Tuesday and Wednesday Advanced News and Notes

Tuesday, February 21,
2006

 

Virginia-Boston College

Press Notes

Virginia
enters tonight’s Atlantic Coast Conference game with a 13-10 overall record and
a 6-6 mark in the ACC. The Cavaliers are coming off a 76-62 loss to Florida
State
(Feb. 18) in Tallahassee,
Fla. Boston
College
stands at 21-5 overall and
8-4 in the ACC this season. The Eagle have won five
consecutive games and 10 of their last 11. U-Hall is Kind to Cavaliers. UVa is 10-2 at
home this season, including 5-1 in the ACC, but only 2-8 in away games (1-5 in
the ACC).
Virginia has won its last five home games and lost
its last four away games.

Kent-Bowling Green

Press Notes

The BGSU men’s basketball team
begins a stretch that will see them play five games in 13 days. The Falcons
have won the last two meetings and made 34 of 35 free throws in their 79-74 win
at Kent State
earlier this season. BGSU has won three of the last
four meetings in Kent,
but the Golden Flashes have triumphed on each of their last four trips to Bowling
Green
. Kent State
did not play in Anderson Arena last season. BGSU is
looking for its first series sweep of Kent
State
since the 1996-97 season.

Illinois-Michigan

Press Notes

Illinois has
won 11 in a row against the Wolverines, and 14 of the last 15. Michigan
is the only team to eclipse the 70-point marker against the Illini
this season. Illinois defeated
the Wolverines 79-74 on Jan. 14 at the Assembly Hall. • Illinois
owns a record of 59-6 since the beginning of last season. Illinois
has won 61 of its last 66 games during the regular season.  Illinois
is 92-4 (.958) at the Assembly Hall over the last six-and-a-half seasons, the
best home mark in the nation over this time period.

 

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Wednesday, February
22, 2006

 

Ole Miss-Kentucky

Press Notes

Ole Miss hits the road for the second consecutive game,
traveling to Kentucky to take on
the Wildcats. Kentucky sits third
in the SEC Eastern Division standings and has taken its last two games,
including Saturday’s 79-66 road win at South Carolina.
Tubby Smith’s Wildcats have a trio of sophomores leading the team in scoring
and currently coming off the bench. After being suspended for the entire
non-conference slate, forward Randolph Morris is posting 12.8 points and 5.8
rebounds since rejoining the squad and leads the SEC in field goal percentage
in league play (.611).

Utah-UNLV

Press Notes

The Runnin’ Utes (12-12, 5-8 MWC) open a two-game road swing against the UNLV Runnin’ Rebels (14-10, 8-4 MWC).  Utah,
tied for sixth place in the Mountain West Conference, dropped a pair of games
at home last week. The Utes pushed Colorado
State
to overtime before falling
69-61 on Wednesday night, then lost to Air Force 52-51
on Saturday night. Utah is 3-6 on
opponents’ home courts overall this season and 2-4 in Mountain West Conference
play. Over the last seven games, Utah
has held its opponents to an average of 59.7 points per game on 39.6 percent
shooting from the field and 33.3 percent from three-point range. The Utes have
owned a 34.7 to 28.1 edge in rebounds per game, outworking all seven teams on
the glass.  Utah
is playing one redshirt freshman and four other newcomers. Through 24 games,
56.9 percent of the Utes’ points, 47.2 percent of their rebounds, 51.9 percent
of their assists, and 54.1 percent of their minutes played have come from the
first-year players. UNLV is 14-10 overall and tied
for third place in the Mountain West Conference with an 8-4 record. The Rebels
are 10-4 at home overall this season and 4-2 in conference games. The Runnin’ Rebels ended a two-game losing steak with an 80-72
win at Colorado State
last Saturday afternoon. Before then, UNLV lost at BYU (75-72) on Feb. 11 and to San Diego State at home
(81-70) on Feb. 16.

TCU-Colorado
State

Press Notes

Colorado State
finishes out a two-game homestand Wednesday night
against the TCU Horned Frogs. The Rams suffered an
80-72 setback Saturday night against UNLV and are now
13-12 on the year overall. The Horned Frogs bring a 5-21 record into Moby Arena
on Wednesday with their only conference victory (1-11) coming at the Rams’
expense, 85-72 in Fort Worth on Jan. 21. Colorado
State
holds an all-time record of
414-164 (.716) in Moby Arena. The Rams hold an 9-33
record in the month of February during Dale Layer’s tenure as head coach. The
Rams have a 4-22 record in February in their last three-plus seasons. CSU snapped a 20-game league road losing streak with last
Wednesday’s win over
Utah in Salt
Lake City
. After
holding opponents to a .379 field goal percentage in non-conference games, CSU
has allowed league opponents to shoot at a .493 clip after 12 MWC games. MWC foes are scoring
77.7 points per game on the Rams compared to a 67.0
points per game average in non-conference play.

Ohio State-Michigan

Press Notes

Michigan State
owns the all-time series lead with a record of 59-46 vs. the Buckeyes. Ohio
State
is 13-38 in games played in East
Lansing
. The Buckeyes are 32-21 in games played in Columbus.

Tennessee-Florida

Press Notes

Tennessee
will hit the road for the fourth time in its last five games. The Florida
game will mark the fourth consecutive road game the Vols
have played that has been sold out. UT also played before sold out arenas at Kentucky,
Georgia and Alabama.
UT saw its eight-game SEC winning streak come to an end with a 79-92 loss at Alabama
Saturday. Halftime bettors note that UT has rallied to overcome deficits of
nine points or more four times. South Carolina (1/8/06) led by as many as 15
points in the second half before the Vols came back
to win 76-69 in Columbia. The Vols have recorded at
least 10 steals in 15 of their 23 games. Tennessee
is getting an average of 22.6 points per game from its bench. The Vols’ bench has contributed 520 points in 23 games this
season. UT has recorded 100 more steals than its opponents. The Vols have 241 steals compared to just 141 by their
opponents.

 

 

 

 

 

Monday Godspicks

Monday, February 20,
2006

MORNING STEAM IN: We have a total of three winners
including the Big East
Game of the Month on ESPN.
America’s greatest sports service the Dream Team at Godspicks.com  finished off last week going .500 or better
6-of-7 days and this year we’ve begun the “burning the midnight oil” even
earlier.  You will salivate over the
quality of our news and notes at our blog this March
Madness. Get your annual Million Dollar March started early with at least the
weekly package.

The ENTIRE card is just $17 at www.godspicks.com.  We now
take virtually every credit card, PayPal and eCheck.
  Also we now have yearly and other packages
available via
Western
Union
. Every
play, every sport for a year is $2,450. 
Email us at godspicks@bellsouth.net
to make arrangements or for Neteller payments.
Updated and advance news and notes FREE linked at www.godspicks.com.

CBB

IDAHO +17’ Nevada

Idaho is in
a saving face mode as evidence by the fact they have covered 3-of-5 even though
they lost four of those games. Even keeping it competitive will be a huge
victory for them.  Their previous game
was total embarrassment to Nevada
and it’s a ridiculous number to lay in a conference road game.

With traditional power Utah
State
being Nevada’s
next game, we look for them to be happy to escape.

Monday News and Notes Up

OMNI
Sportsbook

Omni Sportsbook offers
live odds and free game match-up reports
. They also give to new players
either a 20% bonus or a free sports pager. Customers of Omni in addition to the
sign up bonus, receive a 20% bonus for referrals and 20% of their losses back.

 

 

Monday, February 20,
2006

 

MORNING STEAM IN: We have a total of three winners
including the Big East
Game of the Month on ESPN.
America’s greatest sports service the Dream Team at Godspicks.com  finished off last week going .500 or better
6-of-7 days and this year we’ve begun the “burning the midnight oil” even
earlier.  You will salivate over the
quality of our news and notes at our blog this March
Madness. Get your annual Million Dollar March started early with at least the
weekly package.

The ENTIRE card is just $17 at www.godspicks.com.  We now
take virtually every credit card, PayPal and eCheck.
  Also we now have yearly and other packages
available via
Western
Union
. Every
play, every sport for a year is $2,450. 
Email us at godspicks@bellsouth.net
to make arrangements or for Neteller payments.
Updated and advance news and notes FREE linked at www.godspicks.com.

CBB

Nevada-Idaho

Press Notes

Nevada has
won the last two meetings between the two teams, including a 70-44 victory on
Jan. 12, 2006 in Reno.Coming off an 88-61 victory
over Mid-American Conference leader Akron Friday night in the BracketBusters presented by eBay, the Nevada Wolf Pack
(20-5 overall, 9-3 WAC) returns to Western Athletic
Conference play on Monday afternoon, traveling to Moscow, Idaho, to take on the
Idaho Vandals (4-19, 1-10). The Wolf Pack brings a seven-game winning streak
into Monday’s game with the Vandals, the team’s longest winning streak of the
year and the longest active streak in the conference. With six straight league
wins, Nevada has moved into sole
possession of first place in the Western Athletic Conference standings with two
weeks to go in the regular season. Monday is the first of two straight road
games for the Wolf Pack, which has turned in an 8-3 road record and has won its
last three WAC contests away from home. Following
Monday’s contest with the Vandals, Nevada
heads to Logan, Utah,
to take on Utah State
on Saturday, Feb. 25.  Idaho
brings a 4-19 overall record into Monday afternoon’s contest, dropping its last
three games and 14 of its last 15, including a 79-69 non-conference loss at Montana
State
on Saturday.

Portland-Loyola Marymount

Press Notes

Senior Day will bring the end of the home schedule for the
Loyola Marymount men’s basketball team when they host
the Univesity of Portland on Monday, Feb. 20 at 7:05 p.m. Four seniors will make their final
home appearance as Lions in a game that has big implications in the West Coast
Conference. The Lions (11-14, 8-3) will look to get back on track after an
emotional, tough setback to No. 5 Gonzaga Saturday. Portland
(9-16, 3-8) comes in after an impressive win over the Waves on Saturday. Both
teams are looking for a big win to make headway in the WCC
standings. The Lions need one more win to secure second place and a bye all the
way to the WCC tournament semifinals while Portland
hopes to make a run and climb into a first round bye. ended the Lions
three-game winning streak overall and six-game winning streak at home on
Saturday with a 79-70 win in which the Zags needed 44
points from Adam Morrison to come from behind for the win. Despite
the steback, the Lions to 8-3 in West Coast
Conference play and 11-14 overall.

Gonzaga-Pepperdine

Press Notes

Gonzaga wrapped up no worse than a share of its sixth
straight West Coast Conference title on Saturday with the 79-70 win at Loyola Marymount. A win over Pepperdine
on Monday would assure the Bulldogs the outright crown. The Bulldogs are 11-0
in the WCC, LMU 8-3, but
the season sweep of the Lions assures Gonzaga the No. 1 seed heading into the WCC Tournament on the Gonzaga campus. Gonzaga is also
assured a spot in the semifinals on Sunday, March 5.

Oklahoma-Texas Tech

Scout.com

The Red Raiders come into Monday night’s showdown on a
two-game winning streak, while the Sooners have won eight of their last 10. In
the first meeting between the two teams this season, Oklahoma
beat the Red Raiders 60-48 on January 21 in Norman.
The Red Raiders come into the game ninth in the Big 12 in scoring offense
(68.7) and eighth in scoring defense (67.5). The Sooners are seventh in scoring
offense (69.6) and tied for third with A&M in scoring defense (61.7). One
potential mismatch could come on the boards, where the Sooners rank second in
the league in rebounding margin (+10.9), whereas the Red Raiders check in at 10th
(-3.6). Oklahoma leads the
all-time series 23-15. Kelvin Sampson is 6-3 against Tech in Lubbock
and 14-8 overall.

St. Mary’s-San Diego

Sign On San Diego

Saint Mary’s has won three in a row and five of six, with
the most recent victory coming Saturday, 89-85, in a nonconference
match with Cal Poly. All-WCC forward Daniel Kickert sat out the Cal Poly game serving a one-game
suspension for fighting in the Gaels’ overtime victory at Santa
Clara
a week ago but will be back in the lineup
tonight. Forwards Brett Collins and Diamon Simpson
provide good support for Kickert. The Gaels are 4-6
on the road overall and 3-3 in WCC play. USD takes a 9-3 home record into its final appearance of
the season at the JCP. This also is the final home
game for USD fifth-year seniors Nick Lewis, who has
taken over the No. 4 position on the school’s career scoring list with 1,344
points, and Corey Belser.

Santa Clara-San Francisco

San Francisco Chronicle

It’s hard to tell which team has had a more difficult time
leading to tonight’s game between Santa Clara
and USF. The Broncos are coming off a taxing trip to Honolulu
where they lost to Hawaii 67-57
on Saturday. Now they must regroup, turn around and be ready for the 7 p.m. tip-off at Memorial Gym. And for the
Dons, it has been a case of waiting a week to play again because of a quirk in
the schedule, risking losing any momentum created by last Monday’s 87-71 win
over San Diego in one of their best
performances of the season. With only three regular-season games remaining,
tonight’s game has significant consequences for the West Coast Conference
tournament, which begins on the men’s side March 3 at Gonzaga under a format in
which teams finishing in the upper half of the standings receive early-round
byes (first- and second-place teams get byes in the first two rounds, and
third- and fourth-place teams get a first-round bye).

Santa Clara
(9-14, 2-9, WCC last place) will have to play in the
first round, but the Dons (10-14, 6-5, tied for third) are very much in the
hunt for a bye.

 


 

God’s Tid-Bets, Vol. 2

OMNI
Sportsbook

Omni Sportsbook offers
live odds and free game match-up reports
. They also give to new players
either a 20% bonus or a free sports pager. Customers of Omni in addition to the
sign up bonus, receive a 20% bonus for referrals and 20% of their losses back.

 

God’s Tid-Bets Vol. 2

Joe Duffy (OffshoreInsiders.com)

Here is our latest in a series: a Godgepodge of thoughts on sports gambling strategy.

North Carolina Demonstrates What We’ve Said

We so often talk about how gamblers use inductive thinking rather than deductive.  We are tired of hearing about handicapping guard play first and foremost.  North Carolina won the National Championship because of a dominating inside game.  Many teams have great guard play but few teams have a dominant paint presence. Vermont was this year’s small college darling because of Taylor Coppenrath the 6-foot-9 forward.

Sure you can win without dominant big men because there is not a plethora of such out there.  But the biggest disappointments every year also happen to be guard oriented teams.

From Bill Walton and Lou Alcindor to Danny Manning to Scott May and Larry Bird, dominant big men are the X-factor in college hoops.

Outlaw Lines

We often get questions about our outlaw line, which is a valuable handicapping tool.  We have a system that combines the Pinnacle, Olympic and Stardust opening lines, but is weighed based on which comes in first.
It is very important to draw the distinction between steam moves and the opening line when evaluating which casinos are sharpest.

Steam moves are now worthless out of Vegas because of low limits and limited sharp action.  However we still find the actual opening line from the Stardust very sharp.  So “live” lines from the Strip have no value, but the actual opening line does.  This is especially true in college basketball as the initial Vegas line is sharp.

Time Supersedes Number of Games

In both college basketball and the NBA, handicappers disproportionately reflect on recent games giving too little weight to overall performance to date.  It’s true to a lesser extent in football, but true nonetheless. College football and baseball is where we most amalgamate recent occurrence into winning.  Baseball it’s because over the endless season the peaks are valleys have a much longer shelf life, while our research and experience proves the most dramatic momentum swings and adjustments occur on the college gridiron. Depth is more of a factor and the surprises and disappointments are more pronounced.

That being said, when reasoning recent performance most of the public gambling sites go X-number of games back rather than what we’ve found to be the superior parameter, that being days back. For example going back five games in the NBA could be seven days for one team and perhaps 11 for the other.  Looking at a pitcher’s last three starts is not always comparing apples to apples if one guy is the No. 1 starter in a four man rotation and the other guy is the fifth guy in a rotation that often skips the fifth starter.  If for example because of injury one guy skipped a start or two, simply looking at the last three or five starts can be very deceptive.

In the NBA, we find recent performance is better defined by 10 days rather than five games. Baseball we go back seven days for teams and 30 days for pitchers.

Baseball stats

One of the articles that you the readers thanked us for the most as being extremely helpful was when we wrote about WHIP versus ERA in handicapping. WHIP (walks and hits per innings pitched) is too often ignored and balanced with ERA they each test the statistical reliability of the other.

Analogous is handicapping offense.  We have always said that baseball’s real Triple Crown would be on base percentage, slugging percentage and runs produced. When it comes to handicapping offense, there is no question that is handicapping’s Triple Crown.  Steve Mann a long-time baseball statistical guru always asserted that (on base percentage)* (slugging percentage) was the ultimate way to gauge offensive production.  We consider that Gospel from a handicapping standpoint.

Duffy’s plays are part of the Dream Team at OffshoreInsiders.com. He is perhaps the most published and respected author on sports gambling theory and has been featured as a regular guest as the handicapping expert on the Rick Ballou Show on Sporting News Radio, the Meat and Potatoes gambling show, Pro Fantasy Sports Internet radio and Grogan’s Fantasy Football show. His Wise Guy Plays available exclusively at OffshoreInsiders.com are widely respected as the biggest play in the handicapping abyss. We don’t have the marketing budget of Jim Feist or Wayne Root and his Winning Edge. We make up for it with hard work and winning.

 

Taylor Coppenrath

Discipline in Betting

Don’t Scream Fire in a Crowded Sportsbook

Joe Duffy (www.godspicks.com)

Frankly as I type this I’m in the middle of a slump.  However history tells me by the time I finish
scribing this article and it makes publication, we will be in the midst of a
windfall.  The key for a quality
handicapper is to stay the course. My occupation is my addiction. As a result
the only time I give myself off is the all-star break in baseball. Off betting
that is. We use that time to write articles. Every now and then Christmas Eve
will have no action, so I go to Midnight Mass. The point is (you were
wondering) when we gamble more than 360 days a year, there are peaks and
valleys. 

With two-plus decades of experience, we know our peaks
greatly outnumber the valleys and thus cannot and will not panic during our
fleeting slumps even though each losing day seems like a month to us.  We don’t decrease the size or number of bets
nor do we increase during our more prevalent winning streaks. Heck I’ve seen
that screaming dude from Philly on CNBC, Jim Cramer talk about the highs and
lows he’s had on Wall Street.  But he’s
considered the mogul of stocks. 
Discipline no doubt is a major reason.

As the ole saying goes “It’s not a sprint, it’s a marathon”.
No self-sustaining gambler lives and dies off of a few nights. Pressing one’s
luck, panicking, chasing, are among the deadly sins of gambling. 

One of the symptoms of a degenerate gambler is someone who
lives and dies by the game.  Not only is
there no such thing as a bailout game, but self-control ensures there should
ever be a need for one.

In the pre-Internet days I announced on the scorephones,
which at the time were the pre-eminent source for gambling information and also
where sports services salivated to advertise. 
Regrettably the owner of the company did sell advertising to the highest
bidder and inevitably every Monday Night Football promo for the 800 number scamdicappers involved the buzzword “bailout”.  They knew there were so many degenerate
gamblers in a state of panic from losing money in the two days previous and
were desperate to cancel it out on one game.

Lucky for the books and casinos, restraint is something
few gamblers have. 

Many money experts will advise smart investors to bet the
same amount each month   into their 401(k ).  It’s the same
principle in gambling. Don’t panic during losing streaks or press during
winning streaks. Stay the course.

 

We gamblers tend to be the most superstitious people in
the world.  It’s fine if it affects your
rooting and watching habits but should never cross the line of impinging your
handicapping.

Yes even we professionals have been there where every late
run seems to go against us.  I’ve sat in
front of the television waiting for the missed free throw by my team followed
by the meaningless wide open three-pointer by the bad guys at the buzzer for
the half-point cover.  When Lady Luck has
screwed us over the previous 72 hours, we see it coming again better than Nostradamus ever did.

While I won’t deny even those of us who make a living
picking winners are not immune from the snake bitten feeling of doom, we still
tow the line knowing with proper handicapping and willpower we win a lot more
than we lose.

Feeling bedeviled from a short-term string of last second
losses has had me chomping at the bit wanting to hedge a “so far, so good”
winning play on the half-time line. 
Rejection of the power of that nasty whore Lady Luck actually is easier
said than done for the short-sighted and sometimes even so for those who know
better.

Greed when placing bets can turn a 55 percent ATS winning
percentage into a “losing” record, quickly in fact.  Hysteria during stagnant periods can turn 45
percent into the bankroll equivalent 10 percent less. Often the biggest
difference between the wealthy and destitute gambler is not mere winning
percentage but the ability to use self-control during the downturns.

A lot of things go into making money gambling, with the
ability to pick winners far and away No. 1. Being a good line shopper increases
that. But more times than not, the degenerate gambler is not someone who always
loses, but somebody who can’t properly manage losing.

We honestly believe the exclusive daily and advanced news
and notes at the home page of www.godspicks.com
fills a huge void.  It’s always free and
is a necessary component for the do-it-yourself handicapper. The best premium
plays are also at Godspicks.com.

 

 

Sunday Godspicks

Sunday, February 18,
2006

 

We did go a game above .500 yesterday despite more late
snakebites.  Most importantly The Center
of the Handicapping Universe
Godspicks.com has two
Major plays for today
: UNC-Wake and Texas-OSU. Since Thanksgiving Day 2004, the demarcation point
from where our mastery of modern technology made the gap between us and the
rest of the industry insurmountable.

The ENTIRE card is just $17 at www.godspicks.com.  We now
take virtually every credit card, PayPal and eCheck.
  Click on the link at Godspicks.com for advanced news and notes, gaming
articles and more at the Joe Duffy Online blog.
 

CBB

USC +6’ UCLA

UCLA’s options at center are limited when starter Ryan Hollins is on the bench or has fouled out,
as was the case last week against Washington.

Freshman Ryan Wright is being brought along slowly, sophomore
Lorenzo Mata is still several weeks from attempting a comeback
from a broken leg, and senior Michael Fey is barely used by
Coach Ben Howland.

That leaves power forward Alfred Aboya,
a freshman still behind on the learning curve after missing the early part of
the season following arthroscopic surgery on his knees.
Now he’s being
asked to learn another position.

USC plays their final game ever in the Sports Arena and
would love nothing better than to close it out against a team that beat them by
20.  UCLA lacks depth, but USC does not
lack motivation.  We look for it to stay
close.

Sunday CBB News and Notes

Sunday, February 18,
2006

We did go a game above .500 yesterday despite more late
snakebites. Most importantly The Center
of the Handicapping Universe
Godspicks.com has two Major plays for today: UNC-Wake
and Texas-OSU. Since Thanksgiving Day 2004, the
demarcation point from where our mastery of modern technology made the gap
between us and the rest of the industry insurmountable.

The ENTIRE card is just $17 at www.godspicks.com. We now
take virtually every credit card, PayPal and eCheck.
Click on the link at Godspicks.com for advanced news and notes, gaming
articles and more at the Joe Duffy Online blog.

CBB

Here are news and
notes from Godspicks.com private clipboard.
They are compiled from hometown newspapers and the team’s own press
releases. Get advanced news and notes ready for opening lines at blog on our home page.

Georgetown-Villanova

Philadelphia Inquirer

Here is one thing Villanova and Georgetown
have in common: They both have beaten No. 1 teams. While the Hoyas shook up college basketball when they upset then-No.
1 Duke on Jan. 21, the No. 4 Wildcats are coming off a Monday takedown of
top-ranked Connecticut. The most
important thing for the Wildcats is to avoid a letdown. Wright said he was not
worried about that. His only worry is Georgetown.
Earlier this season, the Wildcats beat then-No. 9 Louisville,
and they were expected to rise in the polls to No. 2. That Sunday, however, the
Wildcats lost to West Virginia at
home and stayed put in the rankings. The Wildcats said they are not going to
let that happen now.

Texas-Oklahoma State

Press Notes

Oklahoma State
has failed in two attempts to win without coach Eddie
Sutton.

Things won’t get any easier Sunday when the Cowboys (13-12,
3-8 Big 12) host sixth-ranked Texas (22-3, 10-1) in their first game since
Sutton was charged with driving under the influence of alcohol after tests
showed his blood alcohol level was nearly three times the legal limit following
a car crash last week. Sutton, who is on a medical leave of absence, swerved
across four lanes of traffic, slammed into the back of another car, then
crashed into a tree last Friday.He missed the Cowboys’
46-44 loss at Texas A&M last Saturday, and Oklahoma State fell 64-49 to Kansas
on Monday after Sutton announced he was stepping aside for the rest of the
season earlier that day. The Cowboys have lost three straight and seven of
eight.

North Carolina-Wake
Forest

Herald Sun

This game could be tougher than many people think, for a
variety of reasons: The Demon Deacons (13-12, 1-10 ACC) are better than their
last-place standing indicates; They’ve beaten UNC in
six of the last seven meetings; They’re at home in Lawrence Joel Coliseum; The
team and its fans get up for UNC more than any other
opponent. UNC barely got past a swarm of Yellow
Jackets on Wednesday, rallying from a 20-point deficit to beat Georgia Tech
82-75 at the Smith Center.
Wake Forest
is a more experienced opponent, featuring the senior trio of Justin Gray (19.0
points per game) outside, Eric Williams (15.8 points, 8.8 rebounds) inside and
Trent Strickland (13.0 points, 6.9 re-bounds) in between. Oh, and one more
thing. After seven consecutive conference losses, it could be said that the
Demon Deacons are due for a big win. The Tar Heels, who usually practice in the
Smith Center,
worked out in their practice gym Friday afternoon as arena officials prepared
for country singer Keith Urban’s evening concert.
Williams said the change in venue was no distraction, adding that his team has
practiced in the smaller gym a few times this season for various reasons. Four of the last five meetings between UNC and Wake Forest have been decided by six points or fewer.

Massachusetts-St. Bonaventure

Press Notes

After one night of sleeping in their own
beds, the UMass basketball team is on the road again
headed to St. Bonaventure for a Sunday afternoon game at 2 p.m. The Minutemen returned to Amherst
on Thursday after a seven-day road trip on which they lost hotly-contested
games at Florida State
(73-63 on Feb. 12) and at No. 7/8 George Washington (69-66 on Feb. 15). With
the conclusion of Sunday’s road trip from upstate New
York
, UMass will have been
on the road for 18 of 27 days dating to Jan. 24 when the team left for Rhode
Island
. The Minutemen have had a tough road over the
last seven games, winning just once at home on Feb. 4 against Rhode
Island
(63-61). UMass
(10-12 overall, 5-6 A-10) nearly knocked off its third ranked team in the last
two seasons on Wednesday night at No. 7/8 George Washington, falling 69-66. The
Minutemen battled all night against the top 10 team but fell just short despite
a great effort. St. Bonaventure comes into the game with a 7-16 record and 1-11
in the league. This will be the 52nd meeting between UMass and St. Bonaventure, with the Minutemen holding a
34-17 lead in the all-time series. UMass beat St.
Bonaventure both times they played last season in Olean,
82-78 in double-overtime on Jan. 26,
2005
and at the Mullins Center 10 days later, 74-58.
The teams split the meetings in 2003-04 with each team winning on its
homecourt. UMass has won six of the last eight
meetings, but prior to that St. Bona won four games in a row. UMass has won the
last three meetings. The Minutemen stand 18-6 all-time against St. Bonaventure
in Amherst, including a 9-3 mark at
the Mullins Center,
but the Bonnies have won three of the last five games
at Mullins. For games played at the Reilly
Center
, UMass
holds a 13-11 advantage with three wins in the last four games including last season.

Indiana-Illinois

Press Notes

When Illinois
suffered a two-point loss Jan. 17 at Indiana,
it looked like the Hoosiers were going places.They were ranked No. 13 nationally going into the game. Look at
them now. The Hoosiers (13-9, 5-6 in Big Ten) have dropped out of the rankings,
have lost four straight and have seen coach Mike Davis
announce he is resigning at the end of the season because he doesn’t have the
fans’ support. The Illini snapped a two-game losing
streak Wednesday night with a 16-point victory over Northwestern.

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America’s Greatest is America’s Hottest AGAIN

Saturday, February
18, 2006

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CBB

 

FAIRLEIGH DICKINSON +3’ Wisconsin Green
Bay

 

The Massey Comparison Ratings, which include Sagarin and
arguably better though lesser known computer rankings among 15 that form a
consensus has Angie’s boys as the higher rated
team.  They are also the hotter squad.  Green Bay
packed it in during the second half of their last game and it has been
disheartening. Wisconsin GB is coming off a tough
63-57 home loss to
Butler Monday night. The Phoenix led by nine in the first half and held the Bulldogs to 25
percent shooting, including 1-of-14 from 3-point.

 

The Phoenix are not in a river of confidence.
This is the third consecutive season that
UW-Green
Bay
is competing in a game selected from the BracketBusters presented by eBay pool. The Phoenix is 0-2 in its previous two contests in the series, both
played at the
Resch Center. UWGB fell to Northern Iowa
82-75 Feb. 21, 2004 and dropped a 79-69 decision to
Illinois
State
Feb. 19, 2005.

 

However their opponents today are
confident from very recent and last year’s history. The Knights advanced to the
2005 NCAA Tournament, falling to top-seeded
Illinois 67-55 in the first round. The Dicks have won 10 straight as
they enter this game.

 

It’s  Fairleigh fairly easy .