Sunday's Trends and Indexes - 1/19 (NFL, NBA, NCAAB, NHL, Misc.)

[Udog]

NCAAB

Sunday, January 19

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Minnesota at Iowa: What bettors need to know
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Minnesota Golden Gophers at Iowa Hawkeyes (-9, OFF)

It's not easy getting attention in the Big Ten sometimes. With Wisconsin, Michigan State and Ohio State garnering much of the national spotlight, teams like Iowa and Minnesota - which meet Sunday on the Hawkeyes' home court - can get lost in the shuffle. The Hawkeyes have claimed some attention after winning at Ohio State a week ago, moving up in the national rankings because of it, while the Gophers are still looking for that attention-grabbing win.

Beating the Hawkeyes would certainly help first-year coach Richard Pitino's national cred, but that won't be easy. Iowa's only losses this year have been to nationally-ranked Villanova, Iowa State and Wisconsin, and the Hawkeyes have won 19 straight at Carver-Hawkeye Arena. Still, Pitino's squad took Michigan State to overtime on the road and is coming off its own win over the Buckeyes as well.

TV: 1 p.m. ET, Big Ten Network

LINE: Iowa are currently 9-point home faves. The total is currently off the board.

ABOUT MINNESOTA (14-4, 6-8-1 ATS): One of the big — though not literally — weapons the Gophers have at their disposal is 5-9 point guard DeAndre Mathieu, who continues to improve at his position as he learns on the job. The junior college transfer has been the starter from the beginning of this season, and Pitino sees him as a valuable asset going forward as he continues to learn how to play. “He needs to stop trying to drive in amongst the trees when there's two or three guys in there,” Pitino told the Minneapolis Star-Tribune. “He's got to be smarter about his attempts, and (against Ohio State), he was about to drive it, they backed up, he knocked down two or three open shots, which was big.”

ABOUT IOWA (14-3, 10-5 ATS): The Hawkeyes are hoping some home cooking can help lead them to a conference title. Iowa will host each of the top three teams in the league standings as well as Ohio State in the coming weeks, and with Carver-Hawkeye Arena scheduled to be sold out for each of them, the Hawkeyes should have quite an advantage. “We're just really excited that it's going to be like that,” Iowa coach Fran McCaffery told the Iowa City Press-Citizen. “I don't think there is any question we'd all agree that you're going to play better in that atmosphere.”

TRENDS:

* Under is 6-0 in the last six meetings.
* Under is 5-1 in the last six meeting in Iowa.
* Minnesota is 9-3-1 ATS in the last 13 meetings in Iowa.
* Minnesota is 0-4 ATS in the last four meetings.

TIP-INS:

1. The Golden Gophers rank No. 1 in the Big Ten in both steals per game (8.4) and free-throw percentage (.755).

2. Iowa F Melsahn Basabe has posted a double-double in each of the Hawkeyes' last two games.

3. The Hawkeyes have gotten the better of the Gophers in this matchup, leading 54-40, including winning the last matchup by 21.


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[Udog]

NBA

Sunday, January 19

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Lakers at Raptors: What bettors need to know
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Los Angeles Lakers at Toronto Raptors (-9, 203)

The Toronto Raptors look to sweep a season series from the Los Angeles Lakers for the first time in franchise history when the teams meet Sunday afternoon in Toronto. The Raptors are 8-26 all-time versus the Lakers, but claimed a 106-94 victory at Los Angeles on Dec. 8 and have won two of the last three meetings overall. The win in the first encounter last month was the start of Toronto's turnaround, as the squad entered the contest 6-12 but has gone 14-6 ever since.

Included in that run was a 94-89 win over Minnesota on Friday, the Raptors' sixth straight victory at home. The Lakers are coming off a dramatic comeback 107-104 win at Boston in an encounter that saw them erase a late eight-point deficit. Paul Gasol had perhaps his best overall stat line of the season with 24 points, 13 rebounds, six assists and zero turnovers in 36 minutes as Los Angeles ended a six-game losing streak.

TV: 1 p.m. ET, TWC SportsNet (Los Angeles), TSN (Toronto)

ABOUT THE LAKERS (15-25): While his team's season has continued to trend in the wrong direction, Gasol has done his best to keep the Lakers afloat. He is averaging 20.3 points, 11.8 rebounds and five assists this month and is 28-for-48 from the floor over his last three contests. Fellow big man Ryan Kelly filled in for the suspended Nick Young in Boston and produced a personal-best 20 points.

ABOUT THE RAPTORS (20-18): Kyle Lowry scored 23 points and handed out eight assists in the meeting with Los Angeles in December, part of the veteran's career-best campaign that continued Friday versus Minnesota. Lowry nailed a season-high six 3-pointers en route to a team-high 24 points, improving to 20-for-35 from long distance over his last five games. He has also produced 23 assists against five turnovers in the last three contests, and still ranks first among Eastern Conference point guards with a 3.43 assist-to-turnover ratio.

TRENDS:

* Over is 6-0 in the last six meetings in Toronto.
* Lakers are 0-4 ATS in the last four meetings.
* Lakers are 0-4 ATS in their last four Sunday games.
* Under is 8-2 in Raptors last 10 overall.

BUZZER BEATERS:

1. Johnson is eligible to return after serving the suspension for throwing a punch in a game at Phoenix on Wednesday.

2. Toronto is nearing the end of a stretch in which it plays seven straight games against losing teams.

3. Lakers PG Kendall Marshall has posted four straight double-doubles, averaging 13.8 points and 13.3 assists in that span.


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[Udog]

NHL
Short Sheet

Sunday, January 19

Boston at Chicago, 12:35 ET
Boston: 51-36 SU in road games off a road win by 2 goals or more
Chicago: 8-11 SU when playing only their 2nd game in 5 days

Tampa Bay at Carolina, 5:05 ET
Tampa Bay: 13-7 SU after 1 or more consecutive losses
Carolina: 112-152 SU after having won 4 or 5 of their last 6

Washington at NY Rangers, 7:35 ET
Washington: 11-2 SU after allowing 4 goals or more 2 straight games
NY Rangers: 1-6 SU off a road win by 2 goals or more

[jt4545]

Thanks for all your work and great info good luck udog

[Udog]

Thanks for all your work and great info good luck udog

Good luck to you, too, jt! Let's have a good one today! I need it!

[Udog]

NFL

Sunday, January 19

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Tale of the Tape: San Francisco 49ers at Seattle Seahawks
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A bitter NFC West rivalry will serve as the backdrop Sunday afternoon as the Seattle Seahawks host the San Francisco 49ers in the NFC Championship game.

It's the second consecutive appearance in the NFC championship game for the 49ers, who are looking to make it back-to-back trips to the Super Bowl. But they'll face their toughest test of the season against a Seahawks team riding the biggest home-field advantage in football to a spot in the final four.

Here's the breakdown in our betting tale of the tape:

Offense

Russell Wilson showed flashes of becoming an elite NFL quarterback, but the Seahawks remain a work in progress when it comes to the passing game. Seattle ranked 26th in total passing yardage (3,236), though Wilson did throw 27 touchdown passes against just nine interceptions. The Seahawks were far more successful in the running department, finishing with the fourth-most yards (2,188) while racking up 14 touchdowns and fumbling the ball just six times.

Wilson and San Francisco's Colin Kaepernick had eerily similar seasons, producing lower-than average yard totals but being careful with the football. San Francisco had even fewer passing yards than the Seahawks (2,979) while producing a modest 21 touchdowns but throwing a league-low eight interceptions. The 49ers running game was also the superior unit, finishing third in yardage (2,201) with 18 touchdowns and just seven fumbles.

Edge: Even


Defense

Seattle's path to the best record in the NFC was paved by the league's best defense - and the numbers are staggering. The Seahawks limited opponents to a paltry 172 passing yards per game - 22 fewer than the next-closest team - while giving up 16 touchdowns and pulling in a league-best 28 interceptions. Seattle was rather stingy against the run, as well; it allowed just 1,626 yards on the ground while holding foes to just four rushing touchdowns all season.

The 49ers were no slouches on the defensive end, ranking in the top quarter of the league in both disciplines. San Francisco gave up the seventh-fewest passing yards in football (3,538) while holding foes to 19 touchdowns and hauling in 18 interceptions. The 49ers gave up the fourth-fewest rushing yards in the regular season (1,535), restricting opposing ball carriers to 3.9 yards per carry while surrendering 11 touchdowns and forcing six fumbles.

Edge: Seattle


Special Teams

The Seahawks hoped that offseason acquisition Percy Harvin would bolster their return game, but he missed the majority of the season with issues relating to his offseason hip surgery - and the Seattle special teams largely suffered. The Seahawks ranked 28th in kickoff return average (21.2), though they were a respectable ninth in punt return average (11.1). Kicker Steven Hauschka was sensational in the regular season, connecting on 33-of-35 field-goal chances.

The 49ers had a mediocre showing in the return game in 2013, ranking in a tie for 18th in kick-return average (22.7) and 17th in punt-return average (8.9). San Francisco was better defensively, allowing the third-lowest kick-return mark (20.4) and ranking 13th in punt-return average against (8.7). Veteran kicker Phil Dawson made 32-of-36 field-goal opportunities in the regular season and is a perfect 6-for-6 so far in the postseason.

Edge: Even


Notable Quotable

"We take pride in keeping teams out of the end zone. They're going to make big plays, they're NFL players, too. But if we can hold up at the goal line four downs in a row that lets you know we're here to play and it's going to be a long day." - 49ers LB NaVorro Bowman

"(Inside linebackers) can't get any faster than that. I can run pretty good, but they can run extremely fast. They're very physical, very smart football players, and I have a lot of respect for them and what they do." - Wilson on the 49ers' impressive linebacker stable


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