2016 wnba thread news notes picks !

[StarDust Bum]

Preview: Sky (15-14) at Fever (14-15)
Date: September 09, 2016 7:00 PM EDT

The race to fourth place in the WNBA standings and the first-round bye in the playoffs suddenly has become a little more interesting.

That spot is currently occupied by the Chicago Sky, who are just a game up in the standings on the Indiana Fever. Those two Eastern Conference rivals square off Thursday at Bankers Life Fieldhouse in Indianapolis in a key contest as the regular season rolls into its final stretch.

Things could be all square if Indiana (14-15) defeats Chicago (15-14) on Thursday. A Fever win would also grant them the main tiebreaker if the two teams are knotted at the end of the season because of head-to-head victories.

The Sky might have to play Thursday's game without three of their key players.

Forward Elena Delle Donne, the WNBA's leading scorer (21.5 points per game) and her team's top rebounder (seven per game), sustained a thumb injury in the Sky's 118-81 loss to Washington on Wednesday. Both Delle Donne and Tamera Young (ankle) have been ruled day-to-day by Chicago following their injuries.

The Sky's Cheyenne Parker did not dress at Washington and missed her second consecutive game due to an existing ankle injury. Her participation will be a game-time decision.

Indiana enters Thursday's crucial contest off a 71-69 win against the San Antonio Stars on Tuesday night in which the Fever won the game at the free throw line, converting 27 of 30 attempts. Among that flurry were the winning points on a pair from the charity stripe by Briann January with 2.2 seconds remaining.

Indiana's leading scorer Tamika Catchings had just one point in the win but did corral eight rebounds in 21 minutes of action.

The two teams have split their two games this season, with the road squad winning each time. Indiana has earned a spot in the playoffs for a record 11 consecutive postseasons.

WNBA HEAD TO HEAD

Jun 29, 2016 Score ATS Results
IND « 95 Cover: 18
CHI 83 Over: 178
Tools: Recaps

Jun 10, 2016 Score ATS Results
CHI « 73 Cover: 7.5
IND 64 Under: 137
Tools: Recaps

[StarDust Bum]

Preview: Storm (13-17) at Mystics (12-17)
Date: September 09, 2016 7:00 PM EDT

It would be an understatement to say the Washington Mystics raised a few eyebrows when they scored 118 points against the Chicago Sky on Wednesday night.

But the team ranked last at 81.1 points per game scored nearly 37 above its average to serve notice that it just might have enough offense for a playoff spot.

As the WNBA enters the home stretch of the regular season, a little confidence might go a long way for Washington, which has won two in a row - modest numbers for a team that had lost seven straight and had been given up for dead up until a couple of weeks ago.

After dominating the Sky, the Mystics appear ready to take the next step to a securing a playoff game.

With the win, Washington pulled within a half-game of the Seattle Storm (13-17) and the Phoenix Mercury (13-17), the two teams tied for seventh place in the league. The top eight teams qualify for the postseason.

On Friday, the Mystics play host to the Storm in a game set for a 4 p.m. tipoff at the Verizon Center in Washington.

The teams have split the first two meetings this season with the Mystics winning in overtime, 84-82, in May.

In July, the Storm's defense was stout and held the Sun to two single-digit scoring quarters in an 80-51 drubbing of Connecticut.

If the Mystics are going to extend their season, someone aside from Tayler Hill and Emma Meesseman has to step up. The pair combined to average 31 points per game; Hill has tried to single-handedly carry the offense the past five contests as she averages 21 points per game over that time.

Leilani Mitchell might be the key. Mitchell came off the bench and scored 20 points in the win over Chicago.

Seattle, the two-time WNBA champion, enters Friday's contest on a roll after beating the Liberty by 24 in New York. That victory was the Storm's second straight road win - they beat Atlanta by nine on Sunday.

Jewell Loyd scored 25 points against New York and Breanna Stewart added 23 and nine rebounds for the Storm, who scored 100 points in a game for the first time since 2012.

After Friday night's contest, the Storm play host to Los Angeles in their next-to-last home game of the season on Sunday.


WNBA HEAD TO HEAD

Jul 15, 2016 Score ATS Results
WAS 0 Under: 0
SEA « 0 Cover: 1
Tools: Recaps

May 26, 2016 Score ATS Results
WAS « 84 Cover: 7
SEA 82 Over: 166
Tools: Recaps

[StarDust Bum]

Preview: Sun (11-18) at Liberty (20-10)
Date: September 09, 2016 7:30 PM EDT

Despite losing their last game by 24 points, the New York Liberty clinched the third seed in the playoffs. You can bet New York will come out focused and coach Bill Laimbeer will have his squad ready to play the Connecticut Sun on Friday night at Madison Square Garden.

On a night when New York honored one of the WNBA's all-time greats, the Liberty laid a big, fat egg against the Seattle Storm on Wednesday and lost, 102-78.

The Liberty were still licking their wounds after the loss when they honored the career of Swin Cash, who is retiring after this season. Named one of the 20 greatest WNBA players of all-time, Cash is calling it quits after 15 seasons.

She's not the scorer she once was, but Cash has been credited with helping MVP candidate Tina Charles develop. Charles leads the Liberty with 21.2 and 9.9 rebounds per game.

Last week, Charles reached 4,000 career points, which elicited high praise from Laimbeer.

"We talk about inside that she's the best post player in the world, men or women," he told reporters. "She's that consistent and that dominant. There's more to her that we're waiting to see."

Charles has recorded 16 double-doubles, and in seven other games she has fallen one rebound shy of a double-double.

While New York has secured a playoff spot, the Sun still have hope of earning a berth. The Sun are one of four teams -- Seattle and Phoenix are 1 1/2 games ahead and Washington is one game ahead of Connecticut -- jockeying for the final two spots in the playoffs.

The Sun have had five days to rest since seeing their modest two-game win streak snapped in a loss to Maya Moore and the Minnesota Lynx.

Alex Bentley, the Sun's leading scorer at 13.9 points per game, and Chiney Ogwumike (12.1 ppg) had off games and didn't do much damage until late in that contest.

In the first meeting earlier this season, Charles scored 32 to lead the Liberty to an 80-72 win on June 16 in Connecticut.

On July 17, Charles struggled but Cash and Sugar Rodgers picked up the slack in an 83-76 win over the Sun in New York.

After Friday's game, the Sun play host to the Chicago Sky on Sunday.

The Liberty hit the road and travel to Dallas for a Sunday date with the Wings.


WNBA HEAD TO HEAD

Jul 17, 2016 Score ATS Results
CONN 76 Cover: 1
NEW « 83 Over: 159
Tools: Recaps

Jun 16, 2016 Score ATS Results
NEW « 80 Cover: 0.5
CONN 72 Under: 152
Tools: Recaps

[StarDust Bum]

Preview: Wings (9-21) at Stars (6-23)
Date: September 09, 2016 8:00 PM EDT

Pride and bragging rights.

That's what's on the line when the Dallas Wings and San Antonio Stars hook up on Friday night at San Antonio.

The Wings (9-21) have lost 11 straight and the Stars are 1-9 in their past 10 games. The Stars have the worst record in the league and have struggled (understatement) since leading scorer Kayla McBride was injured and lost for the season in early July.

The Stars almost earned their seventh win of the season on Tuesday -- almost. Indiana converted 27 of 30 free throws (the Stars made all 19 of their attempts) and hung on to win, 72-69.

Likewise, the Wings almost ended their losing skid on Sunday -- almost. In a game that saw 11 lead changes and no lead greater than seven points, Washington beat back every charge the Wings made to claim a five-point win.

Odyssey Sims had a chance to tie the score with eight seconds left, but her jumper was blocked.

Dallas has won both meetings with the Stars this season. On May 21, Sims scored 23 points in an 82-77 win.

Then on June 23, the Stars took Dallas into overtime before falling, 97-90.

The Wings' next victory will be head coach Fred Williams' 100th, but if it comes this year, Dallas will have to earn it without Glory Johnson. Johnson played only seven minutes against the Mystics before injuring her left MCL.

Aerial Powers came off the bench and scored 21 points and grabbed 10 rebounds. She will get the lion's share of time that Johnson would have seen.

Friday's game will be a homecoming for Moriah Jefferson, a Dallas native and the Stars' second-leading scorer at 12.6 points per game. She also averages 4.0 assists

Despite not playing since July, McBride still leads the team in scoring at 17.1 ppg.

Dallas closes out its home slate on Sunday when it plays host to the New York Liberty.

The Minnesota Lynx head to San Antonio for a Sunday game between the league's best and worst teams.


WNBA HEAD TO HEAD

Jun 23, 2016 Score ATS Results
SA 90 Cover: 3
DAL « 97 Over: 187
Tools: Recaps

May 21, 2016 Score ATS Results
SA 77 Cover: 7.5
DAL « 82 Over: 159
Tools: Recaps

[StarDust Bum]

WNBA BEST BETS:

WLT PCT UNITS

ATS Picks 79-78-3 50.32% -3400

O/U Picks 79-81-0 49.38% -5050


FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 9

GAME TIME(ET) PICK UNITS

SEA at WAS 07:00 PM

SEA +3.0

O 163.0


CHI at IND 07:00 PM

IND -4.5

O 168.5


CONN at NY 07:30 PM

CONN +5.5

O 163.5


DAL at SA 08:00 PM

DAL -4.0

O 157.0

[StarDust Bum]

WNBA Capsules
September 9, 2016

NEW YORK (AP) Tina Charles had 23 points and 10 rebounds to help the New York Liberty beat the Connecticut Sun 89-82 on Friday night.

While the Liberty (21-10) have already clinched the No. 3 seed in the playoffs, Connecticut (11-19) is in 10th place and will need a lot of help to make the playoffs.

Courtney Williams scored a career-high 20 points and Chiney Ogwumike also had 20 to lead Connecticut.

STORM 81, MYSTICS 76

WASHINGTON (AP) - Breanna Stewart and Sue Bird scored 17 points apiece and Seattle beat Washington in a critical showdown between teams battling for the final playoff spot.

The Storm (14-17) won their third straight on the road to move into a tie for seventh place with Phoenix, a half-game in front of the Mystics (12-18) in the chase for the final playoff spot.

Emma Messeman led Washington with 15 points.

FEVER 95, SKY 88

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) - Briann January scored the last six points of the game from the foul line and finished with 20 points, leading Indiana past Chicago.

Erica Wheeler added 16 points and Marissa Coleman and Lynetta Kizer 14 apiece to help the Fever (15-15) move into a tie for fourth with the Sky (15-15) and take the tiebreaker advantage.

Chicago was without Elena Delle Donne, the league scoring leader who suffered a thumb injury in a game Wednesday night. Cappie Pondexter led the Sky with 22 points.

WINGS 92, STARS 84

SAN ANTONIO (AP) - Odyssey Sims scored 20 points and Dallas beat San Antonio to end an 11-game losing streak and give coach Fred Williams his 100th victory.

Skylar Diggins added 16 points for the Wings (10-21). Moriah Jefferson scored 27 points for San Antonio (6-24).

[StarDust Bum]

Preview: Sky (15-15) at Sun (11-19)
Date: September 11, 2016 1:00 PM EDT

With four games left in the regular season, the Chicago Sky are venturing into crisis mode. They've lost two straight games and reigning MVP Elena Delle Donne has an injured thumb and missed Friday's loss to the Indiana Fever.

The Sky, with or without Delle Donne, will try to right the ship Sunday when they visit the also-desperate Connecticut Sun at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn.

Delle Donne injured her right thumb last week in a loss to the Washington Mystics. The WNBA's leading scorer told the Chicago Tribune on Thursday that she's "day-to-day." Without her, the Sky are in danger of missing the playoffs.

Chicago (15-15) closes the regular season against the first-place Minnesota Lynx, the playoff-bound New York Liberty and the Seattle Storm, who are in playoff position as well. Plus, Connecticut beat the Sky 94-89 in their most recent meeting on July 22.

Delle Donne scored 20 points in the loss. Connecticut guard Alex Bentley had 21 points and forward Jonquel Jones provided a spark off the bench with her first career double-double with 20 points and 10 rebounds. The win came in the middle of the Sun's late-season turnaround.

After a bad start to the season, the Sun (11-19) made a late playoff push in mid-July and August, winning five of six at one point to get in the thick of the postseason hunt. But they've dropped two straight games since and enter Sunday's game two games behind the Phoenix Mercury for the final playoff berth.

The top eight teams, regardless of conference, qualify for the postseason.

The Sun are coming off a hard-fought 89-82 loss to the Liberty on Friday. Chiney Ogwumike had 20 points and nine rebounds, continuing her impressive season. Ogwumike leads the team in rebounding (6.3 rebounds per game) and is second in scoring (12.3 points).

If Delle Donne can't go, guard Cappie Pondexter will be looked upon to take on some more of the coming load. Pondexter is averaging 12.2 points per game.

Chicago defeated Connecticut 93-70 in the season opener for both teams. It was the beginning of a 2-10 start for the Sun.

WNBA HEAD TO HEAD

Jul 22, 2016 Score ATS Results
CONN « 94 Cover: 11.5
CHI 89 Over: 183
Tools: Recaps

May 14, 2016 Score ATS Results
CONN 70 Under: 163
CHI « 93 Cover: 14
Tools: Recaps

[StarDust Bum]

Preview: Fever (15-15) at Mystics (12-18)
Date: September 11, 2016 4:00 PM EDT

It is put-up-or-shut-up time for the Washington Mystics and their push for a spot in the WNBA playoffs, with their game Sunday afternoon against the Indiana Fever at the Verizon Center in the nation's capital a crucial one.

The Mystics (12-18) find themselves on the outside of the postseason after Friday' 81-76 home loss to Seattle dropped Washington to ninth in the 12-team league, a game behind Phoenix. The top eight squads, regardless of conference, earn spots in the playoffs.

"You play the game, and when it ends you move on to the next one, same as we've been doing all season," Washington guard Natasha Cloud said after Friday's loss. "There's no time to be upset about this when we've got four games to focus on."

Indiana, conversely, is on a mini-run, winning back-to-back games to move into a tie for fifth in the league standings and just a game behind Atlanta in the quest for a first-round bye.

The Fever (15-15) jumped to even with Chicago with a 95-88 win over the Sky on Friday in Indianapolis as Briann January scored the final seven points for Indiana from the free throw line.

"The game wasn't as clean as we would like it to be -- there were too many turnovers and too many fouls -- but it's probably not going to be at this time of the year," Indianapolis coach Stephanie White said after the win over Chicago. "I'm proud of the grit of our team."

The Fever can secure a playoff berth by beating Washington on Sunday and have a shot at No. 4 because they own 2-1 tie-breakers over the other teams in contention for that seed: Atlanta (16-14), Chicago (15-4), Seattle (14-17) and Phoenix (13-17).

Indiana has earned a spot in the playoffs for a record 11 consecutive postseasons.

Washington has dominated the two games played between the teams this season, beating Indiana 76-62 at the Verizon Center on June 18 and rolling to a 92-69 win over the Fever in Indianapolis on Aug. 27.

WNBA HEAD TO HEAD

Aug 27, 2016 Score ATS Results
WAS « 92 Cover: 29
IND 69 Over: 161
Tools: Recaps

Jun 22, 2016 Score ATS Results
IND 62 Under: 138
WAS « 76 Cover: 9.5
Tools: Recaps

[StarDust Bum]

Preview: Liberty (21-10) at Wings (10-21)
Date: September 11, 2016 4:30 PM EDT

The New York Liberty's dynamic inside-out tandem of Tina Charles and Sugar Rodgers has been torching the entire WNBA this season, but they've been especially nasty to the Dallas Wings.

Charles, Rodgers and the Liberty, who have clinched a playoff berth, host the Wings on Sunday at Madison Square Garden.

Dallas snapped an 11-game losing streak with a win over the San Antonio Stars on Friday to keep their razor-slim playoff hopes alive.

With three games remaining in the regular season, the Wings (10-21) trail the eighth-place Phoenix Mercury by three games in the league standings.

The top eight teams in the league standings, regardless of conference, qualify for the postseason.

New York clinched the third overall seed in the playoff with Friday's win over the Connecticut Sun.

The Liberty won both previous meetings with the Wings this season.

Charles scored 28 points in the Liberty's 91-88 win over the Wings on June 14. She has averaged 26.0 points in two games versus Dallas this season and is coming off a 23-point, 10-rebound performance in the win over the Sun.

Charles is second in the WNBA in scoring at 21.5 points per game and first in rebounding with 9.9 per game.

Rodgers has been deadly from behind 3-point arc against the Wings this season, connecting on 9 of 13. She hit two 3-pointers against Connecticut on Friday to retake the WNBA lead with 84 this season.

How much Liberty coach Bill Laimbeer plays his two catalysts is up in the air, as rest may be in order.

The Wings have no such luxury, but can hope to build off Friday's win over San Antonio, which gave coach Frank Williams his 100th career win in the WNBA.

Odyssey Sims scored 20 points and Skylar Diggins added 16 for Dallas in the win, their first since July 5.

Sims leads six players averaging double figures in points for the Wings. Diggins, Karima Christmas, Plenette Pierson, Glory Johnson and Aerial Powers also are averaging double figures.

Johnson is averaging 11.3 points and 8.9 rebounds. She sustained a toe injury in the heart of the Wings' losing streak that stretched from July to early September.

WNBA HEAD TO HEAD

Jun 14, 2016 Score ATS Results
DAL 88 Cover: 5
NEW « 91 Over: 179
Tools: Recaps

May 15, 2016 Score ATS Results
DAL 71 Under: 150
NEW « 79 Cover: 1.5
Tools: Recaps

[StarDust Bum]

Preview: Lynx (25-5) at Stars (6-24)
Date: September 11, 2016 4:30 PM EDT

Minnesota will look to solidify its spot atop the WNBA standings when the Lynx travel to San Antonio on Sunday to take on the Stars, who can only hope to play a spoiler role as the season winds down.

The Lynx (25-4) have won four in a row and nine of 10 games. They hold a 1 1/2 game lead over the Los Angeles Sparks for the best record and home-court advantage throughout the playoffs.

San Antonio is at the other end of the WNBA spectrum. The Stars have the worst record in the league at 6-24 and have lost five in a row.

The Lynx are coming off an epic battle against the Sparks on Tuesday. Minnesota went on a 13-1 run to take control at the end of the first period and they held on for a three-point victory.

Sylvia Fowles scored 21 points and grabbed nine rebounds. Maya Moore added 20 points.

The Stars will have to figure out how to stop MVP candidate Moore, who averages 19.2 points, 5.3 rebounds and 4.1 assists per game.

And if Moore falters, Fowles is more than capable of stepping up to wreak havoc on the Stars. Fowles scores at a 13.7 clip per game and leads the Lynx with 8.8 rebounds per game.

Moriah Jefferson paces the Stars, who have struggled since leading scorer Kayla McBride was lost for the season in July. Jefferson scored a game-high 27 points in a loss on Friday to Dallas.

The Lynx have a distinct advantage in all aspects of the game. Minnesota averages 85.4 points and 35.9 rebounds per game. The Stars put up less than 73 points per game and give up nearly 81 points per game.

In two meetings earlier this year, the Lynx defeated the Stars by 23 on July 2 and by 24 on July 12. In the first game, Natasha Howard led a balanced attack with 21 points. Moore was "held" to 14 points in that game.

In the second game, Moore scored 24.

WNBA HEAD TO HEAD

Jul 12, 2016 Score ATS Results
MIN « 81 Cover: 10
SA 57 Under: 138
Tools: Recaps

Jul 2, 2016 Score ATS Results
SA 68 Over: 159
MIN « 91 Cover: 5.5
Tools: Recaps

[StarDust Bum]

Preview: Dream (16-14) at Mercury (13-17)
Date: September 11, 2016 6:00 PM EDT

The Atlanta Dream will conclude an already impressive road trip when they visit the Phoenix Mercury on Sunday at Talking Stick Resort Arena in Phoenix.

Atlanta (16-14) is second in the WNBA's Eastern Conference, 4 1/2 games behind the first-place New York Liberty. Phoenix (13-17) is fourth in the Western Conference, a half-game behind the third-place Seattle Storm.

Atlanta has won two in a row and three of five since WNBA play resumed after a monthlong break for the Olympics.

The Dream opened their current two-game road trip with an 86-81 victory over the Los Angeles Sparks on Thursday, Atlanta's second win over Los Angeles this season. The Dream beat the Sparks 91-74 in Atlanta on July 17.

Angel McCoughtry turned in a monster performance against Los Angeles, finishing with 32 points and 11 rebounds. It was her third double-double of the season. Elizabeth Williams had 15 points and 12 rebounds.

Phoenix won its first three games after the Olympic break, including a surprising victory over Los Angeles on Aug. 28. Since then, the Mercury has lost three in a row, falling to the Connecticut Sun, New York and Atlanta.

The Dream handed the Mercury a 91-87 loss when they met last weekend in Atlanta. McCoughtry posted 27 points and eight rebounds and Tiffany Hayes converted a three-point play with 24 seconds remaining to help the Dream prevail. Diana Taurasi scored 23 points for Phoenix. Brittney Griner had 21 points, five rebounds and six blocked shots.

McCoughtry is fourth in the WNBA in scoring at 19.2 points per game and leads the team with 5.8 rebounds per game. Hayes is Atlanta's second-leading scorer at 14.6 points per game.

Phoenix is led by Taurasi, who is seventh in the WNBA in scoring at 18.3 points per game. DeWanna Bonner averages 15.2 points. Griner averages 13.9 points, 6.2 rebounds and a league-best 3.2 blocked shots per game.

WNBA HEAD TO HEAD

Sep 6, 2016 Score ATS Results
PHO 87 Over: 178
ATL « 91 Cover: 8
Tools: Recaps

Jul 3, 2016 Score ATS Results
PHO « 95 Cover: 6
ATL 87 Over: 182
Tools: Recaps

[StarDust Bum]

Preview: Sparks (24-7) at Storm (14-17)
Date: September 11, 2016 7:00 PM EDT

The Los Angeles Sparks are reeling from back-to-back losses as they prepare to visit the Seattle Storm on Saturday at KeyArena in Seattle, Wash.

Los Angeles (24-7) is second in the WNBA's Western Conference. The Sparks have fallen 1 1/2 games behind the first-place Minnesota Lynx. They are 3-4 since the month-long Olympic break after going 21-3 before the break.

Seattle (14-17) is third in the Western Conference, 10 games behind the Sparks. The Storm has won three in a row and five of seven since the break.

Under the WNBA's new playoff format, the top eight teams regardless of conference will qualify for the postseason. The top two teams receive a bye to the semifinals. The third and fourth seeds receive a bye to the second round.

Los Angeles is second in the playoff standings, three games ahead of the New York Liberty. Seattle is seventh, a half-game ahead of the Phoenix Mercury and 1 1/2 games ahead of the Washington Mystics.

The Sparks suffered a 77-74 loss to Minnesota on Tuesday and an 86-81 loss to the Atlanta Dream on Thursday. The Sparks trailed 67-49 before rallying to cut the deficit to two with 59 seconds to play, but the Dream held on to win. Angel McCoughtry had 32 points and 11 rebounds for Atlanta. Candace Parker, Chelsea Gray and Essence Carson scored 16 points apiece for Los Angeles.

The Storm is coming off an 81-76 victory over Washington, a big win in a battle between teams that are fighting for the last playoff spot. Breanna Stewart had 17 points and 10 rebounds for Seattle. Sue Bird had 17 points, nine assists and seven rebounds. The Storm shot 54.5 percent from the field while holding the Mystics to 38.4-percent shooting.

Los Angeles is led by MVP candidate Nneka Ogwumike, who is third in the WNBA in scoring and rebounding, averaging 19.6 points and nine rebounds per game.

Seattle is led by Stewart, who is sixth in the league in scoring and second in rebounding, averaging 18.4 points and 9.3 rebounds per contest.

WNBA HEAD TO HEAD

Aug 26, 2016 Score ATS Results
LOS 72 Under: 151
SEA « 79 Cover: 16
Tools: Recaps

May 15, 2016 Score ATS Results
SEA 66 Over: 162
LOS « 96 Cover: 20.5
Tools: Recaps

[StarDust Bum]

Standings

EASTERN CONFERENCE

Team Win Loss Percent GB Home Away Conf. Last 10 Streak

New York Liberty 21 10 0.677 0 10-6 11-4 11-3 6-4 W-1

Atlanta Dream 16 14 0.533 4 10-5 6-9 8-7 5-5 W-2

Indiana Fever 15 15 0.500 5 7-8 8-7 7-7 6-4 W-2

Chicago Sky 15 15 0.500 5 9-6 6-9 6-8 7-3 L-2

Washington Mystics 12 18 0.400 8 5-10 7-8 7-5 3-7 L-1

Connecticut Sun 11 19 0.367 9 6-8 5-11 2-11 5-5 L-2

WESTERN CONFERENCE

Team Win Loss Percent GB Home Away Conf. Last 10 Streak

Minnesota Lynx 25 5 0.833 0 14-2 11-3 14-1 9-1 W-4

Los Angeles Sparks 24 7 0.774 1 12-3 12-4 9-4 4-6 L-2

Seattle Storm 14 17 0.452 11 8-7 6-10 6-8 6-4 W-3

Phoenix Mercury 13 17 0.433 12 9-6 4-11 4-9 5-5 L-3

Dallas Wings 10 21 0.323 15 5-11 5-10 8-8 1-9 W-1

San Antonio Stars 6 24 0.200 19 4-11 2-13 1-12 1-9 L-5

Updated Sun Sep 11 3:07 AM EDT

[StarDust Bum]

Armadillo: Sunday's six-pack

Six most popular picks in the Westgate Super Contest in Las Vegas:

6) Jets 403

5) Ravens 411

4) Texans 419

3) Giants 428

2) Cardinals 452

1) Lions 465

Top Six picks in 2015: 52-51-2 vs spread

**********

Armadillo: Sunday's List of 13: Wrapping up a sports Saturday……

13) Central Michigan 30, Oklahoma State 27– Oh my; Dick Enberg’s alma mater pulls a big upset, with an ending so bizarre even the losing coach didn’t know his team got screwed.

OSU had the ball with 0:04 left, up 27-24, 4th down. Cowboys’ QB takes the snap, chucks the ball as far as he can down the left sideline, game over right?

Except the ref calls intentional grounding, then gives the Chippewas one untimed down from the OSU 41. CMU completes a long pass, the WR laterals to a teammate and the guy scores, on a play that never should’ve been run. Why shouldn’t it have been run?????

According to the rules, on intentional grounding on 4th down when the game clock runs out, the other team DOES NOT GET A PLAY, but the refs didn’t know, OSU coach Mike Gundy didn’t know, no one knew.

Whoops.

12) Louisville 62, Syracuse 28– Cardinals had 414 rushing yards, 431 yards passing in a Friday night rout. Louisville ran 81 plays for those 845 yards, a ridiculous display of offense, or bad defense.

College football teams can have 85 kids on scholarship, but because most players redshirt as freshmen, you divide that by five (17) to get how many kids you have on average in each class. When Syracuse signs their 17-25 recruits next winter, will be curious to see how many play defense.

These teams both want to play football the way Paul Westhead coached basketball; fast-paced, no-huddle, but if you’re undermanned, you cannot play that way, you’ll get killed. Going to take Syracuse a while to increase its talent base where it can compete with Louisville, Miami, Florida State, all rivals in the ACC.

11) East Carolina 33, NC State 30– ECU has now won six games in a row against the ACC, scoring 43.8 ppg- that’s impressive, especially since none of them were against Duke or Wake Forest. ECU QB Nelson played for a couple years at Minnesota-he threw for 297 yards in this game.

10) Clemson 30, Troy 24– Punt returner for Clemson was going to score a TD, until he turned into a “cool guy” and dropped the ball just after he crossed the goal line, except that he actually dropped the ball just before he crossed the goal line and Clemson didn’t score. Brilliant.

Seems like this happens to one genius a year; one year a Utah kid did it, and the Oregon Ducks picked the ball up and ran 95 yards for a TD. Instead of choreographing TD celebrations, how about making sure you’re in the end zone, then just flip the ball to the ref. Then you never look like a jackass.

9) Georgia 26, Nicholls State 24– First of all, SEC teams shouldn’t play I-AA teams. Dawgs were a 55-point favorite; they were losing in the third quarter. They should get zero votes for the top 25, but they will get some, because voters don’t pay attention, which is why the polls are useless.

I’m serious; this result is worse than a loss to a I-A team.

Trivia: Nicholls State’s QB is Chase Fourcade, whose uncle John was a good QB at Ole Miss and started 11 games for the Saints.

8) Pitt 42, Penn State 39– Panthers led 28-7 with 2:00 left in half, had to hang on for the win, in the renewal of an old regional rivalry that hadn’t been played since 2000.

Pitt FB John Conner won big just by running out on the field; he missed last year with cancer, but is healthy now. He had 22 carries, 117 yards.

7) Florida 45, Kentucky 7– The kind of loss that gets coaches fired; just a depressingly poor effort by the Wildcats. Last year, Florida wound up with a dental student as its kicker; its new freshman kicker nailed a 54-yarder in this game. Much better.

6) Arkansas 41, TCU 38 OT– Horned Frogs gained 572 yards, but lost. Arkansas wheeled out a cool trick play on the tying 2-point conversion; a double reverse with a WR throwing a lefty pass to the QB in the end zone.

5) Dodgers 5, Marlins 0– Rich Hill threw seven perfect innings, but was taken out after 89 pitches– he has had recurring blister problems, so that may be why. Hill has started only three games for LA in the six weeks they have had him, but he hasn’t allowed a run in 19 innings for the Dodgers.

4) Wake Forest 24, Duke 14– Deacons are 2-0, after being 10-26 the last three years; Wake doesn’t have a great football tradition, but 10 years ago, they did play in the Orange Bowl.

3) Baylor 40, SMU 13– Wake Forest’s coach in 2006 was Jim Grobe, now the interim coach at Baylor. Grobe is a really good coach; before Nick Saban bolted the Dolphins for Alabama, I was touting Grobe in this space for the Bama job. Baylor would be wise to keep coach Grobe.

2) Illinois State 9, Northwestern 7– If they lost to the Redbirds in hoop, you wouldn’t bat an eyelash; Illinois State has pretty good basketball, but they’re I-AA in football. Northwestern was outgained 372-277. Just play MAC teams; at least if you lose to them, its not as embarrassing. Oy.

1– Arizona State 68, Texas Tech 55– Somewhere in this great country of ours, there are people who bet under in this game. Not good.

[StarDust Bum]

WNBA

Sunday, September 11

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Trend Report
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

1:00 PM
CHICAGO vs. CONNECTICUT
Chicago is 5-1-1 ATS in its last 7 games on the road
The total has gone UNDER in 6 of Chicago's last 9 games when playing Connecticut
Connecticut is 5-2 SU in its last 7 games at home
The total has gone UNDER in 6 of Connecticut's last 7 games when playing at home against Chicago

4:00 PM
INDIANA vs. WASHINGTON
Indiana is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games when playing Washington
Indiana is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games on the road
Washington is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games at home
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Washington's last 5 games at home

4:30 PM
NEW YORK vs. DALLAS
New York is 2-6 ATS in its last 8 games when playing Dallas
New York is 2-13 SU in its last 15 games when playing on the road against Dallas
The total has gone OVER in 15 of Dallas's last 18 games at home
Dallas is 1-7 ATS in its last 8 games

4:30 PM
MINNESOTA vs. SAN ANTONIO
Minnesota is 2-4 ATS in its last 6 games on the road
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Minnesota's last 6 games when playing San Antonio
San Antonio is 1-5-1 ATS in its last 7 games when playing Minnesota
San Antonio is 0-5 SU in its last 5 games when playing Minnesota

6:00 PM
ATLANTA vs. PHOENIX
Atlanta is 4-2 SU in its last 6 games
Atlanta is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games when playing on the road against Phoenix
Phoenix is 2-4 ATS in its last 6 games when playing at home against Atlanta
Phoenix is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games when playing at home against Atlanta

7:00 PM
LOS ANGELES vs. SEATTLE
Los Angeles is 2-6 ATS in its last 8 games on the road
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Los Angeles's last 5 games when playing on the road against Seattle
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Seattle's last 6 games
Seattle is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games