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**StarDust Bum** · 02-13-2011, 10:07 AM

Illinois favored by 2.5 over No. 14 Purdue

PURDUE BOILERMAKERS (19-5, 8-3 in Big Ten)

at ILLINOIS FIGHTING ILLINI (16-8, 6-5 in Big Ten)

Tip-off: Sunday, 1:00 p.m. EDT
Line: Illinois -2.5, Total: 134.5

No. 14 Purdue looks to win its second straight game when it visits Illinois on Sunday afternoon.

The Boilermakers are just 4-4 in their past eight games, but four of those losses have come at the hands of ranked teams. The Boilers fell at Minnesota (70-67), versus Michigan State (86-76), at Ohio State (87-64) and at Wisconsin (66-59) during the past eight contests. They're coming off a 67-53 victory over Indiana on Tuesday behind E'Twaun Moore's 25 points and eight rebounds, and JaJuan Johnson's 15 points and eight boards. Moore (17.8 PPG, 5.6 RPG, 39.4% three-pointers) and Johnson (Big Ten-best 20.6 PPG, 7.6 RPG) combine to score 38.4 PPG this season, which accounts for more than 50% of Purdue's scoring average (73.5 PPG). Johnson is scoring 23.0 PPG in his past eight outings and has reached double-figures in 33 straight games heading into the Illinois contest. In eight career games against the Illini, Moore has averaged 15.1 PPG, while Johnson led Purdue with 24 points and 12 rebounds in its 84-78 win at Champaign last season. The Boilermakers are averaging a Big Ten-best 72.6 PPG in conference play. Purdue has reached 80 points four times in 11 league games after doing it only once last season, and has scored at least 76 points 12 times this season.

Illinois has dropped five of its past eight conference games, but it did end its four-game road losing streak with a 71-62 victory at Minnesota on Thursday. Demetri McCamey (14.8 PPG, 6.6 APG, 47.6% three-pointers) and Mike Davis (11.5 PPG, 6.8 RPG) led the way with 17 points. Davis also added nine rebounds, while McCamey came off the bench to shoot 6-of-11 from the field to go along with four assists. McCamey has struggled in his past five games, averaging 9.7 points and 4.2 assists and shooting 32% (8-of-25) on three-pointers, but he's scored 31 points combined in the past two games after hitting single-digits in each of the previous three contests. Davis has averaged 13.8 points and 7.8 rebounds over his past six games and has been the team's leading scorer in three of the past four contests.

The Boilermakers have won the past three games in the series, including two of the past three decisions at Assembly Hall. Purdue also leads the all-time series, 91-84. Illinois is 11-1 (8-4 ATS) at home this season and is outscoring opponents by an average of 15.7 PPG. The Illini are also shooting 51.4% from the field and 41.6% from three-point land at Assembly Hall. This FoxSheets trend also likes Illinois to win and cover on Sunday.

PURDUE is 9-29 ATS (23.7%, -22.9 Units) in road games vs. good free throw shooting teams - making >=72% of their attempts after 15+ games since 1997. The average score was PURDUE 63.2, OPPONENT 70.3 - (Rating = 3*).

Purdue has played three straight games Under the total and this FoxSheets coaching trend about Illinois also thinks the Under is the play for this game.

Bruce Weber is 33-13 UNDER (71.7%, +18.7 Units) after covering 4 or 5 of their last 6 against the spread as the coach of ILLINOIS. The average score was ILLINOIS 66.4, OPPONENT 60.3 - (Rating = 3*).

**StarDust Bum** · 02-13-2011, 10:09 AM

Duke favored by 10 at Miami Sunday night

DUKE BLUE DEVILS (22-2, 9-1 in ACC)

at MIAMI HURRICANES (15-9, 4-6 in ACC)

Tip-off: Sunday, 6:45 p.m. EDT
Line: Duke -10, Total: 146.5

No. 5 Duke looks to continue its winning ways against Miami when it visits the Hurricanes on Sunday night.

The Blue Devils have won four straight in the series with the ‘Canes and 14 of the past 15 contests. That includes a 74-63 win on Jan. 2 behind Nolan Smith's game-high 28 points, five rebounds and five assists. Smith (21.5 PPG, 5.5 APG, 4.7 APG, 35.8% three-pointers) has an NCAA-best six games this season with at least 20 points, five rebounds and five assists. He's also scored at least 20 in five straight contests, and had a career-high 34 points in the Blue Devils' 79-73 victory over North Carolina on Wednesday. Kyle Singler (17.6 PPG, 6.3 RPG, 36.6% three-pointers) scored 10 points versus the Tar Heels for his ACC-best 22nd straight game in double-figures, but he hit only 3-of-17 shots. Singler is shooting 8-for-30 in his past two games (26.7%). He had 14 in the first meeting with Miami, but made just 5-of-15 from the floor. Seth Curry (8.8 PPG, 41.6% three-pointers) has come on strong in his past three games. Curry is averaging 14.3 PPG to go along with 3.7 rebounds and 4.0 assists during that span and had a season-high 22 on Wednesday versus UNC. He is also 15-of-27 (55.6%) from the field during the past three contests. Duke is fourth in the nation in points (84.4 PPG), 27th in field-goal percentage (47.5%) and has scored at least 76 points in eight straight games.

The Hurricanes have gone 4-4 in their past eight games, but all eight contests have been decided by four points or less. The total margin in those eight contests has been 17 points. Miami's most recent close call came on Wednesday in a 74-73 win at Wake Forest, which snapped its ACC road-losing streak at 13. Reggie Johnson (12.5 PPG, 9.8 RPG) scored 25 points and grabbed seven rebounds versus the Demon Deacons, while Durand Scott (13.7 PPG, 4.3 RPG, 42.0% three-pointers) added 17 points before fouling out as the ‘Canes earned their third straight victory. Leading scorer Malcolm Grant (15.2 PPG, 3.5 APG, 43.4% three-pointers) chipped in with 10 points for his seventh consecutive game in double figures. Grant (4-of-13, 11 points) and Scott (4-of-13, 10 points) struggled against Duke in the first meeting, while Johnson was superb with 22 points on 9-of-10 shooting and nine rebounds. The Hurricanes are 0-2 this season against teams that were ranked at time they played them. In addition to its January loss to Duke, Memphis defeated Miami, 72-68, on Nov. 16.

Duke is 14-2 all-time against Miami, which includes a 3-1 mark at the BankUnited Center. But eight of the 16 contests have been decided by less than 10 points. The Blue Devils have won 10 of the 11 meetings since Miami joined the ACC prior to the 2004-05 season, and coach Mike Krzyzewski is 14-1 against Miami in his career. But the Hurricanes are 4-0-1 ATS in the past five meetings, and Duke has struggled with double-digit point spreads, going 3-5 ATS when favored by at least 10 points in ACC play. Expect Duke to win again, but Miami to keep the score in single digits. This anti-Duke FoxSheets trend also expects Miami to cover the spread at home.

DUKE is 1-9 ATS (-8.9 Units) after covering 2 of their last 3 against the spread this season. The average score was DUKE 84.0, OPPONENT 72.1 - (Rating = 3*).

Nine of the past 11 games in this series have finished Over the total and this FoxSheets trend also sides with the Over on Sunday.

MIAMI is 39-19 OVER (67.2%, +18.1 Units) when playing against a top-level team (Win Pct. > 80%) since 1997. The average score was MIAMI 71.4, OPPONENT 74.7 - (Rating = 1*).

**StarDust Bum** · 02-13-2011, 10:10 AM

Heat, Celtics in marquee NBA betting battle

Many thought that it was a foregone conclusion at the outset of this season that the Boston Celtics and Miami Heat would meet in the Eastern Conference Finals. Though that might not ultimately be the case, there is no doubt that these are two of the best teams in the entire game, and they'll meet up on Sunday afternoon in Beantown.

Tip-off in this NBA betting battle from the TD Garden in Boston is slated for 10 a.m. (PT) in a game that will be televised nationally on ABC.

This will be the second contest of a four-game roadie for Miami, a trip that starts off with a duel against the Detroit Pistons on Friday night. The team has won seven in a row and is 5-2 against the NBA odds in that stretch, proving once again that this club is certainly one to be reckoned with.

It seemed impossible that one of these three studs – Dwyane Wade, LeBron James and Chris Bosh – could really emerge as an MVP candidate, but LBJ has proven that he is absolutely the league's most valuable player, whether he wins the award or not. We can just look at what has happened to the lowly Cleveland Cavaliers without James in the fold, and now we can look at the marked improvement for the Heat.

James has been amazing, averaging 26.4 points, 7.3 assists and 7.3 rebounds per night. He really is just doing everything for this club, and there is no stopping him when he is on his game. Wade is "merely" averaging 25.2 PPG, while Bosh is "just" putting together 18.2 PPG and 8.0 RPG.

If there's a team that is deep enough to stick with this Miami team though, it's the Celtics. The depth is borderline absurd, and that doesn't even include all of the names that are out injured at the moment.

Boston was defeated on Thursday night by the Los Angeles Lakers in a game that Ray Allen became the all-time leader for three-point field goals in NBA history. This was Boston's second loss in a row and its fourth failed attempt at beating the pro basketball odds in its last five games.

Still, with two full days to rest, one would hope that the likes of Shaquille O'Neal, Semih Erden and Nate Robinson will be able to get back into the lineup. If not though, we know that the starting five of Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett, Kendrick Perkins, Ray Allen and Rajon Rondo will be ready to roll. These five men know what it takes to get through the best in the league, having already won an NBA title and now finished as a runner-up last year to the Lakers, and there is a real argument for this team to be considered the best in the biz.

So far this season, the pendulum has swung in favor of the Celtics in this series. Boston won 112-107 down in South Beach in November and 88-80 here in Beantown to open the NBA season in October. Over the course of the last 20 meetings, the C's have dominated, going 17-3 SU and 15-5 ATS against their Eastern Conference brethren.

Don't be shocked if Miami turns the tide and gets back in the win column on the road, especially after the two losses to the Celtics earlier this year.

**StarDust Bum** · 02-13-2011, 10:12 AM

NCAA Betting Preview: Marquette at Georgetown

Imagine you and your buddy being invited to play in a huge poker tournament, only the tourney hosts tell your buddy he gets an automatic seat at the final table while you have to start from scratch and work your way through the event. That is essentially what is going on right now on the hardwood in the Big East where the ultimate regular season standings will determine who is guaranteed a chair at the final table.

Weekend action started with Pittsburgh owning a 1.5-game lead atop the conference at 10-1. Notre Dame followed with a 9-3 record and behind the Fighting Irish were nine teams with 4-5 Big East losses.

The Georgetown Hoyas and Marquette Golden Eagles are two of those nine teams as they prepare to square off Sunday in DC (10 a.m. PT, ESPN).

Once the dust clears on March 5, the top eight schools in the standings will get a bye in the first round of the postseason tournament with the top four getting to sit out the first two rounds. Georgetown (19-5 straight up, 14-9 against the spread) would get one of those two-round byes if the season ended with the present records. But the season doesn't end now, something that Marquette (15-9 SU, 11-7 ATS) is thankful for since the Eagles would have to start the Big East Tournament from scratch and earn their way to the Big East's version of the elite eight.

The only thing consistent with Marquette's game the past two weeks or so has been cashing 'under' tickets. Buzz Williams' bunch is coming off a Houdini Act down at South Florida this past Wednesday, escaping the Sun Dome with a 59-58 win as six-point chalk. Junior forward Jae Crowder was the only Golden Eagle who found the bucket with any reliability and the big reason why Marquette was able to rally from a 16-point deficit.

Marquette converted less than 40 percent of its field goals and missed 12 of 19 free throws, but thanks to Crowder's 4-for-5 day from three-point range the Eagles pulled off the win. The final score left Marquette with four consecutive 'unders,' 2-3 both SU and ATS in the last five trips to the floor.

Georgetown, No. 11 in the most recent AP rankings, currently owns a seven-game win streak (5-2 ATS in that span), the most recent victory a 64-56 job on the road at Syracuse as a 4½-point underdog. The closely-contested battle saw the Orange up 54-52 with 4:08 left when the Hoyas finally took over and closed with a 12-2 run.

Austin Freeman led four Georgetown players in double figures with 14 points; Hollis Thompson came off the bench to sink all three of his three-point shots, the last of which gave the Hoyas a 55-54 lead after which they never trailed.

The last meeting between the two teams came in last year's Big East Tournament, an 80-57 rout by Georgetown that snapped a three-game losing skid to the Golden Eagles.

Last year's lone regular season matchup was a 62-59 win for Marquette on its home floor as two-point chalk. The Golden Eagles covered all three games during their 2009-10 winning run, and three of the last four meetings have gone 'over' the total.

The Hoyas take a couple of days off following this game before heading to Hartford for Wednesday's matchup with the UConn Huskies. Marquette will return home for a pair of games next week, first taking on St. John's on Tuesday before Seton Hall comes to Milwaukee on Saturday.

**StarDust Bum** · 02-13-2011, 10:13 AM

NBA Odds: Lakers continue trip in Orlando

The Los Angeles Lakers might never want to return to Southern California after a wildly successful road trip so far. They meet the Orlando Magic on Sunday afternoon in a nationally televised contest.

Los Angeles (38-16 straight-up, 25-28-1 against the spread) played lackluster basketball during a recent homestand (2-3 SU, 1-4 ATS), but has won and ‘covered’ four straight since departing for a seven-game trip last Saturday.

Coach Phil Jackson’s team seems to be peaking after dispatching the hated Celtics on Thursday night (92-86 as two-point ‘dogs). Some feared a letdown for the Friday night game at the NY Knicks, but it was even more impressive (113-96 as three-point favorites.

The 209 combined points scored went ‘under’ the 211 ½-point total. The ‘under’ is 3-0 in the Lakers’ last three games, allowing just 88.7 PPG.

Kobe Bryant had 33 points against New York on 12-of-17 shooting from the field. Center Andrew Bynum had 12 points and nine rebounds and seems more motivated after being mentioned in trade rumors for Denver’s Carmelo Anthony.

This is a huge game Sunday for Bynum. His biggest asset is to match up with physical centers like Orlando’s Dwight Howard. Pau Gasol is much better suited at power forward, where he can create offensive mismatches in the low post.

Orlando (34-21 SU, 24-30-1 ATS) has hit a lull following an initial surge after the dramatic roster makeover that brought over Gilbert Arenas, Hedo Turkoglu and Jason Richardson.

The Magic are just 9-9 SU (7-10-1 ATS) since their nine-game winning streak (8-1 ATS) ended on January 8. They haven’t beaten a winning team in over a month.

Orlando’s last game on Friday was a prime example of its problems. New Orleans came to town on a four-game losing streak and minus center Emeka Okafor. Trevor Ariza (ankle) returned after missing three games, but was just 4-of 16 shooting. The Hornets still won 99-93 as 8 ½-point ‘dogs.

The 192 combined points scored went ‘under’ the 192 ½-point total. The ‘under’ is 5-0 in Orlando’s last five games with the offense scoring just 96.6 PPG. The ‘under’ is 8-2 in Orlando’s last 10 home games overall.

Howard (22.5 PPG) has done his part offensively and on the boards (13.9 RPG). He took advantage of his matchup with New Orleans’ backup pivot Aaron Gray to score 20 points on 8-of-12 shooting. However, he took just one shot in the fourth quarter as the team was wary of him being fouled and shooting free throws (4-of 12 from the line).

Turkoglu is a player who’s capable of stepping up late in games, but he’s been bothered by injuries and is shooting 34.9 percent the last nine games (9.1 PPG). He did score 16 points against New Orleans (7-of-10 shooting), so hopefully he’s breaking out of his slump.

Orlando has been without power forward Brandon Bass the last six games. He’s undersized, but brings a much more physical presence than backup Ryan Anderson. Bass is questionable for Sunday, although Gasol should have a nice day offensively either way.

Orlando is 19-8 SU at home and 13-14 ATS. Those numbers have dipped recently at 2-3 SU and 1-4 ATS in the last five.

This is the first meeting between the teams this year. The Magic won at home last year 96-94, but failed to cover the 2 ½-point spread. Los Angeles is 4-0-1 ATS in the last five meetings overall and the underdog is 11-1-1 in the last 13.

The ‘under’ is 4-0 in the last four meetings and 7-1 in the last eight.

ABC will have the broadcast at 12:30 p.m. (PT) from Amway Center, right after another great one in Miami at Boston.

**StarDust Bum** · 02-13-2011, 10:14 AM

NHL Betting: Capitals lead 'under' winners

The 2010/2011 NHL regular season is entering the stretch run with less than 30 games left to play. Philadelphia leads Pittsburgh the Eastern Conference standings by just three-points, while Vancouver has opened-up a seven-point lead over Detroit in the West.

The two conference leaders also happen to be the two highest-scoring teams in the NHL with the Flyers averaging 3.38 goals a game and the Canucks averaging 3.35. Boston remains the stingiest team in the league with a goals against average of 2.15, with Pittsburgh second at 2.26.

The opposite end of the spectrum has New Jersey as the least productive team in the league with just 2.11 goals per game, followed by Ottawa at 2.2. The most porous team so far has been Colorado, which is giving up an average of 3.3 goals a game. Edmonton comes in a close second, allowing 3.26 goals.

Looking at the league as a whole in reference to the ‘total line’ this season, 53.6 percent of the all the games played have stayed ‘under’ the total and 46.4 percent have gone ‘over.’ Games ending in regulation have stayed ‘under’ 53.4 percent of the time, while overtime games have stayed ‘under’ in 54.1 percent of the games.

The ‘total line’ in the NHL normally ranges between five and 5 ½ goals so the trick is to find which teams have shown a knack for scoring while playing soft defense, making them a solid ‘over’ play, and which teams have had trouble finding the back of the net, but play solid defense for the ‘under’ side of the equation.

Through the first 50+ games, Colorado holds true as the ‘best bet’ when it comes to playing the ‘over.’ The total has gone ‘over’ in 33 of the Avalanches’ 54 games, or 61.1 percent of the time. The second team on this list would be the Phoenix Coyotes. The total has gone ‘over’ in 32 of 54 games, or 59.3 percent of the time. These two teams have played each other three times this season, but the total has only gone ‘over’ once.

Two other teams that skew towards the ‘over’ are the Tampa Bay Lighting and the Atlanta Thrashers. The total has gone ‘over’ in 55.6 percent of the Lightning’s games and 53.6 percent of the Thrashers.

The Washington Capitals are the clear choice when it comes to low scoring games. The total has stayed ‘under’ in 39 of the Capitals 54 games, or 72.2 percent of the time.

The New York Rangers come in second with the total staying ‘under’ in 35 of their 54 games, which is 64.8 percent of the time. The Los Angeles Kings’ games have stayed ‘under’ 64.2 percent of the time and Pittsburgh is a close fourth with the total staying ‘under’ in 63.6 percent of its games.

Recent trends for all these teams have held true with their season trends. The total has gone ‘over’ in six of Colorado’s last 10 games and in five of Phoenix’s last eight games. Tampa’s last three games have gone ‘over’ as well as three of Atlanta’s last four.

The total has stayed ‘under’ in nine of Washington’s last 10 games and in six of New York’s last nine. It has also stayed ‘under’ in eight of Los Angeles’ last 10 games and in five of Pittsburgh’s last six.

**StarDust Bum** · 02-13-2011, 10:18 AM

Sunday Tips

February 12, 2011

The Sunday NBA card is a healthy one with eight games on the docket. The Lakers look to stay hot on their East Coast swing at Orlando, while the Wizards attempt to win on the road for the first time all season against the suddenly-hot Cavs. We'll start in Beantown with the Celtics trying to make a trifecta against LeBron James and the Heat.

Heat at Celtics - 1:00 PM EST

All of the sudden, Miami is the number one seed in the Eastern Conference following its eighth straight victory on Friday at Detroit. The Celtics have a game in hand on the Heat as Doc Rivers' club looks to bounce back from Thursday's home setback to the Lakers. Boston can shut the door on a tiebreaker for home-court advantage with a victory on Sunday after beating Miami twice this season.

The Celtics held off a furious rally in the season opener by downing the Heat, 88-80 at TD Garden. Miami was limited to nine first-quarter points in the debut of James and Chris Bosh in a Heat uniform, while the Heat tallied just 30 points in the first half. Ray Allen shut the door on the Heat with five treys and 20 points as the C's cashed in the role of a short home 'dog.

The venue shifted to downtown Miami for the second meeting two weeks later as the Celtics won a high-scoring affair, 112-107 as 6 ½-point underdogs. Allen burned the Heat with 35 points, while James equaled that amount with 35 points, but Dwyane Wade's eight points resulted in another defeat to Boston. The Celtics shot 54% from the floor and were able to overcome 32 made free throws by the Heat.

Things have changed for the better for Erik Spoelstra's squad, as Miami is 30-6 since a 9-8 start. The road has been kind to the Heat with wins in 17 of the last 21 games on the highway, including away victories over the Thunder, Magic, and Lakers in this stretch. Miami backers are happy in this span as well with the Heat racking up a 15-5-1 ATS mark on the road since a 106-95 loss at Dallas in late November.

The Celtics suffered only their fifth home defeat in 28 games with Thursday's loss to the Lakers in which Boston blew an early 15-point lead. Since winning at Staples Center on their last road trip, the C's have been held to less than 100 points in five straight games, even though only three of those contests finished 'under' the total. An interesting number to keep an eye is Boston's 8-0 ATS record this season when coming off consecutive ATS losses, as the C's failed to cover against the Bobcats and Lakers.

Lakers at Magic - 3:30 PM EST

Getting kicked out of Staples Center for the Grammy Awards and the All-Star Game hasn't been the worst thing for the defending champs. The Lakers won the first four games at New Orleans, Memphis, Boston, and New York, improving to 5-0 SU/ATS the last five on the highway. Los Angeles looks to keep it up with a trip to the new Magic Kingdom in a rematch of the 2009 NBA Finals.

Stan Van Gundy's team is trying to avoid a disappearing act in the Southeast Division as the Magic sit in third place behind the Heat and Hawks entering Sunday's action. Orlando slipped up on Friday night with a 99-93 home loss to New Orleans as 8 ½-point favorites. The game finished 'under' the total for the fifth straight time, while limiting opponents 99 points or less each game.

Since a three-game winning streak in late January, the Magic owns a 5-6 SU and 4-7 ATS mark the last 11 games, while going 3-6 ATS the previous nine contests at Amway Center. The Magic has struggled against the Lakers beginning with the Finals loss two summers ago. Orlando is 2-5 SU and 1-5-1 ATS the last seven meetings in this series after sweeping Los Angeles in the 2008-09 regular season.

The Lakers dominated the Knicks on Friday, 113-96 as three-point road 'chalk.' Kobe Bryant led Los Angeles with 33 points as the Purple and Gold cashed its third straight 'under' on this seven-game road swing. The Lakers have been equally consistent regardless of location this season with a 19-8 SU mark both at home and on the road.

What else to watch for:

-- This game won't exactly tip the scales in the Eastern Conference, but the Cavaliers and Wizards is definitely intriguing. Cleveland's overtime victory over the Clippers on Friday snapped a league-record 26-game losing streak, as the Cavs are 5-2-1 ATS the last eight games. Washington has failed to win a game away from the Verizon Center by racking up 25 consecutive defeats on the road. The Wizards have compiled a 3-11 ATS ledger the past 14 games as a road underdog, including losses at Minnesota, Charlotte, Milwaukee, and Indiana.

-- The Clippers continue their East Coast swing at Toronto as Los Angeles is 1-5 SU and 2-4 ATS the last six games. The Raptors are having their problems getting in the win column with defeats in 16 of their past 17 contests following Friday's loss to Portland. Toronto has turned into the ultimate 'fade' with a 2-10 ATS mark since late January.

-- The Grizzlies look for their 11th win in 14 games as Memphis welcomes in Denver to FedEx Forum. The Nuggets start a three-game swing after beating the Mavs at the buzzer on Thursday night to snap a two-game skid. Denver has covered five of its last seven on the road, while the Grizzlies are 1-4 ATS the previous five home games against rested opponents.

**StarDust Bum** · 02-13-2011, 10:20 AM

Sunday's Slate

February 12, 2011

There are 23 games on Sunday’s college basketball board with the action starting at noon Eastern when Cincinnati plays host to St. John’s. Most betting shops opened the Bearcats as 5 ½-point favorites.

Cincinnati (19-5 straight up, 9-10 against the spread) appears to be poised for its first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2005. Mick Cronin’s squad has won 13 of its 14 home games but is just 4-5 ATS.

Cincy has failed to cover the number in three consecutive games, including Tuesday’s 71-68 win at DePaul as a 10 ½-point road favorite. Freshman Sean Kilpatrick scored a team-high 19 points and also had five assists and four rebounds.

Steve Lavin’s team is coming off an 89-72 win over UConn as a 1 ½-point home underdog. Dwight Hardy enjoyed a monster night at Madison Square Garden, completely outplaying National Player of the Year candidate Kemba Walker with a 33-point effort on 10-of-17 shooting. D.J. Kennedy added 20 points, 11 rebounds and five assists for the Red Storm, who pulled into a seven-place tie with Cincy, UConn and Marquette with 6-5 records in league play.

The ‘under’ is 12-7 overall for the Bearcats, but they have seen the ‘over’ hit in back-to-back games.

This game will be televised on channel 720 on Direct TV as part of ESPN’s Full-Court Package.

After rallying to beat arch-rival North Carolina at home Wednesday, Duke (22-2 SU, 12-11 ATS) travels to South Florida to take on Miami. Most books opened the Blue Devils as 10-point favorites with a total of 146 ½.

Trailing UNC by 14 at intermission, Nolan Smith carried Duke to a 79-73 victory by scoring a career-high 34 points. The Tar Heels covered the number, however, as 10-point underdogs.

Seth Curry had his best game in a Duke uniform, combining with Smith to score 40 of Duke’s 50 points in the second half. Curry finished with 22 points, six assists and five rebounds.

Miami (15-9 SU, 9-10 ATS) has won three in a row but hasn’t covered the spread in any of those victories. The Hurricanes snapped a 13-game road losing against ACC teams Wednesday by winning 74-73 at Wake Forest. Johnson buried a pair of free throws with four seconds remaining to give his team the victory as an eight-point favorite. Johnson finished with a career-high 25 points.

When these teams met at Cameron Indoor Stadium on Jan. 2, Duke captured a 74-63 win but UM easily took the cash as a 19-point road underdog. Nolan Smith played all 40 minutes and scored a game-high 28 points to go with five rebounds and five assists. UM’s Reggie Johnson had a team-high 22 points and nine rebounds in the losing effort.

The ‘over’ is 10-9 overall for the ‘Canes, 5-4 in their home games. Meanwhile, Duke has seen the ‘over’ go 12-11 overall.

Miami owns a 4-0-2 spread record in the last six head-to-head meetings between these ACC adversaries.

The late-night game Sunday is Arizona at Arizona State. Tip-off is slated for 9:00 p.m. Eastern on Fox Sports Net. Most books opened the Wildcats as 5 ½-point favorites.

Arizona (20-4 SU, 13-8-1 ATS) is in first place in the Pac-10 with a 9-2 record in conference play. Sean Miller’s team has won five straight games, posting a 4-0-1 ATS record in the process. The Wildcats are coming off a 107-105 win Thursday at California as two-point road ‘chalk.’

Lamont Jones scored 27 points to lead ‘Zona to the triple-overtime victory. Jones scored the buckets to force OT and the third extra session. Kevin Parrom added 25 points, six assists and six rebounds. Derrick Williams had 12 points and 18 boards.

Arizona State (9-14 SU, 7-13-1 ATS) is in the midst of a nightmare campaign. The Sun Devils are just .500 at home with a 5-5 SU record and a 3-4-1 ATS ledger. They have lost seven in a row, including last Saturday’s 83-75 setback at Stanford as six-point underdogs. Jamelle McMillan had a team-high 17 points in defeat.

ASU is in the basement of the Pac-10 with an atrocious 1-10 record, adding more emphasis on this rivalry game for head coach Herb Sendek, who could be teetering on hot-seat status in Tempe.

**B.E.’s Bonus Nuggets**

--If you didn’t know yet, now you do. Vanderbilt’s John Jenkins is one of the nation’s premier shooters and that fact was on display Saturday afternoon in Music City. Jenkins drained six 3-pointers and scored a career-high 32 points to lead the Commodores to an 81-77 win over Kentucky in a pick ‘em affair. The ‘Cats fell to 5-5 in SEC play.

--Wisconsin handed Ohio St. its first loss of the season Saturday by rallying for a 71-67 win as a 1 ½-point home favorite. Jordan Taylor exploded for 21 of his 27 points in the second half to lead the Badgers back from a 15-point deficit in the second half. Like I said during Thursday’s edition of the Power Hours on VI Radio, I thought the Buckeyes would go down this weekend and they’re better off in the long run for doing so. Thad Matta’s team will have the head coach’s full attention moving forward and the Bucks won’t have to carry that burden of trying to be the first unbeaten team since 1976 (Bobby Knight’s Indiana Hoosiers).

--Erving Walker scored the go-ahead bucket on Florida’s last possession to lift the Gators to a 61-60 win over Tennessee on Saturday night at the O-Dome. UF is now an incredible 8-1 against teams in the RPI Top 50. The Volunteers did manager the spread cover as 5 ½-point underdogs.

--Georgia led South Carolina 28-9 at halftime but was barely able to hold off the late-charging Gamecocks in a 60-56 must-have victory for the Dawgs, who are now 6-4 in SEC play. They took the money as three-point road favorites despite causing an anxiety attack for their backers.

--Ole Miss, Indiana, Florida and Auburn were excellent second-half looks Saturday. Trailing by 20 at the break, the Rebels rallied at Alabama and actually got ahead of the number (+7) with more than two minutes left. The Crimson Tide did salvage the cover, however, in the 74-64 triumph. Andy Kennedy’s squad was just a 1 ½-point favorite for halftime wagers, so the Rebels easily covered with an adjusted line of plus 18 ½. Down six at the half, the Gators were 4 ½-point favorites for intermission bets for an adjusted number of plus 1 ½.

**StarDust Bum** · 02-13-2011, 10:58 AM

NBA

Sunday, February 13Game Score Status Pick Amount

Miami - 1:00 PM ET Miami -2 500
Boston - Under 188.5 500

L.A. Lakers - 3:30 PM ET Orlando -1 500
Orlando - Over 195 500

L.A. Clippers - 6:00 PM ET Toronto +2 500
Toronto - Over 209 500

Washington - 6:00 PM ET Cleveland -1.5 500
Cleveland - Under 207.5 500

Portland - 6:00 PM ET Portland -1.5 500
Detroit - Under 186 500

Oklahoma City - 8:00 PM ET Golden State +1 500
Golden State - Under 216.5 500

Sacramento - 8:00 PM ET Sacramento +9.5 500
Phoenix - Over 205 500

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NHL

Sunday, February 13Game Score Status Pick Amount

Boston - 12:30 PM ET Boston +118 500
Detroit - Under 5.5 500

Pittsburgh - 3:00 PM ET Pittsburgh +137 500
NY Rangers - Over 5 500

NY Islanders - 3:00 PM ET Buffalo -192 500
Buffalo - Over 5.5 500

Columbus - 3:00 PM ET Dallas -142 500
Dallas - Under 5.5 500

Los Angeles - 3:00 PM ET Los Angeles +164 500
Philadelphia - Under 5.5 500

San Jose - 5:00 PM ET San Jose -139 500
Florida - Under 5 500

Anaheim - 8:00 PM ET Anaheim -135 500
Edmonton - Under 5.5 500

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NCAAB

Sunday, February 13Game Score Status Pick Amount

St. John's - 12:00 PM ET St. John's +5.5 500 ( BIG EAST DOG )
Cincinnati - Over 127.5 500

Canisius - 12:00 PM ET Loyola-Maryland -3 500
Loyola-Maryland - Under 135.5 500

N.C. State - 1:00 PM ET N.C. State -5.5 500
Wake Forest - Under 147 500

Marquette - 1:00 PM ET Georgetown -6 500
Georgetown - Over 145.5 500

Purdue - 1:00 PM ET Illinois -2.5 500 ( BIG 10 POD )
Illinois - Under 134.5 500

Georgia Tech - 1:00 PM ET Virginia Tech -10.5 500
Virginia Tech - Under 131.5 500

Niagara - 2:00 PM ET Rider -14.5 500
Rider - Over 138 500

Siena - 2:00 PM ET Siena -5.5 500
Manhattan - Over 126 500

Fairfield - 2:00 PM ET St. Peter's +2 500
St. Peter's - Under 116.5 500

Xavier - 2:00 PM ET Duquesne -5 500 ( A-10 POD )
Duquesne - Under 144.5 500

Sacramento State - 2:05 PM ET Montana St. -9.5 500
Montana St. - Over 127 500

Northwestern - 3:30 PM ET Penn St. -2 500
Penn St. - Over 134 500

George Washington - 4:00 PM ET George Washington +5 500
Massachusetts - Over 132.5 500

Iona - 4:00 PM ET Iona -16 500
Marist - Under 142.5 500

St. Joseph's - 4:00 PM ET St. Joseph's -3 500
Fordham - Under 134.5 500

Minnesota - 6:05 PM ET Minnesota +0 500
Iowa - Over 135.5 500

Duke - 6:45 PM ET Duke -10 500
Miami - Florida - Under 146.5 500

Providence - 7:00 PM ET Connecticut -9.5 500
Connecticut - Over 150.5 500

Southern Illinois - 8:00 PM ET Southern Illinois +9.5 500
Creighton - Over 125.5 500

Arizona - 9:00 PM ET Arizona St. +5 500
Arizona St. - Over 135.5 500

Announcement

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

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

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