Dave’s Free Opinion, Wednesday 1/9/13

(797) MISSISSIPPI VS (798) TENNESSEE Take: (798) TENNESSEE Reason: I'm not sold on Cuonzo Martin as a head coach at this level. I'm not impressed with the hoop IQ of this Tennessee team. My pre-season opinion that the Volunteers were overrated and nothing more than a middle of the pack SEC team looks accurate, especially with Jeronne Maymon now apparently redshirting due to injury. Ole Miss is playing good ball and just on the numbers, they're the better team here. All that said, I'm looking at this as a statement game for the hosts. Off the disappointing loss to Memphis, I'll call this a major character check for Tennessee. Figures close but with the knowledge that Maymon isn't going to be putting on the jersey this season, I'm sensing a major effort from the Volunteers tonight, so I'll chance Tennessee as small chalk. More

Dave’s Free Opinion, Tuesday 1/8/13

The college football season is now complete, and while I wish it could have concluded differently, I did not have a good showing in the bowls and finished up on a sour note with a bad call on Notre Dame. The good news is that the NFL continues to be very strong, and I won both personal plays this weekend with the Ravens and Seahawks. As for hoops, the NBA has been outstanding, and the colleges are definitely heating up after a rough stretch. The onset of conference play is where my numbers begin to offer true value, and the results have accordingly improved. For info on how to get my personal plays, simply drop me an email at cokin@cox.net. Just to be up front on the cost, you need to be playing at least a couple hundred per play to make this pay. (509) LOS ANGELES LAKERS (510) HOUSTON ROCKETS Take: (510) HOUSTON ROCKETS Reason: Things continue to unravel for the Lakers. They can't play defense, the bench is substandard and now they're hitting the road extremely shorthanded. ... More

Dave’s Free Opinion, Monday 1/7/13

(705) SAN ANTONIO SPURS VS (706) NEW ORLEANS HORNETS Take: (705) SAN ANTONIO SPURS Reason: There's basically no such thing as value when playing San Antonio. The numbers on the Spurs are usually tilted a bit simply due to their popularity with bettors. That doesn't matter very often, as the Spurs just roll merrily along, winning by margins and cashing tickets for their backers. San Antonio is a stellar 22-13-1 ATS this season despite constantly being a little overpriced. As for New Orleans, the Hornets have been pretty bad when playing off a win, particularly at home with a slate that reads 0-6 SU, 1-5 ATS. That's good enough for me, and I'll side with the Spurs minus the points. More

Dave’s Free Opinion, Sunday 1/6/13

(813) TEMPLE VS (814) KANSAS Take: (814) KANSAS Reason: Temple is a very solid team, and the Owls are not going to be a pushover against too many teams. But Kansas is playing at an absolutely elite level right now, and that's on both ends of the court. The Jayhawks are actually a little underpriced here based on their current form. Temple is good enough to turn this into a battle, but until the Jayhawks hit a bump in the road, it's either play on them or leave it alone. I'll take my chances with Kansas minus the points as the Sunday free play. More

Dave’s Free Opinion, Saturday 1/5/13

(595) MIDDLE TENNESSEE STATE VS (596) SOUTH ALABAMA Take: (595) MIDDLE TENNESSEE STATE One of my favorite angles in college basketball is the big bounce. Simple enough. Look for a team off an uncharacteristically bad shooting performance of they're up against a team that had a lights out effort last game. Middle Tennessee was 19/59 in the OT loss at Arkansas State on Thursday. South Alabama slipped past UL-Monroe that same evening thanks to nailing a blazing hot 26/44 from the field. I'll look for the bounce here and I'll back Middle Tennessee State to get the win and cover against the Jaguars. More

Dave’s Free Opinion, Friday 1/4/13

(827) CLEVELAND STATE VS (828) VALPARAISO Take: (828) VALPARAISO Valparaiso is a bit of a disappointment so far, but this looks like a spot for the Crusaders to bust out. Cleveland State has lost its last four D-1 games by a whopping 101 points, and I see the Vikings getting whacked again here. Valpo minus the points tonight. More