English Premier League Week 30 Predictions
March 12, 2010 by Matt Martz
Filed under Soccer
Things are heating up as we head into Week 30 of Barclays Premier League football action this Saturday and Sunday. Manchester United has leapfrogged Chelsea and now holds a two-point advantage atop the league table over the Blues and Arsenal who are knotted up for second. My pick for match of the week has to be Everton at Birmingham City. Here I take a look at a few this week’s top matches, giving you insight on making your EPL soccer wager a winner.
Tottenham Hotspur (4th) vs. Blackburn Rovers (12th)
The Hotspur currently sit in the fourth spot on the league table, level in points with Manchester City and having played an extra game. They will face a Blackburn side with a miserable record against the top clubs on the road. The Spurs have had significant problems at defense and midfield, with Ledley King and Jonathan Woodgate both still sidelined and Aaron Lennon, Tom Huddlestone, David Bentley and Jermaine Jenas all unavailable for the upcoming match. Substitute goalkeeper Carlo Cudicini is also still out. Blackburn, have improved since mid-January and, other than a 3-0 defeat at Stoke City, has been much harder to beat in recent outings. Tottenham now look to be establishing some consistency while Blackburn has not won away since November. With the firepower at manager Harry Redknapp’s disposal, Spurs should clinch a comfortable win at home.
Virginia vs Duke | Preview, Predictions, Odds
March 12, 2010 by Matt Martz
Filed under NCAA Basketball
Free NCAA Pick – Friday, March 12, 2010
Virginia Cavaliers (15-15) vs. #4 Duke Blue Devils (26-5)
The Virginia Cavaliers will travel to the Greensboro Coliseum in Greensboro, North Carolina on Friday to tip off against the No. 4 Duke Blue Devils in the ACC Tournament quarterfinals.
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The Duke Blue Devils head into tonight’s game against the Virginia Cavaliers full of swagger after crushing the North Carolina Tar Heels in its last game, an 82-50 blowout. After that game, even the Tar Heels coach Roy Williams admitted in the press conference afterwards that it was the best team he had seen in seven years. That’s a tough label to live up to, since the Blue Devils lack a big, go to scorer who can carry the team on his shoulders. With a scoring tandem of Nolan Smith, Kyle Singler and senior Jon Scheyer, Duke will look to continue the rebounding prowess that it has shown all season. The senior captain Scheyer leads the Blue Devils in scoring, three-point field goals made, free throw percentage, free throws made, assists, steals, assist-to-turnover ratio, and minutes played. Fellow All American Singler is averaging over 17 points and nearly seven rebounds per game. He leads the team in defensive rebounds and blocked shots. Brian Zoubek has been hot late in the season, and should provide some insurance should one of the Devils big three go cold.
The Virginia Cavaliers meanwhile is riding a streak of six straight loses which has left first-year Cavaliers coach Tony Bennett scratching his head for scoring answers. The salt on the wound injury to scoring leader Sylven Landesberg, who sustained a bruised right thigh in the loss to Miami last week, hurts a team who has struggled to score all season. Bennett will most likely keep Landesberg benched rather than risk further injury and pray that Jerome Meyinsse can channel his inner Jordan and receive some assistance from Mike Scott, who went scoreless in his last game and was 0-7 from the field. Sammy Zeglinski has potential but everyone is waiting for it to show any real results. While those options are not exactly exciting, it’s the best the Cavs can muster right now.
Oklahoma State vs Kansas State | Preview, Predictions, Odds
March 11, 2010 by Matt Martz
Filed under NCAA Basketball
Thursday, March 11, 2010 – Free College Pick
Oklahoma State Cowboys (22-9) vs. #9 Kansas State Wildcats (24-6)
The seventh- seeded Oklahoma State Cowboys face off against the ninth-ranked and second-seeded No. 9 Kansas State Wildcats in the Big 12 Conference Tournament quarterfinals on Thursday night at the Sprint Center in St. Louis.
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The Cowboys beat the Wildcats in Manhattan in a 73-69 final during the regular season, but the Wildcats still own a 69-46 advantage in the all-time series. The winner of tonight’s contest will play either sixth-seeded Texas or third-seeded Baylor in the semifinal Friday night.
Notre Dame vs Pittsburgh | Preview, Predictions, Odds
March 11, 2010 by Matt Martz
Filed under NCAA Basketball
Thursday, March 11, 2009 – Free NCAA Pick
Notre Dame Fighting Irish (22-10) vs. #17 Pittsburgh Panthers (24-7)
The red-hot Fighting Irish will get their chance to solidify their chances for a NCAA tourney appearance by knocking off the No. 17 Pittsburgh Panthers in the Big East Tournament quarterfinals tonight at Madison Square Garden.
Notre Dame’s current winning streak started with a 68-53 upset of Pittsburgh back on February 24th. The victory tied the all-time series at 27-27 between the programs. The winner of tonight’s contest moves on to the semifinals to face Cincinnati or West Virginia on Friday.
The Irish extended their win streak to five with a 68-56 win over 10th-seeded Seton Hall in second-round play last night. Senior forward Luke Harangoday posted a double double of 20 points and 10 rebounds in the win. With the return of a healthy Harangody, who’s averaging 23.2 ppg and 9.7 rpg, and Notre Dame’s suffocating defense, the Irish have become a real threat for the title. Notre Dame held Seton Hall to 56 points and a meager 34.5 percent shooting performance from the field, and with that has now held five straight opponents to 64 points or fewer. Other players of note are Tim Abromaitis and Ben Hansbrough who are averaging averaged 17.2 and 12.0 ppg, respectively. This team is definitely poised to make a run.
Seton Hall vs Notre Dame | Preview, Predictions, Odds
March 10, 2010 by Matt Martz
Filed under NCAA Basketball
Free NCAA Pick – Wednesday, March 10, 2010
Seton Hall Pirates (25-4) vs. Notre Dame Fighting Irish (21-7)
The seventh-seeded Notre Dame Fighting Irish will tip off against the 10th seed Seton Hall Pirates in the second round of the Big East Tournament tonight at Madison Square Garden.
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The Irish hold a 15-8 advantage in the all-time series, despite losing 90-87 at Seton Hall back on Feb 11. The winner of this game will meet second- seeded Pittsburgh in the quarterfinals on Thursday.
Oklahoma vs Oklahoma State | Preview, Predictions, Odds
March 10, 2010 by Matt Martz
Filed under NCAA Basketball
Wednesday, March 10, 2010 – Free College Pick
Oklahoma Sooners (13-17) vs. Oklahoma State Cowboys (21-09)
The seventh-seeded Oklahoma State Cowboys will host cross-state rivals the 10th-seeded Oklahoma Sooners for the first round of the 2010 Big 12 Conference Tournament on Wednesday at the Sprint Center in Kansas City.
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These teams split a pair of regular season meetings, with the Cowboys routing the Sooners 97-76 in the last meeting back Feb 13. Oklahoma holds a 125-91 all-time series advantage over OSU. The winner of this contest will move on to Thursday’s quarterfinal round to take on the second-seeded Kansas State Wildcats.
Wright State vs Butler | Preview, Predictions, Odds
March 9, 2010 by Matt Martz
Filed under NCAA Basketball
NCAA Basketball Free Pick, March 9, 2010
Wright State Raiders (20-11) vs. #12 Butler Bulldogs (27-4)
The No. 12 Butler Bulldogs will be seeking their fifth tournament title when they host the Wright State Raiders this evening in the Horizon League Tournament Championship Game at Hinkle Fieldhouse.
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The last time these two teams met in the championship game was back in 2007.The Raiders beat the Bulldogs by a narrow five-point margin to claim the title. The Bulldogs own a 22-15 edge in the all-time series that includes two victories during the regular season.
Penn State vs Michigan State | Preview, Predictions, Odds
March 4, 2010 by Matt Martz
Filed under NCAA Basketball
Thursday, March 4, 2009 – Free NCAA Pick
Penn State Nittany Lions (11-17) v #11 Michigan State Spartans (22-7)
The Penn State Nittany Lions will travel to the Breslin Center in East Lansing, Michigan on Thursday night as they try and spoil the No. 11 Michigan State Spartans hopes of earning a share of the Big Ten title with Ohio State.
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The Spartans will want to stay ahead of Boilermakers with a win, as the two teams are locked in a battle for the second seed in the upcoming Big Ten Tournament.
USC vs Arizona State | Preview, Predictions, Odds
March 4, 2010 by Matt Martz
Filed under NCAA Basketball
Free College Pick – Thursday, March 4, 2010
USC Trojans (16-12) vs. Arizona State Sun Devils (20-9)
The Arizona State Sun Devils are still in the hunt for a PAC 10 title as they host division rivals the USC Trojans on Thursday night at Wells-Fargo Arena in Tempe, Arizona.
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The Trojans lead the head-to-head series with ASU, 49-32, including a 47-37 decision in the first meeting of the season back on Jan 2 at the Galen Center.
Oklahoma State vs Texas A&M | Preview, Predictions, Odds
March 3, 2010 by Matt Martz
Filed under NCAA Basketball
NCAA Free Pick – Wednesday, March 3, 2010
Oklahoma State Cowboys (20-8) vs. #23 Texas A&M Aggies (20-8)
The No. 23 Texas A&M Aggies will tip off against the Oklahoma State Cowboys in a Big 12 bash on Wednesday at Reed Arena in College Station, Texas.
The Cowboys beat the Aggies 79-69 in the first meeting of the season on January 27th, and holds a 30-13 all-time series advantage over A&M.
The Aggies recorded their 14th win in 15 home games with a 74-58 win over Texas on Saturday, knocking the struggling Longhorns from the rankings. Leading scorer Donald Sloan (18.1 ppg) netted 19 points and four assists, while David Loubeau posted 15 points and seven rebounds in the win. The Aggies held Texas to just 36.8 percent shooting, while going 7-of-12 from three-point range. They also controlled the boards, 40-29, and scored 23 points off 13 Texas turnovers. A&M will likely be without B.J. Holmes, who left Saturday’s game with a sprained right foot. The Aggies, have held three of their last four opponents to fewer than 60 points, but have scored just 63.5 themselves.
