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[StarDust Bum]

Marquette tries to stay unbeaten at LSU

MARQUETTE GOLDEN EAGLES (10-0)

at LSU TIGERS (7-3)


Tip-off: Monday, 9:00 p.m. EDT
Line: Marquette -8.5, Total: 137.5

Marquette puts its perfect record on the line with another tough non-conference road game when they visit LSU Monday night.

The Golden Eagles already scored a huge road win this year by going into the Kohl Center and knocking off Wisconsin on Dec. 3. They’ve also won neutral site games over Ole Miss and Washington. But they have a big spread to cover against an LSU team that plays a slow-down, defensive-minded style. Marquette has dropped its past three games ATS, and they’re 1-4 ATS this year when favored by eight points or more. Meanwhile, the Tigers are 4-0 ATS (and 3-1 SU) as an underdog this year. LSU is the pick.

The FoxSheets have a trend showing LSU head coach Trent Johnson has fared well in games like this one:

Johnson is 29-12 ATS (70.7%, +15.8 Units) in home games versus very good teams - outscoring their opponents by 8+ points/game in all games he has coached since 1997. The average score was Johnson 72.1, OPPONENT 68.3 - (Rating = 1*).

Marquette will get a boost with the return of leading scorer Darius Johnson-Odom (18.8 PPG), who was suspended for Saturday’s win over Northern Colorado for an unspecified violation of team rules. He, F Jae Crowder (17.6 PPG, 7.1 RPG) and guards Vander Blue (11.6 PPG) and Todd Mayo (11.0 PPG) give them plenty of firepower on the offensive end of the court.

But the Golden Eagles are undersized. Starting C Chris Otule (knee) is likely to be sidelined again on Monday night. That leaves 6-foot-8, 290-pound Davante Gardner (8.5 PPG, 4.3 RPG) as their only true frontcourt player. The sophomore scored 14 points in each of the two games Otule missed, but he ran into foul trouble in the Northern Colorado win and has some stamina issues.

LSU might be without its leading scorer, G Andre Stringer (12.1 PPG), who is suffering from dizzy spells. Offense is not a strength for the Tigers, who are shooting 39.2% from the field on the year, but they are limiting opponents to 63.1 PPG and forcing 17.7 turnovers per game. C Justin Hamilton (11.5 PPG, 6.5 RPG), a 6-foot-11, 260-pound Iowa State transfer, could give the undersized Golden Eagles fits, and freshman PF Johnny O’Bryant (8.6 PPG, 6.5 RPG) gives them a formidable inside tandem. This could come down to how streaky freshman PG Anthony Hickey (10.3 PPG, 4.1 APG) fares. He’s shooting a miserable 35.9% from the field on the season, but was impressive in a neutral court win over Georgia Tech in November, scoring a season-high 20 points on 8-for-13 shooting in one of LSU’s best wins.

[StarDust Bum]

Stars look to add to Ducks misery on Monday

ANAHEIM DUCKS (9-18-5, 23 points)

at DALLAS STARS (18-12-1, 37 points)


Puck drops: Monday, 8:00 p.m. EDT
Line: Dallas -155, Anaheim +135, Total: 5.5

Midseason coaching changes can often do wonders to spark a dormant team, but don’t tell that to hockey fans in Anaheim. The Ducks are just 2-5-1 since Bruce Boudreau replaced Randy Carlyle behind the bench as they look to pick up a rare road win against the Pacific Division-leading Dallas Stars on Monday.

In the only matchup between these two division rivals this season, the Stars took down the Ducks 3-1 in Anaheim on October 21. This will be the third stop on a five-game road trip for the Ducks, who dropped the first two games over the weekend to Chicago and Winnipeg. G Jonas Hiller (8-13-5, 3.08 GAA, .900 SV Pct.) should be between the pipes for Anaheim and he is 4-4-1 with a 2.46 GAA in 10 career games against Dallas. The Stars had their three-game winning streak snapped on Friday in a 6-3 loss to New Jersey—finishing 3-2-0 on a five-game road trip of their own. Rookie G Richard Bachman (3-1-0, 2.08 GAA, .931 SV Pct.) was nothing short of spectacular during his first week of NHL duty—the New Jersey loss notwithstanding—allowing just three goals in his three victories, including a shutout over the Rangers on Tuesday. This matchup is a perfect fit for the “betting against a bad team on the road” theory, as the Ducks are a league-worst 2-9-4 away from Anaheim. With the Stars playing their first home game since December 3, DALLAS should have no problems picking up the win in this one.

This rare five-star FoxSheets trend also backs the Stars:

ANAHEIM is 2-17 ATS (10.5%, +21.9 Units) after failing to cover 4 or 5 of their last 6 against the spread this season. The average score was ANAHEIM 2.3, OPPONENT 3.7 - (Rating = 5*).

The Ducks currently have the second-fewest standings points (23) of any team in the NHL, and their poor offensive output is a reflection of that. Despite boasting the league’s most lethal line of Bobby Ryan, Ryan Getzlaf and MVP Corey Perry, the Ducks rank just 27th in the league with an average of 2.3 goals per game. Ageless wonder Teemu Selanne (10 G, 23 A) leads all scorers, along with Perry (14 G, 14 A) and Getzlaf (6 G, 19 A).

Anaheim’s defense, not surprisingly, isn’t much better, allowing 3.2 goals per game (25th in NHL). The return of Lubomir Visnovsky (1 G, 4 A)—who missed a month with a broken finger—will certainly add a much-needed spark to the Ducks’ blue line. Visnovsky led all NHL defensemen in points last season (18 G, 50 A).

The Stars sit atop the Pacific Division—tied with San Jose at 37 points—despite a struggling offense that averages only 2.5 goals per game (22nd in NHL). The Stars find ways to win thanks to scoring depth throughout the lineup—with 11 different skaters in double-digits. LW Jamie Benn (8 G, 19 A) leads all scorers, along with linemates Loui Eriksson (11 G, 14 A) and Mike Ribeiro (3 G, 19 A).The Dallas defense has performed well thanks to the offseason acquisition of veteran Sheldon Souray (4 G, 10 A). The veteran puck-mover returned to the NHL after spending a year in the minor leagues due to an immovable contract.

[StarDust Bum]

Games to Watch

December 19, 2011

It was a relatively quiet week in men’s college basketball as many of the top schools in the country took a bit of a break to focus on academics at the end of a semester, but with the Holidays fast upon us the action picks back up as most teams continue to close-out the non-conference portion of their schedule.
The following is a brief look at the top matchups for each day this week along with a few facts and figures to help handicap the games.

Monday, Dec. 19 - No.11 Marquette Golden Eagles vs. LSU Tigers

Marquette remained perfect on the year with a 93-72 victory over Northern Colorado this past Saturday but could not cover as a 25 ½-point home favorite. The Golden Eagles are now 10-0 straight up, but just 3-4 against the spread. The total has gone ‘over’ in five of their seven games with a posted line.

LSU has won four straight to move to 7-3 SU on the year and a profitable 6-2 ATS. This past Thursday, the Tigers failed to cover as 15-point home favorites in a 66-59 win over UC-Irvine. They come into this game as eight-point home underdogs with the total set at 137 ½-points.

Tuesday, Dec. 20 - Butler Bulldogs vs. Gonzaga Bulldogs

It has been a rough start for Butler with just five wins in its first 12 games and an atrocious 1-6-1 record ATS. The Bulldogs did manage to upset Purdue 67-65 this past Saturday as 8 ½-point underdogs in easily their biggest win of the year. The total has gone ‘over’ in five of their eight games.

Gonzaga rolled over Arizona 71-60 this past Saturday as a 4 ½-point favorite to improve to 7-2 SU and 4-5 ATS on the year. These Bulldogs are 4-1 SU at home this season but just 1-4 ATS. The total has stayed ‘under’ in five of their nine games this year.

Wednesday, Dec.21 - Texas Longhorns vs. No.6 North Carolina Tar Heels

After opening the season 2-2 SU, Texas has reeled-off seven straight victories including an impressive 77-65 win over Temple as a 7.5-point home favorite this past Saturday. The Longhorns are now 9-2 SU overall, but just 2-4 ATS. The total went ‘over’ the 139-point line against the Owls and is now 3-3 on the year.

North Carolina comes into this game at 9-2 SU as well and is 5-5 ATS. Tonight it faces Nicholls State at home as a 37 ½-point favorite in what should be nothing more than a brisk tune-up for Wednesday night’s matchup. The Tar Heels are ranked sixth in the nation in points per game (85.3) and fourth in rebounds (42.5).

Thursday, Dec. 22 - No. 19 Illinois Fighting Illini vs. No.8 Missouri Tigers

Illinois lost for the first time this season this past Saturday with a 64-48 setback to UNLV as a two-point favorite. Tonight it faces Cornell as a 15 ½-point home favorite and while the Fighting Illini are 10-1 SU, they are 4-5 ATS overall and 0-3 ATS in their last three games.

Missouri made short work of an out-classed William & Mary this past Sunday with a 94-56 pasting as a 33-point home favorite. The win moved its record to a perfect 11-0 SU and 5-1 ATS. The Tigers are ranked second in the country in scoring and their 52.6 field-goal percentage is third-best in Division-I.

Memphis Tigers vs. No. 17 Georgetown Hoyas

Memphis’s roller-coaster season has taken another downturn with back-to-back losses to Murray State and No.4 Louisville in its past two games. The Tigers failed to cover as 10 ½-point home favorites against the Racers and salvaged a ‘push’ against the Cardinals in a 95-87 loss as eight-point road underdogs. They are 5-4 SU and 3-4-1 ATS on the year. The total has gone ‘over’ in six of their eight games.

Georgetown has risen up the ranks of the top 25 with a solid 9-1 SU start and is 4-0 ATS. The Hoyas last win in a game with a posted line came on Dec. 1 with a stunning 57-55 upset of then-No. 12 Alabama as seven-point road underdogs. The total has stayed ‘under’ in three of the four games with a line.

Friday, Dec. 23 - West Virginia Mountaineers vs. No.7 Baylor Bears

West Virginia moved to 7-2 SU on the year with an 84-64 win over Texas A&M-CC this past Saturday in a game with no posted line. The Mountaineers improved to 4-2 ATS with a 77-66 victory over Miami, Fl. the previous Saturday as seven-point home favorites. The total has gone ‘over’ in four of the six games.

Baylor continues to climb in the polls with a perfect 9-0 SU start including an 86-83 upset of BYU as a four-point road underdog this past Saturday. The Bears are 3-0 ATS and the total has gone ‘over’ in two of the games. As a team, Baylor is shooting just under 50 percent from the field.

[StarDust Bum]

National Notes

December 14, 2011

--Akron (3-5 straight up, 3-4 against the spread) appeared to be a team to watch when it went into The Hump and upset Mississippi St. on Nov. 9. However, the Zips have fallen on hard times since then, losing five of seven games. Starting sophomore point guard Alex Abreu missed a pair of games due to suspension, but he’s now back in the lineup. The hope for head coach Keith Dambrot is that his 7-foot junior center Zeke Marshall can simply stay on the court. Marshall, whose defense had MSU’s Renardo Sidney and Arnett Moultrie completely out of sorts in Starkville, has seen limited playing time because of chronic foul trouble. I’m suggesting that gamblers don’t give up on this team just yet, though. We still have a lot of season to play and I won’t be surprised if the Zips still represent the MAC in the NCAA Tournament.

--Only one of 12 teams in the MAC (Buffalo) is showing a profit for the ‘over’ so far this season.

--Utah St. senior forward Brady Jardine is out for the season with torn ligaments in his foot. Jardine averaged 7.7 points and 7.7 rebounds per game in the Aggies’ first three games. They are struggling mightily to date with a 4-5 SU record and a 3-3 ATS mark.

--Since Mississippi St. lost to Akron, it has won nine in a row including victories over West Virginia, Arizona and Texas A&M. Senior point guard Dee Bost is playing like one of the nation’s best at his position, averaging team-highs in scoring (18.5 PPG), assists (4.5 APG) and steals (2.5 per game).

--Middle Tennessee (10-2 SU, 8-2 ATS) has emerged as the team to beat in the Sun Belt Conference, not to mention a spread-covering machine. The Blue Raiders won at UCLA by 20 and has split a pair of games against Belmont. They drilled Akron by 20 as well. MTSU’s losses came at UAB and at Belmont in overtime.

--Elon (7-2 SU, 5-1 ATS) is a team to watch in the Southern Conference. The Phoenix have taken the money in all three of its underdog spots, including a pair of outright wins at Princeton and vs. South Carolina.

--Speaking of the Gamecocks, Darrin Horn is on a serious hot seat in Columbia. South Carolina (4-5 SU, 2-5 ATS) is 0-for-3 in terms of hearing its name called on Selection Sunday under Horn, and things aren’t looking good for this year, either. The ‘Cocks won at Clemson on Dec. 4 but haven’t looked good otherwise.

--I thought Mick Cronin talked a good game in the aftermath of the melee in the final seconds of Cincinnati’s blowout loss at Xavier this past Saturday. However, the sixth-year coach didn’t back up his talk when he suspended Yancy Gates for only six games. Gates punched a pair of Musketeer players, including a sucker punch that left Kenny Frease bloody and with swelling around his right eye.

--After stunning top-ranked Kentucky on Christian Watford’s buzzer-beating trey last Saturday, unbeaten Indiana has an excellent chance to go into Big Ten play with a 12-0 record. Here’s a tip of the cap to Tom Crean, who has stayed the course even while enduring frustrations galore in his three previous campaigns in Bloomington after inheriting a colossal mess from the Kelvin Sampson Saga.

--Earth to Kentucky’s Terrence Jones: Tighten up that atrocious body language! You have NBA scouts monitoring your every move and facial expression. Jones’s effort and mental approach in the loss at IU was abysmal. I’ve never liked John Calipari and never will, but I’ll certainly give him tons of credit for benching Jones at crunch time at Assembly Hall. That pine time was well deserved and I’ll applaud Calipari for one of his best assets – not taking [stuff] from big-time players when they try to act like divas.

--Larry Shyatt is off to a 9-1 start at Wyoming in his second tour of duty in Laramie. Shyatt, who left the Cowboys for Clemson more than a decade ago, spent the last several years on Billy Donovan’s staff at Florida.

--This time of year, there are always a number of eye openers when viewing the RPI Rankings. Here are several in the Top 20 that might surprise you: No. 2 Saint Mary’s, No. 4 Northern Iowa, No. 6 Vandy, No. 8 Creighton, No. 9 Southern Miss, No. 10 Ole Miss, No. 13 Indiana St. and No. 19 Murray St.

[StarDust Bum]

NCAAB

Monday, December 19

Game Score Status Pick Amount


Howard 10 1st 11:09 Indiana -28 500
Indiana 23

Youngstown St. - 7:00 PM ET Akron -10 500
Akron -

Nicholls State - 7:00 PM ET Nicholls State +38 500
North Carolina -

Citadel - 7:00 PM ET Citadel +16.5 500
James Madison -

Cleveland St. - 7:00 PM ET South Florida +1.5 500
South Florida -

Tennessee Tech - 7:00 PM ET Tennessee Tech +16.5 500
West Virginia - Over 141 500

La Salle - 7:00 PM ET Delaware +3.5 500
Delaware -

Ball St. - 7:00 PM ET Indiana - Purdue +3 500
Indiana - Purdue -

NC-Greensboro - 7:00 PM ET NC-Greensboro +32 500
Duke -

Southern Methodist - 8:00 PM ET Southern Methodist +1.5 500
SE Missouri St. -

Creighton - 8:00 PM ET Creighton -3 500
Tulsa -

Cornell - 8:00 PM ET Cornell +15.5 500
Illinois - Over 133.5 500

Wyoming - 8:00 PM ET Denver -7 500
Denver -

Georgia Southern - 8:05 PM ET Georgia Southern +7 500
South Alabama -

SIU - Edwardsville - 8:05 PM ET SIU - Edwardsville +15.5 500
Southern Illinois -

UMKC - 8:30 PM ET UMKC +24 500
Michigan St -

Western Illinois - 8:30 PM ET Over 120 500
Illinois-Chicago -

Portland - 9:00 PM ET Portland -4 500
Utah -

Davidson - 9:00 PM ET Kansas -13.5 500
Kansas -

Temple - 9:00 PM ET Temple -5.5 500
Rice -

Fresno St. - 9:00 PM ET Boise St. -12.5 500
Boise St. -

Marquette - 9:00 PM ET Marquette -8 500
Louisiana State -

Southern Mississippi - 10:00 PM ET Southern Mississippi -1.5 500
Arizona St. -

UC Riverside - 10:00 PM ET San Diego St. -18 500
San Diego St. -

Louisiana-Monroe - 10:00 PM ET Over 139.5 500
UNLV -

Texas Christian - 10:30 PM ET Texas Christian +7 500
Southern California -

UC Santa Barbara - 10:30 PM ET California -10.5 500
California -

------------------------------------------------------------
NHL

Monday, December 19

Game Score Status Pick Amount

Montreal 0 0th Boston -170 500
Boston 0 Under 5.5 500

Los Angeles 0 0th Toronto -125 500
Toronto 0 Under 5.5 500

Anaheim - 8:00 PM ET Dallas -150 500
Dallas - Over 5.5 500

Philadelphia - 9:00 PM ET Philadelphia -123 500
Colorado - Over 5.5 500

Detroit - 9:30 PM ET Edmonton +129 500
Edmonton - Over 5.5 500

Minnesota - 10:00 PM ET Minnesota +196 500
Vancouver - Under 5 500

[Udog]

Good luck, Bum! Thanks!