Daily Three 2/1

 Hello,

 Every now and then, you will come across a bet that seems like a surefire lock. You look at spread, do a double take, and then look at some advanced statistics, injury reports, and recent results to see if it adds up. You do the research, and you think you have a steal. The game begins, and everything is going your way, and you start thinking to yourself, "Man, I am so much better than Vegas." As the game progresses, your squad is maintaining the status quo and you start looking into what spots to exploit. Then, the unthinkable happens. You only turned away for five minutes and all of sudden the other team is winning. You start screaming at the heavens and wonder how this could have possibly happened. Finally, the clock strikes 0:00 and you are on the losing side. Devastated and at a loss of words, you go back to your room, sit alone, and put "It's Quiet Uptown" from Hamilton on repeat.

 This is what happened last night thanks to the Ohio Bobcats. Ohio was up by 21 points at one point in the first half. That lead fell to 10 points with five minutes left in the game, but at that point, any competent basketball team should be able to hold on to that lead. So at this point, I head over to Chipotle, because you know, it is tuesday. I get back with about 1:45 left in the game, and the game is somehow tied. I am stunned, but still confident that Ohio can get the game back and just be like, "Hahaha, we got you Noah." The last 1:45 play out, and Ohio can only muster 2 more points. They lose 90-85. Confused and shocked, I begin to question myself and wonder what did I miss. I was right on for 35 minutes, and then all of a sudden, it just fell into pieces. I did the ceremonial listening of "It's Quiet Uptown" and realized that there is nothing be ashamed over. I made the right pick, the game went my way for a majority of the game, and if I was given the chance to make that pick today, I would do the same damn thing. There are times where you can doubt a pick that you make, if you overlooked something or just got a bad read, but this was not one of those times. So, today, I am back and ready to make some winning picks.

 We won the other two games last night, so we finish the month with a solid 59.4% winning percentage and +126 units. Thus, if you are a $10 a unit player and did a standard 10 unit bet, you made $1,260 in the month of January. Good job, we will look to improve on that this month.

NHL
Boston Bruins at Washington Capitals (-1.5, +180)

Yes, I have harped on the fact that betting the puck line is a very risky proposition. I have also stated that betting on your favorite team can lead to much more heartbreak. However, in this case, my knowledge of the Capitals' recent history (more specifically Braden Holtby's) against the Bruins leads me to make this pick. The Capitals have won their last seven meetings against Boston, including Holtby shutting out the Bruins in all three meetings during the 2014-2015 season. Along with this recent string of domination, the Capitals rarely lose after losing in the previous game. I think the combination of the Caps' run against the Bruins and coming off a loss will lead to a multi-goal victory for DC.

NCAAB
Syracuse Orange pick em' at NC State Wolfpack

 I don't have too much to say here. The Orange are significantly better in the Kenpom (Syracuse: 56, NC State: 81) and have the sharp money running towards them. NC State has received 63% of bets but the line has moved from -1.5 NC State to a pick em' (one book even has Syracuse favored). The Orange are also coming off of a giant win over Florida State, while the Wolfpack are still recovering from the beatdown they received in Louisville last week. The famous Syracuse zone should be able to contain study guard Dennis Smith Jr. and the Orange will get a big win on the road.

NBA
Memphis Grizzlies -3 at Denver Nuggets

 The story behind the Grizzlies' nickname makes sense in their old home but makes no sense at all in regards to their current home. It is worth noting that the franchise began in Vancouver as the second NBA franchise in Canada. According to the Grizzlies' website, the original name was the Mounties, named after the police force in Canada. However, the franchise later decided to name themselves the Grizzlies after the bear that is synonymous with the province of British Columbia. Unfortunately, things did not work out in Canada, and the franchise packed up and moved to Memphis where things are going very well. The team has had mild success in the very difficult western conference. In regards to the nickname, management says that the city had gotten accustomed to the Grizzlies and did not want to change the name to something more representative of the Memphis area. I guess that is fine, whatever the fans want. In tonight's game, the Grizzlies are just a better team and much more rested than a Nuggets team that is flying back home after a tough loss in LA to the Lakers. The Nuggets were able to have their way on the offensive side of the floor last night, but they were unable to stop the Lakers at all, especially in crunch time. Their lack of defense will most likely be present tonight, but their offense will most likely get stifled by a solid Grizz D. Take Memphis tonight in the Rocky Mountains.

Yesterday: 2-1
Overall: 44-30-4 (+126 Units)