Announcement

**Udog** · 12-12-2011, 08:58 AM

Monday’s betting tips: Bradford still questionable

Who’s hot

NFL: Seattle is 8-2 against the spread in its last 10 games on fieldturf.

NHL: New Jersey is 19-7 in its last 26 meetings with Tampa Bay.

NCAAB: The under is 4-0 in Fordham’s last four road games.

NCAAB: Arkansas-Little Rock is 7-3-1 against the spread in its last 11.

Who’s not

NFL: St. Louis is 1-7 against the spread in its last eight road games.

NHL: The under is 0-4 in Tampa Bay’s last four home games.

NCAAB: Oregon is 2-6 against the spread in its last eight overall.

NCAAB: Siena is 6-19-2 against the spread in its last 27 home games.

Key stat

5 – The Seattle Seahawks have rushed for at least 100 yards in five straight games, which is only the second time they’ve managed to do that in the last 15 years. Seattle faces a Rams defense that ranks last in the league against the run, allowing 157.8 points per game.

Injury that shouldn’t be overlooked

Sam Bradford, St. Louis Rams - St. Louis Rams quarterback Sam Bradford practiced Saturday for the first time this week and could be in line to start Monday night's game against the Seattle Seahawks. Bradford has missed a pair of games with a high ankle sprain, suffered against Green Bay on Oct. 16. Backup quarterback A.J. Feeley is also out with a fractured right thumb. Third-string quarterback Tom Brandstater, who has never taken a snap in an NFL game, could be in line to make the start. He split snaps during Friday's practice with newly signed Kellen Clemens, who was claimed off waivers from the Houston Texans.

Game of the day

St. Louis Rams at Seattle Seahawks (-10, 36.5)

Notable quotable

"You've got to go back to basics. It's not about the plays. It's about grinding it out and getting ugly." – Tampa Bay Lightning coach Guy Boucher on his club’s recent skid. The Lightning have dropped six of their last seven games.

Notes and tips

Cincinnati suspended four players for their roles in a brawl that ended their lopsided loss to Xavier. Yancy Gages, Octavius Ellis and Cheikh Mbodj were handed six-game suspensions and Ge'Lawn Guyn is banned for one contest. The punishments include the NCAA's automatic one-game suspensions that result for ejections from fighting. The Bearcats are back in action Wednesday at Wright State.

The Auburn Tigers have suspended sophomore running back Michael Dyer for the upcoming Chick-fil-A Bowl game against Virginia for violating team rules. Dyer, who was the offensive MVP of last year’s BCS title game, rushed for 1,242 yards and 10 touchdowns this season – second in the SEC. Backup running back Onterio McCalebb will take over as the Tigers' top rushing option. He rushed for 532 yards and four touchdowns this year. Auburn currently sits as a 1.5-point favorite.

Boston Bruins captain Zdeno Chara is expected to miss at least three games with a leg injury, the Boston Globe reported on Sunday. The towering blue-liner suffered the injury during Saturday's game against the Columbus Blue Jackets. He appeared to hurt his leg after getting locked up with Antoine Vermette of the Blue Jackets. Chara had put Boston ahead with a power-play goal in the first minute of the second period. He has six goals and 13 assists on the season.

**Udog** · 12-12-2011, 09:01 AM

Armadillo: Monday's six-pack

-- Matt Leinart's injury saved the Texans' season; TJ Yates is lot better than the USC lefty. Now Houston might have to sit Yates out as they prepare for the playoffs; who would've ever thought that?

-- Falcons' coach Mike Smith had chest pains after Atlanta's win over the Panthers and spent the night in Charlotte. He is supposed to return to Atlanta Monday. These coaches are under a lot of stress.

-- Chicago-Denver game was just second NFL game this year that was scoreless at the half, Giants-Patriots being the other.

-- Three of NFL's six oldest defensive backs play for the Broncos.

-- Murray State is 10-0 after winning at Memphis, third C-USA team they've beaten this year. Racers don't play a team ranked higher than #181 the rest of the season, so they'll still have to win OVC tourney.

-- Tim McCarver got into the Hall of Fame as a broadcaster? They have to stop giving that award every year; they've run out of candidates who deserve to be chosen. Now its just a lifetime achievement award.

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

Armadillo: Monday's List of 13: Wrapping up a sports weekend........

13) Tim Tebow was 3-16 passing in the first three quarters against Bears Sunday; after that, he was 18-24, rallying Denver from a 10-0 deficit in the last 3:00 to beat Chicago in OT, providing FOX with more great TV ratings. Why does he play so much better late in the game?

12) Wouldn't be surprised if Cincinnati-Xavier rivalry took a year or two off after Saturday's brawl-filled debacle; either that, or put the game in the arena downtown instead of the on-campus gyms. Game has to be a huge moneymaker, so its hard to put it on ice, but can't have stuff going on that went on Saturday. Would also be nice if players showed some maturity.

11) Its too bad for the Atlantic 14, which had a big weekend, as Temple beat Villanova, Xavier won their game, St Joe's beat Creighton and Saint Louis coach Rick Majerus won his 500th career game, but no one noticed after what could have turned into a much uglier incident than it was.

10) How about the Houston Texans, who led for only 4:59 at Cincinnati Sunday, but scored winning TD with 0:02 left and clinched first division title when the Saints won at Tennessee? Wade Phillips turned a porous defense into a team strength. Do they have an award for the best assistant coach in the NFL? Phillips would get it this season.

9) Indiana's dramatic win over Kentucky was great theater Saturday, but they've got to provide better security for the visiting team. Very lucky no one got hurt with so many students rushing the floor.

8) Minnesota was -6 in turnovers and still had the ball on the 1-yard line to win on the last play in Detroit; Vikings ran ball for 269 yards but lost. Two of Detroit's four TDs were scored by the defense. Still puzzled as to how the officials missed the facemask penalty on the last play, but the Lions got a big break and a much-needed win.

7) Wisconsin soph Ben Brust was 7-7 behind the arc Saturday as he led the Badgers to a 62-51 win over a good UNLV team in Madison. Not too often anyone goes 7-7 from the foul line, much less behind the arc.

6) 49ers' loss in Arizona puts them in a tie with New Orleans for the #2 seed in the NFC, but Niners have one less conference loss right now, so they own the tie-breaker. 49ers play Pittsburgh next Monday night, and close with division rivals Seattle/St Louis.

5) ACC is down to #5 conference in college hoop so far this season, little unusual. Mountain West passed the Pac-12 this week, too, moving into the #6 spot. Down year for the Pac-12, except Arizona/Washington.

4) Football is an emotional game; its amazing there aren't more blowups on the sidelines between players/coaches like the one between Patriots' offensive coordinator Bill O'Brien and Tom Brady Sunday. Problem for the Patriots is that there is ton of pressure on the offense to score because their defense isn't very good. I mean, they already had 34 points when the big blowup happened. 34 points should be enough to win.

3) Villanova is just 5-4 and is going to struggle to make NCAA tourney in March; Wildcats lost 78-67 to Temple Saturday. They're just not good.

2) Favorites are 6-9 vs spread this week; home teams are 8-7, the over is 8-6-1. Six teams scored defensive TD's; all of them won except Buffalo, which also gave one up to the Chargers.

1) My friend John e-mailed Sunday to clue me in that while the Alabama-LSU bowl game is a pick 'em, other seven SEC bowl teams are all favored to win their games. Not much doubt which college league is best.

**Udog** · 12-12-2011, 09:12 AM

NCAAB
Dunkel

Fordham at Siena
The Saints look to take advantage of a Fordham team that is 1-6-1 ATS in its last 8 games as a road underdog of 7 to 12 1/2 points. Siena is the pick (-7 1/2) according to Dunkel, which has the Saints favored by 14. Dunkel Pick: Siena (-7 1/2). Here are all of today's games.

MONDAY, DECEMBER 12

Game 741-742: Fordham at Siena (7:00 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Fordham 39.794; Siena 53.588
Dunkel Line: Siena by 14; 133
Vegas Line: Siena by 7 1/2; 128 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Siena (-7 1/2); Over

Game 743-744: Portland State at Oregon (10:00 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Portland State 46.473; Oregon 60.113
Dunkel Line: Oregon by 13 1/2; 141
Vegas Line: Oregon by 14 1/2; 145
Dunkel Pick: Portland State (+14 1/2); Under

Game 751-752: Oral Roberts at Arkansas-Little Rock (8:00 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Oral Roberts 58.802; Arkansas-Little Rock 50.425
Dunkel Line: Oral Roberts by 8 1/2; 128
Vegas Line: Oral Roberts by 7; 131
Dunkel Pick: Oral Roberts (-7); Under

NCAAB
Long Sheet

Monday, December 12

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FORDHAM (3 - 5) at SIENA (3 - 6) - 12/12/2011, 7:00 PM
Top Trends for this game.
FORDHAM is 6-19 ATS (-14.9 Units) in all games over the last 2 seasons.
FORDHAM is 6-19 ATS (-14.9 Units) in all lined games over the last 2 seasons.
FORDHAM is 5-18 ATS (-14.8 Units) as an underdog over the last 2 seasons.
FORDHAM is 3-19 ATS (-17.9 Units) as a road underdog of 6.5 to 9 points since 1997.
FORDHAM is 0-6 ATS (-6.6 Units) in road games after a non-conference game over the last 2 seasons.
FORDHAM is 0-6 ATS (-6.6 Units) in road games in non-conference games over the last 2 seasons.
FORDHAM is 20-35 ATS (-18.5 Units) in road games versus good defensive teams - allowing <=64 points/game since 1997.
SIENA is 28-14 ATS (+12.6 Units) in home games after a non-conference game since 1997.
SIENA is 0-8 ATS (-8.8 Units) when the total is 120 to 129.5 over the last 2 seasons.
SIENA is 1-13 ATS (-13.3 Units) as a favorite over the last 2 seasons.
SIENA is 1-10 ATS (-10.0 Units) when playing against a team with a losing record over the last 2 seasons.
SIENA is 0-11 ATS (-12.1 Units) versus poor offensive teams - scoring <=64 points/game over the last 2 seasons.

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

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PORTLAND ST (5 - 3) at OREGON (5 - 2) - 12/12/2011, 10:00 PM
Top Trends for this game.
OREGON is 7-17 ATS (-11.7 Units) when the total is 140 to 149.5 over the last 3 seasons.

Head-to-Head Series History
OREGON is 1-0 against the spread versus PORTLAND ST over the last 3 seasons
OREGON is 1-0 straight up against PORTLAND ST over the last 3 seasons
1 of 1 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons

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ORAL ROBERTS (6 - 3) at ARK-LITTLE ROCK (3 - 7) - 12/12/2011, 8:00 PM
Top Trends for this game.
ORAL ROBERTS is 2-9 ATS (-7.9 Units) in December games over the last 2 seasons.

Head-to-Head Series History
ARK-LITTLE ROCK is 1-1 against the spread versus ORAL ROBERTS over the last 3 seasons
ARK-LITTLE ROCK is 2-1 straight up against ORAL ROBERTS over the last 3 seasons
1 of 2 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons

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NCAAB
Armadillo's Write-Up

Monday, December 12

Siena lost six of its last seven games. Saints allowed 60 or less points in its three wins, by 9-12-4 points. Fordham is 3-5 this year, 4-22 in last 26 games overall; they're 0-4 away from home, losing by 25-14-34-15 points. Fordham allowed 78+ points in four of five losses, three teams they beat were all ranked #237 (Siena is #219). Atlantic 14 road dogs are 21-17, 14-13 if spread is single digits. MAAC home favorites are 2-4.

Oregon won five of last six games, but defections have thinned its roster; their last three wins are by 7-5-4 points; Ducks beat Portland State LY, 68-49. Vikings are 0-3 on road, losing by 8-14-6 points, with Denver, Wyoming two best teams they've played. Best team Portland State beat is #222 Seattle. Pac-12 double digit home favorites are 10-16 vs spread. Big Sky double digit road underdogs are 9-7. Portland State is the worst 3-point shooting team in America, making 19.4% behind arc. Yikes.

Ark-Little Rock won three of last four games vs Oral Roberts, losing by 26 in Tulsa in first meeting LY; UALR lost its last six games vs teams in D-I, losing games vs top 100 teams by 16-22-8 points. Oral Roberts is 6-1 in last seven games, losing by 14 at Oklahoma last game; Titans lost by 7 at West Virginia in their other road game. Sun Belt single digit home underdogs are 7-4 vs spread. ORU is ranked #12 on offensive boards.

NCAAB

Monday, December 12

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Trend Report
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7:00 PM
FORDHAM vs. SIENA
Fordham is 0-5 SU in its last 5 games on the road
Siena is 5-2 SU in its last 7 games at home
Siena is 1-6 SU in its last 7 games

7:30 PM
MONMOUTH vs. RUTGERS
No trends available
Rutgers is 4-2 SU in its last 6 games at home
Rutgers is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games

8:00 PM
NICHOLLS STATE vs. LOUISIANA-MONROE
No trends available
Louisiana-Monroe is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games when playing at home against Nicholls State
Louisiana-Monroe is 0-5 SU in its last 5 games at home

8:00 PM
ORAL ROBERTS vs. ARKANSAS-LITTLE ROCK
No trends available
Arkansas-Little Rock is 1-6 SU in its last 7 games

8:05 PM
DILLARD vs. LOUISIANA-LAFAYETTE
No trends available
Louisiana-Lafayette is 2-4 SU in its last 6 games
Louisiana-Lafayette is 10-3 SU in its last 13 games at home

10:00 PM
PORTLAND STATE vs. OREGON
Portland State is 1-10 SU in its last 11 games on the road
Portland State is 1-5 SU in its last 6 games when playing on the road against Oregon
Oregon is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games when playing at home against Portland State
Oregon is 1-4 ATS in its last 5 games at home

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NCAAB

Monday, December 12

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College funds: Monday's best NCAAB bet
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Portland State at Oregon (-14.5, 145)

Oregon seeks to remain unbeaten at home when Portland State buses down Interstate 5 for Monday’s game in Eugene. The Ducks are 4-0 at home after defeating Fresno State on Saturday and won’t play on the road again until opening Pac-12 play at Washington State on Dec. 29.

Portland State had a three-game winning streak snapped Saturday when it lost at Utah Valley. The Vikings are 0-3 on the road, having previously lost at Denver and Wyoming. The Vikings had their worst defensive effort of the season in the 93-87 loss to Utah Valley. Portland State hadn’t allowed more than 69 points until that loss.

The Ducks shot a season-best 56.3 percent in Saturday’s 74-70 victory over Fresno State.

We think the spread's a little inflated for this rivalry game even though the home side is clearly playing better right now.

Pick: Portland State +14.5

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**Udog** · 12-12-2011, 09:21 AM

NHL
Dunkel

New Jersey at Tampa Bay
The Lightning look to bounce back from a 5-2 loss to Philadelphia and build on their 5-0 record in their last 5 games after allowing 5 goals or more in the previous game. Tampa Bay is the pick (-120) according to Dunkel, which has the Lightning favored by 1. Dunkel Pick: Tampa Bay (-120). Here are all of today's picks.

MONDAY, DECEMBER 12

Game 1-2: New Jersey at Tampa Bay (7:00 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: New Jersey 10.787; Tampa Bay 11.570
Dunkel Line & Total: Tampa Bay by 1; 6 1/2
Vegas Line & Total: Tampa Bay (-120); 5 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Tampa Bay (-120); Over

NHL
Armadillo's Write-Up

Monday, December 12

Hot teams
-- None

Cold teams
-- Devils lost five of their last seven games. Tampa Bay lost six of its last seven games.

Totals
-- Over is 7-2 in New Jersey's last nine road games.

Series records
-- Devils won 17 of their last 20 games against Tampa Bay.

Back-to-Back
-- None

NHL

Monday, December 12

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Trend Report
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NEW JERSEY vs. TAMPA BAY
New Jersey is 7-1 SU in its last 8 games when playing on the road against Tampa Bay
The total has gone OVER in 4 of New Jersey's last 6 games when playing Tampa Bay
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Tampa Bay's last 5 games at home
Tampa Bay is 12-5 SU in its last 17 games at home

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NHL

Monday, December 12

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Ice picks: Monday's best NHL bet
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New Jersey Devils at Tampa Bay (-120, 5.5)

The reality of Martin St. Louis’ absence is setting in for the Lightning.

St. Louis, who was hit in the face with the puck at practice last week and suffered facial fractures, is expected to be out of action for at least a few weeks.

"We will never be able to put on the ice what Marty gives us, and that's the big mistake that you make when you lose guys, you try to compensate for what they are," coach Guy Boucher told reporters. "You have to be who you are, but just make sure you put your best on the ice to make sure we make the best team possible. It all comes back on structure, team character and having a survival mode."

Considering he hadn’t missed a game in 499 regular season games before sitting out Tampa Bay’s matchup with the Rangers last week, it’s going to take a while for the team to pick up the slack.

The Lightning have been solid at home all year, but you have to be concerned about this club over the next little while. They have just one win in their last seven overall and managed just 19 shots in Saturday’s 5-2 loss to Philadelphia.

Meanwhile, New Jersey ran into a hot Carey Price in Saturday’s matinee loss to Montreal, but has won seven of its last eight in Tampa Bay.

Pick: New Jersey

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NHL

Monday, December 12

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Pucking the trends: This week's best NHL betting trends
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Every week, we update you on who's hot, who's not and situational betting spots in the National Hockey League.

HOT TEAM: Detroit Red Wings

The numbers are starting to remind people of the glory days in Hockeytown. An easy 7-1 victory over Winnipeg Jets on Saturday was Detroit’s ninth win in the last 11 games. It was also their second straight victory after a modest two-game skid, and it was their ninth consecutive win on home ice.

The run, as great as it’s been, hasn’t put the Red Wings in first place in the Central Division yet, but if they keep up this pace, it’s hard to imagine they won’t overtake the Chicago Blackhawks at some point.

The scoring, as usual, has been coming from everywhere on the Detroit roster. Johan Franzen has 13 goals, Valtteri Filppula has 10, Pavel Datsyuk has 20 assists, and even Todd Bertuzzi has three goals and 10 points. It all adds up to one of the hottest buys in the league these days.

Keep in mind, it’s the Red Wings we’re talking about, so there will be a price to pay at the window. But wins are wins, and Detroit seems to be feeding off them these days.

COLD TEAM: Tampa Bay Lightning

What a difference a year makes. In June, the Lightning stretched the Eastern Conference Finals to seven games before finally bowing to Boston en route to the Bruins’ Stanley Cup. But along the way, Tampa Bay turned heads throughout the league by defeating powerhouses Pittsburgh and Washington in the first two rounds.

Well, the league has caught up to Tampa Bay’s 1-3-1 defensive system. It was cute last year, it worked well, and it stifled the competition -- not unlike the New Jersey Devils’ old neutral-zone trap. But the party is over. Saturday’s 5-2 loss to Philadelphia was the Lightning’s fourth loss in December, and Tampa Bay has now dropped six of the last seven games.

The offense is there -- Steven Stamkos has 16 goals and Vinny Lecavalier has 11 -- but Tampa Bay is not frustrating the opposition in the neutral zone like they did last year. And if they keep this up, they're going to be out of contention in a hurry in the ultra-tight Eastern Conference.

OVER PLAY: Toronto Maple Leafs

The Maple Leafs have settled into a decent groove. No longer are they atop the Eastern Conference, which doesn’t surprise anyone, yet no longer are they at the bottom, like so many had become accustomed to. With their depth and their defense, they should remain in the playoff hunt the rest of the way, and will likely have a shot at one of the bottom seeds five months from now.

And while the goaltending has been good at times -- using many different names in the pipes along the way -- it hasn’t been so good that you can’t rely on Toronto for some overs. In fact, with an 18-11 over mark headed into Tuesday’s tilt versus Carolina, the Maple Leafs have become one of the better over plays in the East.

Friday’s 4-2 loss to the Capitals in Washington was Toronto’s sixth over in the last eight games. And the Maple Leafs have allowed 20 goals in their last five games, as well.

UNDER PLAY: Dallas Stars

The Pacific Division race is shaping up to be a beauty. Everyone is alive and well, with the exception of Anaheim, and the Coyotes, Sharks, Stars and Kings have given bettors plenty of reasons to stay up late.

Dallas has had some consistency issues -- the Stars are just 2-2 this month headed into Tuesday’s game at the New York Rangers -- but defense and goaltending has not been a problem. And as a result, the unders have been flowing.

A 2-1 win over the Kings in Los Angeles on Saturday was the Stars’ 15th under of the season, fourth since Nov. 26, and it came from an unlikely source. That’s because goaltender Richard Bachman made 26 saves in his first NHL start in a tough building on the road. As long as magic like that continues to occur, Dallas will remain a quality under play.

SURVEYING THE SCHEDULE:

** The Wild have been the story of the year so far, and rightfully so. A perfect blend of defense, goaltending and just enough offense has Minnesota cruising. But the next two weeks will test this team’s conditioning, as Tuesday’s game at Winnipeg will begin a stretch of six games in 10 days, four of which will be on the road.

** Keep an eye on the Devils as a potential fade play this week. They are offensively challenged to begin with, and this week, they have two different sets of back-to-back games, so their endurance may suffer. They play at Tampa Bay and at Florida on Monday and Tuesday, and then, two days later, they play Dallas at home, and then it’s off to Montreal, on Friday and Saturday. That’s a lot of hockey for a mediocre team.

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**Udog** · 12-12-2011, 10:03 AM

NHL
Long Sheet

Monday, December 12

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NEW JERSEY (14-13-0-1, 29 pts.) at TAMPA BAY (12-15-0-2, 26 pts.) - 12/12/2011, 7:00 PM
Top Trends for this game.
NEW JERSEY is 4-14 ATS (-13.0 Units) in December games over the last 2 seasons.
NEW JERSEY is 24-40 ATS (-20.1 Units) first half of the season over the last 2 seasons.

Head-to-Head Series History
NEW JERSEY is 7-2 (+4.8 Units) against the spread versus TAMPA BAY over the last 3 seasons
NEW JERSEY is 7-2-0 straight up against TAMPA BAY over the last 3 seasons
5 of 8 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Over=+1.9 Units)

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**Udog** · 12-12-2011, 01:01 PM

NHL
Short Sheet

Monday, December 12

NEW JERSEY at TAMPA BAY, 7:00 PM ET VERSUS
NEW JERSEY: 32-17 SU Away off home loss by 1 goal
TAMPA BAY: 13-5 UNDER Away off BB home games

** (TC) Denotes Time Change

**Udog** · 12-12-2011, 01:01 PM

NCAAB
Short Sheet

Monday, December 12

Today's Top Trends For College Basketball

SIENA is 1-13 ATS as a favorite (vs FORDHAM)

PORTLAND ST is 1-9 ATS after playing a game as favorite (vs OREGON)

ORAL ROBERTS is 2-12 ATS after having won 4 of their last 5 games (vs ARK LITTLE ROCK)

Announcement

Monday's Trends and Indexes - 12/12 (NCAAB, NHL, Misc.)

Monday's Trends and Indexes - 12/12 (NCAAB, NHL, Misc.)

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