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**StarDust Bum** · 03-22-2011, 07:27 PM

Kent State-Colorado meet in NIT quarterfinals

#7 seed KENT STATE GOLDEN FLASHES (25-11)

at #1 seed COLORADO BUFFALOES (23-13)

NIT – Quarterfinals
Tip-off: Tuesday, 9:00 p.m. EDT
Line: Colorado -9, Total: 153

Kent State visits Colorado on Tuesday night, with the winner set to play in the NIT semifinals in Madison Square Garden.

The Golden Flashes have won two straight road games in the NIT (at Saint Mary's, 71-70 and at Fairfield, 72-68) to reach the quarterfinals against the Buffaloes. With leading scorer Justin Greene (15.3 PPG, 8.4 RPG, 13 double-doubles) limited to eight points versus the Stags, Randal Holt (9.9 PPG) picked up the slack and scored a game-high 22 points, hitting 4-of-7 three-pointers. Starting point guard Michael Porrini (9.9 PPG, 4.7 RPG, 4.3 APG) added 11 points before leaving the game with a possible head injury midway through the second half. He is questionable for Tuesday's contest. Porrini is averaging 11.7 PPG, 6.7 RPG, 5.3 APG and 2.1 SPG in March, and had 19 points and seven rebounds in the first-round victory at Saint Mary's. The Golden Flashes are led by their defense, which led the MAC in three-point field goal percentage defense (31.6%) and was second in overall field-goal percentage defense (41.7%). They're looking for their seventh win in eight games when they play the Buffaloes on Tuesday.

Colorado has won five of its past six contests, including NIT wins over Texas Southern (88-74) and Cal (89-72). Alec Burks (20.4 PPG, 6.4 RPG) leads an offense that ranks 13th in the nation in scoring (79.6 PPG) and 23rd in field-goal percentage (47.1%). The Buffaloes have scored at least 83 points in four straight contests and shot a sizzling 61.2% from the field in the opening-round victory over TSU. Burks has scored at least 23 points in five straight games (57% FG), including 27 versus the Tigers and 25 against the Golden Bears. Andre Roberson (6.6 PPG, 7.8 RPG) has stepped up in the postseason as well. The freshman has averaged 9.8 PPG and 10.0 RPG in five postseason games (Big 12 Tournament and NIT). After turning the ball over 13 times against TSU, Colorado had only five turnovers versus Cal, marking the 12th time this season it finished with a single-digit turnover game.

This marks the first meeting between the two programs. Kent State is 3-5 all-time against current Big 12 teams, while CU is 3-2 versus the MAC. The Golden Flashes are an impressive 20-13 ATS (61%) overall, including 10-5 ATS (67%) in road games this season. They are also 8-4 ATS (67%) as an underdog and 11-7 ATS (61%) after an ATS victory. The Buffaloes have also been profitable this season (16-14 ATS), especially at home, where they are 10-4 ATS (71%), including 7-4 ATS (64%) as a home favorite. They have outscored visiting opponents by 15.9 PPG this season, and should roll past Kent State on Tuesday. These two highly-rated FoxSheets trends also like Colorado to win and cover on Tuesday.

Play On - Favorites of 3.5 to 9.5 points (COLORADO) - an explosive offensive team (>=78 PPG) against an average offensive team (67-74 PPG), after scoring 85 points or more 2 straight games. (39-13 over the last 5 seasons.) (75%, +24.7 units. Rating = 3*).

Play On - Home favorites of 3.5 to 9.5 points (COLORADO) - team from a major Division I conference against a team from a second tier conference, off a home win by 10 points or more. (117-63 since 1997.) (65%, +47.7 units. Rating = 3*).

The Buffaloes have played four straight games Over the total, and this three-star FoxSheets trend also sides with the Over on Tuesday.

COLORADO is 11-2 OVER (84.6%, +8.8 Units) after covering 2 of their last 3 against the spread this season. The average score was COLORADO 81.3, OPPONENT 76.5 - (Rating = 3*).

**StarDust Bum** · 03-22-2011, 07:27 PM

Trending: Sweet 16 ATS breakdown

Through the first weekend of the tournament, one of the big storylines is that only two of the Big East’s record-setting 11 participants have advanced to the Sweet 16. Let’s take a look at how all 10 multi-bid conferences have fared thus far STRAIGHT UP:
ACC 7-1 (88%)
Mountain West 4-1 (80%)
Colonial 4-2 (67%)
Atlantic 10 3-2 (60%)
Big Ten 7-5 (58%)
Pac-10 4-3 (57%)
SEC 4-3 (57%)
Big East 9-9 (50%)
Big 12 4-4 (50%)
Conference USA 0-2 (0%)
The ACC leads the way with three teams remaining (Duke, Florida State, North Carolina), while the Big East (Connecticut, Marquette), Big Ten (Ohio State, Wisconsin), Mountain West (BYU, San Diego State) and SEC (Florida, Kentucky) have two each. The Pac-10 (Arizona), Big 12 (Kansas), Horizon (Butler), Colonial (VCU) and A-10 (Richmond) each have one school playing in the Sweet 16.

While the ACC leads the way straight up, its members are an even 50% ATS. Here is how the multi-bid conferences stack up AGAINST THE SPREAD:
Big Ten 8-3 (73%)
Colonial 4-2 (67%)
Mountain West 3-2 (60%)
SEC 4-3 (57%)
ACC 4-4 (50%)
Atlantic 10 2-2-1 (50%)
Conference USA 1-1 (50%)
Big East 8-10 (44%)
Pac-10 3-4 (43%)
Big 12 2-6 (25%)

The Big Ten has built an 8-3 ATS record (73%) on the strength of 2-0 performances by top-seeded Ohio State, Wisconsin and Michigan, which pushed Duke to the brink on Sunday.

Virginia Commonwealth’s stunning run from the First Four to the Sweet 16 puts the Colonial Athletic Association in second place on this list, with George Mason posting a win both SU and ATS over Villanova in its opener before being crushed by Ohio State.

San Diego State and BYU have represented the Mountain West well as the Aztecs have covered in both of their games and the Cougars went 1-1 ATS in their two contests, missing a cover over Wofford by ½ point.

Bringing up the rear is the Big 12, with Texas failing to cover in both of its games, including bowing out to Arizona on Sunday. Missouri and Texas A&M were each one-and-done both SU and ATS.

While listed as 8-10 on the ATS list, the Big East ATS record drops slightly (6-8, 43%) when you remove the two head-to-head matchups (Connecticut over Cincinnati, Marquette over Syracuse) that occurred over the weekend.

Though representing the one-bid Horizon League, it should be noted that Butler has picked up right where it left off last year in a number of ways, including having success ATS. The Bulldogs went 5-1 both SU and ATS in their historic run to the title game a year ago and are 2-0 ATS so far in this tournament. Appearing in its fifth straight Big Dance, Butler is now 10-4 (71%) SU and 11-3 (79%) ATS in this span.

Another thing to consider as we move into the tourney’s second weekend, is the ATS success of the last five NCAA Tournament winners, who have combined to go 26-4 ATS (87%) while ringing up their 30 straight up wins. If you’re convinced that a certain team is going to win the title game, history shows that it will rack up a number of ATS wins along the way.

**StarDust Bum** · 03-22-2011, 07:28 PM

Suns visit Lakers minus Bynum on Tuesday

PHOENIX SUNS (35-33)

at LOS ANGELES LAKERS (50-20)

Tip-off: Tuesday, 10:30 p.m. EDT
Line: Los Angeles -7, Total: 200

The Suns are nearing must-win territory as far as their playoff hopes go, and they’re catching a major break when they visit the Lakers Tuesday night.

L.A. will be without center Andrew Bynum, who is serving a suspension for a flagrant foul against Michael Beasley on Friday night. The Lakers are 27-10 SU with their big man in the starting lineup, only a slightly better mark than their 23-10 SU record when he’s not in the starting five, but Bynum has been a key to their recent resurgence. Since the All-Star break, he’s averaging 11.8 PPG, 13.0 RPG and 2.6 BPG, helping anchor L.A.’s stingy defense during an 11-1 SU (9-3 ATS) stretch.

Obviously, the Lakers won’t be completely sunk without him, as they’ve gotten used to playing without the injury-prone Bynum over the years. In Sunday’s win over Portland, Lamar Odom stepped into the starting lineup and delivered 16 points on 8-of-11 shooting to go with 11 rebounds and six assists. L.A. won that game 84-80, but things might have been different if not for some ice-cold shooting from Portland’s guards. Andre Miller, Wesley Matthews, Brandon Roy and Rudy Fernandez combined to shoot a putrid 9-for-40 (22.5%) from the field, while the Blazers 17 offensive rebounds kept them in it. And Portland was primarily employing a small frontcourt Sunday night, starting LaMarcus Aldridge (a natural power forward) at center and Gerald Wallace (a natural small forward) at power forward.

While the Suns are certainly a perimeter-oriented team, Bynum could be missed dearly when Marcin Gortat enters the game. The center has been coming off the bench, but playing starter’s minutes. Since the All-Star break, he’s averaging 14.7 PPG on 57% shooting and 10.1 RPG, and he had 17 points and 13 boards at the Staples Center on Sunday night as the Suns topped the Clippers 108-99.

Phoenix has also had a couple of days to get used to the shooting background in the Staples Center. They shot an impressive 10-for-22 from three-point land against the Clippers. The Suns hit 22-of-40 threes in an upset road win over the Lakers back in November, and they’re hitting 47% of their threes (one game against the Lakers, two against the Clippers) at the Staples Center this season.

In his second game back from a shoulder injury, Channing Frye made 5-of-12 threes, and Steve Nash, who took two games off last week to rest a series of nagging injuries, hit all three of his treys. Nash, who hit just 37% of his shots and 19% of his threes in the nine games between the All-Star break and his two-game break, has hit 52% of his shots and 6-of-10 threes (6-of-7 over the past two games) since returning.

While the Lakers generally guard the perimeter well, I think the Suns are shooting it well enough, and have enough size against Bynum-less L.A., to hang with them on Tuesday night. My pick is Phoenix to cover the spread.

A three-star trend from the FoxSheets shows that, after a defensive struggle, the Lakers don’t often bounce back in a big way:

LA LAKERS are 2-14 ATS (12.5%, -13.4 Units) after a combined score of 175 points or less over the last 2 seasons. The average score was LA LAKERS 97.1, OPPONENT 98.4 - (Rating = 3*).

Fifteen of the past 23 games (65%) in this series have finished Over the total, and this highly-rated FoxSheets trends supports the Over for this game as well.

Play Over - Road teams where the total is 200 to 209.5 (PHOENIX) - after going under the total by 36 or more points total in their last five games, vs. division opponents. (36-12 over the last 5 seasons.) (75%, +22.8 units. Rating = 3*).

**StarDust Bum** · 03-22-2011, 07:29 PM

Blazers favored by 15 points over Wizards

WASHINGTON WIZARDS (17-51)

at PORTLAND TRAIL BLAZERS (40-30)

Tip-off: Tuesday, 10:00 p.m. EDT
Line: Portland -15, Total: 191

The Blazers might still be stinging from a tough road loss to the Lakers on Sunday, but a Tuesday night home date with the Wizards should cure what ails them.

Washington is in the midst of a historically bad road performance this season. Only once in an 82-game season has a team failed to win multiple road games SU (the 1990-91 Sacramento Kings went 1-40). At 1-31, the Wizards are nine games away from tying that mark.

Rookie point guard John Wall has flashed star potential, but he’s also been expectedly shaky at times. Since the All-Star break, he’s averaging 18.7 PPG, 5.9 RPG and 8.0 APG, but he’s also shooting just 40% from the field, 29% from three, turning it over 4.1 times per game and posting an average plus-minus of minus-10.3. On top of that, Wall will likely be without his two most talented teammates again Tuesday night, as Andray Blatche (shoulder) and Nick Young (knee) are both doubtful.

It’s not all bad news for the Wizards though. They were able to hold off the Nets (albeit the Nets minus Deron Williams) at home on Sunday night to snap a six-game SU and ATS losing streak. They got impressive performances from Wall (26 points, 11-22 FG, 8 assists) and fellow rookie Jordan Crawford, who topped 20 points for the third straight game and is getting more confident attacking the basket. Not surprisingly, Washington has been a double-digit road underdog 10 times this season, but they’ve managed to go 5-5 ATS in those games.

The Blazers have been playing some of their best basketball of the season, winning seven of 10 SU and eight of 10 ATS. They switched to a “small” lineup four games ago, moving newly acquired Gerald Wallace (a small forward) into the starting power forward slot, and moving power forward LaMarcus Aldridge to center. They’ve been surprisingly excellent in the rebounding department since making the switch, posting an average rebounding margin of +9.8 RPG in those four games. They had 17 offensive rebounds in a near-upset of the Lakers on Sunday night, helping make up for a brutal shooting night from their guards (Andre Miller, Wesley Matthews, Brandon Roy and Rudy Fernandez combined to shoot 9-for-40 from the field) in an 84-80 loss.

Considering their slow tempo (only the Hornets average fewer possessions per 48 minutes), a 15-point spread may feel like too much for Portland to cover. But the Blazers have been double-digit favorites four times this season and they’ve covered every time, often with ease. Aside from a 13-point win over Toronto in November (they were favored by 12), they’ve beaten Detroit by 22 (as 10-point favorites), and in March beat Charlotte by 24 (as 11-point favorites) and Cleveland by 41 (as 14-point favorites). Considering the Wizards’ youth, and how difficult it is for anyone to play in the Rose Garden, I’m going with Portland.

There’s a rare five-star trend from the FoxSheets to back up that pick:

WASHINGTON is 1-15 ATS (6.3%, -15.5 Units) after 1 or more consecutive wins this season. The average score was WASHINGTON 93.6, OPPONENT 107.4 - (Rating = 5*).

Ten of the past 12 series meetings in Portland have finished Under the total and this highly-rated FoxSheets trend thinks this game will also finish Under the total.

Flip Saunders is 38-14 UNDER (73.1%, +22.6 Units) after having lost 8 or more of their last 10 games as the coach of WASHINGTON. The average score was WASHINGTON 93.6, OPPONENT 100.0 - (Rating = 3*).

**StarDust Bum** · 03-22-2011, 07:30 PM

Bulls try to end 6-game losing skid in Atlanta

CHICAGO BULLS (50-19)

at ATLANTA HAWKS (40-30)

Tip-off: Tuesday, 8:00 p.m. EDT
Line: Chicago -3.5, Total: 180

The Bulls and Hawks meet for the third time this month when the two square off Tuesday night in Atlanta. The Hawks overcame a 19-point deficit on March 2 to win the first meeting, 83-80, but Chicago responded nine days later with a resounding 94-76 home win.

The Bulls have been sizzling ever since losing at Atlanta, going 9-1 SU (8-2 ATS). After losing 115-108 to Indiana on Friday, Chicago came out on fire in Monday’s 132-92 thrashing of Sacramento. The Bulls shot 61% from the floor, 71% on threes (12-of-17) and forced 22 Kings turnovers in the win. Eight Bulls scored in double-figures and Luol Deng (17 points) was the only Chicago player to log more than 30 minutes on the court. Derrick Rose (18 points, 8 assists vs. Kings) has shot poorly versus Atlanta this year, connecting on just 14-of-45 FG attempts (31%). He also committed six second-half turnovers in Chicago’s loss at Atlanta. Carlos Boozer, who didn’t play in the March 11 win over the Hawks, scored 16 points in Tuesday’s return to action after missing five games with a sprained ankle.

Atlanta has not played very well since its comeback win over the Bulls on March 2, losing six of nine games both SU and ATS. Eight of these past nine contests have been at home, with the lone road game being the loss at Chicago. The Hawks did win their last outing though, a 104-96 defeat of Detroit on Sunday. In that game, Atlanta shot 53% FG and outrebounded the Pistons 46-38. The Hawks also posted their third straight game of single-digit turnovers, as they have just 22 total giveaways (7.3 TO per game) in the past three contests. Al Horford, who had 18 points, 10 rebounds and six assists versus Detroit, has played really well against Chicago this season, averaging 18.5 PPG and 11.5 RPG. He scored 22 of his career-high-tying 31 points in the second half of Atlanta’s win over the Bulls. But Horford will have to deal with both Boozer and Joakim Noah, his former college teammate at Florida, in this contest.

It’s been a while since the Bulls left Philips Arena with a victory. Chicago has dropped six straight games in Atlanta (four double-digit losses), going 1-5 ATS in these six defeats. The Hawks are also 7-2 (SU and ATS) in the past nine meetings overall. But Tuesday’s matchup could be decided on the boards. Chicago is 41-13 (76%) with the rebounding advantage, while Atlanta is 28-6 (82%) when it outrebounds its opponent this season. The Bulls are the better team on the boards when both Noah and Boozer are on the court, which makes Chicago my pick to win and cover.

The FoxSheets give two more reasons in support of the Bulls:

CHICAGO is 33-15 ATS (68.8%, +16.5 Units) after having won 4 or 5 of its last 6 games this season. The average score was CHICAGO 97.6, OPPONENT 88.8 - (Rating = 3*).

Play Against - Underdogs of 3.5 to 9.5 points (ATLANTA) - poor foul drawing team - attempting <=24 free throws/game, good shooting team - shooting >=46% on the season. (170-103 over the last 5 seasons.) (62.3%, +56.7 units. Rating = 2*).

**StarDust Bum** · 03-22-2011, 07:31 PM

LA Lakers host Suns on Tuesday NBA odds schedule

The two-time defending champion Los Angeles Lakers, winners in 12 of their last 13 games, continue their seven-game homestand Tuesday by hosting the Phoenix Suns. The two Western Conference foes will be meeting for the fourth time this season, with tip-off at Staples Center scheduled for 7:30 p.m. (PT).

Pete Korner, who disseminates the betting numbers for the majority of Nevada sports books as owner of the Sports Club, has installed the Lakers as 8 ½-point home favorites on his overnight line. The total is set at 202 points.

Ironically, the road team has captured each of the first three meetings this season, with the ‘over’ cashing on two occasions. In fact, the ‘over’ is 6-2 in the last eight series meetings in Los Angeles.

The first matchup (Oct. 29) saw the Lakers register a 114-106 victory as 3 ½-point road favorites. The combined 220 points catapulted ‘over’ the 207-point closing total.

Two weeks later (Nov. 14), the Suns got their revenge by outlasting the Lakers as 8 ½-point road underdogs, 121-116. Though oddsmakers set the total 8 ½ points higher than the first meeting (215 ½), the combined 237 points still soared ‘over.’

The most recent meeting (Jan. 5) saw the Lakers edge the Suns as four-point road favorites, 99-95. This was the lone game that dipped ‘under’ the total, which closed at 206 ½ points.

Phoenix has played the fewest games in the Western Conference. That’s a good thing considering they are sitting on the outside looking in at all the other playoff teams.

Alvin Gentry’s Suns have now won their last two games after suffering through a four-game losing skid. That includes Sunday’s 108-99 victory against the Los Angeles Clippers at the same venue where they will play Tuesday’s game.

The Suns covered as 1 ½-point road underdogs, leaving their spread record at a poor 31-34-3 overall. However, they are 18-14-2 ATS away from home, including 4-0-1 in their last five road dates.

The combined 207 points in Sunday’s game barely dipped below the 208-point closing total, which enabled the ‘under’ to cash in the Suns’ last six outings. The ‘under’ is also 35-33 in the club’s first 68 overall contests.

Aaron Brooks should be back in the Phoenix lineup against the Lakers. The guard missed Sunday’s game against the Clippers because he was serving a one-game suspension for throwing the ball at an official after receiving a technical foul.

The Lakers are coming of Sunday’s hard-fought 84-80 victory against Portland. Los Angeles did not cover as six-point home favorites, lowering its overall spread record to 34-35-1. In addition, the Lakers are 3-7 ATS in their last 10 home games, which lowered their overall spread mark at Staples Center to 13-20.

The combined 164 points never threatened the 186 ½-point closing total, enabling the ‘under’ to improve to 43-27 in the Lakers’ first 70 encounters.

Phil Jackson’s troops played Sunday’s game without starting center Andrew Bynum, who was serving the first game of a two-game suspension. Bynum was ejected from last Friday’s game against Minnesota after committing a flagrant foul.

Lamar Odom started in place of Bynum and contributed 16 points and 11 rebounds. Kobe Bryant, who scored what turned out to be the winning basket, is currently mired in a shooting slump. The all-star guard is 27-for-77 in his last four games.

Though the Lakers have not allowed their opponents to score triple-digits in 11 straight games, they have not registered 100 markers on offense in eight of their last 10 contests.

The Lakers continue this seven-game homestand Friday against the Clippers. The Suns begin a three-game homestand of their own with a Wednesday contest against the Toronto Raptors.

**StarDust Bum** · 03-22-2011, 07:32 PM

NHL Odds: New Jersey Devils at Boston Bruins

Two Eastern Conference teams take to the ice Tuesday in Boston under different circumstances. New Jersey (34-34-3-1) is quickly running out of time as the regular season starts to near its end. The Devils currently reside in 10th place in the Eastern Conference, seven points behind eighth-place Buffalo while also behind Carolina and Toronto.

However, New Jersey is playing some of its best hockey of the year with just 10 games remaining on the schedule. The Devils were on a 23-3-2 tear before a recent two-game slide, so the playoffs are still on the radar.

New Jersey ranks eighth in penalty-kill percentage (83.7), and ninth in goals against (2.5), but a miserable 27th in power-play percentage (83.7) and 30th in goals per game (2.1).

Boston (39-22-5-5) sits atop the Northeast Division standings, and is third in the Eastern Conference. The Bruins have a solid +38 scoring differential, lighting the lamp 213 times while yielding just 175 goals. Boston ranks fourth in the league in goals against (2.4) and goals per game (3.0), while ranking 17th in penalty-kill percentage (82.1) and 22nd in power-play percentage (16.3).

New Jersey was mired in a two-game losing streak before blanking Columbus Sunday as 124 road ‘chalk,’ 3-0. The three goals failed to topple the five-goal closing total, helping the ‘under’ cash the third consecutive contest.

The Devils got two goals from David Clarkson, while Nick Palmieri closed the scoring with a third-period tally. Goaltender Martin Brodeur stonewalled 13 shots, earning his NHL-record 115th shutout. New Jersey finished the contest with advantages in shots on goal, 31-13, and faceoffs won, 24-22.

Boston concluded a four-game road trip with Saturday’s setback to Toronto as a 125 road favorite, 5-2. The combined seven goals eclipsed the 5 ½-goal closing total, helping the ‘over’ improve to 4-1 the previous five outings.

The Bruins got goals from Adam McQuaid and Daniel Paille, but the team dropped to 1-3-3 the past seven outings. Despite the three-goal setback, Boston led the Maple Leafs in shots on goal, 37-29, and faceoffs won, 32-31.

The Bruins have beaten New Jersey the previous three meetings, including both this season. Boston triumphed Oct. 16 as a 118 road underdog, 4-1, and Nov. 15 as 177 home ‘chalk,’ 3-0. The ‘under’ is 7-1-2 the past 10 games in this series.

New Jersey continues a four-game road trip with games against Pittsburgh and Buffalo. The Devils are 9-2 their last 11 road games, and a solid 22-6 their past 28 outings overall.

Boston center Brad Marchand (suspension served) is ‘probable’ versus the Devils, while defenseman Shane Hnidy (shoulder) is ‘out.’ The Bruins conclude a three-game homestand against Montreal and the New York Rangers. Boston has seen the ‘under’ go 23-11-5 its previous 39 games against Atlantic Division opponents.

Monday’s matchup is scheduled to start at 4:00 p.m. PT from Boston’s TD Garden.

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The Bum's Tuesday's Best Bets MLB- NBA-NHL-NCAAB !

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