Bettor's best friend: Today's helpful tips - Wed 12-16-09

Bettor's best friend: Today's helpful tips Wednesday, December 16 Total talk One of the top under bets in the NHL faces off against one of the worst defensive teams in the league on Wednesday. The Phoenix Coyotes have played under the total in 24 of their 31 games this season and eight of their last 10. Shane Doan leads the club with just 18 points in 33 games and journeyman forward Radim Vrbata is first in team goals with 10. The Leafs could make a high school team look unstoppable with the puck. Only the Carolina Hurricanes allow more goals per game than Toronto (3.45). The Buds are one of the few clubs who regularly see 6 and 6.5-goal totals. Check to see where the over/under line opens on Wednesday and you might be able to find some value. Into the wild Canadian basketball fans know all about the NBA team now playing in Memphis. The Grizzlies, formerly of Vancouver, are starting to play winning basketball and their fans are taking notice. A packed house watched as the home side narrowly lost to the Boston Celtics on Monday night. It marked Memphis? fourth cover in its last five games ? a big difference for a franchise that?s known as a doormat around the league. ?That?s a tough team,? Celtics forward Paul Pierce told reporters following the close shave. ?They?re dangerous. I see them with four potential All-Stars.? The Grizz are 9.5-point dogs against the soaring Atlanta Hawks on Wednesday with a total of 208.5. All quacked out The Oregon Ducks are having a tough time picking up wins in their non-conference schedule. The college hoops team is missing its best outside shooter (Tajuan Porter) and leading rebounder (Joevan Catron) from last season. Catron?s absence is particularly tough on the Ducks. They sorely miss the senior?s toughness in the paint. ?He?s really frustrated,? Oregon coach Ernie Kent told the The Register-Guard. ?I really feel for him, because he worked so hard during the offseason and he is banged up again.? The Ducks have lost four of their last five games and have failed to cover the spread in five of six games. They play 1-8 Mississippi Valley State on Wednesday. Road test Oklahoma State left Monday morning for its Wednesday game in California against Stanford. OSU players are being reminded by coach Travis Ford about their lackluster performance two weeks ago that resulted in a road loss to Tulsa. ?I?m not making any excuses for that loss,? Cowboys forward Marshall Moses told the Stillwater News Press, ?but we have to be more focused if we expect to beat a team like Stanford, in their gym, come Wednesday night.? Stanford already took care of Virginia and took Kentucky to overtime earlier this year. The Cardinal is a 1.5-point favorite over the Cowboys with a total of 145.5. Notable quotable ?As an athlete, you're put under a microscope and everybody wants you to be perfect. You just can't have nothing else going on. And I think for so long, Tiger's image was that of just a perfect person. Now all of the sudden, you go from loving this man that you admired for all these years, and you find out he has a side woman and all of the sudden you hate him? ?If he could keep that a secret and ain't nobody came out and told [on him], hey, congratulate him. You know, most of the time there's one or two, and you can't keep that a secret. So if he can balance 14 (women) and keep it a secret, congrats.? -- Redskins running back Clinton Portis on the Tiger Woods saga.