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**Meg30** · 02-01-2010, 05:42 PM

Good luck to you SDB

**StarDust Bum** · 02-01-2010, 06:21 PM

Betting Big Monday

The Saints and Colts might be the focus for many people this week. Monday night, however, belongs to college hoops and ESPN’s Big Monday schedule. Things open up in the Bluegrass State with a battle between Big East foes. Then we’ll head to America’s Heartland for a Big XII tilt between schools angling for better spots in the NCAA Tournament.

Connecticut at Louisville – 7:00 p.m. EST

Is anyone wondering if Jim Calhoun is getting a little antsy about returning to the sidelines for Connecticut (13-8 straight up, 7-11-1 against the spread)?

I doubt anybody would blame him to come back after seeing his beloved Huskies falling in a 70-68 heartbreak against Marquette as five-point home favorites. This wasn’t a matter of the big names for UConn not coming through. Jerome Dyson dropped in 18 points, Stanley Robinson had 13 and Kemba Walker posted 15 points of his own. The team even shot a respectable 49 percent from the field and 71 percent from the charity stripe.

What was Connecticut’s undoing was the fact that they handed the ball over the Golden Eagles 16 times. Marquette, in stark contrast, coughed up the ball twice. This seems to be a mini-pattern going on with George Blaney’s (for now) club. Since upsetting then top-ranked Texas on Jan. 23, the Huskies have dropped games at Providence and the aforementioned loss at home to Marquette. In those two games, UConn has given the ball up 35 times with its opposition turning the ball over 16 times.

Rick Pitino and the Cardinals aren’t having the most fun out on the court right now, having lost five of their last eight contests. Louisville’s (13-8 SU, 6-10 ATS) latest setback came last Saturday as a 6 ½-point road ‘dog to the Mountaineers, 77-74.

The Cards had the same similar issue with turnovers against West Virginia (17-11), but were shooting 52 percent from the field and won the rebounding battle (32-30). What drew Pitino’s ire was the fact that the ‘Ville was called for 28 fouls in Morgantown. This is a program that gets 20.5 fouls called on them on average this season. So you can understand if Pitino thought that he had Enrico Polazzo officiating the game.

Las Vegas Sports Consultants has opened this game with Louisville as a four-point home “chalk.”

While the oddsmakers like the Cards at home, history has proven this series is for the dogs. Connecticut has posted a 5-2 SU record since 2000. Louisville, however, has gone 4-2-1 ATS in that time. The ‘under’ has hit in the last three games in Louisville.

The Cardinals have enjoyed better luck at Freedom Hall over the past two years with a 19-3 SU and 11-11 ATS. If you break that down to just this season, then the Cards are 11-3 SU and 3-6 ATS. And it gets worse for bettors if you’re looking at how they faced Big East foes, as evidenced by a 3-1 SU and 1-3 ATS mark this season.

Connecticut has been garbage in true road tests this year by going 0-4 SU and 2-2 ATS. Over the last two years, the Huskies are 9-5 SU and 8-6 ATS. The ‘under’ has practically been automatic with a 10-4 record.

Texas at Oklahoma State – 9:00 p.m. EST

Longhorn fans knew that their team wouldn’t go through the season undefeated, but they certainly didn’t think they’d see a slump. Texas (18-3 SU, 8-9 ATS) has fallen in three of its last four contests. The Orange Bloods’ most recent setback came on Jan. 30 in an 80-77 overtime setback to Baylor as nine-point home favorites.

While we can debate on how Texas pissed away the game in regulation, let’s just focus on overtime. The Bears had pushed UT into foul trouble in the second half, and that paid off in the extra session. Baylor was able to take 10 free thrown in OT; the Bears made eight of those attempts.

Gamblers have officially ran away from backing the ‘Horns like single guys evading the Octomom’s advances as they’ve failed to cover the number in eight straight games.

Oklahoma State (16-5 SU, 9-5-1 ATS) had a decent three-game win streak snapped by the Tigers last Saturday 95-80 as a 7 ½-point road pup. I’d like to tell you that the Cowpokes had a chance in this game, but they shot 45 percent from the field, 34 percent from beyond the arc. When you consider that Mizzou was hitting 52 percent of its shots, you can understand that they were going to run away with a win.

LVSC has installed the Longhorns as slight 1 ½-point road favorites for this contest.

The ‘Horns don’t have any problems about getting into the NCAA Tournament. The Cowboys, on the other hand, could really use a win in this spot. ESPN’s Joe Lunardi have them situated as an 11th-seed, which is by no means a guaranteed berth in the Big Dance.

The recent history of this series has leaned towards Texas as they’ve won seven of the last 10 meetings SU. The Longhorns aren’t covering for gamblers in this head-to-head matchup either with a 5-4-1 ATS mark.

Oklahoma State does have the benefit of knowing that it won its last home game against the ‘Horns on Feb. 28 last season, 68-59. Even better is that they covered as a one-point home favorite.

This series has seen the ‘under’ go 6-1 in the last seven meetings.

The ‘Pokes have been dominant in Stillwater this season as they’re 10-0 SU and 4-0-1 ATS. When posted as a home underdog, however, Oklahoma State is just 1-4 SU and 2-3 ATS since 2007. The ‘under’ has gone 4-1 during that stretch.

We know that the Longhorns have lost two straight games on the road, failing to cover in both instances. Over the last two years, they have gone just 7-8 SU away from Austin. Gamblers have known to stay away in these games as the Orange Bloods are 3-12 ATS in that same stretch of true road fixtures.

**StarDust Bum** · 02-01-2010, 06:23 PM

Monday Tips

The Monday NBA card provides bettors with seven games to wager on as we head into February. This month has plenty of interesting storylines with the All-Star Game on February 14 and the highly-anticipated trade deadline on February 18. Several Western Conference matchups take center-stage, along with the Celtics playing with no rest in D.C. against the Wizards.

Celtics (29-16 SU, 18-26-1 ATS) at Wizards (16-30 SU, 17-27-2 ATS)

Boston has struggled lately, failing to cover six of eight, as the Celtics head to the Verizon Center to take on the Wizards. Washington has quietly won two straight, even if it was against New Jersey and New York.

The C's are 3-1 ATS the last four games as a road favorite, but have struggled to cash tickets since the return of Kevin Garnett to the lineup. Boston is 1-7-1 ATS the last nine games KG has played dating back to mid-December. The Celtics are coming off three losses to extremely difficult opponents, falling to the Magic, Hawks, and Lakers over the last four days.

The Wizards are still trying to find their footing following the much-publicized suspension of Gilbert Arenas. Washington is 6-8 ATS and 4-10 SU in the 14 games without Agent Zero, but is 1-4 SU/ATS the last five.

The Celtics held off the Wizards in D.C. on December 10, 104-102, but Washington cashed as 7 ½-point 'dogs. Boston led by 14 at halftime before Washington rallied back to tie the game with 1:20 to go in regulation. A dunk by Rajon Rondo gave the C's the lead for good with a minute to go, as Boston won its 11th straight game.

Bucks (20-25 SU, 27-18 ATS) at Heat (24-23 SU, 23-24 ATS)

Milwaukee and Miami play the second end of a home-and-home after the Bucks knocked off the Heat on Saturday, 95-84 at the Bradley Center. Scott Skiles' club has been one of the best teams to back lately, covering seven straight.

The Heat returns to the AAA following a three-game road trip in which Miami won just one game. This is a tough scheduling spot for Erik Spoelstra's squad, heading back on the road for three more games beginning Wednesday in Boston. Following an 0-8 ATS run at home from mid-November through December, the Heat is 7-4 ATS the last 11 in South Florida.

Milwaukee has covered each of its last three away from home, but lost at Houston, Toronto, and Dallas by a combined nine points. Not coincidentally, the Bucks are 9-2 ATS since Michael Redd was lost for the season with an ACL tear. Milwaukee was just 7-12 ATS this season when Redd was in the lineup, as his surgically-repaired knee never fully healed after last season's ACL injury.

Each of the last three meetings in Miami has finished 'under' the total, all by at least ten points. In Saturday's victory, Hakim Warrick contributed 22 points off the bench for the Bucks, while Andrew Bogut put up a double-double with 17 points and 15 rebounds. Michael Beasley missed his second straight game with a hyper-extended right knee, and is listed as 'questionable' for the Heat.

Lakers (37-11 SU, 22-24-2 ATS) at Grizzlies (25-21 SU, 26-19-1 ATS)

The Champs wrap up their eight-game road trip in Memphis, battling a Grizzlies team that tries to bounce back from an overtime loss to the Hornets. In fact, New Orleans snapped Memphis' 11-game winning streak at FedEx Forum, doing so without star guard Chris Paul and swingman James Posey.

Los Angeles is coming off a one-point victory at Boston on Sunday afternoon, thanks to Kobe Bryant's jumper in the waning seconds. The Lakers have been solid on the road against average competition, but are 0-5-1 ATS as road 'chalk' against teams that own .500 records or better. L.A. beat up Memphis at Staples Center, 114-98 in early November, but that was a different Grizzlies club.

Memphis began the season 1-8, but has turned things around, going 24-13 since a seven-game losing streak in early November. The Grizzlies have done most of this damage at home, including victories over the Suns, Nuggets, Spurs, Jazz, and Thunder. The slip-up against New Orleans on Saturday was especially frustrating, as the Grizzlies squandered a 21-point, second-half lead.

The Grizzlies are 6-2 as a home underdog this season, and are 11-5-1 ATS the last 17 at FedEx Forum. Memphis has taken advantage of teams playing on no rest, compiling a 6-3 ATS and 5-4 SU mark against clubs on the second of a back-to-back.

Suns (28-21 SU, 25-24 ATS) at Hornets (26-21 SU, 23-24 ATS)

Phoenix plays with no rest, heading to the Big Easy to battle the Hornets. The Suns have struggled in a major way in this role, going 1-5 ATS and 0-6 SU as road underdogs on the second of a back-to-back. New Orleans is coming off consecutive overtime games, losing to the Bulls while beating the Grizzlies.

To make matters worse for Alvin Gentry's club, the Suns are 1-5 SU and 2-4 ATS the last six away from the Valley, but Phoenix is coming off an overtime victory at Houston on Sunday night. Phoenix has split a pair of meetings with New Orleans this season, as the home team has won each time. The Suns knocked off the Hornets in Phoenix in mid-November, the final game of the Byron Scott tenure in New Orleans. The Hornets bounced back with a 110-103 home victory eight days later, winning outright as eight-point underdogs.

New Orleans beat Phoenix without Paul, and is coming off the overtime victory at Memphis without their All-Star guard. Paul will miss nearly the next month with torn cartilage in his left knee, suffered in Friday's loss to the Bulls.

The Hornets are just 1-4 ATS the last five at home, and are 2-6 ATS the last eight as a favorite. New Orleans is on a nice 'over' run, going 'over' the total in five straight and six of the last seven games.

Mavericks (30-17 SU, 20-27 ATS) at Jazz (28-18 SU, 27-17-2 ATS)

Dallas and Utah meet up for the third time this season, but for the first showdown in Salt Lake City. The Jazz is 9-1 SU and 7-1-2 ATS the previous ten games, coming off Saturday's victory over the Kings. Utah played the game without its top two players, Deron Williams (family funeral) and Carlos Boozer (knee injury), but managed a 101-94 win.

The Mavs slipped up at home against the injury-riddled Blazers, falling in overtime, 114-112 on Saturday. Dallas should be thrilled it isn't playing at home, going 1-16 ATS the last 17 games at American Airlines Center. Included in this dreadful ATS run is a 111-93 drubbing suffered at the hands of Utah earlier this month, as the Jazz played without Williams.

However, the road hasn't been friendly for Mavs' backers, going 2-4 ATS the last six on the highway. The two victories came at Boston and New York, but the thrashing of the Knicks was more notable, as Dallas cruised by 50 points.

Utah continues a crucial four-game homestand, hosting Dallas, Portland, and Denver over the next five days. The offense has picked up considerably, with the Jazz tallying at least 100 points in nine of their previous ten contests, including over 110 points on six occasions.

The home team has won nine of the last ten meetings, while the favorite has cashed eight times in this span.

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