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**StarDust Bum** · 12-05-2010, 12:07 PM

Maryland favored by 4.5 over Temple

TEMPLE OWLS (4-2)

vs. MARYLAND TERRAPINS (6-2)

BB&T Classic – Verizon Center – Washington, DC
Tip-off: Sunday, 8:00 p.m. EDT
Line: Maryland -4.5

Temple and Maryland will meet in the BB&T Classic at the Verizon Center in Washington DC on Sunday. It's considered a neutral-site matchup, but the Terrapins should have a solid home-court advantage against the Owls. Both schools already have two neutral-court losses this season, but Maryland’s losses were of higher quality (Pitt, Illinois) than Temple’s (Cal, Texas A&M).

The Terrapins have won three straight blowouts by a combined 60 points since the 80-76 loss to Illinois. Maryland’s latest victory was a 62-39 road win at Penn State on Wednesday. The Terps shot 49% from the field and held the Nittany Lions to 20.6% FG (14-for-68). Maryland is led by Jordan Williams, who averages a team-best 17.1 PPG and 11.8 RPG. He's also made 57% of his field goals and has six double-doubles on the season. Cliff Tucker (12.1 PPG) is the only other Terrapin in double figures in scoring and leads the team in three-pointers made with nine.

Temple is coming off a 65-53 win at Central Michigan on Wednesday where the Owls shot a blistering 49% from the floor. Ramone Moore leads the Owls in scoring with 11.7 PPG, but is shooting only 37% from the field. He hit only 6-of-15 shots against the Chippewas and is 0-for-8 on three-pointers in his last three games. Guard Juan Hernandez (11.0 PPG, 4.3 RPG) is hitting only 33% of his shots, but he did break out of a shooting slump against Central Michigan, hitting 6-of-12 shots and finishing with a season-high 18 points.

The all-time series is tied at four victories for each team. The teams last met in Jan. 28, 2006 when the Owls defeated the Terps, 91-85. Expect Maryland to win what is essentially a home game in DC.

These two FoxSheets trends like Maryland to win and cover the spread:

Play On - Favorites of 3.5 to 9.5 points (MARYLAND) - team from a major division 1-A conference against a team from a second tier conference, playing only their 2nd game in 8 days. (170-108 since 1997.) (61.2%, +51.2 units. Rating = 2*).

Play On - Favorites of 3.5 to 9.5 points (MARYLAND) - after going under the total by more than 30 points in their previous game. (108-61 over the last 5 seasons.) (63.9%, +40.9 units. Rating = 2*).

**StarDust Bum** · 12-05-2010, 12:13 PM

Grizzlies at Nuggets NBA Betting Preview

Rudy Gay and the Memphis Grizzlies pay a visit to the Pepsi Center in Denver this Sunday for the first of three meetings this season with the Nuggets. Game time is set for 5 p.m. (PT).

Memphis’s season started looking up a few weeks ago with wins in four of five games including a 97-95 victory over Miami on Nov. 20 as a 5 ½ point home underdog and a 98-96 win over the LA Lakers to close out the month as once again a 5 ½ point home dog. This brief run has suddenly turned as cold as the new month with a 112-109 loss to Atlanta this past Wednesday and a 127-111 loss to Houston on Friday night.

The Grizzlies did cover against the Hawks as a 5 ½ point road underdog in a game they trailed most of the way but still had a chance to win at the very end. Gay led all scorers with 23 points and Zach Randolph added 19 points and 19 rebounds in the losing effort.

Friday night against the Rockets, the Grizzlies put up a valiant effort as a five-point home underdog but the combination of Kevin Martin and Kyle Lowery, who combined for 56 points for Houston, was just too much to overcome. Memphis pulled within four points at 98-94 early in the fourth quarter, but that is as close at it got. Gay’s game-high 29 points led the way for the Grizzlies and center Marc Gasol scored 20 points and pulled down seven rebounds.

Memphis is currently in fourth place in the Southwest Division and 11th in the Western Conference at 8-12 straight-up. It is 9-10-1 against the spread and the total is 10-10-0 in its first 20 games this season. The Grizzlies are averaging 101.3 points per game while giving up an average of 103.4. They are ranked seventh in the league with a field goal percentage of .47.

Denver’s 109-104 win over the LA Clippers as a nine-point home favorite on Friday night extended its current winning streak to six games and was its eighth victory in the last 10 games. Previously, the Nuggets won a 138 -133 track meet over Phoenix as a five-point home favorite to close out November and covered as a 8 ½ point home favorite in a 105-94 victory over Milwaukee this past Wednesday.

Six players scored in double-figures against the Suns, led by J.R. Smith’s 30 points and again against the Bucks, led by Nene’s 24 points. Last time out it was Carmello Anthony’s turn to get back into the thick of things by dropping a game-high 26 points on the Clippers.

The Nuggets recent run has taken their record to 12-6 SU but they are just 6-10-2 ATS. The total has stayed ‘under’ in 11 of their 18 games this year. Denver is currently in second place in the Northwest standings, 1 ½ games in back of Utah and sits in sixth place in the conference. The Nuggets are averaging 106.1 points per game which is fifth best in the league, but shooting just 45.4 percent from the floor.

Memphis is 2-7 SU on the road this season and 4-5 against the spread. The total has stayed ‘under’ in five of these nine games.

Denver is 9-1 SU in its 10 games at home this season, but just 3-6-1 ATS. The total has gone ‘over’ in six of the 10 games.

Head-to-head, Denver has won nine out of the last 10 games SU and is 10-6 ATS. The total has gone ‘over’ in four of the last five games.

The Nuggets should be able to extend their winning streak to seven games against Memphis playing in the comfortable surroundings of the Pepsi Center, but take the over-achieving Grizzlies if the line on this game stretches to more than seven.

**StarDust Bum** · 12-05-2010, 12:14 PM

NCAA Basketball Betting for Texas vs. USC

The Big XII-Pac-10 Hardwood Series ends this season, but it does provide us with a matchup better suited for college football. Texas and Southern Cal are known as college football royalty, but both basketball programs collide Sunday in Los Angeles.
Texas (6-1 straight up, 4-1 against the spread) is riding a three-game SU winning streak after Wednesday's ‘non-board' affair against Lamar, 76-55. The 20th-ranked Longhorns have actually been involved in two games off the board their last three outings.

The only board contest during that stretch was a narrow victory over Rice Nov. 27 as a 21-point home favorite, 62-59. The combined 121 points failed to eclipse the 138-point closing total. That matchup was actually in a tough spot for Texas after the team just played Illinois and Pittsburgh in neutral-site matchups.

The Longhorns actually trailed Rice by three points heading into halftime, 23-20, before storming their way to 42 second-half points. Texas finished the contest with advantages in rebounding (30-25) and assists (15-10), while shooting 41 percent (20-of-49) from the field and 44 percent (11-of-25) from behind the arc.

Guard Cory Joseph paced the offense with 14 points on 5-of-8 shooting, while Jordan Hamilton added 13 and five rebounds. Forward Tristan Thompson added 10 and 10 in the victory, while Gary Johnson contributed eight and six.

Southern Cal (4-4 SU, 4-3-1 ATS) returns home after dropping both games of a recent two-game road trip. The Trojans fell to Nebraska Nov. 27 as a five-point road underdog, 60-58, before falling at Texas Christian Monday as a three-point road ‘dog, 81-69. The combined 150 points with the Horned Frogs soared ‘over' the 128-point closing total.

USC shot a 45 percent (27-of-60) from the field, but allowed Texas Christian to connect at a 51-percent clip (30-of-59). The Trojans were also on the short end of the rebounding battle (39-29), while both teams dished out 15 assists.

Forward Nikola Vucevic accounted for 16 points and 10 rebounds in the setback, while forward Alex Stepheson added 14 and 10. Guard Bryce Jones was the only other player to reach double digits in scoring with 13 on 4-of-12 shooting.

Texas and USC have played each other twice since the 2007 season, with the winning team prevailing by 19 points both times. The Trojans cruised in 2007 as a 2 ½-point road underdog, 87-68, while the combined 155 points went ‘over' the 146 ½-point closing total. The Longhorns returned the favor last year as a 21-point home ‘chalk,' 69-50, while the combined 119 points went ‘under' the 132-point closing total.

Texas follows this contest with tune-up home games against Texas State and North Florida before traveling to North Carolina and Michigan State. The Longhorns have seen the ‘over' go 7-2 the previous nine games overall. Texas is just 7-18-1 ATS its past 26 road outings.

USC hosts Northern Arizona after this contest before games at Kansas and Tennessee. The Trojans are just 1-9 ATS their last 10 Sunday games, and 2-5-1 ATS their previous eight home outings.

**StarDust Bum** · 12-05-2010, 06:43 PM

Going with a late Two Team College Hoops Parlay

KENT ST + 5.5

MONTANA + 11.5

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