NCAA Hoops 1/31

Time to build on yesterday's 2-0 day. Finally was on the right side of luck with the DePaul/St John's over.

One pick tonight-

Top Pick

St. Louis -2 over Butler

St. Louis always seems to field a tough minded team that wins more than it loses. They are pretty good again this year and are difficult to beat at home. They are welcoming in Butler and will be on their game. Look for another "upset" of the top ranked Bulldogs even though the Billikens are the favorite

NCAA Hoops 1/30

Wow! It'd be nice to get on a hot streak. i am due.

Here's tonight's plays:

Leans:

Stanford -2 vs Oregon

Depaul/St. Johns over 146

Writeups:

Stanford is a pretty good team while Oregon has had a nice run but really they are not a top ten team. Stanford wins a tough game and get the cover.

St John's is playing better while DePaul is struggling again. However DePaul played awful their last game out and will come out focused. St johns meanwhile will be happy to play an uptempo game and both teams will be pushing the 80's in this one.

NBA 1/25

One small play tonight as I try to get my NBA picks back on track.

Top Pick

Golden St +2 vs Chicago

This is the all star snub pick. We see this in baseball but most often basketball where a really good player does not get the nod for the all star game and in their next immediate game, that player tears it up. We then get the "wow, he really looked upset and took it out on the opponent" statement at some point.

Stephen Curry is this year's player who gets the snub so I will go against a hot bulls team and take the Warriors. Also the Bulls struggle against up tempo teams at times as well so this looks like a solid pick all around for me.

NBA pick Jan 23

Did not get it done last night. Trying this game tonight.

Lean

Houston/Denver over 216

Not a lot of analysis on this one. Both teams like the fast pace and as long as they can shoot a decent percentage, this one goes over easily.

NBA 1/22

One pick tonight. Look for more college and pro games on a more regular basis going forward.

remember to follow me on twitter- @swicatsides Depending on timing, i may be only able to post the picks there.

Lean:

LA Clippers -2 vs Oklahoma

I am getting sucked into the marquee matchup but this is a much bigger game for the Clippers at this point of the season. They have been the best team this year but have not been taken all that seriously. Oklahoma will battle and this will not be an easy win but the Clips will step and get the win/cover.

NFC Championship Game

I will make a rare NFL pick. I generally don't give many NFL picks out as there are better NFL 'cappers than me by far so keep that in mind.

Atlanta +4 vs San Francisco

Looking at last week's games, SF played incredibly well while Atlanta was underwhelming in their win. Everyone witnessed an unstoppable Niners offense and looking at the Falcon's defense, it does not look like they can stop a running qb.

However, Kapernick has been the QB for more than one game and he has not torn it up every time out so far. The Niners offense has been unstoppable at times however they have often laid an egg after a really strong performance.

Meanwhile, ATL has been hearing all week that they could not stop Cam Newton and that they won't be able to stop Kapernick. I think that will motivate both the players and the coaches to come up with a tight defensive game plan and they will be very focused.

On the other side of the ball, the matchup should be pretty even. Atl's offense will have their moments however the Niners defense is stout.I will call that a draw.

The difference in this game will be that the Niners offense will come back to earth and won't go on another scoring tear. Atlanta will score enough on offense to cover the spread and I think the Falcons will win the game and advance to the Superbowl.

NCAA & NBA Hoops 1/16

First, I have been putting some of my picks right on twitter when time is short.

Follow me on Twitter @swicatsides to not miss out on any last minute plays

Games are about to start so here they are:

Top Picks

Boise St -1.5 vs New Mexico
BYU -5 vs St Marys

Same thing for these games. Unranked opponent favorite over a ranked opponent.

NBA

Golden St +2.5 vs Miami

I think Golden St will be confident in this one and will give the Heat all they can hand and more.

NBA Picks Jan 11

OK- couple of NBA plays for tonight.

Top Picks:

Memphis -2 vs San Antonio

Cleveland/Denver over 206

Writeups:

Big home game for Memphis, they will bring it and get a close win.

Nuggets/Cleveland- The winner will score 114-120 and the loser will get to 3 figures as this one goes over easily.

BCS National Championship Game

Just like that the football season is coming to a close. Here is my breakdown of the game and how to bet it.

First Quarter and Half.

I expect Notre Dame to be ready offensively. We know that ND's success has been result of their magnificent defense. However Brian Kelly is an offensive mind and he will script the first 10-15 plays and his team will execute. I do expect ND to score on their first possession, likely a touchdown.

Bet ND to score first +150

Alabama on the other side has offensive talent better than ND has seen all season. Bama will not come out and score right away but they will not be shut down by ND and will throw some wrinkles at the Irish which the Irish will not be expecting and their speed will catch ND by surprise. Ultimately both offenses will do better than expected in the first half.

Predicted half time score Irish 14 and Bama 10 or 14. Either way take the Irish +6 first half and over 20.5 first half.

2nd half, the game will slow down as both team's defenses make adjustments. I expect Bama to take the lead in the 2nd half and to be leading by 4 going into the 4th quarter. ND will be leaning heavily on the run game and their stud TE Eifert.

Take the over (4.5) on catches for Eifert as he will end up with about 7 total catches.

4th quarter- I expect the score to be Bama 20 ND 14. Here is where it gets exciting.

Either ND will win the game or commit a terrible turnover which will lead to a Bama TD. I hate to say it but I think it will be a terrible turnover. ND will be shut out in the 2nd quarter and shouts of SEC SEC will be ringing in the air.

Final Score Bama 27 Irish 14.

Lay the 10.5 and be ready to pounce on Bama and the under in the 2nd half.

Sugar Bowl Pick & NBA

Next game up is the Sugar Bowl.

5 Star Pick

Florida/Louisville under 48

NBA Top Pick

Golden St +2 vs LA Clippers

Writeups:

Florida/Louisville- Two very defensive minded coaches match up in this one. Both teams have offenses however both teams will be paying more attention to the defensive side of the ball. Look for this game to come to a grinding halt in the 2nd half after both coaches make adjustment and play the field position game.

Golden St- All streaks must come to an end as the Clippers finally lost last night. The clips will be in for loss #2 in a row as the Warriors will be laying in wait for them. The Warriors will feed off the crowds energy and get the win.

January 1st Bowl Games

Happy New Year!

Top Pick

NU/Miss St over 54
South Carolina -5.5 vs Michigan
Nebraska/Georgia over 60
Wisconsin +6.5 vs Stanford

Leans:

Northern IL +13 vs Florida St
NU -2 vs Miss St.

Writeups:

Northwestern- The Wildcats have been seeking a bowl win for a long time. In recent history, the Wildcats have had unfavorable matchups, this time around the matchup is not too bad. They are playing an athletic Miss St team however Miss St is not overwhelming. NU will maximize their talent in this and play well. Miss St will also be ready and both teams will score. It will come down to the final series and NU has the better kicker so I give them edge to get the win and cover all while the game goes over.

South Carolina- This is the game that Steve Spurrier wanted (once his team was eliminated from SEC championship contention) and he has a marquee matchup. The Gamecocks match up very well against the Wolverines, they have a great d line which will outplay Michigan's offensive line. Once that happens, Michigan's below average pass game will be in a great deal of trouble. Offensively, SC has enough playmakers to get TD's. This game will start out as a grind it out game and then SC will take control.

Nebraska/Georgia- I expect this to be a game of two halfs. Nebraska will get off to a fast start and control the first half. The Bulldogs will then pull themselves together and come back hard in the second half. Not sure who will cover the spread but it will be an offensive show by both teams and will go over.

Wisconsin- Two underrated teams in this game. Wisconsin came out slow but really turned it on after September. They were lost in the shuffle due to the overall poor Big 10 play but have a solid team. Stanford played really well however no one really talks about them. Everyone knows about the Barry Alvarez story and that should not be overlooked. In college football, the emotional edge is huge and the Badgers have it. This should be a low scoring game and the Badgers may not come out on top but will cover the 6.5.

Northern IL- the Huskies will give it all they got. If the can avoid turnovers, they can cover the spread. More on this game later.