Gamblin'

What’s On TV Tonight, And How Not To Lose Your Money Gamblin’

by Matt Rudnitsky | 5:46 pm, February 11th, 2013

Welcome to SportsGrid’s new, daily feature, where we tell you what sports are on TV tonight. Then, I do my best to help you win some money while watching. You know, if you’re into that sort of thing, and gambling is legal in your jurisdiction. Feel free to tweet hateful things at me if my advice moves you to do so. TV games are often the toughest games to find an edge on, so don’t go crazy, people. If I do recommend a bet, I’ll keep track of it, so you can tell me how awful (or wonderful?) I am. For record-keeping, we’ll assume a standard bet is $10. Occasionally, there will be 2x or 3x bets, maybe 4 or 5 if I’m feeling spunky. Good luck, America!

College Basketball: Marquette at Georgetown (-5.5) (7:00 p.m., ESPN)

This opened at -3.5. These teams are basically even on a neutral court, so this spread is a bit high. And when you consider that both teams play really slowly, it seems more than a bit high. Both teams are right near the top of the Big East standings — this is a huge game.

I’m honestly not sure why this is moving towards Georgetown’s direction. I would’ve taken the points at 3.5, and I’ll take them at 5.5. Georgetown’s defense is tough, but there’s no reason to think Marquette can’t have enough success against the zone to hang within 5.5.

Marquette +5.5, $10 to win $9.09 AND Marquette ML +190, $1.50 to win $2.85

College Basketball: Kansas State at Kansas (-7) (9:00 p.m., ESPN)

It’s tough to bet on Kansas with everybody claiming they’re done, and this is the worst team they’ve had, etc. But it’s equally tough to bet against them at home.

K-State has lost 17 of 18 in Allen Fieldhouse, losing by an average of 19.3 points per game in the last six years.

I can’t blame you if you want to stay away from a struggling team, but getting Kansas at -7 in a massive home game where they’ll be fully motivated is quite enticing.

Kansas -7, $5 to win $4.55

NBA: San Antonio at Chicago (-2) (8:00 p.m., NBATV)

The Bulls are actually just 5-16 ATS as a home favorite. Also, the Spurs are 16-6 ATS against the East. And Joakim Noah might be out. Not that this warrants a bet by itself, but I can’t see backing Chicago here.

Then again, Tim Duncan and Manu Ginobili are doubtful. The NBA is incredibly tough to bet on, and I can’t pull the trigger here.

Pass, lean Spurs