Cashing In

Your "Bad Beat" for Tuesday is on:

Princeton (minus 13) vs. Penn.

There were a number of Bad Beats on Tuesday. The Colorado Avalanche blowing the 4-1 lead and losing 6-4 at home to Vancouver certainly was one of them.

Also Seton Hall not covering the 5 1/2 after leading 55-39 at the half and then 70-45 in the second half was borderline criminal. The Pirates allowed 67 second half points in the crazy 109-106 victory at the Garden.

But the "Bad Beat" of the day comes from the Ivy League where the Penn Quakers were getting absolutely embarassed against rival Princeton. The Tigers literally led 35-8 with 4 minutes to go in the first half. The game then went to the break at 40-14.

But Jerome Allen's halftime speech worked as the Quakers nailed over 53% of their shots in the second half compared to only 25% from the field (5-20) by the Tigers.

Penn actually got the game to within seven with a few minujtes to play and lost 68-56 narrowly covering that baker's dozen.

Unreal, 35 to freakin' 8 and cannot cover!?!?!?!?



Your winners for Wednesday are on:

4* Iowa State (plus 9) vs. Texas.

2* South Florida (plus 7) vsa. Georgetown.

Another 2-0 on Tuesday as my 3* on George Washington cashed the ticket and the 2* on Penn did so as well in miraculous fashion.



I am very anti Texas right now and for good reason. Nothing at all has gone right for about six weeks now for Rick Barnes' Longhorns. Remember back how Texas was number one in the country but ever since they have been awful. Both Ward and Balbay are lost for the season with injuries and the 'Horns have been absolutely terrible for awhile now.

UT has won some games in Austin but they have also been mediocre at best overall at home and beyond brutal on the road. Pittman and James are tough to defend down low and they will get some offensive boards but all in all Texas is just not a very good ballclub right now.

Iowa State is the weaker team for sure but they did just have that amazing overtime outright win in Kansas State over Clemente and Pullen and are a team with a stud in Craig Brackins. This guy is the real deal and can do it all. To get almost double digits with him alone is worth it and then when you throw in Marquis Gilstrap I can see the Cyclones not only cover but possibly win the game.

It is asking a lot for Iowa State here as they are far from being much of anything but Texas is a whole lot of nothing right now themselves and in this game in Missouri there is no reason to believe that the 'Horns can just regain that power.



I don't feel as great about the Bulls from South Florida because Georgetown is the better team and should be fresher after South Florida had to tangle with DePaul yesterday. But with that said the Hoyas are very very inconsistent and to get Dominique Jones and a Bulls team that a few months ago shockingly won at Georgetown is enough for me at this number. The underdogs' confidence level should be pretty high here knowing they already beat G-Town and have now won four in a row overall.

Greg Monroe is an instant mismatch and a guy that should dominate down low but in the end I do not trust John Thompson III's Hoyas in any regard and in any spot laying a half dozen plus.

Georgetown should advance but I don't think it'll be very easy as these Bulls are a scrappy club and should compete until the very end.

Your "Bad Beat" for Wednesday is on:

Missouri (minus 1 1/2, first half) vs. Texas.

This is not your average bad beat in terms of the way it went down. There is no true wow factor to this guy but in the end it was pretty bad.

The Tigers jumped out to the 8-0 lead right off the bat. They never trailed at all in the entire first half. Mike Anderson's squad had a 32-28 lead with about a minute and a half to go in the first half and missed a three which would have put them up seven. Texas came down and nailed a three on the other end to get within one.

With 12 seconds to go the Tigers grabbed a rebound and had a man streaking down court but the pass was well overthrown into the crowd and then the Longhorns were able to get the last shot which was missed and this thing went into the break 32-31 Missouri and a loser laying that 1 1/2.

Also note that the Tigers did not score in the final two plus minutes and made only one hoop in about the final four minutes.

The bottom line is that one team did not lead the entire half and still covered only 1 1/2. That is pretty freakin' crazy!



Your winners for Thursday are on:

5* Georgetown (minus 2) vs. Syracuse.

2* Oregon (minus 3 1/2) vs. Stanford.

Just a phenomenal roll right now as I have literally nailed nine straight plays now profiting 27* in the past four days!



I will without a doubt back the home Georgetown Hoyas today. Jim Boeheim's Orangemen have been awesome and have studs in Rautins, Onuaku and Joseph but this team is still a bit overvalued if you ask me. To ask them to go on the road and beat Georgetown is a bit much.

For one the Hoyas have a matter of revenge after losing at the Carrier Dome about a month ago. Also Greg Monroe is impossible to defend and will be here as well. We have seen the Hoyas look great when they want to play. This team bashed Duke in the nation's capital and just seem to have a great team at times. I believe they will prove this good side once again here as this spot is huge.

The Hoyas also can shrivel up at times as we saw against South Florida a few weeks back and in that last game at Rutgers but there are no motivation problems today as this is Syracuse in town today.

Look for Monroe to be a beast down low and for Chris Wright to do his thing and create.

There is just no way that the Orange are going to sweep this season series and to only lay about two? Ok!



Both Stanford and Oregon are going nowhere this season. The Cardinal and Ducks are lower end Pac-10 teams and one is really no better than the other. But to get Ernie Kent's squad at home in Eugene and lay a small number is the right side.

Stanford has been alright at home this season, save that last game here they were drilled against Washington, but have been brutally bad on the road. I do like Fields and Green but all in all there is no reason to believe that Johnny Dawkins' squad can travel like this and win in the house of the green. They haven't done it yet so why today?

The Cardinal have yet to win a true road game and have dropped nine in a row including the last seven in the Pac-10.

Oregon has lost three straight and eight of ten which is obviously not good at all. The Ducks though did win their last two games at home against USC and UCLA and on their cozy floor and should down a Stanford team that has done less than nothing on the road.

Your "Bad Beat" for Friday is on:

Niagara (total of 141) at Canisius.

The game was tied at 62 with 2:18 to play after Rob Garrison's layup. That's when the offense stopped and killed the over players, yes the "offense stopping killed the over players!"

Nobody would muster even a single point in the final two plus minutes and this thing went into overtime still tied up at 62.

Things did not really heat up in the extra session at all as the game was only 65-64 Niagara with 2:53 to go. The under was still a possibility thanks to literally 5 points in the last 5 minutes.

But then the Purple Eagles ran ahead 70-64 leading to the fouling game and the 73-70 final resulting in a very very very lucky over.



Your winners for Saturday are on:

4* SMU (plus 8) vs. Memphis.

3* Georgetown (plus 1) vs. Duke.

2* Iowa (plus 14) at Michigan.

A 2-0 sweep on Friday for 5* with the Hornets and Spurs!

I can't say that I really truly like the SMU Mustangs but they are a much improved program and the aura of Memphis is certainly not what it used to be. The days of Derrick Rose and Chris Douglas-Roberts are long gone, shoot the days of John Calipari are now long gone as young Josh Pastner is in charge.

The Tigers are still pretty talented and good I am not denying that but these guys are no longer invincible as they are in much tighter games this season and going on the road like this to Southern Methodist is not going to be a walk in the park.

The Mustangs are clearly well inferior but at home will bring some game. These guys will treat this game as thee game and in the end will have a shot to not only cover but give Memphis their second conference loss.



Duke is very very good but I'm not at all sold on them being great. Jon Scheyer is certainly a player for sure and there is more talent including Nolan Smith and Kyle Singler along with the Plumlee boys but the Blue Devils are in the nation's capital today and basically have no answer for Greg Monroe.

Coach K's team has struggled at times defending bigs and Monroe is the big of all bigs. I can see him completely control the boards and shut Duke down if they can't make their long three's.

This will be a very competitive game as the Devils won't get blown out but the Hoyas at home are warriors and will squeak this thing out in the end.



In the beginning of the season this Iowa Hawkeye team was horrendous. Todd Lickliter lost all of his talent to transferring and others issues and the cupboard was extremely bare. But things have been a lot better of late and right now the Hawkeyes are not the same dismal garbage they appeared to be.

Iowa was just leading Evan Turner and Ohio State at the half in a cover and before that won going away against an improved Indiana squad. If you look a little further back the Hawks covered a 21 or so point number by only losing by single digits at Michigan State in a moral type victory.

These guys are clamping down a bit with the defense and playing tighter than expected low scoring games.

Michigan in Ann Arbor with Manny Harris and Deshawn Simms have some potential to be pretty good. But John Beilein's team is still far from anything better than good anywhere and I can see 62-54.

Your "Bad Beat" for Sunday is on:

Penn State (moneyline plus $4) at Wisconsin.

This Beat is pretty much a carbon copy of yesterday's as South Florida miraculously came back and won in overtime as the huge dog. Today the favorite did just that as the Wisconsin Badgers were the 12 point chalk at Madison but yet trailed pretty much the entire game.

Talor Battle was great and PSU shockingly led 52-36 with a little over 10 minutes remaining.

Then came the debacle!

Ed DeChellis' team stopped scoring. The game was still 60-52 Nittany's with under 2 minutes remaining so it all seemed right for the underdog visitors but Wiscy ended the game on an 8-0 run capped by a Jordan Taylor jumper with 26 seconds left in regulation.

This thing went to overtime and it as all Badgers from there as Taylor scored 8 points in the extra session and the boys from Madison went on to the 79-71 huge come from behind victory.



Your winners for Monday are on:

3* Georgetown (plus 6) at Syracuse.

2* Penguins (minus 115) at New York.

One play on Sunday, a 4* on the Colts that turned the trick in the end!



Syracuse has been great this season with that one loss but Georgetown is not far behind with their quality 15-3 mark. Both of these teams are extremely dangerous and have a great shot to go far in the NCAA Tournament. It certainly helps Jim Boeheim's squad to be at the Carrier Dome today but to be honest with you the Orange have actually been a more focused and better team on the road.

The Hoyas have a huge mismatch problem down low in Greg Monroe and are a team that certainly won't be afraid of this Syracuse raucous crowd. John Thompson III's team is prepared for a spot such as this and will be in this thing until the bitter end. To get a handsome price back like this is a no-brainer.



The Rangers pretty much stink and to get the defending champs with Crosby and Malikin and Staal and Gonchar and others and not lay much of anything is too good to pass up.

New York started out the season great as they usually seem to do but the fade has been in for awhile now and this price is therefore just too cheap on the visitors from Pittsburgh. John Tortorella's boys just looked dismal falling in Montreal 6-0 to a bad Canadiens squad and I don't see MSG being the saviour here against today's great opponent.

Pittsburgh did play yesterday against Philadelphia, inning 2-1, and may have a little tired legs but it doesn't matter in the end as the Pens are just too good!