The Illinois Fighting Illini will play the Wisconsin Badgers tonight in what is a highly-anticipated Big Ten Conference matchup. Illinois has won three of its last four games to move to a 18-4 overall record and 6-3 record in conference games. The Illini played solid defense in Sunday’s 62-54 win over the Hawkeyes, and the goal in this evening’s game is that they can improve upon their 2-3 record in road games. As for Wisconsin, they have lost 6 consecutive games to move to 3-6 in Big Ten games, even though they sport a 12-9 overall record this season. The last five setbacks have come by seven points or fewer. On Saturday, the team lost a 66-63 game to Northwestern away from home, and that loss was after a one-point home loss to the Boilermakers. Illinois beat Wisconsin by a score of 64-57 on January 24th, and the Illini now have a 107-73 all-time record over the Badgers.

5dimes.com oddsmakers currently have the Wisconsin Badgers set at 3.5 betting odds favorites against the Illinois Fighting Illini with the games over/under posted at only 121 points.

Illinois vs. Wisconsin: Click Here for the Winning Pick
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Here are some college basketball betting trends to consider for this game
Fighting Illini are 5-1 ATS in their last 6 games following a ATS loss.
Fighting Illini are 5-2 ATS in their last 7 road games vs. a team with a home winning % of greater than .600.
Fighting Illini are 5-2 ATS in their last 7 games as a road underdog of 0.5-6.5.
Badgers are 8-3-1 ATS in their last 12 games following a ATS loss.
Badgers are 1-4 ATS in their last 5 games as a favorite.
Badgers are 1-4 ATS in their last 5 games as a favorite of 0.5-6.5.

Click Here for Current Illinois vs. Wisconsin NCAA Betting Odds

Florida State vs. Georgia Tech
Free Betting Pick: Georgia Tech +8.5 (-110) – Thu February 5th 2009 7:00p
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The Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets won their first conference game of the season by upsetting Wake Forest on Saturday, and we they may of may not beat the Florida State Seminoles outright tonight, we do expect them to take this game down to the wire.

Georgia Tech was off to an 0-6 start in the ACC before shocking the Demon Deacons, and they were a bit fortunate to be catching Wake Forest in a post-Duke letdown situation. The thing is, the Yellow Jackets may be in a similarly fortunate situation tonight!

You see, Florida State is coming off of an emotional game here at home vs. North Carolina where the Seminoles played their hearts out, only to fall just short in an 80-77 loss as 11-point underdogs. It seems virtually impossible for them to be able to match that kind of intensity here, so a lethargic effort seems inevitable, especially in the first half.

Besides, it is not as if the Jackets do not have any merit here despite their poor conference record, especially on the defensive end. According to the Pomeroy Ratings, the Georgia Tech defense ranks in the Top 40 in adjusted defensive efficiency, effective field goal percentage allowed and two-point field goal percentage allowed, and they also rank highly in blocks.

We look for that defense to contain a rather disinterested Noles team here en route to the cover.

College Basketball Free Pick: Georgia Tech +8.5 (-110) – Courtesy of LT Profits

Free Pick: Providence +3.0 (-110) – Wed February 4th ’09 8:00p
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The Villanova Wildcats are currently ranked 16 in the country, but they may have a surprise in store for them when they visit the Providence Friars tonight.

Providence is actually a half-game ahead of Villanova in the Big East standings at 6-3, and the Friars have been very tough at home this season, going 11-2 while beating their Division I home opponents by an average of +12.3 points per game.

Providence is averaging an impressive 79.7 points per game overall including a whopping 83.0 points at home, and their offensive success has been no fluke. This is because they rank number 56 in the country in adjusted offensive efficiency according to the Pomeroy Ratings, they have low turnover percentage (18.9) and they have high percentages in offensive rebounds (37.9) and two-point baskets (52.9).

Now Villanova is also solid offensively, but their average of 75.5 points per game on the road is still nearly eight points less than the Providence home average. That should be the key to this game, as the home/away defensive splits for these teams are virtually identical, with the Wildcats allowing 70.0 points per road contest and the Friars allowing 70.7 points at home.

Providence has already beaten a ranked Big East team in this building, knocking off then number 15 Syracuse last week, and we look for them to duplicate that feat with an upset tonight.

College Basketball Free Pick: Providence +3 (-110)

Purdue and Ohio State are deadlocked at 79-79 wins each in their all-time record against eachother, and the Big 10 Conference rivals will break the tie tonight in Columbus.

Purdue enters this game with confidence, as the team has won its last six games to move to a 17-4 overall record and 6-2 in Big 10 play. The Boilermakers, who are currently ranked 12th in the nation, played well this weekend in a 67-49 win over Michigan, and they have a 4-1 record in true road games this season.

Ohio State has been victorious in its last two games to move to a 15-5 overall record, including 5-4 in Big Ten games. On Saturday, the Buckeyes beat Indiana on the road by a 93-81 final score, and they now come home where they have won 11 of their 15 total wins.

5dimes.com oddsmakers currently have the Purdue Boilermakers set as 2 point betting odds favorites against the Ohio State Buckeyes with the games over/under sitting at 129 points.

Purdue vs. Ohio State: Click Here for the Winning Pick
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Here are some college basketball betting trends for this game:
Boilermakers are 4-0 ATS in their last 4 games vs. a team with a winning S.U. record.
Boilermakers are 4-0 ATS in their last 4 games following a S.U. win.
Boilermakers are 4-0 ATS in their last 4 games vs. a team with a winning % above .600.
Buckeyes are 6-1-1 ATS in their last 8 Tuesday games.
Buckeyes are 8-2 ATS in their last 10 games following a ATS win.
Buckeyes are 5-2 ATS in their last 7 games overall.

Click here for current college basketball betting odds

Free Pick: Florida -8.5 (-110) – Tue February 3rd ’09 9:00p
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The Florida Gators are a perfect 13-0 straight up at home this season while winning by a hefty average of +18.8 points per game, and we look for another handy victory when they host the South Carolina Gamecocks tonight.

The Gators are the second highest ranked SEC team on the Pomeroy Ratings at number 31, trailing only number 25 Kentucky. The Gators are averaging 78.6 points per game and they are hitting an amazing 49.3 percent of their field goal attempts at home. Furthermore, they are hitting 56.5 percent of their two-point attempts overall, ranking fourth in the entire country in that category.

Now granted, Florida did not have the toughest of non-conference schedules, but even after adjusting for SOS, they rank 19 in the nation in offensive efficiency at 1.150 points per possession. Comparatively, South Carolina ranks 88 in that department with an adjusted PPP of 1.071.

Now the Gamecocks are 18-4, but all four of their losses have come away from home. The biggest difference in their home/away splits is in their defense, as South Carolina is allowing a high 77.2 points per game on a porous 50.5 percent shooting on the road! That should be their death blow tonight vs. an offense as efficient as Florida.

Look for the Gators to build a big early lead and never look back here.

College Basketball Free Pick: Florida -8.5 (-110)

Free NCAA Pick: Georgia Southern -4.0 – Monday February 2nd ’09 7:30p
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The ASU basketball team has won two of its last three games and looks to move up in the Southern Conference North division as the team faces Georgia Southern.

The Mountaineers (8-11, 5-6 SoCon) defeated Furman 77-75 on Saturday behind 16 points and 16 rebounds from sophomore center Isaac Butts. The double-double was his seventh of the season. Classmate Donald Sims led the team in scoring with 20 points and sank four late free throws to help ice the game.

Sims has scored in double figures each of the last six games, and has started the last five for Appalachian and now averages 11.5 points per game. Butts is the team leader with 8.9 rebounds per game.

Georgia Southern (7-12, 5-6) enters the game on a two-game skid after dropping road games at Samford and Chattanooga over the weekend. Willie Powers leads the team with 40 assists and 14.5 points per game.
The Eagles (7-12 overall, 5-6 SoCon) have won four of their five Southern Conference home games this year.

Georgia Southern is coming off a disappointing 100-87 loss at Chattanooga, despite hitting a season-high 15 3-pointers and shooting 53.6 percent from long range.

Free Betting Pick: West Virginia +6.5 (-110) – Sat January 31st 2009 12:00p
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The Louisville Cardinals and the West Virginia Mountaineers are both ranked in the Top 10 in the Pomeroy Ratings, so we look for a tight slugfest here that goes right down to the wire, giving the Mountaineers value with this line.

Now Louisville is certainly on fire, having won eight straight games including going a perfect 7-0 in Big East play. Keep in mind though that they were in tight battles with the three highest rated Pomeroy teams they have beaten during the stretch, beating Pittsburgh (3) by six, Villanova (20) by one and Kentucky (23) by three.

None of those margins would have been good enough to cover this number, and we look for an equally tight battle here vs. a West Virginia team that is ranked eighth by Pomeroy. After all, the Mountaineers are ranked sixth in the country in adjusted defensive efficiency, a category that Louisville leads the nation in.

That takes away a huge advantage that the Cardinals usually have on their opponents, and remember also that West Virginia already owns a statement road Big East win, going into Georgetown and trouncing the Hoyas by 17.

Look for a tight battle here at the very least, with an upset not beyond the realm of possibility.

College Basketball Free Pick: West Virginia +6.5 (-110) – Courtesy of LT Profits

Free Pick: Xavier -16.0 – Sat January 31st ’09 12:00p
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10th ranked Xavier brings all sorts of glossy numbers into today’s game against U-Mass. Xavier is 18-2 on the year, including a 9-1 SU record at home and 9-1 SU on the road. They’re also on a sparkling 8-0 ATS run.

Xavier has opened Atlantic 10 play 6-0, its best start since the 2001-02 season. They’ve alsO won 19 straight at home. Are you sold yet?

Xavier finished 12-2 in non-conference play this season, beating the likes of LSU, Memphis, Virginia Tech, Missouri, Auburn, Miami (Ohio), Cincinnati and Virginia. Their defense has held 14 of its first 20 opponents to under 40.0 percent shooting
from the field and only Duke shot over 42 percent against XU this season.

The Musketeer’s boast a three-headed monster in Derek Brown, C.J. Anderson and B.J. Raymond. All three players are all capable of putting up double-double type numbers.

U-Mass comes in with a record of 7-11 overall, 2-3 in conference play and 1-7 ATS in their last eight outings. The Minutemen are also 1-6 ATS in their last seven road outings.

Xavier’s defense will be the difference in this one. U-Mass will be lucky to score more than 45 points in this one.

Lay the lumber and take the X-Men.

Free Pick: Georgia Tech +8.0 – Sat January 31st 2009 12:00p
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The Wake Forest Demon Deacons (17-1,4-1) are in big time let down situation this Saturday afternoon, after taking out No.1 Duke in their last trip to the hardwood.

Meanwhile, Georgia Tech (9-10, 0-6) their opponents are winless in ACC play and in a hyped up desperation mode. A win here would be huge , for the Yellow Jackets. and would give them some much needed momentum going forward . Needless to say this young group, could well be prepared to play their best game of the season in this spot.

I know these two teams are currently operating at the proverbial opposite end of the performance spectrum, but considering the above mentioned circumstances taking the points with the home team is not a bad bet, and rather the contrary.

The ramblinreck have held late late leads vs Virginia,Maryland, Boston College , and NC State, but fell apart , and buckled under pressure ,losing three of those games in over time. This Saturday I expect Techs 3 guard set, to give the Deacons all they can handle, and for the nations. No.6 ranked team to have a hard time breaking the programs current 4 game road losing streak here at Alexander Memorial Coliseum.

Final notes & Key Trends: GTech has seen 10 games this season decided by 7 points or less , and last season they had 21 of 32 games decided by 10 points or less, which signifies a team that competes, and does not give up. Last year Gtechs 5 home losses came by a total of 8 points.Tech’s three home ACC contests this season , saw two go to overtime and were decided by four points each.

Play on Georgia Tech to cover – Courtesy of Alex Smart

Pennsylvania +6.0 (-110) – Fri January 30th ’09 7:00p
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A quick glance at the records may suggest that the 9-7 Harvard Crimson have the edge when they host the 4-10 Pennsylvania Quakers tonight, but a closer look reveals that Penn has value here getting this many points.

This is actually the Ivy League opener for the Quakers, so their record is a bit deceptive, as they have played some major programs during the non-conference portion of their schedule. Remember that Penn is a Big Five school, so facing Villanova, Temple, St. Josephs and La Salle is a nice way of preparing for the weaker teams of the Ivy League.

Penn did cover the number vs. La Salle, and they also show a narrow two-point loss to Drexel and even a covering loss at North Carolina on their ledger. Harvard is obviously much more in their element, and we feel that the Quakers could only benefit by playing all those quality teams early on.

Harvard has already played two conference games, and they were already shocked here at home by Dartmouth in overtime last game as 15-point favorites. The biggest claim to fame for the Crimson so far this season is their upset win at Boston College, but do not forget that they were playing a very flat Eagles team that night that was coming off of a shocker over North Carolina.

Looking at the Pomeroy Ratings, Penn has a Strength of Schedule ranked number 127 in the nation, while Harvard has played a cream puff schedule that ranks just 318 even with that Boston College game factored in.

Look for a more toughened Penn team to fight right down to the final buzzer here.

College Basketball Free Pick: Pennsylvania +6 (-110) – Courtesy of LT Profits