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**StarDust Bum** · 11-15-2010, 06:48 PM

McNabb expected to start Monday night

PHILADELPHIA EAGLES (5-3)
at WASHINGTON REDSKINS (4-4)

Kickoff: Monday, 8:30 p.m. EDT, Line: Philadelphia -3, Total: 42.5

Donovan McNabb is likely to start in Monday’s NFC East showdown against his former team. McNabb was benched in the fourth quarter of last game against Detroit, and has been bothered by hamstring injuries, but he says he’s ready to go. Mike Vick is also ready to play again for the Eagles. Vick was knocked out of the Week 4 meeting between these two teams, which was won by Washington 17-12.

Vick, who appears to be fully recovered from that rib injury, leads the NFL with a 105.3 quarterback rating. He has thrown for 1,017 yards with seven touchdowns and no interceptions. Vick has also rushed for 261 yards (7.3 YPC) and two more scores. The Eagles rank fifth in the NFL in rushing with 138 YPG. LeSean McCoy (572 yards, 4.7 YPC, 5 TD) is the top rusher on the team, but he was also a threat catching passes out of the backfield in the Week 4 meeting with Washington. McCoy caught 12 passes for 110 yards that game in addition to his 64 rushing yards.

McNabb had a terrible game against Philly in Week 4. He completed just 8-of-19 passes for 125 yards, one touchdown and one interception. He was 2-for-11 for 10 yards in the second half. Luckily for McNabb, his running game bailed him out. The Redskins rushed for a season-high 169 yards in that contest. Ryan Torain had 70 of those yards, but he might be limited Monday night because of a nagging hamstring injury. RB Clinton Portis will miss his fifth straight game with a groin injury, so Washington would love to give Torain 25-plus touches.

The Eagles are 11-6-1 ATS when playing at Washington since 1992 and the FoxSheets show this five-star trend in favor of Philadelphia to cover Monday night.

Andy Reid is 10-0 ATS (+10.0 Units) vs. poor passing defenses - allowing 235 or more passing yards/game in the second half of the season as the coach of PHILADELPHIA. The average score was PHILADELPHIA 30.7, OPPONENT 15.3 - (Rating = 5*).

Twelve of the past 17 meetings in Washington have gone Under the Total and these two trends also predict the score will finish Under the Total:

Play Under - Any team where the total is between 42.5 and 49 points (WASHINGTON) - after allowing 30 points or more last game against opponent after 2 straight games where 50 total points or more were scored. (80-36 since 1983.) (69%, +40.4 units. Rating = 3*).

PHILADELPHIA is 13-2 UNDER (+10.8 Units) after 2 straight games where 50 total points or more were scored since 1992. The average score was PHILADELPHIA 17.3, OPPONENT 14.1 - (Rating = 2*).

**StarDust Bum** · 11-15-2010, 06:49 PM

Kansas favored by 22 over Valpo

VALPARAISO CRUSADERS (1-0)

at KANSAS JAYHAWKS (1-0)

Tip-off: Monday, 8:00 p.m. EDT
Line: Kansas -22

When the seventh-ranked Kansas Jayhawks take on the Valparaiso Crusaders from the Horizon League, both teams will be looking for a much stiffer challenge from the one they received from each other’s season-opening opponents, who barely offered more than what amounted to a sanctioned scrimmage.

Kansas defeated Longwood 113-75 for its 60th consecutive home victory, the longest such streak in the nation. While the Jayhawks are playing without top freshman recruit Josh Selby (awaiting an NCAA ruling regarding his amateurism) the offensive attack was not lacking for a field general. Five Kansas players scored in double figures, led by forward Marcus Morris with 18 points and guard Tyshawn Taylor with 17. The Jayhawks shot a blistering 62% from the floor as a 27-4 run to end the first half basically sealed the deal. Despite the win, Kansas coach Bill Self was less than enamored with his squad’s defensive effort, using the word “soft” to describe it. The Jayhawks allowed Longwood to hit 11 three-pointers, as the visitors shot 45% on the night.

Valparaiso disposed of Indiana-Northwest with a 111-64 drubbing on Friday night. Four of the five starters for the Crusaders scored in double figures as they raced out to a 29-point halftime lead and never looked back. Junior Brandon Wood led Valpo with 20 points, while seniors Cory Johnson and Howard Little chipped in with 17 apiece. The Crusaders went 10-8 in Horizon League play last season and return four starters from that team. Head coach Homer Drew has experience, and just like Kansas coach Bill Self, he has a prized freshman recruit to man the point in Jay Harris. What he is looking for, is for his team to show as much tenacity on the defensive end as they do when they have the ball. Valpo led the Horizon League in scoring last season (73.2 PPG), but they also gave up the most points in the league (74.3 PPG). If they have any prayer of pulling off an upset on the Jayhawks home floor, they will need to show that they spent a lot of time this offseason working on and improving their overall team defense.

The FoxSheets side with Kansas to win and cover this substantial spread.

Play On - Home teams as a favorite or pick (KANSAS) - team from a major division 1-A conference against a team from a mid-major division 1-A conference, off a home win scoring 85 or more points. (182-110 since 1997.) (62.3%, +61 units. Rating = 2*).

**StarDust Bum** · 11-15-2010, 06:50 PM

Redskins, Eagles in Monday Night Football betting rematch

Most Hollywood sequels never live up to the original productions. The reverse might be the case in Monday night's Philadelphia Eagles, Washington Redskins matchup, a sequel that could become the show everyone expected the time around.

Philadelphia hosted Washington on Oct. 3 as a 5 ½-point favorite in a hyped clash that featured Donovan McNabb's first game in Philly since his offseason trade to the Redskins. McNabb was triumphant in his return, 17-12, but the game really lost a lot of its sheen when Eagles QB Michael Vick left the game early with rib and chest injuries.

Vick is healthy now, and it's McNabb who is hurting with hamstring trouble plus a bit of a bruised ego after being benched in Washington's most recent game. That puts the spotlight back on the two quarterbacks once again which always makes for good NFL theater. The game is also critical to the NFC East race where Philadelphia (5-3) enters the weekend trailing the 6-2 New York Giants by a game with the 4-4 Redskins just a game behind the Eagles.

Monday's line has been very static, opening and remaining at minus three on the Eagles. The total has inched up a point at most shops from the start, with 5Dimes running at 42 ½ as of Saturday and pricing both sides of the 'over/under' at minus 110.

Assuming the line closes where it's at, it will be the fifth consecutive week the 'Skins have been three-point underdogs on the NFL betting card.

Washington has had two weeks to recover from its 37-25 loss on Halloween in Detroit. The Redskins twice had five-point leads in the fourth quarter only to see Matthew Stafford rally the Lions with a pair of short TD passes to Calvin Johnson. A Ndamukong Suh fumble return with a minute and a half left sealed the win for Detroit.

Suh's fumble return occurred on the first snap Rex Grossman took in place of McNabb. Washington head coach Mike Shanahan made the call to go with Grossman over McNabb late in the game with the Redskins trailing by six.

The Eagles are coming off a 26-24 win at home over the Colts, just missing the cover for their backers as three-point favorites. Philadelphia built an early 13-0 lead and relied on four David Akers field goals to keep Indianapolis at bay. Vick completed 17 of his 29 tosses for 218 yards, anMonday Night Footbald combined with halfback LeSean McCoy for 169 yards on the ground to help keep Peyton Manning and the Colts offense off the field more.

The Redskins will be looking for their first regular season sweep of the Eagles since 2005. Washington's victory in Philadelphia six weeks ago left the two division rivals even in their last 10 meetings, five wins apiece. The Redskins have won four of the last five versus the number, however, and six of the last eight.

Eagles-Redskins games have gone 'under' the total 10 of the last 14 matchups, and seven of the last nine played in DC.

The Redskins next travel to Tennessee to meet the Titans next Sunday (Nov. 21) while the Eagles will be at home for a big Sunday night game against the New York Giants.

Current weather forecasts call for a partly cloudy day in the DC area on Monday with a 20 percent chance of rain. Expect the thermometer to be in the mid-to-upper 50s for the kickoff.

**The Boomaster** · 11-15-2010, 06:51 PM

Like KAN and the over. gl dusty

**StarDust Bum** · 11-15-2010, 06:52 PM

NBA Odds: Hornets take perfection to Dallas

As they say down in Bayou Country, "Laissez les bon temps roulez!"

The good times are indeed rolling for the New Orleans Hornets who remained the lone unbeaten team in the standings and against the NBA spread with a 107-87 win over the Trail Blazers on Saturday night. New Orleans' perfect 8-0 marks SU and ATS will be put to the test this week when the Hornets meet the Dallas Mavericks in a home-&-home series.

The first of the back-to-back matchups is Monday night at Dallas' American Airline Center (5:30 p.m. PT).

Though New Orleans' twin 8-0 records take center stage, the tight standings at the top of the Southwest Division might be the bigger story in Monday's meetings. A perfect run through their first eight games has netted the Hornets just a two-game lead over the 6-2 Mavericks with the 7-1 San Antonio Spurs sandwiched between. It's quickly becoming a three-team race among that trio with both Memphis and Houston in danger of being left in the dust.

The latest triumph for New Orleans came as five-point home chalk against Portland who suffered its second straight defeat. Hornets defenders limited the Blazers to 40.7 percent shooting from the field, helped by Brandon Roy's 1-of-7 evening while the Portland guard nurses a bum knee.

Seven New Orleans shooters finished with double figures on the scoreboard with David West and Marco Belinelli each canning 18. 'Over' bettors were rewarded for just the second time in eight Hornets games.

Dallas enters the fracas on a three-game winning run after a 99-90 triumph at home on Friday versus the 76ers. Jose Juan Berea came off the Mavericks bench for a game-high 19 points, his third successive contest to reach double digits on the scoring ledger. Centers Brendon Haywood and Tyson Chandler combined for 29 of Dallas' 47 rebounds.

The Mavs were aided by Philadelphia's poor free throw shooting with the Sixers missing nine of 23 charity tosses. Dallas' nine-point chalk line in the game 'pushed' at the window, leaving the Mavericks 4-3-1 versus the number. The 'under' 195 also left Dallas with the identical 6-2 record to the low side that New Orleans owns.

New Orleans will be playing its fourth road game of the campaign. Both of Dallas' losses have come on its home court where the Mavericks are 1-3-1 ATS.

The contest will pit two of the better squads defensively thus far. New Orleans is second in the NBA in both scoring defense (89.8 ppg) and opponents field goal percentage (42.3). Mavericks opponents are shooting a league-worst 42.0 percent with Dallas third in limiting the opposition to 91.5 points per game.

Dallas has a couple of injuries to report, though the Mavericks expect both Caron Butler and Dirk Nowitzki to play. Butler has missed the last two Mavs games with back trouble; Nowitzki started and played 36 minutes in Friday's win despite a sprained right ankle he suffered in last Wednesday's win in Memphis.

New Orleans and Dallas split their series last season with the home team taking all four battles. The Hornets were 1-0-1 ATS in Big D and 2-0 ATS at home. Three of the four contests went 'over' the NBA odds total.

Wednesday's rematch will find the two squads at the New Orleans Arena for a 5 p.m. tip. Adam Markowitz will have the preview here at DonBest.com. The Hornets will then host Cleveland on Friday before embarking on a four-game swing out west that begins in Sacramento on Sunday. Dallas follows Wednesday's matchup with a Friday home tilt versus the Bulls on ESPN and a Saturday road date in Atlanta.

**StarDust Bum** · 11-15-2010, 06:53 PM

Rangers, Penguins open Monday hockey odds

The Pittsburgh Penguins are 3-1 in their last four games, with the ‘over’ cashing at 2-0-2. Dan Bylsma’s club plays its third game in four nights as part of Monday’s league slate against the New York Rangers, who travel to CONSOL Energy Center for the second game of a back-to-back spot.

Pittsburgh came from behind in Saturday’s 4-2 win as a minus 103 road choice against the Atlanta Thrashers. The Penguins triumphed despite being outshot, 33-28, and outdrawn in faceoffs, 31-21.

Penguins center Evgeni Malkin notched his first hat trick of the season, finishing with three goals. The Russian launched a team-high seven shots on goal and took 2-of-5 faceoffs.

Pittsbugh’s Sidney Crosby logged his team’s sole other goal, following assists from Malkin and defenseman Deryk Engelland. Crosby’s tip-in extended the 23-year-old’s streak of games with at least one goal to five.

The battle’s combined six goals 'pushed' the NHL odds thanks to Malkin’s empty net strike with 1:02 remaining. Penguins goalie Marc-Andre Fleury finished with a season-high 31 saves, improving to 3-6 in his nine outings with a 3.09 GAA.

Pittsburgh’s victory brought Crosby and Co. to 3-5 in its first eight home dates, with the ‘over’ collecting at 4-3-1.

New York picked up its second shutout win of the season with a 3-0 blitz as a 148 road 'dog against the New Jersey Devils in a Nov. 5 trip to Newark. The Rangers’ latest road game saw netminder Henrik Lundqvist log 33 saves, while his squad was outdrawn in faceoffs, 41-18.

New York’s Brandon Dubinsky notched two goals, including a shorthanded strike at 3:41 of the third period. The five-year center logged a season-high six shots on goal in 21 minutes of ice time.

Dubinsky’s mate Artem Anisimov finished with two assists in his third two-point game of the season.

The Rangers’ win improved John Tortorella’s club to 5-2 in their first seven road games, with its three goals also bringing the ‘under’ to 5-2.

Anisimov went on to have his first two-goal game of the year in Thursday’s 3-2 overtime win for New York as 148 home favorite. The 22-year-old poked the game-winner past Buffalo’s Jhonas Enroth at 1:32 of the extra stanza.

New York’s Martin Biron started in place of Lundqvist in goal, stopping 29-of-31 shots. Biron is 2-2 in his first four outings with a 2.26 GAA.

Lundqvist, who is 6-6 in his first 12 starts with a 2.68 GAA, could miss Monday’s matchup due to a flu illness. The 28-year-old was listed as “doubtful” by DonBest.com going into Sunday’s home game against the Edmonton Oilers.

New York is 3-0 in the second game of its three back-to-back spots, with the ‘under’ also collecting at 3-0. “The Broadway Blueshirts” have combined to outscore their foes, 8-1, in that span.

Pittsburgh is 8-1 in its last nine meetings against the Rangers, with the ‘over’ going 6-3.

The rivals ended their set of six matchups last season with two straight overtime affairs, splitting road wins and the total in each. Crosby notched two goals in a 3-2 defeat for Pittsburgh last February, while Lundqvist logged 50 saves in a 5-4 setback for the Rangers in March.

Monday’s puck is scheduled to drop at 4 p.m. (PT), with MSG Network and Fox Sports Pittsburgh providing television coverage.

Both squads will have one night off before resuming action on Wednesday’s league card. New York returns home to face the Boston Bruins, while Pittsburgh hosts the Vancouver Canucks.

**StarDust Bum** · 11-15-2010, 07:03 PM

Tip-Off Marathon
November 15, 2010

Editor's note: Brian Edwards is off to a 2-0 start in college hoops with these selections locked and loaded for Tuesday's Tip-Off Marathon!

For the third straight season, ESPN will do the 24-hour thing again Tuesday in what the network is billing as the College Hoops Tip-Off Marathon. The event will include 20 men’s basketball games on ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU and ESPN3.com, starting at midnight Eastern on Tuesday morning.

The action starts with Miami playing at Memphis. Josh Pastner’s team opened the season with a 104-40 win over Centenary as a 33 ½-point home favorite. Antonio Barton enjoyed a brilliant debut, scoring a team-high 17 points in just 23 minutes of action. Barton, a true freshman point guard, also had five steals, four assists and two blocked shots. He made 5-of-6 from the field, draining all three of his attempts from 3-point range.

Chris Crawford, another freshman from out of Pastner’s outstanding 2010 recruiting class, had 16 points in only 13 minutes of playing time. Crawford buried all six of his shots from the floor, including four 3-pointers.

Miami (1-0 straight up, 0-0 against the spread) won its opener over Jacksonville by an 89-77 count in a non-lined affair. The Hurricanes trailed the Dolphins 48-42 at intermission, but they outscored JU 47-29 in the second half.

Junior guard Malcolm Grant paced UM with a game-high 23 points, while sophomore guard Durand Scott added 20 points and six assists compared to just one turnover.

Frank Haith, who is in the sixth season of his tenure at Miami, lost three starters from last season’s team. The ‘Canes finished strong last year, covering the spread in each of their last four games while making a surprising run to the ACC Tournament semifinals before losing to eventual national-champ Duke by a 77-74 score.

As of early Monday morning, most betting shops had the Tigers installed as 5 ½-point home favorites. ESPN will have the telecast of UM at Memphis.

The 2:00 a.m. Eastern game on Tuesday morning will feature St. John’s at Saint Mary’s. Most books, as of early Monday morning, had the Gaels favored by 4 ½.

Randy Bennett’s team opened its season by beating up on Albertson College 86-42 in a non-lined game. Clint Steindl knocked down six 3’s and scored a game-high 20 points, while Kenton Walker chipped in with 14 points.

Steve Lavin is making his debut as head coach of St. John’s, taking over for Norm Roberts after working at ESPN since as an analyst since getting fired at UCLA in 2003. Lavin, who took the Bruins to five Sweet 16 appearances in seven seasons, inherits plenty of talent including four returning starters.

On ESPN Tuesday afternoon at 4:00 p.m. Eastern, Virginia Tech (1-0 SU, 0-0 ATS) will play at Kansas St. The Hokies, who return their entire nucleus, beat Campbell 70-60 in their opener.

Malcolm Delaney, one of the ACC’s premier players, scored a game-high 20 points. Senior big man Jeff Allen added 11 points, 14 rebounds, five assists, four blocked shots and a pair of steals.

Frank Martin’s squad won its opener Friday over James Madison 75-61 as a 19-point home favorite. The 136 combined points stayed ‘under’ the 150-point total.

K-St.’s Jacob Pullen scored a game-high 20 points and dished out five assists. Nick Russell added 19 points for the Wildcats, who have two starters back from last year’s team that went to the Elite Eight before losing to eventual runner-up Butler.

Curtis Kelly, a senior center who averaged 11.5 points and 6.2 rebounds per game in 2009-2010, is the other returning starter in addition to Pullen. However, the UConn transfer was benched by Martin for the opener and wasn’t even in uniform.

His status against the Hokies was unknown as of Monday morning. After the win over James Madison, Martin told the Topeka Capital-Journal, "He just has to figure out if he wants to be a good teammate and be here. When he does that for a consistent period of time, then I will consider putting him out there again."

ESPN will head to Gainesville at 6:00 p.m. Eastern on Tuesday, as Florida (1-0 SU, 0-1 ATS) will play host to Ohio State. The Gators opened their season Friday night by capturing a 77-60 win over UNC-Wilmington as 25-point home favorites.

Senior forward Chandler Parson’s led four UF scorers in double figures with 16 points. Alex Tyus added 13 points and seven rebounds.

Ohio St. (1-0 SU, 0-0 ATS) opened its campaign with a 102-61 triumph over North Carolina A&T in a game that was off the board. The Buckeyes bring back their entire team with the exception of Evan Turner, who was the No. 2 pick in the NBA Draft. They also add one of the nation’s top freshmen in center Jared Sullinger, who had 19 points and 14 rebounds in his debut.

The 8:00 p.m. Eastern game on ESPN will pit Butler at Louisville. The Bulldogs beat up on Marian College 83-54 in their non-lined opener. Shelvin Mack scored a game-high 20 points.

Rick Pitino’s team will be playing its season opener and will probably have to do without its only returning starter. Junior forward Jared Swopshire, who averaged 7.5 points and 6.1 rebounds per game last year, is ‘doubtful’ with a sports hernia. Freshman guard Russell Smith is ‘out’ indefinitely with a broken foot that he suffered two weeks ago.

The 10:00 p.m. Eastern game on Tuesday night will be played at Breslin Center in East Lansing. That’s where Michigan St. will play host to South Carolina from out of the SEC.

Tom Izzo returns for his 16th year with the Spartans after nearly taking the Cleveland job in the NBA over the offseason. He’s back, though, and so is everyone else except for Raymar Morgan (11.3 PPG) and Chris Allen (8.2 PPG).

MSU cashed tickets in its opener Friday, destroying Eastern Michigan 96-66 as a 20 ½-point home favorite. Kalin Lucas was the catalyst for the Spartans, scoring a team-high 18 points and dishing out six assists. Durrell Summers added 17 points.

South Carolina failed to cover the number in its 94-79 win over Elon University as a 16-point home favorite Friday night. Sam Muldrow, the only returning starter for Darrin Horn’s third team in Columbia, led six double-figure scorers with 20 points.

**B.E.’s Bonus Nuggets**

--Morgan St. is expected to go to the NCAA Tournament for a third straight year, as Todd Bozeman’s team looks like the class of the MEAC again. The Bears won their opener 81-79 at Loyola-Marymount. Bozeman has beefed up the schedule this year with road games looming at Providence (Nov. 18), at Syracuse (Dec. 20), at Louisville (Dec. 27) and at Baylor (Jan. 4).

--Memphis second-year head coach Josh Pastner has dismissed Jelan Kendrick from the program. The true freshman was a McDonald’s All-American from out of Atlanta.

--With star forward Trey Thompkins on the sidelines with an ankle sprain, Georgia nearly fell victim to an upset in its season opener Friday night at Stegeman Coliseum. The Dawgs overcame a one-point deficit at halftime to beat Mississippi Valley St., 72-70. Senior center Jeremy Price scored a game-high 20 points, while high-flying Travis Leslie finished with 16 points, 11 rebounds and four blocked shots. Tennessee St. transfer Gerald Robinson added 19 points on 8-of-14 shooting from the field.

--On the eve of the football team’s home game vs. Georgia, Auburn opened its new basketball arena at long last. It wasn’t a good start for the Tony Barbee Era at Auburn Arena. The Tigers blew a nice lead at halftime and lost 70-69 to UNC-Asheville in overtime.

--Tim Floyd’s debut at UTEP didn’t go well, as the Miners lost to Pacific 66-61 as eight-point home favorites. Good, I’m glad.

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