NBA Picks: Milwaukee vs. Detroit 
Take Detroit Pistons 
Detroit -11.5 Detroit is an unstoppable 15-1 ATS in December games this season. We’ll take them again tonight in the midst of their incredible hot streak. The Pistons are 9-0 ATS after having won 8 or more of their last 10 games this season, 10-1 ATS after successfully covering the spread in 3 or more consecutive games this season, and 10-1 ATS after 5 straight games committing 14 or less turnovers this season. This is a huge key as Detroit’s ability to take care of the basketball have been a big component of its success this season. Milwaukee is fighting a host of injuries and already went down at home to Detroit by 26 this month. Lay the points on the red hot Pistons. 

NBA Picks: Golden State vs. Houston 
Take Houston Rockets 
1 Unit on Houston -3 The Warriors have not been good to backers in the road dog role. Golden State is just 7-18 ATS as a road underdog of 6 points or less over the last 2 seasons, losing by over 9ppg in these spots on average. Houston is playing very good basketball right now, having won 3 of its last 4 straight up and 4 of 5 ATS. The Warriors are currently struggling against the number having lost 8 of 12 ATS. Houston is an impressive 30-12 against Golden State the last 42 meetings. Lay the points tonight on the hotter team at home. 

NBA Picks: Minnesota vs. Los Angeles 
Take Under 
1 Unit on Clippers/Timberwolves UNDER 188 This game won’t even come close to reaching 188 points Monday. The T’Wolves and Clippers put two of the worst offenses in the league on the floor tonight. The Timberwolves are averaging just 92 points a game on the road. The Clippers are even worse, posting just a 91-point average on their home court. The UNDER is 4-1 in the Clippers’ last 5 games overall. Minnesota is 22-8 UNDER in road games first half of the season over the last 2 seasons. Minnesota is 26-11 UNDER when playing their 3rd road game in 4 days. The Clippers are 14-4 UNDER after 1 or more consecutive losses this season. Cash in with the UNDER 188 points. 

NBA Picks: Toronto vs. New Orleans 
Take New Orleans Hornets 
3* on New Orleans Hornets -6 The New Orleans Hornets will lay the wood on the Toronto Raptors at home Monday. The Hornets are now 10 games above .500 and rolling as they are finally healthy this season. Toronto is without starting point guard T.J. Ford and without his leadership, the Raptors just aren’t the same team that made the playoffs last year. New Orleans is 26-10 ATS after a non-conference game over the last 2 seasons. New Orleans is 20-7 ATS after covering 5 or 6 of their last 7 against the spread over the last 2 seasons. New Orleans has now won 5 straight games straight up and ATS. They will make it six straight tin both departments Monday. Bet New Orleans at home. 

NBA Picks: Indiana vs. Charlotte 
Take Charlotte Bobcats 
1 Unit on Charlotte -1 The Pacers are struggling right now having lost 3 in a row straight up and ATS. We’ll lay the point on the Bobcats at home. Charlotte is an impressive 9-2 ATS in the last 11 games in this matchup. The Bobcats have also already taken care of the Pacers at home earlier this season by 9 points. The Bobcats are a perfect 9-0 ATS in home games after a game with 5 or less offensive rebounds since 1996. The Pacers are just 5-17 ATS in road games after failing to cover the spread in 2 or more consecutive games over the last 3 seasons. Take the Bobcats at home. 

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Chick-Fil-A-Bowl Free Pick: Auburn +2.5
Mon Dec 31 ’07 7:30p
Auburn was a relatively boring, defense-first team this year, exactly the type of team that gets overlooked when bowl season comes around. The Tigers lacked a single marquee offensive playmaker in a conference loaded with them. QB Brandon Cox, a senior, threw only nine touchdown passes all year, and the Tigers finished with the 107th ranked passing offense in the country. And leading rusher Ben Tate split carries with Brad Lester and Mario Fennin, leaving Auburn without a 1000 yard rusher either. In short, this team didn’t impress the betting public very much, giving us value supporting them here as an underdog against an inferior team from a weaker conference.

Auburn’s defense was downright dominant all year. On the road, against Heisman winner Tim Tebow, Auburn held the Gators to their season low in both points and total yards, engineering the outright road upset. On the road, against Heisman runner-up Darren McFadden at Arkansas, the Razorbacks, too, were held to a season low in both yardage and points in an outright upset win for the Tigers. We’re talking about a defense that held five of their last seven opponents to ten points or less, the type of defense that should have little trouble shutting down this pedestrian Clemson attack.

Clemson dominated weak foes all year long, but in sharp contrast to Auburn, they did not fare well when stepping up in class. These Tigers were more like kitty-cats against their elite level foes, blasted at home by both Virginia Tech and Boston College, while being held to a single field goal in an ugly loss at Georgia Tech. And, unlike Auburn, Clemson did not fare well away from home against quality defenses. Tommy Bowden’s squad lost straight up as a double digit favorite against Kentucky in their bowl game last year. Expect a similar result this time around. Take Auburn.

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Sun Bowl Free Pick: South Florida -6.0 (-105)
Monday Dec 31 ’07 2:00p
The Sun Bowl is by no means the venue either of these clubs felt they’d be this bowl season. Each at one point was ranked the #2 team in the country, yet each failed to hold onto that spot the following week. South Florida saw its hopes squashed when they paid Rutgers a visit and lost by a 30-27 final count in a wild and wacky contest. Oregon’s hopes to play in the National Championship were all but squashed in the desert when QB Dennis Dixon ripped apart his knee, and the Ducks went on to get embarrassed for the second year in a row to Arizona.Still, it was a very successful campaign for the SFL Bulls who won nine games for the second time under the watchful eye of Head Coach Jim Leavitt. A win here would give them double-digit wins for the first time in the programs history. QB Matt Grothe opened up many people’s eyes with his efforts throughout the regular season. He’s a dual threat that threw for 2473 yards with a TD/INT ratio of 13/12, and he also rushed for 850 yards and hit pay dirt 10 times. The offense exploded this season with him at the helm as the 36 PPG they averaged this season was 13-points higher than their average of a year ago.

If only Dixon didn’t hurt himself….you’ll hear that a lot from the Duck faithful, but you do have to ask yourself what might have been if he didn’t screw his knee up against ASU on to have Arizona finish the job off. Their lone loss up until that point was against Cal in a game they handed away, and with the Top 10 in the polls changing on a weekly basis, they had an excellent opportunity to play in the BCS Championship Game with games against UCLA and Oregon State only left on the docket.

I question the Ducks mindset here greatly whereas South Florida is still looking to build the foundation of its young program that only started playing D1 A ball back in 2001. Lay the points…..

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Independence Bowl Free Pick: Colorado +3.5 (-110)
Sunday Dec 30 ’07 8:00p
If your appetite for football wasn’t taken care of with the NFL’s Week 17 slate, we’ve got a bowl game going tonight as the Colorado Buffaloes and Alabama Crimson Tide collide for just the third time in each program’s existence.

Colorado enters this game off a big win over the Nebraska Cornhuskers their last time out. The win was their sixth of the season, and it allowed the team to become bowl eligible. The Buffaloes regular season didn’t go quite as planned in the second season of the Dan Hawkins era, but there were some memorable moments. The comeback win over the then ranked #3 Oklahoma Sooners at home was unbelievable, and they went into Lubbock and handed the Texas Tech Red Raiders their only home loss of the season. HC Dan Hawkins son, Cody, got better as the season progressed and ended up throwing for 2686 yards with a TD/INT ratio of 19/15. RB Hugh Charles led the Buffs on the ground amassing 989 yards and 8 TDs while averaging 5.3 YPC.

Alabama closed out their regular season schedule with a tough loss in the “Iron Bowl” to Auburn. The Tide didn’t close out the last month of the season the way HC Nick Saban had envisioned. After the shocking drubbing they dished out to Tennessee at home, the Tide went on to lose to LSU, Mississippi State, Auburn, and most alarmingly, UL Monroe at home. This is a club that went into a tailspin at the end of the season, and that doesn’t bode well for them in this spot.

However, oddsmakers have tagged the SEC members as 3.5-point favorites with the ‘Total’ set at 52. Alabama went a combined 1-6 ATS this season when playing the role of favorite, and they lost 3 of those 7 games SU. As for the Buffs, they went 2-4 ATS when in the role of underdog this season, but they had a pair of huge wins as mentioned earlier over Oklahoma and Texas Tech. These teams are very even in a number of respects, so grab the points with the Buffaloes who should have a more positive psyched after finishing off the regular season on a high note.

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Florida State +4.5 (-110)
Mon Dec 31 ’07 4:00p
Much has been made of the fact that the Florida State Seminoles have 36 players that are suspended for the Music City Bowl vs. the Kentucky Wildcats, but most of the suspended players are reserves, so this line move looks like an overreaction.

Sure, the Noles now have practically zero depth, but that is more of a concern over several games than it is for one bowl game at the end of the year. They did have one key suspension on defense in cornerback Patrick Robinson, who had six interceptions this season, but the other 10 starters remain in tact, and the only notable suspension on offense is that of backup quarterback Xavier Lee, who has been coming in for a few situational plays each game. That just means that starting quarterback Drew Weatherford won’t get any relief this game, but truth be told, he has actually been steady if not spectacular, with just one interception in 10 games.

Kentucky was having a dream season, and the were actually ranked in the top 10 at 6-1 after upsetting LSU, but the Wildcats promptly went out and lost four of their last five games to finish at 7-5. The problem down the stretch was the Kentucky defense, which allowed 45, 31, 24 and 52 points respectively in the four late-season losses.

Also in Florida State’s favor is the fact that ACC underdogs have been surprisingly excellent bets in bowl games, going a stunning 19-6, 76.0 percent against the spread since 2000!

Music City Bowl Free Pick: Florida State +4.5 – CLICK HERE FOR EXPERT BOWL GAME PICKS

Air Force +3.5 (-110)
Monday Dec 31 ’07 12:30p
The California Golden Bears were a train-wreck coming down the stretch, losing six of their last seven games while going 0-7 against the spread, and they cannot be too thrilled about facing a disciplined Air Force Falcons team in the Armed Forces Bowl.

It is hard to believe that the Golden Bears were poised to become the top ranked team in the country two months ago, when they were ranked number two and gave away a home game to Oregon State on the same day that number one lost. California never did recover from that loss, and more disturbingly, it looked as if they just threw in the towel, losing to the likes of Stanford and Washington. In fact, their only win in the last seven games was by just three points at home vs. lowly Washington State.

Air Force quietly had a very nice season going 9-3 straight up, and they were very nice to their supporters going a scintillating 9-2 ATS. Oddly, while California lost its last seven games ATS, Air Force ended the season with a 7-0 ATS run! Now normally, that combination would give value to the Cal side, but that does not appear to be the case here, as the Golden Bears still appear to be getting a little too much respect from the oddsmakers.

Finally, while Pac-10 underdogs have been great bets in bowl games lately, Pac-10 bowl favorites are just 9-16 ATS since 2000.

Armed Forces Bowl Free Pick: Air Force +3.5 – CLICK HERE FOR MORE FREE BOWL GAME PICKS

Texas A&M +6.0 (-110)
Saturday Dec 29 ’07 8:00p
The Big Ten has struggled as Bowl favorites in recent years, and the Penn State Nittany Lions will put that trend to the test when they face the Texas A&M Aggies in the Aggies’ home state in the Alamo Bowl.

Not only will the Aggies have most of the crowd support, but they also discovered their offense late in the season. They saved the best for last, as they rolled up a whopping 533 yards of offense in their 38-30 upset of Texas. They showed some nice balance against the Longhorns, as the running of sophomore Mike Goodson opened up the airways for quarterback Stephen McGee via play action passes. If that game was not a mirage, we feel that the Aggies will be a tough team for Penn State to defend here.

Yes, the Nittany Lions only allowed 17.6 points per game, ranking them eight in the nation in scoring defense, but they are not accustomed to facing teams with the speed that A&M possesses. It is no secret that the Big Ten is full of plodding teams, and PSU played a very soft non-conference slate.

All things considered, we give the Aggies an excellent chance to win the game on the field, and do not forget that Big Ten favorites are just 2-14 against the spread in bowls since 2000!

2007 Alamo Bowl Free Pick: Texas A&M +6 – CLICK HERE FOR MORE FREE BOWL GAME PICKS

FREE WEEK 17 NFL FOOTBALL PICKS & ODDS

New York Giants +14.0 (-120)
Saturday Dec 29 ’07 8:15p
It’s amazing how fast the 2007-08 regular season went by, and to think the Patriots got through it unscathed to this point is quite remarkable. Regardless of what the public thinks of Head Coach Bill Belichick, the man knows how to win football games and the franchise will be immortalized if he’s able to coach the Pats to a win this evening.

The NFL Network let up its stranglehold of this game, and now the entire country will get to see this game broadcasted on their own TV’s with the announcement that it will be simulcast on both NBC and CBS along with the NFL Network.

The Patriots picked up their 15th win of the season last week when they defeated the Miami Dolphins by a 28-7 final count, but they came just 1-point shy of covering the 22-pooint spread. It was the Pats 5th loss ATS in their L/10 games, ands they come into this spot losers in 4 of 5 against the betting line. Granted, they’ve had to eat a ton of chalk in those games, but those looking to bet this game should take that Vegas is taking back some of the money they lost with the Pats in their first eight games.

The Patriots opened up as 13-point favorites with the ‘Total’ set at 45. The betting public has bet the Pats up to 14-point road chalks, and they foresee this being a higher scoring game with the ‘Total’ moving up to 46.5 and 47. New England got its biggest scare of the season the last time they were on the road when they barely got past Baltimore, 27-24, as 18-point road favorites.

As for the Giants, they’re coming off a big win last week at Buffalo that locked up their bid for the post-season. They’ve actually been a much better team on the road this year compiling a 7-1 mark as a visitor, but they’re surprisingly just 3-4 SU at home. The last time they won in the Meadowlands came back in late October when they pummeled a struggling 49’ers club. They’ve dropped their L/3 at home to Dallas, Minnesota, and Washington.

That being said, neither club has much to gain by going all out in this one. Sure, NE is the better team by far, but laying two tuddies in the Meadowlands in a game the Giants fans will most definitely be into is just too much. The Pats will win, but the Giants will cover and we’ll never have to listen to another pompous interview of Mercury Morris ever again….HALLELUJAH!!!!!!

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Miami Dolphins +3.0
Sunday Dec 30 ’07 1:00p
The Dolphins would love nothing more than to get their second win of the season here this week, against a Bengals team that is in an emotional let down situation after beating their long time rivals last week the Cleveland Browns by a 19-4 count. The Bengals will not be going to the post season this season, because of inconsistent play, and have nothing left to play for. With that said, I would not be at all surprised to see the Fins take advantage of their vacation minded visitors and pull off the upset in sunny South Florida this afternoon. Final notes & Key Trends: Miami has won 9 of the L/10 meetings in this series straight up. Play on the Miami Dolphins

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EMERALD BOWL PICKS: MARYLAND VS. OREGON STATE PICKS & ODDS

If you bet on college bowls, this is one game you’re going to love watching. Maryland head coach Ralph Friedgen is known for his trick plays and his ability to mix things up. Sometimes his offense is pas-happy and entirely vertical, while at other times, his team relies on the option attack. As this Emerald Bowl game has given him and his squad loads of time to prepare, look for more exciting plays from the Terrapins as they try not only to cover this six-point football betting spread, but to win the game outright.

Maryland Terrapins +6 vs. Oregon State Beavers –6

While certainly not known as explosive, Maryland’s offense has been getting their act together as of late. They will continue to rely more on the running game, led by running backs Keon Lattimore and Lance Ball, more than on the passing game. The offensive line has been hit by the injury bug through the season, but that has not stopped these two impressive backs from combining for 1,552 yards and a stunning 25 touchdowns this season. Helping things if the fact that right offensive guard Andrew Crumney will be back in the lineup again; he returned for the final game of the regular season after missing five games with a broken leg. They will all have their work cut out for them against this tough and stingy Beavers run defense that gives up just 2.1 yards per carry.

 Emerald Bowl @ AT&T Park: 8:30 PM, Friday, December 28, 2007

The Terrapins passing game is more of an afterthought at this point. Quarterback Chris Turner has only thrown five INTs all season, but the problem is that he also has just five TDs to go along with those. While he is tough in the pocket, he hangs on to the ball too long and that could be the difference in this game, as the Beavers pass rush is among the tops in the nation. Maryland will have to keep a back or a tight end in pass protection schemes when Turner drops back. If they are successful in protection, Turner will try to find wide receiver Darrius Heyward-Bey downfield. One big key to success for the Terps will be Heyward-Bey’s relative success against Beavers corner Keenen Lewis.

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CHAMPS SPORTS BOWL PICS: MICHIGAN STATE VS. BOSTON COLLEGE PICKS & ODDS

For those of us who love college football betting, this Champs Sports Bowl between the Boston College Eagles and the Michigan State Spartans provides ample opportunity for tons of excitement. The Spartans secondary has been eaten up at times by passing games, but Boston College simply does not have the receiving corps to take advantage of this weak spot. The Spartans, meanwhile, do have the weapons both in the backfield and in their receiving corps to possibly give fits to Boston College’s defense. So, can they cover the 4.5-point football betting spread that pegs them as dogs to the Eagles? Quite possibly, yes.

Michigan State Spartans +4.5 vs. Boston College Eagles –4.5

The Spartans running back tandem of Javon Ringer and Jehuu Caulcrick are both very effective between the tackles, but Ringer is the faster back and is very dangerous if he can find a space. Caulcrick can move a pile and break tackles, picking up good yardage after contact; he has 21 rushing TDs this season. When Caulcrick comes into the game, the Eagles will have to adjust, stuff the middle and try to force the back to the outside where they have a better chance at containment. The run defense of the Eagles is very tough, despite some injuries, and will not lay back in this game.

 Champs Sports Bowl @ Citrus Bowl: 5 PM, Friday, December 28, 2007

With cornerback DeJuan Tribble expected back from being out with a knee injury, BCs pass defense should receive a boost and put on a better show than what they did against Virginia Tech in the ACC championship game. The Spartans will try to have wide receiver Devin Thomas beat the secondary with quarterback Brian Hoyer throwing him the ball. Hoyer is an accurate thrower with a good arm who can get the ball deep quickly if Thomas can break away. In the red zone, Michigan State will look to use tight end Kellen Davis, who can make catches even when he knows he’s going to have to sacrifice his body to do so.

The Spartans will have to get a few key third down stops in this game, as the Eagles game plan will revolve around long, clock-eating drives. They will have to tire out the Boston College defense and remain strong themselves when the Eagles try running the ball in the fourth quarter.

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