The SMART INVESTMENT PLAY came through in literally the final minute of the game. Dallas came out flat, which was my primary concern, but they found away to pick it up in the second half and squeeze out a win and push the total over 209.  As predicted K-Love was huge again, recording his 51 consecutive double-double, Moses Malone responded by saying that when he played he didn’t even know what a double-double was, the greats never like to see their records go down. The SMART INVESTMENT PLAY moves to the Horizon League championship game.  Can Butler return the NCAA Tourney and look to go back to the final four? (Read below for my analysis).

SMART BET INVESTMENT PLAY: (The investment is always equal to 10% of the total bankroll)

Initial Bankroll: $1,000.00

Bankroll as of 3/8/2011: $1,051.70

Butler (-3) vs Wis.-Milwaukee. Investing $105.17 for a return of $95.61. There are several reasons why you should invest your money in Butler tonight. First, EXPERIENCE. At this time in the season, experience is a key factor in determining the success of a team. Butler has been in this position before and while they may not be as talented as they have been previously they still understand what it takes to get back into the tourney. Senior point guard play and senior leadership inside the paint should give Butler a decided advantage. Secondly, Defense. Butler only allows opponents to shoot about 43% from the field, while Wis-Mil allows just over 45%.  In addition, Butler dominates the board verse weaker opponents, holding a significant rebounding advantage of 7 additional rebounds per game over their opponents, while Wis-Mil only out rebounds their opposition by 3 rebounds per game. Thirdly, guard play.  Mack is critical to the success of this team and with his experience and ability to control the game he should give Butler a clear advantage tonight. Finally, free throw shooting.  At this time of year, free throw shooting should not be overlooked.  Butler shoots almost 73% from the line, a clear advantage over Wis-Mil who shoots 65%.  While I think Butler will make it to the tourney with a win tonight, I just don’t think they are talented enough to advanced past the first or second round. WINNER

Recommended Plays:

NCAAB:

Dayton (-2) at UMass WINNER

Northern Arizona (+5) vs Northern Colorado WINNER

NBA

LA Lakers/Atlanta OVER 185 WINNER

Portland (+8.5) vs Miami WINNER

Houston/Phoenix OVER 218 WINNER

KEEP YOUR BETS SMART!

Took the weekend off to watch a lot of the games and do research on the teams heading into the tourneys.  If we do our homework there should be a lot of games to take advantage of over the next several weeks as the madness is only a few days away. I played a parlay yesterday with the Lakers moneyline and UNDER 201 in the Mem/Dal game. Easy winner with the Lakers as they crushed the Spurs and was sitting pretty at halftime with a total of 93. However, Memphis scores 41 points in the 3rd quarter and any advantage I had going into half was easily erased and the total finished at 207. Tough beat.

SMART BET INVESTMENT PLAY: (The investment is always equal to 10% of the total bankroll)

Initial Bankroll: $1,000.00

Bankroll as of 3/7/2011: $964.06

Dallas/Minnesota over 209, investing $96.40 for a return $87.64. Neither team is known for their Defense and Dallas should be able to score at will.  Kevin Love should have a big night down low as Dallas usually struggles to dominate the paint.  If Dallas doesn’t come in flat from the game last night then the over should easily be attainable. WINNER

Recommended Plays:

NCAAB:

1. North Texas vs. Western Kentucky (-1) LOSER

2. Gonzaga (-1) vs. St. Mary’s WINNER

3. IUPUI vs. Oral Roberts (-1.5) WINNER

NBA:

1. OKC/Memphis UNDER 204.5 LOSER

2. Dallas (-7) at Minnesota LOSER

3. Oklahoma City (+3) vs Memphis LOSER

KEEP YOUR BETS SMART!

The picks were terrible last night, but some nights you are just going to be off.  Overall we have been steady since posting for most of the second half of the year. Tonight’s SMART INVESTMENT PLAY focuses in on St. John’s. Can the Red Storm continue their winning ways on the road at Seton Hall? (See below for my analysis).

SMART BET INVESTMENT PLAY: (The investment is always equal to 10% of the total bankroll)

Initial Bankroll: $1,000.00

Bankroll as of 3/3/2011: $1,071.18

St. John’s (-2.5) at Seton Hall, investing $107.12 for a return of $97.38. St. John’s takes on a new role tonight as the favorite, but Lavin seems to have this team really focused and I don’t think he is going to allow them to take a mental vacation tonight. Talent wise this is clearly a one-sided affair. It will all come down to focus and smart play. If St. John’s continues to play as they have over the last several weeks they win by 15. Seton Hall is in a tough spot, with little left to play for besides senior night and they are coming off a huge effort against Notre Dame last out only to come up short when it mattered; I find it hard pressed to figure in any motivation here for Seton Hall. SH may keep it close early, but look for St. John’s to continue rolling with another easy win.

Recommended Plays:

NCAAB:

1.) Nevada -1.5 at Louisiana Tech

2.) Fresno State (+5.5) at Idaho

3.) USC (+4) at Washington State

4.) Wisconsin (-6.5) at Indiana

NBA:

1.) Magic/Heat UNDER 197

KEEP YOUR BETS SMART!

Another easy win with the SMART INVESTMENT PLAY as Boston College won 76-61 at Virginia Tech as a 9-point underdog. The board is full of great games tonight with several live dogs and a few favorites that should win easily. The SMART INVESTMENT PLAY focuses its attention on the NBA. Chris Paul shows up at the Garden in a statement situation, his last chance to remind NY that they will be paying him $12mil next year.  (Read below for my breakdown of the game.)

I recommended a futures play on Kansas State to win the National title. I placed a small wager on them yesterday at 30-1.

SMART BET INVESTMENT PLAY: (The investment is always equal to 10% of the total bankroll)

Initial Bankroll: $1,000.00

Bankroll as of 3/2/2011: $1,190.18

New Orleans (+2.5) at New York Knicks, investing $119.00 with a return of $108.18: Several reasons to be in love with the Hornets tonight. First, tough spot for the Knicks returning home off a taxing road trip where they played the Cavs, Heat, and Magic. Tonight will be the Knicks 5th game in 8 days. Billups is doubtful and even if he is ready to go you have got to question what he has left in the tank to guard a focused Chris Paul.  The Hornets have lost their last two, but I look for an incredible effort out of them tonight.  Chris Paul is definitely on showcase tonight as the looks to make a statement to the Knicks’ ownership and fans that they need to be making plans to have him in the building next year.  My numbers have the Hornet favored by 1, so I will take the points.  The Hornets have a team that could make a playoff run if they can ever figure it out, the definitely have the talent.  The Knicks, while definitely better with Carmelo in the lineup a still looking towards the future.  After the taxing road trip, look for NYK to come out flat while the Hornets come in focused especially behind extra motivation Paul will have tonight.

Recommended Plays:

NCAAB

1. North Carolina (-2.5) at Florida State

2. Memphis (+1) at East Carolina

3. UAB (+4.5) at Southern Miss

4. Temple (-8) at UMass

5. Tulsa (PK) at Rice

6. Minnesota (+3.5) at Northwestern

7. UCONN (+5) at West Virginia

NBA

8. Chicago Bulls (-3.5) at Atlanta Hawks

9. Houston Rockets (+3) at L.A. Clippers

KEEP YOUR BETS SMART!

Nice win with the SMART INVESTMENT PLAY as Kansas State wins outright over Texas 75-70. We will look to continue building that retirement fund tonight. Can Virginia Tech win and cover over Boston College? (See below for my breakdown of the game).

SMART BET INVESTMENT PLAY: (The investment is always equal to 10% of the total bankroll)

Bankroll as of 3/1/2011: $1,091.00

Boston College (+9) at Virginia Tech. Invest $109.10 to win $99.18. VT is coming off one the biggest wins in school history as they shocked the Dukies last out.  That win will likely cement VT’s hopes of making the dance for the first time in several years.  This is an obvious trap game for VT due to the emotionally and physically exhausting win over Duke.  Most of VT’s starters played almost the entire game verse Duke. BC on the other hand is coming off an expected thumping of Virginia last out.  BC has had some trouble stepping up in class this year, but this team is solid overall and they have already beat VT once this year.  I have VT favored in this game by 5, but due to VT’s win over Duke it is obvious we are going to get an inflated line. Boston College generally plays a slower tempo, more controlled game and they must control tempo here verse VT.  Even in their 19 point road blowout win over Virginia they only scored 63 points and to win tonight they will have to replicate that kind of effort on the defensive end. Good spot for BC tonight and hopefully they can take advantage of a tired Hokies team. WINNER BC 76 VT 61

Recommended Plays:

NCAAB

1.) Missouri +1.5 at Nebraska LOSER

2.) Ohio State -6.5 at Penn State WINNER

3.) Baylor at Oklahoma -2 WINNER

NBA

4.) Houston +5 at Portland WINNER

General Info:  Recently on thetripledouble.com we have been posting lots of Formulated and Computer Generated Plays, with both positive and negative feedback.  Now that we have some more frequent visitors and some comments starting to flow our picks will be become more concentrated/focused on the best bets of the night.  There was a article I read a couple years ago about using sports betting as an investment. From now on at the top of my post, my investment strategy (profit/loss) will be posted. This is how the investment strategy works. I will start with a $1,000.00 investment. Each night I will bet one and only one game, my best bet of the night. The bet will be 10% of my bankroll, with the bankroll being reevaluated after every night’s bet, factoring in the win/loss and calculating total investment value. I have read that if you can win at 54% over the next 20 years you will have made $1,000,000.00. I am not exactly sure if this is true, but for those of you out there who want action every night then this is the most realistic plan.

I will be posting a few other recommended plays, but you will get my best bet every night.

FUTURE BETS:

I am not a big future plays bettor, but there are some future bets that I think hold some really good value right now and I will be making small bets on these every time I have a little extra cash on me.

1. Chicago Bulls NBA Champions–Any line around 8/1 or higher, shop around I know there are odds easily in the double digits.

2. Kansas State NCAA Champions–Any line around 20/1 or higher. This team was 10/1 to start the year to win the national championship and then fell off the map. They are playing as good as any team in the country right now; down the stretch is a perfect time to be playing your best basketball.

SMART BET INVESTMENT PLAY: (The investment is always equal to 10% of the total bankroll)

Bankroll as of 2/28/2011: $1,000.00

Investment for 2/28: Kansas State +8.5 for $100.00 to win $91 WINNER

Why Kansas State could beat Texas tonight: KSt is hitting their stride and are definitely playing their best basketball of the year. This team had a legitimate shot at winning the national title at the beginning of the year, but they faltered early and fell from the ranks of the top 25.  However, now they seem to be back on track and are clearly playing their best basketball of the year; they have won and covered 4 in a row which includes wins over Kansas, Oklahoma, Nebraska, and Missouri. While Texas is no slouch they are not playing their best basketball. They are 2-2 SU and ATS in their last 4, which includes outright losses to Nebraska and Colorado.  Texas does have a size advantage over KSt and if they are going to get the outright win and cover it will definitely be due to their efforts on the glass and inside.  In the bigger picture, Texas fell apart towards the end of the season last year and people are going to be constantly reminded of that fact in just about every interview from here on out. This team just does not seem ready for the big stage. Every time you think Texas has figured it out and are ready to step up to that next level they take two steps back. I look for Texas to play very focused tonight, but it should be close throughout.

SMART BET Recommended Plays:

1. Villanova (+4.5) at Notre Dame LOSER

2. Morgan State (+1.5) at North Carolina A&T LOSER

3. Chicago Bulls (-7.5) at Washington Wizards WINNER

4. Atlanta Hawks (+6) at Denver Nuggets LOSER
Keep your bets SMART!

Sorry for the break in the action.  Small card on Friday.

Top Plays:

1. Detroit +6 at Wright State for 1 unit.

2. Harvard -8 at Brown for 2 units.

3. Manhattan +12.5 at Canisius for 1 unit.

Here the all the recommended plays for Friday

There are so many games I simply do not have the time to go back through and put the line next to each and every game, but I will try. There are some very live dogs as well as some short prices on some over looked favorites.  Teams highlighted in yellow are games in which the Computer line was at least 6 points different than the actual line. ALL BETS LISTED BELOW ARE AGAINST THE SPREAD! Teams in Bold Italics are the selected play.

SMART BET TOP PLAYS:

1.) Tulsa (PK) at SMU for 2 units.

2.) Fordham at Xavier (-22) for 2 units.

3.) Texas A&M at Oklahoma State (-2) for 2 units

4.) NC Greensboro (+6.5) at Elon for 2 units.

KEEP YOUR BETS SMART!

Top plays have been providing a profit 2 out of the last 3 days. Tonight we look to make it 3 in a row. Only a couple games make the grade as top bets.

Penn -2 at Brown for 2 units: Penn had a legitimate shot to compete for the Ivy league honors two weeks ago, but then ran into the top teams in the league and their weaknesses were exposed.  However, tonight they are back taking on the conference bottom feeders and should dominate Brown.  I have Penn winning by at least 9 so laying only 2 has great value. WINNER

Dartmouth +11.5 at Columbia for 1 unit.  Dartmouth is not great, but they are definitely getting no respect here. Columbia is decent, but not great. If Dartmouth doesn’t turn the ball over 20 times they should keep this easily within the number. I have Dartmouth a 4 point underdog so will take the points. WINNER

Just missed the cut for Top Bets: Princeton -3 at Yale. WINNER

KEEP YOUR BETS SMART!

Results for 2/17/2011– 14-9 ATs

The SMART BET COMPUTER looks to be off and running with a winning night last out. Its smarts will be tested tonight as it takes on several Ivy League games.