Charlotte Bobcats vs. Washington Wizards
Free Pick: Washington Wizards +8.5 (-110 odds)
Tue February 9th 2010 7:05p
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Aside from losing Gilbert Arenas and Javaris Crittenton for the season because of their suspension (gun possession), the Washington Wizards finally have all of their pieces back on the court. Mike Miller, Caron Butler, and Antawn Jamison all have missed some significant time this season, but with all three back on the court at the same time, the Wizards have been playing better basketball. Washington has won three of their last five games which is just the second time they’ve done it this season. They enter tonight off a nice upset win at Orlando as double digit underdogs so there’s some good morale on this team right now.

‘Overall, it’s probably been good. We’ve had some spirited practices,’ said Washington head coach Flip Saunders. ‘No doubt, winning that last game helps. Guys have a sense of feeling good about themselves and we can be more demanding of what we expect in practice from a perfection standpoint.’

Charlotte doesn’t come into this game the same way. The Bobcats have lost three straight games and six of their last nine. They are not in good form at all, and with point guard Raymond Felton a game-time decision, things do not look promising for the Bobcats tonight. Felton sprained his right ankle in practice on Monday, and he left the facility in a walking boot. If he does not play tonight, Charlotte will have trouble on the offensive end as he is the facilitator who gets scorers Stephen Jackson and Gerald Wallace the ball in perfect position to score.

What keeps this play from being a Best Bet selection is the fact that Washington was caught in Orlando for a couple of days because they couldn’t get back home due to the snow in the D.C. area. So their routine was thrown off as they had to stay and practice in Orlando. Wizards’ coach Flip Saunders called it ‘a mini-all-star break before the all-star break’ (they’ve been off for 3 days) and that may have the players already off mentally for tonight’s game.

Below are free NBA Picks and basketball predictions for February 9th 2010 from Touthouse.com handicappers. If you are looking for free NBA basketball picks on a daily basis or premium picks from our NBA basketball betting experts visit Touthouse.com each day.

Free Pick: Kings vs. Knicks Over 212 (Jim Feist)
There will be a lot of things on display this game, but defense won’t be one of them. Sacramento is a long way from home, playing its 10th road game over the last 14 games. They don’t play any defense to begin with, allowing 105.8 ppg, fourth worst in the NBA. They appear to have tired legs of late with all that road travel, on a 4-1 run over the total. NY allows the 7th most points in the league (103.4 ppg). Sacramento is particulary inept, allowing .472% shooting by opponents, 6th worst in the league. Look for the Knicks to run right at the road weary visitors and for more offense than defense, play the Kings/Knicks Over the total.

Free Pick: Indiana Pacers -1 (Jeff Alexander)
The Bulls have really felt the absence of Joakim Noah in terms of what he does on the board, on the defensive end, and the energy he brings to this team. Without him, I expect the Bulls to have a tough go of it tonight in a city where they are just 6-23 since 1996. Indiana is coming off a road defeat, and that bodes well for us here as the Pacers are 18-8 ATS in home games off a road loss the last 2 seasons. Plus, the Pacers are 8-3 ATS in their last 11 games following a loss so this is certainly a team that comes out harder the next time it plays after enduring a defeat. Lastly, the Bulls are 0-5 ATS in their last 5 road games vs. a team with a losing home record. We’ll take the Pacers.

Below are free college basketball picks and NCAA predictions for February 9th 2010 from Touthouse.com handicappers. If you are looking for free NCAA basketball picks on a daily basis or premium picks from our college basketball betting experts visit Touthouse.com each day.

Free Pick: Ohio -4.5 (Bill Young)
Ohio gets the call Tuesday as they host Western Michigan. This is a very generous line by the books here, and we’ll take advantage. WMU is 4-7 on the road this season while Ohio is 8-4 at home. Ohio is outscoring their opponents by 11.0 points/game through 12 home contests this season. The Bobcats are 7-2 SU & 6-3 ATS in their last 9 home meetings with Western Michigan. Western Michigan is 1-15 ATS (-15.5 Units) after playing a game as a home favorite over the last 2 seasons. Ohio is 40-19 ATS (+19.1 Units) as a home favorite of 6 points or less or pick since 1997. Ohio is 9-1 ATS (+7.9 Units) after playing 2 consecutive road games over the last 2 seasons. The Bobcats will be looking forward to returning home tonight where they have been dominant all season. Take Ohio and lay the points.

Free Pick: Western Kentucky -1.5 (Rob Vinciletti)
On Tuesday the free play is on Western Kentucky in non conference NCAAB Action. Game 540 at 8:00 eastern. I find it some what unusual a non conference game in the middle of the week this time of year in the middle of conference play. However this looks to be a good spot for the Home team here as WKU is is 10-3 at home this year,16-5 after scoring 80 or more,8-4 vs Conference USA,and 9-2 at home when the total is 140 to 149.5, the past few years. Houston has lost 4 of the last 6 times after scoring 60 or less and 5 of 6 as a dog this year. Take the home team tonight. On the Tuesday card I have the Western Conference Game of the Month from a 100% Dominator system, I also have another NBA Triple angle side and a Mid American Double perfect NCAAB Play. Overall its a solid package. For the free play take Western Kentucky. RV

Free Pick: Creighton -7.5 (Jack Jones)
Lay the points on Creighton Tuesday as they host the Indiana State Sycamores. Indiana State comes in with the better overall record, but Creighton has been dominant on their home court this season. The Bluejays are 10-1 at home on the year and are sporting a 5-3 record their against the spread. Creighton is scoring just under 73 points per game offensively at home, while they’ve enjoyed a solid boost in their defense as the host, holding opposing teams to just 63.1 points per game. Indiana State is 14-10 overall this season, but just 6-7 in their 13 road games. The Sycamores have been mediocre offensively on the road posting 64.7 ppg on average, which isn’t good news for a team that gives up 68.1 ppg in their average road game. Indiana State won an earlier match up between these two at home this season, but at home the Bluejays are good enough to win this match up by double-digits.

Illinois vs. Wisconsin
Free Pick: Wisconsin -9 -110 odds
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3* graded play on Wisconsin as they take on Illinois in Big-10 action set to start at 7:00 EST. Our proprietary sports handicapping model and simulator shows a high probability that Wisconsin will win this game by 10 or more points. This is a significant game given that Wisconsin and Illinois are tied for 2nd in conference play sporting 8-3 marks. Among the top-5 teams in conference play, Illinois has the most losses with 8 and reflects the fact that Illinois has yet to play the elite conference teams. After Wisconsin tonight they have to face Ohio State and then Purdue. They close out the season at Ohio State and then Wisconsin again. Safe to say, in our opinion, that Illinois will end up a possible bubble team at best. Wisconsin is an excellent ball handling team and Illinois has not faired well against similar teams. They are -9 ATS (-8.9 Units) versus good ball handling teams committing <=14 turnovers/game this season. Supporting this graded play is a system that has produced a record of 104-58 ATS since 1997. Play on home favorites of 3.5 to 9.5 points and is a slow-down team averaging 53 or less shots/game on the season and after 2 straight games making 50% of their shots or better. Take Wisconsin.

Calgary Flames vs. Ottawa Senators
Free NHL Pick: Calgary +125 odds
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For a number of different reasons I believe the Flames are offering up decent value in this situation:

The Flames won 6-3 at Scotiabank Place on March 3rd last year, as Miikka Kiprusoff improved to 5-0-0 in his career against the Senators.

Calgary has gone 3-1-1 since a nine-game losing streak and has a chance to finish a three-game road trip with five of a possible six points as it tries to maintain its grip on a playoff spot.

The Flames let an extra point slip away Saturday night in Tampa, losing 2-1 in overtime - their fourth defeat in 27 games after entering the third period with the lead; I look for them to play with a concerted effort in the Nations capital tonight though.

On the other side of the rink: The Senators’ string of 11 straight victories ended Saturday night in a 5-0 road loss to Toronto, which scored three goals in the first period after Ottawa had held each opponent during the streak to two or fewer goals for the entire game.

I believe the Sens will suffer a letdown tonight against a team they haven’t been able to beat in nearly six years.

The Maple Leafs chased red-hot goalie Brian Elliott, who was 9-0-0 with a 1.22 goals-against average in his previous nine starts and he’ll have his hands full tonight with some of his teammates on the IL.

Bottom line: The injury bug is striking the Senators again with defenseman Erik Karlsson and left wing Nick Foligno out.

This is a good spot, offering good value; play on the CALGARY FLAMES.

Colorado State vs. Air Force
Free Pick: Under 119.5 (-110 odds)
Tue February 9th 2010 10:00p
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If you are looking for exciting offense, do not expect to find any when the Colorado State Rams visit the Air Force Falcons in a game that may even put insomniacs to sleep, especially those that live on the East Coast given this late start time.

Air Force is not a particularly good shooting team, so in an attempt to hide that fact, they play at an extremely deliberate pace, with the thinking being that their best chance to win any game is to limit the amount of possessions for each team. Thus, their 9-13 record is really better than should be expected considering they average a paltry 59.7 points per game overall, and they actually have a winning 8-5 record at home.

More important though is the fact that the Under is 4-1-1 in their home games that have had posted totals. To give you an idea of just how slow Air Force plays, they average 59.7 possessions per game according to Pomeroy, which ranks 345 out of 347 Division I schools and is more than eight possessions per game less than the national average of 67.8. The only two teams that play at a slower pace than Air Force are Delaware State and Samford.

Now Colorado State is averaging 67.5 points per game overall, but their offense tapers off considerably on the road, where the Rams average just 61.1 points on a poor 39.0 percent shooting. Furthermore, most of that obviously came vs. normal paced teams, so you can probably deduct a couple of points from that road average here given the way Air Force plays.

This may seem like a rather low posted total at fist glance, but we do not see either team getting out of the 50s tonight, making Under the play.

CBB Free Pick: Colorado State, Air Force Under 119.5 (-110)

Kansas Jayhawks vs. Texas Longhorns
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The second leg of ESPN’s Big Monday telecast takes us to Austin, TX where the Texas Longhorns (19-4, 8-11 ATS) will look to secure their 20th win of the season when they host the #1 ranked Kansas Jayhawks (22-1, 9-10-1 ATS). The Jayhawks most recently sleepwalked to a 75-64 home win against the Nebraska Cornhuskers, but failed miserably for their betting backers by never coming close to covering the 21-point closing pointspread. Texas failed to sweep its two-game road stint through Oklahoma, as it was outhustled from the opening tip against the Sooners on Saturday and ultimately fell by an 80-71 final tally as 6.5-point road chalk.

KU enters tonight’s stiff road test winners of eight in a row after fending off the Huskers last Saturday, but they haven’t been kind to their CBB betting backers of late. The pointspread loss to Big Red marked the third straight contest in which they failed to get the job done against the closing pointspread. It’s hard to fault HC bill Self’s club though, as the Jayhawks have gone through the ringer in terms of a rough schedule. It also hasn’t helped that they’ve been taken to overtime in each of their L/2 road contests (@ K-State & Colorado). Thankfully for the city of Lawrence, their team is very deep this season. C Cole Aldrich only played 21 minutes against Nebraska, which should have the teams leading rebounder ready to bang with Texas’ “Bigs” tonight.

As for Texas, it’s alternated SU wins and losses its L/4 times out and enters tonight’s battle with the country’s top ranked team just 2-4 SU & 1-5 ATS its L/6 games. That said; they’re 12-1 SU at home this season with the lone loss occurring in OT to Baylor the last time they took to the Erwin Center hardwood. Their defense has been a problem of late (78.2 PPG allowed L/5), but with the home crowd enthusiastically backing them, look for them to pick it up at that end of the court tonight. They have the big men and depth to go toe-to-toe with the Jayhawks.

KU has taken each of the L/2 in this series both SU & ATS, but the Horns had covered 6 of the previous 8 meetings. Texas is also a solid 5-1 ATS the L/6 times it was dogged at home, so it’s highly possible the Horns protect their house and upend a Jayhawks team that comes into this battle running on fumes.

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Texas vs. Kansas
Free Prediction: Texas +2
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5* graded play on Texas as they host Kansas set to start at 9:00 EST in a huge Big-12 matchup. When Texas was ranked number 1 this game would have been lined at about Texas -4. With Texas losing the way they have since that number 1 rank the public is essentially throwing the baby out with the bath water. Texas has lost 9 of 10 ATS and are just 6-4 SU over that same span of games. Our proprietary sports handicapping mode/simulator shows a high probability that Texas will win this game. If there was ever a time for this vastly under rated team to get their act together it has to be playing a conference foe that just happens to be ranked number 1. Texas has been a solid investment in this role as they are 38-20 ATS (+16.0 Units) in home games versus excellent teams that are shooting >=45% with a defense of <=42% since 1997; 13-2 ATS (+10.8 Units) in home games after failing to cover 4 of their last 5 against the spread since 1997. Kansas is ranked number 1 are certainly going to be a contender for the National Championship, but they are in a very bad spot tonight. They are just 13-2 ATS (+10.8 Units) in home games after failing to cover 4 of their last 5 against the spread since 1997. Take Texas.

New Orleans Hornets vs. Orlando Magic
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Amway Arena will be the site of the first of three Monday night NBA betting battles where the New Orleans Hornets (27-24, 24-27 ATS) will look to play the role of spoiler against the Southeast Division leading Orlando Magic (34-17, 26-24-1 ATS). The Hornets enter this game on the outside of the Western Conference playoff picture, but certainly within striking distance at just two games behind the Blazers for the final slot. Orlando can’t afford a slip in a very winnable game with the Hawks sitting right on its tail. Both teams proved victories SU as underdogs in their latest basketball wagering wars, as New Orleans took out Charlotte 104-99, while the Magic beat Boston 96-89 in the Garden.

With the franchise losing money hand over fist, there’s a big question about how much longer the Hornets will be together. There are rumors about basically everyone on the team being dealt before the NBA’s trading deadline, and it has arguably really had a negative effect on team chemistry. The Hornets have surrendered 105.0 points per game in their L/9 games, which is up almost four points from their season average. It also doesn’t help that G Chris Paul has been out of the lineup with a knee injury and won’t return for at least another month. F David West scored 21 points in New Orleans’ win over the Bobcats, and he’ll need to pick up the pace from his 17.9 points per game on the season for the Hornets to stay in the playoff picture.

Orlando responded to its head coach’s tirade following its loss to Washington with a big win at Boston Garden on Super Bowl Sunday. All five starters scored in double digits, led by G Vince Carter’s 20. Carter hasn’t always been integral in Orlando’s efforts down the stretch in games, as he’s often been left on the bench by HC Stan Van Gundy in crucial junctures. The former North Carolina Tar Heel is second on the team in scoring at 15.8 points per game, and he’ll need to continue to have a major impact on the Magic for them to succeed.

Both teams absolutely destroyed the other when hosting this series a year ago. The Hornets won 117-85 at New Orleans Arena, while Orlando scored an 88-68 victory at Amway Arena. Both favored teams won last year, but the underdog had gone 8-0-1 ATS in their previous nine basketball wagering duels.

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San Antonio Spurs vs. Los Angeles Lakers
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The Rodeo Road Trip continues for the San Antonio Spurs (29-20, 24-24-1 ATS) as they pay a visit to the Staples Center in an NBA betting affair with the Los Angeles Lakers (39-13, 23-27-2 ATS). The Spurs are already 2-1 SU on this eight-game roadie, but they logged their first win against the basketball point spreads on Saturday against the Clippers with a 98-81 victory. Without the services of G Kobe Bryant, the Lakers bounced the Blazers 99-82 on Saturday as 3.5-point choices of the oddsmakers.

San Antonio continues to look like a mortal team, and HC Gregg Popovich has to wonder whether his team is good enough to reach the postseason when it’s all said and done. Winning games like this one against the Lakers seems to be necessary at some point. G George Hill is coming off of a 22-point performance against the Clippers, and he is averaging 17.1 points per game in his L/10. Perhaps Hill could be the long-term compliment to F Tim Duncan, who is one of just two players on this team that is scoring more than 13 points per game (Tony Parker, 16.8 PPG). Duncan is putting up a double-double on a nightly basis, scoring 19.5 points and hauling in 10.7 boards per contest.

Not only were the Lakers without Bryant on Saturday, but they also lost C Andrew Bynum in the first quarter after he scored just three points. Neither Bryant nor Bynum is a certainty for the San Antonio game, which means both Fs Lamar Odom and Pau Gasol are going to need to be dominant for the hosts to be victorious. Odom tore down 22 rebounds against the Blazers and came just four assists shy of a triple-double. Gasol went for 13 points and eight rebounds, and he is averaging 16.9 points and 10.7 rebounds per basketball wagering war.

The Lakers have a score to settle with the Spurs after losing 105-85 at the Alamodome on January 12th. That snapped a five-game ATS winning streak for the Lakers between these Western Conference rivals. The Spurs are a rock solid 18-7-2 ATS in their L/27 games against the Pacific Division.

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