San Diego State vs. BYU
College Basketball Prediction: San Diego State +5.5 -110 odds – January 26th 2011
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There has been a lot of hype building up for this game and for very good reason as it is a rarity to have two top ten teams from a non-major conference squaring off. For BYU, the game will feature a top 10 BYU team taking on a top 10 opponent in the Marriott Center for the first time in the facility’s history. The Cougars are 8-0 at home this season and their only loss came against UCLA on a neutral floor in Anaheim. This has become one of the toughest venues for visiting teams to have success in.

San Diego St. looks to remain one of only two undefeated teams in the country but it will not be easy. The Aztecs, despite being undefeated and ranked higher, are getting a healthy number here. This is a spot we would normally look at the home team based on public perception and perceived value but sometimes those angles are overshadowed by pure matchup advantages and that is what San Diego St. possesses and it is something you won’t see in the stats.

Malcolm Thomas, Kawhi Leonard and Billy White form arguably the best frontcourt in the country. This is an issue for the Cougars because they simply cannot match up down low which will enable San Diego St. to dominate down low with easy baskets and a formidable rebounding advantage. Cougars forwards Brandon Davies and Noah Hartsock are playing well but cannot compete here. BYU Guard Jimmer Fredette is the best player here but even he cannot do it all when things will come so easy for the Aztecs down low.

San Diego St. falls into a very solid situation as well. Play on teams that are coming off two consecutive conference wins by 10 points or more going up against opponents that are coming off a road win scoring 85 or more points. This situation is 27-6 ATS (81.8 percent) over the last five seasons. The Aztecs are 7-0 ATS this season against elite teams that are outscoring opponents by four or more ppg this season but BYU is 0-6 ATS this season following a spread cover. 3* (793) San Diego St. Aztecs

Air Force vs. Colorado State
NCAA Basketball Pick: Colorado State -9 -110 odds – January 26th 2011
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Off a home loss to No. 9 BYU and with a road war at Utah on deck, you can bet your last dollar that Colorado State won’t overlook Air Force on Wednesday night. The Falcons visit Moby Arena off a monster 21-point home win over Wyoming and they have CSU’s full attention.

If you want to fade the Flyboys, the perfect place to do it is when they’re on the road. As a guest, AFA is a dismal 8-36 SU and 16-27-1 ATS including a woeful 4-13 SU and ATS in this role matched up against an opponent that scoots in off a straight up loss. Even worse, in conference action entering off two or more pointspread wins, Air Force has crash landed notching a dismal 4-12 SU and 3-13 ATS mark including a stunning 0-8 ATS in this set on the road.

Quietly, Colorado State has been playing some incredible basketball posting a respectable 29-22 SU and 27-18-2 ATS record in its last 51 games. The Rams have enjoyed some tremendous success against Mountain West opponents too during this run notching a strong 14-8 ATS record including a perfect 7-0 SU and ATS in this role priced as a favorite. Also, as a conference host coming in off a straight up home loss, CSU is a reliable 23-12 SU and 21-14 ATS including a stunning 14-5 SU and ATS provided they check in off a blemish of six points or more.

If you want to beat the Rams, you better be able to put some points on the board. CSU is averaging 76.1 points per game and connecting on nearly 50 percent (.497 to be exact) of its shots from the floor. Off the loss inside Moby Arena to the Cougars, the Rams will bounce back nicely here. Take Colorado State. Thank you and best of luck, Tom Stryker.

NBA Picks: January 26th 2011
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Pick: Oklahoma City Thunder -5
The Thunder travel to the Twin Cities for a meeting with the host Timberwolves on Wednesday night with the tipoff set for 8:05PM EST. Oklahoma City has had little trouble with Minnesota over their last seven meetings with the Thunder winning all seven straight up. Minnesota has no answer for Thunder star Kevin Durant who has averaged 31 points per game over their last six meetings. Not only has Durant been a thorn in their side but also Thunder point guard Russell Westbrook has torched them for 22.5 points per game on 50 percent shooting from the field. OKC has forced Minnesota star forward Michael Beasley to have to work for his 22 points per game shooting just 38 percent from the field against the Thunder defense. The T-Wolves have struggled against the spread of late posting a record of 2-7 ATS their last nine contests overall. We have isolated a key technical situation for this game and it tells us the Thunder are 8-0 ATS covering by an average of 11.1 points per game since December 31, 2008 with at most one day of rest off a loss as an underdog in which they led by ten or more points. The Thunder are just a tough matchup for the T-Wolves and tonight’s contest will be no different as Durant and Company bounce back and put a “W” in both columns on Wednesday night in the Twin Cities. -Robbie Gainous

Pick: Bobcats vs. Suns Over 201
Charlotte is in the second of a back to back spot, so look for the uptempo home team to push the pace. The Bobcats went two straight games over the total in beating the 76ers, 100-97, then losing to the Hawks giving up 103 points. Phoenix is third in the NBA in points scored (106 ppg) and that comes at a cost of playing no defense, allowing .479% shooting, 28th in the NBA, plus allowing 107.7 ppg — second most. The Over is 8-3-1 in the Bobcats last 12 vs. the NBA Pacific and the Over is 9-4 in the last 13 meetings between these teams. Play the Bobcats/Suns Over the total. -Jim Feist

Pick: Utah Jazz +4
The Utah Jazz have fallen upon hard times of late failing to cover in 13 of their last 16 games while winning just 7 and losing 9. Returning home after a five-game road trip might be just what they need as they have been one the NBA’s best at home over the years. The Jazz swept San Antonio last year and will be looking for their first win over the Spurs this season tonight…they get it. Take UTAH! -Chip Chirimbes

College Basketball Picks: January 26th 2011
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Pick: Houston +5
I’m taking the points with the Cougars on Wednesday night. Houston is 11-7, 5-5 ATS and has won the last eight meetings with Rice. The Cougars are 9-1 ATS their last 10 conference games and they have won three of their last four, losing only to UTEP 57-52 after leading with about two minutes to go in the game. Senior guard Adam Brown leads the team with a 14.9 scoring average and forward Maurice McNeil averages 12.4 points and 8.1 rebounds per game. The Cougars hold opponents to just a 40.9 field goal percentage and 28.8 percent from beyond the arc. Rice is 9-10 and losers of four of their last five games, although the Owls beat Central Florida on Saturday when both teams shot a combined 33 percent from the field. Forward Arsalan Kazemi is the leading scorer with 16.3 points per game and 11.3 rebounds while hitting 58.6 percent of his shots, but there’s not much else after that. Rice is 4-10 ATS its last 14 home games. I believe the line is off by a couple of baskets in this game and I’m taking the points with Houston on Wednesday night. Thanks! GL! Scott Spreitzer

Pick: George Mason -19.5
Doubt rigid Towson group can recover from difficult home loss (80-76) to VCU on Monday. Now they have a major issue on Wednesday as they travel to GMU that has a shutdown defense and is going for the CAA title. Although the current overnight line is high, can’t help supporting coach Larranaga who will push the club no matter the deficit. Technically, the Tigers have an edge in the series versus the spread, but circumstances point to the 6-0 ATS conference record for the Patriots and their 7-1 ATS run overall. In other causes, today I will releasing my COLLEGE UPSET OF THE MONTH. Please be on board as we are STROKING RED HOT at 11-1 ATS, including our huge RICHMOND UPSET WIN LAST NIGHT. Get AHEAD, pick up my FULL-SEASON CBB and really earn BIG. -Brad Diamond

2011 NFL Pro Bowl Prediction: AFC vs. NFC – January 30th

The best players from each conference square off against one another this upcoming Sunday night in the annual NFL Pro Bowl from Aloha Stadium in Honolulu, Hawaii. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. (ET) and the game will be broadcast nationally on FOX.

Not all the best players in the league will be playing in this game as for the second year in a row the Pro Bowl will be played the week before the Super Bowl, so selections from the Green Bay Packers and the Pittsburgh Steelers will not be participating due to the fact they are currently preparing to try and help their team win a World Championship the following Sunday in Dallas.

The new formula for this game appears to work just fine as both the AFC and NFC rosters are filled with enough marquee players to make this both an entertaining as well as intriguing matchup that helps fill the football void between last Sunday’s Conference Championships and Super Bowl XLV on February 6.

The AFC will go with San Diego QB Philip Rivers as its starter after New England QB Tom Brady opted out of the game to have minor surgery on his foot. Rivers will be backed-up by Brady’s replacement, Matt Cassel of the Chiefs and perennial Pro Bowler Peyton Manning of Indianapolis. Manning’s favorite target Reggie Wayne will join Denver’s Brandon Lloyd as the starting wide receivers and the NFL’s leading rusher with 1,616 yards, Arian Foster of Houston, will be the starting running back. The Jaguars Marcedes Lewis will get the start at tight end.

The AFC defensive lineup features a couple of big men up front with Vince Wilfork from the Patriots and Robert Mathis from the Colts. The Dolphins’ Cameron Wake joins Baltimore’s dynamic duo, Terrell Suggs and Ray Lewis as the starting linebackers and Darrelle Revis from the Jets is paired with Nnamdi Asomugha, formally with the Raiders as the starting cornerbacks. The Patriots’ Brandon Meriweather and Kansas City rookie Eric Berry will get the start at the safety positions.

Along with Brady there are a few notable AFC Pro Bowlers who are out of the lineup due to injury. WR Andre Johnson and TE Antonio Gates are out on offense and Baltimore’s safety Ed Reed and Colts’ DL Dwight Freeney are out on defense.

Eagles’ quarterback Michael Vick will get the start for the NFC. Waiting in the wings for their shot will be Drew Brees from the Saints and Falcon signal-caller Matt Ryan. Detroit wide receiver Calvin Williams joins another Falcon, Roddy White as the starting wide receivers while Jason Whitten from the Cowboys gets the start at tight end. Michael Turner, a third player from Atlanta’s offense, will start at running back.

The NFC defense as a couple of bruising bookends with Julius Peppers from the Bears as one starting defensive end and Atlanta’s John Abraham as the other. DT’s Justin Smith from the 49ers and Jay Ratliff from Dallas will anchor the middle of the line. The Saints’ Jonathan Vilma is joined by the Redskins’ Brian Orakpo and the Cowboys’ DeMarcus Ware to make-up the starting linebacking corps. The secondary is headed-up by the Falcons’ Brent Grimes and DeAngelo Hall, also from the Redskins at the two corners along with the Giants’ Antrel Rolle and Adrian Wilson from Arizona as the two starting safeties.

A few of the starters missing the game for the NFC due to injury include the Eagles’ Jason Peters and the Giants’ Shaun O’Hara from the offensive line and Chicago linebacker Brian Urlacher and Philadelphia cornerback Asante Samuel from the defense.

The NFC is currently a 2 ½-point favorite and the ‘over/under’ line is set at 64. Last year the AFC came away with a 41-34 victory, while in 2009 the NFC won 30-21. The AFC has won six of the last 10 meetings straight-up.

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NCAA Basketball Picks: January 25th 2011
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Pick: Purdue +7.5
Purdue has either won or lost by 4 points or fewer in 6 of the last 7 meetings in this series. The Buckeyes are still undefeated by the skin of their teeth. In fact, 5 of their last 6 wins have come by 5 points or less. The Buckeyes are 1-4 ATS in their last 5 games as a favorite of 7.0-12.5 points and the underdog is 5-1-1 ATS in the last 7 meetings. Purdue may not be able to get the victory, but with a chance to break into a tie for 1st place in the Big Ten I expect the Boilermakers to take the Buckeyes right down to the wire. Take the points. -Jeff Alexander

Pick: Missouri State -9
On Tuesday the NCAAB Free play is on Missouri St. Game 523 at 8:05 eastern. Missouri St is tied for the conference lead. Today they travel to Drake knowing they are 4-0 with 3 covers vs teams who average less than 65 per game and 5-0 with 4 covers vs losing teams. They allowed 50% from the field in their last game, which is a key number since they have covered every game this season after allowing their previous opponent to shoot that high. Drake is 0-5 straight up and ats as a home dog from 9 to 12 since 1997 and 2-6 straight up and ats vs teams that allow 42 or less points per game. Drake is also just 2-8 and 3-7 ats vs winning teams this year. Look for Missouri St to win and cover. Jump on the 94% NBA West Conf. Game of the Month and the NCAAB Perfect Angle Blowout + Triple Angle dog of the week. For the free Play Take Missouri St. -Rob Vinciletti

2011 Super Bowl Betting Preview – February 6th 2011

There were 32 NFL teams that began the regular season with aspirations of earning a trip to Dallas in early February, but the reality of the fact is that only two teams can actually make it all the way to the league championship game and this played itself out this past Sunday. The Green Bay Packers from the NFC and the Pittsburgh Steelers from the AFC each won their respective conference and will now square off against one another in Super Bowl XLV at Dallas Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, TX. on Sunday, February 6.

Green Bay took the long road to get there as the No.6 seed in the playoffs. First, the Packers beat No. 3 Philadelphia 21-16 in the Wildcard Round and a one-point road underdog. The total stayed ‘under’ the 46 ½-point line. They followed this with an impressive 48-21 victory over No.1 Atlanta as once again a one-point road underdog. The total in this game went well over the 43 ½-point line.

Green Bay came into the NFC Championship against No. 2 Chicago as a 3 ½-point road favorite and the ‘over/under’ line set at 42. The Packers built a 14-0 lead at the half and appeared to be in complete control of the game, but the Bears defense and third-string quarterback Caleb Hanie decided to make things interesting right until the end. Packer CB Sam Shields ended the drama with an interception in the final minute to preserve a 21-14 victory that punched their ticket to the big game in Big D.

Pittsburgh was considered one of the top teams in the AFC from the very start and it lived-up to its billing by methodically plowing through the regular season and the playoffs to get its invitation to Arlington. The Steelers tied Baltimore in the AFC North with an overall record of 12-4, but won a head-to-head tiebreaker with a better record in the division. This was crucial since it gave them a first-round bye in the playoffs as the No. 2 seed.

Using its home-field advantage to the fullest, Pittsburgh overcame a 21-7 halftime deficit to the No. 5 Ravens in the Divisional Round game to rally for a 31-24 win. The Steelers closed as a 3 ½-point home favorite and the total went well ‘over’ the 37 ½ point line.

They came into the AFC Championship against No.6 New York as a four-point home favorite with an ‘over/under’ line set at 38. This one seemed to be over at the half with Pittsburgh holding a dominating 24-3 edge, but much like Chicago, the Jets rallied back in the second half to make a game out of it. The Steelers got the ball with a little more than three minutes to play and were able to convert two key first downs in a game ending drive that sealed the 24-19 win.

Green Bay will be making its fifth Super Bowl appearance in franchise history, while Pittsburgh will be making its eighth. The Packers have won three times including the first two Super Bowls ever played. The game-winning trophy is named after their fabled head coach, Vince Lombardi. The Steelers have the most Super Bowl titles in the NFL with six.

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Montreal Canadiens vs. Philadelphia Flyers
NHL Pick: Under 5.5 goals -110 odds – January 25th 2011
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These teams played a high-scoring game against each other in mid-December. The Flyers won that 12/15 meeting by a score of 5-3. Tonight’s “rematch” is likely to be considerably lower-scoring.

Note that this season’s two earlier meetings averaged only four goals. They had scores of 3-0 and 3-2.

The Canadiens exploded for seven goals in their most recent road game, a 7-1 destruction of the Senators. However, even with that result, they’re still averaging only 2.2 goals per game on the road. Prior to that game, they’d averaged only two goals per game, when playing away from Montreal.

Even including the result at Ottawa, the “under” is still a lucrative 17-4-2 in Montreal’s road games. Those games have averaged only 4.5 combined goals. When playing a road game with an O/U line of 5.5, the Habs have seen the “under” go 12-2.

The Flyers are off a 4-1 win at Chicago on Sunday. They’ve now allowed three or fewer goals in six straight games, two or less in five of those. The Flyers have seen the “under” go 16-6 after scoring four or more goals in their previous game and 14-4 when coming off a win by two or more goals. Consider the Under.

Buffalo vs. Western Michigan
College Basketball Pick: Buffalo -2.5 -110 odds
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Laying points with Buffalo may not seem sound in this spot but this is ideal to me. Buffalo is coming off a huge come-from-behind win over Ohio on Saturday to remain in a tie for first place in the MAC East and Tuesday marks the first could of games where we have the East playing the West with the former being much superior. No team has better than a 3-2 record in the MAC East as everyone has been beating up on each other. Ohio, the preseason favorite, is 1-4 and still cannot be counted out.

All six teams in the East are separated by two games while the West is being overtaken by Ball St. which is 5-0 but all wins came against West opponents. Taking a look at power ratings, five of the top six spots in the MAC are held by East teams all of which are ranked 183rd or better while five of the bottom six teams are from the West, all of which are ranked 201st or worse with the bottom four being ranked 268th or worse. The point is laying points with the East on the road against the West is not an issue.

Buffalo is currently the highest ranked MAC team in the conference and rightfully so. Despite just a game and a half difference over Western Michigan, the Bulls are outscoring opponents by 7.4 ppg while the Broncos are getting outscored by 1.5 ppg. Buffalo is shooting 48 percent from the floor including 47.4 percent on the road and on the season it is outshooting opponents by 6.4 percent while Western Michigan is getting outshot by less than a percent. Backing this up is that Buffalo has played a tougher schedule.

The Bulls are 5-1 ATS in their last six games following a win while going 4-1 ATS in their last five games against teams with a winning record. The role of road favorite has not been a problem for the Bulls of late as they are 11-2 ATS in their last 13 games as a road favorite of three points or fewer. Western Michigan meanwhile, which is coming off a win against Northern Illinois, is 2-10 ATS coming off a conference in its last game over the last two seasons. 3* (517) Buffalo Bulls

Los Angeles Clippers vs. Dallas Mavericks
NBA Pick: Los Angeles Clippers +6.5 -110 odds – January 25th 2011
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Tonight we get the LA Clippers (17-26 SU, 23-19-1 ATS) vs. Dallas Mavericks (28-15 SU, 20-21-2 ATS) from American Airlines Arena in Big D. Blake Griffin and the Clippers will be looking to post their fifth win in the last six games when they visit Dallas on Tuesday. In their last action, Los Angeles was a 113-109 winner at home against the Warriors. The Mavericks were an 87-86 winner in their most recent outing on the road against the Nets. LAC are really making moves. They’ve won 12 of 17. Griffin is now a dominant force on the inside, lifting his scoring and rebounding averages each month this season, and Baron Davis is rejuvinated. As for Dallas they’ve dropped 10 of 14 games while struggling mainly at the offensive end. Is Peja Stojakovic really the answer for losing Caron Butler? The Mavericks have taken seven in a row in the series and 13 of 14. But this line is moving as the public $ is coming in on Dallas. Clippers leading scorer Eric Gordon, averaging 20.3 points in three career games in Dallas, is questionable for this matchup after a bruised lower back but I’m hearing he’ll give it a go. I still like the number we’re getting with or without Gordon. The Mavs are really struggling shooting the ball. LA Clippers are 4-1 SU in their last 5 games. Dallas is 2-4 ATS in its last 6 games at home. Dallas are 1-8 ATS in their last 9 games overall. I’m not sure if LAC can win straight up but they’ll keep the number close.