Announcement

Collapse
No announcement yet.

Sunday Trends and Indexes 3/28 (NBA, NCAAB, NHL, Misc.)

Collapse
X
 
  • Filter
  • Time
  • Show
Clear All
new posts

  • #16
    NHL
    Dunkel



    Edmonton at St. Louis

    The Oilers look to build on their 5-0 record in their last 5 meetings in St. Louis. Edmonton is the pick (+195) according to Dunkel, which has the Oilers favored by 1/2 a goal. Dunkel Pick: Edmonton (+195). Here are all of today's picks.

    SUNDAY, MARCH 28

    Dunkel Ratings: Calgary 11.686; Washington 11.523
    Dunkel Line & Total: Calgary by 1/2; 7
    Vegas Line & Total: Washington (-260); 6
    Dunkel Pick: Calgary (+220); Over

    Game 3-4: Toronto at Pittsburgh
    Dunkel Ratings: Toronto 11.431; Pittsburgh 12.523
    Dunkel Line & Total: Pittsburgh by 1; 6
    Vegas Line & Total: Pittsburgh (-220); 5 1/2
    Dunkel Pick: Pittsburgh (-220); Over

    Game 5-6: Edmonton at St. Louis
    Dunkel Ratings: Edmonton 11.000; St. Louis 10.783
    Dunkel Line & Total: Edmonton by 1/2; 4 1/2
    Vegas Line & Total: St. Louis (-225); 5 1/2
    Dunkel Pick: Edmonton (+195); Under

    Game 7-8: Columbus at Chicago
    Dunkel Ratings: Columbus 11.354; Chicago 11.104
    Dunkel Line & Total: Columbus by 1/2; 4 1/2
    Vegas Line & Total: Chicago (-300); 5 1/2
    Dunkel Pick: Columbus (+250); Under

    Game 9-10: New Jersey at Philadelphia
    Dunkel Ratings: New Jersey 12.136; Philadelphia 10.617
    Dunkel Line & Total: New Jersey by 1 1/2;
    Vegas Line & Total: No Line
    Dunkel Pick: N/A

    Game 11-12: Colorado at San Jose
    Dunkel Ratings: Colorado 11.875; San Jose 11.577
    Dunkel Line & Total: Colorado by 1/2;
    Vegas Line & Total: No Line
    Dunkel Pick: N/A

    Comment


    • #17
      NBA
      Short Sheet



      Sunday, 3/28/2010

      SACRAMENTO at CLEVELAND
      , 3:05 PM ET
      SACRAMENTO: 8-0 ATS Away against Central division
      CLEVELAND: 19-5 Under on Sunday

      MEMPHIS at MILWAUKEE, 3:05 PM ET
      MEMPHIS: 12-2 ATS when playing only their 2nd game in 5 days
      MILWAUKEE: 20-7 OVER in non-conference games

      INDIANA at ATLANTA, 3:35 PM ET
      INDIANA: 3-11 ATS as a road underdog of 6.5 to 9
      ATLANTA: 14-5 ATS when the total is 200 to 209.5

      TORONTO at MIAMI, 6:05 PM ET
      TORONTO: 1-5 ATS after 5+ consecutive unders
      MIAMI: 14-3 Under off a road win

      CHICAGO at DETROIT, 6:05 PM ET
      CHICAGO: 19-9 ATS vs. division opponents
      DETROIT: 3-11 ATS vs. division opponents

      DENVER at ORLANDO, 6:05 PM ET
      DENVER: 8-1 ATS as an underdog of 3.5 to 9.5
      ORLANDO: 14-6 Under when the total is 200 to 209.5

      PORTLAND at OKLAHOMA CITY, 7:05 PM ET
      PORTLAND: 10-1 ATS when playing their 2nd road game in 2 days
      OKLAHOMA CITY: 7-0 Over off 2+ consecutive home wins

      PHOENIX at MINNESOTA, 7:05 PM ET
      PHOENIX: 16-6 ATS second half of the season
      MINNESOTA: 5-17 ATS as a home underdog of 6.5 to 12

      SAN ANTONIO at BOSTON, 8:05 PM ET ESPN
      SAN ANTONIO: 18-8 ATS after a non-conference game
      BOSTON: 11-22 ATS as a home favorite

      GOLDEN STATE at LA CLIPPERS, 9:35 PM ET
      GOLDEN STATE: 23-12 ATS after having lost 2 of their last 3
      LA CLIPPERS: 2-12 ATS after 3+ consecutive unders

      ** (TC) Denotes Time Change

      Comment


      • #18
        NHL
        Short Sheet



        Sunday, 3/28/2010

        CALGARY at WASHINGTON
        , 3:05 PM ET
        CALGARY: 2-11 SU on Sunday
        WASHINGTON: 24-7 SU after 1+ consecutive unders

        TORONTO at PITTSBURGH, 5:05 PM ET
        TORONTO: 9-22 SU off a home win
        PITTSBURGH: 40-14 SU at home when the total is 5.5

        EDMONTON at ST LOUIS, 6:05 PM ET
        EDMONTON: 17-9 SU on Sunday
        ST LOUIS: 7-19 SU at home when the total is 5.5

        COLUMBUS at CHICAGO, 7:05 PM ET
        COLUMBUS: 7-31 SU Away against division opponents
        CHICAGO: 26-6 SU at home when playing with 2 days rest

        NEW JERSEY at PHILADELPHIA, 7:05 PM ET
        NEW JERSEY: N/A
        PHILADELPHIA: N/A

        COLORADO at SAN JOSE, 8:05 PM ET
        COLORADO: N/A
        SAN JOSE: N/A

        ** (TC) Denotes Time Change

        Comment


        • #19
          NCAAB
          Write-Up



          Sunday's NCAA games

          I just saw this stat before posting this article; underdogs are now 21-9 vs spread in last thirty regional final games.

          Izzo is 5-1 in regional finals; Tennessee is in its first regional final; Vols threw their best player off team in January. Spartans lost their PG with an achilles injury last week. State shot just 38% vs New Mexico State, were -12 in turnovers vs Maryland, were down 7 at the half vs Northern Iowa Friday night- they keep finding ways to win. Vols split two games vs Big 11 foes, with games decided by total of four points. Spartans lost to Florida in their only game vs SEC opponent. Chism won't hurt MSU inside the way he did Ohio State.

          Added stat on this game: Tennessee-Michigan State is just 4th regional final game since '85 where neither team was a #1-4 seed; in three other games, underdogs won twice, both in '00, when two #8 seeds made the Final Four (North Carolina/Wisconsin).

          By my count, Coach K is 10-1 in regional finals, losing to Kentucky in '98; underdog covered five of last six regional finals Duke played in, with Blue Devils 1-4 vs spread in last five regional finals they were favored to win. #1 seeds are 7-5 vs spread in regional finals last three years; this is first time since '06 we have regional finals without a #1 seed. Baylor is a really good team, as good as Duke- my biggest question about them is-- do they think they can beat the name on front of Duke's jerseys? Bears crushed a good St Mary's team Friday, but fact is, their three tourney wins are against teams from Southland/CAA/WCC. Now they're seeing a team that is on ESPN when they eat breakfast-- do the Bears believe in themselves? If so, I think they'll win this game.

          Comment


          • #20
            NHL
            Write-Up



            Sunday, March 28

            Hot Teams

            -- Blue Jackets won four of their last five home games.
            -- Maple Leafs won seven of their last nine games.
            -- Hurricanes won three of their last four games.
            -- Senators won last three games, outscoring foes 8-2.
            -- Sabres won four of their last five games.
            -- Nashville won seven of its last eight games. Red Wings won 11 of their last 14 games.
            -- Coyotes won their last four home games.
            -- Sharks won their last two games, allowing one run. Canucks won six of their last nine road games.

            Cold Teams
            -- Bruins lost 12 of last 14 home games. Calgary lost three of its last four road games.
            -- Flyers lost six of their last seven games. Penguins lost six of eight.
            -- Islanders lost three of their last four games.
            -- Canadiens, Devils both lost three of their last four games.
            -- Rangers are 4-7 in their last eleven games.
            -- Lightning lost seven of last ten road games.
            -- Thrashers lost last two games, scoring one goal.
            -- Panthers lost ten of their last twelve road games.
            -- Avalanche lost three of their last four games.
            -- Kings are 4-7 in their last eleven games. Dallas Stars lost nine of their last thirteen games.

            Totals
            -- Three of last four Boston games stayed under the total. Over is 10-4 in last fourteen Chicago games.
            -- Under is 8-4 in last dozen Philadelphia games.
            -- Nine of last twelve Columbus games went over the total.
            -- Last five Montreal games stayed under the total.
            -- Last six Toronto games stayed under the total. Three of last four Ranger road games went over the total.
            -- Last three Atlanta games stayed under the total.
            -- Under is 16-6-2 in last 24 Ottawa games.
            -- Under is 5-2 in Buffalo's last seven home games.
            -- Three of last four Detroit games went over the total. Four of last five Nashville games went over.
            -- Seven of last nine Colorado games went over the total.
            -- Four of last five San Jose home games stayed under the total.
            -- Four of last five Dallas games stayed under the total.

            Playing second of back-to-back nights
            -- Ottawa is 5-0 at home if they played the night before.
            -- Buffalo is 1-5 at home if it played the night before.
            -- Detroit is 6-5 if it played night before, 2-1 if it won.

            Series Records
            -- Penguins won five of last six games against the Flyers.
            -- Devils won five of last six games against Montreal.
            -- Rangers lost three of last four games against Toronto.
            -- Thrashers are 3-5 in last eight visits to Raleigh.
            -- Panthers won three of last four games against Ottawa.
            -- Sabres are 16-3 in last nineteen games against Tampa Bay.
            -- Detroit won last three games vs Nashville: 3-2/4-2/5-2.
            -- Avalanche lost four of last five visits to Phoenix.
            -- Sharks won eight of last ten games against Vancouver.
            -- Kings won 11 of last 14 games against Dallas.

            Comment


            • #21
              NBA


              Sunday, March 28


              All Remaining Matchups

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

              8:00 PM
              SAN ANTONIO vs. BOSTON
              San Antonio is 11-4 ATS in its last 15 games when playing on the road against Boston
              San Antonio is 10-1 SU in its last 11 games when playing on the road against Boston
              Boston is 5-2 ATS in its last 7 games
              Boston is 6-1 SU in its last 7 games

              9:30 PM
              GOLDEN STATE vs. LA CLIPPERS
              Golden State is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games
              Golden State is 10-5 ATS in its last 15 games on the road
              LA Clippers are 7-3 ATS in their last 10 games when playing at home against Golden State
              LA Clippers are 8-2 SU in their last 10 games when playing at home against Golden State


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

              Comment


              • #22
                NHL


                Sunday, March 28


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

                3:00 PM
                CALGARY vs. WASHINGTON
                Calgary is 1-6-2 SU in its last 9 games ,when playing Washington
                Calgary is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games on the road
                Washington is 18-7 SU in its last 25 games
                Washington5-1-1 SU in its last 7 games when playing Calgary

                5:00 PM
                TORONTO vs. PITTSBURGH
                Toronto is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games
                The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Toronto's last 5 games on the road
                Pittsburgh is 2-4 SU in its last 6 games when playing Toronto
                Pittsburgh is 2-4 SU in its last 6 games

                6:00 PM
                EDMONTON vs. ST. LOUIS
                Edmonton is 8-2 SU in its last 10 games when playing St. Louis
                The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Edmonton's last 6 games when playing St. Louis
                St. Louis is 8-15 SU in its last 23 games at home
                St. Louis is 2-8 SU in its last 10 games when playing Edmonton

                7:00 PM
                COLUMBUS vs. CHICAGO
                Columbus is 2-4 SU in its last 6 games when playing on the road against Chicago
                The total has gone OVER in 4 of Columbus's last 6 games when playing on the road against Chicago
                Chicago is 6-2 SU in its last 8 games at home
                Chicago is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games when playing Columbus

                7:00 PM
                NEW JERSEY vs. PHILADELPHIA
                New Jersey is 1-5 SU in its last 6 games when playing on the road against Philadelphia
                The total has gone UNDER in 5 of New Jersey's last 6 games when playing on the road against Philadelphia
                The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Philadelphia's last 6 games when playing at home against New Jersey
                Philadelphia is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games when playing at home against New Jersey

                8:00 PM
                COLORADO vs. SAN JOSE
                The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Colorado's last 5 games when playing San Jose
                Colorado is 1-5 SU in its last 6 games when playing San Jose
                San Jose is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games at home
                San Jose is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games when playing at home against Colorado


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

                Comment


                • #23
                  NCAAB


                  Sunday, March 28


                  ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                  Tips and Trends
                  ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

                  Tennessee Volunteers vs. Michigan St Spartans [CBS | 2:20 PM ET]

                  Volunteers (-1.5, O/U 136.5): The improbable season of Tennessee continues, as they are playing in the Elite Eight for the 1st time in school history. Tennessee has won SU by 3 PTS in 2 of their 3 NCAA Tournament games, and dominated Ohio in the other. Certainly the Volunteers best win this postseason was in their last game. Tennessee beat Ohio St. 76-73 as 4.5 underdogs. The Volunteers dominated the Buckeyes in the rebounding department 36-23. Tennessee has found different ways to win all season long, and that's why they are 28-8 SU this season. The Volunteers are 13-7 SU and 9-9-2 ATS away from home this season, including 8-2 SU in neutral court settings. Tennessee is 5-5-1 ATS as a single digit favorite this season. While the Volunteers don't particularly have any standout players, they feel they have 10 very solid players. They use this mentality to their advantage, as they have several interchangeable parts with regards to their lineup. F Wayne Chism is coming off a tournament best 22 PTS and 11 rebounds against Ohio St. Tennessee had multiple bench players score double figures, and the the Volunteers shot 56.7% from the field against Ohio St.

                  Tennessee is 5-0-1 ATS last 6 non-conference games.
                  Under is 5-1-1 last 7 neutral site games as a favorite.

                  Key Injuries - F Emmanuel Negedu (heart) is out.

                  PROJECTED SCORE: 70 (Side of the Day)

                  Spartans: Coach Izzo has done some great coaching in his career, but what he has done with this Michigan St. team this postseason is simply on another level. Despite multiple injuries to their most important players, the Spartans find themselves 1 game away from yet another Final Four. The Spartans have reached the Final Four 5 times in the past 11 seasons, better than any other program in the country. Michigan St. is 27-8 SU and 14-20 ATS overall this season. The Spartans are 12-6 SU and 9-9 ATS on the road this season, including 4-2 SU in neutral court contests. The Spartans are 3-3 both SU and ATS as the listed underdog this season. Surprisingly, the Spartans are only 5-10 ATS when playing games out of conference this season. The Spartans pride themselves on their defense, and rightfully so. Michigan St. held their opposition to 64 PPG all season, and held Northern Iowa to 52 PTS in their last game. G Korie Lucious is under intense pressure, as he's filling in for injured star PG Kalin Lucas. Lucious was vital in his last game, scoring 10 PTS, 6 rebounds, 4 assists, and 4 steals in leading the Spartans to victory.

                  Michigan St. is 7-2 ATS last 9 NCAA Tournament games.
                  Over is 4-1 last 5 NCAA Tournament games as an underdog.

                  Key Injuries - G Kalin Lucas (foot) is out.
                  G Chris Allen (ankle) is probable.

                  PROJECTED SCORE: 62



                  Baylor Bears vs. Duke Blue Devils [CBS | 5:05 PM ET]

                  Bears: Baylor is turning into America's team, as they have had quite the program overhaul in the past 7 years. Coach Scott Drew has done an outstanding job turning this program around, as they can get to the Final Four for the 3rd time in school history, and the 1st time since 1950. Baylor comes into today's contest off a demolishing blowout of 23 PTS against St. Mary's. Baylor is starting to get the respect that a 28-7 SU team should get. The Bears are 18-10 ATS in addition to their 28-7 SU record this entire season. Baylor is 13-6 SU and 12-7 ATS away from home this season, including 7-2 SU and 5-3 ATS in neutral court scenarios this season. The Bears are 5-3 ATS as the listed underdog this season. Baylor excels in non-conference games this season, going 8-2 ATS. The Bears also have tasted success against good defensive teams, going 5-1 ATS against teams that allow 64 PPG or less this season. Baylor has scored at least 70 PTS in 10 of their past 11 contests. The Bears have 3 players that average at least 13 PPG this season, led by G LaceDarius Dunn. Dunn averaged a team high 19.5 PPG, including 3.3 three pointers per game this year.

                  Baylor is 10-3 ATS last 13 neutral site games as an underdog.
                  Over is 6-0 last 6 games as an underdog.

                  Key Injuries - None.

                  PROJECTED SCORE: 72

                  Blue Devils (-5, O/U 140): How ironic is it that Duke is the last remaining #1 seed alive in the NCAA Tournament? This Duke program is either loved or hated, but the simple fact is many people think this program is simply overrated. Duke is a proud program that has been to 11 Final Fours under the coaching regime of Mike Krzyzewski. Despite all that sucess, it's surprising to know that Duke hasn't made it to the Final Four since 2004. The Blue Devils enter tonight's contest with overall records of 32-5 SU and 21-13-2 ATS this season. The Blue Devils are 15-5 SU and 10-9-1 ATS on the road this season, including a sparking 10-0 SU and 7-3 ATS in neutral court games. Duke is 21-14 ATS as the listed favorite this season, including 8-6-1 ATS as a single digit favorite. Duke has been winning with defense all season long, as that's what has made them a dominant favorite this year. Duke is 10-1 ATS against dynamic offenses that average at least 77 PPG this season. The Blue Devils average 77 PPG this season, yet have been held under that total in each of their past 6 games.

                  Blue Devils are 7-3 ATS last 10 neutral site games as a favorite.
                  Under is 4-0 last 4 NCAA Tournament games.

                  Key Injuries - None.

                  PROJECTED SCORE: 76 (OVER - Total of the Day)


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

                  Comment


                  • #24
                    Sunday six-pack

                    According to Baseball America, six of the best minor league prospects for the Oakland A's, my favorite baseball team........

                    9) Adrian Cardenas, IF-- Acquired in Joe Blanton trade, hit .326 in the Texas League, but thats a hitter's league. Hit .261 in half a season at the AAA level-- may have to play 3B to get to Oakland quicker.

                    7) Jemile Weeks, 2B-- Hampered by injuries in first two pro seasons, is Rickie Weeks' brother. Still has .370 OB% in two years as a pro.

                    5) Pedro Figueroa, LHP-- Five years in minors, still hasn't gotten to AA but he could wind up as a situational lefty reliever. Has best year in '09.

                    3) Grant Green, SS-- Big season in '08 Cape Cod League got im drafted high, got off to slow start at USC, came on strong late. Runs very well.

                    2) Michael Taylor, OF-- Played HS baseball with Zach Greinke; is 6-6, 250 and has juvenile
                    diabetes. Played three years at Stanford. Acquired from Philly in 3-way deal that sent Brett Wallace to Toronto.

                    1) Chris Carter, 1B-- Went nuts in Texas League, then had 14 RBI in just 54 AB in AAA. Can play LF/1B, but probably is best as the DH.


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


                    Sunday's List of 13: Random thoughts after a stunning Saturday

                    13) I have binders and index cards loaded with stats, but nowhere do I have anything that measures the size of someone's heart, how much they want something, how tough they are. Those are immeasurables, and they are part of what make sports great. A clenched fist is stronger than five fingers by themselves- the team with the stronger fist can pull an upset.

                    12) Joe Mazzulla averaged 2.2 ppg this year while playing with shoulder that got operated on last year; he's not an NBA player, but his heart is so big, he plays so hard, that he makes his teammates play harder and makes his team better. Mazzulla had a career-high 17 points in the biggest game of his life; now he leads West Virginia to its first Final Four in 51 years. Guys like Mazzulla make West Virginia's fist extremely tough to beat.

                    11) How come no one has mentioned Da'Sean Butler for National Player of the Year? He at least deserves to be in the conversation.

                    10) West Virginia was 8-15 from arc in first half, 0-15 inside arc, in one of the strangest games I've ever seen- they were 9-11 inside arc in 2nd half, 2-8 on 3-pointers. Kentucky missed its first 20 treys. Go figure.

                    9) Stat guru Ken Pomeroy went through a database of 11,208 boxscores and found only seven other games where a team didn't score any 2-point baskets in the first half of a game. Last one was Marquette in 2007.

                    8) As for Kansas State, teams that win the first game of a weekend in OT are now 23-40 vs spread in second game of weekend. That covers all the NCAA tournament games since 1985.

                    7) boxscore.com. OK, I found this on twitter Saturday; someone posted this website that actually keeps track of D-I hoop officials. Since 1996, a ref named Curtis Shaw has called 620 technical fouls in his 1,277 games, almost one every other game. Next highest? 417!!!!!!

                    6) Shaw calls an average of 39.6 fouls/game, most in nation, and he tossed 26 people from games since 1996 (next highest in country, 15).

                    5) If the name Curtis Shaw sounds familiar to you, it may be because he is the jackass that ejected Sammie the Owl from a Rice-Tulane game a year ago, and I've laughed my head off at the YouTube replay several times. If people paid to see refs, Shaw would be Michael Jordan. But they don't.

                    4) Scalpers in Indianapolis have to be sick that Kentucky lost. Wildcats have a large and vocal following. Hotel people in Indy can't be happy that a team from Indy made it to the Final Four. There goes 25% of tourists. Will having a local team in help the scalpers? Its not Indiana or Purdue.....

                    3) Friend of mine suggested this to me Saturday night and he's spot-on; the perfect guy to coach St John's would be Bruce Pearl. He'd take New York City by (red) storm, and would lead St John's back to prominence. He recruits tough-minded players that win big games; look at his teams at both Milwaukee and Tennessee.

                    2) You want tough? NASCAR driver Denny Hamlin has a torn ACL; he is getting it operated on Monday. He is driving in the Martinsville race on Sunday and he expects to be back in his car racing on April 10. Not to be mean to the shortstop on my fantasy baseball team, but Jose Reyes hurt his hamstring last May 16 and hasn't been heard from since. Hamlin has a freakin' torn ACL and is driving a racecar 500 miles (no painkillers if you drive 100+ mph for a living). Hamlin's tough, crazy or both.

                    1) Coaches get glorified/villified by the media, but at the end of the day, it is players who win/lose games. Kentucky had too many freshman in mix; when things got dicey, they didn't have an old hand to pull them through the way Butler/Mazzulla pulled Mountaineers through. Its that simple.

                    Added stats for Sunday: Tennessee-Michigan State is just 4th regional final game since '85 where neither team was a #1-4 seed; in three other games, underdogs won twice, both in '00, when two #8 seeds made the Final Four (North Carolina/Wisconsin).

                    Butler plays winner of Michigan State-Tennessee; it will be just second Final Four game ever where neither team was #1-4 seed (in 2000, Florida, a 5-seed beat 8-seed North Carolina 71-59 in Indy (-5.5).

                    Comment


                    • #25
                      NCAAB


                      Sunday, March 28


                      ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                      NCAA Tournament: South regional Elite Eight picks
                      ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

                      No. 3 Baylor Bears vs. No. 1 Duke Blue Devils (-4.5, 140), 5:05 p.m.

                      The South Region’s finale matches a pair of teams who have both utilized intimidating defenses to reach the Elite Eight and two squads no one would remotely want to face right now.

                      That was evident when Baylor drilled St. Mary’s or “America’s team”, as Gaels center Omar Samhan dubbed he and his teammates, Friday. Samhan had carried Cinderella St. Mary’s through the first two rounds but, when matched up against the Bears’ fierce 2-3 zone defense, struggled mightily in a 72-49 victory for Baylor.

                      Duke continued its impressive march through the Big Dance, advancing to the round of eight for the first time since 2004 in its win over Purdue. After leading 24-23 at halftime in what was a defensive struggle, the Blue Devils turned to their offense in the second half in a 70-57 victory.

                      But it was Duke’s defense and rebounding that once again was the difference in the win. The Blue Devils out-rebounded Purdue 45-to-22 and have a remarkable plus-14.3 rebounding margin for the tournament.

                      As good as Duke is defensively and crashing/defending the boards, Baylor – the quickest team in the field – might actually be better. This season, the Bears rank ninth in the entire country in rebounding margin (+7.2) while their opponents have shot only 37 percent from the field in their three tournament victories.

                      The Blue Devils could have success shooting from the perimeter against Baylor’s zone and it appears Jon Scheyer might have found his shooter’s touch. After shooting just 21 percent from the field in Duke’s first two and a half games of the tournament, the standout guard made 5-of-9 field goals in the second half against Purdue.

                      The Bears have the added advantage of playing a near-home game. Against St. Mary’s, it was estimated that roughly 25,000 of the 40,000 in attendance at the Reliant Center was wearing Baylor green and gold.

                      “Baylor Nation was here,” said forward Quincy Acy, “and they were out and strong, and brought more fuel to us.”

                      This game should be close and picking its winner is a tough call. Either way, whichever team plays its way to the Final Four in Indianapolis, Baylor covers the points.

                      Final score prediction: Baylor 70, Duke 68


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

                      Comment


                      • #26
                        NBA
                        Write-Up



                        Sunday, March 28

                        Hot Teams

                        -- Cavaliers are 8-4 vs spread in last 12 games as a favorite. Kings are 5-1 vs spread in their last six road games.
                        -- Grizzlies won eight of last twelve games.
                        -- Pacers won last five games, covered last eight. Hawks won six of their last eight games.
                        -- Heat won last four games, allowing 77 ppg.
                        -- Bulls won three of last four games, covered six of last seven.
                        -- Magic won 12 of their last 14 games.
                        -- Thunder won eight of last eleven games. Trailblazers won 10 of 12.
                        -- Suns won their last six games (4-1-1 vs spread).
                        -- Spurs won 11 of last 15 games. Celtics won six of their last seven games.

                        Cold Teams
                        -- Bucks lost last two games, scoring 80 ppg, after winning 15 of 17.
                        -- Raptors lost 12 of their last 16 games.
                        -- Pistons didn't win or cover any of their last seven games.
                        -- Nuggets lost three of last four games (0-7 vs spread in last seven).
                        -- Minnesota lost its last eight games (2-6 vs spread).
                        -- Clippers lost ten of last twelve games. Warriors lost four of their last five games.

                        Playing Second of Back-to-Back Nights
                        -- Chicago is 3-5 vs spread if they won the night before.
                        -- Portland is 10-1 vs spread playing second consecutive night on road.
                        -- Golden State is 9-7 vs spread if they played the night before.

                        Totals
                        -- Four of last five Cleveland games stayed under the total.
                        -- Four of last five Memphis games stayed under the total.
                        -- Over is 11-4 in Atlanta's last fifteen games.
                        -- Under is 3-0-1 in last four Miami games.
                        -- Last five Chicago games stayed under the total. Over is 7-3 in last 10 Detroit games.
                        -- Five of last six Denver games stayed under the total.
                        -- Over is 5-2-1 in last eight Thunder games.
                        -- Last four Phoenix road games went over the total.
                        -- Three of last four Minnesota games stayed under the total.
                        -- Over is 4-1-1 in last six San Antonio games.
                        -- Six of last eight Golden State games went over the total. Clippers' last three games stayed under.

                        Comment

                        Working...
                        X