Date | Match Up | Rating | Score | Result | Profit | Lead Time | Analysis |
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01-08-21 | Grand Canyon -9.5 v. Tarleton St | Top | 75-72 | Loss | -111 | 3 h 49 m | Show |
Rating: 3 Unit CBB Play of the Day Tarleton State – located in the south of Utah -- moved up into Division 1 this season, has played only four games – none since Dec. 9 after eight straight postponements – and lost to Abilene Christian by 21 points in their most recent game against a D-1 foe. Off three straight losses to legit post-season tournament sides San Francisco, Colorado and Arizona State, in which they were undervalued going 3-0 ATS and out-rebounded all three, Bryce Drew seems to be in a Grand spot to right the ship and start WAC play A-OK. Since they last played, TSU assistant coach Steve Shields has resigned to become a parks department director in Arkansas |
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01-07-21 | Cavs v. Grizzlies -4.5 | Top | 94-90 | Loss | -115 | 9 h 48 m | Show |
NBA Play of the Day Cleveland couldn’t get a reversal against Orlando last night despite one day in between games (which was very much expected by all of us, hence the Play of the Day on Orlando against Cleveland last night). They travel to Memphis to play the second of back-to-backs on the road against a host that’s had one day of rest since taking the Lakers to the wire in their “second chance.” There aren’t many teams with more key guys missing than Memphis, but Cleveland, as we noted yesterday, is one of them! Stat geeks keep reporting that Andre Drummond has eight straight double-doubles and Collin Sexton’s eight straight games of at least 20 points to start a season has broken Lebron James’ franchise record (for what?), which is a good “distraction” that masks the fact that Cleveland has topped out at 99 points in its last five games, failing to cover four of them by -12.5, -8, -14 and -5 points. |
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01-07-21 | UNLV v. Colorado State -9 | Top | 71-74 | Loss | -107 | 9 h 54 m | Show |
CBB Mismatch of the Day The host Rams were sharpening the saw at San Diego State earlier this week, “finishing” strongly in each second half of their two-game, back-to-back series (37-27 the first night in victory, 41-28 the second night in defeat.) Given that UNLV hasn’t played since Dec. 5 after a program pause, and is kind of a ratty team, anyway, for the Runnin’ Rebels to take the court after such a long break, to play at high altitude against an opponent that just finished strongly two nights in a row against a quality foe… |
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01-07-21 | 76ers -1 v. Nets | 109-122 | Loss | -110 | 8 h 13 m | Show | |
Rating: 2 Units Brooklyn managed to beat Utah by 34 on Tuesday without the services of Kevin Durant (contact tracing), but fact is the Nets had lost 4 of previous 5 games with Durant active. Meanwhile, Philly has won and covered 4 straight and leads the league in defensive efficiency. The Sixers have won and covered 7 of the last 8 against Brooklyn, none with KD on the floor, but then again, he won’t be there for this one either. Definitely give the nod to Philly, with F Tobias Harris hitting a sizzling 56% from beyond the arc in his last 5, and the Sixers holding foes to just 41% shooting in that stretch |
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01-07-21 | Northeastern +4.5 v. Hofstra | 81-78 | Win | 100 | 6 h 60 m | Show | |
CBB Play of the Day Hofstra has won seven straight in the CAA dating back to last season. Northeastern has lost five straight road games. What’s it all mean? Hopefully not much. The Huskies’ five road losses were at UMass in their opener with UMass having games under the belt, Syracuse, Old Dominion, Georgia and West Virginia. They lost three times to Hofstra last season – hey, another losing streak! The three losses were by 2, 4, 9 points. You think they’re not jazzed up for this game? Hofstra pretty much plays 40 minutes of zone defense, which Northeastern saw at Syracuse when they lost by only 6 points taking 18. Hofstra has begun CAA season 0-2 ATS without head coach Joe Mihalic, who is on medical leave. |
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01-06-21 | Oklahoma v. Baylor -11.5 | Top | 61-76 | Win | 100 | 30 h 51 m | Show |
Rating: 3 Unit Big-12 Play of the Day The Sooners caught West Virginia in the Mountaineers’ first go-round without power forward Oscar Tshiebwe, working four guards around Derek Culver, who got them a big 2 points in 22 minutes, with 7 turnovers. D-oh! Wrapped up in working their new arrangement, WVU missed a lot of shots early, which messed up their transition defense, and they fell behind the Sooners by a considerable amount (38-20) at halftime. Oklahoma was able to weather a late charge by West Virginia to get the win. They travel to Waco, TX to face an opponent with no such transitional learning curve in their game on either end of the floor. The Bears have won five straight over the Sooners over the course of the prior three seasons, when they weren’t unbeaten and ranked #1. For all the bitcoins. |
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01-06-21 | Raptors v. Suns -2.5 | 115-123 | Win | 100 | 30 h 45 m | Show | |
Rating: 2 Units Searching for their identity, the 1-5 Raptors – 0-3 on the road already after being one of the best road teams in the NBA last season -- begin a four-game Western swing. It usually takes time for displaced Easterners to find themselves out West and we have a feeling that before they do, the trip will be over. It’s two franchises heading in different directions. Fred Van Vliet has now led Toronto in scoring for three straight games – 25, 27, 35 points. But they won only one of them. We’ve said it before – if he’s the guy, then something is wrong over there. The team that knocked them out of the post-season – the Celtics – just waxed them in their temporary Tampa home that’s doing no favors for them and now they must face a stranger riding an upcurve that has had two days off to get in a Raptors-specific practice and prepare for double-revenge. Sextuple-revenge, actually. Suns haven’t beaten Raptors since the 2016-17 season. |
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01-06-21 | Wake Forest v. Virginia -13 | 61-70 | Loss | -110 | 30 h 43 m | Show | |
Rating: 2 Units Prospective road dog backers might be encouraged by the fact that Virginia needed overtime to dispose of the last Danny Manning-coached Wake Forest team last season. But that game came off a 2-point loss at Duke for the Cavs, and was played under hangover conditions. The Cavaliers are currently fresh and fit, seven games under their belt vs. only two for Wake Forest, and you know that Wake’s only real game was the 70-54 loss at Georgia Tech, our Sunday ***BEST BET. Steve Forbes can’t help but eventually coach them up beyond what Manning did, but at the moment he’s handicapped by the long pause in his first season after inheriting a not-so-hot spot. Forbes played nine kids for 10 to 30 minutes at Tech, got only 6 points from four players in 71 bench minutes. |
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01-06-21 | Cavs v. Magic -5.5 | Top | 94-105 | Win | 100 | 7 h 33 m | Show |
Rating: 3 Unit NBA Play of the Day Much of the world awaits to see how the Cavaliers react after the 103-83 defeat here on Monday night, their fifth straight loss against the Magic. Why wait? Anticipate. Already without starters Kevin Love, Darius Garland, and Isaac Okoro, Cleveland lost guard Dante Exum to a leg injury 47 seconds into the Monday night loss. The Cavs are down seven players. “It is what it is and we’ve just got to figure it out,” first-season Cleveland coach J.B. Bickerstaff said. “We are down bodies and we talked about adversity a few games back and this is the epitome of it. We’ve just got to figure it out.” Take a little more time with that, coach, if you don’t mind. |
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01-06-21 | Arkansas v. Tennessee -7.5 | 74-79 | Loss | -126 | 6 h 26 m | Show | |
Rating: 2 Units Angry Vols, off their first loss! (Also, angry Arkansas, off their first loss!) Arkansas couldn’t get Missouri’s rim protector, James Tillmon, in foul trouble. In fact, the 6’10” senior had himself a day with 25 points. Vols’ 6’9” John Fulkerson’s eyes light up. Arkansas is the St. John’s of the SEC – zips through non-conference season at home, doesn’t class up within conference play. Doubtful they can rebound with Tennessee. |
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01-05-21 | Kansas v. TCU +6 | 93-64 | Loss | -104 | 10 h 59 m | Show | |
Rating: 2 Units Let’s see how the Jayhawks respond to the whuppin’ that Texas put on them in Lawrence. TCU’s Andrew Nembhard: “All these games are personal. We want to put the conference and the nation on notice that we’re legit.” Two road wins in the Big 12 already by TCU hint that he may have something there. Said Jamie Dixon after the Horned Frogs’ win at Kansas State: “This was the first time we’ve had our full team and I think we’ll get better and better. |
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01-05-21 | Connecticut v. Marquette +1 | Top | 65-54 | Loss | -110 | 9 h 3 m | Show |
Big East Play of the Day Welcome back to the Big East, UConn, Love, Marquette. This Huskies bunch was one of the nation’s worst long-trip travelers when it was in the American Athletic. They’ve been cuddled in their home-state bubble, and the confines of their friendly home floor, since the beginning of this season and have left the area for the first time. They shot only 35.8% when they lost by 2 points to an off-kilter Creighton team, then had the pleasure of facing pause-problem Depaul after that. Off a difficult stretch to open Big East season (at Creighton, Seton Hall, at Xavier, Villanova), Marquette got a reprieve at Georgetown and comes back home for what appears to be another. |
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01-05-21 | Jazz -4.5 v. Nets | 96-130 | Loss | -110 | 7 h 35 m | Show | |
Rating: 2 Units Apparently, Kyrie Irving likes losing. “It’s not going to be put together overnight, nor am I expecting it to, nor am I going to get frustrated over six games… So I’m just gonna enjoy this.” Four losses in last five for the Nets. Enjoy! This is #2 of seven-game road trip for Utah, the first having been a 21-point win on the way here at San Antonio. So get ‘em now before they expire from exposure to the elements. Five different guys have led them in scoring in their seven games. Kevin Durant’s absence tonight could help the Jazz, but we were liking them before it was announced that this gold-bricker would be taking some time off |
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01-05-21 | NC State +5 v. Clemson | 70-74 | Win | 100 | 6 h 5 m | Show | |
Rating: 2 Units Kevin Keatts has readjusted the Wolfpack to take advantage of its big frontline and look into the paint on most of its halfcourt sets, and got good news when 6-10 F.J. Funderburk returned from a recent absence to score 21 in last Wednesday’s win over Boston College. With 6-5 sr. wing Devon Daniels (16.3 ppg) now handily assuming more of the scoring burden following the departures of last year’s stalwart backcourt tandem of C.J. Bryce and Markell Johnson, Keatts has other attack-end options. This one stays real close at Littlejohn and an outright Wolfpack success would be no surprise. |
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01-05-21 | Northern Illinois v. Ohio -14 | 73-76 | Loss | -110 | 6 h 8 m | Show | |
Rating: 2 Units Nobody has stepped into the Northern Illinois void left by the program’s all-time leading scorer, departed Eugene German. He scored 20.8 ppg last season when nobody else averaged more than 8.5. The Huskies’ low-lights so far this season include 57.1 ppg, 9.1 to 15.5 Assist/Turnover, 21.2% on three-pointers. Ohio surrounds 6’8”, 250 senior Dwight Wilson (15.3 ppg, 8.4 reb) with a lot of guys who aren’t shy about shootin’ it, and Wilson isn’t the leading scorer. 6’4” guard Jason Preston, with his 48.3% three-point shooting, is |
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01-05-21 | Toledo v. Kent State -2.5 | 84-82 | Loss | -110 | 2 h 12 m | Show | |
Rating: 2 Units Toledo comes in hot – five straight wins, four straight covers – and has double-revenge in this 2 pm, ET matinee. But Kent State regained the services of 6’7”, 230 senior forward Tervel Beck in their most recent game on Jan. 1, a 66-62 road loss at Akron. They’re toughened up to protect home floor following the rivalry road loss |
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01-04-21 | Celtics +3 v. Raptors | Top | 126-114 | Win | 100 | 11 h 40 m | Show |
Rating: 2 Unit NBA Play of the Day Raptors: ‘You beat us in a seven-game playoff series last season. We want revenge!’ Celtics: ‘You’re not as good as you were then. We have several guys who can take over a game, like Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown. Your home floor is in Florida, but your fan base is in Canada. You have no real support here. You’re scoring 11.5 fewer points per game than last season and we’re not about to allow you to suddenly get better offensively |
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01-03-21 | Blazers -5 v. Warriors | 122-137 | Loss | -104 | 11 h 36 m | Show | |
Rating: 2 Units Steve Kerr getting a taste of what it’s like when trying to navigate the Western Conference with only one available all-star instead of the 4-5 he had at his fingertips during the heyday in the Bay Area, just 3 years ago. It also made a difference having one of, if not the, best perimeter defenders around in Klay Thompson, but he’s out again with a 2nd season-ending injury. Not unrelated is the fact that the Warriors are giving up 47% FGs this year, after foes burned them at a 47.6% rate a year ago. Golden State sits at 29th in defensive efficiency, and Portland has a very productive backcourt featuring Damian Lillard and C.J. McCollum (combining for 53.2 points per game). Steph Curry is going to have his hands full |
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01-03-21 | Jazz v. Spurs +5.5 | 130-109 | Loss | -115 | 9 h 9 m | Show | |
Rating: 2 Units Utah, which has alternated wins and losses to start the season, is due for an L after beating the Clippers 106-100 on New Year’s Day behind a whopping 33 points by Jazz G Mike Conley, who became the 5th scoring leader in 5 games for Utah. Things getting a bit tense in San Antonio, after being stuck on 103 pts. for the last 2:34 of the game and watching the Lakers swoop by to snatch a win and send the Spurs down to a 3rd straight loss. The Spurs are 17-2 SU at the AT&T Center against the Jazz, so expect “Pop” to circle the wagons around the Alamo. Our eyebrows were raised when we saw the openers of Utah -4...perhaps a tad too aggressive. |
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01-03-21 | Lakers -9 v. Grizzlies | Top | 108-94 | Win | 100 | 8 h 13 m | Show |
Rating: 3 Unit NBA Play of the Day Ja Morant could have been a pesky penetrator against the Lakers’ interior D but he’s out 3-5 weeks for the host Grizzlies. Jaren Jackson and Justice Winslow have yet to play and Grayson Allen (day-to-day) was hurt earlier in the week. (Really, you wouldn’t mind Allen being back out there to miss jumpers.) Actually, seven guys were out when Memphis managed to beat Charlotte the other night. But Memphis won only the last of four games vs. the Lakers last season, when the Lakers got a season-low 88 points on this floor with Lebron playing with a sore groin – just one of those nights. |
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01-03-21 | Wake Forest v. Georgia Tech -9.5 | Top | 54-70 | Win | 100 | 8 h 12 m | Show |
Rating: 3 Unit CBB Play of the Day Wake played down in class on Nov. 25 and 27 vs. Delaware State and Longwood. Then, they paused for a while. They came back on Thursday to beat Division 2 Catawba, 70-62, without Ian Dubose (senior grad transfer guard) and Tariq Ingraham (6’9”, 255 freshman), each of whom led the team in scoring the first two games. Both will miss the rest of the season. “We had to find a game, at least one. It would have been nice to play four or five of those,” said first-season head coach Steve Forbes. How many times in the history of college basketball has a team played a couple games around Thanksgiving then not being to play or practice again until New Year’s Eve? That’s difficult. I don’t know the right answer for that one, but I know for us it’s been a tough and difficult path… We’re so far behind, it’s scary.” |
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01-03-21 | St. Joe's v. Rhode Island UNDER 152.5 | 77-85 | Loss | -110 | 7 h 50 m | Show | |
Rating: 2 Units Offensive production is off a bit this season for David Cox’s Rams, especially top scorer G Fatts Russell, one of the most-potent A-10 weapons a year ago down from 18.8 points per game to 13.8 points per game, and Rhode Island ranks well up the track (302 out of 329) in the telling assist- per-game category (only 10.4). The Rams should win, probably comfortably, but more intrigued by this 150s “total” that seems too high, especially considering these matchups landed on 132 and 128, respectively, a year ago |
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01-03-21 | Titans -7.5 v. Texans | 41-38 | Loss | -104 | 53 h 26 m | Show | |
Rating: 2 Units Even with that blowout loss in Lambeau on Sunday Night, the Titans can still clinch the AFC South with a win here. Cut Packer lead to 19-14, before the floodgates opened. Henry just missed out on another 100-yard game (23 carries: 98 yards). Let's hope that Watson's (24-of-34, 324 yards, 3 TDs with 0 INTs) throwing shoulder is OK after that hit he took at the end of the game. He is the first QB in team history with 30+ TD passes. Houston now has two 4-game losing streaks this year. RB David Johnson with 12 carries for 127 yards & a TD. Texans are 5-1 at home vs the Titans, but are hardly fired up. |
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01-03-21 | Seahawks -6.5 v. 49ers | 26-23 | Loss | -112 | 24 h 42 m | Show | |
Rating: 2 Units There’s an outside chance the Seahawks still can get the top seed. So Seattle won’t lack incentive. San Francisco is 2-6 in its last eight games with all of the defeats during this time frame coming by eight or more points. Healthy again at running back, the Seahawks should be able to wear the weary 49ers down, while Russell Wilson picks his spots. Wilson had four TD throws when Seattle defeated San Francisco, 37-27, in Week 8. Special teams could factor, too, as the 49ers have allowed a league-high five TD’s on returns, including giving up four defensive scores. The 49ers have had multiple turnovers in eight of their past nine games |
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01-03-21 | Cowboys -1 v. Giants | 19-23 | Loss | -113 | 50 h 52 m | Show | |
Rating: 2 Units The Giants have failed to reach 20 points in any of their past five games. Jones is far from 100 percent. He lacks the skill position weapons Andy Dalton has with the Cowboys. The Giants don’t have a healthy running back the caliber of Ezekiel Elliott and their wideouts can’t compare to Amari Cooper, Michael Gallup and CeeDee Lamb. Jones has been sacked 12 times in the past two games. Dallas has a pair of excellent pass rushers, DeMarcus Lawrence and Randy Gregory. New York is 2-5 at home this season. The Giants are at their worst when taking points at home failing to cover 11 of the last 13 times as a home ‘dog. Dallas has won the last seven meetings in the series, including 37-34 in Week 5 when Dak Prescott was lost for the season |
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01-03-21 | Jets +3 v. Patriots | 14-28 | Loss | -110 | 20 h 21 m | Show | |
Rating: 2 Units Recommending the New York Jets hasn’t been as crazy as it sounds the past couple of months. In fact, the J-Men have not only won their last two games outright, but have been offering good spread value since midseason, covering 6 of their last 9, as they travel to Foxborough for the season-ended at Gillette Stadium vs. New England. The J-Men have been a better recommendation lately than the Patriots, who entered the Buffalo game last Monday having covered just 4 of their last 11 in 2020. And Bill Belichick has really had his problems as a favorite this season, dropping his last five in that role |
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01-02-21 | North Carolina +7.5 v. Texas A&M | Top | 27-41 | Loss | -110 | 33 h 21 m | Show |
Rating: 5 Unit Bowl Game of the Month What a way for the bowl season to wind up! Of course, the main sidebar to this one is the Texas A&M Aggies' snub from the playoff committee, denying them a shot at all the marbles. A&M not only has a superb QB/RB combo in Mond (2,050 yards, 19/3) & Spiller (986 yards & 7 TDs in just 8 games), but rank 14th & 3rd in total & rushing "D". However, that unit had better be at its best if it is to slow down the Tar Heels of North Carolina, who field RBs Carter & Williams (combined 2,385 yards & 28 TDs, & NCAA record 544 rushing yards in season-ending rout of Miami), as well as QB Howell: 6,993 passing yards, & 65 TDs with 13 INTs the last 2 years. Barnburner, despite Ag "D". |
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01-02-21 | CS-Fullerton v. UC-Santa Barbara -15.5 | Top | 61-65 | Loss | -110 | 10 h 6 m | Show |
Rating: 3 Unit CBB Play of the Day A match-up so nice, they’ll give it to us twice! UCSB didn’t even play with its real rotation last night, managed to win by 18 points. Head coach Joe Pasternack will probably take this second of back-to-backs more seriously, to complete a sweep and reverse what happened to them last weekend at Irvine. |
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01-02-21 | Hornets v. 76ers -9.5 | Top | 112-127 | Win | 100 | 9 h 7 m | Show |
Rating: 3 Unit NBA Play of the Day Rested home favorite 76ers, allowing only 99.8 points per game after five, vs. road dog Hornets, who travel for second of back-to-backs after managing to lose outright to Memphis as home chalk when Memphis didn’t have Ja Morant, Justice Winslow, Jaren Jackson, DeAnthony Melton or Grayson Allen. Okay, so a Grayson Allen absence was probably a good thing for the other side but you get the idea, the idea. “We can’t find a rhythm offensively. We can’t get good looks or we’re turning it over… There’s not a lot of practice time here. So, we’re just going to have to do it through game reps.” So says head coach James Borrego. C Cody Zeller hasn’t suited up yet (24 points in last season’s only meeting), so Joel Embiid won’t break a sweat against Bismack Biyombo. |
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01-02-21 | Fordham v. La Salle -6 | 52-89 | Win | 100 | 9 h 46 m | Show | |
Rating: 2 Units In 2016, for reasons that made less sense than hiring Tom Pecora before him, Fordham gave head coach Jeff Neubauer a contract extension through 2020-21. Therefore, this season will more than likely be a death march through the A-10. They’ve played one game, losing by 24 points to a George Washington team they beat three times last season. Fordham normally begins a season playing down-down-down in class in games they win. This season, they start at their own level – which is a bad way to describe it because it’s a level at which they don’t belong |
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01-02-21 | Purdue v. Illinois -8 | Top | 58-66 | Push | 0 | 8 h 13 m | Show |
Rating: 3 Unit Big-10 Play of the Day Not sure how sustainable Illinois’ 42.6% three-point shooting is. But this should be a good day to be Kofi Cockburn, with Purdue opponents hitting 71.7% of their shots at the rim. Purdue is 0-2 ATS on the Big Ten road so far and lost both meetings vs. Illinois last season, by 26 and 17 points. “Purdue basketball still looking to build defensive foundation,” said a local headline yesterday. Look to Salt Lake City, where Haarms transferred. |
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01-02-21 | Utah State v. Air Force +14.5 | 72-53 | Loss | -105 | 8 h 10 m | Show | |
Rating: 2 Units If Thursday night’s match-up between these two had been a fight, it would have been stopped at the end of the 22-6 run by Utah State early in the second half to take a 70-36 lead. But Air Force shot the ball okay, 47.2%. The 26 turnovers (vs. Utah State’s 9) hurt some, ya’ think? One of their senior forwards turned it over 7 times. Get him off the floor, Joe Scott! “They got 45 points off those 26 turnovers. That’s a great place to start right there,” Scott said afterwards. With a day between games, Scott has an opportunity to watch tape with the players and prepare for better execution. |
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01-02-21 | Mercer v. Furman -10.5 | 80-83 | Loss | -110 | 4 h 20 m | Show | |
Rating: 2 Units Mercer has double-revenge, but after promising beginnings vs. non-conference strangers, they’ve had some postponements and cancellations, and a performance decline with exposure that continued in Tuesday night’s 13-point home loss vs. Wofford that tipped off SoCon season. Furman’s season has been uninterrupted and the Paladins tested themselves with narrow, power-conference losses at Cincinnati and Alabama before winning at Chattanooga on Wednesday night to begin SoCon season |
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01-02-21 | Chattanooga v. VMI +4.5 | 79-84 | Win | 100 | 3 h 23 m | Show | |
Rating: 2 Units Down 56-37 at the half at Samford earlier this week, VMI held it together and “won” the second half in defeat. They come home off three straight road losses to play with double-revenge against the Mocs, whose 9-0 season got its first loss as soon as they faced a SoCon opponent Wednesday night. Not easy to lose when you sink 13 of 26 treys and the other side makes only 4 of them, but that’s what they did |
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01-02-21 | Kentucky v. NC State +2.5 | 23-21 | Win | 100 | 25 h 6 m | Show | |
Rating: 2 Units Yes, these squads have met in the past, the far distant past, as the split wins in 1909 & 1970. For the Wildcats of Kentucky, this makes 5 consecutive bowl years under Stoops (first UK coach to accomplish that), despite a losing season. 'Cats are led by RB Rodriguez: 701 yards & 6.9 yards per rush, but KU #121 in overhead production. Ninth bowl in eleven years for the Wolfpack of North Carolina State (5-3 SU/ATS), who opened quickly (4-1 & #22 in the polls), before losing QB Leary. However, they did get back on track, behind Hockman (64%), & RBs Knight & Person (1,371 yards). Definite feeling that the wrong team may be favored in this contest |
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01-02-21 | Missouri +7 v. Arkansas | Top | 81-68 | Win | 100 | 2 h 26 m | Show |
Rating: 3 Unit SEC Play of the Day Tell me can you, off a 20-point home loss vs. undefeated Tennessee, win a road game against a 9-0 Arkansas team that just scored 97 points on the road at Auburn? Tell me, Cuonzo, Cuonzo, Cuonzo!’ He didn’t seem too concerned about the Tennessee game, giving all the credit to the highly ranked Vols, who are probably the best defensive squad in the nation. Telling talk, perhaps, from Arkansas head coach Eric Musselman after the 97-85 win vs. Auburn, a team still being molded by Bruce Pearl (compared to a pretty set Missouri squad): “To be honest with you, this game tonight, knowing that we had two ranked teams in the top 15 in our next two games, since I’ve been at Arkansas, for a regular season game, this was by far the most important game that I have been a part of with this team.” |
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01-01-21 | Blazers -3.5 v. Warriors | Top | 123-98 | Win | 100 | 13 h 4 m | Show |
Rating: 3 Unit NBA Play of the Day Well, the expected-to-be-bad Warriors are 2-2 after four straight road games to start the season. However, they beat the Bulls and Pistons. Chicago had just gotten some guys back in only their third game for a new coach, and the Pistons – a bad team -- shot 15-for-50 from the field in the first half (30%) but nevertheless led Golden State at that juncture. They’re not returning home to a raucous, welcoming arena. They might hear more noise coming from Damian Lillard, who shot 0-for-8 on three-pointers, 3-for-14 overall, in Portland’s loss at the Clippers the other night. Alleged superstars often bounce back big from nights like that. |
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01-01-21 | Ohio State v. Clemson -7 | Top | 49-28 | Loss | -115 | 82 h 49 m | Show |
Rating: 8 Unit College Bowl Game of the Year They meet again. For the 3rd time in the last 4 years, the Tigers of Clemson take on the Buckeyes of Ohio State in a National Playoff game, with CU winning & covering the first 2 such encounters: 31-0 (+1½) in the '16 Fiesta, & 29-23 (-2) in last year's Fiesta. As a matter of fact they also met in the '13 Orange Bowl, also won by the Tigers (+2), 40-35. As can be seen above, the Buckeyes have played only six games, due to Covid, but have been rightly included in this powerhouse quartet. They are led, of course, by QB Fields, who is a superb 56 TDs with only 8 INTs the past 2 years, although that may be a bit misleading, as he was 41 TDs with 3 INTs last season (2 interceptions in loss to these Tigers). So 5 picks this year, compared to last year's 40 TD and 1 INT regular season log. The not so hidden gem on OSU's team has to be running back Sermon, who set a school record with 331 rushing yards (11.4 yards per rush) in their 22-10 Big Ten Title win over Northwestern. Shades of Ezekiel Elliott in Ohio State's '14 Championship run? Well, maybe, but note that the Bucks took Wisconsin, 59-0, in that Big Ten Title game. A quick peek at the above stats shows OSU with a +8 turn over edge in just its half-dozen contests. If there were any doubts as to this year's Tiger edition, they were erased with their complete throttling of Notre Dame in the ACC title match, with a 541-263 yard edge behind 322 passing yards from Lawrence, & 124 rushing yards from Etienne (12.4 yards per rush), who was held to 1.6 yards per rush in their first meeting. Lawrence is at his best in the big game, while Fields not necessarily so in such important contests: two 2nd half picks in last year's tilt with Clemson; three INTs in this year's 42-35 win over Indiana, & just 12-of-27 & 2 more picks in Big Ten title win over Northwestern. CU didn't have the answers to LSU last year (who did?), but have otherwise been simply superb plays. Again! |
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01-01-21 | Wizards v. Wolves +1 | 130-109 | Loss | -112 | 11 h 38 m | Show | |
Rating: 2 Units A two-day break since getting back from a week out West works well enough for the T’Wolves as the Wizards must fly out for the second of back-to-backs. The home side’s leading scorer, Karl-Anthony Towns, has a dislocated wrist and will reportedly miss this game, and a few more. But one thing we’ve learned while doin’ this: losing one high-scoring, leading rebounding big allows the rest of the team to float freely over the floor in celebration. Returning home off two losses, with an absence like that to bond over, is a fine situation. Not that Minnesota can’t screw it up, but… |
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01-01-21 | CS-Fullerton v. UC-Santa Barbara -16 | Top | 63-81 | Win | 100 | 10 h 25 m | Show |
Rating: 3 Unit CBB Play of the Day Off losses on back-to-back nights at Cal-Irvine, the Barbarians – who’ve beaten Loyola Marymount by 11 points and Pepperdine by 12, on the road -- return home ready to take it to whomever they’ve had all week to prepare against. It happens to be the Fullertons, who have a grand total of one game under their belt so far, played against San Diego Christian of D-2 on Dec. 13, in which ten players got 11-24 minutes of court time. You know how to proceed. |
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01-01-21 | St. Peter's -5 v. Canisius | 58-70 | Loss | -108 | 3 h 27 m | Show | |
Rating: 2 Units The 6-3 Peacocks wake up in Buffalo, NY on New Year’s Day (Happy, Happy, Everyone!) for the first of back-to-backs vs. the locals, who they beat by 1 point on this floor last season (the other game was a 4-point home loss). Saint Peter’s is 11-1 SU, last 12 MAAC games. Canisius is shooting 38.7% from the field (a woeful number, in case you weren’t aware) and is off back-to-back 16- and 28-point losses at Monmouth. Who do ya’ like |
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01-01-21 | Cincinnati +9.5 v. Georgia | 21-24 | Win | 100 | 2 h 18 m | Show | |
Rating: 2 Units First meeting between these teams. As our clients are well aware, we've ridden the undefeated Bearcats of Cincinnati this season, with highly profitable results. Only regular season miss by a single point, when they took knee at the Central Florida one in the final minute, after overcoming a 2-TD deficit. QB Ridder leads an enviously balanced "O": 2,090 passing yards, 66%, & 17 TDs with 6 INTs. Eighth bowl in 10 years for Cincinnati (23-point cover vs BC in last year's Birmingham). But can they keep it up vs such a giant? For the Bulldogs of Georgia, this makes it 24 straight bowl seasons (longest current run), & 57th overall. Own the best run "D" in the land, & insertion of QB Daniels is a proven success (9 TDs with only 1 INT). But a bevy of 'Dawgs have opted out, thus a 'Cat call |
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12-31-20 | Colorado v. USC -1.5 | Top | 72-62 | Loss | -114 | 11 h 60 m | Show |
PAC-12 Play of the Day The Trojans four games postponed or canceled, hadn’t played since Dec. 8 before beating Santa Clara 86-63 Tuesday night. The tall Mobley brothers are combining to average 27.5 ppg, 17.6 rebounds, 4 blocks per game. The team has the best field goal percentage among Pac 12 squads (49.2%). Tad Boyle doesn’t coach his Buffs to experience lop-sided halves against themselves on the road, but he has yet to prove that he can coach them to avoid having lots of them. Let’s have another, bud. |
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12-31-20 | Suns v. Jazz -3.5 | 106-95 | Loss | -102 | 10 h 57 m | Show | |
Rating: 2 Units Pre-season NBA results: Utah, 119-105 and 111-92 over Phoenix. “They handled us in many areas of the game,” Suns head coach Monty Williams said. “That’s the focus right now. How do we go up there and keep them out of our paint, do much better in transition, keep those guys off the glass?” Ricky Rubio knew how, but he doesn’t play for Phoenix anymore. He did when the Suns beat the Jazz by 20 points here the last time the teams played for real. “I know their game and I played with them for a long time,” Rubio said afterwards, talking about how he often knew where the Jazz wanted to go with their motion and their passes and stepped into the passing lanes. Is Chris Paul that cerebral? Don’t think so |
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12-31-20 | Kings +5.5 v. Rockets | Top | 119-122 | Win | 100 | 8 h 2 m | Show |
NBA Play of the Day John Wall and DeMarcus Cousins returned to practice yesterday after their seven-day absences and will make their Houston debuts. Cousins: “Sitting at home for seven days straight, then jumping back into a full-speed practice or game… there’s not a lot of positive things on that side. Maneuver through the BS, and make the best of what you can.” Alrighty, then. We know the Kings can beat Denver. And Phoenix. We also know that they won 119-118 in this building last season, playing only eight guys, none of them named Fox or Bagley |
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12-31-20 | Minnesota +8.5 v. Wisconsin | 59-71 | Loss | -109 | 6 h 33 m | Show | |
Rating: 2 Units We did not buy Wisconsin’s high ranking against what had been an underperforming Maryland team earlier this week and we’ll stay on that track for this match-up against the Gophers, with Marcus Carr a tough guard and Liam Robbins a nuisance guarding the rim |
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12-31-20 | Ball State v. San Jose State -9 | 34-13 | Loss | -119 | 45 h 43 m | Show | |
Rating: 2 Units First meeting for this pair, who both are comparative bowl novices, although they have graced the holiday scene a few times. For the Cardinals of Ball State, this marks their first such trip since back-to-back losses in the '12 Beef 'O' Brady, & the '13 GoDaddy. The Spartans of San Jose St: SU & ATS wins in the '15 Cure, & the '12 Military. Just a single SU loss between them this year, with a combined 11-3 ATS log. SJSt: 11-1 ATS run (7-0 SU & ATS TY). Cards finished on a 4-0 spread run (+60½ pts), including holding Buffalo's top-ranked running game to 210 yards below its average, in MAC title game (22-pt cover). Key here is that 119th-ranked Card passing "D", which just be the edge. However, nothing strong. |
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12-31-20 | Mississippi State v. Tulsa +1 | 28-26 | Loss | -105 | 3 h 45 m | Show | |
Rating: 2 Units No, they've never met before. For the Golden Hurricane of Tulsa, just their first bowl since '16, after making the holiday scene 7-of-8 years, from '05 through '12. But when they do make a bowl, they take full advantage: 63, 45, 62, 52, & 55 pts in 5 of those 7, winning all 5 SU, covering 6. But a combined 9-27 SU run ('17-'19), before this year's 6-2 log, covering 7-of-8, & nearly taking 6th-ranked in the AAC title game. Bulldogs (+17) shocked LSU, 44-34, in opener, but just 2-7 since, 'tho QB Rogers has 30+ completions in his L4 games (SEC record), & threw for 336 yards vs Georgia's super "D". But Mississippi State has allowed 31+ pts 6 times this year. |
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12-30-20 | Lakers -6 v. Spurs | 121-107 | Win | 100 | 29 h 56 m | Show | |
Rating: 2 Units The Spurs are shifting from veteran-laden rotations to a more balanced attack with younger talent. Doing it against the defensive length of the Lakers might set ‘em back a bit but they’ll have tomorrow night to adust. The Lakers are off a home loss in the second of back-to-backs against what was a rested Portland team, for which head coach Frank Vogel said that they appeared to be stuck in mud. |
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12-30-20 | Florida v. Oklahoma -1 | 20-55 | Win | 100 | 35 h 32 m | Show | |
Just the 2nd meeting for these 2, the first coming in the '08 National Title Game, when Tim Tebow, Percy Harvin, & a spectacular Florida Gator "D" took down the Sam Bradford led Oklahoma Sooners, 24-14. Remember, Okies entered that one off a scoring barrage of 62, 66, 65, 61, & 62 points. First time in 4 yrs that an OU QB hasn't been in the Heisman picture, as such possibility is owned by Gator QB Kyle Trask, who leads that nation with 4,125 passing yards & 43 TDs with only 5 INTs, & fresh off a 408 passing yard effort in SEC title game vs 'Bama (10-point cover). But only 6 teams allow more first downs than Florida, while always potent Okies, behind frosh QB Rattler (2,784 passing yards & 25 TDs with 7 INTs) have shored up their "D" (17th). Fireworks galore, but OU more balanced |
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12-30-20 | Western Carolina +3 v. East Tennessee State | 78-86 | Loss | -110 | 27 h 24 m | Show | |
Rating: 2 Units Revenge! WCU doesn’t care who’s in the uniforms for ETSU. They only care about having lost to them three times last season, twice the season before, twice the season before that, twice the season before that, twice the season before that. But now they’ve got five double-digit scorers, having added one of them in the most recent game – 6’7” junior transfer Cory Hightower. ETSU’s Assist/Turnover rate of 12.5 to 16.4 is a far cry from last season’s 14.0 to 12.1. |
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12-30-20 | George Mason v. Massachusetts -6 | Top | 93-92 | Loss | -105 | 26 h 27 m | Show |
Rating: 3 Unit CBB Play of the Day UMass has beaten A-10 foe Lasalle by 19 points. George Mason is off a class-drop loss at home vs. Norfolk State, and had beaten Towson – who hadn’t played in a month – by only 5 points before that. Five double-digit scorers – four of them around 6’9”, 245 Tre Mitchell (21.5 ppg) is probably too much for GMU to guard and then match on the other end. |
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12-30-20 | SMU -8 v. Temple | Top | 79-71 | Push | 0 | 23 h 31 m | Show |
Rating: 3 Unit CBB Mismatch of the Day Temple has played two games. You’ll remember that we had Houston as a BEST BET against them in the second, laying a lot and winning by more (76-50). The Temple program seems like it’s been on the way down and still has a ways to go. As we noted Dec. 22, they haven’t had consistently accurate shooters for several seasons. One 50-point game at Houston doesn’t mean they can’t bounce back with many more in the next, but the capabilities haven’t shown, they haven’t played since, the Houston game was their seventh straight AAC defeat, SMU is 5-0 and allowing only 63 ppg |
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12-30-20 | Wisconsin v. Wake Forest +7.5 | 42-28 | Loss | -120 | 47 h 24 m | Show | |
Rating: 3 Units What a screwball season for the Badgers of Wisconsin, who have made it to a bowl for the 19th straight season. From a 94-18 point edge in their first 2 contests (+50½ points ATS), to a 76-40 point deficit in their remaining 4 games (-70½ points ATS). QB Mertz electrified everyone in his debut: 20-of-21 (5 TDs). But he has gone only 3 TDs with 5 INTs since, as the Badgers rank just 105th in passing "O" (93rd in total "O"). Their "D" is another matter: #1. The Demon Deacons of Wake Forest go bowling for the 5th straight year: 3-1 SU, 2-2 ATS. Move it with the best them, behind QB Hartman (10 TDs with only 1 INT), & lead the land in turnover edge (+23). Again, we'll grab the TD |
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12-29-20 | Nuggets v. Kings +2.5 | 115-125 | Win | 100 | 9 h 59 m | Show | |
Rating: 2 Units The Kings have beaten the Nuggets in Denver already, as we figured they would. They didn’t lose to them by much last season (7- and 5-point losses, plus a win). Denver beat the Rockets for us at home last night – for which they don’t get a gold star -- and now they make the trek to Sacramento for the second of back-to-backs. They didn’t have to do any of those, with travel, in the Bubble |
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12-29-20 | Colorado v. Texas -9.5 | 23-55 | Win | 100 | 59 h 43 m | Show | |
Rating: 2 Units Of course these 2 have met multiple times, when they were in the Big 8 together, before the Buffaloes of Colorado jumped ship for the Pac 12 in 2011, a move that hasn't exactly been good, as this is just the 2nd bowl appearance for CU, since that change, namely a 38-8 loss to Oklahoma State, in the '16 Alamo, as 3-point chalks. In this one, they're pinning their hopes on running back Brussard (813 yards & 3 TDs, in just 5 games: 6.3 yards per rush). But Buffs have allowed 30+ points in 18-of-21 games. Longhorns of Texas are led by QB Ehlinger, who has amassed 11,267 yards & 93 TDs with 27 INTs over the past 4 years. In likely his last game, he won’t be going out with a loss. Note Steers with 20, 20, & 21 point covers in their last 3 bowl games |
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12-29-20 | Ole Miss v. Alabama -130 | Top | 64-82 | Win | 100 | 8 h 33 m | Show |
Rating: 3 Unit CBB Play of the Day John Petty and James Rojas return for Alabama after being suspended for their win vs. ETSU a week ago. The Tide hasn’t looked as sharp as they did last season but they beat Ole Miss 103-78 on the road and it’s not like Ole Miss, en route to being 5-1, has beaten anybody that gives you the shivers. The number is just too short to pass up. |
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12-29-20 | Houston v. Tulsa +8.5 | 64-65 | Win | 100 | 7 h 27 m | Show | |
Rating: 2 Units 7-0, #5-ranked Houston lays 8+ to an opponent they beat by 23 points at home in February as they come off a 9-point win at UCF. Margins of those sizes are difficult to sustain in conference play. Tulsa lost a home game to Wichita State earlier this month, but has since won at Memphis. “We learned a lot from that [Wichita State] game because I don’t think we were quite right in the first half, coming from the break,” head coach Haith said. “We got better in the second half, but we needed practice time.” Alrighty, then. They stay true to their defensive system, which is a good trait to have against a Houston bunch that keys on offensive rebounding |
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12-29-20 | Celtics v. Pacers +100 | 116-111 | Loss | -100 | 6 h 4 m | Show | |
Rating: 2 Units When they played here on Sunday, both teams shot better than 50% overall in the Pacers’ 109-108 win that obviously could have gone either way. But Jeff Teague was 0-for-6 on three-pointers for Boston, doing his new team a real favor (we kid!). Kemba Walker, come back soon! Yes, the need him! Teague took a 0 in 21 minutes vs. Brooklyn, had only 9 – all on free throws – on Sunday. |
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12-29-20 | Oklahoma State -1 v. Miami-FL | Top | 37-34 | Win | 100 | 78 h 38 m | Show |
Rating: 5 Unit Bowl Game of the Month No, not the 1st time that the Cowboys of Oklahoma State have faced off against the Hurricanes of Miami, but the 2nd, as UM (-36) nosed out Ohio State, 40-3, in 1991. By the way, UM went 12-0 that year (National Champion). From '86 thru '92, Miami finished 2nd, 1st, 1st, 1st, 3rd, 1st, & 3rd in the nation. Wow!! Fifteen straight bowls for Oklahoma State, under Gundy (9-5 SU & ATS). Have had to replace last year's top rusher (Hubbard, who opted out), although Jackson a decent 5.7 yards per rush, while QB Sanders an anemic 10 TDs with 8 INTs, but WR Wallace 16.5 yards per catch. 'Canes brought in QB King from Houston, & he delivered: 2,573 passing yards (22 TDs with only 5 INTs), with 520 rushing yards. But UM was mauled, 62-26, by North Carolina, in finale, allowing school-record 778 yards & 554 rushing yards! |
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12-28-20 | Rockets v. Nuggets -7 | Top | 111-124 | Win | 100 | 12 h 42 m | Show |
Rating: 2 Units At Portland, the currently depleted Rockets scored 68 points in the first half, then 45 in the second half. They don’t know how to pace themselves. They just go out and run around quickly and shoot the ball, still. In the thin air of Denver, with only nine available, and four of them named Christian Wood, Brodric Thomas, Sterling Brown and Bruno Caboclo, they’ll be sucking wind by mid-third quarter against the angry, desperate, 0-2 home team |
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12-28-20 | Bills -7 v. Patriots | 38-9 | Win | 100 | 8 h 58 m | Show | |
Rating: 2 Units Prime Time Profit Play The Bills have a good pass offense, the Patriots do not. The Bills’ good pass defense figures to make the Patriots’ pass offense weaker than it already was (Cam Newton, 5 TD passes in 13 games!). With Patriots' CB Stephon Gilmore out, (he was 2019 NFL Defensive Player of the Year), the Bills’ pass offense moves up a notch higher in the match-up. Although they’ve clinched the AFC East, the Bills can still get the #2 seed and a second home game in the playoffs. Plus, sweeping an avenging New England after being tortured by them all these years would be a good way to maintain momentum and build more confidence |
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12-28-20 | Maryland +9.5 v. Wisconsin | 70-64 | Win | 100 | 10 h 33 m | Show | |
Rating: 2 Units The Terps are getting their sea legs under them. They’re a tough athletic match for the Badgers in man-to-man. They turned it over only 5 times losing 73-70 at Purdue and should battle all the way attempting to avoid an 0-3 start in the Big Ten. They lost by only two points, 56-54, on this floor last season |
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12-27-20 | Titans +3 v. Packers | 14-40 | Loss | -107 | 32 h 37 m | Show | |
Rating: 2 Units Ryan Tannehill has 31 TD throws. Aaron Rodgers is having a brilliant campaign. But Green Bay’s defense hasn’t shown enough improvement allowing 24-plus points in three of the past five games. The Packers’ special teams have been awful, too. The Titans have produced at least 30 points in each of their last five games, averaging 37.4 points during this span. Tennessee has won and covered its last three road matchups, including knocking off the Ravens and Colts, 45-26. The Packers lost to the Colts on the road, 34-31 in overtime. |
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12-27-20 | Bucks -12 v. Knicks | 110-130 | Loss | -115 | 10 h 15 m | Show | |
Rating: 2 Units Rested, classy road chalk vs. low-level home dog playing second of back-to-back nights after tussling with the 76ers yesterday. Initial thoughts are that they can’t make this line high enough. Already, Knicks’ rookie Obi Toppin had to miss the team’s second game of the season last night with an injury. Hey, maybe they’re load managing him! After all, he’s all of 22 years old and shouldn’t be playing back-to-backs! LOL! R.J. Barrett shot 2-for-15 last night for New York. Kevin Knox scored 7 points in 29 minutes. This is what they get from their first-round draft picks. The Knicks are so delusional that Barrett thinks having no fans in the stands is an edge for New York in home games |
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12-27-20 | Rams +1 v. Seahawks | 9-20 | Loss | -110 | 28 h 54 m | Show | |
Rating: 2 Units The Seahawks clinched a playoff berth for the 9th time 11 seasons under Carroll. Even though Russell Wilson has a career high 37 TDs, he also has a career high 13 picks. Not exactly Jameis Winston, but bye bye MVP Award. Both of these teams will clinch NFC West by winning their final 2 games. What in the world happened to the Rams last week? They had to be peeking ahead to this one. Their first half offense? Try 5 punts (1 blocked), an interception, & only 3 points vs an 0-13 team. What |
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12-27-20 | Evansville v. Southern Illinois -7.5 | 57-63 | Loss | -117 | 7 h 35 m | Show | |
Rating: 2 Units Evansville’s two true road games were a 35-point loss at Louisville and an overtime loss at a Tennessee-Martin team in disarray. They struggle to score, don’t rebound strongly. They lost by 17 points on this floor last season, when they went 0-18 in Missouri Valley play |
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12-27-20 | Mavs v. Clippers -5 | 124-73 | Loss | -110 | 6 h 17 m | Show | |
Rating: 2 Units Two nice wins for the Clippers in their first two games with Tyronn Lue coaching instead of Doc Rivers. Two ugly defeats for Dallas, without Porzingis on the floor. Sounds like addition by subtraction for L.A., and subtraction by subtraction for Dallas. Keep the trend going before the oddsmakers catch up and ruin it. The Lakers outscored the Mavericks in second-chance points 35-0 the other night. |
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12-27-20 | Bengals v. Texans -7 | 37-31 | Loss | -110 | 24 h 4 m | Show | |
Rating: 2 Units Houston has Deshaun Watson. Cincinnati has Brandon Allen or Ryan Finley. Enough said. The Bengals might be able to run on the Texans’ league-worst rush defense – if Joe Mixon returns from a lengthy foot injury. Mixon hasn’t played since Week 6 so he can’t be counted upon. The Bengals lack the quarterbacks who can take advantage of the Texans’ porous secondary, which has become worse with the suspension of Bradley Roby. Aging J.J. Watt could have one more big game in him given the Bengals’ pass protection problems. Cincinnati’s chore is made more difficult by traveling on a short week having just hosted the Steelers this past Monday night |
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12-27-20 | Browns -10 v. Jets | 16-23 | Loss | -100 | 24 h 59 m | Show | |
Rating: 2 Units 28th matchup between these two. Browns lead this series 15-12, which included that classic divisional matchup in 1986 at 'The Mistake by the Lake'. That 2OT barnburner was one of the greatest ever and surprisingly enough, is the only time these two have battled in the playoffs. Even when the Jets win, they lose. The Jags now hold that #1 draft spot for Lawrence. However, have to hand it to NY, as it was in command of that game from the coin flip. Jets "D" got a big 4th down stop & the "O": 2 late first downs. |
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12-27-20 | Drake v. Indiana State +3.5 | 81-63 | Loss | -105 | 4 h 37 m | Show | |
Rating: 2 Units Drake concluded non-conference play 9-0 and although Liam Robbins, who deserted them, is helping Minnesota (and us, Friday!), they haven’t missed him. Yet. Perhaps in their first Missouri Valley game, an opponent like Indiana State will know how to exploit them? Interesting, eh? This is hardly a reach. Drake beat Indiana State by 4 points home last season, lost 58-56 on this floor |
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12-26-20 | Raptors v. Spurs +2.5 | 114-119 | Win | 100 | 11 h 54 m | Show | |
Rating: 2 Units The Raptors, along with the Warriors, were the only NBA teams to score fewer than 100 points in their first game. Warriors followed up with a second sub-100 game. Do you see some irony in that relationship, given that those two franchises played for the NBA Championship in 2018-19? For Golden State, it was expected. For Toronto, was it: Fluke, or Foreshadow? Could be Foreshadow, given the players they’ve allowed to leave via free agency over the course of the last two seasons, and considering that Wednesday night’s opponent, New Orleans, was one of the NBA’s worst defensive teams last season. Spurs |
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12-26-20 | Dolphins -2.5 v. Raiders | 26-25 | Loss | -113 | 10 h 43 m | Show | |
Rating: 2 Units The Raiders aren’t exactly stretch-runners as they are in the midst of another familiar December fade with four straight spread Ls. Maybe giving Marcus Mariota more snaps isn’t a bad idea after he looked very serviceable in relief of a hurting Derek Carr (strained groin) last Thursday vs. the Bolts, but even Alabama would have trouble scoring enough points to overcome a Vegas D that’s allowed 30 or more a staggering nine times in 2020 (only the Jets have been as bad). It can’t be good news for Jon Gruden that Miami just ran over Bill Belichick’s defense to the tune of 250 rush yards last week, either, while the careful Tua (only 2 picks in 8 starts) is making Brian Flores smile by avoiding the sorts of mistakes that often befall rookie QBs. The Dolphins are also the anti-Raiders, having won 8 and covered 9 out of their last 10 as they get closer to their first playoff berth since 2016 |
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12-26-20 | 76ers -8 v. Knicks | 109-89 | Win | 100 | 10 h 4 m | Show | |
Rating: 2 Units Let the Knicks show you some reasons why you should be on them. They specialize in losing. Until they change that, why bother? Obi Toppen, 3-for-12, all 3 of the makes on treys. What happened to attacking the basket? Oh, they have former #1 pick Kevin Knox (4 points) for that! Sixers struggled against Westbrook, as usual – no big deal -- but won the game. No big deal. Sixers seek to forge a new road identity. They were terrible away from home last season. No fans here is a good place to start |
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12-26-20 | Liberty +7 v. Coastal Carolina | 37-34 | Win | 100 | 9 h 55 m | Show | |
Rating: 2 Units These former Big South outfits have met many times, with 7-7 SU split, between the Chanticleers of Coastal Carolina, & the Flames of Liberty (most recently in '16, when CC (NL) rolled 42-7, in its 3rd double digit win season in 4 years (3-9, 5-7, & 5-7 years since jumping to FBS status in '17). But 14 starters, including QB McCall: 2,170 passing yards 23 TDs with 2 INTs, & running back Marable: 844 rushing yards returned this year &, they're 1 of 4 teams in the nation with no losses, ranking 9th in the polls, proving worth with 22-17 win over BYU, holding prolific Coog "O" scoreless over L27:28. The 23rd ranked Flames are just a 15-14 loss to NC State from matching CC's perfect log. QB Willis: 2,040 passing yards & 20 TDs with only 4 INTs (3 picks vs NC State), along with 807 rushing yards. Call upset |
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12-26-20 | 49ers v. Cardinals -5.5 | 20-12 | Loss | -110 | 6 h 3 m | Show | |
Rating: 2 Units This really isn’t a road venue for the 49ers since Arizona’s State Farm Stadium has been their new home away from home. Nick Mullens hasn’t come through for the 49ers throwing at least one interception in eight of 10 appearances. San Francisco is holding out hope that Jimmy Garoppolo, George Kittle and Deebo Samuel will all be able to see action here to team with emerging star Brandon Aiyuk. The Cardinals beat the 49ers when San Francisco was healthy, 24-20, opening week. The 8-6 Cards have won four games by 15 or more points. San Francisco is 5-9 and out of playoff contention |
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12-26-20 | Green Bay v. Wright State -15 | 53-67 | Loss | -117 | 6 h 16 m | Show | |
Rating: 2 Units Green Bay had two cracks at Milwaukee at home, went 0-2 to fall to 0-6 in the first season of young Ryan as head coach. They shot 38.9% and 39.1% from the field in those losses. Hey, at least they’re consistent! But shooting in that range ain’t gonna get it done against a Wright State side shooting 51% from the field overall after five games, unless the Raiders have a bad shooting day in their own gym |
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12-26-20 | Indiana v. Illinois -7.5 | Top | 60-69 | Win | 100 | 6 h 13 m | Show |
Rating: 3 Unit Big-10 Play of the Day The Hoosiers have failed two serious tests already. Losing by 22 to Texas, falling behind badly at home vs. Northwestern. Illinois is the best foe they’ll have faced in nine games, and the reverse is not true for Illinois, who has played four of their last five games away from home vs. Duke, Missouri, Minnesota, Rutgers and Penn State. |
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12-26-20 | UL-Lafayette v. UTSA +14 | 31-24 | Win | 100 | 5 h 43 m | Show | |
Rating: 2 Units The virus certainly made its mark on this day, which had originally scheduled six games, thus dropping the Gasparilla, Independence, & Guaranteed Rate Bowls. What a year. So sad. This one has the Lafayette Ragin' Cajuns & Roadrunners of UTSA meeting for the first time. For La-La, this marks its 8th bowl in 10 years, winning & covering 4 straight, while hosting the New Orleans Bowl ('11-'14), but just 1-2 SU & 0-3 ATS since. QB Lewis (2,128 yards) has thrown a TD pass in 17 straight games. Cajuns a 132-51 point edge in L3 games (+40 pts ATS). For the 'Runners, note running back Sincere McCormick's 1,345 yards (748 yards after contact). Utsa rarely fades, & is only 12 pts from a 14-2 spread run and a solid 9-3 spread mark its last 12 as a dog. We'll grab generous spot |
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12-25-20 | Clippers -2 v. Nuggets | 121-108 | Win | 100 | 34 h 27 m | Show | |
Rating: 2 Units Takin’ an anti-Denver stance here early on. Their big playoff run in the bubble was nice but creates expectations that they’re super-duper. They won’t be changing much about what they do. First and only chance to be on the Clippers in first game without Doc Rivers was a resounding win against the Lakers with a big game from the “star,” Paul George, who was most vocal about Rivers being the problem. Here’s a second chance! Under Rivers, the Clippers had the Nuggets down 3-1 in the playoffs, then lost three straight. No Rivers, and revenge |
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12-25-20 | Iowa v. Minnesota +7 | 95-102 | Win | 100 | 32 h 57 m | Show | |
Rating: 2 Units Little Pitino no doubt swayed the transfer of Liam Robbins from Drake with Iowa’s Luke Garza in mind – somebody a little taller than Garza to help keep him in check inside and perhaps make him spend more time on the perimeter taking lower-percentage shots and rebounding less. The Gophers shot just 35.6% from the field when they lost just 58-55 to Iowa on this floor last season so they know they can do a defensive job on an offensive-minded visitor. The Total of 162.5 seems too high, doesn’t it? We shall see |
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12-25-20 | Vikings v. Saints -6.5 | 33-52 | Win | 100 | 6 h 15 m | Show | |
Rating: 2 Units Minnesota doesn't have a better offense, or defense, than the Saints, who are playing home off a home loss, in a game with playoff seeding implications as well as some emotional fodder because it was the Minnesota uniforms who eliminated them from what they thought was going to be Super Bowl season last year. Injuries and missed practices suggest a gutted linebacker group for Minnesota in this game (as the defense prepares to play against Alvin Kamara and LaTavius Murray) and a definite absence for TE Kyle Rudolph |
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12-24-20 | Hawaii +9.5 v. Houston | 28-14 | Win | 100 | 2 h 7 m | Show | |
Rating: 2 Units The Rainbows of Hawaii take their usual place in a Christmas Eve bowl, but, for once, they aren't in the role of hosts (8 Hawaii Bowl appearances in the last 19 years). So it's off to New Mexico. Oh, sorry, it's off to Texas, with the New Mexico Bowl being played in Frisco, Texas. Incredible. The 'Bows are led by QB Cordeiro, who has thrown for 1,947 yards, with just an 11/6 TD/INT ratio. However, he lives for the long TD pass, and he can run it (4.2 yards per rush). Only Wyoming & San Diego State have contained that 'Bow offense. The Cougars of Houston are led by QB Tune, who is similar to Cordeiro. Hawaii: 32+ points 6 of last 10 outings, with Houston allowing 30+ points in 19 of last 25 games. Hawaii has seen much tougher defenses than this and Cordeiro will have some opportunities. I do believe this Bowl game will be a lot closer than what this spread would suggest |
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12-23-20 | Northwestern v. Indiana -7.5 | Top | 74-67 | Loss | -113 | 11 h 3 m | Show |
Rating: 3 Unit CBB Play of the Day What happens to Northwestern one game after they destroyed Michigan State in the Big Ten opener? How about a crash at Indiana? Izzo is infamous for failing to prepare Michigan State early in conference season, which then gives him an opportunity to remind his players that they are terrible and need to listen to him in order to improve. It’s all part of the master plan of peaking later on, because he is Mr. March, not Mr. December. Northwestern is mostly a five-out offense, the type that in the Big Ten, would figure to be the most volatile night in and night out, meaning much variance in performance. |
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12-23-20 | UMKC v. St. Louis -23.5 | 46-62 | Loss | -104 | 11 h 38 m | Show | |
Rating: 2 Units This visitor lost by 29 points at Minnesota, getting dominated by the Gophers’ 7’0” Liam Robbins. The home favorite lost by 8 points at Minnesota, playing well but running into a sixth man on the floor – Big Ten referees who sent Minnesota to the free-throw line 41 times to 17 for the Billikens. Three Saint Louis starters got fouled out. Saint Louis was also done in by 32 points (14 on free throws) by Gophers’ goto guy Marcus Carr, and 9 blocked shots – 4 by Robbins, 3 by 6’9” Isaiah Ihnen. The aggression that was thwarted should zip through unimpeded in this match-up |
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12-23-20 | Pelicans v. Raptors -4 | 113-99 | Loss | -101 | 10 h 60 m | Show | |
Rating: 2 Units It’s all falling by the wayside for the Raptors, champions of 2018-19. Right? First, Kawhi Leonard left. Now, Serge Ibaka and Marc Gasol are gone. They’re playing home games at Amalie Arena in Tampa, FL, a far cry from Toronto, Canada and their devoted faithful. How can they possibly compete? You’ll see. Hopefully via their zone defenses attracting three-point misses. For one thing, they shared best road record in the league with the Lakers last season |
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12-23-20 | Hornets -130 v. Cavs | 114-121 | Loss | -130 | 10 h 33 m | Show | |
Rating: 2 Units The Cavs suffered re-buildus interruptus when they had to can John Beilein. They ranked last in defensive field goal percentage and think that 6’6” rookie Isaac Okoro can be plugged in to help defend on the wing. The Hornets have had a defensive mindset during their inexorable process of attempting to become good. LaMelo Ball might give ’em a spark until he’s figured out next week or thereabouts, and needs to adjust to the adjustments. Kevin Love, out for Cavs. |
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12-23-20 | Georgia Southern -5.5 v. Louisiana Tech | 38-3 | Win | 100 | 24 h 52 m | Show | |
Rating: 2 Units New Orleans Bowl Book Nailer These 2 have never met, although they both are bowl tested. Third holiday classic in 4 years for the Eagles of Georgia Southern, who are again among the premier rushing yardage squads, placing 9th, or better, in 5 of their 7 years in the FBS. Their opponents in this one, namely the Bulldogs of Louisiana Tech own the longest active winning bowl streak in the land, 6 straight, with 5 of the 6 coming by 14 points, or more (7-1 ATS bowl run). So why not keep it going? Well, replacing 14 starters has them a shadow of former selves, with just 98 rushing yards per game (119th). QB Anthony (1,479 yards) is decent, but can't erase 52-10 windup loss to TCU. Close to home, but Eagle call. |
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12-22-20 | Temple v. Houston -16.5 | Top | 50-76 | Win | 100 | 8 h 38 m | Show |
Rating: 3 Units CBB Play of the Day Temple has played one game, three days ago, against NJIT. They won it 72-60, shooting 40% from the field on their home floor, with a 30-12 disparity in free throw attempts. They haven’t shot well for four years and should shoot it worse on this long road trip with a class rise into conference play against a ranked, unbeaten opponent that allows 55.6 points per game, had some virus issues, didn’t play for 15 days, but got players cleared recently and returned for a good tune-up win vs. Alcorn State on Sunday |
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12-22-20 | East Tennessee State v. Alabama -14.5 | 69-85 | Win | 100 | 9 h 39 m | Show | |
Rating: 3 Unit CBB Mismatch of the Day Class drop for the Crimson Tide, off a loss. Good spot to get back on track. ETSU is still attempting to discover an identity with a new head coach and many new players on a team who won 30 games last season with different kids in these uniforms. They are coming off three games against non-Division 1 opponents you’ve never heard of and have been scoring mostly in the 60s or less against them, and better foes. Alabama will be the best team they’ve played in this, their eighth game. They way they’ve been turning the ball over suggests that Alabama will thrive in transition. |
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12-22-20 | Central Florida v. BYU -6 | 23-49 | Win | 100 | 10 h 36 m | Show | |
Rating: 2 Units Third meeting between these 2, with first 2 going to the home team by 7 & 7 points. By the way that the BYU Cougars got out of the gate: 9 straight wins, with a 367-110 point edge in their first 8 lined games (+110 points ATS), & a 34½ point cover at Boise, they looked unstoppable, moving to #8 in the polls. But a trip to Coastal Carolina cost them dearly (22-17 loss, scoring just 3 points in 2nd half). QB Wilson is their meal ticket: 3,267 passing yards & 30 TDs with only 3 INT, with BYU ranking 8th & 9th in total "O" & "D". Same has been said about the offense of the Knights of Central Florida, who rank 2nd, 5th, & 2nd in passing, scoring, & total "O", behind QB Gabriel (3,353 passing yards & 30 TDs with 4 INTs). Edge in this one is obvious: only 10 schools have a worse "D" than UCF |
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12-22-20 | Warriors v. Nets -5 | 99-125 | Win | 100 | 4 h 38 m | Show | |
Rating: 2 Units The Nets will surely amount to less than the sum of their overhyped parts that love to hog the ball and get stats and have needed to play with other, more talented, dominant superstars to win whatever they claim to have won individually, when it was really team efforts. But at least they have parts. The Warriors attempt to surround Stephen Curry with replacement parts in the absence of Draymond Green and Klay Thompson. Why do new bigs Kelly Oubre and rookie James Wiseman – the latter off a college career of two games – not get us excited? |
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12-21-20 | New Mexico v. Boise State -10 | Top | 53-77 | Win | 100 | 7 h 14 m | Show |
Rating: 3 Unit CBB Play of the Day The Lobos have some catching up to do after playing only three games so far, two of them way down in class against Our Lady of the Lake (NAIA) and Le Tourneau (Division III), we kid you not. They lost 11 of their last 15 Mountain West games last season. Boise has looked quite good against real opposition – Houston and BYU, to name a few. East Tennessee State transfer Mladen Armus gives them a 6’10”, 232 rebounding stabilizer they’ve lacked. |
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12-21-20 | Steelers v. Bengals +14.5 | 17-27 | Win | 100 | 6 h 54 m | Show | |
Rating: 2 Units Even though it's been 4 weeks since Burrow's injury, you can't help but think about the connection between his and Carson Palmer's knee injuries. Of course, Palmer's came in this very same stadium against the Steelers in the '05 Wild Card. The Steelers went on to win that game & 2 more road games (Indy & Denver) on their way to winning Super Bowl XL. The Steelers are favored by two touchdowns despite a down-trending offense that has topped out at 19 points in their last three games. And that was when Baltimore was missing guys all over the place. Revenge for blowout loss earlier vs. division rival, home dog on Monday night |
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12-20-20 | St. Louis -2.5 v. Minnesota | Top | 82-90 | Loss | -107 | 11 h 59 m | Show |
Rating: 3 Unit CBB Play of the Day The visitor is 6-0 SU and 6-0 ATS, but playing its first true road game. “True road” doesn’t necessarily mean the same thing this year as in the past, given the lack of crowd enthusiasm for home teams. There are still Big Ten referees for the A-10 squad to overcome but otherwise, they have the scoring, the rebounding, the experienced depth, and the coaching to pull this off. Illinois helped expose Minnesota earlier in the week. |
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12-20-20 | Chiefs -3 v. Saints | 32-29 | Push | 0 | 29 h 4 m | Show | |
Rating: 2 Units Would you believe that the defending champion Chiefs haven't covered since Nov 1st? And would you believe that the league's MVP, Patrick Mahomes, is in off a career worst 3 interceptions? And would you believe that the Saint "D" is the best in the NFL? If all of that isn't a recipe for atonement, we don't know what is. Sure, New Orleans as a true elite, but have to see an angry Mahomes & Co taking this one |
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12-20-20 | Jets v. Rams -17 | 23-20 | Loss | -105 | 29 h 48 m | Show | |
Rating: 2 Units Who would have ever thought the Jets could have a coach worse than Rich Kotite? Congratulations Adam Gase, who surpassed Kotite with the Jets having lost a franchise-record 13 consecutive games. New York has been outscored by 132 points in six away contests for an average road loss of 22 points. This is the Jets’ second West Coast game in a row. Sean McVay is licking his lips envisioning a passing attack against the Jets young and talent-deficient cornerbacks. The Jets are 4-13 ATS in their last 17 road matchups versus opponents with a winning home record. Sacks leader Aaron Donald faces a Jets squad ranking last in points and total yards. |
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12-20-20 | Marquette +3 v. Xavier | 88-91 | Push | 0 | 5 h 34 m | Show | |
Rating: 2 units The host Musketeers are 7-0 but were forced to pause for a while. They’ll probably introduce recently eligible Hampton transfer Big Ben Stanley to Big East ball here, but head coach Travis Steele will be forced to juggle minutes off the interruption. Fresh off double-avenging Creighton, Marquette seeks to take a fifth straight from the Musketeers. |
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12-20-20 | Seahawks -4 v. Washington Football Team | 20-15 | Win | 100 | 26 h 50 m | Show | |
Rating: 2 Units These 2 have played 3 times in the playoffs in the last 15 years, with the Seahawks taking 3 out of 3. The last being 2012, when RGIII crumbled to the turf in FedEx Field, basically ending his career as Washington's savior. Sad to say the least. Russ is back! 21/27, 206 yards, 4 TDs with 1 INT. That gives him a team record 36 TD passes. The Seahawks tied the team record with its 5th game of 35+ points. Four straight Ws for Wash after that 2-7 start. Now a game up in the NFC East. Here's hoping Alex Smith is OK |
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12-20-20 | Bucs -6 v. Falcons | 31-27 | Loss | -111 | 26 h 34 m | Show | |
Rating: 2 Units First matchup of these two teams this season. They will meet again in Week 17. By that time, the Bucs postseason status may be solidified, so this one is huge for Tom and company. Bucs D has gone 4 straight games with 5+ sacks (6 vs Minn.). Best start for Tampa (8-5) since '16. Brady had his 6th game with 2+ TD passes & 0 picks & joined Jameis Winston as only Tampa Bay QBs with 30 TDs. On the other hand, the Falcons officially eliminated from the playoffs after Ryan's 3 picks in LA. Bucs |