Kentucky (22-13, 15-14-1 ATS)
at Notre Dame (20-14, 10-18 ATS)
Kentucky got a three-point play from star forward Jodie Meeks with 10.6 seconds remaining to rally past Creighton 65-63 as a 2˝-point underdog Monday, advancing to this NIT quarterfinals at the Joyce Center in South Bend, Ind. Meeks (16 points) was one of three players to score in double figures for the Wildcats, who shot 47 percent from the field and held Creighton to 37.3 percent.The Wildcats have won consecutive contests for just the second time since Jan. 27, a stretch of 15 games during which Billy Gillespie’s squad is 6-9 SU. Also, Kentucky has followed up a 2-9 ATS slump by cashing in three of its last four games, including a 70-60 rout of UNLV as a 7˝-point home favorite in an opening-round NIT game.Notre Dame has been idle since Thursday, when it held off New Mexico 70-68, but failed to cover as a five-point home favorite. The Irish, who were outshot 41.4 percent to 38.6 percent against the Lobos, essentially won the contest at the free-throw line, going 21-for-25 while New Mexico made just 15 of 25 foul shots.Since a seven-game losing skid that derailed its season, Notre Dame has won eight of its last 12, including four of the last five. However, the Irish, who knocked off UAB 70-64 as a 5˝-point favorite in their opening-round NIT contest, are still just 6-14 ATS in their last 20 games, including 3-7 ATS at home.These schools met four times from 2001-2004, with Kentucky going 4-0 SU and ATS (all as a favorite) with an average margin of victory of 10.3 points per game.Kentucky has now cashed in seven of its last eight non-conference outings, including four in a row, and it is 11-2-1 ATS in its last 14 against the Big East. Otherwise, though, the Wildcats are in ATS funks of 5-10 overall, 1-4 on the road, 5-9 against teams with a winning record, 1-5 following a spread-cover and 1-4 on Wednesday.Notre Dame is 4-0 ATS in its last four after a non-cover, but otherwise the Irish are in pointspread slumps of 6-14 overall, 3-9 against the SEC, 2-8 after a SU victory and 0-4 on Wednesday.Kentucky has stayed under the total in five straight games overall and four consecutive road outings. Also, Notre Dame is on “under” stretches of 10-1 overall (8-0 in the last eight), 13-3 at home (6-0 in the last six) and 7-0 after a SU victory.
ATS ADVANTAGE: UNDER
St. Mary’s (28-6, 16-12-1 ATS)
at San Diego State (25-9, 17-12-1 ATS)
St. Mary’s moved into the NIT quarterfinals courtesy of a pair of double-digit home victories over Washington State (68-57 as a 4˝-point favorite) and Davidson (80-68 as a five-point chalk). In Monday’s win over Davidson, the Gaels made 46.3 percent of their field-goal tries and got 23 points and 10 assists from star point guard Patty Mills, while holding the Wildcats to 36.8 percent.San Diego State hammered Weber State (65-49) and Kansas State (70-52) in its two NIT contests, cashing easily in both games. The Aztecs shot a combined 46.8 percent from the field in the two wins and limited their opponents to 39-for-111 shooting (35.5 percent). San Diego State has held six of seven opponents to less than 60 points while giving up an average of just 53.9 ppg.Both of these teams, which were among the last left out of the NCAA Tournament, are red hot. St. Mary’s has won nine of its last 10 (5-5 ATS), while the Aztecs are 7-1 SU in their last eight and they’ve followed up an 0-6 ATS slump by cashing in five of their last six. The only losses either team has suffered recently came in their respective conference championship games.These schools have met each of the last two Decembers in the John Wooden Classic in Anaheim, Calif., with St. Mary’s squeaking out wins both times, prevailing 69-64 as a 3˝-point favorite in 2007 and 67-64, pushing as a three-point chalk this season. The Gaels are 4-1 SU and 3-1-1 ATS in five meetings since 2004, with the last three clashes decided by a total of nine points.St. Mary’s is on positive pointspread runs of 8-2-1 in non-conference play, 10-4-1 against Mountain West Conference opponents, 5-1 on Wednesday and 6-1 against teams with a winning record. However, the Gaels have failed to cover in five straight road games and they’re 2-5 ATS in their last seven after a spread-cover.Aside from a 1-7 ATS mark in its last eight games on Wednesday, San Diego State carries nothing but positive ATS streaks, including 5-1 overall, 10-4-1 at home, 4-0 in non-conference play, 4-1-1 against the West Coast Conference, 4-1 after a SU win and 7-2 after a spread-cover.St. Mary’s has topped the total in six straight non-conference games and five straight Wednesday contests. Otherwise, the under for the Gaels is on streaks of 4-0 on the road, 5-1 against the Mountain West and 11-4 after a SU win, while the Aztecs are on “under” runs of 39-15 overall, 39-12 at home, 35-16 in non-conference play, 5-0 versus the West Coast Conference and 10-3 on Wednesday.
ATS ADVANTAGE: UNDER
CBI
Stanford (20-13, 19-11-1 ATS)
at Oregon State (15-17, 12-14-1 ATS)
Stanford cruised into the semifinals of the second-ever College Basketball Invitational with blowout wins over Boise State at home (96-76 as a 14-point chalk) and Wichita State on the road (70-56 as a one-point underdog). In Monday’s rout at Wichita State, the Cardinal shot 50 percent from the field and held the Shockers to 34 percent shooting.Oregon State has eked out a pair of wins in this tournament, turning back Houston 49-45 as a one-point underdog a week ago tonight then knocking off Vermont 71-70 in overtime Monday, pushing as a one-point chalk. On Monday, the Beavers hit the 70-point mark for the first time since a 77-62 blowout win at Stanford on Jan. 24 – a stretch of 14 games.Stanford has followed up a four-game losing skid (0-3-1 ATS) by going 5-2 SU and ATS in its last seven, including a 62-54 win over Oregon State as a seven-point favorite in the Pac-10 tournament. The Beavers’ two-game win streak in the CBI comes on the heels of an 0-4 SU and ATS nosedive.The winner is 13-0-1 ATS in the Cardinal’s last 14 games and 11-0 ATS in Oregon State’s last 11.The Beavers had lost six straight to Stanford (1-5 ATS) before posting a pair of regular-season wins this year – 77-62 as a 16˝-point road underdog and 66-54 as a four-point home pup. However, the Cardinal turned the tables in the 62-54 win and cover in the Pac-10 tournament. Stanford is 13-5 ATS in the last 18 clashes between these league rivals.The Cardinal are on ATS runs of 5-2 overall, 4-1 on Wednesday and 16-7-1 versus teams with a losing record. Oregon State is in pointspread slumps of 7-20-1 at home, 0-4 in Pac-10 play, 2-12 on Wednesday and 4-11-1 after a spread-cover.The Beavers are on “under” runs of 9-4 overall, 7-1 at home, 8-3 in Pac-10 action and 5-2 on Wednesday. Conversely, Stanford is in the midst of “over” streaks of 6-2 overall, 16-6 on the road, 5-1 in Pac-10 play and 5-2 versus losing teams. Finally, the under is 5-2 in the last seven head-to-head matchups between these schools (2-1 this season), with the last four in Corvallis staying low.
ATS ADVANTAGE: STANFORD and UNDER
NBA
San Antonio (46-24, 34-34-2 ATS)
at Atlanta (42-29, 40-30-1 ATS)
Just 24 hours after winning a nail-biter, the Spurs hit the road for Atlanta to face a red-hot Hawks squad inside Philips Arena.San Antonio edged Golden State 107-106 at home on Tuesday night, but came nowhere near covering as an eight-point favorite. The Spurs have won just three of their last seven overall (1-6 ATS), and prior to Tuesday’s win they hadn’t scored more than 95 points in any of their previous six outings.Atlanta has rattled off eight wins in its last nine contests (8-0-1 ATS), including Monday’s 109-97 victory over Minnesota, pushing as a 12-point home chalk. The Hawks’ last eight wins have all come at home with their lone roadie coming Saturday in Cleveland when they lost 102-96 to the Cavs but covered as eight-point pups.San Antonio has won five straight in this series (2-2-1 ATS) and eight of the last nine (5-3-1 ATS) and it has cashed in 11 of the last 17. These two met on Dec. 12 in Texas when the Spurs got a 95-89 home win but came up just short as 6˝-point favorites. The home team is on a 9-3-1 ATS run in this series.The Spurs are 0-5 ATS in their last five overall, 1-5 ATS in their last six on Wednesday and 2-6 ATS in their last eight against winning teams, but they are on a 5-2 ATS streak when playing the second night of a back-to-back. It’s all positive ATS streaks for the Hawks, including 11-1-1 at home, 12-2-1 overall, 6-0-1 against Western Conference teams, 9-0 against teams with winning records, 7-0-1 after getting one day off and 7-2 against teams from the Southwest Division.For the Spurs, the under is on runs of 5-2 on the road, 20-7 against Southeast Division teams and 5-1 overall. Atlanta is on “under” streaks of 8-2 at home, 5-1 against the Southwest Division and 6-1 against teams with a winning record. In this series, the under is 6-1 in the last seven.
ATS ADVANTAGE: ATLANTA and UNDER
Boston (54-18, 36-36 ATS)
at Orlando (52-18, 44-25-1 ATS)
The Celtics will be shooting for their fifth straight win as they visit Amway Arena in Orlando to face the Magic in a matchup of two of the top three teams in the Eastern Conference.Boston has won four straight (2-2 ATS), including Monday’s 90-77 home win over the Clippers, but it fell short as a 15-point chalk. The Celtics were victorious in their last two road games, winning in San Antonio on Friday 80-77 as 3˝-point underdogs and in Memphis on Saturday 105-87 and cashing as eight-point favorites.The Magic have won three straight (1-2 ATS) and 10 of their last 12 (8-4 ATS). They’re coming off a home-and-home sweep of the Knicks on Saturday and Monday but failed to cash in both contests, their only two non-covers in their last seven games. Orlando’s offense is clicking, topping the 105-point mark in six of its last seven games.The Celtics have won two of three matchups with the Magic this season (2-1 ATS), but overall the host has dominated this series, winning seven of the last nine (6-3 ATS) and cashing in 21 of the last 29. The underdog is 6-2 ATS in the last eight meetings, and the Magic have covered in five of the last seven battles with the Celtics at home.Boston is on ATS slides of 1-5 following an ATS loss, 2-12 after getting one day off, 0-5 against the Eastern Conference, 3-11 overall and 0-4 on Wednesdays, but the Celtics are 40-16 ATS as a road ‘dog. Orlando is on a plethora of ATS streaks, including 38-18 overall, 47-18-1 after a non-cover, 5-1 after one day off and 19-7 against teams with a winning record.The Celtics are on “under” runs of 19-8 on the road, 12-4 as a road underdog, 4-1 after a straight-up win and 5-2 as a pup. The Magic are also on several “under” streaks that include 55-26-2 as a home favorite of up to 4 ˝ points, 5-1 at home, 6-1 after getting one day off, 5-0 overall and 7-0 at home against teams with winning road marks. In this rivalry, the under is 5-1 in the last six matchups in Florida.
ATS ADVANTAGE: UNDER
Denver (45-26, 37-33-1 ATS)
at New Orleans (44-25, 30-37-2 ATS)
Two teams jockeying for playoff positioning in the Western Conference square off inside New Orleans Arena when the Nuggets come calling for the Hornets.Denver had its five-game winning streak stopped in Monday’s 118-115 loss in Phoenix, but it got the cash as a 3˝-point underdog. The Nuggets have been lighting up the scoreboard of late, scoring at least 107 points in each of their last six games (5-1 SU, 3-3 ATS).The Hornets have won three straight (2-1 ATS), including Sunday’s 99-89 home win over Golden State, cashing in as 8˝-point favorites. Contrary to Denver, New Orleans does it with defense, limiting the opposition to 90.8 points per game at home this season and not allowing any squad to reach triple digits since Feb. 23 (14 straight games).New Orleans has won three of four in this series (SU and ATS), including two of three this season. In the most recent meeting in the Big Easy, the Hornets got a 94-81 home win back on Jan. 28, easily cashing as four-point favorites. The favorite is on a four-game ATS run in this rivalry.Denver is on ATS slides of 2-6 on the road, 1-7 after a straight-up loss, 1-4 after getting one day off, 0-4 against the Southwest Division and 2-5 on Wednesdays. New Orleans is 4-1 ATS after getting two days off, but it is just 3-7 ATS in its last 10 against Northwest Division squads.The Nuggets are on “over” runs of 18-6 after getting one day off, 8-3 on Wednesdays and 8-3 when they play a team with a winning record, but the under is on streaks of 11-5 after an ATS win, and 7-2 on the road against teams with winning home records. New Orleans is on a plethora of under streaks, including 6-1 when getting two days off, 6-0 overall, 4-0 at home and 4-0 against the Western Conference.
Sports Advisors 3-25-09
Reply With Quote