Cashing In

Your "Bad Beat" for Sunday is on:

Ball State (plus 5 1/2) vs. Ohio.

The Cadinals of Ball State led the entire game and I mean thee entire game, well save 2-1 that is. It was 7-2 right off the bat and then 22-13. Ball State had the 36-33 lead at the half and then liteally never trailed the entire half.

But Armon Bassett's layup with 54 seconds remaining tied the game up at 69 sending this thing into overtime.

I think you know where this is going from here.

It was 79-77 Bobcats with just over half a minute remaining. Then came the fouling game and Ohio nailed all six free throws and Ball State did not score in their final three possessions.

Final score: 85-77 Ohio!



Your winners for Monday are on:

3* William & Mary (plus 8) vs. Old Dominion.

2* Nets (plus 9) at Memphis.

One play on Sunday and it was a clear cut 3* loser on Michigan.



William & Mary has had an unbelievable season, for their standards, yet are being talked about by nobody. I am not saying they are as talented or as good as Old Dominion, because they're not, but the Tribe are now 22-9 overall and 12-6 in a decent enough Colonial Conference.

You may say yeah but who the heck has this perennial doormat beaten? How about Maryland, Richmond and Wake Forest! Pretty freakin impressive, huh?

Plus Tony Shaver's team plays solid defense resulting in low scoring games which we saw yesterday in the 47-45 upset of Northeastern. Bill and Mary have now won three in a row play games in the 50's and 60's when not in the 40's and are catching quite a number here.

Blaine Taylor's Monarchs are 25-8 and probably the best in the Colonial with Gerald Lee leading the way but they just played an extra five minutes yesterday in the overtime win over VCU and are going to have some trouble today and possibly some tired legs in this back-to-back tournament type setting plus the overtime.

This thing is going to be ugly but tight and that is the bottom line.



Memphis has not done much of anything over the past month and the Nets have got to win back-to-back games at some point. New Jersey just upset the Knicks at Madison Square Garden and I just cannot see New Jersey going a full season without winning two in a row.

The Nets have two studs in Devin Harris and Brook Lopez and are just not that bad. Throw in a Courtney Lee and a Kris Humphries along with a Jarvis Hayes and I will go to my Grave believing this team is better than 7-55 or whatever.

The Grizzlies are very talented and being at home won't hurt but things have gone south of late as they have lost 7 of their last 19 games after starting the season at 25-19 and looking like a possible playoff team. Zach Randolph has been great and OJ Mayo and Rudy Gay will fill it up but to get almost double digits in this spot with the underrated Nets is fine with me.

Your "Bad Beat" for Monday is on:

Grizzles (pick, first quarter) vs. Los Angeles.

Now this is good, really really good!.

These days with all of the internet sportsbooks most people can find lines for the first quarter. Well the number from Memphis was a pick as the game was basically a pick.

The Grizzlies led 24-21 with 10 seconds to go in the first quarter and Kobe Bryant lost the ball to Rudy Gay so in a normal world the Grizzlies would run the clock down and make or miss a final shot and finish the quarter with the lead and the cover. But for some inexplicable reason Gay chucked up a 60 foot shot with eight seconds to go?!?!!? I can only assume he thought the clock read 0 and not 8.

The Lakers' Shannon Brown grabbed the rebound and hurled it immediately down court to Bryant who nailed a three at the buzzer and this thing was all tied up at 24 after a period. Insane!!!!



Your winner for Tuesday is on:

3* Miami (plus 7) at Wake Forest.

A losing 1-1 Monday as the big 4* on the Wizards crapped in their pants in the fourth quarter blowing the lead and getting outscored 25-10 in the period. The 2* on Texas took care of business.



I really do not like this slate today and have one play that seems like a value to me. Wake Forest is at home in Winston Salem which will help and Miami is not great by any means as that recent four game losing streak can attest to but the Demon Deacons have no business at all right now laying this number.

I like Dino Gaudio and his team is not bad but they are also not very consistent and not very dominant. The Deacs are 14-5 and have quality players like Aminu, Smith, McFarland and Harris but they play a lot of close games with average defense at best and the Hurricanes are good enough to stay in this thing for sure.

Frank Haith's boys just had anice victory over a hot Virginia Tech team to stop the losing skid. They are 16-5 and just nipped this same Wake squad 67-66 a few weeks back. They also have beaten Minnesota and South Carolina and to be getting around a touchdown is just a bit too much.

Wake may get their revenge today in terms of the win but a cover is asking too much!