with only loss at JMU by 8. CAA home favorites of 6 or less points are 8-11 vs spread. Mason won last three home games, by 25-11-11 points; they're 2-2 as CAA home faves. Patriots are forcing turnovers 23.1% of time, #50 in country.
-- Providence won five of last seven games vs UConn; Huskies lost last three visits here, by 2-15-9 points. Friars are 2-6 in league, 1-3 at home, with home losses by 10-6-4 points. UConn covered four of its last five games; they're 1-2 on Big East road, winning by 7 at Notre Dame, with losses at Marquette by 6 in OT, Pitt by 8. Big East home teams are 1-16 vs spread in games where number is 5 or less points.
-- Home side won nine of last 11 Illinois-Michigan State games; Illini are 0-5 in last five visits here, losing by 6-10-6-10-4 points. Spartans won six of last seven games, are 2-1 as Big Dozen home favorite, with home wins by 24-10-3 points. Illini lost four of last five games; they're 1-3 as dog in league play, with last four losses all by 14+ points. Big Dozen home favorites of 10 or less points are 6-8 vs spread.
-- Middle Tennessee (-16) beat FIU 69-52 at home Dec 29, its fifth win in row over Panthers; Middle had 15 offensive boards in sloppy game- FIU had 23 turnovers, MT 25. Blue Raiders won last four visits here, by 5-3-9-11 points. Young Pitino has FIU 4-1 at home in Sun Belt, losing to USA by 11; seven of their last eight games were decided by 6 points or less. Sun Belt home underdogs are 14-4 against the spread.

-- Butler won 14 of its last 15 games, with only loss by point at LaSalle; they're 5-0 vs spread in A-16, 2-0 as underdog, 2-1 SU on road, winning at St Joe's/Dayton. Saint Louis is 3-2 in conference, 0-2 as home faves, losing in OT to URI, beating UMass by 8. A-16 home favorites of 6 or less points are 13-4 vs spread. Butler is 4-2 SU on road, with three of four wins vs top 100 teams- they've faced the #28 schedule.
-- Home teams won nine of last ten Arkansas-Alabama games; Hogs lost last five visits to Alabama, by 3-21-5-13-6 points. Arkansas is 0-3 on SEC road, losing by 18-12-21 points; home side covered five of their six league games. Crimson Tide's last three games were decided by total of 6 points; they're 3-0 at home in SEC, with three wins by total of 8 points. SEC home favorites of less than 9 points are 6-12 vs spread.
-- Arizona is 5-2 in Pac-12, with four wins by 9+ points, but they're 2-5 vs spread; they're 2-1 on Pac-12 road, losing at Oregon, winning by 10-17 at OSU/Wazzu. Washington lost last three games, by 9-8-5 points; they're 7-3 in last ten games vs Arizona, winning last three by 2-2-9 points; Wildcats lost last five visits here, by 9-5-6-17-9 points. Pac-12 home underdogs are 7-3 against the spread.
-- Home side won six of last seven Oregon State-Cal games; Beavers lost last three visits here, by 4-28-14 points. OSU is 1-6 in Pac-12, losing on road by 1-10 points at LA schools (2-0 as road dog). Underdogs are 5-1 vs spread in last six games. Cal split its two Pac-12 home games, beating Wazzu by 13. This is the first home game in 19 days for Golden Bears. Pac-12 home favorites of 7 or less points are 9-15 vs spread.
-- BYU is 3-0 vs Pepperdine in WCC play, winning by 13-38-25 points, winning 77-64 in visit here LY; Cougars are 3-1 on WCC road, winning by 4-18-18 points. Five of six WCC wins this year are by 17+ points. WCC home underdogs are 3-9 against the spread. Waves lost four of last five games; they're 1-3 at home in WCC, losing at home by 16-12-7 points. Pepperdine is 3-1-1 vs spread as a WCC underdog this season.

-- Gonzaga is 6-0 in WCC, winning road games by 16-7-22 points; they are 2-0-1 as road favorite, won 10 of its last 11 games vs LMU, winning four of last five visits here, with wins by 23-33-10-4 points. LMU lost its last four games, all by 9 or less points; they're were held to 53-57 in last two games, lost last two home games by 4-3 points. WCC double digit favorites are 6-4 against spread, 3-0 on road.
-- Home team won last four Arizona State-Wazzu games; Sun Devils are 0-2 in last two visits here, losing by 17-22 points, but this ASU team is better at 5-2 in league, splitting its two road games on Oregon trip (lost by 3 at Oregon). Coogs are 2-5 in Pac-12, 1-2 at home, with only win at home over Utah by 10- they're 0-5 in league scoring less than 71 points. Pac-12 home favorites of 5 or less points are 4-12 vs spread.
-- Iona (-8.5) beat Niagara 83-72 at home Nov 28, making 12-26 outside arc in game where Niagara shot 52% inside it. Gaels won last five series games, with four wins by 11+ points. Eagles lost last four visits here, by 17-24-12-11 points. Niagara is 4-0 in MAAC home games, winning by 22-4-23-4 points; they've won six in row overall, Iona won eight of last nine. MAAC home teams are 7-12 vs spread if number is 5 or less.
-- Belmont (-9) rallied from 14 down in 2nd half to win at Morehead St last Thursday, 64-63; Bruins forced 20 turnovers, shot 64% inside arc, but were 11-21 at line. Belmont won its first eight OVC games, is 2-2 as home favorite, winning by 35-37-7-12 points. Morehead covered its last four games; they're 5-3 in OVC, losing league games by 3-1-7 points. OVC double digit home favorites are 5-10 vs spread.

[Can'tPickAWinner]

DCI College Basketball
The Daniel Curry Index

01/31/13 Predictions

Season
Straight Up: 2445-804 (.753)
ATS: 1063-1113 (.489)
ATS Vary Units: 3337-3558 (.484)
Over/Under: 291-278 (.511)
Over/Under Vary Units: 320-348 (.479)

Atlantic 10 Conference
Butler vs. SAINT LOUIS: TOO CLOSE TO CALL

Atlantic Sun Conference
EAST TENNESSEE STATE 65, Northern Kentucky 60
Florida Gulf Coast 76, NORTH FLORIDA 73
JACKSONVILLE 78, Stetson 76
USC UPSTATE 81, Lipscomb 66

Big East Conference
Connecticut 69, PROVIDENCE 67

Big Sky Conference
Montana 76, PORTLAND STATE 67
Montana State 74, EASTERN WASHINGTON 73
NORTHERN COLORADO 69, Idaho State 60
SOUTHERN UTAH 68, Sacramento State 65
Weber State 75, NORTH DAKOTA 68

Big Ten Conference
IOWA 75, Penn State 56
MICHIGAN STATE 71, Illinois 57

Big West Conference
CAL STATE FULLERTON 91, Cal State Northridge 78
Hawai'i 72, UC RIVERSIDE 69

Colonial Athletic Association
GEORGE MASON 63, Drexel 56
JAMES MADISON 65, Hofstra 53

Horizon League
Green Bay 58, UIC 57

Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference
CANISIUS 66, Loyola (Md.) 65
NIAGARA 83, Iona 81
SAINT PETER'S 64, Marist 61

Northeast Conference
Bryant 77, FAIRLEIGH DICKINSON 70
LONG ISLAND 87, Saint Francis (Pa.) 68
MONMOUTH 76, Central Connecticut State 73
Quinnipiac vs. MOUNT ST. MARY'S: TOO CLOSE TO CALL
Robert Morris 73, ST. FRANCIS (N.Y.) 70
WAGNER 73, Sacred Heart 66

Ohio Valley Conference
BELMONT 82, Morehead State 63
Eastern Kentucky 78, UT MARTIN 63
TENNESSEE STATE 71, Tennessee Tech 59

Pacific-10 Conference
Arizona 71, WASHINGTON 67
CALIFORNIA 75, Oregon State 68
WASHINGTON STATE 65, Arizona State 62

Southeastern Conference
ALABAMA 69, Arkansas 62

Southern Conference
DAVIDSON 77, Samford 58
Elon 77, UNC GREENSBORO 72
Georgia Southern 61, FURMAN 60
Wofford 63, THE CITADEL 57

Southland Conference
CENTRAL ARKANSAS 76, Southeastern Louisiana 72
Northwestern State 84, LAMAR 69
ORAL ROBERTS 79, Nicholls State 63

Summit League
NORTH DAKOTA STATE 75, Kansas City 52
OMAHA 75, Fort Wayne 74
SOUTH DAKOTA STATE 88, South Dakota 66

Sun Belt Conference
ARKANSAS STATE 69, South Alabama 61
FLORIDA ATLANTIC 68, Ulm 56
Middle Tennessee 70, FAIRLEIGH DICKINSON 62
North Texas vs. UL LAFAYETTE: TOO CLOSE TO CALL
WESTERN KENTUCKY 68, Troy 61

West Coast Conference
Byu 76, PEPPERDINE 64
Gonzaga 81, LOYOLA MARYMOUNT 62
SANTA CLARA 76, Portland 59

Western Athletic Conference
Denver 68, UT SAN ANTONIO 56
IDAHO 70, Utah State 66
New Mexico State 78, TEXAS STATE 68
SEATTLE 74, San Jose State 68

[Can'tPickAWinner]

DCI Pro Basketball
The Daniel Curry Index

01/31/13 Predictions

Season
Straight Up: 436-219 (.666)
ATS: 336-332 (.503)
ATS Vary Units: 959-881 (.521)
Over/Under: 348-322 (.519)
Over/Under Vary Units: 516-467 (.525)

OKLAHOMA CITY 101, Memphis 92
GOLDEN STATE 107, Dallas 102

[Can'tPickAWinner]

DCI Pro Hockey
The Daniel Curry Index

01/31/13 Predictions

Season: 38-20 (.655)

BOSTON 4, Buffalo 2
Washington vs. TORONTO: TOO CLOSE TO CALL
NEW JERSEY 3, N.Y. Islanders 2
Pittsburgh vs. N.Y. RANGERS: TOO CLOSE TO CALL
St. Louis 3, COLUMBUS 2
Winnipeg vs. FLORIDA: TOO CLOSE TO CALL
CALGARY 3, Colorado 2
LOS ANGELES 3, Nashville 2
SAN JOSE 3, Edmonton 2

[Can'tPickAWinner]

NCAA Basketball Picks

Arizona State at Washington State

The Cougars look to take advantage of an Arizona State team that is 6-15 ATS in its last 21 road games. Washington State is the pick (-3) according to Dunkel, which has the Cougars favored by 4 1/2. Dunkel Pick: Washington State (-3). Here are all of today's games.

THURSDAY, JANUARY 31 Time Posted: 6:00 a.m. EST

Game 505-506: Drexel at George Mason (7:00 p.m. EST) Dunkel Ratings: Drexel 53.150; George Mason 60.907 Dunkel Line: George Mason by 7 1/2; 127 Vegas Line: George Mason by 5 1/2; 122 Dunkel Pick: George Mason (-5 1/2); Under

Game 507-508: Hofstra at James Madison (7:00 p.m. EST) Dunkel Ratings: Hofstra 46.867; James Madison 57.346 Dunkel Line: James Madison by 10 1/2 Vegas Line: James Madison by 9 1/2 Dunkel Pick: James Madison (-9 1/2)

Game 509-510: Connecticut at Providence (7:00 p.m. EST) Dunkel Ratings: Connecticut 63.379; Providence 64.238 Dunkel Line: Providence by 1; 139 Vegas Line: Connecticut by 1; 135 1/2 Dunkel Pick: Providence (+1); Over

Game 511-512: Illinois at Michigan State (7:00 p.m. EST) Dunkel Ratings: Illinois 62.447; Michigan State 74.030 Dunkel Line: Michigan State by 11 1/2; 129 Vegas Line: Michigan State by 8 1/2; 133 Dunkel Pick: Michigan State (-8 1/2); Under

Game 513-514: UL-Monroe at Florida Atlantic (7:00 p.m. EST) Dunkel Ratings: UL-Monroe 43.809; Florida Atlantic 52.586 Dunkel Line: Florida Atlantic by 9 Vegas Line: Florida Atlantic by 8 Dunkel Pick: Florida Atlantic (-8)

Game 515-516: Middle Tennessee State at Florida International (7:30 p.m. EST) Dunkel Ratings: Middle Tennessee State 63.764; Florida International 56.717 Dunkel Line: Middle Tennessee State by 7 Vegas Line: Middle Tennessee State by 8 1/2 Dunkel Pick: Florida International (+8 1/2)

Game 517-518: New Mexico State at Texas State (8:00 p.m. EST) Dunkel Ratings: New Mexico State 61.474; Texas State 53.210 Dunkel Line: New Mexico State by 8 1/2 Vegas Line: New Mexico State by 7 1/2 Dunkel Pick: New Mexico State (-7 1/2)

Game 519-520: North Texas at UL-Lafayette (8:00 p.m. EST) Dunkel Ratings: North Texas 50.010; UL-Lafayette 50.486 Dunkel Line: Even Vegas Line: UL-Lafayette 2 Dunkel Pick: North Texas (+2)

Game 521-522: South Alabama at Arkansas State (8:00 p.m. EST) Dunkel Ratings: South Alabama 52.227; Arkansas State 61.572 Dunkel Line: Arkansas State by 9 1/2 Vegas Line: Arkansas State by 8 Dunkel Pick: Arkansas State (-8)

Game 523-524: Denver at TX-San Antonio (8:00 p.m. EST) Dunkel Ratings: Denver 62.365; TX-San Antonio 51.874 Dunkel Line: Denver by 10 1/2 Vegas Line: Denver by 8 Dunkel Pick: Denver (-8)

Game 525-526: WI-Green Bay at Illinois-Chicago (8:00 p.m. EST) Dunkel Ratings: WI-Green Bay 58.723; Illinois-Chicago 55.064 Dunkel Line: WI-Green Bay by 3 1/2 Vegas Line: WI-Green Bay by 1 Dunkel Pick: WI-Green Bay (-1)

Game 527-528: Penn State at Iowa (8:00 p.m. EST) Dunkel Ratings: Penn State 53.576; Iowa 66.421 Dunkel Line: Iowa by 13 Vegas Line: Iowa by 15 Dunkel Pick: Penn State (+15)

Game 529-530: Troy at Western Kentucky (8:00 p.m. EST) Dunkel Ratings: Troy 45.097; Western Kentucky 58.940 Dunkel Line: Western Kentucky by 14 Vegas Line: Western Kentucky by 11 1/2 Dunkel Pick: Western Kentucky (-11 1/2)

Game 531-532: Butler at St. Louis (9:00 p.m. EST) Dunkel Ratings: Butler 66.536; St. Louis 66.586 Dunkel Line: Even; 127 Vegas Line: St. Louis by 2 1/2; 122 1/2 Dunkel Pick: Butler (+2 1/2); Over

Game 533-534: Arkansas at Alabama (6:00 p.m. EST) Dunkel Ratings: Arkansas 60.117; Alabama 68.282 Dunkel Line: Alabama by 8; 128 Vegas Line: Alabama by 6; 132 1/2 Dunkel Pick: Alabama (-6); Under

Game 535-536: Arizona at Washington (9:00 p.m. EST) Dunkel Ratings: Arizona 68.462; Washington 64.962 Dunkel Line: Arizona by 3 1/2; 142 Vegas Line: Arizona by 5 1/2; 137 1/2 Dunkel Pick: Washington (+5 1/2); Over

Game 537-538: Oregon State at California (10:00 p.m. EST) Dunkel Ratings: Oregon State 55.641; California 65.157 Dunkel Line: California by 9 1/2; 138 Vegas Line: California by 7 1/2; 144 1/2 Dunkel Pick: California (-7 1/2); Under

Game 539-540: BYU at Pepperdine (10:00 p.m. EST) Dunkel Ratings: BYU 65.534; Pepperdine 53.957 Dunkel Line: BYU by 11 1/2 Vegas Line: BYU by 11 Dunkel Pick: BYU (-11)

Game 541-542: Portland at Santa Clara (10:00 p.m. EST) Dunkel Ratings: Portland 49.057; Santa Clara 64.683 Dunkel Line: Santa Clara by 15 1/2 Vegas Line: Santa Clara by 17 1/2 Dunkel Pick: Portland (+17 1/2)

Game 543-544: Hawaii at UC-Riverside (10:00 p.m. EST) Dunkel Ratings: Hawaii 51.842; UC-Riverside 48.170 Dunkel Line: Hawaii by 3 1/2 Vegas Line: Hawaii by 1 1/2 Dunkel Pick: Hawaii (-1 1/2)

Game 545-546: San Jose State at Seattle (10:00 p.m. EST) Dunkel Ratings: San Jose State 44.920; Seattle 54.258 Dunkel Line: Seattle by 9 1/2 Vegas Line: Seattle by 6 Dunkel Pick: Seattle (-6)

Game 547-548: Utah State at Idaho (10:00 p.m. EST) Dunkel Ratings: Utah State 52.292; Idaho 59.311 Dunkel Line: Idaho by 7 Vegas Line: Idaho by 5 1/2 Dunkel Pick: Idaho (-5 1/2)

Game 549-550: CS-Northridge at CS-Fullerton (10:00 p.m. EST) Dunkel Ratings: CS-Northridge 48.884; CS-Fullerton 55.585 Dunkel Line: CS-Fullerton by 6 1/2 Vegas Line: CS-Fullerton by 8 1/2 Dunkel Pick: CS-Northridge (+8 1/2)

Game 551-552: Gonzaga at Loyola Marymount (11:00 p.m. EST) Dunkel Ratings: Gonzaga 69.718; Loyola Marymount 54.602 Dunkel Line: Gonzaga by 15 Vegas Line: Gonzaga by 16 1/2 Dunkel Pick: Loyola Marymount (+16 1/2)

Game 553-554: Arizona State at Washington State (11:00 p.m. EST) Dunkel Ratings: Arizona State 61.339; Washington State 65.961 Dunkel Line: Washington State by 4 1/2 Vegas Line: Washington State by 3 Dunkel Pick: Washington State (-3)

Game 555-556: Georgia Southern at Furman (7:00 p.m. EST) Dunkel Ratings: Georgia Southern 46.524; Furman 48.856 Dunkel Line: Furman by 2 1/2 Vegas Line: Furman by 1 1/2 Dunkel Pick: Furman (-1 1/2)

Game 557-558: Wofford at The Citadel (7:00 p.m. EST) Dunkel Ratings: Wofford 48.387; The Citadel 41.677 Dunkel Line: Wofford by 6 1/2 Vegas Line: Wofford by 5 Dunkel Pick: Wofford (-5)

Game 559-560: Loyola-MD at Canisius (7:00 p.m. EST) Dunkel Ratings: Loyola-MD 55.654; Canisius 61.761 Dunkel Line: Canisius by 6 Vegas Line: Canisius by 4 1/2 Dunkel Pick: Canisius (-4 1/2)

Game 561-562: Iona at Niagara (7:00 p.m. EST) Dunkel Ratings: Iona 59.577; Niagara 61.286 Dunkel Line: Niagara by 1 1/2 Vegas Line: Niagara by 1 Dunkel Pick: Niagara (-1)

Game 563-564: Marist at St. Peter's (7:00 p.m. EST) Dunkel Ratings: Marist 43.049; St. Peter's 44.191 Dunkel Line: St. Peter's by 1 Vegas Line: St. Peter's by 3 1/2 Dunkel Pick: Marist (+3 1/2)

Game 565-566: Elon at NC Greensboro (7:00 p.m. EST) Dunkel Ratings: Elon 50.538; NC Greensboro 50.413 Dunkel Line: Even Vegas Line: Elon by 2 1/2 Dunkel Pick: NC Greensboro (+2 1/2)

Game 567-568: Samford at Davidson (7:00 p.m. EST) Dunkel Ratings: Samford 45.895; Davidson 62.981 Dunkel Line: Davidson by 17 Vegas Line: Davidson by 18 1/2 Dunkel Pick: Samford (+18 1/2)

Game 569-570: IPFW at NE-Omaha (8:00 p.m. EST) Dunkel Ratings: IPFW 47.570; NE-Omaha 43.202 Dunkel Line: IPFW by 4 1/2 Vegas Line: IPFW by 2 Dunkel Pick: IPFW (-2)

Game 571-572: Weber State at North Dakota (8:00 p.m. EST) Dunkel Ratings: Weber State 55.601; North Dakota 49.770 Dunkel Line: Weber State by 6 Vegas Line: Weber State by 7 Dunkel Pick: North Dakota (+7)

Game 573-574: UMKC at North Dakota State (8:00 p.m. EST) Dunkel Ratings: UMKC 41.497; North Dakota State 59.109 Dunkel Line: North Dakota State by 17 1/2 Vegas Line: North Dakota State by 19 1/2 Dunkel Pick: UMKC (+19 1/2)

Game 575-576: Morehead State at Belmont (8:00 p.m. EST) Dunkel Ratings: Morehead State 52.331; Belmont 70.443 Dunkel Line: Belmont by 18 Vegas Line: Belmont by 16 1/2 Dunkel Pick: Belmont (-16 1/2)

Game 577-578: Eastern Kentucky at Tennessee-Martin (8:00 p.m. EST) Dunkel Ratings: Eastern Kentucky 53.882; Tennessee-Martin 45.389 Dunkel Line: Eastern Kentucky by 8 1/2 Vegas Line: Eastern Kentucky by 10 Dunkel Pick: Tennessee-Martin (+10)

Game 579-580: Tennessee Tech at Tennessee State (8:00 p.m. EST) Dunkel Ratings: Tennessee Tech 43.036; Tennessee State 56.161 Dunkel Line: Tennessee State by 13 Vegas Line: Tennessee State by 10 1/2 Dunkel Pick: Tennessee State (-10 1/2)

Game 581-582: South Dakota at South Dakota State (8:00 p.m. EST) Dunkel Ratings: South Dakota 48.048; South Dakota State 65.551 Dunkel Line: South Dakota State by 17 1/2 Vegas Line: South Dakota State by 16 Dunkel Pick: South Dakota State (-16)

Game 583-584: Sacramento State at Southern Utah (9:00 p.m. EST) Dunkel Ratings: Sacramento State 47.608; Southern Utah 47.766 Dunkel Line: Even Vegas Line: Southern Utah by 2 Dunkel Pick: Sacramento State (+2)

Game 585-586: Montana State at Eastern Washington (9:00 p.m. EST) Dunkel Ratings: Montana State 42.565; Eastern Washington 47.761 Dunkel Line: Eastern Washington by 5 Vegas Line: Eastern Washington by 2 1/2 Dunkel Pick: Eastern Washington (-2 1/2)

Game 587-588: Idaho State at Northern Colorado (9:00 p.m. EST) Dunkel Ratings: Idaho State 41.745; Northern Colorado 48.776 Dunkel Line: Northern Colorado by 7 Vegas Line: Northern Colorado by 8 1/2 Dunkel Pick: Idaho State (+8 1/2)

Game 589-590: Montana at Portland State (10:30 p.m. EST) Dunkel Ratings: Montana 50.723; Portland State 47.517 Dunkel Line: Montana by 3 Vegas Line: Montana by 5 1/2 Dunkel Pick: Portland State (+5 1/2)