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Sports Betting Tips Weekly: Hot and Cold Wagering Options

by Victor Ryan - 12/10/2015

LSU Tigers forward Ben Simmons

Some big names in college basketball have been absolute money pits, while one of the most improved teams in the NBA continues to churn out profits for bettors. Here's a look at the hottest and coldest bets currently in sports. This is a weekly column where I try to single out some strong betting trends.

College Basketball

LSU (4-3 SU, 0-5 ATS, five straight losses)

LSU may have, ahem, "the next LeBron James" in freshman phenom Ben Simmons, but the start to the season for the Tigers would have to be described as disappointing. Simmons (19.9 points per game, 6.0 assists per game, 53.8 field goal percentage) has certainly been spectacular, but do you think an 18-year-old James would have lost three straight nonconference games in college, including to lowly College of Charleston? Well that's exactly what Simmons and the Tigers did before outscoring North Florida 119-108 in a game with no line on Wednesday.

LSU can score, as you would assume with a talent like Simmons, but to this point they've been unable to consistently stop anyone. The Tigers rank in the Top 50 in Division I in scoring with 82.7 points per game, but their 78.1 points allowed ranks 272nd in DI.

Next up for LSU is a road game at Houston (5-1 SU, 2-1 ATS) on Sunday and a home game against Gardner Webb (3-6 SU, 0-1 ATS) on Wednesday.

Kentucky (8-1 SU, 2-7 ATS, six losses)

The Wildcats suffered their first straight up loss of the season to UCLA last week, but they rebounded nicely with an 86-67 home win against Eastern Kentucky as a 24.5-point favorite. Kentucky has looked like a title contender this season, as expected, but the poor ATS record has largely been the result of some monster lines the Wildcats have had to cover. They have been favored by a minimum of 19.5 points in all but two games: the loss to UCLA and a 74-63 win over Duke. These bloated lines figure to continue as no other team in the country has a fan base like Kentucky, and Big Blue Nation isn't shy to bet on their beloved Wildcats. This is still a young team with plenty of room for growth. However, it may be best to stay away from these big lines at least until the start of SEC play.

Next up for Kentucky is an interesting home game against Arizona State on Saturday.

Hot college basketball bets: Texas-Arlington (8-2, 8-1, seven straight wins), Samford (6-3, 6-1 six straight wins), Central Florida (4-3, 7-0, seven straight wins), South Dakota State (8-1 6-0 six straight wins), Southern Miss (1-6, 5-0, five straight wins), Xavier (9-0, 6-3 five straight wins).

Other cold college basketball bets: California (7-2, 3-6, five straight losses), Boston College (3-6, 1-5 five straight losses), Illinois-Chicago (1-5 1-5, five straight losses), Rider (1-8, 1-7, five straight losses), Central Michigan (4-4 0-5, five straight losses), San Francisco (2-6, 3-5, five straight losses).

NBA

Orlando Magic (12-10 SU, 16-6 ATS, eight straight wins)

The Magic have cooled off a bit as they've lost two of three since reeling off five consecutive straight up wins, but even with the bump in the road they've continued to be a cash machine for bettors. Orlando made it eight straight covers on Wednesday in a 107-104 loss at Phoenix as 4.5-point underdog.

At 12-10 SU, the Magic are one of the most improved teams in the NBA from a season ago. Five players average double-digits in scoring for Orlando, including top scorer Evan Fournier (15.5 points per game). However, the strength of the Magic has been on defense and on the boards. Orlando ranks fourth in the NBA with 46.2 rebounds per game, and its 98.7 points allowed ranks 10th in the league.

Next up for the Magic is a home tilt with Cleveland on Friday, at Brooklyn on Monday and back home to face Charlotte on Wednesday.

Other hot NBA bets: Boston (13-9, 13-9, five straight wins)

Cold NBA bets: Cleveland (14-7, 7-14, five straight losses), Chicago (11-8, 6-13, four straight losses).

NFL

Atlanta Falcons (6-6 SU, 4-8 ATS, eight straight losses)

It has been a while since we've seen an NFL team completely fall off the cliff like the Falcons have. After a 4-0 start both straight up and ATS, Atlanta has been a loser in eight straight ATS and are 2-6 SU, which includes five straight losses heading into Sunday.

Since the fast start, the Falcons have simply been unable to win close games. Four of their five losses during their current streak have been by four points or less. Matt Ryan continues to make mistakes at critical moments, and the defense can't get the timely stop. This team has been in free-fall, but the reason for optimism is they are still playoff contention, so perhaps they haven't completely thrown the towel in.

This week Atlanta travels to take on undefeated Carolina, where at some shops they are as high as a 9-point underdog.

Hot NFL bets: Kansas City (7-5, 7-5, six straight wins)

Other cold NFL bets: Cleveland (2-10, 3-8-1, six straight losses)

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