back to the big leagues

2-1 on $$$$$ picks after Penn State dominates Baylor in the second half. Today it's back to the NBA.

$$$$ Bobcats - 4 1/2 vs. Miami

I've recently learned that while the Bobcats have a losing record, they are the 3rd best team when it comes to covering the spread. They beat the Lakers at home two nights and followed that up with a tough double overtime loss in Boston. They are 4-1 ATS in their last five and they have to keep winning to have a shot at the playoffs. I know how good Dwayne Wade is, but the Bobcats are playing too good for him to be a factor tonight. Take the Bobcats in a double digit victory.

$$$ Spurs - 4 1/2 @ Indiana

You'd think that the Spurs would be dominating teams with 6th man Manu Ginobli available, but they've struggled of late since his return. Tonight they don't need to play well against a bad Pacers team to cover, but they will. Take the Spurs in a route.

$$$ Lakers - 5 1/2 vs Houston

Houston is a solid ball club, but they can't match up with the Lakers, especially in L.A. They are 8-1 SU in their last 9 at home and will make it 9-1 after tonight's game. After a long road trip they finally get to relax on their home floor. Look for the Lakers to pull away late.

Five Star Release

$$$$$ Penn State + 3 1/2 vs. Baylor

Notre Dame is very similar to Baylor in that they both shoot the three well and don't play any defense. Penn State dominated Notre Dame yesterday with DEFENSE and should be able to get by a Baylor team who hasn't met a good defensive team in over a month. Play Penn State to win outright.

Quick Picks

$$$$ Bobcats + 8 1/2 @ Celtics

The Bobcats are in the playoff hunt and the Celtics are once again without Garnett. This should be a close one.

$$$ Pistons +1 @ New Jersey

The Pistons are finally healthy and did anyone see the Nets play the Bucks two nights ago?

Syracuse

The answer to yesterday's question was the Syracuse/Oklahoma game. Good news is nobody got it wrong. Bad news is nobody guessed. Today I'm thinking about taking the day off, but I'll consult a few buddies of mine to get their take on today's games. If I like something I'll post it by 5 PM ET.

Oh and by the way, if you had money on the Nets last night you're an idiot. They lost by 29. Talk about swinging and missing.

Question of the day

I have to admit, it was hard for me to watch basketball yesterday without having any money on the line. Sign of an addict? Absolutely. That's why I had to put money on the second half line of the North Carolina game. I took the Tarheels -2 which looked great until Oklahoma had a 9-0 run in 1:32 with under 5 to play. But in the end UNC got it done and won the second half by 3. It's never easy.

I often check out other sports books to see if they offer any "expert" advice on an upcoming game and one site I've found mildly appealing is thesportsadvisors.com. There are about 7 or 8 guys on here that do the same thing I do here on Trapline except they charge for their picks. They do however give away one free pick a day, usually on a game they like but don't have much confidence in. I'd say their free picks hit 60-40, which is better than flipping a coin. Anyway, the guy that runs the site is this genuine "bad ass" named Steve Budin. He's straight up gangster, as in the mafia gangster type. He's the type of guy that makes you wonder how many arms he's shattered and lives he's arranged to be taken. Regardless, Budin and his boys know what they're talking about and though I've never purchased their picks, it's not a bad investment for a clueless higher end gambler.

They're not perfect by any means though and nearly every guy on the site missed what Budin had as his Sweet 16 game of the year. This game according to Budin was a lock because a betting group (perhaps a fellow gang affiliate) who call themselves the "Cali Cartel," said it was a lock. Don't quote me on this, but Budin made it sound like the Cartel only release or bet on 15-20 games a year, games they are 100% in love with. Budin was 3-0 with his SPECIAL CALI CARTEL releases ($50 for the single pick) until he completely swung and missed over the weekend. So my question to you handful of Trapliners is... what game did Budin have as a lock?

Whoever gets the question right will get more free picks from me tomorrow.

Today I like one game and one game only.

$$$$ Nets -3 vs. Bucks

Here we have two teams that have been playing like garbage of late. The Bucks are 0-5 straight up and against the spread in their last 5, and the Nets are 3-7-1 ATS in their last 11 and 1-4 SU in their last 5. Couple kickers here that make me like the nets: 1. The Nets were the human cover until Devin Harris was injured almost a month ago. Harris returned to the starting lineup last week and should be close 100 % by now and back in the rhythm of things. 2. The Nets are at home and the Bucks don't play inspired ball on the road. Not only are the Bucks 0-5 ATS (2 were home games) in their last 5 games, they are 0-5 ATS in their last 5 games on the road. Look for Vince Carter and Devin Harris to go off as they shoot down the hobbling Bucks in a route.

Day of rest

Well even after two losing days in a row I had the audacity to get a little cocky by going against the obvious and betting against a red Nova club. Whether it was Pitt up by four with three to play and the ball (Nova gets an and 1) or Nova's bone headed in-bounds pass with 10 seconds to go, both teams seemed to have the game won at one point or another. But in the end my team lost and my bankroll took a small hit. I did however make a little bonus cash on Abby's hockey pick in the Carolina Hurricanes. Thanks for that pick Abby and keep the hockey talk coming, especially since it's almost playoff time.

Today I think I'm going to sit back and root against Michigan State. I'm not confident in either of the games today and I've been focusing on college basketball so much that I haven't paid enough attention to bet on the NBA. That means no picks today, but i'll be back tomorrow with something.

Let us try this again

Ughh... disgusting picks the last two days. Let's see if we can chalk up a couple of wins today.


$$$$ UConn - 5 1/2 vs Mizz

The only thing that should hold the Huskies back from covering this spread is the fact that I have money on them. Missouri just isn't that good and they are finally going to play a team that won't give up 100 points. Take Uconn in a route.

$$$ Pitt -2 vs Nova

I think the world has their money on Nova today but I'm going to stick with the Panthers. Nova doesn't play well when they are at a size disadvantage down low, and today the biggest and most physical player on the court will be wearing a Pitt uniform in DeJuan Blair. Pitt will win a close one... again.