Hello,
It is the last day of the month, and we are flying into February. A 3-0 night yesterday got us over 100 units, and we will look to build on that tonight. The NHL is back from its all-star break, so we will jump into some action there, as well as an NBA game and a college basketball game.
NCAAB
Ohio Bobcats -1.5 at Western Michigan Broncos
To be completely honest, I do not know much about either of these programs. I do remember the great D.J. Cooper, and how he helped send the #13 seed Bobcats to the Sweet Sixteen a few years ago. They pulled off a huge upset of #4 seed Michigan and then a minor upset over #12 South Florida. Outside of this, I am not that up to date. This pick is strictly a Kenpom and recent activity pick. Ohio is currently ranked at #101 in the Kenpom, while the Broncos are all the way down at #223. Also, the Bobcats defeated the Broncos earlier this season by a score of 89-58. The spread being so low does scare me a little bit, but I cannot ignore the Kenpom or their earlier meeting. Go with the Bobcats tonight in Kalamazoo.
NHL
Winnipeg Jets at St. Louis Blues Over 5.5 goals
I don't usually mess with over/unders in hockey, especially if the total isn't set at five goals. This game matches up a team that has been a sieve no matter who has been manning the cage against a goalie that has been sieve for the past month now. In Winnipeg's last nine game, there have been over five and a half goals seven times, and the two games it hit the under were against the Ducks and Kings, who have been playing grinding, low-scoring games all seasons. The Jets have tried to fix their defensive issues by calling up goalie, Ondrej Pavelec, but he has not been much help as the recent results have shown. The Blues are going to send out Jake Allen, who has been the worst goalie in the league this month. He has lost four straight, including getting pulled in his last three games, and during that span has a 6.05 GAA and .797 save percentage. I really don't think I ever seen worse numbers from an NHL goalie over any span of games in my life. The struggle got so real, the Blues literally sent him away from the team, so he could get his straight. Maybe the all-star break helped him, but I'm guessing it is going to take a while to clear the mental hurdle in front of him. Also adding to the over side, the two teams played about a week ago and combined for eight goals. I am really liking the over in St. Louis tonight.
NBA
Charlotte Hornets at Portland Trail Blazers -3.5
It has been a while, but bang bang. Bang bang. Bang bang. We got ourselves a late night hammer. Tonight, we head to Portland where we discuss probably one of the more obvious nicknames, the Trail Blazers. When the team entered the NBA, they held a fan contest to decide the name of the franchise. The most popular name in the contest turned out to be the Pioneers. However, a local college already had sealed up the name (not surprisingly, it was Lewis & Clark University), and the NBA franchise was forced to look for another name. After being spurned by the Pioneers, the team held a drawing between other names that were voted and got the Trail Blazers, which received 172 votes. According to executive VP at the time, Harry Glickman, the name helped "reflect both the ruggedness of the Pacific Northwest and the start of a major league era in our state" (Thank you old Blazers website). It was also the first time that the Blazers had been used by a professional sports team. Honestly, the name is tremendous as it does perfectly describe what the average person thinks about when they hear or see Oregon (Oregon Trail, hiking, forests). Also, it does perfectly describe how this sports franchise was ahead of its time in the Pacific Northwest and opened the door for other professional sports teams to locate in the Washington/Oregon area. So, props to the great people of Oregon, who were able to perfectly demonstrate pride in their state. In the game tonight, the Hornets have really struggled, losing four straight. The Blazers have been playing good ball recently, winning three of four, with the one loss coming by a couple points to the Warriors. Add to the Hornets struggles that they are flying cross-country to play this game, and I just think Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum will be too much for this downtrodden Hornets squad. Let's blaze the trail for a successful January and get a win in our last game of the month.
Yesterday: 3-0
Overall: 42-29-4 (+118 units)
Tuesday, January 31, 2017
Monday, January 30, 2017
Daily Three 1/30
Hello,
So yesterday was our first under .500 day since the Saturday debacle. I took a chance with two craphoot all-star games and faltered. My bad. Tonight provides us with a short slate but with some great opportunities to pounce. So, let's get to it.
NBA
Detroit Pistons +5 at Boston Celtics
Wow, am I really going to do this. I really don't know if I can. For newer readers, the Pistons and I have had a very rocky relationship. It all started when the Pistons blew a twenty point lead in the fourth quarter of a game against the Hornets. The spread in that game was -5 Pistons. They would go on to win by 2. From there, I consistently picked on them and it led to wonderful results. At first glance, it would be ridiculous for an unbiased person to take the Pistons on the road in Boston, let alone someone who has shown great disdain for the Pistons and their stupid nickname. However, in the game of sports betting, we must be able to forget about spurned opportunities and take gifts when they are given to you. In this matchup, the Celtics will already be without Amir Johnson and star 2 guard Avery Bradley. Also, Al Horford is questionable and with the spread at its current state, I would imagine that the books think he is not playing tonight. Despite missing a few key players, the public still believes that the Celtics will get the job done tonight. 66% of current spread bets are on the Celtics tonight. So, 2/3rds of the betting public believe that the Celtics will perform, which is an incredibly large portion. Now, here is the kicker, despite the great confidence in the Celtics from the public, the spread has dropped a full point from when it opened. This must mean there is some serious sharp money on the Pistons. All of the indicators are pointing towards the Pistons, so even though it pains me to do it, we got go all in with Detroit tonight.
NCAAB
Duke Blue Devils -1.5 at Notre Dame Fighting Irish
So, the Blue Devils have a long history of a white dudes playing villains for their basketball team. Bobby Hurley, Steve Wojciechowsk, Christian Laettner, Greg Paulus, JJ Redick, and I am nowhere near the end of the list. As I am sure you know, Grayson Allen is currently playing the role of Duke villain. While Allen is drawing the public's attention with his fiery play and childish antics, there is another white dude playing for the Blue Devils that you should probably start focusing you attention on. Luke Kennard is the sophomore sharpshooter, who is quietly leading the team in scoring. The man can just flat out shoot and is a solid rebounder. He also drained the game-winning three against Wake Forest on Saturday in a game they were totally outplayed in. Despite his skills, he is just annoying as any other white guy that has ever played for Duke. I mean look at this face. Ugh..... Anyway, we are dealing with the same betting metrics as the Pistons-Celtics game. Notre Dame is getting 3/5ths of the spread bets. Despite the public siding with the Irish, the spread has gone from a pick em' to Duke being favored by a 1.5. Virginia came into South Bend last week and laid a smack down on Notre Dame. I would not be surprised if the Blue Devils do the same thing.
Oklahoma State Cowboys -1.5 at Oklahoma Sooners
Every Monday, there are only two college basketball games in Power 6 that are commonly associated with ESPN's Big Monday. Yes, occasionally there is a weaker game that they put on ESPNU, but ESPN really wants you to watch a marquee ACC game in the early slate and then keep the tube on for an exciting Big 12 game right after it. Tonight, ESPN did not get very lucky with its Big 12 game. The two Oklahoma schools are a combined 4-12 in conference and have really struggled to live up to expectations. I bet ESPN is scrambling to get a rerun of that Federer-Nadal fifth set on instead of this intrastate rivalry. I mean seriously that Federer-Nadal fifth set was one of the more riveting sports' sequences I have ever watched in my life. The two greatest men to ever step on a tennis court just hitting consistent, powerful groundstrokes, chasing balls that most men cannot normally get to, and coming up with gigantic serve after gigantic serve when they needed to, it was just incredible. I know it is just a game between two people I have never met, but in such bleak times around the world, watching a match like that can really help you start to believe in magic again. Damn, anyway, this pick is strictly a Kenpom pick. Oklahoma State is ranked 22nd, Oklahoma is ranked 73rd. The spread just doesn't add up. Go with the Cowboys in the Bedlam Series.
Yesterday: 1-2
Overall: 39-29-4 (+91 units)
So yesterday was our first under .500 day since the Saturday debacle. I took a chance with two craphoot all-star games and faltered. My bad. Tonight provides us with a short slate but with some great opportunities to pounce. So, let's get to it.
NBA
Detroit Pistons +5 at Boston Celtics
Wow, am I really going to do this. I really don't know if I can. For newer readers, the Pistons and I have had a very rocky relationship. It all started when the Pistons blew a twenty point lead in the fourth quarter of a game against the Hornets. The spread in that game was -5 Pistons. They would go on to win by 2. From there, I consistently picked on them and it led to wonderful results. At first glance, it would be ridiculous for an unbiased person to take the Pistons on the road in Boston, let alone someone who has shown great disdain for the Pistons and their stupid nickname. However, in the game of sports betting, we must be able to forget about spurned opportunities and take gifts when they are given to you. In this matchup, the Celtics will already be without Amir Johnson and star 2 guard Avery Bradley. Also, Al Horford is questionable and with the spread at its current state, I would imagine that the books think he is not playing tonight. Despite missing a few key players, the public still believes that the Celtics will get the job done tonight. 66% of current spread bets are on the Celtics tonight. So, 2/3rds of the betting public believe that the Celtics will perform, which is an incredibly large portion. Now, here is the kicker, despite the great confidence in the Celtics from the public, the spread has dropped a full point from when it opened. This must mean there is some serious sharp money on the Pistons. All of the indicators are pointing towards the Pistons, so even though it pains me to do it, we got go all in with Detroit tonight.
NCAAB
Duke Blue Devils -1.5 at Notre Dame Fighting Irish
So, the Blue Devils have a long history of a white dudes playing villains for their basketball team. Bobby Hurley, Steve Wojciechowsk, Christian Laettner, Greg Paulus, JJ Redick, and I am nowhere near the end of the list. As I am sure you know, Grayson Allen is currently playing the role of Duke villain. While Allen is drawing the public's attention with his fiery play and childish antics, there is another white dude playing for the Blue Devils that you should probably start focusing you attention on. Luke Kennard is the sophomore sharpshooter, who is quietly leading the team in scoring. The man can just flat out shoot and is a solid rebounder. He also drained the game-winning three against Wake Forest on Saturday in a game they were totally outplayed in. Despite his skills, he is just annoying as any other white guy that has ever played for Duke. I mean look at this face. Ugh..... Anyway, we are dealing with the same betting metrics as the Pistons-Celtics game. Notre Dame is getting 3/5ths of the spread bets. Despite the public siding with the Irish, the spread has gone from a pick em' to Duke being favored by a 1.5. Virginia came into South Bend last week and laid a smack down on Notre Dame. I would not be surprised if the Blue Devils do the same thing.
Oklahoma State Cowboys -1.5 at Oklahoma Sooners
Every Monday, there are only two college basketball games in Power 6 that are commonly associated with ESPN's Big Monday. Yes, occasionally there is a weaker game that they put on ESPNU, but ESPN really wants you to watch a marquee ACC game in the early slate and then keep the tube on for an exciting Big 12 game right after it. Tonight, ESPN did not get very lucky with its Big 12 game. The two Oklahoma schools are a combined 4-12 in conference and have really struggled to live up to expectations. I bet ESPN is scrambling to get a rerun of that Federer-Nadal fifth set on instead of this intrastate rivalry. I mean seriously that Federer-Nadal fifth set was one of the more riveting sports' sequences I have ever watched in my life. The two greatest men to ever step on a tennis court just hitting consistent, powerful groundstrokes, chasing balls that most men cannot normally get to, and coming up with gigantic serve after gigantic serve when they needed to, it was just incredible. I know it is just a game between two people I have never met, but in such bleak times around the world, watching a match like that can really help you start to believe in magic again. Damn, anyway, this pick is strictly a Kenpom pick. Oklahoma State is ranked 22nd, Oklahoma is ranked 73rd. The spread just doesn't add up. Go with the Cowboys in the Bedlam Series.
Yesterday: 1-2
Overall: 39-29-4 (+91 units)
Sunday, January 29, 2017
Daily Three 1/29
Hello,
Yesterday we went 3-2-1, which is way better than last Saturday and also a winning day. A couple of breaks going our way, and it easily could have been a 5-1 day. Today, I just need to get this in, so the write-ups will be somewhat short. Today, we will hit an early NCAAB game and get in on the fun all star game action across two sports.
NCAAB
Michigan Wolverines at Michigan State Spartans -3
Today, the big in-state rivalry between the Wolverines and Spartans will take place. Both teams are having disappointing seasons so far. They have fairly similar Kenpom ratings with Michigan valued a little bit higher than Spartans. Most people are going to look at recent results and immediately jump on Michigan. They just demolished Indiana and made nearly every shot they took. The Spartans have lost their last three games and are starting to wonder whether their name will be called on Selection Sunday. Still, the one thing that Tom Izzo coached teams do well is win when they need to. Getting an archival in their backyard should fire up this team and maybe be the turning point we look back on in March when this team is playing into the second weekend of the tourney. Miles Bridges will ball out today and the Spartans will get a much needed victory.
NHL
Metropolitan vs Atlantic +115
Look, all-star games are normally crapshoots. Players aren't really going full speed and although they are the ultimate competitors, they aren't going to go out of the way to harm themselves or their bodies. In this situation, I am going to try to find the best value I can. I think the Atlantic division offers it here. The Metropolitan is currently the best division in the league. Sporting the Caps, Pens, and Blue Jackets, along with other solid hockey teams, the Metro division has a pretty good chance to be the home of this year's Stanely Cup Champion. Even though their teams are superior, the top players in the division aren't that much better than the best players in the Atlantic. In fact, the Atlantic really does have a better defensive corps and also they have the best goalie in the league, Carey Price. Take the value and erase the juice with the Atlantic Division in this year's all star game.
NFL
AFC vs NFC -4
AFC quarterbacks, running backs, and receivers: Andy Dalton, Alex Smith, Ben Roethlisberger, Melvin Gordon, Demarco Murray, Jay Ajayi, TY Hilton, Emmanuel Sanders, Jarvis Landry, Demariyus Thomas
NFC quarterbacks, running backs, wide receivers: Drew Brees, Kirk Cousins, Dak Prescott, Jordan Howard, Zeke, Darren Sproles, Odell Beckham Jr., Dez Bryant, Mike Evans, Larry Fitzgerald
Yeah, the NFC skill guys are much better. Take them.
Yesterday: 3-2-1
Overall: 38-27-4 ( +102 units)
Yesterday we went 3-2-1, which is way better than last Saturday and also a winning day. A couple of breaks going our way, and it easily could have been a 5-1 day. Today, I just need to get this in, so the write-ups will be somewhat short. Today, we will hit an early NCAAB game and get in on the fun all star game action across two sports.
NCAAB
Michigan Wolverines at Michigan State Spartans -3
Today, the big in-state rivalry between the Wolverines and Spartans will take place. Both teams are having disappointing seasons so far. They have fairly similar Kenpom ratings with Michigan valued a little bit higher than Spartans. Most people are going to look at recent results and immediately jump on Michigan. They just demolished Indiana and made nearly every shot they took. The Spartans have lost their last three games and are starting to wonder whether their name will be called on Selection Sunday. Still, the one thing that Tom Izzo coached teams do well is win when they need to. Getting an archival in their backyard should fire up this team and maybe be the turning point we look back on in March when this team is playing into the second weekend of the tourney. Miles Bridges will ball out today and the Spartans will get a much needed victory.
NHL
Metropolitan vs Atlantic +115
Look, all-star games are normally crapshoots. Players aren't really going full speed and although they are the ultimate competitors, they aren't going to go out of the way to harm themselves or their bodies. In this situation, I am going to try to find the best value I can. I think the Atlantic division offers it here. The Metropolitan is currently the best division in the league. Sporting the Caps, Pens, and Blue Jackets, along with other solid hockey teams, the Metro division has a pretty good chance to be the home of this year's Stanely Cup Champion. Even though their teams are superior, the top players in the division aren't that much better than the best players in the Atlantic. In fact, the Atlantic really does have a better defensive corps and also they have the best goalie in the league, Carey Price. Take the value and erase the juice with the Atlantic Division in this year's all star game.
NFL
AFC vs NFC -4
AFC quarterbacks, running backs, and receivers: Andy Dalton, Alex Smith, Ben Roethlisberger, Melvin Gordon, Demarco Murray, Jay Ajayi, TY Hilton, Emmanuel Sanders, Jarvis Landry, Demariyus Thomas
NFC quarterbacks, running backs, wide receivers: Drew Brees, Kirk Cousins, Dak Prescott, Jordan Howard, Zeke, Darren Sproles, Odell Beckham Jr., Dez Bryant, Mike Evans, Larry Fitzgerald
Yeah, the NFC skill guys are much better. Take them.
Yesterday: 3-2-1
Overall: 38-27-4 ( +102 units)
Saturday, January 28, 2017
Daily Three (Times Two) 1/28
Hello,
Alright, we got an undefeated night last night at 2-0-1. Valpo and Toronto were easily, while we sort of lucked out with the Dayton push, even though they were leading the game at then half. I know I shouldn't be doing this after last week's debacle, but we are going to try six college basketball game again. I think we will do better today, and the Big 12/SEC Challenge gives us some intriguing match-ups.
NCAAB
Florida Gators -2.5 at Oklahoma Sooners
When I first saw this matchup, it reminded me of the 2009 College Football National Championship where Tim Tebow absolutely demolished Sam Bradford. Although the schools are mostly known for their outstanding football pedigree, they also have had great moments on the basketball court. Last season, the Sooners made the Final Four, while the Gators had probably the greatest run so far this century behind the efforts of Joakim Noah and Al Horford. Today, the programs are not the national championship contenders they have been in the past. However, the Gators are fairly solid and the biggest threat to Kentucky in the SEC. The Gators are rated fairly high in the Kenpom at 13, while the Sooners find themselves all the way down at 64. Iowa State won in Norman last week, and Florida is a much better team than them. I'm gonna go with the Gators today.
DePaul Blue Demons +15.5 at Creighton Blue Jays
I am currently a member at the University of DePaul Gym. It is close, convenient, and relatively cheap, so I go to a college gym. It is very nice and clean. Basically, I enjoy it and when you are as tall I am (5'11'' for those asking), you have to keep the pounds off. Anyway, last weekend I was working out at the gym during the DePaul-Butler game. I don't think you need any reminders, but Butler has been one of the best teams in the Big East ever since their inception in the conference. DePaul was up by double digits at multiple points during the first half and looked like they might pull out a victory (they didn't). The gym has ten TVs spread out across the treadmill/stationary bike/elliptical area for people to enjoy while they are working out. Guess how many of those TVs had the DePaul game on. One. One TV showing their school's basketball game. Florida State-Louisville was on three of them, English Premier League Soccer was on a couple of them (they play in a different country). I was appalled by the lack of school spirit and asked a few students what the deal was. They simply said they don't care. I guess fair enough, I have more important things to be concerned about, like this game. Creighton has been a mess since the Maurice Watson Jr. injury and have been the basketball equivalent of a sieve. DePaul has been playing teams competitively this year. Although they probably will not win this game, they should be to cover the spread. I think bookmakers are being pretty generous with this one. Take the Demons in Omaha today.
New Mexico Lobos at Nevada Wolfpack -4.5
I am not going to lie, I don't know anything about this Wolfpack team. All I know is that they are a solid Mountain West team. Also, this happened the last time they played. Honestly, I really just have issues with the New Mexico basketball program and the environment surrounding the program. Last season, the coach's son was forced to leave the program after receiving death threats online from New Mexico fans. After his son left the program, father, Craig Neal, decided to stay with the program and represent a fan base that forced his son to leave town. This year, video was caught of a New Mexico assistant coach instigating a verbal altercation with an opposing player at Colorado State. Yes, a coach was taunting a college student, what a big, strong man that coach is. New Mexico is actually playing better lately, and I do really like Elijah Brown, former Cavs Coach Mike Brown's son. Still, the bad vibes in this program will probably rear its ugly head against a superior opponent. Nevada is 67 in the Kenpom, while the Lobos are outside of the top 100. Go with the Pack in Reno.
Iowa State Cyclones -2 at Vanderbilt Commodores
You have to wonder whether Fred Hoiberg regrets leaving Iowa State for the NBA. Give the nickname "The Mayor," Hoiberg literally ran Ames. His basketball teams played fast, they made three and easy buckets around the rim, and most importantly they were good. Also, he had an incredible knack to get a big time transfer to come to Iowa State every year (DeAndre Kane, Jameel Mckay, Halice Cooke). In the NBA, he has been a given a roster that does not fit his style at all. The Bulls cannot shoot threes, their core likes to play isolation ball and run the shot clock down, and the team it in total meltdown mode on and off the court. He seems like a way better fit in the college game, but we cannot fault a man for taking on a new challenge. New coach, Steve Prohm, has just picked up where Hoiberg left the program. The team still plays the same style, and Prohm has still been able to bring in transfers at will. They are way better than this Vandy team. Iowa State is 24 in the Kenpom and Vanderbilt is 63. Homecourt obviously has an impact on college games, but I just don't see it here, Cyclones all the way today.
LaSalle Explorers at Saint Joseph's Hawks -1
I don't have too much to say about the actual game, but I do want to remind everyone that this is a Big 5 rivalry game. The Big 5 represent the five historical basketball program in Philadelphia: Villanova, LaSalle, Saint Joseph's, Penn, and Temple. Most of these games are played in the ole' Palestra, which is one of the most historic basketball buildings in the country. These teams aren't great, but Big 5 games always bring a sense of nostalgia. Also, the Hawks' mascot literally waves his arms throughout the entire course of the game. Like actually, watch the game today and pay attention to the mascot, he never stops waving his arms. What a boss! For that reason, go with the Hawks today.
Kansas Jayhawks +7.5 at Kentucky Wildcats
Here is the main attraction of the day. It is very unusual to get a top 25 inter-conference games to be happening this late in the season (fortunately we have two this weekend, Nova-Virginia tomorrow). However, the decision to put the Big 12/SEC challenge in January has provided us this opportunity. This game is going to be incredible. There is going to be a loud crowd, lots of talent on the floor, and great coaching. I know the Jayhawks just got rocked in Morgantown (which we predicted), but any time I can get 7.5 points while taking Kansas, I feel like I have to take it. To me, it is almost as close of a lock as taking the Patriots whenever they are underdogs (Always take the Patriots when they are underdogs). Kentucky is obviously good and are slightly higher in the KenPom, but I am anticipating a very close game to build into the narrative that has been built all week about these two programs. Take advantage of a rare opportunity and take the points with Kansas.
Yesterday: 2-0-1
Overall: 35-25-3 (+95 Units)
Alright, we got an undefeated night last night at 2-0-1. Valpo and Toronto were easily, while we sort of lucked out with the Dayton push, even though they were leading the game at then half. I know I shouldn't be doing this after last week's debacle, but we are going to try six college basketball game again. I think we will do better today, and the Big 12/SEC Challenge gives us some intriguing match-ups.
NCAAB
Florida Gators -2.5 at Oklahoma Sooners
When I first saw this matchup, it reminded me of the 2009 College Football National Championship where Tim Tebow absolutely demolished Sam Bradford. Although the schools are mostly known for their outstanding football pedigree, they also have had great moments on the basketball court. Last season, the Sooners made the Final Four, while the Gators had probably the greatest run so far this century behind the efforts of Joakim Noah and Al Horford. Today, the programs are not the national championship contenders they have been in the past. However, the Gators are fairly solid and the biggest threat to Kentucky in the SEC. The Gators are rated fairly high in the Kenpom at 13, while the Sooners find themselves all the way down at 64. Iowa State won in Norman last week, and Florida is a much better team than them. I'm gonna go with the Gators today.
DePaul Blue Demons +15.5 at Creighton Blue Jays
I am currently a member at the University of DePaul Gym. It is close, convenient, and relatively cheap, so I go to a college gym. It is very nice and clean. Basically, I enjoy it and when you are as tall I am (5'11'' for those asking), you have to keep the pounds off. Anyway, last weekend I was working out at the gym during the DePaul-Butler game. I don't think you need any reminders, but Butler has been one of the best teams in the Big East ever since their inception in the conference. DePaul was up by double digits at multiple points during the first half and looked like they might pull out a victory (they didn't). The gym has ten TVs spread out across the treadmill/stationary bike/elliptical area for people to enjoy while they are working out. Guess how many of those TVs had the DePaul game on. One. One TV showing their school's basketball game. Florida State-Louisville was on three of them, English Premier League Soccer was on a couple of them (they play in a different country). I was appalled by the lack of school spirit and asked a few students what the deal was. They simply said they don't care. I guess fair enough, I have more important things to be concerned about, like this game. Creighton has been a mess since the Maurice Watson Jr. injury and have been the basketball equivalent of a sieve. DePaul has been playing teams competitively this year. Although they probably will not win this game, they should be to cover the spread. I think bookmakers are being pretty generous with this one. Take the Demons in Omaha today.
New Mexico Lobos at Nevada Wolfpack -4.5
I am not going to lie, I don't know anything about this Wolfpack team. All I know is that they are a solid Mountain West team. Also, this happened the last time they played. Honestly, I really just have issues with the New Mexico basketball program and the environment surrounding the program. Last season, the coach's son was forced to leave the program after receiving death threats online from New Mexico fans. After his son left the program, father, Craig Neal, decided to stay with the program and represent a fan base that forced his son to leave town. This year, video was caught of a New Mexico assistant coach instigating a verbal altercation with an opposing player at Colorado State. Yes, a coach was taunting a college student, what a big, strong man that coach is. New Mexico is actually playing better lately, and I do really like Elijah Brown, former Cavs Coach Mike Brown's son. Still, the bad vibes in this program will probably rear its ugly head against a superior opponent. Nevada is 67 in the Kenpom, while the Lobos are outside of the top 100. Go with the Pack in Reno.
Iowa State Cyclones -2 at Vanderbilt Commodores
You have to wonder whether Fred Hoiberg regrets leaving Iowa State for the NBA. Give the nickname "The Mayor," Hoiberg literally ran Ames. His basketball teams played fast, they made three and easy buckets around the rim, and most importantly they were good. Also, he had an incredible knack to get a big time transfer to come to Iowa State every year (DeAndre Kane, Jameel Mckay, Halice Cooke). In the NBA, he has been a given a roster that does not fit his style at all. The Bulls cannot shoot threes, their core likes to play isolation ball and run the shot clock down, and the team it in total meltdown mode on and off the court. He seems like a way better fit in the college game, but we cannot fault a man for taking on a new challenge. New coach, Steve Prohm, has just picked up where Hoiberg left the program. The team still plays the same style, and Prohm has still been able to bring in transfers at will. They are way better than this Vandy team. Iowa State is 24 in the Kenpom and Vanderbilt is 63. Homecourt obviously has an impact on college games, but I just don't see it here, Cyclones all the way today.
LaSalle Explorers at Saint Joseph's Hawks -1
I don't have too much to say about the actual game, but I do want to remind everyone that this is a Big 5 rivalry game. The Big 5 represent the five historical basketball program in Philadelphia: Villanova, LaSalle, Saint Joseph's, Penn, and Temple. Most of these games are played in the ole' Palestra, which is one of the most historic basketball buildings in the country. These teams aren't great, but Big 5 games always bring a sense of nostalgia. Also, the Hawks' mascot literally waves his arms throughout the entire course of the game. Like actually, watch the game today and pay attention to the mascot, he never stops waving his arms. What a boss! For that reason, go with the Hawks today.
Kansas Jayhawks +7.5 at Kentucky Wildcats
Here is the main attraction of the day. It is very unusual to get a top 25 inter-conference games to be happening this late in the season (fortunately we have two this weekend, Nova-Virginia tomorrow). However, the decision to put the Big 12/SEC challenge in January has provided us this opportunity. This game is going to be incredible. There is going to be a loud crowd, lots of talent on the floor, and great coaching. I know the Jayhawks just got rocked in Morgantown (which we predicted), but any time I can get 7.5 points while taking Kansas, I feel like I have to take it. To me, it is almost as close of a lock as taking the Patriots whenever they are underdogs (Always take the Patriots when they are underdogs). Kentucky is obviously good and are slightly higher in the KenPom, but I am anticipating a very close game to build into the narrative that has been built all week about these two programs. Take advantage of a rare opportunity and take the points with Kansas.
Yesterday: 2-0-1
Overall: 35-25-3 (+95 Units)
Friday, January 27, 2017
Daily Three 1/27
Hello,
1-2 last night. It sucks, I know, but we must move on. NHL is on all-star break, so we stay with the same format even with the short slate in college hoops.
NBA
Milwaukee Bucks at Toronto Raptors -5
As I am sure you can imagine, the raptor really has no historical significance with the city of Toronto, or Canada for that matter. So, how did Canada's lone NBA team get the name of a prehistoric predator? Well, the organization asked for a nationwide vote on what the team name should be and received more than 2,000 throughout Canada. Ultimately, they elected the Raptors, and the name has stuck ever since. Normally, I would think this is a stupid name to represent a Canadian team. However, this organization will get a pass, because the name was chosen by the people who support them. That is the true definition of democracy, and I could never rail that. In the game tonight, the Raptors will be without all-star Demar Derozan. Despite the loss, the spread has jumped up a point from Raptors -4 to Raptors -5. UCLA alum Norman Powell will take his spot in the lineup and should do a decent job taking his place. The Raptors are one of the deepest teams in the Eastern Conference, and it will show tonight at the Air Canada Center.
NCAAB
Wright State Raiders at Valparaiso Crusaders -9
Last season, Valpo was the media's mid-major darling. Last year, they had an incredibly deep roster, a star in Alec Peters, and a pretty good up-and-coming coach in Bryce Drew (a March Madness legend). Then, the unthinkable happened and the Crusaders were upset in the Horizon League Tournament by the Phoenix of Green Bay. Stuck with an NIT bid after their bubble bursted, the clock struck midnight way too early. This season, the Crusaders managed to keep Peters, but lost some other key members and their coach who moved on to Vanderbilt. Peters is a monster though, and the Crusaders are still the favorites in the Horizon this year. Valpo is almost a hundred spots higher than Wright State in the Kenpom, and the Raiders even have a negative efficiency rating. I'll take Peters and the Crusaders to blow out Wright State.
Dayton Flyers +5 at VCU Rams
I may have already mentioned this, but the Atlantic 10 is usually the most underrated conference in the country. That would again be the case this season, and the Flyers and the Rams appear to be the two best teams. The Flyers are experienced, well-coached, and talented. Charles Cooke and Schoochie Smith are apparently well-known Ram killers. Also, Dayton has won the past two meetings and are currently 3-1 against the spread on the road. Take the points here and cheer on the Flyers along with Dimitri.
Yesterday: 1-2
Overall: 33-25-2 (+74 Units)
1-2 last night. It sucks, I know, but we must move on. NHL is on all-star break, so we stay with the same format even with the short slate in college hoops.
NBA
Milwaukee Bucks at Toronto Raptors -5
As I am sure you can imagine, the raptor really has no historical significance with the city of Toronto, or Canada for that matter. So, how did Canada's lone NBA team get the name of a prehistoric predator? Well, the organization asked for a nationwide vote on what the team name should be and received more than 2,000 throughout Canada. Ultimately, they elected the Raptors, and the name has stuck ever since. Normally, I would think this is a stupid name to represent a Canadian team. However, this organization will get a pass, because the name was chosen by the people who support them. That is the true definition of democracy, and I could never rail that. In the game tonight, the Raptors will be without all-star Demar Derozan. Despite the loss, the spread has jumped up a point from Raptors -4 to Raptors -5. UCLA alum Norman Powell will take his spot in the lineup and should do a decent job taking his place. The Raptors are one of the deepest teams in the Eastern Conference, and it will show tonight at the Air Canada Center.
NCAAB
Wright State Raiders at Valparaiso Crusaders -9
Last season, Valpo was the media's mid-major darling. Last year, they had an incredibly deep roster, a star in Alec Peters, and a pretty good up-and-coming coach in Bryce Drew (a March Madness legend). Then, the unthinkable happened and the Crusaders were upset in the Horizon League Tournament by the Phoenix of Green Bay. Stuck with an NIT bid after their bubble bursted, the clock struck midnight way too early. This season, the Crusaders managed to keep Peters, but lost some other key members and their coach who moved on to Vanderbilt. Peters is a monster though, and the Crusaders are still the favorites in the Horizon this year. Valpo is almost a hundred spots higher than Wright State in the Kenpom, and the Raiders even have a negative efficiency rating. I'll take Peters and the Crusaders to blow out Wright State.
Dayton Flyers +5 at VCU Rams
I may have already mentioned this, but the Atlantic 10 is usually the most underrated conference in the country. That would again be the case this season, and the Flyers and the Rams appear to be the two best teams. The Flyers are experienced, well-coached, and talented. Charles Cooke and Schoochie Smith are apparently well-known Ram killers. Also, Dayton has won the past two meetings and are currently 3-1 against the spread on the road. Take the points here and cheer on the Flyers along with Dimitri.
Yesterday: 1-2
Overall: 33-25-2 (+74 Units)
Thursday, January 26, 2017
Daily Three 1/26
Hello,
Last night led to another 2-1 night. Yes, it is frustrating to miss the perfect record by a game the past three nights, but the units do continue to rise. Also, the late night hammer has yet to fail, and we got a fun one tonight. Unfortunately, hockey has just not been offering up too much this week (although I will probably have a prop bet for the All-Star game Sunday). Thus, we continue with the 2 NCAAB games and 1 NBA game on this Thursday night.
NBA
Indiana Pacers at Minnesota Timberwolves -3
In today's version of stupid NBA nicknames, we go to the great state of Indiana to find the Pacers. When I first thought of it, I thought it must have to do with the Brickyard and must be named for the pace car that leads the cars into the race and during cautions. It turns out I was partially correct. Along with the pace car, the name also recognizes the state's remarkable history with harness racing pacers, which is a form of horse racing. This is not the traditional horse racing that you see at Churchill Downs or Pimlico, but rather the type of racing where the jockey will sit in a little cart directly behind the horse and control him or her with a harness. So, the investors of the Indiana basketball team when they entered the ABA decided that it was best to name their team after a second rate form of racing and the slowest car on a race track. Brilliant!! I guess it is better than naming themselves after the race track and calling themselves the Bricks. Apparently, according to the Pacers website, coming up with the nickname was the easiest part. Deciding whether to name the team the Indiana Pacers or the Indianapolis Pacers was the more difficult decision. Obviously go with Indiana, represent the entire state that loves the sport of basketball. The Colts' stupid, drunk, drug addict, owner chose the name Indianapolis and has alienated the northwestern part of the state who prefer to watch Bears games over Colts games. Good job Irsay, idiot!! Anyway, the big matchup tonight will be Karl-Anthony Towns vs Myles Turner. The two players were highly-regarded recruits heading into their freshman years at Kentucky and Texas, respectively. With all of the hype, Towns broke out and pushed his way to becoming the number one pick, while Texas coach Rick Barnes struggled to properly integrate Turner into the Texas rotation and ultimately led to Barnes' firing. Turner still ended up being the eleventh pick just based on sheer talent alone. Still, Towns is way further along in his development thus far and should dominate Turner tonight. Also, the Pacers are a mess having just lost to the Lakers and Knicks, plus, Paul George just looks like the most miserable superstar in the league currently. Take the T'Wolves at home tonight, you won't be sorry.
NCAAB
Xavier Musketeers at Cincinnati Bearcats -3.5
Hot take Alert: Go get your screen guards since you are about to spit out whatever you are drinking. Xavier-Cincy is the most underrated rivalry going on currently in college sports. Last year, I made my roommates late to a party, because we needed to watch the last five minutes of this thrilling rivalry. Need more proof? Read this article by Grantland Alum Mark Titus. Still not convinced? Watch this video from the 2011 showdown and make sure to stay for the press conference footage. These guys simply hate each other. This isn't like Duke-UNC where they are all just friends and can be like, well we get each other because he played in such a great rivalry. This isn't even like Ravens-Steelers where there is definitely hate in the air, but the players have great respect for one another, because the play in the best rivalry in football. This game is just a hatred between two sides of a Midwestern city that are just looking to have bragging rights for year. In recent years, Xavier has had control of the series winning the last three meetings and four of the last five. However, I think this is the year the Bearcats take it back from the Musketeers. Cincy has a much higher Kenpom rating, 17, compared to Xavier, 29. They will get a nice home court edge in front of a Cincy student section ready to get their first win over Xavier during their tenures at the school. The Bearcats are also the hotter team, winning their last ten games, while Xavier has lost 3 of 4, with all three losses coming to ranked teams (which Cincy is). The biggest thing that Cincy has going for it this year is that they have finally found some offense to go along with its traditionally stingy defense. Jacob Evans has really taken on the role of offensive playmaker and has succeeded leading the team in points. Also, Xavier has really struggled to find help inside to make up for the losses of Jalen Reynolds and James Farr from last year's team. Also, prolific scorer Myles Davis has finally decided to leave Xavier's program after being reinstated for just three games this season. The turmoil at Xavier will only add to Cincinnati's momentum as the Bearcats take back Cincy in this year's Crosstown Shootout.
Oregon Ducks at Utah Utes Pick Em'
Bang bang. Bang bang. Bang bang. It is time again for another edition of the late night hammer. Tonight, we head to Huntsman Center (Fun fact: His son John Huntsman, Jr. was the commencement speaker at my graduation) for some Pac-12 basketball after dark. This game is really playing tricks with the mind. Oregon's star player, Dillon Brooks, is currently a game-time decision. The line started out with Utah as the slight favorite, making me believe that Vegas thought that Brooks would not suit up tonight. Now, the line has moved to a pick em', making me unsure of whether Vegas really knows what is going to happen. Anyway, I have never taken part in the Pac-12 regional schedule, but if I had to take a guess on which trip is the hardest, I'd probably have to go with the Rocky Mountain trip. I'm thinking it must be difficult for college kids to adapt to the Mile High altitude, especially if they have never played in a setting like it. Also for a team that has won 16 straight games and holds an 18-2 record, I find their Kenpom rating to be pretty low at 16. Utah has a respectable Kenpom rating of 34, which is definitely higher than I expected. The Utes really need a big win, and I think they have a great opportunity against a team that will be dealing with the thin air and at best, will have their best player playing at half-strength. Take the Utes tonight and continue to bang that late night hammer.
Yesterday: 2-1
Overall: 32-23-2 (+85 Units)
Last night led to another 2-1 night. Yes, it is frustrating to miss the perfect record by a game the past three nights, but the units do continue to rise. Also, the late night hammer has yet to fail, and we got a fun one tonight. Unfortunately, hockey has just not been offering up too much this week (although I will probably have a prop bet for the All-Star game Sunday). Thus, we continue with the 2 NCAAB games and 1 NBA game on this Thursday night.
NBA
Indiana Pacers at Minnesota Timberwolves -3
In today's version of stupid NBA nicknames, we go to the great state of Indiana to find the Pacers. When I first thought of it, I thought it must have to do with the Brickyard and must be named for the pace car that leads the cars into the race and during cautions. It turns out I was partially correct. Along with the pace car, the name also recognizes the state's remarkable history with harness racing pacers, which is a form of horse racing. This is not the traditional horse racing that you see at Churchill Downs or Pimlico, but rather the type of racing where the jockey will sit in a little cart directly behind the horse and control him or her with a harness. So, the investors of the Indiana basketball team when they entered the ABA decided that it was best to name their team after a second rate form of racing and the slowest car on a race track. Brilliant!! I guess it is better than naming themselves after the race track and calling themselves the Bricks. Apparently, according to the Pacers website, coming up with the nickname was the easiest part. Deciding whether to name the team the Indiana Pacers or the Indianapolis Pacers was the more difficult decision. Obviously go with Indiana, represent the entire state that loves the sport of basketball. The Colts' stupid, drunk, drug addict, owner chose the name Indianapolis and has alienated the northwestern part of the state who prefer to watch Bears games over Colts games. Good job Irsay, idiot!! Anyway, the big matchup tonight will be Karl-Anthony Towns vs Myles Turner. The two players were highly-regarded recruits heading into their freshman years at Kentucky and Texas, respectively. With all of the hype, Towns broke out and pushed his way to becoming the number one pick, while Texas coach Rick Barnes struggled to properly integrate Turner into the Texas rotation and ultimately led to Barnes' firing. Turner still ended up being the eleventh pick just based on sheer talent alone. Still, Towns is way further along in his development thus far and should dominate Turner tonight. Also, the Pacers are a mess having just lost to the Lakers and Knicks, plus, Paul George just looks like the most miserable superstar in the league currently. Take the T'Wolves at home tonight, you won't be sorry.
NCAAB
Xavier Musketeers at Cincinnati Bearcats -3.5
Hot take Alert: Go get your screen guards since you are about to spit out whatever you are drinking. Xavier-Cincy is the most underrated rivalry going on currently in college sports. Last year, I made my roommates late to a party, because we needed to watch the last five minutes of this thrilling rivalry. Need more proof? Read this article by Grantland Alum Mark Titus. Still not convinced? Watch this video from the 2011 showdown and make sure to stay for the press conference footage. These guys simply hate each other. This isn't like Duke-UNC where they are all just friends and can be like, well we get each other because he played in such a great rivalry. This isn't even like Ravens-Steelers where there is definitely hate in the air, but the players have great respect for one another, because the play in the best rivalry in football. This game is just a hatred between two sides of a Midwestern city that are just looking to have bragging rights for year. In recent years, Xavier has had control of the series winning the last three meetings and four of the last five. However, I think this is the year the Bearcats take it back from the Musketeers. Cincy has a much higher Kenpom rating, 17, compared to Xavier, 29. They will get a nice home court edge in front of a Cincy student section ready to get their first win over Xavier during their tenures at the school. The Bearcats are also the hotter team, winning their last ten games, while Xavier has lost 3 of 4, with all three losses coming to ranked teams (which Cincy is). The biggest thing that Cincy has going for it this year is that they have finally found some offense to go along with its traditionally stingy defense. Jacob Evans has really taken on the role of offensive playmaker and has succeeded leading the team in points. Also, Xavier has really struggled to find help inside to make up for the losses of Jalen Reynolds and James Farr from last year's team. Also, prolific scorer Myles Davis has finally decided to leave Xavier's program after being reinstated for just three games this season. The turmoil at Xavier will only add to Cincinnati's momentum as the Bearcats take back Cincy in this year's Crosstown Shootout.
Oregon Ducks at Utah Utes Pick Em'
Bang bang. Bang bang. Bang bang. It is time again for another edition of the late night hammer. Tonight, we head to Huntsman Center (Fun fact: His son John Huntsman, Jr. was the commencement speaker at my graduation) for some Pac-12 basketball after dark. This game is really playing tricks with the mind. Oregon's star player, Dillon Brooks, is currently a game-time decision. The line started out with Utah as the slight favorite, making me believe that Vegas thought that Brooks would not suit up tonight. Now, the line has moved to a pick em', making me unsure of whether Vegas really knows what is going to happen. Anyway, I have never taken part in the Pac-12 regional schedule, but if I had to take a guess on which trip is the hardest, I'd probably have to go with the Rocky Mountain trip. I'm thinking it must be difficult for college kids to adapt to the Mile High altitude, especially if they have never played in a setting like it. Also for a team that has won 16 straight games and holds an 18-2 record, I find their Kenpom rating to be pretty low at 16. Utah has a respectable Kenpom rating of 34, which is definitely higher than I expected. The Utes really need a big win, and I think they have a great opportunity against a team that will be dealing with the thin air and at best, will have their best player playing at half-strength. Take the Utes tonight and continue to bang that late night hammer.
Yesterday: 2-1
Overall: 32-23-2 (+85 Units)
Wednesday, January 25, 2017
Daily Three 1/25
Hello,
Last night was another solid 2-1 showing. The late night hammer hit again and West Virginia got Bob Huggins paid again. The lesson last night was really never underestimate a Tony Bennett coached team. I did and paid the price. Tonight, we are going with the same formula, 2 NCAAB games and 1 NBA game including a late night hammer. Also, a loyal reader has suggested that I start putting down net gain/loss of units throughout my picks. I have gone through all of the picks and will have them in the overall record section in replacement of the winning percentage. For every pick I make, we are going to assume that 10 units have been wagered. It is up to you to decide how much a unit is worth to you, whether it be $1, $5, $10, etc.. We are definitely on the right side of the unit count, but we can be much higher and we will continue to strive for it.
NBA
New York Knicks at Dallas Mavericks -4.5
In today's version of stupid NBA nicknames, I present to you the New York Knickerbockers, or for short the Knicks. Knickerbockers do not represent a person but rather the style of pants worn by Dutch Settlers in the 1600s who were coming across the Atlantic to find a new life. The pants were as the Knicks website describes it rolled up right below the knee, a very clear symbol for a Dutch Settler I guess. The Knickerbocker style was so popular, New York City's greatest symbol throughout the late 1800's was "Father Knickerbocker" (this is what he looked like). The name came to be after a meeting between team executives led to nicknames being thrown into a hat and the most popular name in the hat was Knickerbocker (thanks for the help Knicks website). So, the team that plays in the "Mecca of Basketball" is named after a pair of pants, super. The only way the knickerbocker would be an appropriate name for a basketball team is if the team actually embraced them and wore them while they were playing. Imagine Melo just hitting a fadeaway jumper with those things on. I mean their shorts end right below the knee, I'm sure it will be a seemingly unnoticeable change in comfort. For actual basketball analysis, the Knicks continue to put forth very little to trust, and the Mavericks are coming off a 49 point beatdown of the Lakers. I think the Mavs keep the momentum going and take down the Knickerbockers handedly.
NCAAB
Rhode Island Rams -4.5 at Richmond Spiders
I have written up the Rams before and mentioned how they were the media's preseason Cinderella darling. The return of E.C. Matthews was so propel the program to a point it has not reached since the days of Lamar Odom. Unfortunately, they have struggled to live up to high expectations. They have gotten off to a rough 12-6 start with some really bad losses to LaSalle and Providence. While some would look at this and think that the media may have overrated the Rams in the preseason, I look it at the other way and know that this team just hasn't reached its full potential. The team is loaded with veteran talent and leadership that should mesh together in the upcoming weeks. Matthews, Hassan Martin, Jarvis Garrett, Kuran Iverson, and Jared Terrell just have too much talent for a team to underachieve throughout an entire season. The Rams have won their past two games and look like may be starting to pick up the pace. They are significantly higher rated in the Kenpom than Richmond and also boast way more talent. Look at this game as the chance to watch the Rams pick up the pace before you watch them become stars in March.
Washington Huskies at Arizona State Sun Devils -4
Bang bang, bang bang, bang bang. That noise is the return of the normally timed hammer. In this game, we have the potential number one draft pick, Markelle Fultz visiting the site of legendary "Wall of Mystery" (while opposing teams are shooting free throws, the student section will surprise the shooter with a mysterious person or act behind the wall). When looking at records, this game does not have too much meaning outside of the Pacific, however back in the day, this game would be stacked across FanDuel and DraftKings games everywhere. With an over/under of 171, sharks and fish alike would be crunching the numbers to fit as many guys from this game in their lineup as possible. Unfortunately, the powers that be felt that only the saints in Las Vegas had shown good behavior and could bet on college kids, while the rest of the country was filled with sinners that were up to no good. So, in honor of the DFS days, I am just going to give out a few individual plays for tonight's gam.
. Markelle Fultz (Washington): The man is going to most likely be the number one pick in this year's draft, and he does everything for this team. 23 ppg, 5.8 rpg, 6.1 apg, and about a block and half and a steal and a half a game. If he had a DFS salary right now, he would definitely be in the 11k range, which is basically unheard of in the industry.
. David Crisp (Washington): Someone has to be on the end of all of Fultz's assists, and it is usually this man. Crisp leads the Huskies in three pointers made and three pointers attempted, which is incredibly valuable on DraftKings with the three point bonus. Crisp is probably the second best option on the Huskies
. Shannon Evans II/Tra Holder/Torian Graham/Obinna Oleka (Arizona State) - Yeah, picking these four don't necessarily constitute an individual play, but they all play 32+ minutes on a team that is projected to score over 80 points tonight. I wouldn't blame anyone for picking any combination of these four players.
For actual game talk, Washington has won only one road game all year, and it was at Seattle University, which is basically a home game. The Sun Devils should run over a Husky team that is too dependent on their young star.
Yesterday: 2-1
Overall: 30-22-2 (+77 Units)
Last night was another solid 2-1 showing. The late night hammer hit again and West Virginia got Bob Huggins paid again. The lesson last night was really never underestimate a Tony Bennett coached team. I did and paid the price. Tonight, we are going with the same formula, 2 NCAAB games and 1 NBA game including a late night hammer. Also, a loyal reader has suggested that I start putting down net gain/loss of units throughout my picks. I have gone through all of the picks and will have them in the overall record section in replacement of the winning percentage. For every pick I make, we are going to assume that 10 units have been wagered. It is up to you to decide how much a unit is worth to you, whether it be $1, $5, $10, etc.. We are definitely on the right side of the unit count, but we can be much higher and we will continue to strive for it.
NBA
New York Knicks at Dallas Mavericks -4.5
In today's version of stupid NBA nicknames, I present to you the New York Knickerbockers, or for short the Knicks. Knickerbockers do not represent a person but rather the style of pants worn by Dutch Settlers in the 1600s who were coming across the Atlantic to find a new life. The pants were as the Knicks website describes it rolled up right below the knee, a very clear symbol for a Dutch Settler I guess. The Knickerbocker style was so popular, New York City's greatest symbol throughout the late 1800's was "Father Knickerbocker" (this is what he looked like). The name came to be after a meeting between team executives led to nicknames being thrown into a hat and the most popular name in the hat was Knickerbocker (thanks for the help Knicks website). So, the team that plays in the "Mecca of Basketball" is named after a pair of pants, super. The only way the knickerbocker would be an appropriate name for a basketball team is if the team actually embraced them and wore them while they were playing. Imagine Melo just hitting a fadeaway jumper with those things on. I mean their shorts end right below the knee, I'm sure it will be a seemingly unnoticeable change in comfort. For actual basketball analysis, the Knicks continue to put forth very little to trust, and the Mavericks are coming off a 49 point beatdown of the Lakers. I think the Mavs keep the momentum going and take down the Knickerbockers handedly.
NCAAB
Rhode Island Rams -4.5 at Richmond Spiders
I have written up the Rams before and mentioned how they were the media's preseason Cinderella darling. The return of E.C. Matthews was so propel the program to a point it has not reached since the days of Lamar Odom. Unfortunately, they have struggled to live up to high expectations. They have gotten off to a rough 12-6 start with some really bad losses to LaSalle and Providence. While some would look at this and think that the media may have overrated the Rams in the preseason, I look it at the other way and know that this team just hasn't reached its full potential. The team is loaded with veteran talent and leadership that should mesh together in the upcoming weeks. Matthews, Hassan Martin, Jarvis Garrett, Kuran Iverson, and Jared Terrell just have too much talent for a team to underachieve throughout an entire season. The Rams have won their past two games and look like may be starting to pick up the pace. They are significantly higher rated in the Kenpom than Richmond and also boast way more talent. Look at this game as the chance to watch the Rams pick up the pace before you watch them become stars in March.
Washington Huskies at Arizona State Sun Devils -4
Bang bang, bang bang, bang bang. That noise is the return of the normally timed hammer. In this game, we have the potential number one draft pick, Markelle Fultz visiting the site of legendary "Wall of Mystery" (while opposing teams are shooting free throws, the student section will surprise the shooter with a mysterious person or act behind the wall). When looking at records, this game does not have too much meaning outside of the Pacific, however back in the day, this game would be stacked across FanDuel and DraftKings games everywhere. With an over/under of 171, sharks and fish alike would be crunching the numbers to fit as many guys from this game in their lineup as possible. Unfortunately, the powers that be felt that only the saints in Las Vegas had shown good behavior and could bet on college kids, while the rest of the country was filled with sinners that were up to no good. So, in honor of the DFS days, I am just going to give out a few individual plays for tonight's gam.
. Markelle Fultz (Washington): The man is going to most likely be the number one pick in this year's draft, and he does everything for this team. 23 ppg, 5.8 rpg, 6.1 apg, and about a block and half and a steal and a half a game. If he had a DFS salary right now, he would definitely be in the 11k range, which is basically unheard of in the industry.
. David Crisp (Washington): Someone has to be on the end of all of Fultz's assists, and it is usually this man. Crisp leads the Huskies in three pointers made and three pointers attempted, which is incredibly valuable on DraftKings with the three point bonus. Crisp is probably the second best option on the Huskies
. Shannon Evans II/Tra Holder/Torian Graham/Obinna Oleka (Arizona State) - Yeah, picking these four don't necessarily constitute an individual play, but they all play 32+ minutes on a team that is projected to score over 80 points tonight. I wouldn't blame anyone for picking any combination of these four players.
For actual game talk, Washington has won only one road game all year, and it was at Seattle University, which is basically a home game. The Sun Devils should run over a Husky team that is too dependent on their young star.
Yesterday: 2-1
Overall: 30-22-2 (+77 Units)
Tuesday, January 24, 2017
Daily Three 1/24
Hello,
So, we got back on track yesterday. A 2-1 effort with the Hawks just completely disappearing. Tonight we are going all basketball as we got two giant college basketball match-ups and a semi-late night hammer in the NBA.
NCAAB
Kansas Jayhawks at West Virginia Mountaineers -3.5
Man, this is going to be another wonderful Big 12 basketball game. For all of the dominance Kansas has had over the years, West Virginia has been dominating head to head match-ups the past few years. I remember three years ago, when a highly-praised freshman for Kansas named Andrew Wiggins went into Morgantown to take on the Mountaineers. The Mountaineers were underachieving but were up to the challenge that day as Juwan Staten led WVU in a stunning victory over the Jayhawks. That was just the start as West Virginia has also won the last two match-ups between the two teams, including a Mountaineer victory over #1 ranked Kansas last season. These three wins have also made coach, Bob Huggins $75,000 richer (he gets 25k for every victory the Mountaineers get over Kansas). Tonight, another highly-touted freshman, Josh Jackson, will be heading to Morgantown. I expect him to suffer the same fate as Wiggins. Despite what the AP poll says, the Mountaineers are actually ranked higher in the Kenpom ratings as the WVU is at #4 while Kansas is a mere #8. I think couches will be burning tonight and Huggins's wallet is going to get a little heavier as the Mountaineers stun the Jayhawks yet again.
Virginia Cavaliers at Notre Dame Fighting Irish -1.5
I am going to use this write-up to talk about the most underrated coach in college basketball, Mike Brey. Constantly in the shadow of their highly overrated football program, Brey has consistently won in difficult conferences (Big East and ACC) and has consistently gotten great athletic talent to South Bend (Jerian Grant, Pat Connaughton, Demetrius Jackson, etc.). Brey has gotten his squad to the Elite Eight the past two seasons, and still his most impressive coaching job might be currently happening. Despite losing stars Jackson and Zach Auguste, the Fighting Irish have managed to jump out to a 17-3 record including a big win over top ten squad Louisville. Irish vets VJ Beachem, Steve Vasturia, and Bonzie Colson have really been carrying the load and have much experience against Tony Bennett and his stout defense at Virginia. I am a little concerned about their disparity in the Kenpom ratings, but I really think home court will make a big difference. Notre Dame will not need the luck of the Irish tonight as Mike Brey shows once again what a great basketball coach he is.
NBA
Utah Jazz at Denver Nuggets -2
Minor bang bang, minor bang bang. It is a semi-late night hammer tonight that includes a nickname discussion. In tonight's version of NBA nicknames, I am going to commend the Denver Nuggets. During their time in the old ABA, the team was actually called the Denver Rockets, because the team owner apparently ran a trucking company called "Ringsbury Rockets" (thank you http://www.remembertheaba.com). Once the team made the move to the NBA in mid-70's, ownership renamed the team the Nuggets in honor of the great rush to the Colorado in the 1800s to find very valuable nuggets thats could change people's lives. Really, any name that puts your team in the same category as gold and silver is cool with me. Also, it is a great tribute to a very historical time in the Rocky Mountains. Anyway, the Jazz are coming off a super tough loss last night to Russell Westbrook and are coming into Denver on short rest. They also have fallen to two point underdogs after starting off a one and a half point favorite even though they have received half of the spread bets. Also, the Nuggets demolished the Jazz the last time these two teams played in Denver. Nikola Jokic will continue is historic run, and the Nuggets will mine for a victory tonight.
Yesterday: 2-1
Overall: 28-21-2 (57%)
So, we got back on track yesterday. A 2-1 effort with the Hawks just completely disappearing. Tonight we are going all basketball as we got two giant college basketball match-ups and a semi-late night hammer in the NBA.
NCAAB
Kansas Jayhawks at West Virginia Mountaineers -3.5
Man, this is going to be another wonderful Big 12 basketball game. For all of the dominance Kansas has had over the years, West Virginia has been dominating head to head match-ups the past few years. I remember three years ago, when a highly-praised freshman for Kansas named Andrew Wiggins went into Morgantown to take on the Mountaineers. The Mountaineers were underachieving but were up to the challenge that day as Juwan Staten led WVU in a stunning victory over the Jayhawks. That was just the start as West Virginia has also won the last two match-ups between the two teams, including a Mountaineer victory over #1 ranked Kansas last season. These three wins have also made coach, Bob Huggins $75,000 richer (he gets 25k for every victory the Mountaineers get over Kansas). Tonight, another highly-touted freshman, Josh Jackson, will be heading to Morgantown. I expect him to suffer the same fate as Wiggins. Despite what the AP poll says, the Mountaineers are actually ranked higher in the Kenpom ratings as the WVU is at #4 while Kansas is a mere #8. I think couches will be burning tonight and Huggins's wallet is going to get a little heavier as the Mountaineers stun the Jayhawks yet again.
Virginia Cavaliers at Notre Dame Fighting Irish -1.5
I am going to use this write-up to talk about the most underrated coach in college basketball, Mike Brey. Constantly in the shadow of their highly overrated football program, Brey has consistently won in difficult conferences (Big East and ACC) and has consistently gotten great athletic talent to South Bend (Jerian Grant, Pat Connaughton, Demetrius Jackson, etc.). Brey has gotten his squad to the Elite Eight the past two seasons, and still his most impressive coaching job might be currently happening. Despite losing stars Jackson and Zach Auguste, the Fighting Irish have managed to jump out to a 17-3 record including a big win over top ten squad Louisville. Irish vets VJ Beachem, Steve Vasturia, and Bonzie Colson have really been carrying the load and have much experience against Tony Bennett and his stout defense at Virginia. I am a little concerned about their disparity in the Kenpom ratings, but I really think home court will make a big difference. Notre Dame will not need the luck of the Irish tonight as Mike Brey shows once again what a great basketball coach he is.
NBA
Utah Jazz at Denver Nuggets -2
Minor bang bang, minor bang bang. It is a semi-late night hammer tonight that includes a nickname discussion. In tonight's version of NBA nicknames, I am going to commend the Denver Nuggets. During their time in the old ABA, the team was actually called the Denver Rockets, because the team owner apparently ran a trucking company called "Ringsbury Rockets" (thank you http://www.remembertheaba.com). Once the team made the move to the NBA in mid-70's, ownership renamed the team the Nuggets in honor of the great rush to the Colorado in the 1800s to find very valuable nuggets thats could change people's lives. Really, any name that puts your team in the same category as gold and silver is cool with me. Also, it is a great tribute to a very historical time in the Rocky Mountains. Anyway, the Jazz are coming off a super tough loss last night to Russell Westbrook and are coming into Denver on short rest. They also have fallen to two point underdogs after starting off a one and a half point favorite even though they have received half of the spread bets. Also, the Nuggets demolished the Jazz the last time these two teams played in Denver. Nikola Jokic will continue is historic run, and the Nuggets will mine for a victory tonight.
Yesterday: 2-1
Overall: 28-21-2 (57%)
Monday, January 23, 2017
Daily Three 1/23
Hello,
Wow, Saturday was a disaster. 1-5 and bailed in the last game by Baylor. Nebraska put up one of the most embarrassing ten minute sequences you will ever see a from a Power Six school, seemingly unable to score a field goal against Rutgers!!!!!!!! Oklahoma was up by nineteen with five minutes left in the first half, then managed to be down by one at the half. In OT, they were up by six with around a minute left, and managed to go to a second overtime, where they would go on to lose. Creighton forgot how to play defense, or Maurice Watson was the greatest defender in the Big East. UCLA and Wisconsin were fair results. Just three tonight, as straying away from that has led to some issues.
NCAAB
TCU Horned Frogs at Oklahoma State Cowboys -4.5
I mentioned on Saturday how competitive the Big 12 was. For more proof, just look at Oklahoma State's strength of schedule. According to Kenpom, they currently have the hardest schedule in the country, even though their non-conference schedule is only ranked at 123. Their other impressive Kenpom stat is that they currently have the fifth most efficient offense in the country. Most of this is due to sophomore point guard Jawun Evans, who is definitely one of the most underrated players in the Big 12. Their opponent was the loser in our only win on Saturday, and I will continue to pick on them. Look, I love Jamie Dixon as much as Forth Worth natives love the beloved Texas horned lizard, but regression was bound to happen with this team. They are starting to fall back down to earth and there will be eventual slide in conference. Take Evans and the Cowboys tonight in Stillwater.
NBA
Los Angeles Clippers at Atlanta Hawks -7
We already mentioned how stupid this LA franchise's name is (it was meant for rival city San Diego. They are still without Chris Paul and Blake Griffin and are flying cross country to Atlanta to play a Hawks team that just wiped the Bulls and Sixers off the floor. Without Paul and Griffin, the Clippers are basically at the same level as the two teams previously mentioned. Don't be scared by the large number of points being given, the Hawks will get them back.
NHL
Florida Panthers at Arizona Coyotes +115
This matchup provides us with the "WTF was Gary Bettman thinking bowl." Despite moving into brand new buildings recently, these two franchises have struggled to gain a fan base and have been in the bottom five in attendance on a consistent basis. Somehow, I have been to games in both cities and the experiences were far from superb. Florida plays in the middle of nowhere in a eerily quiet building with tons of empty seats. Their main sponsor is a goofy, albeit very successful, doctor that gets big applause when he is shown on the jumbotron. The child behind me consistently complained about how bored he was. I'm sorry kid, you've been provided with a bad product, go to Chicago or New York, maybe you can watch a more exciting game. Also, in the concourse, there is probably a beer/wine/liquor kiosk within twenty steps of one another. I guess booze is better than hockey, whatever. Along with their poor game experience, their current owner was just named to the Trump Administration and before this, he had to fire the one successful coach this franchise has had, because his "old school" style clashed with the new analytic driven management (Really second good coach, Peter DeBoer was good as well and currently led the Sharks to the Stanley Cup). The Coyotes game was in their old arena, but it was not very memorable. The only thing I truly remember were the terrible sight lines and the fact that the arena had a McDonald's in it (So cool). The team has been trying to decide whether it should stay in Arizona or not. The building it plays in seemingly wants to get rid of it, and the people in Arizona seem generally unaware that all of this is happening. Anyway, this game is generally meaningless. However, the Panthers will be playing in the last of a long, winding road trip that has seen them lose every game on it. The legs will probably be tired and the 'Yotes will probably take advantage of a rare chance to get a win.
Saturday: 1-5
Overall: 26-20-2 (55%)
Wow, Saturday was a disaster. 1-5 and bailed in the last game by Baylor. Nebraska put up one of the most embarrassing ten minute sequences you will ever see a from a Power Six school, seemingly unable to score a field goal against Rutgers!!!!!!!! Oklahoma was up by nineteen with five minutes left in the first half, then managed to be down by one at the half. In OT, they were up by six with around a minute left, and managed to go to a second overtime, where they would go on to lose. Creighton forgot how to play defense, or Maurice Watson was the greatest defender in the Big East. UCLA and Wisconsin were fair results. Just three tonight, as straying away from that has led to some issues.
NCAAB
TCU Horned Frogs at Oklahoma State Cowboys -4.5
I mentioned on Saturday how competitive the Big 12 was. For more proof, just look at Oklahoma State's strength of schedule. According to Kenpom, they currently have the hardest schedule in the country, even though their non-conference schedule is only ranked at 123. Their other impressive Kenpom stat is that they currently have the fifth most efficient offense in the country. Most of this is due to sophomore point guard Jawun Evans, who is definitely one of the most underrated players in the Big 12. Their opponent was the loser in our only win on Saturday, and I will continue to pick on them. Look, I love Jamie Dixon as much as Forth Worth natives love the beloved Texas horned lizard, but regression was bound to happen with this team. They are starting to fall back down to earth and there will be eventual slide in conference. Take Evans and the Cowboys tonight in Stillwater.
NBA
Los Angeles Clippers at Atlanta Hawks -7
We already mentioned how stupid this LA franchise's name is (it was meant for rival city San Diego. They are still without Chris Paul and Blake Griffin and are flying cross country to Atlanta to play a Hawks team that just wiped the Bulls and Sixers off the floor. Without Paul and Griffin, the Clippers are basically at the same level as the two teams previously mentioned. Don't be scared by the large number of points being given, the Hawks will get them back.
NHL
Florida Panthers at Arizona Coyotes +115
This matchup provides us with the "WTF was Gary Bettman thinking bowl." Despite moving into brand new buildings recently, these two franchises have struggled to gain a fan base and have been in the bottom five in attendance on a consistent basis. Somehow, I have been to games in both cities and the experiences were far from superb. Florida plays in the middle of nowhere in a eerily quiet building with tons of empty seats. Their main sponsor is a goofy, albeit very successful, doctor that gets big applause when he is shown on the jumbotron. The child behind me consistently complained about how bored he was. I'm sorry kid, you've been provided with a bad product, go to Chicago or New York, maybe you can watch a more exciting game. Also, in the concourse, there is probably a beer/wine/liquor kiosk within twenty steps of one another. I guess booze is better than hockey, whatever. Along with their poor game experience, their current owner was just named to the Trump Administration and before this, he had to fire the one successful coach this franchise has had, because his "old school" style clashed with the new analytic driven management (Really second good coach, Peter DeBoer was good as well and currently led the Sharks to the Stanley Cup). The Coyotes game was in their old arena, but it was not very memorable. The only thing I truly remember were the terrible sight lines and the fact that the arena had a McDonald's in it (So cool). The team has been trying to decide whether it should stay in Arizona or not. The building it plays in seemingly wants to get rid of it, and the people in Arizona seem generally unaware that all of this is happening. Anyway, this game is generally meaningless. However, the Panthers will be playing in the last of a long, winding road trip that has seen them lose every game on it. The legs will probably be tired and the 'Yotes will probably take advantage of a rare chance to get a win.
Saturday: 1-5
Overall: 26-20-2 (55%)
Saturday, January 21, 2017
Daily Three (Times Two) 1/21
Hello,
1-2 last night. Oh well. Can't win them all. However, the late night hammer hit yet again. Hope you stayed up to watch the Lake Show. Today, I'm going to write for the huge college basketball slate and will include more than three games. There was no college basketball last Saturday, so let's just call this a make-up.
NCAAB
Nebraska Cornhuskers -2 at Rutgers Scarlet Knights
Rutgers is an embarrassment to the Big Ten. Added to the conference to get the Big Ten Network into homes in the New York metropolitan area, the school has managed to be a train wreck in both football and basketball. Horrible coaching, undisciplined players, and incompetence in the AD's office has put the New Jersey school a notch below the rest of the Big Ten. Nebraska has been on a little bit of a slide since starting 3-0 in conference, but they are receiving the perfect antidote today in the Scarlet Knights. Don't be stupid like the Big Ten, stick with the Cornhuskers and avoid Rutgers.
Iowa State Cyclones at Oklahoma Sooners -2
The Big 12 has just been a grind this year. Every single team, with maybe the slight exception of Texas, has been very competitive this year. The conference has really had parity issues, considering Kansas has won twelve straight conference titles and look to be on their way to a thirteenth straight. With that being said, there are no easy games and that could really be helpful for a conference that has struggled in the Big Dance in recent years (yes, Oklahoma made the Final Four last year, but again, the exception). Speaking of Oklahoma, they just had a huge victory in Morgantown, and the return of Jordan Woodard has really helped get this team back on track. With how unlikeable their football team is, it is quite amazing that the basketball program can be the complete opposite. Lonnie Kruger is a well-respected coach, they had guys like Buddy Hield and Isaiah Cousins and now have Jordan Woodard, who seem to be really good guys. I think the home court advantage will shift this game and sports insights has the Sooners has the contrarian bet with sharp money to boot (we like that). I'm going with OU here.
Marquette Golden Eagles at Creighton Blue Jays -5.5
When making picks, we do our best to keep emotion out of the decision process. However, there are some cases where we just want to cheer for a side that needs it. Earlier this week, it was announced that senior point guard, Maurice Watson Jr., would miss the rest of the season with a Torn ACL. Watson, who transferred to Creighton from Boston University, has been a huge part of this program for the past two seasons and has sparked their return to national relevance. He was leading the country in assists per game with 8.5 assists games and really had the Blue Jays primed to be final four contenders. However, his unfortunate injury has sadly ended his college career and possibly the Blue Jays' championship hopes. With that being said, the Blue Jays have one of the best home court advantages in the country, and with Watson in the building today, I can imagine emotion pushing these guys to a big victory. Expect Marcus Foster to play a giant role in that as the Blue Jays win handedly over Marquette.
Arizona Wildcats at UCLA Bruins -5.5
The Pac-12 basketball schedule is always well-prepared and incredibly easy to understand. Every person should strive to be like the Pac-12 basketball schedule. In the Pac-12, there are six regions with two teams each: Washington, Oregon, Northern California, Southern California, Arizona, and the Rocky Mountains. Each week, one region will go to another region and play two games, and then there are two weeks where each team will play the other team in their region and get essentially a bye date. For example, when we saw UCLA was playing Arizona State on Thursday, we knew that Arizona would be coming into Westwood this weekend for the Pac-12 Game of the Year. I have got to give Sean Miller props for the job he has done with the Wildcats so far this season. Dealing with some uncertainty on his roster and thus a lack of depth, Arizona has managed to jump out to a 17-2 record and asserted themselves as the number one contender to the Bruins. They have managed to do this without their star guard, Alonzo Trier, who will finally be back today after finally clearing the PED/academic (who knows which one is really true) hurdle that tripped him up all year. While this will definitely be huge for the Wildcats in the long-term, I think integrating him back into the lineup for such a big matchup will hurt them today. The guy is a shooter, and he is bound to be a little rusty. Lonzo Ball and Issac Hamilton should continue to have their way even in this hard matchup, and the Bill Walton voodoo should continue to hang around Pauley Pavilion. So, try to catch this high scoring affair and make sure to celebrate the Bruins' victory with some ice cream sandwiches from Diddy Reese.
Wisconsin Badgers -4.5 at Minnesota Golden Gophers
Again, I am obviously biased, but the Badgers should have no problems here. Throughout the seven years that I have been associated with the UW, we have absolutely owned our so-called "rival" in both basketball and football. Throughout this time, we have owned the axe played for in the football game for literally every second I have been a Badger and have only lost to them twice in basketball. The domination shall continue today as the Badger is greater than the Gopher.
Baylor Bears -2 at TCU Horned Frogs
Before I pick against his team, let's give credit to Jamie Dixon for absolutely turning around the TCU basketball program. It has only been half of a season and the Horned Frogs are already better than they have ever been at any point in their Big 12 tenure. Hell, he has them up 31 in the Kenpom ratings. That is unbelievable. Despite the early success, the Baylor Bears are still just a superior basketball team. While I think the game will be close, 2 points is literally one possession. I think Baylor is more than one possession better than TCU, even if the game is being played in Fort Worth. Baylor Bears all day, as we perfect the college basketball slate this saturday.
Yesterday: 1-2
Overall: 25-15-2 (62.5%)
1-2 last night. Oh well. Can't win them all. However, the late night hammer hit yet again. Hope you stayed up to watch the Lake Show. Today, I'm going to write for the huge college basketball slate and will include more than three games. There was no college basketball last Saturday, so let's just call this a make-up.
NCAAB
Nebraska Cornhuskers -2 at Rutgers Scarlet Knights
Rutgers is an embarrassment to the Big Ten. Added to the conference to get the Big Ten Network into homes in the New York metropolitan area, the school has managed to be a train wreck in both football and basketball. Horrible coaching, undisciplined players, and incompetence in the AD's office has put the New Jersey school a notch below the rest of the Big Ten. Nebraska has been on a little bit of a slide since starting 3-0 in conference, but they are receiving the perfect antidote today in the Scarlet Knights. Don't be stupid like the Big Ten, stick with the Cornhuskers and avoid Rutgers.
Iowa State Cyclones at Oklahoma Sooners -2
The Big 12 has just been a grind this year. Every single team, with maybe the slight exception of Texas, has been very competitive this year. The conference has really had parity issues, considering Kansas has won twelve straight conference titles and look to be on their way to a thirteenth straight. With that being said, there are no easy games and that could really be helpful for a conference that has struggled in the Big Dance in recent years (yes, Oklahoma made the Final Four last year, but again, the exception). Speaking of Oklahoma, they just had a huge victory in Morgantown, and the return of Jordan Woodard has really helped get this team back on track. With how unlikeable their football team is, it is quite amazing that the basketball program can be the complete opposite. Lonnie Kruger is a well-respected coach, they had guys like Buddy Hield and Isaiah Cousins and now have Jordan Woodard, who seem to be really good guys. I think the home court advantage will shift this game and sports insights has the Sooners has the contrarian bet with sharp money to boot (we like that). I'm going with OU here.
Marquette Golden Eagles at Creighton Blue Jays -5.5
When making picks, we do our best to keep emotion out of the decision process. However, there are some cases where we just want to cheer for a side that needs it. Earlier this week, it was announced that senior point guard, Maurice Watson Jr., would miss the rest of the season with a Torn ACL. Watson, who transferred to Creighton from Boston University, has been a huge part of this program for the past two seasons and has sparked their return to national relevance. He was leading the country in assists per game with 8.5 assists games and really had the Blue Jays primed to be final four contenders. However, his unfortunate injury has sadly ended his college career and possibly the Blue Jays' championship hopes. With that being said, the Blue Jays have one of the best home court advantages in the country, and with Watson in the building today, I can imagine emotion pushing these guys to a big victory. Expect Marcus Foster to play a giant role in that as the Blue Jays win handedly over Marquette.
Arizona Wildcats at UCLA Bruins -5.5
The Pac-12 basketball schedule is always well-prepared and incredibly easy to understand. Every person should strive to be like the Pac-12 basketball schedule. In the Pac-12, there are six regions with two teams each: Washington, Oregon, Northern California, Southern California, Arizona, and the Rocky Mountains. Each week, one region will go to another region and play two games, and then there are two weeks where each team will play the other team in their region and get essentially a bye date. For example, when we saw UCLA was playing Arizona State on Thursday, we knew that Arizona would be coming into Westwood this weekend for the Pac-12 Game of the Year. I have got to give Sean Miller props for the job he has done with the Wildcats so far this season. Dealing with some uncertainty on his roster and thus a lack of depth, Arizona has managed to jump out to a 17-2 record and asserted themselves as the number one contender to the Bruins. They have managed to do this without their star guard, Alonzo Trier, who will finally be back today after finally clearing the PED/academic (who knows which one is really true) hurdle that tripped him up all year. While this will definitely be huge for the Wildcats in the long-term, I think integrating him back into the lineup for such a big matchup will hurt them today. The guy is a shooter, and he is bound to be a little rusty. Lonzo Ball and Issac Hamilton should continue to have their way even in this hard matchup, and the Bill Walton voodoo should continue to hang around Pauley Pavilion. So, try to catch this high scoring affair and make sure to celebrate the Bruins' victory with some ice cream sandwiches from Diddy Reese.
Wisconsin Badgers -4.5 at Minnesota Golden Gophers
Again, I am obviously biased, but the Badgers should have no problems here. Throughout the seven years that I have been associated with the UW, we have absolutely owned our so-called "rival" in both basketball and football. Throughout this time, we have owned the axe played for in the football game for literally every second I have been a Badger and have only lost to them twice in basketball. The domination shall continue today as the Badger is greater than the Gopher.
Baylor Bears -2 at TCU Horned Frogs
Before I pick against his team, let's give credit to Jamie Dixon for absolutely turning around the TCU basketball program. It has only been half of a season and the Horned Frogs are already better than they have ever been at any point in their Big 12 tenure. Hell, he has them up 31 in the Kenpom ratings. That is unbelievable. Despite the early success, the Baylor Bears are still just a superior basketball team. While I think the game will be close, 2 points is literally one possession. I think Baylor is more than one possession better than TCU, even if the game is being played in Fort Worth. Baylor Bears all day, as we perfect the college basketball slate this saturday.
Yesterday: 1-2
Overall: 25-15-2 (62.5%)
Friday, January 20, 2017
Daily Three 1/20
Hello,
We had another 2-1 night yesterday thanks to great individual efforts from Issac Hamilton and Karl-Anthony Towns. Although the Rangers gave us our only "L" last night, it is encouraging to know that the blog has gotten out to NHL players. After bashing him for abandoning his goalie, Brady Skeji went out and got a goal and an assist last night. Way to prove your worth Brady, now stand up for the King. Anyway, we got three games tonight, 2 NBA and 1 NHL.
NHL
Montreal Canadiens at New Jersey Devils +120
Look, I really don't have much here, I am just taking a gut shot. And if you aren't going to trust my gut shot, then you might as well ignore the rest of my picks that have resulted into a 65% success rate thus far. If you need some reasoning, the Devils are a fairly good home team who are coming off three pretty big wins on the road at Calgary, Vancouver, and Minnesota. Montreal is starting a backup and have had trouble scoring goals lately. The Habs have scored a goal or less in 4 of their last six games. In the other two games, they played Winnipeg and the Rangers, who have been doing wonderful sieve impressions the past couple of weeks. The Canadiens will probably struggle to score goals again tonight, and the Devils will do just enough to get a W.
NBA
Golden State Warriors at Houston Rockets Over 239.5
Over Over Over. There is a reason Vegas put up this number. Honestly, I think Vegas is scared that they couldn't make it higher. America loves its scoring, and tonight it will get it. So, cheer for ten second possessions that lead to multiple three point baskets. It will happen a lot tonight in Houston.
Indiana Pacers at Los Angeles Lakers +3.5
Bang bang, bang bang, bang bang. The late night hammer just keeps on banging. Tonight, the Lakers will be the hammering away, but first, we must address our stupid NBA nickname of the day, which is of course the Lakers. The Lakers originated in Minneapolis where the name made complete sense. For those coasties out there, Minnesota is known as "the land of 10,000 lakes. With so many lakes in the state of Minnesota, it essentially made every citizen "a laker." Thus, the name aptly represented the people of Minnesota and gave the people much pride. However, like many great things, the good times had to end as the franchise left Minnesota and headed to Los Angeles. Once in LA, the franchise didn't care to change the name and severely disrespected both their old fan base and their new fan base (there are very few lakes in LA). The Clippers must have been influenced by the Lakers decision. Although the name is remarkably stupid, I will give them a pass that I have not given to the Pistons or the Clippers. First, the Lakers are the nickname for my high school (the school was on Lake Ave. and surrounded by a lake). Second, unlike many franchises that refuse to change their name and then end up being terrible organizations, the Lakers were a powerhouse in the league for a long time with Kareem, Magic, Worthy, Shaq, Kobe, and many others. They ran the league and could essentially do whatever they want. So, congrats Buss Family, the name of your team is stupid, but it is acceptable. In regards to the game, what was the NBA thinking? The Pacers played a game in London last Thursday, then got to fly back to Indiana and play a game, then had to fly cross-country for a west coast road trip. That is just awful scheduling. Yes, the Pacers won in Sacramento on Wednesday, but the legs are probably going to start wearing down in LA tonight. Stay up late for the Lake Show starring Julius Randle and enjoy the W you will be rewarded with for doing so.
Yesterday: 2-1
Overall: 24-13-2 (64.9%)
We had another 2-1 night yesterday thanks to great individual efforts from Issac Hamilton and Karl-Anthony Towns. Although the Rangers gave us our only "L" last night, it is encouraging to know that the blog has gotten out to NHL players. After bashing him for abandoning his goalie, Brady Skeji went out and got a goal and an assist last night. Way to prove your worth Brady, now stand up for the King. Anyway, we got three games tonight, 2 NBA and 1 NHL.
NHL
Montreal Canadiens at New Jersey Devils +120
Look, I really don't have much here, I am just taking a gut shot. And if you aren't going to trust my gut shot, then you might as well ignore the rest of my picks that have resulted into a 65% success rate thus far. If you need some reasoning, the Devils are a fairly good home team who are coming off three pretty big wins on the road at Calgary, Vancouver, and Minnesota. Montreal is starting a backup and have had trouble scoring goals lately. The Habs have scored a goal or less in 4 of their last six games. In the other two games, they played Winnipeg and the Rangers, who have been doing wonderful sieve impressions the past couple of weeks. The Canadiens will probably struggle to score goals again tonight, and the Devils will do just enough to get a W.
NBA
Golden State Warriors at Houston Rockets Over 239.5
Over Over Over. There is a reason Vegas put up this number. Honestly, I think Vegas is scared that they couldn't make it higher. America loves its scoring, and tonight it will get it. So, cheer for ten second possessions that lead to multiple three point baskets. It will happen a lot tonight in Houston.
Indiana Pacers at Los Angeles Lakers +3.5
Bang bang, bang bang, bang bang. The late night hammer just keeps on banging. Tonight, the Lakers will be the hammering away, but first, we must address our stupid NBA nickname of the day, which is of course the Lakers. The Lakers originated in Minneapolis where the name made complete sense. For those coasties out there, Minnesota is known as "the land of 10,000 lakes. With so many lakes in the state of Minnesota, it essentially made every citizen "a laker." Thus, the name aptly represented the people of Minnesota and gave the people much pride. However, like many great things, the good times had to end as the franchise left Minnesota and headed to Los Angeles. Once in LA, the franchise didn't care to change the name and severely disrespected both their old fan base and their new fan base (there are very few lakes in LA). The Clippers must have been influenced by the Lakers decision. Although the name is remarkably stupid, I will give them a pass that I have not given to the Pistons or the Clippers. First, the Lakers are the nickname for my high school (the school was on Lake Ave. and surrounded by a lake). Second, unlike many franchises that refuse to change their name and then end up being terrible organizations, the Lakers were a powerhouse in the league for a long time with Kareem, Magic, Worthy, Shaq, Kobe, and many others. They ran the league and could essentially do whatever they want. So, congrats Buss Family, the name of your team is stupid, but it is acceptable. In regards to the game, what was the NBA thinking? The Pacers played a game in London last Thursday, then got to fly back to Indiana and play a game, then had to fly cross-country for a west coast road trip. That is just awful scheduling. Yes, the Pacers won in Sacramento on Wednesday, but the legs are probably going to start wearing down in LA tonight. Stay up late for the Lake Show starring Julius Randle and enjoy the W you will be rewarded with for doing so.
Yesterday: 2-1
Overall: 24-13-2 (64.9%)
Thursday, January 19, 2017
Daily Three 1/19
Hello,
Sorry for the past few days. I think the blogging from the car messed me up, but I am back with the normal three picks. Unfortunately, Saturday was 1-2 day, but it is okay as we shall make up for it tonight.
NHL
New York Rangers at Toronto Maple Leafs -115
So, this happened Tuesday Night. Yes, that is 6' 3'' Chris Kreider using much smaller Cody Eakin's helmet to bash Cody Eakin in the head. The fight was in retaliation for this run at goaltender Henrik Lundqvist in an earlier game this season. Did you see how no one on the Rangers went after Eakin after the brutal hit. Brady Skeji is literally watching the play unfold and just skates away as if nothing happens. That is absolutely unacceptable, and honestly, Skeji should have been sent down to Hartford immediately after that game. Stand up for the man that has been the heart of your organization for the past decade. Anyway, Kreider played the role of good teammate, albeit a game too late, and managed to whack Eakin in the head with his own head protector. While that was going on, the Rangers were busy giving up 7 goals and showing how deep their issues on the blue line run. The Leafs got all four lines going right now and just beat this Rangers team a week ago in MSG. Go with Auston Matthews and the Leafs tonight in the Air Canada Center.
NBA
Minnesota Timberwolves -1 at Los Angeles Clippers
Today in BS NBA nicknames, we have the Clippers of Los Angeles. According to the team website, the name came to be in their previous city, San Diego. After moving from Buffalo, the franchise held a fan vote to give the franchise a new nickname. The fans decided on the Clipper, which according to Meriam-Webster is a "a fast sailing ship." The name does make a lot of sense for the city of San Diego, arguably one of the most beautiful coastal cities in the country and a very renown port city. The team lasted in San Diego for six years and moved up the coast to LA where they continued to be the Clippers, which really has no significance in LA at all. So, what ownership decided to do to appease fans in San Diego, did not apply to the new fans in LA. I guess this makes sense for a team that once had an openly racist owner, drafted Michael Olowokandi number one overall in a draft, and continues to allow Doc Rivers to make personnel decisions (Just let the man coach, there is a reason this team can't get past the second round). In more bad news for the franchise, Chris Paul has just been ruled out for the next 6-8 weeks and are already missing Blake Griffin for the time being. The "wonderful" bench that Doc has assembled will have to step up big time to make up for the losses of Paul and Griffin. The line opened up at -2.5 for the Clips, but has already shifted to put the T'Wolves as 1 point favorites. This happened despite 60% of spread bets being on LA according to Sports Insights. This can probably be attributed to the fact that 75% of the money is on Minnesota. Go with Towns and Wiggins to get the big victory in Tinseltown.
NCAAB
Arizona State Sun Devils at UCLA Bruins -19
Bang bang, bang bang, bang bang. Oh you know what that sounds means. We got ourselves a late night hammer. Yes, Lonzo Ball is awesome, blah blah blah. Yes, finally Steve Alford and son Bryce are no longer being blamed for UCLA's failures, blah blah blah. This segment is dedicated to one of America's most under-appreciated treasures, Bill Walton. Yes, Mr. Walton is a legendary basketball player, but there is just so much more to him than that. He is a Dead Head, a free spirit, a wonderful biker, wearer of all things tie-dye, father of Luke Walton, wonderful commentator, and just all around great person. Just watch this footage of him on the night of the National College Football Championship. Seriously, he is the greatest. There is nothing I look more forward to in the winter than watching him and Dave Pasch calling Pac-12 basketball games late at night. So for all reasons Bill Walton, take his alma tonight, who should win big against the Sun Devils.
Saturday: 1-2
Overall: 22-12-2
Sorry for the past few days. I think the blogging from the car messed me up, but I am back with the normal three picks. Unfortunately, Saturday was 1-2 day, but it is okay as we shall make up for it tonight.
NHL
New York Rangers at Toronto Maple Leafs -115
So, this happened Tuesday Night. Yes, that is 6' 3'' Chris Kreider using much smaller Cody Eakin's helmet to bash Cody Eakin in the head. The fight was in retaliation for this run at goaltender Henrik Lundqvist in an earlier game this season. Did you see how no one on the Rangers went after Eakin after the brutal hit. Brady Skeji is literally watching the play unfold and just skates away as if nothing happens. That is absolutely unacceptable, and honestly, Skeji should have been sent down to Hartford immediately after that game. Stand up for the man that has been the heart of your organization for the past decade. Anyway, Kreider played the role of good teammate, albeit a game too late, and managed to whack Eakin in the head with his own head protector. While that was going on, the Rangers were busy giving up 7 goals and showing how deep their issues on the blue line run. The Leafs got all four lines going right now and just beat this Rangers team a week ago in MSG. Go with Auston Matthews and the Leafs tonight in the Air Canada Center.
NBA
Minnesota Timberwolves -1 at Los Angeles Clippers
Today in BS NBA nicknames, we have the Clippers of Los Angeles. According to the team website, the name came to be in their previous city, San Diego. After moving from Buffalo, the franchise held a fan vote to give the franchise a new nickname. The fans decided on the Clipper, which according to Meriam-Webster is a "a fast sailing ship." The name does make a lot of sense for the city of San Diego, arguably one of the most beautiful coastal cities in the country and a very renown port city. The team lasted in San Diego for six years and moved up the coast to LA where they continued to be the Clippers, which really has no significance in LA at all. So, what ownership decided to do to appease fans in San Diego, did not apply to the new fans in LA. I guess this makes sense for a team that once had an openly racist owner, drafted Michael Olowokandi number one overall in a draft, and continues to allow Doc Rivers to make personnel decisions (Just let the man coach, there is a reason this team can't get past the second round). In more bad news for the franchise, Chris Paul has just been ruled out for the next 6-8 weeks and are already missing Blake Griffin for the time being. The "wonderful" bench that Doc has assembled will have to step up big time to make up for the losses of Paul and Griffin. The line opened up at -2.5 for the Clips, but has already shifted to put the T'Wolves as 1 point favorites. This happened despite 60% of spread bets being on LA according to Sports Insights. This can probably be attributed to the fact that 75% of the money is on Minnesota. Go with Towns and Wiggins to get the big victory in Tinseltown.
NCAAB
Arizona State Sun Devils at UCLA Bruins -19
Bang bang, bang bang, bang bang. Oh you know what that sounds means. We got ourselves a late night hammer. Yes, Lonzo Ball is awesome, blah blah blah. Yes, finally Steve Alford and son Bryce are no longer being blamed for UCLA's failures, blah blah blah. This segment is dedicated to one of America's most under-appreciated treasures, Bill Walton. Yes, Mr. Walton is a legendary basketball player, but there is just so much more to him than that. He is a Dead Head, a free spirit, a wonderful biker, wearer of all things tie-dye, father of Luke Walton, wonderful commentator, and just all around great person. Just watch this footage of him on the night of the National College Football Championship. Seriously, he is the greatest. There is nothing I look more forward to in the winter than watching him and Dave Pasch calling Pac-12 basketball games late at night. So for all reasons Bill Walton, take his alma tonight, who should win big against the Sun Devils.
Saturday: 1-2
Overall: 22-12-2
Saturday, January 14, 2017
Daily Three 1/14
Hello,
So, our undefeated streak ended last night. I'm sorry, I guess 10-1-1 isn't good enough for you. If you are going to complain about that then get out. I am currently typing on my phone on the way to a mountain, because I am dedicated to my audience (No guarantee I write one tomorrow). So, no two parter today. It would be very tedious. We got NHL, NBA, and NFL. So, lfg.
NHL
St. Louis Blues at San Jose Sharks (-1.5, +180)
I was going to dedicate this write-up to how big of a mess Jake Allen is at the moment. Unfortunately, coach, Ken Hitchcock beat me to it. Hitchcock bashed his goalie Thursday night and now Carter Hutton is starting tonight. In fairness, they are playing the first of a back-to-back, so Hutton gets the start in the Shark Tank, while Allen will start tomorrow in the Duck Pond. However, starting Hutton tonight is essentially Coach Hitchcock waving his white flag and saving his best tender for a more favorable matchup, even if he is currently a mess. Great value and we get to cheer on the beards of Joe Thornton and Brent Burns. Go Sharks here.
NBA
San Antonio Spurs -12 vs Phoenix Suns (Game in Mexico City)
As mentioned, the game is being played in Mexico. Funny story, the Spurs were in Mexico a few years ago to play the Timberwolves, and the game postponed due to smoke in the arena. You cannot make this stuff up, the game was canceled because the smoke made it impossible to see and hard to breathe. Today should get off without any problems. These are two border teams, so great job by the NBA in selecting teams in this international game. I'll take the Spurs here. They are closer to Mexico City, and they are basically the innovators of international flair in the NBA (Manu Ginobili, Tony Parker, Patty Mills, etc.). All aboard the Pop train in Mexico.
NFL
Seattle Seahawks at Atlanta Falcons -5.5
I'm sticking with narrative, the Seattle Seahawks are overrated (sorry that hot coffee is dripping from your monitor, you should have been ready for this hot take). Look, the Hawks had the benefit of a star quarterback basically throwing without one of his fingers, and their beloved "12th man." Let's get something straight before I continue with the game; Seattle's 12th man is the biggest fan farce in professional and college sports. They weren't even the original users of the term. That would belong to the Texas A&M Aggies who have had it marked on their stadium for decades. Also, the fans only showed up after Marshawn Lynch's run against the Saints. I mean, JC Seattle, if the Jets had the chance to play the Rams, Niners, and Cardinals once a year at home, they would be able to boast about their home field advantage too. Anyway, Seattle's D will really miss Earl Thomas against the Falcons' aerial attack. Matt Ryan will do enough to maintain his spot as the second best quarterback in the 2008 draft (Joe Flacco is Elite), and the Falcons will be headed to the NFC Conference Championship.
Last Night: 2-1
Overall: 21-10-2
So, our undefeated streak ended last night. I'm sorry, I guess 10-1-1 isn't good enough for you. If you are going to complain about that then get out. I am currently typing on my phone on the way to a mountain, because I am dedicated to my audience (No guarantee I write one tomorrow). So, no two parter today. It would be very tedious. We got NHL, NBA, and NFL. So, lfg.
NHL
St. Louis Blues at San Jose Sharks (-1.5, +180)
I was going to dedicate this write-up to how big of a mess Jake Allen is at the moment. Unfortunately, coach, Ken Hitchcock beat me to it. Hitchcock bashed his goalie Thursday night and now Carter Hutton is starting tonight. In fairness, they are playing the first of a back-to-back, so Hutton gets the start in the Shark Tank, while Allen will start tomorrow in the Duck Pond. However, starting Hutton tonight is essentially Coach Hitchcock waving his white flag and saving his best tender for a more favorable matchup, even if he is currently a mess. Great value and we get to cheer on the beards of Joe Thornton and Brent Burns. Go Sharks here.
NBA
San Antonio Spurs -12 vs Phoenix Suns (Game in Mexico City)
As mentioned, the game is being played in Mexico. Funny story, the Spurs were in Mexico a few years ago to play the Timberwolves, and the game postponed due to smoke in the arena. You cannot make this stuff up, the game was canceled because the smoke made it impossible to see and hard to breathe. Today should get off without any problems. These are two border teams, so great job by the NBA in selecting teams in this international game. I'll take the Spurs here. They are closer to Mexico City, and they are basically the innovators of international flair in the NBA (Manu Ginobili, Tony Parker, Patty Mills, etc.). All aboard the Pop train in Mexico.
NFL
Seattle Seahawks at Atlanta Falcons -5.5
I'm sticking with narrative, the Seattle Seahawks are overrated (sorry that hot coffee is dripping from your monitor, you should have been ready for this hot take). Look, the Hawks had the benefit of a star quarterback basically throwing without one of his fingers, and their beloved "12th man." Let's get something straight before I continue with the game; Seattle's 12th man is the biggest fan farce in professional and college sports. They weren't even the original users of the term. That would belong to the Texas A&M Aggies who have had it marked on their stadium for decades. Also, the fans only showed up after Marshawn Lynch's run against the Saints. I mean, JC Seattle, if the Jets had the chance to play the Rams, Niners, and Cardinals once a year at home, they would be able to boast about their home field advantage too. Anyway, Seattle's D will really miss Earl Thomas against the Falcons' aerial attack. Matt Ryan will do enough to maintain his spot as the second best quarterback in the 2008 draft (Joe Flacco is Elite), and the Falcons will be headed to the NFC Conference Championship.
Last Night: 2-1
Overall: 21-10-2
Friday, January 13, 2017
The Daily Three 1/13
Hello,
So, I guess we can say boom and boom again. A third straight undefeated night, albeit it was a push, and we are rolling. The Badgers and Warriors took care of business, while thanks to a late Oilers goal in the third period, we were guaranteed a push in Edmonton. One of the reasons that Drew loves the o/u of 5 is that a 2-2 game guarantees a push. We got that last night and are now 8-0-1 in the past three nights. We are going to do something today that will make your Friday night more enjoyable. All three of the picks tonight will be on games that should be on at your local watering hole. This way you can cheer on a team while drinking some brews with some friends and use the money won from these games to pay for said brews. So let's do it.
NCAAB
Detroit Mercy Titans at Oakland Grizzlies -16.5 (7 pm Eastern - ESPNU)
Yeah, Horizon League basketball isn't that appealing and you may be hard-pressed to find this on the television at your bar. However, ESPNU is always one of those generic channels that tend to be on, and this gives me the chance to talk about the 2015-2016 Oakland Grizzlies basketball team, one of my favorite college sports teams of all time. Yes, it is weird that a small school outside of Detroit would capture my imagination, but Oakland did just that. It was really thanks to two guys. The first, Kay Felder, was a 5' 9'' guard that constantly got triple-doubles. The guy was electric, always had the ball in his hands, and made everyone around him better. The man is so talented, he is currently playing with LeBron in Cleveland. The other guy was Max Hooper. He literally only shot three pointers, like actually. He took over 200 field goal attempts last season, and they were all three pointers. What a boss!! Both are great players that won't be playing tonight, but their spirit lives on at Oakland U, take the Grizz tonight.
NHL
Chicago Blackhawks at Washington Capitals (-1.5, +200) (7 pm Eastern - NHL Network)
Really not too much to say here. It is an overhyped January hockey game in Washington, so you know the Caps are going to show up. So far this month, the Caps have played Stanley Cup contenders Columbus, Montreal, and Pittsburgh and have won each game by multiple goals. This is not a knock on the Hawks at all, however, they show up in June no January. Take the great value and go Caps.
NBA
Detroit Pistons at Utah Jazz -11 (10:30 pm Eastern -ESPN)
Bang bang, bang bang, bang bang. Hmmm, what is that noise? Oh, I know what that noise is. It is our late night hammer!! And look who is going to take the brunt of that hammer, our least favorite car part. The poor Pistons are going to go down again tonight, but I will spare them in this write-up. I am going to talk about the ridiculousness of their opponent's nickname. The Jazz came to be when they were playing in their original city, New Orleans. As you can tell, the name made a lot of sense in New Orleans. However, they moved to Utah, which has no association with Jazz what so ever, but the owners decided to keep the name. So, yeah, they disrespected New Orleans and their own citizens by not changing their name to something more geographically relevant. Despite this awry reality, jazz is still cool. It is a great genre of music and damn it, Ryan Gosling does an amazing job trying to revive the jazz scene in La La Land (No, John Legend, we don't need auto tune to make jazz more relevant, it is great the way it is. You're still awesome John, Ordinary People is a wonderful song). So, take the free space on your bingo board and go with Jazz.
Yesterday: 2-0-1
Overall: 19-9-2
Yesterday: 2-0-1
Overall: 19-9-2
Thursday, January 12, 2017
The Daily Three 1/12
Hello,
Boom and Boom. That is our second straight day with a 3-0 record. The college basketball slate was one of the easier ones we will play, while we were bailed out by the Knicks. New York had a ten point lead with seven minutes left. Of course, they blew it, and TJ McConnell drained a game winner as time expired for the Sixers win. Tonight, we are going to back to the NHL slate, while doing our typical NBA and NCCAB pick. Short write-ups again today, but it should be enough.
NHL
New Jersey Devils at Edmonton Oilers (Over 5 goals)
Taylor Hall revenge game!!!!!! That is all I need to say, but I will add a little more. Honestly, I was shocked when I saw this at just 5 goals (click for shocked face). Yes, I have been told I look like Joey from Friends before. Anyway, hockey games with an o/u of 5 are a favorite of my good friend Andrew Montesantos. He always loves to take the over in these games. Although I will stop short of saying always, I think we are in a good spot. Corey Schneider has really been having a down year and flying cross country to freezing Alberta to play Connor McDavid and his crew should not help his cause. Also, like I mentioned earlier, Taylor Hall is returning back to Edmonton for the first time since his infamous trade for Adam Larsson, seriously Adam Larsson. I would expect the revenge narrative to hold up here and for Taylor to fill up the stat sheet. Take the over and watch the goal sheet fill up.
NBA
Detroit Pistons at Golden State Warriors -13
Our disdain for the Detroit Pistons has been heavily documented. We share this hatred with the many members of the NBA from the early 90s. We share this hatred with the Amish. Why the Amish do you ask? Well, one would think a Piston would be a horse, considering the Pistons' logo is a horse. However, it is not a horse, but rather, it is a car part that helps create force in the engine and thus, get the car going. The strength of the piston translates to the level of horsepower in the car. So, great job Pistons, way to represent Motown. I honestly would be more impressed with the logo if it was actually a piston, not some stupid misrepresentation. The Amish are not accepting of the piston and think it makes a mockery of their form of travel (I do not know this for fact, I am just inferring this. The Amish are a good people). Anyway, the game is on national TV, so the Pistons may be hyped up and keep it up in the first half. However, Klay is back for the Warriors, and they should pull away late to cover the spread.
NCAAB
Ohio State Buckeyes at Wisconsin Badgers -11
Badgers are playing at the Kohl Center. That is it. If you don't like it, don't do it.
Yesterday: 3-0
Overall: 17-9-1
Boom and Boom. That is our second straight day with a 3-0 record. The college basketball slate was one of the easier ones we will play, while we were bailed out by the Knicks. New York had a ten point lead with seven minutes left. Of course, they blew it, and TJ McConnell drained a game winner as time expired for the Sixers win. Tonight, we are going to back to the NHL slate, while doing our typical NBA and NCCAB pick. Short write-ups again today, but it should be enough.
NHL
New Jersey Devils at Edmonton Oilers (Over 5 goals)
Taylor Hall revenge game!!!!!! That is all I need to say, but I will add a little more. Honestly, I was shocked when I saw this at just 5 goals (click for shocked face). Yes, I have been told I look like Joey from Friends before. Anyway, hockey games with an o/u of 5 are a favorite of my good friend Andrew Montesantos. He always loves to take the over in these games. Although I will stop short of saying always, I think we are in a good spot. Corey Schneider has really been having a down year and flying cross country to freezing Alberta to play Connor McDavid and his crew should not help his cause. Also, like I mentioned earlier, Taylor Hall is returning back to Edmonton for the first time since his infamous trade for Adam Larsson, seriously Adam Larsson. I would expect the revenge narrative to hold up here and for Taylor to fill up the stat sheet. Take the over and watch the goal sheet fill up.
NBA
Detroit Pistons at Golden State Warriors -13
Our disdain for the Detroit Pistons has been heavily documented. We share this hatred with the many members of the NBA from the early 90s. We share this hatred with the Amish. Why the Amish do you ask? Well, one would think a Piston would be a horse, considering the Pistons' logo is a horse. However, it is not a horse, but rather, it is a car part that helps create force in the engine and thus, get the car going. The strength of the piston translates to the level of horsepower in the car. So, great job Pistons, way to represent Motown. I honestly would be more impressed with the logo if it was actually a piston, not some stupid misrepresentation. The Amish are not accepting of the piston and think it makes a mockery of their form of travel (I do not know this for fact, I am just inferring this. The Amish are a good people). Anyway, the game is on national TV, so the Pistons may be hyped up and keep it up in the first half. However, Klay is back for the Warriors, and they should pull away late to cover the spread.
NCAAB
Ohio State Buckeyes at Wisconsin Badgers -11
Badgers are playing at the Kohl Center. That is it. If you don't like it, don't do it.
Yesterday: 3-0
Overall: 17-9-1
Wednesday, January 11, 2017
Daily Three 1/11
Hello,
Boom, we went 3-0 last night. The best part was that it was never in question. West Virginia handed Baylor their first loss in convincing fashion. Florida State upset Grayson Allen and Duke, and our boy Xavier Rathan-Mayes had a big night. And the Jazz got the win at home against Lebron just like predicted. Tonight, we will go the way of two college basketball games and one NBA game again. There will be no write-ups, just a little statement for each of the picks.
NBA
New York Knicks at Philadelphia 76ers +1.5
Fairly simple, the Knicks are a mess as Monday night showed. Trust the process and take the Sixers.
NCAAB
South Carolina Gamecocks -1.5 at Tennessee Volunteers
Last week, we took Tennessee -3 at home against Arkansas, and the Volunteers went on to lose that game. South Carolina is a significantly better team than Arkansas. Take the Gamecocks in Knoxville.
Butler Bulldogs at Creighton Bluejays -5.5
Here, Butler and Creighton are very good on their courts, not so much on the road. Creighton is playing in Omaha, take them.
Last Night: 3-0
Overall: 14-9-1
Boom, we went 3-0 last night. The best part was that it was never in question. West Virginia handed Baylor their first loss in convincing fashion. Florida State upset Grayson Allen and Duke, and our boy Xavier Rathan-Mayes had a big night. And the Jazz got the win at home against Lebron just like predicted. Tonight, we will go the way of two college basketball games and one NBA game again. There will be no write-ups, just a little statement for each of the picks.
NBA
New York Knicks at Philadelphia 76ers +1.5
Fairly simple, the Knicks are a mess as Monday night showed. Trust the process and take the Sixers.
NCAAB
South Carolina Gamecocks -1.5 at Tennessee Volunteers
Last week, we took Tennessee -3 at home against Arkansas, and the Volunteers went on to lose that game. South Carolina is a significantly better team than Arkansas. Take the Gamecocks in Knoxville.
Butler Bulldogs at Creighton Bluejays -5.5
Here, Butler and Creighton are very good on their courts, not so much on the road. Creighton is playing in Omaha, take them.
Last Night: 3-0
Overall: 14-9-1
Tuesday, January 10, 2017
Daily Three 1/10
Hello,
So, obviously the big game last night did not go the way that I planned. It got off to a great start. Alabama got off to a quick 14-0 start, Bo was running all over the Clemson defense and using up clock. Things seemed to be going the right way. However, Clemson executed a wonderful game plan and kept the Bama defense on the field for 99 plays. The Alabama defense has never played that much in their history. Also, Bo went down in the third quarter, and the Tide were no longer able to play the bruising style of football that worked in the first half. Although I am disappointed with the result, I have no regrets making that pick and am fully confident that it was just a bad break. Anyway, we march on as we still have a winning record and split the other two games last night. Tonight, we are going to skip out on pucks and add an extra NCAAB game, as there are two primetime showdowns that I am looking forward to watching.
NBA
Cleveland Cavaliers at Utah Jazz +2
Tonight, the Lebron and the Cavs roll into Salt Lake City to take on Gordon Hayward and the Jazz. Although initially, it may seem like the Cavs are an easy bet to roll here, I am going the other way and taking Utah tonight. An astounding 86% of spread bets so far in this game are going towards the Cavs. Even though such heavy action is currently coming in on the Cavs, the spread has actually dropped from Cavs -2.5 to Cavs -2. One reason for this would obviously be that sharp money is on the Jazz. Clearly, it did not work for us last night. However, over the long run, following the sharp money will lead to more victories than losses. Also, Salt Lake City is an incredibly hard place for any opposing NBA team to come into and get a victory. Just ask the Golden State Warriors, who have played many close games with the Jazz over the past three years. At home, the Jazz are able to really slow down the pace of the game and grind out victories against teams that are really more talented than they are. I think they are definitely capable of doing that, but just to be safe, we will take the two points the Cavs are giving us anyway.
NCAAB
Baylor Bears at West Virginia Mountaineers -6
What a slate of college basketball games tonight. People like to bash how meaningless the regular season is in college basketball, but I disagree. Going into hostile buildings and playing competitive games against even-matched teams build you for March. Also, they are incredibly exciting. One of these matchups tonight comes in the Big 12 as the number one ranked Baylor Bears go into Morgantown to face West Virginia. For the first time in program history, Baylor is the number one team in the country. Quite the accomplishment for coach, Scott Drew, who took over the team as it was struck in turmoil resulting from poor performance and the ongoing murder trial of one of its own players killing a fellow teammate. Unfortunately for Drew, Baylor's first game at the top of the rankings is probably going to end in a loss. As I'm sure many of you can recall from last year, each and every week it seemed like there was a new number one team. Constantly after reaching the top, teams just constantly blew their chance and fell right back down the ladder. The main reason for this is that the sport severely lacked a true number one team. I think that is also the case this season. Currently, Baylor is ranked 7th in the Ken Pom efficiency poll. Although that is obviously a very good, they are ranked below their opponent who is currently ranked at #2. Also, an interesting metric that Ken Pom uses it Luck. Luck is apparently evaluated by rating a team's actual record against it's expected record based on Ken Pom ratings. This could possibly explain why an undefeated Baylor team would fall all the way down to 7. Baylor ranks 81st in the luck category, which is actually considerably high for a team of their caliber. Consider tonight to be the night that their luck runs out, as Bob Huggins will have his squad controlling the pace with their high-intensity press and deep roster.
Duke Blue Devils at Florida State Seminoles -1.5
In this one, Duke will be without its coach and senior leader Amile Jefferson as they head to Tallahassee to face the surprisingly good Florida State Seminoles. I'm sure I will get many opportunities to talk about Duke, so I will talk about Leonard Hamilton's squad. The Seminoles just hit the top ten this week and are ranked #19 in the Ken Pom rankings. Hamilton's teams usually are very defensively-minded, however this squad has found a very nice balance and strike fear in their opponents from both side of the court. The Seminoles are led by Dwayne Bacon, who made the surprising decision to return for his sophomore year. Bacon was part of a huge recruiting class along with Terrance Mann and Malik Beasley, who did leave after his freshman year. Despite little spurts of success, the Seminoles were unable to find any consistency and struggled to a 20-14 record and second round loss in the NIT. Now, Bacon leads the team in scoring with 18 points a game and the Seminoles appear to be a lock to make the tournament already, barring a late season collapse. Their X-Factor is junior Xavier Rathan-Mayes. During his freshman year, Rathan-Mayes straight up balled and almost led the Seminoles to a NIT title. However, last season with the additions of Bacon, Mann, and Beasley, Rathan-Mayes struggled to adapt to his role of facilitator and the Seminoles struggled as a result. This season, his minutes are down, but he has started every game and has career highs in assists and assist-turnover ratio. In order for the Seminoles to pull it out tonight, Rathan-Mayes will need to able to control the pace and limit turnovers. I think he is more than capable, as he is a great player, and the Blue Devils have historically struggled playing in Northern Florida. The Seminoles will take advantage of some of the Blue Devils' losses and get the home victory to continue their winning ways.
Last Night: 1-2
Overall: 11-9-1
So, obviously the big game last night did not go the way that I planned. It got off to a great start. Alabama got off to a quick 14-0 start, Bo was running all over the Clemson defense and using up clock. Things seemed to be going the right way. However, Clemson executed a wonderful game plan and kept the Bama defense on the field for 99 plays. The Alabama defense has never played that much in their history. Also, Bo went down in the third quarter, and the Tide were no longer able to play the bruising style of football that worked in the first half. Although I am disappointed with the result, I have no regrets making that pick and am fully confident that it was just a bad break. Anyway, we march on as we still have a winning record and split the other two games last night. Tonight, we are going to skip out on pucks and add an extra NCAAB game, as there are two primetime showdowns that I am looking forward to watching.
NBA
Cleveland Cavaliers at Utah Jazz +2
Tonight, the Lebron and the Cavs roll into Salt Lake City to take on Gordon Hayward and the Jazz. Although initially, it may seem like the Cavs are an easy bet to roll here, I am going the other way and taking Utah tonight. An astounding 86% of spread bets so far in this game are going towards the Cavs. Even though such heavy action is currently coming in on the Cavs, the spread has actually dropped from Cavs -2.5 to Cavs -2. One reason for this would obviously be that sharp money is on the Jazz. Clearly, it did not work for us last night. However, over the long run, following the sharp money will lead to more victories than losses. Also, Salt Lake City is an incredibly hard place for any opposing NBA team to come into and get a victory. Just ask the Golden State Warriors, who have played many close games with the Jazz over the past three years. At home, the Jazz are able to really slow down the pace of the game and grind out victories against teams that are really more talented than they are. I think they are definitely capable of doing that, but just to be safe, we will take the two points the Cavs are giving us anyway.
NCAAB
Baylor Bears at West Virginia Mountaineers -6
What a slate of college basketball games tonight. People like to bash how meaningless the regular season is in college basketball, but I disagree. Going into hostile buildings and playing competitive games against even-matched teams build you for March. Also, they are incredibly exciting. One of these matchups tonight comes in the Big 12 as the number one ranked Baylor Bears go into Morgantown to face West Virginia. For the first time in program history, Baylor is the number one team in the country. Quite the accomplishment for coach, Scott Drew, who took over the team as it was struck in turmoil resulting from poor performance and the ongoing murder trial of one of its own players killing a fellow teammate. Unfortunately for Drew, Baylor's first game at the top of the rankings is probably going to end in a loss. As I'm sure many of you can recall from last year, each and every week it seemed like there was a new number one team. Constantly after reaching the top, teams just constantly blew their chance and fell right back down the ladder. The main reason for this is that the sport severely lacked a true number one team. I think that is also the case this season. Currently, Baylor is ranked 7th in the Ken Pom efficiency poll. Although that is obviously a very good, they are ranked below their opponent who is currently ranked at #2. Also, an interesting metric that Ken Pom uses it Luck. Luck is apparently evaluated by rating a team's actual record against it's expected record based on Ken Pom ratings. This could possibly explain why an undefeated Baylor team would fall all the way down to 7. Baylor ranks 81st in the luck category, which is actually considerably high for a team of their caliber. Consider tonight to be the night that their luck runs out, as Bob Huggins will have his squad controlling the pace with their high-intensity press and deep roster.
Duke Blue Devils at Florida State Seminoles -1.5
In this one, Duke will be without its coach and senior leader Amile Jefferson as they head to Tallahassee to face the surprisingly good Florida State Seminoles. I'm sure I will get many opportunities to talk about Duke, so I will talk about Leonard Hamilton's squad. The Seminoles just hit the top ten this week and are ranked #19 in the Ken Pom rankings. Hamilton's teams usually are very defensively-minded, however this squad has found a very nice balance and strike fear in their opponents from both side of the court. The Seminoles are led by Dwayne Bacon, who made the surprising decision to return for his sophomore year. Bacon was part of a huge recruiting class along with Terrance Mann and Malik Beasley, who did leave after his freshman year. Despite little spurts of success, the Seminoles were unable to find any consistency and struggled to a 20-14 record and second round loss in the NIT. Now, Bacon leads the team in scoring with 18 points a game and the Seminoles appear to be a lock to make the tournament already, barring a late season collapse. Their X-Factor is junior Xavier Rathan-Mayes. During his freshman year, Rathan-Mayes straight up balled and almost led the Seminoles to a NIT title. However, last season with the additions of Bacon, Mann, and Beasley, Rathan-Mayes struggled to adapt to his role of facilitator and the Seminoles struggled as a result. This season, his minutes are down, but he has started every game and has career highs in assists and assist-turnover ratio. In order for the Seminoles to pull it out tonight, Rathan-Mayes will need to able to control the pace and limit turnovers. I think he is more than capable, as he is a great player, and the Blue Devils have historically struggled playing in Northern Florida. The Seminoles will take advantage of some of the Blue Devils' losses and get the home victory to continue their winning ways.
Last Night: 1-2
Overall: 11-9-1
Monday, January 9, 2017
Daily Three (1/9) NCAAF Title Game (Lock of the Month)
Hello,
Unforunately, Saturday resulted in the first losing day for the picks I have given out. Despite, a 2-1 record in college basketball, the Wild blew an early 2-0 and lost to the Kings, while my bold proclamation about the Seahawks did not hold up. So, Saturday ended up being a 2-3 day (Pistons/Blazers game was postponed, so the play becomes invalid). Tonight belongs to college football as the Clemson Tigers and Alabama Crimson Tide will go head-to-head for the right to be called national champions. I will have a pick for each the NHL and the NBA with no write-up as I'm sure all of the focus will be on the big game tonight.
NHL
Washington Capitals EVEN at Montreal Canadiens (Caps are underdogs, take them)
NBA
Dallas Mavericks +4.5 at Minnesota Timberwolves (Public is with the Wolves and the spread went down from -5 to -4.5)
NCAAF
Clemson Tigers vs Alabama Crimson Tide -6.5 (Lock of the Month)
It only makes sense that the Lock of the Month would take place in the National College Football Championship game. Clemson is looking for payback against the Bama team that ended their championship dreams last season. Clemson was able to cover the 7 point spread in last year's championship game thanks to a late score with twelve seconds late in the game. Yes, Clemson did cover, but that is definitely a flukey way to cover a game. As we get into this year's version, we are going to look at some betting trends. In their past ten games, the Tigers are 5-5 against the spread, while the Crimson Tide are a remarkable 8-2. Usually, the trend in Vegas tends to be "Never bet against the Tide." However, the public has seemed to abandon this principle in the lead-up to this game. As of time of this writing, 61% of spread bets are on Clemson, according to Sports Insights (all betting percentages are according to Sports Insights). One of our main principles is that the public is normally wrong and in some cases, stupid. In this situation, I think the public is being stupid. What could possibly lead to 3/5th of bettors to be all over the Tigers. Well, one reason is probably recency bias. The last time we saw these two teams play, the Tigers absolutely man-handled the number 3 seed Ohio State Buckeyes, while the Crimson Tide struggled with a stingy Washington Huskies team and managed to get by with a 24-7 (worth noting, Alabama covered). The Tigers' offense was very efficient and their defense was dominant. The Tide's D was business as usual, while the offense was stagnant at times and struggled to move the ball against a solid Washington D. It would make sense for people to side with the Tigers, if they had only watched these two teams played on New Year's Eve. However, we have an entire season of football to evaluate these two teams, and the Tide were consistently dominant throughout it. The Tigers definitely had their moments, but also lost a game at home to an average Pitt team, and they really should have lost a second game at home to NC State (NC State missed game-winning field goal as time expired). Also, I think the results of the semifinal games actually benefits Alabama. Do you think that Nick Saban is going to allow his team to be disorganized, inefficient, and sloppy for a second consecutive game, let alone a second consecutive playoff game. Saban is probably reminding his players every single morning about their performance in Atlanta and will be ready to go in Tampa. Clemson, on the other hand, played a phenomenal game in Glendale and definitely exceed expectations. Coach, Dabo Swinney, will need to keep his players his players grounded and not let them get too cocky. Obviously, these players believe in their head coach, but college athletes are way different than professionals. The media have been talking them up for the past week and a half, and they are definitely listening to it. We shall see if they can drown out the noise and just play their game, however, I think it will definitely have some effect on them. Also, the public is probably concerned about the sudden departure of Lane Kiffin. I wouldn't look too much into it. Steve Sarkisian has been a successful offensive coordinator in the sport and has been around the staff all year. His role as offensive analyst did not allow him much contact with players. He will most likely use a game plan that is basically cut from the same cloth as Kiffin's game plans all year, and the offense will run smoothly. Now that we have exposed the public for its foolish logic, we can look at our other betting principle, sharp money/reverse line movement. Is there any reverse line movement going on this game. Boom, we can confirm that there is some reverse line movement. The line opened up at -6 and has since moved to the aforementioned -6.5, despite 61% of spread bets being placed on the Tigers. This reverse line movement has been triggered by sharp money, as the Tide have received 47% of the money wagered despite only getting 39% of the bets. Even though, Clemson has received more money at 53%, it does not mean the sharp money is on them. Since, more bets have been placed on Clemson than money wagered on them, it more or less proves the point that they are being backed by the public, which we do not like. Lastly, if you want to get behind a narrative in this game, don't fall for the obvious ones that actually have no merit. Obviously, Clemson wants revenge over Bama, but it doesn't mean that they are going to try harder than a Nick Saban coached team. The junior Heisman candidate QB vs the true freshman QB narrative is also very overhyped. Jalen Hurts didn't seem to phased winning the Iron Bowl, SEC Championship, or National Semifinal games (although he did struggle in the National Semifinal). The real narrative to get behind is this historically good Bama defense. Although, they ended up winning the game last year, this defense got shredded apart by Deshaun Watson. For the the past week and a half, this defense has been watching tape of Watson easily dissecting their defense and dropping 40 points on them. There is nothing that this defense would like to do more than shut down this explosive Clemson offense and cement themselves as one of the greatest defenses in college football history. So, there it is, the lock of the month. The Crimson Tide will take care of business tonight in Tampa and will continue the legacy of the greatest dynasty in the history of the sport.
Saturday: 2-3
Overall: 10-7-1
Unforunately, Saturday resulted in the first losing day for the picks I have given out. Despite, a 2-1 record in college basketball, the Wild blew an early 2-0 and lost to the Kings, while my bold proclamation about the Seahawks did not hold up. So, Saturday ended up being a 2-3 day (Pistons/Blazers game was postponed, so the play becomes invalid). Tonight belongs to college football as the Clemson Tigers and Alabama Crimson Tide will go head-to-head for the right to be called national champions. I will have a pick for each the NHL and the NBA with no write-up as I'm sure all of the focus will be on the big game tonight.
NHL
Washington Capitals EVEN at Montreal Canadiens (Caps are underdogs, take them)
NBA
Dallas Mavericks +4.5 at Minnesota Timberwolves (Public is with the Wolves and the spread went down from -5 to -4.5)
NCAAF
Clemson Tigers vs Alabama Crimson Tide -6.5 (Lock of the Month)
It only makes sense that the Lock of the Month would take place in the National College Football Championship game. Clemson is looking for payback against the Bama team that ended their championship dreams last season. Clemson was able to cover the 7 point spread in last year's championship game thanks to a late score with twelve seconds late in the game. Yes, Clemson did cover, but that is definitely a flukey way to cover a game. As we get into this year's version, we are going to look at some betting trends. In their past ten games, the Tigers are 5-5 against the spread, while the Crimson Tide are a remarkable 8-2. Usually, the trend in Vegas tends to be "Never bet against the Tide." However, the public has seemed to abandon this principle in the lead-up to this game. As of time of this writing, 61% of spread bets are on Clemson, according to Sports Insights (all betting percentages are according to Sports Insights). One of our main principles is that the public is normally wrong and in some cases, stupid. In this situation, I think the public is being stupid. What could possibly lead to 3/5th of bettors to be all over the Tigers. Well, one reason is probably recency bias. The last time we saw these two teams play, the Tigers absolutely man-handled the number 3 seed Ohio State Buckeyes, while the Crimson Tide struggled with a stingy Washington Huskies team and managed to get by with a 24-7 (worth noting, Alabama covered). The Tigers' offense was very efficient and their defense was dominant. The Tide's D was business as usual, while the offense was stagnant at times and struggled to move the ball against a solid Washington D. It would make sense for people to side with the Tigers, if they had only watched these two teams played on New Year's Eve. However, we have an entire season of football to evaluate these two teams, and the Tide were consistently dominant throughout it. The Tigers definitely had their moments, but also lost a game at home to an average Pitt team, and they really should have lost a second game at home to NC State (NC State missed game-winning field goal as time expired). Also, I think the results of the semifinal games actually benefits Alabama. Do you think that Nick Saban is going to allow his team to be disorganized, inefficient, and sloppy for a second consecutive game, let alone a second consecutive playoff game. Saban is probably reminding his players every single morning about their performance in Atlanta and will be ready to go in Tampa. Clemson, on the other hand, played a phenomenal game in Glendale and definitely exceed expectations. Coach, Dabo Swinney, will need to keep his players his players grounded and not let them get too cocky. Obviously, these players believe in their head coach, but college athletes are way different than professionals. The media have been talking them up for the past week and a half, and they are definitely listening to it. We shall see if they can drown out the noise and just play their game, however, I think it will definitely have some effect on them. Also, the public is probably concerned about the sudden departure of Lane Kiffin. I wouldn't look too much into it. Steve Sarkisian has been a successful offensive coordinator in the sport and has been around the staff all year. His role as offensive analyst did not allow him much contact with players. He will most likely use a game plan that is basically cut from the same cloth as Kiffin's game plans all year, and the offense will run smoothly. Now that we have exposed the public for its foolish logic, we can look at our other betting principle, sharp money/reverse line movement. Is there any reverse line movement going on this game. Boom, we can confirm that there is some reverse line movement. The line opened up at -6 and has since moved to the aforementioned -6.5, despite 61% of spread bets being placed on the Tigers. This reverse line movement has been triggered by sharp money, as the Tide have received 47% of the money wagered despite only getting 39% of the bets. Even though, Clemson has received more money at 53%, it does not mean the sharp money is on them. Since, more bets have been placed on Clemson than money wagered on them, it more or less proves the point that they are being backed by the public, which we do not like. Lastly, if you want to get behind a narrative in this game, don't fall for the obvious ones that actually have no merit. Obviously, Clemson wants revenge over Bama, but it doesn't mean that they are going to try harder than a Nick Saban coached team. The junior Heisman candidate QB vs the true freshman QB narrative is also very overhyped. Jalen Hurts didn't seem to phased winning the Iron Bowl, SEC Championship, or National Semifinal games (although he did struggle in the National Semifinal). The real narrative to get behind is this historically good Bama defense. Although, they ended up winning the game last year, this defense got shredded apart by Deshaun Watson. For the the past week and a half, this defense has been watching tape of Watson easily dissecting their defense and dropping 40 points on them. There is nothing that this defense would like to do more than shut down this explosive Clemson offense and cement themselves as one of the greatest defenses in college football history. So, there it is, the lock of the month. The Crimson Tide will take care of business tonight in Tampa and will continue the legacy of the greatest dynasty in the history of the sport.
Saturday: 2-3
Overall: 10-7-1
Saturday, January 7, 2017
Daily Three 1/7 Part 2
Here is Part 2 of the daily three
NCAAB
Oregon State at Washington -10.5
This is a Pac-12 matchup between two pretty awful teams. Washington is ranked 122 in the Ken Pom, while Oregon State is all the way down at 232. This is a pretty bad game. However, it gives me an opportunity to talk about Markelle Fultz. Fultz is averaging 22.4 points, 6.5 assists, and 6.1 rebounds a game. The 6'4'' point guard has incredible handles and does a great job of creating his own shot. He is able to distribute the ball effectively and really gives it his all for all 40 minutes. He has been one of the best players in the country and is likely going to be a top three pick in this year's draft if not number one. Unfortunately, his supporting cast has not helped him out all year. The Huskies are 7-7 this year and are really wasting their one year with Fultz. Coach, Lorenzo Romar, has a reputation for recruiting high-level prospects and then underperforming with them. He is said to be a great recruiter, awful coach. This may be the end of the line for Romar if he cannot turn the ship around this season. Today, he should have a good shot at doing so. For how bad the Huskies have been this year, the Beavers have been remarkably worse. According to Ken Pom, they have played the country's 36th easiest schedule, and they managed to finish 4-9 out of conference. 4-9!!! They lost at home to Lamar and Savannah State. Savannah State!!! It is really an unfortunate follow up to their NCAA tournament berth last year. Coach's son Tres Trinkle is also out of today's game, which would have maybe helped this poor team's cause. Take the Huskies today as the Beavers continue their sad fall from grace.
Mississippi State at LSU -2
This will be a very short write-up. Both teams have the same record. However, LSU is ranked 106 in the Ken Pom ratings, Mississippi State is at 130. Mississippi State lost its first SEC game at home against Alabama. LSU won its last SEC game at Missouri by 11. Yes, LSU is definitely missing Ben Simmons this year, but there is no way they should lose a home game to a team they significantly better than. Take LSU with this very fortunate spread.
Maryland +8 at Michigan
Melo Trimble, Melo Trimble, Melo Trimble. That is all I really need to say. Michigan is a good squad, but they have played two really close Big Ten games against Iowa and Penn State. Maryland is better than both of these teams. These two teams played a great game in Ann Arbor last year, and I expect the same. The Terps should cover the spread very easily in this one.
Daily Three 1/7 Part 1
Hello,
Yesterday, we were once again very close to completing an undefeated day but just fell short. With a late free throw, Dayton just beat the spread and beat Rhode Island by 3 points. I also apologize for some faulty analysis in that game. Star, Charles Cooke, did not play for the second straight game with a hamstring injury. Fortunately, the Flyers were able to pull through anyway. The Lakers absolutely destroyed the undermanned Heat. We were probably helped by Goran Dragic's ejection in the third quarter, but we take what we can get in this business. Unfortunately, the loss came in the NHL, where the Ducks were only able to win by a goal. This is why the puck line is so risky. The Ducks were clearly the better team on the ice last night, but they needed overtime to get the job done. Also, Mike Smith, I know you are very crafty handling the puck but why are you playing around in front of the goal in overtime.
Anyway, I am going to try something a little different today. Saturdays are essentially made for college basketball for the first three months of the year. There are so many games, thus, there is a lot of opportunity for value. I am going to do two Daily Threes today, one devoted to college basketball and one normal one with three picks. Fortunately, there is an NFL game today, so I will replace the college basketball pick with football. So, here is the first part, NHL, NBA, and NFL.
NHL
Minnesota Wild +115 at Los Angeles Kings
Today, we will start off in La La Land (great movie) as the Minnesota Wild face off against the LA Kings. This year's version of the Wild are barely recognizable compared to years past. The Wild, who traditionally struggle winning on the road and scoring both at home and on the road, have been exceptional away from Xcel Energy Center and are scoring goals at will. They are currently sporting an 11-5-4 on the road compared to a mediocre 17-17-7 record last year. Also, they currently lead the Western Conference in goals with 118 goals, what? They share the same conference as teams that include Patrick Kane, Vladamir Tarasenko, and Joe Pavelski. Their star, Zach Parise, has missed significant time this year, and they are still scoring at will. This recent surge in scoring and success can in large part be attributed to new coach Bruce Boudreau, who has a reputation for immediately implementing his run n' gun style and turning it into success right away. This style is the total opposite of their opponents who like to clog up the neutral zone and are very reliant on blocking shots. The Kings are much happier with 2-1 victories than 6-5, and at times, they can be taxing for the casual fan to watch. However, I think that the new and improved Minnesota Wild will take it to them today. The Kings have been fighting to keep pace without star goalie Jonathan Quick all year. LA has not announced a starter yet for this afternoon's game, but it should not matter. Both Peter Budaj and Jeff Zatakof are long-time journeymen who do not have the ability to take over games. It is worth noting that the Wild will be starting backup Darcy Kuemper this afternoon. No worries, he is a competent goalie and having some goals in this game may help the Wild play at their pace rather than that of the home team. Also, the Wild are hot. The Wild recently had a twelve game winning streak snapped by the other hottest team in the league, the Blue Jackets. Then thursday night, they went out and beat the Sharks in the Shark Tank, one of the hardest places to win in the league. LA is also a hard place to win, but it can definitely be done, as highlighted by the 4-0 win by the Red Wings on Thursday in the Staples Center. Go bold here and take the Wild on the road to get the job done against LA.
NBA
Detroit Pistons at Portland Trail Blazers -3.5
The Portland Trail Blazers did not have the best December. They really faltered with a 4-11 record for the month and lost Damian Lillard for a period of time. However, with the change in the calendar, it seems that is back to business as usual in Portland. Dame is back, and the Blazers have started the new year off right with wins over Minnesota and the Lakers and a hard fought loss in Golden State. They also managed to cover all three games. Detroit is also off to a 2-1 start to the year, however as we witnessed the other night, this team appears to be mess on the defensive end of the floor. In blowing an 18 point quarter lead to the Hornets (only to win on a questionable call), the Pistons gave up 43 fourth quarter points, 43!!! If they had allowed that many points in the other three quarters, they would have allowed 172 points. In the game before Charlotte, the Pistons gave up 121 points to a Pacers team that is not known for their offensive prowess. Now, they have to fly across the country to play against what is arguably the best offensive backcourt in the league (Dame and C.J. Mccollum). Also, the Pistons are 7-12 against the spread on the road and 4-9 as road dogs. The Blazers aren't exactly impressive with an 8-9 record against the spread at home. They make up for it as home favorites as they are 7-5, and they have also covered 5 of their last 6 games. The Pistons have covered in 2 of their last 6 games. I think this line is completely ludicrous. I am all over the Blazers, and you should be too.
NFL
Detroit Lions +9 at Seattle Seahawks
As the NFL playoffs begin today, I will take my first foray into the NFL. I am going to start by saying something wildly unpopular. Ready, the Seattle Seahawks are overrated! I can picture you spitting out your coffee onto the screen and screaming "Whoa, he is crazy." Guess what, I am not. Since Thanksgiving weekend, the Seahawks are a medicare 3-3 with bad losses to the Bucs and to the Cardinals at home. Yeah, the vaunted 12th man can be silenced. In all of these games, with the mere exception of the Carolina game, the offense has been rather blasé, and they have struggled to get any running game going at all. Also, the injury to Earl Thomas has been devastating to their defense. The only game he played in during this stretch, they won 40-7 over aforementioned Carolina. Since the injury, their two victories have come over two of the three worst teams in the NFL, the Rams and the 49ers (the Niners game was even close). In their two losses after the Earl Thomas injury, the defense has been absolutely flattened to the tune of 38 points from Aaron Rodgers and the Packers and 34 points from Carson Palmer and the Cardinals. Who can tell me the difference between Green Bay and Arizona compared to LA and San Francisco, oh wait, I know, the former have competent offenses and the latter are incompetent messes. That sounds about right. Detroit would fall into the category of competent offense. Although, Detroit does have a competent offense, I would be remiss to not mention some of their issues. Detroit is coming to Seattle having lost their last 3 games and Matthew Stafford not playing his best (most likely due to a finger injury that has bothered him the last three weeks).The Lions, also, really struggle getting to the quarterback. The Lions are tied for second to last in sacks in the league. It will be interesting to see if the Lions D-Line can take advantage of the weak Seahawks O-Line and get to Russell Wilson. It is has been happening all season, so I think Haloti Ngata and his teammates can do it. Despite the recent struggles, it is important to note that the three teams the Lions lost to are not on the same level as the Bucs or Cardinals. Since Thanksgiving, the Green Bay Packers were the one common opponent for each of these teams. These three teams would be fellow playoff contenders, New York (NFC), Dallas, and Green Bay. The Lions lost by a touchdown, the Seahawks lost by four touchdowns. The last note I will bring up is that these two teams played in a thriller last year on Monday night, in which, the Seahawks barely came away with victory. The result would have most likely changed had the referees called a fairly obvious illegal batting on linebacker KJ Wright. However, they missed it, and the Seahawks were victorious. I see this game being very similar. It will be hard-fought and exciting, and the Seahawks will most likely end up on top, but only by a small margin.
Last Night: 2-1
Overall: 8-4-1
Yesterday, we were once again very close to completing an undefeated day but just fell short. With a late free throw, Dayton just beat the spread and beat Rhode Island by 3 points. I also apologize for some faulty analysis in that game. Star, Charles Cooke, did not play for the second straight game with a hamstring injury. Fortunately, the Flyers were able to pull through anyway. The Lakers absolutely destroyed the undermanned Heat. We were probably helped by Goran Dragic's ejection in the third quarter, but we take what we can get in this business. Unfortunately, the loss came in the NHL, where the Ducks were only able to win by a goal. This is why the puck line is so risky. The Ducks were clearly the better team on the ice last night, but they needed overtime to get the job done. Also, Mike Smith, I know you are very crafty handling the puck but why are you playing around in front of the goal in overtime.
Anyway, I am going to try something a little different today. Saturdays are essentially made for college basketball for the first three months of the year. There are so many games, thus, there is a lot of opportunity for value. I am going to do two Daily Threes today, one devoted to college basketball and one normal one with three picks. Fortunately, there is an NFL game today, so I will replace the college basketball pick with football. So, here is the first part, NHL, NBA, and NFL.
NHL
Minnesota Wild +115 at Los Angeles Kings
Today, we will start off in La La Land (great movie) as the Minnesota Wild face off against the LA Kings. This year's version of the Wild are barely recognizable compared to years past. The Wild, who traditionally struggle winning on the road and scoring both at home and on the road, have been exceptional away from Xcel Energy Center and are scoring goals at will. They are currently sporting an 11-5-4 on the road compared to a mediocre 17-17-7 record last year. Also, they currently lead the Western Conference in goals with 118 goals, what? They share the same conference as teams that include Patrick Kane, Vladamir Tarasenko, and Joe Pavelski. Their star, Zach Parise, has missed significant time this year, and they are still scoring at will. This recent surge in scoring and success can in large part be attributed to new coach Bruce Boudreau, who has a reputation for immediately implementing his run n' gun style and turning it into success right away. This style is the total opposite of their opponents who like to clog up the neutral zone and are very reliant on blocking shots. The Kings are much happier with 2-1 victories than 6-5, and at times, they can be taxing for the casual fan to watch. However, I think that the new and improved Minnesota Wild will take it to them today. The Kings have been fighting to keep pace without star goalie Jonathan Quick all year. LA has not announced a starter yet for this afternoon's game, but it should not matter. Both Peter Budaj and Jeff Zatakof are long-time journeymen who do not have the ability to take over games. It is worth noting that the Wild will be starting backup Darcy Kuemper this afternoon. No worries, he is a competent goalie and having some goals in this game may help the Wild play at their pace rather than that of the home team. Also, the Wild are hot. The Wild recently had a twelve game winning streak snapped by the other hottest team in the league, the Blue Jackets. Then thursday night, they went out and beat the Sharks in the Shark Tank, one of the hardest places to win in the league. LA is also a hard place to win, but it can definitely be done, as highlighted by the 4-0 win by the Red Wings on Thursday in the Staples Center. Go bold here and take the Wild on the road to get the job done against LA.
NBA
Detroit Pistons at Portland Trail Blazers -3.5
The Portland Trail Blazers did not have the best December. They really faltered with a 4-11 record for the month and lost Damian Lillard for a period of time. However, with the change in the calendar, it seems that is back to business as usual in Portland. Dame is back, and the Blazers have started the new year off right with wins over Minnesota and the Lakers and a hard fought loss in Golden State. They also managed to cover all three games. Detroit is also off to a 2-1 start to the year, however as we witnessed the other night, this team appears to be mess on the defensive end of the floor. In blowing an 18 point quarter lead to the Hornets (only to win on a questionable call), the Pistons gave up 43 fourth quarter points, 43!!! If they had allowed that many points in the other three quarters, they would have allowed 172 points. In the game before Charlotte, the Pistons gave up 121 points to a Pacers team that is not known for their offensive prowess. Now, they have to fly across the country to play against what is arguably the best offensive backcourt in the league (Dame and C.J. Mccollum). Also, the Pistons are 7-12 against the spread on the road and 4-9 as road dogs. The Blazers aren't exactly impressive with an 8-9 record against the spread at home. They make up for it as home favorites as they are 7-5, and they have also covered 5 of their last 6 games. The Pistons have covered in 2 of their last 6 games. I think this line is completely ludicrous. I am all over the Blazers, and you should be too.
NFL
Detroit Lions +9 at Seattle Seahawks
As the NFL playoffs begin today, I will take my first foray into the NFL. I am going to start by saying something wildly unpopular. Ready, the Seattle Seahawks are overrated! I can picture you spitting out your coffee onto the screen and screaming "Whoa, he is crazy." Guess what, I am not. Since Thanksgiving weekend, the Seahawks are a medicare 3-3 with bad losses to the Bucs and to the Cardinals at home. Yeah, the vaunted 12th man can be silenced. In all of these games, with the mere exception of the Carolina game, the offense has been rather blasé, and they have struggled to get any running game going at all. Also, the injury to Earl Thomas has been devastating to their defense. The only game he played in during this stretch, they won 40-7 over aforementioned Carolina. Since the injury, their two victories have come over two of the three worst teams in the NFL, the Rams and the 49ers (the Niners game was even close). In their two losses after the Earl Thomas injury, the defense has been absolutely flattened to the tune of 38 points from Aaron Rodgers and the Packers and 34 points from Carson Palmer and the Cardinals. Who can tell me the difference between Green Bay and Arizona compared to LA and San Francisco, oh wait, I know, the former have competent offenses and the latter are incompetent messes. That sounds about right. Detroit would fall into the category of competent offense. Although, Detroit does have a competent offense, I would be remiss to not mention some of their issues. Detroit is coming to Seattle having lost their last 3 games and Matthew Stafford not playing his best (most likely due to a finger injury that has bothered him the last three weeks).The Lions, also, really struggle getting to the quarterback. The Lions are tied for second to last in sacks in the league. It will be interesting to see if the Lions D-Line can take advantage of the weak Seahawks O-Line and get to Russell Wilson. It is has been happening all season, so I think Haloti Ngata and his teammates can do it. Despite the recent struggles, it is important to note that the three teams the Lions lost to are not on the same level as the Bucs or Cardinals. Since Thanksgiving, the Green Bay Packers were the one common opponent for each of these teams. These three teams would be fellow playoff contenders, New York (NFC), Dallas, and Green Bay. The Lions lost by a touchdown, the Seahawks lost by four touchdowns. The last note I will bring up is that these two teams played in a thriller last year on Monday night, in which, the Seahawks barely came away with victory. The result would have most likely changed had the referees called a fairly obvious illegal batting on linebacker KJ Wright. However, they missed it, and the Seahawks were victorious. I see this game being very similar. It will be hard-fought and exciting, and the Seahawks will most likely end up on top, but only by a small margin.
Last Night: 2-1
Overall: 8-4-1