Friday's Trends and Indexes - 2/18 (NBA, NCAAB, NHL, Misc.)

[Udog]

NCAAB
Dunkel


Connecticut at Louisville
The Cardinals look to take advantage of a Connecticut team that is 1-6-1 ATS in the last 8 meetings between the two teams. Louisville is the pick (-3 1/2) according to Dunkel, which has the Cardinals favored by 6 1/2. Dunkel Pick: Louisville (-3 1/2). Here are all of today's games.

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 18

Game 801-802: Dartmouth at Columbia (7:00 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Dartmouth 40.356; Columbia 54.097
Dunkel Line: Columbia by 13 1/2
Vegas Line: Columbia by 11 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Columbia (-11 1/2)

Game 803-804: Princeton at Yale (7:00 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Princeton 56.930; Yale 54.508
Dunkel Line: Princeton by 2 1/2
Vegas Line: Princeton by 3 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Yale (+3 1/2)

Game 805-806: Pennsylvania at Brown (7:00 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Pennsylvania 54.086; Brown 48.547
Dunkel Line: Pennsylvania by 5 1/2
Vegas Line: Pennsylvania by 2
Dunkel Pick: Pennsylvania (-2)

Game 807-808: Harvard at Cornell (7:00 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Harvard 57.512; Cornell 56.181
Dunkel Line: Harvard by 1 1/2
Vegas Line: Harvard by 5
Dunkel Pick: Cornell (+5)

Game 809-810: Connecticut at Louisville (9:00 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Connecticut 66.190; Louisville 72.476
Dunkel Line: Louisville by 6 1/2
Vegas Line: Louisville by 3 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Louisville (-3 1/2)

Game 811-812: VCU at Wichita State (7:00 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: VCU 59.850; Wichita State 66.547
Dunkel Line: Wichita State by 6 1/2
Vegas Line: Wichita State by 8
Dunkel Pick: VCU (+8)

Game 813-814: Kent State at Drexel (9:00 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Kent State 58.179; Drexel 56.883
Dunkel Line: Kent State by 1 1/2
Vegas Line: Drexel by 5
Dunkel Pick: Kent State (+5)

Game 821-822: Mercer at North Florida (8:30 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Mercer 50.668; North Florida 55.669
Dunkel Line: North Florida by 5
Vegas Line: No Line
Dunkel Pick: N/A

Game 823-824: Kennesaw State at Jacksonville (7:15 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Kennesaw State 43.750; Jacksonville 52.891
Dunkel Line: Jacksonville by 9
Vegas Line: No Line
Dunkel Pick: N/A

Game 825-826: Weber State at San Jose State (10:00 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Weber State 60.515; San Jose State 55.099
Dunkel Line: Weber State by 5 1/2
Vegas Line: Weber State by 1
Dunkel Pick: Weber State (-1)

[Udog]

NBA Rookie Challenge: What bettors need to know

NBA Rookies vs. NBA Sophomores

Betting on an All-Star game is always a slippery slope for handicappers. Wagering on an All-Star game featuring first and second-year players is a downright crapshoot.

As we’ve seen in past years, the T-Mobile Rookie Challenge starts off with the best of intentions. Players are quick to pass up the first look in order to toss a wayward alley-oop attempt or behind-the-back, no-look dime. But by the time the second half rolls around, these young studs are out to one-up each other – teammate or not.

History

Since adding sophomore players to the mix in 2000, the second-year NBA standouts have won eight of the 11 All-Star Weekend events, taking those games by an average margin of more than 20 points.

The Rookies, however, are the defending champs heading into Los Angeles, having knocked off the Sophomore squad 140-128 in Dallas last February (note: Derrick Rose did not play for the Sophomores because he was involved in the NBA All-Star Game).

Tyreke Evans of the Sacramento Kings and DeJuan Blair of the San Antonio Spurs took home co-MVP honors in last year’s win.

Breakdown by position

Point guards

Former Kentucky teammates John Wall and Eric Bledsoe will be running the show for the Rookie team this Friday. Both have emerged as budding playmakers for their respective teams and give the first-year squad a lot of speed in a game that tends to run wide open.

Evans, who scored 26 points as a rookie last All-Star Weekend, was set to join the Sophomore side this season, but will miss the event due to plantar fasciitis. He sat out Sacramento’s final game before the break with the nagging foot injury and passed on Friday night’s game in order to rest up for Tuesday’s action. Taking over the main ball-handling duties from Evans is Bucks PG Brandon Jennings, who finished with eight assists for the Rookies last year. He'll be joined by Philadelphia's budding point guard, Jrue Holiday. Holiday is averaging just under 17 points over his last four games and leads the Sixers with more than six assists per game this season.

Edge: Sophomores

Wing players

The Rookies boast Gary Neal, Wesley Johnson and Landry Fields on the wing, giving them a nice inside-out game. Fields is quickly becoming a star in the Big Apple while Neal comes into All-Star Weekend playing his best basketball, scoring a total of 38 points off the bench for the Spurs in his last three games. Johnson, however, has all but disappeared in Minnesota, averaging just under six points a night this month.

The second-year group has sharp-shooting Stephen Curry, high-flying DeMar DeRozan, the versatile Wesley Matthews and OKC's James Harden, who replaced Evans in the lineup. Given that these four players combine to average around 61 points per game this season, it’s not tough to see who has the advantage on the perimeter.

Edge: Sophomores

Big men

Thanks to a knee injury that sidelined the No. 1 overall pick in the 2009 NBA Draft for the entire 2009-10 season, Blake Griffin is still considered a rookie. He’ll suit up for the first-year stars, despite playing in Sunday’s All-Star Game and competing in the Slam Dunk Contest Saturday night. Joining Griffin under – and above the basket – is troubled Kings center DeMarcus Cousins, Derrick Favors and Greg Monroe. The rookie frontcourt is massive with the ability to pound down low or run the floor and finish.

The sophomore side welcomes Blair, who pulled down 23 rebounds and scored 22 points as a rookie in 2010, along with Taj Gibson and Serge Ibaka, who will compete against Griffin in the Slam Dunk Contest Saturday. All three are solid interior defenders but lack offensive touch, with not one of them averaging double figures this season. They are also very small, with Blair standing 6-foot-7 and Gibson at 6-foot-9, compared to the rookie forwards.

Edge: Rookies

MVP pick

Blake Griffin – With the All-Star Game being hosted in L.A. and Griffin being the brightest young star in the league, this weekend could end up being all about him. He’s stepping up to the challenge and taking part in all three nights, and will open with a spectacular show in the T-Mobile Rookie Challenge.

Final score prediction

Sophomores 129, Rookies 125

[Udog]

NCAAB
Short Sheet


Friday, 2/18/2011

DARTMOUTH at COLUMBIA, 7:00 PM ET
DARTMOUTH: 0-8 ATS off a home loss
COLUMBIA: 10-2 UNDER as a home favorite

PRINCETON at YALE, 7:00 PM ET
PRINCETON: 11-2 ATS after playing 2 consecutive road games
YALE: 15-6 ATS when playing with 5 or 6 days rest

PENNSYLVANIA at BROWN, 7:00 PM ET
PENNSYLVANIA: 15-5 ATS in road games off a loss against a conference rival
BROWN: 2-9 ATS in all home games

HARVARD at CORNELL, 7:00 PM ET
HARVARD: 0-6 ATS off 3 straight wins against conference rivals
CORNELL: 15-5 ATS after playing a game as an underdog

CONNECTICUT at LOUISVILLE, 9:00 PM ET
CONNECTICUT: 7-1 ATS off a home win
LOUISVILLE: 10-21 ATS after a conference game

VA COMMONWEALTH at WICHITA ST, 7:00 PM ET - ** Bracket Buster Game
VA COMMONWEALTH: 21-9 ATS off a loss by 10 points or more to a conference rival
WICHITA ST: 6-0 ATS after 2 or more consecutive overs

KENT ST at DREXEL, 9:00 PM ET - ** Bracket Buster Game
KENT ST: 59-35 ATS after having won 4 of their last 5 games
DREXEL: 3-12 ATS after playing 2 consecutive games as favorite

** (TC) Denotes Time Change

[Udog]

NHL
Short Sheet


Friday, 2/18/2011

NY RANGERS at NEW JERSEY, 7:00 PM ET
NY RANGERS: 4-15 SU in road games off a close home win by 1 goal
NEW JERSEY: 9-2 SU after winning 4 or 5 of their last 6 games

BOSTON at OTTAWA, 7:30 PM ET
BOSTON: 10-0 SU after having lost 4 or 5 of their last 6 games
OTTAWA: 1-7 SU in home games vs. division opponents

DETROIT at FLORIDA, 7:30 PM ET
DETROIT: NO LINE
FLORIDA: NO LINE

ST LOUIS at BUFFALO, 7:30 PM ET
ST LOUIS: 16-7 SU off a close home win by 1 goal
BUFFALO: 9-14 SU in a home game where where the total is 5.5

PHILADELPHIA at CAROLINA, 8:00 PM ET
PHILADELPHIA: 83-78 SU off a road win by 2 goals or more
CAROLINA: 21-15 SU after having lost 3 of their last 4 games

ANAHEIM at MINNESOTA, 8:00 PM ET
ANAHEIM: 14-5 SU when playing only their 2nd game in 5 days
MINNESOTA: 0-6 SU off a road loss by 2 goals or more

COLUMBUS at CHICAGO, 8:30 PM ET
COLUMBUS: 9-4 SU off a home loss
CHICAGO: 5-10 SU after 2 or more consecutive unders

** (TC) Denotes Time Change