Cashing In

Your "Bad Beat" for Thursday is on:

White Sox (under 9) at Texas.

I'm looking for any and all comments so if you are reading this, my 300th ever blog, please feel free to add a comment below.

A weak day for Bad Beats. But the under players here in Arlington are still not very happy as both starters Gavin Floyd and Scott Feldman did their part allowing only a combined two earned runs in 13 innings.

But then...

The score was 3-1 Texas heading into the seventh inning. It would take 7 runs in probably only 2 1/2 innings as the home team was winning for this game to go over which is asking a lot, even with these offenses and even in a hitters' ballpark.

I guess not...

Ozzie Guillen's offense heated up a bit led by Paul Konerko belting two more home runs in the game and now leading the league with 10. Chicago would score three times in the seventh but they were also helped out by two Texas errors along with a wild pitch, yikes, now that is unlucky! The Sox wound up scoring six runs in the final three frames for the 7-5 victory and an over.



Your winners for Friday are on:

5* Jazz (minus 4 1/2) vs. Denver.

3* Bucks (plus 2) vs. Atlanta.

2* Nationals (plus 190) at Florida.

One Thursday play and another easy 4* winner on the Suns!



I am all about the home Jazz on Friday as Denver is not a team that will just be able to go on the road and man up in a huge spot like this, no way!

Utah is great at home and even without Kirilenko and Okur proved in both home games this series how they will just get out on the break and beat Denver at their own game. The Nugs have talent with Anthony and Billups and others but Nene is now done for the series and after seeing how bad they were in games three and four in Mormon Country I see no reason how they can respond here.

Losing George Karl was a big blow and all in all Denver away from the Mile High City has issues and those issues won't be resolved today as they face a raucous crowd and a team led by studs in Williams and Boozer.



The Hawks have even more issues than the Nuggets and those also will not just be resolved here. Atlanta blew that game in horrific fashion as they led by 13 fairly late. To lose at home and fall behind 3-2 in the series is a total total crushing blow and one they will not come back from.

Over the last three seasons Atlanta has won literally one road playoff game. Mike Woodson's squad just does not travel well and even with the talent advantage as Johnson and Smith and Horford make up the clear better team that will not equate to a season saving victory here.

Despite not having Andrew Bogut the Bucks have done what it takes. Jennings and Salmons have continued to play at a high level and being a home dog here is a joke!



Ricky Nolasco is very good and clearly the best starter here but the Marlins are really not all that much better right now than the Nationals.

Washington has been very good early on and has talent with Dunn and Zimmerman and Pudge and a few others. In the end the Marlins are the better team with a superstar in Hanley Ramirez leading the way but to get around $2 here is just a must play.

Zimmerman has been banged up and with or without him I'll take my chances on these visitors. Nolasco has the potential to get smacked around as he is still far from a superstar and I have nothing to lose here in backing this big dog.

Your "Bad Beat" for Saturday is on:

Predators (plus 210) at Chicago.

Before I get to the blog I encourage anybody reading this to leave a comment below. I would love to get some feedback and am much appreciative of any.

Finally a day with a bunch of Bad Beats. The last few days have been very bland but Saturday marked a day of bad losses.

A big-time consolation prize to the Mariners who led by two runs before giving up a pair of home runs in the 9th inning including a two out two run walkoff jack by Alex Rios.

The worst beat of the day though comes from the ice as the heavily favored Blackhawks were losing 4-3 with a little over a minute to go at home against Nashville. Chicago's Marian Hossa then took a boarding penalty with 1:03 remaining in the third period and pretty much all hope of a late goal was snuffed out.

Or was it?

Patrick Kane scored a shorthanded goal with 14 seconds left in regulation and then Hossa atoned for the earlier penalty with the overtime winner.

14 freakin seconds away and down a man!?!?



Your winners for Sunday are on:

6* Jazz (minus 2) vs. Denver.

2* Pirates (plus 160) at Houston.

One play on Saturday a big 5* on Oklahoma City as I remain as hot as hot could ever be!.



I absolutely love the Jazz at home today. For some odd reason the linemaker just does not understand that Utah is the much better team in this series and at home will win this game by a bunch.

Deron Williams is one of the greatest players on the planet and Carlos Boozer is phenomenal as well. Utah rarely loses at home and in this big game spot I see no reason why they will do anything but win yet again in Salt Lake.

The Nuggets are a talented squad led by Billups and Anthony but these guys are still without their coach in George Karl and have looked extremely mediocre at best of late. There is just something missing right now with the Nuggets as they are not firing away on all cylinders and are not playing with confidence or passion.

The Jazz should be laying about half a dozen, if not more, setting up a total steal today on the home boys from mormon country.



Houston has been a ton better of late after the horrific first week plus to the season but the Astros are still not a team that can be laying a hefty number like this.

First of all Brett Myers cannot be trusted anymore. The former Phillies righty has looked alright at times this season but he is not the same guy when an ace a few seasons back in Philadelphia and is laying way too much.

Charlie Morton is sketchy as well but I have watched this kid ever since his days with the Braves and has some quality stuff. Morton is quite possibly the superior of these two hurlers and even if the Pirates are not a very good ballclub can definitely win this game.

I like McCutcheon, Jones, Doumit and Milledge. No they don't form a good team but they are at least a scrappy and capable team that can win this game.

Berkman, Lee, Pence and the Astros are mediocre at the very best. Mediocre may be better than us but at this price against a somewhat regressing Myers is a total no-brainer.

Your "Bad Beat" for Thursday is on:

Penguins (minus $3) vs. Ottawa.

This is a weak weak bad beat day there is no doubt about it. I'm calling the defending champion Penguins the worst of the beats on the day but it really wasn't that bad.

Pittsburgh was clearly the better team and should have closed out the series and any Pens backer knows as much.

Sidney Crosby and the fellas had 59 shots in the triple overtime thriller compared to only 45 for Ottawa. The Pens outshort the Sens 19-5 in the second period and a combined 33-13 in the final two periods of regulation. Add it all together and Pittsburgh should have won this game but didn't.



Your winners for Friday are on:

4* Jazz (minus 2) vs. Denver.

2* Pirates (plus 160) at Houston.

A 1-1 slight losing Thursday as the 1* on the Senators plus a whopping 250 came through in overtime unlike the 3* Twins minus 1 1/2 runs as they stunk.



I am just fine with the Jazz at home today and will lay a few points to prove it. Williams and Boozer are sensational studs who at home seem to help their team always rise up and win games. Jerry Sloans boys were not supposed to win that game two after the Kirilenko and Okur injuries and went out and did just that in a tough tough place to play in the Mile High City.

Now the Jazz have the homecourt advantage and I don't think they are going to just relinquish it here in game three.

No doubt the Nuggets are a talented team with a great scorer in Carmelo Anthony and a leader in Chauncey Billups but the road is never easy for anybody and that is always the case with the Nuggets. These guys are never the same away from the Pepsi Center and it's just asking a lot for them to cover this game as that pretty much means a road outright.



Why not back the Pirates here? Pittsburgh isn't good I know that but the Astros, even with some recent victories, are a weak team. Roy Oswalt had a quality start in Chicago last time out but this guy just does not seem the same to me as in the past. I'm not saying the righty can't be dominant because he can but he can also be extremely mediocre these days.

I don't trust either of these teams at all and for the 'Stros to be a hefty chalk like this makes pretty much any dog a no-brainer.

The Pirates have enough potential with Jones, Milledge, McCutcheon and Doumit and have a good enough shot to win this game. Therefore the price is right on the scrappy little bucos!

Your "Bad Beat" for Monday is on:

Kirk Hinrich (plus 6 1/2 points and assists) vs. Mo Williams.

Most on-line sportsbooks these days put up player props in the big games. The playoffs constitute big games and therefore last night there was a prop involving Hinrich against Williams combined points and assists.

The Cleveland point guard was laying 6 1/2. The Cavaliers were going to win the game leading 110-100 in the waning seconds. Chicago's Joakim Noah put in a hoop with 13 seconds to go to get within 8 and instead of letting the clock run out, because let's face it the game was in the bag for Lebron and company, the Bulls fouled and fouled Williams, of all people, sending him to the line for two.

At that point he had 10 points and 6 assists compared to Hinrich's 5 and 6. Do the math and Williams with the spreaad was down 2.

Mo made both free throws and wound up having seven more points and assists combined which means winning the prop by a half and only because of the "meaningless" foul in pretty much garbage time.



Your winners for Tuesday are on:

3* White Sox (plus 110) vs. Tampa Bay.

2* Oklahoma City (plus 6 1/2) at Los Angeles.

A rare losing day on Monday as the 4* Nuggets turned out to be a dud.



Tampa Bay just looked great in sweeping a four game series at Fenway Park. That was awesome for Joe Maddon's Rays who are playing great ball right now but laying money on the road at US Cellular still seems like a bit much for me.

The White Sox have not started the season out all that well at all but there is a lot of talent on Ozzie Guillen's club and with a quality lefty in John Danks on the rubber at home I will take plus money here with the "Good Guys".

David Price has electric stuff but the kid has still not yet exactly reached the lofty expectations. He may, I'm not doubting that at all and could look terrific here but it's still laying money on the road which is never the key to the vault.

Longoria, Pena and Crawford should get some licks in but two of those guys bat from the lefty side and I'm banking on the lefty in Danks to minimize some damage in a Chicago victory.



I really do believe the Thunder are going to make a series of this and will grab the points today at Staples. Kobe and the fellas are the champs and the better team with the bigger bodies down low in the paint but I like the youngsters from Oklahoma City and will take my chances with them. Plus it's not like Los Angeles has exactly been all that good over the past few months.

Kevin Durant is a superstar and will have a better performance tonight. Ron Artest is a great defender and did a fabulous job in the opener but great scorers find ways to get it done and that is what is going to happen tonight as Durant and another budding superstar in Russell Westbrook make plays and show the champs they mean business.

Gasol and Bynum are beasts down low and we will need something from Nenad Krstic but in the end I believe the thunder will win a few games in this series and there's no better time than the present. Therefore I'm all about the points today at Staples!

Your "Bad Beat" for Sunday is on:

Sharks (minus 150) at Colorado.

This was unreal!

San Jose completely dominated the game yesterday outshooting Colorado 51-17 including 42-7 between periods two and three and then lost a scoreless game in overtime thanks to their own player putting the puck accidentally in his own goal.

An unreal shutout performance by Craig Anderson and a horrible beat for the Sharks backers!



Your winner for Monday is on:

4* Nuggets (minus 7) vs. Utah.

Another winning day on Sunday as the 3* Lakers fall bu 1/2 a point but the 2* Royals plus 175 take care of business!



Denver hooked me up in game one as I had one play that day, a 4* winner on them and I am doing the same today. I will admit that Utah did hang in that game for three quarters before finally succumbing in the fourth and that was longer than I thought but today is a blowout!

Sure Boozer and Williams are great but without Okur and Kirilenko Jerry Sloan's boys are just in for it in a major way. The Nuggets at home are great with Anthony and Billups leading the way along with Smith and Nene and Birdman and others plus the emotions of George Karl and his Cancer will make this building once again impossible for a visitor in the end.

Carmelo poured in 42 in that first game and he may get 50 tonight in an easy 20 or so point victory!

Your "Bad Beat" for Friday is on:

Predators (Under the total of 5) at Chicago.

The game was scoreless until mid-way through the second period. Patrick Kane lit the lamp for the Blackhawks and that's how this thing stayed into the third.

JP Dumont scored early in the final period to knot it up at one and then scored his second goal 10:37 into the period.

It was literally 2-1 Nashville into the game's final minute. The Predators proceeded to score not one but two empty netters in the final 48 seconds with the last one coming with only 14 ticks left on the clock and thanks to a four goal third period this thing somehow pushed the total of five.



Your winner for Saturday is on:

4* Nuggets (minus 5) vs. Utah.

Yet another winning day on Friday as the Nats plus 150 came through!



One play today, that's it. The baseball slate is God awful and the NBA is never easy. With that said I am all about the Denver Nuggets at home.

Utah is a semi elite NBA squad but they are never the same on the road and after just imploding in that last home game which dropped them from the two seed all the way to the five seed the Jazz team spirits just cannot be all that high.

I'm sure the stars in Williams and Boozer will come to play but Boozer is banged up with that oblique issue and at home the Nuggets can be a total juggernaut as we have seen over and over again. Last year in the playoffs Denver completely pounded all comers except the eventual World Champion Lakers. This team when motivated has a ton of talent and energy and today will be locked and loaded in the Mile High City.

The Jazz will be without Andrei Kirilenko and being on the highway is not very conducive to winning playoff games. Then throw in how much emotion will be in the Pepsi Center thanks in part to the George Karl issue and even if the coach isn't there because of the Cancer treatments the emotions will be raw and right there for these guys.

Billups, Anthony, Nene, Martin, Smith and the Nuggs fell short of their goal last season in a learning process. They may not go all the way this season but there is too much going their way here at home for them to fail in this game one.

109-96 Nuggets!

Your "Bad Beat" for Wednesday is on:

Mavericks (under 205) at Memphis.

A small consolation prize right here to any LA Clipper backers who watched their cash go up in smoke. The Clips led outright by five at the half, and when combined with the 10 points they were getting in the game were up by 15 with only 24 minutes of basketball to be played. But in typical NBA fashion they then were pummeled in a despicable second half loser in Toronto.

The "Bad Beat" of the day comes also from the NBA hardwoods where the Mavericks were in Memphis tangling with the Grizzlies. This game had under pace written all over it. Memphis led 73-67 after three quarters and after only 40 points were scored in the fourth the game accumulated only 180.

Oh yeah, small problem though, as the game was tied up at 90 meaning an extra five minutes of overtime. The offenses then started clicking and in the end Dirk and the boys won the game 106-102 pushing this thing over that total and also covering the small road favorite number.



Your winner for Thursday is on:

2* North Carolina (plus 3) vs. Dayton.

A very poor 0-2 Wednesday as the last week or so has not been as planned.



One play on this extremely small Thursday slate as I'll grab whatever I can with the North Carolina Tar Heels. The regular season was an unmitigated disaster but it appears that Roy Williams' Heels have grown up and finally become an alright team. Zeller, Ginyard, Drew, Henson and a few others are starting to click and show us a glimpse of what North Carolina basketball is supposed to be.

The Heels won at both Mississippi State and UAB and just won in overtime against a very game Rhode Island squad that almost made the NCAA Tournament.

Dayton is a quality squad and Brian Gregory has his boys playing very well also. They went on the road and took care of business in hostile environments, like UNC, at Illinois and Cincinnati. The Flyers can bring it and will bring it after they ended the regular season in poor fashion as well but here at Madison Square Garden I can't help but scoop up some points with the Heels.

Look for a rough and tumble affair in which both teams have a chance to walk off the court as the victor and for the points to be huge in a potentially one or two point final.

Your "Bad Beat" for Monday is on:

Knicks (over total of 217) at Utah.

No real tragic Bad Beats on Monday. But there's still always something.

To say that the Knicks are defensively challenged is being polite. That was the case once again in Utah yesterday in a major way or so it seemed.

Utah put 28 points on the board less than 8 minutes into the game and the score was a whopping 44-30 Jazz after a quarter. That's 74 points only 25% into the game. You're right at about 300 pace if that gets kept up.

It was then 64-60 at the half, again well above the pace needed for the high. 124 in the first half and only in the mid 90's in the second half. That should be no problem at all here in Salt Lake.

The Knicks outscored the Jazz 27-23 in the third and now only 43 points are needed in the fourth. After seeing 74 put on the board in the first quarter 43 should have been cake.

Well Utah outscored New York somehow only 16-11 in that final period as this thing stayed well under the total, somehow.



Your winner for Tuesday is on:

4* North Carolina (pk) vs. Rhode Island.

The last week has stunk, no other way around it. I lost that 4* on the St. Louis Billikens and I am officially now in a slump even with the 2* outright winner on the Hornets over the Lakers.



This price is just too cheap on Roy Williams' Heels. Sure I think North Carolina will win this game. That's not to take anything away from a good Rhode Island team but the Rams do not have the blue chip athletes of the Heels and in the end today at MSG we will see just that.

Forget about the horrific regular season. That was then and this is now. UNC just won brilliantly in Starkville against a very good Miss. State team and did the same in that last game at UAB. It's not a fluke beating the Bulldogs and Blazers in the road as this team is finally reaching a little bit of the level they were supposed to.

Thompson, Zeller, Ginyard, Henson, Drew and the boys from Chapel Hill are a lot more confident right now than at any point this season. UNC has always had the potential with their McDonald's All Americans. What happened earlier is anybody's guess because it was really really bad for the majority of the season.

But once again, that was then and this is now.

Rhode Island is pretty good and almost made the NCAA Tournament but I am starting to believe a bit in the Heels and will back them today.

Your "Bad Beat" for Monday is on

Wisconsin GB (total of 123) at St. Louis.

Oh you poor under players!

The Phoenix and Billikens were playing defense and the over was just pretty much a pipedream for the over players.

The score was 27-25 St. Louis at the break and that pace stayed the same throughout the second half. Rick Majerus' squad could not pull away though and this thing went into overtime tied at 53, still under by 17 or so points.

Neither team mustered much of anything in the extra five minutes and to be exact each squad scored three points pushing this into double overtime.

So the game was still under even after an overtime session. The luck ran out though as Wiscy Green Bay was outscored 12-6 in double overtime and in the end St. Louis won the game 68-62 and it went over that total in semi ridiculous fashion!



Your winner for Tuesday is on:

3* North Carolina (plus 4 1/2) at UAB.

One play on Monday and it was a loser as Virginia Tech laying 4 1/2 won by 2. Back at it here.



One play today on this garbage slate and I'll back the Tar Heels plus some points for sure. The season has been horrible as Roy Williams' team has been as disappointing as disappointing could ever be but they finally showed some life in that upset win in Mississippi State.

The Bulldogs were up by 12 right away but Tyler Zeller and the boys kept with it and won basically at the buzzer. One game certainly does not make a team and will not change the fortunes of UNC but I do believe there is a bit of a renewed confidence and let's not forget how the Heels did take Georgia Tech to the wire in that first round of the ACC Tournament game.

UAB has had a quality season and almost made the field of 65. They were probably about 68 or 69 when all was said and done. The Blazers also seem to always rise up at home, where they are today, but I can see North Carolina win this game I really can.

It almost feels like a movie script where the terrible terrible season turns into a nice little ending as Zeller, Ginyard, Henson, Drew and the rest of the possibly improving Heels make it to the Garden for the NIT semis.

UAB is good but that's about it and North Carolina is still North Carolina...Maybe.

Your "Bad Beat" for Wednesday is on:

Weber State (minus 3 1/2) vs. Montana.

Weber State was the small favorite and had doubled up Montana at the half 40-20. Now let's be honest here this game was over.

Or not.

Anthony Johnson went ballistic and poured in 34 of his game high 42 points for the Grizzlies in the final 20 minutes and the impossible happened. Montana came all the way back and won the game 66-65 to capture the Big Sky title and an automatic berth in the NCAA tournament.

Oh and by the way Johnson netted his team's final 21 points of the game and broke the tournament record with the 42 points.

Up 20 freakin points, are you kidding me!?!?!?



Your winners for Thursday are on:

4* Georgia Tech (minus 3 1/2) vs. North Carolina.

3* Memphis (minus 6) vs. Houston.

2* Indiana (plus 8) vs. Northwestern.

Yet another winning day on Wednesday as the 4* play on Iowa State came through in the end thanks to a backdoor three with 19 seconds to go. I do have to say thanks for not fouling after that Cyclones, I owe you one!

North Carolina is a team that has shown absolutely nothing for the last two months and even in their home state should continue to show a whole lot of nothing. There is no more disappointing team in all of college basketball this season than the Tar Heels. They do have talent with Ginyard, Zeller and others and a Hall of Fame coach in Roy Williams but it just hasn't mattered. Sure Ed Davis is out but this team was fading away before that injury.

Georgia Tech has not been impressive themselves of late losing five of their last seven and limping into this thing but Paul Hewitt's team is square on that bubble and has to win the game. Derrick Favors is a great Freshman who has continued to improve and will dominate the boards alongside Gani Lawal.

The Yellow Jackets are a desperate team that has been playing better than their fate of late as they lost on buzzer beaters at both Miami and Maryland and is a team with a whole lot of talent and a high ceiling.

Look for the Jackets to look like the team that wants this game more and for them to take care of business going away against a bad team wearing uniforms that say "North Carolina" on them.



Josh Pastner's Memphis Tigers are certainly not the same team in any aspect as John Calipari's Memphis Tigers were but do not belittle this current squad. There is still a bunch of athletes and talented players on this team like Witherspoon, Williams, Sallie, Mack and Kemp and 13-3 in Conference USA is still not too shabby even if it is three more losses than usual.

Houston is a solid team but nothing more. The Cougars last week did beat the Tigers but that was at home, which makes a world of difference, and that will set up a matter of revenge today for Memphis. Plus Houston may have some wobbly legs after the win yesterday over East Carolina and it's never great to play a back-to-back no less against a team that can run the court which Memphis can.

I'm not calling this a 20 point burial but the Tigers in the end will win by double digits as they have everything going for them, everything.



No matter how much better some teams are than others there are certain squad that are not built to be heavy favorites and that is the exact case here with Northwestern.

Tom Crean's Hoosiers are miserable and a team that has pretty much packed it in. But just the other day they were able to muster something and at home beat the Wildcats in overtime. I don't expect that to happen again because John Shurna and the boys from Northwestern are definitely the superior team of these two making me believe that lightning striking twice is unlikely but Northwestern is just not a team that wins games going away, no matter what their opponent is like.

The Hoosiers are going to play the young kids to see what's there going forward andf that turned out to be a pretty good strategy in that last rare win.

Let's also not foget how this game is in Indianapolis which can only be a good thing here in this spot.

Northwestern is probably too good in the end in this revenge spot today but I'm backing the dog and daring the Wildcats to do enough offensively to beat me.

Your "Bad Beat" for Monday is on

North Carolina A&T (plus 13 1/2) at Morgan State.

These MEAC games do not have a number on them most of the time but they did last night. Morgan State opened up laying 14 and that went down as low as 13. It didn't look like that would matter as the underdogs from A&T shockingly led outright 37-32 at the half.

The game was 56-55 Morgan with only seven to go which more than likely was looking like an underdog easy cover. But then Reggie Holmes went crazy as he nailed eight threes in the game and poured in a game high 32 points. In the end Morgan State outscored A&T 49-30 in the second half and won 81-67.

Yikes!



Your winners for Tuesday are on:

4* Georgia Tech (plus 7) at Clemson.

2* North Carolina (minus 4) vs. Miami, Fl.

One play on Monday, a fairly easy 3* winner on Oklahoma who led most of the game in Austin and then cashed the ticket in the loss.



The season can not be deemed great as the wins have not been there of late the way Paul Hewitt would like but the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets have been competing very hard and the fruits to their merit could produce an outright here.

Tech has played pretty tough on the road of late most recently in that tough buzzer beating loss at Maryland. A few weeks earlier the Jackets fell also at the buzzer in South Beach against Miami.

At some point things will even up and to get a handful of points plus with a rising star in Derrick Favors along with Gani Lawal and other talented young athletes makes me fine with this takeback. It's not going to be easy as Clemson is good and Littljohn Coliseum is not an easy place to play at all.

Trevor Booker and Demontez Stitt are quality players for the Tigers who are coming off of that hard fought victory at Florida State. 53 points was all it took for Clemson in that thing but that will not be the case here as Tech is going to put up points and enough to at the very worst cover this contest!



The season has been a debacle for North Carolina and that is quite possibly the understatement of all understatements. Nothing at all has gone right for this perennial powerhouse but I do believe they are too cheap to pass up today.

The Tar Heels are still a very talented team even if Ed Davis is out. These guys were top 5 earlier in the season and if they play like they could then they could prove that once again.

Miami is ok, nothing better nothing worse. The Hurricanes at home can rise up and beat some superior teams but I'm not so sure that they can do this on the road and at the Dean Dome.

The Heels are still not a good basketball team but they did at least compete and lose late in Boston College a week or so ago and then just won at Wake Forest and should be feeling a tad more confident than before.

Look for UNC to end the season a little better than that dreadful middle part and for this to be an 8-12 point victory.

Your "Bad Beat" for Friday is on:

Magic (minus 270, moneyline) vs. Dallas

A 19-0 run!?!?!??!

Orlando was the 5 1/2 or so point favorite over Dirk and the Mavs and they looked good early. The Magic got out of the gate well and held the 33-23 lead after a quarter.

The lead was at 11 late in the third quarter and then in shocking fashion the Magic imploded a bit. Dallas ended the third on a 7-0 run and then opened the fourth on an additional 12-0 run making it in total a 19-0 run against the defending Eastern Conference Champions. Wow!

In the end the Mavericks outscored the Magic 30-16 in the final period and won the game going away 95-85.



Your winners for Saturday are on:

4* Boston College (minus 3 1/2) vs. North Carolina.

3* Stanford (plus 5) at Oregon State.

3* UCLA (plus 11 1/2) at Washington.

A poor Saturday and now back-to-back losing days but still ahead of the game thanks to that 9-0 four day run. The 4* on Yale came up well short for sure as did the 2* Nets.



The North Carolina Tar Heels are without a doubt the most disappointing team in the nation this season. Roy Williams' squad is just dreadful right now. This team is a sinking ship and after Ed Davis went down so went the NCAA Tournament, if not the NIT Tournament.

Boston College is not great at all and after losing Tyrese Rice after last season the leadership roll was and still is somewhat left open. But at home the Eagles, who just competed in a tight tight loss and cover against Duke a few weeks back, are going to be too good. North Carolina is at a stage where they have regressed too far to come back from the dead, at least in the here and now that is.

I'm not really that sure what the Heels are going to be able to salvage this season but I don't see it being much on the road.



Oregon State just had a great great upset win over Cal the other night at home as the six point dog. That was an amazing result as the Golden Bears were and probably still are the best team in the Pac-10. But I also think that win gave them much too much credit here.

Stanford is not good and on the road has been fairly miserable. But Green and Fields are high quality players that did just finally break through on the highway in Oregon. I'm not saying we will see a weekend sweep up in the great Northwest by the visitors but Johnny Dawkins' squad is certainly as talented as this Beavers team and in the end I don't see Craig Robinson's team having another great effort and an easy win. They're still not good and that last win was an aberation.



Maybe I'm getting sucked into UCLA here because of this number but Washington really has not done all that much this season.

Big things were expected of the Huskies as Pondexter and Thomas are really good but many more times than not Lorenzo Romar's team continues to disappoint. They finally got over the hump with that impressive road win over Stanford only to just lose as the hefty favorite against USC.

The Huskies are clearly not the top 25 type team that people believed they were. They are much better than UCLA as Ben Howland's team has been a disgrace by UCLA standards but the Bruins still do have a little something and proved just that in the blowout win at Washington State.

If Washington wins by a ton which their high powered offense is always capable of doing then so be it. But the bottom line is they have no business as this much of a chalk, none!

Your "Bad Beat" for Tuesday is on:

Predators (minus 135) at New York.

The Predators were up 3-2 very late in the game against an Islander team that had lost seven straight games. Losing would be remote as the game was in its final minute.

But Martin Erat took a dumb boarding penalty with 46 seconds to go and after the Isles pulled the goalie they had a six on four advantage. That would prove to be very fruitful as Mark Streit lit the lamp for the eighth time this season with only 12 measley ticks on the clock.

The game wound up going to a shootout and then an extra shooter as it was still tied after the shootout. John Tavares of the Islanders scored and the Preds lost the game despite the very very late lead.



Your winners for Wednesday are on:

3* North Carolina (plus 6) vs. Duke.

2* Connecticut (plus 11) at Syracuse.

2* Indiana (plus 10) vs. Ohio State.

A great 2-0 Tuesday for 7* of winnings as 4* Illinois wins outright in Wisconsin and the 3* on Vanderbilt was literally never in doubt!



Three solid dogs that are getting too many points and even if I am backing some ice cold teams they have got to be taken on-principle alone.

I know that North Carolina has been beyond atrocious of late and are not in the slightest resembling anything like the National Championship team from just a season ago. Roy Williams' squad has quit at times and have been so bad that it is unfathomable to be honest with you.

The Tar Heels are a team searching for an identity right now and are pretty awful. Meanwhile Duke comes in here having overall been very good. There have been some slipups as they certainly are not a great team and they have problems defending big men at times but all in all the Blue Devils have been very very good with a stud in Jon Scheyer leading the way along with Nolan Smith and Kyle Singler.

With all of the above said UNC plus half a dozen at the Dean Dome in this heated rivalry is just too much. The Heels still have a ton of talent with Davis and Thompson and others and will wake up one of these days. With their main rival from seven miles down the road in town one has to believe this will be that time!



Another game that I just cannot pass up for on-principle alone. Syracuse is a one loss team that is rolling as much as one team could be rolling. Rautins, Onuaku, Jardine and the rest of the Orange are a great team right now unlike the pathetic piece of dung in UCONN that I am backing. But the Huskies, no matter how underachieving and terrible they have performed, are still a squad with a boatload of talent and going to the Carrier Dome could be the wakeup call that they need.

Even without Jim Calhoun at the helm the Huskies should be playing a lot better. Dave Blaney is fine and with Edwards, Robinson, Walker and other blue chip type players UCONN is just too good for this nonsense.

The Orange have been great but I do not yet view them as a juggernaut that cannot be stopped. They almost somehow lost at DePaul a few weeks ago and can see them slip up a bit here as the Huskies finally remember how to play some basketball and compete.



Evan Turner may be the best player in the country and this Ohio State team is really really dangerous. Clearly the Buckeyes are far better than the Hoosiers who have been ridiculously feast or famine as of late but plus double digits at home? Too darn much.

I like what Tom Crean is preaching and we have seen great strides this season from Indiana. Sometimes things don't always work out as in that last game where IU was whacked at Northwestern but for every one of those we have a rising to the occasion much more competitive than expected type of a game ala at Illinois or at home vs. Purdue in the past week or so.

The Hoosiers are not dreadful like last season. These guys in Bloomington should pretty much stay in any game and it's not like the Buckeyes are an elite team just yet.

No doubt this is a tough tough game for Crean's crew but they have proven their upside a lot lately and I can see a tighter than expected final tonight!

Your "Bad Beat" for Saturday is on:

Kansas (minus 4 AND total of 153) at Kansas State.

In some ways this is not really a true "Bad Beat" in terms of the side at least because the Wildcats clearly deserved to cover this game but in the end any Jayhawk backers and under players are cursing up a storm.

The game went to overtime tied at 69 and that eventually destroyed the under players. That in its own right was a terrible beat. Now to the side. It was back and forth pretty much throughout and Kansas had the one point lead and the ball in the waning seconds. The game clock was 41 and the shot clock was obviously 35.

Frank Martin opted to play it out instead of fouling. With 9 seconds remaining Kansas' Sherron Collins drove the lane and scored plus the foul to go up three. The free throw was missed badly short but Cole Aldrich scooped it up and eventually Brady Morningstar was fouled with just over four seconds to go. He made both free throws to extend the lead to five and all of a sudden it looked like KU had the very very lucky frontdoor cover.

But in "meaningless" backdoor fashion Kansas State' Jacob Pullen nailed a 30 footer at the buzzer and this thing ended 81-79 in a Kansas State cover.

Wow!



Your winners for Sunday are on:

4* North Carolina (minus 8 1/2) vs. Virginia.

2* Maryland (plus 5) at Clemson.

A phenomenal 2-0-1 Saturday led by the 4* on SMU outright against Memphis as the 7 1/2 point pup! Then my 3* on the Georgetown Hoyas pounded Duke and I feel like Nostradamus right about now.



Can you say cheap? The Tar Heels have struggled mightily at times this season but do not doubt Roy Williams' team. There is a boatload of talent with guys like Davis and Thompson and Ginyard and others and to basically only lay single digits at home against Virginia is a deal and a half.

The Cavaliers have played better overall than most people thought they would as Tony Bennett has done a nice job but a whacking is in the cards here in Chapel Hill.

North Carolina may not repeat as national champions as they lost a ton to the NBA but don't think that this current team is not good. I can't explain why they have looked so feeble at times but the tide is turning as we just saw at NC State and today is going to be another solid solid victory for the Heels.



Maryland right now is flat out better than Clemson!

Littlejohn Coliseum can certainly be a beast for a visitor and Trevor Booker is a beast himself but I am not really all that impressed with the Tigers right now. Somehow they did pummel North Carolina about a month ago and nailed a bunch of three's in the process but that game was a total aberation.

Oliver Purnell's Tigers were horrendous offensively against Duke in that last home game and looked terrible in that last overall game at Boston College.

Clemson has actually dropped three straight and four games ago were horrific in the second half blowing basically a 20 point lead at NC State.

Maryland on the other hand is a house on-fire right now. I am not going to belittle going on the road here because that could make any team wilt but Gary Williams' squad is playing at a higher level than I have seen the Terrapins play in a long time. Greivis Vazquez always had the potential but was too inconsistent. Now the guy has been money leading the way and Milbourne, Mosely and Hayes are quality experienced guys that will bring some game today.

The turtle have been blazing, covering game after game of late. This is a tough spot for sure but right now I do fear the turtle and will therefore back them plus a handful!

Your "Bad Beat" for Sunday is on:

Providence (over 156) at Marquette.

The offenses were ahead of the defenses here in this game between the Friars and Golden Eagles. Well, actually, it was Marquette's offense that was rolling.

Fast forward to 1:58 remaining in the game and it was Marquette up in a laugher 93-63. Just one more point would put this thing over the total after Maurice Acker's three made it the 30 point game it was.

But nada, zero, zilch. The teams combined to miss the final five shots of the game and this thing ended right on the number for most. And for some it may have even been a loser depending upon their number?!?!?!?



Your winners for Monday are on:

3* 76ers (minus 1) at Minnesota.

2* Marist (plus 13) vs. Niagara.

A small winning 1-1 Sunday as the 3* Vikings came through to net a star when including the loss on the 2* Chargers.



With or without the banged up Allen Iverson I can't help but believe that the 76ers will win today in Minnesota. The Timberwolves are just dreadful. Granted I love Al Jefferson's game as the guy is a total monster down low but all in all the Wolves are possibly the worst team in the entire NBA, save maybe those Nets.

Philly is 13-26 which is far form being good but there is talent on this team. Andre Iguodala is really good and Lou Williams, Thaddeus Young, Samuel Dalembert and a few others can play as well.

The boys from the City of Brotherly Love have won three of four and seem to be picking up their game right about now. It's probably too late to make the playoffs in even the shoddy Eastern Conference but this team is a ton better than their record indicates and seem to be a little undervalued in this spot.

Kurt Rambis' squad was just drilled in Memphis, 135-110 and limp home here after going 0-4 on the road trip allowing at least 105 ppg in each game. I just don't see how anything will get fixed in time for the improving 6ers.



Marist is horrendous. The days of Rik Smits are long gone, there is no doubting that as they are 1-16 overall and don't have a guy that scores in double figures. But Niagara is not the squad they used to be and to lay a dozen plus on the road with a team that is not very good is just too much.

I do believe that we will fall to 1-17 as there is just nothing here on Chuck Martin's team but it's not like the Red Foxes get drilled by 40 game in and game out. These guys do continue to compete and actually earlier in the season lost by only seven to the Big East's Rutgers Scarlet Knights.

The Purple Eagles have lost three in a row and four of five. They just scored 47 points in a bad loss at Iona and a few weeks back lost to Air Force as a similar chalk to today. Niagara is trying to avoid a winless 0-4 road trip, to ask them to lace em up and win going away right now against anybody is a little too much to ask.