JOE WIZ
Wednesday... In The NBA play Over 203 Detroit and Cleveland
BRAD WILTON
Take the Spurs tonight as your comp play.
San Antonio's win streak is at 14 in a row, and they are also 17-1 straight up their last 18 games. How are they doing against the spread during this run? How about 8 in a row covered, and 10 of their last 11 also cashed against the spread.
Denver has dropped their last 3 on the road, and have failed the spread in 2 of those 3. The Nuggets do own a positive 8-2 spread mark their last 10 visits to San Antone, but this is simply the wrong time to be catching San Antonio.
Right now the Spurs are a snowball rolling down the hill out of control.
Take San Antonio.
4* SAN ANTONIO
CRAIG DAVIS
I should have been smarter Monday than to release the Pacers vs. the Bulls as a 20-dime mistake. They weren't worried about the Bulls... they know they can beat them. This season is about getting back to the playoffs and taking care of the Miami Heat -- the team that knocked them out of the playoffs last year.
Granted, I fully expect Miami to be up for this game as much as Indiana... but I know how much this means to the Pacers and it was evident by the way they played against the Bulls Monday night.
But tonight, it's a preview of what we all expect to be the Eastern Conference Finals... unless Chicago or Brooklyn or Toronto messes things up.
So why would these teams go all out tonight if their goal is to beat the other one when it really counts? Well, it's pretty simple... neither team wants to be playing only three of seven games at home, as Indiana learned last year.
The home team has won six straight and eight of the last 10 when these two have hooked up, and so far this year the home team has held serve winning the only two games they've faced off this season. Indiana, however, has covered both games and I expect them to do the same tonight.
Take Indiana as your Bonus Play of the day.
4* INDIANA
JEFF BENTON
Your Wednesday freebie is the Florida State Seminoles as the small home favorite over the Louisiana Tech Bulldogs.
Pretty cheap price if you ask me, as Florida State appears to have found their "complete" game after Monday's destruction of the Georgetown Hoyas.
La-Tech is looking for their 30th win of the season, but do not expect lightning to strike twice in Tallahassee.
Remember last March in this very NIT tournament, Louisiana Tech went into Tallahassee as the +8 point underdog and eliminated Florida State with the 71-66 upset win on March 19th, 2013.
Payback time tonight, and the price also happens to be a lot cheaper than it was last March.
Go with State over Tech, as the ACC sends their second team (Clemson last night) to New York City for a Tuesday semifinal.
3* FLORIDA STATE
SCOTT DELANEY
My Bonus Play for Wednesday is going to be on the Over in the Yale-Columbia game, as the two Ivy League rivals get together for a post-season clash in New York.
Now I know these two like to play a slower-paced game, and I know it's a lot to ask of these two to hit 130, but I'm feeling a high-scoring game here, strictly base on familiarity, and the fact nobody wants to lose this third game.
The home team won the first two meetings - during the regular season - and has done so in five straight meetings. Three of those five games have gone over, so it's not as if these two don't know how to score.
As we've crept toward the end of the season, we have see some offense from both these teams, and that's what leads me to believe they'll abandon their defensive mindsets at several times in this game and get out on enough runs to help this one over.
Yale has gone over in three of its last four, while Columbia has run high in two of its last three.
These two scored 128 in the first meeting, and though the Lions blew out Yale in the second game, make note Bulldogs guard Javier Duren missed the game with a sprained ankle. All healthy, and a lot on the line, I like this one to go high.
2* OVER Yale/Columbia
CHRIS JORDAN
So I just gave you Fresno State as a premium winner over Princeton the other night, but tonight my complimentary winner is on Old Dominion plus the points in Fresno, as I think you're asking a bit much from the Bulldogs against a much better Monarchs team.
On the heels of an 82-59 blowout win over Radford two nights back, I'm not going to worry about the Monarchs' starters being tired, knowing they got rest in the second half against the Highlanders.
I know Fresno State well, and as much as I like to back a hometown conference - the Bulldogs and UNLV both hail from the Mountain West - I remember the Dawgs who were 8-13 on Jan. 25 after suffering their second consecutive overtime loss.
Sure, Fresno State won eight of its last 10 regular-season games, but when they were supposed to beat up on Air Force in the first round, the Bulldogs scraped by with a two-point win. In the semifinals, New Mexico tamed the Dawgs in a 93-77 blowout.
In comes Old Dominion, which has won four of its last five games and can be very dangerous if overlooked. Just like the Dawgs turning their season around, the Monarchs looked past their 2-12 start to the campaign and have now won 16 of 21 to get this far.
To think the Monarchs would just lay down at this point is ludicrous. Take the big number.
4* OLD DOMINION
GABRIEL DUPONT
My Bonus Play for today is going to be a college basketball game for tonight - an advanced comp play - as I have no interest in either game tonight. Instead, I am going to play the Siena Saints minus the points against the Illinois State Redbirds in the CBI semifinals.
Why Siena is the right play in this game - Siena proved two nights ago it wasn't going to back down from anyone - including a big, bad Big 10 foe like Penn State. That game was here, and this one is here. The Saints are enjoying homecourt and will be well-rested to keep the momentum going.
Why Illinois State will struggle in Albany - Illinois State has won two straight in this event, I know this. But home wins over Morehead State and Texas A&M aren't doing much to impress me when I know this team was 3-10 in true road games this season. Prior to that the Rebirds had lost two straight - in the regular season finale and in the postseason tournament. Both were away from home.
Basically, why the Saints are my SMART Bonus Play in this game - Siena is still pissed about losing to Canisius in the MAAC Tournament, as it was confident it could've competed in the semis and finals. Nonetheless, the Saints have won two straight in this event - both at home - beating Stony Brook by 11 and Penn State, 54-52, Monday night.
The momentum is flowing perfectly right now, and the Saints would love nothing more than to be the one MAAC team still standing by next week. A win here puts them in the best two-of-three finals against the winner of the Fresno St./Old Dominion semifinal. Lay the cheap number here, as Siena wins.
4* SIENA
SEAN MURPHY
Minnesota-149
The Wild have been struggling, while the Canucks have actually shown signs of turning things around. With that being said, I still believe the Wild are the superior team, and they'll prove that on the ice on Wednesday night.
Note that Minnesota has owned this series lately, taking each of the last four meetings. While they're coming off back-to-back losses here at home, they're still 23-8-5 at the Xcel Energy Center this season.
On the flip side, the Canucks are just 15-19-4 on the road. They've won back-to-back games heading into this one, but both of those victories came on home ice, against non-playoff contending teams in the Predators and Sabres.
Minnesota has to realize the importance of this game, as it currently sits in seventh spot in the Western Conference, owning one of the two Wild Card spots, but has an extremely difficult four-game road trip on deck, including stops in St. Louis, Phoenix, Los Angeles, and Chicago.
We're being asked to lay a reasonable price with one of the best home teams in the league given the spot tonight. The Canucks have been playing better, but they're still banged up, and have won only twice in their last 11 road tilts.
MARC LAWRENCE
Play On: Denver Nuggets.
When the Nuggets take on the soaring Spurs in San Antonio Wednesday evening, Denver will take the floor with revenge off 21-point loss knowing they are 6-0 ATS as DD dogs off a DD loss in this series.
On the flip side, the Spurs enter off a 22-point win sporting a gaudy 1-13 ATS mark at home in conference games in which both teams are each laying with one day of rest exact. Grab the points in this overlay. We recommend a 1-unit play on Denver.
RAY MONOHAN
Columbia Lions -5
For the CBIT teams get to host and Columbia invites an opponent they are very familiar with to the Lions Den in Yale. The two split their season series with each winning and covering at home.
This is a rare opportunity to stick to a rival in the postseason for Ivy teams so there should be some good energy in the building.
Columbia has won 21 games this season and have been more impressive getting to this point. Good Luck, Razor Ray.
