Belmont.com Sports Betting News

North Carolina and Duke in ACC clash

BelmontEditor — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 16:07:57 +0000

One of the best rivalries in sports continues on Wednesday night as the North Carolina Tar Heels host the Duke Blue Devils.

North Carolina is a 6 ½-point favorite, while the total should come in around 159. ESPN is thrilled to have this ACC battle at 9 pm ET.

North Carolina (20-3 SU, 11-11 ATS) is ranked fifth in both polls. Duke is 10^th in the AP and a slightly better 9th in the Coaches.

The Tar Heels have as much talent as anyone in the country, including No. 1 Kentucky. The frontcourt of Harrison Barnes, Tyler Zeller and John Henson can all score and rebound. Point guard Kendall Marshall is a tremendous distributor.

The question with this team is depth. Dexter Strickland (knee) was lost for the year and he started at shooting guard while also backing up the point. Reggie Bullock is now starting at the ‘two’, but that makes the bench much weaker with the starters logging a lot of minutes.

North Carolina has won five in a row since that awful showing at Florida State (90-57 loss) back on January 14th. However, they are 0-3 ATS in their last three, failing to cover some big spreads between 12 and 20 ½-points.

Duke (19-4 SU, 9-14 ATS) already has four losses this year, something that didn’t occur last year until March 5. Last year’s team was led by seniors Kyle Singler and Nolan Smith, while this year’s team is a work-in-progress leadership wise.

The Blue Devils’ leader in scoring (14.5 PPG) and minutes played (31.5 per game) is freshman Austin Rivers. There is no real superstar like in prior years and they get it done offensively with a balanced attack of five guys.

Coach Mike Krzyzewski just saw his team lose its second home game in about two weeks, 78-74 in OT to Miami on Sunday. They had previously lost to Florida State (76-73). Both foes were unranked, which added insult to injury.

Duke does have one thing going for them against North Carolina that most don’t – size. Mason Plumlee and Ryan Kelly have the height to bother Zeller and Henson, and Miles Plumlee is another big body off the bench.

However, North Carolina is by far the better team this year. I’m taking them -6 ½ at home.

NHL Betting: Chicago vs. Colorado

BelmontEditor — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 18:43:45 +0000

Chicago (-135) @ Colorado (+115); Total set at 5.5

Two struggling teams meet in Colorado tonight as the Hawks and Avs look to snap long losing streaks. Chicago is coming off a very unsuccessful western Canada road trip, losing to Vancouver, Edmonton, and Calgary and were the backdrop for the Oilers Sam Gagner and his 8-point night last week. The Blackhawks have now lost five straight and are losing serious ground in the Central division as Detroit, St Louis and Nashville keep rolling on. Colorado is riding their own five-game losing streak at the moment after giving up a last minute, game tying goal to the Canucks last time out, only to see Vancouver get a rare shootout win with Luongo in net minutes later. Needless to say, both these teams are desperate to get back in the win column.

Chicago had been near or atop the Western Conference for the majority of this season, but in the past few weeks their stock has took a nosedive. They currently sit 6th in the West, with three division rivals ahead of them. As the trade deadline looms, the Hawks know that now is the time to push it because if they can position themselves as a top seed in the West, it is very likely a key piece for a Cup run will be added via a trade. They have already worked wonders in re-tooling their roster since gutting it for financial reasons after winning the Cup in 2010, and it looks like they are hungry for another deep playoff run this year. This is their longest losing streak of the year and the road trip doesn’t get any easier, or shorter for that matter in the immediate future. This is the fourth road game of a 9-game road trip that has clearly tested the Hawks. They are 0-7 SU in their last 7 road games and need to get back to producing offensively if they want the wins to follow. The over is 4-1 between these two in the last five meetings in Denver, and Chicago as played 9 of their last 12 against Northwest division opponents over the total. They were shutout at home in early January against these Avs and there is no way that will happen again tonight.

Colorado has their sights set on the playoffs as well but they are currently sitting on the outside looking in, three points back of the 8th and final spot. This losing streak hasn’t helped their cause as once again their offense appears to have abandoned them, scoring more than 2 goals only twice (both wins) in their last 10. They have beaten the Hawks twice already this year and managed to score 9 goals combined in those two wins, with none of those tallies coming with the man advantage. Simply put, this Avalanche team knows how to play 5-on-5 with the Hawks and will be looking to do the same tonight. They know Chicago is angry and frustrated after their recent losses and Colorado must be able to score if they want any chance of winning tonight.

Take over 5.5 goals tonight as these struggling teams open it up a bit in search of a win.

Two Top 10s Clash in Kentucky tonight

BelmontEditor — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 17:42:58 +0000

#8 Florida (+9) vs. #1 Kentucky (-9); Total set at 142.5

The top ranked Kentucky Wildcats put there 15-game winning streak on the line tonight as they welcome in the Florida Gators. Kentucky sits at 23-1 SU on the year and have the nation’s longest home winning streak at 48 games on the line tonight. The Wildcats managed to beat the Gators in both of their meetings last year and would love to do the same this season to create a bigger gap between themselves and Florida atop the SEC standings.

Kentucky is a perfect 9-0 SU in conference play this year but aren’t exactly world beaters when it comes to the spread. The Wildcats are 8-14-1 ATS on the season as a whole, a number that includes a 3-10-1 ATS mark at home. With such lofty expectations each year, Kentucky has a large fan base and because of it, lines are often inflated a point or two higher and bettors must be aware of that. To prove that, this is only the second time all season that Kentucky HAS NOT laid double digit points at home and that might have a bit to do with their terrible home ATS record. The other time was against a top-ranked North Carolina team at the time where they managed to squeak out a 1-point victory as 6-point favorites. The tide may be turning though since Kentucky is 4-0 ATS in their last four games and have won their last three games by at least 24 points or more. They are shooting extremely well as a team (48.6% on the year) and that kind of offense forces opponents to play quicker, get out of their comfort zone and subsequently make numerous mistakes. Kentucky loves to take advantage of those and bury teams, but the story may be a bit different tonight.

Florida loves to play at a frantic pace as they average 80.1 points per outing on 47% shooting this season. On the road those numbers shrink a bit (70.7 pts per game at 45%) but they are a great outside shooting team (40% from 3-point land) and can always shoot themselves back into a game. They haven’t seen this year’s Kentucky team yet, but a 16-point home loss at the end of the regular season a year ago likely still stings for the majority of Gators that remain on the team. Florida will have no problem playing at a high tempo and given that they are 22-5 O/U when coming off an ATS win and 27-9 off a SU win, they will be raining three balls all night. The underdog in this rivalry is 3-0-1 ATS in the last four meetings, so as long as the Florida snipers can get open looks and avoid the shot-blocking presence of Anthony Davis and Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, the Gators will put up their share of points.

Kentucky is a solid defensive team (57.7 points allowed per game), but if Florida pushes the pace on them, they won’t mind getting into a track meet either.

Take the over.

Minnesota’s Kevin Love out versus Sacramento

BelmontEditor — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 16:46:07 +0000

The Minnesota Timberwolves won’t be ‘Feeling the Love’ when they host the Sacramento Kings on Tuesday night.

The Timberwolves are still six-point favorites with a total of 197-points. Tip-off is at 8 pm ET.

Minnesota (12-12 SU, 14-10 ATS) is thrilled to be .500 right now, even if they’re unhappy about the Love news. The 23-year-old rebounding machine is suspended for tonight and Wednesday at Memphis after stomping on Houston power forward Luis Scola as he lay on the ground.

The Timberwolves won that Houston game 100-91 and are 5-2 SU in their last seven. The ‘over’ is 8-2 in their last 10 games, although going ‘under’ the 204-point total against the Rockets.

The question for Minny is how do they replace Love’s 25 PPG and 13.7 RPG? The answer is they don’t with the next leader scoring Michael Beasley at just 13.5 PPG.

Beasley will likely move into the starting lineup and he loves to shoot the ball. Rookie Derrick Williams should also get more minutes, although the drop-off in rebounding with these two will be huge.

Sacramento (9-15 SU, 11-13 SU) has a couple of interesting, young big men in DeMarcus Cousins and Jason Thompson, but they won’t have an easy time in this game even without Love playing.

The Kings just played last night at New Orleans, a 100-92 win as 2-point dogs. Cousins had 28 points and a whopping 19 rebounds. The road has been unkind to them overall this year at 3-11 SU and 5-9 ATS.

Sacramento has now won three straight games since guard Marcus Thornton returned from his thigh injury. He’s the second-leading scorer at 17.1 PPG and they immediately won home games over Golden State (114-106 OT) and Portland (95-92) upon his return.

Thornton is so important because rookie first-round pick Jimmer Fredette has not panned out as anyone had hoped. He’s averaging just 8.5 PPG and shooting just 36.9 percent from the field. He was a DNP in the two games before New Orleans.

These teams met January 16^th in Minnesota with the home team winning 99-86 as 7 ½-point favorites. Love had 33 points and Luke Ridnour added 25.

I think this game will be a lot closer, but the best play is the ‘under’ 197 points.

College Basketball Betting: Marquette vs. DePaul

BelmontEditor — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 20:53:13 +0000

Marquette (-9.5) @ DePaul (+9.5); Total set at 154

The Big East takes center stage tonight as the DePaul Blue Demons look to upset a ranked team from Marquette. The Blue Demons have been playing horrible basketball of late, winning only twice in the last 10 to push their record to 11-11 SU on the season. Yet, despite all those losses, they are still a winning ATS team this year (10-8) and have done well as dogs.

DePaul is coming off an eight-point defeat as 13 point dogs in Cincinnati on Saturday but they are 0-5 ATS when coming off an ATS win. The favorite is 13-5 ATS in the last 18 meetings, but DePaul has owned a slight edge more recently going 5-2 ATS in the last seven meetings. Offensively, they can keep up with the high-flying Golden Eagles at 74.5 points per outing (Marquette averages 75.4) and that number actually increases to 77 when they are at home. DePaul’s defense is going to be the key in this one because if they can slow down Marquette and keep them at or below their road average of 68 points per outing, DePaul has a great chance of winning. If they can’t, this game could get out of hand early and turn into the 30-point beating DePaul took in last year’s only meeting.

Marquette is looking to bounce back themselves after they went into Notre Dame over the weekend and got blown out as small favorites. It was arguably the worst performance by Marquette this season and for a ranked team with national title hopes, outings like that have to be forgotten quickly. However, other bad memories may creep in the collective minds of Marquette’s players because DePaul is somewhere they haven’t had much success. They last came to this arena as 13-point favorites in early 2010 and wound up losing 51-50 in what was a minor shocker. Marquette shot 41% from the field int hat one and actually choked out a six-point halftime lead to fall SU. They looked anything but impressive in that Notre Dame game and having stayed out on the road since then it is unlikely the can mentally regroup in time to go into another hostile environment and win by double digits.

Take the points with DePaul.

NBA Betting: Oklahoma City vs. Portland

BelmontEditor — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 20:22:34 +0000

Oklahoma City (-1) @ Portland (+1); Total set at 196

It is not too often you see an 11-1 team at home getting points, but that is the scenario we have tonight as Portland welcomes in the best team in the West. OKC sits at 18-5 SU on the year and would love to become the 2nd team to beat Portland at home in this shortened NBA year. The Thunder have already fell victim to the Trailblazers once this year, as Portland used a strong second half to win by 10. They were getting 4.5 points in that one, and even after such a stellar performance, Portland finds themselves dogged once again.

Portland has used their home cooking to just annihilate teams of late. They are coming off a 20-point victory vs. Denver and that win followed a 44-point win and 38-point win respectively. In fact, since their first home loss came to Orlando back on January 11th, Portland has won each of their five home games by double digits and are more than ready to take on the best in the West once again. Dating back to last year, Portland is 19-5-2 ATS at home and that includes a 5-2 ATS record as home dogs of 4.5 points or less. They already proved to themselves that they can beat this talented OKC squad, but they also know that Oklahoma City didn’t exactly play their best in the last meeting. That may worry Portland backers, especially since they are 1-8 ATS in their last nine as dogs and 1-6 ATS when coming off an ATS win. They won’t likely win this game by double digits, so do the Blazers remember how to hang tough in close games at home?

Oklahoma City is coming for revenge after Portland became the first, and only, team to beat the Thunder in OKC so far this season. That game was the latter half of a tough back-to-back for the Thunder as OKC had fallen to Dallas the night before. That loss also accounts for the only time the Thunder have experienced a losing streak this year and they don’t want history to repeat itself tonight. The Thunder have had some issues in recent road games, losing two of their last three and need to get a win to right the ship as this road trip continues.

Oklahoma City is 5-1 ATS when coming off an ATS loss and are 8-3 ATS as road favorites so there are some numbers on their side for this one. The duo of Durant and Westbrook is one of the best in the league they will not fear Portland and their home-court prowess.

Look for Oklahoma City to get their revenge tonight.

NHL Betting: Calgary vs. Anaheim

BelmontEditor — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 19:04:34 +0000

Calgary (+115) @ Anaheim (-135); Total set at 5.5

It’s another light day in NHL action with only three games on the card, but bettors looking for late-night action can turn to this game out in Anaheim tonight. The Ducks have lost two straight at home heading into this one and would like to snap that streak with a “revenge” win over the Flames. Calgary won a 1-0 OT game in the only other meeting between two this season as neither team really got anything going offensively (42 shots combined) in a bruising affair. Calgary has been playing .500 hockey since then and if they want to be considered serious playoff contenders (4 points out at the moment), they really need to start stringing together wins.

The Flames beat a good Chicago team last time out and are hoping that the strong play from that one can carry over to tonight. Historically, Anaheim is a tough place to play for the Flames as they are 4-22-4 SU in their last 30 visits, including losses in their last five. That’s not to say that Calgary doesn’t play well there since four of their last five losses in the Duck Pond have come in overtime or the shootout, so another close contest should be expected tonight. It is interesting to note that the Flames have scored at least twice in every one of those five losses and even managed to put 4 by Hiller and company twice. Calgary’s offense has been struggling lately, scoring 1 goal or less in five of their past eight games, and if you ignore a 6-2 win vs. Edmonton, the Flames have only scored 9 goals in their last seven contests. That may be why the over 5.5 tonight is at +120, but as I mentioned before, the Flames don’t have too many issues scoring in Anaheim. Each of those past five losses in Anaheim have finished with at least five goals, with 3-2 being the most common result. But, both teams are desperate to make a push in the standings, so don’t be surprised if you see the Flames try to open it up a bit tonight.

Anaheim’s playoff hopes are on life support and losing at home to the likes of Columbus like they did over the weekend doesn’t help at all. The Ducks have started playing sloppily on the defensive end after playing so well during a stretch of six wins in seven outings. Losing to Columbus as -190 favorites might have put the dagger in their 2011-12 season, but this veteran group won’t give up quite yet. They are 17-8 SU against teams from the Northwest division and are 4-1 SU when favored by -150 or less. The favorite is 22-8 SU in the last 30 meetings and I have already touched on their home dominance over the Flames in recent years. But that +120 on the over looks even more tempting when you see that the Ducks are 16-7-1 O/U in their last 24 home games and 9-3-2 O/U vs. Northwest teams too. They are 42-18-4 O/U as home favorites and they are built to get into, and win high-scoring contests.

If five goals can be expected in this rivalry, the fact that the over 5.5 is at +120 and many bettors are flocking to the under makes the under dogged ”over” an intriguing play.

Take over 5.5 goals.

Kentucky, North Carolina title co-favorites in CBB

BelmontEditor — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 18:18:34 +0000

The college basketball season is in mid-conference action, but it’s never too early to take a look ahead to March Madness.

The odds makers have recalculated the 2011/2012 college basketball title odds and four teams are bunched at the top, with several others with the ability to ‘win it all.’

Kentucky (+400) has won 15 games in a row and is the almost unanimous No. 1 team in both polls. That’s well deserved with this young, but extremely talented roster. These are very reasonable odds and will likely drop to +300 soon.

North Carolina (+400) is the only team in the nation with talent to rival Kentucky, but they already lost to them 73-72 in Lexington back in early December. Losing Dexter Strickland (knee) for the year won’t help team depth going forward.

Ohio State (+500) got a big road win at ranked Wisconsin on Saturday. The Buckeyes’ three losses have all come away this year and it remains to be seen how battle tested they are coming out of the mediocre Big Ten.

Syracuse (+600) is flying under the radar a bit despite having just one loss. Part of the reason is there is no real superstar, but this is one of the deepest teams in the nation now that center Fab Melo (academics) has returned.

Missouri (+1000) is the first of three Big 12 teams on this list. A 74-71 home win over Kansas on Saturday night was a big statement, but it’s hard to see them competing with the top-4 teams above.

Kansas (+1200) has two great players in Thomas Robinson (18 PPG) and Tyshawn Taylor (16.9 PPG) and they combined for 46 points at Missouri on Saturday. The question is a consistent third scorer, which is desperately needed down the stretch.

Baylor (+1500) has a huge amount of athleticism and talent up front led by Perry Jones III. However, there is something about this team that screams ‘second round exit’ during March Madness.

Duke (+1500) has done a very good job retooling their roster after losing Nolan Smith, Kyle Singler and Kyrie Irving from last year. Freshman Austin Rivers is the leading scorer this season (14.3 PPG) and there could be a leadership void come tourney time.

2011-2012 March Madness Odds Favorites

Kentucky Wildcats (+400)

North Carolina Tar Heels (+400)

Ohio State Buckeyes (+500)

Syracuse Orange (+600)

Missouri Tigers (+1000)

Kansas Jayhawks (+1200)

Baylor Bears (+1500)

Duke Blue Devils (+1500)

NHL Betting: Columbus vs. Anaheim

BelmontEditor — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 17:57:25 +0000

Columbus (+175) @ Anaheim (-210); Total set at 5.5

The last time I wrote about Anaheim I had them pegged all wrong as I thought they would want to avenge an earlier loss to Dallas. Instead, the Ducks came out of the gate flat and couldn’t get out of the 3-1 first period hole they dug for themselves. They looked like the old, slow, Anaheim team that has struggled all year, constantly fighting for some consistency. Tonight, they get a chance to redeem themselves as they host league’s worst team from Columbus.

The Blue Jackets have been in disarray all season and with only 13 wins in 51 games, they do not strike any concern into their opponent’s minds. This is the last game of a six-game road trip for Columbus and they have yet to win once on the trip, only getting a single point from a shootout loss in Detroit. It may be the warm weather has the players even less concerned with playing hockey, given that in their last three games (in Tampa, San Jose and LA) they have been outscored 13-4. Their last loss in L.A was extremely controversial as the Kings scored with less than a second left, but clock issues have determined that the goal should have been disallowed and OT would have followed. Even for a bad team like Columbus, a loss like that has got to stick in their crawl and they will be coming full throttle tonight. They may be a bad team, but they are still professionals and prideful individuals and want to win every night on the ice. Facing another team that is low in the standings like themselves, the Blue Jackets have got to see tonight’s game as a great opportunity to finally get a win. They are 6-2 SU against opponents that allowed 5 or more goals last time out and the Ducks are 2-8 SU after allowing 5 or more. The Blue Jackets know they can beat this team, (one of their 13 victories this season came against the Ducks) and with this being their last game out in the warm weather, Columbus will want to leave on a good note.

Anaheim has been playing good hockey of late but that loss to Dallas really set them back a bit. A chance at the playoffs appears to be slipping away from this team as management labors about the decision to become “sellers” at the trade deadline this year. They are 6-1 SU in their last seven as home favorites and have an identical record after a home loss of 3 or more, but do you really want to be laying 2-1 with this team? They have lacked consistency all season and with them being 3-13 SU in their last 16 against Central division opponents, they really aren’t an attractive betting prospect at this price tonight. On paper the Ducks are clearly the better team but they are only a few losses away from packing it in for the year and tonight could be the first step on that journey to an early summer holiday for Anaheim’s players.

Look at taking a shot with the big underdog Blue Jackets tonight.

NBA Betting: L.A. Lakers vs. Denver Nuggets

BelmontEditor — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 17:08:53 +0000

L.A (+4) @ Denver (-4); Total set at 196

Fresh off a dominate second half performance last night against the Clippers, Denver heads home to take on that “other” team from L.A. These two have split the season series 1-1 up to this point with each home team winning SU and Denver going 2-0 ATS. They played as part of a back-to-back over New Year’s and with the second being in the high altitude of Denver, the Nuggets managed to hold off a late surge and cover the 5.5 points they were laying. Tonight, the spread is a little smaller as it seems as if the Lakers have finally gotten their act together and are ready to be known as a top-level, elite team again.

L.A. has won three of their last four contests, but other than a win over “lil bro Clippers” the level of competition just hasn’t been there. Beating Minnesota and then annihilating Charlotte doesn’t exactly scream “quality wins” but after some early season struggles, the veteran Lakers are happy to take wins and have those annoying questions from media types wait for another day. That being said, L.A. knows that playing IN Denver is a different type of beast, especially when it is the start of a long road trip and another great home team (Utah) is on deck tomorrow. The Lakers are 2-9 ATS in their last 11 road games and they are 1-7 ATS in their last eight as road dogs. Recent history is also against L.A. tonight as the Lakers are 1-7-1 ATS in the last nine games against Denver, including 1-4 ATS in the mile high city. Kobe may have to put up another 40+ night just to have a chance, and that still might not be enough with L.A. being 0-4 ATS on the road against winning home teams.

Denver is looking for the L.A. sweep tonight and with the youth and depth they have on their roster it should be of little surprise that the Nuggets are 10-1 ATS in their last 11 games without rest. They absolutely ran a tired Clippers out of the gym in the second half last night and while the Lakers may be rested, their age makes them more susceptible to getting tired down the stretch. The Nuggets are 14-4-1 ATS when coming off a double digit win and they are 24-9-1 ATS after putting up 100 plus. The guard duo of Arron Afflalo and Ty Lawson are really coming into their own and with an outside shooter like Gallinari, Denver can really spread out the Lakers and force them to expend substantial energy on the defensive side. If Nene and the other bigs can control the glass and keep the Lakers from extra possessions (they had 17 more shots in that 99-90 loss in Denver earlier), this game will go the Nuggets way.

Lay the points with the home team tonight.