Free Picks: Service Plays for Tuesday, December 17

DUNKEL INDEX

NCAAB

Memphis vs. Florida
The Tigers enter tonight's Jimmy V Classic in Madison Square Garden facing a Florida team that is coming off a 67-61 win over Kansas and is 3-7 ATS in its last 10 games following a SU victory. Memphis is the pick (+3) according to Dunkel, which has the Tigers favored by 1.Dunkel Pick: Memphis (+3)

Game 511-512: Pittsburgh vs. Cincinnati (7:00 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Pittsburgh 70.429; Cincinnati 69.295
Dunkel Line: Pittsburgh by 1
Vegas Line: Pittsburgh by 6 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Cincinnati (+6 1/2)

Game 513-514: St. Bonaventure at Wake Forest (7:00 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: St. Bonaventure 55.960; Wake Forest 65.490
Dunkel Line: Wake Forest by 9 1/2
Vegas Line: Wake Forest by 5 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Wake Forest (-5 1/2)

Game 515-516: Charlotte at Florida State (7:00 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Charlotte 61.697; Florida State 67.881
Dunkel Line: Florida State by 6
Vegas Line: Florida State by 10
Dunkel Pick: Charlotte (+10)

Game 517-518: Yale at Providence (7:00 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Yale 51.803; Providence 69.031
Dunkel Line: Providence by 17
Vegas Line: Providence by 11
Dunkel Pick: Providence (-11)

Game 519-520: TX-Arlington at Oklahoma (8:00 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: TX-Arlington 48.033; Oklahoma 70.561
Dunkel Line: Oklahoma by 22 1/2
Vegas Line: Oklahoma by 17
Dunkel Pick: Oklahoma (-17)

Game 521-522: Washington at Tulane (8:00 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Washington 55.056; Tulane 51.253
Dunkel Line: Washington by 4
Vegas Line: Washington by 7 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Tulane (+7 1/2)

Game 523-524: Toledo at Arkansas State (8:00 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Toledo 58.814; Arkansas State 55.718
Dunkel Line: Toledo by 3
Vegas Line: Toledo by 1 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Toledo (-1 1/2)

Game 525-526: Ball State at Marquette (9:00 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Ball State 52.478; Marquette 68.312
Dunkel Line: Marquette by 16
Vegas Line: Marquette by 19 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Ball State (+19 1/2)

Game 527-528: Wichita State at Alabama (9:00 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Wichita State 72.502; Alabama 67.845
Dunkel Line: Wichita State by 4 1/2
Vegas Line: Wichita State by 2
Dunkel Pick: Wichita State (-2)

Game 529-530: Missouri State at Louisville (9:00 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Missouri State 56.242; Louisville 74.838
Dunkel Line: Louisville by 18 1/2
Vegas Line: Louisville by 22
Dunkel Pick: Missouri State (+22)

Game 531-532: Memphis vs. Florida (9:30 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Memphis 70.722; Florida 70.006
Dunkel Line: Memphis by 1
Vegas Line: Florida by 3
Dunkel Pick: Memphis (+3)

Game 533-534: Cal Poly at Loyola Marymount (10:00 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Cal Poly 54.257; Loyola Marymount 58.380
Dunkel Line: Loyola Marymount by 4
Vegas Line: Loyola Marymount by 1 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Loyola Marymount (-1 1/2)

Game 535-536: UC-Irvine at Oregon (10:30 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: UC-Irvine 55.068; Oregon 75.412
Dunkel Line: Oregon by 20 1/2
Vegas Line: Oregon by 13 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Oregon (-13 1/2)

Game 537-538: Elon at Georgetown (7:00 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Elon 55.259; Georgetown 67.022
Dunkel Line: Georgetown by 12
Vegas Line: Georgetown by 14 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Elon (+14 1/2)

Game 539-540: Manhattan at South Carolina (7:00 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Manhattan 56.524; South Carolina 57.690
Dunkel Line: South Carolina by 1
Vegas Line: South Carolina by 4
Dunkel Pick: Manhattan (+4)

Game 541-542: Wofford at VCU (7:00 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Wofford 44.816; VCU 70.692
Dunkel Line: VCU by 26
Vegas Line: VCU by 18
Dunkel Pick: VCU (-18)

Game 543-544: Southern Illinois at Murray State (8:00 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Southern Illinois 54.597; Murray State 52.588
Dunkel Line: Southern Illinois by 2
Vegas Line: Murray State by 4
Dunkel Pick: Southern Illinois (+4)

Game 545-546: Tennessee Tech at WI-Green Bay (8:00 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Tennessee Tech 46.500; WI-Green Bay 63.106
Dunkel Line: WI-Green Bay by 16 1/2
Vegas Line: WI-Green Bay by 15
Dunkel Pick: WI-Green Bay (-15)

Game 547-548: Central Michigan at Jacksonville State (8:45 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Central Michigan 49.193; Jacksonville State 44.243
Dunkel Line: Central Michigan by 5
Vegas Line: Jacksonville State by 1
Dunkel Pick: Central Michigan (+1)

Game 549-550: Austin Peay at Vanderbilt (9:00 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Austin Peay 41.372; Vanderbilt 65.373
Dunkel Line: Vanderbilt by 24
Vegas Line: Vanderbilt by 13 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Vanderbilt (-13 1/2)

Game 551-552: Belmont at Denver (10:00 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Belmont 57.304; Denver 63.499
Dunkel Line: Denver by 6
Vegas Line: Denver by 3 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Denver (-3 1/2)

Game 561-562: North Florida at Michigan State (10:00 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: North Florida 46.278; Michigan State 76.648
Dunkel Line: Michigan State by 30 1/2
Vegas Line: Michigan State by 24 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Michigan State (-24 1/2)

Game 563-564: Florida Gulf Coast at South Florida (7:00 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Florida Gulf Coast 51.277; South Florida 61.825
Dunkel Line: South Florida by 10 1/2
Vegas Line: South Florida by 9
Dunkel Pick: South Florida (-9)

Game 565-566: AR-Pine Bluff at Creighton (8:00 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: AR-Pine Bluff 43.032; Creighton 70.502
Dunkel Line: Creighton by 27 1/2
Vegas Line: Creighton by 30 1/2
Dunkel Pick: AR-Pine Bluff (+30 1/2)

Game 567-568: New Mexico State at New Mexico (9:00 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: New Mexico State 60.651; New Mexico 71.370
Dunkel Line: New Mexico by 10 1/2
Vegas Line: New Mexico by 8
Dunkel Pick: New Mexico (-8)

Jim Feist

Sacramento Kings vs. Charlotte Bobcats
Play: Charlotte Bobcats -2

Sacramento is a bad team 3,000 miles from home, 26th in the NBA in points allowed, 17th in scoring. The The Kings are 1-6-1 ATS in their last 8 games vs. a team with a losing record. They come off a big win at home over Houston but the Kings are 1-7 ATS in their last 8 games following a win of more than 10 points. Charlotte is home and on a 6-2 ATS run, as well as 8-2 ATS in their last 10 games following a loss. Charlotte is a short favorite here despite being the No. 6 seed in the East! This is a tough situational spot for the visitors, a long way from home, and the favorite is 4-0 ATS in the last 4 meetings between these two. Play Charlotte.

Red Dog Sports

St Bonaventure vs. Wake Forest
Play: St Bonaventure +5½

Wake Forest is at home and led by Travis McKie and Tyler Cavanaugh. They beat Richmond in OT at home recently and have yet to play a true road game. They did lose by 19 on a neutral floor to Tennessee and now face an average St. Bonaventure team after an exam break so both squads should be rusty. The Bonnies are led by Cumberbatch, Gathers, Kloof, Simmons and Wright. Look for the road underdog to stay within the number. Take the points on Tuesday night.

Rob Vinciletti

Manhattan vs. South Carolina
Play: South Carolina -3½

The Gamecocks return home to take on Manhattan here tonight. South Carolina has improved this year despite their deceptive 2-3 record. Their losses were at Ok. St, Clemson and Baylor. They have played the 13th toughest schedule in the nation. Last season they beat Manhattan by 6 in a neutral court game. Now they have them at home with a week of rest and they have won 18 of 25 when playing with 7 or more days off. Manhattan has lost both games vs top 100 RPI Ranked teams and 3 of the last 4 vs SEC Teams. The Jaspers have been beating up on some lousy Metro Atlantic Conference teams and now they are stepping up in class into an SEC Road game. Look for South Carolina to emerge with a win and cover.

Ray Monohan

Wichita State vs. Alabama
Play: Wichita State -2

The Shockers are picking up right where they left off last season. They are perfect so far and ranked in the top 10. That is why I am surprised they are not bigger favourites against a mediocre team that that is not supposed to challenge this season and has losses to the likes of South Florida. Wichita State already has a couple of road victories including a big one over St. Louis in which they score 70 points against a teams that normally holds foes under 60. These guys may not be All Americans but they are still underrated in my books.

Art Aronson

Vancouver vs. Minnesota
Pick: Under

Five of the last eight games in this series has seen a lower scoring total and we should expect the same here in Minnesota.The Vancouver Canucks (20-10-5) come off a big 6-2 win over the Boston Bruins on home ice. Henrik can Daniel Sedin each had two points while Roberto Luongo was very sharp stopping all 39 shots sent his way to earn the shut out win. The Minnesota Wild (19-11-5) come off a 2-1 SO win at Colorado. Josh Harding was excellent in making 26 saves, some of the terrific variety. Nino Niederreiter scored the lone regulation goal for the Wild. The Canucks are on a roll of late but I wouldn’t be surprised if the team suffered small letdown here in Minnesota after winning a huge game at versus Boston. Six of the last seven Wild games have seen a lower scoring total and five of the last six Vancouver games. Take a long look at the “under” here again.

EZWINNERS

UC Irvine +13.5

Oregon is off to a great 9-0 start this season despite missing two projected starters for those first nine games. Tonight for the Ducks those two projected starters return as sophomores Dominic Artis and Ben Carter are expected to be back from their NCAA suspensions to face UC Irvine. In the long run these two will be a huge addition to the team. In the short term how will their addition effect the rotation and chemistry of this undefeated team is the big question. Irvine comes into this game at 6-5, but this is a dangerous team. The Anteaters picked up an 86-72 road win over the Pac-12's Washington Huskies on November 14th showing just how dangerous they can be. Irvine is a team with balanced scoring that has four players who average double figures and as a team the Anteaters shoot over 48% from the field. I'll take the double digit points in this one.

Chase Diamond

Florida vs. Memphis
Play: Memphis +3

This game features the 7-2 Florida at the 7-1 Memphis. Memphis is red hot winning 6 straight and are a money making 4-0 at home. Florida is 1-2 on the road this year. Memphis is 30-5 straight up after allowing 60 or less in their last game. 75% of public money is backing the Gators here but we love the value in Memphis getting 3 at home.

DAVE COKIN

COLORADO AVALANCHE VS DALLAS STARS
PLAY: COLORADO AVALANCHE +105

It’s quick revenge time for the Dallas Stars as they play the second of back to back battles with Colorado. It was all Avalanche on Monday night, as Colorado broke it wide open in the second period and coasted to the 6-2 win.

There’s no question the Stars will want to extract vengeance for the lopsided beatdown tonight, but I’m not so sure they’ll get their wish. There are some numbers that point to Colorado and the goaltending could favor the Avs as well.

I think it’s likely that JS Giguere gets the call in the cage tonight for the road team. Giguere can no longer flourish as a number one, but he’s doing stellar work getting the spot start and he’s tasted defeat only once all season. I’m not sure who Dallas goes with here, although the fact they kept Kari Lehtonen in for the full 60 on Monday indicates to me that backup Dan Ellis is playing tonight. That’s an edge if it happens for the Avalanche.

I’m also not going to ignore the Dallas history playing the second of back to back games. The Stars have been horrendous in this scenario over the last few seasons. They’re only 1-3 this season, and a miserable 4-20 over the last three years. On the flip side, albeit in a very small sample, Colorado is a perfect 3-0 this season.

Finally, there’s the price. Thanks to the quick revenge being built into the number, I now get Colorado with a small plus sign. That’s a bargain in my view, as the Avs have been a dynamite road team, while Dallas has won only five times in 17 tries at home. Add it all up and I see Colorado as a worthwhile money line wager on the ice tonight.

Mid-Major Matt

Southern Illinois at Murray State
Pick: Murray State -3.5

Two teams looking to bounce back from slow starts take the court as Murray State hosts Southern Illinois. The Racers are 4-5 and miss Isaiah Canaan a lot. They have four double digit scorers led by Cameron payne (13.2 ppg) and Jeffery Moss (13.1 ppg). Murray has won two straight and has defended their home court well so far despite the poor record. Southern Illinois has just two wins on the season coming over Missouri S&T and Stetson. They have lost all three of their true road games so far this season and are led by Desmar Jackson and his 20.3 points per game. The Salukis have failed to cover in four of their six lined games. The Racers score almost 80 points per game at home where they shoot over 48%. We'll take the home team to add to SIU's misery.

Ben Burns

Tampa Bay Lightning vs. NY Islanders
Play: NY Islanders

Its been a tough stretch for the Islanders. Indeed, the Isles are just 1-12 (1-9-3) their last 13 games.

I feel that this will be a good spot for them to finally get back on track though.

I won with the Isles at +1.5 goals (they lost 1-0) in their last game. I wasn't quite ready to back them to win "outright" in that one. However, they're facing an opponent which they have dominated here - offering an excellent opportunity to break through with a badly needed victory.

The Isles were 3-0 against the Lightning last season, outscoring them 10-5 in the process.

Going back at little further finds the Isles at 5-0 the last five times that they were a host in the series, holding a 20-8 scoring advantage.

While wins have certainly been few and far between for the Isles, they'll be facing a Tampa team which averages a mere 2.0 goals per game on the road (The Isles average 2.6 gpg at home.) and which remains without its top scoring threat, Stamkos.

While they did win 3-0 last time out, the Lightning haven't won two in a row yet this month. Note that they're a money-burning 30-40 (-15.3) over the years, when off a shutout win.

New York goalie Nabakov has been much better at home. He had this to say of the Isles' 1-0 loss to the Habs: "The guys did a hell of a job around the net and in the neutral zone. It was a tight game. We did a lot of good things defensively."

Note that Nabakov is 5-1 with a 2.01 GAA his last six against Tampa.

Meanwhile Isles' star Tavares has 16 points in his last 12 in this series. (The Isles are 5-1 when he scores.)

Consider New York.

Jimmy Boyd

Austin Peay +14

This is a lot of points for a mediocre team like Vanderbilt to cover. The Commodores are still adjusting to the loss of their three best players in the offseason. Kedren Johnson, Kevin Bright and Sheldon Jeter combined for 35.4 of the Commodores 60.3 points per game from last season. With all three of them gone, I just don't see Vanderbilt winning many games in a blowout this year. A lack of experience will be the Achilles Heel for the Commodores all year, and covering a 14 point line against a good team like Austin Peay seems very unlikely.

The Governors are a much better team than their 5-5 record would indicate. They are averaging 75.7 points per game this season, shooting almost 47 percent from the field. They have been a great foul drawing team, and extra attempts at the free throw line will go a long way towards covering such a large number. Vanderbilt has been horrible from he free throw line this season shooting just 62.2 percent. The Governors are 7-1 ATS in their last eight games against a team with a winning record, and I expect them to score at will against the poor pressure defense from Vanderbilt. The Commodores force an average of just 11 turnovers per game, while committing 14 of their own.

Bryan Leonard

Michigan St. -24.5

The Osprey sit at 5-6 on the season but a quick look at the opposition tells you all you need to know about North Florida. Wins over Arkansas Little Rock, Savannah State twice, Webber and Edward Waters. This team just lost to Ohio State by 35 and Alabama by 28. Now they take on a better team in Michigan State who is off back to back bad performances.

The Spartans lost to North Carolina at home by 14 and then struggled here against Oakland before finally pulling away 67-63. Coach Izzo will work his players hard in practice so you know there will be no slouching here. The talent level in this game is night and day and the Spartans need an impressive performance.

Sean Murphy

Portland vs. Cleveland
Pick: Under

The Blazers have been lighting up the scoreboard lately. So have the Cavs for that matter. But that doesn't mean we're in for a track meet in Cleveland on Tuesday night.

Keep in mind, the Cavs have baited some high-scoring teams into low-scoring affairs on this floor this season. Games against Minnesota, Miami, Denver, and Los Angeles (Clippers) have totaled 185, 179, 186, and 170 points, respectively.

Last season's two meetings between these two teams totaled only 182 and 181 points in regulation time.

The Blazers find themselves in a tough sandwich spot here, off a big comeback overtime win over the Pistons in Detroit on Sunday, and before heading to Minnesota for a tough conference road game tomorrow night. I'm not anticipating a peak offensive effort here.

Meanwhile, the Cavs know that they can ill afford to get involved in a track meet with a team as talented as the Blazers, and I'm confident we'll see them make every effort to slow things down on Tuesday night.