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**Udog** · 01-07-2015, 01:21 PM

Armadillo: Wednesday's six-pack

-- Kentucky 89, Ole Miss 86 OT-- Rebels had one-point lead and ball in last 0:30, but couldn't finish. Kentucky was 11-20 on arc, 28-40 from foul line.

-- Villanova 90, St John's 72-- Wildcats pulled away in the second half. Steve Lavin continues to have trouble getting traction with his Red Storm program.

-- Central Michigan 65, Toledo 62-- Dick Enberg's alma mater is now 11-1.

-- Arkansas 79, Georgia 75-- Mike Anderson got contract extension and a road win on the same day. Pretty good Tuesday for him.

-- Iowa State 63, Oklahoma State 61-- Cowboys had last shot, couldn't sink it.

-- Providence 66, Butler 62-- Friars get their first road win of the season.

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Armadillo: Wednesday's List of 13: Random thoughts on a winter day......

13) Stunning Statistic of the Day: Joe Flacco has seven road playoff wins, two more than any other QB in NFL history!!! Weird thing is how few home playoff games Baltimore has had, but they thrive on the road, for sure.

12) Since 2001, New England is 12-3 in home playoff games: 1-2 against Baltimore, 11-1 against everyone else.

11) Pistons 105, Spurs 104-- Detroit was down 18, rallies to win, is now 6-0 since they fired Josh Smith- they were 5-23 with Smith. Go figure.

10) Jim Burr was one of the refs at the Providence-Butler game last night; I don't want to say he's been around a long time, but when I was a college freshman, way back in 1978, I did the scorebook for high school sectional games at UAlbany, last of which was a Mt Vernon-Catholic High game, with Scooter McCray playing for Mt Vernon.

Rodney McCray had a broken wrist that night and didn't play. Tony Fiorentino was an assistant cxoach for Mt Vernon; he does Miami Heat games on TV now. Jim Burr was the ref that night. In 1978. 37 years later, he is still doing Big East games. if ever someone needs to write a book about his experiences, it would be Mr Burr.

9) Lot of schools were recruiting Scooter McCray, the older of the brothers; Wade Houston (Allan Houston's dad) was an assisstant coach at Louisville-- he used my student ID to check out racquetball stuff to play racquetball with Mt Vernon coaches. In return, I asked for an autographed picture of Darrell Griffith. He agreed.

Not only did I never get the picture, I got a bill for the rackets when the coaches left them in the trainer's room instead of returning them where they came from. The bill got taken care of, Louisville got Scooter, won a national title and then Wade Houston got the coaching job at Tennessee, where he went 65-90 in five years. Hmmm...

8) Not sure we talked about this last spring, when the Bills moved up four slots in the draft to take WR Sammy Watkins, they gave up two #1's and a 4th-round pick to get only four picks higher. Watkins had a strong rookie year, but an extra #1 and a 4?

Cleveland had to be happier than hell to make that trade; apparently, Doug Marrone was very unhappy-- it was said it is part of why he bolted the club last week.

7) Texas Tech signed a new defensiove coordinator, the guy who was Houston's interim coach for their bowl win; he'll be making $550,000 a year. He's not even head coach and he's making $550,000 a year in Lubbock. Its good to be him.

6) Illinois lost its best basketball player Rayvonte Rice with a broken hand and is out indefinitely, very bad news for the Illini., who play Maryland tonight.

5) Old Dominion is in the Top 25 for the first time ever; former Virginia coach Jeff Jones is the head man for the Monarchs, who are now in Conference USA.

4) If James Naimsith was watching the first half of this New Mexico-San Diego State game I'm watching, he might deny inventing the sport.

College basketball has gotten worse because every time a kid makes two baskets in a row, it seems like he declares for the NBA Draft. It has helped the D-League, though.

3) ESPN's Ramona Shelburne reported that Carmelo Anthony won't be shut down for the season until after the NBA All-Star Game, which is in New York next month. My question is this:

Why the bleep should Anthony make the All-Star team?!?!?!?!

Knicks are 5-32; they shouldn't have any All-Stars, especially one who is supposedly "injured". If he plays in the All-Star Game but doesn't play for the Knicks, what does make people who buy Knick season tickets? Answer: suckers.

One more quick Knick note: They got a 2019 2nd-round pick in the JR Smith trade; if that player is a one-and-done college kid, that means right now, he is in the 9th grade, whoever he is. Has an NBA team ever traded for a 9th grader before?

2) Over the last three years, if you wagered on every Big 14 bowl team that was an underdog, you'd be 13-7-2. They were 10-10 the three years before that.

1) I'd love to have a vote for the Baseball Hall of Fame; no one watches more baseball than I do, I write about it every day during the season-- I think I'm a qualified voter, so if you know anyone with some clout, hook me up!!!!

**Udog** · 01-07-2015, 01:22 PM

See spot. See spot bet: This week's best spot bet opportunities

Letdown spot

The Kansas Jayhawks open Big 12 play with a bang, traveling to Waco, Texas to take on the No. 22 Baylor Bears in what should be an up-tempo shootout between two teams trying to stake their claim not only in the conference but the national tournament conversation. The Jayhawks – win or lose – could be ripe for a letdown following this battle with the Bears. Kansas heads back to Lawrence to host the Texas Tech Red Raiders Saturday afternoon.

The Red Raiders have had all week to plan for KU – being off since losing to West Virginia Monday - and bring a stingy defense that allows just 60 points per game. Texas Tech is an aggressive team that attacks opponents, forcing refs to blow the whistle an average of 22.2 time per game – seventh most fouls drawn in the country. That’s equated in TTU picking up 26.9 percent of its points from the foul line. The Red Raiders ability to get to the line and slow the pace of the game could be a big speed bump for KU’s quick tempo, especially coming into this letdown spot off the Baylor game.

Lookahead spot

Once again, we find the Washington Wizards featured in our weekly spot bet opportunities. The Wizards did exactly what we predicted last week, fighting Oklahoma City hard Friday, then falling apart against San Antonio Saturday failing to cover and playing Under the total. This week, Washington is our candidate for the lookahead spot, with a big game versus Chicago on the schedule Friday.

The Wizards are trying get their place back in the Eastern Conference after a rough road trip out West. But before they can test their mettle at home versus Chicago, they host the lowly New York Knicks Wednesday night. The Knicks are a mess but will undoubtedly get heaping piles of points in DC. On top of that, Washington is back home after a five-game road swing that bridged the New Year, so there are plenty of things to take care of - off the basketball court – for the Wizards this week.

Schedule spot

The New York Rangers pack their sunscreen for a three-game cross-country road trip out West. The Rangers open this stretch of three road games in four nights in Anaheim Wednesday, before facing Los Angeles – the team that beat them in the NHL final last year – Thursday and San Jose Saturday night. The first two games have 10:30 p.m. ET starts while the puck drops at 10 p.m. ET Saturday, both late start times for the Big Apple Blueshirts.

"I think it's the hardest road trip in the season, the California one," center Derick Brassard told the media. "We are going to play some really good teams."

New York is playing well heading into this trip, having won 10 of its last 11 contests, but last year’s West Coast run produced a 9-2 loss to the Sharks and a 6-0 blanking against the Ducks. Then, of course, there are the Kings, who rolled over the Rangers in five game in the Stanley Cup final last June.

**Udog** · 01-07-2015, 01:53 PM

NHL
Armadillo's Write-Up

Wednesday, January 7

Hot teams
-- Washington won six of its last eight games.
-- Flames won four of their last five games.
-- Rangers won 10 of last 11 games. Anaheim won 12 of its last 16 games.

Cold teams
-- Toronto lost seven of last nine games, just changed coaches.
-- Boston lost last three games, all in OT/SO. Penguins lost five of their last seven.
-- Detroit is 4-9 in last thirteen games, 4-3 in last seven.

Series records
-- Home side won seven of last eight Toronto-Washington games.
-- Bruins won six of last eight games with Pittsburgh.
-- Calgary is 5-4 in its last nine games with Detroit.
-- Rangers lost four of last five games with Anaheim.

Totals
-- Seven of last nine Toronto home games went over.
-- Nine of last eleven Pittsburgh home games stayed under.
-- Four of last five Calgary home games stayed under.
-- Under is 7-3-1 in last eleven Anaheim home games.

Back-to-back
-- Detroit is 2-2 if it played the night before.

NHL
Long Sheet

Wednesday, January 7

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WASHINGTON (20-11-0-7, 47 pts.) at TORONTO (21-16-0-3, 45 pts.) - 1/7/2015, 7:05 PM
Top Trends for this game.
TORONTO is 13-4 ATS (+6.9 Units) in home games after a non-conference game over the last 2 seasons.
TORONTO is 12-6 ATS (+21.3 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record this season.
TORONTO is 12-6 ATS (+19.3 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record in the first half of the season this season.
WASHINGTON is 13-3 ATS (+9.6 Units) revenging a loss versus opponent this season.
TORONTO is 27-37 ATS (-26.7 Units) in home games when playing with 3 or more days rest since 1996.
Head-to-Head Series History
TORONTO is 4-2 (+2.4 Units) against the spread versus WASHINGTON over the last 3 seasons
TORONTO is 4-2-0 straight up against WASHINGTON over the last 3 seasons
4 of 5 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Under=+3.1 Units)

BOSTON (19-15-0-6, 44 pts.) at PITTSBURGH (24-10-0-5, 53 pts.) - 1/7/2015, 8:05 PM
Top Trends for this game.
BOSTON is 19-21 ATS (-11.9 Units) in all games this season.
BOSTON is 4-10 ATS (-8.3 Units) in a road game where where the total is 5 or less this season.
BOSTON is 168-185 ATS (+405.4 Units) in road games when playing against a team with a winning record since 1996.
PITTSBURGH is 69-87 ATS (-33.7 Units) in a home game where where the total is 5 or less since 1996.
PITTSBURGH is 4-10 ATS (-11.9 Units) when playing with 3 or more days rest over the last 2 seasons.
Head-to-Head Series History
BOSTON is 6-4 (+3.2 Units) against the spread versus PITTSBURGH over the last 3 seasons
BOSTON is 6-4-0 straight up against PITTSBURGH over the last 3 seasons
5 of 7 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Under=+2.7 Units)

DETROIT (21-10-0-9, 51 pts.) at CALGARY (21-16-0-3, 45 pts.) - 1/7/2015, 9:35 PM
Top Trends for this game.
DETROIT is 104-101 ATS (-49.0 Units) in January games since 1996.
DETROIT is 100-59 ATS (+22.9 Units) in road games after a non-conference game since 1996.
Head-to-Head Series History
CALGARY is 2-2 (+0.3 Units) against the spread versus DETROIT over the last 3 seasons
CALGARY is 2-2-0 straight up against DETROIT over the last 3 seasons
2 of 4 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Over=+0.1 Units)

NY RANGERS (21-11-0-4, 46 pts.) at ANAHEIM (26-9-0-6, 58 pts.) - 1/7/2015, 10:35 PM
Top Trends for this game.
ANAHEIM is 87-49 ATS (+37.3 Units) in all games over the last 2 seasons.
ANAHEIM is 37-11 ATS (+20.3 Units) after scoring 4 goals or more in their previous game over the last 2 seasons.
ANAHEIM is 15-6 ATS (+7.5 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record this season.
ANAHEIM is 15-6 ATS (+7.3 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record in the first half of the season this season.
NY RANGERS are 30-20 ATS (+50.1 Units) in a road game where where the total is 5 or less over the last 2 seasons.
Head-to-Head Series History
ANAHEIM is 2-0 (+2.1 Units) against the spread versus NY RANGERS over the last 3 seasons
ANAHEIM is 2-0-0 straight up against NY RANGERS over the last 3 seasons
1 of 2 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Over=+0.1 Units)

NHL
Dunkel

Boston at Pittsburgh
The Penguins play host to a Bruins team that is 1-4 in its last 5 road games. Pittsburgh is the pick (-155) according to Dunkel, which has the Penguins favored by 1 1/2. Dunkel Pick: Pittsburgh (-155). Here are all of today's NHL picks.

WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 7

Game 1-2: Washington at Toronto (7:00 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Washington 12.609; Toronto 11.112
Dunkel Line & Total: Washington by 1 1/2; 5
Vegas Line & Total: Washington (-115); 5 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Washington (-115); Under

Game 3-4: Boston at Pittsburgh (8:00 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Boston 10.443; Pittsburgh 11.905
Dunkel Line & Total: Pittsburgh by 1 1/2;
Vegas Line & Total: Pittsburgh (-155); 5
Dunkel Pick: Pittsburgh (-155); Over

Game 5-6: Detroit at Calgary (9:30 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Detroit 12.109; Calgary 10.674
Dunkel Line & Total: Detroit by 1 1/2; 4 1/2
Vegas Line & Total: Calgary (-120); 5 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Detroit (+100); Under

Game 7-8: NY Rangers at Anaheim (10:30 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: NY Rangers 12.133; Anaheim 11.200
Dunkel Line & Total: NY Rangers by 1; 6
Vegas Line & Total: Anaheim (-130); 5
Dunkel Pick: NY Rangers (+110); Over

NHL

Wednesday, January 7

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Trend Report
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7:00 PM
WASHINGTON vs. TORONTO
Washington is 6-2 SU in its last 8 games
Washington is 6-3 SU in its last 9 games on the road
Toronto is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games
The total has gone OVER in 7 of Toronto's last 9 games at home

8:00 PM
BOSTON vs. PITTSBURGH
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Boston's last 5 games when playing on the road against Pittsburgh
The total has gone UNDER in 8 of Boston's last 11 games when playing Pittsburgh
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Pittsburgh's last 5 games when playing at home against Boston
The total has gone UNDER in 8 of Pittsburgh's last 11 games when playing Boston

9:30 PM
DETROIT vs. CALGARY
Detroit is 6-3 SU in its last 9 games when playing on the road against Calgary
The total has gone UNDER in 6 of Detroit's last 9 games when playing on the road against Calgary
The total has gone UNDER in 6 of Calgary's last 9 games when playing at home against Detroit
Calgary is 3-6 SU in its last 9 games when playing at home against Detroit

10:30 PM
NY RANGERS vs. ANAHEIM
NY Rangers are 5-1 SU in their last 6 games on the road
The total has gone OVER in 6 of the NY Rangers last 8 games when playing on the road against Anaheim
Anaheim is 4-1 SU in their last 5 games when playing NY Rangers
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Anaheim's last 6 games when playing NY Rangers

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**Udog** · 01-07-2015, 05:52 PM

NHL
Short Sheet

Wednesday, January 7

Washington at Toronto, 7:05 ET
Washington: 60-75 ATS after scoring 3 goals or more in 4 straight games
Toronto: 9-3 ATS after allowing 3 goals or more 2 straight games

Boston at Pittsburgh, 8:05 ET
Boston: 195-174 ATS in road games after playing a road game
Pittsburgh: 4-10 ATS when playing with 3 or more days rest

Detroit at Calgary, 9:35 ET
Detroit: 49-64 ATS when playing their 3rd road game in 5 days
Calgary: 12-4 ATS off a close home loss by 1 goal

New York at Anaheim, 10:35 ET
NY Rangers: 11-20 ATS after 2 straight blowout wins by 3 goals or more
Anaheim: 34-13 ATS after scoring 3 goals or more in 2 straight games

Announcement

Wednesday's NHL Trends and Indexes - 1/7

Wednesday's NHL Trends and Indexes - 1/7

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