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**InsiderEdge** · 11-30-2003, 12:29 PM

All 3 of our Top Plays go off today at 1:00 pm EST – Two NFL and one NCAA hoops winner. We are +74.1 units on these selections since the beginning of the month, making them the best investment you can find hands down. They are simply money in the bank.

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**InsiderEdge** · 11-30-2003, 05:40 PM

Our free play goes down in flames but those who took advantage of our service went 3-0 on our Top Plays. That makes it 11 straight over the last 3 days on our Three Unit plays and 53-23 (69.7%) the last 76. As stated earlier, they are money in the bank and you aren’t going to find anything better.

Cincinnati Bengals at Pittsburgh Steelers 1:00 pm EST

Cincinnati +3 (3 Units)

A 34-27 victory Sunday in San Diego left Cincinnati tied with Baltimore atop the AFC North at 6-5. It also marked another noteworthy breakthrough for a team making one just about every week now. The Bengals hadn't had a winning record in November since 1990, the last time they made the playoffs. "We've got our own identity right now," coach Marvin Lewis said Monday. "Everyone is believing in what we're doing, and that's important. We're playing with an edge." Tommy Maddox's numbers through 11 starts (2,430 yards, 13 touchdowns) and his 11 starts of last season (2,714 yards, 19 touchdowns) aren't radically different. But they illustrate a downturn has greatly contributed to the Steelers' falloff from a 10-5-1 record last season to 4-7 this year. The Steelers are still solid defensively this season, despite problems on offense. They are ranked 8th against the run at 98.8 yards a game and held the Bengals to 57 rushing yards in Game 3. The Bengals have leapt to 11th in rushing offense by going for 655 yards in the past three games. The key however is for Cincinnati to keep spreading the ball around on offense. Someone different be it Chad Johnson, Peter Warrick, Rudi Johnson or Corey Dillon, is having a big game each week and that balance gives opposing defenses headaches. The Bengals have run for more than 200 yards each of the past three weeks, opening up everything in the offense. No NFL quarterback is hotter than Jon Kitna. He has six touchdown passes and no interceptions in his past two games and has led the Bengals to five victories in their last six games. He is tied for the AFC lead with 19 touchdown passes and is directing the NFL's 10th-ranked offense. The Bengals upgraded tight end Reggie Kelly to probable. Kelly, who suffered a stress fracture in his foot against Seattle, has missed the past four games. He had started the first seven games. Pittsburgh hasn’t won back-to-back games all season.

New England Patriots at Indianapolis Colts 1:00 pm EST

New England +4 (3 Units)

New England just keeps on winning as their defense has improved with the return of Washington in the middle, and their offense has been clicking despite several injuries to receivers. Tom Brady has been as effective and efficient as he was when the Patriots made their Super Bowl run in 2001. Peyton Manning is 4-4 lifetime against Bill Belichick-coached defenses, although the quarterback's teams have averaged just 16.8 points per game in those eight contests. The Colts' big-play ability is contingent on defenses playing up against the run, and one reason Belichick has done well against Manning in the past is because the coach has had moderate success stopping James. In six meetings against Belichick, James has been held under 100 yards three times. Tedy Bruschi will be a key run defender from his middle linebacker spot. Also, as linebacker coach Pepper Johnson wrote in his book two years ago, the Pats in the past have been able to steal the audible signals of Manning. You can bet that Bruschi will be listening carefully. When Ted Washington returned to action against Dallas Nov. 16 after seven weeks on the shelf with a broken leg, most people assumed his re-immersion into the defense would be a gradual process. That hasn't happened. Instead, Washington has carried nearly a full load in his first two games back, playing more than 25 snaps against the Cowboys and around 40 plays Sunday in Houston. And he's done it at a high level, anchoring a run defense that held starting running backs Troy Hambrick of Dallas (2.6) and Domanick Davis of Houston (2.9) to under 3 yards a carry. New England ranks 13th in the league in pass defense, but in terms of effectiveness, the Patriots are the best. They've allowed the fewest touchdown passes (6), the lowest cumulative quarterback rating (57.7), and are credited with the most pass deflections (86). They're tied for second in the AFC with 17 interceptions. The Patriots have given up only 15 plays of 25 yards or more this season. That ties them for third-fewest in the league with Carolina, Dallas, and Philadelphia. Baltimore and Chicago have yielded 13 such plays. This could be one of those games where New England's best defense is a good offense. The more the Patriots have the ball, the less Manning and the Colts do. Free agents J.J. Stokes and Dedric Ward, signed last week to replace Brown and Givens against the Texans, contributed a combined four catches for 64 yards. Belichick said yesterday that Tom Brady's timing with his new receivers improved in their second week of working together.

Northern Iowa Panthers at Iowa St. Cyclones 1:00 pm EST

Northern Iowa +10 (3 Units)

In what could have turned into a promising year for the Cyclones has gone just the opposite. Starting with the Larry Eustachy’s dismissal, it all gone downhill. Two starters, Tim Barnes and Jackson Vroman were arrested over the summer and suspended indefinitely. Another starter Adam Haluska, transferred to Iowa. This leaves just Jake Sullivan and Jared Homan as the only returning starters. Sullivan is an excellent player but without much around him, he will be blanketed all the time. The Cyclones have been forced to use two freshmen in their starting lineup at the guard positions. Vroman will dress for this game but it is still unclear if he will start and how much time he will get. Northern Iowa returns all 5 of their starters from last year including the two senior forwards that are the leaders of this team. David Gruber and Matt Schneiderman are the top two scorers and rebounders from a year ago, bringing back a combined 26.6 ppg and 14.6 rpg. They are averaging 24 ppg and 13 rpg this season so far. Gruber, who was voted preseason first-team all-Missouri Valley, has led the MVC in field goal percentage the last two seasons, making 61 percent of shots from the field. Sophomore Ben Jacobson is their leading scorer through 2 games this year with 18.5 ppg. The Panthers are 1-1 win their only loss coming Tuesday against Butler. The Bulldogs hit a 3-pointer at the buzzer to pull out the 56-54 win. They have had a while to ****** that loss and they will certainly come out focused against the Cyclones. Northern Iowa should have the edge inside as they have outrebounded their 2 opponents 68-44 while Iowa St. was outrebounded 37-26 against Mercer. The experience of Northern Iowa will play a big role in this game and even with Vroman coming back, this will be his first game experience of the season.

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Top Plays Sweep Again - 50-23 (68.5%) Run

Top Plays Sweep Again - 50-23 (68.5%) Run

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