Larry Ness
10* Elite 8 "GOY" - Duke
Baylor's basketball program was nearly destroyed by the scandal which occurred under Dave Bliss but less than decade later, Scott Drew has literally resurrected the program. The Bears crushed St Mary's in Friday's Sweet 16 contest, building a 29-point halftime on the way to a lead 72-49 rout. Dunn scored 23 points to set a Baylor single-season points record with 682. St Mary's Omar Samhan, who entered averaging 30.5 PPG in his first two games, was held to 15 points and nine rebounds. Duke advanced Friday by beating short-handed Purdue , as without Hummel, Johnson and Moore scored 41 points but the rest of Purdue's team scored just 16 points while making a pathetic 3-of-21 FG attempts. Scheyer (18.1-3.5-4.8) has led Duke in scoring this year but broke out his tourney slump by making 5-of-9 FGs in the second half and 7-of-8 FTs for the game (18 points). He teams with Smith (17.1-2.8-2.9) to give the Dookies a terrific backcourt. The 6-8 Singler (17.9-7.) has averaged 21.0-7.7 in three tourney games plus the 7-1 Zoubek (5.5-7.6) has contributed 27 rebounds vs Cal and Purdue. Both teams have excellent size, as Baylor's frontcourt consists of the 6-10 Udoh (13.8-9.7), the 7-0 Lomers (6.3-4.8) and the 6-10 Jones (6.3-4.8). Joining Zoubek and Singler are the 6-10 Plumlee brothers and the underachieving 6-8 Thomas (4.8-4.8). The 6-7 Acy (9.2-5.1) has given Baylor a nice boost off the bench all season and that's continued in the NCAA tourney. Kudos to Baylor and the Bears, who do get a slight bonus for playing this game in Houston, but let's remember that the Bears have yet to face a team from a major conference in this tourney. They've beaten Sam Houston St, Old Dominion and St Mary's. Those three schools own a total of just 18 all-time NCAA appearances with an overall record of 6-18 (.250). In comparison, Coach K is in his 30th year at Duke and after failing to qualify for the Big Dance in his first three years in Durham, he’s gone to 26 NCAA tourneys the last 27 years (15 straight from 1996-2010, the second-longest active streak). He owns three national championships and has been to 10 Final 4s (third-most all-time). He's made 19 Sweet 16 appearances and this is his 12th Elite 8 (first since 2004). His record in the NCAA tourney is an astounding 74-22 (.771) and it can't go without mention that his Duke teams are 10-1 in Regional Finals. Dunn and Carter won't back down from Scheyer and Smith plus Baylor has the size up front to pound with Duke. However, while this is just a "typical" game for Coach K and his team, it's rarefied air for the Baylor program. Duke's D has held three tourney opponents to 51.3 PPG and 36.1 percent from the floor, including 11-of-46 (23.9) on threes. Expect the Blue Devils to control the pace of the game and extend the margin from the free-throw line at the end in a double-digit win.
10* Elite 8 "GOY" - Duke
Baylor's basketball program was nearly destroyed by the scandal which occurred under Dave Bliss but less than decade later, Scott Drew has literally resurrected the program. The Bears crushed St Mary's in Friday's Sweet 16 contest, building a 29-point halftime on the way to a lead 72-49 rout. Dunn scored 23 points to set a Baylor single-season points record with 682. St Mary's Omar Samhan, who entered averaging 30.5 PPG in his first two games, was held to 15 points and nine rebounds. Duke advanced Friday by beating short-handed Purdue , as without Hummel, Johnson and Moore scored 41 points but the rest of Purdue's team scored just 16 points while making a pathetic 3-of-21 FG attempts. Scheyer (18.1-3.5-4.8) has led Duke in scoring this year but broke out his tourney slump by making 5-of-9 FGs in the second half and 7-of-8 FTs for the game (18 points). He teams with Smith (17.1-2.8-2.9) to give the Dookies a terrific backcourt. The 6-8 Singler (17.9-7.) has averaged 21.0-7.7 in three tourney games plus the 7-1 Zoubek (5.5-7.6) has contributed 27 rebounds vs Cal and Purdue. Both teams have excellent size, as Baylor's frontcourt consists of the 6-10 Udoh (13.8-9.7), the 7-0 Lomers (6.3-4.8) and the 6-10 Jones (6.3-4.8). Joining Zoubek and Singler are the 6-10 Plumlee brothers and the underachieving 6-8 Thomas (4.8-4.8). The 6-7 Acy (9.2-5.1) has given Baylor a nice boost off the bench all season and that's continued in the NCAA tourney. Kudos to Baylor and the Bears, who do get a slight bonus for playing this game in Houston, but let's remember that the Bears have yet to face a team from a major conference in this tourney. They've beaten Sam Houston St, Old Dominion and St Mary's. Those three schools own a total of just 18 all-time NCAA appearances with an overall record of 6-18 (.250). In comparison, Coach K is in his 30th year at Duke and after failing to qualify for the Big Dance in his first three years in Durham, he’s gone to 26 NCAA tourneys the last 27 years (15 straight from 1996-2010, the second-longest active streak). He owns three national championships and has been to 10 Final 4s (third-most all-time). He's made 19 Sweet 16 appearances and this is his 12th Elite 8 (first since 2004). His record in the NCAA tourney is an astounding 74-22 (.771) and it can't go without mention that his Duke teams are 10-1 in Regional Finals. Dunn and Carter won't back down from Scheyer and Smith plus Baylor has the size up front to pound with Duke. However, while this is just a "typical" game for Coach K and his team, it's rarefied air for the Baylor program. Duke's D has held three tourney opponents to 51.3 PPG and 36.1 percent from the floor, including 11-of-46 (23.9) on threes. Expect the Blue Devils to control the pace of the game and extend the margin from the free-throw line at the end in a double-digit win.
SPORTS WAGERS
ORLANDO –5½ over Denver
Playing East vs West and laying points is usually not a good idea but you can confidently make an exception here. The Nuggets are not playing well and they’re also coming off a rather celebratory win in Toronto. Melo hit a true buzzer-beater with no time on the clock to rip the hearts out of the Raps. It was the Nuggets first win in four games after losing to Milwaukee, New York and getting crushed by the Celtics. So, while everybody has been ripping apart the Raps, the Nuggets pulled a rabbit out of their hats to win by a single point. While every team has been scoring at will against the Raps, the Nuggets hung a 97 on them, barely. These Nuggets without K-Mart have looked not only average but lackluster as well. Now they’ll head to Orlando, not having beaten a quality team for three weeks, to play its fourth straight on the road. The Magic owns a 29-7 home record and over the years they’ve dominated the Nuggets in Orlando. Also, the Nuggets destroyed the Magic in Denver by 18 back in early January and there’s no way the Magic have forgotten about it. Orlando is loaded with three-point shooters and a great defense and with the way Denver is playing and with its lack of depth off the bench, they could be in for a very long afternoon. Play: Orlando –5½ (Risking 2.2 units to win 2).
Chicago +1.10 over DETROIT
The Pistons are favored here because the Bulls will play its third game in four days and the tail end of back-to-backs after crushing the Nets last night. The good news is they had a 16-point lead at the half and a 26-point lead after three and thus, they were able to rest some people. The Bulls are also aware that they’re 1½ games back of the Raps for the eighth and final playoff spot and the Raps are in Miami today. In other words, this very winnable game is crucial and a loss to the unmotivated Pistons would be devastating. Detroit was a 2-point dog in New Jersey on Friday and lost. It’s humiliating to not only be a pooch to that team but losing as a dog is even more humiliating and it really gives us a sense of the Pistons current state of mind. These two have met three times this season with the Bulls winning each time and the margin of victory went from 7 to 11 to 33. For the Pistons each loss was worse than the last and aside from being the inferior team they’re at a big psychological disadvantage as well. The Pistons have dropped seven in a row and that includes a 15-point loss at home to Indiana, a 25-point loss at Cleveland, a 26-point loss at Boston and the aforementioned eight-point loss in New Jersey. The Pistons have tossed in the proverbial towel and as a result, this one should be no different than its last seven. Play: Chicago +1.10 (Risking 2 units).
ORLANDO –5½ over Denver
Playing East vs West and laying points is usually not a good idea but you can confidently make an exception here. The Nuggets are not playing well and they’re also coming off a rather celebratory win in Toronto. Melo hit a true buzzer-beater with no time on the clock to rip the hearts out of the Raps. It was the Nuggets first win in four games after losing to Milwaukee, New York and getting crushed by the Celtics. So, while everybody has been ripping apart the Raps, the Nuggets pulled a rabbit out of their hats to win by a single point. While every team has been scoring at will against the Raps, the Nuggets hung a 97 on them, barely. These Nuggets without K-Mart have looked not only average but lackluster as well. Now they’ll head to Orlando, not having beaten a quality team for three weeks, to play its fourth straight on the road. The Magic owns a 29-7 home record and over the years they’ve dominated the Nuggets in Orlando. Also, the Nuggets destroyed the Magic in Denver by 18 back in early January and there’s no way the Magic have forgotten about it. Orlando is loaded with three-point shooters and a great defense and with the way Denver is playing and with its lack of depth off the bench, they could be in for a very long afternoon. Play: Orlando –5½ (Risking 2.2 units to win 2).
Chicago +1.10 over DETROIT
The Pistons are favored here because the Bulls will play its third game in four days and the tail end of back-to-backs after crushing the Nets last night. The good news is they had a 16-point lead at the half and a 26-point lead after three and thus, they were able to rest some people. The Bulls are also aware that they’re 1½ games back of the Raps for the eighth and final playoff spot and the Raps are in Miami today. In other words, this very winnable game is crucial and a loss to the unmotivated Pistons would be devastating. Detroit was a 2-point dog in New Jersey on Friday and lost. It’s humiliating to not only be a pooch to that team but losing as a dog is even more humiliating and it really gives us a sense of the Pistons current state of mind. These two have met three times this season with the Bulls winning each time and the margin of victory went from 7 to 11 to 33. For the Pistons each loss was worse than the last and aside from being the inferior team they’re at a big psychological disadvantage as well. The Pistons have dropped seven in a row and that includes a 15-point loss at home to Indiana, a 25-point loss at Cleveland, a 26-point loss at Boston and the aforementioned eight-point loss in New Jersey. The Pistons have tossed in the proverbial towel and as a result, this one should be no different than its last seven. Play: Chicago +1.10 (Risking 2 units).
Nick Parsons COMP
Pittsburgh
REASON FOR PICK: Both teams are playing the second game of a back-to-back; for a number of different reasons I expect the Penguins to smoke the Leafs today:
No doubt about it, Toronto has been playing much better of late; its won nine of its last twelve. It's coming off a hard fought come from behind 3-2 victory over the Rangers.
Jonas Gustavson has been a major reason for Toronto's turn around, however J. S. Giguere is scheduled in net today.
On the other side of the rink: The Pens stopped a three-game slide yesterday with a dominating 4-1 victory over the Flyers which was the first game of a six-game home stand.
With that victory, Pittsburgh moves into a tie for first in the Atlantic with New Jersey; however the Pens have one fewer victory and are currently in fourth in the Eastern Conference; it goes without saying that every point from here on out down the stretch is crucial for this club.
Captain Sidney Crosby will be looking to break out of a seven-game goal-scoring drought.
Bottom line: Pittsburgh lost to Toronto at home back on the 9th of January, 4-1, so will also be looking to avenge that embarrassing effort.
But, more than anything, Pittsburgh needs wins to end the season. It needs to enter the playoffs on a high if it expects to defend its title.
A dominating performance in front of the home town crowd against a team that played less than 24 hours previous is a good way to start that process; I'll lay the 1 1/2 here for the + $.
Pittsburgh
REASON FOR PICK: Both teams are playing the second game of a back-to-back; for a number of different reasons I expect the Penguins to smoke the Leafs today:
No doubt about it, Toronto has been playing much better of late; its won nine of its last twelve. It's coming off a hard fought come from behind 3-2 victory over the Rangers.
Jonas Gustavson has been a major reason for Toronto's turn around, however J. S. Giguere is scheduled in net today.
On the other side of the rink: The Pens stopped a three-game slide yesterday with a dominating 4-1 victory over the Flyers which was the first game of a six-game home stand.
With that victory, Pittsburgh moves into a tie for first in the Atlantic with New Jersey; however the Pens have one fewer victory and are currently in fourth in the Eastern Conference; it goes without saying that every point from here on out down the stretch is crucial for this club.
Captain Sidney Crosby will be looking to break out of a seven-game goal-scoring drought.
Bottom line: Pittsburgh lost to Toronto at home back on the 9th of January, 4-1, so will also be looking to avenge that embarrassing effort.
But, more than anything, Pittsburgh needs wins to end the season. It needs to enter the playoffs on a high if it expects to defend its title.
A dominating performance in front of the home town crowd against a team that played less than 24 hours previous is a good way to start that process; I'll lay the 1 1/2 here for the + $.
