Tag Archives: UCLA Bruins

Review: “Wooden: A Coach’s Life” by Seth Davis

I was sent “Wooden: A Coach’s Life” two months ago and it took me quite awhile to finish the 608-page behemoth. I usually avoid books this length, not because I hate reading, but I often read a few books at a time. I thought this would be a pain to read due to its length, but I found myself really looking forward to my time with the book.

John Wooden is the best basketball coach of all-time. Not just the best college basketball coach, but I believe he is the best basketball coach at any level. His X’s & O’s were great, but he made boys into young men. His ‘Pyramid of Success’ is more about life than it is about basketball.

CBS Sports college basketball analyst Seth Davis really made a work of art. He was able to get inside the mind of Wooden. He’s a talented author and this book is on par or better than his great Larry Bird/Magic Johnson book, “When March Went Mad”.

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2014 NCAA Tournament: Betting Picks Against The Spread

I love the NCAA Tournament. It’s my favorite time of year. The underdog victories in early rounds and the yearly tradition of coming up with a creative excuse to call in sick to work on Thursday and Friday. It should be a national holiday.

Since Sunday, I’ve been filling out NCAA Tournament brackets, writing game previews and scouring sites for College Basketball odds. I had to wait a few hours for them since they weren’t immediately available after the Selection Show.

I have a ritual the first day of the tournament. I spend the first few hours at home watching the first two sets of games (probably still in my pajamas). I then make it to a Buffalo Wild Wings or BBQ rib joint and watch the next set. I then close out the night back at home drinking a six-pack of good IPAs.

I pick all the NCAA Tournament first (second?) round games against the spread. Can Harvard pull off the upset against Cincinnati?

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2014 March Madness: #4 UCLA vs #13 Tulsa

We are picking every NCAA Tournament game in an effort to help you fill out your bracket and win your office pool.

UCLA had to crawl and scratch to get through a difficult PAC 12 conference schedule. They are battle-tested and new head coach Steve Alford has them playing really well.

The Tulsa Golden Hurricanes hit ‘restart’ after the new year. They had a hellish non-conference schedule and lost every game against a team from a major conference. They rebounded to win the Conference USA tournament. The conference took a hit when may of the top schools joined the American Athletic Conference.

Is UCLA a legit contender in the South Region?

Who do you think will win? We help you fill out your bracket.

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Sweetbob’s Saturday Betting Bonanza

I miss college football, so on Saturdays, I find myself watching everything. I use the word ‘everything’ because I seriously watch any sport that pops up on my DirecTV. At the moment, that means a lot of the Winter Olympics.

As I’m in the vortex of random sports, I find myself doing my fair share of betting. I had a great NFL and college football season and historically, I’m even better at college basketball.

This Saturday is filled with more than luge and figure skating. You have some great college basketball matchups (Syracuse at Duke) and UFC 170.

I pick February 22nd college basketball games against the spread and also pick the winners of tonight’s UFC 170. Will Ronda Rousey defend her title?

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2013 NCAA Football – Week 13 Betting Picks Against Spread

I apologize for being a little late with this week’s picks. I’ve stayed up late watching college basketball all week (Jabari Parker is amazing). I went 13-7 with my picks against the spread last week. I am now 111-65-7 on the season.

I like a lot of road teams in Week 13 of the 2013 college football season (November 23rd to be exact). I hate picking road teams this late in the season, but that’s how things shake out this week. There are a few games that seem to factor in last week’s loss or win way too much. You need to look at the last few games to really get a feel for a team.

We pick against the spread for all the big college football games on Saturday, plus a few games in the MAC and American Athletic Conference as always…and a Thursday night game. Enjoy!

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2013 NCAA Football – Week 12 Betting Picks Against Spread

I had my best week of the season. I went 16-4 with my picks against the spread. Stanford, Vanderbilt and Kansas State really came through for me. Those three moneyline plays are my best calls of the year. I am now 98-58-7 on the season.

I like a lot of road underdogs in Week 12 of the 2013 college football season (November 16th to be exact). The home favorites are overvalued this week. You get that at this point in the season. Bettors have a habit of sticking with teams they’ve had success with all year. Vegas knows this, so those teams will have a point spread with little value in their favor.

We pick against the spread for all the big college football games on Saturday, plus a few games in the MAC and American Athletic Conference as always…we also sneak in Wednesday and Thursday night games . Enjoy!

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2013 NCAA Football – Week 11 Betting Picks Against Spread

Thanks to Michigan, Miami and Texas Tech, I had a .500 week. I’m still 82-54-7 on the season, which is much better than many of my sports betting friends.

I like a lot of favorites in Week 11 of the 2013 college football season (November 9th to be exact). I usually find value in underdogs at this point in the season, but the slate of games this weekend doesn’t fair well for those teams.

When making a bet at this point in the season, look to see if any teams played a common opponent. Also, keep an eye on weather reports. The temps are falling across the Midwest, so that could be a factor when a warm-weather team travels.

We pick against the spread for all the big college football games on Saturday, plus a few games in the MAC and American Athletic Conference as always…we also sneak in TWO Thursday night games . Enjoy!

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2013 NCAA Football – Week 9 Betting Picks Against Spread

My streak of winners is still intact.

I went 12-7-1 last week with my picks, bringing my season total to 62-35-6 on the season. I was consistent with the previous week (11-7-1), but I picked one more game.

Week 9 of the 2013 college football season (October 26th to be exact) doesn’t have a Clemson/Florida State-type marquee game and has an overall weak schedule of games.

We’re at a point in the season where favorites often fall or fail to cover the spread. When making a bet, look to see if any teams had a common opponent earlier in the season. I went ‘underdog heavy’ in this week’s picks against the spread. Injury reports and weather conditions also grow more and more important deeper in the college football season.

We pick against the spread for all the big college football games on Saturday, plus a few games in the MAC and American Athletic Conference as always…we also sneak in a Thursday night game . Enjoy!

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2013 NCAA Football – Week 8 Betting Picks Against Spread

My streak of winners is still intact.

I went 11-7-1 last week with my picks, bringing my season total to 50-28-45 on the season. I didn’t match the previous week’s domination, but 11-7-1 is solid.

Week 8 of the 2013 college football season (October 19th to be exact) has possibly the biggest marquee game all season, Florida State at Clemson.

We’re at a point in the season where favorites often fall or fail to cover the spread. When making a bet, look to see if any teams had a common opponent earlier in the season. That could help you with your decision. Injury reports and weather conditions also grow more and more important deeper in the college football season.

We pick against the spread for all the big college football games on Saturday…we also sneak in a few Thursday night games in the MAC and American Athletic Conference. Enjoy!

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2013 March Madness: #6 UCLA vs #11 Minnesota

What does a team do when they lose their second-leading scorer right before the NCAA Tournament? This is the problem #6 UCLA (25-9) faces when they play #11 Minnesota (20-12) in the first (second) round of the 2013 NCAA Tournament.

Can Minnesota take advantage of UCLA’s loss, even though the Gophers limped into the NCAA Tournament?

More than 50% of the brackets on ESPN (so far) have UCLA getting upset by Minnesota.

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