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**StarDust Bum** · 11-19-2010, 06:42 PM

Pittsburgh-Texas meet in 2K Classic title game

TEXAS LONGHORNS (3-0)

vs. PITTSBURGH PANTHERS (4-0)

2K Classic Championship - Finals
Tip-off: Thursday, 7:00 p.m. EDT - Madison Square Garden, New York, NY
Line: OFF

It’s not really a college basketball season until a championship game of SOME SORT tips off at Madison Square Garden. Friday night in Manhattan we'll get just that, and it should be a good one as the fourth ranked Pittsburgh Panthers will take on the Texas Longhorns in the championship game of the 2K Sports Classic.

The Panthers are coming off of a surprising 79-70 victory over the Maryland Terrapins. Surprising not so much for the outcome, but rather for who contributed. With star guards Ashton Gibbs and Brad Wanamaker combining for just 23 points, well below the 19.3 PPG they each were averaging coming into the game, Jamie Dixon received a huge boost from 6-foot-9 Nigerian born forward Talib Zanna. The freshman Zanna scored 14 points on 5-of-7 shooting, and pulled down a game-high 12 rebounds. The Panthers were trailing in the first half, but a 10-2 late spurt gave them a 31-27 halftime lead. They picked up where they left off by starting the second half on an 11-2 run that gave them a 42-29 lead that they would hold onto for the rest of the night.

Pittsburgh will take on a Texas squad that also looked to be in midseason form after an exhilarating overtime victory over No. 16 Illinois in the nightcap of the Thursday doubleheader. Texas defeated Illinois 90-84 after exploding for 15 points in overtime. Sophomore swingman Jordan Hamilton led all scorers with 25 points, and lanky 6-foot-8 freshman Tristan Thompson, in just the third game of his career, chipped in with a very complete stat sheet: 20 points, seven rebounds, five blocks, four assists and three steals. But it was senior forward Gary Johnson who stepped up in OT, scoring four points and getting an assist in the 8-0 run at the start of the extra session that allowed Texas to pull away for the win. If Friday night's championship is to be a close one, and Thursday's results would seem to indicate that it will be, the Longhorns must improve on its performance from the free-throw line. Texas shot a dreadful 25-of-44 (56.8%) from the charity stripe. Thompson was only 4-of-12 from the line himself. Texas and Illinois were dead even on the boards with 37 rebounds each. Pitt shot 70% from the line (26-of-37) and outrebounded Maryland 43-25.

The FoxSheets like the Pittsburgh to win this championship.

Play Against - An underdog (TEXAS) - after allowing 45 points or more in the first half last game, with just two starters returning from last year in the first 5 games of the season.(34-10 over the last 5 seasons.) (77.3%, +23 units. Rating = 3*).

**StarDust Bum** · 11-19-2010, 06:43 PM

NBA bottom feeders

Going into last weekend, we analyzed betting trends for the top NBA teams. Now, as we are nearly a month into the season, we will break down the worst teams in the league, and what bettors should expect when putting money on (or against) these squads for this weekend.
It can’t get much worse for the last-place Clippers who are 1-12 SU (5-8 ATS) to start the season -- their worst start in 12 years. With an eight-game losing streak, L.A. takes on the likely favored Knicks this Saturday in the Staples Center, where the Clips have gone 1-5 ATS. They are also 0-3 (SU and ATS) against the Eastern Conference, being outscored by 15.7 PPG against the Pistons, Nets and Pacers, who are certainly not the cream of the crop in the East. Considering the average age of the starters (20.8 years) isn’t even enough to get them into a bar, it’s not entirely surprising that the young Clippers have struggled. They have the talent and athleticism, but until they are able to start scoring (and avoid injuries), this losing trend seems likely to continue.

The 76ers aren’t doing much better with a five-game losing streak, but they do have one thing the Clippers don’t have -- a second win. Philadelphia is only 2-10 SU to start the season but has gone a reasonable 5-6-1 ATS. The Sixers will stay at home Friday, where they are 1-4 SU and 2-3 ATS, to take on the four-point favored Bucks. Shooting guard Andre Iguodala (12.8 PPG), who is suffering from right Achillies tendinitis, hasn’t played in the past two games and will sit out again Friday. He could return Tuesday to help Philly snag a couple wins in its three-game Eastern Conference road stint. The 76ers are 3-3-1 ATS in away games.

The Raptors return home this weekend from a four-game Eastern Conference road trip where they went 2-2 (3-1 ATS) and snagged a big win in Orlando to start the stretch. With losing its first six games in November, Toronto is only 3-9 SU, but an even 6-6 ATS. The Raptors play their first of two weekend games this Friday against slightly-favored Houston and are only 1-3 (SU and ATS) in the Air Canada Centre. However, bettors have been able to capitalize on Toronto as the underdog as it is 5-2 ATS. The more difficult task will take place Sunday afternoon against the heavily-favored Celtics, who are a near perfect 5-1 ATS on the road.

After losing their first five games on the season, the Rockets are 3-8 SU and an almost even 5-6 ATS. Houston, fifth in the NBA with 105.5 PPG, is favored against the Raptors Friday where it is 0-2 (SU and ATS) in Toronto in the past three seasons and is playing without the injured Yao Ming (leg) and point guard Aaron Brooks (ankle). Houston is only 2-5 SU in road games, but is paying off slightly with a 4-3 ATS record.

The only thing worse than the Kings 3-7 SU record to start the season is their 2-8 record ATS. In the midst of six consecutive losses since Election Day, Sacramento is favored by 3.5 points against the Nets in its third of four consecutive home games on Friday. The Kings fell short 106-100 in the Meadowlands in their second game of the year, and the numbers aren’t in their favor at home with a pathetic 0-6 ATS and 1-5 SU record in ARCO Arena II. Following a one-day break, expect the likely one-loss Hornets to get an easy win Sunday in Sacramento.

After losing big in Boston 114-83 Wednesday, the Wizards head home for a Friday matchup against Memphis before going back on the road to play in Detroit Sunday night. Even with the addition of number one draft pick John Wall, Washington is 3-7 SU on the season and a slightly better 4-6 ATS. Wall has missed the past two games with a foot injury and could continue to sit all weekend. The Wizards, who have the NBA’s third-worst scoring margin (-8.2 PPG), are 0-2 (SU and ATS) against Memphis in the past three seasons at home. While going 2-3 ATS at home and on the road, Washington is a dreadful 0-5 SU on the road as it heads to Detroit.

The Timberwolves take on the defending champion Lakers in the Target Center Friday night with a 4-9 SU record and 6-7 ATS on the season. In the Nov. 9 game in L.A., the Wolves lost 99-94 but easily covered the 17.5-point spread. Minnesota is 3-2 SU at home, but only 2-3 ATS. Look for big rebounding numbers this game with Minnesota’s Kevin Love leading the NBA with 14.3 RPG and L.A.’s Pau Gasol not far behind, ranking third in the league with 12.2 RPG. The 10-point favored Lakers should have no problem snagging this one.

**StarDust Bum** · 11-19-2010, 07:34 PM

NBA Odds: Revenge-minded Thunder at Celtics

The Oklahoma City Thunder look for revenge Friday night when they get an early NBA betting rematch at the Boston Celtics. This is the last regular season meeting of the year between these interconference foes.

The Thunder are 7-4 straight up, but just 4-7 against the spread. They have won and ‘covered’ their last two games, 115-108 at Utah as 6 ½-point ‘dogs on Monday and 116-99 at home over Houston as 6 ½-point favorites on Wednesday. Both of those games were played without forward Jeff Green who is out with an ankle injury.

The 215 combined points against Houston went ‘over’ the 210-point total. The ‘over’ is 5-0 in Oklahoma City’s last five games, with the team scoring 110.8 PPG and allowing 107 PPG.

Oklahoma City is seventh in the league in scoring for the year (104.2 PPG), but just 25th in defense (105.4 PPG). The ‘over’ is 10-1 for the season. The defense has taken a big step back after allowing just 98 PPG last year.

Kevin Durant leads the NBA at 28 PPG. The No. 2 overall pick in the 2007 draft is a superstar in every sense of the word. He must haunt the Portland Trail Blazers, especially with the breaking news that No. 1 pick Greg Oden (knee) is out for the year again.

Point guard Russell Westbrook continues to develop at age 22. His 23.3 PPG is over seven points higher than last year (16.1 PPG). Green (18.2 PPG) is a consistent scorer when healthy, and 6-foot-10 Serge Ibaka (12.1 PPG) has looked very good off the bench and spot-starting for Green. The Thunder are still very young overall with Durant, Westbrook, Green and Ibaka all 24 or younger.

The first game against Boston was home on Nov. 7 . The Thunder lost 92-83 as 2 ½-point favorites, their lowest output of the year. It was also the only ‘under’ for the season. Durant had 34 points, but Westbrook struggled at 6-of-16 from the field (16 points).

Oklahoma City committed 18 turnovers and shot just 42.7 percent from the field. Green didn’t play in that game and is questionable for Friday.

Boston (9-2 SU, 7-4 ATS) has gotten off to strong start, not showing any lingering effects from the devastating NBA Finals loss to the Lakers.

The team’s aging stars of Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce and Ray Allen are all injury-free and looking spry so far. It helps that there’s good team depth as their minutes are all averaging in the 30s.

The one position of concern is center with Jermaine O’Neal (knee) out for a couple of weeks and Kendrick Perkins already out until February. Shaquille O’Neal is manning the middle, but he missed five games earlier with injury.

Boston’s last game was a 114-83 home win over Washington on Wednesday. The Wizards were without rookie sensation John Wall and this game was over after three quarters. Delonte West played his first game after a 10-game league suspension and he’ll fill a key role as the backup point guard playing alongside Nate Robinson.

The Celtics easily ‘covered’ the 13 ½-point spread, their first home ‘cover’ in the last four games.

The Thunder are 3-1 SU and 2-2 ATS on the road this year. They won in Boston last year 109-104 as three-point underdogs.

Durant had 37 points and seemingly went to the line at will, making 15-of-15 free throws. He’s a matchup problem for any small forward in the league with his 6-foot-9 height, shooting right over the 6-foot-7 Pierce.

Tip-off from the TD Banknorth Garden is 4:00 p.m. (PT). ESPN have the coverage, followed by Chicago at Dallas.

The Thunder have a tough trip all the way back to Milwaukee on Saturday night. Boston is at Toronto on Sunday.

**StarDust Bum** · 11-19-2010, 07:36 PM

NBA betting streaks meet in Utah

The San Antonio Spurs have won eight straight contests, with an NBA spread record of 5-2-1 in that stretch. Gregg Popovich’s crew travels for Friday’s matchup against the Utah Jazz, who are 4-1-1 ATS in their last six games.

San Antonio’s latest victory came in Wednesday’s 103-94 triumph as a 6 ½-point home favorite against the Chicago Bulls. The Spurs built up an 18-point lead in the second half thanks to outscoring Chicago, 37-12, in the third quarter.

Spurs guard Tony Parker notched team-highs of 21 points and seven assists. The 28-year-old hit 9-of-14 shots from the field, while adding three rebounds.

San Antonio’s Tim Duncan grabbed a team-high 18 boards en route to finishing with 16 points. The 12-time All-Star added five assists and two blocks.

The combined 197 points ducked below the ‘total’ of 203 ½, ending a 3-0 ‘over’ streak from the San Antonio’s prior three games. Both squads united to connect on 12-of-30 buckets from three-point land, while sinking only 25-of-36 free throws.

The Spurs are 3-0-1 ATS in their first four road games, with the ‘total’ splitting at 2-2. Duncan and Co. have allowed a stingy 98.2 PPG in that span.

Utah picked up its fourth double-digit win in Wednesday’s 98-88 victory as a 9 ½-point home favorite against the New Jersey Nets. The Jazz drained only 1-of-12 from beyond the arc, while holding New Jersey to 37.6 percent shooting from the field.

Jazz guard Deron Williams logged team-highs of 23 points and eight assists. The 26-year-old connected on 12-of-13 foul shots and added two steals.

Utah’s Paul Milsap notched his fourth double-double of the season with 19 points and 15 rebounds. The Louisiana native hit 5-of-15 field buckets in his 42 minutes on the floor.

The battle’s combined 186 points plunged below the ‘total’ of 196 ½, bringing the ‘under’ to 2-5 in the Jazz’ last seven games.

Utah’s win improved Jerry Sloan’s squad to 2-3 ATS in its first five home games, with the ‘under’ also moving to 2-3. The Jazz have put up a scorching 106.8 PPG in that stretch, hitting 46.2 percent of their shots from the field.

Utah is 4-0 SU and ATS in its last four games against the Spurs, with the ‘over’ going 3-1. Williams has notched 20.8 PPG in that span for the Jazz, while Duncan has logged 10.8 RPG for San Antonio.

Friday’s tip is scheduled for 6 p.m. (PT), with both squads playing the front end of a back-to-back spot. San Antonio returns home to face the Cleveland Cavaliers as part of Saturday’s league slate, while Utah travels to meet the Portland Trail Blazers.

**StarDust Bum** · 11-19-2010, 07:37 PM

Chicago, Calgary in Friday NHL odds battle

The defending champion Chicago Blackhawks hope to maintain their recent shooting spree Friday when they continue a six-game road trip with a stop in Calgary to play the Flames. The Blackhawks have fired 90 shots on goal en route to winning their last two games.

Chicago began its road excursion Wednesday by blanking the Edmonton Oilers as 150 road favorites, 5-0. The victory finally moved the Blackhawks above .500 at 10-9-1-1, and raised their road ledger to 5-2-1-1.

The combined five goals slithered below the 5 ½-goal closing total, leaving the ‘under’ 12-9 in Chicago’s first 21 efforts.

The Blackhawks outshot the Oilers, 47-18. Putting pucks on net has not been a problem for the defending champs, but getting them past the goaltender has.

Joel Quenneville’s Hawks are averaging 33.2 shots on goal, which ranks third in the league. Despite the shooting barrage, the club is averaging just 2.9 goals per game (16th). Chicago is yielding an average of 30.1 shots on its own goal (16th) and is allowing 2.8 goals against (15th).

The Blackhawks exacted revenge on an Edmonton squad that had previously defeated them in both meetings this season.

A host of Hawks had big nights against the out-manned Oilers, but it was Jonathan Toews, Patrick Kane, Patrick Sharp and Marty Turco who led the way.

Toews notched the three-goal hat trick, Sharp a goal and assist and Kane two assists to provide the offense. Turco made 18 saves to earn his first shutout with the Hawks and 41st of his career. Turco is now 8-5-1-1 with a 2.56 GAA and .914 save percentage.

Chicago is 17-7 in its last 24 road games, 8-2 in its last 10 trips to Calgary and 20-8 in its last 28 overall series meetings against the Flames.

The Blackhawks swept the four-game season series against the Flames last year, outscoring them 20-8 in the process. In fact, the Hawks held the Flames to just one goal in three of those four meetings.

Calgary enters this contest by dropping seven of its past eight games, including the last three in a row.

The latest setback occurred Wednesday when the Flames were on the short end of a 3-1 decision against the Phoenix Coyotes as 130 home favorites. The loss lowered Calgary’s home record to 4-5-0-0 and its overall ledger to 7-10-0-0.

Though the combined four goals dipped ‘under’ the NHL betting total, the ‘over’ is still 9-8 in Calgary’s first 17 encounters.

The Flames went 0-for-2 on the power play against the Coyotes, which ended a string of five straight games where Calgary had notched a goal with the man advantage. Nevertheless, the Flames rank a poor 23rd on the power play with a 13.9 percent success rate.

Brent Sutter’s troops are averaging 2.7 goals per game (20th) and are allowing 3.1 GPG (21st). The Flames rank 11th on both the penalty kill and shots against.

Mikka Kiprusoff stopped 28-of-30 Phoenix shots in a losing cause, dropping his record to 6-9-0-0. He has a 2.75 goals-against average, .905 save percentage and two shutouts.

The Flames better enjoy this home game because they will embark on a tough five-game East Coast road swing that will take them through Detroit, New York, New Jersey, Philadelphia and Pittsburgh.

Chicago will continue its six-game road excursion with a Saturday contest in Vancouver against the Canucks.

**StarDust Bum** · 11-19-2010, 07:38 PM

College Basketball Betting: Weekend Highlights

Friday's best matchups are in New York at the conclusion of the 2K Sports Classic Benefiting Coaches vs. Cancer. Pittsburgh and Texas came away winners in Thursday's opening two games to set up their matchup Friday at 4 p.m. PT. Illinois and Maryland meet in the 2 p.m. PT consolation game.

The Panthers dominated the glass and held off a pesky Terps squad in a 79-70 win on Thursday as 7½-point favorites at Bookmaker.com. The nightcap was a thrilling back-&-forth affair between the Longhorns and Illini with Texas taking a 90-84 win in overtime. That game opened briefly as a pick 'em before the line moved all the way to Illinois minus four at close.

A Texas, Pitt matchup should prove very physical and will be a test of early conditioning in the first back-to-back game for both squads. The Panthers have more offense in the backcourt than the 'Horns which should prove to be the difference in a 3-4 point Pittsburgh win.

One of Saturday's most interesting contests will find Ball State at No. 16 Butler. It will be the Bulldogs' first game after taking a rather sound whipping Tuesday in Louisville against the Big East Cardinals. Now they take on a Cardinals team out of the MAC that's picked to be among the better squads, so it should provide a decent test for Butler in need of bouncing back in the win column.

The game tips at Hinkle Fieldhouse in Indianapolis at 11 a.m. PT, and is a rematch from about 11½ months ago when Ball State hosted a then-No. 20 Butler. The Bulldogs covered their 14-point tag on the NCAAB odds board with a 59-38 win, limiting the BSU to 11 first-half points.

Neither school is ranked in the latest AP poll, but the Wisconsin, UNLV game at Thomas & Mack Center (4 p.m. PT) is a very crucial early-season matchup. The Badgers and Rebels are both in several 25-50 listings with the Badgers No. 25 in the coaches poll, so the loser will face a tough row to hoe climbing back up in rankings after an early loss.

Value City Arena in Columbus is where you'll find the Buckeyes and NC-Wilmington Seahawks tipping their Saturday duel (5 p.m. PT). Ohio State takes to the court after its huge road win at Florida on Tuesday, 93-75, as 2-3 point underdogs depending when and where you bet it.

The Seahawks were 26-point road kill at the books when they fell at Florida on Nov. 12, 77-60. John Q. Public and the NCAA basketball oddsmakers all have something to go on now along with how the books now adjust to setting lines on Gators games.

A trio of Sunday contests highlight the slate starting with No. 22 Virginia Tech at NC-Greensboro. This one tips at 10 a.m. PT and this is a second-straight road game for the Hokies who fell on Tuesday at No. 3 Kansas State, 73-57.

Va Tech was 7-point road 'dogs in the contest and Seth Greenberg's group will be meeting a Spartans team that is 0-2 straight up and even against the spread on the season. UNCG ranks third to the bottom allowing 99 points a game to Va Commonwealth and Florida State. Va Tech will be lined in the 20s and to cover they'll probably have to hold the Spartans in the 50s.

Another bounce-back battle takes place Sunday in Florida where the Gators meet Morehead State. Billy Donovan's dudes got a swift kick to the can from the Buckeyes in front of the prime-time viewers and it's always a tough call how a bunch of 18-20 year olds might respond.

The Eagles will be stepping up in class of opponent, and then some, playing at the O'Dome in Gainesville. Morehead State will also play barometer for fans, bettors and books next week when the Eagles travel to Columbus to meet Ohio State. Why, it's almost like the schedule is set up to allow even the most dense of poll voters and selection committee members to get a handle on this thing.

One of the most intriguing weekend matchups will be Sunday's neutral-site clash between LSU and No. 19 Memphis. The two meet in Tupelo's BancorpSouth Arena for a 2 p.m. PT tip in the Global Sports Challenge. The double-Tigers fight will find a raucous bipartisan crowd and is Josh Pastner's Memphis squad's last real test before a huge road tilt at Kentucky in a little more than two weeks.

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