Boston College (3-1, 2-1 ATS) vs. (11) Purdue (4-0, 3-0 ATS)

(at New York)

Purdue guns for its first 5-0 start in five years when it takes on Boston College in the semifinals of the Preseason NIT at Madison Square Garden.

The Boilermakers, who haven’t been 5-0 since 2003-04, have won all four of their games by at least 20 points, including Saturday’s 66-46 rout of Coppin State in a non-lined game. Purdue advanced to New York with easy home wins over Eastern Michigan (87-58) and Loyola-Chicago (78-46), covering as a double-digit chalk in both games.

Boston College started the season with three blowout victories, but the Eagles tasted defeat for the first time in Saturday’s 53-50 setback to Saint Louis as a 1½-point road favorite. B.C. got outrebounded 43-32 in the loss after beating its first three opponents on the glass by an average of 11.3 rebounds per contest.

Purdue is getting it done with defense, giving up just 50 points per game and 33 percent shooting this year. However, Boston College has been strong on the offensive end this season, putting up 75.5 ppg on 45.7 percent shooting.

The only other time these schools met on the hardwood was in a preseason tournament in 1978, with Purdue prevailing 82-54.

The Boilermakers are on an 18-4-1 ATS tear since early January, including 12-2 ATS as a favorite, and they’re 13-4-1 ATS in their last 18 after a SU win. However, they’re in pointspread slumps of 3-7 against the ACC and 18-37-3 on Wednesdays. Meanwhile, the Eagles are on ATS runs of 9-3 at neutral sites and 5-1 versus the Big Ten, but they’ve failed to cover in five of their last seven on Wednesday.

The over is 4-1 in Purdue’s last five lined games overall, 4-0 in its last four at neutral sites and 6-2 in its past eight lined non-conference games, but the under is 4-1 in its last five against the ACC. Boston College has topped the total in seven of its last 10 non-conference affairs and five of its last seven on Wednesday, but the under is 4-1 in its last five at neutral venues.

The winner of this contest faces the winner of Oklahoma-UAB in Friday’s tournament championship game.

ATS ADVANTAGE: PURDUE

Be sure to check out all of our great premium handicappers for even more winning plays!  Good luck today!

Jeff Alexander:  9-3 L12 Basketball Picks! Get ready to deliver your man a monster beatdown tonight with a side that will more than live up to its title! A 7-0 ATS System has not even come close to going down since 1997 and we will pound it again tonight! Cash in big on the college hardwood with Jeff Alexander tonight!

1 Unit FREE PLAY on Saint Louis +10
Nebraska is yet to play a team as strong as St. Louis so I will gladly jump on these 10 points. St. Louis is coming off an impressive win over Boston College, holding the Eagles to just 50 points. Nebraska is not a high scoring team and both of these sides take a lot of pride on the defensive end. With this game going to be a defensive battle, odds makers are spotting us too many points. Nebraska is just 6-16 ATS after playing a game as favorite over the last 3 seasons, losing by an average score of 65.5 to 68.8 in these spots. We’ll take the points.

Now let’s see what the rest of our best college basketball cappers have going on tonight:

Jimmy Boyd:  8-3 L11 Basketball Picks! Brains meet brawn in this Quaker State rivalry and Jimmy is pounding his side behind a 100% perfect 7-0 ATS System that has not lost in 3 seasons! If you liked last night’s NCAAB BEST BET blowout winner on Kansas, then you’re going to want to saddle up with Jimmy B. for another big cash cow tonight!

Matt Fargo is coming off a very easy win with Notre Dame on Monday as the Irish covered the spread by over 23 points! He is back on Tuesday with not one, not two but three big Winners on the college hardwood! He has isolated the three BEST BETS on the card and all three of these 5* Winners are yours right here! We go for the SWEEP tonight! Lock on, book them and Win big!

Doc’s Sports NCAAB Super Tuesday Winner:  The doctor is on a tear with his college basketball selections currently on a 4-0 run after Kansas blew out Washington last night. Tuesday has arrived and features a strong card you do not want to miss so sign-up now and let 37 years of experience work for you.

NCAAB TUESDAY MISMATCH OF THE NIGHT:  Mr. East has found a serious mismatch in this game, and will take it right to the cash window!

Mikey Sports TOP 4* CBB play Tuesday:  Mikey Sports has a TOP 4* CBB play for Tuesday! Mikey cashed 63% last year in CBB and absolutely crushing CBB this year! Let’s play!

Mikey Sports has a 5* LOCK CBB play, TOP 4* CBB play and a 3* CBB play for Monday! Documented 63% last year in CBB. 15-4 79% so far this year in CBB! 19-4 83% last 23 premium plays overall!

Off Saturday’s 3-0 CBB SWEEP, Jeff Alexander is ready to take advantage of the books lack of knowledge about these lesser known programs tonight. An UNBEATEN 7-0 ATS POWER SITUATION has Jeff already heading to the bank! GET IN ON IT!

Ben Burns closed out last college hoops season ON FIRE & he’s picked up right where he left off. Yesterday’s outright winner (Xavier) gave him a 75% RECORD YTD. That includes a 2-0 mark with his two “Personal Favorites.” San Diego (-6) won by 14 & last Monday Siena (-14) SMASHED BOISE BY 30 PTS. Ben has isolated another BLOWOUT today!

Rocky Atkinson has four TOP 4* CBB plays for Monday! Rocketman is the defending College Basketball Handicapping Champion as we went 72-36 67% in CBB last season. We’re rolling again this season and this is our biggest card so far this year!

Doc’s Sports is coming off an impressive weekend on the college hardwood nailing three straight plays including back-2-back blowout winners over the weekend. A full report accompanies this pick so sign-up now and let 37 years of experience work for you.

ODDS MAKER OVERSIGHT! Dave Price has pegged a dog that is barking up a storm tonight behind an ULTRA-STRONG 12-0 ATS Situation! Take advantage of a bookmaker gift with Mr. Price right here right NOW!

Jimmy Boyd is on a 7-2 Run with his L9 Basketball Picks! It won’t take you long to realize that no one cleans up the hardwood quite like Jimmy B. Jimmy continues his hoops domination tonight with the strongest side on the board Monday. A 22-5 ATS System is the strongest Jimmy has seen in the early going and it has absolutely pegged the winner here! BE THERE!

Matt Fargo starts a new week in NCAA Hoops and looks to start a new streak as well. It has been an unusually slow start on the college hardwood for Fargo who is notorious for busting out of the gates! It only makes him work that much harder and he has done so here! He has a TOP PLAY from Hawaii in the Maui Invitational that you cannot pass up! Join him on Monday for a big Winner!

USC/MISSOURI

Neither Missouri nor No. 19 Southern California arrived in San Juan earlier this week with thoughts of playing in this game, but after early losses in the Puerto Rico Tip-Off, the teams meet for fourth place in the consolation bracket on Sunday.

Missouri, which lost 75-71 to Xavier in its quarterfinal, advanced on Friday with an 87-59 rout of Fairfield. The Tigers set tournament records for points and assists with a season-high 27.

Junior guard Zaire Taylor, a Delaware transfer, had seven points and led Missouri with six assists, while DeMarre Carroll added a team-high 15 points, six rebounds and five assists.

Missouri (3-1) is among the nation’s leaders with 21.3 assists per game.

“I thought our guards did a great job finding the open players,” Missouri coach Mike Anderson told the school’s official Web site. “We had 27 assists, which on 35 baskets is outstanding.”

The Tigers trailed 20-11 with 8:09 left in the first half, but tied a season high with 50 percent shooting from the field.

“I think our guys came out a little sluggish today, but after that tough loss yesterday, I knew that would be a possibility,” said Anderson, whose team hit 41.7 percent of its shots against Xavier. “That will happen in a tournament environment from time to time, but I thought once we settled in, we played well. We shot the ball much better today.”

Senior Leo Lyons made 5-of-9 shots for the second straight game and posted his first double-double of the season with 12 points and 10 rebounds.

While Missouri has forced its opponents into 20.5 turnovers per game, USC has been just as dominant on the defensive end. In Friday’s 73-46 victory, the Trojans held Chattanooga to 25.9 percent shooting while setting a school record for an opponent’s lowest shooting percentage in a half—10.3 in the second half as USC outscored the Mocs 34-17.

The Trojans have held three of their four opponents to under 40 percent shooting.

Junior Taj Gibson followed up his 19-point, 18-rebound performance in the 63-61 loss to Seton Hall, with 17 points, 15 boards and five blocks against Chattanooga, and is averaging 4.5 blocks.

Dwight Lewis and DeMar DeRozan each had six boards as the Trojans outrebounded the Mocs 57-32. It was USC’s most rebounds in a game since grabbing 58 in a 79-61 win against Long Beach State on Nov. 24, 2006.

The Trojans have averaged 13.5 more rebounds than their opponents in starting 3-1 for the third straight season.

USC lost 78-72 to then-No. 15 Missouri in the teams’ last meeting—the Wooden Classic in 2002.

Free Pick:  USC

Saturday, November 22nd, 1:00 p.m. (et)

The Sports Network

By Pat Taggart, Associate College Basketball Editor

FACTS & STATS: Site: Verizon Center (20,674) — Washington, D.C. Television: None. Home Record: Drexel 1-0, Georgetown 1-0. Away Record: Drexel 0-0, Georgetown 0-0. Neutral Record: Drexel 0-0, Georgetown 0-0. Conference Record: Drexel 0-0, Georgetown 0-0. Series Record: First-ever meeting.

GAME NOTES: The 22nd-ranked Georgetown Hoyas are just one of many outstanding Big East teams, and they will host the Drexel Dragons tonight in a non-league clash.

Drexel showed a great deal of toughness to outlast city rival Penn on Tuesday by a 66-64 final. The Dragons’ 12-20 2007-08 season didn’t sit very well with head coach Bruiser Flint, but there isn’t a great deal of proven talent that has returned for this campaign. For that reason, expectations are tempered in Philadelphia.

That is not the case for Georgetown, which opened its season with a closer- than-expected, 71-62 win over Jacksonville on Monday. The Hoyas, under the direction of John Thompson III, finished first in the Big East for the second straight year in 2007-08, but failed to win the league tournament and then made it to just the second round of the NCAA Tournament, a huge drop off following Georgetown’s appearance in the Final Four a year earlier. With a pair of standout veterans back, the Hoyas are expected to make noise in one of the nation’s elite conferences.

This game marks the first-ever meeting between Drexel and Georgetown on the hardwood.

Tramayne Hawthorne was the second-leading scorer (11.2 ppg) last season for Drexel, as he knocked down 81 three-pointers (35.2 percent). This year, Hawthorne is looked upon as the go-to guy at the offensive end of the court. In the opener against Penn, Hawthorne scored 13 points, as he tied for the team lead with Scott Rodgers. The Dragons only connected on 37.3 percent of their field goal attempts in the tilt, including a 5-of-20 effort from three- point range. Even free throw shooting proved to be problematic, as Drexel was 17-of-32 from the charity stripe. Fortunately, the Dragons were able to play outstanding defense, limiting the Quakers to 37.7 percent shooting from the floor. Luck also played a role in the win, as Penn shot a horrific 13-of-28 from the charity stripe.

This season, Georgetown is expected to be led by the duo of DaJuan Summers and Jessie Sapp. Summers scored 11.1 ppg a year ago, and Sapp added 9.7 ppg. Expect both to up those averages, as they will get plenty of looks at the offensive end. In the opener against Jacksonville, four of the five Georgetown starters reached double figures in scoring. Chris Wright tallied 16 points, as his 3-of-5 effort from three-point range overshadowed a 3-of-8 showing from the foul line. Greg Monroe pitched in 14 points, while both Summers and Sapp had 13 points. The Hoyas did not shoot the ball particularly well in the clash, especially from three-point range (5-of-23), but the team played tremendous defense, limiting Jacksonville to 35.4 percent field goal efficiency.

Georgetown will play better at the offense end against Drexel than it did against Jacksonville. Expect a double-digit win for the Hoyas.

Sports Network Predicted Outcome: Georgetown 77, Drexel 63

Mikey Sports has a 3* CBB play for Friday! Mikey is dominating basketball again this year documented #1 in the world in CBB. Mikey cashed 63% last year in CBB.

A HOT 7-2 (78%) NCAAB Start to 2008 has Larry Cook sitting as the #3 Ranked College Hoops Capper!  If you like to bet the ncaa hardwood, than sign up for Larry’s Friday NCAAB 3-Pack for $29.95 and be rest assured that you will come out on top tonight!  Larry’s 8* NCAAB Gem of the Night in the Pepperdine/New Mexico State game leads the way!  You will also receive winning picks in North Carolina/UC-Santa Barbara & Delaware/St. Bonaventure!  This 3-Pack is GUARANTEED to CA$H or tomorrow is FREE!

Jeff Alexander nailed his 4* Major CBB Line Mistake of the Month on Rice and added easy winners on Duke and Michigan for a 3-0 Thursday SWEEP! He comes right back with 3 more heavy hitters on the college hardwood ready to drop back-to-back sweeps on your man! GET OUT THE BROOM!

Matt Fargo was a bucket away from a sweep yesterday as Missouri stunk it up at the line but Oklahoma St. rolled as expected! He is back Friday with one Winner and it is a big one! Join him for his No Doubt BLOWOUT and watch this one cash with ease! It is backed by a 52-21 ATS (71.2%) Power Situation that wins by an average of 31.2 ppg! Grab this easy Winner and cash again!

Rocky Atkinson was the documented #1 College Basketball handicapper last year with a 72-36 67% record. Rocketman cashed last night with his TOP 4* CBB play on UC Davis and is back on Friday offering up two 3* CBB plays! Join him!

Pure Lock has a TOP CBB play for Friday! Get it now! Tennessee Chattanooga yesterday!

Here is a great opportunity for you to play a 4-pack of CBB winners from one of the best handicappers in the business. Coming off a 2-1 night where Jack Jones called Michigan over UCLA as a double digit underdog. All four of these games are reinforced by strong analysis and are GUARANTEED TO PROFIT or else tomorrow’s card is on us!

Mikey Sports delivered on two 3* CBB plays for you last night with Wake Forest and Ball State! Mikey is back with a TOP 4* CBB play for Thursday! Mikey cashed 63% for the CBB season last year and is absolutely dominating basketball again this year!

Info Plays is on a 5-1 (83%) NCAA Hoops Run!  Larry Cook is off to a fast start this season in college basketball!  He owns the #2 CBB World Ranking!  Thursday’s NCAA Hoops 3-Pack brings you winners in S. Illinois/Duke (ESPN 2), Tulsa/Oky State & Iowa/The Citadel!  Get these 3 picks GUARANTEED to CA$H or tomorrow’s card is ON THE HOUSE!

The public is going to get a blood bath tonight as its money is rolling in on a higher profile team that is laying way too many points. Before you fall into this bookmaker’s trap, make sure you check to see who Dave Price is fading tonight! A 26-5 ATS system (since 1997) hits the nail right on the head in his game report!

Jimmy got right back on track on the college hardwood last night by nailing his Smash of the Night play on Wake Forest as the Demon Deacons destroyed the 16.5-point spread with a 32-point win! Jimmy has also cashed in his NCAAB Non-Conference GOTY already this season (11/17 Oklahoma State) and now he’s ready to kick the books in another Non-Conference showdown between two of the best conferences in the country. A 100% perfect 16-0 ATS Angle is right on the money! Guaranteed!

John Martin has one early-afternoon NCAA Hoops winner Thursday and you can get it GUARANTEED here:  4:30 EST on ESPN 2 – UT-Chattanooga/Memphis NCAAB Sharp Play!  (The Memphis Tigers lost a lot of talent to the NBA, but they have reloaded to make another run at an NCAA Championship!  Can John Calipari’s team cover this big number or will Chattanooga keep it close?  You should get off work just in time to catch the end of this one on National TV!)

Matt Fargo is coming off a disappointing Wednesday as Virginia won but did not cover while Morehead St. was outscored by 20 in the 2nd half and missed the cover by a point. He gets it back with a BIG BLOWOUT that takes place tonight you cannot miss! Fargo has this one broken down inside and he explains exactly why it will not be close! Build your football bankroll with a Win!

Jeff Alexander goes to war with the books tonight with the 3 highest rated CBB sides on the board. His SIU/Duke and Michigan/UCLA SUREFIRES combine with his 4* Major CBB Line Mistake of the Month to keep the gravy train rolling on the college hardwood tonight. 100% Guaranteed to profit or Friday’s entire card is FREE!

Ben Burns has picked up the 2008-2009 college hoops campaign exactly the way he closed out the 2007-2008 season – in the Winner’s Circle! Ben followed up Monday’s 30 POINT BLOWOUT WINNER on Siena with a WIRE-TO-WIRE ROUT with San Diego last night. Still PERFECT on the season, Burns returns with his latest BEST BET You know what to do!

Dave Price has started off the week with back-to-back NCAAB Winners. Monday he struck gold with a blowout winner on Mississippi State and yesterday he brought down the house with his NCAAB Non-Conference DOG OF THE YEAR on Richmond! Tonight, he’s pounding another pup THAT WILL WIN OUTRIGHT! Bet with EXTREME CONFIDENCE behind the 14-2 ATS system in Dave’s report! Get it GUARANTEED now!

Matt Fargo is coming off a very disappointing break last night as LaSalle was covering the final 35 minutes of the game until two late free throws ended the win. He is still hitting 75 percent since Saturday and he bounces back tonight with a solid UNDERDOG! Fargo is releasing his BEST BET dog that easily stays within the number! We go for the wire-to-wire cover!

Rocky Atkinson has three 3* CBB plays for Wednesday! Join us! Rocketman finished last year documented as the #1 College Basketball Handicapper in the nation at Sports Watch with a 72-36 67% record for the entire season!

Jeff Alexander cashed in with FSU on the college hardwood last night and really stuck it to the man with his NBA Blowout of the Week on the Nuggets for a 2-0 hoops sweep! Get ready to DOUBLE UP tonight with a team that will double up on the point spread. A 14-5 ATS system has stacked the odds heavily against one side you do not want to be caught backing tonight. Guaranteed to cash or Thursday’s picks are FREE!

After a perfect 2-0 Monday on the college courts, we gave it all back and a little more Tuesday as the dogs were not barking. Jimmy Boyd will get you right back in the Black on the college hardwood tonight with the absolute strongest side on the board. Time-tested 57-24 and 83-37 ATS Systems GUARANTEE you the right side of this matchup!

Jack Jones has three plays that he really likes for college basketball on Wednesday, including a BEST BET. Don’t miss out on this easy winner and get two other games to cash in on as well.

Doc’s Sports has you covered on Wednesday with a strong selection backed by 37 years of experience.

Mikey Sports has two 3* CBB plays for Wednesday! Mikey hit 63% last year in CBB!

That’s it for today.  Good luck!

First up is our #1 overall ranked handicapper, John Martin.  John has 3 NCAA Hoops and 2 NBA winners on his premium card.  Here’s his free college hoops play for Tuesday:

Martin’s Tuesday NCAA Hoops Free Play:

1 Unit on N. Colorado +7

Northern Colorado is a sexy free pick tonight against in-state rival Colorado State. N. Colorado fought hard in a 64-66 setback at Oregon to get their season under way. They were a 17.5-point dog in that match-up, and nearly pulled off the upset against a Pac-10 foe. Northern Colorado beat Colorado State last season 72-59 despite being an underdog. Head coach Tad Boyle has welcomed back 4 starters this season from a team that went 13-16 last season, but 16-10 ATS. After losing to Oregon by just 2 points on the road, this team has shown they are capable of finishing better than .500 this season in Boyle’s third year at the helm of the program. Colorado State was terrible last season, going 7-25 on the year. This is Tim Miles’ second year at the helm, but this is also still a rebuilding year for the Rams. Northern Colorado is 10-1 ATS in non-conference games over the last 2 seasons. Northern Colorado is a perfect 6-0 ATS in road games off a road loss over the last 2 seasons. Cash in with Northern Colorado as the underdog.

The Black Widow has won 6 of his last 7 picks and wants to crush your book tonight will a MONSTER day in college basketball.  Here’s what Bill “The Black Widow” Young has on his free side today:

Black Widow CBB Free Pick:

1* on Sacramento State +8.5

Sacramento State is catching too many points to pass up tonight. They face UC-Riverside, who went 9-21 on the season last year and they don’t appear to have improved much at all this season. That showed when they lost by 27 points to New Mexico State in their season opener. Sacramento State played tough in their opener, a 12-point road loss against Fresno State. They forced the Bulldogs into 18 turnovers. These are two sub-par teams squaring off, and we’ll take the points every time in this situation, especially after UC-Riverside got manhandled by New Mexico State. Riverside is 7-20 ATS (-15.0 Units) in home games off a road loss since 1997. Riverside is also 10-26 ATS (-18.6 Units) in home games after playing a road game since 1997. Take Sacramento State and the points.

Good Luck Tonight!

College Basketball Odds for Monday, November 17th, 2008