NBA - 1 January 2012

One play.

Atlanta +1 (at Houston)

NCAA Basketball - 1 January 2012

Two plays for New Years Day college basketball.

Oregon State +2 (at Washington State) - 2 units

Xavier -2.5 (v Gonzaga)


Added play.

Michigan State/Nebraska - over 126.5 - 2 units

NHL - 31 December 2011

Looking to the Buffalo and Washington game today and these teams have already met twice this year with the Sabres triumphing twice in Buffalo. The latest of these coming only a few days ago. Since then the Caps have had an impressive home win over the Rangers and the Sabres lost on the road to the Devils. However for me I see this as a 50/50 matchup, neither team is in great form and the Sabres have had their measure in the first two meetings. Sure things change now with this game being in Washington but I just can't see that the $1.56 being quoted for Washington is justified. Buffalo the value for me.

Buffalo @ $2.52 (sportsbet)

College Football - 31 December 2011

As tweeted earlier today we took a play for tomorrow in the Pinstripe Bowl.


RUTGERS v IOWA STATE
Iowa State +1

@AusSportsGuys

NCAA Basketball - 31 December 2011

Three plays for New Years Eve.

West Virginia +1 (at Seton Hall) - 5 units

I actually expected to be backing Seton Hall in this one before the lines went up, assuming that after they were smashed by Syracuse, the market would overreact and they'd be 8 point underdogs on their home court. I did not see them being a favourite over West Virginia.

WVU have surprised me how well they've played this year, with good wins over Kansas State, Miami (Fla), Missouri State, Akron and the impressive win over a struggling Villanova. These guys are the real deal!

Seton Hall have had some decent wins (St Josephs and Dayton come to mind) but I cannot have them as a 1 point favourite. West Virginia all the way - two units is the play.

Missouri -8.5 (at Old Dominion)

Something is trying to tell me I shouldn't play this game. For one, Missouri is on the road, something they haven't done at all this year. Two, they're playing in their last non-conference game so really couldn't give a toss. However, they are playing Old Dominion. They will crush them. I expected around 12 points the spread, and I wouldn't have played it. I have to take 8.5.

Montana -5 (v Eastern Washington)

I like this one. The line is about where I had it, and I like it. Eastern Washington have been pretty decent this year, recording some solid wins and some solid performances. Really liked their last win where they smashed Montana State.

But now they face Montana. Montana have been good so far this year. Those that read the @AusSportsGuys Big Sky preview would know that Montana will compete with Weber State for honours in the Big Sky this year. For that reason, plus their recent GREAT wins over Portland, Portland State and Utah Valley, I see this as a comfortable win. (Will Cherry (Montana) is "probable" for this game. If he does not play, I will play the other side to reduce my liability)

Three solid plays.

NBA - 31 December 2011

NBA early plays -

HOUSTON @ MEMPHIS
Memphis -5

Further updates possible.

UPDATE

Added play

New Orleans -2 (v Phoenix)


@AusSportsGuys

College Football - 30 December 2011

This is a game we took a play in a couple of weeks ago. 

Notre Dame v Florida State

Notre Dame +3

@AusSportsGuys

A-League - Sydney FC v Melbourne Heart

Sydney FC v Melbourne Heart
Sydney Football Stadium
Thursday, 29 December 2011 - 7.30pm

We have been pretty selective with our plays in the A-League this season. Carrying a tidy little profit we are putting some of that on the line in tonights clash between the Sydney FC and Melbourne Heart.

Both sides will be missing key pieces with central midfielder Wayne Srhoj out for the Heart, and captain Terry McFlynn and Nicky Carle out for the Sky Blues.

Plays - 

Melbourne Heart win @ $3.40 (2 Units)
Draw @ $3.35 (2 Units)
Melbourne Heart Ht/Ft @ $5.50 (1 Unit)
Matt Thompson First Goal Scorer @ $23 (0.5 Unit)

@AusSportsGuys

NBA - 30 December 2011

An early play.

New York +4 (at L.A Lakers) - 3 units


A play added.

Dallas +7 (at Oklahoma City)

Another play added.

Denver @ Portland - over 199

NCAA Basketball - 30 December 2011

Two early plays.

Vanderbilt +9.5 (at Marquette)

Washington -6 (v Oregon State) - 2 units

Scottish Premier League - 28 December 2011

Full set of SPL games tonight, including the second Old Firm game of the year.

Think there is outstanding value taking Celtic to win ($1.90) and the Celtic HT/FT double ($2.65). Will be taking both of those. 10 units the win, 5 units the double. Rangers are of course a good side, and have absolute quality with Jelavic up front, but Celtic's overall side is better and at Celtic Park (and without Naismith) Rangers will not get there. Will also take a 1 unit play on the over 2.5 goals ($1.95).

Will also be taking the draw in the St Mirren/Dundee United game ($3.25).

Am interested in taking Aberdeen at home to Hearts too ($2.63). Just have a feeling about that one...

If you like short odds take Motherwell, but I will just be including it in any multi's I might have.

NCAA Basketball - 29 December 2011

An early play on Thursday's games.

Georgetown +6 (at Louisville) - 3 units

Georgetown have impressed me a touch this year and are currently in top form. Louisville have a lot of injury issues to deal with and their last couple of games have been a bit ordinary. Think the +6 is a great number, should be close.

More plays to follow.

EPL Half Season Team of the Year

It’s the festive time of the year and that means a busy schedule in the EPL and effectively the half-way point of the season. So I thought this would be a perfect time for me to put together my team of the season so far. As you would expect the team is dominated by the big teams, but maybe surprisingly not entirely by the big name players. Also there are a couple from outside those teams, Fulham, Newcastle etc. I am a Newcastle fan so maybe a little biased but fairly certain these players deserve their spot at this stage of the season. Anyway here it is:

GK – Tim Krul (New)

RB – Phil Jones (MU)

CD – Vincent Kompany (MC)

CD – Thomas Vermaelan (Ars)

LB – Kyle Walker (Tot)

LM – David Silva (MC)

CM – Scott Parker (Tot)

CM – Clint Dempsey (Ful)

RM – Nani (MU)

ST – Demba Ba (New)

ST – Robin van Persie (Ars)

Bench

Yakubu (Bla)

Sergio Aguero (MC)

Cheick Tiote (New)

Juan Mata (Che)

Micah Richards (MC)

Russel Martin (Nor)

Pepe Reina (Liv)

There you have it. Not the same team we have come to see regularly over the last few years with players like Ferdinand, Drogba, Gerrard, Lampard and Rooney. But simply put these players have been the form players throughout the first few months and deserve the recognition. In saying that Rooney was stiff to miss out on the bench but just felt Yakubu had done well to score 10 in 12 (Rooney 13 in 15) in a much weaker side. Gareth Bale was also hard to leave off the bench but you can only have so many.

So what are your thoughts? Let us know who has impressed you and what changes you would make.

Cheers

@mal68au

NCAA Basketball - 28 December 2011

Now that this "holidays" rubbish is out of the way, back to uninterrupted form study. Our recent form is about to change.

Pittsburgh -1.5 (at Notre Dame) - 2 units

The Big East conference play starts now and Pitt will be wanting to avenge the loss in their last game to Wagner (not a bad team). Ashton Gibbs could not possibly have a worse game and for that reason, they will bounce back.

Notre Dame aren't anywhere near as good as last season, but they are still a decent side. They will be decent at home but they won't be getting the W in this one.

Wisconsin/Nebraska o106 - 2 units

This game has to go over. Wisconsin will win (most likely cover) but this game HAS to go over. 106? Seriously? I have this pegged as, roughly, a 65-55 win for Wisconsin.


Enjoy!

College Basketball - 26 December 2011

LONG BEACH STATE v KANSAS STATE
Long Beach State -1.5

@AusSportsGuys

NHL - 24 December 2011

A couple of fairly heavy favs at the money line today, no value there. Do like the look of the over in the Boston game though.

Boston/Florida over 5 @ $1.86 (sportsbet)

Just the one play, for now

Edit:

So I am adding three more plays for the action today. Really not comfortable taking a $1.38 ML but I think the puckline gives slightly better value for money in the Vancouver v Calgary matchup so we will go with that. A couple more overs as well, hmm maybe I should take the over on the grand salami....

Vancouver -1.5 @ $2.13 (sportingbet)

Tampa Bay/Colorado over 5.5 @ $1.92 (sportsbet)

St Louis/Phoenix over 5 @ $1.86 (sportsbet)

Scottish Premier League - 24 December 2011

Here are this week's SPL plays.

Inverness CT @ $2.50 (v Aberdeen)

Motherwell @ $3.20 (at Hearts - also consider taking the draw)

Celtic HT/FT double @ $1.62 (v Kilmarnock)

There is a full round of fixtures next Wednesday night so be sure to check back for those midweek tips (including a play on the Old Firm derby).

NFL - 23 December 2011

One play as tweeted earlier on today's NFL game.

Houston/Indianapolis - under 41

NCAA Basketball - 24 December 2011

One play on tomorrow's games.

California +5 (at UNLV)

Feel pretty good about this. Also wonder where the line might move. If it moves in UNLVs favour, I will definitely be taking some more. Stay tuned, could be a multi unit play.

UPDATE

The line has moved in UNLV's favour and can currently get California +7.5. Am taking another play on California at this new line.

LATE PLAY

A late play on Ball State -3.5 at Morehead State.

LATER PLAY

Auburn +9 (v Long Beach State in Hawaii)

NCAA Basketball - 23 December 2011

At this stage, just the two plays - both on the Baylor/Saint Marys game - part of the Las Vegas Classic.

Baylor -4
Game total o137

Baylor are an exceptional team. They average 80 ppg, 39.9 rpg, 17apg and shoot over 50%! Exceptional. Plus they have solid wins over BYU, San Diego State and Northwestern.

Saint Marys can be a hot shooting team. They average just under 76ppg, 40rpg, 17.9apg and shoot 47.5%. Their only real notable win was over Weber State.

There will be a lot of points in this one, but I think Baylor's defense (and inside presence) will be too much for Saint Marys to handle. Baylor to cover nicely.

UPDATE

Sharp money for Saint Marys. I'll take em on.

Baylor -2 (5 units)

NHL - 23 December 2011

Two plays today, had more but the odds changed significantly whilst typing this so the value is now gone.


Ottawa @ $1.90 (sportsbet)

Edmonton/Minnesota over 5 @ $1.89 (sportsbet)

Cheers

NHL - 22 December 2011

Taking another two plays today and both are pucklines. First up is Montreal at Chicago with the start and then looking for San Jose to really put Tampa to the sword.

Montreal +1.5 @ $1.54 (sportsbet)

San Jose -1.5 @ $2.80 (sportingbet)

Good luck!

Poinsettia Bowl - TCU v Louisiana Tech

San Diego Credit Union Poinsettia Bowl
San Diego, California
Qualcomm Stadium
Thursday, 22 December 2011 12 noon Kick-Off (Live ESPN)

TCU #18 (10-2, 7-0 MWC) v Louisiana Tech (8-4, 6-1 WAC) 

Betting

The TCU Horned Frogs opened up at -12.5 at some shops but that didn't last long with some early support for Louisiana Tech. The number has settled around the -10.5 and -11 area for the past week or so.

The last couple of days however the number has dropped and at the time of writing TCU are around -8.5 and -9 point favourites.

The total game score has floated around the opening number of 55.5 and 56.

Vegasinsider.com has 92% of the action on the over and 60% spread betting on TCU.

Notes


TCU certainly would have preferred being involved in a game a little later in the rotation after beating Wisconsin in the Rose Bowl last year.

However an opening season loss against Baylor and loss against SMU on October 1 has left TCU with a third appearance in the Poinsettia Bowl.

TCU come up against an a Louisiana Tech Bulldogs program that is riding a 7 game streak.

TCU cannot afford to coast in this game against a talented Bulldogs squad. Add in co-offensive coordinator Justin Fuente who has taken on the head coaching role at Memphis is is a tricky spot for the Horned Frogs.

One player to keep an eye on is TCU senior linebacker Tank Carder who collected his second conference defensive player of the year award this season after recording 66 tackles and 2 interceptions.

@AusSportsGuys

NHL - 21 December 2011

Two plays today.

Chicago -1.5 @ $3.80 (sportingbet)

Islanders/Winnipeg under 5.5 @ $2.05 (sportsbet)

Cheers

NBA Opening Day - Orlando @ Oklahoma City

ORLANDO @ OKLAHOMA CITY
Oklahoma City -6.5 @ 1.91

@AusSportsGuys

NCAA Basketball - 21 December 2011

Two plays.

Richmond -4.5 (v Old Dominion) - 3 units

Butler +12.5 (at Gonzaga)

Enjoy!

Beef 'O' Bradys Bowl - Florida International v Marshall

Beef 'O' Brady's Bowl 

St Petersburg, Florida

Tropicana Field

Wednesday, 21 December 2011 12 noon Kick-Off (Live on ESPN)

Florida International (8-4, 5-3 Sun Belt) v Marshall (6-6, 5-3 Conf. USA)

Betting 

FIU opened up as -4.5 favourites against the Marshall Thundering Herd. The line has bounced between -4.5 and -4, with some -3.5 available for a limited time. Currently settled on -4.

Interesting note that as per vegasinsider.com FIU have attracted 76% of the spread betting, yet the line has been bet down from -5 to -4. 

The total game score opened up at 50 but has been bet down and sits at 48 at time of writing. 

Notes

FIU have a balanced attack with Wesley Carroll (Senior) at Quarterback trying to finish his collegiate career with his schools second ever bowl victory. 

Carroll will look to connect with the speed machine TY Hilton who has 64 receptions on the year for 950 yards and 7 TD's.

On the ground Kedrick Rhodes has rushed for 1,121 yards on 224 carries for 8 TD's.

The Thundering Herd will again lean on the Conference USA Defensive Player of the Year in Vinny Curry. Curry who plays Defensive End has racked up 11 Sacks, six forced fumbles and 21 tackles for loss on the year. 

Marshall have freshman Rakeem Cato at Quarterback who threw for 341 yards on 23 of 29 passing attempts in an overtime victory against East Carolina in the last game of the season to become bowl eligible. 

It all bodes well for a nice Wednesday matchup as bowl season heats up. 

@AusSportsGuys

EDIT


21 Dec 2011 8.00am


Taken some Marshall +4.5 @ $1.91 on the game today. 

NCAA Basketball - 20 December 2011

One early play (as tweeted)

Davidson +13.5 (at Kansas)

Took this early when Tyshawn Taylor was expected to miss. His status has changed to probable which makes the bet a little less attractive, still, Davidson were only beaten by 13 at Duke. Duke beat Kansas. I like this bet. 3 units!

NCAA Basketball - 19 December 2011

Two early plays on tomorrow's college basketball.

Montana State +3.5 (at Pepperdine)

Portland State +14 (at Oregon State)

Might be another two soon...

EDIT

Another play on tomorrow's games.

Virginia-Oregon o122.5 - 5 units

NHL - 18 December 2011

Boston meet Philly in a huge match and at present Boston are the underdogs, that doesn't happen often at the moment.

Boston @ $2.01 (sportsbet)

EDIT

Great result in the early game, still not sure why Boston were paying so much last night

Anyway going to add another play on Vancouver for today, expecting them to be too strong for the leafs

Vancouver @ $1.67 (sportingbet)

Scottish Premier League - 17 December 2011

Playing most of the games on offer in tonight's SPL games.

Very very keen on these two - and I think they are value.

Rangers v Inverness - Over 2.5 goals @ $1.72
St Johnstone v Celtic - Celtic @ $1.45

Picking draws for these.

Aberdeen v Hibs - Draw @ $3.25
Kilmarnock v Dundee United - Draw @ $3.25
Motherwell v St Mirren - Draw @ $3.30

Enjoy!

NCAA Basketball - 18 December 2011

A few early plays on tomorrow's college basketball games. There may be more depending on whether or not numbers move around enough to create a solid opportunity.

St Josephs -3.5 (v Villanova)

Illinois ML (v UNLV) - 3 units

Montana +1 (at Portland)

Georgia-USC u107.5

Am keeping a close eye on some other lines, such as the Butler-Purdue and Syracuse-NC State games.


EDIT

A new play added for tomorrow.

Baylor +1.5 (at BYU) - 3 units

Will be a very tough game.

EDIT

A new play added for later today.

Georgia +6 (at USC)

Small play.

EDIT

Another new play for later today.

Syracuse to win < 10.5 (at NC State) - $2.75 on offer!

NHL - 17 December 2011

Taking an early play for tomorrow on Pittsburgh in Ottawa. Both teams are a little banged up at the moment missing key players but I think the Pens will be able to cope better. Ottawa will be without experienced D-Men Kuba and Gonchar as well as break out goalscorer Milan Michalek with a concussion which is like a plague in the league at the moment. His brother could return in a major boost for the Penguins from his own concussion, although they will still be without Letang and Crosby (you guessed it they have concussions too) and Fleury will rest.

However as I suggest I think Pittsburgh can deal with these losses especially with the form of Evgeni Malkin. If you have seen him over the last game or two he looks possessed, even if you don't like the punt, it would worth watching this game given the way he is playing.

Pittsburgh @ $1.77 (sportsbet)

College Football - 15 December 2011

NEW MEXICO BOWL - TEMPLE v WYOMING
Wyoming +7 @ $1.95

SUN BOWL - UTAH v GEORGIA TECH
Utah +3.5 @ $1.91

CHAMPS SPORTS BOWL - NOTRE DAME v FLORIDA STATE
Notre Dame +3 @ $1.91


@AusSportsGuys

NHL - 16 December 2011

Early play and again I am going with Detroit, obviously in some fairly solid form and pretty sure they will come in before the drop of the puck so prob best to jump on early again.

Detroit @ $1.81 (sportsbet)

EDIT

Going to add in another play for the action today and it's the late game at San Jose. The sharks are heavily favoured in this one despite losing in a shootout to the Avs only 2 days ago. Sure they are at home this time so that should make some difference but they are just too short. For me that means the value is on the other side and the like Colorado with the start.

Colorado +1.5 @ $1.68 (sportsbet)

NCAA Basketball - 16 December 2011

Small play.

Savannah State @ Wisconsin - u112

Wisconsin will go close to covering the 27 point spread, but in any case, i see this as a very low scoring game (as all of Wisconsin's are).

Only a small play, but worth the punt!

NCAA Basketball - 15 December 2011

Big play here.

Iona to win @ $1.91 - (@ Richmond)

Iona are a very good team this year. They are averaging second most points in the nation (87.4), second most assists (20.3) and 8th in FG% (50.7%). Their last game was an abberation where they were smashed by Marshall (of course, we were on Marshall). Prior to that, had solid wins over Denver, Maryland and an outstanding double OT win over St Josephs.

They possess one of the best point guards in the nation (Scott Machado - 15.4 ppg, 10.4 apg, 2 spg), a very talented Arizona transfer in MoMo Jones (14.9 ppg) and a very reliable big man in Michael Glover (19.1 ppg, 8.4 rpg). This team is going places and should win the MAAC.

Richmond are still a decent school despite losing 4 starters from last season's Sweet 16 competitors. They've had some okay results (beating teams such as Rutgers, William & Mary and Wake Forest) but were easily handled by VCU last game. Their schedule has not been as strong as Iona's, and there record is not as strong either.

I think this is a very solid play to take Iona and will be betting up. 5 units.

NCAA Basketball - 14 December 2011

At this stage just one published play, but will expect more.

IPFW -9.5 (v Dartmouth)

While IPFW are a fairly decent team, this bet is more about how poor Dartmouth are.

Dartmouth are 328th in scoring (56.6 ppg), 306th in rebounds (31.5 rpg) and 322nd in FG% - 38%. Add to that their poor losses to teams such as New Hampshire and Vermont, and a spanking by Central Michigan, this team is looking to finish last in the Ivy League.

IPFW are travelling in the opposite direction. They are 37th in PPG (78.6ppg) , 46th in rebounds (39.3 rpg) and shoot a solid 45% from the field. Further, they have had some solid performances including a win over Valparaiso (who themselves are winners over solid schools such as Akron, Duquesne and Butler).

Confident about this one. Let's go 3 units.

NHL - 14 December 2011

3 plays today. First up looking to Ottawa at Buffalo and a puckline, thinking Ottawa are the value here with the start.

Ottawa +1.5 @ $1.51 (sportsbet)

Detroit travel to Pittsburgh and should be too strong for a Pittsburgh team going through a rough patch. Potential for some late withdrawls for the Penguins too.

Detroit @ $1.86 (sportsbet)

Finally Minnesota play in Winnipeg and again they are starting as underdog, why I have no idea. What does this team have to do to be taken seriously? Anyway we will taken some more action on them at the moneyline. Hmm as I type this they have moved in, but now equal money with Winnipeg, still like them, just won't bet so big.

Minnesota @ $1.92 (sportsbet)

EDIT

Min back out to $1.96, really can't believe this...

Scottish Premier League - 13 December 2011

A small play on tonight's SPL action.

St Johnstone @ $2.15 (v Aberdeen)

Should get up. Are definitely headed in the right direction, and the odds are not too bad.

NCAA Basketball - 13 December 2011

Late play.

Portland State at Oregon - under 150.5

Two units.

NHL - 12 December 2011

Only two games on today and we are looking to San Jose taking on Chicago. Expecting this to be a close a fought game, both teams are desperate for the points. Hard to pick a winner head to head but I don't see a blowout so taking San Jose with the start.

San Jose +1.5 @ $1.43 (sportsbet)

NCAA Basketball - 12 December 2011

Three plays.

Marshall -2 (v Iona)
New Mexico State -4.5 (at UTEP)
NC Greensboro/Florida State u137

NCAA Basketball - 11 December 2011

An early play on tomorrow's NCAA basketball.

Long Beach State +16.5 (at North Carolina)

Line is far too big. Take it now, won't last long.

Another play on tomorrow's games.

Kentucky -5 (at Indiana)

Scottish Premier League - 10 December 2011

Week 17 of the SPL this weekend.

Two very large bets for mine.

Hibs v Rangers - Take Rangers the win @ $1.42
St Johnstone v Motherwell - Take Motherwell the win @ $2.75

NHL - 9 December 2011

Pittsburgh play Philly tomorrow in traditionally what is a great game.  Hard fought and close. Jumping on Philly here because of injuries to Pittsburgh. Likely to have 4 of best 7 defenders out and Crosby also sitting. Malkin and Staal taken knocks of late so may not be at best. Pronger still out for Philly, but at $1.91 each, the Flyers are the early value.

Philadelphia @ $1.91 (sportingbet)

EDIT

Really liking this play and the value available at the moment. Thinking Philly should win by more than 1 so going to take them at the puckline too. I suggest you jump on now though if you are keen as both of these will shorten.

Philadelphia -1.5 @ $3.50 (sportingbet)

EDIT

Ok one more play for today and I am looking to the divisional battle between Dallas and San Jose. Dallas are going through a rough patch where they have been starting games poorly and losing as a result. Prior to this they were one of the best starting teams in the league. It's an issue they are aware of and the return of Morrow and Goligoski should help them make a better start. On the other side the Sharks have been one of the worst starting teams all season this hasn't stopped them from putting together some solid numbers. I am expecting this to continue today with a poor start but then a win for San Jose. Going for a bit of a long shot but think it is worth a small crack.

Dallas/San Jose @ $11 (First Period/FT Double - sportingbet)

NCAA Basketball - 9 December 2011

One play, and a small one.

Kansas State -2 (v West Virginia)

Have these two teams ranked evenly. Was very impressed with K-State's win at Virginia Tech last week and for that reason am happy to take them at -2 (or -2.5).

NCAA Basketball - 8 December 2011

At this stage just one play for tomorrow. Pretty confident again.

Vanderbilt -1 (at Davidson)

Really don't know what I'm missing with this game. I know Vanderbilt have a couple of bigs out (Ezeli hasn't played this season) but they're still a good team. A very good team in fact.

Vandy lost by 2 in OT at #6 Louisville (very solid performance), lost by 12 at home v #11 Xavier. I know they've probably not quite lived up to the pre-season hype...but those two losses were against top sides!

Davidson are a decent team also. Lost to Duke by only 13, and beat Richmond but apart from that, haven't beaten any 'name' schools.

The -1 on offer for Vandy seems far too good. And another 5 unit play on its way!

NOTE - Vandy is available at "pick em" at Sportsbet.



Another game that intrigues me is the Xavier (-6) at Butler game. No play as yet - will wait and see.

NHL - 7 December 2011

Looking to take St Louis to beat Detroit at home in this matchup. Expecting to see St Louis bounce back from a big loss to Chicago. Going a bit early on this one as still not sure if Elliott will start (hopefully) and if Filppula will play (would help a lot if he doesn't) for Detroit after injuring a leg against Colorado, but I think the value is there now.

St Louis @ $1.89 (sportsbet)

NCAA Basketball - 7 December 2011

Very keen on this one.

Missouri -6.5 v Villanova (neutral court)

Missouri have been impressive in their 7 games so far (7-0 record). Their win against California is one of the best performances of the season. If they get anywhere near that performance, they will obliterate Nova.

I like Nova overall, but they have been a little disappointing for mine. While they aren't a superstar team, they are better than their record suggests. However, I cannot see them getting anywhere near Missouri.

Big play on this one. 5 units.

NEW PLAYS ADDED

Taking a smaller play on

Long Beach State +12.5 (at Kansas)

Decent play on this next one...

Memphis +1 (at Miami, Florida)

NHL - 6 December 2011

A couple of plays today

I like Tampa Bay to travel to Ottawa and get the W and they are good odds at sportsbet at the moment so get on

Tampa Bay @ $2.02 (sportsbet)

Also the other game I like is Chicago at home to Phoenix, think they will be far too strong with no injuries/suspensions to contend with and should cover the puckline.

Chicago -1.5 @ $3.05 (sportsbet)

NCAA Basketball - 6 December 2011

Small play.

St Johns - ML

St Johns lost to Northeastern two games ago, which causes me much concern, but their loss at Kentucky wasn't that bad. They competed fairly well with Kentucky (as most sides do for one half) before losing their way late on.

Still, I'm taking that game as a decent result.

Detroit I ranked highly earlier in the year (have I not uploaded the Horizon preview yet?) higher than Cleveland State to be honest. But their last few results have been very disappointing. Whilst they are at home, which of course will favour them, I am not convinced their recent form will see them winning this one.

Take St Johns at the money line (currently at pick 'em) - not a big play by any means, but worth taking all the same

Cheerio!

NFL - 5 December 2011

DETROIT @ NEW ORLEANS
Total u55.5

NHL - 5 December 2011

Looking to the Calgary/Vancouver matchup today and going to go with Vancouver to win by 2 or more. Backed against Calgary like this yesterday with no luck so looking for a better result here. Back to back games for the Flames  so they are likely a little tired and Vancouver ought to be a tougher opponent.

Vancouver -1.5 @ $2.38 (sportsbet)

NCAA Basketball - 5 December 2011

Some good games on. Very keen to see how California and San Diego State fare against each other. Very tough to pick that one.

Only one play however.

Baylor +3 (at Northwestern)


Enjoy!

NCAA Basketball - 4 December 2011

1 play today at this point

Pittsburgh -1.5

Good luck!

College Football - 4 December 2011

TEXAS @ BAYLOR
Texas +2

NHL - 4 December 2011

Toronto/Boston under 6 @ $1.90 (sportsbet)

EDIT: Couple more games I like the look of that I am adding in

Edmonton are free scoring at home in front of their own fans and against lowly Calgary may just do enough to cover a puckline

Edmonton -1.5 @ $3.35 (sportingbet)

With the chance of a couple of back-up goalies starting in San Jose I like this game to over 5.5. Both San Jose and Florida are averaging about 5.2 goals per game this year so it doesn't seem a stretch that this one would go over and the value is hard to ignore

San Jose/Florida over 5.5 @ $2.32 (sportsbet)

Scottish Premier League - 3 December 2011

Only playing three games tonight (full tips are below).

Rangers v Dunfermline - under 2.5 goals @ $2.50
Dundee United v Celtic - take Celtic @ $1.57
Kilmarnock v Aberdeen - take Kilmarnock @ $2.10


In the remaining two games (excluding the Motherwell/Hibs which was last night and abandoned), I like the draws.

NCAA Basketball - 3 December 2011

Today's plays

Florida +6  (v Syracuse)

While I rate Syracuse very highly (top 5 for mine) I expect they'll have some trouble stopping Florida today. Am very confident on this one.

Cincinnati v Georgia - o119.5

Big play on this one. They'll beat this comfortably.

Oklahoma -18  (v Sacramento State)

If you read the Big Sky preview you'll know we do not think much of Sacramento State this year. Oklahoma have been playing fairly well with their only loss to the in-form Saint Louis. Am very keen on this one also.

College Football - 2 December 2011

WEST VIRGINIA @ SOUTH FLORIDA
South Florida +3 $1.91

SOUTHERN MISSISSIPPI V HOUSTON
Southern Miss +14

NHL - 2 December 2011

Great results yesterday going 2-0, christ that shoot-out in Edmonton was a tense one but we will take that result happily. Just the one play for today (so far anyway)

Washington/Pittsburgh under 5.5 @ $1.90 (sportsbet)

@mal68au

NHL - November Review (@mal68au)

At the end of November the reality of a long hard season ahead has well and truly hit home for everyone involved in the NHL. Be it the surprise packets who got off to a great start, the coaches already fired, @NHLShanahan handing out and justifying suspensions or those players dealing with some type of niggling injury. We are only a quarter of the way through this marathon of a season and all of these guys know that the fun part is over.

On the punting front we started off tremendously but a couple of weeks in Viet Nam has seen my drop away a bit to finish about even for the month. But that will turn and we look forward to a more profitable month for all.

Winners and Losers

Have to start with Boston, they were a loser last month but they have really turned it around. To a degree it was expected but you still have to go out and get the job done. The ongoing bad blood between these guys and Buffalo only seems to be helping their cause.

Claude Giroux had a break out year last year for the Flyers and to a degree they gambled on him as a result, trading away some offensive assets. Things haven’t exactly been smooth sailing for the Flyers just yet but Giroux has more than held up his end of the bargain and is well and truly in the mix for the Hart.

Professional sports is never easy for a rookie coach but Mike Yeo is making it look that way in Minnesota at the moment. A consistent start to the year has them on top of the Northwest and importantly playing what looks to be a playoff brand of hockey.

The first loser of the month is a reversal from last month also, Washington. They started by winning seven in a row and have since gone 5-10-1 and fired big Bruce Boudreau. What a fall from grace.

Along this line I have to make the Ducks my second loser of the month. I knew they weren’t going terribly well but I never expected them to sack Randy Carlyle and hire Bruce Boudreau, this shocked me. Not so much that it was quick, but more so that I think Boudreau is a terrible coach. He coached what I rate as a very talented group of players in the capital but couldn’t get them past the second round. Did the Ducks management watch HBO’s “24/7”? If the Caps were struggling in a game his approach was to swear and ask for a lift. Repetitively. Game after game. A true tactician.

Finally the Sabres got it all wrong against the Bruins this month. After Milan Lucic cleaned up star goalie Ryan Miller (still out with concussion) in a 6-2 Boston win and went unpunished by the league, Buffalo decided to deal out some retribution of their own when next they met. Paul Gaustad fought Lucic only 83 seconds in which set the tone for one of the most entertaining games of the season, which Boston would eventually win 4-3. The trouble is Buffalo tried to play a physical and aggressive game against the Bruins and they just don’t have the cattle to do that. They are small, fast and talented and they tried to play physical against possible the biggest and most physical team in the league. They played right into Boston’s hands and got punished as a result.

Division Standings

In the Atlantic Pittsburgh still hold the lead and have now finally something close to a healthy team for the first time in 18 months. Slight concerns over Letang and Michalek with head injuries that could be one game or serious concussions, information is scarce at the moment. But with Crosby back and looking his old self this team looks every bit the Stanley Cup favourites. $5.50 at Sportingbet is no longer value but hopefully you jumped on at the start of the year. Don’t expect them to dominate the regular season though as they will look to the playoffs and experiment if required.

The Rangers are the real story here though, with seven wins in a row at home and 10 wins out of 12 all up. They are now just three points out of the division lead with four games in hand. Not bad for our $5 shot at the division winner. All of this too, without top defender Marc Staal who amazingly was concussed by his brother Eric.

 The Flyers are still putting points up and are well and truly still in the mix for the division, however they are doing nothing to convince me that they will be there come the end of the season. One reason is key older players in Pronger and Jagr are getting injured all too often which is never a good sign. What I will say is I have just watched the preview for the upcoming HBO 24/7 series featuring the Rangers and Flyers which I am really looking forward to, so we will get a good look inside the Flyers and maybe that will change my perspective.

Over in the Northeast Boston are absolutely tearing it up, the hottest team in the league right now going 12-0-1 throughout November. They are motivated, they are healthy (besides Savard who is still out with concussion) and they are getting a good spread of scoring. So much so that the top line was in a slump through much of this recent run of good form until the big win in Toronto on Wednesday night. Make no mistake this team is a threat. However they are still not in first place in the division.

The Leafs are still going strong at the top of the division, I don’t think anyone considers them to be a genuine cup threat but they are not a flash in the pan either. If Lupul and Kessel can maintain their form then they should make the playoffs and maybe even win a round.

The Sabres didn’t have a bad November, going 7-6-1 but it’s certainly not going to move them up the standings fast. Enroth has been great in the cage but Miller will definitely take over should he get fit again and when he does they will need to go on a run of wins. It’s streaks that make your season and the next streak be it winning or losing could determine if Bullafo has a home seeding for the playoffs, away seeding, or dare I say it misses all together.

In the Southeast surprisingly it’s Florida on top and they really have gone about it quietly. I had Marco Sturm as a loser last month for being traded to Florida from Vancouver yet here Florida sit with one more point. Will they go the distance? Your guess is as good as mine, they have put themselves in the right spot though.

That Brings us to the Capitals and the Lightning. Firstly what a month it was for Washington. Started on top of the world and ended outside of a playoff spot and with a new coach. I never rated Boudreau as a coach, but I did like his decision to change the teams’ game style last year to a more defensive style, a playoff style if you will. Maybe not the best idea to do it mid-year but a good move all the same. However I am not sure the very offensive minded players ever really appreciated this change. Semin, Ovechkin and Green have all dropped away and so has the praise of their talents. Just over a year ago Ovechkin was mentioned everywhere as the best player in the world, on par or better than Crosby and Ovie loved that. Despite Crosby missing 10 months through injury Ovechkin no longer enters that conversation. You have to believe that hurts. No surprise then that as soon as the team loses just a couple of games that rumours surface that the coach has lost his players and eventually the coach is fired. Poor all round. Will they rebound? Of course. Will they be a contender? Not quite so easy to answer. The one positive out of this for the Capitals has to be that their inevitable meltdown has happened well before the playoffs has even started #harsh

The issues with Tampa are nowhere near as dramatic yet for a team that made it to the conference finals last season they have to be disappointed with their start. If they can sought out the goaltending situation then they should make the playoffs comfortably enough, but to be honest I am just not sure how they will do that. I don’t like either Roloson or Garon so maybe a trade is in order? The likes of Enroth might like a full time gig once Miller is back now that he has shown what he can do. Or even Halak now that Elliot is playing so well in St Louis. Finally possibly Schneider should Luongo ever regain his spot.

In the Central Detroit, Chicago and St Louis are all battling it out for top spot. St Louis is yet another team to have already had a coaching change yet Ken Hitchcock’s arrival appears to have been the tonic required, with wins in seven of the last nine. Make no mistake the West is by far the deeper conference so it is going to be tough for the Blues to keep it up, but in a months’ time we will have a better idea if they can make the post season.

Jimmy Howard is the story for me in Detroit, having a career year in terms of stats and the Wings are riding him accordingly with backup Conklin seeing very few games. If Howard doesn’t get a trip to the All-Star game it would be a joke, Vezina favourite for me at this early stage. Detroit on the back of his stunning play are top of the division and with games in hand. All the usual suspects are contributing and doing it oh so well. You know they will be there in April and you know they will be tough.

Chicago didn’t have their best month going 7-6-1 but there are no concerns here. Much like the Penguins and the Red Wings they know they will be in the playoffs and they will do what they need to to get there.

In the Northwest predictably Colorado and Edmonton have started to slip. Edmonton are doing the better but neither team are out of it yet. Personally I still think Colorado are a sneaky chance, they have some super talented players like Matt Duchene, check this one out

The Wild are on top of the league at the moment and without really doing anything fancy. All credit to rookie coach Mike Yeo. Setoguchi and Heatley have been serviceable for their new team without lighting it up. But an even spread, defence first mentality is doing the job. As boring as that is for us the fans, the punters who like to bet the over, it gets the wins.

The Cannucks are also starting to role, five wins in a row and I still believe they will win this division and probably even the conference. David Booth is settling in from his trade and it really is hard to pick a weakness in this outfit, except of course their mental strength in the playoffs. The interesting story however is with the goalies. Luongo was out injured and Schneider stepped in, however Schneider has gone so well that now that Luongo is healthy he is having to play second fiddle. Are they just riding this wave of form? Or are they genuinely considering a full time switch to Schneider as first choice?

Finally we look at the Pacific and the good news from my point of view is we can actually discount a team from contention in Anaheim, especially given the new coach. Seriously I imagine his first motivational speech right about now is going something like “F@#king........play better or something, f@#k”. 

The other four teams remain super close as they probably will for the majority of the season. The big news from this division is that Kari Lehtonen has injured his groin. Having played so well in net for the Stars will they be able to get through a period of about a month without him? For a team on the edge like this it could make all the difference.

Our bet to win the division San Jose, right now sit in fourth and outside a playoff spot. However they have games in hand and had they played those games it’s not inconceivable that they would be on top of the league. This just illustrates how close the Western Conference and more specifically the Pacific is. Without doubt though they are still my pick to progress from the West, however again this is reflected in the cup odds so no value there anymore. Just hold onto those tickets we got at the start of the season for them to make the final.

That’s it for this month. I will leave you by strongly suggesting you make every effort to watch the upcoming series by HBO, 24/7 Flyers-Rangers Road to the Winter Classic, it starts on the 14^th. In the meantime if you didn’t watch the show last year which was done on the Penguins and Capitals, you should watch that. If you have any interest in sport I can assure you that you will appreciate it, a truly well-made show and I only hope this year’s effort lives up to it.

For plays and updates follow me for on twitter @mal68au

NCAA Basketball - 1 December 2011 - Late Play

Late play on the Creighton/San Diego State game

u142.5

Good luck!

NHL - 1 December 2011

Rough couple of days on the ice but set to bounce back today with a couple of plays at the moneyline.

Boston ML @ $1.72 (sportsbet) - Boston are in great form and should get over Phil Kessel and the Leafs and take control of the Northeast

Minnesota ML @ $2.11 (sportsbet) - The ultra consistent Wild travel to Edmonton, who are starting to slip after their blistering start. Minnesota won the first two meetings between these teams this season (including one north of the border) but lost the last matchup when backup Josh Harding was in net. But Backstrom should start today and the Wild should win.

@mal68au