Announcement

**Udog** · 12-13-2012, 09:35 AM

Armadillo: Thursday's six-pack

Some NFL trends, with Week 15 upon us.......

-- Texans are 10-4-1 vs spread in last fifteen home games.

-- Dolphins are 4-17-1 in last 22 games as a home favorite.

-- Packers covered nine of last ten divisional games.

-- San Diego is 0-7 vs spread in last seven games vs NFC teams.

-- Cowboys failed to cover any of their last nine home games.

-- Baltimore covered twice in its last nine home games.

*****

Armadillo: Thursday's List of 13: Random thoughts on a chilly day.....

13) Lakers are 9-13, 2-7 on the road, and Steve Nash might not play until after New Year’s. Any Laker fans clamoring for the return of former interim coach Bernie Bickerstaff as coach? They played well when he was the coach. Rumors have LA adding Delonte West to bolster PG until Nash returns.

12) Further proof the NFL is really hard to analyze: NFL’s TV schedule is made up so that the “better teams” get maximum TV exposure later in the year, building up fan interest as the playoffs approach.

Problem is, the games are so unpredictable, we wound up with the awful Eagles having three primetime games in four weeks, the dysfunctional Jets on in primetime two weeks in a row, while upstarts Indy/Seattle weren’t scheduled into late season primetime slots.

No one knows who is going to be good. No one.

11) Don’t tell any Dodger fans, but over the last three seasons, Wandy Rodriguez has a better ERA than the $147M man, Zack Greinke.

10) If history is an indicator, Western Kentucky won’t have football coach Bobby Petrino for long, but it’ll be expensive for him to bolt to a higher-level school. His buyout is $1.2M. That might buy the Hilltoppers a second year with Petrino coaching them, but if he does well, and history says he will, don’t expect him around for Year #3.

If one of the big boys wants Petrino, $1.2M is pocket change to them.

9) ESPN is doing away with Bracket Busters weekend after this year; apparently the mid-majors thought it outlived its usefulness, as teams have bolstered their non-conference schedules.

8) Maybe this has already been done and I missed it, but it would be interesting to see a feature on what baseball players do as workouts in the offseason, especially at this time of year, 6-8 weeks before spring training.

A segment on Winter League ball would also be interesting.

7) Underrated Christmas song:
Tony Bennett’s “I’ll Be Home for Christmas”. An excellent rendition.

6) Ever see Storage Wars on A&E? The show’s villain, Dave Hester, complained that the show is rigged, that producers plant valuable stuff in the deserted lockers to make the show more interesting. A&E fired Hester for complaining publicly, so now he is suing A&E.

Wouldn’t he have been better off just shutting his mouth?

5) Eldrick Woods was #2 on the PGA in Thursday/Friday scoring LY, but only #32 in Saturday/Sunday scoring. Rounds 3-4 are where the money is made, and where Woods used to be dominant.

4) If the seven Catholic, non-football schools in the Big East jump to the Atlantic 16 (which loses Charlotte/Temple next spring) that would make it the Atlantic 21. If that is the case, they should move the basketball tourney back to Atlantic City, so they could play it in a casino, where 21 is already a popular game.

3) ESPN.com’s knowledgeable baseball guy Rob Neyer points out that Jim Kaat pitched in major leagues to both Ted Williams (started his career in 1939) and Julio Franco (retired in 2007). That’s good stuff.

2) Nike president Phil Knight and his wife donated $125M to University of Oregon, to further the cause of cardiovascular medicine. Must be nice to have an extra $125M laying around the house.

1) Wisconsin AD Barry Alvarez has a better job than we do; in addition to his cushy salary as an administrator at a Big Dozen school, Alvarez is going to bank an additional $118,000 for coaching the Badgers in the Rose Bowl. For one game.

Should Wisconsin win that one game, Alvarez gets a $50,000 bonus!!!

What would happen if Alvarez told his players they could divide the $50,000 evenly if they won? That would be excellent, but against the rules. Only the adults are allowed to profit from all this.

**Udog** · 12-13-2012, 09:36 AM

NCAAB
Dunkel

Wichita State at Tennessee
The Shockers look to build on their 6-1 ATS record in their last 7 road games. Wichita State is the pick (Pick) according to Dunkel, which has the Shockers favored by 2 1/2. Dunkel Pick: Wichita State. Here are all of today's games.

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 13

Game 507-508: Wichita State at Tennessee (7:00 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Wichita State 70.131; Tennessee 67.429
Dunkel Line: Wichita State by 2 1/2
Vegas Line: Pick
Dunkel Pick: Wichita State

Game 509-510: Washington at Seattle (10:00 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Washington 59.481; Seattle 54.838
Dunkel Line: Washington by 4 1/2
Vegas Line: Washington by 8 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Seattle (+8 1/2)

Game 511-512: Middle Tennessee State at Belmont (7:00 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Middle Tennessee State 63.663; Belmont 69.802
Dunkel Line: Belmont by 6
Vegas Line: Belmont by 2
Dunkel Pick: Belmont (-2)

Game 513-514: Idaho State at CS-Fullerton (10:00 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Idaho State 43.280; CS-Fullerton 55.327
Dunkel Line: CS-Fullerton by 12
Vegas Line: CS-Fullerton by 16 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Idaho State (+16 1/2)

NCAAB
Long Sheet

Thursday, December 13

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WICHITA ST (9 - 0) at TENNESSEE (4 - 3) - 12/13/2012, 7:00 PM
Top Trends for this game.
TENNESSEE is 14-3 ATS (+10.7 Units) in all home games over the last 2 seasons.
TENNESSEE is 14-3 ATS (+10.7 Units) in home lined games over the last 2 seasons.
TENNESSEE is 35-19 ATS (+14.1 Units) in home games versus good defensive teams - allowing <=64 points/game since 1997.
WICHITA ST is 47-29 ATS (+15.1 Units) in road games after a non-conference game since 1997.
WICHITA ST is 51-31 ATS (+16.9 Units) in road games after allowing 60 points or less since 1997.

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

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WASHINGTON (4 - 4) at SEATTLE (3 - 3) - 12/13/2012, 10:00 PM
There are no Top Trends with records of significance that apply to this game.

Head-to-Head Series History
WASHINGTON is 2-0 straight up against SEATTLE over the last 3 seasons

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MIDDLE TENN ST (7 - 2) at BELMONT (6 - 2) - 12/13/2012, 7:00 PM
There are no Top Trends with records of significance that apply to this game.

Head-to-Head Series History
MIDDLE TENN ST is 1-0 against the spread versus BELMONT over the last 3 seasons
BELMONT is 2-1 straight up against MIDDLE TENN ST over the last 3 seasons
1 of 1 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons

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IDAHO ST (1 - 6) at CS-FULLERTON (3 - 5) - 12/13/2012, 10:00 PM
Top Trends for this game.
IDAHO ST is 126-169 ATS (-59.9 Units) in all games since 1997.
IDAHO ST is 126-169 ATS (-59.9 Units) in all lined games since 1997.
IDAHO ST is 12-28 ATS (-18.8 Units) versus good offensive teams - scoring 77+ points/game since 1997.
CS-FULLERTON is 6-0 ATS (+6.0 Units) versus good defensive teams - allowing <=64 points/game over the last 2 seasons.
CS-FULLERTON is 43-26 ATS (+14.4 Units) versus poor offensive teams - scoring <=64 points/game since 1997.

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

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NCAAB
Armadillo's Write-Up

Thursday, December 13

-- Tennessee scored 36-38 points in losing its last two games; they're a shaky 4-3, 0-3 vs top 100 teams, scoring 39.9 ppg in those games, but those three games were away from home. 9-0 Wichita State won its two road games, by 2 at VCU, 3 at Air Force. Shockers are 2-0 vs top 100 teams, beating Iowa by 12 on a neutral court.
-- 4-4 Washington already has three home losses; technically, this game is on road, but its crosstown rivalry, so crowd will be mixed. Huskies are 4-0 vs Seattle as Redhawks step back into D-I, winning by 8-21-47-27 points. Seattle is 2-3 vs D-I teams, losing its three top 100 games, by 40-11-23 points. WAC single digit underdogs are 14-16.

-- 7-2 Middle Tennessee is 3-2 on road, losing in OT at Akron, by 21 at Florida; home team won seven of last eight MT-Belmont games- Middle lost last four visits here, last two both in double OT. Belmont split pair of top 100 games, winning at Stanford, losing by 10 at VCU. OVC home favorites are 2-6. Sun Belt simgle digit road underdogs are 6-8.
-- Fullerton is 2-5 vs D-I teams despite making 41.7% of 3's; they've lost two games to teams not in top 200, losing last three games overall under an interim coach. Titans lost 84-79 at Idaho State in Bracket Buster game two years ago; Bengals are 0-6 vs D-I teams, scoring more than 48 once in six games- they lost last game 87-35 at Oregon.

NCAAB

Thursday, December 13

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Trend Report
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7:00 PM
MIDDLE TENNESSEE vs. BELMONT
Middle Tennessee is 15-6 SU in its last 21 games on the road
Middle Tennessee is 1-5 SU in its last 6 games when playing on the road against Belmont
Belmont is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games when playing Middle Tennessee
Belmont is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games at home

7:00 PM
ANDERSON SC vs. COLLEGE OF CHARLESTON
No trends available
College of Charleston is 3-8 ATS in its last 11 games at home
College of Charleston is 2-4 SU in its last 6 games at home

7:00 PM
WICHITA STATE vs. TENNESSEE
Wichita State is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games on the road
Tennessee is 13-6 SU in its last 19 games
Tennessee is 17-4 SU in its last 21 games at home

7:05 PM
FLORIDA INTERNATIONAL vs. FLORIDA GULF COAST
Florida International is 2-4 SU in its last 6 games on the road
No trends available

8:00 PM
PRESBYTERIAN vs. NORTH DAKOTA
No trends available
North Dakota is 0-5 SU in its last 5 games
North Dakota is 13-1 SU in its last 14 games at home

8:00 PM
HOUSTON BAPTIST vs. TEXAS-ARLINGTON
No trends available
Texas-Arlington is 10-2 SU in its last 12 games at home
Texas-Arlington is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games when playing Houston Baptist

8:00 PM
SOUTHERN vs. LOUISIANA-MONROE
No trends available
Louisiana-Monroe is 2-15 SU in its last 17 games
Louisiana-Monroe is 1-20 SU in its last 21 games at home

8:30 PM
TROY vs. ALABAMA STATE
Troy is 5-16 SU in its last 21 games on the road
No trends available

10:00 PM
WASHINGTON vs. SEATTLE
Washington is 6-3 SU in its last 9 games on the road
The total has gone UNDER in 6 of Washington's last 9 games on the road
Seattle is 9-4 SU in its last 13 games
Seattle is 10-1 SU in its last 11 games at home

10:00 PM
JACKSON STATE vs. WASHINGTON STATE
No trends available
Washington State is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games
Washington State is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games at home

10:00 PM
LAVERNE vs. UNLV
No trends available
UNLV is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games
UNLV is 6-13 ATS in its last 19 games

10:05 PM
IDAHO STATE vs. CS FULLERTON
Idaho State is 0-5 SU in its last 5 games on the road
CS Fullerton is 3-7 SU in its last 10 games
CS Fullerton is 15-2 SU in its last 17 games at home

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**Udog** · 12-13-2012, 09:38 AM

NBA
Dunkel

LA Lakers at New York
The Knicks look to build on their 17-4 ATS record in their last 21 home games against teams with a losing road record. New York is the pick (-6 1/2) according to Dunkel, which has the Knicks favored by 9 1/2. Dunkel Pick: New York (-6 1/2). Here are all of today's picks.

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 13

Game 501-502: Charlotte at Atlanta (7:30 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Charlotte 111.458; Atlanta 119.053
Dunkel Line & Total: Atlanta by 7 1/2; 197
Vegas Line & Total: Atlanta by 10 1/2; 193 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Charlotte (+10 1/2); Over

Game 503-504: LA Lakers at New York (8:00 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: LA Lakers 117.446; New York 126.792
Dunkel Line & Total: New York by 9 1/2; 204
Vegas Line & Total: New York by 6 1/2; 209 1/2
Dunkel Pick: New York (-6 1/2); Under

Game 505-506: San Antonio at Portland (10:30 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: San Antonio 126.984; Portland 115.706
Dunkel Line & Total: San Antonio by 9 1/2; 195
Vegas Line & Total: No Line
Dunkel Pick: N/A

NBA
Long Sheet

Thursday, December 13

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CHARLOTTE (7 - 14) at ATLANTA (13 - 6) - 12/13/2012, 7:35 PM
Top Trends for this game.
CHARLOTTE is 31-55 ATS (-29.5 Units) in all games over the last 2 seasons.
CHARLOTTE is 30-50 ATS (-25.0 Units) as an underdog over the last 2 seasons.
CHARLOTTE is 9-19 ATS (-11.9 Units) when playing on back-to-back days over the last 2 seasons.
CHARLOTTE is 19-45 ATS (-30.5 Units) revenging a loss vs opponent over the last 2 seasons.
CHARLOTTE is 17-33 ATS (-19.3 Units) after 3 or more consecutive losses over the last 2 seasons.
CHARLOTTE is 15-30 ATS (-18.0 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record over the last 2 seasons.
ATLANTA is 16-4 ATS (+11.6 Units) when playing on back-to-back days over the last 2 seasons.

Head-to-Head Series History
ATLANTA is 6-4 against the spread versus CHARLOTTE over the last 3 seasons
ATLANTA is 8-2 straight up against CHARLOTTE over the last 3 seasons
6 of 10 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons

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LA LAKERS (9 - 13) at NEW YORK (16 - 5) - 12/13/2012, 8:05 PM
Top Trends for this game.
LA LAKERS are 40-58 ATS (-23.8 Units) in all games over the last 2 seasons.
LA LAKERS are 16-31 ATS (-18.1 Units) in road games over the last 2 seasons.
LA LAKERS are 1-9 ATS (-8.9 Units) in road games in non-conference games over the last 2 seasons.
LA LAKERS are 15-30 ATS (-18.0 Units) off a upset loss as a favorite over the last 3 seasons.
NEW YORK is 28-14 ATS (+12.6 Units) in home games over the last 2 seasons.
NEW YORK is 35-21 ATS (+11.9 Units) first half of the season over the last 3 seasons.

Head-to-Head Series History
LA LAKERS is 3-1 against the spread versus NEW YORK over the last 3 seasons
LA LAKERS is 3-1 straight up against NEW YORK over the last 3 seasons
4 of 4 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons

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SAN ANTONIO (18 - 5) at PORTLAND (9 - 12) - 12/13/2012, 10:35 PM
There are no Top Trends with records of significance that apply to this game.

Head-to-Head Series History
SAN ANTONIO is 5-3 against the spread versus PORTLAND over the last 3 seasons
PORTLAND is 4-4 straight up against SAN ANTONIO over the last 3 seasons
5 of 8 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons

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NBA
Armadillo's Write-Up

Thursday, December 13

Hot Teams
-- Hawks won 10 of their last 12 games (1-6-1 as HF).
-- Knicks won seven of their last eight games (6-1 as HF).
-- Spurs won five of last six games (9-2 in last 11 as an AF). Portland won four of its last five home games (2-1 as HU).

Cold Teams
-- Bobcats lost their last nine games (3-4 as AU).
-- Lakers lost five of last six games (2-7 on road, 1-2 as AU).

Totals
-- Five of last six Atlanta home games went over the total.
-- Last four New York home games went over the total.
-- Over is 10-4-1 in last fifteen San Antonio games.

Back-to-backs
-- Bobcats are 3-2 vs spread if they played night before.
-- Spurs are 4-0-1 vs spread if they played night before.

NBA

Thursday, December 13

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Trend Report
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7:30 PM
CHARLOTTE vs. ATLANTA
Charlotte is 2-16 SU in its last 18 games on the road
The total has gone UNDER in 7 of Charlotte's last 10 games when playing on the road against Atlanta
Atlanta is 10-2 SU in its last 12 games
Atlanta is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games when playing Charlotte

8:00 PM
LA LAKERS vs. NEW YORK
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of the LA Lakers last 6 games when playing New York
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of the LA Lakers last 5 games on the road
New York is 2-4 ATS in its last 6 games
New York is 7-1 SU in its last 8 games

10:30 PM
SAN ANTONIO vs. PORTLAND
San Antonio is 1-7 SU in its last 8 games when playing on the road against Portland
San Antonio is 10-2 SU in its last 12 games on the road
Portland is 7-1 SU in its last 8 games when playing at home against San Antonio
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Portland's last 6 games when playing San Antonio

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NBA

Thursday, December 13

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NBA TNT doubleheader: Lakers at Knicks, Spurs at Blazers
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Los Angeles Lakers at New York Knicks (-7, 208.5)

Watching a team struggle badly under coach Mike D'Antoni is not an unfamiliar site for New York fans. When the Los Angeles Lakers stumble into Madison Square Garden on Thursday to face the Knicks, it will be exactly nine months since D'Antoni was fired by New York. The Lakers and D'Antoni are riding a three-game losing streak as they prepare for the matchup against the league's only unbeaten team at home. Los Angeles has lost eight of its last 11. ''It doesn't make any sense," Lakers superstar Kobe Bryant said. "We're still finding ways to lose games.''

The Knicks, on the other hand, keep finding ways to win games. New York erased an early 17-point deficit to eke out a 100-97 win at Brooklyn on Tuesday night in a budding rivalry becoming known as the Battle of the Boroughs. Carmelo Anthony erupted for a season-high 45 points to carry the Knicks to their seventh win in eight games. New York has registered 11 of its 16 wins by double digits, including a pair of 20-point demolitions of the defending world champion Miami Heat.

TV: 8 p.m. ET, TNT

ABOUT THE LAKERS (9-13, 9-13 ATS): Los Angeles is searching for answers after tumbling to 4-8 since D'Antoni took the coaching reins. Bryant termed the recent struggles as the most "challenging" and "baffling" stretch of his storied career. With forward Pau Gasol missing his fifth straight game, the Lakers fell behind by 15 points at halftime against a Cleveland squad that entered the game with four wins. Bryant scored a season-high 42 points against the Cavaliers and has averaged 35.5 points in his last six games - a stretch in which the Lakers have gone 1-5.

ABOUT THE KNICKS (16-5, 13-8 ATS): Anthony is having an MVP campaign, pouring in 79 points in his last two games after sitting out the previous two due to a cut on his finger. Yet New York is also getting timely production from veteran guard Jason Kidd since he returned from a four-game injury absence. Kidd buried the winning 3-point shot against the Nets and finished with 18 points on 6-of-8 from behind the arc. That followed a 17-point performance against Denver in which Kidd connected on 3 of 4 from long range to go along with seven assists.

TRENDS:

* Under is 4-0 in the last four meetings.
* Lakers are 4-1 ATS in the last five meetings.
* Favorite is 4-1 ATS in the last five meetings.

BUZZER BEATERS:

1. Anthony sat out last February's 92-85 win over the Lakers that snapped a string of nine straight losses in the series.

2. Los Angeles is 1-10 when Bryant scores at least 30 points.

3. D'Antoni compiled a 121-167 record in three-plus seasons with the Knicks.

San Antonio Spurs at Portland Trail Blazers (+5.5, 201)

The San Antonio Spurs will look to rebound from a rare loss when they wrap up a four-game road trip Thursday against the Portland Trail Blazers. The Spurs had their five-game winning streak snapped in Utah on Wednesday on a 3-point buzzer beater by Mo Williams. It was an uncharacteristic defeat for San Antonio, which blew an eight-point lead in the final four minutes to drop one game behind the Oklahoma City Thunder for the league's best record. The Spurs still own the league's best mark away from home at 11-3.

While San Antonio will be playing for the fifth time in seven nights, the Trail Blazers have had a couple of much-needed days off since walloping the Toronto Raptors on Monday. Nicolas Batum, who has been battling a back injury that caused him to miss Monday's game, said his condition has improved and he is hopeful of facing the Spurs. Wesley Matthews also sat out Monday's game with a left hip flexor strain, ending a streak of 250 consecutive games played.

TV: 10:30 p.m. ET, TNT

ABOUT THE SPURS (18-5, 15-7-1 ATS): Veteran Tim Duncan had his worst shooting performance of the season in Monday's shootout victory at Houston, connecting on only 1 of 9 shots, but he still managed to pull down 13 rebounds and block three shots. Duncan bounced back from that game with a vengeance, scoring 22 points and hauling down a season-high 21 rebounds against the Jazz. It was the 21st 20-20 game of the future Hall of Famer's career. The perennial All-Star also blocked six shots - another season high.

ABOUT THE TRAIL BLAZERS (9-12, 8-12-1 ATS): The return of Batum and/or Matthews would go a long way to preventing a repeat from Monday's dreadful shooting display that set an NBA record for futility. Portland misfired on all 20 3-point attempts, breaking the record set by the New York Knicks (0 for 18) in 2010. Batum has made a team-high 49 3-pointers and has connected on at least one in all but one game. Seldom-used Sasha Pavlovic did a solid job as an emergency starter against Toronto with 10 points, seven boards and five assists in 42 minutes.

TRENDS:

* Favorite is 4-0 ATS in the last four meetings.
* Over is 5-1 in the last six meetings.
* Home team is 15-6 ATS in the last 21 meetings.
* Spurs are 2-8 ATS in the last 10 meetings in Portland.

BUZZER BEATERS:

1. The Spurs withstood 35 points from Batum to win at Portland 112-109 on Nov. 12.

2. Blazers F LaMarcus Aldridge has four straight double-doubles and is averaging 22.5 points and 11.3 rebounds in that span.

3. San Antonio leads the league in assists per game (25.9). Portland ranks 29th (19.1).

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**Udog** · 12-13-2012, 12:04 PM

NBA
Short Sheet

Thursday, December 13

Charlotte at Atlanta, 7:35 ET
Charlotte: 9-24 ATS playing with same-season revenge
Atlanta: 16-4 ATS playing without rest

LA Lakers at New York, 8:05 ET TNT
LA Lakers: 1-9 ATS away vs. non-conference opponents
New York: 15-4 ATS at home off a road win

San Antonio at Portland, 10:35 ET TNT
San Antonio: 15-4 ATS after playing as a favorite
Portland: 5-14 ATS playing with two days rest

**Udog** · 12-13-2012, 12:05 PM

NCAAB
Top 25 Short Sheet

Thursday, December 13

Wichita State at Tennessee, 7:00 ET
Wichita State: 22-10 ATS off a home win by 20+ points
Tennessee: 2-12 ATS after allowing 25 or less first-half points

Announcement

Thursday's Trends and Indexes - 12/13 (NBA, NCAAB, Misc.)

Thursday's Trends and Indexes - 12/13 (NBA, NCAAB, Misc.)

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