The Wiesguy is a newcomer to the handicapping scene. Hailing from Toronto, Canada he is always sweet on the underdogs and you can often find his thoughts, musings and picks at moneydogs.blogspot.com.
I was so glad to see both of these teams make the BCS but it is a little bittersweet to see them square off because now one of them has to lose. The winner will have some serious momentum heading into next season while likely becoming the darling of the 2013 season to boot.
These are two very good teams and this should be a nice bowl game. Wisconsin is once again one of the top rushing teams in the nation so if the Gamecocks are going to win they are going to have to play a strong defensive game, which they usually do.
The Buckeyes have emerged unscathed from the nonconference portion of their schedule but now the real season begins.
The defending champs have looked ready to defend their title this season. Losses to Kentucky on the road, and North Carolina at a neutral site, show this team is not as strong as last year’s edition but they have been obliterating every one else on their schedule.
It looks like the Bulls are still trying to figure out how they are going to win (or if) without Derrick Rose. They are still an elite defensive team but they are really struggling offensively and have lost 7 of their last 10.
Despite always feeling on the verge of breaking through these programs are kind of stuck in a rut. Not a bad one of losing seasons, but of bumping their heads against a ceiling they can’t break through.
If you like old fashioned football with lots of running action than this is the bowl game for you as it features RBs Andre Williams and Ka’Deem Carey, the national rushing leaders of this and last season respectively.
Villanova has to be the most pleasant surprise in college hoops this season. Not only are they undefeated but they have beaten some very good teams including Kansas and Iowa.
A 7-6 record is hardly an eye catcher but Irvine has been pretty good in the early part of their schedule. They already have 4 true road victories this season, including a resume building win up at Washington, also of the PAC12 in November.
The New Orleans Saints had a chance to make this game moot but couldn’t finish out a close game against the Carolina Panthers last week.
Both of these teams won important games last week, affecting who is going to make it into the AFC playoffs. For the Buffalo Bills they played spoiler against Miami, shutting them out in a display that showed they haven’t quite quit on this season yet.
Detroit frittered away every chance to assure a playoff spot and now the final week of the season against Minnesota is totally meaningless…and it looks like their coach is likely to be fired.
This game looks meaningless on the surface but the Indianapolis Colts will be looking to finish strong so they can improve their playoff positioning.
It is the final week of the season and there are lots of scenarios in play with Miami tied with Baltimore and San Diego in the AFC. Only one of those three teams can advance to the playoffs and it is obvious your chances are enhanced if you win your final game.
I think that Louisville might be the lowest ranked one-loss “major conference” team in history with an #18 next to their name heading into this one.
The Rockets are heading into the traditional Christmas Day matchups looking to double up on road victories against San Antonio – thats right they are one of three teams to nip the Spurs at home this season.
Houston Rockets (18-11) vs. San Antonio Spurs (22-6)
Wednesday December 25
At&T Center – San Antonio, TX
8:00PM
Moneyline: San Antonio -300, Houston +250
Spread: San Antonio -7
O/U: 209
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ATS Matchup Insight | CP Insider Gambling Preview
This is the second of a classic Texas Triangle for the Rockets who need to rebound from a home loss to Dallas on Monday night. This team has been sputtering lately just 5-5 in their last 10.
Unfortunately for Houston, SG James Harden is questionable for this prime-time game. He was fantastic in scoring 31 points in their last victory against the Spurs but replacement Francisco Garcia hardly puts much fean into an opponent. PG Jeremy Lin missed that one but he will be available this time. Lin played for the first time in a couple of weeks on Monday and did not look rusty at all in scoring 20 points against the Mavs.
Over the last 10 the Rockets have covered when they won 4 out of 5 times. Beating the Spurs again at home of going to be very tough to do but even without Harden they can play this team very tight and get a cover. The underdog is 13-6 ATS in this series over the last several seasons including 1-0 this year.
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The Spurs sit atop the Southwest Division looking down on Houston and others. The great thing about this San Antonio team this season is that it really takes care of business against the lower tiers of the league, so far they have lost just 6 games but all of them have been to team that can reasonably considered contenders for an NBA title this season, including the Rockets. They will be looking to prove a point to Houston in this one.
After being out of the lineup for a few games PG Tony Parker returned and had his best game of the season against Toronto in a win on Monday night. Conversely PF Tim Duncan didn’t even score in double digits, and looked more like the player who struggled over the first month of the season. The Spurs have the great record but some of their younger players like Kawhi Leonard haven’t take off like we anticipated after last year’s run to the finals.
The Spurs have not been a good bet at home this season, just 5-8 ATS as compared to 10-5 on the road. Almost always the favourite they do seem to get up for these divisional games with a 5-1 ATS run going against teams from the Southwest division. The one was that earlier SU loss to the Rockets
Spread Pick: Push
O/U Pick: Under
Score Prediction: San Antonio 99 – Houston 92
