Sports Tracking

7 NCAAB Selections

2006-02-18T11:09:00.000-05:00

==============================================
Record : 1-2
Streak : L2 (last 2 picks: Akron +7, AZ +3)
Last 10: 1-2
==============================================

My pick last night was dominated. Sorry about that, Akron never really had a shot. First, I was listening to the Leroy's hour last night and a couple other shows. I have already made my wagers for today and will share them below. However, if anyone is interested here were Alan Boston and Brent Crow's picks (BB=best bet):

Alan Boston
Ala+2
Depaul +5
Dayton +5
Colorado St -1.5
Utah State -9
BB: Washington State +5.5

Brent Crow
Ala +2
Florida +1.5
Miss St
Georgia -1.5
Samford +6.5
BB:Minnesota +2
==============================================================
For my own selection today, I am going to post 6 as well on this huge Saturday card. I will even designate a best bet for fun. There will be no long write-up, just my reaction to the lines and matchups, but feel free to discuss the games:

1. Florida +1 (best bet)
2. Colorado +1
3. UCONN -4 (bought a half point on this line)
4. BYU +1
5. Virginia +7
6. Kentucky +4
7. Iowa pk

When correcting my record and streak for tomorrow, I will use the order that the picks are in for my streak.

A couple notes: I like a lot of games today... Some that made my short list were Tennesse -1 , Iowa State +10, Michigan +9.5, UNLV +3, Notre Dame +2, Georgia -2, Northern Arizona +10, and Buffalo +8.

goodluck with your decisions this Saturday

The Game: Akron Zips @ Nevada Wolfpack

2006-02-17T01:18:00.000-05:00

==============================================
Record : 1-1
Streak : L1 (last 2 picks: AZ +3, FL -2)
Last 10: 1-1
==============================================
Today's Play: Akron Zips (19-5, 12-2(Home: 7-0, Away: 5-2)) +7 @ Nevada Wolfpack (19-5, 9-3)

Notes on Akron
• Akron is looking for its first 20-win season since 1988-89 (21-8).

• Akron is tied for the lead in the MAC East Division with Kent State.

• Akron is receiving votes in both of this week’s national polls. The Zips had eight votes in The Associated Press Top 25 and one tally in the USA Today/ESPN Coaches Top 25. UA is also ranked 12th in the CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major Top 25, in which coaches vote.

• The Zips are 8-5 in games played outside of Akron this season (6-4 road/2-1 neutral). UA’s four road losses came against Cal (Dec. 3), top-25 ranked Louisville (Dec. 10), Ohio (Jan. 24) and Kent State (Feb. 4). The team’s neutral loss came to Clemson (Dec. 21) in the title game of the San Juan Shootout in Puerto Rico.

• Center Rob Preston was named MAC East Division player of the week on Monday. He averaged 15 points and 4.5 rebounds in last week’s two wins.

• Akron’s 19-5 record is its best start in the Division I era (1980-81). This will be the Zips’ second-consecutive winning season and 11th in DI history.

• UA leads the MAC in five categories – scoring (74.3 ppg), scoring margin (+10.1), assists (16.5), assist-turnover ratio (1.3) and 3-pointers made (8.1 per game).

• The Zips rank among the national leaders in assists (16.5) and fewest turnovers (12.4) per game, however, the squad has had more turnovers than assists in the last three games.

• UA’s 3-pointers made per game (8.1) also rank high nationally. The Zips have hit eight or more treys in a game 14 times this season.

• Guard Dru Joyce accounts for 116 (4.8 apg) of Akron’s 396 assists, and 62 of its 297 turnovers. He is second in the MAC in assists and first in assistturnover ratio (1.9), and his 10.4 ppg rank third on the team. His 311 career assists list him fifth all-time in program history, but he had no assists for the first time in 59 games against Bowling Green on Tuesday.

• Forward Romeo Travis leads UA and ranks in the top 10 in the league in scoring (13.8 ppg/10th in MAC), rebounding (6.4 rpg/eighth in MAC) and field goals (51 percent/10th in MAC). He tallied his ninth career double-double (11 points, 12 rebounds) on Tuesday against Bowling Green

• UA uses a 10-man rotation, with eight of those averaging at least 13 minutes.
• Over the last three games Akron’s bench has outscored its opponents 104-59.

• The Zips have shot 50 percent or better from the field in two of their last three games, bucking the trend on Tuesday against Bowling Green (41.1 percent/23-of-56).

• Akron has out-rebounded three-straight and four of its last six opponents.

• UAhas not lost consecutive games this season.
• Akron swept play against MAC West Division teams this season, going 8-0 against those foes.

Leaders of the Zips
The Zips are led by junior forward Romeo Travis (6-7, 220) who is averaging 13.9 points and 6.1 rebounds per contest. Sophomore guard Nick Dials (6-1,175), a transfer from Ohio State, has turned in 10.8 points per game, while junior guard Dru Joyce (6-0, 165) is averaging 10.4 ppg. Joyce has knocked down 46.2 percent of his three-point attempts (43-93), while Dials has made
a team-best 46 treys and is shooting 38.3 percent from beyond the arc. As a team, Akron ranks in the top 50 in the nation in both three-point field goal percentage (37.1 percent) and threepointers per game (8.1).

On The Line Vs. Nevada...
• An Akron victory would give it 20 wins in a season for the first time since 1988-89 (21-8).
• An Akron victory would extending its best-ever start in the Division I era.
• An Akron victory would be its fourth-straight, and seventh in eight games.

For full-game by game, player by player, in depth game-notes, I have provided this PDF file. (33 pages)

Nevada Wolfpack Notes
Following a 50-49 come-from-behind victory over Louisiana Tech on Monday night, the Nevada Wolf Pack (19-5, 9-3 WAC) takes a break from conference action to play host to Mid-American Conference East Division leader Akron (19-5, 12-2 MAC) on Friday night in the BracketBusters presented by eBay. Friday’s contest, which ends Nevada’s three-game homestand, will tip off at 6:04 p.m. Pacific at Lawlor Events Center and will be broadcast to a national television audience by ESPNU. With Monday night’s victory over La Tech, the Wolf Pack has moved into sole possession of first place in the Western Athletic Conference standings with two weeks to go in the regular season.

Nevada has won six consecutive games, which ties for the team’s longest winning streak of the year, and is currently the longest active streak in the WAC. Nevada holds an 11-1 record at Lawlor Events Center this year and looks to win its fourth straight home game Friday against the Zips.

IN THE SERIES
Friday will mark the first meeting between Nevada and Akron, while the Wolf Pack holds a 2-1 all-time record against teams from the Mid-American Conference. The team’s last meetings with a MAC team came in the BracketBusters event as well. Nevada turned in a 60-58 win over Toledo
on Feb. 21, 2004 in Reno but dropped the return game with an 83-75 loss on Dec. 7, 2004 in Toledo.

NEVADA IN BRACKETBUSTERS
This year will mark Nevada's third appearance in the BracketBusters presented by event, which was created in 2003 in conjunction with the Western Athletic Conference, and several other top college basketball conferences to match potential NCAA tournament hopefuls against each other. Last season, the Wolf Pack turned in a 74-64 victory over on Feb. 19, 2005 in Reno, while in 2004, Nevada edged Toledo 60-58 on Feb. 21 in Reno. As part of the BracketBusters agreement, Nevada will play at Akron in 2006-07.

NOTES FROM NEVADA’S CURRENT SIX-GAME WINNING STREAK
The Wolf Pack has won six consecutive games, which matches the team’s longest winning streak of the year... the Wolf Pack also opened this season with six straight victories... that seasonopening six-game streak included four road wins (at Vermont, UNLV, Kansas and Pacific), while Nevada’s current streak features three (at Boise State, Louisiana Tech and New Mexico State)...another victory would give the team its longest streak since winning 10 straight at the
end of the regular season last year (nine straight WAC games and a BracketBuster matchup with Vermont)...five players have averaged at least eight points per game in the last six victories (Fazekas-23.2 ppg, Kemp 14.2, Shiloh 9.8, Johnson 8.7 and Charlo 8.2)... Nevada is averaging 74.2 points per game in those five wins (up from season average of 71.7 ppg) and has turned in
three of its top five scoring efforts of the season, including a season-high 90 points in its Feb. 4 win at New Mexico State...the Wolf Pack has shot 46.5 percent from the field and has outrebounding its opponents by 5.0 rebounds per tilt in the six-game stretch (35.8 to 30.8 rpg)...Nevada has also held teams to 63.3 points per game and just 28.9 percent shooting from beyond the arc (26-90) during the win streak.

NEVADA’S 20-WIN SEASONS
With the team’s next victory, Nevada will notch its third consecutive 20-win season and the eighth in school history. Last season, the Wolf Pack turned in back-to-back 20-win seasons for the first time in school history. One year ago, the Wolf Pack won its 20th game of the season on Feb. 19 vs. Vermont in ESPN’s Bracket Buster Saturday. Last season, Mark Fox became the first Wolf Pack head coach to win 20+ games in his first year at Nevada and the seventh different Nevada mentor to reach the 20-win plateau.

Tough Defense
In its last 11 home games, Nevada has allowed its opponents to score just 55.5 points per contest (611 points). On Jan. 23, Nevada held Utah State (then the league’s leading scorer) to the Aggies’ season low-tying 59 points. The loss snapped the Wolf Pack’s streak of 33 straight victories when holding its opponent to 60 points or less, including 17 wins last season and the
first five this year. Including its two wins over La Tech, Nevada has now won 36 of its last 37 games when holding a team to 60 points or less.

The Wolf Pack holds a 15-2 record when outrebounding its opponents this season. The team outboarded WAC rebounding leader Louisiana Tech in both meetings, including a 45-37 advantage over La Tech on Thursday night and a 40-39 edge in Ruston on Feb. 2. The Bulldogs continue to lead the league with 40.3 rebounds per game and are allowing opponents just 34.0 boards per contest.

Last Important thing about NEVADA
Including an 11-1 mark this season, the Wolf Pack has turned in a 39-5 record at home since the start of the 2003-04 season (.886). Nevada was a perfect 15-0 at Lawlor Events Center in 2003-04 and turned in a 13-4 record at home last season. The Wolf Pack has won 72.7 percent of its games at Lawlor Events Center since the arena opened in 1983-84 (242-91 all-time record).

BUT.......
?? Nevada has turned in an 11-4 record in games decided by 10 points or less this season (3-1 in games decided by five or less), most recently defeating Louisiana Tech 50-49 on Monday night. The Wolf Pack has won eight of its last 11 close contests. The Wolf Pack is no stranger to close games, winning 14 of 18 decided by 10 points or less last year.

SO TO WRAP IT UP...
AKRON is a team that passes the ball great (16.5 assists to 12 turnovers a game) which just might be the potion for Nevada's defense. The Zips rebound the ball very well also and have a deep bench. Akron will be much tougher competition than LA TECH and Nevada has been squeaking by LA TECH 50-49 (trailing 36-27 @ half) . If they come out flat against the Zips, Nevada will have a much tougher time catching up. The depth of the bench will most likely help the Zips in this contest, especially taking the altitude into account. I like Akron's chances at winning this game straight up and I especially like taking 3 and a half baskets. Zips +7 in this game.

Goodluck with your decision

Akron #54:

Wins
#249 Youngstown, #306 Duquesne, #256 Mt St Marys, #115 Mississipp, #152 Wright St, #184 Ball St, #141 Toledo, #159 Western Mich (twice), #125 Northern Ill, #294 Central Mich, #267 Eastern Mich (twice), W 52-45 vs. #83 Miami Ohio, vs. #202 Bowling Green, vs. #120 Buffalo

Losses
12/3/2005 Away L 75-89 vs. #47 California
12/10/2005 Away L 85-111 vs. #46 Louisville
12/21/2005 Neut L 59-66 vs. #73 Clemson
These games are all losses to top 100 teams BUT something to strongly consider is that they were very early in the year (just about 2 months ago for those games)I think the losses below are more to how the team has been playing since developing some character.

1/24/2006 Away L 63-66 vs. #107 Ohio
2/4/2006 Away L 57-63 vs. #74 Kent

In my estimations Kent is a consistently strong team this year and that was a 6pt loss on the road. Ohio was a 3 point loss

Nevada #45:

Wins:
#170 Sacramento, #243 Vermont, #97 Unlv , #25 Kansas , #103 Pacific, #271 UC Davis, #65 Georgia , #291 Norfolk St, #186 Ul Lafayette, #241 San Jose St, #297 Idaho, #151 Boise St, #100 Hawaii, 65-53 vs. #106 Louisiana (twice), #142 New Mexico

**Note: Those very nice wins against UNLV, KANSAS, PACIFIC, GEORGIA.. all fell between 11/26/05 and 12/21/05... So that some quality wins but were some time ago (over a month).

Losses:
12/10/2005 Neut L 56-67 vs. #23 UCLA
12/31/2005 Away L 80-89 vs. #127 St Marys CA

1/5/2006 Away L 69-73 vs. #100 Hawaii
1/18/2006 Away L 77-87 vs. #132 Fresno St
1/23/2006 Home L 53-59 vs. #75 Utah St

Losses against top 150 schools

NBA Survivor The Game: Houston Rockets @ Phoenix Suns

2006-02-16T17:46:00.000-05:00

==============================================
What: One pick a day with write-up (per NCAA & NBA)
When: Before game time. Usually before 6 PM EST

Record : 0-0
Streak : W0
Last 10: 0-0
==============================================
Today's Pick: Houston Rockets (22-30) @ Phoenix Suns (34-17), -4.5, 10 p.m.

Information from: FoxSheets, Covers Matchups, SportsNetwork, NBA.com, team websites.

(Sports Network) - The Houston Rockets and Phoenix Suns put their three-game winning streaks on the line tonight, as they meet at US Airways Center.

This is the final game for both teams before the All-Star break.

Houston wraps up a brief two-game road trip. On Tuesday, Tracy McGrady poured in 28 points and dished off five assists to lead the Rockets over the Los Angeles Clippers, 128-97, at the Staples Center.

Yao Ming added 17 points and 12 rebounds in the win over the Clippers for the surging Rockets, who have won seven of their last eight games overall. Rafer Alston finished with 17 points and 13 assists, while Keith Bogans contributed 18 points and David Wesley netted 16 in the victory.

McGrady and Yao will be in the starting lineup for the Western Conference in Sunday's All-Star Game, which will be played at the Toyota Center.

The Rockets are 14-14 as the visitor this season. They have won three in a row on the road.

Phoenix plays the first of a three-game homestand. Steve Nash tallied 19 points, pulled down six rebounds and dished off 12 assists to lead the Suns to an easy 116-101 win over the Denver Nuggets on Wednesday at the Pepsi Center.

Shawn Marion added 21 points and 12 boards in the win over Denver for the Suns, who have won six of their last seven games overall. Raja Bell chipped in with 20 and five assists, while Boris Diaw had 17 points and 10 boards in the victory. Marion will be a reserve for the West in the All-Star Game, while Nash will be in the starting lineup.

This is the second meeting of the season between the squads. On November 23rd, Marion led six Phoenix players in double figure scoring with 19 points and also pulled down 12 rebounds, as the Suns beat the Rockets, 100-88, at the Toyota Center.

The Suns have won two of three and six of the last eight meetings in this series. Houston has won five of its last eight at Phoenix.

All games in this series since 1996
HOUSTON is 19-16 against the spread versus PHOENIX since 1996
PHOENIX is 21-16 straight up against HOUSTON since 1996
22 of 35 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL since 1996

Games over the last 3 seasons
PHOENIX is 6-3 against the spread versus HOUSTON over the last 3 seasons
PHOENIX is 6-3 straight up against HOUSTON over the last 3 seasons
6 of 9 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons

All games played at PHOENIX since 1996
HOUSTON is 12-5 against the spread versus PHOENIX since 1996
PHOENIX is 10-8 straight up against HOUSTON since 1996
13 of 18 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL since 1996

Games played at PHOENIX over the last 3 seasons.
PHOENIX is 2-2 against the spread versus HOUSTON over the last 3 seasons
PHOENIX is 2-2 straight up against HOUSTON over the last 3 seasons
3 of 4 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons

Interesting Trends (For/Against my play):

Houston Rockets:
-----as a road underdog of 3.5 to 6 points 10-1 ATS
-----in road games 20-8 ATS

Those are some nasty trends.

Phoenix Suns:
-----when playing on back-to-back days 7-3 ATS
-----when playing against a team with a losing record 11-14 ATS
-----as a favorite 21-17 ATS
-----as a home favorite of 3.5 to 6 points 1-2 ATS

Those are some not so nasty trends.

Trends are Trends though? They still have to play this game.

Best of luck with your decision.

NCAAB Survivor The Game: Arizona @ California

2006-02-16T01:24:00.000-05:00

==============================================
What: One pick a day with write-up
When: Before game time. Usually before 6 PM EST

Record : 1-0
Streak : W1
Last 10: 1-0
==============================================
Today's Pick: Arizona (15-9, 8-5) +3 at California (15-6, 9-3)

Time: 7:30 p.m. PST
Location: Haas Pavilion (11,877), Berkeley, Calif.
Radio: Wildcat Radio Network (Brian Jeffries/Ryan Hansen)
TV: FSN (Steve Physioc/Marques Johnson)

A Quick Look at the Golden Bears
California will try to extend its five-game winning streak when the Golden Bears host Arizona Thursday and Arizona State Saturday in Haas Pavilion. At 15-6 overall and 9-3 in the Pac-10, Cal enters the week just one-half game out of first place in the conference standings.

During its current run, Cal has won four of the five contests by three-points or less, with only a 69-52 victory at Oregon State breaking the pattern. The Bears have limited opponents to just 59.2 ppg over the stretch while committing a total of 41 turnovers, including a low of four in last Thursday's 65-62 win over Stanford.

Against the Cardinal, F Leon Powe scored a career-high 32 points - most by a Cal player in more than three years - and grabbed nine rebounds. The 6-8 junior now leads the Pac-10 in both scoring (19.4 ppg) and rebounding (10.6 rpg). If he can maintain his pace, he will become the first Bear since Mark McNamara in 1981-82 (22.0 ppg, 12.6 rpg) to top the conference in both categories.

In addition, Powe is on track to be the first Cal player to average at least 10 points and 10 rebounds since Brian Hendrick in 1991-92 (16.1 ppg, 10.7 rpg). His 16 boards at Oregon State Feb. 2 were a personal best and a high for any Pac-10 player this year.

In the backcourt, junior G Ayinde Ubaka tossed in 18 points vs. Stanford to lift his season scoring rate to 15.3 ppg. He helped clinch the contest by shooting 4-for-4 from the foul line in the final 24 seconds. Ubaka is now 28-for-31 (90.3%) at the charity stripe in the final two minutes of games this season.

With 45 three-pointers, Ubaka also leads a perimeter attack that is connecting on 38.5 percent of its long-range attempts - second in the Pac-10 and highest for any Cal team in 16 seasons. Ubaka, senior Richard Midgley and sophomore Omar Wilkes have combined to make 102-of-252 three-pointers (42.1%).
Midgley, the only healthy senior on the roster, ranks 22nd in school history in total points with 1,115, and he is second in three-pointers made with 173, with 39 treys this year.

Probable Starters
POS NO NAME HT WT YR PPG RPG
F 44 Leon Powe 6-8 240 So 19.4 10.6
C 35 DeVon Hardin 6-11 235 So 8.3 7.0
G 1 Ayinde Ubaka 6-4 200 Jr 15.3 3.9 apg
G 2 Omar Wilkes 6-4 185 So 9.0 1.5
G 15 Richard Midgley 6-3 195 Sr 9.8 2.7

Arizona Wildcats Game Notes
-------------------------------
Game Data: Arizona (15-9, 8-5 Pac-10) begins its last road trip of the regular season Thursday at California (15-6, 9-3 Pac-10) ... The Cats hope to continue the momentum built with two home wins last weekend, but are 5-8 this season away from home ... Over its last 10 games, Arizona is shooting 45.2 percent (280-of-620) from the field, including 32.2 percent (38-of-118) from three-point range, both improvements over the season-long statistics (.442/.311).

The Rankings: For the fifth consecutive week, Arizona remained unranked in both the Associated Press Top 25 and the ESPN/USA Today Coaches Poll. The Cats saw its string of 312 consecutive regular-season AP poll appearances end on Dec. 19.

Last Time Out: Arizona posted a 42-28 rebound advantage and forced 25 turnovers in earning an 80-58 victory Saturday over Oregon State. Led by a career-high 26 points from Ivan Radenovic, eight of 11 Wildcats to see action scored points and nine grabbed at least one rebound. A 20-9 UA run over the last nine minutes put the game out of reach. Hassan Adams (9) and Mustafa Shakur (7) combined for 16 assists.

The Series: Tonight’s game is the 72nd meeting of the two schools with Arizona holding a 47-24 series advantage. UA has won 14 of the last 15 meetings in the series, which dates back to 1924, including the last meeting, 60-55, on Jan. 21 in Tucson. All-time, Arizona is 24-8 in series games played in Tucson, 20-15 in Berkeley, Calif., and 3-1 in neutral-site games.

Last Meeting: Arizona 60, California 55, Jan. 21, 2006: Arizona parlayed a 47-30 rebound margin into a 17-5 advantage in second-chance points as the Wildcats posted a hard-fought, five-point win. UA offset 33.3 percent shooting with 21 offensive rebounds and managed to hold the lead for the final 26:46. Arizona clinched the game by hitting 10-of-14 free throws over the final 5:23. Hassan Adams led the Wildcats with 16 points, while Ivan Radenovic added 10 points and nine rebounds.

Rodgers Returns: After being dismissed from the team on Jan. 18, guard Chris Rodgers was reinstated and returned to practice on Monday. The 6-foot-4 senior from Portland, Ore., is averaging 10.8 points, 2.3 rebounds and 1.9 assists per game in 16 appearances (13 starts) this season. Head coach Lute Olson did not specify if Rodgers would play tonight, indicating that it would be a game time decision. To date, Arizona is 5-3 since the Jan. 18 announcement.

Power Forward Productivity: In leading Arizona to a pair of wins last week, Ivan Radenovic averaged 20.5 points, 6.5 rebounds and 4.5 assists per game. He connected on 63.0 percent of his field goal attempts (17-of-20), 70.0 percent (7-of-10) of his free throws, and added three steals in the effort. Radenovic opened the week with 15 points (5-of-6 FGs), six rebounds and a career-high six assists Thursday vs. Oregon in a career high 37 minutes, and followed that up with a career-high 26 points (12-of-21 FGs), seven rebounds (four offensive) and three steals Saturday vs. Oregon State. On the season, Radenovic is averaging 10.8 points, 6.4 rebounds and 1.7 assists per game, while shooting 42.6 percent from the field.

Either Way, Ws are OK: The Arizona wins last week were from opposite ends of the winning margin spectrum. Thursday’s two-point decision was UA’s seventh game of the season decided by five points or less, where the Cats are 4-3 in such contests. Saturday’s 22-point win was UA’s fourth game decided by 20 or more points (UA 4-0). The 80-52 win over Oregon State was the team’s first game decided by 20 or more points since an 87-51 win over Sam Houston State on Dec. 19, a span of 15 games.

Triangulating a Win: Arizona did three things well in Saturday’s Oregon State win that it has traditionally done en route to victory: it enjoyed a strong inside presence, created turnovers and got out on the fast break. The game saw Arizona’s post players combine for 37 points (16-of-30 FG) and 17 rebounds, while enjoying a 44-30 points-in-the-paint scoring advantage. Additionally, UA converted 25 OSU miscues into 29 points and held a +15 points off turnovers margin and a 16-4 edge in fast break points.

Standing Tall: The Wildcats have enjoyed unseen levels of productivity from center Kirk Walters of late. In his last six games, the 6-foot-10 junior from Grand Rapids, Mich., is averaging 10.7 points, 6.2 rebounds and 2.5 blocked shots per game, while shooting 75.0 percent (27-of-36) from the field. In that time, Walters has finished in double figures three times and grabbed five or more rebounds five times. On the season, the center is averaging 6.5 points and 3.9 rebounds per game, while posting a team-leading 58.2 field goal percentage.

Put the Throttle Down: The Wildcats reached the 80-point plateau Saturday for the seventh time this season and UA is undefeated when accomplishing the feat. It was just the third time the team scored 80 or more in Pac-10 play and only two of those came at home. Last year, Arizona averaged 82.6 points per game in Pac-10 play and scored 80 or more points 11 times in those 18 games.

Multiple Miscues: The Wildcats forced Oregon State into 25 turnovers on Saturday, including 16 in the first half, which marked the 13th time this season that UA had forced 20 or more turnovers in a game, but the first time in the last five games. On the season, Arizona forces its opponents into an average of 20.3 turnovers per game.

Equal Distribution: Balance was the word of the day Saturday, as 10 of the 11 Wildcats to see action grabbed at least one rebound and eight of 11 scored points. All told, UA reserves logged a total of 62 minutes in Saturday’s win.

4+5: The Arizona frontcourt has been increasingly productive over the last four games, The duo of Kirk Walters and Ivan Radenovic have combined to shoot 48-of-70 (.686) from the floor and are averaging 28.8 points and 12.3 rebounds per game.

No Day Off: Hassan Adams tallied a season-low eight points in Saturday’s win, just the second time this season that he has finished out of double figures. He enjoyed a rare day off from shouldering the scoring burden by posting a career-high nine assists to go with two steals in the effort. In addition to his team-leading 18.3 points per game average, Adams is averaging 2.9 assists and 2.67 steals.

Back at It: Arizona collected 13 steals in Saturday’s game against Oregon State, it’s highest total in seven games. It is the 15th time in 24 games that the Cats have garnered 10 or more steals in a game. This season, Arizona leads the Pac-10 by averaging 10.1 steals per game.

Big On Bret: Sophomore forward Bret Brielmaier equaled a career high with five rebounds (four offensive) Saturday against Oregon State. The 6-foot-6 walk-on from Mankato, Minn., grabbed a total of eight rebounds in 22 minutes this week. On the year, Brielmaier averages 1.1 points and 1.5 rebounds per game.

Always On the Run: Throughout the season, Arizona has shown the ability to post large scoring runs with some regularity. The Wildcats’ have 11 scoring runs of 11 or more points this season:
29-1 run over 10:43 vs. Virginia, Nov. 27 (UVa went 0-of-12 with seven turnovers during the run)
33-15 run over 10:26 vs. Sam Houston State, Dec. 19 (UA 13-of-20 in run)
24-7 run over 9:53 at UCLA, Feb. 4 (UA 9-of-13 FG, 6-of-6 FT in run; UCLA 3-of-10 FG)
22-6 run over 8:19 at Oregon State, Jan. 12 (Seven TO and just 7 OSU FG attempts in run)
21-6 run over 7:12 vs. Michigan State, Nov. 23 (no MSU field goals in last 5:44 of regulation)
20-4 run over 9:10 vs. Kansas, Nov. 21 (KU hits 3-of-first-12 FG attempts with nine TO)
21-5 run over 7:57 at Houston, Dec. 3 (two UH FGs in last eight minutes of first half)
21-9 run over 12:23 vs. Connecticut, Nov. 22 (UA hits 7-of-11 FG in run)
25-11 run over 9:27 vs. USC, Jan. 7 (USC 4-of-13 FG, eight turnovers during run)
26-13 run over 13:04 vs. Saint Mary’s, Dec. 10 (nine SMC turnovers during run)
38-27 run over 13:52 at Washington, Dec. 31 (UA makes 10-of-first-14 FG to ignite 2nd half run)

Arizona Head Coach Lute Olson . . . is in his 23rd season at Arizona and his 33rd overall as a college head coach with a career record of 756-265 (.740) and 564-173 (.765) at Arizona ... He was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame on Sept. 27, 2002 ... Olson became the 16th coach in basketball history to tally 1,000 career victories (covering all levels) on Dec. 11, 2004 ... Olson recorded his 750th collegiate victory on Dec. 31, 2005, and became Arizona’s career victories leader (510) on Jan. 17, 2004 ... He has the most Pac-10 wins (313) of any coach in league history ... Olson has the second-best conference winning percentage (.773/313-92) and second-most league championships won (11) in Pac-10 history (minimum three years), trailing only UCLA’s John Wooden (.810/304-74/16 titles) ... During his 23-year tenure at Arizona, the Wildcats have won one national championship (1997), played in the national championship game (2001), participated in four Final Fours (1988, 1994, 1997, 2001), won 11 Pac-10 Conference titles, four Pac-10 Tournament crowns (1988, ‘89, ‘90, 2002) and been to the NCAA Tournament for 21 consecutive seasons, which is the longest active and second-longest streak in NCAA history (North Carolina, 27) ... He also led Iowa to the 1980 Final Four ... Olson has been named the Pac-10 Coach of the Year seven times (1986, ‘88, ‘89, ‘93, ‘94, ‘98, 2003), the Big Ten Coach of the Year twice (1979 & ‘81) and directed the UA program to the nation’s best winning percentage over the past 18 years (479-118/.802) ... In his collegiate career, Olson has produced 49 NBA Draft picks, including 30 at Arizona – 21 alone since 1990 ... He’s led UA to 18 consecutive 20-win seasons and has 27 overall in his career, making him one of only four head coaches in NCAA history to record 27 or more 20-win seasons... Under Olson, the Cats are 331-34 (.907) in McKale Center and have won 259 of its last 277 home games ... He is assisted by Jim Rosborough, Josh Pastner and Miles Simon ... Olson is 39-10 against California

Possible effect of having Chris Rogers back: Lute Olson quote
"The other thing that I was going to say is that Chris Rogers will practice with us today, as to whether he’ll play this weekend or not I don’t know. But he will be back on the court with us today. He has fulfilled the various responsibilities that have been set up for him to get back. I visited with all the guys individually today to discuss that situation and they are all very much in favor of him being back on the floor."

THE SHORT AND SWEET VERSION:

Arizona has dominated the series. Arizona has had its share of troubles on the road and Haas Pavilion will not make the challenge of playing on the road any easier. However, they have won their before. In fact:

All games played at CALIFORNIA since 1997
CALIFORNIA is 4-4 against the spread versus ARIZONA since 1997
ARIZONA is 6-2 straight up against CALIFORNIA since 1997
5 of 5 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL since 1997

Not too mention this trend:

All games in this series since 1997
ARIZONA is 10-9 against the spread versus CALIFORNIA since 1997
ARIZONA is 17-2 straight up against CALIFORNIA since 1997
10 of 12 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL since 1997

Initial lean was towards California because of their nice win streak. There is no doubt they have been playing good basketball but most importantly, they have been able to finish out close games (winning at home against Stanford by 3 and on the road to Oregon by 2).

Arizona plays tough defense and have showed improved team chemistry in the last week. They have lots of talent and tonight's match will most likely be another display of Arizona's domination in this series.

NCAAB Survivor The Game: Florida @ Vanderbilt

2006-02-15T17:23:00.000-05:00

==============================================
What: One pick a day with write-up
When: Before game time. Usually before 6:30 PM

Record : 0-0
Streak : 0
Last 10: 0-0
==============================================
Today's Pick: Florida -2 @ Vanderbilt

FLORIDA: 21-3, 12-6 ATS
VANDERBILT: 13-8, 7-11 ATS

Florida has won the last 5 meetings SU (4-1 ATS)

Sports Network

Florida possesses one of the most potent offensive attacks in the nation, averaging a healthy 81.4 ppg on a solid 52.1 percent shooting from the floor and 39.7 percent from long range. Taurean Green currently leads the team in scoring at 14.3 ppg and he has also been responsible for running the offense with club-best 5.2 apg. Joakim Noah has also had himself a solid year and is turning in 13.0 ppg and 6.0 rpg, in addition to shooting an unconscious 65.9 percent from the floor. Corey Brewer adds 11.9 ppg and 3.8 apg to the Gators' arsenal, while Al Horford contributes 11.8 ppg and a team-high 7.5 rpg. Lee Humphrey is another player worth noting, as he is netting 10.6 ppg on an SEC- best 50.7 percent shooting from three-point range. In the team's last game, Noah and Horford each turned in 16 points to lead Florida to a nine-point win over LSU. Humphrey chipped in with 13 points for the Gators, who shot 48.3 percent from the floor.

FoxSheets
All games in this series since 1997
VANDERBILT is 9-9 against the spread versus FLORIDA since 1997
FLORIDA is 13-5 straight up against VANDERBILT since 1997
4 of 6 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL since 1997

Games over the last 3 seasons
FLORIDA is 4-2 against the spread versus VANDERBILT over the last 3 seasons
FLORIDA is 5-1 straight up against VANDERBILT over the last 3 seasons
3 of 5 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons

All games played at VANDERBILT since 1997
VANDERBILT is 6-2 against the spread versus FLORIDA since 1997
VANDERBILT is 4-4 straight up against FLORIDA since 1997
3 of 3 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL since 1997

Games played at VANDERBILT over the last 3 seasons.
VANDERBILT is 1-1 against the spread versus FLORIDA over the last 3 seasons
VANDERBILT is 1-1 straight up against FLORIDA over the last 3 seasons
2 of 2 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons

Florida last 3:
KENTUCKY 95-80 W -7.5 W
S CAROLINA 67-71 L -11.5 L
LSU 71-62 W -6 W

Vanderbilt last 3:
GEORGIA 73-74 L -9.5 L
@ ALABAMA 74-77 L 3 T
KENTUCKY 84-81 W -3.5 L

Arizona State vs Rutgers 2nd half wager

2005-12-27T23:19:00.000-05:00

Arizona State is a potent offense. There defense has been awful in the first half and they trail by a TD. Expect to see their offense lighting up the score board and their defense coming up with a couple key stops. ASU will score TDs, Rutgers will probably get stuck with a couple field goals. That will be the difference. This line is very beatable so I have loaded some money in my account and place 2 units on ASU -5.5 second half.

Watch them light up the score.

2005 Bowl Selection

2005-12-27T14:14:00.000-05:00

Toledo -3
Cal -6.5
Memphis -3.5

Boston College -1.5
UCLA -3
Michigan ML
Miami ML
Georgia Tech ML

Late Night College Baksetball Plays

2005-12-17T19:59:00.000-05:00

12/17/2005 - 2-1-0 (+3.46 units) - 0 pending
Wager	Odds	For	Status	Risk	To Win	League	Type
Virginia Tech -2.5	-110	2nd Half		2.00	1.82	NCAA	Spread
Virginia Tech PK	-110	Game		4.00	3.64	NCAA	Spread
Texas Tech +1.5	-110	Game		2.00	1.82	NCAA	Spread

Texas Tech (6-4)

UNLV (2-5)

Texas Tech at UNLV

Saturday, December 17 2005 - 10:00 PM ET

Thomas & Mack Center - Las Vegas, NV

DATE & TIME: Saturday, December 17th, 10:00 p.m. (et).

FACTS & STATS: Site: Thomas & Mack Center (18,500) -- Las Vegas, Nevada. Television: ESPN2. Home Record: Texas Tech 6-1, UNLV 2-1. Away Record: Texas Tech 0-1, UNLV 0-4. Neutral Record: Texas Tech 0-2, UNLV 0-0. Conference Record: Texas Tech 0-0, UNLV 0-0. Series Record: Texas Tech leads, 2-0.

GAME NOTES: The UNLV Runnin' Rebels will try to put the brakes on their current five-game losing streak when they host Bob Knight and his Texas Tech Red Raiders tonight at the Thomas & Mack Center. After opening the season with two straight victories, the Runnin' Rebels have fallen flat, losing five straight contests, which includes a tough 72-67 setback to Minnesota last Saturday. Since the 2003-04 season, the Rebels have played extremely well at home, posting a 13-3 ledger in non-conference action. UNLV, which begins a five-game homestand tonight, has recorded a sensational 66-22 overall mark in front of the hometown faithful dating back to the beginning of the 2000-01 season. As for the Red Raiders, they snapped a brief two-game slide with a 103-50 thrashing of UT-Pan American last time out. Texas Tech started the season 2-2 before winning tree straight contests against Furman (83-74), Morehead State (76-42) and TCU (81-54). Since taking over as head coach, Knight has led the Red Raiders to an impressive 47-11 record in non-conference action. This is the first meeting between these two schools in more than 20 years, the last being back in 1973. The Red Raiders have won both previous encounters, posting a 67-53 victory in 1971 and an 82-72 win two years later.

Despite being just 6-4 on the season, the Red Raiders have played well at both ends of the court, averaging 74.9 ppg behind 45.3 percent shooting from the floor, while holding their opponents to just 65.2 ppg thanks to just a 40.4 showing from the floor. In the team's last contest, a 53-point victory over UT-Pan American, the Red Raiders were sensational in hitting 62.9 percent of their total shots, which included a 9-of-20 showing from long range. Tech was also solid at the defensive end, holding UTPA to an anemic 28.3 percent shooting effort. The Red Raiders also recorded 16 steals and forced a whopping 31 turnovers. Jarrius Jackson, who leads the squad with 18.2 ppg, paced the Red Raiders in the victory, scoring 22 points while dishing out six assists and collecting six steals. Dior Lowhorn added 19 points, while Terry Martin tallied 13 points in the win. Martin Zeno, who is posting 15.7 ppg this season for Tech, finished the game with just four points in 13 minutes of action.

While the Rebels are averaging 71.4 ppg this season, the team's problems has come at the defensive end where it is allowing 71.6 ppg behind 45.1 percent shooting. In the five-point setback to Minnesota last time out, the Rebels permitted the Golden Gophers to connect on 43.9 percent of their shots from the field, which included a 5-of-13 showing from long range. Offensively, UNLV played well, shooting 47.4 percent from the floor, which included a 10-of-22 effort from beyond the arc. Michael Umeh, who is averaging 14.0 ppg for the Rebels this season, paced the team with 19 points, while Curtis Terry added 12 points. Louis Amundson tallied 11 points for UNLV, while Dustin Villepigue contributed 10 points and nine rebounds. On the season, Amundson has been the best player on the UNLV roster, as the forward is averaging a double-double with 16.4 ppg and 10.9 rpg.

While the Rebels are home and have played extremely well at the offensive end for much of the season, they just aren't up to par with a team as productive as this group of Red Raiders.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

PLAY OF THE NIGHT:

Virginia Tech (7-3)

Stanford (2-3)

Saturday, December 17 2005 - 10:00 PM ET

Thomas & Mack Center - Las Vegas, NV

The Sports Network

DATE & TIME: Saturday, December 17th, 12:30 a.m. (et).

FACTS & STATS: Site: Thomas & Mack Center (19,522) -- Las Vegas, Nevada Television: ESPN. Home Record: VaTech 7-1, Stanford 2-1. Away Record: VaTech 0-2, Stanford 0-2. Neutral Record: VaTech 0-0, Stanford 0-0. Conference Record: VaTech 0-1, Stanford 0-0. Series Record: Virginia Tech leads, 1-0.

GAME NOTES: A couple of schools meeting for the first time since 1972 square off at the Thomas & Mack Center tonight, as the Virginia Tech Hokies battle the Stanford Cardinal in the Las Vegas Showdown. These two teams have met on just one other occasion, with the Hokies claiming a 77-71 victory all the way back in the 1972 ODU Tournament. The Hokies enter tonight's bout with a two- game win streak, which includes a 73-64 triumph over St. John's a week ago. With that triumph, the team improved to a solid 7-3 overall, although that does include a 0-2 mark away from home. As for Stanford, it has stumbled out of the gate, losing three of its first five games. The team is coming off a 13-day break, as it was last in action on December 4th, that being a 64-58 setback to UC-Davis. It was the second straight loss for the Cardinal, which denied head coach Trent Johnson his 100th career victory. Stanford has competed in the Las Vegas Showdown (formerly Las Vegas Shootout) twice before, beating UNLV (77-66) in 2002-03 and falling to BYU (76-81) in 2001-02.

The Hokies are guided by the trio of Coleman Collins, Zabian Dowdell and Deron Washington, and all three have made significant contributions to the team's scoring average of 72.5 ppg on 47.6 percent shooting from the floor. Collins is tops on the club in both scoring (17.1 ppg) and rebounding (8.1 rpg), and he is making good on 56.1 percent of his total shots. Dowdell ranks second in scoring with 15.9 ppg while adding 3.3 apg to his stat line, and Washington generates 12.4 ppg and 4.8 rpg. Collins poured in a game-high 21 points to lead Virginia Tech to a nine-point win over St. John's last time out. Dowdell added 18 points and five assists, while Washington chipped in with 10 points. The Hokies shot a solid 52.9 percent from the floor in the contest and made 15-of-24 free throws. The team also forced the Red Storm into 18 turnovers, while committing just nine miscues itself.

One of the main reasons for Stanford's poor start has been subpar shooting, as Johnson's club is hitting just 41.0 percent from the floor and a dismal 27.6 percent from long range. Matt Haryasz can't be faulted for any of the team's early season woes, as he leads the club in scoring and rebounding with his double-double average of 19.0 ppg and 11.0 rpg. Dan Grunfeld is second with 16.0 ppg and 5.8 rpg, but he is shooting just 36.5 percent from the field. Chris Hernandez has been responsible for getting the ball to Haryasz and Grunfeld and has done so for a team-best 4.2 apg. He is also chipping in 11.0 ppg. In the club's previous contest, Haryasz poured in 20 points and ripped down nine caroms, but it wasn't enough in a six-point loss to UC-Davis. The Cardinal shot 43.9 percent from the field, but went just 1-of-15 from long range and 7-of-15 at the foul line. The team was also outrebounded 40-33 in the setback.

Stanford could be the most disappointing team in the nation thus far, as it was picked by many to finish near the top of the Pac-10 standings this season. The team has not only lost three games already, but each setback has come to much lesser competition. Virginia Tech, on the other hand, has played extremely well in the early stages and nearly knocked off top-ranked Duke. The Hokies have the advantage in the low post and with a big game on the boards, they should prevail over a Cardinal club that has been out of action for quite some time.

NBA Saturday Evening

2005-12-17T18:26:00.000-05:00

12/17/2005 - (1-0-0) +1.82 units
Wager	Odds	For	Status	Risk	To Win	League	Type
Indiana Pacers -2	-110	Game		2.00	1.82	NBA	Spread

Tonight, even without Ron Artest, I like a 2 unit wager on the Pacers tonight. This line should probably be 4 points with the way that the Knicks are playing.

Indiana (13-8)

New York (6-16)

Indiana at New York

Saturday, December 17 2005 - 7:30 PM ET

Madison Square Garden - New York , NY

Gameday Matchup
	W-L	PF	PA	HOME	ROAD	STK	L10
IND	13-8	93.1	89.0	8-3	5-5	W1	6-4
NY	6-16	93	97	3-5	3-11	L5	2-8

Last 5 Games
INDIANA (ET)	NEW YORK (ET)
Dec 16 UTA Win 93-83 Dec 14 @BOS Loss 85-71 Dec 10 MEM Win 80-66 Dec 08 WAS Win 111-87 Dec 06 DAL Loss 84-75	Dec 16 @ATL Loss 122-111 Dec 14 ORL Loss 105-90 Dec 12 MIL Loss 112-92 Dec 09 @PHO Loss 85-81 Dec 07 @LAC Loss 84-79
· Complete Schedule: Indiana \| New York

Depth Chart
POS	INDIANA (PPG)	NEW YORK (PPG)
PG	J. Tinsley 9.9	S. Marbury 17.7
SG	S. Jackson 14.2	Q. Richardson 7.4
SF	R. Artest 19.4	M. Barnes 4.3
PF	J. O'Neal 21.7	A. Davis 4.5
C	J. Foster 4.0	E. Curry 13.0
· View full depth chart · Team rosters: Indiana \| New York

Today's Line
FAVORITE	OPEN	CUR	UNDERDOG	O/U
INDIANA	2	3	NEW YORK	183
ATS	Indiana		New York
Record:	14-7-0 (.667)		6-16-0 (.273)
As Favorite:	13-5-0 (.722)		3-4-0 (.429)
As Underdog:	1-2-0 (.333)		3-12-0 (.200)
At Home:	10-1-0 (.909)		4-4-0 (.500)
On Road:	4-6-0 (.400)		2-12-0 (.143)

The New York Knicks hope to avoid their longest losing streak of the season when they host the Indiana Pacers on Saturday.The Knicks are in the midst of a a five-game slide, matching the slump they suffered through during their 0-5 start. They have lost seven of their last eight games overall.New York is coming off Friday's 122-111 loss in Atlanta in which it allowed the Hawks to shoot a league season-high 63 percent (43-of-62), including 12-of-16 from the arc.Jamal Crawford scored 23 points and Stephon Marbury added 21 for the Knicks, who were without center Eddy Curry after the 7-footer sprained his ankle in practice Thursday. His status for Saturday's contest is uncertain.Indiana has not let the controversy involving Ron Artest stop the club from winning three of its four games since the enigmatic forward requested to be traded.The Pacers posted a 93-83 home win over Utah on Saturday behind the efforts of star Jermaine O'Neal, who collected 27 points, 11 rebounds and five blocks.Stephen Jackson and Austin Croshere each scored 16 points for Indiana, which held the Jazz to 4-for-19 (21 percent) shooting in the final period.The Knicks and Pacers split their four meetings last season, with each team winning once on the other's court.

Early College Basketball Plays

2005-12-17T10:47:00.000-05:00

12/17/2005 - 2-1-0 (+0.36 units) - 0 pending
Wager	Odds	For	Status	Risk	To Win	League	Type
Depaul +8	-110	Game		2.00	1.82	NCAA	Spread
Kentucky -1.5	-110	Game		1.50	1.36	NCAA	Spread
UCLA +8	-110	Game		1.10	1.00	NCAA	Spread

Michigan is laying 6 pts at home against a ranked opponent. When I went to place a bet, the line had jumped to -8. Michigan seems to be a strong wager at -6, but even though the betting percentages show UCLA with more bets, Michigan has been pounded. The line didn't drop, but stayed at 8, so I made a 1 unit play on UCLA +8. Both teams like to slow the game down (Under looks like a good bet), so I think UCLA can keep this game within 8 pts.

Michigan looks to continue unbeaten start against ranked foe

Gameday Matchup
	W	L	PF	PA	HOME	ROAD	STK
UCLA	7	1	67.4	59.5	6-0	1-1	W4
Michigan	7	0	71.1	56.6	4-0	3-0	W7

School Info
	UCLA	MICHIGAN
Conference	Pacific-10	Big Ten
Nickname	Bruins	Wolverines
Year Founded	1919	1817
Type	Public	Public

Last 5 Games
UCLA	MICHIGAN
12/10 Nevada W 67-56 12/04 Coppin St W 69-57 11/29 Albany W 73-65 11/25 @Drexel W 57-56 11/23 @Memphis L 88-80	12/10 @South Florida W 68-47 12/07 Delaware State W 69-49 12/03 @Notre Dame W 71-67 11/29 Miami W 74-53 11/26 Butler W 78-74
· Complete Schedule: Ucla \| Michigan

Team Stat Leaders
	UCLA	MICHIGAN
Points	A. Afflalo 18.1	C. Sims 16.4
Rebounds	L. Mbah a Moute 8.9	G. Brown 8.7
Assists	J. Farmar 6.5	D. Horton 5.1
Steals	J. Farmar 1.3	D. Horton 2.4
Blocks	L. Mata 1.0	C. Sims 1.3
· Team stats: Ucla \| Michigan

Michigan coach Tommy Amaker will get another chance to gauge just how good his Wolverines are.Michigan will seek its best start in 17 years when it hosts 14th-ranked UCLA in its first matchup against a ranked foe on Saturday.The Wolverines have bounced back nicely from a 13-18 campaign last season that included a season-ending injury to leading scorer Lester Abram and off-court problems that forced Daniel Horton to miss the final 12 games.Both senior guards are back, combining for 28 points per game as Michigan is one win away of its best start in a non-vacated season since the 11-0 beginning in the national championship campaign of 1988-89. The 1996-97 club began 8-0 but was forced to vacate the season due to NCAA violations.The Wolverines used a strong second-half to capture their first win against a high-profile opponent, a 71-67 victory at Notre Dame on December 3. Horton scored 19 points and Dion Harris sank a jumper with 16 seconds left to seal the win.Last Saturday, Michigan recorded a 68-47 victory at South Florida with 18 points from Abram and 16 from Horton.UCLA is coming off a 67-56 victory over then-No. 22 Nevada in the Wooden Classic. Sophomore point guard Jordan Farmar showed that he was nearly healed from the right ankle sprain that forced him to miss two earlier games, scoring 24 points.Although Farmar is back to full strength, the Bruins are still limited due to injuries. Starting center Michael Fey is not Shipp is out until late-December due to hip surgery. Backup center Lorenzo Mata is expected back after missing the previous two games with a concussion.UCLA leads the all-time series, 8-3, including an 81-79 victory last season. Michigan won the last meeting in Crisler Arena, a 70-66 triumph in December 2003.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I like a 1.5 unit play on UK -1.5

#4 Louisville (6-0)

#22 Kentucky (6-3)

Louisville looks for revenge for heartbreaking loss

DePaul (5-2)

Old Dominion (6-2)
DePaul at Old Dominion

TGIF

2005-12-16T10:01:00.000-05:00

Tonight, I have a few Parlay's that I'm playing.

The strongest is Dallas ov93 2nd half, Seattle -2, Seattle Over 189, SC ML first half: 2.5 units to win 20 + units. Also I like Seattle -2, Over 171 Utah/Indiana 1.5 units wins over 3 units.

12/16/2005 - 2-4-0 (+16.39 units) - 0 pending
Wager	Odds	For	Status	Risk	To Win	League	Type
7 Team Parlay	+221	Game		1.00	2.21	NBA	Parlay
5 Team Parlay	+100	Game		2.00	2.00	NBA	Parlay
4 Team Parlay	+774	Game		2.60	20.12	NBA	Parlay
2 Team Parlay	+218	Game		1.50	3.27	NBA	Parlay
4 Team Parlay	-113	Game		2.00	1.77	NBA	Parlay
Team Parlay	-113	Game		2.00	1.77	NBA	Parlay

Turned out to be a good day, but most likely tomorrow I will only have straight bets.

Winter Wonderland brings Wonders

2005-12-15T19:50:00.000-05:00

These are the plays for the TNT Double-Header. I thought long and hard about taking Minnesota tonight but I thought something was fishy about it, so I am taking the World Champs tonight. The 3 teamer is San Antonio -2 [-120], Seattle -3, Wisconsin -4.5 1st half.

12/15/2005 - 3-3-0 (-1.08 units) - 0 pending
Wager	Odds	For	Status	Risk	To Win	League	Type
Seattle Supersonics -3	-110	Game		1.50	1.36	NBA	Spread
San Antonio Spurs -2.5	-110	Game		1.50	1.36	NBA	Spread
San Antonio Spurs / Minnesota Timberwolves OVER 173	-110	Game		1.50	1.36	NBA	Total
3 Team Parlay	+568	Game		2.16	12.27	NBA	Parlay
Wisconsin -4.5	-110	1st Half		1.50	1.36	NCAA	Spread
Arkansas -3.5	-110	Game		1.50	1.36	NCAA	Spread

NBA Wednesday

2005-12-14T20:51:00.000-05:00

I fully expected to be up close to 8 units today. Golden State blew an 11 point lead with a couple minutes left, and TMAC tied the game with a 3 pointer to take it into overtime. That's what I get for going against my favorite player. Golden State didn't keep it close in overtime so that messed up the second half wagers. So instead of being up 8 units, down 4.

I was almost able to get over that hump too! Oh well, on to tomorrow...
------------

Tough card today. I am tailing someone who has been successful on 1st quarter bets (up $10,000 betting 100)---so I tailed a few but unfortunately I could not play all the games in time. Hopefully, I'll get lucky

Play of the Day: Golden State @ home -1 4 units and OVER 189 2 units
: GOLDEN STATE -3 for 2nd Half
***Golden State is trailing by 7 at the half and have been shooting 38%. Houston had their best half of the season and that is the lead they have. Excepting Golden State to come back and win this, so I am putting another 2 units on it.

12/14/2005 - 6-9-0 (-4.23 units) - 0 pending
Wager	Odds	For	Status	Risk	To Win	League	Type
Houston Rockets +0.5	-120	1st Quarter		1.20	1.00	NBA	Spread
Golden State Warriors -3.5	-110	2nd Half		1.00	0.91	NBA	Spread
Golden State Warriors -3	-105	2nd Half		1.10	1.05	NBA	Spread
Golden State Warriors -1	-110	Game		4.00	3.64	NBA	Spread
Houston Rockets / Golden State Warriors OVER 189	-110	Game		2.00	1.82	NBA	Total
Portland Trail Blazers +2	-105	1st Quarter		1.05	1.00	NBA	Spread
Milwaukee Bucks ML	-105	Game		1.05	1.00	NBA	ML
Miami Heat -0.5	-110	1st Quarter		1.10	1.00	NBA	Spread
Los Angeles Clippers -0.5	-110	1st Quarter		1.10	1.00	NBA	Spread
Los Angeles Lakers +5	-105	2nd Half		2.20	2.10	NBA	Spread
Phoenix Suns PK	-110	2nd Half		1.65	1.50	NBA	Spread
New York Knicks -5.5	-115	2nd Half		1.10	0.96	NBA	Spread
Indiana Pacers -2	-110	Game		1.10	1.00	NBA	Spread
Atlanta Hawks +6	-110	1st Half		1.10	1.00	NBA	Spread
Chicago Bulls -2.5	-110	2nd Half		1.10	1.00	NBA	Spread

NBA Tuesday

2005-12-13T14:06:00.000-05:00

I like today's card and I am going to try and to make some good money today:

12/13/2005 - 7-2-0 (+25.02 units) - 0 pending

Wager	Odds	For	Status	Risk	To Win	League	Type
Golden State Warriors +0.5	-110	2nd Half		1.10	1.00	NBA	Spread
Golden State Warriors +1.5	-110	Game		1.50	1.36	NBA	Spread
3 Team Parlay View Details	+463	Game		4.40	20.37	NBA	Parlay
Los Angeles Clippers ML	+305	Game		1.00	3.05	NBA	ML
Miami Heat -2	-140	Game		1.50	1.07	NBA	Spread
Sacramento Kings +4	-110	Game		1.50	1.36	NBA	Spread
Denver Nuggets -2.5	-110	Game		1.50	1.36	NBA	Spread
New Jersey Nets -1.5	-116	Game		1.50	1.29	NBA	Spread
New Jersey Nets / Washington Wizards UNDER 197	-110	Game		1.10	1.00	NBA	Total

***Arenas out for Wizards (reason for adding the under), Shaq playing for the Heat.
Cheers and goodluck.

Monday

2005-12-12T13:07:00.000-05:00

12/12/2005 - 5-6-0 (-4.20 units) - 0 pending
Wager	Odds	For	Status	Risk	To Win	League	Type
New Orleans Hornets +12	-110	2nd Half		1.65	1.50	NBA	Spread
Atlanta Falcons -10.5	-110	Game		1.10	1.00	NFL	Spread
1 Team Teaser	+102	Game		2.20	2.24	NFL	Teaser
Los Angeles Lakers / Dallas Mavericks OVER 94.5	-110	1st Half		2.00	1.82	NBA	Total
Los Angeles Lakers / Dallas Mavericks OVER 191.5	-110	Game		1.10	1.00	NBA	Total
Milwaukee Bucks +2.5	-110	Game		1.10	1.00	NBA	Spread
Milwaukee Bucks / New York Knicks UNDER 195	-110	Game		1.32	1.20	NBA	Total
1 Team Teaser View Details	-104	Game		2.60	2.50	NBA	Teaser
Minnesota Timberwolves +0.5	-110	1st Half		1.10	1.00	NBA	Spread
Philadelphia 76ers -1.5	-110	Game		1.10	1.00	NBA	Spread
Minnesota Timberwolves / Philadelphia 76ers OVER 190.5	-110	Game		2.20	2.00	NBA	Total

Well I had been rolling along the last couple days, little set back as Philly tied at half (lost by .5 pt) and then they gave up a huge lead and then only won by 1 pt in OT. Falcons total went over by a safety and well.............. the Pistons only scored 27 pts in the 2nd half against the Jazz. So a bit of bad luck. On to tomorrow

***Just a note about today: Every underdog in the NBA covered the spread. All but Minnesota won straight up.....

New System

2005-12-12T00:08:00.000-05:00

I have not posted my picks in a couple days. I had a bit of a cold streak and had a great weekend to bring myself back up. I am looking at smartcapper.com to track my wagers soon, as keeping the record was taking up too much time and I can spend more time thinking about the games than with financial stuff

Here we go..

2005-12-11T18:49:00.000-05:00

12/11/2005 - 4-4-0 (+6.21 units) - 0 pending


Wager	Odds	For	Status	Risk	To Win	League	Type
Sacramento Kings -3.5	-110	1st Half		1.10	1.00	NBA	Spread
1 Team Parlay View Details	+760	Game		1.00	7.60	NBA	Parlay
Detroit Lions +6.5	-110	Game		1.10	1.00	NFL	Spread
Washington Redskins -3.5	-110	Game		1.10	1.00	NFL	Spread
San Francisco 49ers +16	-110	Game		1.10	1.00	NFL	Spread
New England Patriots -3	-140	Game		1.50	1.07	NFL	Spread
Oakland Raiders -3	-105	Game		1.26	1.20	NFL	Spread
1 Team Parlay View Details	-108	Game		1.00	0.93	NFL	Parlay

Rollin along again

2005-12-10T17:51:00.000-05:00

12/10/2005 - 3-2-0 (+1.26 units) - 0 pending
Wager	Odds	For	Status	Risk	To Win	League	Type
Los Angeles Clippers -4	-110	Game		1.50	1.36	NBA	Spread
Sacramento Kings +4	-110	2nd Half		1.10	1.00	NBA	Spread
1 Team Parlay View Details	+100	Game		1.00	1.00	NBA	Parlay
Indiana Pacers -3	-110	Game		1.10	1.00	NBA	Spread
Denver Nuggets PK	-110	Game		1.10	1.00	NBA	Spread

Let's Do it

2005-12-09T17:51:00.000-05:00

12/9/2005 - 4-0-0 (+4.36 units) - 0 pending
Wager	Odds	For	Status	Risk	To Win	League	Type
Detroit Pistons -3.5	-120	2nd Half		1.10	0.92	NBA	Spread
2 Team Parlay View Details	+144	Game		1.00	1.44	NBA	Parlay
Seattle Supersonics +1	-110	Game		1.10	1.00	NBA	Spread
Boston Celtics / San Antonio Spurs UNDER 96.5	-110	1st Half		1.10	1.00	NBA	Total

2005-12-07T11:41:00.000-05:00

Today I like:

La -3
Phi -6.5 (Under as well)

Georgia Tech +2
TCU -1.5

The Early Bird Gets The Good Pickin'

2005-12-06T01:34:00.000-05:00

I didn't have much time to update everything from yesterday and I think I will hold off updating the record and units until sometime late tonight. Seattle was an easy call and I should have bet a little bit more. Utah was a pick that I should not have made and they messed up the teaser for the day. I made a note that quality east coast teams (like minnesota) seem to get little respect when playing on the west coast (like against Sac where they won straight up and against a poor Utah team they were favored only 2.5). I teased Utah because I thought that they would be able to keep it within 8 pts.

I went ahead and made my plays for today nice and early.

I have been avoiding hockey lately because I don't think my picks at this time can beat the juice. I am liking NBA so far and I will be sticking to that today. Below are my plays and I am thinking it is going to be a good one.

Added: Toronto/Washington u101 even money 1 unit--to hedge first half bet

3 unit teaser: MSU +6.5, Montana pk, Seattle Supersonics pk (+150)

League	Event	Type	Odds	Line	Risk
NBA	Boston Celtics vs Houston	Spread	+7	-103	1.5 units
NBA	Cleveland vs Sacamento	Spread	-1.5	-105	1.5 units
NBA	New York Knicks vs Seattle	Total	u199	-106	1.5 units
NBA	cle u212.5, Bos +14, NY/Sea u208, o169 Memphis	Teaser	-	140	1 unit
NBA	Mem -1, La +12, Bos +14, NY/Sea u208	Teaser	-	140	1 unit
NCAAB	Bradley vs Butler	Spread	+3.5	101	1.5 units
	8 Team Parlay	Parlay	-		1 unit
NCAAB	Creighton vs Tennessee Chat	Spread	+6.5	-109	1 unit
NBA	Sea pk, Indiana -1.5, Florida pk	Teaser	-	150	2 units
NBA	Toronto/Wizards (1st Half)	Total	u103	-103	1 unit
NCAAB	Iowa vs Northern Iowa	Spread	+1	100	1.5 units

*Bradley has won both games since 2002. However; home team has won since 1997. Going out on a tip here.
*Creighton's leading scorer is injured.
*Iowa beat KY, played a close game with Texas. Line may be suspicious but I am playing it.

8 Team Parlay: Risk 1 unit for 23+ units

1.	(Money)	New Orleans Hornets vs Memphis Grizzlies for Game (-455)
2.	(Money)	Cleveland Cavaliers vs Sacramento Kings for Game (-120)
3.	(Money)	New York Knicks vs Seattle Supersonics for Game (-240)
4.	(Total)	New York Knicks/Seattle Supersonics (U 200) for Game (-105)
5.	(Money)	Kentucky vs Georgia State for Game (-1105)
6.	(Spread)	Iowa (+2) vs Northern Iowa for Game (-105)
7.	(Money)	San Diego State vs California for Game (-305)
8.	(Money)	Loyola Marymount vs Montana for Game (-270)

8 Team Parlay: Risk 1 unit for 21.20 units

1.	(Money)	New Orleans Hornets vs Memphis Grizzlies for Game (-425)
2.	(Money)	Cleveland Cavaliers vs Sacramento Kings for Game (-120)
3.	(Total)	Toronto Raptors/Washington Wizards (U 103.5) for 1st Half (-120)
4.	(Money)	Indiana U vs Indiana State for Game (-290)
5.	(Money)	Florida vs Providence for Game (-240)
6.	(Money)	Kentucky vs Georgia State for Game (-1105)
7.	(Spread)	Iowa (+1) vs Northern Iowa for Game (-105)
8.	(Money)	Loyola Marymount vs Montana for Game (-315)

Been outside and need something to thaw out too...

2005-12-05T17:30:00.000-05:00

League

Event

Type

Odds

Line

Risk

NBA

San Antonio o165.5,

Utah +8,

Miami +11

Teaser

150

1.5 units

NFL

Seattle Seahawks vs Eagles

Spread

-3.5

102

1.5 units

I like this teaser tonight. It pays 3 to 2 and I have made it a 1.5 unit wager tonight.

I am taking Seattle tonight in Monday Night Football. I didn't buy the hook and was actually going to buy it up to -4, but it wasn't worth the value. Seattle should win by a touchdown or more.

2005-12-05T11:19:00.000-05:00

Today's picks will be coming around 6 or 6:30 PM est today. I will be busy until then but I should have atleast a couple solid games to play tonight.

Here is a good resource for college basketball standings

Goodluck

Back in business...

2005-12-04T01:08:00.000-05:00

I had a nice couple days in Northern Michigan. There was a ton of snow and it was very relaxing. I took a couple days off because I was starting on a little cold streak.

I like this NBA total and I have added this second half play because of the odds. Tough play though because it is going against the KC win-streak at home. I like the teaser as well.

League	Event	Type	Odds	Line	Net
NBA	Utah vs Portland	Total	o172.5	-108	1.5 units
NFL	Denver vs Kansas City	Spread	-3	143	(1 unit)
NBA	1. Sea +8, 2. Utah/Port o165.5, 3. Lakers pk	Teaser	-	150	2.3 units
NBA	Minnesota vs Sacramento (1st half)	Spread	-1.5	-110	(1 unit)
NFL	Oakland vs San Diego (2nd Half)	Total	u24.5	-113	1 unit

Here are the daily figures:
Sides: 0-2 Totals: 2-0 Teasers: 1-0
ROI%: 44.00 %Growth: 4.56
Net Profit: 2.75 units

Surging time.... 1 ... 2... 3...

2005-11-29T16:53:00.000-05:00

Today was the 3rd best day since November 19th, so I can not complain. I would have liked to have seen Dallas win in OT, the South Florida Bulls blew an 11 pt lead and lost in double OT, and I had two bad ML hockey picks in the canadians (Calgary/Edmonton), which were late additions. I did however hit some nice plays for plus money, like buying the Lakers spread down a .5 pt, and my parlay and teaser of the day. I posted earlier yesterday that I wanted to try to get up to 15 units by the end of the week, so this is a very nice start.

League	Event	Type	Odds	Line	Net
NBA	Dallas Mavericks vs Bucks	Spread	+2	-106	Push
NBA	LA Lakers vs SA Spurs	Spread	+12.5	105	1.05 unit
NHL	New Jersey/Ottawa	Parlay	ML	132	1.32 unit
NHL	Carolina Hurricanes vs ATL	ML	SU	-118	.85 unit
NCAAB	Illinois vs UNC	Spread	+1	-102	1.47 unit
NHL	Colorado vs Edmonton	ML	SU	-109	(1 unit)
NHL	Calgary vs Predators	ML	SU	100	(1 unit)
NCAAB	S Florida vs Fla Int (2nd H)	Spread	+3	101	(1 unit)
NCAAB	Illinois vs UNC (2nd H)	Total	o77	-110	(1 unit)
NBA	Charlotte vs Kings (2nd H)	Under	u99.5	-108	1 unit

Here are the daily figures:
Sides: 3-3-1 (50.00%) Totals: 1-1 Teasers: 1-0
Crucial Play: winner, +1.47 units
ROI%: 25.41 %Growth: 4.87
Net Profit: 2.98 units

There are the plays for today thus far. The only play larger than 1 unit is on the Illini tonight. The Illini are my second crucial play of the year. I am also trying out the NBA super teaser. It is 7 pts and a 4-teamer pays 1 units wins 1.4 units.

1.	(Spread)	Dallas Mavericks (+9) vs Milwaukee Bucks for Game (-107)
2.	(Spread)	Los Angeles Lakers (+19.5) vs San Antonio Spurs for Game (-104)
3.	(Spread)	Orlando Magic (+14.5) vs Chicago Bulls for Game (-104)
4.	(Spread)	Charlotte Bobcats vs Sacramento Kings (-0.5) for Game (-104)

Since I had a little bit of time, I have included previews of some of the games:

Dallas (10-3) at Milwaukee (6-6) 8:00 pm EST MILWAUKEE (Ticker) - Jason Terry and the injury-riddled Dallas Mavericks hope to continue their winning ways when they meet the Milwaukee Bucks on Tuesday.Despite playing without swingmen Josh Howard and Jerry Stackhouse, the Mavericks rallied for a 93-91 victory over the Toronto Raptors on Monday.Terry knocked down the game-winning layup at the buzzer and Dirk Nowitzki chipped in 29 points and 11 rebounds for Dallas, which has won eight of its last nine despite being beset by a slew of injuries to wing players.Howard is day-to-day with an ankle injury and and Stackhouse is out with a sore right knee.Milwaukee has dropped four of its last five to fall to .500 for the first time this season.The Bucks are coming off a tough, 85-76 loss to the defending Eastern Conference champion Detroit Pistons on SaturdayMichael Redd scored 23 points and Jamaal Magloire grabbed 17 rebounds for Milwaukee, which is 3-2 this season at Bradley Center.

I like getting Dallas as a dog, regardless if they are having a bit of trouble as of lately.

L.A. Lakers (5-7) at San Antonio (10-3) 8:30 pm EST SAN ANTONIO (Ticker) - The teams that have combined for six of the last seven NBA championships meet for the first time this season Tuesday when the San Antonio Spurs host the Los Angeles Lakers.After the Spurs won the 1999 title, the Lakers won three straight before San Antonio captured the crown in 2003 and also earlier this year.In Friday's 106-99 loss to the Chicago Bulls, two-time NBA Most Valuable Player Tim Duncan scored 24 points to lead five Spurs in double figures and grabbed 11 rebounds as San Antonio lost for the first time at home this season.Manu Ginobili scored 16 points and Nick Van Exel came off the bench to add 15 for San Antonio, which lost to the Bulls for the first time in 10 meetings.In his return to the Lakers, coach Phil Jackson has seen mixed results from his team. The Lakers have lost seven of 12 and are in last place in the Pacific Division.Kobe Bryant tried to carry the Lakers on his shoulders Sunday by scoring a league season-high 46 points against the New Jersey Nets. Despite rallying from an 18-point deficit, the Lakers suffered a 102-96 overtime loss.A seven-time All-Star, Bryant leads the league in scoring (34.2) and is averaging nearly 34 shots from the floor in his last five games.San Antonio, which was 38-3 at home last season, has won the last five meetings against the Lakers.

The Lakers will fight for this and I'll take +12 pts anyday.

Carolina (15-7-1) at Atlanta (10-12-2) 7:00 pm EST

ATLANTA (Ticker) - The Carolina Hurricanes try to settle a score when they begin a six-game road trip with the second contest of a home-and-home series with the Atlanta Thrashers on Tuesday. Although they are in first place in the Southeast Division, the Hurricanes have dropped four of their last five contests, allowing 22 goals during that stretch. Andrew Ladd and Aaron Ward scored for Carolina in Sunday's 5-2 loss to the Thrashers. The Hurricanes failed to score on six power-play attempts and are 2-of-24 with the man advantage in their last four contests.
Justin Williams has four goals and six assists in his last seven games for Carolina, which is off to the best 23-game start in franchise history. Ilya Kovalchuk collected two goals and two assists and Marian Hossa added the go-ahead tally in the third period for Atlanta, which has 12 goals in its last two victories. The Thrashers also handed the Hurricanes their first home loss with a 9-0 triumph on November 12, ending Carolina's nine-game winning streak. Kovalchuk scored twice and Mike Dunham and Adam Berkhoel combined for the shutout.

This is a tough one since, ATL has owned the much better (record-wise) Carolina team. I think they get it done tonight though.

No. 12 Illinois (5-0) at North Carolina (3-0) 9:00 pm ESTCHAPEL HILL, North Carolina (Ticker) - Revenge will be on the mind of No. 12 Illinois when it visits North Carolina in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge on Tuesday. Despite tying the NCAA record for single-season victories (37), the Illini had their dream season end on a down note when they lost to the Tar Heels in the national game, 75-70, on April 4. James Augustine scored 18 points and was named the Most Valuable Player of the South Padre Island Invitational on Saturday as Illinois improved to 5-0 with a 77-57 triumph over Rutgers.Dee Brown and Rich McBride were named to the All-Tournament Team for the Illini, who are 68-9 under coach Bruce Weber. Despite losing its top seven scorers from last year's squad, North Carolina has won all three games by an average of nearly 26 points. However, the Tar Heels will be facing their first ranked opponent this season.Freshman Tyler Hansbrough scored 15 points and grabbed 11 rebounds for his first career double-double and David Noel added 14 for North Carolina in Friday's 83-66 victory over UC-Santa Barbara.North Carolina has a 21-game winning streak at the Dean Smith Center and has taken four of the six previous encounters against Illinois.

Dee Brown baby. I think the Illini get it done nicely tonight!

Finally

2005-11-29T13:12:00.000-05:00

So I finally got my money back with a low-juice book. I can not stress the importance of finding a low-juice bookie because I will save about 60%.

Today's bets will be coming later this afternoon around 5PM EST.

Current progress

2005-11-29T01:05:00.000-05:00

It feels good to get out of the red. There were some tough games this weekend but no big hits were taken. Last night was a good turn of events.

10 day update:

Up 11+ units. I am pretty happy with this so far since I set my weekly goal at 5 units. I should be up around +14 or so because of parlays. Two were very close and solid but I think it is important that they are avoided when the games seem especially tough. From November 2nd-November 18th (16 days), I had banked 16.88 units. If this week goes well, I will be right on that pace to hit about 30% growth. The goal now is obviously to string a few nice days together and try to get up near 15 units by the weekend.

Mariucci done

2005-11-28T22:53:00.000-05:00

Steve Mariucci came to the Detroit Lions with a winning NFL record, a penchant for offense and raised expectations.

He leaves as just another in a long list of coaching failures.

SportsNation on Mariucci


	Mariucci

At one point, Lions head coach Steve Mariucci did have fans on his side. He posted a 77 percent approval rating after a 17-3 Week 1 win over division rival Green Bay. Since then, however, the ratings show a displeased Detroit SportsNation contingent.

Mariucci's Lions did not win again until Week 5 and 7, when he posted ratings of 55 percent and 52 percent, respectively. Week 7 was the last time Mariucci received better than a 50 percent weekly rating. Even after the Lions' most recent win in Week 10, Mariucci only received a 38 percent rating. Take away Weeks 1, 5 and 7 and Mariucci never rose above a 38 percent rating.

He finished his tenure as Lions head coach with an 18 percent approval rating.
Mariucci's week-by-week graph.

After two-plus seasons and a 15-28 record, Mariucci was fired Monday after he was unable to turn around a franchise with one playoff victory since 1957.

The Lions promoted defensive coordinator Dick Jauron to succeed him on an interim basis.

"We started off this season with high expectations," team president Matt Millen said. "We have underachieved as a football team."

Millen hired both Mariucci and his predecessor, Marty Mornhinweg, and drafted or signed most of the current players. Since Millen took over in 2001, Detroit is an NFL-worst 20-55.

Despite the results, the former NFL linebacker and TV analyst was given a five-year extension before this season.

Millen said he accepts accountability for Detroit's record during his four-plus seasons, but said a coaching change was necessary.

"This is a brutal business and at times, good people suffer a cruel fate," he said.

Millen also fired offensive line coach Pat Morris and tight ends coach Andy Sugarman, and demoted Ted Tollner from offensive coordinator to tight ends coach. Greg Olson will call plays as the team's offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach, starting Sunday at home against Minnesota.

Jauron said his first inclination was to not accept the job.

"It's hard for me to stand up here in this position because Steve is a friend," said Jauron, who had a 35-46 record as Chicago's head coach from 1999-2003.

After Detroit lost 27-7 to Atlanta on Thanksgiving to fall to 4-7, reports swirled that the team was considering firing Mariucci. When Mariucci was not dismissed during the weekend, some thought his job was safe for the final five games of the regular season.

"I was angry after that game," Millen said. "It was disturbing to watch and I didn't want to make a decision based on anger. We wanted to take our time, go through it logically, and think everything through."

The Lions have lost four of five games since a solid start put them atop the NFC North with the Chicago Bears. The team has collapsed on and off the field with players failing to produce and some bickering with one another and questioning the coaches' game plans.

Offensive tackle Jeff Backus said players were not notified of the firing until a previously scheduled team meeting was held Monday night.

"Something had to give, I guess," Backus told The Associated Press. "It's not my job to judge whether Mariucci did a good job or bad job, but we're in a bottom-line business and our bottom line hasn't been very good."

Mariucci has more than two years remaining on the $25 million contract he signed in 2003. The Michigan native came to the Lions from San Francisco, where he was fired with a 60-43 record over six seasons.

Mariucci was cut some slack in the past because the team he inherited was crafted by Millen, but expectations were high heading into his third season.

"If we win 10 or 11 ballgames and make the playoffs, it would make us happy and make the fans happy," Mariucci said before the season.

Mariucci's agent, Gary O'Hagan, declined comment when reached Monday night.

Detroit's quarterback situation also hurt Mariucci's chances for success.

Joey Harrington, the third overall pick in 2002, has failed to be consistent throughout his career. The Lions signed 35-year-old Jeff Garcia to push or replace Harrington, but he has been nagged by injuries and an inability to throw deep passes.

The Lions' porous offensive line has added to their passing- and running-game woes while a decent defense has been hampered by being on the field too long, and by injuries.

Millen, who was fined $200,000 by the NFL because he didn't follow the NFL's minority hiring policy when he hired Mariucci, said he would follow league guidelines when he searches for a permanent coach.

Jauron, Detroit's defensive coordinator the past two seasons, was fired in 2003 after four losing seasons in five years with the Bears. He was selected as NFL coach of the year during his lone winning season in Chicago.

"We need to take these next five weeks, and we need to play ... and see what we can get out of it," Jauron said. "I don't have plans other than the next game."

Jauron began his NFL career as a fourth-round pick of the Lions in 1973 after starring at Yale. The defensive back and kick returner, who played in the 1975 Pro Bowl, spent his first five seasons in Detroit.

espn insider

Lets make it a good one

2005-11-28T16:49:00.000-05:00

Well folks, a bit of a mini-slump the last few days dropping about 3 units over the last 3 days. Gotta get out of the funk with a positive day and some solid plays. I'm making some solid plays today, with no crazy NFL plays :), so hopefully it will be a good one!

Event	Type	Odds	Line	Net
Mavericks vs Toronto	Spread	-8	-110	(1.5 units)
Toronto vs Panthers	ML	SU	-145	1.03 units
Orlando/Boston	Total	o186	-110	(1.5 units)
Orlando vs Boston	Spread	+5	-110	1.36 units
Pitts +20, MNF o35, Mavs pk, magic +13	Teasers	-	-150	(1.5 units)
Parlay	Parlay	-	-	(0.5 unit)
New Jersey vs Denver (2nd half)	Spread	+8	-105	1.43 units
New Orleans/Golden State	Total	u192	-110	1.36 units
Detroit vs Kings	ML	SU	105	1.57 units
				1.77 units

Here are the daily figures:
Sides: 5-1 (83.33%) Totals: 1-1 (50.00%)
Parlay: 0-1 Teaser: 0-1
ROI%: 14.12 %Growth: 2.96
Net Profit: 1.77 units

The parlay is Mavs ML, Orlando +5, OSU ML, Maple Leafs ML, Red Wings ML, Orlando/Boston over. Pays about 8.7 units.

Last 5 Games
LOUISVILLE	KENTUCKY
12/13 Chicago St W 78-54 12/10 Akron W 111-85 12/05 Richmond W 53-45 12/04 Arkansas State W 67-55 12/03 Prairie View W 90-65	12/10 Indiana L 79-53 12/06 @Georgia St W 73-46 12/03 North Carolina L 83-79 11/29 High Point W 75-55 11/25 Liberty W 81-51
· Complete Schedule: Louisville \| Kentucky

Team Stat Leaders
	LOUISVILLE	KENTUCKY
Points	T. Dean 20.5	R. Rondo 15.5
Rebounds	T. Dean 7.3	R. Rondo 9.9
Assists	T. Dean 3.8	R. Rondo 5.1
Steals	T. Dean 1.7	R. Rondo 2.1
Blocks	D. Padgett 1.8	S. Alleyne .9
· Team stats: Louisville \| Kentucky