Bruce Marshall
Connecticut at Temple
Pick: Connecticut
After being dismissed following its indifferent form that lasted more than two months, UConn has been quietly surging the past few weeks, winning 5 of last 6 SU into last Thursday vs. Memphis. Senior G Rodney Purvis (17 ppg last five thru Feb. 15) has finally tapped a rich vein of form, with added spark off the bench in frosh G Christian Vital (14 ppg last five prior to Memphis game). Note that Temple was unnerved the by Huskies' stringy 7-0 C Amida Brimah, who blocked six Owl shots in UConn's comfortable 73-59 win at Storrs Jan. 11.
Buster Sports
Boston Bruins at San Jose Sharks
Play: Boston Bruins +100
The Boston Bruins start a 4 game road trip in San Jose tonight and they will look to improve to a 5-0-0 record since firing Claude Julien and replacing him with interim coach Bruce Cassidy. The Bruins are fighting for a playoff berth and sit in the last playoff spot in the Eastern Conference but it is a log jam between 5 teams for that final berth. The Bruins have been sitting in San Jose and waiting for the Sharks as the Sharks had to play in Arizona last night. Depending on the situation we will go against teams off of back to backs. In this situation although the Sharks are 5-3 on back to backs this year, they had a real dog fight last night in Arizona. The Sharks won 4-1 but the game was much closer than the score indicates. The last time these teams met the Bruins won 6-3 and we see the team from Boston sweeping the 2 game season series. We are getting even money as well with the Bruins which make us quite happy.
Bob Balfe
Syracuse +2.5
This is going to be a quick paced game so I give the edge to the more athletic team with Syracuse. Georgia Tech has been turning the ball over a lot while Cuse is great at creating turnovers. Georgia Tech also is not very good from the three point line either. Andrew White continues to amaze and when the game is on the line this guy is a pure scorer.
Oregon State +13
You know the saying if you bet on crap you get crap. With that being said I think there is good value today in wagering on the Beavers. Kyle Kuzma is not 100% for Utah and we have to remember this is a team with a lot of new faces this year which is why they struggle on the road. Oregon State will get their last chance to win a home game and a get a conference win. This is a team that was hit hard with injuries are are not as bad as their record. I think they play their best game of the season today with a shot at the upset.
David Banks
Utah @ Oregon St
Pick: Utah -12.5
It’s a key Pac-12 game for Utah (17-8, 8-5) on Sunday night as they complete their road trip through the state of Oregon when they take on the Beavers of Oregon State. The Utes face fifth-ranked Oregon on Thursday night and with just five regular season games remaining need to pad their resume before the conference tournament begins. The Utes have beaten the Beavers once already, winning 86-78 at home back on Jan. 28. Oregon State has not won a Pac-12 game all season and is just 4-22 for the year.
Utah will once again be led by 6-9 junior Kyle Kuzma, the team’s leading scorer (15.7 ppg) and rebounder (10.2 rpg) who averages a double-double per game. David Collette is a 6-8 scorer (14.6 ppg) and guard Lorenzo Bonam averages 13 points a game to give Utah plenty of weapons against the Beavers. Head coach Larry Krystowiak can go nine deep and likely will do so against an Oregon State team that has trouble scoring.
The Beavers rank near the bottom nationally in scoring (64.2 points per game, 333rd in the nation). Tres Tinkle, a 6-8 sophomore, was the team’s best player averaging over 20 points and eight rebounds a game but has been out since November. Stephen Thompson Jr. leads Oregon State averaging 16.7 points a game. Drew Eubanks is a 6-10 sophomore that averages 14.8 points and 8.4 rebounds giving Oregon State somewhat of an inside presence.
Kuzma scored 18 points in the first meeting between the two teams. Utah shot over 58 percent from the floor, including 50 percent from 3-point range.
SPORTS WAGERS
Nashville +138 over COLUMBUS
OT included. Interesting scenario here, as the Jackets are coming off a playoff-like victory on Friday against the Penguins while the Preds played last night in Minnesota and lost 5-2. In front of a packed house in an electric atmosphere, the Jackets not only defeated the Penguins but they did so in OT. It was a highly entertaining game that sent the crowd into a frenzy when Brandon Dubinsky scored early in the OT period. The players celebrated too. Now the Jackets will have to come off that cloud and there are some other things working against them too. Columbus has played five straight at home so this will be its sixth straight game at Nationwide. Extended home stands are not beneficial and that has been proven consistently over the years. Furthermore, the Jackets are not only coming off a win over Pittsburgh, they’re coming off consecutive games against the Rangers, Maple Leafs and Penguins and will now face a team from the West that they rarely see. On deck for the Jackets are the Islanders, also at Nationwide, before they finally get out on the road to play the Rangers but first the Jackets will be forced to take their bye week after this game. Make no mistake that the Jackets are legit but this is an incredibly difficult spot sandwiched between a win over Pittsburgh in an electric atmosphere and their bye week. To suggest that the Jackets are vulnerable here might be an understatement.
Coming off their bye, the Predators were down 3-0 to the Wild in Minnesota last night but rallied to make it 3-2 before the Wild put them away with a late goal in the third with four minutes left before adding an empty netter to cap it off. Of all the teams coming off their byes so far this year, Nashville was perhaps the best prepared. They outshot Minnesota 39-33 and had the Wild on their heels more than once. This is not just another game for the Preds. They’re in a playoff spot right now but they’ll be hearing footsteps the rest of the way. This is a focused team that was mentally prepped last night and figure to be even sharper here with that one game after their bye week under their belt. Pekka Rinne was in net last night so that very likely means Juuse Saros will go here. Saros is rock soiid with a save percentage of .933. On the road, Saros has been even better with a save percentage of .937 and GAA of 1.87 over six road starts. The Preds are scoring goals too. They have scored four or more in seven of their last 13 games and they could not have handpicked a better time to face the Jackets in what has to be Columbus’ worst situational spot of the season.
SAN JOSE -113 over Boston
OT included. The Sharkies played last night in Arizona and won 4-1 with backup Aaron Dell between the pipes. That leaves Martin Jones ready and raring to go for this one. 10 days ago, San Jose went into Boston and got whacked 6-3 in Bruce Cassidy's coaching debut. Things are a little different this time around because Boston is coming off their bye. Nuff said.
Does this one really need an explanation? We think not. We’re very tempted to play the Sharkies -1½ but we see more value playing them at a short price at home. The reason San Jose is being sold short here is that it is playing a Bruins’ squad that is hot with three victories in a row after the firing of Claude Julien while outscoring the opposition 14-6 over that span. Boston's stock is high and for good reason. The Bruins are a monster possession team because they rarely lose a face-off and they’re damn good. However, the B’s will have to overcome what few teams have been able to so far, which is to win the first game back after their bye. Yesterday, teams off their bye went 0-5. Thus far, teams off their bye are now 2-15 and now this “angle” has become a big topic of discussion among announcers and panels. Let us remind you that we were on this angle long before anyone was talking about it. We were ahead of the curve again and that’s because we take the time to look deep inside the numbers every single day and look for angles that can be exploited. It’s still a small sample size and there were some teams that were sharp yesterday like Chicago, Nashville and Washington but this angle must be played until it’s no longer profitable.
Chicago -1½ +235 over BUFFALO
The Sabres ended the Blues five-game winning streak yesterday with a 3-2 victory. That victory was also Buffalo’s third straight and put them within one-point of the Maple Leafs for the final Wild Card spot. The Sabres are starting to get some press and so, too, is goaltender Robin Lehner, who is on fire. Lehner’s save percentage this year is third in the NHL behind Devan Dubnyk and Braden Holtby. He stonewalled the Blue Notes yesterday but make no mistake that the Sabres were the second best team on the ice yesterday and they’re the second best team on the ice most nights. No team in the NHL has allowed more shots on goal than Buffalo and no team gives up more high danger scoring chances. While we like the Sabres talent up front, their defense is a wasteland and if not for their hot goaltending, they would not be in playoff contention. Now that accolades are being fired Lehner’s way, he’s going to be feeling a lot more pressure here and so, too, will the entire team. For the first time in a long time, the Sabres are enjoying some prosperity in the media and the market and it’s very likely going to come crashing down here.
Playing the second game of back-to-backs, the Blackhawks are 7-3 this year while the Sabres are 4-6. More than that is the Blackhawks are in great form and appear to be as hungry as ever. Chicago lost 2-0 to Edmonton last night but they ran into a super-hot Cam Talbot. That was its first game back after its bye and they didn’t look flat at all. Prior to their bye, the Blackhawks reeled off five wins in a row while scoring four goals or more in all of them. Other than goaltending, this is a compete mismatch and it’s also worth noting that Buffalo is home to Patrick Kane and he loves to play here. Chicago figures to be ready to go here while the Sabres may be caught basking in their new found glory.
SPORTS WAGERS
GEORGIA TECH +120 over Syracuse
The Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets are making their push for an NCAA Tournament bid after a six-year absence from the Big Dance. The Jackets are one of the best defensive teams in the country, as they are ranked ninth in defensive efficiency according to KenPom. Tech is fierce when it comes to blocking opponents shots. In fact, Tech turns them away on 16 percent of opponents possessions, which is fifth best in the nation. The Jackets are a bubble team but they have some signature wins over ranked teams in North Carolina, Florida State and Notre Dame. Expectations may have been low to enter the season but GT has proven they can hang with the best teams in the Atlantic Coast Conference. Those wins won't matter if the Yellow Jackets can't beat a fellow bubble team today at home in a big nationally televised game.
The Syracuse Orange have dropped two straight. The last time we saw the Orange, they dropped a heartbreaker in overtime at home to Louisville. For a team in search of signature wins, it was surely a disappointing result. The Orange have been forced to stew in those juices as they haven't played any ball in a week. When a team comes off a long break in the middle of the season, regardless of sport it prompts us to take a closer look. The Orange are a bubble team but it's their losses that could have them on the outside looking in come March. Syracuse has dropped games to Boston College, St. John's and Georgetown. It was that contest with BC that was the most disturbing, as the Orange were run off the floor, 96-81 as a 12-point favorite. While one can never count Syracuse out, they are simply not a force this year and have shown a propensity for coming up extremely short on the road. A focused and hungry Yellow Jackets’ squad gets this outright call.