1-25-09

**Mr. IWS** · 01-25-2009, 10:27 AM

Re: 1-25-09

ATS Sports Club
January 25, 2009

Soccer Back of the Net Winners:

England FA Cup
Arsenal vs. Cardiff City over 2.5

Italy Serie A
Lazio -160

Spain La Liga
Real Madrid vs. Deportivo La Coruna over 3

**Mr. IWS** · 01-25-2009, 10:45 AM

Re: 1-25-09

Seabass Steam: Double Play (200) Bulls +5

**Mr. IWS** · 01-25-2009, 10:57 AM

Re: 1-25-09

Jeff Benton
Sunday's hoops action ...
30 Dime: LAKERS (minus the points vs. Spurs)
10 Dime: MICHIGAN STATE (minus the points vs. Ohio State)

Lakers
If you don’t think the Lakers want to win this game and make a big-time statement in the process, you don’t know the NBA. It was 11 days ago when Los Angeles went to San Antonio and flat-out gave a game away, losing 112-111 as a three-point underdog when a stupid shooting foul by Derek Fisher allowed the Spurs to erase a two-point deficit by converting a three-point play. You better believe that Kobe Bryant and his teammates want to avenge that loss in a huge way in this nationally televised contest – by that I mean, a two- or three-point win isn’t going to cut it for the Lakers. They want to bury the Spurs, and behind their ultra-competitive superstar and rising big man, they’re going to do it as Los Angeles is playing tremendous team basketball.

After suffering a bit of hangover two days after blowing the game in San Antonio – they lost a six-point decision at home to the Magic – the Lakers have since come back to rip off three straight blowout double-digit wins over the Cavaliers, Clippers and Wizards by a combined 48 points. In those three victories, Los Angeles made 132 field goals in 254 tries – an impressive 52% – while holding the Cavs, Clippers and Wizards to a combined 45.4%. And if you go back to the loss at San Antonio and include the loss to Orlando, the Lakers are averaging 108.8 ppg on 50.2% shooting in their last five contests.

Meanwhile, after beating L.A., the Spurs won four of their next five games. However, they were hardly impressive doing so. After getting blown out at Philadelphia 109-87, San Antonio barely got past both the Bulls (92-87) and Bobcats (86-84) on the road, and although they came home and throttled the Pacers by 17 points on Tuesday, the Spurs nearly lost to New Jersey at home Friday (94-91 win). Over that five-game stretch – all against teams that are under .500 – San Antonio averaged only 91.6 ppg, shot 41.6% overall and a woeful 31.6% from beyond the arc. Conversely, those five opponents made 42 percent of their treys.

Also, San Antonio has had absolutely no success at the Staples Center recently. Including last year’s Western Conference Finals playoff series, the Spurs have lost five straight games on L.A.’s home court, going 1-3 ATS in the last four. And only once in those five games did San Antonio have to deal with Lakers big man Andrew Bynum, and that was last December – long before Bynum became a dominating force in the post. In his last two games, Bynum has combined for 65 points and 29 rebounds, and while you could question the competition (Wizards and Clippers), the fact is he did that damage while averaging just 31½ minutes on the court.

Bynum had 18 points in the Lakers’ loss at San Antonio earlier this month, but just three rebounds. After that game, you have to figure that coach Phil Jackson instructed his young pupil that he needed to be more of a force on the glass, and the 7-footer sure delivered with 15 boards against the Clippers and 14 versus Washington – his first back-to-back double-digit rebounding games since early December.

Bynum’s coming of age makes the Lakers incredibly lethal, because when he’s dominating, teams can no longer double Pau Gasol down low, and that opens the court even more for Kobe (not to mention Fisher and quality bench guys Sasha Vujacic, Lamar Odom, Trevor Ariza and Vlad Radmonvic, all of whom are playing great basketball).

Bottom line: The Lakers – who have scored at least 100 points in all but six of their 42 games including the last 13 in a row, and are averaging 109.3 ppg at home – have way too many weapons for the Spurs to handle. And that 112-point effort they put up at home against L.A. two weeks ago is not going to be repeated today. The Lakers are 5-2 ATS in the last seven meetings in this rivalry, 8-3 ATS in their last 13 games against the stout Southwest Division and 6-3 ATS as a favorite of less than eight points. Lay the points and watch L.A. win this one by at least 15 points.

Michigan State

After getting blindsided in a seven-point home loss to Northwestern earlier this week, expect the Spartans to bounce back in a big way this afternoon against an Ohio State squad that’s not nearly as good as its record. Prior to losing to Northwestern – a team it beat by 11 points on the road just 17 days earlier – Michigan State had won 11 straight games, including a nine-point home win over Ohio State on Jan. 6 as well as quality victories over Illinois (home), Minnesota (road), Kansas (home) and Texas (road). They had won their first five Big Ten contests by an average of 8.6 points per contest, including three wins (2-0-1 ATS) on the road, where Michigan State averaged 75 ppg.

Meanwhile, the Buckeyes are coming off a horrendous 67-49 loss at Illinois, which was their third double-digit loss in Big Ten play. Granted, all three came on the road, but all three came against the best conference foes they’ve faced to this point (Michigan State, Minnesota and Illinois). Also, Ohio State has played two conference home games, and the first was an uninspired three-point win over mediocre Iowa and the other was a blowout win over Indiana, which is far and away the Big Ten’s bottom feeder. The point: Michigan State is without question the best Big Ten team to visit Columbus so far. Not only that, but the Spartans are the best team period to play at Ohio State since West Virginia on Dec. 27. How did the Buckeyes fair against the Mountaineers that day? They got crushed 76-48 as a one-point home favorite.

West Virginia’s a solid basketball team, but it isn’t even ranked. On the other hand, Michigan State is rated the seventh in the country -- and the seventh-ranked team in the country is coming to Columbus extremely ticked off after what happened the other day against Northwestern. Is there any DOUBT that Tom Izzo will have his talented team ready to go today? Not in my mind there isn’t. After all, it’s hard to argue with this fact: The last six times the Spartans have lost a game going back to last season, they’ve come back and cashed in their very next game. They’re also 6-2 ATS in their last eight after not covering in the previous game, and they’re 5-0 SU in true road games this year and 5-1-1 ATS in their last seven away from home.

Throw in the fact that the road team has covered in nine of the last 12 meetings in this rivalry, with Michigan State going 5-1 ATS in its last six trips to Ohio State, and you have to absolutely love the Spartans in this one.

**Mr. IWS** · 01-25-2009, 11:20 AM

Re: 1-25-09

Vegas Sports Experts

The VSE Sunday Hoops Power Plays are:

VSE NCAA Power Plays

10* Take Ohio State (+3) over Michigan State (NCAA Power Play)

Ohio State
• 16-4 SU coming off two or more consecutive UNDER the totals
• 6-0 SU after scoring 50 points or less the last game
• 8-1 SU coming off two or more road games

-------------------------------------------------------------

5* Take Louisville (+2) over Syracuse (NCAA Bonus Play)

Louisville
• 8-1 ATS as a road underdog of 6 points or less the last 3 seasons
• 12-2 ATS in road games the last 2 seasons
• 5-0 ATS over the last 5 seasons

Bonus Hoops & NHL Plays are:

3* Take Denver (-6.5) over Utah (NBA)

**Mr. IWS** · 01-25-2009, 11:20 AM

Re: 1-25-09

ATS Sports Club
January 25, 2009

NBA Side Blowout Winner:

Boston Celtics -9

NCAA Hoops Total Winner:

Georgetown vs. Seton Hall over 147

**Mr. IWS** · 01-25-2009, 11:20 AM

Re: 1-25-09

Jeff Bonds | CBB Sides
triple-dime bet836 George Washington 5.5 (-110) BetUS vs 835 Rhode Island
Analysis:
***Locked in at 5.5***

We used George Washington as a double-dime play against Dayton this week and we're wheeling right back on the Colonials this afternoon.

This has been the GOLD MINE SPOT for this team over the past two years, as they are a PERFECT 6-0 as an A-10 underdog and face a team that is 1-11 ATS in the last 12 meetings - yet - more than 70 percent of the bets are on Rhode Island.

The Colonials are playing just their third home game in the past month and still have plenty of fight in them despite their lowly record. Their last three losses have come by a combined 11 points and they've covered the spread by four points on average over that span.

Let's take a home dog against a team that's already 0-2 ATS on the road in conference play.

**Mr. IWS** · 01-25-2009, 11:20 AM

Re: 1-25-09

Las Vegas Sport Picks

NCAA:

1* Syracuse -1.5
1* St. Louis -1.5

NBA:

1* Bobcats +3.5
1* Bulls +6
2* Celtics -9
2* Rockets +2
2* Suns +4

**Mr. IWS** · 01-25-2009, 11:36 AM

Re: 1-25-09

Jeff Bonds | CBB Sides
triple-dime bet836 George Washington 5.5 (-110) BetUS vs 835 Rhode Island
Analysis:
***Locked in at 5.5***

We used George Washington as a double-dime play against Dayton this week and we're wheeling right back on the Colonials this afternoon.

This has been the GOLD MINE SPOT for this team over the past two years, as they are a PERFECT 6-0 as an A-10 underdog and face a team that is 1-11 ATS in the last 12 meetings - yet - more than 70 percent of the bets are on Rhode Island.

The Colonials are playing just their third home game in the past month and still have plenty of fight in them despite their lowly record. Their last three losses have come by a combined 11 points and they've covered the spread by four points on average over that span.

Let's take a home dog against a team that's already 0-2 ATS on the road in conference play.

**Mr. IWS** · 01-25-2009, 11:37 AM

Re: 1-25-09

Bob Balfe

Indiana Pacers

**Mr. IWS** · 01-25-2009, 11:37 AM

Re: 1-25-09

Lenny Del Genio

Big East Game of the Month

Louisville

**Mr. IWS** · 01-25-2009, 11:50 AM

Re: 1-25-09

Erin Rynning
ohio st./playmaker
spurs/playmaker

**Mr. IWS** · 01-25-2009, 12:06 PM

Re: 1-25-09

Malinsky
6* Vandy

**Mr. IWS** · 01-25-2009, 12:06 PM

Re: 1-25-09

scott rickonbach

top play

14-3 season
6-0 last 6

yesterday usc winner

today

pitt
__________________

**Mr. IWS** · 01-25-2009, 12:07 PM

Re: 1-25-09

Billy Coleman

5* Pitt
3* Wichita St
3* Mich St
4* Under Boston
3* Bulls

1-25-09

1-25-09

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