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**bryce** · 11-10-2010, 06:22 PM

Good luck bum!

**jt4545** · 11-10-2010, 06:58 PM

Gl and thanks

**StarDust Bum** · 11-10-2010, 07:14 PM

Pitt goes for 49th straight non-conf. home win

ILLINOIS-CHICAGO FLAMES (0-0)

at PITTSBURGH PANTHERS (1-0)

Tip-off: Wednesday, 7:00 p.m. EDT
Line: Pittsburgh -23

Before you start rounding up your allowance money with an eye towards this game and its enticing spread, consider these factors. First, we are barely two days into the season and we have already had one major scare to a Top 25 team (Pittsburgh). A second top-25 team, Tennessee (79-64 losers to Div. II Indianapolis in an exhibition game), got much more than a scare. Presumably Tennessee coach Bruce Pearl’s 5:30 a.m. film session on the heels of that defeat got the attention of Vols players. As for Pittsburgh, Jamie Dixon is hoping that the Panthers 83-75 comeback victory Monday night versus Rhode Island knocked some of the off-season cobwebs off his team. Pitt will be heavy favorites against their Horizon League opponents from the University of Illinois-Chicago. The Flames are playing their season opener on the road against a top-5 team that has not lost to a non-conference opponent in 48 straight home games.

The UIC Flames didn’t create an awful lot of heat last season, finishing 8-22, and 3-15 in Horizon League play. Long-time coach Jimmy Collins resigned over the summer and was replaced by Howard Moore. The rebuilding process will center around the starting backcourt of senior Robo Kreps (15.2 PPG) and junior Zavion Neely (12.2 PPG). The Flames also hope to get a boost from 6-foot-8 Paul Carter, a transfer from Minnesota who was a sixth man on Gopher teams that made the NCAA Tournament.

Carter will need to help the Flames out on the boards, an area that appears to be a glaring mismatch on paper. While Pittsburgh out-rebounded opponents on average by 5.1 RPG last year, the Flames ranked 327th in the country in rebounding margin at minus-6.4 RPG. Monday night the Panthers maintained a 45-32 rebound advantage over the Rams from Rhode Island. Another positive sign was the play from the starting backcourt of Ashton Gibbs and Brad Wanamaker who combined for 46 points. Those numbers helped to negate the disparity in three-point efficiency between the two teams. While the Rams were a blistering 14-of-32 from beyond the arc, the Panthers only shot 3-of-15 from downtown. Pitt was the number one scoring defense in the Big East last season (61.8 PPG), which sets them up nicely against a UIC squad that shot an unimpressive 38.8 FG% for the season.

This highly-rated FoxSheets stat favors Pittsburgh to win and cover:

Play On - Home favorites of 20 or more points (PITTSBURGH) - good team from last season (60% to 80%) playing a team who had a losing record last year, with four starters returning from last year in the first 10 games of the season. (24-3 over the last 5 seasons.) (88.9%, +20.7 units. Rating = 4*).

**StarDust Bum** · 11-10-2010, 07:16 PM

Illini favored by 30.5 over Toledo

TOLEDO ROCKETS (0-0)

at ILLINOIS FIGHTING ILLINI (1-0)

Tip-off: Wednesday, 8:00 p.m. EDT
Line: Illinois -30.5

While Illinois is looking to build on a season-opening win, Toledo is looking to start the year off right after the lost season that was 2009-10. The Fighting Illini are coming off a 79-65 victory over the Anteaters from UC-Irvine in a game in which Illinois held its opponent to 23% shooting in the first half. It was a return (at least for the first 20 minutes) of the tenacious brand of defense fans in Champaign had become used to seeing from Bruce Weber’s teams. The Illini gave up an average of 59.1 PPG making them the stingiest defensive team in the Big Ten from 2004-05 to 2008-09. Last season, that was not the case, as they allowed nearly 67 PPG. Monday night Illinois saw three of its starters score in double figures, as the team shot a very impressive 29-of-58 (50%) for a season-opening contest. Brandon Paul provided a huge boost off the bench, as he chipped in with 18 points (6-of-8 shooting from beyond the arc) in 21 minutes.

The Toledo Rockets were pretty much grounded for the 2009-10 campaign, finishing an abysmal 4-28, and 1-15 in league competition. The Rockets were 0-17 SU on the road last season, and lost those road games by an average of 18 PPG. Road worries are nothing new for this program. Since an overtime victory in March 2008 over Central Michigan, the Rockets have actually dropped 31 consecutive road games. Coach Gene Cross is out, and former Wisconsin-Green Bay head man Ted Kowalczyk takes over the damaged program. He won’t have much to work with for this season. Only four letter-winners are back from last season’s squad. Toledo will be led by versatile senior forward Justin Anyijong (9.4 PPG, 5.3 RPG) and sophomore Malcolm Griffin (7.2 PPG, 2.9 APG) who will man the point.

The FoxSheets side with Illinois to win and cover the massive spread:

ILLINOIS is 11-1 ATS (+9.9 Units) in home games off a home no-cover where the team won straight up as a favorite since 1997. The average score was ILLINOIS 78.8, OPPONENT 54.2 - (Rating = 3*).

**StarDust Bum** · 11-10-2010, 07:17 PM

Grizzlies favored by one point over Dallas

DALLAS MAVERICKS (4-2)

at MEMPHIS GRIZZLIES (4-4)

Tip-off: Wednesday, 8:00 p.m. EDT
Line: Memphis -1 Total: 197.5

The Mavs are feeling good after beating the defending Eastern Conference Champion Celtics by two points at home this past Monday. Despite turning the ball over 17 times, Dallas snagged the win shooting 50 percent from the field. The Mavericks were led by Dirk Nowitzki’s 25 points on 9-of-16 shooting, and held Boston to 41.8 FG Pct. As displayed in their 91-90 loss against the Grizzlies in October, where the Mavs shot considerably better from the floor (47.2% to 38.8%), it’s going to take more than a good field-goal percentage to win in Memphis. Dallas committed 18 turnovers and was unable to capitalize on fouls, shooting a measly 16-of-24 (66.7%) from the line against the Grizzlies. The Mavs are 2-0 (SU and ATS) on the road to start the season, but they’ll need to make it count from the line and do a better job of holding onto the ball (17.5 turnover average is fifth-worst in NBA) to avoid going 0-2 against Memphis. Dallas will be without Caron Butler (third on team with 14.7 PPG) who is suffering from back spasms.

Meanwhile, Memphis ranks first in the league in steals (12.5 per game) and is causing the most opponent turnovers in the NBA (22.0 per game). The Grizzlies have won two of their last three since welcoming back Zach Randolph, who missed four of the first five games with a bruised tailbone. They beat the Suns 109-99 on Monday. The return of Randolph doesn’t bode well for Dallas, as he has averaged 23.9 points, 13.4 rebounds, and posted eight straight double-doubles against the Mavs. In their win against the Mavs, the Grizzlies (who were without Randolph) outscored Dallas 34-30 on points in the paint, had a 16-6 edge in second-chance points, and grabbed 14 offensive rebounds. Marc Gasol and Randolph will need to play tough defense in the paint to make up for the height differential from the Mavericks three seven-footers.

It’s going to be a tough road game for the Mavs, who lost three in a row in Memphis before snagging a win in overtime last March. Dallas is a solid road team, going 27-17 (61.4%) SU on the road last year, and has a good chance to win in Memphis if it keeps the turnovers to a minimum and puts up points in the paint.

This FoxSheets stat favors Dallas to win:

DALLAS is 19-9 (67.9%) against the spread at MEMPHIS since 1996.

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