Cnotes 2019-2020 nba trends, news, best bets and opinions thru the playoffs !

[Udog]

NBA
Dunkel

Wednesday, February 12


Atlanta @ Cleveland

Game 503-504
February 12, 2020 @ 7:00 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Atlanta
107.467
Cleveland
110.010
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Cleveland
by 2 1/2
246
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Atlanta
by 2
234 1/2
Dunkel Pick:
Cleveland
(+2); Over

Detroit @ Orlando

Game 501-502
February 12, 2020 @ 7:00 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Detroit
109.803
Orlando
113.588
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Orlando
by 3 1/2
219
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Orlando
by 7 1/2
206
Dunkel Pick:
Detroit
(+7 1/2); Over

Toronto @ Brooklyn

Game 507-508
February 12, 2020 @ 7:30 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Toronto
124.942
Brooklyn
119.867
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Toronto
by 5
223
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Toronto
by 3 1/2
225
Dunkel Pick:
Toronto
(-3 1/2); Under

Milwaukee @ Indiana

Game 509-510
February 12, 2020 @ 7:30 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Milwaukee
121.226
Indiana
122.667
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Indiana
by 1 1/2
227
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Milwaukee
by 1 1/2
222 1/2
Dunkel Pick:
Indiana
(+1 1/2); Over

Washington @ New York

Game 505-506
February 12, 2020 @ 7:30 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Washington
110.319
New York
116.914
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
New York
by 6 1/2
235
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
New York
by 2 1/2
229 1/2
Dunkel Pick:
New York
(-2 1/2); Over

Portland @ Memphis

Game 513-514
February 12, 2020 @ 8:00 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Portland
114.444
Memphis
122.260
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Memphis
by 8
238
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Memphis
by 4
235 1/2
Dunkel Pick:
Memphis
(-4); Over

Charlotte @ Minnesota

Game 511-512
February 12, 2020 @ 8:00 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Charlotte
109.750
Minnesota
114.444
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Minnesota
by 4 1/2
243
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Minnesota
by 8 1/2
226
Dunkel Pick:
Charlotte
(+8 1/2); Over

Sacramento @ Dallas

Game 515-516
February 12, 2020 @ 8:30 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Sacramento
112.544
Dallas
122.999
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Dallas
by 10 1/2
225
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Dallas
by 8 1/2
227 1/2
Dunkel Pick:
Dallas
(-8 1/2); Under

Golden State @ Phoenix

Game 517-518
February 12, 2020 @ 9:00 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Golden State
108.046
Phoenix
118.922
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Phoenix
by 11
229
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Phoenix
by 7 1/2
225 1/2
Dunkel Pick:
Phoenix
(-7 1/2); Over

Miami @ Utah

Game 519-520
February 12, 2020 @ 9:00 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Miami
116.106
Utah
121.808
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Utah
by 5 1/2
220
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Utah
by 4 1/2
217 1/2
Dunkel Pick:
Utah
(-4 1/2); Over

LA Lakers @ Denver

Game 521-522
February 12, 2020 @ 10:00 pm

Dunkel Rating:
LA Lakers
122.047
Denver
125.092
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Denver
by 3
231
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
LA Lakers
by 2 1/2
220 1/2
Dunkel Pick:
Denver
(+2 1/2); Over

[Udog]

Hoop Trends - Wednesday
Vince Akins

ATS Play ON Trend of the Day:

-- The Kings are 14-0-1 ATS (8.43 ppg) as a road dog with rest off a loss as a road dog.

ATS Play AGAINST Trend of the Day:

-- The Knicks are 0-15-1 ATS (-10.19 ppg) off a loss where they scored 15+ points more than projected.

OU Play OVER Trend of the Day:

-- The Suns are 12-0 OU (15.79 ppg) at home off a loss as a dog.

OU Play UNDER Trend of the Day:

-- The Knicks are 0-11 OU (-14.09 ppg) as a favorite off an overtime loss.

[Udog]

DETROIT
[SG] 02/11/2020 - Svi Mykhailiuk is upgraded to probable Wednesday vs Orlando ( Hip )
[PG] 02/11/2020 - Derrick Rose is upgraded to probable Wednesday vs Orlando ( Abdominal )
ORLANDO
[PG] 01/17/2020 - D.J. Augustin is OUT 3-4 weeks ( Knee )

ATLANTA
[C] 02/12/2020 - Clint Capela is downgraded to OUT Wednesday vs Cleveland ( Heel )
[SG] 02/10/2020 - DeAndre' Bembry is "?" Wednesday vs Cleveland ( Hand )
CLEVELAND
[PF] 02/11/2020 - Kevin Love is "?" Wednesday vs Atlanta ( Achilles )

WASHINGTON
[C] 02/09/2020 - Thomas Bryant is out indefinitely ( Foot )
NEW YORK
[C] 02/11/2020 - Mitchell Robinson is upgraded to probable Wednesday vs Washington ( Illness )
[SG] 02/11/2020 - Damyean Dotson is upgraded to probable Wednesday vs Washington ( Illness )
[SF] 02/11/2020 - Maurice Harkless is upgraded to probable Wednesday vs Washington ( Illness )

TORONTO
[C] 02/11/2020 - Marc Gasol is downgraded to OUT Wednesday vs Brooklyn ( Hamstring )
[C] 02/10/2020 - Serge Ibaka is "?" Wednesday vs Brooklyn ( Illness )
[SF] 02/01/2020 - Norman Powell is out indefinitely ( Finger )
BROOKLYN
[PG] 02/02/2020 - Kyrie Irving is out indefinitely ( Knee )

MILWAUKEE
[SG] 02/12/2020 - Kyle Korver is downgraded to OUT Wednesday vs Indiana ( Back )
[SF] 02/11/2020 - Giannis Antetokounmpo is OUT Wednesday vs Indiana ( Personal )
[PG] 02/11/2020 - George Hill is downgraded to OUT Wednesday vs Indiana ( Hamstring )
INDIANA
No significant injuries.

CHARLOTTE
[SF] 02/11/2020 - Nicolas Batum is upgraded to probable Wednesday vs Minnesota ( Illness )
[PF] 02/08/2020 - Cody Martin is out indefinitely ( Concussion )
MINNESOTA
[SF] 01/27/2020 - Jake Layman is out indefinitely ( Toe )

PORTLAND
[SF] 02/11/2020 - Mario Hezonja is "?" Wednesday vs Memphis ( Ankle )
[SF] 02/11/2020 - Nassir Little is "?" Wednesday vs Memphis ( Ankle )
MEMPHIS
[SG] 01/27/2020 - Grayson Allen is out indefinitely ( Hip )
[SF] 01/13/2020 - Justise Winslow is out indefinitely ( Back )

SACRAMENTO
[PF] 02/12/2020 - Richaun Holmes is out indefinitely ( Shoulder )
[PF] 02/11/2020 - Jabari Parker is "?" Wednesday vs Dallas ( Shoulder )
[F] 02/09/2020 - Marvin Bagley III is out indefinitely ( Foot )
DALLAS
[PG] 02/11/2020 - Luka Doncic is upgraded to probable Wednesday vs Sacramento ( Ankle )
[PG] 02/10/2020 - Delon Wright left last game, is "?" Wednesday vs Sacramento ( Ankle )

GOLDEN STATE
[C] 02/11/2020 - Kevon Looney is "?" Wednesday vs Phoenix ( Hip )
[PG] 10/30/2019 - Stephen Curry is out indefinitely ( Hand )
PHOENIX
[SF] 02/12/2020 - Dario Saric is downgraded to OUT Wednesday vs Golden State ( Ankle )
[C] 02/12/2020 - Aron Baynes is downgraded to OUT Wednesday vs Golden State ( Hip )
[PG] 02/12/2020 - Jared Harper is downgraded to OUT Wednesday vs Golden State ( Wrist )
[C] 02/10/2020 - DeAndre Ayton is "?" Wednesday vs Golden State ( Ankle )
[SG] 02/09/2020 - Tyler Johnson is out indefinitely ( Waived )

MIAMI
[PF] 02/12/2020 - Meyers Leonard is downgraded to OUT Wednesday vs Utah ( Ankle )
[SG] 02/11/2020 - Tyler Herro is out indefinitely ( Ankle )
UTAH
[PG] 02/11/2020 - Mike Conley is "?" Wednesday vs Miami ( Illness )

LA LAKERS
[C] 10/19/2019 - DeMarcus Cousins is out for season ( Knee )
DENVER
[SG] 02/12/2020 - Jamal Murray is probable Wednesday vs LA Lakers ( Ankle )
[SG] 02/11/2020 - PJ Dozier is upgraded to probable Wednesday vs LA Lakers ( Hip )
[SG] 02/11/2020 - Will Barton is downgraded to OUT Wednesday vs LA Lakers ( Knee )
[F] 02/11/2020 - Michael Porter Jr. is downgraded to OUT Wednesday vs LA Lakers ( Ankle )

[Udog]

Thursday’s 6-pack
— Creighton 87, Seton Hall 82— Pirates’ star Myles Powell was 3-16 from floor.
— Kansas 58, West Virginia 49— Mountaineers led by six at the half.
— Villanova 72, Marquette 71— Wildcats almost blew an 18-point lead.
— Nevada 82, UNLV 79 OT— Rebels are 2-4 in overtime games.
— Former New Jersey Giants’ coach Ben McAdoo re-surfaces, as Jacksonville’s QB coach.
— Michigan State hires Mel Tucker as its football coach; he went 5-7 in his only season as a head coach, at Colorado. Some families of Colorado recruits are not happy with coach Tucker.


Quote of the Day:
“Listen, I’m not a doctor. I said it a million times, is he healthy? He’s not a doctor, so there’s a lot of different things can happen. But first is he healthy? Tell me that and then we can talk.”
Carolina Panthers owner David Tepper, talking about Cam Newton

Thursday’s quiz
Golfer Dustin Johnson has a famous father-in-law; who is he?

Wednesday’s quiz
Red Sox have won four World Series since 2004, under Terry Francona (2), John Farrell, Alex Cora.

Tuesday’s quiz
Florida State coach Leonard Hamilton used to coach the Washington Wizards.

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

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

13) November of 1980, I’m the student manager of UAlbany’s basketball team; we were a good team in Division III, we had a really good coach and several excellent players- winning is fun.

We opened the season in a tournament at Brockport State, a suburb of Rochester; we win our first game, then the host team Brockport State is playing in the nightcap. They weren’t very good; their coach was wearing a neck brace- he had recently been in a car accident.

Guy’s name was Bill Van Gundy; he had been a junior college coach in California before taking the Brockport job. You may have heard of his sons, Jeff and Stan, former NBA coaches who both do TV games on ESPN now. Brockport lost their first round game.

Albany won that tournament; we beat an Upsala team in the final that Sports Illustrated had pegged as a favorite to win the national title. Great Danes went 23-5 that year, lost in OT of Sweet 16 of the NCAA D-III tournament. Long time ago, but those were fun days; I’ve wondered if one of the Van Gundy brothers was in Brockport that weekend, watching our team play.

12) LSU guard Skylar Mays is a very good player; he also played the trumpet in his high school’s marching band. Not many NBA players can say that. Mays will be an NBA player.

11) Preseason top 25 polls are useless; San Diego State didn’t get one vote in this preseason’s top 25, yet here they are in mid-February, the country’s only unbeaten team. Go figure.

10) Red Sox are paying these people this year, who will not play for them:
$16,000,000— David Price
$14,271,428— Rusney Castillo
$13,125,000— Dustin Pedroia
$5,000,000— Pablo Sandoval
$2,013,418— Manny Ramirez
$50,409,846— Total of Boston’s 2020 dead money

9) Red Sox named Ron Roenicke interim manager for this season; he went 342-331 in 4+ years as Milwaukee’s manager, from 2011-15.

8) College basketball teams are making 33.59% of their 3’s this season; they made 34.54% last year. Teams are taking 21.83 3’s per game this year; they took 22.45 last year.

7) Around 75% of sticks used on the ice by NHL players come from Chinese factories; the Chinese government has stopped travel and work because of the coronavirus, and companies are being impacted. That includes companies that make sticks for the NHL, and there is an increasing worry that there could be a hockey stick shortage later this season.

6) Wednesday’s upsets:
— George Mason (+14) 72, VCU 67
— Mercer (+7.5) 70, Wofford 68
— Georgia Tech (+6.5) 64, Louisville 58
— Creighton (+6) 87, Seton Hall 82

5) Highest scoring teams in conference play:
1. Summit 75.8
2. Southland 75.1
3. OVC 73.4
4. Horizon 73.4
5. Mountain West 72.9

4) Lowest scoring teams in conference play:
28. SWAC 67.1
29. American 66.8
30. MVC 66.5
31. A-Sun 65.3
32. Big 12 64.3

3) Six weeks after becoming the first NFL QB to throw 30+ TD’s, 30+ INT’s in the same season, Jameis Winston underwent LASIK surgery to repair his vision. Seriously.

“He can’t read the scoreboard but he can see the guys in front of him.” Bucs coach Bruce Arians

If you asked whether Winston’s vision is now “30-30”, you weren’t the first.

2) Auburn 95, Alabama 91 OT:
— Auburn led this game 16-0 out of the box.
— Alabama was 22-59 on 3-pointers!!!! 8-25 inside arc.
— Auburn outscored Crimson Tide 26-9 on foul line.
— Auburn out rebounded Alabama 60-44.

1) Over last six years, Dustin Johnson is minus-60 at the Genesis Invitational golf tournament, 13 shots better than any other player.

[Udog]

523LA CLIPPERS -524 BOSTON
LA CLIPPERS are 13-2 ATS (10.8 Units) in road games off a road loss over the last 2 seasons.

525OKLAHOMA CITY -526 NEW ORLEANS
OKLAHOMA CITY is 13-1 ATS (11.9 Units) in road games after having won 4 or 5 of their last 6 games in the current season.




NBA
Long Sheet

Thursday, February 13

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

LA CLIPPERS (37 - 17) at BOSTON (37 - 16) - 2/13/2020, 8:05 PM
Top Trends for this game.
LA CLIPPERS are 235-294 ATS (-88.4 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record - 2nd half of the season since 1996.
BOSTON is 31-21 ATS (+7.9 Units) in all games this season.
BOSTON is 13-5 ATS (+7.5 Units) after a non-conference game this season.
BOSTON is 50-33 ATS (+13.7 Units) revenging a loss vs opponent over the last 3 seasons.
BOSTON is 17-6 ATS (+10.4 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record this season.
LA CLIPPERS are 31-19 ATS (+10.1 Units) in non-conference games over the last 2 seasons.
BOSTON is 143-183 ATS (-58.3 Units) in home games in non-conference games since 1996.

Head-to-Head Series History
LA CLIPPERS is 3-2 against the spread versus BOSTON over the last 3 seasons
LA CLIPPERS is 4-1 straight up against BOSTON over the last 3 seasons
4 of 5 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons

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

OKLAHOMA CITY (32 - 22) at NEW ORLEANS (23 - 31) - 2/13/2020, 8:05 PM
Top Trends for this game.
NEW ORLEANS is 27-13 ATS (+12.7 Units) after 3 or more consecutive overs over the last 3 seasons.
OKLAHOMA CITY is 34-19 ATS (+13.1 Units) in all games this season.
OKLAHOMA CITY is 21-8 ATS (+12.2 Units) as an underdog this season.
OKLAHOMA CITY is 20-5 ATS (+14.5 Units) in road games this season.
OKLAHOMA CITY is 66-42 ATS (+19.8 Units) after playing 3 consecutive home games since 1996.
OKLAHOMA CITY is 12-2 ATS (+9.8 Units) in road games when playing against a team with a losing record this season.
OKLAHOMA CITY is 24-13 ATS (+9.7 Units) versus poor defensive teams - allowing 106+ points/game this season.
OKLAHOMA CITY is 26-17 ATS (+7.3 Units) versus good offensive teams - scoring 106+ points/game this season.

Head-to-Head Series History
NEW ORLEANS is 5-4 against the spread versus OKLAHOMA CITY over the last 3 seasons
OKLAHOMA CITY is 6-4 straight up against NEW ORLEANS over the last 3 seasons
6 of 10 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons

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




NBA
Armadillo's Write-Up

Thursday, February 13

Clippers-Celtics
Clippers won 10 of last 14 games; they’re 5-6 ATS in last 11 road games. Under is 5-2 in their last seven road games. Celtics won seven of their last eight games; they’re 4-1-1 ATS in last six home games. Four of their last five home games stayed under.

Clippers won their last four games with the Celtics; they covered four of last five visits to Boston. Four of last five series games went over.

Thunder-Pelicans
OKC lost last two games, after winning nine of previous 10; they covered their last seven road games. Under is 6-2 in their last eight games. New Orleans won six of its last eight games; they are 9-3 ATS in last dozen home games. Six of last seven Pelican games went over.

Thunder won four of last five games with New Orleans; they’re 2-3 ATS in last five visits to Bourbon Street. Last three series games stayed under.




NBA

Thursday, February 13

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

Boston Celtics
Boston is 8-4 ATS in its last 12 games
Boston is 7-1 SU in its last 8 games
The total has gone UNDER in 8 of Boston's last 11 games
Boston is 5-1 ATS in its last 6 games at home
Boston is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games at home
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Boston's last 5 games at home
Boston is 2-6 ATS in its last 8 games when playing LA Clippers
Boston is 1-5 SU in its last 6 games when playing LA Clippers
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Boston's last 5 games when playing LA Clippers
Boston is 1-5 ATS in its last 6 games when playing at home against LA Clippers
Boston is 2-4 SU in its last 6 games when playing at home against LA Clippers
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Boston's last 5 games when playing at home against LA Clippers
Los Angeles Clippers
LA Clippers is 10-4 SU in its last 14 games
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of LA Clippers's last 6 games
LA Clippers is 12-6 SU in its last 18 games on the road
The total has gone UNDER in 8 of LA Clippers's last 11 games on the road
LA Clippers is 6-2 ATS in its last 8 games when playing Boston
LA Clippers is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games when playing Boston
The total has gone OVER in 4 of LA Clippers's last 5 games when playing Boston
LA Clippers is 5-1 ATS in its last 6 games when playing on the road against Boston
LA Clippers is 4-2 SU in its last 6 games when playing on the road against Boston
The total has gone OVER in 4 of LA Clippers's last 5 games when playing on the road against Boston

New Orleans Pelicans
New Orleans is 17-5-2 ATS in its last 24 games
New Orleans is 6-2 SU in its last 8 games
The total has gone OVER in 16 of New Orleans's last 21 games
New Orleans is 9-3 ATS in its last 12 games at home
The total has gone OVER in 8 of New Orleans's last 11 games at home
New Orleans is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games when playing Oklahoma City
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of New Orleans's last 6 games when playing Oklahoma City
New Orleans is 6-12 ATS in its last 18 games when playing at home against Oklahoma City
The total has gone OVER in 7 of New Orleans's last 10 games when playing at home against Oklahoma City
Oklahoma City Thunder
Oklahoma City is 17-7 ATS in its last 24 games
Oklahoma City is 9-3 SU in its last 12 games
Oklahoma City is 5-0 ATS in its last 5 games on the road
Oklahoma City is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games on the road
Oklahoma City is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games when playing New Orleans
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Oklahoma City's last 6 games when playing New Orleans
Oklahoma City is 12-6 ATS in its last 18 games when playing on the road against New Orleans
The total has gone OVER in 7 of Oklahoma City's last 10 games when playing on the road against New Orleans


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

[Udog]

NBA
Dunkel

Thursday, February 13


LA Clippers @ Boston

Game 523-524
February 13, 2020 @ 8:00 pm

Dunkel Rating:
LA Clippers
117.115
Boston
122.776
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Boston
by 5 1/2
226
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Boston
by 1 1/2
227
Dunkel Pick:
Boston
(-1 1/2); Under

Oklahoma City @ New Orleans

Game 525-526
February 13, 2020 @ 8:00 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Oklahoma City
118.164
New Orleans
124.677
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
New Orleans
by 6 1/2
220
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
New Orleans
by 2
231 1/2
Dunkel Pick:
New Orleans
(-2); Under

[Udog]

Friday’s 4-pack
XFL odds for Week 2:
— New York @ Washington (-5.5, 48)
— Tampa Bay (-2.5, 45) @ Seattle
— Dallas (-4.5, 48) @ Los Angeles
— St Louis @ Houston (-8, 50)


Quote of the Day:
“It’s about continuing to move forward, it’s about trying to learn from your mistakes, it’s about trying to not repeat your mistakes or bad decisions, and just try to continue to develop the group. I work from a position of positivity always. I don’t dwell on negativity, and I always believe something better’s on the horizon.”
Joe Maddon

Friday’s quiz
In between coaching Cincinnati and West Virginia, Bob Huggins went 23-12 in one season as head coach of which Big X team?

Thursday’s quiz
Golfer Dustin Johnson has a famous father-in-law, the great hockey player Wayne Gretzky.

Wednesday’s quiz
Red Sox have won four World Series since 2004, under Terry Francona (2), John Farrell, Alex Cora.

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

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

13) When ESPN first started 40 years ago, during the NCAA tournament, they would replay games all night long; it was excellent. You could basically go from noon Thursday to 6:30 Sunday night, constantly watching basketball, except you have to sleep, so I’d pick crummy games to catch naps during, two hours at a time.

These days, CBS Sports Network does that during the tournament, and ESPNU has started showing games all night long during the regular season. Tremendous.

12) Cincinnati 92, Memphis 86— Young Tigers led by 10 with 6:11 left, but couldn’t finish the job and are now 4-5 in their last nine games, after starting season 12-1.

11) Oregon 68, Colorado 60— Ducks’ G Payton Pritchard is only player in country to lead his team in assists per game, and scoring. He had 15 points, six assists in this game.

10) Jeff Bezos is the CEO of Amazon; he just bought a mansion in Beverly Hills, for $165M. Not sure what the hell is in a mansion that costs that much money— pinball machines, bowling alleys, saunas, swimming pools. I’d want a movie theater and a basketball court, for $165M. Maybe even a golf course.

9) Mike Trout has been in the major leagues for eight years, and has never won a playoff game. Looking at the Angels’ pitching rotation for this year, its not looking good for 2020, either.

8) There are keeper fantasy baseball leagues that use only one league, so if you’re in an AL-only league and you had Mookie Betts, him getting traded to the Dodgers makes him ineligible, which is a total freaking disaster for your team. Wouldn’t want to be in a league like that.

7) Upsets:
— Idaho (+14) 74, Eastern Washington 71
— SIU-Edwardsville (+10) 76, Eastern Illinois 74
— UL-Monroe (+6) 74, Troy 71
— Gardner-Webb (+5) 74, Winthrop 70
— Eastern Kentucky (+4) 78, Morehead State 71

6) UCLA 86, Washington State 83 OT— Bruins were down 12 in second half, rallied to win despite a 3-10 night on foul line from freshman G Campbell, who did have four steals and three assists. Kid is shooting 63.3% on foul line for season, so he just had a bad night.

5) Austin Peay 71, Murray State 68— In three years under Matt Figger, Governors are 36-13 in Ohio Valley games, after going 27-53 the previous five years. Excellent coaching job, but there may be big-money teams looking to poach coach Figger this spring.

4) Indiana 89, Iowa 77— Hoosiers made 11-21 on arc, broke a 4-game losing skid, surviving a 38-point outburst from Luka Garza.

One of the most interesting parts about March Madness will be how all these middling Big 14 teams do in the tournament- their TV network makes every team in the league sound like the Kareem/Magic Lakers.

3) Texas State 74, Little Rock 66— This is a likely semi-final matchup in Sun Belt tourney; this loss breaks the Trojans’ 7-game win streak. Kid for Texas State scored 26 points and he didn’t start the game; the Sun Belt tournament is going to be fun.

2) Celtics 141, Clippers 133, 2OT— Between this game and the LA-Denver game Wednesday night, two good advertisements for the NBA, as they head into their week off for the All-Star Game. Hard-fought games between good teams. Fun to watch.

1) Here’s a tip for major league baseball; put an earpiece in the catchers’ ear, put a little mike on the pitcher. Then the pitcher can cover his mouth, talk to the catcher, call his pitches, and there is no issue with this BS/sign stealing stuff. It is 2020, for Pete’s sake. Let’s get creative.

[Udog]

2020 NBA All-Star Skills Challenge odds to win and betting picks: Don't fade the big men
Rohit Ponnaiya

Toronto Raptors forward Pascal Siakam is a +550 underdog to win the NBA All-Star Skills Challenge this weekend but if recent history is any indication don't bet against the big man.

The NBA skills challenge might not be the flashiest event at the All-Star Game, but it has proved to be very profitable for bettors who like to wager on underdogs. We take a look at the odds to win the NBA skills challenge for this year's field and break down our betting picks for the 2020 event.

WHAT ARE THE RULES FOR THE TACO BELL SKILLS CHALLENGE?

The skills challenge features eight NBA players going through an obstacle course which tests their dribbling skills, passing ability, agility and shooting.

Two players face off next to each other on identical courses on the court. For the first leg, they run down the court while dribbling between five obstacles, before throwing a pass through a target. Then they turn around and dribble back the full length of the court for a lay up. Then they head back up the court before hitting a 3-pointer from the top of the key. The first player to sink his shot from beyond the arc wins.

It's a single elimination format with three rounds and the brackets won't be chosen until Saturday.

ODDS TO WIN NBA SKILLS CHALLENGE

PLAYER TEAM ODDS
Spencer Dinwiddie Brooklyn Nets +350
Khris Middleton Milwaukee Bucks +410
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander Oklahoma City Thunder +460
Jayson Tatum Boston Celtics +550
Pascal Siakam Toronto Raptors +550
Domantis Sabonis Indiana Pacers +850
Patrick Beverley Los Angeles Clippers +900
Bam Adebayo Miami Heat +1,200

NBA SKILLS CHALLENGE BETTING PREDICTION

This year's event features three former winners: Patrick Beverley (2015), Spencer Dinwiddie (2018) and Jayson Tatum (2019). While Dinwiddie has the best odds to win at +350, if recent history is any indication this is one contest where underdogs have a good chance of coming out on top.

Since the event started including big men in 2016, two players have won with the worst odds (Dinwiddie and Karl-Anthony Towns) while another took home the title with the second-worst odds (Kristaps Porzingis in 2016). Last year, Tatum won with the fifth-best odds at +600.

That said, we're not taking the player with the worst odds this year. Adebayo is having a terrific season but he's only connected on one 3-point shot all year (on 11 attempts), so the final step in this event could prove to be a challenge.

We like the +550 payout for Tatum to repeat, but our money is on the player tied with Tatum in the odds department: Raptors forward Pascal Siakam. Siakam is quicker and has better handles than many give him credit for, and he's really improved his shot from beyond the arc this season (connecting on more than two 3-point shots per game at a clip of 36 percent).

Siakam also seems to play at his best when the pressure is on, so expect him to thrive under the spotlight in Chicago this weekend. We're betting on the Raptors' big man.

[Udog]

2020 NBA All-Star 3-point contest odds to win and betting picks: New rules will help these shooters
Andrew Caley

Brooklyn Nets shooter Joe Harris is the co-favorite to defend his 3-point contest title at +350 but no one has repeated as champion since Jason Kapono back in 2007 and 2008.

The surge in long-range shooting across the NBA has helped move the league's 3-point contest to main event status during the annual NBA All-Star Saturday Night showcase, but the 3-point shootout has always held a special place in NBA betting. It's far more entertaining than the slam dunk contest and the odds to win the NBA 3-point contest hold much more betting value with past winners cashing in at lofty payouts.

Given the massive uptick in production from beyond the arc, the NBA decided to give the 3-point contest a little tweak in 2020. We look at how those rule changes could impact your NBA bets, preview this year’s crop of sharp shooters and their odds, and give our picks to win the NBA All-Star 3-point contest.

WHAT ARE THE NEW 3-POINT CONTEST RULES?

The eight-player field will take turns shooting balls from five racks set up around the 3-point arc. Four of the racks will hold four regular balls worth one point each and one multi-colored “money ball” that are worth two points apiece. One rack will be a special “all money ball” rack. The new rule twist is the addition of two extra green balls set six feet behind the 3-point line. That makes for a maximum score of 40 points in a round. Contestants will also get an extra 10 seconds to take their shots, bringing the total up to 70 seconds.

This is a two-round event, with each player shooting in the first round. The three players with the highest score move on to the championship round. They then shoot again with the lowest score going first. The player with the highest total in the championship round is the winner.

ODDS TO WIN NBA 3-POINT CONTEST

PLAYERS 3-POINT PERCENTAGE ODDS TO WIN
Joe Harris (Brooklyn Nets) 40.8 +350
Trae Young (Atlanta Hawks) 36.9 +390
Dāvis Bertāns (Washington Wizards) 42.4 +460
Duncan Robinson (Miami Heat) 43.8 +460
Devin Booker (Phoenix Suns) 35.8 +500
Buddy Hield (Sacramento Kings) 38.5 +700
Zach LaVine (Chicago Bulls) 38.5 +1200
DeVonte Graham (Charlotte Hornets) 37.4 +1200

The 2020 field is very impressive considering it's the first 3-point contest that won’t feature a Splash Brother (Stephen Curry or Klay Thompson) since 2012. Hield, Graham, Young, LaVine and Robinson rank third to seventh respectively in terms of 3-pointers taken this season. While Bertāns and defending champion/favorite, Joe Harris, rank third and fifth respectively when it comes to 3-point percentage among players who have attempted at least 300 shots from deep. Devin Booker has stepped in to replace Damian Lillard and while he has the lowest 3-point percent of any shooter in the compeition, he won the contest in Los Angeles two years ago.

NBA 3-POINT CONTEST BETTING PICK

Harris is the favorite to defend his title at +300, but no one has repeated as champion of the 3-point contest since Jason Kapono back in 2007 and 2008. The other sexy pick will be Trae Young at +390, but the Hawks’ star is the most inconsistent shooter of the bunch.

LaVine is an interesting long shot at +1200 odds to win the contest. The Bulls guard is hoping to become the first player to win both the slam dunk and 3-point contest in his career. Unfortunately, he's a streaky shooter and he's a bit of a jumper with his shot, which means it’s harder to find a rhythm in this type of competition. Graham at +1,200 is tempting, but we’ve got to go with Buddy.

Hield has shot more 3-pointers than anyone not named James Harden and Lillard this season, all while hitting at a rate of nearly 39 percent and he can get as hot as anybody in this competition. But what makes me really like Hield is his form. He squares his body to the net very well and his release is one of the quickest and smoothest in the NBA. It’s perfect for the 3-point contest and at these odds, what’s not to like.

PICK: Buddy Hield +750

[Udog]

2020 NBA All-Star Slam Dunk contest odds to win and betting picks: Third time's a charm for Gordon
Rohit Ponnaiya

Orlando Magic forward Aaron Gordon is the betting favorite for the NBA All-Star Slam Dunk Contest this Saturday, set at +150 after finishing runner-up in 2016.

The NBA slam dunk contest is one of the highlights of All-Star weekend and comes with plenty of betting intrigue. This year, the four competitors include a former winner and two players that finished runner-up in recent contests. We break down the odds to win the NBA slam dunk contest for each of the contestants and give you our betting pick for the final All-Star event on Saturday night.

WHAT ARE THE SLAM DUNK CONTEST RULES?

This is a two-round event with each player getting two turns to perform a dunk during the first round. Their dunks will be graded by five judges and the two players with the highest combined scores move on to the final round. In the finals the two remaining dunkers get two more turns with the highest combined score taking home the title.

Keep in mind that since this is a judged event, legal sportsbooks in the U.S. will not be taking wagers and overseas odds can vary greatly.
2020 NBA All-Star Skills Challenge odds to win and betting picks: Don't fade the big men

ODDS TO WIN NBA SLAM DUNK CONTEST

PLAYER TEAM ODDS
Aaron Gordon Orlando Magic +150
Derrick Jones Jr. Miami Heat +160
Pat Connaughton Milwaukee Bucks +450
Dwight Howard Los Angeles Lakers +600

AARON GORDON +150

This is Gordon's third time in the contest and he seems hungry to win after a fantastic runner-up performance in 2016 where he got three straight perfect scores of 50. Gordon's dunks in that contest were some of the best that have ever been seen, including my personal favorite where he jumped over Orlando's bizarre mascot, grabbed the ball, passed it underneath his legs and slammed it down with authority.

Unfortunately for Gordon, Zach Lavine also had a jaw-dropping display in 2016 and won probably the best slam dunk duel in recent memory. Gordon has terrific jumping ability, length, coordination and creativity and is the betting fave for good reason.

DERRICK JONES JR. +160

Gordon was the runner-up in 2016 and Jones Jr. was the runner-up the following year, albeit in a far less entertaining contest. Jones is an incredible leaper who casually throws down 360-degree, between-the-legs dunks during warmups. The Heat small forward has terrific power and elevation and will put on a show.

PAT CONNAUGHTON +450

After rookie sensation Ja Morant declined his invitation to this event, many fans on Twitter were pretty disappointed when the Bucks guard was named as the final competitor. Despite the obvious Woody Harrelson-inspired stereotype, Connaughton is actually a very impressive dunker who had the second-highest max vertical in NBA draft combine history at 44 inches. And as you can see from the above video, the Notre Dame product has been throwing down insane dunks since he was a teenager.

That said, this is Connaughton's first time competing in this event and while his hang time is impressive he doesn't have the explosiveness of Gordon or Jones. Judges and fans tend to go wild for the sorts of vicious throwdowns that the two favorites are capable of.

DWIGHT HOWARD +600

If Howard managed to claim this contest after winning in 2008, it would be a heartwarming comeback story for the big fella that once laid claim to the Superman title. The 34-year-old has made a comeback of sorts, becoming an integral role player for a Lakers team that has a strong shot at the NBA title.

But let's be realistic, Dwight isn't anywhere close to the athletic speciman he was a decade ago. Time takes its toll on every athlete and it has been especially brutal on Howard, who has been hit with numerous back injuries since 2012. Howard fans will be better off rooting for him to win his first NBA championship than another slam dunk title.

NBA SLAM DUNK CONTEST BETTING PICK

While it's not always that profitable to back a favorite, all indications are that this will be a two-horse race and both Gordon and Jones Jr. offer plenty of value. Although Gordon competed as the betting favorite in 2017 and didn't make it into the final round, he was coming off a foot injury at the time and didn't seem to have his usual bounce.

Gordon also attempted extremely creative dunks in the first round of that event and couldn't quite pull them off with his usual panache. When it comes to the creativity department, Gordon seems to be ahead of the field and now that he's healthy, the sky is the limit. Put your money on the favorite and back Gordon on Saturday night.

[Udog]

New format makes 2020 NBA All-Star Game betting odds a test for bookmakers
Patrick Everson

Milwaukee Bucks standout Giannis Antetokounmpo will captain Team Giannis against Team LeBron in Sunday's NBA All-Star Game. A new format has made setting the odds a little more difficult.

Setting NBA All-Star Game betting odds is always a tricky proposition, since as a general rule, neither team is much interested in playing defense, leading to ridiculously high scoring. Five of the last six All-Star tilts have seen both teams eclipse 150 points, including last year, when Team LeBron topped Team Giannis 178-164, as the Over hit on a whopping total of 315.5.

For the 2020 NBA All-Star Game, it gets trickier still for oddsmakers, as Sunday night’s matchup in Chicago rolls out a new format: the score will reset to 0-0 after the first and second quarters; after the third quarter, the cumulative score for both teams comes into play, as it normally would. However, there will be no game clock; rather, a final target score will be set, and the first team to reach that score wins the game.

That target, in a nod honoring the memory of Kobe Bryant, will come by taking the leading team’s cumulative score and adding 24 points to that number. For example, if Team Lebron leads Team Giannis – yes, the captains are the same as last year – 100-95 after three quarters, the final target score is 124.

It’s enough to make one Las Vegas operator, The SuperBook at Westgate, take a wait-and-see approach on posting the odds.

“We have a good idea of how we are going to approach it, but it’s not official yet,” SuperBook executive director John Murray told Covers on Thursday, noting the game isn’t yet on the odds board. “It definitely won’t be today. It’s possible it could be Friday, but more likely Saturday.”

Back east in New Jersey, PointsBet USA’s trading team agreed the format is a little wonky, but for the moment is doing what it can to treat the matchup like a typical game. PointsBet head of content Matt Chaprales intimated that there might even be advantages to this remodel.

“From a linemaking perspective, we don’t believe the side should be too affected by the new format. In fact, it may lend to a truer full-game sample, given that the players have incentive to go hard in the first three quarters, due to the stakes,” Chaprales said. “Typically, the first halves in particular see a lot more variance in All-Star Games, as they’re more of a dunk showcase with no real game flow. That doesn’t figure to be the case this year.

“We went up with Team LeBron -4.5 for the full-game spread, and that’s simply a reflection of the clear talent edge they have over Team Giannis.”

Team LeBron was still at -4.5 on Thursday night, and reflecting Chaprales’ point about players taking the contest more seriously – along with the fourth-quarter format – the total was 285.5, 30 points below last year’s closing total.

“The total is a more difficult proposition. In recent years, the market has shaped it pretty drastically down from the opener, so we have to keep that in mind,” Chaprales said. “Then you have the fact that 1) the first three quarters figure to feature more defense than we’re accustomed to seeing in the All-Star Game, given the incentive to win each quarter; and 2) the new format means it’s unlikely we’ll see more than 50 points in the fourth, give or take.

“We’re currently up with player point totals for the starters, which will help guide our linemaking process on the game total, as they’re derivative markets.”

PointsBet USA will also offer first-half side/moneyline as normal, and in the first half, there will be in-game options, as well. However, the only in-game market in the second half will be the moneyline, going up near the end of the third quarter. In addition, as Chaprales alluded to, there are proposition bets, potentially including alternate sides and totals.

The SuperBook is renowned for its array of offerings, so don’t be surprised to see plenty of options there, as well, once those post on Friday or Saturday. But Murray isn’t convinced bettors will take to these changes.

“I definitely think the format is going to negatively impact handle on the game,” Murray said. “People won’t understand it and will be less likely to bet the game because of it. I do think we will see a decrease in handle, due to confusion over the format.”

All that said, with a 285.5-point total, bettors and fans alike can still expect a boatload of scoring.

[Udog]

Saturday’s 6-pack
Highest valued NBA teams (from Forbes Magazine);
— New York Knicks $4.6B
— Los Angeles Lakers $4.4B
— Golden State Warriors $4.3B
— Chicago Bulls $3.2B
— Boston Celtics $3.1B
— Los Angeles Clippers $2,6B


Quote of the Day:
“That’s lower-class football. I don’t support XFL, man. If it ain’t the highest level, man, I’m not playing … I don’t want to go chill with 60 dudes every day and guys jealous ’cause AB getting all the touchdowns, AB getting all the girls they wishing about, you know?”
Antonio Brown

Saturday’s quiz
Peyton Manning was the first pick in the 1998 NFL Draft; which QB was the #2 pick?

Friday’s quiz
In between coaching Cincinnati and West Virginia, Bob Huggins went 23-12 in one season as head coach at Kansas State.

Thursday’s quiz
Golfer Dustin Johnson has a famous father-in-law, the great hockey player Wayne Gretzky.

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

13) Most teams from one conference in one NCAA tournament?

2011 Big East had 11 teams in the tournament; the teams went 7-4 in first round, 2-5 in second round; Marquette lost in the Sweet 16, UConn won the national title, after going 9-9 in the Big East regular season.

2012 Big East and 2018 ACC had 10 teams each; sounds like this year’s Big 14 is going to challenge that record of 11.

12) Cleveland Indians’ P Mike Clevinger had meniscus surgery on his knee, is out 6-8 weeks, so he’ll probably miss Opening Day.

11) Indians also signed OF Domingo Santana, who had an OPS of .850 in the first half of the season, but only .468 in the second half, while playing for the Mariners last year.

10) Funny how Vanderbilt sucks at football/basketball, but they probably have the best baseball program in the country. Makes no sense.

College baseball is a little different; in a 1-1 game vs Michigan Friday night. Vandy executed a squeeze play on an 0-2 count. That would never happen in the major leagues.

9) NHL’s LA Kings, Colorado Avalanche are playing an outdoor game at the Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs today. NHL struck gold with these outdoor games; no way did they know how popular they would become.

8) Siena 73, Rider 64— Rider’s senior G Stevie Jordan wears #23; any similarity between him and the other Jordan who wore #23 is purely coincidental.

Siena is 11-0 at home, 1-10 on the road; conference tournament moves to Atlantic City this year, after usually being in Albany, good news for the rest of the MAAC.

7) Manhattan signed basketball coach Steve Masiello to a 3-year contract extension; Jaspers are 11-11 this year, as they try to avoid their fifth losing season in a row. Manhattan is 35-51 in MAAC games the last five years, after going 28-12 from 2013-15.

6) CB Josh Norman is getting released by the Redskins, who recently hired Ron Rivera as their head coach. Norman played four years in Carolina under Rivera; not a good sign that they dump him as soon as Rivera is on board. Why should another team want Norman if Rivera doesn’t?

5) University of Washington’s softball team has a left-handed catcher; you don’t see those every day. Last lefty catcher in the major leagues was Mike Squires of the White Sox in 1980, who was a first baseman most of the time.

4) A Northern Iowa student had his prize money reduced from $10,000 to $2,000 after some unclear rules determined that the half-court shot he made went in after time on the clock had expired. Watching the replay, there was no running clock visible, so it was a little cheesy when they wouldn’t pay the kid his $10K. He made his only try from halfcourt.

3) Eight NHL coaches have already been fired this season; seems like a lot.

2) Dartmouth 65, Columbia 63— Lions led 61-53 with 7:53 left, then scored two points the rest of the game and lost, their sixth defeat in a row.

1) Yale 88, Princeton 64— Bulldogs take over first place in Ivy League at 6-1; top four teams make Ivy tournament.

[Udog]

All-Star Weekend Betting Odds

The NBA All-Star Weekend heats up Saturday at the United Center from Chicago, Illinois with contests that feature the skills of the players.

The Skills Challenge and 3-Point Contest are two of the popular events and DraftKings is offering betting opportunities.

NBA Expert Tony Mejia provides his "Best Bets" on Saturday's events.

Boston Celtics young gun Jayson Tatum is the defending champion of the Skills Challenge and he’s listed at 5/1 odds to repeat (Bet $100 to win $500). The co-favorites are Spencer Dinwiddie of the Nets and Khris Middleton of the Bucks. Dinwiddie took home the contest in 2018 at the Staples Center in Los Angeles.

NBA All Star Skills Challenge Betting Odds

Spencer Dinwiddie +450 (Bet $100 to win $450)
Khris Middleton +450
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander +500
Jayson Tatum +500
Patrick Beverley +600
Pascal Siakam +600
Bam Adebayo +1000
Domantas Sabonis +1000

Tony Mejia's pick: Jayson Tatum

All-Star Saturday night should see Boston’s Jayson Tatum and Brooklyn’s Spencer Dinwiddie duel for the Skills Challenge title after winning the last two competitions. Tatum won last year’s and will be motivated to hang on to the title in tribute to Bryant. I like him to join Damian Lillard, Steve Nash and Dwyane Wade as repeat Skills Challenge winners.

NBA All Star 3-Point Contest Betting Odds

While this year's 3-Point Contest lacks some luster due to the absence of the “Splash Brothers” from Golden State – Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson – the league still has plenty of sharpshooters on display in Chicago come Saturday. Brooklyn shooting guard Joe Harris is the defending champion and he is currently the betting favorite.

Joe Harris +450 (Bet $100 to win $450)
Duncan Robinson +500
Trae Young +500
Devin Booker +500
Davis Bertans +550
Buddy Hield +700
Zach LaVine +1000
Devonte' Graham +1200

Tony Mejia's pick: Duncan Robinson

Miami Heat forward Duncan Robinson will beat LaVine in the Three-Point Contest and should be a great value pick since he’s the biggest unknown in the field. Young, Booker, defending champ Harris, Sacramento’s Hield and Chicago’s own LaVine will all be more popular choices who won’t be able to hang with the undrafted 25-year-old, second-year wing.

Slam Dunk Odds

Unfortunately for bettors in the United States, sportsbooks regulated will not be taking action on the event since the judges are celebrities and the scoring is subjective.

The 2020 field includes:

Aaron Gordon
Derrick Jones Jr.
Pat Connaughton
Dwight Howard

Tony Mejia's pick: Derrick Jones Jr.

There's a rumor that LaVine may treat Chicago fans to a 360 dunk from the free-throw line, but he's not expected to partake in this event. Miami's Jones, Jr. is therefore my choice to keep former runner-up Aaron Gordon of the Magic from earning his first dunk title in his third attempt.

[Udog]

Sunday’s 6-pack
Six of the most experienced teams in country:
2) South Alabama 16-11, 9-7
3) Iona 8-12, 6-7 (coach is out)
4) Central Michigan 13-11, 6-5
5) South Dakota 19-9, 9-4
7) Hofstra 20-7, 11-3
9) BYU 21-7, 10-3


Quote of the Day:
“I support Mason Rudolph not only because I know him, but also because I was on that field immediately following the altercation with Myles Garrett, and subsequently after the game. I interacted with a lot of people in the Cleveland Browns organization — players and coaches. If Mason said what Myles claimed, it would have come out during the many interactions I had with those in the Browns’ organization. In my conversations, I had a lot of expressions of sorrow for what transpired.”
Mike Tomlin

Sunday’s quiz
Which college basketball team is known as the Anteaters?

Saturday’s quiz
Peyton Manning was the first pick in the 1998 NFL Draft; Ryan Leaf was the #2 pick.

Friday’s quiz
In between coaching Cincinnati and West Virginia, Bob Huggins went 23-12 in one season as head coach at Kansas State.

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

Sunday’s List of 13: Wrapping up a sports Saturday…….

13) 12 of college hoop’s top 25 teams played on road Saturday; eight of them lost.

12) Maryland 67, Michigan State 60:
— Terps outscored MSU 14-0 over final 3:24 of game.
— Maryland led by 15 in first half.
— Spartans lost four of their last five games.

11) Cal-Fullerton 105, Cal Poly 101, 4OT:
— First time they met, Cal Poly won 101-100 in OT.
— Fullerton was 37-53 on foul line, Cal Poly 29-36
— Titans made 10-19 on arc, still needed 4 OT’s to win.

10) Kentucky 67, Ole Miss 62— Rebels led by 7 with 9:58 left, but had their 3-game win streak snapped, as Wildcats won despite going 2-22 on arc. Kermit Davis is a very good coach; Ole Miss was 1-7 in SEC at one point, but Davis has made the #251 experience team a much better team.

9) Mississippi State 78, Arkansas 77— Bulldogs blew a 17-point lead, then put a rebound back in for game-winning hoop with less than a second to play. Miss State is an old school team; they took 44 2-point shots, were only 3-7 on the arc. Only senior who played for State was Tyson Carter- he gave them 26 points off the bench.

8) Florida State 80, Syracuse 77— Seminoles bounced back from Duke loss, winning game they trailed by 11 in with 12:11 left. Syracuse played six guys basically; a 7th guy played only 7:00. None of the seven guys are seniors; only Hofstra’s subs play less than Syracuse subs.

7) Upsets:
— Georgetown (+11) 73, Butler 66
— Incarnate Word (+10) 67, New Orleans 66
— LMU (+7.5) 65, Santa Clara 59
— George Washington (+7) 73, George Mason 67
— Maryland (+7) 67, Michigan State 60
— Bowling Green (+7) 77, Ball State 71
— Md-Eastern Shore (+6.5) 66, Bethune-Cookman 58
— Clemson (+6) 77, Louisville 62
— Western Carolina (+6) 80, Wofford 74

6) Colorado State 77, Wyoming 70— Rams outscored their rivals 14-0 over final 2:26 to get out of Laramie with win, after they trailed by 19 with 14:06 left. State was 26-40 on foul line; not often a road team takes 40 foul shots in a game.

5) Loyola 82, Northern Iowa 73 OT— Loyola butchered end of regulation, not fouling when they led by 3 and still had fouls to give in last 0:05— UNI hit a 3-pointer to tie game, but Ramblers had a strong overtime and closed to within one game of the Panthers atop the MVC standings.

4) Virginia 64, North Carolina 62— Virginia tore the Tar Heels’ heart out of their chest, making a 3-pointer with 0:00.6 left in game. Carolina lost its last five games, is 3-11 in the ACC.

3) Richmond 77, VCU 59— Spiders avenge an earlier loss to their crosstown rival; they’ve won four games in row, are up to 19-6 this season, 9-3 in A-14.

2) Florida 84, Vanderbilt 66— They named the court in Gainesville after Billy Donovan last night; think about it- since 2001, the ’07 Gators are the only defending national champ to get to the Elite 8. They won consecutive national titles, very difficult in this era of college ball, where kids bolt to pro basketball as soon as they make two layups in a row.

1) Providence 74, Seton Hall 71— Friars led this game 34-9….34-9!!!! Lot of people are picking Seton Hall to get to the Final Four, but they’ve lost three of last five games. NCAA Tournament is going to be very difficult to predict. Lot of wildly erratic teams out there.

[Udog]

All-Star Best Bets
Tony Mejia

While NBA All-Star weekend will provide an extended tribute Kobe Bryant, the league will mourn by celebrating.

There were issues getting to Chicago due to inclement weather affecting travel throughout the country but those who experienced turmoil will be able to zap it out and perform. That goes for players, coaches and reporters who know that overcoming adversity is part of the gig.

Bettors shouldn’t feel bad about letting it ride in this All-Star Game either. Some who refuse to let their money ride on exhibitions wouldn’t have touched this game outside of blindly betting the ‘over’ and now have no angle due to the league’s decision to honor Bryant by changing the format.

Scores will reset after every quarter and will therefore be more attractive to bet since each 12 minutes will produce a $100,000 winner for charity. The combined score of the first three quarters will be added to open the fourth and we’ll get a target score that will need to be reached to close out the contest. In tribute to Bryant, the team that has the lead will then need 24 points to win the game. If Team LeBron is up on Team Giannis 121-115 through the first three quarters, the game would end when either team arrives at 145 points.

My hope is that the players selected to star in this game honor their fallen brother by playing with some tenacity. For that reason, I fully expect that we’ll see the lowest-scoring All-Star Game in over a decade.

Tony Mejia's pick: Under 304

Back in 2009, the Western Conference, led by Bryant’s 27 points, defeated the LeBron-led East 146-119. He shared MVP with former teammate Shaquille O’Neal, leading his group on a game-clinching 19-0 run. Bryant won top honors once more two years later since he had to represent at Staples and went for 37 points and 14 boards, The 291 points produced in that showcase are part of a run now spanning 10-plus years where at least 280 points have been scored.

Last year’s total closed at 316 and was surpassed easily as Team LeBron routed Team Giannis 178-164. The year prior to that featured James’ squad edging Stephen Curry’s group 148-145 as he won MVP at Staples Center in his final season with the Cavs. Scoring has skyrocketed over the past 15 years. In 2006, there were 242 points scored on the heels of 240 the previous season. In 2016, the West beat the East 196-173. They won 192-182 in ‘17.

This All-Star Game’s rule changes mean we won’t be able to accurately rely on past behavior to try and forecast this exhibition game. The total moving 10-15 points to the north has been a trend that bettors have been able to count upon over the past few years, although the ’18 game did manage to cash for ‘under’ bettors. Typically, you bet the ‘over’ as soon as numbers are released and rejoice at getting in early as the closing figure skyrockets as tip-off approaches. That’s unlikely to be a sound strategy this time around, although this figure opened at ‘under’ 300 and climbed as high as 305 at some shops on Saturday.

If the NBA sticks to using this “Elam Ending” where they post a final score to reach in order to end the game, we’ll at least have this year’s game as an indicator of what to expect. Resetting the scores at the beginning of the second and third quarters to set up three mini games is also something you should probably get used to since Commissioner Adam Silver is very interested in “fixing” the competitive balance of the All-Star game and views the teams playing for prize money for charity as something that should yield results.

The number ‘24’ is being used for the fourth quarter to honor Bryant, so it will be interesting to monitor whether that figure ends up closer to 35 points down the road. Even with the team trailing likely to lock in on the defensive end in pursuit of a comeback, notching 24 points doesn’t sound too challenging for a team of All-Stars, which may result in a fairly brief fourth quarter.

James’ team was always going to be favored and the chemistry he shares with Chicago native Anthony Davis should serve as a driving force for Team LeBron. If you’re laying the points and backing James to improve to 3-0 since drafting your own teams became the norm, find a way to ride Davis to win All-Star MVP if you can find it. A top point scorer prop is available at FanDuel Sportsbook and pays out +400. His individual number is set at 21.5, which is my top player prop for this game.

Team Giannis has the ability to clamp down if they really take playing defense to heart. Although they would only be able to close with one of their starting guards, Trae Young or Kemba Walker, the group has Jimmy Butler, Antetokounmpo, Bam Adebayo and Rudy Gobert capable of closing out a game on the defensive end. I’m a big fan of the Team Giannis/under parlay as a result. His points total at FanDuel is 25.5, which looks a little too steep given the atmosphere. I’d ride the ‘under’ there at -135. Take a shot at teammates Young (16.5) and Butler (9.5) going ‘over’ their projections. Young winning MVP and leading the entire contest in points carries a solid return at +750

Tony Mejia's Player Prop Picks: Over – Anthony Davis Points (21.5), Trae Young (16.5), Jimmy Butler (9.5). Under - Giannis Antetokounmpo (25.5)