6 NBA
46 CBB
8 NHL
This town won't appreciate Tony Romo until he's gone and the Cowboys are back playing with the Quincy Carters and Chad Hutchinsons of this world. Remember those days?
You don't appreciate a quality quarterback until you don't have one. Few teams have the good fortune of making the transition from a Peyton Manning to Andrew Luck as the Colts are prepared to do. When Romo is done, it may be 5-10-15 years before the Cowboys find another quarterback of his ability.
Thursday's Tips
By Brian Edwards
VegasInsider
South Carolina at Florida
Most betting shops opened Florida (17-4 straight up, 9-7 against the spread) as a 15-point favorite with a total of 136½.
Billy Donovan’s club has won five in a row since losing at Tennessee, improving to 5-1 in SEC play. The Gators dropped Mississippi St. by a 69-57 count as 8½-point home favorites this past Saturday afternoon at the O-Dome.
Bradley Beal scored a game-high 19 points to lead four Florida players in double figures. Erik Murphy scored 14 points and Patric Young finished with 12 points and six rebounds. Young had several crown-igniting dunks and limited MSU’s Arnett Moultrie to just 12 points.
UF is unbeaten in 13 home games, compiling a 5-4 spread record in the nine lined contests. The Gators have been double-digit home favorites seven times, going 3-4 versus the number.
South Carolina (9-11 SU, 7-8 ATS) got its first SEC win last week over Alabama, but the Gamecocks are still in the conference cellar with a 1-5 record in league play. This has fourth-year head coach Darrin Horn on a serious hot seat.
USC is coming off a 66-62 loss at Ole Miss as a five-point underdog. Malik Cooke scored 17 points in the losing effort, while Brenton Williams chipped in with 15 points.
When these SEC East rivals met in Columbia on Jan 14, Florida overcame a one-point halftime deficit by draining 12-of-24 attempts from 3-point range en route to a 79-65 win as a seven-point road ‘chalk.’ Kenny Boynton knocked down four of those treys and finished with a team-high 15 points. Bruce Ellington had a game-high 17 points for the ‘Cocks.
The ‘over’ is 11-5 overall for UF, 8-2 in its home games. However, the ‘under’ has cashed at a 4-2 clip in the Gators’ last six outings.
The ‘under’ is 8-7 overall for South Carolina, but the ‘over’ is 4-3 in its road games.
The ‘over’ has hit in four straight head-to-head meetings between these schools.
Tip-off is slated for 9:00 p.m. Eastern on ESPN2.
Gonzaga at Brigham Young
Most books opened BYU (18-6 SU, 10-10 ATS) as a three-point favorite with a total of 147½.
Dave Rose’s team needs this victory badly to bolster its hopes of earning an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament, especially after suffering an embarrassing 80-66 home loss to Saint Mary’s this past Saturday night as a 2½-point favorite. Noah Hartsock and Matt Carlino scored 15 points apiece and Brandon Davies finished with 14 points and seven rebounds.
Gonzaga (17-3 SU, 9-11 ATS) has won four consecutive games since getting trounced at Saint Mary’s, but the Bulldogs are mired in a 0-5 ATS slide. They are coming off a 74-62 win at Portland as 15-point road favorites. Gary Bell Jr. scored a team-high 18 points, while Elias Harris had a double-double with 17 points and 10 boards.
Mark Few’s squad has been an underdog three times, going 1-2 both SU and ATS. The ‘Zags lost to Illinois and Saint Mary’s, but they won outright at Xavier.
BYU is 10-3 SU and 5-4 ATS at home.
The ‘under’ is 14-5-1 overall for Gonzaga, cashing in eight of its last nine games. Meanwhile, the ‘under’ is 12-8 overall for BYU although the ‘over’ is 5-4 in its home outings.
When these teams met in the second round of the NCAA Tournament last year, Jimmer Fredette led BYU to an easy 89-67 win to advance to the Sweet 16. The Cougars won in blowout fashion as one-point favorites.
ESPN2 will have the telecast at 11:00 p.m. Eastern.
B.E.’s Bonus Nuggets
The Pitt Panthers aren’t dead yet.
Best BracketBuster Matchups
1-Saint Mary’s at Murray St.
2-Long Beach St. at Creighton
3-Wichita St. at Davidson
4-Nevada at Iona
5-No. Iowa at VCU
Manhattan and Middle Tennessee are now sporting the nation’s best ATS records with 16-5 ATS marks. The Blue Raiders took the cash in a seven-point loss at Vandy this past Saturday as nine-point ‘dogs.
Take Kentucky off of the fade list. The ‘Cats have bounced back from an atrocious 0-13-1 ATS slump to cover the number in four of their last five games.
DCI NBA
02/02/12 Predictions
Season
Straight Up: 213-95 (.692)
ATS: 172-152 (.531)
ATS Vary Units: 519-439 (.542)
Over/Under: 151-167 (.475)
Over/Under Vary Units: 373-448 (.454)
ATLANTA 93, Memphis 89
Chicago 98, NEW YORK 92
SAN ANTONIO 99, New Orleans 87
Portland 98, SACRAMENTO 93
GOLDEN STATE 104, Utah 102
L.A. CLIPPERS 104, Denver 103
College funds: Thursday's Best NCAAB Bets
UCLA Bruins at Washington Huskies (-3.5, 142.5)
If UCLA is going to be a player in the Pac-12 race, the Bruins are going to have to prove they can win on the road. Thursday’s test at Washington will be a good place to start.
UCLA is 1-6 on the road this season and with an RPI ranking of 134, it certainly won’t earn an NCAA Tournament berth unless it can solve those road woes immediately. Winning at Washington, which UCLA hasn’t done since 2004, won’t be an easy task. The Huskies are 11-2 at Seattle and tied with California for first in the Pac-12.
However, UCLA continues to shoot the ball well led by the Wear brothers. Travis Wear is shooting 57 percent and twin David is making 51 percent of his shots. As a team, UCLA shoots 49 percent from the floor.
The Bruins have covered the number in five of their last seven and should at least keep this close down to the wire.
Pick: Bruins
Arizona Wildcats at California Golden Bears (-7, 130.5)
California has won 17 straight at home, including 14 this season. The Bears have also shot 50.5 percent and limited opponents to only 36.5 percent from the field at home.
Allen Crabbe and Jorge Gutierrez picked up this season where they left off last. Gutierrez led California last year with 14.6 points per game and was an All-Pac-10 first-team selection.
This season he is averaging 14.1 points and 5.3 rebounds. Crabbe was named Pac-10 Freshman of the Year last season. This season, he leads the Golden Bears with 15.8 and 6.1.
The Wildcats have struggled of late, going 2-4 in their last six games against opponents with a winning record. Arizona is 0-4 in games decided by five or fewer points, and in each of those games has started the second half poorly.
The over has cashed in 16 of the last 21 meetings between these teams and that looks like a solid play again.
Pick: Over
Pick 'n' roll: Thursday's Best NBA Bets
Memphis Grizzlies at Atlanta Hawks (-4.5, 182.5)
The Atlanta Hawks could have easily tanked when Al Horford hit the shelf with a pectoral injury and nobody would have thought much about it.
Instead, the Hawks have won nine of the 11 games they have played without the All-Star center, going 6-4-1 against the number.
Joe Johnson scored 30 points in a 100-77 blowout of the Raptors on Tuesday, upping his scoring average to a team-leading 19.1 points per game.
"From a scorer's standpoint, you kind of look at how your first couple of baskets are," Johnson told reporters. "I got two really easy baskets and that just gets you into a rhythm. I kept getting great looks."
With Memphis coming off an impressive 100-97 overtime win over Denver, this total is looking a little low. We’ll take a shot with the over.
Utah Jazz at Golden State Warriors (-4.5, 194.5)
Golden State Warriors coach Mark Jackson feels like he’s making progress with his club.
With Tyreke Evans putting up 22 points, 10 rebounds and nine assists and Golden State’s bench outscoring Sacramento’s 43-21, the Warriors came away with a 93-90 win Tuesday.
"Anytime you've got some players, some home run hitters on that starting lineup, it's a tough decision," Jackson said about giving his bench big minutes. "Because you know what you're going to get, offensively especially. ... The bench guys just played great. I've always said, if you want to play, force me to leave you in. And those guys did exactly that. They deserved to win or lose this ballgame."
The Warriors came away with the win, but it wasn’t enough to get them to the pay window as 4.5-point favorites. Golden State is now just 1-5 against the spread in its last six, but this team is getting closer.
Utah has some problems on the road allowing almost 103 points per game, while going 2-4 against the spread.
We like Jackson’s club to cash in here at home.
Pick: Warriors
Ice picks: Thursday’s Best NHL Bets
Nashville Predators at Philadelphia Flyers (-130, 5.5)
So far, the Nashville Predators are doing a good job of keeping Ryan Suter’s contract status from being a distraction.
Suter told reporters over the All-Star break that he didn’t think he was going to sign a contract extension before the trade deadline, which sparked a lot of controversy.
However, it’s not like the team isn’t trying to get a deal done. Nashville management met with Suter’s agent again early this week and seem determined to keep the rearguard around.
And why wouldn’t they? Suter and Shea Weber could be the best defensive pairing in the league and are a huge factor in Nashville’s success this season.
The Preds have lost just once in their last 11 games and that was when they gave starting goaltender Pekka Rinne a rest midway through last month.
Despite Philadelphia’s potent offense, the Flyers are going to have a tough time generating quality scoring chances on Thursday.
Pick: Predators
Montreal Canadiens at New Jersey Devils (-150, 5)
The Montreal Canadiens seek their fifth straight victory in the Garden State on Thursday when they face the New Jersey Devils. This is the third of four meetings between the clubs this season. They split the first two games with the road team winning both contests.
The Canadiens haven't missed the postseason since 2007, but are tied for the second-fewest points in the Eastern Conference. Earning victories on the road has been a tough task. The Canadiens' 2-6-1 road record since Dec. 15 is second-worst among East teams, even though they've been tied or leading after two periods in their last six away from home.
Meanwhile, the Devils will be without Cs Travis Zajac and Adam Henrique, who are both out with injuries. Dainius Zubrus will center the top line with Ilya Kovalchuk and captain Zach Parise despite being a natural right wing.
Kovalchuk is on a hot streak again and the Devils are dangerous, but this is too much chalk for our liking.
DCI CBB
Straight Up: 2638-817 (.764)
ATS: 1050-1186 (.470)
ATS Vary Units: 3211-3822 (.457)
Over/Under: 1109-1121 (.497)
Over/Under Vary Units: 1343-1320 (.504)
Atlantic Coast Conference
Duke 74, VIRGINIA TECH 67
Big Sky Conference
Eastern Washington 71, NORTHERN ARIZONA 67
MONTANA STATE 74, Idaho State 67
NORTHERN COLORADO 74, Sacramento State 65
WEBER STATE 83, Portland State 71
Big South Conference
Charleston Southern vs. CAMPBELL: TOO CLOSE TO CALL
Gardner-Webb 69, LIBERTY 68
HIGH POINT 70, Presbyterian 63
UNC Asheville 93, VMI 89
Winthrop 63, RADFORD 62
Big Ten Conference
NORTHWESTERN 64, Nebraska 60
Big West Conference
CAL STATE FULLERTON 68, Cal Poly 64
UC IRVINE 80, UC Davis 63
UC RIVERSIDE 64, Pacific 57
UC Santa Barbara 73, CAL STATE NORTHRIDGE 67
Colonial Athletic Association
OLD DOMINION 69, James Madison 53
Great West Conference
North Dakota 82, HOUSTON BAPTIST 75
Utah Valley 69, TEXAS-PAN AMERICAN 62
Horizon League
BUTLER 58, Wright State 51
VALPARAISO 73, Detroit 68
Youngstown State 64, UIC 62
Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference
IONA 87, Canisius 59
MANHATTAN 80, Marist 57
Northeast Conference
LONG ISLAND 91, Bryant 65
MONMOUTH 77, Sacred Heart 72
MOUNT ST. MARY'S 67, Saint Francis (Pa.) 59
Quinnipiac 72, FAIRLEIGH DICKINSON 63
ST. FRANCIS (N.Y.) 73, Central Connecticut State 65
WAGNER 71, Robert Morris 61
Ohio Valley Conference
Eastern Kentucky 66, EASTERN ILLINOIS 65
Jacksonville State 69, TENNESSEE-MARTIN 63
Morehead State 71, SIU EDWARDSVILLE 59
MURRAY STATE 77, Southeast Missouri State 60
Tennessee Tech vs. AUSTIN PEAY: TOO CLOSE TO CALL
Pacific-10 Conference
CALIFORNIA 70, Arizona 65
COLORADO 77, Oregon State 74
Oregon 69, UTAH 57
STANFORD 70, Arizona State 58
WASHINGTON 74, Ucla 69
WASHINGTON STATE 64, Usc 55
Southeastern Conference
FLORIDA 76, South Carolina 56
Southern Conference
APPALACHIAN STATE 74, Samford 63
College of Charleston 73, ELON 68
UNC GREENSBORO 79, The Citadel 67
WESTERN CAROLINA 75, Chattanooga 71
Summit League
NORTH DAKOTA STATE 75, Southern Utah 65
SOUTH DAKOTA STATE 82, Oral Roberts 79
WESTERN ILLINOIS 67, Ipfw 63
Sun Belt Conference
ARKANSAS STATE 67, Ulm 52
Denver 63, LOUISIANA-LAFAYETTE 62
Florida Atlantic 65, SOUTH ALABAMA 61
Middle Tennessee 68, NORTH TEXAS 63
TROY 71, Fairleigh Dickinson 67
West Coast Conference
Gonzaga 74, BYU 73
LOYOLA MARYMOUNT 71, Pepperdine 59
SAINT MARY'S 83, San Diego 58
SANTA CLARA 76, Portland 73
Western Athletic Conference
FRESNO STATE 69, Idaho 64
NEVADA 73, Utah State 61
DCI NHL
Season: 242-175 (.580)
BOSTON 4, Carolina 2
NEW JERSEY 3, Montreal 2
Nashville vs. PHILADELPHIA: TOO CLOSE TO CALL
Winnipeg vs. TAMPA BAY: TOO CLOSE TO CALL
COLORADO 3, Minnesota 2
Chicago vs. EDMONTON: TOO CLOSE TO CALL
Detroit vs. VANCOUVER: TOO CLOSE TO CALL
SAN JOSE 3, Dallas 2
Mighty Quinn
Mighty missed with Miami-Fla. (-10 1/2) Wednesday.
Thursday it’s Butler. The deficit is 130 sirignanos.
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