Hoops

NBA

CLEVELAND over *NEW JERSEY by 4
With an open Friday night in New York, it’s unimaginable to think that LeBron James and his
teammates adhered to some curfew – especially with lowly New Jersey on deck for today’s
early game. It was a long, but very successful month of December for Cleveland, who went
11-3 SU & 8-6 ATS – luckily for the Cavs, ATS records don’t anything to the NBA. It’ll be one
of those days today, as the Cleveland should be able to pull out the win even if their concentration
is not fully there. CLEVELAND 94-90


*MIAMI over CHARLOTTE by 8
The Heat absolutely need to take advantage of games like this – a home date against an inferior
opponent, especially with Atlanta and Boston remaining on the schedule on this home
stand. While respectable at home, the Bobcats lousy on the road. Having had the last couple
of days off, it’s inevitable that Stephen Jackson and his impressionable teammates spent
some time out in South Beach last night. That won’t help Larry Brown’s cause one bit.
MIAMI 90-82


*WASHINGTON over SAN ANTONIO by 1
The circumstances could not be more favorable for the Wizards, who have had three days off
to prepare for the visit of the Spurs, who are playing their fourth game of the week. The key
will be the frontcourt of Brendan Haywood and Andray Blatche, who will need to be a defensive
presence against Tim Duncan, shifting the focus to San Antonio’s backcourt – with which
the Washington guards match-up well against. Let’s not count on any miracles, but expect a
competitive game between these two teams.
WASHINGTON 93-92


*INDIANA over MINNESOTA by 4
Let’s see what difference having a healthy frontcourt makes for the Pacers, who finally have
their full complement of big men as they face off against a Timberwolves team finishing a home-road back-to-back.
INDIANA 98-94


*BOSTON over TORONTO by 4
The Celtics return home after a cross-country road trip, and while you’d usually expect a
tough defensive team like Boston to dominate a soft Toronto squad, the Raptors are playing
pretty good basketball and have had a favorable schedule over these past couple of weeks.
Boston also won’t be helped by Paul Pierce’s absence. If the Raptors can get their three pointers to fall, this could be an interesting game.
BOSTON 104-100


HOUSTON over *NEW ORLEANS by 2

ORLANDO over *CHICAGO by 5
Road back-to-backs are never easy, and it was likely to have been a physical game in the
paint for Dwight Howard. The same applies tonight as Joakim Noah has been an unexpected
boost in the paint for the Bulls. Still, the overall talent advantage lies too much in Orlando’s favor.
ORLANDO 91-86


RECOMMENDED
OKLAHOMA CITY over *MILWAUKEE by 6
The Thunder starts a quick, two-game road trip in the Midwest. Brandon Jennings’ shooting
has regressed in the past month, but his decision-making has improved, as his assists
have gone up while his turnovers have gone down. With Michael Redd back in the fold,
it’s probably good for the rookie point guard to concentrate on distributing the ball, but
he’ll face a tough task keeping up with the Thunder and Russell Westbrook, who is sure
to go hard against the young rookie in the limelight. Milwaukee’s play has really slipped
of late, as they’ve dropped 13 of the past 17, albeit with a respectable 8-9 ATS mark. Look
for the Thunder to come up big against a team struggling to recapture their early magic.
OKLAHOMA CITY 104-98


BEST BET
*UTAH over DENVER by 13
Surprisingly enough, this is the first match-up of the year between these division rivals.
The Nuggets make the second stop of their road trip after playing in Sacramento four days
ago – what are the chances that George Karl let his team get away for the New Year celebrations?
I’m going to guess that he did, because keeping an entire NBA team together
for four days without games is probably asking for too much. In contrast, the Jazz probably
spent New Year’s Eve in Oklahoma City, or on their private plan – in this case, the team
with the more consistent schedule over the past few days is better off. Besides, Utah’s
size and length up front has led to a 8-2 SU & 7-3 ATS mark against Denver in their last ten. The hangover is just the icing on the cake. UTAH 104-91


*PHOENIX over MEMPHIS by 4
The last time the Grizzlies were in Phoenix, they were pasted by 15 points in an embarrassing
loss – made more memorable because Memphis was in the game from the outset before
fading in the second half. The worm has turned for both squads since then, as Memphis has
gone 8-5 SU & ATS while Phoenix has gone 7-8 SU & 7-7-1 ATS. Memphis will focus on stopping
Amare Stoudemire after seeing him single-handedly beat them last time out, and should
have more success after 13 games of increased effectiveness at playing basketball in general,
and with each other. It will be an interesting month for Phoenix, whose schedule lightens up in difficulty considerably after a tough December. PHOENIX 114-110


*PORTLAND over GOLDEN STATE by 7
Is Portland’s recent bout of success a case of overcoming long-term adversity, or a short-term
boost that is destined to fade as the impact of their injuries hit them? It’s tough to question a
team that just went 6-1 SU & 6-0-1 ATS. Not having their top two centers shouldn’t affect
them against the Warriors, who are one of the smallest teams in the league. Golden State has
long dominated Portland, with a 12-2 SU & 10-3-1 ATS record in their last 14, but the last
meeting in Oakland was particularly embarrassing – especially for Brandon Roy, who was
overwhelmed by Monta Ellis on both ends of the floor. Portland’s only two wins against the
Dubs have come at home, where they are a significantly better team in record (11-4), if not
against the spread (8-7). Look for Portland’s recent success to boost them to a safe win over the melting Warriors.
PORTLAND 108-101


DALLAS over *SACRAMENTO by 7
It’s going to be tough to rely on Sacramento in the coming weeks, as their early schedule was
fifth easiest in the league. January features a tougher slate of opponents as well as a long
east coast road trip that could make or break the Kings’ slim playoff chances. The dominoes
should start to fall tonight as the Kings finish a back-to-back after playing in Los Angeles last
night against a fairly well rested Mavericks team.
DALLAS 98-91


NCAA

*SYRACUSE over PITT by 6


*UCONN over NOTRE DAME by 11
Huskies have led the NCAA’s in blocks for eight straight seasons and they are on their way to
#9. The Irish’s offense runs through big man Harangody – but he’ll find it tougher to score and
to pass vs. the UCONN size. UCONN, 80-69.


OLD DOMINION over *GEORGE MASON by 2

GONZAGA over *ILLINOIS by 2


ARIZONA over *UCLA by 2
The Bruins routinely give up 70+ points – a rarity in the Ben Howland era. It isn’t lack of effort
– more lack of talent. Arizona’s Wise, Williams, and Horne are super-talented athletes that can
create and attack the rim. ARIZONA, 73-71.


*SOUTH CAROLINA over BAYLOR by 2


OKLAHOMA ST. over RHODE ISLAND by 1 (Uncasville, CT)
In a battle of jack rabbits, Okie St. gets the nod due to Rhode Island's struggles on the defensive
glass. OKLAHOMA ST., 87-86.


*MARSHALL over ST. BONAVENTURE by 17
*VCU over NC WILMINGTON by 10
DREXEL over *DELAWARE by 3
*ST. JOES over PRINCETON by 13
*BUTLER over WISC MILWAUKEE by 11
*VANDERBILT over SOUTHERN MISS by 5


*TULSA over COLORADO by 7
After getting smoked in two straight in the Vegas holiday tourney, Tulsa should be plenty motivated
at home vs. the Buffs. Don’t sleep on CU because they have talent and a solid coaching
staff. That said – they’ll have trouble keeping 7’0 center Jerome Jordan from controlling the paint. TULSA, 80-73.



*KENTUCKY over LOUISVILLE by 4


BEST BET
*MARQUETTE over VILLANOVA by 8
Good value with Marquette here as they are likely to lose by 10+ at West Virginia on
December 29th - team that has much more backcourt size than Marquette. ‘Nova doesn’t
have that sort of perimeter size and the Golden Eagles are one of few squads that can
match Villanova’s team quickness. The visiting Wildcats also tend to foul a lot and with a
home floor whistle and team free throw shooting hovering around 72%...Marquette will
get to 1-1 in the Big East conference.
MARQUETTE, 81-73.


MINNESOTA over *IOWA by 7
*HOFSTRA over WILLIAM & MARY by 10
*NORTHEASTERN over JAMES MADISON by 12


WRIGHT ST. over *ILLINOIS CHICAGO by 9
Wright St. could team a clinic on playing pressure team defense. Illinois Chicago’s offense
would be the perfect sacrificial lamb given their complete ineptness on that end. WRIGHT ST.,
63-54.


DETROIT over *LOYOLA CHICAGO by 1

*MISSOURI over GEORGIA by 17


*NEW ORLEANS over FIU by 1
Toss-up between two teams that cannot beat most D-1 schools. This is FIU’s 9th away game
in the last 10 so we’ll give the minor edge to New Orleans.
NEW ORLEANS, 65-64.


*WASHINGTON over OREGON by 19
ARKANSAS LITTLE ROCK over *UL-MONROE by 8
KANSAS over *TEMPLE by 7
TOWSON over *GEORGIA ST. by 4
MICHIGAN ST. over *NORTHWESTERN by 8


ST. LOUIS over *BOWLING GREEN by 6
BG hasn’t beaten anybody with a pulse – but they won’t get blown out of their own building
here against a team that plays their slow down style. Hard to win when you shoot just 58%
from the line though – even when aiming at familiar rims.
ST. LOUIS, 60-54


CLEVELAND ST. over *YOUNGSTOWN ST. by 5


GEORGIA TECH over *CHARLOTTE by 6
Tech plays good defense without fouling – especially outside of the arch. For a home team
that gets most of its points from the line and from 3….not the best of matchups. Charlotte
will be jazzed to get an ACC skin – so they’ll hang in there throughout. GEORGIA TECH, 72-68.


*FAU over SOUTH ALABAMA by 4

BEST BET
*CAL over STANFORD by 25
Stanford is an also-ran that got outta the gates well…but they’re starting to fade. They
have yet to win on the road and rely almost solely on two players for production – Fields
and Green. Cal has the quickness and athleticism to guard the Cardinal’s best, and the
Bears will love the fast pace at which Stanford plays. At 6-4, Cal’s record looks the part
of an average team. But, all of their losses where to Top 25 teams who have a combined
record of 47-3. Each of those squads are also big inside…something that bothered Cal and something that Stanford is not.
CAL, 92-67.


*WASHINGTON ST. over OREGON ST. by 9
Tough for OSU to slow down this game on WSU’s home floor. If they cannot, the Cougars shoot to well to be at upset risk.
WASHINGTON ST., 71-62.


*VIRGINIA TECH over SETON HALL by 1
The Hall is talented, but Vtech is the meat in a Syracuse-UCONN sandwich. Plus – the Pirates are eating on the road.
VIRGINIA TECH, 73-72.


CINCINNATI over *RUTGERS by 3
WISC GREEN BAY over *VAPARAISO by 7


BEST BET
*ARKANSAS over UAB by 4
At 11-1, UAB may be the surprise of the NCAA. That said – they’ve played only one road
game at the time of print – but play UVA on the road on December 29th before tripping
to Fayetteville for this one. Between Michael Washington and Rotnei Clarke – the Hogs
can find folks to put the ball in the hole. After a slow start that saw several starters suspended
or booted, Arkansas is learning how to play as a team and that’ll be evident on this night.
ARKANSAS, 72-68.


*LSU over UTAH by 8
Utes struggle when facing super-athletes…what LSU lacks in pure basketball skill, they
make up for in athleticism and length.
LSU, 64-56.


NORTH TEXAS over *ARKANSAS ST. by 1
UL-LAFAYETTE over *MIDDLE TENNESSEE ST. by 2


*LOUISIANA TECH over NEVADA by 2
Look for an up-tempo game that breaches the 160-point total. Nevada’s inability to defend
will likely be their undoing on the road.
LOUISIANA TECH, 83-81.


*TCU over RICE by 10


DENVER over *TROY by 2
Nobody in college hoops puts their opponents on the foul line more times per possession
than Denver. Trojans shoot a pedestrian 68% from the stripe and don’t play defense. Both
bits of good news for U of D. DENVER, 72-70.


*FRESNO ST. over BOISE ST. by 7
*PACIFIC over CS NORTHRIDGE by 6
CAL SANTA BARBARA over *CAL IRVINE by 3
CS FULLERTON over *CAL DAVIS by 4
LONG BEACH ST. over *CAL RIVERSIDE by 8


ARIZONA ST. over *USC by 2
If you like slow-paced grinders – this game is for you. Neither team will be in a hurry on the
offensive end. Trojans have the home floor edge, but ASU is much better taking care of the
rock. ARIZONA ST., 52-50.


UTAH ST. over *NEW MEXICO ST. by 5

IDAHO over *HAWAII by 3