Bob Harvey Sports

Thursday College Basketball Preview: South Carolina vs. Baylor

2012-02-01T21:50:00.000-08:00

The 12th-rankedFlorida Gators try for their sixth straight win when they host South Carolina ina nationally televised contest on ESPN2. Game time is 9:00 PM ET at the StephenC. O'Connell Center in Gainesville where the Gators are favored by -15 with thetotal at 135.5.

Florida(17-4 SU, 8-7-1 ATS) is coming off a 69-57 victoryover Mississippi State on Saturday. Bradley Beal scored 19 points and shot 6 of9 while Erik Murphy added 14, hitting 4 of 7 from 3-point range. The Gators improvedto 13-0 at home this season and have posted 17 consecutive wins overall at theO’Connell Center. During their current five-game winning streak, Erving Walkerand Kenny Boynton have combined for 39 assists and 10 turnovers and thebackcourt has provided a consistent scoring presence with the trio of starting guards averaging a combined43.9 points per game.

SouthCarolina (9-11, 7-8 ATS) has lost five ofsix and has a tough week ahead. The Gamecocks, who are 1-5 in conference play,will go from the proverbial frying pan to the fire. After tonight’s battleagainst Florida they’ll face No. 1 Kentucky on Saturday.

In their lastouting, SC suffered a 66-62 at Mississippi on Saturday. Malik Cooke scored 17points but missed a late free throw that could have tied the game. In order topull off the upset, the Gamecocks will need to give Cooke a little help on theoffensive end. He's averaging a team-best 12.7 points and leads the team inassists, rebounds, field goal percentage and steals. Cooke is the best playeron a South Carolina team that's second-to-last in the SEC in scoring at 62.9per game.

Despite itsstruggles, the Gamecocks have made strides on defense, holding teams to 61.0points and 45.3 percent shooting the last three games. They’ll need that andthen some to beat the Gators who are averaging 85.3 per game while allowing61.9 points per game.

First Meeting

Florida beat SouthCarolina 79-65 in their first meeting on January 14. Six Gators finished in double figures, with three scoring atleast 14. Florida went 12 of 24 from beyond the arc, led by Boynton, who was 4 of7.

The Gamecocks havenow dropped eight straight against Top 25 opponents, though they defeatedGators 72-69 in Gainesville last January 15.

Gator Bait

It’s hard to imagine a scenario where SC comes intoGainesville and beats Billy Donovan’s club. TheGators, with its three guard lineup, are putting up monster numbers. They leadthe nation in made 3-point field goals per game with 10.6 per outing, and alsoleads the nation in assist to turnover ratio at 1.55. Florida is tops in theSEC in scoring (80.7 ppg),is eighth nationally and leads the country in madethree-pointers (10.6 per game).

Five players averagein double figures led by Boynton (17.2 points per game). The other two guardsin Florida’s unique lineup are Beal (14.1 ppg) and Walker (12.6 ppg) while orwardsPatric Young (11.4 ppg) and Erik Murphy (10.6) give the Gators a formidable inside presence.

The Series

Florida holds a38-22 lead in the all-time series with South Carolina, including a 17-7advantage in games played in Gainesville.

The two teams havesplit the season series in each of the last three seasons.

Trends

The road team is16-5-1 ATS in the last 22 series meetings and South Carolina is 5-2-1 vs. thenumber in the last eight games of the series.

Florida is 11-5 tothe ‘over’ this season and 20-6 to the high side in its last 26 home games.

Harvey’sTake: Florida should win this won handily unless Donovan calls of the dogs. Myplays tonight will be small as I lay the lumber with the Gators and take the‘over’ as well.

Good luck!

NBA Betting Preview: Monday's Top Plays

2012-01-29T20:45:00.000-08:00

NewOrleans Hornets vs. Miami Heat

At first glance it looks like a huge mismatchas the Heat host the Hornets at the American Airlines Center in Miami. Gametime is 7:30 ET with the Heat favored by -13 with the total at 186.5. Miami iscoming off a draining 97-93 victory over the Chicago Bulls on Sunday and couldbe primed for a letdown.

TheHeat (15-5 SU, 8-12 ATS) got 35 points from LeBron James. They never trailed butneeded two missed throws and an errant 3-point shot from Derrick Rose in thefinal seconds to seal the deal. Chris Bosh scored 24 points and added 12rebounds for Miami which pulled within one game of Chicago (17-5) in the East.

LeBron James

TheHornets (4-16 SU, 10-10 ATS) are coming off a 94-72 loss to the Hawks.Emeka Okafor scored 13 points for New Orleans while Jarrett Jack had 10points. It was the Hornets 16th loss in 18 games.

New Orleans has been playing tough. 10 oftheir losses have been by single digits and the club was coming off a 93-67wipeout of Orlando. However last night they responded with one of their worstgames of the season, shooting only 37.5 percent (27 of 72).

Harvey’sTake: It’s an easy Miami win but the money play is on the ‘under’.

PortlandTrailblazers vs. Utah Jazz

A pair of longtime Western Conference rivalssquare off in Salt Lake City where the Jazz are favored by -2 over theTrailblazers. The total is 188.5. Tip-off is 9:00PM ET at the Delta Center.

Utah(11-7 SU, 9-9 ATS)improved to 9-3 at home with Saturday’s 96-93 victory over Sacramento. The Jazzwon despite 18 turnovers and a meager 18 combined points from Al Jefferson andPaul Millsap. With the Kings intent on stopping those two, GordonHayward and C.J. Miles stepped up combining for 41 points to lift Utah.

LaMarcus Aldridge

Portland(12-8 SU, 11-8-1 ATS)has struggled on the road this year going 3-7. In their last outing on Friday,they blew away the Phoenix Suns 109-71 at the Rose Garden. LaMarcusAldridge led the Blazers with 23 points while former Utah star WesleyMatthews added 16. The statistical line of the night belonged to Marcus Cambywho had no points—and 20 rebounds. Portland held Phoenix to 37 percent shooting(29 of 78). Portland has won and covered the last three meetings.

Harvey’s Take: This is my game of the night in the NBA. Lay the pointsand go with the Blazers. You might also consider a play on the ‘under’.

OklahomaCity Thunder vs. LA Clippers

Two of the top young teams in the leaguecollide tonight in Los Angeles as Blake Griffin and the Clippers play host toKevin Durant and the Oklahoma City Thunder. Tip-off is 10:35 PM ET from StaplesCenter where OKC is favored by -2.5 points with the total at 196.

Oklahoma City (16-3 SU, 11-8 ATS) owns thebest record in the league due in large part to their success on the road.They’ve compiled a record of 8-2 SU & 6-4 ATS away from home including a5-1 road streak. Overall the Thunder is on an 11-1 streak.

In their last outing on Friday night theyoutlasted Golden State 120-109. Kevin Durant scored a game-high 37 points with14 rebounds while Russell Westbrook netted 28 and dished out 11 assists toalong with his six steals and nine rebounds.

Kevin Durant

The Clippers (11-6 SU, 10-7 ATS) areimproving but aren’t in the same class as Oklahoma City yet. LA did turn in animpressive performance last night in Denver beating the Nuggets 109-105 as a +6point underdog. Chauncey Billups scored 32 points in his return to Coloradowhile Chris Paul added 25 points and Blake Griffin had a double-double with 17points and 13 rebounds.

This is one of those rare NBA games whichshould be worth the price of the ticket.

Harvey’s Take: The Clippers are bound to be a little fatigued after ashort turnaround and especially following a night in the high-altitude onDenver. The bench will be the difference tonight and the advantage in thatdepartment goes to OKC.

Grabthe Thunder and good luck!

Saturday NBA Betting Preview: Knicks vs. Rockets

2012-01-27T22:28:00.000-08:00

The blazing Rockets go for their 10^thwin 13 games when they host the fading Knicks at the Toyota Center in Houston.Tip-off is set for 8:00 PM ET with the Rockets favored by -6 points. The totalis 193.

Houston(11-8 SU & ATS)got a big lift from the bench in its lopsided 103-76 victory over Washington,dropping the Wizards to 0-8 on the road. Chase Budinger who had beenburied on Kevin McHale’s bench the past three games, started in place of theRockets leading scorer Kevin Martin and stole the show. Budinger sank four3-pointers and scored a season-high 21 points. Jordan Hill contributed adouble-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds for the Rockets, forced 24turnovers and won for the 19^th straight time when holding theiropponent below 90 points.

Houston is now 8-2 SU & 7-3 ATS in itslast 10 games. The Rockets have won 12 of their last 13 games at home.

NewYork (7-12 SU, 5-14 ATS) continued its slide dropping a 99-89 decision in Miamialthough they did cover as a +10 point underdog. New Yorkplayed without Carmelo Anthony, who expects to miss at least twogames, including tonight, while dealing with ankle, thumb and wrist problems.

LeBron James scored 31 pointsand Dwyane Wade scored 28 in his return from a sprained right ankleto lead the Heat. The Knicks employed an interesting strategy--shoot early and often from downtown. New Yorktook 43 shots from 3-point range, the most in the NBA this season and a totalthat was six attempts shy of the Mavericks league record of 49 set in 1996. TheKnicks connected on 18 from beyond the arc (41.1 percent) with Bill Walker wholed NY with 21 points, making seven of them.

Toney Douglas scored 16 points whileAmare Stoudemire finished with 12 for New York, which tried more 3’s than2-point shots.

The Knicks are 3-7 SU and 2-8 ATS in theirpast 10 games including 1-4 on the road (SU/ATS).

KnicksStruggles

The Knicks are now 1-7 in their last eight gamesand the proverbial noose is getting tighter around the neck of head coach MikeD’Antoni. With each loss, the trade that brought Anthony to the Big Apple getsworse by the day. The Knicks have never recovered from a deal that gutted theirstarting lineup and bench and is now 21-30 since making the deal for ‘Melo.

New York has been held below 90 in six of itslast 10 games and with Anthony hurt and the team without a legitimate pointguard, the scoring slump is likely to continue.

Trends

The Knicks are 6-16 ATS in their 22 games andare 2-5 ATS in their last seven games following an ATS loss. They’ve also gone 4-0-1 to the ‘under’ intheir last five games against teams with a winning record.

The ‘under’ is 10-3 in the Knicks last 13games as an underdog and New York is 21-7 in its last 28 games overall.

Houston is 10-3 to the low side in its last13 home games and is 7-2 in its past nine games as a home favorite. The Rocketsare 9-3 ATS in their last 12 games overall. The favorite is 8-1 in the lastnine series meetings.

Harvey’s take: I’m riding with the Rockets. New York is a loss or twoaway from total implosion and they’ll receive one of them tonight. My money ison Houston -6 and the ‘under’ which to me is the stronger of the two plays.

Goodluck!

Friday NBA Betting Preview: Knicks vs. Heat

2012-01-27T00:13:00.000-08:00

It’s a primetime showdown in South Beach asLeBron James and the Miami Heat host Carmelo Anthony and the New York Knicks.Tip-off is set for 8:00 PM ET at the American Airlines Arena. NY will be goingfor its third straight win over Miami.

It’sbeen a rough week for the Knicks (7-11 SU, 4-14 ATS) who have lost sevenof their last eight games including back-to-back, double-digit road setbacks toCharlotte and Cleveland. Tuesday, the Bobcats blew out the Knicks 111-78 gettingthe ATS victory as well as a +5.5 point underdog. Anthony, who was playing withan injured right thumb, went 0 for 7 from the field and finished with onepoint. The next night in Cleveland, New York suffered a 92-81 setback asAnthony struggled again getting just 15 points on 5 of 14 shooting.

Overall, ‘Melo leads the Knicks in scoring(23.6 points per game) but is shooting just 39.4 percent from the floor and30.3 percent from downtown.

New York is now a disappointing 4-5 SU on theroad (3-6 ATS) but they’ve been a great play on the ‘under’ going 6-1 this season.

TheHeat (13-5, 8-10 ATS) Heat defeated the struggling Pistons 101-98 on Wednesday atThe Palace of Auburn Hills. LeBron James led Miami with 32 points, played everyminute of the second half and made critical free throws down the stretch. ChrisBosh added 27 points, shooting 12 of 15 from the field and finished theback-to-back against the Cavaliers and Pistons with 62 points. Over his lasttwo games, the former Georgia Tech star is shooting 71.1 percent and hasn’tmissed a three-pointer or a free throw.

The Heat improved its record on the secondnight of back-to-backs to 3-3 and upped its mark to 8-1 this season in gameswithout Dwyane Wade, who has missed six games in a row with a sprained ankle. Miamiis 7-2 at home with a spread record of 5-4. They’ve won two straight overall.

Speaking of Wade, he had what was called anintense workout before Wednesday’s game and appears ready to return, possiblytonight.

Foodfor thought

What happens to Bosh’s ‘touches’ when D-Wade returns? Miami’s big man is averaging 25.7points in games without him comparedwith 19.9 points per game with Wade on the court. For the season, Bosh isaveraging 21.7 points per game compared with an average of 20 points per gamefor his career.

KnicksStruggles

The Knicks are 1-7 in their last eightoutings and the pressure is mounting in New York to start winning. Includingtheir first-round exit in the playoffs last season, the Knicks are 21-29 sincetrading for Anthony. He’s not thereason for New York’s problems, just one of them. His acquisition hasn’t paidoff for NY like his departure from Denver has benefitted the Nuggets. That’snot Anthony’s fault but rather management’s for making such a one-sided deal.

Knicks head coach Mike D’Antoni has triedseveral different lineup combinations in hopes of jump starting the offense butnothing has worked. Despite consecutive games scoring over 100 points againstDenver and Charlotte this week, New York has been held below 90 in five of itslast nine contests D’Antoni is hoping the Knicks can get the offense going in ahurry but that will be tough against the Heat who are giving up just 91.8points over their past six games.

Trends

The Knicks are 1-5 ATS in their last sixgames following an ATS loss and 1-6 ATS in their last seven games against ateam with a winning record. They’ve also gone 3-0-1 to the ‘under’ in theirlast four games vs. teams with a winning record.

Other trends of note--The Heat are 0-4against teams with a losing record. The road team is 5-1 in the last six seriesmeetings.

Harvey’s Take: Miami has been a disappointment in the ATS departmentgoing 8-10 overall and 5-4 at home. Still they’re the better option of the two.The better play is the ‘under’ especially if New York continues its recenttrend of sub 100-point outings.

Go lowin South Beach and good luck!

Wednesday NBA Betting Preview: Pacers vs. Bulls

2012-01-24T22:20:00.000-08:00

The Chicago Bulls look to remain perfect athome when they host the Indiana Pacers in an NBA Central Division battle inChicago. Tip-off is scheduled for 8:00 PM ET at the United Center where Chicagois favored by -9.5 with the total at 184.

TheBulls (16-3 SU, 12-7 ATS) have won eight straight in the Windy City and four in arow overall. In their last outing on Monday night, Chicago crushed New Jersey110-95 at the UC. Derrick Rose returned to the lineup after missing four gameswith a sprained left big toe and had 22 points and eight assists while RipHamilton also had 22 and 10 helpers. Joakim Noah chipped in with 16 pointsand 10 rebounds for the Bulls who keep on winning despite a plethora ofinjuries.

Luol Deng (Deng 15.9 points, 7.5 rebounds pergame) is the latest Chicago casualty. Deng suffered a torn wrist ligament inSaturday night’s 95-89 win over Charlotte and is listed as week-to-week. Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau says his star forward is going to be out for awhile and that its more of a pain tolerance issue right now. There’s even achance he’ll be forced to undergo surgery although Deng calls that an option of last resort. RonnieBrewer will start in his place putting additional pressure on an already thinbench that’s without John Lucas III (sprained groin) and Taj Gibson (sprainedankle).

ThePacers (11-5 SU, 9-7 ATS) have been one of the surprise teams in the NBA thisseason but turned in one of their worst efforts of the year dropping a 92-74decision to the Orlando Magic as a -3 point favorite. Dwight Howard scored 14points to become Orlando’s all-time leading scorer but it was Ryan Anderson whodid the damage scoring 24 points. Roy Hibbert had 16 points and 12 reboundswhile Danny Granger also had 16 points for Indy which had nine shots blocked inthe game. It marked Orlando’s fourth straight victory at Indiana.

The Pacers who suffered their first home lossin six games were their own worst enemies. Indy had 19 turnovers and was just 3for 13 shooting from beyond the arc but did turn in a stellar performance atthe free throw line going 18 for 18.

Toughstretch

We’ll soon find out if the Pacers, who areoff to their best start in eight years, are a serious contender or just apretender. After tonight’s game, they’ll visit Boston and Orlando all within afour- day period. Not including their impressive road win over the Lakers,Indiana has played a relatively soft schedule. They’ve beaten the Cavaliers,Charlotte, Detroit, New Jersey, Golden State and Toronto twice en route totheir quickest start since opening 13-2 in 2003-04.

Theseries

This will be the first meeting of the year.The Bulls won three of the four regular season games last season and took the first-roundplayoff matchup. In the last regularseason meeting, the Pacers prevailed 115-108 in overtime at home despite Derrick Rose's 42 points.

Trends

Chicago is 12-5 ATS in its last 17 games and5-3 at home but is just 2-4 vs. Indiana in the past six meetings. The ‘under’is 7-2-1 in the Bulls last 10 home games.

Harvey’s Take: Chicago continues to find ways to win. They survivedwhile Rose was sidelined with the toe injury and I’ve got no doubt they’ll keepit going without Deng. I’m making a small play on the Bulls and a sprinkle onthe ‘under’.

Goodluck!

Tuesday NBA Betting Preview: Cavs vs. Heat

2012-01-23T23:06:00.001-08:00

Aslong as LeBron James plays in the NBA, Miami and Cleveland will be foreverlinked as his past and present employers. With time, Cavs fans will move onfrom the trade that rocked their world. For now we’re stuck with another overpublicized reunion. Asexpected, Miami is a huge favorite tonight over a Cleveland team that hasn't beaten any of the top contenders. Tip off is set for 7:30 PM ET at AmericanAirlines Arena in Miami. The game will be carried on ESPN as part of its nationally televised doubleheader.

Miami (11-5 SU, 8-8 ATS) is coming off a lackluster effort onSunday. They had their three-game winning streak snapped by the Milwaukee Buckswho rolled to a 91-82 victory. James had 28 points and 13 rebounds, but Miamifinished with season lows in points, field-goal percentage (37.3), field goals(25) and assists (nine). The Heat were playing for the second straight nightand third time in four days but like every other team in the league won’t usethe jam packed schedule as an excuse.

DwyaneWade has been out six games with a foot injury (plantar fasciitis) but LeBronhas picked up the offensive slack.He’s averaging 30.8 points on 55.4 percent shooting during Wade’sabsence. Overall James is second in the league in scoring (29.7 ppg), less thana point behind the Lakers Kobe Bryant (30.5 ppg).

LeBron James

Same old Cavs

Cleveland (6-9 SU, 8-7ATS) has dropped threestraight overall and has lost its last two games by a combined 66 points. Friday, they were routed byChicago 114-75 and the next night were blown out by the Hawks 121-94. Atlanta had 33 fast break points on the nightand shot 55 percent while Chicago had 50 points in the paint and limited theCavs to 30 percent shooting (27 of 89).
Cleveland’sdefense has been sieve like this season ranking 25^th in pointsallowed (99.0) and 27^th in field goal percentage (46.4). The Cavs defensehas been particularly brutal during the current skid allowing an average of113.3 points per game on better than 51 percent shooting. James and Miami tookthree of four from Cleveland in 2010-11, with the King averaging 27.5 points,8.3 assists and 8.0 rebounds against his former team.

Kyrie Irving

As good as advertised

Rookiepoint guard Kyrie Irving, Cleveland’s first No. 1 overall pick in the draftsince selecting James in 2003, has had a solid start to his pro career. The oneand done star from Duke leads the team in scoring (17.4 ppg) field goalpercentage (50.0), 3-point shooting (42.5 percent) and assists (4.9). AntawnJamison is second in points per game (15.7) while Anderson Varejao is close toaveraging a double-double with 9.7 points and 9.4 rebounds per game.

DespiteIrving’s contributions, the Cavaliers are as bad as they’ve ever been since LeBron left. Getting off the road might help. The Cavs haveplayed just five home games this season going 2-3 SU and ATS) but will have 13of their next 17 games at home. You can expect them to be ‘dogged’ in amajority of those contests.

Notes on a scorecard

TheHeat are in tied for second-place in the Southeast Division with Orlando. Thesurprising Hawks lead with a record of 13-5. The Cavs are third in the CentralDivision, eight games behind the Chicago Bulls.

Trends

Clevelandis 9-4 ATS in their last 13 road games and 7-2 against the spread in its lastnine matchups against Miami. The‘over’ might be worth investigating tonight. The Heat are 12-4-1 to the highside in their last 17 outings and 7-3 to the ‘over’ in their last 10 overall.

Harvey’sTake: Miami can pretty much name the scoretonight with or without Wade. My play though is going to be on the ‘over’ anddon’t be surprised if the Heat don’t flirt with the 120 number tonight.

Good luck!

Monday NBA Betting Preview: Magic vs. Celtics

2012-01-22T21:53:00.000-08:00

NBA Preview

Magic vs. Celtics

Twoof the perennial powers in the Eastern Conference square off in Boston as the Celtics play host to the Orlando Magic. Game time is 7:30 PM ET at TD Garden.

Sunday,the Celtics beat the Wizards 100-94 getting the cover as a -2 point favorite.Paul Pierce just missed a triple-double with 34 points, 10 assists and eightrebounds. Pierce scored 14 of Boston’s final 25 points. KevinGarnett added 17 points including five in the final two minutes. TheCeltics shot 51.4 percent for the game including 5 of 12 from 3-point range.They held Washington to 13.3 percent shooting from beyond the arc (2 of 13).

Boston(5-9 SU, 6-8 ATS) played without the top assist man in the Eastern Conference RajonRondo (9.4 apg) who missed his second straight game with a wrist injury. TheCeltics also lost Ray Allen (15 points per game) in the second quarter to asprained ankle.

TheCeltics are off to a rough start, and there's talk of breaking up The Big Threeif the right deal comes along. Injuries and a tough schedule have taken theirtoll, but Boston remains one of the premier defensive teams in the leagueranking sixth in fewest points allowed (90.1 ppg). The Magic are ninth inscoring defense (91.5 ppg). Any contestinvolving these two teams should be considered as a strong ‘under’ possibility.

Magic, Howard steal theshow

Orlandois coming off an impressive 92-80 victory over the LA Lakers on Friday night.Dwight Howard scored a first-round knockout in his matchup with Andrew Bynum. Howarddominated from the start and finished with 21 points and 23 rebounds, playing46 minutes. Bynum, who was in foul trouble trying guard Howard, managed just 10points and 12 rebounds. JameerNelson added 17 points and nine assists, and J.J. Redick had 15points as all five starters reached double figures.

TheMagic were also aided by the Lakers second consecutive game shooting under 40 percent. The Lakers’ 80 pointsalso erased the season low they set in Thursday night’s loss at Miami.

Orlandowas only slightly better at 41 percent but connected on 12 3-pointers.

Theinterest in Friday's game was pumped up by Howard's earlier trade demand,putting the Lakers, Nets and Mavericks on his short list of most-desired ofdestinations. Any trade with the Lakers likely would involve Bynum, which mightbe why the trade talks have not been very productive.

TheMagic (11-4) are trying to convince Howard to stay but he has told the Magic hewill leave if they don't trade him and get something in return. The Magic areexpected to gamble, let the trade deadline pass in March, then try and re-signhim. Howard would receive roughly $30 million more from Orlando then he couldget elsewhere.

Stat sheet

Halfof Boston’s six wins this season have come against the Wizards, who are 2-14and own the worst record in the NBA.

DwightHoward continues to improve his trade value. Howard has recorded 98 reboundshis last five games. That’s nearly 20 rebounds per game.

Trends

Boston took 2 out of 3 from Orlandolast season with the two teams splitting ATS (1-1-1).

The ‘under’ has been the financiallyprudent play this season. The Magic are 10-5 to the low side while the Celticsare 9-4-1 to the ‘under’. Boston is also 9-1-1 below the total in its last 11games.

The ’under’ is 13-4 in the last 17 seriesmeetings overall and 7-2 in the last nine games in Boston.

Harvey’sTake: Assuming that the Celtics will be shorthanded and knowing thatback-to-back situations are tough on them, the play here is on Orlando, theyounger and fresher of the two teams.

Goodluck!

College Football Preview: Orange Bowl, West Virginia vs. Clemson

2012-01-03T14:00:00.000-08:00

West Virginia and Clemson: College Football Pick

Sunday, January 01, 2012 10:41 AM ET

By: Bob Harvey | www.sbrforum.com

In what could be the most entertaining bowl of the season, West Virginia and Clemson square off in the Discovery Orange Bowl. The game is set for Wednesday, January 4 with kickoff at 8:30 PM ET at Sun Life Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida.

The Tigers opened in the college football odds as -3.5 point favorites but the number has dropped to -3 with a few shops offering -2.5. The total opened at 57 and was quickly bet up to 61 for this matchup of high powered offensive teams.

SIDE

MONEY LINE

TOTAL

SCORE

WEST VIRGINIA

CLEMSON

This will be the first BCS bowl appearance for Clemson (10-3 ATS, 8-5 ATS) which had visions of a national title after starting out the year 8-0. However the Tigers came back to earth, landing with a thud following three losses in four games. They rebounded with a 38-10 rout of Virginia in the ACC title game to secure the school’s first BCS bowl bid and first conference title since 1991.

This will be the first meeting between the two schools since 1989.

Tajh Mahal

Both teams are averaging more than 33 points and 440 yards per game in the stats and can boast of having two of the top quarterback’s in the nation.

Clemson’s Tajh Boyd is a dual threat who has passed for 3,578 yards with 31 touchdowns and has rushed for an additional 194 yards and five touchdowns. He’s also got a power of elite receivers at his disposal. Leading the way are tight end Dwayne Allen and freshman receiver Sammy Watkins who both received All-American honors and were named to the ACC first-team.

Allen was named the winner of the John Mackey Award as the nation's top tight end. He owns three school records; 48 receptions, 577 yards and eight touchdowns. Watkins who is just a freshman had 77 receptions this season for 1,153 yards and 11 TD’s. Running back Andre Ellington had 1062 yards rushing and 22 receptions for 109 yards. He finished the regular season with a combined 10 touchdowns.

Overall Clemson is averaging 34.9 points per game and is 28^th in the nation in total yardage (441.5 ypg). With Boyd leading the way the Tigers are 21^st in the country in passing (284.8 ypg).

The defense is 58^th in total yards allowed (379.4), 36^th in passing yards (202.9) and 82^ndagainst the run (176.5).

Record setter

West Virginia quarterback Geno Smith, who grew up in the Miami area, will try to give the hometown crowd a show. Based on is numbers this year he should be up to the task.

Smith holds several school records including attempts and completions and passing yards in a season (3,978 ypg). He’s got a pair of talented, big play wide receivers at the ready like Stedman Bailey who made 67 grabs this year for 1,197 yards and 11 scores. Then there’s Tavon Austin, who had 89 receptions this year for 1,063 yards.

Thanks to Smith, the Mountaineers (9-3), meanwhile, rank seventh in the country in passing offense (341.8), tied for 18th in total offense (459.6) and are 21^st in scoring (34.9).

The defense is good but not great. They rank in the top 50 in several key categories: 27^th in yards allowed (340.3), 31^st in passing yards (199.6) and 50^th in rushing yards given up (140.8). West Virginia is allowing 26.2 points per game.

Pressure packed

Reaching a BCS bowl looked like a long shot for West Virginia after a loss to Louisville on Nov. 5 dropped it to 6-3. However they closed the season with three straight wins (2-1 ATS) by a combined seven points, overcoming a fourth-quarter deficit in each. The Mountaineers finished in a three way tie with Cincinnati and Louisville atop the Big East but by virtue of a tiebreaker, WVU earned a trip to its third BCS game.

Harvey’s take: This one shapes up as a shootout and a combined 70+ points isn’t out of the question. I’ll take the over and maybe add a small play on Clemson in my college bowl picks.

Good luck!

NBA Betting Preview: Lakers vs. Rockets

2012-01-03T13:57:00.001-08:00

NBA Picks: Rockets & Lakers to go 'Under'

Tuesday, January 03, 2012 9:05 AM ET

By: Bob Harvey | www.sbrforum.com

The Lakers and Rockets meet for the first time this season and for the first time since their ill-fated preseason trade attempt involving Chris Paul and Pau Gasol. The two longtime Western Conference rivals meet tonight at Staples Center in Los Angeles. Tipoff is slated for 10:30 pm ET with television coverage on NBA TV.

NBA odds boards were opened with the Lakers installed as -7.5 point favorites with the total at 192. While the game's spread remains unchanged, early NBA betting action has lifted the total to 194 at the majority of sportsbooks. As the total rises, I continue to like the 'under' more and more. See why I am adding the 'under' to my NBA picks for tonight.

SIDE

MONEY LINE

TOTAL

SCORE

The Lakers (3-3 SU & ATS) are tied with the Clippers for first-place in the NBA’s Pacific Division. The Lakers are coming off a 99-90 loss in Denver on Sunday where they failed to cash as a +5.5 point underdog. The combined 189 points stayed well below the closing number of 199.

Houston (2-2 SU & ATS) is in a second-place tie with New Orleans in the Southwest division. The Rockets beat the Atlanta Hawks 95-84 win on New Year’s Eve getting the cover as a -1 point home favorite. Kevin Martin scored 27 points and Kyle Lowry had a career-high 18 assists for the Rockets, who led from start to finish. Houston has allowed 108.5 points per game in road losses to Orlando and Memphis, but has limited the opposition to an average of 84.5 points in its two home victories.

If you can't join them, beat them

That could be Gasol’s mindset when he takes the court against the Rockets. Houston wanted him badly and almost had him in a three team deal with the Hornets that would have brought Chris Paul to the Lakers.

As part of the proposed trade that was vetoed by NBA Commissioner David Stern, the Rockets would have received Gasol while sending Kevin Martin, Luis Scola and Goran Dragic to the Hornets. The Lakers would have sent Lamar Odom to New Orleans in return for Paul. Instead Odom went to Dallas were he’s already (or still) sulking and CP3 ended up with the other LA team.

Kobe hurting

After averaging 27.8 points and shooting 48.1 percent in the Lakers' first four games, Kobe’s numbers dropped dramatically in a pair of games against the Denver Nuggets. Bryant averaged 16.5 points on 26.1 percent shooting. In fairness he was playing for the fourth time in six nights on a bad wrist with a torn ligament.

Sore wrist or not Kobe is taking too many shots--again. Bryant has converted 12 of 46 shots in his last two games, while the inside duo of Gasol and Andrew Bynum made a combined 35 of 55 shots (63.6%) over that same period. Bryant is in one of his shoot first, share second mindsets and that’s never a good thing for LA. Maybe head coach Mike Brown can get the point across Kobe that sharing is a good thing—especially when your ‘bigs’ are shooting nearly 64 percent.

Lakers by the numbers

The Lakers are averaging 92.5 points per game on 44.6% shooting including 23.4 percent from beyond the arc. On defense the Lakers are fourth in the league allowing 88.2 ppg and 39.8 percent shooting, the top figure in the league. Not surprisingly the Lakers are 0-6 to the ‘under’ this season.

Bynum is back

In two games since his return from a four-game suspension, Andrew Bynum has been in midseason form. He’s second on the team in scoring with 23.5 points per game and leads in rebounding with 14.5 rbg. Against Denver, he had 29 points on 13 of 18 from the floor and 13 rebounds. If he keeps playing like that you’ll likely hear less and less about Dwight Howard coming to Hollywood. The hot rumor now has Gasol going to Minnesota for Kevin Love. Timberwolves officials are still laughing at that one.

Harvey’s Take: The Lakers have been a zigzag team for me over the years. I zig, they zag and I lose. This year it’s a new season and a fresh start. My goal is to stay away from any side plays on the Lakers and focus on the total. Tonight it’s the ‘under’ for me. Whatever your choice…Good luck!

NFL Betting Preview: Carolina Panthers vs. New Orleans Saints

2011-12-28T14:59:00.001-08:00

Panthers vs. Saints: NFL Picks

Tuesday, December 27, 2011 8:25 AM ET

By: Bob Harvey | www.sbrforum.com

Two of the NFL’s most productive quarterback’s this season will square off as Drew Brees and the Saints host Cam Newton and the Carolina Panthers at the Superdome in New Orleans in the regular season finale. Kickoff is slated for 1:00 PM ET.

At the time of writing sportsbooks have still not released the NFL odds for this matchup. Regardless of that matter, I am still willing to make my NFL picks, as these two high flying offences can lead to only one outcome..... "over".

SIDE

MONEY LINE

TOTAL

SCORE

CAROLINA

NEW ORLEANS

New Orleans (12-3 SU, 11-5 ATS) secured its fourth NFC South Division title in four years with a 45-16 beat down of Atlanta in the Monday Night game. Brees threw for 307 yards to reach 5,087 for the year, breaking Dan Marino’s single season record of 5084 which had stood since 1984.

Brees also had four touchdown passes against the Falcons and fittingly it was his final scoring toss, a nine yarder to Darren Sproles, that gave him the record. Now he’ll get the opportunity to pad his statistics with one final game against the Carolina Panthers (6-9 SU, 9-6 ATS).

Saints savior

Prior to Brees arrival in the Big Easy the Saints were nothing more than a punch line to a long running joke. New Orleans was coming off a 3-13 record and the area was still trying to dig out from the devastating effects of Hurricane Katrina. Since Brees and Coach Sean Payton have come aboard, the Saints are 55-39 over the past five years and have won the Super Bowl (2009). They’ve made three playoff appearances and will make No. 4 in early January.

The real deal

Cam Newton is the best rookie offensive player in the NFL. If you don’t believe me ask any member of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers defense that was on the receiving end of a pummeling administered by Newton and his Carolina Panthers.

The No. 1 pick in April’s NFL draft enjoyed a historic day of his own in Sunday’s 48-16 rout of the Bucs. He improved on his incredible first year by breaking Peyton Manning's rookie record for yards passing and set a franchise mark with a 91-yard touchdown pass.

The Panthers scored on eight of their first nine possessions and piled up 397 yards in three quarters with Newton throwing for 171 yards and three touchdowns. He also had an eye-popping 49 yard touchdown run and has now accounted for 34 touchdowns on the year, both running and passing.

Carolina's offensive line completely mauled a Bucs defense that was without starting defensive tackles Albert Haynesworth and Brian Price. The Panthers piled up a season-high 270 yards on the ground and scored three rushing touchdowns, giving them 25 for the season, the most in the NFL.

Brilliant Brees

Brees’ four touchdown performance also moved him ahead of Joe Montana into ninth place all time with gave him 276 TD aerials for his career. He’s also the first quarterback in NFL history to pass for more than 5,000 yards twice—he had 5,069 in 2008. If you can find a NFL bettingprop regarding Brees’ chances of being inducted into the Hall of Famer, bet it and bet it big.When he decides to hang up the cleats, he’ll join the list of the NFL greatest players who are enshrined in Canton, Ohio.

What’s at stake on Sunday?

The Saints could still earn the No. 2 seed with a victory and a loss by the 49ers. Since San Francisco plays the late game on Sunday, New Orleans needs a win to keep the pressure on SF. As a second seed, the Saints would get a first round bye and a second round home game. Worst case scenario, the Saints finish as the number three seed which means they’ll have a home game in the first round.

Harvey’s Take: My play is on the ‘over’. The game is likely to resemble a preseason game by the second half and if that’s the case, I’ll fade the defense.

Good luck!

College Basketball Preview: Mississippi State vs. Baylor

2011-12-28T14:49:00.000-08:00

Mississippi State vs. Baylor

Wednesday, December 28, 2011 8:50 AM ET

By: Bob Harvey | www.sbrforum.com

Two of the hottest teams in College Basketball collide tonight as the 6^th ranked and unbeaten Baylor Bears take on the Mississippi State Bulldogs who have lost just once in 13 outings. Tipoff is set for 9:00 PM ET at American Airlines Arena in Dallas.

In the NCAA basketball odds Baylor opened as an -8.5 point favorite with the total at 145. Those numbers are now -8 and 142.5 respectively.

SIDE

MONEY LINE

TOTAL

SCORE

MISSISSIPPI ST.

BAYLOR

Baylor (12-0 SU, 4-1 ATS) is one victory away from the longest winning streak in school history. They equaled the previous record set in 2000-2001 with an 83-81 overtime victory over West Virginia in the championship game of the Las Vegas classic. Pierre Jackson led the Bears with 23 points while Brady Heslip added 19. Perry Jones III was held to four points on 2 of 9 shooting although he did have 10 rebounds.

This will be the first Top 25 opponent for Baylor, which has notched five quality wins over San Diego State, Northwestern, BYU, Saint Mary’s and WVU. There are only six unbeaten teams in the country and the Bears are one of them Indiana, Louisville, Missouri, Murray State and Syracuse on the very elite list.

Bulldogs biting

The Bulldogs have won 11 straight, with their only setback coming against Akron (68-58) on November 9. They haven’t won 12 in a row since the 2003 team started the year with a 13-0 record.

In their last outing on Thursday the Bulldogs knocked off Northwestern State 82-67 behind Arnett Moultrie’s 24 points and 14 rebounds. Moultrie is not only leading Mississippi State in scoring but he’s fourth among SEC players with 17.8 points per game and leads in rebounds (11.7 rpg). The Bulldogs are also getting plenty of help from Dee Bost (17.2), Rodney Hood (12.ppg) and Renardo Sidney (10.2. ppg). However Sidney is doubtful for tonight’s game after suffering a strained left knee in the Northwestern State contest.

MSU is averaging 77.2 points and they are shooting 47.8 percent while their opponents are averaging 63.7 points on 40.9 percent field goal shooting.

PJ3

Future NBA draft lottery selection Perry Jones III has been Baylor’s big gun this season. The 6-foot-11 sophomore is averaging a team-best 14.1 points and 6.9 rebounds. Jackson, the star of the West Virginia game, is among the top reserves in the nation and is averaging 13.8 points in the past eight games off the bench. He’s 14 of 24 from 3-point range and hit the game-tying 3-pointer with 18 seconds left in regulation vs. the Mountaineers.

Baylor is eighth in the nation in both field-goal percentage (50.2) and 3-point shooting (42.4 percent). They’re 22^nd in scoring (79.6 ppg) and are connecting on 73.6 percent of their free-throw shots.

The Bears are 0-5 against the Bulldogs but the two teams haven’t met since 1990.

Trends

Baylor is 26-140 all-time against Top 25 teams, including a 9-46 mark under Coach Scott Drew. The Bears are also 21-12 SU in its last 33 non-conference games away from the Ferrell Center (road and neutral).

Baylor is 60-127 all-time against current SEC?members but has won three of its last four meetings against conference teams.

Mississippi State is 5-1 ATS in its last six games and 5-1 vs. the number in their last six non-conference games. They’ve also put together a solid 9-3-1 spread streak in their last 13 neutral site games.

Baylor is 4-1 ATS last five and 4-1 against the spread in their last five non-conference games. However they’re just 2-5 against the number in their last seven neutral site games.

Harvey’s Take: There’s no doubt Baylor is the real deal but I think +8 points is a little too pricey against a good MSU team. Take advantage of the sportsbooks placing too much value on the Bears unbeaten record. It’s the Bulldogs and the points for me tonight.

Article courtesy of SBR Forum.

College Football Preview: Little Caesars Pizza Bowl, Purdue/Western Michigan

2011-12-27T13:13:00.001-08:00

Purdue vs. Western Michigan: College Football Picks

Saturday, December 17, 2011 1:45 PM ET

By: Bob Harvey | www.sbrforum.com

It’s a Motor City showdown between the Big Ten and Mac conferences as Purdue battles Western Michigan in the Little Caesars Pizza Bowl. The two teams will collide Tuesday, December 27 at Ford Field in Detroit. Kickoff is slated for 7:30 PM ET with television coverage on ESPN.

The Boilermakers opened as a -1 point favorite in the college football odds but that number has risen to -2.5 at most shopping outlets. The total is currently 60 for what many believe will be a wire-to-wire shootout.

SIDE

MONEY LINE

TOTAL

SCORE

WESTERN MICHIGAN

PURDUE

This is just the fifth bowl game in its history for Western Michigan (7-5 SU, 8-4 ATS) who won three of their final four games to finish third in the MAC’s West Division (5-3). They wrapped up conference play in style going 3-0 ATS scoring a combined 155 points against Toledo, Miami of Ohio and Akron.

They’ll be making their third bowl appearance in the last five seasons under Coach Bill Cubit.

Purdue (6-6 SU, 5-6-1 ATS) finished behind Wisconsin and Penn State in the Big Ten Leaders Division with a 4-4 mark. Their season was highlighted by a 21-14 victory over Illinois and a 26-23 upset of Ohio State. The Boilermakers will be making their first postseason appearance since beating Central Michigan 51-48 in the 2007 Motor City Bowl at Ford Field. Overall Purdue is 8-7 all-time in bowl games but has lost six of its last eight postseason appearances.

Plenty of points

Purdue’s defense will be in for a stern test against Western Michigan’s heralded spread attack which was 18th in the nation in scoring (35.6 points per game), 22^nd in total yards per game (456.2 ypg.) and 8^th in passing (328.8 ypg.). In a conference dominated by offense, the Broncos held their own scoring more than 40 points five times.

Leading the way for the Broncos is Jordan White who leads the nation in receiving yards (1,646), receiving yards per game (137.17), receptions (127) and receptions per game (10.58). White is also second among FBS players with 16 touchdowns.

Quarterback Alex Carder in just his second year as a starter led all MAC quarterback’s with an average of 312.2 yards per game. Overall, and against some pretty tough competition (Michigan, Illinois, Connecticut) he’s thrown for 3,434 and 28 touchdowns and has a 67 percent completion rate.

Defensively Western Michigan is allowing 28 points and 434 yards per game including a whopping 215 yards per game on the ground (5.5 ypc.).

Breaking down the Boilers

Purdue will likely use two quarterbacks Caleb TerBush and Robert who combined to complete 60 percent of their passes for 2,361 yards and 15 touchdowns with 11 interceptions.

Ralph Bolden rushed for 205 yards and three touchdowns over the final three games but is out after tearing up his knee in the regular season finale against Indiana. That opens the door for freshman Akeem Hunt, who ran for 100 yards on 10 carries against the Hoosiers.

Defensively, the Boilermakers boast one of the best interior defenders in the nation in Kawann Short who had 17 tackles for loss and 6 1/2 sacks. Overall the Purdue defense allowed 26.4 points per game and was among the top teams in the nation in pass defense allowing just 202.8 yards per game. However the Boilers struggled against the run surrendering 185 yards per game and an average of 4.4 yards per rush.

Trends

The ‘over’ is 7-3-1 in Purdue’s last 11 games against the MAC while Western Michigan is 6-2 to the high side in its last eight games overall.

Harvey’s Take: With all things being equal, I’ll go with the team from the stronger conference. Purdue’s defense isn’t great but they should get enough stops to win it. Take the favored Boilermakers in this one in your college football picks.

Good luck!