Villanova Wildcats vs. St. John’s Red Storm
Pick: Click here for expert college basketball picks | Bet: Click here to bet on this game | Odds: Click here for current odds

College basketball betting action kicks off at high noon on Saturday at Madison Square Garden, where the St. John’s Red Storm (12-6, 9-6 ATS) will play host to the Villanova Wildcats (17-1, 13-4 ATS). The Cats have covered seven of their L/8 games overall, including Wednesday night’s 94-68 win over Rutgers in Piscataway. The Johnnies’ three-game cover streak came to a halt in Hartford on Wednesday with a 75-59 defeat against the Huskies.

Villanova’s offense is one of the most difficult to contain in the nation. Only two teams have scored more points than HC Jay Wright’s team has this year (85.2 per game). The Wildcats have scored at least 92 points in seven of their L/11 overall. The leader of the bunch, senior G Scottie Reynolds is playing particularly strong basketball right now. Even though he only scored nine points against the Scarlet Knights during the week, he has averaged 21.5 points per game in his L/10 overall, including a 36-point outburst against Louisville a week and a half ago. At 13-4 ATS, Villanova enters the weekend with the best mark in the land for NCAA basketball wagering fanatics.

St. John’s badly needs a landmark victory in order to get back into the NCAA Tournament discussions, and a ‘W’ against one of the top teams in the country would surely do just that. The 60-point barrier appears to be of great importance for the Red Storm. When they hold their opponent to 60 points or fewer, they are a perfect 7-0 SU and 5-0 ATS on the season. Any more than that, and they are just 5-6 SU and 4-6 ATS. Keep an eye on G DJ Kennedy, who is one of just two players on this team averaging double digits in scoring. He is contributing 6.6 rebounds and 3.3 assists per game to go with 15.6 PPG.

You have to go back to 2003 to find the last time St. John’s knocked Villanova off SU. The Cats took the most recent meeting between these teams 76-57 in the City of Brotherly Love as 14.5-point favorites in ’08-’09, but the tide may be turned now that the setting has changed to MSG. Still, Nova holds a 7-3 ATS advantage over the L/10 contests between these Big East rivals.

Visit Touthouse.com for more NCAA basketball picks from our professional sports handicappers. Be sure to sign-up for our free sports predictions newsletter for exclusive betting information from our experts

Texas Longhorns vs. Connecticut Huskies
Pick: Click here for expert college basketball picks | Bet: Click here to bet on this game | Odds: Click here for current odds

The XL Center will be the site of one of the premier college basketball gambling affairs on the crowded Saturday slate. The #1 team in the land, the Texas Longhorns (17-1, 7-7 ATS) will look to rebound from their first loss of the season when they travel to Hartford to battle the Connecticut Huskies (12-6, 7-9 ATS). Texas was dropped in Manhattan 71-62 on Monday night in a Top-10 battle. Meanwhile, UConn’s three-game losing streak came to a close with a 75-59 win over St. John’s at home on Wednesday.

Give HC Rick Barnes a lot of credit for putting together a heck of a schedule for his Longhorns. UT is definitely a battle-tested team, as it has already faced the likes of Kansas State, Arkansas, Michigan State, North Carolina, and Pittsburgh. That makes its 85.8 points per game scored all the more impressive. The Longhorns also have the top rebounding team in the nation at 41.8 per game, and they hold one of the best rebounding margins in the land as well at +10.8 per game. F Damion James has simply been all over the court for the boys in burnt orange. He is averaging 17.3 points and 11.0 rebounds per game, both team highs. Between James and C Dexter Pittman (12.4 points and 6.7 rebounds per game), Texas boasts one of the best inside combinations in the entire country.

How will the Huskies cope now that HC Jim Calhoun is no longer on the sidelines? It’s hard to picture an NCAA Tournament without UConn, but the possibility is becoming more and more real with each passing loss. A win against the #1 team in the country would go a long way in validating its resume. The trio of G Jerome Dyson, F Stanley Robinson, and G Kemba Walker is incredibly talented. The three are combining to average 48.6 points per game, which equates to over two thirds of the team’s scoring output. If those three can light up the scoreboard, a defense which is holding teams to just 37.3% shooting from the floor could lead the Huskies to victory.

These squads have met three times since 2000, with their most recent NCAA basketball betting affair coming in the ’03 NCAA Tournament. Texas won that day 82-78, but UConn holds a 2-0-1 ATS advantage in the recent series.

Visit Touthouse.com for more NCAA basketball picks from our professional sports handicappers. Be sure to sign-up for our free sports predictions newsletter for exclusive betting information from our experts

New York Jets vs. Indianapolis Colts
Prediction: New York Jets +8 -110 NFL odds
January 24th 2010
Visit Touthouse.com for more football betting picks from Tony George Sports

There are 2 glaring stats that are the foundation of all handicapping rules that I ignored last week that KILLED me last week as I took the Chargers over the Jets and got beat by the Books.

The Jets have the better running game (#1 in the NFL) and the better defense (#1 in the NFL), with two shutdown corners and a blitz happy scheme devised by head coach Ryan that is crushing teams on the road in the playoffs. They are ramming it down people throats running it.
You never go against a team, in the playoffs, with the better run game, and better defense, EVER! While on the surface it looks to be a Colts blowout with Peyton Manning as triggerman at home for the Colts, and his counterpart a rookie QB who has looked deplorable at times this year, STILL this line gives me great pause.

Yes the Colts lost at home to the Jets this year, but ONLY after they benched their starters with a 15-10 lead, only to see it disappear and lose out to the Jets, and halt their undefeated streak. So many people figure turnabout is fair play as Manning and company look for revenge at home with the Super Bowl on the line, in what should be a dominating game by a very good team at home this Sunday, some think the Colts will strugge to break a sweat. NO SO FAST FOLKS!

The last 3 games the Colts have averaged 14 ppg on offense, the Jets 26. The last 3 games the Colts have allowed 20 ppg and the Jets 9. The Jets allow less points on the road on defense for the season than the Colts do at home.

Yes Dwight Freeney and company will stack 8 in the box and force young QB Sanchez to throw it, but who is to say that stacking 8 in the box is going to stop the Jets running game? The Colts cannot run it, and while Manning is an expert at beating the blitz, the bottom line is, in a lower scoring game, against capable team like the Jets with some serious credintials to their credit, and nothing to lose attitude, 8 points is a TON of points to win by. The Jets did not get here, nor any team in the NFL get to a championship game by accident. This will not come easy in my opinion, and remember the Ravens, who are average at best across the board, completely shut fdown the Colts in their own house last week.

Grab the Points, FREE Play on the Jets.

Below are free NBA Picks and basketball predictions for January 22nd 2010 from Touthouse.com handicappers. If you are looking for free NBA basketball picks on a daily basis or premium picks from our NBA basketball betting experts visit Touthouse.com each day.

Free NBA Pick: Boston Celtics -10 (Dave Price)
I expect the return of Kevin Garnett to give the Celtics a big lift tonight against a Blazers team that will be without Brandon Roy. Boston has lost 3 in a row so it will be extremely motivated as well. The Trail Blazers are just 1-8 ATS in their last 9 meetings with the Celtics and 0-4 ATS in their last 4 meetings in Boston. The last time Portland visited the Garden, we saw the Celtics post a 93-78 win. I expect a similar result tonight as Portland will have a difficult time scoring without their star against a solid Boston defense. Lay the number.

Free NBA Pick: Nets vs. Warriors Over 216.5 (Jim Feist)
The Nets still aren’t winning games, but at least they are scoring some points! New Jersey is on a 5-2 run over the total. But this defense is getting worse, giving up 106 or more points in each of the last four games. That’s not surprising with a team that is winding up a lost season. That defense will struggle again against a Golden State uptempo offense that is second in the NBA in scoring with 107.7 ppg. This is the sixth straight home game for the rested Warriors, so look for them to run at the road-weary visitors, meaning plenty of points. Play the Nets/Warriors Over the total.

Free NBA Pick: Houston Rockets +6 (Craig Trapp)
821 Houston Rockets +6: Really like the way Houston matches up against SAS. Most teams don’t have anyone that can slow down Tim Duncan but the Rockets can rotate three players on him and really give him difficulty. On offense the Rockets also have a very good inside/outside threats. The Rockets are the best defensive team in the West and its a true gift to get this many points. The Rockets win this one straight up with outstanding defense and team rebounding!

Nashville Predators vs. Colorado Avalanche
Free NHL Pick: Avalanche -130 odds
Visit Touthouse.com for more expert NHL hockey picks from Nick Parsons

To date, Nashville and Colorado could arguably be considered the biggest “surprises” of the year; that being said, for a number of different reasons I believe the Av’s will win this home game and that this is a very favorable line for the home side:

Nashville is coming off a disappointing loss last night in Phoenix and I believe it will be prime for another “letdown” this evening.

The Predators were in position to win, leading 2-1 after two periods but Coyotes right wing Scottie Upshall had a natural hat trick in the third period to send Nashville to its second straight defeat.

On the other side of the rink: The Avalanche have 62 points and are tied atop the Northwest Division with the Canucks. Though both teams have the same number of points, Colorado is third in the conference because it’s played one fewer game than Vancouver.

Colorado and Nashville have met twice this season with the Predators winning both in thrilling fashion; the “double-revenge factor” comes into play this evening as well.

Bottom line: This is a spot that Colorado has done extremely well in all season: 10-3 (+9.8 units) when revenging a home loss vs. an opponent. It’s also an awesome 8-3 (+6.6 units) after a victory by two goals or more; I believe when you take all of the above factors into consideration, along with this favorable line, that COLORADO is certainly worth a second look in this instance.

Milwaukee Bucks vs. Toronto Raptors
Free NBA Pick: Toronto -7.5 -110 odds
Visit Touthouse.com for more expert NBA picks from Matt Fargo

This line may seem bigger than it should be considering the Raptors were a 2.5-point underdog in Milwaukee on Wednesday making this a 10-point swing but I believe it is justified. Toronto lost that game by six points after leading for much of the contest and that made it two straight losses in Milwaukee this season for the Raptors making this a double-revenge spot. Toronto has had a very rough schedule over the last couple weeks as seven of their last 10 games were on the road and the three games played at home were no easy outs as those came against Dallas, Boston and San Antonio. The Raptors took two of those three home games and actually went 5-5 during this stretch which is pretty impressive in my opinion. They are looking to start strong here as this is the first game of the schedule turn as it is more in the favor of the Raptors in the foreseeable future. 11 of the next 14 games are played at home with the three road games being at New York, Indiana and New Jersey meaning a huge run could be in store for the Raptors beginning tonight. Milwaukee has not had a very likable schedule either as it was coming off a brutal six-game Western Conference roadtrip where it went 1-5 before it played the Raptors the other night. Now instead of some time at home, the Bucks have to hit the road again tonight before coming home against tomorrow night. All in all, this is a lot of travel as Milwaukee has not stayed stationary for more than one night since over Christmas which was the last time it played back-to-back home games. The road has been rough for Milwaukee this season as it is 5-16 away from home including a 3-14 run following a 2-2 start. One of those victories came at New Jersey so we can actually not even count that one either. As a favorite this season, Milwaukee is 12-3 but as an underdog it is 5-20 meaning the favored team has gone 32-8 in its 40 games on the season. That is the straight up record and while the Bucks have been decent as underdogs, this is not a situation it has been accustomed to. Toronto also falls into a great bounce back situation. Play against teams that are coming off a home win by scoring 110 or more points, in a game involving two teams with a losing record with a winning percentage higher than .400. This situation is 50-19 ATS (72.5 percent) since 1996. The home team has covered four of the last five meetings and that continues on Friday. 3* Toronto Raptors

Manhattan vs. Iona
Free Pick: Manhattan +3.0 (-110 odds)
Fri January 22nd 2010 9:00p
Visit Touthouse.com for more NCAA basketball betting picks from LT Profits

We think that there is a surprise in store when the 7-11 Manhattan Jaspers host the 13-6 Iona Gaels in Friday night MAAC action on ESPNU.

Yes, Manhattan has lost three straight games to fall to 2-6 in the conference, but they covered the spread in two of those losses, both on the road with one being at conference kingpin Siena, and the only home loss during this streak was in overtime. The Jaspers have been cashing tickets, going 3-1 ATS in their last four games, and they are outscoring their Division I home opponents by a nice average of +8.3 points this season.

What we like about this matchup is that Iona relies on its defense and Manhattan simply does not turn the ball over. In fact, according to the Pomeroy Ratings, the Jaspers only turn the ball over on 16.0 percent of their possessions, which is amazingly eighth best in the entire country.

When Iona is not turning people over, they become a rather ordinary basketball team. Sure, they are averaging a respectable 68.6 points per game vs. DI foes, but many of those points have come off of steals and turnovers. The fact of the matter is that Iona has an adjusted offensive efficiency rating of 1.016 points per possession, which ranks just 156 in the country.

Also, with this being a rare nationally televised game for these teams, it should be a great Friday night atmosphere here in the Big Apple, and that should only boost the performance of the home club even more. Speaking of home teams, they are 12-5-1 in this head-to-head series, including a 52-39 Jaspers win here last season.

Look for that home dominance in this series to continue for at least one more game tonight.

CBB Free Pick: Manhattan +3 (-110)

Below are free college basketball picks and NCAA predictions for January 21st 2010 from Touthouse.com handicappers. If you are looking for free NCAA basketball picks on a daily basis or premium picks from our college basketball betting experts visit Touthouse.com each day.

Free Pick: Arkansas +1 (Dave Price)
The home team is 4-0 ATS in the last 4 meetings and the Gators are 0-3-1 ATS in the last 4 meetings in Arkansas. The Razorbacks have covered the spread in 4 straight games and they are 4-0 ATS in their last 4 home games. The Gators have only played 3 true road games this season, which makes walking into tonight’s environment even tougher as the Razorbacks are 14-3 ATS in their last 17 home games vs. a team with a road winning % of greater than .600. Also, Coach Pelphrey’s teams are on a 14-4 ATS run as a home underdog or pick. We’ll take Arkansas at home for 1 Unit.

Free Pick: Indiana vs. Penn State Under 132 (Jeff Alexander)
Plays Under on all teams where the total is between 130 and 139.5 points (INDIANA) off a win over a conference rival as an underdog of 6 points or more against an opponent off an upset loss as a favorite are 30-6 since 1997. The average posted total for these games has been 135.2 points and we are seeing the average combined score total 127.9 points. The Under is a perfect 4-0 in the last 4 meetings between these two teams. Bet the Under for 1 Unit.

Louisville Cardinals vs. Seton Hall Pirates
Pick: Click here for expert college basketball picks | Bet: Click here to bet on this game | Odds: Click here for current odds

Two teams hoping to take another step towards March Madness will square off on Thursday night when the Louisville Cardinals (12-6, 5-8 ATS) face the Seton Hall Pirates (10-6, 3-7 ATS). Louisville had gotten off to a solid 2-0 start in Big East play, but losses to Villanova (92-84) and Pittsburgh (82-77) were major setbacks. Seton Hall appears to be a program that is quite close to breaking through. The Pirates only have one conference victory in five tries, with the most recent defeat coming at Georgetown last week 85-73.

Louisville loves to fly up and down the floor as fast as it can, and it’s showing on the scoreboard. The Cards are averaging 80.9 points per game in ’09-’10, and have scored at least 70 points in all but three of their games this year. F Samardo Samuels and G Edgar Sosa are the heart and soul of this program right now, and it’ll be up to those two to push Louisville to victory on Thursday. Samuels leads the team in both scoring (16.3 points per game) and rebounding (7.8 per game), while Sosa is #2 on the team with 13.8 points per game and leads the squad in assists with 4.0 per contest. The biggest question mark has been a defense which has allowed 76.6 points per game over its L/5 games.

HC Bobby Gonzalez certainly doesn’t mind letting his team run with the Cardinals. Only three teams in the nation are scoring more points per game than the Pirates are. The only teams to keep this squad in the 60s since the first game of this year have been Connecticut and Temple. No one has figured out how to stop G Jeremy Hazell, who has scored at least 11 points in every game since his first of the season. He has already logged at least 33 points five times in ’09-’10, and he has averaged 27.7 points per game in his L/6. Seeing how he accounts for almost 30% of his team’s scoring though, it’s clear that Hazell isn’t getting enough help for Seton Hall to win games, and that’s why it is hovering right around the .500 mark on the year.

Since Seton Hall and Louisville entered the Big East, the Cardinals hold a 4-1 series lead SU. However, the Pirates are 3-2 ATS in those five college basketball betting showdowns. Every game has had at least 151 points scored in it, which is probably a sign of things to come; all five games surpassed the posted ‘total’.

Visit Touthouse.com for more NCAA basketball picks from our professional sports handicappers. Be sure to sign-up for our free sports predictions newsletter for exclusive betting information from our experts

Los Angeles Lakers vs. Cleveland Cavaliers
Pick: Click here for expert NBA basketball picks | Bet: Click here to bet on this game | Odds: Click here for current odds

Quicken Loans Arena will be the site of the premier NBA betting matchup on the Thursday night slate. The Los Angeles Lakers (32-9, 18-22-1 ATS) will take their show on the road in a battle with the Cleveland Cavaliers (32-11, 20-22-1 ATS). These teams have the best two records in the league by comfortable margins. The Lakers staged a comeback on Monday against the Magic, winning the rematch of last year’s NBA Finals 98-92. Cleveland’s ATS woes continued, as it failed to cover its seventh game in its L/10 (2-7-1 ATS) in a 108-100 victory over the Raptors.

The knock on LA this year is that it hasn’t figured out how to play on the road. The schedule makers handed the Lakers 26 home games in their first 41, and though they went 23-3 in those games at the Staples Center, they’re only 9-6 as guests on the season. Unlike in years past when the offense just revolved around G Kobe Bryant, HC Phil Jackson has his squad doing all of the things necessary to win another championship. Bryant’s two major partners in crime, F Pau Gasol and C Andrew Bynum are both doing a great job on the inside. Between those two and F Lamar Odom, they are averaging 29.5 rebounds per game. F Ron Artest also adds a level of intensity on the defensive end of the court, and he’ll be tabbed with the dubious task of trying to stop Cleveland F LeBron James on Thursday.

As for “The King” and his crew, the Cavs are playing strong ball thanks to their leader. James is coming off a game in which he fell just one assist shy of a triple-double. It was the 16th time in the L/17 games that LeBron went for at least 23 points to secure his 13th double-double on the year. Even though there aren’t a ton of other offensive weapons at his disposal, Cleveland plays strong team defense, and that is what could beat the Lakers on Thursday. The unit ranks in the Top-5 in both points per game allowed (94.6) and opposing shooting percentage (43.8%).

Cleveland’s only 2-6 ATS in its L/8 games played at the “The Q.” The road team cashed in on both meetings between these teams a year ago, with Cleveland winning 102-87 in LA and the Lakers earning a 101-91 victory in Cleveland.

Visit Touthouse.com for more NBA basketball picks from our professional sports handicappers. Be sure to sign-up for our free sports predictions newsletter for exclusive betting information from our experts