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**Udog** · 03-31-2011, 08:33 AM

Daily Sports Roundup: March 31

Today in the Daily Sports Roundup: The Major League Baseball season begins in six cities, while the NIT plays its championship game, and the Celtics take the floor in Texas.

Tipping off on the hardwood . . .

Two marquee matchups make up the NBA's schedule for Thursday night, with the Lakers playing host to the Mavericks in a fight for playoff position at the top of the Western Conference standings, and the Spurs getting a visit from the Celtics in a cross-conference battle. San Antonio (57-17 SU, 41-31-2 ATS) holds down first place in the West, but they ride a four-game losing streak into Thursday's game against Boston and are having problems keeping their roster healthy – Tim Duncan, Manu Ginobili, and Tony Parker all missed their loss to the Trail Blazers in their last game on Monday. The Celtics (51-22 SU, 33-38-2 ATS) fell 107-100 in Indiana in their most recent game on Monday night, but they beat the Spurs 105-103 at home when they played on January 5.

As well, the NIT stages its championship game at Madison Square Garden on Thursday night, with Wichita State taking on Alabama. The Shockers cruised to a win in their NIT semifinal matchup on Tuesday night, bouncing Washington State by a score of 75-44; Garrett Stutz picked up 24 points and 11 rebounds for Wichita State in that victory. The Crimson Tide edged Colorado 62-61 in the late semifinal matchup on Tuesday, with JaMychal Green leading the Alabama offense with a game-high 22 points on that night.

Meeting up on the diamond . . .

The American League schedule kicks off with a pair of games on Thursday – Detroit at the Yankees and the Angels at Kansas City – while the National League offers up four matchups: Atlanta at Washington, Milwaukee at Cincinnati, San Diego at St. Louis, and San Francisco at the Dodgers. Tim Lincecum will get the ball for the defending-champion Giants in that last matchup, while Los Angeles will counter with Clayton Kershaw. Righthander Lincecum went 16-10 with a 3.43 ERA last season for San Francisco, striking out 231 batters. Lincecum also went 4-1 in the playoffs for the Giants with a 2.43 ERA. Lefthander Kershaw compiled a 13-10 record last season for the Dodgers with a 2.91 ERA. Kershaw fanned 212 batters and posted a WHIP of just 1.18.

Taking a trip around the rink . . .

The NHL offers up 10 games on Thursday, with Toronto at Boston, the Rangers at the Islanders, Atlanta at Philadelphia, Columbus at Washington, Ottawa at Florida, Edmonton at Minnesota, Nashville at Colorado, Los Angeles at Vancouver, Dallas at San Jose, and Pittsburgh at Tampa Bay. The Penguins thumped the Lightning 8-1 at home as a -200 favorite when the teams last met on January 5, but Pittsburgh had both Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin in the lineup in that contest. Chris Kunitz had a hat trick for the Pens in that win, while Adam Hall potted the lone goal in the loss for Tampa Bay.

Rounding out the Roundup . . .

Finally, the last PGA Tour event before The Masters gets underway on Thursday morning, with the field teeing off at the Shell Houston Open at the Redstone GC Tournament Course in Humble, Texas. Lee Westwood and Matt Kuchar are the oddsmakers' choice to get the win at the tuneup event this weekend, as they're tied as the +1500 tournament favorites. Phil Mickelson, Hunter Mahan, and Steve Stricker are next on that list at +2000 odds, with Charl Schwartzel and Francesco Molinari sitting at +2500 odds to claim the trophy. Defending champ Anthony Kim is listed at +3000 odds.

**Udog** · 03-31-2011, 08:34 AM

Thursday's betting tips: Yanks dominate Opening Day

Weather to watch

Opening Day means it’s time for bettors to start checking weather religiously again. For the most part, it looks like it’s going to be cold with possibilities for some delays – especially in the afternoon games.

It snowed in Cincinnati on Wednesday as the Reds and Brewers got ready for Thursday’s 2:10 p.m. Opening Day affair, but meteorologists are hoping the worst is over. As of now it looks like it will be cloudy and cold but there’s only a 10 percent chance of precipitation.

Check the latest forecasts here.

Who’s hot

NCAAB: Alabama is 16-7-1 against the spread in its last 24 games overall.

NBA: Each of San Antonio’s last four games have played over the total.

NHL: Philadelphia is 30-9-2 in its last 41 meetings with Atlanta.

NHL: San Jose is 5-0-1 over its last six contests.

Who’s not

NBA: Only four of the Los Angeles Lakers’ last 13 games have played over the total.

NBA: Boston is 0-4 against the spread in its last four overall and 2-6 against the number in its last eight road games.

NHL: Columbus has won just three of its last 16 games.

NHL: Edmonton hasn’t won in 10 games, picking up only three points over that span.

Key stat

9-1: The New York Yankees have won nine of their last 10 Opening Day games heading into tomorrow’s matinee home date with the Detroit Tigers. The Yanks send CC Sabathia to the hill against Justin Verlander. Oddsmakers opened with New York as a -160 favorite but the club now sits around -145, while the total holds around eight runs.

Injury that shouldn’t be overlooked

Brian Wilson, RP, San Francisco Giants: The Giants finally admitted that All-Star closer Brian Wilson will begin the season on the DL with an oblique strain and likely won’t be ready to take the hill until sometime next week. In the meantime, San Francisco manager Bruce Bochy said that Sergio Romo, Jeremy Affeldt and Javier Lopez would share the closing duties.

Game of the day

San Francisco Giants at Los Angeles Dodgers (-110, 6.5)

Notable quotable

"I don't know if it's a younger voice, but one that relates to younger people is great, and Donnie has that. You can have an older person who relates to younger people, and you can have a younger person who doesn't relate. For Joe to say that, he probably felt that." - Los Angeles Dodgers first baseman James Loney on the difference between last year’s manager Joe Torre and this year’s skip Don Mattingly.

Notes and tips

Dallas Mavericks coach Rick Carlisle is beginning to settle in on the rotation he hopes will take his team on a deep playoff run. After some questions about the starting small forward spot, it now looks like it’s Shawn Marion’s spot to lose, while guards Jason Terry and Peja Stojakovic will be the first two off the bench. We're working toward getting together a playoff rotation here," Carlisle told reporters. "We're closely identifying roles and what we need from people, and our communication defensively is going to be a big key." Each of Dallas’ last five games have played under the total heading into Thursday’s date with the Lakers.

The slumping San Antonio Spurs are expected to get a boost on Thursday as Tony Parker and Antonio McDyess should return to the lineup. With Manu Ginobili and Tim Duncan expected to sit out the rest of the week, coach Gregg Popovich changed up his team’s regular practice schedule ahead of Thursday’s game against Boston. Normally with two days leading up to a game the Spurs practice and then take a day off before game day, but San Antonio took Tuesday off and practiced Wednesday.

Few saw Wichita State’s 30-point blowout of Washington State coming with the Shockers set as only a 3-point favorite in the NIT semifinal, but the performance reserve center Garrett Stutz put on was probably even more surprising. After averaging just 6.7 points and 3.3 rebounds in only about 14 minutes per game this season, the 7-foot junior went off for 24 points and 11 rebounds against Washington State. That’s the sort of effort the Shockers will be looking for again in the final on Thursday against Alabama’s tough defense with Wichita State set as a slim 1.5-point favorite.

**Udog** · 03-31-2011, 08:36 AM

Thursday's six-pack

-- Apparently, Josh Pastner turned down $2.5M a year to be coach at NC State. Wolfpack need to pull a rabbit out of the hiring hat.

-- Nice touch by Orioles, having the great manager Earl Weaver throw out the first ball at the O's home opener.

-- Congrats to Santa Clara, which came east and upset Iona to win the CIT in New Rochelle. Good season for the Broncos.

-- Oregon beat Creighton 71-58 in Eugene, forcing a decisive Game 3 in the CBI tournament Friday night.

-- PGA Tour and Final Four are both in Houston this week; too bad it is the week before the Masters, which hurts their field.

-- Opening Day is a time for optimism, when everyone starts out 0-0, when all things seem at least somewhat possible. Enjoy.

***********************

Thursday's List of 13: Random thoughts on Opening Day

13) Scumweasels, start your engines: VCU coach Shaka Smart doesn’t have an agent. Yet. He’s going to need one as soon as VCU’s season ends this weekend. I’m sure agents are lining up to recruit him!!!!

12) The guy who is President of the NCAA makes $1.7M a year? And the Ohio State kids get suspended for selling memorabilia? Kansas State's kids get suspended for getting discounted clothes? That seems fair.

11) Purdue’s Matt Painter was the 8th-highest paid basketball coach in the Big 11, which is why he held the Boilermakers up for more money for both himself and his assistants this week. Painter is a Boiler alum, so it was doubtful he was leaving Purdue, but he made them look bad; shamed them into putting more resources into his program.

10) Only seven of the Phillies’ first 31 games are against teams that had winning records last season.

9) Jason Bay is back in NYC for tests on his ribs, which is bad news, considering the Mets open the season in Florida. Wouldn’t it be easier for the Mets to ship the doctor to Florida, or have a doctor who lived down there?

8) Evan Longoria has had a bad spring; he had a car stolen from a garage in Arizona, and had his rental house robbed in Florida, where an AK-47 of his was swiped. Why would he have an AK-47? This is besides not having Carl Crawford batting ahead of him anymore.

7) Keep reading that the Arizona Cardinals want to draft Missouri QB Blaine Gabbert with the 5th pick in the NFL Draft.

6) There is actually a TV show called Pig Bomb; this week’s episode examines why wild pigs are reproducing at such a rapid rate in America. I’m not kidding.

5) Some teams might keep top prospects in the minor leagues for the first 12 days of the season, to keep the player under their control for one extra season, like the Giants did with Buster Posey or Rays did with Longoria. If the player was on the roster the entire season, he could become a free agent a year earlier, but Giants didn't do that this spring with prospect Brandon Belt, who starts the season as the Giants' first baseman.

4) A group of seven people hit the lottery here in Albany this week; apparently, that group was usually a group of 8, but one guy backed out that day because “he wasn’t feeling lucky.” Oops.

3) I’ve said this before, but when a college fires a coach, its only fair that all the coach’s recruits be released by the school. Tennessee isn’t doing this in the wake of the Bruce Pearl firing, and it stinks.

2) Kind of ironic that Sacramento is going to lose the NBA’s Kings just after they elected a former NBA player (Kevin Johnson) mayor.

1) Indiana Hoosiers are going to be very good in basketball five years from now; if Tom Crean doesn’t turn it around in the next year or two, IU will turn to native son Steve Alford, who will gladly return home from out in New Mexico and he would do a great job there. That’s ominous for rival Purdue, which was shown this week to not necessarily be committed to maintaining a top-flight program. Next few years are going to be very interesting in the Hoosier State.

**Udog** · 03-31-2011, 08:38 AM

NBA
Dunkel

Dallas at LA Lakers
The Lakers look to build on their 8-2 ATS record in their last 10 games against a team with a winning SU record. LA is the pick (-6) according to Dunkel, which has the Lakers favored by 8. Dunkel Pick: LA Lakers (-6). Here are all of today's picks.

THURSDAY, MARCH 31

Game 701-702: Boston at San Antonio (8:00 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Boston 119.671; San Antonio 121.635
Dunkel Line & Total: San Antonio by 2; 184
Vegas Line & Total: No Line
Dunkel Pick: N/A

Game 703-704: Dallas at LA Lakers (10:30 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Dallas 121.571; LA Lakers 129.534
Dunkel Line & Total: LA Lakers by 8; 196
Vegas Line & Total: LA Lakers by 6; 190
Dunkel Pick: LA Lakers (-6); Over

**Udog** · 03-31-2011, 08:41 AM

NBA
Long Sheet

Thursday, March 31

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BOSTON (51 - 22) at SAN ANTONIO (57 - 17) - 3/31/2011, 8:00 PM
There are no Top Trends with records of significance that apply to this game.

Head-to-Head Series History
SAN ANTONIO is 3-2 against the spread versus BOSTON over the last 3 seasons
BOSTON is 3-2 straight up against SAN ANTONIO over the last 3 seasons
3 of 5 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons

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DALLAS (53 - 21) at LA LAKERS (53 - 20) - 3/31/2011, 10:30 PM
Top Trends for this game.
LA LAKERS are 22-13 ATS (+7.7 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record this season.
DALLAS is 40-32 ATS (+4.8 Units) in all games this season.
DALLAS is 241-195 ATS (+26.5 Units) as an underdog since 1996.
DALLAS is 24-13 ATS (+9.7 Units) in road games this season.
DALLAS is 33-16 ATS (+15.4 Units) in road games after playing 3 consecutive road games since 1996.
DALLAS is 21-9 ATS (+11.1 Units) after 3 or more consecutive wins this season.
DALLAS is 22-13 ATS (+7.7 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record this season.
DALLAS is 25-16 ATS (+7.4 Units) versus good offensive teams - scoring 99+ points/game this season.
LA LAKERS are 81-95 ATS (-23.5 Units) in all games over the last 2 seasons.
LA LAKERS are 37-51 ATS (-19.1 Units) in home games over the last 2 seasons.
LA LAKERS are 4-14 ATS (-11.4 Units) in home games after allowing 85 points or less over the last 3 seasons.

Head-to-Head Series History
DALLAS is 5-4 against the spread versus LA LAKERS over the last 3 seasons
LA LAKERS is 6-3 straight up against DALLAS over the last 3 seasons
5 of 9 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons

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**Udog** · 03-31-2011, 08:42 AM

NBA
Write-Up

Thursday, March 31

Hot Teams
-- Lakers won last seven games, are 15-1 since All-Star break. Mavericks won their last five games (4-1 vs spread).

Cold Teams
-- San Antonio lost its last four games, by 3-2-7-8 points. Celtics lost three of last four games (0-4 vs spread).

Totals
-- 10 of last 11 Boston games stayed under the total.
-- Five of last six Dallas games stayed under total.

Back-to-Back
-- Dallas is 7-2 vs spread on road playing second nite in row on road.

**Udog** · 03-31-2011, 08:45 AM

NBA

Thursday, March 31

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Trend Report
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8:00 PM
BOSTON vs. SAN ANTONIO
Boston is 6-2 SU in its last 8 games when playing San Antonio
The total has gone UNDER in 7 of Boston's last 8 games on the road
San Antonio is 23-2 SU in its last 25 games at home
San Antonio is 2-6 SU in its last 8 games when playing Boston

10:30 PM
DALLAS vs. LA LAKERS
Dallas is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games
The total has gone OVER in 12 of Dallas's last 17 games on the road
LA Lakers are 1-6 ATS in their last 7 games when playing at home against Dallas
LA Lakers are 21-4 SU in their last 25 games when playing at home against Dallas

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**Udog** · 03-31-2011, 08:45 AM

NBA

Thursday, March 31

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Double dribble: NBA TNT doubleheader preview
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Boston Celtics at San Antonio Spurs (N/A)

The Celtics and Spurs have faced each other once this season heading into Thursday’s showdown at the AT&T Center. In Boston on Jan. 5, the home team prevailed 105-103 and just barely failed to cover the 2.5-point spread.

Boston (51-22, 33-38-2 ATS) shot 61.7 percent from the floor in that contest to San Antonio’s 45.3, but the Spurs made it competitive by making 16 of 17 free throws compared to their opponent’s 8-for-15 effort. The Celtics got huge performances from Ray Allen (31 points on 13-of-16 shooting) and Glen Davis (23 points) while six Spurs scored in double figures.

INSULT TO INJURY OR VICE VERSA

The Spurs (57-17, 41-31-2 ATS) still own the top spot in the Western Conference, but to say they have fallen upon hard times would be an understatement. They have lost four in a row (2-2 ATS) and based on the injury report, it could be a while before the team snaps out of it.

Tim Duncan missed all four of those losses with a bad ankle sprain and he is listed as doubtful for Thursday’s showdown. Manu Ginobili (quadriceps) is also doubtful. Tony Parker (knee) and Antonio McDyess (back) are expected to suit up. Parker and McDyess reportedly could have played in Monday’s loss to Portland, but coach Gregg Popovich wanted to rest them for the stretch run.

However, all is not lost for San Antionio. In the midst of the myriad absences, Tiago Splitter and George Hill are seeing increased minutes and clear improvement. Splitter is averaging 9.2 points and 8.4 rebounds in his last five outings and Hill has scored a combined 57 points over his past two games.

“I’m getting more confident and feeling like I’m part of the team,” Splitter told the San Antonio Express-News. “Even though I watched a lot of NBA games before I got here, it’s not the same as when you can get on the court and see them work.”

TRENDING TOPICS

The Celtics are 1-5 ATS in their last six against the Western Conference and 0-4 ATS in their last four overall.

The Spurs are 2-5 ATS in their last seven against the Eastern Conference and 1-5 ATS in their last six home games.

The under is 7-1 in Boston’s last eight road games and 10-1 in its last 11 overall. However, the over is 4-1 in San Antonio’s last five road games and 4-0 in its last four overall.

Head-to-head, the underdog is 9-0 ATS in the last nine meetings and the road team is 6-0 ATS in the last six encounters. Boston is 4-0 ATS in its last four forays to the AT&T Center.

Dallas Mavericks at Los Angeles Lakers (-6, 190)

It will be a battle for the No. 2 seed in the Western Conference when the Mavericks and Lakers square off for the third and final time during this regular season. If San Antonio falls to Boston earlier in the night on Thursday, either Dallas (4.5 games back) or Los Angeles (3.5 games back) will inch slightly closer toward making things interesting for the top spot.

The two teams split their previous two meetings, both of which were hosted by Dallas. The Mavericks prevailed 109-100 on Jan. 19 behind 22 points apiece from Jason Terry and Shawn Marion. They turned the ball over just six times and Jason Kidd went for 21 points and 10 rebounds. The Lakers got revenge with a 96-91 victory earlier this month on March 12. Andrew Bynum contributed 22 points and 15 rebounds as the visitors turned up the notch on defense, holding Dallas to 4-for-16 shooting from downtown.

WHO'S ON FIRST?

Despite San Antonio’s recent doldrums, the Lakers (53-20, 35-37-1 ATS) are not focusing on the No. 1 seed.

“It’s still a real longshot for that,” head coach Phil Jackson told NBA.com. “They only have to win a couple of games here and we have to go perfect. So it’s real difficult to see that. But we still play it out. It’s still what we do.... Without a doubt, you would always want to go for that. But right now our sights are Dallas and Thursday night’s game.”

You would think their sights would be set on the top spot, though, because the Lakers are even hotter than the Spurs are cold. They have won seven straight (3-4 ATS) and 15 of their last 16 (10-6 ATS) following Sunday's 102-84 rout of New Orleans and a big reason why is Lamar Odom.

Making a case for Sixth Man of the Year, Odom has two double-doubles in his last four outings (16 and 11 against Portland on March 20, 29 and 16 on March 22 against Phoenix).

"At first, it was hard for me," Odom told the Los Angeles Times about having to come off the bench. "From a business standpoint, the year Phil wanted me to come off the bench was my free-agent year. You know how that goes. When you're a free agent, you want to start and play as many minutes as you can. But it was the right decision."

The Mavericks (52-21, 39-32-2 ATS), meanwhile, are playing in the Staples Center on consecutive nights. They are coming off a Wednesday night date with the Clippers and they are 7-1 ATS in the second of back-to-games in their last eight such contests.

TRENDING TOPICS

The Lakers are 1-4 ATS in their last five home games and 1-4 ATS in their last five overall.

The under is 5-0 in the Mavericks’ last five against the Western Conference and 5-0 in their last five overall.

Head-to-head, Dallas is 6-1 ATS in their last seven trips to the Staples Center.

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**Udog** · 03-31-2011, 08:46 AM

NBA & NCAAB

Thursday, March 31

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Pick 'n' roll: Thursday's best basketball bets
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Boston Celtics at San Antonio Spurs (N/A)

The Celtics and Spurs head into this matchup with a lot of similarities. Both clubs are dealing with a number of injury issues right now and neither have much to play for at this point season.

Boston has dropped four straight games against the number, while San Antonio has lost four in a row but did cover in two of those contests.

“Everyone wants to be playing well going in. We’re going to deal with our issues,” Kevin Garnett told reporters. “Either you quit and go home, pack and move on, or you do something about it. We’ve always been that team to do something about it. We have a couple of days for practice time in San Antonio, we’re getting a couple of guys back, and we’re going to get this team right.”

The way the Celtics are folding late in games, that much is debatable, but San Antonio has been dealing with the same issue, giving up fourth quarter leads in each of their last four.

This is a tough one to call.

Pick:

NCAA

Wichita State Shockers vs. Alabama Crimson Tide (1.5, 129.5)

The Wichita State Shockers didn’t have much trouble advancing to the finals of the NIT by absolutely hammering Washington State 75-44 on Tuesday night.

While the final score might have been a little out of hand considering the Shockers were only pegged as a 3-point favorite, this club has some major upside. During the season, Wichita State lost to Final Four participants UConn and VCU by just five points combined.

Still this big win at MSG reached a new high for the Shockers.

“That’s about as well as we’ve played in a long time, and I’m just so happy that these guys are continuing to play,” Wichita State coach Gregg Marshall told reporters. “They have really shown a lot of resilience, and they seem to be getting better, which is what you want your teams to do is play better at the end.”

Meanwhile, Alabama showed a gutsy effort in coming back to down Colorado, but couldn’t cover as a 2.5-point favorite.

Pick: Shockers

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**Udog** · 03-31-2011, 08:53 AM

NCAAB
Dunkel

Thursday, March 31

Wichita State vs. Alabama
The Crimson Tide look to take advantage of a Wichita State team that is coming off a 75-44 win over Washington State and is 2-6 ATS in its last 8 games following a SU win. Alabama is the pick (+2) according to Dunkel, which has the Tide favored by 2 1/2. Dunkel Pick: Alabama (+2). Here are all of today's games.

THURSDAY, MARCH 31

Game 705-706: Wichita State vs. Alabama (7:00 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Wichita State 66.144; Alabama 68.417
Dunkel Line: Alabama by 2 1/2
Vegas Line: Wichita State by 2
Dunkel Pick: Alabama (+2)

**Udog** · 03-31-2011, 08:54 AM

NCAAB
Long Sheet

Thursday, March 31

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WICHITA ST (28 - 8) vs. ALABAMA (25 - 11) - 3/31/2011, 7:00 PM
There are no Top Trends with records of significance that apply to this game.

Head-to-Head Series History
There were no past matchups in this series during this time period.

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**Udog** · 03-31-2011, 08:55 AM

NCAAB
Write-Up

Thursday, March 31

Alabama won 20 of last 25 games after starting season 5-6; Tide is best team in country at creating steals, but Wichita State is pretty good at protecting ball. Shockers won by 31 in semis, despite going just 3-16 from arc. Wichita State beat LSU by a point in its only game vs SEC foe- they're 3-5 vs spread in last eight games as favorite. Bama is 7-6 in tilts decided by 7 or less points; Wichita State is 5-7. SEC teams are 10-5 vs spread as an underdog of 5 or less points. MVC favorites of 5 or less points are 11-12. Alabama is 4-8 vs spread as an underdog this year.

**Udog** · 03-31-2011, 08:57 AM

NCAAB

Thursday, March 31

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Trend Report
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7:00 PM
WICHITA STATE vs. ALABAMA
No trends available
Alabama is 16-7-1 ATS in its last 24 games
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Alabama's last 6 games

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**Udog** · 03-31-2011, 08:58 AM

NCAAB

Thursday, March 31

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What bettors need to know: Wichita State vs. Alabama
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Wichita State Shockers vs. Alabama Crimson Tide (1.5, 129.5)

THE STORY: Two nights before the Final Four begins with one of the most unpredictable fields in history, two would-be Cinderellas will square off at Madison Square Garden to determine the best of the rest. Alabama and Wichita State, two teams whose aspirations of making the NCAA tournament field were shot down on selection Sunday, have nonetheless put together impressive postseason runs to meet in the NIT championship game Thursday in New York City.

TV: 7 p.m. ET, ESPN2

ABOUT WICHITA STATE: The Shockers have lived up to their nickname with a stunning run through the NIT bracket as a No. 4 seed. They blew out Nebraska in the first round, upset top seed Virginia Tech, and held off College of Charleston to get to Madison Square Garden, where they pummeled Washington State 75-44 in Tuesday's semifinals. The Shockers have made their run on the strength of balanced scoring — seven different players have scored in double digits in at least one game in the NIT, and four — J.T. Durley, Toure' Murry, Graham Hatch and Garrett Stutz — have averaged double figures for the tourney. Stutz posted career-highs with 24 points and 13 rebounds against Washington State.

ABOUT ALABAMA: The Crimson Tide has shown its SEC West title wasn't a fluke — at least as much as it can prove that point against the NIT field. Alabama breezed past Coastal Carolina, held off New Mexico, coasted to an easy win against Miami and eked out a 62-61 win against Colorado in Tuesday's semifinals. Like it has all season, the Crimson Tide did it with defense, holding one of the nation's most explosive offensive teams in Colorado to 40 percent shooting and its third-lowest point total of the season. Leading scorer Tony Mitchell had a quiet night against the Buffaloes with just eight points, but JaMychal Green (22 points, six rebounds) and Trevor Releford (13 points, seven assists, six steals, five rebounds) picked up the slack.

KEY TRENDS: Alabama is 16-7-1 against the spread in its last 24 games.
Wichita State has played over in six of its last eight non-conference games.
Wichita State has covered in three of its last four.

PREDICTION: Alabama 64, Wichita State 60 — Defense wins championships, and if the Crimson Tide can slow down a dangerous Colorado team, they should be able to do enough to stifle the Shockers, as well.

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Announcement

Thursday's Trends and Indexes - 3/31 (NBA, NCAAB, NHL, MLB, Misc.)

Thursday's Trends and Indexes - 3/31 (NBA, NCAAB, NHL, MLB, Misc.)

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