Announcement

**pm530** · 01-01-2010, 05:26 AM

Daily Sports Roundup

Friday, January 1

Today in the Daily Sports Roundup: Ohio State battles Oregon in the Rose Bowl, Florida meets Cincinnati in the Sugar Bowl, and Fenway hosts an NHL matchup.

Colliding on the gridiron . . .

The first day of the year offers up five bowl games, including No. 8 Ohio State vs. No. 7 Oregon in the Rose Bowl. The Buckeyes (10-2 SU, 8-4 ATS) topped Michigan 21-10 in their last game of the regular season, and starting quarterback Terrelle Pryor is expected to play through his knee injury. The Ducks (10-2 SU, 7-5 ATS) knocked off rival Oregon State 37-33 in their last game to clinch the Pac-10 title, with LeGarrette Blount rushing for 51 yards and a score on nine carries. Oregon is a 4-point fave for Friday's contest, with the total at 50.5 points.

The other four New Year's Day bowl games: Northwestern vs. Auburn in the Outback Bowl, No. 18 West Virginia vs. Florida State in the Gator Bowl, No. 11 Penn State vs. No. 13 LSU in the Capital One Bowl, and No. 5 Florida vs. No. 4 Cincinnati in the Sugar Bowl. Urban Meyer will coach the Gators (12-1 SU, 5-6-1 ATS) in the Sugar Bowl despite the leave of absence he announced last week. Interim coach Jeff Quinn will guide the Bearcats (12-0 SU, 6-5 ATS), with Brian Kelly having taken the coaching job at Notre Dame. Florida is a 13-point favorite.

Tipping off on the hardwood . . .

New Year's Day has three games on tap around the NBA, with New York at Atlanta, Orlando at Minnesota, and Sacramento at the Lakers. The Kings played host to Los Angeles on December 26, and they came up on the wrong end of a 112-103 double-overtime decision. Kobe Bryant led the Lakers' attack with a game-high 38 points in that contest, while Pau Gasol had 24 points and 11 rebounds, and Lamar Odom had 13 points and 15 boards. Beno Udrih had a team-high 23 points in that defeat for the Kings, and Tyreke Evans had 18 points.

As well, there are three games involving ranked teams on the college hardwood on Friday, with McNeese State at No. 20 Texas Tech, Dayton at No. 19 New Mexico, and No. 6 West Virginia at No. 4 Purdue. The Mountaineers slipped past Marquette 63-62 in their last game on Tuesday night, with Devin Ebanks tossing in 19 points in the win and Da'Sean Butler providing the game-winning jumper. The Boilermakers beat Iowa 67-56 on Tuesday, as E'Twaun Moore had 21 points.

Taking a trip around the rink . . .

Finally, there are just two games on the National Hockey League schedule for Friday, with Atlanta at Buffalo and Philadelphia at Boston. The Flyers and Bruins will be participating in the league's annual Winter Classic event, with this year's game being played at Boston's Fenway Park. The two teams last met back on December 14 indoors at TD Garden, with Philadelphia rolling to a 3-1 road victory. Kimmo Timmonen scored twice for the Flyers in that contest, and James van Riemsdyk had the other Philly goal. Vladimir Sobotka had the Bruins' marker.

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

**pm530** · 01-01-2010, 05:27 AM

Bettors' best friend: Today's wagering tips

Friday, January 1

Inclement weather rule

Most hockey games are played inside a climate-controlled arena but for the Winter Classic set to go off on New Year’s Day at Fenway Park, the unpredictable weather is in full effect.

The scheduled game between the Flyers and Bruins is in jeopardy of happening with Boston forecasts calling for heavy snow, and the game could even be cut short if needed.

The NHL has decided upon a contingency plan that would allow the game to go down in the books as official after two periods of play if the frozen precipitation became too great. This could greatly affect the game total which is set at 5.5.

Total bettors should check with their book before placing a wager to see how this would shake out if only two periods were played. A wager might be graded the same as a baseball game where eight innings must be completed in order for it to be official.

The over has cashed in four of the last five in this series.

On the road again

The Southeast Division-leading Magic will take to the road for eight of their next 10 games where they have lost three straight to elite competition.

The Timberwolves don’t fall under that category and aren’t a team with much home-court advantage with a 4-13 record at the Target Center.

The T-Wolves have one of the better frontcourt tandems in the league with big men Kevin Love and Al Jefferson, but those two will have to contend with Dwight “Superman” Howard down low.

Minnesota battled back from a 17-point deficit in the fourth quarter against the Jazz on Wednesday and got within four points with one minute to play after Love drained a three-pointer.

"It is a weapon, it is something that [Love] can use, that we can use, and I think it's going to be very valuable asset to him," said coach Kurt Rambis. "He is the type of player that I think eventually will be able to knock down outside shots as well as post up.”

The Timberwolves have covered in three of their last four games at home and are getting 8.5 points against the Magic.

Truckin’ along

West Virginia’s starting point guard, Darryl “Truck” Bryant, missed the Seton Hall game last Saturday and played sparingly in the 63-62 win over Marquette on Tuesday because of a lingering groin injury.

Bryant came off the bench and played 11 minutes in the game and made an impact with four assists and a blocked shot. The sophomore averages 9.0 ppg and is second on the team with 41 assists.

The No. 6-ranked Mountaineers are getting 4 points from the No. 4-ranked Purdue Boilermakers on Friday with a total of 136. It is likely Bryant will again play in a reserve role off the bench.

Notable Quotable

“Of course, if we were playing in the national championship, it would be 100 times more intense. I’m not going to lie to you. We’re preparing to win the football game and coming out and practicing as hard as we can, but if we were playing in the national championship, would it be more intense? Would people have more of a sense of urgency? Yeah, I think so.”

-- Florida Gators linebacker Ryan Stamper on finding motivation heading into the Sugar Bowl after losing to Alabama in the SEC Championship.

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

**pm530** · 01-01-2010, 05:28 AM

Six-pack for Friday

-- Colts' management is apparently very surprised by negative reaction by the Colt fans to pulling starters against the Jets.

-- Bears scored two TDs on their last 41 drives in road games.

-- Jets are 7-1 when they get 2+ takeaways in game, 1-6 otherwise.

-- Redskins are 1-6 in the road, but five of the six losses are by six points or less. Strange group, those Redskins.

-- In their first 11 games, Saints scored 45 offensive TDs with 17 field goal tries; in last four games, they scored 10 TDs, with nine FG tries.

-- There are seven Pac-10 teams in bowls this year; Stanford was the only one that was an underdog in its game.

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

Friday's List of 13: Random thoughts as 2010 starts........

13) First of all, thanks to everyone for reading this site; feedback is almost always appreciated (LOL). I hope all of us have happy, healthy, profitable years in 2010. Life is short; we need to enjoy it.

12) Last college football game of the year had Matt Millen on as analyst. That would be like putting the guy who designed the Edsel on as analyst at the Daytona 500. Millen is one of conductors on the Gravy Train.

11) Eldrick Woods turned 34 Wednesday. AT&T dumped him Thursday. When Woods comes back and start winning tournaments again, and these companies want to sign him up again, I hope he tells them to go to hell and signs with their competitors, but thats just me.

10) If I was a college football coach, wouldn't want to play a bowl game against a service academy team; where's the upside? If you win, so what, they're a damn service academy. And if you lose, you look like an idiot.

9) I wonder if Jonathan Crompton is relieved that his playing career with Tennessee is over; rarely has a college kid taken the abuse he has, despite him having a halfway decent senior season.

8) Sounds like Matt Leinart will play for the Cardinals if Minnesota wins its 1pm game Sunday; if a Packer-Cardinal playoff matchup looks like it will materialize, Sunday's Packer-Cardinal game becomes a damn glorified exhibition game. Backup QBs, lots of running plays. Now if the Giants do the unlikely and upset Minnesota, Cardinals are playing for a bye.

7) Tom Brady says he was told he will play Sunday, which means all his protectors will play, which means they're going to try and win. Unless of course he was lying. I doubt Belichick ever lies to Brady, though.

6) It is conceivable that Oklahoma is 3rd-worst hoop team in the Big 12.

5) Memo to ESPN; Don't show Duke games against Ivy League teams; for the love of Pete, they beat Penn 114-55 Wednesday. Who was watching?

4) OK, a dude on ESPN is trying to jump over a barge with a motorcycle out at Long Beach; if he misses, he lands in the water. Seriously. There are some seriously screwed up people in this world. This is way worse than televising the hot dog eating contest from Coney Island on July 4th.

3) Hey congrats to Larry, a guy I know who recently cashed $213,000 in an online poker tournament. Don't spend it all in the same place!!!!

2) So 2009 ends with me eating cold pizza with egg nog, while watching a Gonzaga-Oklahoma game; so of course a kid on Oklahoma hangs on the rim and shatters the backboard, a la Jerome Lane. There is snow on the ground outside, the Rams are 1-14, and the A's finished last two years in a row. Take a hike, 2009!!!!! 2010 will be a better year for all of us.

1) If you don't do anything else in 2010, have some fun, and tell the folks who mean a lot to you that they matter in your life. You'll be glad you did.

From: Armadillo
----------------------------------------------------------------------

**pm530** · 01-01-2010, 05:29 AM

NBA

Friday, January 1

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

7:30 PM
NEW YORK vs. ATLANTA
New York is 5-0 ATS in its last 5 games when playing on the road against Atlanta
New York is 2-6 SU in its last 8 games when playing on the road against Atlanta
Atlanta is 9-3 ATS in its last 12 games
Atlanta is 17-8 SU in its last 25 games

8:00 PM
ORLANDO vs. MINNESOTA
Orlando is 4-1 ATS in its last 5 games when playing on the road against Minnesota
Orlando is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games when playing on the road against Minnesota
Minnesota is 12-5 ATS in its last 17 games
Minnesota is 6-19 SU in its last 25 games

10:30 PM
SACRAMENTO vs. LA LAKERS
Sacramento is 4-2 ATS in their last 6 games when playing on the road against LA Lakers
Sacramento is 1-4 SU in their last 5 games when playing on the road against LA Lakers
LA Lakers are 1-4 ATS in their last 5 games
LA Lakers are 18-3 SU in their last 21 games

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

**pm530** · 01-01-2010, 05:30 AM

NBA

Friday, January 1

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Pick ‘n’ Roll: Today's best NBA bets
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

New York Knicks at Atlanta Hawks (-11.5, 204)

The Hawks will play their third game in four days and are coming off back-to-back losses to the Cavaliers where they surrendered fourth quarter leads.

Atlanta combined to score 26 fourth quarter points in each of those losses and now face a Knicks team that has been a defensive stalwart as of late.

Save for New York’s last outing, the Knicks had held opponents to under 100 points in 11 straight games. A primary reason for the team’s turnaround after starting the season 1-9 is the alteration of the starting lineup by head coach Mike D’Antoni that included benching Nate Robinson.

A somewhat unknown starting five has created turnovers and grabbed rebounds – Danilo Gallinari, Jared Jeffries, Chris Duhon, David Lee and Wilson Chandler is the latest rotation getting it done for D’Antoni.

“You look for combinations with the chemistry, you look for guys who take to coaching and you look for what you think you could build on,” D’Antoni said. “Some combos are better than others. It’s not against the player or anything, but you have combinations that work for whatever reason.”

The Hawks haven’t lost three straight this year and are 12-3 inside the confines of Philips Arena. One of those losses came at the hands of the Knicks, who defeated Atlanta 114-107 on Dec. 4.

The visiting team is 8-2 ATS in the last 10 meetings of this series.

Pick: Knicks

Sacramento Kings at Los Angeles Lakers (N/A)

Both Tyreke Evans and Ron Artest are questionable for this matchup which is why no line has been released.

Artest has missed the last three games after falling down a flight of stairs on Christmas Day and the Lakers have struggled on defense without his prowess, giving up 113.0 ppg without its best defender in the lineup. Artest was still experiencing dizziness from the concussion on Wednesday and Phil Jackson said he was “very doubtful” for the game against the Kings.

Evans has missed last two games with a sprained left ankle, but Sac-Town is still managing to put up points and win without him. The Kings have posted 106 points in each of their last two games – a win over Denver and a loss to Philadelphia – and are averaging 104.2 ppg over their last five.

"Tyreke is a big piece of our team and he's been showing that the whole year," said Beno Udrih. "But we can't feel sorry for ourselves. Injuries are a part of the game and you deal with it."

Even with a broken right finger, Kobe Bryant is absolutely unconscious right now. Since fracturing his finger on Dec. 11, the Black Mamba is averaging 34.5 ppg and 5.2 apg and has posted 34 or more in five straight.

These two teams have played to the over in six straight and nine of their last 10 meetings.

Pick: Over

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

**pm530** · 01-01-2010, 05:31 AM

NBA

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Helpside defense: NBA betting news and notes
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Flip finally flips

After Tuesday's 110-98 home loss to Oklahoma City, Washington Wizards coach Flip Saunders finally lost patience with his underachieving team, particularly on the defensive end.

Speaking to reporters after the game, Saunders said, "We could take five guys in this room out here and we could have a chance. I think I can go out there on the floor and take anybody on the team, 1-on-1 at (54) years old, and drive right around them. They can't guard anybody."

The over/under is 8-4 in Washington's last dozen games. Despite being 10th in opponents' field-goal percentage, the Wizards are 23rd in points allowed at 102.9 per game.

Washington is off until Saturday, when it hosts San Antonio. The Spurs crushed the Wizards, 106-84, on Nov. 21.

D'Antoni does defense

The book on coach Mike D'Antoni is that he is an offensive innovator whose philosophy of shooting in "Seven Seconds or Less" doesn't put much emphasis on the defensive end.

The recent numbers tell a different story. The Knicks have played to the under in their last eight games, with the number ranging from 194 to 202 - meager totals by D'Antoni's previous standards. And New York has not given up triple digits in a loss since Dec. 2 at Orlando.

D'Antoni has anchored offense-only players Eddy Curry and Nate Robinson to the bench while giving regular playing time to Jonathan Bender, who clearly is not ready for the rigors of the NBA. And while the Knicks shoot plenty of 3-pointers, only one rotation player - Danilo Gallinari - is making them at better than 33 percent.

Unless D'Antoni radically alters his rotation, expect this unlikely trend to continue.

No bang for your Bucks

Since scoring 55 points in an early season game, Milwaukee Bucks guard Brandon Jennings has gotten plenty of attention. The Bucks roll into town, and the local beat writer does a piece on the hotshot rookie.

Here's a better story idea: The Bucks have been so bad lately that their stars have been benched. Monday's loss at Charlotte was Milwaukee's 14th in its last 18 games, and coach Scott Skiles sat Andrew Bogut and Michael Redd for the entire second half.

Bogut and Redd, who will make an aggregate $27 million this season, were a combined 1-of-10 in the first half.

"It's not so much producing. It's body language and the way we look out there," Skiles said afterward. "The bottom line: this is the NBA. You have to produce. It's what pro sports is. And we need more consistent production out of our key players."

The Bucks also are not producing for bettors, going 1-4 against the spread after winning five in a row. They have three winnable games before a murderous six-game road trip, so their ability to snap out of it could make or break their season.

Misfiring Pistons

No NBA squad this season has been streakier than the Detroit Pistons, who for extended stretches have looked like both a potential top-four seed and a lottery team.

After a 2-4 start, the Pistons have won three straight, lost seven in a row, won six of seven and lost eight in a row. The current slide also includes an 0-8 mark against the spread.

Detroit has had injury issues, with Richard Hamilton, Tayshaun Prince and Ben Gordon - arguably its three best players - missing significant time. But the Pistons put together wins without that trio, so the problems go deeper than that. And now, rookie coach John Kuester has to quickly incorporate the returning players.

"Getting everyone acclimated is a part of the NBA," Kuester told the Detroit News. "We need to lock in to what we have to do, taking care of business. We have to have a sense of urgency."

The Pistons play just once in the next six days, giving them some practice time before a Texas two-step through Dallas and San Antonio next week.

On the schedule

Friday, January 1, Orlando at Minnesota

The Magic are 10-5 on the road and overdue with three straight losses both straight up and ATS. They have won and covered their last three visits to Minnesota and are unlikely to brave single-digit temperatures to party on New Year's Eve.

Saturday, January 2, Memphis at Phoenix

The Grizzlies are 13-8 straight up since a 1-8 start and have climbed to the cusp of the Western Conference playoff race. This is the opener of a three-game road trip vs. West teams that could reveal a lot about Memphis, which is 4-5 straight up and ATS in its last nine road games. The Griz were thumped, 126-111, at Phoenix on Nov. 25.

Tuesday, January 5, Golden State at Denver

Since a 111-103 win at Dallas on Nov. 24, the Warriors have lost nine of 10 road games, winning only at woeful New Jersey. They are 3-6-1 ATS in those games and venture into the Pepsi Center, where the Nuggets are a solid 13-2 straight up, including a 135-107 pasting of Golden State on Dec. 1.

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

**pm530** · 01-01-2010, 05:31 AM

NCAAB
Long Sheet

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Friday, January 1
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

CREIGHTON (5 - 7) at INDIANA ST (8 - 4) - 1/1/2010, 2:00 PM
Top Trends for this game.
INDIANA ST is 7-22 ATS (-17.2 Units) as a home favorite of 3 points or less or pick since 1997.

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

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

W VIRGINIA (11 - 0) at PURDUE (12 - 0) - 1/1/2010, 2:30 PM
Top Trends for this game.
PURDUE is 13-3 ATS (+9.7 Units) in home games after a conference game over the last 3 seasons.
PURDUE is 15-4 ATS (+10.6 Units) in home games when playing against a team with a winning record over the last 3 seasons.
W VIRGINIA is 77-53 ATS (+18.7 Units) in non-conference games since 1997.

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

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

S ILLINOIS (8 - 2) at BRADLEY (6 - 5) - 1/1/2010, 8:00 PM
Top Trends for this game.
S ILLINOIS is 6-18 ATS (-13.8 Units) in road games when playing against a team with a winning record over the last 3 seasons.
BRADLEY is 17-3 ATS (+13.7 Units) off a win against a conference rival over the last 3 seasons.
BRADLEY is 8-18 ATS (-11.8 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record over the last 2 seasons.

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

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

ILLINOIS ST (10 - 2) at MISSOURI ST (11 - 1) - 1/1/2010, 8:00 PM
Top Trends for this game.
MISSOURI ST is 5-13 ATS (-9.3 Units) against conference opponents over the last 2 seasons.
MISSOURI ST is 2-10 ATS (-9.0 Units) off a win against a conference rival over the last 3 seasons.

Head-to-Head Series History
ILLINOIS ST is 5-0 against the spread versus MISSOURI ST over the last 3 seasons
ILLINOIS ST is 5-0 straight up against MISSOURI ST over the last 3 seasons
4 of 5 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons

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

DRAKE (5 - 8) at WICHITA ST (11 - 2) - 1/1/2010, 8:00 PM
Top Trends for this game.
DRAKE is 25-12 ATS (+11.8 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record over the last 3 seasons.

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

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

EVANSVILLE (6 - 5) at N IOWA (10 - 1) - 1/1/2010, 8:00 PM
There are no Top Trends with records of significance that apply to this game.

Head-to-Head Series History
N IOWA is 2-0 against the spread versus EVANSVILLE over the last 3 seasons
N IOWA is 4-0 straight up against EVANSVILLE over the last 3 seasons
2 of 4 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons

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

DAYTON (10 - 2) at NEW MEXICO (13 - 1) - 1/1/2010, 9:00 PM
Top Trends for this game.
DAYTON is 3-12 ATS (-10.2 Units) as a road underdog of 6.5 to 9 points since 1997.
NEW MEXICO is 10-3 ATS (+6.7 Units) in all games this season.
NEW MEXICO is 10-3 ATS (+6.7 Units) in all lined games this season.
NEW MEXICO is 39-20 ATS (+17.0 Units) as a favorite over the last 3 seasons.
NEW MEXICO is 17-8 ATS (+8.2 Units) in all home games over the last 2 seasons.
NEW MEXICO is 17-8 ATS (+8.2 Units) in home lined games over the last 2 seasons.
NEW MEXICO is 10-3 ATS (+6.7 Units) after a non-conference game this season.
NEW MEXICO is 10-3 ATS (+6.7 Units) in non-conference games this season.
NEW MEXICO is 20-7 ATS (+12.3 Units) after scoring 80 points or more over the last 3 seasons.
NEW MEXICO is 28-14 ATS (+12.6 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record over the last 3 seasons.
NEW MEXICO is 16-6 ATS (+9.4 Units) versus good defensive teams - allowing <=64 points/game over the last 3 seasons.

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

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

**pm530** · 01-01-2010, 05:32 AM

NCAAB

Friday, January 1

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

2:00 PM
HOUSTON vs. TEXAS-SAN ANTONIO
Houston' is 3-7 ATS in its last 10 games on the road
Houston' is 2-4 SU in its last 6 games on the road
No trends available

2:05 PM
CREIGHTON vs. INDIANA STATE
Creighton' is 3-6 SU in its last 9 games
Creighton' is 1-4-1 ATS in its last 6 games on the road
Indiana State' is 2-4 ATS in its last 6 games when playing Creighton
Indiana State' is 1-5 SU in its last 6 games when playing Creighton

2:30 PM
WEST VIRGINIA vs. PURDUE
West Virginia' is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games
West Virginia' is 4-2 ATS in its last 6 games on the road
Purdue' is 1-4 ATS in its last 5 games
Purdue' is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games

3:00 PM
MCNEESE STATE vs. TEXAS TECH
No trends available
Texas Tech' is 5-1 ATS in its last 6 games
Texas Tech' is 10-2 SU in its last 12 games

8:05 PM
DRAKE vs. WICHITA STATE
Drake' is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games when playing Wichita State
Drake' is 7-18 SU in its last 25 games when playing Wichita State
Wichita State' is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games at home
Wichita State' is 9-1 SU in its last 10 games

8:05 PM
EVANSVILLE vs. NORTHERN IOWA
Evansville' is 0-5 ATS in its last 5 games when playing Northern Iowa
Evansville' is 0-5 SU in its last 5 games when playing Northern Iowa
Northern Iowa' is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games
Northern Iowa' is 5-2 ATS in its last 7 games at home

8:05 PM
ILLINOIS STATE vs. MISSOURI STATE
Illinois State' is 5-0 ATS in its last 5 games when playing Missouri State
Illinois State' is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games when playing Missouri State
Missouri State' is 4-1 ATS in its last 5 games at home
Missouri State' is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games at home

8:05 PM
SOUTHERN ILLINOIS vs. BRADLEY
Southern Illinois' is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games
Southern Illinois' is 15-5 SU in its last 20 games when playing Bradley
Bradley' is 5-15 SU in its last 20 games when playing Southern Illinois
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Bradley's last 5 games when playing Southern Illinois

9:00 PM
DAYTON vs. NEW MEXICO
Dayton' is 4-2 SU in its last 6 games on the road
Dayton' is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games
New Mexico' is 13-1 SU in its last 14 games
New Mexico' is 8-2 ATS in its last 10 games at home

JANUARY 2, 12:05 AM
IDAHO vs. HAWAII
Idaho' is 6-3 SU in its last 9 games
Idaho' is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games on the road
Hawaii' is 2-6 ATS in its last 8 games when playing Idaho
Hawaii' is 5-2 SU in its last 7 games at home

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

**pm530** · 01-01-2010, 05:33 AM

NHL

Friday, January 1

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

1:00 PM
PHILADELPHIA vs. BOSTON
Philadelphia is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games when playing on the road against Boston
Philadelphia is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games when playing Boston
Boston is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Boston's last 6 games

7:30 PM
ATLANTA vs. BUFFALO
Atlanta is 0-5 SU in its last 5 games on the road
Atlanta is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games when playing Buffalo
Buffalo is 4-2 SU in its last 6 games at home
Buffalo is 8-4 SU in its last 12 games

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

**pm530** · 01-01-2010, 05:33 AM

NHL

Friday, January 1

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Ice picks: Today's best NHL bets
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Atlanta Thrashers at Buffalo Sabres (-200, 6)

The Thrashers have won six straight against Buffalo, but the odds are against them in their New Year’s Day matchup versus the Northeast-leading Sabres.

Atlanta is in utter turmoil right now, losers of six in a row and 11 of its last 15. The team only managed 18 shots on goal in a 4-0 loss to Boston on Wednesday and goalie Ondrej Pavelec was yanked after letting three pucks go by in first period.

"I can't see too many positives," said backup goalie Johan Hedberg. "We've been in this situation the three years I've been here in Atlanta. We have good stretches and we have terrible stretches and all of a sudden the terrible stretch is too long and you're out of the playoff picture."

Buffalo has been outshot by a 14.2 goals per game margin during its last three but has gone 2-1 in that span and netted one power-play goal in each. The Thrashers penalty-killing unit has been awful during their losing streak, allowing opponents to score on 8 of 18 power-play opportunities (44.4 percent).

The Sabres are too talented of a team to let this losing streak to Atlanta get any longer and the puckline could also be a safe bet. Buffalo is 12-3 in its last 15 games on Friday.

Pick: Sabres

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

**pm530** · 01-01-2010, 05:34 AM

NHL

Friday, January 1

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
NHL Winter Classic: Flyers at Bruins
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Philadelphia Flyers at Boston Bruins (1:00pm ET, NBC-TV)

Professional hockey hopes to make its debut at historic Fenway Park when the Philadelphia Flyers visit the Boston Bruins New Year's Day for the NHL's third Winter Classic and fourth-ever outdoor game.

Weather or not to play

The NHL has been nervously watching the skies the past few days as forecasts called for a major snowstorm to hit Boston Friday.

As of Thursday, there was a 70 percent chance of snow for Friday, but the storm was expected to hit the city after the game was completed.

Organizers have dealt with snow before. Snow fell lightly on the Penguins and Sabres during their game in Buffalo two years ago, causing a few minor delays, but the game was completed.

"If they are calling for a foot and a half of snow, it's a little bit different," said Don Renzulli, the NHL's senior VP of events and entertainment. "It's not like baseball where you can get in, you know, five and a half innings and it's a full game. We want to play three full periods."

Rain would also be an issue, since it would prevent the ice from refreezing.

There is a possibility the game could be postponed until Saturday.

History lesson

The home fans get the most excited about these Winter Classics, but that hasn't helped the home teams.

Visiting squads have been victorious in the three previous outdoor games. Montreal edged the Oilers 4-3 in Edmonton in 2003, the Penguins prevailed 2-1 in a shootout in Buffalo two years ago and the Red Wings rallied from a 3-1 deficit to down the Blackhawks 6-4 last year in Chicago.

Two of the three outdoor games have gone over the total.

Flying high again

Philadelphia enters the game playing some of its best hockey of the season. The Flyers have won four in a row, with their most recent victory being a 6-0 pasting of the Rangers Wednesday at MSG.

Philly is now 6-7-1 since the Flyers canned former coach John Stevens and replaced him with Peter Laviolette.

"With each successive game, we've gotten better and better," defenceman Chris Pronger said of the team's winning streak. "It's up to us to continue and push ourselves and play complete games."

Something's Bruin

Boston is also playing well these days, having won four of its past five. The Bruins avoided looking ahead to the Winter Classic by blanking the Thrashers 4-0 in Boston Wednesday.

"We were hoping (the Bruins would look ahead), but the reality is they played very well," Atlanta coach John Anderson told reporters.

Bruins power forward Milan Lucic, out since Nov. 25 with a knee injury, returned to practice this week. He is not expected to play, however.

Feeling trendy

Philly has won four of its past five meetings with the Bruins, including both this season, and five of the past six clashes in Beantown. The road team is 5-1 in the last six games in the series and the over has cashed in four of the past five.

Eleven of the Bruins' past 16 home games have gone under the total.

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

**pm530** · 01-01-2010, 05:35 AM

NHL

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Pucking the trends: NHL betting news & notes
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Pacific pride

According to Eric Stephens of the Orange Country Register, the emergence of the Phoenix Coyotes and Los Angeles Kings mean that the Pacific division is the best division in the NHL.

"It's not been any secret that the five years that we've been here, the division that we play in is one of the toughest in hockey," said Anaheim Ducks coach Randy Carlyle.

The five teams in the Pacific division (Phoenix, Los Angeles, the Anaheim Ducks, San Jose Sharks, and Dallas Stars) have combined for 233 points - the most of any NHL division.

"We have a division that's extremely tough to win in. But it only forces you to be better in all your areas."

No “I” in team (Or Bryzgalov)

At 24-13-3, the Phoenix Coyotes have one of the best records in the NHL.

According to Coyotes defenseman Adrian Aucoin, "You see it time and again, especially since the lockout, you have these teams that people don't expect to play well. You don't need superstars; you just need everyone to play really well.”

As Jim Gintonio of the Arizona Republic reveals, coach Dave Tippett credits the Coyotes’ success to their ability to play as a team and the play of goaltender Ilya Bryzgalov.

"Bryz has been excellent for us…but for the most part, I would say our strength right now is we're a good team. We play a good team game.”

Holy Halak

According to Red Fisher of the Montreal Gazette, the strong play of Montreal Canadiens goaltender Jaroslav Halak and the early return of defenseman Andrei Markov could be a turning point for the Canadiens.

Until Monday’s loss in Ottawa, Halak had faced at least 40 shots in his last four games and had led Montreal to victory in all four of those games.

Halak was recently named the NHL’s First Star of the Week, after posing a 3-0 record, 1.97 goals against average and a .959 save percentage.

Halak will almost certainly be in net for long shot Slovakia during the upcoming Winter Olympics.

Flying high?

A week ago the Philadelphia Flyers were on a 3-13-1 stretch, missing their top two goaltenders and about to head out on a season-long six game road trip.

Behind third-string goaltender Michael Leighton, the Flyers have won three games in a row and are back to .500 at 18-18-2.

"It's not always pretty," said Flyers forward Danny Briere. "When you're in a tough stretch, you have to find a way to win tight games. We did that [Saturday] night in Carolina and we did that again [Sunday] night. These are two pretty big steps for our team.”

Frank Serravalli of the Philadelphia News is of the opinion that the Flyers have recently improved their penalty kill and have been creating short-handed opportunities.

"When we needed it, it came out strong," Briere said of the penalty kill. "You can see when we do well on the PK it is a totally different team."

On Schedule

January 2, Atlanta Thrashers at New York Islanders

Game 6 of Atlanta’s season-long seven-game road trip is also its third in four nights. The Thrashers have lost their last five games.

January 3, Anaheim Ducks at Chicago Blackhawks

In the midst of a stretch that has Anaheim playing 10 of 12 games on the road, the Ducks play three road games in four nights. The Ducks play in Nashville Saturday before taking on the Hawks at the United Center Sunday.

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

**pm530** · 01-01-2010, 05:36 AM

NOTE:
For the initial posting of trends and indexes, we have provided information available up to the time of posting.
Additional updates for today’s games will be posted ASAP.

**Udog** · 01-01-2010, 09:58 AM

NBA
Dunkel

Orlando at Minnesota
The Timberwolves look to build on their 6-1 ATS record in their last 7 games as a home underdog. Minnesota is the pick (+8 1/2) according to Dunkel, which has the Magic favored by only 7. Dunkel Pick: Minnesota (+8 1/2). Here are all of today's picks.

FRIDAY, JANUARY 1

Game 701-702: New York at Atlanta
Dunkel Ratings: New York 114.734; Atlanta 125.929
Dunkel Line & Total: Atlanta by 11; 212
Vegas Line & Total: Atlanta by 11 1/2; 204
Dunkel Pick: New York (+11 1/2); Over

Game 703-704: Orlando at Minnesota
Dunkel Ratings: Orlando 122.787; Minnesota 115.656
Dunkel Line & Total: Orlando by 7; 202
Vegas Line & Total: Orlando by 8 1/2; 204 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Minnesota (+8 1/2); Under

Game 705-706: Sacramento at LA Lakers
Dunkel Ratings: Sacramento 113.236; LA Lakers 125.633
Dunkel Line & Total: LA Lakers by 12 1/2; 217
Vegas Line & Total: No Line
Dunkel Pick: N/A

Announcement

New Year's Day Trends and Indexes, Friday 1/1 (NBA, NCAAB, NHL, Misc.)

New Year's Day Trends and Indexes, Friday 1/1 (NBA, NCAAB, NHL, Misc.)

Comment

Comment

Comment

Comment

Comment

Comment

Comment

Comment

Comment

Comment

Comment

Comment

Comment

Comment