Cnotes college basketball 2019-2020 news/trends/best bets thru ncaa championship

[StarDust Bum]

635WISCONSIN -636 RUTGERS
WISCONSIN is 10-1 ATS (8.9 Units) off an upset win as a home underdog since 1997.

637YALE -638 MASSACHUSETTS
YALE is 7-0 ATS (7 Units) after 3 consecutive non-conference games in the current season.

639NEBRASKA-OMAHA -640 ARIZONA
ARIZONA is 4-16 ATS (-13.6 Units) after having won 3 of their last 4 games in the last 3 seasons.

641BOISE ST -642 TULSA
TULSA is 12-4 ATS (7.6 Units) versus good shooting teams - making >=45% of their shots over the last 2 seasons.

643TX-ARLINGTON -644 HOUSTON
TX-ARLINGTON is 18-5 ATS (12.5 Units) after scoring 30 points or less in the first half in 2 straight games since 1997.

645ARKANSAS ST -646 MISSOURI ST
MISSOURI ST is 13-31 ATS (-21.1 Units) as a favorite in the last 3 seasons.

647UT-CHATTANOOGA -648 VIRGINIA TECH
VIRGINIA TECH is 12-3 ATS (8.7 Units) in home games in non-conference games in the last 3 seasons.

649TROY -650 JACKSONVILLE ST
TROY is 7-20 ATS (-15 Units) after 1 or more consecutive unders in the last 3 seasons.

651MICHIGAN -652 ILLINOIS
ILLINOIS are 7-0 ATS (7 Units) versus good passing teams, averaging >=16 assists/game over the last 2 seasons.

653SAN DIEGO -654 CS-FULLERTON
CS-FULLERTON is 24-45 ATS (-25.5 Units) in home games after 2 straight games with 9 or less offensive rebounds since 1997.

655FRESNO ST -656 CALIFORNIA
CALIFORNIA is 2-10 ATS (-9 Units) in home games after a game where they made 78% of their free throws or better in the last 3 seasons.

657N DAKOTA ST -658 CS-NORTHRIDGE
CS-NORTHRIDGE is 6-0 ATS (6 Units) vs. good free throw shooting teams - making >=72% of their attempts over the last 2 seasons.

1269FARLEIGH DICKINSON -1270 ST PETERS
FARLEIGH DICKINSON is 9-1 ATS (7.9 Units) versus foul prone teams - called for 21 or more fouls/game since 1997.

1271UMASS-LOWELL -1272 NEW JERSEY TECH
UMASS-LOWELL is 2-11 ATS (-10.1 Units) versus poor passing teams, averaging <=12 assists/game over the last 2 seasons.

1273CORNELL -1274 COLGATE
CORNELL is 70-42 ATS (23.8 Units) in road games after a game where they failed to cover the spread since 1997.

1275DARTMOUTH -1276 MAINE
MAINE is 1-10 ATS (-10 Units) after allowing 25 points or less in the first half last game since 1997.

1279ARMY -1280 MERRIMACK
ARMY is 8-1 ATS (6.9 Units) after playing a game as a home favorite over the last 2 seasons.

1281WINTHROP -1282 TCU
WINTHROP is 12-28 ATS (-18.8 Units) versus teams who attempt 21 or more 3 point shots/game on the season since 1997.

1283ALABAMA ST -1284 KANSAS ST
ALABAMA ST is 0-9 ATS (-9.9 Units) in road games after having lost 3 of their last 4 games since 1997.

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WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 11
GAME TIME(ET) PICK UNITS

YALE at MASS 07:00 PM
YALE -4.0

WIS at RUTG 07:00 PM
WIS +1.0

ALST at KSU 08:00 PM
KSU -20.0

WIN at TCU 08:00 PM
TCU -12.0

ARST at MOSU 08:00 PM
ARST +9.0

NEOM at ARIZ 08:00 PM
NEOM +20.0

UTA at HOU 08:00 PM
UTA +13.5

BSU at TLSA 08:00 PM
TLSA -3.0

CHAT at VT 08:30 PM
VT -12.0

MICH at ILL 09:00 PM
ILL -1.5

USD at CSF 10:00 PM
USD -3.0

NDSU at CSN 10:00 PM
CSN +3.5

FRES at CAL 10:00 PM
FRES -1.5

PV at ASU 10:00 PM
ASU -19.0

[StarDust Bum]

Cockburn stars in Illinoisâ?? upset win over No. 5 Michigan
December 12, 2019
By The Associated Press

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. (AP) Kofi Cockburn had 19 points, 10 rebounds and four blocks to help Illinois upset No. 5 Michigan 71-62 on Wednesday night.

The 7-foot freshman from Jamaica dominated from the opening tip, making two dunks that brought the crowd to its feet.

Ayo Dosunmu added 14 points, Adres Feliz had 13 and Giorgi Bezhanishvili 12 for Illinois (7-3, 1-1 Big Ten).

Jon Teske scored 16 points for Michigan (8-3, 1-1). Eli Brooks and Isaiah Livers each scored 12 points.

With about four minutes left in the game, Cockburn hit a basket and was fouled. While celebrating, he inadvertently hit referee Lewis Garrison in the head and knocked him unconscious. Illinois spokesman Derrick Burson said Garrison was cleared on site by our doctors and taken to a hospital as a precaution.

NO. 15 ARIZONA 99, NEBRASKA-OMAHA 49

TUCSON, Ariz. (AP) - Josh Green and Chase Jeter had 15 points each, helping Arizona bounce back from its first loss of the season.

The Wildcats (10-1) returned to McKale Center for the first time in 17 days with a dominating performance, jumping on Omaha with a big opening run and keeping their foot on gas. Arizona shot 58%, had 25 assists on 38 field goals and had a 44-20 advantage in the paint.

Arizona suffered its first loss Saturday, fighting back from a shaky first half before losing 63-58 to No. 11 Baylor.

Nico Mannion had 13 points and 11 assists for the Wildcats. Dylan Smith scored all 14 of his points in the first half.

Omaha's KJ Robinson had 15 points for the Mavericks (5-7).

[StarDust Bum]

date.....................w-l-t...............%................units

12/11/2019................5-9-0..........35.71%.............-24.50
12/10/2019...............6-13-0.........31.58%..............-41.50
12/09/2019.................1-3-0.........25.00%.............-11.50
12/08/2019..............11-14-2........44.00%..............-22.00
12/07/2019..............35-41-0........46.05%..............-50.50
12/06/2019.................9-8-1.........52.94%............+1.00
12/05/2019................2-10-1........16.67%.............-45.00
12/04/2019..............11-29-0.........27.50%............-104.50
12/03/2019..............33-21-0.........61.11%.............+49.50
12/02/2019..................7-6-0........53.85%..............+2.00
12/01/2019...............13-15-1........46.43%..............-17.50

totals....................133-169-5........44.03%.............-264.50


best bets

date..........................ats...............un its...............o/u................units..............total

12/11/2019.............4 - 8...............-24.00..............0 - 0..............-0.00................-24.00
12/10/2019.............3 - 5...............-12.50..............1 - 3..............-11.50...............-24.00
12/09/2019.............0 - 1...............-5.50................1 - 1..............-0.50................-6.00
12/08/2019.............6 - 7...............-8.50................0 - 1...............-5.50...............-14.00
12/07/2019............15 - 15.............-7.50................6 - 2..............+19.00.............+11.50
12/06/2019.............4 - 5...............-7.50................2 - 3...............-6.50................-14.00
12/05/2019.............2 - 3...............-6.50................0 - 3..............-16.50...............-23.00
12/04/2019.............6 - 17...............-63.50..............2 - 4..............-12.00...............-75.50
12/03/2019............12 - 7................+21.50.............4 - 1..............+14.50..............+36.00
12/02/2019..............2 - 2...............-1.00................2 - 3...............-6.50................-7.50
12/01/2019..............5 - 7...............-13.50..............5 - 4...............+3.00...............-10.50

totals.....................69 - 77............-128.50.............23 - 25........,...-22.50..............-151.00

[StarDust Bum]

Thursday’s 6-pack

Too-early 2020 baseball over/under in totals:

— Astros 99.5

— Dodgers 98.5

— Twins 90.5

— Padres 84.5

— Giants 68.5

— Mariners/Royals 66.5

Quote of the Day:
“I like Kiffin a lot. He’s a fun interview and honestly one of the smartest offensive minds out there. He’ll make Ole Miss entertaining again — and that’s saying something considering its last game was lost due to a dog pissing celebration.”
Ben Kercheval, CBSsports.com

Thursday’s quiz
Where did Lamar Jackson play his college football?

Wednesday’s quiz
Steve Spurrier coached the Washington Redskins for two seasons.

Tuesday’s quiz
Of the 32 NFL stadiums, LA Coliseum and Oakland Coliseum have hosted a World Series.

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Thursday’s List of 13: Doing some thinking out loud……

13) Los Angeles Angels signed 3B Anthony Rendon to a 7-year, $245M contact Wednesday night; Angels have a potent lineup, but they still lack pitching.

12) Want to know why fantasy baseball is increasingly popular? I’ll repeat something that I posted yesterday; it tells a story of why it is difficult to be a fan of a small market team:

2020 Bronx Bombers:
— Gerrit Cole, $36M
— Giancarlo Stanton, $26M
— Masahiro Tanaka, $23M
— Aroldis Chapman $17.2M

That adds up to $101.5M…….for four guys.

Oakland A’s made the playoffs the last two years; their ENTIRE payroll last year?

$92,178,333

11) If you and I play checkers, and you start wth 12 checkers but I start with 24, then I’m going to win most of the time, even if you’re smarter than me.

Gerrit Cole is going to make $1,090,909 per start next year; Oakland’s five starting pitchers LY made a total of roughly $12,500,000 for the whole season.

10) So having your own fantasy team where there are no salaries and you compete against people you know eliminates a lot of that BS and makes the summer more fun. At least if you have a cruddy season, you can blame yourself, instead of a ridiculous system that rewards the teams with the most money to spend.

9) 84 basketball players left college early LY and declared for the NBA Draft; only 44 of them were taken in the draft.

8) College football stuff:
— Colorado State hired former BC coach Steve Addazio as its new football coach.
— UNLV hired Oregon OC Marcus Arroyo as its new football coach.
— Florida Atlantic hired former Florida State coach Willie Taggart.

7) Baseball stuff:
— Mets signed P Michael Wacha to a 1-year deal, $3M deal (with incentives).
— Dodgers signed P Blake Treinen for one year, $10M.
— Blue Jays gave P Tanner Roark $24M for two years.

6) Adam Jones signed an $8M deal to play baseball for the Orix Buffaloes in Japan; Jones has played 14 years in the majors, mostly with the Orioles.

5) I’d track the movement of college football coaches on here, but those guys are nomadic- they constantly change jobs, especially assistants. Coaches’ wives must be experts at packing.

4) There have been 12 NBA games this season where a player had 20+ points and 20+ rebounds; Detroit’s Andre Drummond has five of those 12 games.

3) Diamondbacks/Padres will play two regular season games in Mexico City April 18-19; the first regular season MLB games in Mexico City. Games had previously been played in Monterrey.

2) Bad beat of the week: NBA’s Atlanta Hawks (+8.5) led Miami by 6 points with 0:59 left in regulation Tuesday night, but they didn’t cover. Seriously.

Miami scored the next 22 points and won by 14 in OT. It was the NBA’s widest margin of victory in an OT game since October 31, 2009, when Philadelphia beat the Knicks, 141-127.

1) Good trivia; Denver rookie QB Drew Lock plays against the Chiefs this week; Lock’s dad Andy was the starting right guard for the Missouri Tigers in 1989, when KC coach Andy Reid was his offensive line coach. 30 years later, they cross paths again.

[StarDust Bum]

661AUSTIN PEAY -662 W VIRGINIA
AUSTIN PEAY is 16-5 ATS (10.5 Units) after 3 consecutive non-conference games in the last 3 seasons.

663IOWA -664 IOWA ST
IOWA ST is 8-1 ATS (6.9 Units) in home games after 1 or more consecutive unders over the last 2 seasons.

665N IOWA -666 GRAND CANYON
N IOWA is 1-10 ATS (-10 Units) in December games in the last 3 seasons.

1291SOUTHERN U -1292 WRIGHT ST
WRIGHT ST is 8-1 ATS (6.9 Units) versus poor defensive teams - shooting pct defense of >=45% over the last 2 seasons.




NCAAB
Dunkel

Thursday, December 12


Austin Peay @ West Virginia

Game 661-662
December 12, 2019 @ 7:00 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Austin Peay
49.642
West Virginia
67.951
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
West Virginia
by 18 1/2
143
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
West Virginia
by 15 1/2
148
Dunkel Pick:
West Virginia
(-15 1/2); Under

Southern @ Wright State

Game 1291-1292
December 12, 2019 @ 7:00 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Southern
42.399
Wright State
54.809
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Wright State
by 12 1/2
148
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Wright State
by 17 1/2
140
Dunkel Pick:
Southern
(+17 1/2); Over

Iowa @ Iowa State

Game 663-664
December 12, 2019 @ 8:00 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Iowa
67.411
Iowa State
73.6-4
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Iowa State
by 6
147
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Iowa State
by 3 1/2
157 1/2
Dunkel Pick:
Iowa State
(-3 1/2); Under

Northern Iowa @ Grand Canyon

Game 665-666
December 12, 2019 @ 9:00 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Northern Iowa
57.487
Grand Canyon
54.625
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Northern Iowa
by 3
139
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Northern Iowa
by 5 1/2
133 1/2
Dunkel Pick:
Grand Canyon
(+5 1/2); Over




NCAAB
Long Sheet

Thursday, December 12

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AUSTIN PEAY (4 - 4) at W VIRGINIA (7 - 1) - 12/12/2019, 7:00 PM
Top Trends for this game.
AUSTIN PEAY is 10-2 ATS (+7.8 Units) in December games over the last 3 seasons.

Head-to-Head Series History
There were no past matchups in this series during this time period.

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IOWA (7 - 3) at IOWA ST (6 - 3) - 12/12/2019, 8:00 PM
Top Trends for this game.
IOWA is 5-18 ATS (-14.8 Units) in road games over the last 3 seasons.
IOWA is 5-18 ATS (-14.8 Units) in road lined games over the last 3 seasons.
IOWA ST is 162-126 ATS (+23.4 Units) in all home games since 1997.
IOWA ST is 162-126 ATS (+23.4 Units) in home lined games since 1997.
IOWA ST is 10-2 ATS (+7.8 Units) in home games after a non-conference game over the last 2 seasons.
IOWA ST is 267-217 ATS (+28.3 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record since 1997.

Head-to-Head Series History
IOWA is 1-0 against the spread versus IOWA ST over the last 3 seasons
IOWA ST is 1-1 straight up against IOWA over the last 3 seasons
2 of 2 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons

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N IOWA (9 - 1) at GRAND CANYON (4 - 7) - 12/12/2019, 9:00 PM
Top Trends for this game.
N IOWA is 1-10 ATS (-10.0 Units) in December games over the last 3 seasons.
N IOWA is 7-1 ATS (+5.9 Units) in all games this season.
N IOWA is 7-1 ATS (+5.9 Units) in all lined games this season.
N IOWA is 7-1 ATS (+5.9 Units) in non-conference games this season.

Head-to-Head Series History
GRAND CANYON is 1-0 against the spread versus N IOWA over the last 3 seasons
GRAND CANYON is 1-0 straight up against N IOWA over the last 3 seasons
1 of 1 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons

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SOUTHERN U (3 - 6) at WRIGHT ST (7 - 3) - 12/12/2019, 7:00 PM
There are no Top Trends with records of significance that apply to this game.

Head-to-Head Series History
There were no past matchups in this series during this time period.

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NCAAB
Armadillo's Write-Up

Thursday, December 12

Austin Peay won three of last four games after an 0-3 start; they’re 3-4 vs schedule #152, losing top 100 games by 22 at Western Kentucky, 8 at Arkansas. Governors are experience team #274 that turns ball over 20% of time- their eFG% defense is #296. West Virginia is 7-1 vs schedule #46- they sub a lot (bench minutes #20), and have #5 eFG% defense in country. WVU lost its last game at St John’s Saturday; they won their two games vs teams ranked outside top 100, by 8-25 points. Mountaineers are grabbing 37% of their own misses (#15).

Home side won last four Iowa-Iowa State games; Hawkeyes lost last three visits to Ames, by 3-1-6 points. Iowa split its last four games after a 5-1 start; they split two true road games, winning at Syracuse, losing by 12 at Michigan. Iowa is experience team #236 that 3-3 vs top 100 teams, with best win over Texas Tech on a neutral floor. State is 6-3 vs schedule #76; they’re 2-3 vs top 100 teams, splitting pair with Seton Hall. Cyclones are experience team #233 that is forcing turnovers 24% of time (#25)- they’re playing pace #28.




NCAAB

Thursday, December 12

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Trend Report
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Wright State Raiders
Wright State is 16-6 SU in its last 22 games
Wright State is 14-3 SU in its last 17 games at home
Southern Jaguars
No Trends to Report

West Virginia Mountaineers
West Virginia is 2-4 ATS in its last 6 games
West Virginia is 7-1 SU in its last 8 games
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of West Virginia's last 7 games
West Virginia is 2-4 ATS in its last 6 games at home
West Virginia is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games at home
Austin Peay Governors
Austin Peay is 5-1 ATS in its last 6 games
Austin Peay is 2-6 ATS in its last 8 games on the road
Austin Peay is 0-5 SU in its last 5 games on the road
The total has gone UNDER in 12 of Austin Peay's last 16 games on the road

Iowa State Cyclones
Iowa State is 5-2 SU in its last 7 games
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Iowa State's last 5 games
Iowa State is 4-2 ATS in its last 6 games at home
Iowa State is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games at home
Iowa State is 1-5-1 ATS in its last 7 games when playing Iowa
Iowa State is 7-3 SU in its last 10 games when playing Iowa
The total has gone OVER in 10 of Iowa State's last 11 games when playing Iowa
Iowa State is 1-3-1 ATS in its last 5 games when playing at home against Iowa
Iowa State is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games when playing at home against Iowa
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Iowa State's last 5 games when playing at home against Iowa
Iowa Hawkeyes
Iowa is 4-2 ATS in its last 6 games
Iowa is 6-2 SU in its last 8 games
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Iowa's last 7 games
Iowa is 4-2 ATS in its last 6 games on the road
Iowa is 8-16 ATS in its last 24 games on the road
Iowa is 7-17 SU in its last 24 games on the road
The total has gone OVER in 13 of Iowa's last 19 games on the road
Iowa is 5-1-1 ATS in its last 7 games when playing Iowa State
Iowa is 3-7 SU in its last 10 games when playing Iowa State
The total has gone OVER in 10 of Iowa's last 11 games when playing Iowa State
Iowa is 0-5 SU in its last 5 games when playing on the road against Iowa State
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Iowa's last 5 games when playing on the road against Iowa State

Grand Canyon Antelopes
Grand Canyon is 3-7 ATS in its last 10 games
Grand Canyon is 4-9 SU in its last 13 games
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Grand Canyon's last 6 games
Grand Canyon is 2-5 ATS in its last 7 games at home
Grand Canyon is 17-8 SU in its last 25 games at home
Northern Iowa Panthers
Northern Iowa is 9-1 SU in its last 10 games
Northern Iowa is 4-2 ATS in its last 6 games on the road
Northern Iowa is 4-2 SU in its last 6 games on the road
Northern Iowa is 8-15 SU in its last 23 games on the road
The total has gone UNDER in 8 of Northern Iowa's last 9 games on the road

[StarDust Bum]

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 12
GAME TIME(ET) PICK UNITS

PEAY at WVU 07:00 PM
WVU -15.5
U 146.5

SOU at WRST 07:00 PM
SOU +15.0
O 143.5

IOWA at ISU 08:00 PM
ISU -4.0
U 157.5

UNI at GRC 09:00 PM
UNI -6.0
O 133.5

[StarDust Bum]

Iowa cruises past Iowa State, 84-68
December 12, 2019
By The Associated Press

AMES, Iowa (AP) Sixteen years, Iowa guard Joe Wieskamp said, is a long time.

That's how long it had been since the Hawkeyes won on the road against in-state rival Iowa State.

That changed on Thursday night.

Luka Garza had 21 points and 11 rebounds and led five Iowa players scoring in double figures as the Hawkeyes beat Iowa State 84-68.

Iowa (8-3) snapped an eight-game losing streak at Hilton Coliseum. The Hawkeyes hadn't won in the Cyclones' home since a victory in the 2003 NIT.

''It's huge,'' Wieskamp said. ''This is probably the one game on the schedule I look at the most.''

The Hawkeyes struck early and held off two bursts from the Cyclones in the second half.

''I think the important thing, when you're playing on the road against a good team, a well-coached team, it's important to get off to a good start,'' Iowa coach Fran McCaffery said. ''And we did.''

''We got embarrassed,'' Iowa State coach Steve Prohm said. ''We've got to live with it.''

Wieskamp had 13 points, Jordan Bohannon and Connor McCaffery each scored 12, and CJ Fredrick added 11.

Tyrese Haliburton led Iowa State (6-4) with 22 points. Solomon Young had 10.

Iowa opened the game on an 18-4 run and led 37-16 with 3:01 left before the break after a Garza dunk. But the Cyclones closed the first half on an 8-2 run, then opened the second with a 13-5 spurt.

''We started missing (shots),'' Garza said. ''But we kept getting stops. They were going to keep coming at us, keep coming at us.''

The Hawkeyes had an answer. Connor McCaffery hit a 3-pointer, then Wieskamp scored on a fastbreak and was fouled. His free throw gave Iowa a 50-37 lead.

''I thought we answered the runs,'' Fran McCaffery said. ''We knew the runs were coming. They kept fighting - we knew they would. But we answered them all.''

Iowa's biggest lead was 73-48 with 8:25 to play.

''They wanted it more than us,'' Haliburton said. ''They played harder than us.''

BIG PICTURE

Iowa: The Hawkeyes have gone 4-2 in a stretch of games that included two neutral-court games and three road games.

Iowa State: The Cyclones were coming off a 76-66 home win over a ranked Seton Hall team and appeared to have bounced back after losing two of three games in the Battle 4 Atlantis tournament.

BOHANNON'S DECISION

Bohannon, coming back from offseason hip surgery, played his 10th game of the season. That is the limit if he wants to apply for a medical redshirt season and get a full season of eligibility next year.

Bohannon said he still hadn't made up his mind whether to try to finish the season.

''If I come out Wednesday or Thursday after finals, and I feel great, there's still a chance I'm going to play,'' Bohannon said. ''We're going to enjoy this tonight, and worry about it next week.''

Regardless of his decision, Bohannon played his last game at Hilton Coliseum. He left his shoes on the court, with the message, ''To ISU, thanks for the mems.''

''There wasn't a lot of space on the shoes,'' Bohannon said.

UP NEXT

Iowa: The Hawkeyes are off until a Dec. 21 game against Cincinnati in Chicago.

Iowa State: The Cyclones don't play again until a Dec. 22 home game against Purdue Fort Wayne.


**********************************


UNI stays hot, routs Grand Canyon
December 12, 2019

PHOENIX (AP) AJ Green had 25 points as Northern Iowa rolled past Grand Canyon 82-58 on Thursday night.

Trae Berhow had 18 points for Northern Iowa (10-1), which won its fourth straight game. Austin Phyfe added 13 points. Spencer Haldeman had 12 points for the visitors.

Lorenzo Jenkins had 15 points for the Antelopes (4-8). Jovan Blacksher Jr. added 12 points. Isiah Brown had 10 points.

Northern Iowa takes on Marshall at home on Dec. 22. Grand Canyon faces New Mexico on the road on Tuesday.


****************************


WVU routs Austin Peay, 84-53
December 12, 2019

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. (AP) Emmitt Matthews Jr. isn't the biggest player on the court and West Virginia coach Bob Huggins will be the first to point that out. But the 6-foot-7 sophomore knows how to find the basket.

''Guys like him are much better with movement,'' Huggins said, ''He can use his length and athleticism.''

Matthews scored 16 points and added 10 rebounds to lead West Virginia to an 84-53 victory over Austin Peay on Thursday night. It was Matthews' fourth game scoring in double figures this season and the first double-double of his career.

Matthews is third on the team with a 10.7-scoring average, a five-point improvement from last season. His 14 3-pointers made has matched his total for all last season.

''I'm gifted and I'm blessed to be here.'' Matthews said.

Oscar Tshiebwe added 14 points and 10 rebounds for the Mountaineers (8-1), who bounced back from their first loss of the season on Saturday to St. John's.

Ten different players scored at least four points for West Virginia. The Mountaineers shot 51 percent (34 of 67) from the floor in their first home game in 11 days.

''We weren't trying to slow down the pace just because we were up however many points,'' Matthews said, ''We wanted to keep running up the score.''

Tshiebwe had 12 points after halftime.

''He runs better than any guy his size probably in the country,'' Huggins said, ''So why wouldn't you take advantage of that?''

Terry Taylor, the preseason Ohio Valley Conference player of the year, scored 19 points before fouling out for Austin Peay (4-5). Antwuan Butler added 14 points. Jordyn Adams was held to four points, 10 below his average.

''It's extremely tough because my second-leading scorer turned the ball over six times,'' Austin Peay coach Matt Figger said, ''He gave us absolutely nothing.''

West Virginia went on separate runs of 9-0 and 13-2 in the first half to take a 38-21 halftime lead. Jordan McCabe and Matthews hit 3-pointers in the first minute after the break and the Mountaineers extended their lead to as many as 35 points.

Austin Peay shot 34.5% (19 of 55) from the field, including 7% (1 of 14) from 3-point range.

''They're (West Virginia) just going to punch you in the mouth and they knocked all of our teeth out tonight,'' Figger said.

BIG PICTURE

Austin Peay: It marked the Governors' seventh straight road loss dating to last season, their longest road losing streak since the 2016-17 season.

West Virginia: The Mountaineers held an opponent below 39% shooting from the field for the sixth straight game. West Virginia leads the Big 12 in defensive field goal percentage at 36.4%.

DOUBLE-DOUBLES

Matthews is the fourth West Virginia player this season to record a double-double. The others are Tshiebwe, Derek Culver and Jermaine Haley.

ELBOW ON ELI

Austin Peay's Eli Abaev took a first-half elbow from Derek Culver and went to the bench with an ice pack on his nose. He did not return. Abaev was called for a foul on the play.

''I lose a starter in the first half right there when we were being pretty competitive,'' Figger said, ''On a call that is a terrible, terrible call. He took an elbow right in the face and now he's got a concussion and a broke nose.''

UP NEXT

Austin Peay: Hosts McKendree University on Tuesday.

West Virginia: Hosts Nicholls State on Saturday afternoon.

[StarDust Bum]

date.....................w-l-t...............%................units

12/12/2019................6-2-0..........75.00%............+19.00
12/11/2019................5-9-0..........35.71%.............-24.50
12/10/2019...............6-13-0.........31.58%..............-41.50
12/09/2019.................1-3-0.........25.00%.............-11.50
12/08/2019..............11-14-2........44.00%..............-22.00
12/07/2019..............35-41-0........46.05%..............-50.50
12/06/2019.................9-8-1.........52.94%............+1.00
12/05/2019................2-10-1........16.67%.............-45.00
12/04/2019..............11-29-0.........27.50%............-104.50
12/03/2019..............33-21-0.........61.11%.............+49.50
12/02/2019..................7-6-0........53.85%..............+2.00
12/01/2019...............13-15-1........46.43%..............-17.50

totals....................139-171-5........44.83%.............-245.50


best bets

date..........................ats...............un its...............o/u................units..............total

12/12/2019.............2 - 1...............+4.50..............1 - 1...............-0.50...............+4.00
12/11/2019.............4 - 8...............-24.00..............0 - 0..............-0.00................-24.00
12/10/2019.............3 - 5...............-12.50..............1 - 3..............-11.50...............-24.00
12/09/2019.............0 - 1...............-5.50................1 - 1..............-0.50................-6.00
12/08/2019.............6 - 7...............-8.50................0 - 1...............-5.50...............-14.00
12/07/2019............15 - 15.............-7.50................6 - 2..............+19.00.............+11.50
12/06/2019.............4 - 5...............-7.50................2 - 3...............-6.50................-14.00
12/05/2019.............2 - 3...............-6.50................0 - 3..............-16.50...............-23.00
12/04/2019.............6 - 17...............-63.50..............2 - 4..............-12.00...............-75.50
12/03/2019............12 - 7................+21.50.............4 - 1..............+14.50..............+36.00
12/02/2019..............2 - 2...............-1.00................2 - 3...............-6.50................-7.50
12/01/2019..............5 - 7...............-13.50..............5 - 4...............+3.00...............-10.50

totals.....................71 - 78............-124.00.............24 - 26........,...-23.00..............-147.00

[StarDust Bum]

Friday’s 6-pack

Too-early 2020 baseball over/under in totals:

— Mariners 66.5

— Cardinals 88.5

— Rays 92.5

— Rangers 75.5

— Blue Jays 73.5

— Nationals 89.5

Quote of the Day:
“The big lesson in life…is never be scared of anyone or anything.”
Frank Sinatra; Thursday would’ve been his 104th birthday

Friday’s quiz
Before this season, who was the only Baltimore Ravens’ QB to throw 30+ TD passes in a season?

Thursday’s quiz
Lamar Jackson played his college football at Louisville.

Wednesday’s quiz
Steve Spurrier coached the Washington Redskins for two seasons.

**********************

Friday’s list of 13: Random stuff with weekend here……..

13) This year, if your college basketball team is making 33.3% of their 3’s, they’re 156th in country. Last year, teams that shot 33.3% on the arc were 225th.

Moving the arc back has created more missed shots; I’m wondering if more long rebounds has resulted in more fast breaks going the other way.

12) Florida Atlantic hired Willie Taggart as its new football coach; FAU will be his 5th head coaching job in 11 years, making him the Larry Brown of college football.

2010-12: Western Kentucky: 16-20, 13-11 Sun Belt
2013-16: South Florida: 24-25, 18-14 AAC
2017: Oregon 7-5, 4-5 Pac-12
2018-19: Florida State 9-12, 6-9 ACC

Total: 56-62, 44-42 conference

11) Apparently Dallas Mavericks’ star Luke Doncic is the best player in the NBA who doesn’t have a shoe contract, which means his bank account will get a lot bigger fairly soon, as all the sneaker companies try to sign him up.

10) Home teams won the first ten Big 14 conference games so far this season; Michigan looked like a damn good team until they went to Louisville/Illinois.

9) The more I think about it, the more I like the 0:08 half court rule that the NBA has; makes a team get into motion a little quicker, not just walk the ball up the court.

8) I’m mystified that Harold Baines is in the Hall of Fame, but Dale Murphy isn’t.

7) Baseball stuff:
— Mets signed P Rick Porcello to a 1-year, $10M contract.
— Bronx re-signed OF Brett Gardner to a 1-year, $12.5m deal.

6) It is December 13 and Yale has already played four OT games this season, winning three of them. Bulldogs won their last six games overall, are 9-3 vs schedule #83.

5) Baseball will have some rules changes this year; a big one for September is the elimination of the 40-man roster. Rosters will be capped at 28 in September.

4) Another rule change will be that relievers having to face 3+ hitters in an appearance; it’ll reduce the often-tedious L-R-L pitching changes that stretch out the end of games.

In exchange for that, rosters all season increase from 25 to 26 players.

3) Handicapping bowl games can be dicey; you don’t know how excited a team or its fans are about their particular matchup. Iowa State sold out of its allotment of tickets for the Camping World Bowl against Notre Dame; safe to say that people in Ames are excited about this game.

2) NBA is putting a G-League team in Mexico City, starting next season. Very high altitude in Mexico City; the Nuggets don’t have a G-League affiliate yet. Maybe they do now.

1) Ravens 42, Jets 21
— Baltimore wins the AFC North.
— Lamar Jackson completed 15 passes, five of them for TD’s.
— Only 8 of Ravens’ 59 plays came on third down.
— Jets scored a TD on aa blocked punt.

[StarDust Bum]

NCAAB
Dunkel

Friday, December 13

Gardner-Webb @ Kennesaw St

Game 1295-1296
December 13, 2019 @ 7:00 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Gardner-Webb
54.578
Kennesaw St
35.275
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Gardner-Webb
by 19 1/2
137
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Gardner-Webb
by 9 1/2
134
Dunkel Pick:
Gardner-Webb
(-9 1/2); Over

Colorado @ Colorado State

Game 675-676
December 13, 2019 @ 8:00 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Colorado
64.462
Colorado State
56.514
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Colorado
by 8
141
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Colorado
by 4 1/2
139
Dunkel Pick:
Colorado
(-4 1/2); Over

TX-Rio Grande @ Creighton

Game 673-674
December 13, 2019 @ 8:00 pm

Dunkel Rating:
TX-Rio Grande
44.956
Creighton
65.917
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Creighton
by 21
139
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Creighton
by 18
141
Dunkel Pick:
Creighton
(-18); Under

Nebraska @ Indiana

Game 671-672
December 13, 2019 @ 8:00 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Nebraska
50.373
Indiana
69.208
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Indiana
by 19
136
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Indiana
by 16 1/2
149 1/2
Dunkel Pick:
Indiana
(-16 1/2); Under

Prairie View @ Loyola Marymount

Game 1297-1298
December 13, 2019 @ 10:00 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Prairie View
50.212
Loyola Marymount
54.148
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Loyola Marymount
by 4
132
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Loyola Marymount
by 7 1/2
135
Dunkel Pick:
Prairie View
(+7 1/2); Under




NCAAB
Armadillo's Write-Up

Friday, December 13

Nebraska beat Indiana in last three meetings, winning here LY, but Cornhuskers are in a total rebuild (continuity team #352), starting out 4-5 vs schedule #203- they lost their two top 100 games by 17-19 points, also their only two true road games this year. Nebraska might be worst rebounding team in country. Indiana is 9-1 vs schedule #252; they’re 6-0 vs teams ranked outside top 100, with all six wins by 14+ points. Hoosiers survived 2-13 shooting on arc in their 57-54 win over UConn, Tuesday in NYC- they’re forcing turnovers 21.4% of time (#88).

Colorado lost its last two games after a 7-0 start, getting upset at home by Northern Iowa on Tuesday; Buffs are continuity team #3 that forces turnovers 25.3% of the (#16)- they also turn ball over 21.3% of time (#271) while playing pace #123. Colorado’s eFG% is #249, not good. State is 7-5 vs schedule #165, losing its only top 100 games by 34-22 points. Rams are #52 continuity team that that is shooting 35.6% on arc (#85). Colorado State won three of last five games with Colorado; Buffs lost three of last five visits to Fort Collins.




NCAAB

Friday, December 13

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

UTRGV @ Creighton
UTRGV
The total has gone OVER in 7 of UTRGV's last 9 games on the road
UTRGV is 14-6 ATS in its last 20 games on the road
Creighton
Creighton is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games at home
Creighton is 6-1 SU in its last 7 games

Colorado @ Colorado State
Colorado
The total has gone UNDER in 6 of Colorado's last 7 games on the road
Colorado is 7-2 SU in its last 9 games
Colorado State
Colorado State is 4-1 ATS in its last 5 games when playing Colorado
Colorado State is 4-2 SU in its last 6 games at home

Nebraska @ Indiana
Nebraska
The total has gone UNDER in 8 of Nebraska's last 9 games when playing Indiana
The total has gone OVER in 7 of Nebraska's last 8 games
Indiana
Indiana is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games at home
Indiana is 9-1 SU in its last 10 games

Prairie View A&M @ Loyola Marymount
Prairie View A&M
No trends to report
Loyola Marymount
Loyola Marymount is 18-7 SU in its last 25 games at home
Loyola Marymount is 4-2 ATS in its last 6 games


-------------------------------------------------------------


NCAAB
Long Sheet

Friday, December 13

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

NEBRASKA (4 - 5) at INDIANA (9 - 1) - 12/13/2019, 8:00 PM
Top Trends for this game.
NEBRASKA is 2-11 ATS (-10.1 Units) in road games over the last 2 seasons.
NEBRASKA is 2-11 ATS (-10.1 Units) in road lined games over the last 2 seasons.
NEBRASKA is 91-123 ATS (-44.3 Units) in road games against conference opponents since 1997.
NEBRASKA is 108-149 ATS (-55.9 Units) in road games when playing against a team with a winning record since 1997.
INDIANA is 9-1 ATS (+7.9 Units) in home games after allowing 60 points or less over the last 3 seasons.
INDIANA is 12-3 ATS (+8.7 Units) in home games versus poor defensive teams - allowing 77+ points/game since 1997.

Head-to-Head Series History
NEBRASKA is 2-0 against the spread versus INDIANA over the last 3 seasons
NEBRASKA is 2-0 straight up against INDIANA over the last 3 seasons
2 of 2 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

UTRGV (4 - 5) at CREIGHTON (7 - 2) - 12/13/2019, 8:00 PM
Top Trends for this game.
CREIGHTON is 137-105 ATS (+21.5 Units) after a non-conference game since 1997.
CREIGHTON is 71-49 ATS (+17.1 Units) in home games in non-conference games since 1997.
UTRGV is 8-1 ATS (+6.9 Units) in road games when playing against a team with a winning record over the last 2 seasons.

Head-to-Head Series History
There were no past matchups in this series during this time period.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

COLORADO (7 - 2) at COLORADO ST (7 - 5) - 12/13/2019, 8:00 PM
Top Trends for this game.
COLORADO is 7-19 ATS (-13.9 Units) in road games over the last 3 seasons.
COLORADO is 7-19 ATS (-13.9 Units) in road lined games over the last 3 seasons.
COLORADO is 1-8 ATS (-7.8 Units) in road games in December games over the last 3 seasons.
COLORADO is 4-14 ATS (-11.4 Units) in road games after a non-conference game over the last 3 seasons.
COLORADO is 3-12 ATS (-10.2 Units) in road games in non-conference games over the last 3 seasons.
COLORADO is 7-19 ATS (-13.9 Units) in road games when playing against a team with a winning record over the last 3 seasons.
COLORADO ST is 137-178 ATS (-58.8 Units) as an underdog since 1997.
COLORADO ST is 176-223 ATS (-69.3 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record since 1997.

Head-to-Head Series History
COLORADO ST is 2-0 against the spread versus COLORADO over the last 3 seasons
COLORADO ST is 1-1 straight up against COLORADO over the last 3 seasons
1 of 2 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

GARDNER WEBB (3 - 6) at KENNESAW ST (1 - 8) - 12/13/2019, 7:00 PM
Top Trends for this game.
KENNESAW ST is 10-21 ATS (-13.1 Units) in all games over the last 2 seasons.
KENNESAW ST is 10-21 ATS (-13.1 Units) in all lined games over the last 2 seasons.
KENNESAW ST is 9-21 ATS (-14.1 Units) as an underdog over the last 2 seasons.
KENNESAW ST is 4-14 ATS (-11.4 Units) after a non-conference game over the last 2 seasons.
KENNESAW ST is 4-14 ATS (-11.4 Units) in non-conference games over the last 2 seasons.

Head-to-Head Series History
KENNESAW ST is 1-0 against the spread versus GARDNER WEBB over the last 3 seasons
GARDNER WEBB is 1-0 straight up against KENNESAW ST over the last 3 seasons
1 of 1 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

PRAIRIE VIEW A&M (3 - 6) at LOYOLA-MARYMOUNT (4 - 5) - 12/13/2019, 10:00 PM
Top Trends for this game.
LOYOLA-MARYMOUNT is 51-77 ATS (-33.7 Units) when the total is 130 to 139.5 since 1997.
LOYOLA-MARYMOUNT is 67-97 ATS (-39.7 Units) as a favorite since 1997.
LOYOLA-MARYMOUNT is 112-148 ATS (-50.8 Units) in all home games since 1997.
LOYOLA-MARYMOUNT is 112-148 ATS (-50.8 Units) in home lined games since 1997.
LOYOLA-MARYMOUNT is 91-121 ATS (-42.1 Units) when playing against a team with a losing record since 1997.

Head-to-Head Series History
LOYOLA-MARYMOUNT is 1-0 straight up against PRAIRIE VIEW A&M over the last 3 seasons

----------------------------------------


671NEBRASKA -672 INDIANA
NEBRASKA is 108-149 ATS (-55.9 Units) in road games vs. winning teams since 1997.

673UTRGV -674 CREIGHTON
UTRGV is 8-1 ATS (6.9 Units) in road games versus good ball handling teams - committing <=14 turnovers/game in the last 3 seasons.

675COLORADO -676 COLORADO ST
COLORADO is 1-14 ATS (-14.4 Units) in road games after playing a game as a home favorite in the last 3 seasons.

1295GARDNER WEBB -1296 KENNESAW ST
GARDNER WEBB is 8-0 ATS (8 Units) in road games after 5 straight games committing 14 or less turnovers over the last 2 seasons.

1297PRAIRIE VIEW A&M -1298 LOYOLA-MARYMOUNT
LOYOLA-MARYMOUNT is 5-23 ATS (-20.3 Units) in home games versus foul prone teams - called for 21 or more fouls/game since 1997.

[StarDust Bum]

FRIDAY, DECEMBER 13
GAME TIME(ET) PICK UNITS

WEBB at KENN 07:00 PM
KENN +10.0

COLO at CSU 08:00 PM
CSU +5.5
U 139.5

UTRGV at CREI 08:00 PM
CREI -18.0
O 145.5

NEB at IND 08:00 PM
IND -18.0
O 147.5

PV at LMU 10:00 PM
PV +6.5
O 135.5

[StarDust Bum]

Gatling helps No. 24 Colorado hold off Colorado State 56-48
December 13, 2019

FORT COLLINS, Colo. (AP) The touch on Shane Gatling's jumper finally returned.

Bye-bye shooting slump.

Gatling scored a season-high 20 points to help No. 24 Colorado hold off Colorado State 56-48 on Friday night after squandering a 16-point lead.

He couldn't have picked a better time to break out of his funk as standout player McKinley Wright IV struggled with his shot.

''To have somebody step up that's in a slump all year and who hasn't played his best all year and hasn't made shots all year, to come up and make big-time shots like that is huge for us,'' said Wright, who had eight rebounds and three assists on a night when he was 1 for 11 from the floor. ''That just shows how many weapons we have. Every night is not going to be my night. Every night is not going to be Tyler's night. I'm proud of him man.''

All that extra time in the gym did wonders for Gatling.

''I've been waiting for this day to come,'' he said.

Leading 33-17 with 16:41 remaining, the Buffaloes (8-2) couldn't close out a cold-shooting Rams team that suddenly found their touch. Colorado State tied the game at 39 with 7:18 left.

Moments later, Gatling had a bucket to put the Buffaloes ahead for good.

Gatling also was originally credited with blocking a shot on Nico Carvacho down the stretch. That caught even him by surprise.

''I had a block? Oh,'' Gatling said. ''Well, whoever blocked it, it was a big play.''

The officials changed it to Tyler Bey.

Bottom line: Someone got a piece of it.

The Rams (7-6) rebounded from a sluggish start in which they shot 17.9% during the first half and scored just 12 points.

Then again, the Buffaloes knew they would respond.

''We didn't expect to see that big (of run),'' Wright said. ''We just had to hang our hats on defense.''

Colorado did, too. The Rams were 2 of 22 from 3-point range in a contest in which they never led.

''There's some eye-popping numbers that come off the (stat sheet) that say we probably didn't deserve to win that,'' Colorado coach Tad Boyle said. ''The reality is we did because we defended at a very, very high level.''

That blown lead, though, didn't exactly sit well with Boyle.

''We have a veteran team that's not playing like a veteran team,'' he said.

Wright didn't have his best night for the Buffaloes, who will more than likely fall out of the rankings after a loss to Northern Iowa earlier in the week. But the bench stepped up behind Gatling and Lucas Siewert (12 points).

''It's big time for us,'' Wright said.

Carvacho finished with nine points and 10 rebounds for the Rams.

''We were there at the end,'' Rams coach Niko Medved said. ''We couldn't get over the hump.''

The opening half was anything but pretty for Colorado State, which missed all 10 attempts from 3-point land. Although the Buffaloes led 27-12 at the break, it could've been more if not for their 12 turnovers.

The message at the half for the Rams was simple.

''We were told to keep working,'' said Isaiah Stevens, who finished with 10 points. ''Just keep looking for shots. We started feeling it.''

BIG PICTURE

Colorado: A win's a win, right? No style points, correct? The Buffaloes weren't at their offensive best, but the defense picked up the slack. Colorado leads the all-time series 91-38.

Colorado State: Looked like it might be a blowout. The Rams regained their composure.

STAYING COMPOSED

Wright didn't let his off night from the floor bother him in the least. He made up for it in other ways, like on the boards.

''Most players in my position would be mad and frustrated and having their head down because they didn't play well,'' Wright said. ''The player I am, everybody expects me to play well. It doesn't happen all the time.''

FIRST HALF

The 12 points were the fewest allowed in the first half by Colorado since holding Utah to 11 on Dec 31, 2011. That was the Buffaloes' first game in the Pac-12 and they won 73-33.

ADDAZIO APPEARANCE

New Colorado State football coach Steve Addazio took the court before the game.

''Just wanted to say hello and say how excited I am to be at Fort Collins and CSU,'' Addazio told the fans.

Fired from Boston College on Dec. 1, Addazio signed a five-year deal with the Rams earlier this week. His first game will be at home against Colorado.

UP NEXT

Colorado: Host Prairie View A&M on Thursday.

Colorado State: Travel to Tulsa on Dec. 21.

[StarDust Bum]

date.....................w-l-t...............%................units

12/13/2019................7-2-0..........77.78%............+24.00
12/12/2019................6-2-0..........75.00%............+19.00
12/11/2019................5-9-0..........35.71%.............-24.50
12/10/2019...............6-13-0.........31.58%..............-41.50
12/09/2019.................1-3-0.........25.00%.............-11.50
12/08/2019..............11-14-2........44.00%..............-22.00
12/07/2019..............35-41-0........46.05%..............-50.50
12/06/2019.................9-8-1.........52.94%............+1.00
12/05/2019................2-10-1........16.67%.............-45.00
12/04/2019..............11-29-0.........27.50%............-104.50
12/03/2019..............33-21-0.........61.11%.............+49.50
12/02/2019..................7-6-0........53.85%..............+2.00
12/01/2019...............13-15-1........46.43%..............-17.50

totals....................146-173-5........45.76%.............-221.50


best bets

date..........................ats...............un its...............o/u................units..............total


12/13/2019.............3 - 2...............+4.00..............3 - 0..............+15.00.............+19.00
12/12/2019.............2 - 1...............+4.50..............1 - 1...............-0.50...............+4.00
12/11/2019.............4 - 8...............-24.00..............0 - 0..............-0.00................-24.00
12/10/2019.............3 - 5...............-12.50..............1 - 3..............-11.50...............-24.00
12/09/2019.............0 - 1...............-5.50................1 - 1..............-0.50................-6.00
12/08/2019.............6 - 7...............-8.50................0 - 1...............-5.50...............-14.00
12/07/2019............15 - 15.............-7.50................6 - 2..............+19.00.............+11.50
12/06/2019.............4 - 5...............-7.50................2 - 3...............-6.50................-14.00
12/05/2019.............2 - 3...............-6.50................0 - 3..............-16.50...............-23.00
12/04/2019.............6 - 17...............-63.50..............2 - 4..............-12.00...............-75.50
12/03/2019............12 - 7................+21.50.............4 - 1..............+14.50..............+36.00
12/02/2019..............2 - 2...............-1.00................2 - 3...............-6.50................-7.50
12/01/2019..............5 - 7...............-13.50..............5 - 4...............+3.00...............-10.50

totals.....................74 - 80............-120.00.............27 - 26........,...-8.00.................-128.00

[StarDust Bum]

Saturday’s 6-pack

Top seven college hoop teams on foul line:

7) Colgate 80.9%

5) Campbell/Sacred Heart 81%

4) Texas-El Paso 81.7%

3) Northeastern 81.9%

2) Pepperdine 85.5%

1) Western Illinois 88.3%

Quote of the Day:
“Everyone should get to hear Jim Nantz tell a Dunkin’ (Donuts) attendant, ‘We’ll have a 25-count Munchkin’ at least once in life.”
Richard Deitsch, in The Athletic

Saturday’s quiz
Which NFL team drafted Eli Manning?

Friday’s quiz
Before this year, Vinny Testaverde was the only Baltimore Ravens’ QB to throw 30+ TD passes in a season.

Thursday’s quiz
Lamar Jackson played his college football at Louisville.

****************************

Saturday’s List of 13: Clearing out a cluttered mind……

13) Personal update: Retina in my right eye detached nine weeks ago today; I had an operation on my right eye October 22- they inserted a gas bubble in the eye, which helps the retina get back where it belongs. Not sure I realized at the time that this is a serious operation.

Went to the eye surgeon yesterday (Friday); the retina has been re-attached, so that is good and the gas bubble is now roughly 80% gone. The bubble is expected to be gone in the next couple of weeks, and then things can get totally back to normal.

12) Thanks for your patience during the last couple months; I’m guessing my proofreading has slipped some. I can see out of the right eye, but can’t really read with it. I’ve tried to reduce any stress in my life, so the bubble will go away faster. Hopefully we’ll get back to picking games when the calendar turns to January- we’ll see.

11) Gerrit Cole’s 9-year contract is the longest any pitcher has gotten since 1976, when the Indians gave Wayne Garland a 10-year, $2.3M deal.

Thats $230,000 a year, for ten years. Was pretty big news way back then, when I was a junior in high school.

Garland went 20-7 for the ’76 Orioles, coming out of nowhere after starting his career 7-11 in his first three seasons. Remember, the Orioles were the better team back then.

Garland went 10-19 for a 74-87 Cleveland team in ’77, making 38 starts, then his career unraveled, going 15-29 in the last four years of his career.

10) Random fact: LSU QB Joe Burrow is older than Lamar Jackson.

9) Topeka, the state capital of Kansas, is offering potential new residents up to $15,000 to move there, providing they purchase or rehabilitate a home, and live and work there for a year.

8) New York Mets reached an agreement on a re-done contract with Yoenis Cespedes, which is expected to lower their 2020 payroll a decent amount. Cespedes didn’t play at all LY because of foot injuries; he’s played a total of 119 games the last three years.

7) Baseball stuff:
— Brewers signed oft-injured P Brett Anderson to a 1-year deal; Anderson was 13-9 LY, his career high in wins.

6) New Jersey Giants released CB Janoris Jenkins, after he refused to apologize for an offensive tweet he sent to a critical fan. In his 8-year career, teams Jenkins played for are a combined 48-77-1, losing their one playoff game (Packers beat Giants 38-13 in ’16 Wild Card game).

5) Actors have to play a variety of roles to have a successful career; Scottish actor Brian Cox has an excellent resume- he is currently the star of HBO’s series Succession, but in 2002 he was the Army father who disliked baseball in the real-life story The Rookie, about a high school science teacher who becomes a major league relief pitcher.

Three years earlier, Cox played the longtime owner of the Detroit Tigers in For Love of the Game, the Kevin Costner movie. Funny seeing the same guy playing such different roles.

4) Bucks 127, Grizzlies 114— Milwaukee has won its last 17 games.

3) Clippers 124, Timberwolves 117— Kawhi Leonard scored 31 in the first half, wound up with 42 points; Paul George scored 46 points for the Clippers. Minnesota lost its 7th home game in a row.

2) Josh Donaldson told his mom that if she quit smoking he’d get her a Maserati; because it is 2019 and everything gets filmed now, they posted the video on Twitter of Donaldson driving up to her house in the car, and then the mom’s (extremely) enthusiastic reaction. Hope the car doesn’t have an ashtray in it.

1) Get well soon to former NBA commissioner David Stern, who had emergency surgery after a brain hemorrhage Thursday. Stern was NBA commish for 30 years; he is 77 now.