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**Jimmy The Greek** · 12-08-2010, 07:35 PM

GoodLuck Bud

**StarDust Bum** · 12-08-2010, 07:40 PM

Villanova favored by 17 at Penn

VILLANOVA WILDCATS (6-1)

at PENNSYLVANIA QUAKERS (4-3)

Tip-off: Wednesday, 7:00 p.m. EDT
Line: Villanova -17

They put the Holy War behind them, now they just have to deal with a good old-fashioned inner city basketball war, Philly style.

Jay Wright’s Villanova team began its stretch of three straight games against “Big Five” competition with a 71-60 victory over archrival Saint Joseph’s last Friday night at the Pavilion. That atmosphere was good, but Wednesday night when they walk into the steamy, sold out, 83-year-old Palestra, affectionately known as the “Cathedral of College Basketball,” the Wildcats hope to avoid the fate that has beset many a nationally-ranked team that has traveled from near (say North Broad Street or the Main Line) and far to face an underdog in the building. To play in the Palestra is a privilege that can masquerade as a trap.

While any victory is a good victory, Villanova’s win over Saint Joseph’s was not without its flaws. The Wildcats once held a 20-point lead in the second half before allowing the Hawks to get within 11 late in the game. Villanova shot only 39% for the game, and 30% from beyond the arc. For the season the Wildcats are shooting 44% as a team and only 29% from beyond the arc. After the game Wright said that outside shooting was not a total concern yet, but added “it’s getting there.” What Villanova has displayed early on is impressive scoring balance. Four starters are averaging double figures, led by senior Corey Fisher at 15.6 PPG. The only starter not hitting double figures in scoring, center Mouphtaou Yarou, is nearly averaging a double-double (9.9 PPG, 9.0 RPG).

Last season Penn’s Quakers were vaporized by Villanova 103-65 en route to a forgettable 6-22 season. Since taking over his alma mater, head coach Jerome Allen is 10-18 as he approaches the December 14 anniversary of being elevated to the position. This year’s squad is 4-3 and coming off of a 68-52 victory over Army on Saturday. Penn is led by senior forward Jack Eggleston (14.9 PPG, 7.0 RPG) and junior point guard Zack Rosen (14.6 PPG, 5.0 APG). The Quakers X-factor could be the play of freshman guard Miles Cartwright, who has proven to be a bonanza for Penn’s offense. Cartwright is averaging 11.6 PPG while shooting 40% from beyond the arc. He scored 18 points coming off the bench in his team’s season-opening win over Davidson, and added 22 points in a loss to Pittsburgh.

When Cartwright steps onto the court Wednesday night, it will be his first taste of Big Five city series competition. He will begin a journey that his coach, one of the most decorated players in Penn’s history, knows all about. Cartwright and Penn look to embrace the Palestra magic of the past, while making some history of its own with an upset victory over Villanova. To do that they will have to defeat a coach whose teams have won 22 of its last 24 games in City series play. Villanova is the heavy favorite, but you can throw out the records when neighbor battles neighbor, especially in Philly, with basketball and bragging rights on the line.

Since 1999, Villanova is 10-2 SU (9-3 ATS) against Penn, including 5-1 (SU & ATS) in six meetings at the Palestra. However, these two FoxSheets trends like Pennsylvania to keep the game closer than the hefty spread would indicate:

Play On - Underdogs of 10 to 19.5 points (PENNSYLVANIA) - after allowing 30 points or less in the first half in 2 straight games, with 2 more starters returning from last year than opponent, in the first ten games of the season. (32-10 since 1997.) (76.2%, +21 units. Rating = 2*).

Jay Wright is 8-18 ATS (-11.8 Units) after 4 straight games committing 14 or less turnovers as the coach of VILLANOVA. The average score was VILLANOVA 72.0, OPPONENT 68.4 - (Rating = 1*).

**StarDust Bum** · 12-08-2010, 07:41 PM

7-1 Vanderbilt travels to 6-1 Missouri

VANDERBILT COMMODORES (7-1)

at MISSOURI TIGERS (6-1)

Tip-off: Wednesday, 9:30 p.m. EDT
Line: Missouri -4.5

Their leading scorer hails from Hendersonville, Tennessee. Their top rebounder and shot blocker is from Nigeria, the third leading scorer is a native of Sweden, and come Thursday all of them invade Missouri intent on showing me, you and the rest of the college basketball world that its 7-1 start is no fluke. Meet the Commodores. (No, this is not a Ben Stiller film).

When Vanderbilt takes on Missouri in Columbia Wednesday, it will be led by one of the more underrated sophomore guards in the country in John Jenkins. He is averaging 18.6 PPG, and while his FG% and three-point FG% is down from last year, Jenkins is still shooting a respectable 38% from beyond the arc. Festus Ezeli, a 6-foot-11 center born in Benin City, Nigeria has blossomed this season as a scorer (going from 3.8 PPG in ‘09 to 13.3 PPG this year) and rebounder (3.2 RPG in ‘09 to 7.8 RPG). Swedish-born Jeffery Taylor is averaging 12.1 PPG, and is shooting almost as well from beyond the arc (45.5%) as he is from the field (45.7%). Last year, Taylor’s three-point percentage was below the Mendoza line (or the Harmon line for the old-school ballers) at an anemic 9.1%. His improving perimeter game has been a welcome addition on Kevin Stallings’ team, and could make Taylor a player in very high demand by the time the June 2011 draft rolls around.

Missouri's fast-paced offense ranks 11th in the country in scoring at 84.7 PPG. The Tigers are coming off of two big games last week which they split. One was the 111-102 overtime thriller vs. Georgetown, which may have been the game of the year so far this season. The other was an 83-80 road victory at Oregon. The Tigers did what they wanted to do against the Hoyas except for stop them defensively (which is a pretty big omission). Georgetown shot 57% from the floor. They were also perfect (18-18) from the FT line. Unlike the Georgetown game where Missouri trailed for much of it, the Tigers had a 20-point lead over the Ducks at halftime before nearly squandering it all away.

One common thread about both games, Missouri allowed Georgetown and Oregon to hurt them from the three-point line. Oregon shot 42% beyond the arc, the Hoyas, 47%. Marcus Denmon is Mizzou’s top scorer at 16.4 PPG, leading a quintet of Tiger players scoring in double figures. Georgetown was able to answer Missouri’s breakneck tempo by controlling the pace of the game, scoring in transition at opportune times, and most of all hitting shots. Not every team is equipped to defeat Mike Anderson’s speedy squad like that. Wednesday night in Columbia Vanderbilt gets a chance to show us what they’ve got.

The Commodores won last year’s meeting 89-83, shooting 50% from the floor and outrebounding the Tigers 47-26. The FoxSheets give three reasons to expect Missouri to return the favor, with a win and cover:

Play On - Favorites of 3.5 to 9.5 points (MISSOURI) - after scoring 80 points or more 3 straight games against opponent after a combined score of 155 points or more. (38-13 over the last 5 seasons.) (74.5%, +23.7 units. Rating = 3*).

Play On - A home team (MISSOURI) - hot shooting team - 3 straight games making >=47% of their shots against opponent after a game - attempting 20+ more free throws than opponent. (40-13 since 1997.) (75.5%, +25.7 units. Rating = 3*).

MISSOURI is 9-1 ATS (+7.9 Units) in home games after a game where they failed to cover the spread over the last 3 seasons. The average score was MISSOURI 87.9, OPPONENT 59.3 - (Rating = 2*).

**StarDust Bum** · 12-08-2010, 07:42 PM

Miami seeks rare quality road win at Utah

MIAMI HEAT (14-8)

at UTAH JAZZ (16-6)

Tip-off: Wednesday, 9:00 p.m. EDT
Line: Utah -1, Total: 188

Miami has shed some of its early-season criticism with a five-game SU win streak (4-1 ATS), after losing four of the five previous games. However, only one of the five wins was against a team over .500 (Atlanta), and it was in Miami. The Heat are 4-5 (SU and ATS) on the road, but they are 0-4 (SU and ATS) against winning teams on the road.

Yes, Miami is only allowing 82.2 PPG on 37.7 FG Pct. in the past five games, but three of the teams it beat are among the worse offensive teams in the league (Milwaukee, Cleveland, Detroit). Until the Heat are able hold a winning team to these numbers, I don’t find the recent praise to hold much merit.

That being said, the Heat only lost by two points in a 116-114 OT loss to the Jazz on Nov. 9. What the score doesn’t reflect, is that Miami gave up a 22-point lead after Paul Millsap dropped a career-high 46 points -- including 11 in the last 28 seconds of regulation -- while Dwyane Wade had 39 points and LeBron James had a triple-double. Utah outscored Miami 56-36 in the paint and shot 48.4% from the floor.

Utah has won eight of its past nine games, losing only to Dallas in a sluggish 93-81 performance at home last Friday. The Jazz bounced back Monday night to win 94-85 over Memphis, but didn’t cover the spread for the second consecutive time following a seven-game ATS win streak. Deron Williams had 27 points and eight assists in the win over Memphis. Utah and Miami both lead the league in FG Pct. defense (42.9) in what will be a defense-heavy matchup Wednesday night. Utah is 9-4 SU in EnergySolutions Arena, but is barely breaking even going 7-6 ATS.

Miami is 9-5 ATS in Utah since 1996, but these two FoxSheets stats pick Utah to cover the spread:

UTAH is 40-17 ATS (70.2%, +21.3 Units) versus poor pressure defensive teams - forcing <=14 turnovers/game over the last 2 seasons. The average score was UTAH 104.5, OPPONENT 97.9 - (Rating = 3*).

MIAMI is 3-13 ATS (18.8%, -11.3 Units) after successfully covering the spread in 3 or more consecutive games over the last 3 seasons. The average score was MIAMI 92.4, OPPONENT 94.8 - (Rating = 1*).

**StarDust Bum** · 12-08-2010, 07:43 PM

Unbeaten Notre Dame faces Kentucky

NOTRE DAME FIGHTING IRISH (8-0)

vs. KENTUCKY WILDCATS (5-2)

SEC/Big East Invitational – Louisville, KY
Tip-off: Wednesday, 9:30 p.m. EDT
Line: Kentucky -5.5

One team is undefeated, the other team is facing a losing streak. One team has five seniors in its starting lineup. The other team has one senior on its entire team. One team is rated 23rd in the nation and rising. The other team is rated 16th and dropping. Welcome to Notre Dame vs. Kentucky.

Undefeated in eight games, the Irish are off to their best start ever under head coach Mike Brey. Despite losing player of the year candidate Luke Harangody to the NBA, the Irish are showing that a team’s experience can help to close the gap when depth appears to be lacking. Notre Dame is being led by senior guard Ben Hansbrough who is leading them in points and assists (15.8 PPG, 4.0 APG), and forward Tim Abromaitis (15.6 PPG, 6.9 RPG) who continues to be one of the most improved players in the Big East from year to year. Last season, Abromaitis averaged 18.2 PPG in league play. Forward Carleton Scott has become a double-digit scorer and is leading the team in rebounds (7.8 RPG). Forward Tyrone Nash (12.5 PPG, 7.0 RPG) is third on the Irish in scoring, and just behind Scott in the rebounding category. With victories over Georgia, California and Wisconsin that helped them win the Old Spice Classic, Notre Dame has gone a long way to enhance its tournament resume (never too early to talk about that stuff kids!). A win over No. 16 Kentucky would take the conversation to a whole new level.

Kentucky is in the part of its December schedule where it will play key out-of-conference rivals in contests that are only moderately important … if you consider bragging rights and life or death “moderately” important. The ‘Cats are coming off of a 75-73 defeat at North Carolina in Chapel Hill. After Notre Dame, Kentucky has a contest against another cross-state rival, Indiana on Saturday. On New Year’s Eve, John Calipari’s kiddie ’Cats will complete the scheduling gauntlet with a game against Louisville, a surprising 6-0 to start the season. The Wildcats lost to UNC despite a 24-point effort from freshman guard Doron Lamb. Freshman Terrence Jones is leading Kentucky in both scoring and rebounding (19.0 PPG, 9.6 RPG), but struggled against the Tar Heels, tallying just nine points and six boards in 28 minutes of play before fouling out. Freshman Brandon Knight (17.0 PPG, 3.4 APG, 3.3 RPG) has been impressive as he continues to fully grasp Calipari’s system.

The last time that Notre Dame started off this well was in 1973-74 when it began the season 12-0. That year, the biggest achievement for the Irish came when they broke up a certain 88-game winning streak belonging to some team from out west. That will not happen this year, but it doesn’t mean that Mike Brey’s squad won’t have a chance to do something else memorable this year. Wednesday in Louisville they have a shot at another tournament-resume-boosting win. While Christmas is just 17 days away, March will be here before you know it, and the selection committee is always interested in who’s been naughty and who’s been nice.

Kentucky won four straight series meetings (SU and ATS) from 2001 to 2004, but Notre Dame was the most recent series winner, 77-67 in 2009. These two FoxSheets trends like Notre Dame to at least cover the spread on Wednesday night:

NOTRE DAME is 18-5 ATS (+12.5 Units) versus good teams - outscoring their opponents by 4+ points/game over the last 2 seasons. The average score was NOTRE DAME 72.4, OPPONENT 66.7 - (Rating = 3*).

NOTRE DAME is 19-6 ATS (+12.4 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record over the last 2 seasons. The average score was NOTRE DAME 73.3, OPPONENT 66.3 - (Rating = 2*).

**StarDust Bum** · 12-08-2010, 07:44 PM

Struggling Hornets favored by 9.5 over Detroit

DETROIT PISTONS (7-15)

at NEW ORLEANS HORNETS (13-7)

Tip-off: Wednesday, 8:00 p.m. EDT
Line: New Orleans -9.5, Total: 186

The Pistons travel to a former division rival Wednesday as they take on the New Orleans Hornets. When their franchise was located in Charlotte from 1988-2002 the Hornets and Pistons both played in the Central Division.

After starting the season very strong, the Hornets have seemed to hit the wall of late. The Hornets have lost six of eight since starting the season 11-1. A lopsided 109-84 loss at San Antonio on Sunday night dropped them to 13-7. It was their second loss to the Spurs in eight days, including a 109-95 setback in the New Orleans Arena. The Hornets, who led the NBA in scoring defense less than two weeks ago, have given up more than 100 points four times in the past seven games. But things bottomed out against the Spurs, who led wire-to-wire, including a maximum margin of 38 points. After winning their first seven games ATS, the Hornets are just 2-9.

The Pistons enter with a 7-15 record, but they have done very well against the spread, going 13-9 overall and 7-5 in road games. Despite the Pistons playing so poorly, Tayshaun Prince has performed well all season. He is averaging 14.5 PPG (career high is 14.7 PPG) and he has recorded two 30-point games in his last six games.

The Pistons have just not shot well enough on the road (their 42.8% shooting is the fifth lowest in the NBA) to make me believe they can win this game. Despite the Hornets’ recent issues against the spread, I’m taking New Orleans giving 9½ points.

FoxSheets says:

NEW ORLEANS is 7-0 ATS (+7.0 Units) when the total is between 180 and 189.5 points this season. The average score was NEW ORLEANS 96.0, OPPONENT 83.6 - (Rating = 1*).

**StarDust Bum** · 12-08-2010, 07:45 PM

Bulls look to hand Cavs 6th straight loss

CHICAGO BULLS (11-8)

at CLEVELAND CAVALIERS (7-14)

Tip-off: Wednesday, 7:00 p.m. EDT
Line: Chicago -7, Total: 197

The Bulls look to extend their win streak to three as they head to Cleveland after winning 99-90 over the Thunder Monday night at home. Carlos Boozer had another impressive performance, following a 25-point game against Houston two days prior, and scored a season-high 29 points (13-21 FG) and pulled down 12 rebounds. Chicago outscored OKC 58-32 in the paint and held the Thunder to 35.4 FG Pct. -- despite Kevin Durant dropping 29 points.

The Bulls are the third-highest rebounding team in the league with 44.3 RPG, and will likely dominate the paint again against the fourth-worst rebounding Cavaliers, who average 39.5 RPG. Chicago has had some difficulty winning on the road this season, going 4-6 SU, but has been kind to bettors at 7-3 ATS.

Cleveland has struggled to win consistently after winning three in a row on the road in early November. The Cavs have lost the past five contests (SU and ATS), and the three recent losses were to teams under .500 (Minnesota, Detroit, Philadelphia). The 76ers dominated most of the game in a 117-97 win Tuesday night, despite Cleveland shooting 50.0% from the field. The Cavs have been outscored by an average of 22.2 PPG during the five-game losing streak, scoring 92.2 PPG and allowing 114.4 PPG. They return home where they are a sub-par 4-6 (SU and ATS).

Including playoffs, the Cavaliers are 6-1 SU and 4-3 ATS against the Bulls in Cleveland over the past three seasons. This was, however, when a certain superstar named LeBron James graced the Cavs with his presence. Since he’s no longer with them, this FoxSheets stat picks Chicago to cover the spread:

CHICAGO is 19-8 ATS (+10.2 Units) in road games after 2 consecutive non-conference games over the last 3 seasons. The average score was CHICAGO 101.4, OPPONENT 101.6 - (Rating = 0*).

In the last three seasons at games played in Cleveland, four of seven games have gone Under the total. This FoxSheets stat also chooses the Under:

Play Under - Any team (CHICAGO) - good offensive team - scoring 99+ points/game on the season against opponent after 3 straight losses by 10 points or more. (78-44 over the last 5 seasons.) (63.9%, +29.6 units. Rating = 2*).

**StarDust Bum** · 12-08-2010, 07:51 PM

Kentucky tests Notre Dame's 8-0 record
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The No. 23 Notre Dame Fighting Irish have begun their season with an eight-game win streak, cashing at 3-1 against the spread in the four ‘board’ games of that span. Mike Brey’s squad travels to Louisville’s Freedom Hall for Wednesday’s SEC/Big East Invitational battle against the No. 17 Kentucky Wildcats, who have a 1-2 spread record in three neutral-site matchups.

The contest is Wednesday's only pairing of ranked schools. Notre Dame moved into the No. 23 slot of the latest AP poll while Kentucky slipped to 17th on the same list.

Notre Dame has been idle since Nov. 30, when Brey’s crew posted an 81-72 win as a 15 ½-point home favorite against the Indiana State Sycamores. The Fighting Irish connected on 53.8 percent of their field buckets, while sinking 16-of-22 free throws.

Fighting Irish guard Ben Hansbrough logged a season-high 24 points, while adding a team-high five assists. The senior hit 8-of-12 from the field, draining all four of his shots from the foul line.

Notre Dame’s Carleton Scott notched a team-high eight rebounds and logged four of his squad’s five blocks. The forward finished with 11 points and added four assists.

The duel’s combined 153 points soared ‘over’ the ‘total’ of 133. Notre Dame outrebounded Indiana State, 32-20, while holding the Sycamores to 44.3 percent field-goal shooting.

The Fighting Irish are 3-0 ATS in their three neutral-site contests, with the ‘under’ going 2-1.

Kentucky was edged out, 75-73, as a one-point road dog in Saturday’s game against the North Carolina Tar Heels. The Wildcats were held to 38.7 percent shooting from the field, while being outrebounded, 40-32.

Wildcats guard Doron Lamb came off the bench to notch a season-high 24 points. The freshman drained 3-of-4 from beyond the arc while adding three assists.

Kentucky’s Darius Miller and Josh Harrellson logged seven rebounds each, uniting for 17 points. Miller sank 3-of-5 from downtown, while Harrellson connected on both of his field goals.

The tight affair’s combined 148 points ‘pushed’ the closing ‘total.’ Kentucky allowed 41.4 percent of North Carolina’s field buckets to connect, including 1-of-11 from beyond the arc.

Kentucky was 2-0 ATS last season in its two games that followed an SU defeat. The ‘over’ also cashed at 2-0.

The Wildcats are 4-1 ATS in their last five meetings against Notre Dame, with the ‘over’ going 3-2.

The foes last met in the 2009 NIT Quarterfinals, with the Fighting Irish prevailing, 77-67, as 3 ½-point favorites. Kentucky edged out Notre Dame in rebounds, 28-27, while both teams combined to hit 19-of-37 from three-point land.

Wednesday’s tip is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. (PT), with ESPN providing the national television coverage.

Both squads will be off for two days, returning home as part of Saturday’s college basketball slate. Kentucky will face the Indiana Hoosiers, while Notre Dame hosts the Gonzaga Bulldogs.

**StarDust Bum** · 12-08-2010, 07:51 PM

NHL Betting: Blackhawks host Dallas Stars

The defending Stanley Cup champion Chicago Blackhawks begin life without Patrick Kane on Wednesday when they host a hot Dallas Stars squad that just had its six-game winning streak snapped. Kane, Chicago’s leading scorer last season with 88 points, is out indefinitely with a knee injury.

Kane suffered the injury Sunday during Chicago’s 4-2 victory against the Calgary Flames as 165 home favorites. It was Chicago’s third game of a four-game homestand and raised the club’s record at United Center to a disappointing 7-8-0-0.

Though the combined six goals skipped ‘over’ the 5 ½-goal closing total, the ‘under’ is still 15-14 in Chicago’s first 29 overall outings and 10-5 in its first 15 home dates.

The Blackhawks lost Kane 46 seconds into the first period when he spun and fell awkwardly along the boards while trying to avoid a check by Calgary defenseman Cory Sarich. Kane skated off the ice with assistance and was escorted to Chicago's dressing room.

The Blackhawks already are without another elite forward, right wing Marian Hossa, who missed his third game because of a lower body injury. He is expected to be sidelined at least another two weeks.

Dave Bolland scored two power-play goals to lead the defending champs to the victory. Bryan Bickell and Jonathan Toews also scored power-play goals for Chicago, which went 4-for-9 with the man advantage. The surge lifted the Blackhawks to third in the league on the power play with a 24.5 percent success rate.

The Blackhawks killed six of eight Calgary power plays, including four while clinging to a 3-2 lead in the third period. Nevertheless, Chicago ranks a poor 25th in penalty killing at 79 percent.

Joel Quenneville’s troops are ninth offensively (3.0 GPG) and 22nd defensively (2.9 GPG). They rank sixth in shots on goal, firing an average of 32.7 pucks to the net per game.

Chicago backup goalie Cory Crawford collected the victory against Calgary to raise his record to 7-4-0-0. He has a respectable 2.34 GAA and .914 save percentage.

However, Marty Turco should get the start in this spot against Dallas. The veteran netminder is 8-8-1-1 with 2.90 GAA, 901 save percentage and one shutout.

Chicago is 6-2 in its last eight series meetings against Dallas at United Center. The ‘over’ is 7-1 in the last eight overall matchups, including all four meetings last season.

Dallas was the league’s hottest team until Monday when the club suffered a 3-2 shootout loss at Columbus as 125 road underdogs. The setback lowered Dallas’ road record to 6-5-0-1 and its overall ledger to 16-8-0-2.

The combined five goals slithered below the NHL odds, leaving the ‘under’ 7-1 in Dallas’ last eight games and 15-11 in its first 26 overall efforts. The ‘under’ has also cashed in eight of the squad’s first 12 road dates.

The Stars held a 2-1 lead with 46.1 seconds remaining in regulation before Columbus all-star forward Rick Nash tied the game.

Steve Ott and Brad Richards had goals for a Dallas squad that was trying to match the franchise record of seven consecutive wins.

Dallas netminder Kari Lehtonen, who stopped 27-of-29 shots during regulation, saw his record slip to 13-7-0-2. He has a 2.59 GAA, a 915 save percentage and one shutout.

The Stars are scoring an average of 2.8 goals per game, which ranks 13th, and allowing an average of 2.6 GPG (8th).

Dallas defenseman Mark Fistic (groin) and center Toby Peterson (hand) are both “questionable” according to the Don Best Sports injury report.

The Blackhawks hit the road for a quick two-game road trip starting with a Saturday affair in San Jose against the Sharks. Dallas returns home Friday for a meeting with the Carolina Hurricanes.

**StarDust Bum** · 12-08-2010, 07:52 PM

College Basketball Betting: Aztecs at Golden Bears

San Diego State (8-0 straight up, 6-1 against the college basketball spread) is gunning to add another quality road victory to its non-conference schedule with Wednesday’s matchup at California. The 15th-ranked Aztecs have already won on the road this season at Gonzaga along with a home victory versus Saint Mary’s College.

San Diego State continued its winning ways by cruising past Wichita State Saturday as 9 ½-point home ‘chalk,’ 83-69. The combined 152 points soared past the 129-point closing total, helping the ‘over’ improve to 5-2 this season.

The Aztecs broke the game open by outscoring the Shockers in the second half, 46-33. SDSU finished the contest with advantages in rebounding (34-25) and steals (10-6), while shooting a robust 51 percent (30-of-59) from the field.

Forward Billy White led a balanced attack with 24 points and four rebounds, while forward Kawhi Leonard added 16 and 12. Guard D.J. Gay accounted for 14 points and six assists, while forward Malcolm Thomas contributed 12 points and five boards.

California (5-2 SU, 4-3 ATS) has recorded consecutive SU victories after back-to-back losses. The Golden Bears slipped past Iowa State Saturday as six-point road underdogs, 76-73, ending a three-game slide ATS. The combined 149 points toppled the 135-point closing total, helping the ‘over’ cash the second straight matchup.

Cal finished the contest with advantages in rebounding (36-33) and assists (18-12). The Golden Bears prevailed by shooting 48 percent (27-of-56) from the field, and 41 percent (7-of-17) from 3-point land.

Junior forward Harper Kamp paced the offense with 14 points and 10 rebounds, while center Markhuri Sanders-Frison added 12 and six. Guards Jorge Gutierrez (11 points and five assists) and Allen Crabbe (11 points and six boards) also contributed in the triumph.

San Diego State and Cal played each other four straight years from 2004-07, with the Golden Bears posting a 3-1 SU and ATS record. Cal won the last matchup in 2007 as a 5 ½-point home favorite, 77-69, while the combined 146 points went ‘over’ the 133 ½-point closing total.

Both of these teams made last year’s NCAA Tournament, but 11th-seed San Diego State was knocked out in the first round by Tennessee. Cal won its first-round matchup as an eighth-seed against Louisville before falling to eventual champion Duke in the second round.

San Diego State will begin a five-game homestand after this contest, beginning with games against San Diego, Cal Santa Barbara and San Francisco. The Aztecs are 11-1-1 ATS their last 13 road games, but only 3-11 ATS their past 14 outings against Pac-10 opponents.

Cal follows this matchup with home games against Southern Miss, Cal Poly, fourth-ranked Kansas and Hartford. The Golden Bears are 16-5 ATS their previous 21 home games.

Wednesday’s matchup will begin at 7:30 p.m. PT from Cal’s Haas Pavilion.

**StarDust Bum** · 12-08-2010, 07:53 PM

NBA Odds: Heat seek revenge at Utah Jazz

Back on November 9, the Miami Heat were beaten by the Utah Jazz 116-114 at home in overtime in one of the more stunning NBA betting battles so far this season. Since that point, Utah is 13-3 SU and 11-4-1 ATS. Miami is 9-6 SU and 5-10 ATS.

Now, with the scene shifting back to EnergySolutions Arena, the two will renew their ties with the Heat looking for payback for arguably their most notable loss of the season to date.

Miami needs to be quite careful, as it is still tied for second place in the Southeast Division standings, 1.5 games behind the Orlando Magic in first. Yes, the Heat have won five games in a row SU and four in a row ATS, but their marks just aren't what they should be.

At some point, Miami's "Big Three" need some big help. LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh are all scoring at least 18.1 PPG this year, but none of the three are really getting much in the way of help from their fellow teammates.

James Jones is No. 4 amongst the healthy squad members in scoring at 7.7 PPG, while Carlos Arroyo is at 7.1 PPG. The addition of Erick Dampier was supposed to help in the post, but he has more fouls against him (9) than points scored and blocks combined (five and three respectively).

The good news for the Heat is that they are playing sterling defense, and this is the unit that can really carry them to the Promised Land this year. They are allowing just 91.7 PPG and are holding teams to just 42.9 percent shooting from the field. Their last two foes, the Atlanta Hawks and Milwaukee Bucks, have been held to 77 and 78 points respectively.

Only five teams have scored 100+ points on Miami this year, and none have done the damage of the Jazz who posted that 116. Over the last four, the Heat are conceding just 79.3 PPG.

Utah, on the other hand, is doing everything right and doing it right as a team. The squad is up to 16-6 overall and 1.5 games in front in the Northwest Division, one of the most competitive divisions in the NBA.

Just like Miami, defense is the key for the Jazz, and that's not something you hear every day about a team in the Western Conference. Utah is allowing 96.2 PPG, No. 9 in the league, and no team is holding teams to a worse shooting percentage (42.8%) or three point shooting percentage (30.2%) than are the Jazz.

Six different players are all over the court for Head Coach Jerry Sloan, and though his bench isn't really as deep as it has been in years past, this is a winning combination.

Deron Williams might be the best point guard in basketball. He is averaging 21.8 PPG and 10.0 APG, and he is getting the ball all over the court to his big men as well. The trio of Paul Millsap, Al Jefferson, and Andrei Kirilenko are combining to average 46.2 PPG, and 22.2 RPG, and they might make up the best threesome of bigs in the NBA.

Miami is just 4-9 ATS in its last 13 road games, but it has the NBA trends on its side in this one in terms of the head to head series. The Heat are 10-2 ATS in the last 12 overall, while the underdog is 7-2 ATS in the last nine clashes.

Expect to see the NBA odds quite tight in this one, as these two teams are very, very evenly matched.

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The Bum's Wednesday's Best Bets NHL-NBA-NCAAB !

The Bum's Wednesday's Best Bets NHL-NBA-NCAAB !

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