Cashing In

Your "Bad Beat" for Friday is on:

Clippers (plus 2 1/2) at New York.

I get a great lucky cover the other night with Ole Miss and it evened up today.

The Clippers were up by 15 after a quarter and 16 at the half. I was getting 2 1/2 points and therefore was in great shape as the Knicks were down by a ton and also on the always rough back-to-back.

The Knicks though mustered up some fight and came all the way back. New York led by two with 13 seconds remaining and Los Angeles had the ball. Rasual Butler missed a potential game winning three-pointer. The Knicks' Chris Duhon came down with the rebound and wouldn't you know it was fouled with one second remaining.

Duhon made both to give the New Yorkers the four point lead, win and cover!



Your winners for Saturday are on:

4* Saints (minus 7 1/2) vs. Dallas.

3* North Carolina (plus 7) at Texas.

2* South Carolina (minus 1 1/2) at Wofford.

A 3* on Friday on the Clippers loses (just look above) and a 1* loser on the Senators plus 155.



I am all over the Saints today, all over! If Dallas turns around their December horrors then so be it but I just do not see this will be possible today.

The Cowboys have looked pretty shaken over the last two games and in this month over the past five or so years. Tony Romo is a complete headcase and Marion Barber is not the same downfield runner we have seen in past seasons.

Now today a joke of a head coach in Wade Philips brings his boys into New Orleans against the unreal 13-0 Saints. As if things weren't bad enough for the visitors, huh?

Drew Brees is a superstar and if not for Peyton Manning the obvious MVP. The guy is phenomenal and has weapons all across the field in Colston, Henderson, Thomas, Bush, Shockey and so on.

New Orleans has been unreal at home all season long, just ask the Giants and Patriots and with a drunk and insanely lod fan base today should come out smoking and win going away.



Roy Williams' team is great and frankly better than Rick Barnes'. UNC does have a few losses and was pounded badly earlier in the season by Syracuse but that was then and right now Davis, Thompson, Ginyard and the Heels are really really good.

Texas is undefeated but that does not mean all that much to me as the Longhorns are still very unproven. Both teams can pound patsys but which team can step it up in a big-time heavyweight battle? That is the question.

North Carolina has already slugged it out with legitimate opponents in Kentucky, Michigan State, Syracuse and others. Texas has not and until they do this number is somewhat silly!



Darrin Horn's Gamecocks are far from healthy and this Wofford team is pretty solid but the price is still a bit too cheap to pass up.

Devan Downey is a superstar and even if he is once again missing his helpers the Gamecocks are still the better team and a must play.

Wofford was very competitive in games against Pittsburgh and Georgia in easy covers and I give them credit for that but just being competitive against another major program here will not cut it in terms of cashing the ticket.

This could be the trap game of all trap games as it certainly appears very easy and maybe too easy from the outside but I'm willing to take that chance.