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Watch as Zack, Shaun, and John give their ATS opinions on a big ten matchup between Wisconsin and Iowa.

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All the talk from handicappers is usually on games they would play. From time to time I will take a different angle and discuss a game that has no business being on anyone’s betting ticket. The last profiled game was Georgia Tech vs Syracuse which featured numerous lead changes and a narrow one point win from the Cuse.

Saturday I’ll head out to the Big West where a late night matchup features Cal Santa Barbara vs Long Beach State. As of this blog entry Long Beach State is favored by 3.5 points. Cal Santa Barbara is coming off a dud performance in which they lost outright as a 13 point favorite at home to Cal State Northridge. That line was severely off and not an indicator of the type of team Santa Barbara is.

Meanwhile Long Beach State is a puzzle that I could not back right now. They seem to have the pieces to be the Big West representative but have looked like a team non-focused for most of this season. They took their beatings in non-conference games against top-tier talent but have came out flat in conference play.

Long Beach State lost to UC Davis in overtime and nearly had to face Cal Poly in overtime because of costly errors by senior guard Mike Caffey. For the majority of the game against Cal Poly they failed as a team to match the defensive intensity that Cal Poly brought to the court.

The talent is there for Long Beach State but I have yet to see this team display their capabilities. This is a tricky game to see if Long Beach State finally emerges or if Cal Santa Barbara gives them another close Big West matchup.

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On the season in college basketball Zack is 66-25-3 ATS. Today he is just on one play, and it involves a late-night capper. Get it under today’s picks for just $29.

Today I perceived both the NBA and NCAA basketball board as a cautionary board. It’s my personal opinion and other cappers may believe it to be an enticing board. There is one game I would caution all against and that is my —-Stay Away Game Of The Day between Syracuse and Georgia Tech—.

Both of these teams have flirted with both disaster and greatness this season. Syracuse has bounced back nicely in the wins category but still flirted with letting big leads evaporate into losses. They almost blew an early season matchup against Iowa in the final minutes, Louisiana Tech recently, and allowed Virginia Tech to erase a 19 point halftime lead in their latest game. In between all of that was a blown win at Villanova that could cost Syracuse down the road if they end up on the bubble.

Georgia Tech is a new style team that has young talent intermixed with Maryland transfer Charles Mitchell in the low blocks. They’re play has been erratic and inconsistent but the capability of defeating a top 25 team is there on any given night.

The point spread in favor of Syracuse by four is clearly an high indicator that the linesmakers do not believe Georgia Tech can attack Syracuse’s zone effectively. I’m not sure they can either with limited experience in the backcourt and an edge in the post with Rakeem Christmas of Syracuse. Christmas though has been known to get in foul trouble early. Syracuse sharp shooter Trevor Cooney has also been known to go through his hot/cold stretches. Currently he has been on a hot stretch which has aided Syracuse’s offense immensely. But is that poor shooting night smack dab in front of us?

There are too many red-flags for me to lay the points with Syracuse on the road against Georgia Tech, and I can’t trust Georgia Tech’s on-court chemistry to befuddle the Syracuse zone.

This could be one of those games where the lead changes five to ten times. Keep this one off your board as the stay away game of the day.

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Zack Cimini, Hollis Barnhart, and John Cranton break down an AFC North division battle between the Cincinnati Bengals and Pittsburgh Steelers. With the third seed on the line who do they like to grab the ATS cover Sunday?

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All future wagers for the NFL should be placed this week. If you’re going to wait until after week 17 and before the wild card round, you’re going to lose odds value. Case in point, the Green Bay Packers in 2010 dropped to 20-1 after week 17. The New York Giants in 2011 dropped from 40-1 to 20-1 in 2011.

Get value while you can. Most people are going to run to the book and go for the slight payouts on the Seahawks, Broncos, Patriots, or Packers. I like to find value and go for the hot December teams. These are the teams that typically make a solid playoff run in the NFL.

NFC Champs: Dallas Cowboys +585
Dallas has had a couple of poor losses on national television (Eagles Thanksgiving and Redskins MNF). But besides those losses they have looked the part all season long(Scratching Weeden’s start against the Cardinals from memory). In the post season they will likely have to clear past the Seahawks but who says they can’t do it again? Dallas’s offensive line is one of the few that have given the Seahawks defensive line problems. And lets not forget about Dez Bryant at wide receiver who made Seattle’s secondary look like the Bears.

AFC Champs: Pittsburgh Steelers +700-+800
Their defense may not be the greatest but what team has shown the capability to slow down the Steelers offense? They’ve been rolling the past six weeks since they decided to balance the pass/run more. That Jets loss seems like the distant past and I love the look this team has heading into the postseason.

Super Bowl Champs: Pittsburgh Steelers +2450
I mentioned a little bit above I like the Steelers to win the AFC. The Super Bowl would not be in their favor against the Seahawks, but I’m predicting Dallas to get there. It’s all about matchups in the Super Bowl and I believe Pittsburgh will continue the theme we’ve seen all year. Repeat champions of the 2000’s. UConn in college hoops, Spurs in the NBA, Giants in MLB, and Bubba Watson in golf.

Paired Odds: Dallas vs Pittsburgh 88-1. Oddly enough these two have met in the Super Bowl in the 70’s(1976 and 1979) and in the 90’s (1995 in Arizona). Lets keep the every two decades theme going!

Have fun with your futures selections and don’t wait until next Friday night to get your team’s selected.

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VCU came into the 2014 campaign as an Atlantic 10 top rated team and one that has caught the eyes of several top college basketball analysts. I, myself had them ranked as a potential sleeper for a run in March. I still do. One of the things that people need to realize is just how much things can change for November until March. UConn showcased this as the most current example. Just a few weeks before the March Madness tournament they were defeated resoundingly by Louisville.

A team can grow in a quick matter. All that matters come March is seeding and the path of teams they face to get there.

For current ATS bettors, you’ve been extremely unsatisfied with VCU. They have only won two games ATS, one against Oregon and the other against Tennessee. Overall that makes them 2-6 ATS. The reason for this has been three keys in my eyes.

1. Their pressure havoc defense has been halted by poor back line defense. Teams are zipping the ball past the first wave and finding easy strides to the hoop for layups. This has been accomplished thanks to the teams they have faced having above average backcourts. That won’t last the entire season and Shaka Smart will amend his havoc defense a bit.

2. VCU’s offense at times can be stagnant. Half court execution has been better over their last few games. On the bench freshman Terry Larier and Justin Tillman are getting more and more comfortable offensively—this has to translate to the Rams havoc defense. Also sophomores JeQuan Lewis and Doug Brooks showed last year they’re capable of rising to the occasion—they just need to be more consistent.

3. Free Throw Shooting– This is VCU’s main culprit in their woes. They’ve always been a poor free throw shooting team. Against Northern Iowa though it was the difference in VCU gaining a win. Treveon Graham went 6 for 6 from the line and the team as a whole shot the ball better than Northern Iowa from the free throw line.

4. Leadership–This team has Treveon Graham, junior Melvin Johnson, Mo Allie-Cox,Jordan Burgess and defensive specialist Briante Weber. They’ve played on teams that were represented by VCU players that went to the Elite 8 a few seasons ago. They showed last year in quick stretches this team can turn a close game into a blowout.