Post 'em.

SPORTS ADVISORS

MONDAY, MARCH 8

COLLEGE BASKETBALL

COLONIAL ATHLETIC ASSOCATION TOURNAMENT

(at Albany, N.Y.)

William & Mary (22-9, 16-10-1 ATS) vs. Old Dominion (25-8, 13-16 ATS)

William & Mary looks to slide on the glass slipper with an upset of CAA regular-season champion Old Dominion in tonight’s conference title game.
The Tribe pulled off the outright upset and beat second-seeded Northeastern on Sunday, winning 47-45 as a four-point pup, despite just 16 second-half points and finishing 17-for-46 from the field for 37 percent shooting. Only eight players scored for William & Mary and nobody reached double digits. Defensively, the Tribe held Northeastern to 17-for-50 shooting (34 percent) and 2-for-13 from beyond the three-point line.
Old Dominion, the CAA’s top seed in the tourney, needed overtime to get past VCU in Sunday’s other semifinal, winning 73-69 and cashing as a two-point favorite. Gerald Lee led the way for the Monarchs with 26 points as they shot 49.2 percent from the floor.
The Monarchs took both meetings from William & Mary this season, scoring a 61-42 blowout win at home on Feb. 3, easily cashing as a 12-point favorite, and winning 58-55 at William & Mary but coming up short as 5½-point road favorites. Old Dominion has won four straight in this series since losing to the Tribe in the opening round of the conference tourney in 2008.
William & Mary has now won three straight (2-1 ATS) and seven of nine overall (6-3 ATS). The Tribe are 12-6 away from home this season (11-6 ATS) and carry positive ATS streaks of 13-3 as a ‘dog, 5-1-1 as a neutral-site pup, 11-3 against teams with a winning percentage above .600 and 6-2 in conference action.
The Monarchs have rattled off four straight wins (3-1 ATS) and seven of eight overall (5-3 ATS). They are 6-2 ATS in their last eight as a chalk, but from there they’re on pointspread skids of 10-24 following a spread-cover, 8-19 in neutral-site games, 3-8 against teams with a winning record and 2-8 as a neutral-site favorite.
The Tribe have topped the total in four of six neutral-site outings, but they are on “under” runs of 12-2 overall, 8-0 against teams playing above .600 ball, 9-0 as an underdog, 7-1 after a straight-up win and 11-2 against CAA squads. Old Dominion has stayed below the total in four of five neutral-site games and 13 of 19 against teams with a winning percentage above .600, but it is on “over” streaks of 6-0 in conference play, 6-0 as a favorite and 14-3 against winning teams.

ATS ADVANTAGE: OLD DOMINION


WEST COAST CONFERENCE TOURNAMENT

(at Las Vegas)

St. Mary’s (25-5, 28-10 ATS) vs. (14) Gonzaga (26-5, 15-10-2 ATS)

The top two teams in the West Coast Conference meet in the championship game and in search of the conference’s automatic bid to the Big Dance.
St. Mary’s, which finished second in the conference, three games behind Gonzaga, crushed Portland, 69-55 in Sunday’s semifinal, getting the cash as a four-point favorite. The Gaels have now won four straight (3-1 ATS) and 10 of 12 overall (7-5 ATS). They have been stellar on the highway this season, going 11-3 in road/neutral-site contests (10-4 ATS).
The Bulldogs won the regular-season crown with a 14-2 mark and dominated Loyola Marymount 776-2 as a 12½-point chalk on Sunday to earn a spot in the title game. It was the Bulldogs’ fifth straight win (3-1 ATS) and ninth in their last 10 outings (6-2-1 ATS). They shot 52.1 percent from the floor on Sunday and got 18 points, seven assists and six rebounds from Steven Gray, all while holding the Lions to 36.7 percent shooting, including 2-for-13 from beyond the arc.
Gonzaga won and covered in both regular-season matchups with the Gaels, including an 89-82 win at St. Mary’s on Jan. 14, cashing as a 4½-point road pup. The Bulldogs then blew out the Gales in Washington on Feb. 11, winning 80-61 and cashing as 5½-point favorites, giving Gonzaga six straight victories over its rivals. In last season’s conference tournament final, Gonzaga routed the Gaels, winning 83-58 as a 7½-point chalk on this same Las Vegas court.
Despite last night’s easy spread-cover against Portland, St. Mary’s comes into this game on several negative ATS skids, including 3-5 overall (all against WCC foes), 2-4 after a straight-up win, 1-4 against teams with a winning percentage better than .600 and 1-5 against teams with a winning record. Meanwhile, Gonzaga is on ATS streaks of 6-2-1 overall, 4-1-1 in neutral-site games and 8-0 against winning teams, but just 1-3-1 as a neutral-site favorite.
For the Gaels, the under is on streaks of 6-1 after a straight-up win and 7-2 overall (all in conference play), but the over has cashed in five of seven against winning teams. The Bulldogs are on a plethora of “over” streaks, including 20-9-1 as a favorite, 18-8-1 after a straight-up win, 7-3 in neutral-site contests and 4-1 as a neutral-site favorite.

ATS ADVANTAGE: GONZAGA


NBA

San Antonio (36-24, 29-30-1 ATS) at Cleveland (49-15, 32-31-1 ATS)

The Spurs take aim at their fifth straight victory when they visit the Quicken Loans Arena to face the Cavaliers.
San Antonio’s four-game winning streak (3-1 ATS) features road wins in New Orleans a week ago and in Memphis on Saturday, the latter being a 102-92 victory as a one-point pup. The Spurs’ victory over the Grizzlies was costly, though, as Tony Parker broke a bone in his hand and is expected to be sidelined for six weeks. San Antonio is just 14-14 on the highway this season, but has covered in just 12 of those 28 contests.
Cleveland had its six-game winning streak (4-2 ATS) snapped on Saturday in Milwaukee, losing 92-85 as a 3 ½-point ‘dog. Without LeBron James in the lineup, the Cavs struggled offensively, going just 34-for-77 from the field. James missed the game with an ankle injury but is expected to play tonight. The Cavaliers are 27-4 at Quicken Loans Arena this season, but have struggled to cash in front of the home fans, going just 13-18 ATS.
The Cavaliers have won three of the last four meetings (SU and ATS) with the Spurs and cashed in four of the last five. In last year’s battle in Cleveland, the Cavs scored a 101-80 blowout win as a six-point favorite. Cleveland is 6-2 ATS in the last eight matchups in Ohio, and the chalk has cashed in six of the last eight clashes overall. Finally, the SU winner is 9-1 ATS in the last 10 in this rivalry.
San Antonio is on ATS skids of 0-5 after a day off, 1-6 against Eastern Conference teams and 8-21 against teams with a winning percentage better than .600, but it is 13-5-1 ATS in its last 19 Monday outings. Cleveland is just 2-5 ATS in its last seven at home and 1-4 ATS after its last five non-covers, but it is on positive pointspread runs of 11-5 against Southwest Division teams, 9-4 after a day off and 37-15-1 on Monday.
For the Spurs, the over has cashed in four of five on the road and four straight after they get a day off, but otherwise they’re on “under” streaks of 8-3-1 against Eastern Conference teams and 4-1 on Monday. The Cavaliers have stayed below the total in four of five against Southwest Division teams, but they’ve topped the total in eight of 12 home games and nine of 14 overall.
In this series, the under is 3-1-1 in the last five matchups in Cleveland.

ATS ADVANTAGE: CLEVELAND

DCI

Season
Straight Up: 3715-1196 (.756)
ATS: 1607-1597 (.502)
ATS Vary Units: 4388-4438 (.497)
Over/Under: 1427-1457 (.495)
Over/Under Vary Units: 2155-2152 (.500)

Colonial Athletic Association Tournament
Championship at Richmond Coliseum, Richmond, VA
Old Dominion 63, William & Mary 54
Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference Tournament
Championship at Times Union Center, Albany, NY
SIENA 74, Fairfield 66
Southern Conference Tournament
Championship at Time Warner Cable Arena, Charlotte, NC
Wofford 72, Appalachian State 69
Summit League Tournament
Semifinals at Sioux Falls Arena, Sioux Falls, SD
Iupui 72, Oral Roberts 70
Oakland 78, Ipfw 74
Sun Belt Conference Tournament
Semifinals at Summit Arena/Convention Center Complex, Hot Springs, AR
North Texas 68, Denver 64
Western Kentucky 78, Troy 73
West Coast Conference Tournament
Championship at Orleans Arena, Las Vegas, NV
Gonzaga 76, Saint Mary's 72

DCI

Season
Straight Up: 616-272 (.694)
ATS: 483-437 (.525)
ATS Vary Units: 1142-1037 (.524)
Over/Under: 458-468 (.495)
Over/Under Vary Units: 618-632 (.494)

CLEVELAND 101, San Antonio 92
Atlanta 106, NEW YORK 101
MEMPHIS 104, New Jersey 91
Dallas 107, MINNESOTA 100
NEW ORLEANS 112, Golden State 104

DCI

Season: 332-220 (.601)

WASHINGTON 4, Dallas 3
LOS ANGELES 3, Columbus 2

CAPPERS ACCESS
Knicks
Hornets

VEGAS EXPERTS

Atlanta Hawks at New York Knicks

Although recent history suggest otherwise, we're looking for these two high scoring teams to finish Under the posted total Monday. The fact that Atlanta has gone Over in its last six games as well as eight of 10 vs. New York suggests its time to go the other way. The Hawks are also 37-18 Under in road games when seeking revenge for a loss where the opponent scored more than 110 points. The Knicks beat the Hawks 112-108 on New Year's Day.

Play on: Under

Totals4U

Monday's free selection: New Jersey/Memphis over 195

ICE PICKS

Today's best NHL bets

Dallas Stars at Washington Capitals (-320, 6.5)

Marc Crawford would have loved if the Olympic break never happened. The Dallas Stars head coach had his team playing some of its best hockey of the season but the Olympics stole his club’s mojo.

Goalie Marty Turco has been the biggest victim. He was 4-2 with a .967 save percentage in his last four starts before the break and in his first two starts back, he’s 0-2 with a .727 save percentage.

Kari Lehtonen, Turco’s backup, was just as bad in his first start in over a year. The former Thrashers netminder allowed six goals on 34 shots and after the game Crawford suggested Lehtonen looked “tired”.

You don’t want to be having any kind of uncertainty between the pipes when you’re facing a squad with Washington’s talent.

Pick: Over


Columbus Blue Jackets at Los Angeles Kings (165, 5.5)

As if the season wasn’t hard enough already on Columbus fans, the Blue Jackets lost three straight one-goal games to three of the best teams in the NHL. The tough post-Olympic stretch isn’t over either.

Columbus travels to Los Angeles to face a hungry Kings crew. Los Angeles was jostling the Sharks and Blackhawks for the top overall spot in the West in December but now finds itself it a fight just to secure a playoff spot.

“Just because we’re in right now doesn’t mean we’re in,” Kings forward Ryan Smyth told the Los Angeles Times of the playoff race following his team’s second straight defeat. “We’ve got to play to catch the teams ahead of us instead of looking at the teams behind us.”

Expect the Kings to refocus and pile it on against the tough-luck Jackets.

Pick: Kings

PICK 'N' ROLL

Today's best NBA bets

Dallas Mavericks at Minnesota Timberwolves (7, 207)

The Mavericks have won 11 straight while the Timberwolves have lost 11 of their last 12, so this pick is a no-brainer, right?

Not necessarily, especially with the nine-man Mavs winning the last few with smoke and mirrors. They certainly haven't done it inside, with centers Erick Dampier and Brendan Haywood out with injuries.

And they darn sure haven't done it with defense, allowing five of their last six opponents to score in triple figures. The Mavs have had to share the ball and shoot lights-out just to stay ahead of the pace.

"We just couldn't get any stops," Dirk Nowitzki said after Saturday's 122-116 victory over the Chicago Bulls. "We were using trick defenses and some zones, but they kept scoring. But we shared the ball well, had 31 assists, and I think that's a sign of a bunch of guys who want to play with each other."

The Mavs will have to take that same approach against the T-wolves, who lost 112-109 at Dallas last week, and that was without center Al Jefferson, who was serving a two-game suspension for his DUI arrest. Throw in Darko Milicic and Ryan Hollins and the centerless Mavs are outsized and outmanned.

Pick: Timberwolves


Atlanta Hawks at New York Knicks (6, 210.5)

The Hawks' offense has been on fire as of late, hitting the over in seven of their last eight and averaging 108 points per game during that span.

The Knicks have decided to scrap their slow approach since last month's 83-67 sleep-inducing loss to Milwaukee last month, scoring an average of 103 points per game but allowing 112.

That's a formula for a shootout tonight at Madison Square Garden, where over is 11-3 in the Knicks' last 14. Eight of the last nine meetings between these two teams also have topped the total.

And if that's not enough mathematic evidence for you, consider that Hawks leading scorer Joe Johnson, a free agent after this season, may be auditioning for a job since the Knicks are considering him as an attractive alternative to LeBron James as a building block for the future.

Pick: Over

ATS Lock Club 3/8
4 Gonzaga -4
3 NO Hornets -6.5

Erin Rynning

3/8/10 NBA Playmaker: New Orleans Over 214.5 -110 (510)

Billy Coleman 3/8

3* Atl/NY ov210.5
comp SA/Clev un194

4* Gonzaga -3.5
3* Willian&Mary +9
3* N.Texas -1

Lang
5 dime N. Texas

JB SPORTS

2* Memphis

RIGHT ANGLE SPORTS

1* Troy +5
1* North Texas +1

Will Cover

3* St. Mary +5

DOC SPORTS

2-Unit Play #501 Take San Antonio/Cleveland UNDER 193 1/2
2-Unit Play #505 Take New Jersey +8½ Over Memphis

SPECIAL K

Gonzaga

Brandon Lang

5 DIME - NORTH TEXAS

Western Kentucky-Troy State will get all the attention in tonight's Sun Belt Conference semifinals, but Denver-North Texas is where the easy money can be found.

Denver carries a 19-12 record into the contest. But did you know the Pioneers were just 2-11 straight-up on the road, including 1-8 SU and ATS in conference play, on the road before beating Fla. International and Middle Tennessee State on Saturday and Sunday.$ So it's hard to believe this is almost a pick-em game considering how bad Denver (15-1 at home) has been on the road - even if this is a neutral site game. And don't forget this is the team's third game in three days while North Texas opened the tournament yesterday with a win over LA Monroe.

Tough spot for the Mean Green Sunday. They had been idle since February 27 when they had beaten that same LA Monroe team on the road 74-71. But they managed to rally from a seven-point deficit in the final four minutes (they were down as many as 14 early) to win it 69-66, extending their winning streak to nine in a row SU (5-2-1 ATS) with the victory. In all, they've won 13 of their last 15 SU, going 10-3-1 ATS.

N. Texas won the only regular season meeting, 64-59, at home on February 13, covering the 4 1/2 point margin.

This is just a bad price considering the Mean Green - unlike Denver - have shown they can win on the road. They overcame a huge deficit in Sunday's quarterfinal round and they've won 5 in a row and 7 of 8 SU on the highway since mid-January. And two of those wins came against Western Kentucky (84-83) and Troy State (75-72), the two teams everyone generally considers the best in the conference.

North Texas should be laying at least 4 tonight because they're winning by 5.