1-11-14

[Can'tPickAWinner]

Today's NHL Picks

Chicago at Montreal

The Blackhawks skate into Montreal tonight coming off a 3-2 loss to the Rangers and carrying a 24-9 record in their last 33 games after scoring 2 goals or less in their previous game. Chicago is the pick (-140) according to Dunkel, which has the Blackhawks favored by 2. Dunkel Pick: Chicago (-140). Here are all of today's picks.

SATURDAY, JANUARY 11 Time Posted: 9:00 a.m. EST

Game 51-52: Tampa Bay at Philadelphia (1:00 p.m. EST) Dunkel Ratings: Tampa Bay 11.836; Philadelphia 10.757 Dunkel Line & Total: Tampa Bay by 1; 6 Vegas Line & Total: Philadelphia (-140); 5 1/2 Dunkel Pick: Tampa Bay (+120); Over

Game 53-54: Florida at New Jersey (7:00 p.m. EST) Dunkel Ratings: Florida 10.682; New Jersey 12.310 Dunkel Line & Total: New Jersey by 1 1/2; 4 Vegas Line & Total: New Jersey (-155); 5 Dunkel Pick: New Jersey (-155); Under

Game 55-56: Chicago at Montreal (7:00 p.m. EST) Dunkel Ratings: Chicago 12.534; Montreal 10.330 Dunkel Line & Total: Chicago by 2; 5 Vegas Line & Total: Chicago (-140); 5 1/2 Dunkel Pick: Chicago (-140); Under

Game 57-58: Columbus at Winnipeg (7:00 p.m. EST) Dunkel Ratings: Columbus 12.254; Winnipeg 10.753 Dunkel Line & Total: Columbus by 1 1/2; 6 Vegas Line & Total: No Line Dunkel Pick: N/A

Game 59-60: Ottawa at Nashville (7:00 p.m. EST) Dunkel Ratings: Ottawa 11.696; Nashville 10.519 Dunkel Line & Total: Ottawa by 1; 6 1/2 Vegas Line & Total: Nashville (-135); 5 1/2 Dunkel Pick: Ottawa (+115); Over

Game 61-62: Colorado at Minnesota (8:00 p.m. EST) Dunkel Ratings: Colorado 11.113; Minnesota 12.553 Dunkel Line & Total: Minnesota by 1 1/2; 4 Vegas Line & Total: Minnesota (-135); 5 Dunkel Pick: Minnesota (-135); Under

Game 63-64: Anaheim at Phoenix (8:00 p.m. EST) Dunkel Ratings: Anaheim 10.909; Phoenix 11.817 Dunkel Line & Total: Phoenix by 1; 6 Vegas Line & Total: Anaheim (-125); 5 1/2 Dunkel Pick: Phoenix (+105); Over

Game 65-66: Pittsburgh at Calgary (10:00 p.m. EST) Dunkel Ratings: Pittsburgh 12.047; Calgary 9.700 Dunkel Line & Total: Pittsburgh by 2 1/2; 5 Vegas Line & Total: Pittsburgh (-190); 5 1/2 Dunkel Pick: Pittsburgh (-190); Under

Game 67-68: Boston at San Jose (10:30 p.m. EST) Dunkel Ratings: Boston 11.734; San Jose 10.811 Dunkel Line & Total: Boston by 1; 6 Vegas Line & Total: San Jose (-155); 5 1/2 Dunkel Pick: Boston (+135); Over

Game 69-70: Detroit at Los Angeles (10:30 p.m. EST) Dunkel Ratings: Detroit 10.089; Los Angeles 11.666 Dunkel Line & Total: Los Angeles by 1 1/2; 4 Vegas Line & Total: Los Angeles (-190); 5 Dunkel Pick: Los Angeles (-190); Under

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ATS Lock Club

4* Under Saints

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Denver Money

1* Tampa Bay Lightning +120

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Vegas Sports Informer
4* Under Saints

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ArlonSports

cbb

1* Marquette -10.5
1* N Carolina +7.5
1* Connecticut -11.5
1* St Marys -8.5
1* Florida Intl +15.5
1* Illinois St -7

[Can'tPickAWinner]

atslocks

UNC WILMINGTON +9.5

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NCAAB

Saturday, January 11

Saint Louis won six of last eight games with Dayton; they lost here LY in OT, are 2-5 in last seven trips here. Billikens won last seven games, are 5-0 on road, but only one of those five foes is in top 150.Dayton has not played in week, since OT win over Ole Miss; this is their first A-13 game of season. SLU is 2-2 vs top 100 teams, 0-2 vs top 5 teams, losing to Wisconsin-Wichita State.

North Carolina lost first two ACC games by six points each, scoring 62 ppg; they get only 13.6% of points from arc, last in country, but they're 3-0 vs top 20 teams, 7-5 vs everyone else- they've played their best vs best opponents. Syracuse is 7-0 vs top 100 teams; they're #5 in country at forcing turnovers (25.2% of time). How does a team that doesn't like to shoot from outside score vs 2-3 zone?

Iowa State won four of last five games with Oklahoma, but they're 1-5 in last six visits to Norman, with only win two years ago. Cyclones are 2-0 in true road games, winning by 2 at BYU, 11 at Texas Tech; they shoot 57.9% inside arc (#2), have 56.6eFG% (#5). Sooners lost last two home games, to La Tech/Kansas; they're 0-3 vs top 50 teams, losing by 11-4-7 points. Oklahoma lost to Kansas despite being 29-36 on foul line.

Florida is 1-2 in true road games, losing by 6 at Wisconsin, 1 at UConn with rout at Jacksonville; Gators are without Prather here- they're 9-2 in last 11 games with Arkansas- former Hog coach Pelphrey is an assistant for Florida. Hogs are 9-0 at home with wins over SMU/Clemson; they're #6 in US, forcing turnovers 25.1% of time. Arkansas lost at Texas A&M by 16 in SEC opener, snapping 7-game winning streak.

Kansas is 21-3 in its last 24 games with K-State, winning last seven here by 14+ points; Jayhawks lost last home game to San Diego State, then won by 7 at Oklahoma in Big X opener. Wildcats opened 2-3, won ten in row since, winning by 18 at TCU in first true road game this season. K-State forces turnovers 21.2% of time; they held nine of last ten foes to 62 or less points.

Duke won its last five games with Clemson, winning by 13-7 in its last two visits to Littlejohn; Blue Devils lost by hoop at Notre Dame in its only true road game this year- their last five wins are all by 17+. Tigers had 18 turnovers, 15 hoops in ugly 56-41 home loss to Florida State on Thursday, their first loss this year by more than 6 points. Clemson is #1 in country defending arc- teams make 23.8% from arc against them.

Michigan State is 13-2 in last 15 games with Minnesota, winning last 9+ games played here, with last three by 9-16-11 points. Spartans come off OT win over Ohio State, when they blew 17-point lead with 7:10 left, but still won; their last five wins before that were all by 14+. Minnesota is 2-1 in league, with all three games decided by exactly 3 points. Double digit favorites are 5-0 vs spread in Big Dozen play so far this season.

Vanderbilt threw its PG/leading scorer off team yesterday; he didn't play in 68-63 loss at Alabama Wednesday. Vandy was already committing a turnover 21.2% of time- they're 6-5 in last 11 games, with none of losses by more than 8 points. Knetucky is 9-2 in last 11 games vs Vandy, 3-3 in last six visits here, with wins by 13-2-2 points. Wildcats lost by 5 at North Carolina in their only true road game this season.

Oklahoma State swept West Virginia by 16-14 points in LY's games, in Mountaineers' first year in Big X; Cowboys are 1-1 in true road games this year, winning by 26 at USF, losing by 3 at K-State. West Virginia lost last two home games by total of 7 points to Gonzaga/Purdue- they swept first conference road trip, at TCU/Texas Tech. Home underdogs are 1-4-1 vs spread early in Big X play this year.

Virginia won last five regular season games with NC State but lost to the Wolfpack in last two ACC tourneys; Cavaliers won last two visits here- three of last four series games were decided by 3 or less points. Virginia won first two ACC games by 12-23 points, with win at Florida St, after they lost by 35 at Tennessee. NC State won at Notre Dame after they g lost by 12 to Pitt in ACC home opener.

St Mary's gets coach Bennett (suspension) back here after losing its last game on buzzer beater to Santa Clara; Gaels are 2-5 in last seven games vs D-I teams, after starting year 9-0. San Francisco is 4-1 in WCC with couple OT wins and 69-41 loss at Gonzaga; Dons lost last 16 games vs St Mary's, losing last 10+ here, last four by 16-14-15-6. WCC home favorites of 4+ points are 5-8 vs spread so far this season.

Oregon State is honoring Gary Payton at this game, should have good crowd after upsetting Stanford here Thursday; Beavers lost five of last six games with Cal, losing last year's pair by total of 4 points. Cal won first two Pac-12 games by 7-13 points at Stanford/Oregon- they're good halfcourt defensive team with Solomon back healthy. Bears are 5-3 in last eight visits here, winning two of last three.

Eastern Kentucky swept Morehead State by 7-21 points LY, after going 2-10 in previous dozen series games, but Colonels allowed average of 79 ppg in 1-2 OVC start, losing last two games to Edwardsville/Murray St. Teams are shooting 54.1% inside arc against EKU. Morehead won by 7-8 in its first two OVC tilts, both on road; they force turnovers 22.9% of time (#14 in US). OVC single digit home favorites are 5-3 vs spread.

[Can'tPickAWinner]

Al DeMarco

5 Dime Trifecta
Seahawks
Pitt
Butler

[Can'tPickAWinner]

NHL

Saturday, January 11

Hot teams
-- Flyers won seven of their last eight games. Tampa Bay won last three road games, allowing four goals.
-- Senators won four of their last five games.
-- Blue Jackets won three of their last four games.
-- Minnesota won its last four games, allowing six goals.
-- Anaheim won its last five games, allowing 24 goals.
-- Penguins won five of their last seven games.
-- Sharks won their last six home games.

Cold teams
-- Montreal lost four of its last six games. Blackhawks lost three of their last four games.
-- Devils lost three of last four games. Florida lost five of its last eight games.
-- Nashville lost four of its last five games.
-- Winnipeg lost its last four games, allowing 18 goals.
-- You're reading www.***************.com
-- First road game in 15 days for Colorado, which lost last four away games.
-- Coyotes lost six of their last eight games.
-- Flames lost six of their last seven games.
-- Red Wings lost three of their last four games. Kings lost six of last eight.
-- Boston lost four of its last five road games.

Totals
-- Five of last six Lightning games went over the total.
-- Four of last five Chicago games stayed under total.
-- Under is 5-1-1 in last seven New Jersey games.
-- Over is 7-2-1 in last ten Ottawa games.
-- Seven of last ten Columbus games went over total.
-- Over is 7-3-1 in last eleven Colorado games.
-- Last five Anaheim games went over the total.
-- Six of last seven Pittsburgh games went over.
-- Over is 3-1-1 in Detroit's last five games.
-- Four of last five Boston-San Jose games stayed under.

Series records
-- Flyers lost five of last six games with Tampa Bay.
-- Home side won last five Chicago-Montreal games.
-- Devils won four of last five games with Florida.
-- Predators lost three of last four games with Ottawa.
-- Jets lost six of last seven games with Columbus.
-- Minnesota won four of last six games with Avalanche.
-- Ducks won last four games with Phoenix, allowing eight goals.
-- Penguins won their last six games with Calgary.
-- Kings lost five of last seven games with Detroit.
-- Bruins lost three of last four games with San Jose.

[Can'tPickAWinner]

Unbeaten No. 2 Syracuse hosts UNC on Saturday
by Robert Livingston

Carrier Dome - Syracuse, NY
Tip-off: Saturday, 12:00 p.m. ET
Line: 529 North Carolina +7 vs 530 Syracuse


Giant killer North Carolina has a chance to beat its third top-five team of the year when it goes to the Carrier Dome Saturday to face No. 2 Syracuse for the first time as conference foes.

The undefeated Orange have jumped out to a 15-0 SU start with two wins against ranked opponents in Baylor and Villanova. As usual, Jim Boeheim’s 2-3 defense has been menacing this season, holding teams to 59.3 PPG (12th in Div. I), and forcing 15.9 turnovers per game (23rd in nation) on 9.5 SPG (12th in Div. I). They are 7-4 ATS overall this season, but only 3-3 ATS at home. The Tar Heels have now lost two in a row to weak teams in Wake Forest and Miami, falling to 5-8 ATS when favored. That has been their trend all season, with earlier losses to heavy underdogs Belmont, UAB and Texas. But they have shown a knack for beating some of the country’s best, Michigan State, Louisville and Kentucky, who are all ranked among the nation's top-15 teams. Both MSU and Louisville were double-digit favorites over UNC, which is 7-8 ATS overall and 1-2 ATS on the road. The last time these two teams met was on Nov. 20, 2009, when the unranked Orange stomped then-No. 6 North Carolina 87-71 at Madison Square Garden thanks to a 22-1 run to open the second half.

Though the Tar Heels average 77.7 PPG, they scored only 62.0 PPG on 35% FG and 19% threes (7-of-36) in their back-to-back losses to the Demon Deacons and Hurricanes. Their defense has allowed a pedestrian 68.5 PPG, but has limited opponents to a mere 38.7% FG (25th in nation) and 30.4% threes. Rebounding definitely is not the problem, as UNC averages 42.1 RPG (11th in Div. I) and outrebounded Wake and Miami by a combined 23 boards. Leading the offensive struggles in the past two games is the team’s top scorer, PG Marcus Paige (17.0 PPG, 4.4 APG), who went a combined 5-for-27 from the field (3-of-19 threes) in those two contests, totaling 16 points and six turnovers despite a solid 14 assists. He is a more natural passer than scorer, but has been forced to shoot more often this season (41% FG, 35% threes), though hopefully for head coach Roy Williams, that is less often the case now with SG Leslie McDonald (11.0 PPG, 34% threes) back in the swing of things after missing the start of the season. But after averaging 12.3 PPG on 46% FG in his first four games, he's been ice-cold in the past two with 8.5 PPG on 6-of-25 FG (24%) and 3-of-14 threes. PF James Michael McAdoo (14.4 PPG, 6.5 RPG) is the team’s second-leading scorer, and he’s averaging a double-double of 16.0 PPG and 10.0 RPG over the past three contests. C Brice Johnson (11.2 PPG, 6.8 RPG) and freshman PF Kennedy Meeks (7.1 PPG, 6.1 RPG) give him help down low, while swingman J.P. Tokoto (10.1 PPG, 5.7 RPG) can play the forward, but also stretch defenses with his willingness to shoot the three.

While Syracuse is lauded for it's great defense in the 2-3 zone, the offense is also pretty strong, averaging 74.1 PPG on 46.7% FG and 36.0% threes. The key to Syracuse’s success this season has been the stellar play of freshman PG Tyler Ennis (11.7 PPG, 5.6 APG) who has taken expert care of the ball with only 1.2 turnovers per game. He’s also a tenacious defender, forcing a team-high 2.6 SPG while sophomore G Trevor Cooney (13.9 PPG) joins him at the top of the zone, forcing 2.1 SPG. Cooney is a deadly three-point shooter, hitting 3.2 per game on a 45.3% clip. Senior PF C.J. Fair (17.2 PPG, 5.6 RPG, 1.6 SPG) is Syracuse’s top scorer, providing consistent production on the block and knocking down mid-range jumpers (46% FG). Ultra-athletic sophomore SF Jerami Grant (12.3 PPG, 6.1 RPG) paces the team in rebounding, where he also receives help from role players PF Rakeem Christmas (5.6 PPG, 3.9 RPG) and C DaJuan Coleman (4.3 PPG, 4.2 RPG), who could be critical against North Carolina’s strong rebounders.

[Can'tPickAWinner]

Vandy seeks signature win Saturday vs. No. 14 Kentucky
by Robert Livingston

Memorial Gym - Nashville, TN
Tip-off: Saturday, 3:30 p.m. ET
Line: 573 Kentucky -8 vs 574 Vanderbilt

In search of a season-defining win, Vanderbilt will host No. 14 Kentucky on Saturday afternoon, a team the Commodores have dominated ATS in recent years.

Vanderbilt has covered in five consecutive games (2-3 SU) against the Wildcats, three of which came last season. After losing two tight regular-season meetings to Kentucky by a combined six points, they rolled to a 64-48 blowout win in the SEC Tournament, sending the Wildcats to the NIT. This year’s Kentucky squad has three losses, but all to teams ranked at the time —Michigan State, Baylor and North Carolina— and recently had its first big win of the season when it took down then-No. 6 Louisville two games ago. One of the top rebounding teams in the nation (44.1 RPG, 6th in Div. I), the Wildcats are 6-6 ATS overall and 0-1 ATS in true road games (1-3 ATS in non-home games). The Commodores are coming off a 68-63 loss to Alabama in which they covered a seven-point spread, moving them to 7-5 ATS on the season. They are 6-1 SU (3-3 ATS) at home, but 0-5 SU (3-2 ATS) as an underdog. Vanderbilt has yet to play a ranked team this year, but begin a tough stretch against the Kentucky and No. 21 Missouri in its next two games. And they will play the rest of the season without leading scorer Eric McClellan, who was suspended because of academic reasons.

John Calipari’s Kentucky squad is averaging 81.1 PPG on 47.9% FG, but makes just 30.0% threes and has more turnovers (12.8 per game) than assists (12.7 per game). On defense, the squad allows a pedestrian 66.1 PPG, but limits opponents to 38.3% FG (19th in nation) and 30.7% threes. The team is once again dominated by freshmen, most notably double-double machine PF Julius Randle (17.4 PPG, 10.9 RPG). He has nine double-doubles already this season and shoots 56% from the floor, but he turns the ball over 3.1 times per game. Defensively, he gets major help from sophomore C Willie Cauley-Stein (9.0 PPG, 7.9 RPG) down low, who is averaging a ridiculous 3.9 BPG (5th in nation). In three meetings with Vandy last season, Cauley-Stein averaged 11.3 PPG, 8.0 RPG and 2.7 BPG. This duo is the reason why Kentucky ranks third in the nation with 14.4 offensive rebounds per game. The rest of the team’s double-digit scorers are all freshmen. PG Andrew Harrison (10.9 PPG, 3.3 APG) takes care of most of the ball-handling responsibilities, though he’s making only 38% of his field goals (32% threes). His twin, SG Aaron Harrison (14.0 PPG, 3.2 RPG) has been the better scorer and shooter (46% FG), though he’s making only 28% of his three-pointers and is 0-for-6 from distance in the past two games where he's committed seven turnovers with just four assists. Freshman swingman James Young (14.6 PPG, 4.6 RPG) may have more upside than either of them, averaging 22.0 PPG, 10.0 RPG and 4.5 APG over the team’s past two games, in which he recorded double-doubles in both contests.

This Vanderbilt squad is not outstanding in any particular way, averaging 70.2 PPG (236th in Div. I) and 37.4 RPG (100th in nation). On defense, the club gives up 66.5 PPG, but limits these opponents to 40.9% FG and a paltry 27.9% threes (12th-best in nation). It will be much tougher to score without SG Eric McClellan, who led the team with 14.3 PPG, adding 4.4 RPG and 3.2 APG. However, McClellan hurt the team from long distance (6-of-33 threes, 18%), and the Commodores were able to shoot 46% from the floor (6-of-13 threes) in their first game without him on Tuesday. Senior PG Kyle Fuller (10.0 PPG, 3.9 RPG, 3.7 APG) will have to be more assertive on the offensive end in his absence, and he did just that in Tuesday's loss to the Crimson Tide with 15 points on a season-high 10 field goal attempts (5-of-10 FG). The same can be said for junior SG Dai-Jon Parker (5.8 PPG, 3.9 RPG, 3.3 APG), who takes only 5.2 shots per game but is actually hitting an outstanding 45.2% of his three-point tries. This backcourt duo combined for 22 points, seven rebounds, four assists and just one turnover in Vandy's win over Kentucky in last year's SEC Tournament. Senior PF Rod Odom (13.8 PPG, 6.1 RPG) is now the team’s leading scorer, playing a hefty 35.0 MPG. Despite his 6-foot-9 frame, he’s actually the team’s best shooter, hitting 2.8 threes per game on a 46.3% clip. He's also coming off back-to-back, 20-point games and is also the only Commodores player averaging more than 5.0 RPG, which could pose problems against the beefy Kentucky frontcourt that can dominate the glass. Odom had a dismal 3-of-16 shooting performance against the Wildcats in Nashville last year, but contributed nine points, six boards and two blocks in the SEC Tournament win. He’ll need serious help from 6-foot-10 freshman C Damian Jones (10.7 PPG, 4.6 RPG), who is averaging 1.2 BPG. Jones is averaging 16.0 PPG and 3.5 BPG over the team’s past two contests and will be needed to body up against Randle and Cauley-Stein.

[Can'tPickAWinner]

WINNING POINTS

PRO BASKETBALL

Brooklyn over *Toronto by 2
After beginning the season with 21 losses in their first 32 games and hit with numerous
injuries, the Nets have been showing positive signs, including a stunning road win
at Oklahoma City earlier this month. The Nets have too many proud veterans to let
the season slip by.
BROOKLYN 98-96.

Houston over *Washington by 6
The Rockets have won and covered seven of nine this season when playing without
rest and hold a huge frontcourt edge with Dwight Howard. Washington entered the
first weekend of this month failing to cover five of the last six times when playing an
opponent with a winning record.
HOUSTON 109-103.

*Philadelphia over New York by 4
The 76ers came out of their West Coast trip last week shockingly hot winning four in
a row while scoring at least 111 points in three of those last four road victories. The
76ers also entered the first week of this month with a winning spread mark in the second of consecutive games.
PHILADELPHIA 112-108.

*Detroit over Phoenix by 5
The Suns have the better backcourt if Eric Bledsoe is 100 percent, but are playing in
their fourth road game in five days.
DETROIT 101-96.

***BEST BET
Milwaukee over *Oklahoma City by 1
Sandwiched between road games against Denver and Memphis, the Thunder might
take the Bucks for granted, especially after rolling past them, 92-79, in mid-November
at Milwaukee. The Bucks have gotten healthier since then while the Thunder are without Russell Westbrook, who scored a game-high 26 points against Milwaukee. The
Bucks' interior defense has gotten much tougher with Ersan Ilyasova and Larry
Sanders patrolling the middle. The Thunder have been far from dominant at home
since Westbrook went down.
MILWAUKEE 96-95.

***BEST BET
Charlotte over *Chicago by 4
The Bobcats have been outstanding as road 'dogs going 12-2-1 ATS in that role
through this past Thursday. The Bobcats had a rough stretch against Western
Conference foes getting out of their defensive pattern, but are in their element against
the Bulls, who continue to be racked by injuries and who had failed to cover in nine
of their first 16 games at United Center.
CHARLOTTE 94-90.

*Dallas over New Orleans by 8
The Pelicans are a fade on the road where they have gone 8-21-1 ATS through this
past Monday. The Mavericks have the scorers with Dirk Nowitzki and Monta Ellis to
take advantage of the Pelicans' shoddy road defense.
DALLAS 108-100.

*Denver over Orlando by 8
This contest marks Orlando's fourth of five straight road game and second in two
nights. Denver has beaten Orlando at home during nine of the past 10 times.
DENVER 100-92.

*Portland over Boston by 16
Blowout city. The Celtics were 1-6 ATS in their first seven games versus foes with an
above .600 winning percentage and are playing in their fourth road game in five days.
PORTLAND 107-91.

[Can'tPickAWinner]

POINTWISE

NBA BASKETBALL

(7:05) TORONTO RAPTORS 103 - Brooklyn Nets 93 _____ _____

(7:05) WASHINGTON 98 - Houston Rockets 94 _____ _____

(7:35) PHILADELPHIA 76ERS 113 - New York Knicks 110 _____ _____

(7:35) Phoenix Suns 101 - DETROIT PISTONS 98 _____ _____

(8:05) OKLAHOMA CITY 103 - Milwaukee Bucks 97 _____ _____

(8:05) Charlotte Bobcats 104 - CHICAGO BULLS 98 _____ _____

(8:35) DALLAS MAVERICKS 99 - New Orleans 94 _____ _____

(9:05) DENVER NUGGETS 119 - Orlando Magic 111 _____ _____

(10:05) PORTLAND BLAZERS 110 - Boston Celtics 90 _____ _____

BEST BETS
TORONTO (3)
CHARLOTTE
PORTLAND (1)

[Can'tPickAWinner]

LA Syndicate

Added

CBB Big Play Oregon State

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Kelso

25 units on New Orleans +8
25 units on Colts +7
10 unit two team parlay