The Truth

NCAA – Last game

2011-04-04T12:00:00.001-07:00

So we are down to the final matchup of Butler vs. UConn. I have to say, I am totally torn up about this meeting. On the one side, I like how we are left with the two hottest teams (that is what winning five in a row will do for you) and to some degree, a couple of underdogs. However, I like upsets; I just don’t like them in the Final Four. I think if you get a George Mason or a VCU in the Final Four, then likely one team will have a pretty easy time to reach the final game. In this matchup we were pitted with an 8 seed in Butler and an 11 seed in VCU so one of them was going to advance. I am not saying that I wanted to have all number one seeds in the Final Four, but let’s be honest here, the number one seeded teams have the best players and I want to see them continue competing all the way through. Kemba Walker is great and Jeremy Lamb has been sensational. Shelvin Mack in making a case for himself to make the end of the first round draft, and a couple of the Frosh from Kentucky will play in the NBA, but that’s it for stars from this final four. And the Kentucky players are freshmen, so we really did not get a chance to become completely attached to them. The guys I mentioned above would likely fill a Kansas or Duke roster. I have heard some Analyst state this is the best NCAA tournament ever. I feel the exact opposite. It is not that I hated this tournament, because I liked it. There were a lot of close games. But the talent is diluted and by the time you start liking or following these underdogs, they lose. There was probably a reason why we never heard of VCU all year. They are a good team they played great near the end of the season. In fact, without the expansion of 4 teams, they would not have made it. I know I probably sound bitter and I probably am, because I really whiffed this year. I thought there would be a lot of upsets, I just picked the wrong ones and the there were some teams that I was not buying, Kentucky and UConn to name a few, that really put it together. I really like Brad Stevens of Butler. He is like a mini (in stature and titles) John Wooden. He is a teacher and a mentor and won’t judge success from these games for many years down the road. Since I was not buying UConn and because of my feelings for Butler, I will be rooting and hoping they win. So because of my errors throughout the tournament, I will go opposite of Money. UConn 67 Butler 60 Enjoy the game! Money

Sweet 16 Mayhem

2011-03-23T15:55:00.000-07:00

I admit it. I was wrong. I took some chances and they did not pay off. Going into the tournament, I felt, Ohio State, Duke and Kansas would be tough to knock off and likely make it to the final four. They still have a ways to go, but at least they are still playing. I did not like Pittsburgh or their chances to make it to the Final Four. I did not put them past the great 8 in any of my pools and in most, I had them losing to Old Dominion. I had the concept correct but the team wrong. As such, I have taken some grief for my picks, particularly from Rusty who is still upset that I picked Gonzaga. Incidentally Rusty picked all four number 1’s and Pittsburgh to win it all. Nice! With my bracket in shambles, I am taking the liberty of redoing my bracket. I could take the easy way out and pick all 1’s and Florida. That is what Russ and 90% of America will do. I think a bit differently. Which of the number one seeds is most vulnerable? I don’t think it is Ohio State. They have played great, have great outside shooters, excellent defense, they don’t foul and have several NBA players on their team. They make the Final Four, although they probably have the toughest challenge. Duke is a different team with Kyrie Irving back. They are trying to remember what it was like to play with him as he was out for 3 months. Well, he is back now and he is a difference maker. They advance to the Final Four. What about Kansas? Great talent and my team to win it all this year prior to the start of the tournament. However, now I smell a hint of Northern Iowa. They seem to be playing like they are ready for an underdog to beat them and they will have two chances for that to happen this weekend. Richmond will be a tough out and will play them well and if they get by Richmond, they won’t survive Florida State or VCU. The key for either of these underdogs will be to control the ball. If they hold onto it and don’t make turnovers, Kansas will lose to one of them. What do we make of the Southeast bracket? I really like Butler. They will beat Wisconsin. I thought Wisconsin played a great game against Kansas State, but they got lucky. They should have lost. Butler has better guards, a better big man and the swagger right now. Butler beats Wisconsin. Florida is big and that should be the difference maker in the next matchup. Jimmer will go for 35-40 points, but they will be stuffed inside by the much bigger and more physical Gators. Florida will advance from this bracket. Money

Money’s picks

2011-03-16T15:19:00.000-07:00

This is going to be a fun tournament. There is a lot of talk about not having any dominant teams and how there will be a ton of upsets. I think I am right in the middle on this. I think there are top teams; all the number one seeds are really good. They all could win it all. On the flip side, I could all see them losing along the way too. I do think there will be some upsets, but I think they will be easier to see.

The two biggest things I look for when picking teams are youth and road records. For example, Wisconsin was 5-6 on the road. That’s pretty bad. I don’t really consider them a very good team and when Belmont beats them (12-4 on the road) I won’t even call that an upset. The better team will have won.

What about youth? I am not buying Kentucky, Texas or UNC. They are all very good teams, but none will be in my final four. They will make freshman mistakes. In fact, I think UNC will lose to Washington in the second round. I will take senior Isaiah Thomas over freshman Kendall Marshall every day. Ohio State is young too. They have a freshman point guard and their offense is run through freshman Sullinger. They do have senior experience though, which helps but I am not ready to anoint OSU #1

Here is my Final Four and some other teams that I am buying/selling.

KANSAS
DUKE
SYRACUSE
GONZAGA

Kansas will beat Duke.

Kansas has the best team. They have the fewest holes and will learn from last year’s early exit. Go Jayhawks.
Duke will get a lot better if Kyrie Irving plays. B Anthony called it about a month ago and said Irving will come back. It looks like he will play. How good will he play? That is the question we will find out. Anyway you look at it, this is tremendous boost.
Syracuse is always a tough out with their defense and length and transition game.
Gonzaga was a pre-season top 15 team that really sputtered out of the gate. They had injured players and a very tough schedule. They are playing very well now winning 11 of their last 12 and have no pressure on them.

Money’s stock tips
BUY
Washington – They will get past UNC if they survive the first game.
Oakland – They have an experienced team with an NBA player (Benson) on their roster. Extremely difficult game for Texas
Hoyas – Chris Wright is coming back which will help greatly. They have flaws but nobody is talking about them. Everyone will pick the winner USC/VCU game to beat them because the winner will be fresh on our minds.
Old Dominion – Great rebounding team. May upset Pitt.
Utah state/Belmont – one of these teams will be in the sweet 16

SELL
Kentucky/UNC/Texas – see above.
PAC 10 – Washington is the best. The other will lose in the first round.
UConn – The big east tournament was magical. Prior to the Big East tournament they were 4-7. They can’t close anybody out.
SDSU – I like this team but they have never won an NCAA tournament game. They are not going to win 6 games, much less 4 to get to the Final four.
Illinois – I loved this team at the beginning of the year. I hate them now.
Notre Dame – 5-4 on the road. All good losses but still not very #2 seed-like.
St. John – Losing DJ Kennedy will hurt their chances of advancing.
BYU – Jimmer can’t do it alone and he will be alone.

Enjoy the tournament!

Money

NCAA TOURNEY 3-15 TO 3-18

2011-03-14T11:01:00.000-07:00

B ANTHONY IS BACK FOR A BRIEF CONTRIBUTION!!

Let me start by saying, this is the least and most excited I have been about a tournament in years. The committee did a horrible job with the at large, and I feel for St. Mary's and Virginia Tech the most. The reality is, playing the early "first round" play in game is a total slap in the face, but one of these teams is going to use it for a jump start to a good run! Anyone could win it all, but likely a favorite will go all the way.

I will do three pools, winners will be Ohio State in pool 1, Duke in pool 2, and San Diego State in Pool 3.

Let's get to the games, and what the hell, I will pick them all. Winner and Cover team included.

Tuesday-

Arkansas Little Rock will roll UNC Ashville. Go big on the -4.5, they will lose badly the next game, but enjoy it for now. ALR 75-63

UAB +4.5 vs Clemson. UAB will make a good case for why they were taken and win this outright, Clemson continues years of underachievement. UAB 68-66

Wednesday

UTSA - 5 vs Alabama st- Texas San Antonio wins this in a realitively close game. Free throws will be the difference and they also cover -5 UTSA 75-65

VCU + 5 vs USC. The winner of this game will also win in the 2nd/1st round game on Thursday. I am taking USC on the strength of their defense and angry coach factor. VCU will cover the 5 points easily and will likely shoot a 3 at the buzzer for a late cover, but Trojans will prevail. USC 71-70

THURSDAY- PRIMETIME BEGINS!

Early 4 games

Old Dominion - 2 vs Butler. Great game. This will come right down to the wire. I would never play this game, but ODU wins and makes 2 late free-throws to cover. 69-66 ODU

Princeton + 13 vs Kentucky. Almost no way that Kentucky loses, but really no way they are able to pull away and win by more than 13. I really like Princeton.

Louisville -10 vs Morehead State. Finally a favorite rolls. Many Kenneth Faried stories, but turnovers will make this a 20 point win. 82-67 Louisville

Penn St +2.5 vs Temple. Penn State is ugly but effective, kind of like many TS women!!! Nittany lines win outright 57-55 Penn St.

Richmond + 2 vs Vanderbilt. Down to the Wire. I have picked each team once in my two pools. Just enjoy a buzzer beater. I will take Richmond to eek out a win. 70-69!

Mid Day-

Belmont + 6 vs Wisonsin. Badgers win a close one, no cover. 55-51 Badgers

San Diego St. -16 vs Northern Colorado. Defense will be smothering. More blocked shots for SDSU than assists for Northern Colorado. 77-50

BYU -8 vs Wofford. Mormons still underated. Jimmer 35 points minimum. 75-58 Mormons.

Pitt -20 vs UALR. I will take Pitt as long as it stays under 20. 78 -52

Bucknell +10.5 vs Connecticut. Huskies win, but they are too tired and cocky after last week to win big. 67-63

West Virginia -5 vs UAB. Huggins wins a dirty one down the stretch, and covers as Blazers fade!!!! 70-60

Late Games

UCSB + 13 vs Florida. Too many points. Florida 75-66.

Kansas St -2 vs Utah State. Great game with Pullen it out!!! 72-68 KState.

Gonzaga +2 vs St. Johns. Johnies over-rated, Lavin over jelled. Too much talk here. Zags are playing good ball and will make some noise. Stockton will be the difference maker. 75-65! Zags

Missouri +2 vs Cinci. Too much hustle and press for the Bearcats. Big East is not faring that well. 81-75 tigers!!!!

Michigan St -2 vs UCLA. Ugly game with a lot of defense being played, but Kalin Lucas will win this one for Spartans. Last gasp before they bow out. Disappointing year for them! 61-55

Friday-

Early -

Tennessee - 1.5 vs Michigan. I don't like either team, but Vols play better defense. 71-65 Bruce Pearl gets one more win!

George Mason -1 vs Nova. I am guessing this line will move towards Nova as the public doesn't realize that Nova is done. Put a fork in them, GM advances and pretty easily. 78-70 Colonials

Notre Dame -13.5 vs Akron. This line seems high, but Irish are experienced, take good shots, and are well tested. They roll 80-60 Irish.

Oakland +9 vs Texas. Horns will pull this out, but not before a great showing by Oakland. Too bad they got Texas, they could have beaten many teams in this tourney. 75-72 Texas.

Mid-day

Arizona -5.5 vs Memphis. The luck will run out for Memphis who were lucky to get to the tournament. Pastner will simply be out-coached by a very good UofA staff! 75-62 Arizona.

Duke -22.5 vs Hampton. Don't be surprised to see Kyrie Irving get loose in this game. I called it months ago that he will be back for the tourney, and he will. Hampton will try to Dunk on Duke, but it won't work out too well. 83-55 Duke will cover down the stretch.

Ohio State -25 vs UTSA. Buckeyes will kill an over-matched team who was happy to get one win on Wednesday. No line yet, but 92-60 will cover any line they put out there!

Texas A&M Pick vs Florida St. Neither team will look pretty but Aggies pull it out 68-65.

USC +3 vs Georgetown. Trojans will ride the horse of momentum after beating VCU and will win outright vs Georgetown too. 70-68!!

Afternoon-

LIU +18 vs UNC. This line up to 18 is too high. I think Tarheels win, but LIU can score and UNC will let them. 80-70 Tarheels.

Xavier-1.5 vs Marquette. Great team at Xavier is going a long way. I like them to win a few games, this will not be close. 75-63 Musketeers!

Purdue -14.5 vs St. Peters. Too much size and defense. 75-56 Purdue.

Kansas -23 vs Boston University. Jayhawks are too experienced and big for any scares hear. 85-55 KU.

Late games

Georgia +5 vs Washington. I think Huskies win this one late, but no cover. UW 78-75

Syracuse -11 vs Indiana St. Sycamores will not figure out the zone. No ones does in the first round. 75-58 Orange.

UNLV -1.5 vs Illinois. Rebels too good defensively for an underachieving Illini team who will fold down the stretch. 71-62 Rebels!

Good luck to all. I think I have slightly more than half favorites.

B Anthony!!!

Money's Preseason NCAA predictions

2010-11-17T11:26:00.000-08:00

Things have slowed down here at the Truth, but that won’t stop Money from putting a few things on paper to come back and look at 6 months from now.

Michigan State will win it all this year. They have a great core of players returning. MSU is always among the best defensive teams in the country and Tom Izzo arrives to the Final Four every year. His allegiance towards staying with Michigan State and not opting for the NBA game is rewarded.

Final Four:
Michigan State
Duke
Ohio State
Illinois

B. Anthony predicts Duke may go undefeated this year. I think he may be right, at least for the regular season. This team is loaded. I see three reasons why they don’t win it all.
1) Egos: As stated, they are loaded, which means some guys will have lesser roles than they envisioned. Will they buy into the team philosophy?
2) Height: Zubek may have been annoying but he was big and clogged up the middle. The Plumlee brothers are not the same type of players and represent the biggest guys on the team.
3) Nobody repeats

I like the returning pieces for Ohio State in Buford, Diebler, Lighty and Lauderdale. Throw in Jared Sullinger who may be the number one pick in the NBA Draft next year and you have a very nice team.

Illinois rounds out my last team to make the Final Four. Demetri McCamey is a nut ball and he may crash and burn and take this team or Bruce Weber down with him. I bet he recognizes the importance of this year and thrives. They have major size, a good backcourt and can shoot.

Yes, I like the Big Ten this year with 3 teams making the Final Four. I like Wisconsin to be very good too. Heck, I like Purdue now even with Robbie Hummel out for the year again with another torn ACL; Poor guy.

Teams I am buying;
Pittsburgh – Great defensively. Good core of players in Gibbs, Wanamaker and McGhee.
Missouri – Is there a more feared team to play every year in the tournament than Missouri? The names come and go but the relentless style by Mike Anderson remains
Wisconsin – If Jon Leuer stays healthy, they will win all home games this year and get to Sweet 16.
San Diego State – Too small to make a deep run, but really talented. All five starters return.
BYU – Jimmer Fredette
Temple – Great Defense, 3 starters back from a good squad last year
Dayton – Fun team to watch. Rolled through NIT and return best player in Chris Wright.

Teams I am selling;
Kentucky – Lost everyone and can’t keep surviving/excelling with one and done players.
Syracuse – Foundation of Wes Johnson, Rautins and Onuaku are gone.
Gonzaga – A few people are picking them to win it all. Not a chance. No speed or athleticism or point guard.
Butler – Unfortunately the magic is gone. Gordon Hayward will be brought up in every game these guys play.
Florida – All five starters return. Unfortunately they sucked.
Tennessee – Bruce Pearl and the Tennessee program will be irrelevant in a year.
PAC 10 – Another down year for the Pac 10. No lottery picks again this year. Heck, Derrick Williams of Arizona may be the only player drafted period.

Enjoy the season!

Draft Day thoughts and other things on my mind

2010-06-24T09:15:00.000-07:00

Today is the NBA draft. I love this day, however it is bittersweet for me though. I love the draft because I follow college hoops and have my opinions of who is good and who I like. I don't like or care about the Euros though. There should be a separate "Developmental Flop league" draft for these guys.

I am not looking forward to it, for the same reasons each year... The Warriors management is so bad and always do something stupid. I must admit I was wrong on both Randolph and Curry, although they are desperately trying to trade Randolph now, but for the most part, they lay an egg. And if they don't lay an egg, they overpay for the guy they drafted and then try to trade them, so what is the point.

So, that is where I am at today. The Warriors have the number 6 pick and will likely blow it. Rumor is they will take 23 year old Udoh from Baylor. I would rather they pick Ike Diogu again. Udoh will be a horrible pick for the Warriors. He is 23 years old and his skills are declining, not rising. He was not a difference maker at Baylor, but surely he will be in the NBA????? Apparently, he is a defensive specialist. That is awesome for a team that does not play defense or at least under the current lame duck coach now. Whatever. You can see my discontent.

To make matters worse, they gave away their second round pick. I love the second round picks! I will be watching to see what they could have had at 34 this year. This will be a great player. I love Booker from Clemson or Jordan Crawford from Xavier. One of both of them will be there at 34. How about Hobson of New Mexico or Manny Harris of Michigan? I would take either of them as well. You'll see; all of these guys will be good.

I am not going to do a "mock draft" because I don't speak with GMs. I will tell you who I like and who will fail.

Before I do that, I have to say, I love DeMarcus Cousins. I have loved him from the start of the season and hoped the Warriors would get him with the "2nd pick in the draft" with two weeks left in the season. That is when things fell apart for me as a fan. The Warriors, and Devean George and useless Warriors started playing well and beating good teams like Oklahoma State, killing their draft position. This was after Lame Duck Coach Nellie already had the most victories by a coach! Why were they still playing for this fool? Weren't the players or management smart enough to know that this late season run will do nothing for them as team, but kill their future in the draft? They are all idiots and need a new owner, then GM and then coach. Please hurry, because I like the players they have and think they can be good in the right scenario.

The Kings could make it easy on the Warriors by drafting Monroe and handing Cousins to them, but I doubt that will happen. Maybe it will. Maybe things are starting to change for the Warriors? I am not holding my breathe.

On the players:
Cousins - He will be great, especially in the right situation/team. He is the most talented player in the draft. I love him.

Wall/Turner - I like both of these guys too. Wall is Rondo, but a better shooter. Turner was the best college basketball player and the most ready for the NBA. The only guy in college that could take and make a "Kobe" shot (hand in the face - fade way - game winner) at the end of the game.

Monroe - I like this guy too. He is only 20 and will get better. Great passer and locker room guy. He won't be a star, but he will play. If Cousins is off the board, grab Monroe!

Xavier Henry - B. Anthony does not like this guy and does not think his game will translate in the NBA. We disagree here.

Paul George - Sleeper in draft. I would not be disappointed if the Warriors traded down in the draft to pick up this guy or Henry.

James Anderson - Best shooter in the college.

Jordan Crawford - 2nd best shooter in college.

Summer league invite: Jerome Randle. He will make an NBA roster. He is short but can play.

Players to stay away from - No Thanks!

Derek Favors - Number 3 in the draft? No way. He "carried" Georgia Tech. Yeah right.

Wesley Johnson - Major bust.

Gordon Heyward - Major mistake. Should have stayed at Butler and tried to win a national championship. He will get paid and may end up in Indiana but he will be worthless.

Cole Aldrich - Big, Dumb, White Center with a tooth missing

Willie Warren - Run away

Ed Davis - All Hype

NBA Finals -
I must admit I was entertained and watched most of these games. I really wanted Kobe to lose. He sure played poorly in the last game, but nobody will remember that, just that he won his fifth championship and that his crazy looking wife and two "JenBenet Ramsey" daughters were with him everywhere. What a cooky looking family. Cut that puffy black hair Kobe wife! And no need to wear Laker cheerleading outfits for the daughters for 3 straight days. Kobe is grooming two wonderful pole dancers.

Soccer fever -
I have a fever and the only cure is more vuvuzelas! Thanks to ESPN for cramming this down our throats and to my son getting up at 6am every morning to watch, but I am into it and so is America. Finally Americans watch soccer. I am not saying this is a good thing or that it will last, because it won't. But the US soccer team is definitely taking their 15 minutes of fame. It took the US getting screwed by the ref in the Slovenia game, but people cared and wanted to watch the final game against Algeria. Then Donovan scores in the last minute of extended time after England won their game, which would have eliminated the US and screwed ESPN. We are all winners for the moment. Money's prediction. US gets their ass kicked by Ghana and come out very, very flat. They perform better as an underdog, which they are not now. I am still going to watch.

Giants -
One big bat away from making the playoffs. Pick someone up at the All star Break. How about Paul Konerko or Derek Lee?

Enjoy the draft!

Money

Money’s MLB predictions for 2010

2010-04-19T11:05:00.000-07:00

The college basketball season has ended and the Buzz/Hangover has finally subsided. Lucky for Money, MLB follows March Madness to soften the blow. I really love Baseball and reading the box scores each morning, so does my son. In fact, the whole family seems to be getting into it, even Miss Money Penny.
Let’s put something on paper so that I can look back and see how much of an idiot I am.

AL East: Yankees
I know, this is not much of a pick. But how can you choose someone else? They are entertaining and have paid for the best talent. I am not rooting for them, but I think they win the division.

AL Central: White Sox
Money and Obama! I like their offense led by young stud Gordon Beckham at 2B. Their pitching is underrated but very good.

AL West: Angels
As long as Mike Scioscia is managing this team, I am buying them. They lost talent everywhere but this division can be had with 85 wins, which they will obtain.

Wildcard: Rays
I love this team. Longoria, Upton, Crawford, Pena. The list goes on and this is just their offense. Price, Shields and Davis will be anchors for them in the rotation. No weaknesses.

NL East: Phillies
Again, another easy pick. American league style offense from top to bottom with the best pitcher in baseball leading the rotation.

NL Central: Cardinals
Pujols, Wainwright and Carpenter will prove to be too tough for this mediocre league.

NL West: Rockies
Speaking of mediocre, what do we call this league? The Dodgers will be bad. Their pitching, aside from Kershaw, is awful. The big showdown will be Manny vs. the owner (McCourt). First one to blow up wins. The Rockies have two great pitchers who have figured out Coors Field in DeLaRosa and Jimenez and a very fast, powerful and entertaining lineup.
The Giants will be competitive and improve on their 88-74 record from last year. This year they go 95-67 but fall just short of the Rockies. The pitching, Panda and Eugenio Velez carries them this year.

Wildcard: Braves
Very good overall team with the best young player in baseball, maybe ever, in Jason Heyward. If Billy Wagner keeps his arm attached to his shoulder, they get to the World Series.

World Series: Rays over the Braves in a game pitting both Wildcard teams against each other.

NL MVP: Albert Pujols – Ryan Braun is second.
AL MVP: Evan Longoria
NL CY Young: Doc Holliday
AL CY Young: Jon Lester
NL ROY: Jason Heyward
AL ROY: Brian Matusz (Orioles pitcher)
Breakout seasons for the following:
Offense -Jay Bruce, Colby Rasmus, Ian Stewart, Gordon Beckham, Carlos Gonzalez, Chase Headley
Pitching – Ricky Nolasco, David Price, Tommy Hanson, Matt Garza

Enjoy the season!
Money

Duke is going to kill Butler

2010-04-04T07:00:00.000-07:00

It is going to take a lot more than a rock to the eye from David to take down Goliath. David is going to need a gun. We will have our consecutive non competitive Championship game. Duke will be our National Champion for this year.

You can say what you want about their bracket and who they played, but they are playing well right now, probably the best they have played all year. Butler is smaller, has fewer shooters, less depth, will not be able to keep Duke off the boards, and will absolutely get bitch slapped in this game. The media wants us to believe this is the ultimate championship; Good vs. Evil. David vs. Goliath. Cinderella vs. the Pumpkin. Wesley vs. The six fingered man in Princess Bride.

Credit coach K for this. Enough praise for Duke. This is going to suck. Duke rolls. Take Duke -4 in the first half, bet the game -7, take Duke in the second half again regardless of the line and take Duke to win it all next year too (settle down Money). No idea on the total. but I think this goes over. I only hope Butler can score enough to help.

Great run for Butler. Duke wins by 19. Duke 75-56

DUKE -7 vs. Butler

Good luck!
Money

Final Four matchups

2010-04-01T13:40:00.000-07:00

Some say this has been a terrific tournament with a very compelling Final Four. This group of teams are not as unusual as one would think. They were all ranked within the top 12 in pre-season so they are legitimate, but as Chevy Chase said, "It doesn't mean I want her sitting next to me!"

I, on the other hand, am bored with this Final Four. Yes, I will likely watch and will be rooting like hell against Duke, but I really wanted to see Kentucky or Syracuse or Kansas squaring off against each other. Oh well, I guess that is the beauty of this tournament. I would imagine, things will get worse when this tournament goes to 96 teams. Yuck! On a positive note, this would likely extend our yearly Vegas trip a couple of days for the opening round (hopefully).

I really don't want duke to win it all. That would really suck. They are not the best team and I would be bummed to see them cutting down the nets on Monday. It will keep things interesting because the longer Duke plays, the more people will be watching and rooting against them. I think they beat West Va and will likely be favored by either team in the other side by 5-6 points in the final.

Saturday games:

3pm
BUTLER -1 vs. Michigan State
I will go with the home team in Butler. Both teams will slow things down and force the other team into a half court offense which both teams like to do. At some point, the Kalin Lucas injury will hurt them, and I think it happens here. Butler has not allowed a team to score 60 on them in the tournament and they have played some pretty potent offenses. This game will be close, like all MSU games, but Butler will pull it off. I like the under in this game too.

Final score 63- 59 Butler

5:45pm
DUKE -2.5 vs. West Va
Both teams like to rebound and crash the offensive glass. Both teams do it well. The difference in these teams is that Duke can shoot and West Va cannot. The 8 threes that West Va made against Kentucky is not the norm here, it was an exception. This will be a slow paced game as well. Duke will likely be down at half, make some clutch shots at the end of the game, hit all their free throws and win by 4. I really hope I am wrong on this one! I also like the under in this game as well.

Final score 66-62 Duke

Good luck!
Money

I hate to go against Izzo, but I will

2010-03-28T07:49:00.000-07:00

Each year, Michigan State finds it way to the sweet 16 and usually to the Final Four. The players change but the coach and style does not. I usually do end up picking MSU to go far each year. This year, I did not have them beating Kansas, but there are one win away from a Final Four, so go figure. I really want to take them, but I can't. Tennessee will run and pressure these guys. Kalin Lucas will be missed and Tennessee and their front court led by Wayne Chism will be too much to handle.

TENNESSEE -2 vs. Michigan state

Fear not, if I am wrong on the early game. Simply take all your expense checks for your cell phone bills over the last month and roll it on Butler. America loves the Dallas Cowboys and Duke basketball. Jon Scheyer has not been shooting well and is running out of gas. They will not win this game without a good game from him. No speech from Coach K and no amount of floor slapping can cure tired legs. This game is going to be close and I predict Baylor will win. Take the 5 points and enjoy going out a winner on the last game of the day.

BAYLOR +5 vs. Duke

Good luck!
Money

Butler is going to go to the Final Four

2010-03-27T12:57:00.001-07:00

I like Butler today. I think we are all forgetting that this is a team that was ranked in the top 10 all year. These guys have played together for a couple years now and know they can get to the Final Four. I believe that Kansas state has better guards and a better frontcourt, but this tournament has proven round after round, that their other things to consider when picking game. I am expecting KSU to come out flat after playing a double OT game the other night. None of the players got any sleep. Tough to do anything when sleep deprived.

BUTLER +3.5 vs Kansas State
Butler will cover the line and win outright.

KENTUCKY -3.5 vs. West Virginia
I am still waiting for Kentucky to fall down, but it won't happen here. West Virginia will try and slow the game down, but I don't think their style will win out here. Kentucky will be too tough down low and they will have too many turnovers without a true point guard. This is the game where Truck Bryant is missed.

Good luck!
Money

Careful what you wish for

2010-03-24T15:11:00.000-07:00

I warned of this exact scenario, but I have to admit, I did not see Kansas being the one to fall down. Everywhere I look I keep hearing about how great “Cinderella” is in this tournament. I am all for a few upsets especially in the opening rounds, but don’t crash the Final Four. The opening games on Thursday and Friday were the best I can remember. 12 of the 16 games featured the underdog winning or covering. However, if this trend keeps up I fear we will be in for a really bad Final Four.

Will you watch this Final Four? Northern Iowa, Kansas State, Cornell and Baylor. I still probably would, but most reasonable viewers will flip over to Dancing with the Stars. It appears that nobody is learning from their mistakes and still picking the Chalks to make it the Final Four; Ohio State, Syracuse, Kentucky and Duke. I will say it again. This is not going to happen.

I still like Syracuse and feel like this is their tournament to lose. Kentucky and their “Fab Five” will pull a Chris Webber and make a freshman gaffe to cost them a game. Duke is better than I thought, but I am not ready to anoint them yet and I give Baylor a shot to make it here. The West is a mess. I am not convinced that OSU will get there. In fact, I am calling for the upset against Tennessee. I know that B Anthony has some real “Altar Boy” hatred for Pearl, but it is time to let those feelings go. He is a great big game coach with some time to prepare. He beat Kansas and Kentucky this year. Nobody else can say that. Tennessee will beat OSU and then have to get by either MSU or Northern Iowa where they will be a favorite.

Picks for Thursday and Friday

SYRACUSE -6.5 vs. Butler
This is my favorite game of the next rounds for both days. This is also the first game. I love it! Load up on this and stick them in parlays everywhere. This is a mid-major mismatch.

WEST VA -4 vs. Washington
I love it that the PG Bryant broke his foot. It lowered the line to 4. He won’t be missed in this game, but will be in the next one. Washington is playing great now, but who isn’t if you are in the Sweet 16? Washington has been shooting the 3 well, but that is not their strength and they won’t keep this up. WVU will clean the glass on the offensive end and the Huskies won’t be able to stop them.

KANSAS STATE -4.5 vs. Xavier
I like KSU to keep things going here against Xavier. Sleeper team to win it all.

NELLIE +8.5 vs. Kentucky
I am not calling for the upset but I do think Nellie can keep this close. Kentucky is capable of running these guys out of the gym if they make their 3’s but I don’t think they will. I will go with the Bookworms here. I like the over 147 in this game too.

Friday

TENNESSEE +4.5 vs. Ohio State
As stated above, I am calling for the upset here. Bruce Pearl is the Man!

BAYLOR -4 vs. Saint Mary’s
Baylor has 4 guys over 6-10 that they will throw against Samham. They have good guards and shooters as well. This is not a good matchup for SMC.

NORTHERN IOWA +1 vs. Michigan State
This game has me worried. Tom Izzo is so good in these situations; it is tough to bet against him. However, Sparty was so bad when Kalin Lucas was injured earlier in the year. I have a Siena feeling about this game where it seems so obvious to pick the underdog. For now, I am going with No Iowa but I may flip this one closer to game time.

DUKE -8.5 vs. Purdue
This is another mismatch of talent. Purdue is gutty but so is the dead possum on the side of the freeway.

Good luck!
Money

Bumpy ride

2010-03-16T14:49:00.000-07:00

This is going to be a crazy tournament. It is recognized that there are only a handful of teams that can win the tournament. In no particular order they are Kansas, Kentucky, Syracuse, Duke and West Virginia. I think I agree with this; however that does not mean I think these teams will make it to the Final Four. I do think the National Champion will come from this five, but I absolutely believe we won’t see all four number one seeds make the Final Four. No way, that is going to happen, yet that is what all the experts are predicting.

Check out these predictions when the brackets first came out:

Jay Bilas – Kansas, Syracuse, West Va, and Villanova
Digger Phelps – Kansas, Syracuse, Kentucky and Villanova
Hubert Davis – Kansas, Kansas State, Kentucky, and Duke
Dickie V – Kansas, Kansas State, Kentucky and Villanova

We would all be so lucky if this final four was all 1’s and 2’s. This simply won’t happen. There is really no dominant team and they all have flaws. One or two or possibly three of these top five teams will stumble along the way and brackets across America will be destroyed.

If there is one bracket to go out on a limb and predict destruction it is the South. They have the weakest #1 in Duke. Villanova is in a free fall right now losing 5 of their last 7. I like Baylor, but are they really a final four team? They might be. Purdue is done! They are a different team without Hummel and would be lucky to get the sweet 16. I think they lose their first round game. Texas A&M could surprise some teams and make a nice run. Louisville or Cal could win a few games too. You could throw in Richmond for good measure as well. This bracket is weak and will shake up the whole tournament. I think the South could possibly ruin the tournament. We all like a good Cinderella, but just make sure that Cinderella is eliminated prior to the final four. George Mason made the final four awful and non-competitive. It gives a free pass to the Finals for one team. I think that will happen again this year.

Don’t assume that this free pass will be delivered to Kentucky or West Virginia. They could get tripped up as well. Kentucky has been tested all year and they have passed all tests. They don’t panic. But, they are very young. Did you see John Wall celebrate and tackle Cousins after he made the basket to “tie” the SEC championship game? Wall had a mental lapse and thought they won the game. He is young and a “Chris Webber” moment is coming. West Virginia is plagued by poor point guard play. In addition, their best offense is to throw the ball up and go get it. They are a force on the offensive boards. They play like me. Nobody wins a championship that plays like me. Watch out for Wisconsin in the East.

The Midwest has the most talented teams, but that really does not affect Kansas until they play one in the Great 8. The bottom part of this bracket is tough. It is a real shame because I like Georgetown and Ohio State. The Hoyas should have been a #2 seed in another bracket. Put them in the South and they are everyone’s final four team. Good teams will go home early in the Midwest bracket. The one left standing that plays Kansas should be commended, but they will have paid the price to get there.

Watch out for BYU in the West. I think they get by Florida and will give KSU a run for their money. Xavier, Murray State and UTEP are good bets for the sweet 16. Syracuse should get to the final four here, assuming they are healthy. Their zone will be tough to prepare for in a short tournament. They likely won’t run into any Big East teams familiar with their zone until the Final four, if at all.

Ultimately we have to put someone in the brackets, so here is mine.
Midwest: Kansas over Ohio State
West: Syracuse over Kansas State
East: West Virginia over Wisconsin
South: Baylor over Texas A&M

I think Syracuse and Kansas are the two best teams in the country and since everyone likes Kansas, I will go with Syracuse to cut down the nets over West Virginia.

Good luck!
Money

Championshp Week- 12 Champions that Matter

2010-03-05T08:12:00.000-08:00

March is officially underway with Championship Week and Conference tournaments going for the next 9 days!!!!

I haven't done the math, but the 64 games it takes to complete the NCAA tournament is nothing compared to the hundreds of games it takes to get 30 conferences of 8-16 teams down to the 30 conference tourney Champs. Not all of the tournaments are of ultimate importance for several reasons. The largest conferences are mostly set and will get 5-7 teams and everyone knows who they are. The smaller conferences will only get 1 team and even a huge upset won't really affect the field. However, some upsets will change the bubble and the view of the true March Madness in two weeks. This post is dedicated to those tournaments and the winners who will set themselves up for a chance to get lucky during the dance!!!

ACC- Doesn't matter much. Duke will play someone in the final, both will get into the tournament, no major upsets here. Duke will not get a #1 seed.

Atlantic 10- This is now the hot topic across the land. Richmond has shown it knows how to win, and I see them getting all the way through the tournament unscathed. This will give them a better seed and they will make a strong push for Sweet Sixteen. Temple and Xavier are in the tourney, will get decent seeds but won't advance far. I see Rhode Island making a deep run to meet up with Richmond and play there way into the tourney, while Dayton is out. Look for Rhode Island to make some noise at the big dance as well!

Big 12- I would like to see something unusual happen here, but hard to imagine Kansas losing. The teams going to the dance are all set, but I am going to call for Texas to make a run into the final game and get their mojo back. As long as they don't meet KU until the final, they can get there. Time for Barnes to earn some of that huge Salary. They have the players to get deep in both this tourney and the dance. Let's see it happen.

Big East- Again a tournament that doesn't matter too much. The deep bubble teams, UCONN, and ND are just not good enough to make the deep run here. Winner will be Syracuse, Nova, or West Virginia. Smart money is on Syracuse. They are the true #1 seed in the NCAA tourney and don't seem to be complacent. ND can't shoot well enough as MSG to do it. Stick with the Orange, but expect great basketball. I am finally off the West Virginia wagon. No point guard is just too much to overcome.

Big Ten- I don't like this conference and won't watch until the final. But Evan Turner will lead Ohio State to the title and a #1 seed. Pretty impressive stuff for a guy who broke his back a few months ago. Without that injury they might be considered an equal to KU, UK, and Cuse. Either way they are the 4th #1. By the way, Turner will win the Wooden award and take it from my Boy John Wall. Reality is, the voters on this award don't like the one and done kids, and Turner has made it close enough to justify.

Colonial- This could be the most exciting and best tournament going this year. If I were to fly to one location, not named the Mecca of basketball, it would be to this tournament. There will 15 games in this tournament to get 12 teams down to 1. I am confident that 12 of them will be closer than a 5 pt margin. Anyone can win this tournament. I am expecting the result will be two very solid teams coming out of the conference and going to the dance.

Old Dominion	15-3	-	23-8
Northeastern	14-4	1	19-11
William & Mary	12-6	3	20-9
George Mason	12-6	3	17-13
Virginia Commonwealth	11-7	4	20-8
Drexel	11-7	4	16-15
Hofstra	10-8	5	18-13

Anyone of these teams can win it. Hard to go against George Mason and VCU experience, the tough part is one of them will meet ODU in the Semis. But all Old Dominion needs is one win to get an at large. I see VCU behind Sanders winning this semi game and beating NorthEastern in the final. VCU and ODU advance to the tourney. One of them will win in the first round, both will cover!

Conference USA- Tough tournament to call, and I like several teams. Usually I am a UAB fan, but they have faded. In a strange twist, UTEP, who is now good enough to get to the tourney without a victory here, somehow slips up and let's Memphis get the automatic bid by winning the conference tourney. Two Conference USA teams will hurt someone, likely a Big East team or St. Mary's. Memphis will really light up the eyes of their great recruiting class by getting back to tournament a year earlier than expected. Pashner will be applauded for 2-3 years before all the violations roll back in!

Missouri Valley-Northern Iowa has a bid locked up, but simply because I like to say it, The Shockers, will win the conference tourney and bump out another at large. Wichita St. is a good team and could be great. I don't know why the bubble teams complain. When a team gets hot and earns the way into the tournament, they are simply more deserving than a power conference team who went 10-8 in league because they beat the bottom 3 teams in the league twice. Go figure you need to have a good season to play in the big dance.

Ohio Valley- One of my favorite teams and unfortunately they will upset another one of my favorite teams. Morehead St. will likely beat Murray St for the one bid from this conference. Murray St. has had a great season and it is shameful they won't get in if they lose to #2 seed Morehead St. as they did last week. But Kenneth Faried #35 for Morehead will be a darling of the tournament and we need him. He will gobble up 15 rebounds a game, hustle like crazy and earn himself some money when they get to the dance and cover as a big dog in the opening round. I would love to see them get a 15 seed and beat Duke in the first round!!!! Either team that comes from this conference will be competitive in the opening round and will cover!

Pac-10- Another wide open tournament where any of 4 teams could win it. Interestingly enough, I don't want to go to this, and won't go even though tickets are available to me! Cal has the experience to win, but they just aren't hungry enough. If they do win, they will surprise everyone not named B. Anthony and Doug Gottlieb when they get a #6 seed. A more likely scenario is that Washington gets hot and wins 3 in a row and Washington and Cal go to the dance. Arizona and ASU are the other two options. (This has been the most unpredictable league, so a very strange result could occur) If Stanford goes crazy and meets Cal in the final, I won't be all that shocked!)

SEC- Vanderbilt is playing great ball, and Money really likes them. Kentucky is the most talented team and could beat anyone by 25. However, B. Anthony is going against his own anger and picking Tennessee to win the conference tourney. Bruce Pearl is a great coach, and my hatred from him is only valid because he is so good. His team will do what is takes to mess with Kentucky's head and out hustle everyone to this title. All 3 of these teams will go to the sweet sixteen, but only Kentucky will survive onto the final four! It is desperation time for the freshman when the Dance begins, because it is their first and last!

Sun Belt- Western Kentucky will pull and upset here. Troy is the # 1 seed, but only one team will come from this conference. I like the winner of the conference to make a good showing during the first weekend of the Dance.

Enjoy this week as it is the best time in basketball for true fans. The reality is, we are less than a month from the season ending. That is true sadness!!

Good Luck,

B. Anthony.

Tuesday musings

2010-03-02T16:04:00.001-08:00

Ga Tech +6.5 @ Clemson
Big game for both. Means more for Ga Tech. I will take the points.

UNC -4.5 vs. Miami
UNC is bad but Miami is worse.

FLORIDA -3 vs. Vandy
I do like Vandy, but this is a must win for Florida.

ST JOHN'S +13.5 vs Syracuse
I expect a letdown for the Orange. How could their not be? 35,000 fans for Nova and 12,000 for St. John

Huskies

2010-02-28T07:25:00.000-08:00

I am taking the UConn Huskies today. They are at home vs. Louisville in a game they need to win. UConn is playing arguably the best basketball of anyone in the country. I do expect this emotion to dry up at some point, but for now I am riding them.

Plus, I am not a big fan of Louisville this year either.

UCONN -4 vs. Louisville
The huskies win easily.

The purdue line seems high at -4 vs. Michigan State. This will be the first game without Hummel. The team will come out strong and win one or two games for him then fall off the face of the earth. They can't compete with him. They probably win today, but MSU will give them a game and probably keep it within the number (+4).

Good luck!
Money

No more betting on Pac 10

2010-02-26T14:12:00.000-08:00

I am throwing in the towel on the Pac 10. It is the conference I watch the most, yet I know the least about it. I can’t predict any of these teams from game to game. They all have multiple personalities and it is a total guess trying to figure out who is going to show up from game to game.

I keep waiting for Kentucky to fall down during this tough road stretch of games, but they don’t. I am inclined to pick Tennessee at home, but I won’t. Kentucky keeps it rolling

KENTUCKY -2 @ Tennessee

Is anyone going to stop Kansas in the Big 12? Nope. Not even the sweet shooting James Anderson of Oklahoma State.

KANSAS -5 @ Oklahoma State

Sticking with the other number one seed, I think it will be awfully tough to beat Syracuse in the dome. Villanova will have to play perfect basketball, which they have not been doing lately.

SYRACUSE -6 vs. Villanova

The battle for the best teams in the West, and no, this game does not include any Pac 10 teams. BYU vs. New Mexico. I think BYU could be a sneaky play for a great 8 spot, if the brackets fall their way. As such, I am taking them and their home court which is near perfect over the last few years.

BYU -8 vs. New Mexico

Other games of interest;

Gonzaga -17 vs. Usf
Cincinnati +15 @ West Va
Wake Forrest -10 vs. North Carolina
Georgia -1 vs. Florida
Texas A&M pk vs. Texas

Good luck!
Money

Look ahead Thursday

2010-02-25T15:29:00.001-08:00

Cal and Arizona State might be playing for the Pac 10 championship on Saturday. On the other hand, they might not. Knowing how inconsistent the Pac 10 has been this year, I put the probability at VERY HIGH that one or both of these schools will lose tonight. This would be so typical of Cal’s season for them to lose this game.

Likely Outcome; Cal playing for a national audience will play inspired, focused, basketball for 34 minutes. In the remaining 6 minutes where they stop defending and launch one footed fade away 3 point jump shots they will find a way to squander their just 20 point lead and beat Arizona by 9 points.

ARIZONA +11.5 @ Cal

However, a case could be made that Stanford is playing the best basketball of anyone in the Pac 10 right now. Landry Fields is the best player in the conference and the cardinal will have the two best players on the court and a rowdy crowd pumping them up. I see an upset tonight in Maples as the Cardinal redeem themselves from their blowout loss earlier in the year.

STANFURD +2.5 vs. Asu

Other Pac 10 games:
U$C -11 vs. Oregon
OREGON STATE +5.5 @ Ucla

Do you hear about Robbie Hummel? Torn ACL, out for the year. That's too bad. Purdue had a nice team, but now can kiss the final four and a possible national championship goodbye.

Good luck!
Money

Bubble watch games

2010-02-24T12:38:00.000-08:00

In hindsight, some of these games seem so obvious. At this point in the season, it really comes down to motivation and desperation. It is amazing to see how one night a team sucks and the next they look like world champions. Finding these motivated teams is what gives us an edge. I think there are a lot of games out there tonight that I like but I am narrowing it down to two.

DAYTON+4 @ Temple – Dayton has to win this game if they expect to get into the tournament. Their last 6 losses have been by 4 or less points. Moneyline is good play here too.

SDSU +8 @ Byu – Same thing with the Aztecs. They win this game, they are in the tournament. Byu likely won’t, but may look ahead to the big showdown with New Mexico this weekend.

The above two represent my MONEY makers. I also like these games as well.

MINNESOTA +3 vs. Purdue
MISSISSIPPI -9 vs. Auburn
VILLANOVA -12.5 vs. Usf
OKLAHOMA STATE +9 vs. Texas

Good luck!
Money

Desperate Home Dogs

2010-02-22T09:05:00.000-08:00

This is the best bet in the world. It truly does not get any better than this and we have one tonight. In fact Jerome Dyson even said so;

"At this point, we're desperate," Dyson said. "We've got to win. That's our main goal right now is to take it one game at a time and play as hard as possible."

This game will be won at the point guard position and Uconn has the advantage there. Throw in the fact that UConn has won all 7 games at home between these two teams and we have ourselves a nice bet.

UCONN +3 vs. West Virginia

Good luck!

Money

Scores and Picks for Tonight

2010-02-10T12:42:00.000-08:00

Only picks, no play by play!

All scores were picked before I saw the lines. Thus I am obligated to stay with original choice of score!

Syracuse 83-75 (Uconn +10.5)

UNC 77-75 (UNC +5.5) NC has to have one good game left in them. Tonight will bring it out!

Ohio St 73-66 Indiana (Indiana +10.5) I don’t even like this pick, but will stick with it. Ohio State is rolling, but at home Indiana will get enough calls to keep it under 10.

UNLV 84-74 over New Mexico (UnLV -5). Rebels great at home!

Baylor 75-68 over Nebraska (Baylor -2)Nebraska and (see below, Iowa St. Suck)

Missou 83-68 over Iowa St ( Crazy, this line is -14.5) It opened at 10. I still have to take Missou -14.5

South Carolina 77-74 over Florida. (South Carolina -1.5) Line has moved from 3 to 1.5. Downey at the buzzer pulls this off!

good Luck

B. Anthony

Superbowl thoughts

2010-02-06T15:48:00.000-08:00

I have to admit, I am not really thrilled with this superbowl. I don’t know why I feel this way. The Colts and Saints are number one seeds and good teams. New Orleans is a feel good underdog and it is tough not to like Manning. I guess I wanted to see Favre, but the Saints are still a good team. I will still watch it but I am just not totally into it right now. So, need to make a couple of bets. The quickest way to get into a game.

I think the Colts win. The question is do they win by a lot and cover or a little and don’t. A week ago I felt they would win this game by more than 14 points, but that seems to be the school of thought for most people, which bothers me. Plus, that bet is not available to me so I have changed my mind.

At this point, I am calling for a close game. In fact, this game will go into OVERTIME and the Colts will win it on a field goal 38-35. Here are the plays.

Colts Moneyline
50 Saints +5

Props:
Will there be a 2pt conversion Yes +450
Will there be a def or special teams TD yes +145
Will the game go into OT Yes +900
Brees over 277.5 -135
Garcon yards over 60.5 -120
Collie receptions over 4.5 +115
First TD: (I usually pick a couple)
Meachum +1200
Wayne +650
Collie +1000

Place a bet and get interested in the game. Good Luck!

Money

Saturday in February

2010-02-05T15:00:00.000-08:00

Pray for rain so we don't feel guilty watching hoops all day.

10 plays total. 3 biggest plays in green for $$$$.

West Virginia -6.5 at St. Johns. Huggins team is improving this late in the year, if two teams stumble, they may end up as a #1 seed.

Georgetown -3.5 at Home vs Villanova. Time for Nova' to have their loss. Hope the line moves down to 2.5.

Kstate -4.5 @ Iowa St.. Iowa St. has not been the same since the deserted left for Germany. Don't even want to look up his name.

UAB -8 @ Rice. I am a fan of uptempo games with better athletes. Despite the point guard play of Bryan Beasley for Rice.

Gonzaga +4 @ Memphis. Gonzaga is tested and has played several of these games in the past, this is new territory for the Memphis players. Rebounding is the key in this match up, plus Memphis is too stubborn to double Harris, he goes off.

Clemson +2 @ Va Tech. Va tech can't enjoy success, they will lose this one.

Colorado + 4 vs Missouri @ boulder. Buffs battle, will win outright.

Texas -7 @ Oklahoma. OU is a bad team, despite having some good players

Kansas-21 v Nebraska. Nebraska is terrible. They buck every trend, will let KU have a laugher.

St. Mary’s -17 vs USF. Dons back to reality, no answer for Samhan, and the 3's will rain when they double down. Gaels shoot it well at home.

B. Anthony

Saturday Picks

2010-01-29T15:16:00.001-08:00

Limited description to follow picks. Time to just throw them on the wall and find out if we are ready for March.

18 games. I am predicting 13-5. Find the good ones!!!!

Connecticut -6 over Marquette. Jeckyl and Hyde of UCOnn.

West Virginia -6 over Louisville. Can't let go of Huggins

Georgetown -2 vs Duke. hate Duke

Missouri St pick over N Iowa. time for big dog in MVAC to lose

Washington St +8 vs Washington. Rivalry, too many points

Kentucky -10 vs Vanderbilt- Bounce back for Kentucky, let down for Vandy

Mississippi -12 v Arkansas. Let down for Ark.

Texas -10.5 v Baylor. Too much up and down, Texas due for a blow-out.

ASU -12 v Stanford. Bounce back for ASU

Umass +3 v Charlotte. Let down for Charlotte after upset v Temple.

USC pick over Oregon. Ducks let down after beating UCLA

Geogia +6 vs South Carolina. Huge let down for Downey and company, this is a lock!

Kanas -3 vs Kansas St. Better team wins!

UCLA +2.5 vs Oregon St. Ugly game but UCLA prevails.

UAB -4 vs UTep. Blazers, continue to roll.

Western Kentucky -20 vs New Orleans. I am going against New Orleans every game, rest of year, they are in quitting mode.

Cincinnati -8 vs Providence. Another let down game, Friars shot their wad already this week.

Gonzaga -11 v USF. Zags got their scare at SCU, they will win big and be up early!

Good Luck

B. Anthony

Another Hoops Day

2010-01-27T08:15:00.000-08:00

The very accurate pick of South Carolina that has been on this page for 2 weeks is not enough to make B. Anthony happy. The continued at or below 50% effort is just not good enough. As has been previously noted, in order to truly succeed, I need to get away from all the top 25 games. However, the mass audience out there, only wants to follow and bet on the games they can watch on TV they don't really want to win. They want to enjoy. That being said. I am going to venture into the more obscure conferences for some of my picks tonight, while still providing picks for the top 25 junkies.

Best 3 plays tonight

Northeastern -10 v Drexel. Drexel is down this year, and Northeastern has been rolling. Working on 11 wins in a row. That is confidence!

Marshall +1.5 vs Memphis. Huge game for the Thundering Herd. Plus they have a lottery pick in the line up! Hassan Whiteside will make the difference, defending the paint

UNC Charlotte +1.5 vs Temple. Time for the Owls to take one on the chin. Tough place to play!

Best of the Rest

Texas -17 vs Texas Tech. Someone is going to pay for last week. I am glad it is someone related to Bob Knight. Tech schedules patsy's early to build the resume, then gets pounded against real competition. Pat's team plays no defense, his dad should be disgusted. By the way, Knight is the worst announcer on TV. I mute both he and Vitale now. All he says is "they need to pass more, set some screens, run my offense, then they will be good. He abuses KStates offense as they are upsetting the #1 team in the country. The idiot doesn't realize that all teams switch picks now, and teams with great foot speed will dominate a motion offense. That is why so much spread and isolation is in the game. Shut up and go fishing!

Vanderbilt +6.5 vs Tennessee. Volunteers have come back to planet earth. Letting the idiots back on the team will screw up chemistry. Too many points for a rivalry.

Florida St +13.5 vs Duke. Hate Duke, like good defense and long bodies!

Ohio St -10 vs Iowa. Sorry Seckler. Evan Turner is rolling and OSU wins going away. The effort against Spartans was solid but took a lot out of the Hawkeyes!

New Mexico +1 vs BYU. Mormons are very good, but time has come for them to lose. Can't pick a better place than the Pit for it to happen!

Notre Dame +11 vs Villanova. Harangody is going to go for 35 and keep this close, maybe a big surprise if Nova doesn't come ready to play.

UConn -6 @ Providence. This is a possible trap game for UConn after a big win, but they are hitting their stride and will win going away!

Good Gaming,

B. Anthony

New # 1, Play the Trend

2010-01-26T11:56:00.001-08:00

B. Anthony is back for some picks and ready to move past the continuous 50% mark

As previously stated, I am sticking with the #1 pressure being too great. I love Kentucky and still think they will win it all, but won't cover tonight.

South Carolina +7 vs Kentucky. At home, a big game from Devan Downey and some late game frenetics get the cover for the Cocks!

Michigan St -4.5 @ Michigan. Michigan has no real leadership, and Spartans are playing dominant team ball.

Miami Fl +8 @Maryland. Random ACC game will be close.

Clemson -3 @ BC. I like Clemson to step up and compete, even on the road!

Baylor -2 vs Kansas St-. Baylor at home has the athletes and guard play to put KState in a tail spin.

Uab -3.5 vs Tulsa. Even on the road I would take UAB, but at home I think the Blazers really roll going away!

West Virginia -17 @ Depaul. Depaul is bad and will be punished. Who else could be getting 17 points at home.

Nc St +1 vs UNC. Home game, big rivalry, and the Tar Heels continue to stink it up. They can't defend, and Wolfpack can shoot it when hot!

Northwestern +12 at Minnesota. Too Many points in a game that Northwestern could really use.

Good Gaming,

B. Anthony

Huge Card Saturday

2010-01-22T13:49:00.000-08:00

Just going to get right to the games. I made predictions before lines came out. 17 games that include the top 25 are in action. Here are thoughts

1. Texas pick at Uconn. My original thought is Texas is 10 points better, give Uconn 5 for home court. So Texas favored by 5. Line is a Pick. Take Texas

2. Kentucky -18 at home vs Arkansas. I thought line should be 14 because of nerves. Take the points, Arkansas +18

3. Kansas -12.5 at Iowa St. I thought line would be 11. Too close to call. Stay away

4. Nova -4.5 @ St. Johns. Line should be 8. Take Nova -4

5. Cuse -10.5 at home vs Marquette. I had the line at 11. Too close to call.

6. Clemson pick hosting Duke. I think Clemson should be favored by 2. Take Clemson pick

7. Michigan St pick at Minnesota. Michigan St should be 4.5 point favorite. Take MSU pick

8. Tennessee -5 @ Georgia. Line is too close to call. I guessed 6.

9. Kstate -11 vs OSU. I am thinking this line is right on, but Like Oklahoma St to get KState in hangover game. Oklahoma st. +11

10. Gonzaga -24 vs Loyola. Line is right where it should be, stay away.

11. West Virgina -6 vs Ohio St. I guessed 7 point line. If it goes above 8, take OSU, otherwise stay off. Ohio st. +8 if it gets that high

12. Byu -3.5 vs San Diego St. This line is right on, but BYU is best cover team in the land. Take Mormons -3.5

13. Georgetown -21 vs Rutgers. I think this line is high. I had it at 15. Take Rutgers +21

14. Purdue -12 vs Michigan. This line should be under 10. Take Michigan +12

15. Temple -16 vs Fordham. Line is a bit high. I would lay off. But if I played it, Fordham +16

16. Butler -13 vs Illinois Chi. Line should be 10. Take the dog. Illinois Chicago +13

17. Ole Miss -6 vs LSU. Game is right on the line. Lay off this one.

Good gaming.

B. Anthony

Prepping for big Weekend

2010-01-21T13:03:00.001-08:00

B. Anthony has not yet hit stride, but hovering around 50% while still cold is not a bad start.

Pac-10 play, which is hard to watch is on tonight, and I have some plays that will keep you interested!

Oregon +10.5 vs Cal. Double digits don't come easy, even at home. Look for a high scoring affair with Oregon hitting some late shots to keep this under 10!

Oregon St. +6.5 vs Stanford. Ugly game will be decided by 5 or less.

Washington -4 vs UCLA. Huskies on a roll, will handle Ucla even at Pauley.

Washington st +7.5 at USC. USC is bound to let Cougars hang around for too long. They may lose on a last second shot by Thompson.

Gonzaga -22 v Pepperdine
St. Mary's -13.5 vs San Diego will both win big at home.

Random Play of the Day.

New Orleans just announced they are leaving Sun Belt and going to Division III. They will play like a DIII team tonight.

La. Lafayette -12 big over New Orleans!

Wednesday Game Night

2010-01-20T09:17:00.000-08:00

B Anthony is ready for the two month preparation for March.

One item of note: As much as I love the top 3 teams in the country, and there are only 3 elite teams, Kentucky, Kansas, Texas, not necessarily in that order, the task of remaining #1 is very difficult. The reality is, these kids just get all puckered up in the corn hole and can't play!!!

Watch how the loose, fantastic Syracuse team tightens up when they soon become #1. Kentucky has a home game this week, but on Jan 23rd when they go to South Carolina, look for the unblemished season to end. (Note, I love Kentucky hoops this year, but it is just too clear that teams can't handle the pressure of #1)

Games for tonight, I will try to post 5-10 every night there is a good schedule!

I will publish high profile TV games to feed all the junkies!!! It gives us all something to follow closely.

Georgetown +1.5 at Pitt. I have gone back and forth on this one. Pitt is playing fantastic, but I am going to invoke the "best player on the court" rule and take Greg Monroe to make the difference with a last second block, or rebound and put back for a 1 point win!

Michigan St -21.5 vs Iowa. Simply a bad team on the road getting rolled!

South Florida +12 @ Cincinnati. This game will be full of hard fouls and smack talking, that will result in a single digit result.

Kansas -14 vs Baylor. JayHawks get healthy and happy now that the pressure is lifted!

NC State +11 vs Duke. Slight bias here, I always play against Duke. But Double digit dogs at home is a good play in ACC rivalry!

West Virginia -12 vs Marshall. We are Marshall will pay for the ass-whooping that Huggins gave WVU after their home loss to Syracuse.

Michigan +8 vs Wisconsin at Madison. Home court is big for Badgers, but late 3's will cover this line for Wolverines!

Wake Forest +7 at UNC. I was holding out hope, but UNC is just not very good and the betting public doesn't know it yet. These teams are equal, give NC 4 pts for home court, not 7!

Xavier +3 vs Temple. Owls are improving and on a roll, but they are not as battle tested as the Musketeers. Look for a 10 point
win from a focused Xavier squad!

William & Mary +7.5 vs VCU. This line is a little high based on past results. VCU wins at home, but likely by 4!

Good Gaming

B. Anthony

Back for Some Top 25 NCAA plays

2010-01-15T07:29:00.000-08:00

Saturday has a full schedule and lines are not official yet, however B. Anthony has some score predictions for some of the highlight top 25 games.

You can wait for the lines and make your plays accordingly.(Lines to follow in 4-5 hours)

(Lines are out) see them posted afterward, very accurate predictions in some places)

#1 Texas 96-77 at home over Texas AM (-15)

#2 Kentucky 83-65 at Auburn (-11.5)

#3 Kansas 105-79 at home over Texas Tech (-21)

#9 West Virginia 76-71 at home over # 5 Syracuse (WVU -4)

#6 Purdue 69-65 at Northwestern (-6)

#8 Michigan St 83-74 at home vs Illinois (-11)

#10 Tennessee at home 75-73 over #23 Mississippi (-8)

#12 Kansas St. 77-79 loss at Colorado (-5)

#13 North Carolina at home 89-77 over # 18 Georgia Tech (-8)

#14 Gonzaga 77-75 at San Diego. (-6)

#16 Wisconsin 65-73 loss at Ohio St ( Evan Turner Triple double) (OSU -4.5)

#20 Pitt 75-71 at home over Louisville. (-3)

2 Added games for those who need more action

Portland +8 at St. Mary's. Gaels are tired after last night

Washington St. -6.5 vs Stanford. That beat down that Cardinal took last night will set them back 20 years, back to pre-monty days!!!!

Money's prediction for College Hoops 2009-2010

2009-11-13T11:28:00.000-08:00

Here we are again, on the brink of another season of college basketball. It seems like yesterday that I held your hand and walked you through the exact scenario of March Madness. Well, it was not yesterday and I was pretty much wrong on all my predictions except for getting the last few games of the season right.

This brings us to this year and my thoughts. What did we learn from last year? I think the main takeaway for me was to not fight the rankings of the teams at the top. I always like to pick dark horses, or home dogs, usually to a fault, but the good teams were a lot better than everyone else last year and I see the same thing happening this year too. I think there are a few really good teams at the top, but then I think there will be a quick drop-off. Kansas, Texas and Kentucky have the most talent. After them the drop off starts. This year’s final four will have three really dominant teams and then one head scratcher. Let’s start with the AP Pre-season Top 25 for this year.

1) Kansas
2) Michigan State
3) Texas
4) Kentucky
5) Villanova
6) North Carolina
7) Purdue
8) West Virginia
9) Duke
10) Tennessee

This is a good top 10, but not dominant. I see Kansas as the clear cut #1 option and the most reasonable choice to cut down the nets in April. They have good leaders, role players, a point guard, coach and incoming talent. They are totally legit and in my eyes the team to beat. Michigan State returns a lot of talent, could find themselves in the championship game again. Izzo always seems to get to the Final Four, so a return trip seems likely. However, I don’t see them going much further. Last year was an emotional run fueled by the down economy in Detroit. I don’t see the same energy or run coming from these guys again. With that the drop-off has officially started. I look at the number two team in the country and say they can’t/won’t win a national title.

Texas has great talent, maybe the best in the country, but they always find a way to let everyone down come tournament time. Kentucky is similar to Texas, talent-wise, but I do believe in Calipari and I do expect this team will be there in the end. Villanova is small again and a guard led team won’t win the National Championship. Dismissed. UNC is up there on name. They are big. Too big in fact. But they will suffer in guard play and Lawson is what made that motor run. Dismissed. Purdue will now have the same core for the third year now, so a deep run by them is likely if they can stay healthy. I am buying them, at least for a final four run. West Virginia is a team that B. Anthony likes and there is reason for optimism. They will be talented and make a good run, but I am leaving them out of my final four. Duke is no longer Duke and gets a good ranking because of their name. Not buying them. Tennessee is the same team as Villanova; talented guards running and shooting all over the court. Not a final four team.

So, these are the best teams in the country? Pretty weak if you ask me. Where are the teams we expect to see year after year? Where is Uconn, Florida, UCLA?

Well, Uconn is 12, but that is very generous. They lost the best defensive player in the country and their fantastic point guard. This ranking is based on name and they will not be a top 10 team this year. Florida? I don’t know anything about them. Where did they go? UCLA? They lost a lot of talent to the NBA over the last 2 years. They will still get it done this year, by defense, but this will be a down year for them.

One thing that really sticks out to me is Cal being ranked #13. They return all starters from last year and are very deep, but they are not the #13 best team in the country. No way. It is great to be recognized, but they rely too much on the 3 point shot and will get outrebounded regularly. A #13 ranking just shows you how diluted the talent is this year.

So who wins it all this year? KANSAS. Sorry, obvious pick, but it is the right choice. They will meet Kentucky in the final game.

Final Four
Kansas
Kentucky
Purdue
Georgia Tech

Dark horse teams: USC, Seton Hall, Siena, Fresno State

Best conference: Big East again

PAC 10 thoughts: This will be a down year. ASU lost major talent. Arizona is reloading. Stanford is horrible. UCLA is down (for them). Cal is up, so is Oregon State. I expect Washington to win the regular season, followed by Cal and then UCLA and USC. Oregon to win the conference tournament. Cal shoots its way into the sweet 16 this year. Jerome Randle is my hero!

Money

2009-2010 NCAA Season Preview

2009-11-10T11:14:00.001-08:00

Randomly writing a college preseason preview on a blank sheet of paper

A few ideas are popping into my head. The NCAA with its attempt to clean up the recruiting is going to catch some really stupid and obvious cheaters. However, I think they should just put it out in the open and really punish and expose the leeches that are trying to make money off of 15 year olds. Really, why do this people who know nothing about the game and care nothing about teaching the game, want to work a basketball camp in July? They want a free hand-out!!!

Okay, on to basketball. B. Anthony will predictably follow the Calipari train and will likely tout Kentucky for most of the year. I am not a Kansas fan, but I can’t help but be impressed with their squad. I have been on Aldrich since his Freshman year, and think he may be the next “Gerry Cooney”. GWH (great white hope) for you slow folks.

My only concern with Kentucky is that I am not sure all these players are going to be committed to Calipari’s style of defense. They are supremely talented, but if they don’t defend, they won’t get all the way to the Final Four.

John Wall will be fantastic and will have some great highlights as he becomes another #1 pick point guard for Calipari. I am not nearly as impressed with Xavier Henry for Kansas. He is very skilled, but has a lack of foot speed that will be exposed at the college game. Mark my words, he is not an NBA player and will be a journey-man shooter for Kansas by the time his career is over. The reason he didn’t end up with Calipari, is that Calipari didn’t want his slow feet!!!!

Avery Bradley from Texas is going to be a fantastic freshman and fun to watch! He will play hard nosed defense, attack the rim on every occasion, and make a ton of free-throws. Texas will be a final four team this year, and I generally do not like Texas.

My dark horse team for the final four will be Butler. They are not a huge reach, as they will be top 10-15 all year, and will likely venture towards the top 5 because of the win total. They return every starter and non starter from a 26 win team. Throw in the summer trip to Italy when they were able to bond, and you have a still young, but very seasoned team that will win 31 games in the regular season. They may run into a team with too many horses in the elite 8, but they will have a great year.

Big East will be lacking the talent from last year, but look for Villanova and West Virginia to lead the way, and the UConn guards will have a great year. Harangody will have good numbers, but without the great shooting back court, he will face double teams all year. Notre Dame is no longer a power in any sport other than Women’s soccer!!!!

Local Flavor- Cal will not win the Pac-10, and will not advance to the Sweet 16. They just don’t rebound the ball well enough. The Pac-10 will be a wide open race, and considering the lack of real NBA talent and the parity in the league, I think anyone who gets to 10 or 11 wins may win the league. I see Oregon, Washington, Oregon St, and Cal all somewhere around 10-8 and the first one to 11 wins will be the regular season champion. You will notice that UCLA is not included here. They have had a myriad of injuries and they will be just a notch below, about 9-9, along with Washington St, which will ugly its way to some wins, and Arizona St who will play great zone defense. USC and Stanford will be the cellar dwellers, but they will win some home games and each will have at least one marquee win.

The WCC will again be dominated by Gonzaga who may be better with a little less hype. They don’t have the same marquee names, but Bouldin is a winner and they will play better as a team. Portland will win some games, but the rest of the league, particularly San Diego and St. Mary’s are down. Santa Clara will continue to suck, lack of size and talent, and USF will be scrappy but under 500 as well.

Quick Recap-
Final Four Prediction-
South-Kentucky. They will be the class of the south. Tennessee will look like a challenger, but since I hate Bruce Pearl (see years of torment in previous postings) I can’t pick the Vols. Dark horse could be Mississippi St with two legit pro’s on the team.

West-Texas, there is no real challenger in the West. Gonzaga possible, but no other teams in the region. Duke or UNC will be shipped west as a #2 seed.

East- West Virginia or Villanova, I am going with Dirty Huggins here!

Midwest- Butler or Kansas- It is just impossible to leave Kansas off this list. They will be dominant in a weak Big 12 and will battle Texas until the league championship game on Selection Sunday. Both will get #1 seeds. Only the upset bug keeps them possibly out. Butler will be the 2 or 3 seed so they will meet in the elite 8 if they both remain unscathed.

Kentucky and West Virginia will meet in the final. Kentucky will squeak out a victory on a made free throw by John Wall with 3 seconds to play, final score 81-80.
On a side note, within five years both teams will be deemed ineligible based on improper benefits received by coaches and players. In 20 years, there will be no official listing of a National Champion in 2010!

All- American Team-
John Wall, Sherron Collins, Cole Aldrich, Da’sean Butler, Robbie Hummell.

All Cover teams.
Butler, early and often because of experience and weak league.
Texas, Big twelve is down and their defense will be great!
Indiana, expectations are low, and they will be getting a lot of points and will be over .500 this year!

Good Luck,

B. Anthony

College/Pro

2009-10-24T07:07:00.000-07:00

I rotate every week from sucking and then doing well. I spared you the sucking last week, but will deliver the goods for you this week.

College:

UCONN +7.5 @ West Va
The huskies will be ready to play inspired ball in memory of their fallen player.

ARKANSAS +6.5 @ Mississippi
Not impressed with Snead and Co.

WASHINGTON +10 vs. Oregon
Huskies are in every game they play.

WASHINGTON STATE +35.5 @ Cal
One game does not mean Cal is "back". They still suck at QB.

ARIZONA -7.5 vs. Ucla
The best team I know nothing about.

MISSISSIPPI State +22.5 vs. Florida
Stop waitig for Florida to wake up and start spanking people. Just not going to happen.

OREGON STATE +21.5 vs. Usc
USC coming off the big Notre Dame game and looking ahead to Oregon next week. They never play well versus the little guys.

PROS:

CHIEFS +5 vs. San Diego
? - San Diego is not worthy of getting points on the road.

PITTSBURGH -5.5 vs Minn
The Favre magic stops here against a physical defense. Hair Palamalu is back.

MIAMI +7 vs. Saints
I read somewhere that the saints have never won in Miami. Never!

Good luck!

I like the dogs this weekend

2009-10-10T07:08:00.001-07:00

College
UCLA +3.5 vs. Oregon
Let down for Oregon. Masoli is out, UCLA QB is back

WASHINGTON +3.5 vs. Arizona
Not convinced that anyone in the Pac 10 can win on the road.

MICHIGAN +8.5 vs. Iowa
I love Forcier. He finds a way to win or be in every game. Not convinced that Iowa is as good as ranking.

OREGON STATE +1 vs. Stanford
No way Stanford is going up to Corvalis and beating the Beavers. Stanford is good, but not this good.

LSU +8 vs. Florida
I don’t expect Tebow to play, or if he does to play well. Myers should not play him. If they lose, they get a pass because Tebow is out. They lose this game and still play in the title game (vs. USC)

Pros
CHEFS +9 vs. Cowboys
KC won’t win, but they will play hard. The cowboys are not an elite team deserving 9 points on the road. Never bet on Wade Phillips.
RAMS +10 vs. Vikings
The rams are a horrible team and the packers are coming off a Monday night high. Taking the lowest of lows vs. the highest of highs. I love it.

Good luck
Money

Fire Tedford

2009-10-05T19:32:00.000-07:00

I think I am in the minority here, but I am sick of Tedford and have been for several years. There is no question that Tedford has put Cal football on the map and made them a competitive team. Prior to Tedford, Cal football was meaningless. Now most games are filled to capacity and there is a lot of excitement prior to the games. But they should be doing better than 8-4 and a trip to the emerald bowl. This is Cal football and I expect more.

They have had talented players. There are currently 26 players from Cal in the NFL now. That is pretty good. Look at the players from 2006 that played for Cal. The result was 7-4 and beating BYU in the Las Vegas Bowl.
Desmond Bishop, Thomas DeCoud, Justin Forsett, Lavelle Hawkins, DeSean Jackson, Marshawn Lynch, Alex Mack, Cameron Morrah, Craig Stevens

Really? Is this the best we can expect?

A coach is responsible for recruiting, preparation and discipline. Tedford has done a pretty good job of recruiting based on the players in the NFL that have come through Cal, but he clearly was not getting everything out of them. They underachieved. That is bad coaching. Additionally, Tedford is known as a QB guru working to develop a long list of QBs in the NFL; Trent Dilfer, Joey Harrington, Kyle Boller, Aaron Rodgers to name a few. Where are the good quarterbacks over the last couple of years? Longshore was horrible and Riley is worse. Bring in the backup? Is there a QB waiting in the wings? The cupboard is bare. Ok, so go out and look locally in bring in Joe Montana’s kid from DeLaSalle. What’s that? He went to Washington? Oh that makes sense. More on that later.

Was this team prepared to play Oregon last week? No. And to make matters worse, they quit. In the biggest game of the year versus USC, they laid another egg. That is bad coaching. I know that the stadium needs work and that the academic standards are high, but there are loopholes and ways to get around this; see Marshawn Lynch.

Tedford lacks that killer instinct that Pete Carroll has. In a close game where Cal feels they still have a chance, USC will slice their opponent’s neck and then take their wallet for good measure. Tedford doesn’t have this. Tedford has never won the big game, and I am not talking about Stanford.

Fire Tedford

How will they end up this year? Let’s look at the schedule. They are 3-2 now.
@ UCLA – Loss
Washington State – Win
@ ASU
Oregon State
Arizona (they should win 2 of the above three games. Not sure which one they lose)
@ Stanford –Loss
@ Washington – Loss

6-6 and another trip to the Las Vegas bowl to play Utah sounds about right.

Fire Tedford

Ok, Mr. Fancy pants whom would you replace him with? Well it is too late now, but I would much rather have Steve Sarkisian than Tedford. Washington and Cal have the same level of talent, but Washington is playing with more energy and discipline. The huskies will have a better season than Cal this year and will be back in the Rose Bowl within 5 years. Can we say that about Cal? Obviously Sarkisian can recruit bringing in Montana. I don’t know if Junior will be good, but that is clearly a good sign for your program and head coach. Sarkisian is gone, but my point is get a Pete Carroll clone. Pete Carroll is the king that Tedford will never dethrone. Get one of the understudies. Ken Norton the defensive coordinator? Maybe he becomes the next Mike Singletary. I don’t even know who the current offensive coordinator is, but I want him.

Go out and make a change, be proactive and find the next great college coach. Don’t sit around and be content with what we have. The Bears deserve more.

Fire Tedford

On another note, please remove the Cialis commercials during football games, so I don’t have to explain to my son what a “four hour erection” is.

Money

Retired?

2009-10-02T12:06:00.000-07:00

The recession is hitting us all. I just paid off my cable bills so I am back on line. I set a goal that I would "get back out there" in time for opening night. There is no better thrill than hearing Igor Stravinsky scoring from the blue ice in the fourth quarter to win the game! Hockey sucks. I can't believe I just referenced it. I guess I just wanted everyone to keep coming back and seeing my old post of the NCAA championship game and I how I nailed it!

I apologize to my 3 regular visitors; myself, B and the Hawk. Julian reads it too, so this is for you guys.

College:
WASHINGTON +13 @ Notre Dame
I have been on Washington all season. Love their energy and always enjoy betting against the golden domers.

GEORGIA -3.5 vs. Lsu
Both teams are a shell of themselves from last year. LSU is really not very good.

ILLINOIS +7.5 vs. Penn state
I am not buying Penn State, even in a bounce back opportunity.

STANFURD -5.5 vs. Ucla
I hate to say it, but the other team I have liked this year is the Cardinal. No problem beating the Bruins.

U$C -4.5 @ Cal
If there was ever a year that Cal could beat usc, it would be this year. But until Tedhead proves he can beat the Almighty Pete, I am not buying. Win a real big game Tedford!

NFL:
Titans -3 @ Jax
Too much talent to go 0-4

BROWNS +6.5 vs Cincy
New QB for the browns and a letdown for the bengals.

SAINTS -7 vs. Sanchize
Sanchez has played 14 games at usc and 3 in the nfl. I like him, but his world collaspes this weekend.

Stay tuned for my Baseball predictions: I am Money in the playoffs!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

P.S. Typing from an internet cafe. Does that make me sound worldly?

Money

ZZZZZZZzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

2009-04-06T09:03:00.000-07:00

I hate to say it, but tonite’s game is going to suck, unless you take UNC and the points and don’t want the stress of a close game. I am really impressed with Michigan State’s run through the tournament, and even more impressed with B. Anthony’s preseason pick to win it all this year. Yes, he took Michigan State.

I think there are a couple of ways that MSU can beat UNC and I will get to those in a minute. But I totally agree with Izzo. If UNC and MSU both play well, UNC will win. Yes, this is a ploy from Izzo to get the most out of his players, but it is also true. MSU has taken people out of their game and ultimately those teams have played poorly throughout this tournament. Did you see how many times MSU ran the ball up the court sprinting past Thabeet? They got to the basket before he was even under it. MSU could still disrupt UNC’s style tonite, but I don’t think it will happen. In fact, I think the air comes out of the balloon quickly in this one. Has there been a close competitive game involving UNC in this tournament yet? Not really. The LSU game was the only one that was close and UNC still won by 14.

Here is how MSU can pull off the upset;
1) Use their big men to get Tyler and the rest of the frontcourt in foul trouble. UNC is not a very deep team. They basically play 7, maybe 8 people. This has to be the focus of Izzo; get UNC in foul trouble. This is their only chance.
2) Shoot the ball well. This goes without saying, but MSU has to have a good shooting night from the 3 point line. This is something they did not do well on Saturday and did not do well the last time these two teams met.
3) Home crowd. All the UConn and Villanova tickets have likely gone to locals, so the home crowd will be like no other in an NCAA championship game.
Will any of this matter? No. North Carolina is a far superior team who is clicking on all cylinders right now. I would love to see an MSU victory, but I see absolutely no way that MSU can go “toe to toe” with UNC. This game will be one of the most boring championship games we have seen in a while.

NORTH CAROLINA -7.5 vs. Michigan State
UNC is a far superior team than MSU. They have a great team, with few flaws and are healthy now. They have had a great year and have had a target on their back all year. Everyone's pick to win it all this year, will be cutting the nets down tonite.

Final score UNC 85 MSU 67
I guess that means I like the under too. I hate taking totals, especially unders.

Good luck!
Money

Final Four musings

2009-04-03T11:36:00.000-07:00

We have good teams reaching the Final Four, with a lot of experienced coaches. Something is missing though and I can’t my finger on it. Yes, I am bummed that Pitt is out, but I do like this Villanova team. I was not really sold on this Louisville team. I picked them to win it all at the beginning of the year, then changed my mind, and then got back on board. That sums up Louisville; talented but inconsistent. Still I would have liked to have seen that high energy style play on. I am not a fan of Michigan State and they have proven me wrong all year. I just don’t like big 10 basketball and teams that rely heavily on defense. It is a good strategy to win, just does not make for good TV viewing. But, I like Izzo and they deserve to be there so I won’t complain.

Of course, I will be watching and have planned my day accordingly. I am taking the kids to the park at 5:45am for some good quality time and then I am “checking out”. Here are my thoughts on the game.

MICHIGAN STATE +4 vs. Uconn

The kiss of death. I have been a hater all year, and now I am on them? Here is why.
1) Izzo. This guy is the best coach in the land. He constantly gets his underachieving teams to the final four. Calhoun is great too, but I have more faith in Izzo.
2) Home game. The crowd will no doubt be a benefit to MSU
3) Sutton. He can and will shoot the 3 and likely pull Thabeet away from the basket. This will be a benefit to the rest of the Spartans.
4) Defense. As I stated above, it is boring, but effective. Uconn will surely have an advantage inside, but MSU has a deep bench and they will be prepared for this. Uconn however is not that great of a shooting team, outside of Price.

I think Michigan State wins. I will take the points and the MONEYline. I hate totals, but since there are only a couple of games, I will make a pick. Give me the under of 133.5.
Final score 65- 60 Michigan state

NORTH CAROLINA -7 vs. Villanova

The easy bet is to take Villanova and assume this is way too many points. But, like all other UNC games, unless the opponent wins, North Carolina is going to cover. They are too talented and can score too quickly. The only way they don’t cover, is if UNC is down over 10 at half time, and even then I would not put it past them to still hit the original number. Villanova will have to shoot great, which they have shown they can do. They are tougher than UNC and they possess the guard speed that will give UNC fits. However, UNC will have its way with Nova inside. I think this will be a close game throughout and it would not surprise me to see Nova up at halftime, but when it is all said and done, UNC will be meeting MSU in the final game. I will take the over in this game 158.5

Final score UNC 88 Villanova 78

Good luck!
Money

Biased

2009-03-29T07:23:00.001-07:00

I am still thinking about that Pitt game last night. I really liked them. They were my Memphis team similar to B. Anthony's feelings last year. However, I could still see that they were not the right pick and took Nova. I am a big fan of SI.com Seth Davis and he picked Pitt to win it all as well. He picked Pitt to win the game last night and picked them again at half. You think I am bummed. Read what he had to say.

“It's just a shame one of them had to lose in the end, and that's a rough way to go out for Pitt. In an earlier game today, Missouri lost to UConn and walks away taking solace in the year and in the tournament that they had --- they went further than anyone would have guessed. Pitt, on the other hand, walks away heartbroken --- they did everything but make the final play. But if you go 22 from 23 from foul line like Villanova did, you deserve to win.”

All he was talking about is how heartbroken Pitt (and himself) is. That was an incredible game, with a shot that will be remembered each and every year. Hats off to Nova and the Big East for making this a great tournament.

Sunday picks:
LOUISVILLE -6.5 vs. Michigan State
MSU has traditionally played well when Raymar Morgan has done well, and he is not playing well. They need a good game from him and this aint going to happen. MSU has depth, but not good enough depth, just people like you and me. They won’t be able to handle the press and Louisville will beat them rather easily.

UNC -7 vs. Oklahoma
I think this is another easy game. I am not a fan of Oklahoma. I have not been buying them all year. If they beat UNC then I will admit how wrong I was, which I seem to be doing a lot lately. I don’t see it happening with a healthy Lawson now.

Good luck!
Money

So good, then so bad

2009-03-28T12:08:00.001-07:00

I was perfect on Thursday, hitting all the games and then turning around and missing all on Friday. That sucks. UNC, Louisville, Villanova and Uconn look like they are heading to the final four, but we still have to see how this plays out.

Picks for today (not doing tomorrow yet)

MISSOURI +5.5 vs. Uconn
I think this game will be won by the team who controls the tempo of the game. Mizzou will want to run and Uconn will want to slow it down and play a half court game. I think Missouri's style will win out, effectively eliminating Uconn's strength; their frontcourt. I do think Uconn will win, but this will be a battle that will be really close. This a game that Uconn really misses Dyson. They don't have enough guards to run away with this.

VILLANOVA +2 vs. Pitt
I hate to do this, but this is the right call. I love Fields and this Pitt team but they are not playing a full 40 minutes, which Nova is and what is absolutely necessary to win this game. If Pitt plays poorly in the first half and is down, like their previous three games, they will lose this game. However, if they come out strong and play the way they did 4 weeks ago, they win. Pitt is the better team, but there is no reason to believe that they can just turn it on now. Nova wins.

Good luck!

Money

Thursday/Friday

2009-03-26T10:39:00.000-07:00

We have games again today, finally. I am very impressed with the lineup over the next couple of days and am looking forward to seeing who ends up in Detroit for the Final Four.
Quick thoughts on my all Big East final four vs. what I think now after 32 games.

Originally, I picked Pitt over Louisville in the finals with UConn and Syracuse joining them in the final four. I did not go with UNC because I did not think Lawson would be effective. He is hurt, but he will be effective and in my eyes, they are the team to beat. With that said, they have the toughest 2, 3, 4 teams to get through. Uconn has been playing great, but at some point all of these off the court distractions catch up with them. Louisville is one bad shooting night from getting eliminated. You could say that about any team, but I feel it is more relevant because Louisville is not a great shooting team to begin with. You could say Pitt has struggled because they have had a tough time in their first two games. However, they won and OSU was a good team. I agree with B. Anthony on this and that they do enough to win and keep advancing.

I hope my final four is correct, but my gut says UNC over Uconn with Pitt and Kansas joining them in Detroit.

Thursday:

UCONN -6.5 vs. Purdue
I really like this game. Purdue has no size and will get killed inside. Hummel will absolutely disappear in this game.

VILLANOVA +2.5 vs. Duke
Both teams are playing well right now, specifically Duke with the insertion of Williams into the starting lineup and moving Scheyer to the point. I feel these teams are very similar; not a lot of size and a lot of guards that can hit the shots. I believe Villanova has better guards/shooters and the better inside post player in Dante Cunningham.

XAVIER +7 vs. Pitt
I think Pitt will put together a solid all around game and make a championship run, but it won’t happen here (next game vs. Nova). Xavier is very similar to Pitt, but Pitt does everything better. This game will be close, but Pitt wins. Fields is the difference in this game.

MIZZOU +4.5 vs. Memphis
This is tough game to handicap. I could see a Memphis win and cover, more likely than I can see a Missouri victory. But, I look at three things that point me to Mizzou.
1) Tyreke Evans. He is a freshman. Is he Derek Rose and somebody who can lead your team to the Finals? I don’t believe so. He is talented, but not lottery pick talented. He needs to be flawless in this game and I don’t think he will.
2) Memphis has struggled to score. They got a huge game from Sallie off the bench in their first game. He went for 35 and his average is 7. Without that, they were dead. The next game, Mack was hitting the three. Missouri plays good defense and Memphis will struggle to score.
3) Mike Anderson (coach of Missouri) is very familiar with Memphis from his days at UAB where he competed against them well.

Friday:

SYRACUSE +1 vs. Oklahoma
The orange win this game. The zone and their size down low will give Griffin trouble. Syracuse is on a roll now and will upset the best player in basketball.

GONZAGA +8.5 vs. Unc
Gonzaga has the players to run with Unc and will likely try. If they make their shots, they can win this game. Regardless of the outcome, I believe the game will be close.

KANSAS +1.5 vs. Michigan State
MSU beat up the Jayhawks earlier this season by guarding Collins and Cole and making the rest of their team beat them, which they could not. MSU has size and depth down low to challenge KU. However, Bill Self has shown tremendous resiliency against teams that previously beat him in the past. He won’t let Izzo get the best of him this time.

ARIZONA +9 vs. Louisville
Arizona has no depth and needs a near perfect game and 22+ points each from the big three to beat Louisville. They have little room for error. But as gamblers, we are not asking them to win, just cover. Arizona has shown that their offense is not the issue. They will be able to keep the game under double digits.

Good luck!
Money

Sweet Sixteen

2009-03-26T08:54:00.000-07:00

The tournament has been devoid of major upsets and the difference between dogs and favorites covering, has been minimal. The first round saw a 17-14-1 advantage to the dogs, and the second round was 11-5 in favorite of the chalk. So 25-22 is the slim margin that the favorites hold. I think they will keep this advantage through the round of 16 here on Thursday and Friday, but the dogs will inch closer covering 5 of the 8 games.

Thursday's plays, listed in order of value.

UConn -6.5 (on my line) vs Purdue has gone down to a point where this is the best play on the board. Huskies are playing like they did mid-season when they dominated everyone. Adrien is hitting from the free throw line, and Thabeet really doesn't need to score very much with Price and Robinson knocking down perimeter shots. Kemba Walker's speed and scoring off the bench make this a double digit victory.

Villanova +2 vs Duke. Do you remember when Duke lost to Uconn in the finals with Khalid El Amin and Richard Hamilton? I do. The offense for Uconn was "spread em and drive em." Duke continued to pressure everywhere and provide no help-side defense. It was lay-up city for the Huskies. Villanova will have the same advantage. Duke is just so thick headed they won't change what they do. They are Duke, you know.

Xavier +7 vs Pitt. I like the balance of Xavier and think that Pitt is simply playing good enough to only win, and not cover. They could lose this game is they sleep walk again.

Memphis -4.5 vs Missouri. This has all the makings of an up and down, but sloppy basketball game. There will likely be more blocked shots, and steals than there will be made 3 pointers. However, if anyone is going to run away and hide it is Memphis. They do have the offensive firepower to score 8-10 straight and just pull away from Missouri. As Missouri gambles to get back in Memphis should be able to throw over the press with Evans and dunk on the other end.

Friday's Plays.

Syracuse +1 vs Oklahoma. Johnny Flynn will be the best player on the court, despite some monster dunks by Blake Griffin. The ability to knock down the 3 will prove the difference as Oklahoma will clank away and Devendorf and others will combine to make about 9 3's for the Orange. I don't like the Orange, and I hate Devendorf, but they win outright, and maybe even going away.

Gonzaga +8.5 vs UNC. UNC is just not the same without Lawson at full speed. He will very likely have a gritty effort to pull it out. But the combination of Pargo's size and strength and the quickness of Demetri Goodsen on the ball will wear him out enough to limit his 3 point shooting. This will be a high scoring game, and at times it may look like UNC wins big, but Gonzaga will make this game close and it won't be decided until the final 90 seconds.

Michigan St -1.5 vs Kansas. The Spartans are finally playing up to potential, and just in time. They will use their strength and depth to wear down the young Chickenhawks as Collins will do all he can to single-handedly win the game. Aldrich will not have enough muscle to win the boards battle and the Spartans win by 5.

Arizona +9 vs Louisville. This is a bit of wishful thinking on B. Anthony's part. I happen to have only one bracket left with a chance to win, but need Louisville to sputter in order to have it happen. The Cardinals are the best team physically left in the tournament. However, this Arizona team, who I despise by the way, is playing great ball. Dunlap is the coach of this team and he does own 2 NCAA division II crowns. They will junk up the defense and confuse Louisville. Pitino may have to change his White Suit again at half time. He will rant and rave and the Cardinals will win, but not by double digits. Like Pitt, they have not shown the ability to play 40 minutes. Realistically, they only need to play 30 to cover this game. But my guess is that they have at least two 7 minute lapses. 25 minutes of good ball is enough to beat Arizona, but not going away!

Good Luck

B. Anthony

Sunday plays

2009-03-22T10:37:00.000-07:00

Here is a quick rundown on the plays for today;

SYRACUSE-2.5 vs. ASU
I am selling the Pac 10 now.

CLEVELAND STATE +2.5 vs. Arizona
CSU wins outright. Rookie coach for UofA going against a tough defensive minded team that can match athletes of the Wildcats.

MIZZOU -3.5 vs. Marquette
Dominic James is back. Nice to hear, but he won't help.

LOUISVILLE -11.5 vs. Siena
I would love to pick Siena, but their run will end today.

MICHIGAN STATE -4 vs. Usc
The trojans have been playing great and over their heads. MSU is better defensively and has more depth, which will be a big factor today when Taj gets in foul trouble.

WISCONSIN +4 vs. Xavier
Ugly and slow, which is the way Wisconsin likes it. Wisconsin wins.

KANSAS -7.5 vs. Dayton
Not totally confident on this one, but I think the better team here (Kansas) puts a full game together and wins by double digits.

PITT -8 vs. Oklahoma state
I expect a Memphis type game today, where Pitt will play like a number one team and roll over OSU.

Good luck!

Money

Money’s Tournament thoughts and predictions

2009-03-18T13:56:00.000-07:00

This has been a unique year. At the beginning of the year UNC was the clear cut favorite. I acknowledged this, but picked against them. Halfway through the season I changed my tune again. One would think that after the brackets came out, I would have picked my final four and champion. It was not that easy. I can find fault in all of the top seeds and see all of them winning, but I can also see how they can fall down too.

UConn: All you need to know is that ever since Dyson went down with a season ending injury they are 4-3. That is not a resume of a champion.

UNC: Lawson has a bad toe and will likely miss the first game. If he is 100% healthy, these guys win it all. They have the best talent. But with a hobbled Lawson at 80% they are a different team; a half court team. A very beatable team. But, they should still be able to win 3 games without him being at full strength. After that, things change, and I can’t put UNC in the Final Four. If I knew Lawson was OK, they win it all.

Pitt: If Blair gets in foul trouble, they likely lose. That is a pretty simple game plan and the refs will be calling a tighter game than what they are used to in a physical Big East.

Louisville: Down by 1, 20 seconds to go. Who gets the ball? Who takes the big shot? They don’t have a player who can do this. Williams likely has the ball and his shot is running straight to the hoop. Earl Clark could be that guy, but this team is not a great shooting team.

Memphis: Too young at the point, and not good enough offensively to win it all.

Michigan State: The worst of the four #2 seeds.

Duke: Better now will Williams in, but not big or tough enough to get to the final four or beyond.

Oklahoma: They won’t make it to the sweet 16.

So who is my final four? I have to pick somebody. I am going with an all Big East Final Four.

Midwest: Louisville
West: UConn
East: Pitt
South: Syracuse

Champion: Pitt over Louisville

Opening round bets: Not picking them all, just my favorites
3/19
Duke -22 vs. Binghamton
Duke is playing well and these guys will not be a challenge to them.

VCU +7 vs. Ucla
I am really bothered by how this is everyone’s pick now. This will ensure UCLA is focused and not taking them likely. I have now changed my pick to UCLA to win the game, but I still think it will be close.

Memphis -19.5 vs. CS Northridge
Memphis will run these guys out of the gym

Morgan State +16.5 vs. Oklahoma
Played a nice out of conference schedule with wins at Maryland and over DePaul. They won’t be intimidated.

Michigan +5.5 vs. Clemson
Clemson coach is a loser and Michigan’s coach is not.

Washington -5.5 vs. Mississippi State
Washington is well rested and staying close to home and MSU is not.

Western Kentucky +4.5 vs. Illinois
No Frazier for Illinois. No chance. WKU wins.

3/20
Cleveland state +8 vs. Wake Forest
I like this Wake Forest team. They have a lot of stars, but they can’t shoot. Cleveland state loves to play defense.

Stephen Austin +12 vs. Syracuse
Typical Syracuse collapse here. They win though.

Siena +3 vs. Ohio State
This will be tough for Siena as this is virtually a home game for OSU. Siena is better though and beat Vanderbilt last year in the first round with the same starting five.

Pitt -20 vs. East Tennessee State
Blowout

Robert Morris +16.5 vs. Michigan State
Very similar to MSU, but not as big or deep. Plays tough defense and a better shooting team.

USC -2 vs. Boston College
Derozan is playing himself into the lottery now and won’t slow down.

North Dakota State +10 vs. Kansas
Kansas won’t take these guys seriously and they should.

West Virginia -8.5 vs. Dayton
West Virginia may be the best team outside of the top 8.

Wisconsin +2.5 vs. Florida State
Getting off the FSU horse.

Portland state +10 vs. Xavier
Xavier is overrated and has no backcourt. Portland state will press the whole game.

Good luck!
Money

Day 2- Friday's 16

2009-03-17T08:35:00.000-07:00

I have not yet made a final analysis if Thursday or Friday as better options. But keep some of your bank available for Friday. Here are the predictions for Friday!

(all times are Vegas time, as that is what matters)
Morning Session 9:15-9:30am

9:15 Stephen F. Austin +13 vs Syracuse. I can't remember my last week long hangover, but Syracuse will have one. Their zone will be effective, but Austin can shoot the 3 well. This will be a game that Syracuse will win, but they will take a long time to get out of their funk, I like the points. (2*, mayb e 3* if line gets closer to 15)

9:25 Tennessee +2 vs Oklahoma St. I will not be playing this game, because I am never on the right side of Tennessee. That being said, once I am off them, they will play great and roll. I like the Over in this game, no matter how high it goes! (1*)

9:30 Kansas -10 vs North Dakota St. This is a nice story, and North Dakota has a "Paulson look-alike" named Woodside who will light it up early. Eventually Kansas will wear them down and win by double digits. May be a lean to ND St. in first half, but Kansas for the game. (2*)

9:30 Marquette -4 vs Utah St. This will be a good game for a while, but Marquette is still a much faster, stronger, and angrier team. They want to prove they can still win with out James. They did lose 5 of 6, but who would have done better vs Pitt, Uconn, Louiville, Syracuse, Nova. They still advance. McNeal is still one of my favorites. (3*)

11:45-12:00 Mid-day!

11:45- Temple +5 vs Arizona St. This Sun Devil team knows how to play close games. They have no problem going up by 15 and then letting their opponent back in. I think Harden is best player on the court, so ASU advances, but this will be a close game. (2*)

11:55 Pitt -20.5 vs East Tennessee St. Pit will flex their muscles early in this game, and when they create some space, Sam Young will look the part of a future NBA all-star. I see this as a good chance for them to get some swagger back. (3*)

12:00 Dayton +8.5 vs West Virginia. Two very solid teams. The Big East experience will give W. VA the win, but this is too many points. This game will seldom be in double digits. (2*)

12:00 Missouri -13 vs Cornell. The pressure that Missouri will bring will be too much for the Big Red. You just can't simulate this, and the turnovers will add up in the final 10 minutes. Missouri by 18-25 points. ( 3*)

Afternoon 4:00-4:25

4:10. Utah+1 vs Arizona. Arizona cannot play a complete game and execute when it counts. Utah wins this one. And the complaining goes on, why are they in the tournament? Why are they favored! (3*)

4:25-Portland St. +11.5 vs Xavier. Portland St. has beaten Gonzaga this year, and Xavier does not overwhelm athletically. This will be a good game, decided by Portland St. 's ability to clean up the defensive glass. I like the points a lot. This will be decided by less than 5. ( 3*)

4:20 USC +2.5 vs Boston College. USC is finally healthy and playing up to the potential they have. Many great athletes on the court, but Derozan if finally attacking the rim and scoring in mid-range. If he stays away from the 3-point line, Trojans win handily. (4*)

Louisville- No line as of now, I will take the Cards up to -27. Too much defense and too many weapons. Plus their bench will build on the lead!

Night Games- 6:40pm-6:55pm

6:40- Siena +3.5 vs Ohio St. Anti- Big ten play. Siena is experience and solid all around. They have a good chance to win this outright. (2*)

6:40pm Cleveland St. +8.5 vs Wake Forest. I like the defense and the experience of the Vikings vs the incredible athleticism and youth of Wake. If Cleveland St. can stay away from that one big spurt they may win this game. But they will cover even if the spurt comes! (3*)

6:50 Michigan St -17 vs Robert Morris. Spartans are due to blow someone out. They are slightly underrated going into this tourney and they know how win big when they are stronger athletically.

6:55 Florida St. -3 vs Wisconsin. Too much Tony Douglas. I see him going for 30 despite Wisconsin's best efforts. Another example of ACC dominating the Big Ten. (3*)

Good Luck,

B. Anthony

Round 1 Let the Games Begin!!

2009-03-16T09:56:00.000-07:00

B. Anthony is working on breathing slowly and deeply. The hyper-ventilating began on Saturday and has not subsided. As previously noted, conference tourney time was a good place to make money. The kitty has grown significantly and now it is time to enjoy the fruits of our leisure!!!

By the way, Louisville in the 2nd Half vs Syracuse was probably the best play of the year. The famous gamer, Superman, took advantage big, and B. Anthony also won his biggest play of the day, but in reality, B. Anthony is small beans in his wagering amounts.

Ok, Let's get to the games and commentary: Thursday today, Friday Tomorrow

Key: 4 *- Bet this game and don't be afraid to double up! And Triple up if Half-time line value!
3*- Bet this game.
2*- Put this in parlays and don't kill yourself here, but it's March madness, so you are probably on it!
1*- Just an opinion, take it or leave it, Maybe even go Opposite!

THURSDAY AM:

9:20-10:00am PST Tips:

Butler +3 vs LSU. Butler has played better as a team and overachieved all year. They shoot the ball well, and will make the extra pass vs LSU. Mitchell will be a handful inside for Butler, but I take the points here. LSU was only successful because they are in a very watered down SEC. (2 *)

Memphis -19.5 vs Cal. St. Northridge: Northridge is most famous as the first home to Coach Rosie on the hill. Since then, they have been a solid program, but they are in for a long morning vs Memphis. Get this game before it goes over 20. Calipari again has ammunition to motivate his team, and their defense is smothering, fantastic, and simply just plain solid! 73-42 will be the final here, and I don't think there will be much doubt on the cover after the 1st 15 minutes of the game!. (4*)

Byu -2 vs Texas A&M. Really don't have a strong feel on this one. Rematch from last year. BYU has had a great year, and I see them pulling off one more victory before they bow out on Saturday. The Mormon experience will help them down the stretch. (1*) I will not bet on this game, out of respect for Joseph Smith & Lincoln Westcott.

11:3o-1:00 pm PST

Northern Iowa +8.5 vs Purdue. Missouri Valley conference got little respect this year, but Northern Iowa will open some eyes. They are a solid team defensively and shoot the ball well. This is a good match-up for them as they will not be overwhelmed physically. Purdue may pull it out down the stretch, but it will take some big shots from Hummell and some offensive rebounds to finally do it. Simply too many points for an even match up! (3*)

North Carolina -27 vs Radford. Heels will roll here, and likely they will have no guilt about running the score up! Lay the points and watch for an early cover. (3*) I have never liked the fact that Roy Williams plays his starters in the last 5 minutes of these games, except when I am on them !

California -1 vs Maryland: Guard play wins in the tournament. This game is really too close to call with Vasquez doing it all for Maryland, but I think the Trio of guards at Cal and Montgomery's experience will be the difference as Cal junks up their defense to slow down Vasquez. (1-2*)

Chattanooga +21 vs UConn. I really like Chattanooga! They are a 16 seed because of their record, 18-16, but they started the season, 0-7 while one of their better players was out with injury. UConn is the least powerful offensive team of the # 1 seeds, and when Chattanooga keeps this close, I will be laughing my way to the bank! (4*)

2:00pm PST

Washington -5.5 vs Mississippi: Huskies will pull this off, but I don't have a strong feeling on this one. Mississippi St. has too many unpredictable athletes. I like the Brockman and Thomas to make the difference. (1*)

4:00-4:30 pm PST

Clemson -5 vs Michigan: Clemson's pressure will be too much. This is the game where the difference between the ACC and Big Ten becomes evident. (3*)

Akron +12 vs Gonzaga. Zags are going deep this year, but they will be a bit nervous as a heavy favorite in the first round. I have no doubt they win the game, but Akron is tough on the boards and will keep it in single digits. After this game I expect Gonzaga to hit their stride and really play well all the way to or close to the final four! (3*)

Villanova -17 vs American. Too many scoring options and too much speed out of Villanova. Jay Wright has been scared before as a high seed, and his team will pull this one out early. I am looking for a 15-20 point 1st half lead, and will bet it accordingly! (4*)

Minnesota +5 vs Texas: Texas has been underachieving all year, and they are just not that good. Tubby Smith's team is great at playing ugly ball and keeping it close. Gophers are Big inside and they will turn this game into an ugly Big Ten type of contest. I like the points, but Texas advances. (2*)

Night games: 6:40 Pm- 7:30 PST

Duke -22 vs Binghampton. I am not a Blue Devil fan, but they have the type of team that scores in bunches and really dominates teams that are not as physically gifted. I see an early dose of pressure and 3-pointers. Lay the chalk (3*)

VCU +8.5 vs UCLA. VCU has more pro's on their team. They may not win outright because of Howland's experience, but this is a great game in the making and I love the points. (4*)

W. Kentucky +5 vs Illinois. I am starting to realize that the night session will be a place to get healthy. I love this Western Kentucky team, and I really am not that impressed with Illinois. I will bet this money line and with the points! (4*)

Morgan St +16.5 vs Oklahoma. I think Bozeman will junk this up and be able to keep it close. Not a big opinion on this one. (1*). However, Griffin will make some highlights, so worth watching early.

Good Luck,

B. Anthony.

Back tomorrow with Friday's Picks!

I am falling in love with Syracuse

2009-03-14T10:07:00.001-07:00

I really think that Syracuse can get to the Final Four and possibly win it all. They are big, they have guys that can hit the three and they have a great point guard in Flynn. Plus, they are battle-tested playing in the best conference the country. Pomeroy rates these guys very high. B. Anthony is not buying them and thinks this is Madison Square Garden magic, but if the brackets align themselves, Syracuse will be in one of my Final Four, and possibly win it all.

Picks for today;

AUBURN +4.5 vs. Tennessee – I am going to ride Auburn to the end

FLORIDA STATE +9 vs. North Carolina – Lawson likely out.

MARYLAND +9.5 vs. Duke – Too many points.

PURDUE -3.5 vs. Illinois – My favorite. No Frazier for Illinois

USC +1.5 vs. Arizona State - USC playing great now.

MISSOURI -5.5 vs. Baylor – The ride is over for Baylor

Good luck!
Money

OT Blowout

2009-03-13T13:07:00.000-07:00

This is common term used in my circle of friends where we want to get to overtime and have the favorite blowout the team they are now tied with. Well if you had Syracuse +5.5, you had to feel like you picked the right side. It was a very close game that went into 6 overtimes! In each overtime a missed free throw or layup would have sealed the cover for the Orange. But, the game continued to progress and was tied at the end of an additional five minutes. It was not until the 5th overtime that Uconn had their largest lead of the game of 6 points. It was at that point that I thought the quintuple OT blowout was going into effect. Ultimately, Syracuse came back once again, tied the game and they went into a 6th and final OT. Heck of a game and a nice start to March Madness.

Picks for the day;

AUBURN +3.5 vs. Florida
This is my favorite bet of the day. Frankly, I don’t get the line. Nobody is playing better in the SEC right now than Auburn. Everyone knows the importance of this game for Florida, but this is big game for Auburn as well. The Tigers win easily.

LOUISVILLE -4 vs. Villanova
I think this game will be close and I expect Nova to play a lot of zone to force the Cardinal to hit their outside shots, which is not their forte. However, Louisville is playing too well right now to bet against.

WEST VIRGINIA -6 vs. Syracuse
Obvious pick. How do you set this line? I expect Syracuse to come out flat, eventually make a run to make it close and then run out of gas and lose by double digits.

WASHINGTON pk vs. Arizona state
Washington is too quick and has too many weapons for the one dimensional Sun Devils.

UCLA -6 vs. usc
The bruins are playing better defense right now, which is what make them great historically. Usc will be playing hard, but UCLA will prevail.

SAINT MARYS -21.5 vs. Eastern somethingerother
This is a write-in game. This is hugely important for Saint Mary’s. They were on national television and they laid an egg, Patty Mills laid an egg to be exact. If they expect to get into the tournament they have to trounce this low level team AND Mills has to go off and show he is healthy and a lottery player. This assumes Mills is healthy, which I believe he is now. I expect a romp here.

Good luck!
Money

Thursday favorites

2009-03-12T08:34:00.000-07:00

Today has a March Madness feel to it. Tons of games, and the big boys are playing now. Should be fun.

Here are my three favorites for the day.

VILLANOVA -2.5 vs. Marquette
Nova is a better team in all aspects of the game

SYRACUSE +5 vs. Uconn
Great historical matchup. I don't expect the outside shooters to be affected by Thabeet.

WASHINGTON STATE +8.5 vs. Ucla
Wow. This is high, really high. WSU is playing great right now and could easily upset the Bruins.

If you are looking for some 9am thoughts.
Take Miami -3.5 or Northwestern +1.5

More to come.

Good luck!

Money

Conference tournament predictions and other thoughts

2009-03-10T10:36:00.000-07:00

With the conference tournaments starting up today and tomorrow, we thought it would be a good idea for B. Anthony and Money to make some predictions on who will win these tournaments as well as throw in a few dark horse teams. You might find a team that pays some decent odds to win their championship and throw a few bucks down on them.
Here we go.

ACC (Georgia Dome)
B. Anthony Champ: Wake Forest – Sleeper: Florida State
Money Champ: UNC – Sleeper: Florida State – Super Sleeper: Miami

Big East (Madison Square Garden)
B. Anthony Champ: Pitt – Sleeper: Villanova – Super Sleeper: Syracuse
Money Champ: Louisville – Sleeper: Georgetown

Big 12 (Oklahoma City)
B. Anthony Champ: Oklahoma – Sleeper: Texas
Money Champ: Kansas – Sleeper: Oklahoma state

Big Ten (Conseco Field House)
B. Anthony Champ: Purdue – Sleeper: Wisconsin
Money Champ: Michigan State – Sleeper: Ohio State

SEC (St. Pete Times Forum)
B. Anthony Champ: Tennessee – Sleeper: Arkansas
Money Champ: Auburn – Sleeper: Florida

PAC 10 (Staples Center)
B. Anthony Champ: ASU – Sleeper: USC
Money Champ: Ucla – Sleeper Washington State

Money quick hitters
Everywhere I go, I am mobbed by adoring fans. “Who is your final four? Who are your dark horses picks?” Well everyone seems to have the same group of teams that can win it all; Pitt, Uconn, UNC, Oklahoma, Memphis, Louisville and Michigan State. Those are the obvious teams. What seems obvious to me as that we will likely have 2, at the most, of these teams fighting to cut the nets down in the Final Four. This tournament is going to be full of upsets and all of these teams have their flaws which will likely be exposed.
This is Money’s list of teams that will benefit and could land themselves in the Final Four with the right matchups and a few breaks.

Gonzaga
Duke
Kansas
Missouri
Wake Forest
Villanova

These next couple of weeks will be great!

Money

Championship Week

2009-03-09T09:31:00.001-07:00

Almost as good, and possibly more lucrative than March Madness itself!!

Since Friday, their have been a plethora of conference tournament games, and many are proving to offer winning opportunities.

Here are some ideas:

Early leans

VCU and Western Kentucky to both cover the -3.5

Chattanooga +2.5 - Playing on home court, most people will like College of Charleston because they beat Davidson, that is fools gold! That is a good match-up for them, this is not!

Siena -3.5 vs Niagara. Best play here might be to wait until Halftime, as Niagara will ride momentum in first half, but legs will tire in 2^nd half and Siena will either come back, or pull away. Either way, I am taking Siena, Niagara was very lucky to get OT last night, then they choked a big lead away on the FT line to force it to double OT. They lose tonight, and probaly by 9 when Siena makes all their FT's

Getting nervous on St. Mary’s +7 , but will likely play them. Over under here is interesting. Everyone thinks it is low, but Gonzaga will play much tougher defense. Reality is they are a good defensive team when they need to be. Under 138. This may go up to 140, so wait to play the under!

Good Luck,

B. Anthony

Selection Sunday – One week away

2009-03-08T08:17:00.000-07:00

This is fun now. Conference tournaments are in effect now. Pay attention to B. Anthony who has been on a roll with the smaller conference games. He has not been posting the victories, but he has been winning them.

There are a few games out there that I like, but nothing like the card yesterday. I feel the strongest about Portland and Michigan State.

MICHIGAN STATE -5.5 vs. Purdue
Sparty will look for revenge when Purdue hung the worst loss of the season on them. MSU is playing for a number 1 seed. I am still not sold on these guys, but they will beat Purdue by more than 6.

NORTH CAROLINA -8.5 vs. Duke
I am going to assume that Ty Lawson is healthy. I saw a report that he hurt his foot on Friday, but he should play. If he does, take UNC. If he is out, all bets are off as I am sure the line goes down. Either way, Duke won’t win though.

CLEMSON +5.5 @ Wake Forest
Both teams are good, and both teams are struggling a bit. Should probably take the home team here, but I will take Clemson whom this game means a bit more to in the conf tourney standings. This is more of a boredom bet if you are watching this game at 6pm. I don’t really like this game. It might be better to opposite of me here.

SANTA CLARA +14 vs. Gonzaga
This game will be close. SCU could pull off the upset. They are better than the odd makers think.

PORTLAND +7.5 vs. Saint Mary’s
I love Patty Mills and SMC, but this game is all about showcasing Mills and his health. Bennett will struggle with playing with his team without Mills and trying to insert his star back in there. Anybody who ever has played with a bad wrist knows how important it is. Mills won’t be ready, will be a distraction and SMC will lose to Portland. Easy bet.

Good luck!
Money

Short Memory

2009-03-07T05:55:00.000-08:00

As a gambler, you have to have a short memory. Some team that f’d you one day will help you the next. You may also find that the team that just got you “caught up” and you are now eternally indebted to, will also have to bet against in the next game.

Don’t get married to any of these teams and have a very short memory. What was I saying? Oh yeah, gambling.

There are a ton of games today. I feel compelled to break them into three different groups; Favorite games, Opinion games and Bubble games. Take a look.

Favorite games

9am UCONN +3.5 @ Pitt
I think we all know the story here. Two great teams battling it out. Here is my take on this. I think Fields will be less than 100% since he banged his back in the last game. This will somehow play out and help UConn as they are quick and have more guards to throw at Fields. Also, Thabeet was embarrassed in the last game. I thought he played himself out of the lottery. He needs to play better and will. The last time these guys played was the Huskies first game without Dyson. They have had a lot of time to figure out how to play without him now.

11am TEXAS A&M +2 vs. Missouri
Missouri; my team. I predicted these guys in the final four a few months back and they were not even ranked. Now, let’s bet against them. Huge win at home vs. Oklahoma last week. Mizzu is great at home, haven’t lost, but the road is different. This is a must win game for A&M. Tigers take a cat nap in this one.

1pm KANSAS -8.5 vs. Texas
KU lost badly to Tech the other night. Chalk it up to a bad night. They rebound in a big way today and beat Texas by DD.

4:30 ARIZONA -6.5 vs. Stanford
Az has their backs against the wall. Stanford did well by winning their first road game in the Pac 10 on Thursday by beating ASU. Johnny Dawkins and Co. will be in Disneyland today celebrating their big victory from the other night.

Opinion games

11am SYRACUSE +5.5 @ Marquette
Emotional night for Marquette. Senior night. I am sure Dominic James will get a huge ovation, which may help them get out to an early lead. However, I am selling this puppy. Marquette is done.

1pm AUBURN -2 vs. Lsu
Auburn is going to make a deep run in their tournament to try and steal a big to the dance. The momentum starts now against a mediocre LSU team.

2:30 WASHINGTON -7 vs. Washington state
Regular season Pac 10 title on the line. The huskies rolled in Pullman and will do it again today.

5pm DAYTON -6 vs. Duquesne
Remember the short memory thing? I should get credit for just typing Ducane correctly.

Bubble games

9am MIAMI -8.5 vs. NC state
Dirty team that has to win. Going by B. Anthony’s theory, they have the best player on the court who won’t allow a loss.

9am MINNESOTA -4.5 vs. Michigan
I probably should not be posting this one as this is such a low level game, but a win is a win. Michigan is 2-8 on the road and will lose this important bubble game to the mighty Gopher.

11am FLORIDA -5.5 vs. Kentucky
Another game that we should run away from. Both teams are a mess right now, but Kentucky is worse. Both teams coming off bad losses. However, Florida has Calathes and he will make amends for the last game. I was tempted to put this game in my "Favorites" group but I needed more Bubble games. I like this game a lot.

You still with me?
How about this –
MONEYline parlay: UCONN, TEXAS A&M, SYRACUSE

Good luck!
Money

Careful Thursday

2009-03-05T15:28:00.001-08:00

This weekend will present many games, so try not to go overboard on Thursday and Friday leading up to the weekend.

The talk on the web is that dogs are the play in conference tournaments. They were 5-0 in the SunBelt conference yesterday, but I am not going there with my research or picks.

I still hate Texas Tech, but they got into my wallet yesterday!

Today's Winners

Early-

Providence +10.5 vs Nova. They will battle to the end, and they score on offensive glass enough to keep this in single digits.

Temple -7 vs St. Joseph's. Owls are good at home, even though they have burned me in the past.

South Carolina -1.5 vs Tennessee. Like the GameCocks to roll at home!

Dayton +10 at Xavier- Battle for league supremacy will make both teams tight. Should be down to the wire!

Later-

Oregon St.+ 18.5 vs UCLA. Too many points in a slow down game!

That is enough for now!

Good Luck

b. anthony

Getting them in early

2009-03-05T08:40:00.000-08:00

I have a good feeling about these three games. I don’t think the lines are going to change much, so there is no desperation here, but I do know that I like these three games tonite.

SOUTH CAROLINA -1.5 vs. Tennessee
The Gamecocks may be the best team in a very weak SEC. Tennessee is still living on their name. Carolina will win this game at home.

DAYTON +10 @ Xavier
Two very good teams here. Dayton has not won in Xavier for a long time, but is 6-5 on the road. Not asking for a win, just a close game, which Dayton usually delivers.

ARIZONA -4 vs. Cal
I think Cal gets blown out here and this game in the second half is not very competitive as Montgomery will try and rest his “big three.” This game means a lot more to Arizona than it does Cal and when the Cats pull away, Monty will throw in the towel.

Good luck!

Money

Wednesday, Big night

2009-03-04T13:42:00.000-08:00

Many games on the board, B. Anthony will try to be selective. The big spreads are proving tough to cover as the season winds down. This happens because the familiarity between teams, and often the heavy favorites slow the ball down in the final 10 minutes because they are happy to milk the clock with a ten point lead instead of trying to cover the 17 that we laid. For example, Michigan St went up 14 several times, but never stepped on Indiana's throat when they had them down. Subsequently, Indiana easily covered the 14 by hitting late 3's and making MSU sweat it out!

Tonight's Winners:

Memphis -7.5 vs Houston. Tigers are playing the no respect card and their defense is continuing to be the best in the country. 63-50 final!

Virginia Tech +9.5 vs UNC. Hokies and fans will be going crazy when this game is tied with 4 minutes to go. UNC 78-73, no cover, take the dog and under 161.

Marquette +10 vs Pittsburgh. Too much pride for Marquette and Jermel McNeal. Take the points. Pitt will pound them with Blair, but won't have an answer for the transition 3's and penetration. 72-68 Pitt wins, but again no cover.

Kansas -10.5 vs Texas Tech. Exception to the rule. Texas Tech sucks. Pat Knight is a farce. He is a disciple of his father, but his teams run and gun and play no defense. Collins and Aldrich make up a true old fashion post and point duo. They bury Tech even on the road. 84-67.

Leans on heavy dogs_

Northwestern +12.5 in a slow down game with Purdue. ugly basketball 58-51, no cover for Boilermakers!

Seton Hall +17 vs Louisville. Cardinals are at home and will get up big early before they start forcing up 3's and throwing alley-oops to wow the crowd. 75-62, but no cover!!! Seton Hall's funny looking scorer, Jeremy Hazell, will make some late buckets to get his 20 and the backdoor cover.

Good Luck

B. Anthony

Tuesday games

2009-03-03T14:12:00.001-08:00

I really like Florida State tonite. B. Anthony mentioned them below as well, but I second the notion. I wonder how we fare when we both like the same teams.

FLORIDA STATE +12 @ Duke
FSU will be bigger and hungrier in this game. As the B said, duke may be looking ahead to the big showdown this weekend. I think FSU wins the game.

WAKE FOREST -1.5 @ Maryland
This line seems too low and the public seems to be on this as well, which can’t be a good sign. I just don’t see Maryland winning this game, even if Greivis goes for 30.

Good luck!
Money

Countdown to Madness

2009-03-03T09:33:00.000-08:00

B. Anthony must echo Money's sentiments about March. Conference tournaments start today in the Horizon league, and my anxiety is rising. This is a time to really warm into the upcoming frenzy, and there will opportunities to find some winners. I won't shave for work, but I never do. However, I will be glued to my computer as lines change and injuries are reported.

The key, which I have never been able to follow, is not to bet every game!!! There will be some clear favorable match-ups for underdogs, and there will always be 3-4 games a day where there is great "half-time line value". A big favorite will be down or close at half. The original lines are never that far off. So when you find a 15 point favorite tied at half, they will cover that 8-9 point second half line!!!

Let's look at some winners for today.

Cleveland St. -16 vs Detroit. Opening round of the Horizon League tourney. Cleveland St. was expected to win the league this year. They finished 3rd and now need to win the tourney to make the dance. Detroit is last in the league and ready to mail it in. This game is hosted by Cleveland St. and their suffocating defense will hold Detroit under 50. 71-46. Easy cover!

Florida St. +12.5 vs Duke. Florida St. has some very talented guards and will get to the basket consistently versus Dukes over zealous pressure. It doesn't matter how hard you slap the floor if you can't stay in front of your man. If Paulus plays more than 10 minutes, which he always does, this game will be close. Additionally, Duke is traveling to UNC this weekend, they can't help but look ahead.

Georgetown -6 vs St. John's. Georgetown is going to continue the strong defense they showed against Villanova. They still have a chance to make some noise. St. John's decided not to play against Syracuse the last time out, and I think it happens again.

Indiana + 14 vs Michigan St. I think this Indiana team would be a national Champion in Division III ball. However, they have a lot of pride and pretty much work the clock down every possession. Michigan St. is extremely talented, but they are likely to sleep walk through this game to a 9-11 point victory. They clinched at Illinois on Sunday, and they are slightly hungover from the celebration.

Good Luck,

B. Anthony

March is here

2009-03-02T12:55:00.000-08:00

Before I get into the excitement of flipping the calendar page from February to March, I would like to begin with an apology. No, I am not going to apologize for my picks and missing them. They are my opinions and you can do what you want with them. Some follow them, others go opposite of me. Whatever works for you. I am happy to help in either event.

I would like to apologize in advance to the people that I will likely hurt, ignore or fall short on expectations. First to my wife Penny, she knows when March comes around that Money is pretty much useless. I am not a good listener this month and only do chores around the house on commercial breaks. I would like to apologize in advance to my kids. They will receive little from me this month. No baseball tosses on a Sunday afternoon with my son. No dance shows to Jo Bros with the girls. “There is your dinner, stick in the microwave and tuck yourself in bed.” The dogs won’t be fed this month. They are a little overweight so this will be good for them. The only thing my kids will likely get this month is a trinket that I pick up for them coming back from Vegas.

Work is another story. I will do my best to look professional. I will shave each day and brush my teeth. That is about as far as I will go. I will have a hard time concentrating. I will hear the term “Return on Investment” or other random phrases that come up in my day to day operations and my thoughts will immediately turn to a 100 dollar wager getting me 2500 when I pick my long shot NCAA champion.

However, The Truth will not be ignored.

VILLANOVA +3.5 @ Notre Dame

BAYLOR +7.5 @ Texas

It should be noted that I don’t have a great feel for either one of these games. Notre Dame is wildly inconsistent. Conventional wisdom would say that this is a game the Irish have to win. I say, that does not matter and ND sucks. Villanova will look to get back on track tonite and win easily. Texas is another team that is very difficult to gauge. They have talent, but no point guard. The sooner this team is out of the tournament, the better, as far as I am concerned. Baylor has struggled this year, but will put up a good fight in this game.
I may lay off both games, but if I bet, this is way I would do it.

Good luck!
Money

Saturday games

2009-02-28T06:39:00.000-08:00

MEMPHIS -23 vs. So Miss
Some bad blood exists between these guys.

FLORIDA STATE +1.5 vs. Clemson
FSU pulls the sweep in this much needed victory.

VA TECH +5.5 vs. Duke
Must win game for the Hokies.

OHIO STATE +10 vs. Purdue
Purdue wins but this game will be close. OSU has some very talented young players, more so though Purdue.

LSU +4.5 @ Kentucky
Kentucky will have more turnovers than assists.

Cal/Ucla game;
Exciting game at Berkeley with ESPN college game day in town. Reese Davis said this was the best venue they have been too. Impressive stuff. However, all of the analyist picked Cal to win. Kiss of Death!

I can sum up the game in one word; Jerome Randle will blow the game for Cal. That was actually 8 words. Randle will be so excited with the crowd and exposure, but he will make so many dumb mistakes that will cost the Bears dearly. I hope I am wrong on this one, but UCLA wins.

UCLA -2.5 @ Cal

Is Stanford really favored by -2.5 over USC. Thanks for that.
U$C +2.5 @ Stanford

Good luck!

Money

Warming Up

2009-02-26T09:30:00.000-08:00

B. Anthony is back and needs to start posting several picks a day to find out how hot we are going to be for March. The latest trends show that teams on the bubble needing big wins are getting them. Providence was a great example, and Notre Dame is pulling off a similar run. Today's desperate team is Cincinnati.

Here are the plays for today.

Cinci+ 5 vs W. Virginia. West Virginia is not a great road team. Their last few wins have almost guaranteed them a birth in the big dance, they won't play with desperation tonight. The Bearcats will!

UAB +4.5 vs Memphis. UAB can really make a push to earn and At-Large Bid with a win here. Additionally, as Money would say, Memphis is not really a #1 seed. If they win out, they will be, so that just won't happen. This could be a straight up win for UAB.
I would also lean to the under 139 in the battle. Memphis will bring their outstanding defense, but it is likely their recent offensive outburst will stall on the road when they pucker up the butt cheeks in this close game.

USC +4.5 vs Cal. Another talented team that needs to make a statement to get in the tourney. Pac-10 will get 6 teams in if USC wins 3 of the next four. They will get at least one this weekend before sweeping the Oregon schools next week. DeRozan, Gibson, and Hackett are all pros. 3 pros means a tournament team when they wake up. I think it happens tonight!

Temple -10 vs LaSalle. Temple is a team I have been watching for a while. I expect a great finish out of them and a possible win in the A-10 tournament to prep them for the big Dance. You gotta love a team whose best player is named Christmas! By the way, the A-10 with Xavier, Dayton, Temple and Rhode Island is a very strong top heavy league. You can be sure their will be some complaining when only 2 of these teams get in the Dance. I am calling Temple and Xavier! Sorry Dayton.

Arizona St + 4 vs Washington. This is the game for 1st place in the Pac-10. I am so happy to see that someone will dethrone UCLA. I am going with one of my famous theories on this one. "Best Player on the Court". James Harden will be the difference. This game will be between 1 and 7 points all game, in this situation, take the points. Harden will hit a late 3 and get to the basket and the free-throw line to make the difference.

Harden's line. 22pts, 7 rebounds, 6 assist, 3 steals, and a ton of Moxy!!!

Good Luck,

B. Anthony

Thursday games

2009-02-26T09:24:00.000-08:00

I seem to be developing a trend here where I do well one night and then crap the bed the following night. So this would mean that my chances of sleeping in a clean bed tonite are better!

WAKE FOREST -11.5 vs. NC state
Wake was embarrassed by Duke on the defensive end when they put up 100 points on them. This won’t happen tonite as Wake will be focused defensively and roll over NC state. This is an easy bet.

UAB +4.5 vs. Memphis
UAB has been playing well recently and won’t be intimidated against this Memphis team. I don’t believe Memphis is a “number 1 seed” team so therefore they have to lose at some point, which will be tonite.

PAC 10 games

WASHINGTON STATE -2.5 vs. Arizona
Arizona is playing better of late, but they are 2-7 on the road.

UCLA -6 @ Stanford
I have no faith in Stanford

CAL -4 vs. usc
USC is a fighting among themselves and falling apart. Big game for Cal and they know this is their best chance for a win in the last four games. They will get the win at home.

ARIZONA STATE +4 @ Washington
ASU is 6-2 on the road and will keep this close. Washington wins though.

Good luck!
Money

Wednesday Night Hoops

2009-02-25T15:16:00.000-08:00

KANSAS STATE +9.5 @ Missouri
KSU is a good team and plays well on the road with wins at Texas, Colorado and Iowa State. Missouri will be looking ahead to their date at Kansas on Sunday. I like this bet a lot and would not be surprised to see an upset here.

DUKE -6 @ Maryland
There are two schools of thoughts here. Maryland will be looking for revenge after their 41 point loss in Durham and they cover, or Duke has started to figure things out with their lineup changes and improved intensity. I am starting to drink the Duke Kool-Aid. Plus, I think Maryland is in for a letdown after their big win against UNC.

MARQUETTE -1.5 vs. UConn
Marquette has the guards that can hit the outside shots and not allow Thabeet to ruin their offense. UConn has been a different team without Dyson and lack true perimeter scorers.

NOTRE DAME over 145
I never do totals, but these are two teams that don’t play a lot of defense. Notre is clicking offensively and will score over 80 points. Can Rutgers score 65? Yes!

Good luck!

Money

Big Monday

2009-02-23T15:21:00.000-08:00

There are really only two games tonite worth talking about. B. Anthony may think otherwise, but I just see the two and of course I have my opinions.

LOUISVILLE -2 @ Georgetown
Be warned, I have been wrong all season with both of these teams. I love both of them a lot, but I am growing tired of picking the Hoyas in a big game at home and coming up short. So, tonite I will pick Louisville (who has failed me on the road in these situations as well) to beat the Hoyas at home. I am probably totally wrong on this one.

KANSAS +2.5 @ Oklahoma
I have not been sold on OU and have been preparing for their downfall. I thought it would come at Missouri, but with Griffin out, I predict KU wins in Norman. This seems like an obvious choice, knowing that the POY is out. Where else are you going to find his points, rebounds and presence? I could over-think this, but am choosing not to. Kansas wins.

Good luck.

Money

Sunday

2009-02-22T07:31:00.000-08:00

I guess Pitt will be #1 again after UNC and Oklahoma folded last night. I think Pitt is the best team in the nation and deserves it anyway.

Michigan state -8.5 vs. Wisconsin
Bounce back for the Sparty. Izzo will have them ready to play at home

Syracuse -2.5 vs. Villanova
This is more of a hunch game as Nova has done well at the Carrier dome recently. SU won’t forget the beat down they took earlier from villanova

Xavier -18.5 vs. George Washington
Not playing well of late but a home game against GW is just what the doctor ordered

Wake Forest +7 @ Duke
Duke is shuffling their lineup in Feb. Not good.

Ohio State -2.5 vs. Illinois
Illinois can play Defense as we saw in the football score game the other day. Their offense is suspect though.

Money

Saturday games

2009-02-20T18:04:00.000-08:00

BUTLER +5.5 @ Davidson
Everyone loves Curry, so go the other way. I doubt he will be totally healthy either.

GEORGETOWN -3 vs. Marquette
This game means everything to the Hoyas and nothing to Marquette.

OREGON +5 vs. Stanford
Oregon is not as bad as their Pac 10 record. They will get their first Pac 10 victory versus the lowly Cardinal.

OKLAHOMA +1.5 @ Texas
I don't buy the OK is the #1 team in the country (assuming they win). They are good, but have their flaws. They will eventually get tripped up but it won't be against a Texas team that is struggling and has no point guard.

Good luck!

Money

Tuesday's game

2009-02-17T15:25:00.000-08:00

SETON HALL +13 @ Marquette
Seton Hall has been playing well of late. Yes, Marquette is coming off a loss, but these teams are identical; not very big, 3 guards. SH won't win, but they will cover

CLEMSON -10.5 vs. Maryland
Clemson is erratic to say the least, but Maryland has two players that can put the ball in the hoop. Clemson smacks the Terapins tonite. Take the first half -6 too.

BYU -6.5 vs. New Mexico
Just because we need to keep an eye on BYU. They are good and will win this game by more than 7.

Money

Keep them Coming

2009-02-13T14:12:00.001-08:00

West Virginia -4.5 vs Villanova. Home cooking and Huggins defense will prevail.

Butler -13 vs UIC. Butler will get healthy with a great defensive effort

Harvard 14.5 vs Cornell. Big number for Ivy league. Plus the Crimson have been hurting me all year. Due to come through.

No great games this weekend, but all hoops is great this time of year. UCLA and Arizona will put on a show in the desert.

Look for Cal to get revenge on the Tree on Saturday as well.

b. anthony

Countdown

2009-02-12T10:49:00.001-08:00

March Madness is officially in countdown mode. I know, 4 weeks seems like a long countdown, but we live for this. The masses are crying for more picks, and everyone wants to be warm going into the tournament.

We all know that this is an impossibility, and we remember well the stories of those who played themselves out of contention before the trip even arrived. But with a new year becomes renewed hope and possibilities. Especially in this year of hope, let's plan on finally turning the corner against our books!!!!

As Money mentioned, B. Anthony will pick the more obscure games!!! The battle has been, can I post several games, and not bet on all of them? Reality is..... no. So I am on all four of these games.

Louisville- 4 vs ND. Can't help but agree with Money. ND has no winning ways right now. Defense is bad and heart seems to be gone.

Niagara -8.5 vs Canisius. Back on their winning ways after a few non covers. Still covering at 75% plus clip this year!

West Coast Mismatches for T-Bone

Santa Clara -8.5 vs Pepperdine. Broncos have quietly run of 6 straight, tonight will make it 7. Too much Big Country in the Middle!

Portand -4 vs USF. Portland, led by Ravio(winning is in his blood), will bury USF. They have lost their drive, and Coach Walters is just looking forward to having his own guys! I wish him luck, but they lose again tonight on the hill in front of 525 fans!!!

Good Gaming.

B. Anthony

It's time to get in shape

2009-02-12T09:07:00.000-08:00

Money is getting soft. I have been sitting around watching football, eating pringles and drinking milk. We are 4 weeks away from some serious action so it is time to get in shape. That means, I will be going on a strict diet of Coors light, buffalo wings and college basketball bets only.

I typically leave the Niagara and Wright state bets to B. Anthony. I am more focused on the top 25 teams, the TV games and the Pac 10. Thus my picks will reflect that. I will try to post as often as I can, but my comments will be brief.

Good luck!

2/12
LOUISVILLE -3.5 @ Notre Dame
At some point ND will win some games, but it won't happen against this team.

UCLA -1 vs. Arizona State
UCLA is playing great now and getting them at -1 is a gift. UCLA is turning out to be better than I thought.

GONZAGA -4 @ Saint Mary's
The Zags were embarrassed at home by Memphis. Important game for SMC, but they are just simply not the same team without Mills.

Money

Money’s Midseason Lookie Loo on the NCAA year

2009-02-06T10:46:00.000-08:00

Money deserves some credit for pulling the rabbit (Wake Forest) out of his hat. This was an unranked team at the beginning of the season and now is on everyone’s list to win it all. Well, I want out. I am selling this team now. I don’t think they can win it all or get to the championship game. In fact, I think their absolute ceiling would be the final four. I think their youth and inability to make the outside shot will be exposed in the tournament.

In fact, I don’t think Louisville is capable of winning 6 games straight either. They have the athletes, but not the players. They have possibly 4 NBA players on this team, but they won’t win the national title. I want a do-over. I will give you my midseason NCAA champion pick, Final four, sleepers, and the “ceilings” of a few teams.

If there is one thing I am guilty of it is sticking with my predictions too long. I pick someone in November and I will go down with them to the grave. All of my pools and bets will be made, subconsciously, with my picks and thoughts from November. So I am bucking the trend and moving away from November. Here is my new Final Four:

UCONN – National Champions. These guys are the best team. No weakness anywhere. Great guards, forwards, Thabeet, great defense, depth, speed and coach.
PITTSBURGH – Runner Up. I know. Boring pick and two from the Big East. Closest thing to UConn. Very smart pick for Money. This could be your national champion.
GONZAGA and MISSOURI round out the other two teams in my Final Four. I am still sticking with Gonzaga, who faded in December to a tough schedule. They are rounding into form now with a great all-around team. Missouri is my sleeper team right now. They are like Louisville, but better. They play pressure defense, but have better guards and more options putting the ball in the net on the perimeter.

Sleepers; what does this mean? According to Money, who will do better than you think, or another way of saying it, who will get to the Sweet 16 or farther than is not getting national attention.
I already discussed Missouri. They are my top sleeper right now. I have felt this way for about 3 weeks with them but the win at Texas put them in my Final Four. Clemson and Xavier are teams that could surprise some and make it to the Final Four. Don’t give up on Georgetown yet. They still have potential and are a capable of making a deep run. Utah State, number 25 in the AP poll this week, will make some noise.

Ceilings; this is what I believe, if everything goes right, the highest a team could go. This is not scientific and won’t add up to a complete bracket.

North Carolina is not going to win it all. Their defense and their depth will eventually burn them. Still a great team, but not the best. Ceiling – Runner up

Oklahoma is a very, very good team with the best player in basketball, Blake Griffin and one of the most talented freshman, Willie Warren, in the game. Ceiling – Runner up

Duke is the same team as last year, but better. Which means, they still don’t have an inside presence and that will be their downfall. Ceiling – Final Four

Louisville will be a tough draw for anyone, but they do not scare anyone from the perimeter and they don’t have a point guard. Ceiling – Final Four

Clemson will surely burn anyone who hitches their wagon to them, but if everything goes well, they could get to the Final Four. Ceiling – Final Four

Kansas, a team that lost their entire starting five from the team that won it all last year, will likely lose in the first round. However, they still are extremely talented. Ceiling – Final Four

Wake Forest, my team, my pick has already received their fifteen minutes of fame. I would like to think that I gave them the first minute. Too young and nobody other than Teague can hit a 3 point shot. My pick to win it all next year, if Teague and Aminu return. Ceiling – Final Four

Xavier is a tough out every year and this one is no different. Ceiling – Final Four

Georgetown may not even make the tournament, but that does not matter to Money. I am not giving up on them and am still waiting for them to turn the corner. Ceiling – Final Four

Memphis missed a few critical free throws to seal their fate. They will likely never reach that plateau again with Coach Cal, but they still have loads of talent. Their problem; Tyreke Evans is playing point because they don’t have one. Ceiling - Great 8

West Virginia is always a tough out and can be booked for the sweet 16, with an upset every year. This will not change in ’09 either. Ceiling - Great 8

Guard play can get you far, but you can’t win it all unless you have help. Therefore Marquette, will do well, but fall short. Ceiling – Great 8

Davidson and Butler are the same team. Plucky and fundamental. That gets you only so far. Ceiling – Great 8

Before I get to the Sweet 16 Ceiling teams, let me state for the record that no Pac 10, Big 10 or SEC team will make it past the Sweet 16. ZERO!

UCLA, the best team in the Pac 10, won’t make it past the Sweet 16. Their defense is not as good and they offense without Love and Westbrook is very average. They are playing better lately and should beat Notre Dame on Saturday, but I am not a believer. Ceiling – Sweet 16

Arizona State has two good players and nobody else. Ceiling – Sweet 16

Michigan State is one of B. Anthony’s team and we discuss them daily. He likes them. I think they are a good team in a weak league. Ceiling – Sweet 16

Washington is better than you think. I love their freshman Isaiah Thomas. But, Ceiling – Sweet 16

Texas has great players at 2,3,4 and 5, but no 1. Ceiling – Sweet 16

Cal has the shooters to make a small run. It likely won’t happen, but it could. Ceiling – Sweet 16

U$C is one team that I would not want to play. Great players remain from successful teams of the past. Ceiling – Sweet 16

One and done teams:
Purdue, Syracuse, Kentucky, Florida, Tennessee, Minnesota, Ohio State

Not in the tournament:
Saint Mary’s got a tough break with Mills. Their out of conference schedule is bad and they won’t win their tournament.

Notre Dame is done. Pathetic.

Arizona. The streak is over.

Needless to say, this will be one unpredictable and exciting tournament. Is this the year that a #1 goes down in the first round? I'll put Money on it.

Money

west Coas

2009-01-29T11:13:00.000-08:00

after 2-3 a few times in a row, B. Anthony is due to go 4-0. Feel pretty strong on these.

St. Mary's +9 at Gonzaga. Too much at stake for this to be a blow-out.

Cal +9.5 at UCLA. Bruins aren't beating good teams by double digits.

Cleveland St -16.5 vs Detroit. Cleveland state needs a home blow-out!

Virginia Tech -1 vs Clemson. Clemson road woes will be exposed.

62-50 ytd.

B. Anthony

College Hoops in full flow!

2009-01-28T15:37:00.000-08:00

I am still riding the Temple Owls, they are bringing back a long forgotten swagger.

Temple +3 Team is peaking, big win on the road at Rhode Island will prove it

Wake Forest + 2.5 Time for Duke to lose. On the road as # 1 team. Storm the court Deacons!

Pitt -4 Too big and strong. Real #1 team in the country for a few weeks.

East Carolina +16.5 Memphis is improving, but still doesn't shoot well enough to cover this #

Louisville -16.5 Another potential #1 see will flex their muscles and blow out South Florida.

Great post by Money on the Superbowl. Parlay all the props together and make a mint!!!

Good Luck,

B. Anthony

60-47 ytd

It’s all in the Cards - Money's Superbowl thoughts

2009-01-28T14:41:00.000-08:00

I am taking the Arizona Cardinals to beat the Steelers in the Superbowl. You have to figure out what you think will happen based on what you believe is true and make your prop bets to back that up. So let’s start with a couple of Money assumptions. I am not a big fan of Big Ben. I think he is good, but getting way too much credit. He was horrible in the previous superbowl the Steelers won, throwing 2 interceptions and 9 completions. He is capable of making plays when he steps out of the pocket, but he is also capable of doing some dumb things too and turning the ball over. I am just not buying Big Ben and that offense. I am also not buying Hines Ward. I think he is hurt and won’t be effective. If you want to buy anyone on the Steelers, take Heath Miller the dependable TE who will get involved with Ward down.

Their defense is for real but this high powered offense from Az will make them work. They will surely blitz Warner, but he has shown he is capable of getting rid of the ball quickly. The cardinals will not be able to run on the Steelers D.

Who is my Money player? Anquan Boldin! Bet on everything he does. He has a lot to prove and he will shine. He needs a new contract and an a new image after attacking his offensive coordinator vs. the Eagles. The Steelers will look to stop Fitzgerald and they will do a pretty good job containing him, but he will still get his yards; 8 catches for 88 yards and a TD. The special attention to Fitz will leave my man open for a career day. Boldin will go for 12 catches and 142 yards and a TD. Keep an eye on the ancillary wide receivers; Steve Breaston and Jerheme Urban. They both surpass their expected totals.

Final score – Arizona 27 Pittsburgh 17
Warner is the obvious feel good MVP; 287 yards and 3 TDs. The first person he will thank will be the good lord JESUS!

Bets
Arizona +7
Arizona Money +220
Total receiving yards – Anquan Boldin Over 67.5 -140
Total receiving yards – Steve Breaston Over 39.5 -135
Total receptions – Anquan Boldin Over 5.5 -135
Total receptions – Jerheme Urban Over 2 -150
Longest reception – Anquan Boldin Over 19.5 -120
Total rushing yards made by Arizona Under 70.5 -130
Total Completions – Ben Roethlisberger Under 17.5 -110
Total Receiving yards – Hines Ward Under 69.5 -125
Total Receptions – Heath Miller Over 3.5 -110
Player to scored first TD in the game; Steve Breaston 10/1

Good luck!
Money

Predictable Unpredictability

2009-01-22T09:43:00.000-08:00

College hoops, this why we love it. I picked Louisville as the team to take a rest last night. I missed it, but two other great teams did. Wake was just not ready for the pressure of #1, but they will be better because of this loss. (See Jeff Teague's comments) By the way, he is Iversonesque!

Northwestern made at least 5 30 footers last night, so they earned the upset of Michigan St.

Today's Picks

Georgetown -5 vs West Virginia. Bounce back at home, they defend and shoot free throws down the stretch to cover this pretty handily.

Cal -18.5 vs Oregon St. Bears will light it up at home, and Beavers missed at least 2 practices this week while coach was in DC, they are not ready to stay in this game.

Temple -11.5 vs St. Louis. Majerus can coach, if he has players. He doesn't have them at St. Louis, and Temple is improving rapidly. They will contend in the Atlantic 10 tourney and will dance in March.

UCLA -5 vs Washington St. Ugly game, but UCLA won't lose two in a row in league. Better athletes and shooters at every position. Another Bounce Back game. (Actually all four of these teams are coming off losses.)

Wisconsin Green Bay +9.5 vs Butler. 1st and 2nd place teams in Horizon league. This will be single digits!

Good Luck,

B. Anthony

58-44 ytd

Hump Day

2009-01-21T12:17:00.000-08:00

B Anthony is starting to think that these super leagues are too much. If you don't play a home and away game against every team in your league, how can you really determine a true regular season champ?

NC State gave a Duke a battle for 20 minutes last night. I am sure they can't wait to get them at home! Oops, they don't get that chance. There are so many occurrences like this in the ACC and Big East, it is a joke.

They should make these two Super Leagues into 3 great leagues. Probably more bids, more rivalries, more revenue, and more gaming opportunities!!!

These 6 teams listed below have the best chance to go to the final four. Not the best teams right now, but most complete, and most likely to gel for 4 wins in a row to get to the final 4.

North Carolina
Michigan State
Louisville
Wake Forest
Connecticut
Pittsburgh

I know, big surprise, these are all top 10 teams, but balance is going to be the key this year. Oklahoma doesn't have enough of it to win 4 straight. Gonzaga is too streaky. Duke just doesn't have the big man and boards to do it, but I like them more than any Duke team in recent memory. I can almost guarantee they will lose to one of these teams in the Elite 8 round!

No one else can make the run.

Winner's today.

Arizona St -2.5 vs Arizona. Best player on the court rule!

Rutgers +10 vs Louisville. Let down game. Louisville has not found it's true stride yet. Pitino is still mf'ing his team daily. He will start building confidence in February. They will win big East Tourney in March and be a #1 seed, but not yet!

Villanova +9 vs Uconn. Too many points.

Florida St. +7 vs Miami Florida. Rivalry, at least in football. Will stay close.

Hofstra -5 vs William and Mary. (need to have one random pick in their. W&M always loses by 7 or more!!

Good Luck

B. Anthony

54-43 ytd

Weekend Bonanza

2009-01-16T15:55:00.000-08:00

This weekend is full of great college basketball Saturday to go along with Championship Sunday.

I will leave the football predictions alone.

Great Games and picks!

Notre Dame +4 vs Syracuse. I would not want to zone a team that shoots like ND. Orange will try the zone for a while, it will be too late by the time they go to man.

Arizona St +8 vs UCLA. Bruins shot the ball great vs Arizona. ASU defends much better. This will be a nail biter to the end. Harden won't be held down two nights in a row. He is a Pro's Pro, he will be solid. Look for game in the 60's and ASU wins outright!

Cal +4.5 vs Stanford. This line is just off. Take the Bears. Maples will be excited, but the Bears are playing better defense.

Clemson Pick over Wake Forest. I think Wake is the better team, but home cooking and stronger inside game will determine this one. ( weakest of the bunch)

Utah St -11.5 vs Boise. Utah St. is coming off a bad performance vs Fresno. they won't come out slow twice in a row, and Boise is down this year.
Good Luck,

B. Anthony

52-40 ytd

HARVARD- #1 in the Country

2009-01-08T09:15:00.000-08:00

Just ask Santa Clara! The Crimson, based on their Bay Area Ballers, is taking the nation by storm! Makes sense right, BC beats UNC by about 10 and then loses to Harvard by 12. I think Harvard is at least 20 points better than UNC on a neutral court!!!!

All kidding aside, this should have been an obvious let down game and Harvard did take advantage. However, the lines and public gamblers knew this. The game opened at 21.5 and went all the way down to 16.5. I guess that wasn't nearly enough. B. Anthony should have known better. And the reality is, I went against the public sentiment and thought the Eagles would eventually show up and win this game. There I go, underestimating Jeremy Lin, Again!

Good for the Gilmore's of the world who never beat BC in years at Harvard.

The late run by Davidson and the 2nd half by Gonzaga have kept B. Anthony in the game.

Today's Picks!!!

Wright St. +10.5 vs Butler. Big conference game, Butler wins, but they win close. Take the points.

VCU -4 vs Drexel. Eric Maynor will lead the way, even on the road this is double digits!

Cleveland St. -13.5 vs Loyola Chicago. I was about ready to jump off the bandwagon of Cleveland St. But this is the the type of game they win big to get their confidence back. I am on them once more.

Washington St. Pick vs Cal. Montgomery has this team playing great, and WSU is down this year. But this is a really hard place to play. I will take the home team and look for low scoring affair!

Good Luck,
B. Anthony
50-38 ytd

Battling the lines

2009-01-06T11:48:00.000-08:00

Yesterday's picks were tough, because from the time I posted and looked at morning lines, to the time that anyone could actually play them, the lines moved.

Niagara -12 won by 12, but in many places the line was -12.5 or -13. They did give up a meaningless lay up with 11 seconds to go, but that is part of gaming. I will call this a loss, although I would like to call it a tie.

The ND over was only 138 for a short time, so the 140 was still well under the 146 that was the final #. Another loss.

Temple rolled over the aforementioned lousy Kent team. So 1-2 is one of the first losing days in a while.

On to today's line. I have found only a few where I really believe there is true line value.

Clemson -13.5 vs Alabama. Every bit of research I see is that Alabama is 20-25 points worse than Clemson. I will take Clemson and hope that Alabama's real team keeps showing up. Their potential is what is keeping this line under 15!

West Virgina -3 vs Conn. They are begging us to play UConn, but stats show that WVU should win by 6. A good free throw shooting team will win by at least 3 if they are to win. I like it!

Ohio St +10 vs Michigan St. I really like the Spartans but I am banking on the league game, the rivalry and everything else to keep this to single digits. Don't love it, but it is the smart play!

Miami Ohio +7 vs Dayton. Miami OH, does a great job competing, having smart and unselfish possessions and team defense. The public is on Dayton, I am not!

Illinois St -2 vs Bradley. Big rivalry game, but I am banking that the Undefeated team is not going to lose yet. Again 2 points will be based on the last few FTS going in!

Good Luck

B. Anthony

48-35 ytd

Reality

2009-01-05T09:30:00.000-08:00

B. Anthony continues to post winners, and if his alternate personality could play those picks, and only those picks, he would still be gaming and be a winner. Hopefully, others can follow his advice better than he can.

Last Tuesdays post was 4-2, and B. Anthony's alter ego was about 2-9 for that day and is moving rapidly towards another pre-March madness retirement.

(By the way, ESPN is giving away one week of free Basketball package starting Saturday, Enjoy)

North Carolina's loss yesterday was a surprise, but that just goes to show that College hoops and bad shooting days happen. Pitt continues to impress with their work ethic, and the fact that somehow the always have 10 guys on the team that appear to be 25 and still in college! Just plain men, some of these guys look like they could be Steph Curry's father!!! Pitt will lose games in the Big East, but they are the most likely to win this conference because they keep it simple. The say, we are big and stronger and will pound you. They can do that. They don't have to shoot well or run the perfect plays or fast break.

Teams to Watch.

USC: If they don't wake up after the horrible lost to Oregon St. They never will. I still think they can be Top 4 seed going into NCAA tourney. But if they are are a 6 or 7 seed, they will be a good play for 2-3 rounds!

Niagara- They finally lost and ATS line to Chattanooga, but got right back on the winning ways vs Manhattan. They are now 12-2 ATS for the year. Keep on them.

Michigan St. Finally rounding into shape now that Suton is back. They will dominate the Big Ten, which really isn't that good despite the rankings. MSU will be top 5 soon!

West Virginia- Pomeroy has them very high on their efficiency chart. They may surprise and finish in the top 3 of Big East because of consistency!

Games tonigt!

Niagara -12 vs Loyola Maryland- That beat down at Duke could not have been good for this team.

Notre Dame vs Geogetown Over 138. Irish cannot defend, and they won't shoot nearly as bad at home! McLarney will likely make 5 or more 3's tonight. Harangody is good for another 20-10
(This over under has moved to 146.5. I am still on it, but that is a big move.)

Temple -8 vs Kent. Kent is simply not good this year.

Good Luck

B. Anthony
47-33 ytd

Heating up

2008-12-30T08:30:00.000-08:00

Last night was a ridiculously good night for B. Anthony. On top of the two plays I posted. I proceeded to hit 3 2-team parlays, and if Curry, the best shooter in all of basketball, didn't miss 2 fts down the stretch, I would have hit another 3 teamer as well.

My new favorite bet is the Under in all Memphis games. I am not sure if it is because of their smothering defense or their horrific shooting. But both work well together. As their shooting gets worse and worse, Calipari yells more and more, and their defense picks up!!!! They were 30 points under the posted 137 last night. I had the first half, 2nd half and game unders!!!!

Onward and upward.

43-31 ytd

Today's picks

Wisc Green Bay- Pick
Cleveland St -1.5
Niagara - 6 ( I have them at both 5.5 and 6.5)
Illinois +7 vs Purdue. Too many points in rivalry game!

Others to Look at for later in the Day.

UTEP +1.5 vs SCU
Arkansas +6 ( something fishy here) Line should be 10. Feels like a trap. I think Oklahoma is a great team, not sure if they shoot well enough to be a great cover team!

Quick Picks

2008-12-29T08:22:00.001-08:00

A long holiday weekend has many of us tired, and after a tough NFL Sunday, probably hurting a bit.

College hoops has been solid, and still some very good teams and value bets out there.

Top 3 picks on Tuesday were all locks and was 4-2 for the day. Superman, took advantage!

Today

Niagara -5, 10-1 ats, stay with it

Georgetown +7 vs Uconn. Likely they will win outright!

Happy New Year
B. Anthony!
41-31 ytd

Another night of hoops

2008-12-23T09:49:00.000-08:00

3-3 again last night.

USC is either rounding into shape or Gtech was tired at the end of a west coast road trip. Money and I both picked USC as a top 10 team this year, and they are rounding into shape.

3 solid juniors, and one very smart unselfish freshman. I still see them going to the sweet 16!

Picks for today.
Niagara -2.5. 9-1 ats this year. Stay with them
Xavier -7.5. Bounce back game at home. Butler is tough, but I think they may get punished.
Cleveland St. -6. Good team looking to get on a roll against an overated Kent team
Illinois +3.5. Like the Illini vs overated Missou team.
St. Louis -4 vs a bad Fresno St. Team

Early Picks, possible others to follow

Stanford -4 at SCU.
Kansas +2.5 vs AZ

Top 3

Illinois, Cleveland State, Niagara

Merry X-mas!!!

B. Anthony
37-29 ytd

Monday- Dog Day!

2008-12-22T07:59:00.000-08:00

Saturday's experiment with 9 picks was not so great. 3-6. Luckily my top 3 were 2-1 and those 2 were never in doubt!

This will drop my season average below 60% but we will get it back today.

I have noticed as the season goes along each year, heavy favorites stop covering the chalk. Look at UNC lately. They are still 30 points better than everyone, but they keep winning by 16-22 points. There lines will still be over 20 in almost every game.

On that note. Here are 6 dogs for today. No favorites!

Drexel +22.5 vs Memphis. Memphis can't shoot well enough to win by more than 20.
East Carolina +10 vs Wake Forest. Carolina is good at home, Wake it ready for a stinker.
Cornell +11.5 vs St. Josephs. Big Red have already play Syracuse and Minnesota close. No intimidation at St. Joes.

Rice +17.5 vs Oklahoma. Everyone is giving there best vs this top 3 team. Look for triangle and 2 with 2 guys on Blake.
GTech +7 vs USC. Should be a great game. USC is rounding into shape and will be in the top 20 soon, but they are not double digits better than Gtech. West Coast hoops is down.
USF +6.5 vs San Jose St. Don's are winners and playing well. San Jose St. Should never be this big a favorite. This is a local rivalry that will stay within 5 all game!

Good Gaming

B. Anthony

34-26 ytd 56.66%

Big Saturday- Official Opener for Many

2008-12-19T14:20:00.000-08:00

Many basketball fans, Money, for example, have a hard time following college hoops until football is over.

Well, it's bowl season, so there is a week or so to wait until they begin. College basketball executives and CBS know this. There is a huge schedule this weekend.

Overall record on the site is still hovering at 60% but I am not hitting as many parlays as I would like. Straight bets have been and will always be the way to go!

Here are some games I am looking at.

UNC -25 vs Valpo. They will be pissed they only won by 18 against Evansville. I have been on them a few times and against them a few times, but undefeated ATS so far this season when I touch one of their games.

Xavier +8 vs Duke. I would really like this game, but I have spent years being on the wrong side of Duke, so I might stay away. Always a fun bet to go against Duke, because it is fun to cheer against them and doubly fun to make money!

UNLV -2.5 vs Arizona. Wildcats will have a drop off after the win over Gonzaga. Plus I talked to staffer at Gonzaga and he said they played awful and were cocky leading up to that game. U of A is not that good.

VCU +13 vs Oklahoma. I love Sooners and Blake Griffin. But their shooting is suspect and I believe Anthony Grant is smart enough to pack it in and stay in the game. Should be emotional for Capel as well.

Georgia Tech -13 vs Pepperdine. Waves are terrible, Tech punishes teams like this.

Southern Illinois +5.5 vs St. Mary’s. I like the Gaels, but home dog, hard to go against.

Illinois Chicago +5.5 vs Illinois St.- Rivalry game. Ill-Chicago has been playing well and winning for me.

Va Tech -15 vs Columbia. Athletes like those at Va Tech get excited to stomp Ivy league!

Davidson +5.5 vs Purdue. Too many points for a team that will play smart and hit 3’s down the stretch if they are behind. I think Purdue may be overrated.

Top 3 are

UNLV, Georgia Tech, UNC,

Davidson and VCU close behind.

B. Anthony has been gaming his own money, and was able to get ahead and get my original deposit back. However, greed took over as it always does, so I am back to square one. A few week Hiatus is now in store. However, I will keep posting plays, and this is when I generally take off.

Enjoy the picks and I will try to give you more on Monday.

B. Anthony

31-20 ytd

More College Craziness

2008-12-18T11:11:00.000-08:00

I don't really care that Eric Gordon was square and a bunch of stoners on his team made him lose. He is a pro now and they are all gone.

I do, however, care that Ole Miss's coach got hammered and punched a cab driver this morning at 1am and his team is on National TV tonight. I am taking Louisville. This will be a distraction for his team. No matter what anyone says!!!

3-3 last night, and really should have just stayed away from profile games.

tonight-

Louisville -15.5
Evansville +30. I love UNC, but with all the Hansborough hype, they will get bored at some point and around 25 it should level off. Evansville will play the entire game to not lose by 40, running clock, etc... This game should not be on TV. Plus, the majority of gamers will be on NC, so I am going opposite.

Niagara -4. They are 8-1 ATS, best in Nation. Staying on them!
Kent St -20 vs UNC Greensboro. UNC Green has been getting buried by 30 plus and getting used to it. Kent State needs to get healthy!

Good Luck-

B. anthony

29-18 ytd

Picks only

2008-12-17T14:41:00.001-08:00

UAB -11.5

Akron +8.5

Memphis -21.5

East Carolina +9.5

Michigan St - 29

Georgia Tech -12.5

b anthony is on all of these in one form or another. Time for a big night

good luck

25-16 ytd posted

I have played several others not posted, can 't always get them to you. But those usually are impulse plays and are probably 50-50 right now, so not quite as good as posted plays.

Murphy's Law

2008-12-05T14:42:00.000-08:00

2 great nights in a row are never posssible!

1-3 last night, with little opportunities to turn it around.

UCLA is classic for turning an over into an under. Last night with 2 minutes to go in a 3 point game, they needed to combine for 6 points with Texas to get a 2nd half over. Usually at the end of a close game with fouling and uncontested lay-ups you can expect 10+ points. However, UCLA for at least the 3rd time in recent memory bucked the trend. With 4 offensive rebounds they had a minute and 45 second possession that resulted in nothing. A few seconds later Texas made one free throw and the game was over. (along with my second half over chase bet) You have all been there, so thanks for bearing with me.

South Carlina -23.5 vs Furman in 15 minutes!!! Furman in 0-5 ATS this year. They are barely on the Pomeroy Chart and South Carolina is a solid # 57. Book it ( i did) By the way I am away from phones and computers for the next 7 days, so I am excited to say that I will have the memory of the Furman game on my mind for the next 168 hours of peace and solitude!

B Anthony 24-16 ytd

Week 14

2008-12-05T09:15:00.000-08:00

This represents the last week of this pool. After starting the season off with a 13/15, I have slowly run myself out of contention. But along the way, I have made some gutty picks and enjoyed some very creative dialog from the Coach throughout this pool. It has given me a lot of enjoyment and I take my picks and go head to head with my son each week, who basically beats me each week.

One other thing I will say as it relates to college football. We all know the BCS is a mess and teams get screwed every year. But each week there is always some can’t miss game, usually more, and for that college football and the BCS system works. You have to watch all the games for 4 months. The same cannot be said for college basketball. There have been some great games recently; North Carolina at Michigan State, USC at Oklahoma, UCLA at Texas to name a few. But does it matter who wins? No. Is anybody watching? B. Anthony is but I am afraid he is in the minority. College football wins in the regular season but obviously college basketball claims the prize in the postseason where there is literally nothing better.

Speaking of North Carolina, as B. Anthony said, they are 10 better than everyone. That may be generous. Unless multiple players get hurt and that could happen based on Roy’s strategy of keeping his stars in while being up 30, they are an easy final four team. Who is going to beat them? My pick of Louisville could. Maybe Gonzaga. Duke is always a threat. Georgetown? But think about this. Hansborough is the best player in college basketball. Will he do anything in the pros? I hate to say it, but no. I look at him and I think Mark Madsen with a better jumper, which is not fair. So then I think about Rony Turiaf, who is the Mark Madsen with street cred. Would I rather have Turiaf or Hansbrough? I’ll take the French kid from Gonzaga.

Standings

Coach 138
JB 137
CCR 135
Dollar Bill 133
TG 132
D43 131
Hockey guy 131
T Bone 130
Money 127
50 cent 127

Louisville @ Rutgers
Buffalo @ Ball St.
Navy @ Army
Pitt @ UCONN
South Florida @ West Virginia
Arkansas St @ Troy
Arizona St. @ Arizona
USC @ UCLA
Washington @ Cal
Cincinnati @ Hawaii
East Carolina @ Tulsa
Boston College @ Virginia tech
Alabama @ Florida
Missouri @ Oklahoma
Western Kentucky @ Florida International
Tie Breaker if necessary Alabama/Florida point total___275______ Second tie breaker if necessary Arizona/ASU point total__542______

College picks
BUFFALO +16 vs. Ball state
Buffalo won’t win this game but is a lot better than the public thinks.

VIRGINIA TECH +1 vs. Boston College
I will take the Hokies and their special teams and Defense over the Eagles and the rookie QB.

ARIZONA STATE +11 @ Arizona
Stoopes will find a way to blow this even with the bye week. The sun devils have a little momentum, are playing for a bowl bid and have beaten Az the last 3 times.

OKLAHOMA -17 vs. Missouri
I would love to take Missouri here, but I just can’t. I don’t expect this game to be close.

ALABAMA +10 vs. Florida
This game is so easy. I think Alabama wins. Nobody is giving Alabama a chance and the press has already crowned Florida the winner. I hate Alabama as a favorite, but love them as a disrespected underdog.

HAWAII +8 vs. Cincinnati
The Bearcats will be loving this vacation. They will show up the game drunk, late and sunburned. Hawaii wins.

NFL picks
49ers +4 vs. Jets
I hate to say it, but I like what singletary is doing for this team. As soon as I jump on board, the niners will likely crash so caution should be used here.

STEELERS -2.5 vs. Cowboys
Not sold on the cowboys. They are good, but not back. They won’t win in this weather.

CHIEFS +9.5 @ Broncos
Broncos come back to earth this week. The chiefs are still playing hard.

Money

2008-12-04T10:14:00.000-08:00

More hoops.

Last night was solid. 6-1 in the games I posted. Plus I couldn't help but jump on UNC in the first half. As previously stated, they are a lot better than anyone else in college hoops right now.

St. Mary's Pick at Kent State. Gaels are hitting their stride, a little revenge on their mind as well.

Oklahoma -8 vs USC. Mismatch. Period. In Norman, i don't care if the real USC shows up, they will lose..

UConn -15.5 vs Buffalo. Highly ranked team trying to live up to UNC legacy will want a blow out here.

Cleveland St -3 vs Butler. Butler is not as good as they have been, Cleve St. very talented and good at home. Just ask Valpo!

23-13 ytd. (I will do a better job of tracking)

b. anthony

Winners only

2008-12-03T14:07:00.000-08:00

B. Anthony is enjoying the rush of these intra-conference match ups tremendously, but I only have one question.

Why is the Big East playing the Ivy league?

Big Ten vs ACC makes sense.

Big Twelve vs Pac 10, I see it. But this? Now I don't officially think this is part of the schedule, but it is happening all over the place. Villanova at Penn last night makes sense, I guess. And now Syracuse hosting Cornell. Too much of these mismatches.

We want UNC vs Louisville. UConn vs Duke, Pitt vs Clemson, Notre Dame vs Wake Forest. Maybe next year we can get ACC vs Big East!!

On to the picks. By the way, last night ended up 6-3, but I really considered it 7-2. Washington state turned a 30-15 lead into a 49-19 embarrassment with 10 minutes to go in the game. B. Anthony banked this pick and went to bed. Obviously, the subs who came in for the last 10 minutes of the game, didn't realize the line was 20.5. After giving up 19 points in 30 minutes of play, Idaho State finished the game on a 22-11 run and closed the gap to 60-41, including a meaningless lay up at the buzzer to break B. Anthony's good streak.

Halftime was a good time if you like Ohio State and Clemson yesterday, as did B. Anthony. After much consternation, I will finally concede that Money's "half-time line value" is a truism and is thus the definition of "The Truth".

Tonight. Big winners one Dog
I got on all these lines at 8am this morning, and many have moved against me, but this is why we are on them early.

(Straight plays)
Syracuse -17.5 vs Cornell
UNC -10 vs MSU
Wake Forest -23.5 vs Indiana
Pitt -17.5 vs Duquense

(three team parlay below.)
Miami OH +5.5 vs Temple
Akron +8 vs Niagara
Utah -9.5 vs Oregon

If early plays goes as expected, Utah may see some additional action!!

Good Luck!

B.Anthony

Truths!

2008-12-02T10:06:00.000-08:00

Wisconsin Badgers are always going to be(Dangerous) in the Sweet Sixteen! They always take good shots. Even in tough environments, down the stretch, with less than 10 seconds on the shot clock. Good things happen for them!

USC never plays hard, until they have to. they will be much better against Oklahoma than they were vs USF, but they will lose!

SEC hoops will never be as good as SEC football! Down across the board this year!

Big East is back! Remember when they were a 6 foul league?
North Carolina is going to the final four! The injury to Hansborough is great. He is resting against these weak teams, and his teammates are getting better. When he does play, everyone is so energized! I don't have a good feeling about MSU 's chances this week. And I like them, despite their loss to Maryland.

Picks for Tonight_

Just because: Here are 8 picks. I am confident that 6-2 is coming!

Utah St -18.5 vs Irvine- Irvine sucks, Utah St. punishes teams like this
Clemson +2 vs Illinois- Clemson always starts 10-0
BC -8 vs Iowa- Tyrese Rice at home gets 35 and he pushes at the end of the game
Ohio State +8 vs Miami- Thad Matta will feed the big man, play zone, and stay in the game.

Villanova -13 vs Penn- Too many options for Nova, and they like to beat up the IVY
Troy +19 vs Dayton- Dayton is very good, but coming down off a big win over Marquette
Cleveland St -7.5 vs Valparaiso- Good home team, Valpo has no more DrewS!
Washington St -20.5 vs Idaho St.- WSU in a defensive lock down.

One more for good measure. ( based solely on principle)

Georgia +4.5 vs Western Kentucky. This should be a blow out for a WKU team that beat Louisville this weekend, but this has let down written all over it. I just can's stay away!

B. Anthony

Best Man on the Court

2008-12-01T11:17:00.000-08:00

This is an old-school theory in open gym, and it seems to be working in College hoops these days. Several years back, I won the NCAA pool by picking Syracuse. My theory then was, Carmelo Anthony will always be the best player on the court, and thus Syracuse will continue to advance. This past weekend, Blake Griffin became the newest addition to this rule.

Oklahoma is one of my new favorite teams, for this reason and several others.

1. They beat Davidson, it has become abundantly evident that you need to be a very good TEAM to beat Davidson.
2. Griffin, does not force bad shots, ever!! He always gets a rebound when needed, and they are a patient team oriented group.
3. Big 12 hoops is down a bit this year. Oklahoma will have a favorable schedule, I will predict them to win about 28 games going into the tournament, giving them a #1 seed!
4. Blake Griffin is good! i know, very redundant, but you need to hear it twice. He will quietly get 20 rebounds in at least 15 games this year. He will periodically explode for 40 but will only average about 25 ppg on less that 15 shot attempts!!!

Other teams to watch as my new favorites. Georgetown played great this weekend, despite their loss to Tennessee. Their confidence will be high, but unfortunately the Big East is too tough. UConn will falter, but ND, Pitt, and Louisville will remain strong. Louisville will learn from their loss, and Notre Dame will never face a team like UNC again, unless the National Championship is on the line.

UNC is double digit favorite against every team in the nation. PERIOD!

Duke will not be exposed until later in the year!!!
Memphis will get better, still win a ton of games, but really cannot shoot. I would take Money in a game of horse vs Tyreke Evans if dunking were not allowed!

St. Mary's had their one loss for a while. They won't lose again until they play Gonzaga in Spokane, and I haven't even looked at their schedule.

Baylor is a funny squad who will look great on some nights: see the 31 points they scored in 9 minutes vs ASU, and terrible in other nights, see the Wake Forest debacle! They have old school game, and their guards all play like they are in their late 20's. When 3's are falling they will beat anyone, when not falling, well, they might lose at Nebraska this year!!!

Gambling advice- Parlays are hard to hit, and even though they are exciting and fun, B. Anthony is going to start to shy away from them. See Stats below:

Straight up games 18 wins 10 losses
2 team parlays 10 wins, 20 losses Pay out 13 to 5 still a winner, but barely
3 team Parlays- 1 win, 11 losses. Pay out at 6-1, loser; unless I am about to hit my next play.( Funny thing is, I hit one last night, and it felt so much better than the 11 losses that I am tempted to do it again..... STupid.....
4 team parlays- 0 wins, 2 losses (just doesn't happen! I won't do this again)

Find your straight plays, and lay the juice, and lay a bit more lumber!!!

Tonight-

Nothing really out there. I will try to stay off Va. Tech vs Wisconsin, but if I have to I will take Va Tech on the home court advantage and the thought that Wisconsin cannot continue to amaze.

USC -16.5 vs USF. Line is shrinking because no one trusts USC, and USF plays hard, but not sure I am buying on Rex Walters yet. USC will be better at every position, and it might be time for USF to come back to reality. They have not played against any true athletes yet. If it gets under 15 I will take SC.

Many big games this week, so lay low tonight, we will find some winners as the week progresses!

B. Anthony

Week 13

2008-11-26T15:04:00.000-08:00

Money was awesome in the NFL last week, hitting both NFL plays, nailing the survivor call and avoiding Denver. However, D43 is now out because he took the Titans. I hate survivor pools so I am done thinking about them now. Why am I highlighting this? Because I was awful in college. I am basically out of this pool and going Opposite Money is a requirement. However, we push on.

Standings:

Coach 129
JB 129
CCR 125
TG 125
D43 124
Dollar Bill 123
T Bone 120
Hockey Guy 120
Money 118

W. Virginia @ Pitt
Ohio @ Miami (OH)
LSU @ Arkansas
UCLA @ Arizona St.
Vanderbilt @ Wake Forest
South Carolina @ Clemson
Kansas @ Missouri
Oregon @ Oregon St.
Maryland @ Boston College
Kentucky @ Tennessee
Florida @ Florida St.
Oklahoma @ Oklahoma St
Houston @ Rice
Virginia @ Virginia Tech
Nevada @ LA Tech
Notre Dame @ USC__200__pts.

It should be noted that when Money puts up a stinker, he comes back hard. This will be a big week. I expect to win 13 of the above 15 games.

I would love to see Oregon State win, but I just don’t think they will. Oregon will dash their Rose Bowl chances and beat them, with or without Quiz Rodgers. Tennessee, who beats UK yearly, will give it their all to send Fullmer out a winner. Oklahoma State takes down Oklahoma. Stoopes can then stop politicking about the BCS.

College picks:
ARIZONA STATE -10 vs. Ucla
TENNESSEE -4.5 vs. Kentucky
OREGON +3 @ Oregon State
OKLAHOMA STATE +7 vs. Oklahoma
HAWAII -28.5 vs. Washington state

NFL picks:
Thanksgiving
COWBOYS -13 vs. Seattle
EAGLES -3 vs. Arizona
LIONS +11 vs. Titans

PACKERS -3 vs. Panthers
BUCS -3.5 vs. Saints
STEELERS +1 @ Patriots

Thanksgiving College Hoops
SIENA +9 vs Tennessee

Money

Turkey Week

2008-11-24T09:45:00.000-08:00

This week seems to get shorter and short every year. I really enjoy how Americans can take a one or two day holiday and make it a week long. No one outwardly admits this, but similar to the first weekend of March Madness, no one really works this week, they are prepping for stuffing themselves.

NCAA hoops betting:

B. Anthony is showing signs of improvement, even if it is his own mind. Last night, my year-long crush,Memphis, was playing. I used Xavier in a first half play, a game play, and tied them in with 3 other parlays. A wheel play like this is often encouraged for greedy gamblers trying to kill the book. The unusual thing, is going against Memphis. The sign of true intelligent betting is to follow a favorite team, and know when to go against them! Their athleticism really hasn't changed much, but they cannot put the ball in the hole. Period......... I do like the skinny freshman, Wesley Witherspoon, almost as much as Evans. As soon as these two learn to drive, and drive only, Memphis will win consistently again!

Picks today offer many options, but I am not biting on a lot of them.

Valpo +3 vs LaSalle- This is a 7th place game, and both teams don't know how to win yet. I will take the points..

Texas -10 vs St. Joseph's. This is a mismatch, and Pomeroy has Texas' defensive numbers improving early this year. Should be a 20 point game early if the Hawaii time change doesn't make both teams woozy!

Santa Clara +4.5 vs Georgia. Normally, I would never play SCU vs any SEC team. But this Georgia team is bad. They may not win a game in the SEC this year. Decimated by injury, transfer and graduation, I am sure their coaches wishes he hadn't made that miracle run to the dance last year. He was heading for the door before that happened. He will be gone by the end of this year, if not sooner! (by the way, Georgia lost to Loyola Chicago, and squeaked past East Michigan)

B. Anthony

10-7-1 ytd

Week #12

2008-11-21T11:18:00.000-08:00

This should be an exciting weekend for college football. We have many games where bowl decisions will be made and national title hopes dashed. In addition to this, we have the start of another fantastic college basketball season underway. B. Anthony has been documenting daily his thoughts on the top games to play. The first couple of weeks are great times to find some easy winners when the public is still betting on last year’s team. I gave you The Drake last year about this time and I am on the scoop to find similar talented and under-exposed teams. For now, on to football. Here are the standings:

Coach 120
JB 119
CCR 116
TG 114
Dollar Bill 114
D43 114
T Bone 113
Money 111

Miami @ Georgia Tech
Fresno St. @ San Jose St.
Boise St. @ Nevada
Texas Tech @ Oklahoma
BYU @ Utah
Iowa @ Minnesota
Illinois @ Northwestern
Oregon St. @ Arizona
Washington @ Washington St.
Florida St. @ Maryland
Boston College @ Wake Forest
Pitt @ Cincinnati
Tennessee @ Vandy
Akron @ Ohio
UCONN @ South Florida
Michigan St @ Penn St.___1____pts

Another Thursday is in the books, and Money managed to pick the loser again. I am so bad on Thursday nights. I really like both San Jose State and Nevada at home, getting points to win. Fresno state is really banged up and not the same the team they have been in the past. Nevada can score and this game is always a shootout. I believe Oklahoma will win, but I will take the points and bet on Texas Tech. I said it last week about Penn state and I will say it again here; the BCS system will play itself out. Texas Tech, while vastly talented, is not the best 1 or 2 team in the country. They lose here. I like Utah in the holy war. They have played a tougher schedule and have done better in big game situations. I really hope Oregon State wins because I would love to see them in the Rose Bowl. But, Oregon state is not going to play in the Rose Bowl. It just 'aint happening. Arizona is a great at home and they cover the line and beat OSU. Too bad though. I have no comment on the apple bowl. Who cares? Vanderbilt will win easy over Tennessee.

The Coach omitted The Big Game this week from his selections. Not sure why. I really like Stanford getting 9 points. This is a real gift. Take the Cardinal now and hope the line drops enough so a MONEYline bet is given and take that bet as well. This is a 50/50 game. Both teams have average QBs. Yes, Riley is an average quarterback. In fact, I may be kind calling him average. I don’t think he is very good. Longshore is worse though. Both teams have a good running game. Cal has the better D. Better coach? That is easy. Harbough wins here. He is a better big game coach, and by big game I don’t mean cal/Stanford, I mean winning a big game like USC, of which Tedford has NEVER done. Go Bears, but I expect a Cardinal win.

College picks

SAN JOSE STATE +3.5 vs. Fresno state
VANDERBILT -3 vs. Tennessee
STANFURD +9 @ Cal
NEVADA +7 vs. Boise state
ARIZONA -3 vs. Oregon state
TEXAS TECH +7 vs. Oklahoma

Pro picks

NEW ENGLAND +1 @ Miami
BEARS -8 @ LAMBS

Survivor thought:
I already made my pick to D43 last night. I told him to take Pittsburgh. He did, and then talked himself out of it. Instead of sitting back and watching all the upsets come in this weekend, he has to pick a team and hope for the best. My choice is Da Bears. Definite NO on Denver.

Money

Anti-WCC Cellar

2008-11-21T07:51:00.000-08:00

Pepperdine and LMU are in action tonight, so load up against them. Games are hours away and lines are already moving against them. Not a good time to wait and see.

Notre Dame -22.5 vs LMU. Blow-out, early and often!!! Line is up in the first 30 minutes from opening.

New Mexico st. -15 vs Pepperdine. A tough place to play and a bad team. Line started at 13.5.

I am more convinced than ever that there are few dominant teams this year. Other than NC and Louisville, everyone can and will be beat on a regular basis. UConn is talented but will never be consistent. UCLA showed that they miss Love, a lot!!!!!!!!

Not sure about this one, but watch for UNC to play a stinker tonight at UCSB. They have a stop over on their way to Hawaii, and last time they did this, they had a national championship team and lost to Santa Clara in Oakland! This will be ugly and at -17.5, I don't think they will care enough to cover.

Big numbers. Washington State is giving 30 to Sac. St today. I won't play it, but Sac State might only score 25 points tonight. Washington St. has lost some of their offensive fire power, but their defense has improved, not sure how that is possible!!!

B. Anthony

NCAA hoops Dreaming-Day 2

2008-11-19T13:02:00.000-08:00

College Gaming continues.

The 24 hour marathon, worked, I am hooked and will be posted daily until the buzz wears off.

Last night showed the reality of betting. All four tv games were very close to the lines, and depending on when you got on you could have won or lost on either side!

UNC is better than Kentucky, but the injury to Zeller, the big stiff was deserved because they were trying to cover at the end of that game. They won by 19, which was a cover against B. Anthony, but not really what they wanted. They wanted and should have had a 30 point win.

Curry scored 44 and he didn't play that well, and Griffin will have a record setting number of rebounds this year. His 25 rebounds last night seemed Easy!!!!!!!!!

Overall for last night was 4-2-1. The one random lock, BYU won easily. The bottom half of the WCC is very bad and I will play against them often in the early season. Portland, LMU, Pepperdine will have very long, sad seasons!

Tonights game.

I want to play Villanova, but better judgment has me staying away. Line is about 16, and I think Niagara will take this one right down to the end between 15 and 20, and that is just not worth it.

Kent State -1.5 vs St. Louis. Not that often that I will take a road favorite, especially against a Majerus coached home-dog. But St. Louis has 8 scholarship freshman, and Rick is still teaching this team to play his offense. He doesn't care if they score, as long as they run the sets. This game will be low scoring, for the Billikens. Experience wins out, even on the road!

Good Gaming-

B. Anthony

8-6-1 ytd

24 Hour Marathon- Heavenly Vacation

2008-11-18T11:54:00.000-08:00

B. Anthony only wishes he could fulfill his dream day: Son on the lap and constant basketball for 24 hours!!!! ESPN created this little fantasy, and we are enjoying the ride.

Last night saw many teams get underway, with some familiar results. Memphis was frenetic, ugly, shot horribly, 2-19 from three, and still won by 22 points. They need Xavier the Savior for next years run to the final four, but they will be a 30 win team this year because of scheduling!

Quick notes:

A. USF Rising- A perennial door mat-(no longer a lock anti-bet)
I am hoping Rex Walters and Calvin Byrd do a good job at USF. I am going to jump on the wagon early and say they will! They are contemporaries who shared the court with B. Anthony several times, and they know how to work hard, work smart and get teams to play together. This is huge when you will always be slightly less talented.

B. 20-9' will make a difference. Said it yesterday, say it again today.
C. Stephen Curry, player of the year. He will prove it again tonight. Amazing that a guy who teams scheme for specifically can shoot 14-19 from the field, and get 9 assists. He doesn't take bad shots.... period......

Games Tonight- 4 TV games + a few others. Not always the smartest way to go, but might as well give everyone a chance to see my picks in action.

Boston College -7.5 vs St. Johns- Tyrese Rice back from suspension will drop 30 + in a double digit win!

Kentucky +18 vs North Carolina- Tar Heels will miss Hansborough on the boards. The Kentucky second shots will keep them in the game for a while, and down the stretch they will keep it around 10. Too many points this early in the year!

Davidson +4 vs Oklahoma- Two All- Americans living up to their hype. Problem is Davidson plays fantastic team defense and Griffin will be surround while he gets his 25pts and 15 bds. Curry will take and make all kinds of good basketball shots. 28, 8 assists, 4 bds, 3 steals. Davidson wins outright!

UAB +4 vs Arizona. This is simply an anti- Arizona bet!

USC -15.5 vs New Mexico St. Early season home game. Early gitters will keep this game reasonable, but USC's defense will make this a 20-30 point blow out in the 2nd half!

USF + 14 vs Cal- I am taking the points in this local battle. I think Lowhorn will have a huge game in front of his home town fans!!

BYU-9.5 vs Pepperdine- Pepperdine is bad, not quite as bad as LMU, but close!

Good Gaming,

B. Anthony
4-4 ytd!

NCAA Preview + Picks

2008-11-17T13:33:00.000-08:00

B. Anthony is very excited for the beginning of college hoops season. It is hard to get my hands around the entire landscape of college basketball, but I am anxious to start making picks.

For some reason, time is a little less available. Friday night was not a great start, 2-3, but truth be told the first two games were the winners, and the only ones I had a clue on. The others were wishful thinking. I will keep those out of my future picks.

Before we get to picks, let me give you my 6 favorite teams. Mostly to watch and bet on!!!

Villanova- The experienced guard play, good coaching, and it is time for them to have a great year. They had a good showing against Kansas last year. Currently ranked 23rd, they will be a top five team before league wears them down!

Gonzaga- All the usual suspects, Bouldin will be the glue with Pargo, Daye and Heytfelt putting up big numbers. Plus they have a very good freshman point guard. He will make plays to help put them over the top. Another team that will spend the entire year in the top 10. I will give them 31 wins this year on the way to the elite 8!! See attached from Zags staff. "Demetri Goodson. Best on ball defender that I think I have seen, especially for a freshman. He won't put up big numbers like Pargo, but I think he will actually have a bigger impact on the game than Pargo will."
Memphis- Just because they are Memphis, the league is weak, and they get bonuses to cover. They will look like a top 15 team until they play someone good, like Gonzaga!
I
USC- Will compete because of DeRozan and because Floyd is dirty! Trojans are athletic across the front line and back court will be steady.

Marquette- Another guard heavy team that will have a great year. McNeal will be an all-american, and Dominic James is a great senior leader. He will stop shooting so much so they can just win!

Michigan State- They are very well balanced and ready for a break out year. The Beat down they took from Memphis last year taught them a lesson. They will be a good team to cover big at home. They are just bigger and stronger and more disciplined than 99% of the teams out there.

Look for St. Mary's to be slightly overconfident early, but have a great run. Kent St, Wright State, or VCU will emerge again. I see VCU covering 7 of 10 games this year!!

I am leaving out the obvious, North Carolina, prognostications, because they are great and will be great all year, so why talk about it!

I think Notre Dame will beat UConn every time they play, so I will leave out UConn, and I cannot tout ND, because whenever I do, they will disappoint.

Final Four- Michigan State, Gonzaga, UNC, Marquette: Well rounded teams, anyone of them can win it all, but I will go with Michigan State. (Traditionally, I don't like this team, but something is different, defense wins)

Top Freshman-
Greg Monroe-Georgetown- 18pts and 9bds
Demar Derozan-USC 23pts, 6 bds, 4 assists
Tyreke Evans- Memphis 15 pts, 9 assists, 4 bds, 3 steals
Jrue Holiday- UCLA Solid all-around play on a good team 12 ppg
Samardo Samuels- Louisville 18 ppg and 11 bds. (solid)

Picks tonight

Fresno State +22 vs St. Mary's- Too many points for a Midnight tip!

UAB- 10 vs Santa Clara. Too much defense and quickness for the Broncos. The last few steals make this an 18-20 point loss!

Nova -20 vs Fordham- A good game for the Wildcats to hit 15 threes and blow this wide open!!!

B. Anthony Ytd 2-3

(much more to follow)
BY THE WAY, THE NEW 3PT LINE AT 20'9", WILL MAKE A DIFFERENCE. NOT AS MANY PLAYERS, ESPECIALLY BIGS STEPPING OUT, WILL SHOOT IT AS WELL.

IT WON'T BOTHER STEPHEN CURRY, WHO SHOOTS FROM AN AVERAGE OF 24 FEET!