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**Udog** · 01-09-2015, 11:46 AM

Armadillo: Friday's six-pack

-- Michigan State 75, Iowa 61-- Spartans were down 11 at the half.

-- SMU 73, Memphis 59-- Home side won eight of last nine series games.

-- UL-Lafayette 84, Georgia State 80-- Four Sun Belt games between these teams have all been decided by 4 or less points.

-- Louisiana Tech 58, UTEP 45-- Miners were held to 12 second half points.

-- UCLA 86, Stanford 81, 2OT-- Cardinal lost last ten visits to Westwood; they lost this game despite going 15-31 behind the arc.

-- Pepperdine 67, BYU 61-- Waves won as 15-point road underdogs

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Armadillo: Friday's List of 13: Random stuff with weekend here.......

13) John Smoltz is first Hall of Fame pitcher who had Tommy John surgery, which reminds me that Dr Frank Jobe and Dr James Andrews should be in the Hall of Fame as contributors; not many people helped baseball more than those two surgeons.

12) Former NBA great Rick Barry will be 71 in two months; he was really a great player. The youngest of his five sons is named Canyon and is a sophomore guard at Charleston-- he had 21 against Hofstra last night. Just like his dad, young Barry takes his free throws underhanded-- he is 17-23 (73.9%) so far this season.

Rick Barry was a career 89.3% shooter from the foul line, scoring 25,279 points while averaging 24.8 ppg as a pro. In my mind, he was a very underrated player.

11) DePaul Blue Demons are 3-0 in the Big East, which doesn't sound like that much, until you realize that over last six seasons, they were 10-98. 10 and freakin' 98.

10) I walk into my living room Wednesday night; the Utah-Colorado game is on TV and Bill Walton is talking about dinosaur fossils; its always great fun listening to him doing Pac-12 games with Dave Pasch. Last night night they had Stanford-UCLA, a double OT game so we got ten extra minutes of Waltoin, never a bad thing.

9) So the Cavaliers traded Dion Waiters to Oklahoma City; Waiters asked to wear #13 for the Thunder (James Harden's old number) but for whatever reason, Thunder turned his request down, so he'll wear #23. Thats just a little strange- you'd think they want to make a new player feel comfortable, but not in today's micro-managed world.

8) Michigan State is 1-5 this year in games decided by 10 or less points; they were down 11 at the half in Iowa City last night, stormed back to win by 14, after Izzo got a technical just before halftime.

Spartans are 6-1 against Fran McCaffery, who once wouldn't let his Siena team shake hands with Manhattan after a game because the Jaspers "played too physically." Izzo teams occasionally practice in shoulder pads. Big 14 plays big boy basketball.

7) Five of eight QBs starting in the NFL playoffs this weekend have already won a Super Bowl and Cam Newton won a college champoionship.

6) Look beyond the records: Georgia Tech is 0-2 in the ACC, but lost in double OT at Notre Dame, lost by a point to Syracuse. Tech is an improved team.

Syracuse is 2-0 in the ACC, with road wins by 2 at Virginia Tech, at Georgia Tech by a point. Orangemen are shaky and thin, not as strong as usual- they're pretty good, but not a top 25 team or a lock for the NCAA tournament.

5) ESPN has an incredible amount of coverage of college football during the day this week; coaches are scrambling for precious TV air time, since this is also recruiting season, with Signing Day less than four weeks away.

Brian Kelly, James Franklin, Art Briles all made appearances during the short time I was watching Thursday afternoon. Jim Harbaugh will be on during the national title game on ESPNU's simulcast Monday night. It is recruiting season, people.

4) Lot of stuff on ESPN2 on weekdays suggests that they might as well be airing WWE matches; the trash talking that goes on is childish and embarrassing. Probably sound old complaining about this, but you don't learn anything listening to the crap program that Stephen A Smith and Skip Bayless pollute every day-- they just spout trash at each other, then laugh all the way to the bank. It is worthless garbage.

3) I have lot of channels on DirecTV; one of the better ones is #693, Prime Ticket from Los Angeles, which shows lot of Big West/WCC games late at night. Articles in this space tend to be a little better if I'm being entertained while I'm writing.

In old UNLV/Tark days, lot of Big West games were on TV, but they've disappeared off of TV recently, except for Prime Ticket, so we're thankful to them for that.

2) Thursday would've been Elvis Presley's 80th birthday; happy birthday to the King!!! Westgate Hotel in Las Vegas still has one of his old cars in their lobby; I was looking at it in November. An old Lincoln Mark IV; must be worth a fortune now.

1) Six weeks before spring training starts and James Shields/Max Scherzer are still free agents; these two pitchers are game-changers for whomever signs them. I am told pitching is the most important part of baseball; these two guys are going to get some serious money, but from which teams?

Additional warm weather note: the PGA Tour starts today!!!

**Udog** · 01-09-2015, 11:46 AM

NFL's biggest betting mismatches: Divisional Round Playoffs

Baltimore Ravens at New England Patriots (-7, 47.5)

Ravens’ ability to draw flags vs. Patriots’ penalty prone secondary

Referees have had a hair trigger when it comes to flagging overly aggressive coverage this season – and will more so after the pass interference controversy in Dallas last Sunday. No team has felt the pinch of those penalties like the Patriots, who have been flagged for defensive holding a league-high 14 times and whistled for pass interference nine times for a grand total of 217 yards against.

New England has a much-improved defense compared to past postseasons, but the one weakness has been against the pass. The Patriots allow 239.8 yards through the air per game – 17th in the NFL – and most of that damage has come on deep balls, with the stop unit giving up 36 passes of 25 yards or more, which sits fourth most in the league.

Baltimore has benefited from those ticky-tack passing penalties. The Ravens have received 15 pass interference calls against their opponents this season – most in the NFL – and have forced flags to fly on six defensive holding infractions, totaling 345 free yards from foes this season. Baltimore benefited from a 32-yard pass interference call in its win over the Steelers last weekend.

Carolina Panthers at Seattle Seahawks (-10.5, 39.5)

Panthers’ owning time of possession vs. Seahawks’ big spread

Carolina has gotten back to basics in recent weeks and clashes with a team cut from a similar cloth Saturday. Much like Seattle, the Panthers depend on a clock-controlling offense and a dominating defense to win games. It’s worked for Carolina, which has owned time of possession for an average time of 35:27 over the past three games.

The Panthers rushing attack is picking up speed at the right time. Running back Jonathan Stewart has rumbled for 524 yards in his last five games, and rushing mate DeAngelo Williams is working his way back from injury. Add to that ground game the crazy legs of dual-threat QB Cam Newton, and Carolina is sitting down to an all-you-can-eat clock buffet.

With the Panthers hogging the pigskin, it makes it very difficult for Seattle to put up the points necessary to cover this lofty spread. The Seahawks have a stingy defense but have been bullied for TOP in two of their losses this season, versus Dallas and at San Diego – a difference of 79:54/50:06 in those games. And, in its rare home losses, Seattle has been edged in TOP including a 37:24/22:36 count in last season’s loss to Arizona at home. Dallas and Arizona – the last two teams to win at CenturyLink – have out-rushed the Seahawks by a collective 301-183 yards.

Dallas Cowboys at Green Bay Packers (-6, 52.5)

Cowboys’ RB DeMarco Murray vs. Packers’ weakness to the run

Green Bay’s stop unit has looked a little better than it really is in recent weeks. The Packers defense has been a concern all season and got a break at the end of the year against some troubled offenses, taking on punchless teams like Buffalo, Tampa Bay and Detroit. This team allows 119.9 yards on the ground per game – 23rd in the NFL – and that’s a number that should be bigger if not for opponents having to abandon the run in order to keep pace with the Packers explosive offense.

The Cheese Heads are allowing 4.3 yards per rush attempt and have been bowled over when trying to stop runners from moving the chains, with a 34.22 rushing first-down percentage on defense. They’ve given up an average of 7.2 first downs on runs and now face a Dallas offensive line that has paved the way for a record-setting year for its running back.

DeMarco Murray is a relentless runner that will battle for every yard. Behind that powerful o-line, and with the help off a dangerous passing game keeping linebackers honest, Murray led the league with 85 rushing first downs in the regular season, complementing his average of more than 115 yards rushing. The last time these teams met, a Week 15 shootout in Dallas, Murray exploded for 134 yards on 18 carries – 7.4 yards per run – and a touchdown.

Indianapolis Colts at Denver Broncos (-7, 54)

Colts’ tight end troubles vs. Broncos’ TE Julius Thomas

Thomas opened the season with a bang, reeling in seven catches for 104 yards and three touchdowns in a Week 1 showdown with Indianapolis. That was the beginning of a tough season versus tight ends for the Colts, who allowed a total of 954 yards and 10 touchdowns to those big targets.

Indianapolis allowed 44 yards on four catches to Cincinnati’s tight ends in the Wild Card Round, watched Titans TE Delanie Walker grab seven balls for 43 yards in Week 17, and got toasted for 90 yards and a score on seven receptions from Dallas TE Jason Witten in Week 16. And those are just recent examples.

Thomas has been slowed by an ankle injury late in the year. But limited action and the extra week off has helped the Broncos' big man in the middle heal up before this postseason game. Thomas has been a beast in the red zone as well as on third down – an area Indianapolis is used to controlling. He’s totaled 182 yards and an average of 13 yards per reception on third down, with four of his 12 touchdowns coming on these snaps.

**Udog** · 01-09-2015, 11:56 AM

NHL
Dunkel

Columbus at Toronto
The Blue Jackets head to Toronto tonight to face a Maple Leafs team that is 1-5 in its last 6 games versus Eastern Conference opponents. Columbus is the pick (+110) according to Dunkel, which has the Maple Leafs favored by 1 1/2. Dunkel Pick: Columbus (+110). Here are all of today's NHL picks.

FRIDAY, JANUARY 9

Game 1-2: NY Islanders at New Jersey (7:00 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: NY Islanders 12.334; New Jersey 10.756
Dunkel Line & Total: NY Islanders by 1 1/2; 4
Vegas Line & Total: NY Islanders (-155); 5
Dunkel Pick: NY Islanders (-155); Under

Game 3-4: Buffalo at Tampa Bay (7:00 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Buffalo 9.973; Tampa Bay 12.435
Dunkel Line & Total: Tampa Bay by 2 1/2; 5
Vegas Line & Total: Tampa Bay (-375); 5 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Tampa Bay (-375); Under

Game 5-6: Columbus at Toronto (7:30 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Columbus 11.872; Toronto 10.403
Dunkel Line & Total: Columbus by 1 1/2; 7
Vegas Line & Total: Toronto (-130); 6
Dunkel Pick: Columbus (+110); Over

Game 7-8: Florida at Calgary (9:00 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Florida 12.662; Calgary 11.513
Dunkel Line & Total: Florida by 1; 6
Vegas Line & Total: Calgary (-145); 5
Dunkel Pick: Florida (+125); Over

Game 9-10: Chicago at Edmonton (9:30 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Chicago 11.309; Edmonton 12.331
Dunkel Line & Total: Edmonton by 1; 6
Vegas Line & Total: Chicago (-220); 5 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Edmonton (+180); Over

NHL
Long Sheet

Friday, January 9

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NY ISLANDERS (26-13-0-1, 53 pts.) at NEW JERSEY (15-21-0-7, 37 pts.) - 1/9/2015, 7:05 PM
Top Trends for this game.
NY ISLANDERS are 26-14 ATS (+9.6 Units) in all games this season.
NY ISLANDERS are 11-5 ATS (+17.6 Units) in road games on Friday nights over the last 2 seasons.
NY ISLANDERS are 10-2 ATS (+7.5 Units) vs. division opponents this season.
NEW JERSEY is 50-75 ATS (-34.8 Units) in all games over the last 2 seasons.
NEW JERSEY is 7-17 ATS (-12.2 Units) on Friday nights over the last 2 seasons.

Head-to-Head Series History
NY ISLANDERS is 8-4 (+4.4 Units) against the spread versus NEW JERSEY over the last 3 seasons
NY ISLANDERS is 8-4-0 straight up against NEW JERSEY over the last 3 seasons
7 of 11 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Under=+3.0 Units)

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BUFFALO (14-25-0-3, 31 pts.) at TAMPA BAY (26-12-0-4, 56 pts.) - 1/9/2015, 7:35 PM
Top Trends for this game.
BUFFALO is 35-89 ATS (+190.6 Units) in all games over the last 2 seasons.
BUFFALO is 10-36 ATS (+71.9 Units) second half of the season over the last 2 seasons.
BUFFALO is 3-22 ATS (+49.7 Units) in road games revenging a home loss versus opponent over the last 2 seasons.
BUFFALO is 250-203 ATS (+29.6 Units) vs. division opponents since 1996.
BUFFALO is 195-183 ATS (+390.6 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record in the second half of the season since 1996.
TAMPA BAY is 295-368 ATS (+722.5 Units) when playing against a team with a losing record since 1996.

Head-to-Head Series History
TAMPA BAY is 6-4-0 straight up against BUFFALO over the last 3 seasons
7 of 9 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Under=+4.7 Units)

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COLUMBUS (18-17-0-3, 39 pts.) at TORONTO (21-17-0-3, 45 pts.) - 1/9/2015, 7:35 PM
Top Trends for this game.
COLUMBUS is 28-70 ATS (+130.5 Units) in road games when playing with 2 days rest since 1996.
COLUMBUS is 12-5 ATS (+6.9 Units) in January games over the last 2 seasons.
COLUMBUS is 30-21 ATS (+8.5 Units) second half of the season over the last 2 seasons.
COLUMBUS is 10-2 ATS (+12.7 Units) revenging a home loss versus opponent this season.
COLUMBUS is 12-9 ATS (+24.1 Units) revenging a loss versus opponent this season.
TORONTO is 24-34 ATS (+62.0 Units) when playing against a team with a losing record over the last 2 seasons.

Head-to-Head Series History
COLUMBUS is 3-1 (+2.6 Units) against the spread versus TORONTO over the last 3 seasons
COLUMBUS is 3-1-0 straight up against TORONTO 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, Under=-0.7 Units)

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FLORIDA (18-11-0-9, 45 pts.) at CALGARY (21-17-0-3, 45 pts.) - 1/9/2015, 9:05 PM
Top Trends for this game.
FLORIDA is 112-169 ATS (+283.2 Units) after a win by 2 goals or more since 1996.
CALGARY is 30-23 ATS (+59.2 Units) when playing against a team with a losing record over the last 2 seasons.

Head-to-Head Series History
CALGARY is 3-0 (+3.0 Units) against the spread versus FLORIDA over the last 3 seasons
CALGARY is 3-0-0 straight up against FLORIDA over the last 3 seasons
2 of 3 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Over=+1.0 Units)

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CHICAGO (27-12-0-2, 56 pts.) at EDMONTON (9-23-0-9, 27 pts.) - 1/9/2015, 9:35 PM
Top Trends for this game.
CHICAGO is 7-11 ATS (-12.9 Units) in January games over the last 2 seasons.
CHICAGO is 31-32 ATS (-19.1 Units) second half of the season over the last 2 seasons.
CHICAGO is 275-300 ATS (-131.5 Units) when playing against a team with a losing record since 1996.
CHICAGO is 148-156 ATS (-63.8 Units) when playing against a team with a losing record in the first half of the season since 1996.
EDMONTON is 9-32 ATS (-53.5 Units) in all games this season.
EDMONTON is 5-25 ATS (+39.0 Units) revenging a loss versus opponent this season.
EDMONTON is 2-17 ATS (+27.0 Units) after allowing 4 goals or more this season.
EDMONTON is 15-47 ATS (+83.6 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record over the last 2 seasons.
EDMONTON is 7-32 ATS (+59.4 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record in the first half of the season over the last 2 seasons.

Head-to-Head Series History
CHICAGO is 5-1 (+2.9 Units) against the spread versus EDMONTON over the last 3 seasons
CHICAGO is 5-1-0 straight up against EDMONTON over the last 3 seasons
5 of 6 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Over=+4.0 Units)

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NHL
Short Sheet

Friday, January 9

NY Islanders at New Jersey, 7:05 ET
NY Islanders: 10-2 SU vs. division opponents
New Jersey: 7-17 SU on Friday nights

Buffalo at Tampa Bay, 7:35 ET
Buffalo: 3-22 SU in road games revenging a home loss versus opponent
Tampa Bay: 20-5 SU in home games when playing only their 2nd game in 5 days

Columbus at Toronto, 7:35 ET
Columbus: 23-14 SU after scoring 3 goals or more in 2 straight games
Toronto: 67-74 SU in home games after playing a game where 8 or more total goals were scored

Florida at Calgary, 9:05 ET
Florida: 1-10 SU in road games off a win or tie in their previous game
Calgary: 12-5 SU off a close home loss by 1 goal

Chicago at Edmonton, 9:35 ET
Chicago: 7-11 SU in January games
Edmonton: 7-27 SU as an underdog

NHL
Armadillo's Write-Up

Friday, January 9

Hot teams
-- Islanders won 11 of their last 13 home games. Devils won three of last four at home.
-- Tampa Bay won six of its last seven games.
-- Blue Jackets won 11 of their last 15 games.
-- Panthers are 5-4 in their last nine road games, but are 4-13 in game following a win.
-- Blackhawks won 15 of their last 20 games.

Cold teams
-- Sabres lost six in row, ten of last eleven games.
-- Maple Leafs lost eight of their last ten games.
-- Flames lost ten of their last fourteen games.
-- Oilers lost 22 of their last 25 games, but split last four.

Series records
-- Islanders won last four games with New Jersey, three in OT/SO.
-- Lightning won five of last seven games with Buffalo.
-- Blue Jackets won three of last four games with Toronto.
-- Panthers lost their last three games with Calgary.
-- Oilers lost their last five games with Edmonton.

Totals
-- Seven of last nine New Jersey home games stayed under.
-- Six of last seven Buffalo road games went over total.
-- Five of last six Columbus games went over total.
-- Five of last six Calgary home games stayed under.
-- Four of last five Edmonton home games went over.

Back-to-back
-- Devils are 3-5 if they played night before.
-- Buffalo is 3-5 if it played night before.
-- Panthers are 1-3 if they played night before.
-- Chicago is 4-2 if it played the night before.

NHL

Friday, January 9

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Trend Report
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7:00 PM
NY ISLANDERS vs. NEW JERSEY
NY Islanders are 15-8 SU in their last 23 games
The total has gone OVER in 9 of the NY Islanders last 13 games on the road
New Jersey is 6-17 SU in its last 23 games
New Jersey is 1-4 SU in their last 5 games when playing NY Islanders

7:30 PM
BUFFALO vs. TAMPA BAY
Buffalo is 0-5 SU in its last 5 games
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Buffalo's last 5 games when playing on the road against Tampa Bay
Tampa Bay is 5-2 SU in its last 7 games when playing Buffalo
The total has gone UNDER in 8 of Tampa Bay's last 10 games when playing Buffalo

7:30 PM
COLUMBUS vs. TORONTO
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Columbus's last 6 games when playing Toronto
Columbus is 6-1 SU in its last 7 games on the road
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Toronto's last 6 games
Toronto is 9-3 SU in its last 12 games at home

9:00 PM
FLORIDA vs. CALGARY
Florida is 4-8-2 SU in its last 14 games ,when playing Calgary
Florida is 2-4 SU in its last 6 games when playing on the road against Calgary
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Calgary's last 6 games at home
Calgary is 4-2 SU in its last 6 games when playing at home against Florida

9:30 PM
CHICAGO vs. EDMONTON
Chicago is 8-3 SU in its last 11 games on the road
Chicago is 9-2 SU in its last 11 games when playing on the road against Edmonton
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Edmonton's last 5 games when playing at home against Chicago
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Edmonton's last 5 games at home

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**Udog** · 01-09-2015, 11:59 AM

NHL

Friday, January 9

Sabres lack of defense making them over force

The Buffalo Sabres have an over/under mark of 11-1-1 in their last 13 games, thanks in large to their lack of defense. Buffalo has allowed 55 goals during those 13 games, which equals an average of 4.3 goals allowed per game.

Buffalo will travel to Tampa Bay Friday.

Announcement

Friday's NHL Trends and Indexes - 1/9

Friday's NHL Trends and Indexes - 1/9

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