game
NBA Pick Orlando at Atlanta
Orlando SU
The Orlando Magic are playing top quality basketball and will visit the Atlanta Hawks at Philips Arena. The Hawks started out at a torrid pace but have since cooled off a bit. Nevertheless they are still 19-13 overall. Orlando is currently 21-12 and playing together better as a unit over the last five games.
Orlando has one the game’s best defender and possibly the best rebounder in Dwight Howard. He is averaging 20.3 points and 15.3 rebounds per game to lead the team. He is also leading the team in steals per game with 1.4 and blocked shots with 2.1.
Veteran Joe Johnson who is averaging a team high 17.6 points per game leads the Hawks offensively. Josh Smith leads the team in rebounding with a 9.6 per game average and leads them in blocked shots averaging 2.1 per game. Jeff Teague is the leading assist maker for the Hawks with an average of 4.6 per game. Of late Joe Johnson has seen limited playing time and is currently sideline with an injury to his knew.
Atlanta has enjoyed an advantage over the last ten games head to head with Orlando. The Hawks are 8-2 SU and 9-1 ATS in the 10 games. The total has been UNDER 9 out of the 10 games. Both teams are averaging less than 86 points per game when the two play head to head.
Orlando is 3-1 SU over their last four games, with the only loss against the Miami Heat. Atlanta however, is 1-3 SU in their last four games. They have lost to both Chicago and the Los Angeles Lakers during that stretch.
With Orlando playing much better as a team and the strong defense that they possess down low, the matchup should be another low scoring defensive affair with Orlando winning SU and the total ending up UNDER. Money Line is Orlando -185 currently. Bet this now at JustBet
AFC Championship: Patriots vs. Ravens
- Ray Rice expected to run only for about 80 yards
The AFC Championship will be settled this weekend when the Baltimore Ravens take on the New England Patriots at Gillette Stadium in Massachusetts. The Patriots are considered a nine point favorite as they will be playing at home and are coming off a record setting game by quarterback Tom Brady.
Baltimore struggled against the Houston Texans 20-13 to reach the championship and a possible chance at playing in the Super Bowl. Baltimore was a 7.5 favorite in that game therefore, they did not cover the spread against Houston. UNDER bettors were happy as the total score of 33 was below the line.
New England on the other hand covered their spread 14 point spread against Denver by whalloping the Broncos 45-10. Total points were OVER for the game with the teams combining for 55.
New England is riding a nine game winning streak while Baltimore has won three straight. Baltimore is only 8-7-1 ATS this season while the Patriots are 9-6-1. January records for the two teams are similar. Baltimore has won 7 of 10 in the month, while New England has won 6 of 10. New England holds an edge playing teams outside their division as they have won 8 of their last 10 and the Ravens have won just 7 of their last 10.
Other factors to take into consideration are that Baltimore is 7-1 SU over its last eight games. On the road, the score Baltimore�s last 4 out of 5 games has gone OVER. Against New England, Baltimore�s score has gone UNDER in 4 of 6 games on the road.
Because of their nine game winning streak New England is 9-0 SU. In all five of the last five New England games the score has ended OVER. At home, New England has five straight SU wins. When playing against Baltimore, New England has won seven of the last eight games SU.
New England will take a hard fought 35-21 win to go to reach another Super Bowl.
NCAA Footbal BCS Bowl: Alabama vs. LSU
- Alabama RB Trent Richardson
The two best teams in the country will square off in a rematch of their matchup in November when the No. 1 LSU Tigers face the No. 2 Alabama Crimson Tide on Monday in the BCS Championship Game.
Talented on offense, too
The fact that both of these teams are excellent on defense is well-documented and quite apparent both on the field and on paper. Alabama and LSU rank first and second respectively in both points against and total yards against as Alabama allowed just 8.8 points and 191.3 yards per game and LSU allowed 10.5 points per game and 252.1 total yards per game. LSU finished 13-0 SU and 10-3 against the college football odds while Alabama was 11-1 SU and 8-4 ATS.
But while the media tends to focus strictly on these stingy defenses, it sometimes gets overlooked how strong these rushing offenses are as well. Alabama finished 14th in the nation in rushing with 219.8 rushing yards per game and 17th in the nation in scoring with 36 points per game. Trent Richardson led the way with 1,584 rushing yards and 20 touchdowns, followed by Eddie Lacy who rushed for 631 yards and seven touchdowns on just 84 carries.
LSU finished 17th in the nation in rushing with 215.2 rushing yards per game and 12th in the nation in scoring with 38.5 points per game. LSU remarkably had four different running backs with at least seven touchdowns as Michael Ford (755 yards on 123 carries) and Alfred Blue (539 yards on 78 carries) had seven each and Spencer Ware (700 yards on 174 carries) and Kenny Hilliard (320 yards on 57 carries) each had eight. The rushing game got even stronger at the end of the season when Jordan Jefferson took over at quarterback and opened up the speed option.
Nick Saban suggested that the offenses may play a bigger role this time around, and he may be right; the defenses deserve the respect they are receiving, but these are talented units as well.
Last time around
The last time these two teams played back on November 5, LSU was a 5.5-point underdog against the college football odds heading into Alabama, but came out on top 9-6 in overtime. The game stayed well under the total of 41.5 with just 15 points of total offense.
The story of the game was special teams as Alabama had a miserable kicking day. The Crimson Tide lined up for six field goal tries and only made two of them, with two kickers combining for four misses including the crucial miss in overtime to allow LSU to win it with a field goal. LSU’s Drew Alleman was a perfect 3-for-3 on his field goal attempts.
In many ways, Alabama outplayed LSU, outgaining the Tigers 295 yards to 239 and getting into field goal range five times during regulation to LSU’s two times. But LSU converted on its attempts and Alabama didn’t.
It’s also worth noting that the last game was in Alabama. The BCS Championship Game is in Louisiana, and while it won’t be a true home game for LSU with seating allotment and Alabama traveling well, it will be a much less hostile environment than the one the Tigers had to travel into in November.
Recent history favors LSU
In bowl games, it is rare to be able to look at recent history between the two opponents, but considering this game is between conference rivals, there is plenty of history here. Since 2006, LSU is 4-2 SU over Alabama including two straight wins while Alabama holds the slight edge against the college football odds at 3-2-1. LSU is a 1-point favorite for Monday.
Interestingly, the last game going UNDER was a bit of an anomaly in this series; the OVER was 4-0-1 in the previous five meetings between these two teams as four of those five games broke 40 points.
***
SA Take: We love the rematch here and this time like Alabama to win and cover. And if you are into betting totals we suggest the under. We are expecting a great football game and very solid plays from both teams. But in the end we can see Alabama winning by a touchdown or more.
The stage is set. Get all your Bowl betting lines for this week at Bovada’s online sportsbook.
Cotton Bowl: No. 8 Kansas State (10-2) vs. No. 6 Arkansas (10-2)
- Game preview and picks
Two teams who were passed over for BCS bowls in favor of lesser teams – I’m talking to you Sugar Bowl –face off at Cowboys Stadium on Friday night in the only bowl game of the day when No. 8 Kansas State of the Big 12 faces No. 6 Arkansas of the SEC. The Hogs are 7.5-point college football bets favorites on WagerWeb.com.
Kansas State will be making its bowl appearance after being picked to finish eighth in the Big 12 Conference. When the dust had settled, however, the Wildcats were challenging Oklahoma State for the Big 12 title. The Wildcats lost only to Oklahoma and Oklahoma State, in successive weeks.
Arkansas, meanwhile, finished third in the Southeastern Conference’s West Division, behind the BCS title-game finalists, LSU and Alabama. Those two teams gave the Razorbacks their only losses in 2011.
Each team’s offense have found success in different ways this season — the Razorbacks have excelled in the passing game (ranked 13th in the nation among Football Bowl Subdivision schools at 307.8 yards per game) behind QB Tyler Wilson while the Wildcats have done it with their ground game (ranked 27th in the nation at 193.7 ypg) behind dual-threat QB Collin Klein.
The Razorbacks come into the game as one of the most explosive offenses in the nation this season leading the SEC in passing offense (307.8 ypg), total offense (445.8 ypg) and first downs (22.2 per game). The Hogs are ranked second in the SEC and 15th in the FBS in scoring offense (37.4 points per game.
Arkansas racked up 2,000 more passing yards than rushing yards, compared to Kansas State, whose rushing attack outpaced the passing game by over 500 yards. The game, one of three bowls that features two teams ranked in the top 10 of the BCS, figures to be one of the higher scoring bowl games of the season. Arkansas is 15th in the country in scoring (37.4), while Kansas State is 30th (33.1).
Kansas State and Arkansas don’t have much in common. Outside of a top-10 ranking, the first time the Cotton Bowl has hosted such a matchup in 18 years, there’s one big similarity: Neither would have been here without Texas A&M.
Arkansas rallied from the 35-17 deficit at halftime to win 42-38 in the final minutes against the Aggies. Kansas State, meanwhile, rallied from a 10-point deficit in the final six minutes to force overtime in Manhattan against the Aggies. Four overtimes later, the Wildcats stood tall, as 53-50 victors in what was arguably the best game in Big 12 history.
Arkansas missed the postseason in 2008, coach Bobby Petrino’s first season in Fayetteville. However the Razorbacks have rebounded with three straight January bowls, including last year’s BCS appearance in the Sugar Bowl. The former Southwest Conference member will be making its 12th Cotton Bowl appearance.
K-State did not get to a bowl from 2007-09, but the Wildcats returned to the postseason last year in the Pinstripe Bowl. This will be the 14th bowl in KSU history, and Bill Snyder has been the coach for 13 of those postseason games.
SA Take: The obvious public plays here are favorite and over. Surprisingly the public is close to being balanced on the side with many believing in Kansas State. The side is a tough call indeed. But we are leaning toward taking Arkansas and the UNDER. 64 points is a lot and just maybe there will be some sputtering with all the time out since their last games.
Sugar Bowl : Michigan vs. Virginia Tech
- Va. Tech Looks to Upset Favored Michigan
The Michigan Wolverines and the Virginia Tech Hokies will both be trying to pick up a win on January 3 when they battle at Mercedes-Benz Superdome in the Allstate Sugar Bowl.
Oddsmakers currently have the Wolverines listed as 3-point favorites versus the Hokies, while the game’s total is sitting at 52.
Last time out for Michigan, they were a 40-34 winner as they battled Ohio State at home. Michigan failed to cover in the match as a 8.5-point favorite, while 74 combined points moved the game OVER for totals bettors.
Virginia Tech was a 38-10 loser in its last match on the road against Clemson. They failed to cover the 7?point spread as favorites, while the total score of 48 sent UNDER bettors to the payout window.
SA Take: VT only lost to Clemson this year. The problem is that they played them twice, and lost both times. The fact that Michigan isn’t named Clemson allows us to pick Va. Tech for the upset tonight.
Team records:
Michigan: 10-2 SU, 8-4 ATS
Virginia Tech: 11-2 SU, 4-9 ATS
Michigan most recently:
When playing in January are 5-5
When playing on turf are 9-1
After outgaining opponent are 7-3
When favored on the road are 5-5
Virginia Tech most recently:
When playing in January are 3-6
When playing on turf are 6-4
After being outgained are 8-2
When an underdog at home are 4-1
A few trends to consider:
Michigan is 10-2 SU in its last 12 games
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Michigan’s last 6 games
Virginia Tech is 22-3 SU in its last 25 games
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Virginia Tech’s last 6 games
Virginia Tech is 3-9 ATS in its last 12 games
Champs Sports Bowl: Florida State (8-4) vs. Notre Dame (8-4)
- EJ Manuel FSU QB
Thursday’s bowl action kicks off from Orlando as two teams who had higher hopes this season, Florida State and Notre Dame, meet in the Champs Sports Bowl. FSU is a 3-point college football bets favorite on WagerWeb.com.
Both Brian Kelly and Jimbo Fisher have their programs on the rise, though a steeper ascent was expected of both this season. If it weren’t for turnovers (Notre Dame) and injuries (Florida State), these teams could be playing in a big-money bowl. The Seminoles’ only loss in their last seven games was at home to Virginia, while the Irish’s only losses since mid-September came against Pac-12 powers USC and Stanford.
Florida State, which was ranked No. 6 in the AP preseason poll and predicted by the media to win the ACC title this year, enters the game against Notre Dame struggling offensively. FSU is No. 99 in the country in rushing offense, and No. 111 in sacks allowed.
Florida State has thrived this year, though, on its defense and special teams. FSU is No. 9 in the country in sacks, No. 5 in tackles for loss, No. 6 in total defense, No. 4 in scoring defense, and No. 2 in rushing defense. It also claimed another unofficial “state championship” this year, with wins over rivals Miami and Florida.
Notre Dame’s 0-2 start made this trip to Orlando almost a foregone conclusion. Losses along the way to USC and Stanford confirmed it. Tommy Rees will start for the Irish against Florida State, his 12th straight start since replacing Dayne Crist in Week 1. Crist’s release was granted by Kelly. Andrew Hendrix, who replaced Rees at Stanford, will see some time as well.
The Irish are led by receiver Michael Floyd on offense, as the senior will look to end his career with an exclamation point after rewriting the school record books. Floyd, named team MVP for the second straight year, set a single-season school record with 95 receptions while leading the Irish with 1,106 yards and eight TDs. He will leave South Bend as the most prolific wideout in Notre Dame’s fabled history, holding marks for catches (266), yards (3,645) and touchdowns (36).
The matchup will mark the independent Irish’s fourth in five games against an ACC opponent. They’re 3-0 so far, but none can match the toughness of the Seminoles defense.
This marks the second appearance by FSU in the Champs Sports Bowl, as it defeated Wisconsin 42-13 in the 2008 game. FSU has a 24-14-2 (.625) record in 40 bowl appearances, the sixth-best percentage record by a school with 15 or more bowl appearances. The Seminoles will be facing the Fighting Irish for the seventh time, having won four of the previous six meetings, including a 37-0 win at South Bend in 2003.
SA Take: These teams match up very well in our opinion. Many handicappers have this game as a toss up. But we are going to take FSU on this one. They have been bulding quite a speedy team there and Notre Dame, while getting much better, is still not up to the same talent level.
More Free Bowl Picks
NFL Chargers at Lions
- Detroit Lions look to beat the Chargers
The San Diego Chargers need to win out to have any hope of making the playoffs – and likely saving the jobs of Coach Norv Turner and GM A.J. Smith – while the Detroit Lions can clinch the franchise’s first playoff spot since 1999 with a victory in one of Saturday’s marquee games.
The Chargers are alive both for the AFC West title and a wild-card spot. The only way the Chargers can win the division is to win their final two games and have Denver lose its final two. The Chargers cannot win the wild card unless the New York Jets and Cincinnati Bengals each lose at least one of their final two games. Detroit, meanwhile, doesn’t want to push its luck into Week 17 when it visits Lambeau Field, a place it hasn’t won since 1991.
Both of these teams have some momentum, but there is no question the Chargers are playing the best they have all season after dismantling the Ravens on Sunday night. The Chargers have averaged 36.3 points in their three consecutive wins after putting up 21.5 per contest during a six-game losing streak.
Philip Rivers has helped his team outscore the last three opponents 109-38 with seven touchdown passes and no interceptions. Running back Ryan Mathews has also gained 453 of his 1,033 yards over the last four games and reached the end zone three times over the past three.
In dramatic fashion, Matthew Stafford led an exceptional late-game drive to get a Week 15 win in Oakland, so the Lions have some momentum of their own. The Lions pulled off another late rally against the Oakland Raiders, securing a 28-27 victory with a touchdown pass from Stafford to WR Calvin Johnson. Detroit, known for second-half comebacks, scored 14 unanswered points to close the game, including a 98-yard drive that concluded with Johnson’s TD catch with 35 seconds remaining.
Stafford has four comebacks of 13 points or more and is averaging 94 passing yards a game to Calvin Johnson after the Lions drop behind by 13 points or more. Megatron has 81 catches for 1,335 yards and 16 touchdowns, including 214 yards and two touchdowns last week. At 6-foot-5 and 236 pounds, he’s near impossible to cover one-on-one. He has 10 TDs in the second half of games and five in the fourth quarter.
In terms of turnover differential, the Lions are an impressive plus-11 while the Chargers are at minus-5, but have gotten dramatically better in this department of late. Neither team has been very good on special teams overall this season, and the Lions have taken an inordinate number of costly penalties.
Detroit is facing the Chargers for the first time since losing 51-14 in San Diego on Dec. 16, 2007. The Lions have dropped six in a row to the Chargers, including home matchups in 1999 and 2003.
SA Take and Free Pick: It seems that the Chargers under Norv Turner just are not going to be able to cut it. This game stands out to us as the most glaring mismatch of the day and we feel that the Lions should be favored by 7. So with that said take the Detroit Lions to win and cover.
Beef ‘O’ Brady’s Bowl : Marshall vs. Florida International
- Marshall looks to end with winning record
The Florida International Golden Panthers and the Marshall Thundering Herd will both be gunning for a victory on December 20 when they meet at Tropicana Field in the Beef ‘O’ Brady’s St. Petersburg Bowl.
Oddsmakers currently have the Golden Panthers listed as 4½-point favorites versus the Thundering Herd, while the game’s total is sitting at 49.
Last time out for Florida International, they were a 31-18 winner as they battled Middle Tennessee on the road. Florida International covered in the match as a 8-point favorite, while 49 combined points moved the game UNDER for totals bettors.
Marshall won its last outing, a 34-27 result against East Carolina on November 26. Marshall covered in that game as a 2-point favorite, while the 61 combined points took the game OVER the total.
SA Take: The teams matchup well in most areas. And we see a few matchup holes that if FIU doesn’t address could be trouble for them. We like Marshall + the points in this matchup., possibly a straight up win. Take Marshall.
Team records:
Florida International: 8-4 SU, 6-6 ATS
Marshall: 6-6 SU, 7-5 ATS
Florida International most recently:
When playing in December are 5-3
When playing on turf are 6-4
After being outgained are 8-2
When playing outside the conference are 4-6
Marshall most recently:
When playing in December are 9-1
When playing on turf are 6-4
After outgaining opponent are 4-6
When playing outside the conference are 3-7
A few trends to consider:
The total has gone UNDER in 7 of Florida International’s last 8 games
Florida International is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games
Florida International is 3-6 ATS in its last 9 games
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Marshall’s last 5 games
Marshall is 4-2 SU in its last 6 games
The total has gone UNDER in 12 of Marshall’s last 18 games
Marshall is 2-4 ATS in its last 6 games
Saturday NCAA basketball: No. 5 North Carolina at No. 1 Kentucky
North Carolina and Kentucky, two of the most storied programs in NCAA basketball history and the two favorites to win the national championship in New Orleans come April, meet on Saturday afternoon in what could be the game of the regular season. The Cats, who have never lost in 37 games at home under Coach John Calipari, opened as slight college basketball bets favorites on WagerWeb.com.
The Heels (6-1), who bring back all five starters from last season, opened the season at No. 1 but fell to No. 5 after a 90-80 loss against UNLV last weekend. UNC then had some trouble with No. 7 Wisconsin on Wednesday, winning by three but scoring its fewest points of the season (60).
UNC freshman guard P.J. Hairston suffered a sprained left wrist and bone contusion in the win over the Badgers. Hairston is questionable for Saturday’s game but not expected to play. Hairston is Carolina’s fifth-leading scorer (8.3 ppg) and leads the Tar Heels with 14 three-point goals. He scored a season-high 19 points against South Carolina and 15 against UNLV and was named to the Las Vegas Invitational All-Tournament Team.
Kentucky (7-0) will carry the nation’s No. 1 ranking into Saturday’s game with Carolina, On Thursday night in Rupp Arena, the Cats played with the top-ranking for the first time this season and handled it fine, downing St. John’s 81-59.
Anthony Davis, UK’s unbelievable freshman, flirted with the second triple-double in school history before “settling” for 15 points, 15 rebounds and eight blocked shots. Terrence Jones overpowered the smaller Red Storm front line for 26 points and nine rebounds.
There could be a dozen future NBA players combined on these two rosters. UK’s Davis or UNC’s Harrison Barnes is likely to go No. 1 in next year’s draft. The Heels and Cats met twice last season, with UNC winning a close one at home during the regular season but losing to UK in the Elite Eight of the NCAA Tournament. Carolina hasn’t played a No. 1 team since winning at Duke in 2006. UK is in its 90th week all-time at No. 1 — fourth all-time behind UCLA (134), Duke (122) and North Carolina (108).
Sportsbook Advisor take: You give me UNC with their talent level getting point anywhere and I am on them like stink on the trud. Take UNC.
Temple Owls (5-3) at Ohio Bobcats (5-3)
Temple can take a big step toward winning the Mid-American Conference’s East Division and a spot in the conference championship game with a win over Ohio University on Wednesday night in the only college football game of the night. The Owls are 3.5-point betting favorites on WagerWeb.com.
Temple has a half-game lead in the East over Ohio and Miami of Ohio, and the Owls play Miami next Wednesday. But this is Temple’s final road game. Ohio also has to play the RedHawks, at home in the season finale, but the Bobcats have back-to-back road tests after this one. So it’s essentially a must-win for them.
Temple star running back Bernard Pierce hasn’t been able to practice since mid-October with a hamstring injury but has been playing through it. Pierce leads the nation with 18 rushing touchdowns, which is a school record. He also ranks second in scoring (13.50 points per game) and 10th in rushing (118.88 yards per game). Senior TE Evan Rodriguez is the team’s top receiver with 285 yards and a touchdown on 21 receptions. Senior QB Chester Stewart is 47-of-74 for 643 yards and two touchdowns, while junior QB Mike Gerardi is 30-of-59 for 423 yards and three touchdowns.
In the national rankings, Temple ranks among the nation’s Top 10 in seven categories, including No. 1 in kickoff returns (28.83), No. 2 in scoring defense (10.00), No. 5 in total defense (263.25), No. 7 in pass efficiency defense (100.10), No. 9 in rushing offense (252.13), No. 10 in pass defense (172.75), and No. 10 in rushing defense (90.50).
Temple enters off a 13-10 loss at Bowling Green. Despite the Owls’ setback on Oct. 22, Temple has outscored its opponents 230-80, which is the largest margin in the league this season.
The Bobcats enter the game after defeating Akron 37-20 on Oct. 22 to pick up their fourth-consecutive victory over the Zips. In Ohio’s three losses, the Bobcats have lost by an average of just 5.3 points per game.
The Bobcats rank second in the MAC in both total offense (450.2) and second in total defense (321.1). Quarterback Tyler Tettleton has thrown for 200 yards or more in each of the last six weeks. On Oct. 22 against Akron, Tettleton threw for 328 yards. He needs four TD passes to set the school single-season mark. Senior Donte’ Harden rushed for a season-high 123 yards against Akron.
Ohio and Temple will meet for just the fifth time. The Bobcats hold the all-time series lead at 3-1 and won 31-23 last year in Philadelphia for their second straight win in the series.
Sportsbook Advuisor take: We like Ohio at home getting points.
