College Basketball Predictions: March 5th 2011
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Prediction: Purdue -9
Iowa has just been awful, dropping 6 in a row SU, and going 2-4 ATS. In their L2 contests, the Hawkeyes lost by 13 to Illinois and 19 to Michigan State. Purdue has had the upper hand over Iowa, winning 8 meetings in a row SU, covering 5 of the 8. In their only match up this season, the Boilermakers shredded the Hawkeyes, 75-52. In the L2 meetings between the squads, Purdue has won by a combined 46 points. JaJuan Johnson and E’Twaun Moore are combining for 39.1 PPG and 13.3 RPG. The team has just returned Anthony Johnson from injury. The Guard adds to the already potent arsenal. Coming into this game, the Boilermakers have won 7 in a row SU, going 6-1 ATS. Purdue still has a shot at the top regional seed for the Tournament if they keep on pace. They are 6-1 ATS their L7 vs. the Big 10 and 6-1 ATS their L7 as a favorite. Iowa is 1-4 ATS their L5 vs. the Big 10 and 1-4 ATS their L5 overall. Take Purdue. Thank you. -Joseph D’Amico

Prediction: Connecticut -2.5
UConn hasn’t played as well as it would have liked down the stretch, but I fully expect the Huskies to rise to the occasion on senior day. UConn enjoys one of the best home courts in the nation. This season, the Huskies are 13-3 at home with an average margin of victory of 11.9 points. Notre Dame knows firsthand how difficult it is to win at UConn. That’s because the Irish have lost their last 7 on the road in this series. The Irish are very susceptible on the road because of their reliance on the 3-point shot. I have to think they didn’t save enough threes for this one after making 20 against Villanova Monday. The Fighting Irish are 1-5 ATS in their last 6 games as a road underdog, 1-6 ATS in their last 7 road games versus a team with a winning home record and 0-4 ATS in their last 4 games as a road underdog of 6.5 points or less. In addition, we can’t ignore the fact that Notre Dame is just 1-10 ATS under coach Brey following a blowout win by 20 points or more. Expect the Huskies to do a good job of defending the 3-point stripe as they get the win and cover this afternoon. Lay the number. -Jimmy Boyd

Prediction: East Carolina +11.5
Way too many points as UAB is a solid team but won’t cover this big number. UAB struggled to beat ECU at ECU earlier this year pulling out late 7 pt win. ECU is coming off big win against MEM which we have in our power rankings above this UAB team. ECU is 4-1 ATS L5 road games at UAB. Sherrod is coming off 28 in MEM win for ECU and tonight he backs it up with another 20 plus performance keeping this one much closer than 12. -Craig Trapp

Prediction: Colorado -4.5
Nebraska 1-6 on the road and last Saturday lost to lowly Iowa State on the road. Off a big win on Wednesday for NU against Mizzou, this is a tough game and tough matchup for Nebraska whose defense will have issues on the road against the high scoring Buffs. Buffs still trying to get a higher seed in Big 12 tourney and a must win for post season consideration for both teams, Colorado a different animal at home and beat Texas in here last week. NU falls here by 10. -Tony George (Handicapperspicks.com)

College Basketball Picks: February 5th 2011
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Pick: Connecticut -2.5
Off back-to-back SU and ATS losses, expect the Huskies to be out for blood against an inferior Seton Hall squad today. UConn has had no trouble with the Pirates. In fact, it is 17-1 against Seton Hall dating back to 1998, winning those contests by an average score of 74-61. The Huskies enter this contest having won 10 in a row over the Pirates, with all 10 victories coming by at least 8 points. UConn got out of the gate slow against both Louisville and Syracuse, but don’t count on that happening again tonight. Consider that the Huskies are a perfect 7-0 ATS after being held to 30 points or less in the first half in 2 straight games over the last 3 seasons. UConn is winning by an average score of 77.1 to 67.9 in this situation. In addition, Seton Hall is a poor 3-12 ATS when playing against a top-level team (Win Pct. > 80%) over the last 2 seasons, falling to these opponents by an average score of 74.7 to 67.1. The Pirates may hang around for a while, but UConn will be on top when the finals gun sounds. Lay the points. -Jimmy Boyd

Pick: Butler +3.5
NICE Horizon league matchup on Saturday and I like Butler in the underdog role even though they’re sporting a not-so-special 3-6 record while on the road this season, 6-5 against conference opponents, and 8-4 against non-conference opponents. On Jan. 7, Butler defeated Cleveland State 79-56 at Hinkle Fieldhouse. On the road, the Bulldogs are averaging 66.6 scoring, and holding teams to 68.3 points scored on defense. Cleveland St. is a legitimate BIG PLAY team this year, they’ve won 6 in a row, 21 on the season and are 13-0 at home. What am I thinking you ask? Look at the Bulldogs stats/trends as underdogs this year. 7-1 ATS in their last 8, and 14-5 their last 19. You’ll see why I’m leaning the way I am. They’ve covered the last 2 times they’ve been dogs this year. 1x vs. WSU, and another vs. Duke. 6 of their 9 losses have been by 6 or less points, they lost twice in OT and 1x by 2 points. They keep their matchups close folks. As far as stats go Butler holds the edge in PPG, FG%, FT%, Rebounds, TO’s, and Bench points, its hard not to like the intangibles w/ this team. My sources tell me PG Ronald Nored (Gametime decision) will give it a GOOD Shot in the AM. I believe Butler have just been having a LONG hangover after last year’s National championship game, and this is as good a game as any to break out of their funk. Take them to cover the 3.5 or 4. -Ray Monohan

Pick: Washington State -3
Todays FREE NCAAB WINNER is Washington State over Oregon State. WSU is a respectable 15-7 on the season. However, the Cougars are sitting at 5th in the PAC 10 at 5-5 in Conference play. The team comes off of a humiliating 69-43 defeat against rival Oregon, a game in which Washington State was a 2 ½ point favorite. They must win this matchup in order to make up some ground in the Conference. The tandem of Guards, Klay Thompson and Faisal Aden are combining for 35.7 PPG. 6’8’’ 255 lb. Forward, DeAngelo Castro is a true force in the paint and will out-muscle counterpart Joe Burton. The Cougars spanked the Beavers in their only meeting TY, 84-70. In that victory, WSU shot 50.9% from the field, holding OSU to a mere 33.8% shooting. Prior to their 68-56 outright win over Washington in their last game, Oregon State dropped 6 of their L7 both SU and ATS. Jared Cunningham is leading the Beavers with 13.9 PPG. The Guard has given opponents problems this season. But his supporting cast just doesn’t have the talent to compete in this one. The ATS numbers slightly favor Oregon State, but they are due for a let down after besting Washington outright as a 13 point ‘dog. The opposite goes for Washington State. They will come back strong after their dreadful loss to Oregon as a 2 ½ point favorite. The Cougars get the win and the cover. Thank you. -Joseph D’Amico

Pick: Northern Iowa -4
UNI owns Drake- the Panthers are 4-0 ATS since Keno Davis left for Providence and any home court advantage is lost in this match up as UNI has a very good crowd presence at the Knapp Center. UNI is the better shooting team and defensive team, and they should be able to overcome the loss of Lucas O’Rear in this match up at least. UNI beat Drake by 20 at home earlier this season hitting 12-24 3 point attempts and holding Drake to 5-15. UNI has also made 13 more free throws than their last three opponents, while the Bulldogs have made 16 less free throws than their last three opponents. UNI has enough perimeter scoring with Johnny Moran, Anthony James, Kwadzo Ahelgbe, Jake Koch, and Marc Sonnen all capable of raining in threes and Drake will have no defensive answer to keep Ahelbge and James out of the lane. Even with the loss of the paint presence of O’Rear I look for UNI to win the rebound battle on both ends as Drake is a very poor offensive rebounding team (20.2% IC) and have a poor DRB rate as well- 68.8%. hile Drake has several options from the perimeter, they are turnover prone (19.1%) and have a poor assist to turnover margin at .8. Drake struggles to create turnovers and UNI takes care of the ball very well (15.2% and 8.9 to/g IC).  I look for UNI to come out shooting well from the perimeter and forcing Drake into comeback mode from the beginning. February is when UNI plays its best basketball under coach Ben Jacobsen and Drake should be a perfect opponent to adjust to life without O’Rear. -Patrick Webb (Handicapperspicks.com)

As we prepare for another great week of action on the gridiron, we take a look at how the teams in the Big East are faring thus far over the course of the year. We’re running with the Bulls atop the Big East College football betting poll this week at BetUS Sportsbook.
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1: South Florida Bulls (1-1 ATS, 1-1 SU) – No one in this conference is perfect ATS, but at least the Bulls are close. The Skip Holtz era has started off well, as USF has a dominating win over Stony Brook and a respectable loss in the Swamp against the Gators that was a heck of a lot closer than the final score indicates.

2: Connecticut Huskies (1-1 ATS, 1-1 SU) – Getting destroyed in the Big House didn’t set the Huskies back too far in football betting action. Opening up a massive can on Morgan State will help soothe the pains. A trip to the City of Brotherly Love this week could prove treacherous, as Temple is for real.

3: Syracuse Orange (1-1 ATS, 1-1 SU) – What’s the key to getting the Orange a cover? Play a team like Akron which barely deserves to keep its FBS status! Want proof of just how bad Syracuse is right now? They failed to cover a near two TD spread at U-Dub who went into the game 1-9 ATS the L/10 times it was favored at home.

4: Pittsburgh Panthers (0-1-1 ATS, 1-1 SU) – Better times will come for the Panthers one of these days, but that loss in OT to Utah is going to sting for awhile. The ‘Stache still has something special in Dion Lewis.

5: Cincinnati Bearcats (0-2 ATS, 1-1 SU) – Taking care of Indiana State 40-7 was a lot more costly for the Bearcats than just another loss against the football betting lines; Vidal Hazelton has been lost for the season. The Butch Jones era has gotten off to a rocky start

6: Rutgers Scarlet Knights (0-2 ATS, 2-0 SU) – One of the few teams in the nation that is 2-0 SU but just 0-2 ATS, Rutgers has played some dominating ‘D’ this year… But what gives with the 50 points scored in two games against two duds?

7: West Virginia Mountaineers (0-2 ATS, 2-0 SU) – If the Mountaineers are going to challenge for the 2010 Big East title, they need to prove they can beat teams like Marshall without the use of overtime. Geno Smith needs some work, but Noel Devine is still absolutely the real deal.

8: Louisville Cardinals (0-2 ATS, 1-1 SU) – The Cards might have lost the battle of the state of Kentucky, but they did pick up the first win of the Charlie Strong era last week in relatively tenuous fashion over Eastern Kentucky. Good luck this week in Corvallis, Louisville – You’re gonna need it!

Source: BetUS Locker Room Featured on: Handicapperspicks.com

BetUS Sportsbook has more NCAA football betting analysis for you this week by picking apart the best teams against the college football spreads from last year. Check out whether we think these squads are going to be able to keep it up for NCAA football betting fans this year or not!
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Connecticut Huskies (11-2 ATS in 2009) – The Huskies are going to be a very interesting team to watch this year in the Big East, especially if Jordan Todman can keep the team going on the ground. The passing attack is going to be non-existent yet again for UConn, but head coach Randy Edsall has a history of putting together a team that plays some hardnosed ball. The defense should be able to carry the way well enough to set the table for Todman to roll right over a good chunk of Big East teams. Repeating an 11-2 ATS mark is going to be virtually impossible, but we’d be surprised it the Huskies weren’t NCAA football betting winners by year’s end.

Ohio State Buckeyes (10-3 ATS in 2009) – Yikes! We don’t think so. The Buckeyes are one of the most overrated teams in the land this year. Terrelle Pryor, year in and year out, is an overhyped field general, and though he led the team in both rushing and passing last year, we don’t see any significant value in him over some of the other average quarterbacks in the Big Ten. OSU is going to be asked to cover some hefty, hefty spreads this year, and we think that the 2010 Rose Bowl triumph over Oregon is going to install a false sense of security in the minds of NCAA football betting fans all year long.

Middle Tennessee State Blue Raiders (10-3 ATS in 2009) – MTSU probably can’t be overrated this season. Dwight Dasher is one of the best dual threat quarterbacks in the game, and he won’t be contained by Sun Belt defenses. Until we start seeing some big numbers get thrown on the board, particularly when they are in Murfreesboro, the Blue Raiders are going to be a team to back all year long. Consider this a warning to both the Minnesota Golden Gophers and the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets: Middle Tennessee State is coming to get you!

Central Florida Knights (9-3 ATS in 2009) – Head coach George O’Leary still has a major quarterbacking issue at UCF, and until that gets fixed, we are going to be awfully reluctant to back this team. One wrong step for Brynn Harvey, the team’s leading (and only legitimate) rusher, and it’s all over. The defense still has a lot of playmakers in spite of the fact that it lost second round draft choice Torrell Troup to the NFL. It all worked for the Knights last year, but now that they have the expectations on their shoulders for being one of the top teams in Conference USA, NCAA football betting on them could become awfully dicey.

For every great team, there has to be one that has a miserable time trying to pick up college football betting victories. BetUS Sportsbook has the top four teams that you needed to avoid last year on the NCAA football spreads and whether they will be detriments to you again this season.
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San Jose State Spartans (2-10 ATS in 2009) – The Spartans might have a new head coach now that Dick Tomey has retired, but that doesn’t mean anything has changed in San Jose for the upcoming season. There is still a significant lack of quarterback play for SJSU, and a porous defense isn’t helping any. The only good news is that the oddsmakers apparently aren’t opposed to giving the Spartans 40 points to start a game with early in the season. That’s what they’ll be catching in Tuscaloosa against the defending champions, the Alabama Crimson Tide in Week 1; it also might be what they need to be catching all season long to finish .500 against the NCAA football spreads.

Colorado State Rams (2-9 ATS in 2009) – This team was nothing short of brutal at times in 2009. The only thing that CSU could take away from last year was the fact that it beat its rivals from Colorado. Now, the Buffs are out for revenge, and unless the offense is going to find more than 21.7 points per game from somewhere this year, it could be a bad start to what could be yet another miserable campaign.

Arkansas State Red Wolves (2-9 ATS in 2009) – It’s difficult for a Sun Belt team to post an ATS record this bad since the conference gets such little respect as it is, but the Red Wolves found a way to pull the feat off last year. Things should get slightly better this year, if for no other reason than the fact that the “top performers” from last year’s 4-8 team are all gone. New blood has to help Arky State, which looks to inch towards .500 this year in a woeful conference.

Florida State Seminoles (3-9 ATS in 2009) – It’s been years since Florida State has been a viable team to back on the NCAA football spreads, and for good reason. The Noles are consistently overhyped. If the garnet and gold nation hears one more time that “this is the year” that the team comes back, it might haul off and smack someone. Guess what, Seminoles fans… This isn’t the year either. Christian Ponder is being touted as one of the best quarterbacks in the country, and though the offense for FSU is ready to go, the defense is still atrocious. Unless by chance the Seminoles plan on winning a lot of 42-38 games this year, this will be another year of disappointment in Tallahassee. Maybe the problem wasn’t Bobby Bowden coaching the team after all.

Source: BetUS Locker Room Featured on: Handicapperspicks.com