Scott Spreitzer's CBB Monday Night Knockout! *4-0, 100%!
I'm laying it with Dukie on Monday night. The Blue Devils suffered a disappointing season last year. They came out smoking and on a mission in their opener, a 65-point win over NC Central. Just to show they mean business, they rocked a decent NMSU squad by 25-points last Monday. Duke clobbered a talented Aggies' team on the glass and forced NMSU into a minus-14, assist-to-turnover ratio! Tonight, they'll take on a Princeton team that looks destined for the cellar this year in the Ivy League. Sydney Johnson takes over as coach and he has a young squad to try and mold in a hurry. The Tigers are off to a 2-0 start, squeeking out wins over a hapless Iona program and Central Connecticut State. Princeton actually trailed the CCSU Blue Devils by eight points at the half, putting up just 16 points in 20 minutes. The huge step-up tonight against the "other" Blue Devils will be too much too soon for the young Tigers. Look for the new-and-improved and refocused Duke Blue Devils to hammer Princeton from the start and not let up. Duke is my Monday night Knockout. Thanks! GL! Scott.
DOCs
3 Unit Play. #530 Take Illinois -2 ½ over Arizona State (11:30 pm ESPN 2) The Fighting Illini already have a victory over Hawaii on the islands and are catching the Sun Devils at just the right moment, as they have yet to play a game in 2007. ASU was bad last year and don’t expect much improvement early on this year. Illinois will dominate on the boards and earn their third victory of the young season. Coach Pearl has an outstanding non-conference record and does not lose many games that he is supposed to win.
3 Unit Play. #532 Take UCLA -10 over Maryland (7:00 pm ESPN 2) Maryland has underachieved for a while since winning it all early in this decade and has been a selfish team that does not play much defense. That does not bode well when playing the Bruins, the best defensive team in the country. UCLA had a great recruiting class led by Kevin Love and Ben Howland can flat out coach and now he has talent to go along with that. UCLA pulls away late to win this game by 15 points.
3 Unit Play. #533 Take Missouri +3 over Michigan State (9:30 ESPN U) The oddsmakers have failed to realize that this neutral site location greatly favors the Tigers and expect them to pack the stands with fans. Michigan State has always started out slow in past years playing a brutal non-conference schedule that prepares them well for March, but takes its toll on them in November/December. The Tigers can now play defense led by Coach Anderson’s hard noise style that he brought over from UAB and thus will earn the victory on Monday, giving us a nice underdog cash.
Ferringo
4.5-Unit Play. Take #509 Western Michigan (-2) over Detroit (7 p.m., Monday, Nov. 19)
Western Michigan has won two of the last three meetings between these two schools and covered four out of six. Brandon Cotton has officially left Detroit, leaving them without their top perimeter player. WMU is 9-2 ATS in its last 11 nonconference games and has an advantage with experience, depth, talent and height. The average margin of victory in this series over the past 10 years is 11.8 points. And while WMU won’t win by that much, they will win handily.
3.5-Unit Play. Take ‘Under’ 145.0 Missouri vs. Michigan State (9:30 p.m., Monday, Nov. 19)
1-Unit Play. Take Missouri (+3) over Michigan State (9:30 p.m., Monday, Nov. 19)
Michigan State has been lackluster, at best, up to this point in the season and Missouri is a team that I have tabbed as a sleeper in the Big 12. I think that this is a great spot to collect on the under, as the Tigers’ deliberate sets against the Spartans’ physical defense will slow this tempo to a halt. Also, MSG isn’t a place that either team is used to playing so I’m expecting a lot of clankers as these teams stay in the 60’s.
2-Unit Play. TEASER: Take #529 Arizona State (+8.5) over Illinois (11:30 p.m., Monday, Nov. 19) AND Take #518 Charlotte (-2.5) over Monmouth (3:30 p.m., Monday, Nov. 19)
Note: This is a 5-point teaser. If you prefer, or if you use a local that doesn’t allow teasers, you can play these as straight sides for 1-Unit apiece. I like both picks and love the value of the extra points in each game, hence the teaser. Do not play ASU for less than +3.0 and do not play Charlotte above -8.0.
Illinois has yet to impress me and this is a team I’m looking to fade early in the year and play on a bit later. Arizona State is a team I’m high on and this game should be played in the 50’s so having those extra points will be a tremendous advantage. I do think the Sun Devils can win this one outright.
Monmouth is a one-dimensional team that is not highly regarded even in the NEC. Charlotte is comparable to Notre Dame and Seton Hall, two teams that thrashed Monmouth, so we’ll look for more of the same this afternoon. Also, a win in this early game sets up another middling opportunity.
Eastman
1-Unit Play Take #532 UCLA Bruins -10 over Maryland Terrapins. (Monday, November 19, 7:00 pm EST).
UCLA (3-0) has the potential to be "scary good" this season. They've started the season without All-American point guard Darren Collisonn (knee), Michael Roll (torn plantar fascia) and James Keefe (off-season foot surgery). Collison probably wont be back until late November, perhaps in time for the game against George Washington game. Even without those players, the Bruins have won their first three games by an average of 29.0 points, and freshman Kevin Love has been a big reason why. Love has scored in double figures in each of the first three games, barely missing double-doubles in the most recent two. Love, last year’s player of the year in High School, is averaging 20.7 points and 10.3 rebounds. Some veteran scouts say Love is the best big man at UCLA since Bill Walton and that's high praise indeed. Maryland is also 3-0, but coach Gary Williams has been unhappy with his teams sloppy play and lack of effort. After coasting to a win over North Florida, the Terrapins have struggled since against Hampton and Northeaster, shooting 40% each game. Now they get to face Ben Howland's defense oriented team. Don't be fooled. This is NOT one of Maryland’s great teams. Instead it’s one that UCLA should handle easily.
Two of the youngest teams in the NBA meet here. It's common in basketball for young teams to first play well at home, but struggle badly on the road. That's the case with both these teams. Portland is 0-6 SU/2-4 ATS on the road, getting beat by 13 ppg. Charlotte is playing excellent defense at home, allowing 91 ppg, where they are 4-2 SU/ATS. Overall, Charlotte is on an impressive 3-2 SU, 4-1 ATS run and plays its 5th home game in 6 games here. Portland continues its long road trek playing its 4th road game in a row. Play the Bobcats!
The Grizzlies dominated the Sonics on the glass in their earlier meeting at Seattle. Memphis has a long way to go till they're a good team, but new Coach Marc Iavarone has clearly instilled a better work ethic in this team and Seattle is going to have lots of issues with teams that flourish in the paint. I see Memphis getting it done in similar fashion to the first meeting between these two, and I'll spot the points with the Grizzlies.
Thanks Baseballgod1 for posting all these service plays!!! Where do you find all of these picks? In any event, what a great help and I need it lately big time.
Utah is a team that comes out of training camp ready to play. Last year, the Jazz turned heads with their 12-1 start, winning six of those games outright as underdogs. This year, Jerry Sloan's squad won seven of their first nine ballgames, before losing back-2-back road games at Cleveland and Indiana over the weekend. But Utah is primed for a bounceback blowout tonight as they return home to face the Nets. People seem to forget how good this Jazz squad was last year - this team, not Phoenix or Dallas, went to the Western Conference Finals. Jerry Sloan brought the same core group back, led by all stars Carlos Boozer and Deron Williams. But the supporting cast is even better this time around, with the revitalization of Andrei Kirilenko's career, the maturity of key role player Paul Millsap, and the addition of first round draft pick (and starting shooting guard) Ronnie Brewer from Arkansas. Yet many pundits still consider the Jazz as a second tier contender in the West. The reality is that this team is championship caliber, not a middle of the pack foe for any opponent. Meanwhile, the Nets have lost five straight since Vince Carter got hurt, failing to cover a single pointspread in the process. New Jersey's offensive output has been downright pathetic without their leading scorer, averaging just 77 points per game in their last four contests. They've lost three times by double digit margins on this current skid, including a 22 point blowout loss in their lone road game. Tonight?s result should get ugly for the road team.
Game: Florida at Washington (7:00 PM Eastern)
Pick: Washington -1.5 goals +220
Florida has dominated this series recently but tonight we like Washington's chances at getting a big victory. On the road, Florida is horrible, sitting at 2-9, scoring 1.9 goals per game. They have no momentum having lost five of their last six games. In those six games, they are averaging just 1.7 goals per game. So, we expect Florida to have a very difficult time on the offensive end. Yes, Washington is a bad team too. But, the Panthers can't even beat them as they are 0-7 in early-season play since last season vs. teams at 40% or below. Overall Florida is 21-65 the past couple of seasons as a road underdog. Washington here on the puckline.
College hoops
Game: Western Michigan at Detroit (7:00 PM Eastern)
Pick: Western Michigan -2
Detroit has announced that Brandon Cotton is no longer a member of their team. Cotton was the main cog last year scoring 18.1 points per game, and still the Titans struggled to an 11-19 season. That leaves just one returning starter, and this will be another long season for coach Watson. Western Michigan will challenge for the MAC title this season, as they bring back just about everyone from last year. They have not hit their stride yet offensively, but are still putting up 74-ppg. The Titans miss Cotton and they have been scoring just 59-ppg and shooting 42%. They just don't have the firepower to stay with a solid Western Michigan team.
3 Unit Play. #509 Take W Michigan –2 over Detroit (Monday 11/19 7:00 PM)
Although Detroit has been without Brandon Cotton the Titans still will miss his offense again tonight. Which makes WMU to take a huge advantage and walk out of Detroit with a road victory. WMU Broncos offensively are putting up a solid 74.2 ppg, while shooting 42.6 percent from the field. This trend should continue tonight. W Michigan is 9-2 ATS against a Non-Conference team.
5 Unit Play. #527 Take Over 126 Princeton vs. Duke (Monday 11/19 9:00 PM ESPN2)
Expect the Blue Devils to cruise past the Princeton Tigers and if the Devil run and score at will this game could be over quickly. Wouldn’t be surprise to see Duke hit the 80 mark tonight against this Tiger defense. If Princeton can hit the three this game could competitive and I could use the Princeton points tonight. Duke is 4-1 O/U in their last 5 games.
2 Unit Play. #532 Take UCLA –10 over Maryland (Monday 11/19 7:00 PM)
The UCLA Bruins have been simply dominant through their first 3 games of the young season, as they are averaging 76.0 ppg behind 50.6 percent shooting from the field, while holding their opponents to an outstanding low 47.0 ppg and a dismal 35.7 percent shooting. – Vegas Informer
1-Unit Play. #525 Take LSU +2.5 over Oklahoma State (5 pm)
From what I've seen of this Cowboys team, they are not very disciplined. They do not have a go-to scorer and are up against a very athletic LSU team. Opposing this SEC rep, LSU has size and versitility. Tasmin Mitchell and Terry Martin are returning double figure scorers, while super freshman Anthony Randolph and JUCO transfer Marcus Thorton are impact newcomers. The Tigers play at 6'4'' and above. Both teams have a lot of new faces in key roles, and it will be LSU that shows more in this first round **** game with the victory.
1-Unit Play. #522 Take Baylor -2 over Winthrop (8:30 pm)
I really like what i've seen from the Bears in this Paradise Jam tournament. Baylor did well in its opener against Wichita State, and they even better was the Big 12 rep's second half rally on Sunday night to beat a pretty good Notre Dame team. In the title game in St. Thomas, Baylor will come out on top, thanks to strong guard play from Aaron Bruce and Tweety Carter, and another good game from top scorer Curtis Jerrells.
3-Unit Play. #529 Take Arizona State +2.5 over Illinois (11:30 pm)
Wow, I am very excited to see this young team in action. Just one senior on their roster, the Sun Devils have a lot of promise in Herb Sendek's second year. For the first time in 23 years Arizona State has a high school McDonald's All-American in James Harden. He comes in along with Duke transfer Eric Boateng. This freshman sensation will combine to form a very dangerous trio with Jeff Pendergraph and Christian Polk. The latter two each averaged 12 points per game last season, and with much more around them this season, their numbers will improve. The Sun Devils also bring in another freshman they are super high on. Point guard Jamelle McMillan, the son of Blazers' head coach Nate McMillan, is an instant impact player that will combine with sophomores Derek Glasser and Jerren Shipp in the backcourt. Illinois has looked very shaky to start the season. The Illini aren't a very strong offensive team, and this young Arizona State team will come through with a nice win to open the season on the
Linear Mode
