SJ is locked and loaded for Saturday NCAA and NBA hoops. See who he is picking.
Season Record:
2011 NFL: 48-33-7 (+34.75 units)
NCAA: 2-4 (-12.4 units)
NBA: 0-0
Last Week:
My
transition from a stellar NFL season to the wonderful world of college
basketball betting was not exactly seamless. We had 6 plays on the board last week
and went a dismal 2-4. Notice the use of
the pronoun we whenever the
selections lose which, by the way, will be effortlessly substituted with I when a winning week occurs.
Don’t forget, I’m a filthy, lousy tout who
keeps a legitimate record but will go to no ends to distance myself from the
losers while trumpeting my winners. While this is not entirely true, it fits the tout stereotype and I’m
just givin’ back what the people want.
I am not
going to take you through the maelstrom that was my NCAA basketball picks nightmare of last Saturday. I won’t even
begin to expound upon the fact that virtually all my games were headed for the
win column until late in their respective games. Nor would I dream of pestering you with silly
details like my two winners were my lowest rated plays while the other four
selections flamed like JJ Gold on Fire Island. But as I have always said, the only person who wants to hear a gambling
story is the one who is telling it. The
final tally last week, where I cast my fortunes with all underdogs, was 2-4 and
a bankroll busting -12.4 units. I am now going to attempt to fill the
hole that we dug last week.
12:00 ET Louisville
at DePaul
Last week I
backed DePaul getting 13 points against Notre Dame and though they lost the
game, they covered the all important number. But this week the Blue Demons will host the top twenty Louisville
Cardinals. The Cardinals defense is
simply too much for DePaul as evidenced by their mid January showdown when
Louisville smothered DePaul with a 76-59 victory and covered as 15 ½ point
chalk. So now they tip off in DePaul’s
gymnasium. So what…the disparity in
talent between these clubs makes the venue irrelevant. DePaul is actually 6-7 straight up and 3-6
against the spread at home this season while Louisville is 6-2 ATS on the road
and has covered their last 5 consecutive games.
Don’t over
think this one. Rick Pitino’s boys will
dominate from box to wire. Play Louisville -10 for 3 units.
1:00 ET UNLV at New Mexico
Remember
when Jerry Tarkanian coached the Runnin’ Rebels during their glory years? Yeah me too….but those days are over
dammit! Look, New Mexico got hammered a
month ago by the Rebels but this time will be different. UNLV blew an eighteen point lead to TCU on
Tuesday and Los Lobos will be loaded for revenge. New Mex has lost only twice in their last 21
games and they will get another notch in their holster this afternoon. Play
New Mexico -5 for 2 units.
1:00 ET Maryland at Virginia
The
Cavaliers are all about defense and the Terps have won three of the last four
between these two clubs. So why is a
defensive team who consistently has trouble even beating their opponent this
afternoon favored by 10 ½? Maybe the public
is expecting Virginia to break the spell. Not me, I’m grabbing the points and liking it! Play
Maryland +10 ½ for 2 units.
2:00 Missouri at Texas A&M
Mizoo is the
3rd ranked team in the country for a reason. They are on a 6 game win streak and punished
the Oklahoma State Cowboys with an 18 point win on Wednesday. The Aggies on the other hand snapped a 4 game
drought with a 47-38 victory over Texas Tech. But they scored…47 freakin’ points people! Despite’s Missouri’s struggles at A&M,
they romp in this one. Play Missouri -7 for 4 units.
4:00 ET Fordham at St. Louis
The squares
play strictly the TV games while the sharps search for soft lines on the lesser
known teams. Am I a sharp or what with
this game?! Look, the spread is huge but
St. Louis had few problems with Fordham when they played them on the road last
month and came away with a win and a cover, 68-55 as 6 ½ point favorites.
St. Louis is
going to win this game by so much they will have to call the authorities to
make them stop scoring because Fordham’s players will be weeping like school
girls as they watch the men play basketball…by themselves. This will be an annihilation. Play
St. Louis -21 for 5 units.
9:00 Ohio State at Michigan
I realize
the Buckeyes have dominated this series over the past couple years but they
have not always been successful in getting the cover. Here’s a game that they could lose
outright. Michigan could very well do
what the Spartans did last week when they handed Ohio State a ten point loss as
8 point favorites. I would like to play
Michigan on the money line but this line has crept up, indicating there is
money leaning on the Buckeyes. But is
that public money or sharp money? I’m
not sure that’s why I will grab the 5 ½ points and buy a hook to make it six
just in case. Play Michigan +6 (buying a ½ -120) for 2 units.
NBA
3:30 San Antonio at LA Clippers
Lets add a NBA pick to the mix as well. Steven Suarez has already given us his pick for this matchup, and seeing that we have opposing views, I thought that I would share my thoughts.
San Antonio has been on a tear winning their
last 9 games but they’ve beaten up weak sisters Detroit, New Jersey and Toronto
during that span. The Clippers meanwhile
have won 4 of their last 5 and have meshed nicely. Sure the Spurs thrashed the Clips by 25
points back in December but things have changed and this LA club is now a
legitimate contender in the NBA. Chris
Paul now has a rhythm he didn’t have before and it looks like this could be a
defining moment for a Clippers franchise that has come a long way in a short
period of time. Play the Clips -3 for 2 units.