Sports Stat Check – January 10th Edition
It’s time to say goodbye to another year of college football – and hello to the beautiful game of basketball. Every handicapper should be absorbed in hoops, given how betting-friendly the sport is. We’ll help you get there as we add some roundball stats and factoids to our coverage of this weekend’s NFL Divisional Round action.
NFL
Baltimore at Tennessee
Baltimore QB Joe Flacco scored 27 out of 50 on the Wonderlic Personnel Test during the NFL’s pre-draft assessment. A score of 20 is considered average for the general population; the average NFL QB scores a 24. Flacco has 13 TD throws and just five picks in Baltimore’s last 12 games (10-2 SU and ATS).
Arizona at Carolina
The Panthers are No. 23 in the league against the rush, allowing 4.4 yards per carry. Arizona is No. 14 at 4.0 yards. However, defensive tackles Maake Kemoeatu (ankle) and Damione Lewis (shoulder) are expected back in the lineup for the Panthers. Kemoeatu is Carolina’s premier run-stuffer at 6-foot-5 and 345 pounds.
Super Bowl betting in the Bodog Sportsbook.
Philadelphia at N.Y. Giants
The Eagles are 36-16-2 ATS in their last 54 games as an underdog. They’re also 10-1 ATS in their last 11 as road dogs. The Eagles have made a lot of money for handicappers during Donovan McNabb’s decade as quarterback – a decade marked by public controversies, many of them racial in tone.
San Diego at Pittsburgh
Temperatures at Heinz Field in Pittsburgh are expected to be in the low 20s on Sunday afternoon. The teams look like they’ll avoid the snow showers that hit the area earlier in the week, but the relatively clear skies bring with them a dip in the mercury. The Chargers have beaten the Steelers twice in Pittsburgh during the playoffs after going 0-13 in regular-season matchups.
NCAAB
Duke at Florida State
The Blue Devils are No. 207 in Division I in “luck factor” according to Ken Pomeroy. Luck in this case is measured by the difference between a team’s actual record (12-1 SU, 8-4 ATS) and its Pythagorean record (98.45% expected win percentage, tops in the nation). FSU has been quite lucky at No. 24 in Division I.
North Carolina at Wake Forest
Six of North Carolina’s eight losses as the No. 1 team in the rankings were to unranked opponents, most recently to Boston College on Sunday. North Carolina has slipped to No. 3 in this week’s rankings, followed by Wake Forest at No 4.