This is a 10* on OVER

Washington and Arizona were the Pac 12’s biggest underachievers for the 2019-20 season. Washington finished in last place with a 5-13 conference record and while Arizona ended up a more modest 5th in the standings, that was also well below expectations. This first round tournament matchup is a rematch from the last regular season game for each. Washington won 69-63 in Tucson, which was certainly an upset as the Huskies were 10-point underdogs. We expect this rematch to feature a lot more scoring - from both sides. Prior to upsetting Arizona, Washington’s last four games had all gone Over the total. They’d just scored 90 points in an upset of Arizona State two days prior to winning in Tucson. Arizona had scored 83 in its previous game. They also beat Washington 75-72 in Seattle back in January. What’s interesting about the two games vs. the Huskies is that Arizona made only 26 two-point baskets on 72 attempts. That’s 36%! You have to figure they’ll shoot better today. Play OVER Washington-Arizona

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This is a 10* on GMU

The Atlantic 10 Tournament has a clear favorite in Dayton and everybody else probably needs to win this thing in order to make the Big Dance. The longest “road to hoe” belongs to the bottom four, a group which both St. Joseph’s and George Mason can claim to be a part of. These two squads have combined for a total of five wins going back to late January. George Mason has three to St. Joe’s two, the difference being a 62-55 head to head win back on February 22nd. The Patriots just missed out on covering that day as they were 8.5-point favorites. But we like them with a small number attached to them today. Regardless if it’s a true road game or on a neutral court, St. Joe’s has just two wins away from home all season. They give up almost 80 points/game as well. George Mason has won and covered all three of its games in a neutral setting this year. They held St. Joe’s to 33.9% shooting in the regular season game. Play on GEORGE MASON

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This is a 10* on UNC

North Carolina has endured one of the worst single season free falls that we have ever seen. After starting the 2019-20 season 5-0 and ranked in the Top 10, they ended up losing 18 of their final 26 regular season games and in a three-way tie for last in the ACC. But now the ACC Tournament begins and that gives the Tar Heels a “clean slate.” Before losing the final regular season game at Duke, UNC had won and covered its last three games. So there were some signs of a potential breakthrough. The first round tournament opponent is Virginia Tech. They lost to the Hokies 79-77 in January, but did cover the 7.5-point spot. This time UNC is favored as the game isn’t in Blacksburg. Since it defeated UNC, Va Tech has won just twice in 12 games. They are 3-8 straight up and against the spread as underdogs. This spot screams “Tar Heels!” Play on NORTH CAROLINA

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This is an 8* on OVER

St. Mary’s and BYU split their two regular season meetings. Each won a close game at home. The rubber match takes place Monday night in Vegas. For two teams that have spent the season battling it out for “who’s #2?” in the West Coast Conference (Gonzaga obviously #1), a win here all but clinches a NCAA Tournament berth. Both teams ended the regular season at 24-7 overall. But BYU got the #2 spot by finishing 13-3 in conference play while St. Mary’s was 11-5. So St. Mary’s had to play an extra game to get to this tournament semifinal matchup. They beat Pepperdine 89-82 on Saturday. The Gaels last four games have all gone Over the total with them averaging more than 80 points/game. Both games vs. BYU also went Over with the final scores being 81-79 and 87-84.  Look for another high scoring game tonight. All four times St. Mary’s has been an underdog this year, the Over has cashed. The Over is also 7-1 when they play on one or zero days rest. Play OVER St. Mary’s/BYU

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This is an 8* on TOLEDO

The MAC Tournament gets underway tonight. All four first round games are played on campuses before things shift to Cleveland for the quarterfinals on Thursday. Toledo is the home team for this matchup. While the Rockets are only 3-11 ATS at home this season, one of those covers came against Western Michigan, the team they’ll be facing here. They also won at Western Michigan a couple of weeks ago. That made it six straight wins over the Broncos and UT is 5-1 ATS in those same games. The Rockets closed the regular season on a strong 4-1 SU/ATS run, the only loss coming on the road. Western Michigan did not close strong as they’ve lost six of eight with the only two wins both coming in Kalamazoo. WMU is just 3-11 SU on the road. The Broncos scored only 59 points in both regular season matchups vs. Toledo and anything resembling that same defensive effort will bring home an easy ATS win here for the home team. We believe they get the job done as WMU drops to 1-12 ATS its last 13 Monday games! Play on TOLEDO

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This is an 8* on WRIGHT ST

The Horizon League Tournament moves to Indianapolis tonight for a pair of semifinal matchups. The one we’re targeting sees the top seed Wright State facing the #4 seed Illinois-Chicago. While Wright State did beat UIC pretty big (17 points) at home in the regular season, they did lose 76-72 as 6.5-point road favorites in the first meeting of the year. So don’t look for the Raiders to take this game lightly. Because they were regular season champs, Wright State got a double bye into the semifinals whereas UIC has had to win twice to get here. Both of those wins for UIC came at home. The Flames are going to have to figure out a way to defend a Wright State team that comes in averaging more than 81 points/game. If that’s not enough, Wright State has had nine days off. The Raiders have gone 5-1 ATS in Horizon League Tourney games the past two seasons and that includes a pair of semifinal victories. Look for them to easily move on to their third straight Final. Play on WRIGHT STATE

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This is a 10* on DELAWARE

Quarterfinal action in the CAA here with Delaware taking on Charleston. The winner of this game is likely to play top seed Hofstra in the semifinals tomorrow. Delaware finished with a better overall record than Charleston this year (21-10 vs. 17-13). However Charleston is the higher seed as both were 11-7 in conference play and they had the tiebreaker. The tiebreaker was of course head to head play. Charleston beat Delaware twice this season and is a perfect 6-0 the last six meetings. They are 6-0 ATS in those games as well. That sets this up to be a major revenge situation for the Blue Hens. Both games vs. Charleston this year saw Delaware shoot poorly. They made just over 40% of their FGA in each game. That’s irregular. For the season, the Blue Hens are shooting over 48%. We’ll say they shoot a lot better today. The Blue Hens are also 5-1 ATS in their past six neutral court games. Play on DELAWARE

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This is a 10* on UNDER

Minnesota has basically played its way OUT of NCAA Tournament contention. They’ve lost six of their last seven games including three straight close ones. Losses to Maryland, Wisconsin and Indiana have all been by five or less points. All three games also went Over. It’s good deal then for the Gophers that they are getting Nebraska in the regular season finale. The worst team in the Big 10, the Cornhuskers are 2-17 in conference games and have lost 15 in a row. The Under 7-1 in Minnesota games this season when the total is 140 to 149.5 and they are keeping teams below 65 points per game at home. Therefore, look for a total reversal of fortune for the Gophers today. Besides Nebraska, there’s only one other “bad” team in the Big 10 this year and that’s Northwestern who Minnesota recently kept to 57 points. All three home games where Minnesota was favored by 12.5 or more this year have stayed Under. Play UNDER Nebraska-Minnesota

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This is a 10* on UNDER

A win tonight means Oregon finishes with no worse than a share of the Pac 12 title. At home they are favored to beat Stanford, but look for a low scoring game as the Cardinal are surprisingly one of the better defensive teams in all college basketball. They are 6th in efficiency. They give up 61.9 points per game but Oregon isn’t far behind allowing 64.2 at home. The Ducks lost 70-60 in Palo Alto back in January, a game where they were held to a field goal percentage of only 32.8. Oregon had a huge scoring outburst Thursday vs. Cal (scored 90) but also held the Bears to just 56.  Play UNDER Stanford-Oregon

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This is an 8* on CREIGHTON

This is the game that will determine the Big East’s regular season champion. It’s Seton Hall’s title to lose as the 8th ranked Pirates come into Saturday with a one-game advantage over #11 Creighton. But the Bluejays have the tiebreaker having already gone on the road and beat the Pirates 87-82 last month. Creighton has lost only once in its last seven games and that was when we played against them last Sunday at St. John’s. Consider that result to be an anomaly as the Bluejays quickly bounced back with a 91-point effort here at home vs. Georgetown on Wednesday. They’ve now won 10 of 12 overall and are 17-1 straight up at home where they are averaging a very healthy 83.5 points per game. Seton Hall can only blame itself for being in this position as they left the door open by losing to Villanova at home Wednesday night. The Pirates couldn’t stop Creighton from scoring a ton the first meeting. There’s no reason to believe they’ll be able to stop them here. Play on CREIGHTON

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This is a 10* on TENNESSEE

Tennessee rallied back from a 17-point deficit to stun #6 Kentucky on the road Tuesday. For them, it had to feel like “just desserts” given that they blew a 17-point lead and lost earlier this year. That was to Auburn, who they’ll face here in the final regular season game of the year. This is a great shot for the Volunteers to post their second straight win over a ranked opponent, although this one would not be considered an upset. For the third time this season, Auburn has lost two straight. They’ve yet to lose three in a row but have lost four of their last six including an 0-3 road record. Wednesday saw them lose at home to Texas A&M as a 12-point favorite. Tennessee has had an extra day to prepare here and with this being Senior Day, you’ve got to think they’ll come out as the more motivated side in this contest. Auburn is just 2-7 ATS on the road this year and will have to figure out a way to score against a team that’s giving up less than 60 points per game at home. We don’t think they figure it out. Play on TENNESSEE

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This is a 10* on MIAMI

Not much on the line here in the final regular season game for Ohio and Miami, so we’ll defer to the home side on “Senior Night.” The teams have played well of late. Ohio is 9-2 ATS its last 11 games and 5-0 ATS the last five. But they still have a losing record in MAC play at 7-10 straight up. Miami is in last place at 5-12 SU, but they’ve won their last two home games. Tonight is a chance for the RedHawks to avenge their worst loss of the season, which took place in Athens on February 8th. Ohio won that day 77-46. But Miami is 6-1 ATS since that loss. While they are 1-11 SU on the road this year, they are 10-5 SU at home. Play on MIAMI

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This is an 8* on Akron

Rivals Kent State and Akron close out their respective regular seasons against one another here and there’s plenty at stake. Akron has surged to the top of the MAC East by winning seven of its last eight games and can clinch the top seed in the conference tournament with a win here. Seeing as they also have revenge for a one-point loss they suffered at Kent State on January 31st, the Zips’ motivation ought to be at a season-high tonight. We look for them to get the job done as they’ve gone an impressive 14-2 at home this year while allowing only 62.7 points per contest. Since beating Akron in the first go around, Kent State has a losing record and hasn’t posted back to back wins. They just beat Bowling Green at home on Tuesday. But on the road the Golden Flashes tend to struggle as their scoring average dips from 81.9 at home down to 68.1. They are also just 2-6 ATS off a league win this year. Play on AKRON

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This is a 10* on the UNDER

This is a first round game in the WCC Tournament. Both Portland and Santa Clara face a tall mountain to climb as they’ll have to win five times in six days to capture the championship, including needing to beat Gonzaga. Now that we’ve ditched that fantasy, let’s look at the actual matchup. Portland finished last in the WCC with a 1-15 record. They haven’t won a game since January 4th. They are terrible. Santa Clara is the 7-seed in the Tournament and just beat Portland 73-68 on Saturday. That game just finished Under. Look for this one to do the same as Saturday’s game saw the two teams combine to make 18 three-pointers. That won’t happen at a neutral site. Play UNDER Portland-Santa Clara

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This is a 10* on UNLV

UNLV hosts Boise State in the second of four Mountain West Tournament quarterfinals today. We like the tourney hosts for a variety of reasons here, namely that they come in hot. Five straight wins and covers have the Rebels primed to make a little noise this weekend and remember they are the only team to beat top seed San Diego State this entire season! The Runnin’ Rebels just beat Boise State here at the Thomas & Mack Center on Feb 26th, 76-66 as two-point favorites. They led by 12 at halftime and coasted from there. Boise State is just 4-8 on the road this season. The loss at UNLV was their regular season finale while the Rebels have since picked up a dominant 92-69 win at San Jose State. Their recent form can’t be ignored here and even if Long (knee) can’t go, they remain a safe bet. After all, they have covered 11 of the 16 times they have been a favorite in this season. Play on UNLV

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This is a 10* on UNDER

Creighton was on a real roll before running into St. John’s on Sunday. We took the Johnnies in that one as they put up 91 points in a big-time upset. Creighton won’t be giving up nearly that many points tonight though. They are back in Omaha where they - on average - give up far less points per game. While their scoring also goes up, they happen to be facing a Georgetown team that has failed to crack 70 in three of its past four games. The Hoyas have lost all four as they most certainly won’t be joining the majority of the Big East in the NCAA Tournament, save for them winning the conference tourney. With so many players injured, we don’t look for Georgetown to do much offensively in this game. Creighton won’t have to either, which lends itself to a play on the Under. The Under is already 6-2 in Georgetown’s last eight road games. Play UNDER on Georgetown-Creighton

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This is a 10* on DUKE

Duke lost to Virginia Saturday, its second loss in a row and third in the last four games. But the one constant in those three defeats is that they all took place on the road. We were on the right side of that Virginia game Saturday with the Blue Devils getting held to a season-low 50 points. They faltered down the stretch yet again, just like they did against Wake Forest a few days prior. But back at Cameron Indoor, we look for the Blue Devils to make a statement tonight on ESPN. They are winning by more than 21 points/game at home this season. This is also a very big revenge spot. Duke lost to NC State by 22 two weeks ago in Raleigh. That was their worst loss of the season and something the players haven’t forgotten. This will be the first time this year that the Blue Devils take the floor with in-season revenge. They have won 10 of the last 11 times they’ve been seeking revenge for a road loss, covering the spread seven times. NC State is 0-3 ATS since the upset of Duke and lost at North Carolina. Play on DUKE

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This is a 10* on OVER

When these teams met in Boulder three weeks ago, the game flew Over with Colorado winning 81-74. Not only did the Buffaloes go 30 of 40 from the free throw line, they were 11 of 21 on three-pointers. In fact, they and Stanford combined to go 23 of 42 from three-point range. That was easily one of Stanford’s worst defensive games this season. While them getting to host the rematch will certainly lead to better play on that end, we look for this matchup to go Over again. It may not be as high-scoring as last time, but it doesn’t need to be. In fact, it doesn’t need to be close. The last one went Over by 25 points. Stanford has scored at least 70 points in its last three games with all of those being wins. Colorado just gave up 76 to a bad Cal team and that was at home. Stanford can really shoot the ball well. The Over is 4-0 the last four times they’ve been a home favorite. Play OVER Colorado-Stanford

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This is a 10* on ST. JOHN'S

Creighton and St. John’s are in very different places as we approach the final week of the regular season. Creighton has surged to the top of the Big East by winning and covering its last five games. Plus they are 9-1 SU L10. St. John’s lost leading scorer Mustapha Heron and is 2-9 straight up its last 11 games (0-3 L3) as well as 1-6 against the spread its last seven. But the good news for St. John’s Sunday is they are playing at home and they are 3-0 both straight up and against the spread this year when off three consecutive losses. Even without Heron, we like their chances today due to the fact Creighton simply isn’t the same team on the road that they are at home. Scoring drops from 83.1 points/game down to 72.5 and that should be enough for St. John’s to at least earn itself the cover here. They are 5-1 ATS their last six times as a home underdog of 3.5 to 6 points including a perfect 3-0 this season. Play on ST. JOHN’S

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This is a 10* on OVER

That UCLA is tied for the Pac 12 lead right now is rather stunning. The Bruins have won six in a row to get to 11-5 in conference play and 18-11 overall. This is a team that was basically “left for dead” coming into February. Unless they end up winning the Pac 12 Tournament, we’re not even sure they wind up making the NCAA Tournament. Arizona is considered a lot safer for the Big Dance right now, although they’ve lost two straight to fall 1.5 games behind UCLA and Oregon in the conference. This is a rematch of a game played on Feb 8, won by UCLA 65-52. That win is what began UCLA’s current roll. They held Arizona to just 25.4% shooting (in Tucson) as the Wildcats made just 9 of 36 two-point attempts. It was a similarly awful shooting night for Arizona in their last game as they lost 57-48 to USC. But they are 2-0 SU/ATS this year when they are off a game in which they got held to 60 points or less. Look for Arizona to regain its “shooting touch” tonight, but also for UCLA to keep its hot shooting going. Play OVER Arizona-UCLA

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This is a play on VIRGINIA

Duke has tasted defeat twice in its past three games and both losses came on the road. The most recent was a real stunner as they gave up 113 points in a double overtime loss to Wake Forest. The Blue Devils have now failed to cover in four straight road games. Tonight they are at defending National Champ Virginia. While the champs may not be the same team they were last year, they are rounding into form at the right time. It’s five straight wins by the Cavaliers and while four of those have been by three points or less, the offense has increased to 61.4 points/game. That may not sound like much (and it isn’t!) but when you are allowing only 49.5 points/game at home, then it’s plenty. Note Duke is only 4-12 ATS this season after scoring 80 or more points the previous game. Virginia has been a home underdog only one other time all year and they won that game (vs. Florida State) by five. They are 6-2 ATS the last three seasons when getting points. Led by their outstanding defense, Virginia gets the cash here. Play on VIRGINIA

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This is a 10* on North Dakota St

This is perhaps the biggest regular season game the Summit League will see all year as second place North Dakota State hosts first place South Dakota State. The road team has won eight straight to climb into the pole position and that win streak started with a win over the Bison back on January 22nd. But it was only a five point win in which the Jackrabbits shot an amazing 55.8% from the field and made 24 of 38 shots inside the arc. That will not happen again on the road as ND State is the team more likely to “go off” offensively this time as they are averaging 81.4 points/game at home. The Bison had their own win streak stopped at seven games last Saturday with a three point loss at North Dakota. Maybe they were looking ahead to this showdown? Regardless, they are now 1.5 games back of South Dakota State, which makes tonight a “must-win.” The Bison are 11-1 on their home floor this year. All eight of South Dakota State’s losses this year have been on the road. Play on NORTH DAKOTA STATE

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This is a 10* on PENN ST

Yet another play from the Big 10 (had Michigan St last night), so we’ll mention again just how deep this conference is as it looks like 10 teams will be sent to the NCAA Tournament. But despite the depth, there are advantages to be had, especially when certain teams play on the road. We didn’t give Iowa much of a chance last night in East Lansing and the same holds true tonight for Rutgers in State College, PA. To say the Scarlet Knights have struggled on the road in Big 10 play would be putting it mildly. They have lost five straight Big 10 road games and six of seven overall with the one win coming against Nebraska. Rutgers is now 1-9 in road or neutral site games for the 2019-20 season. They just lost by eight at Wisconsin on Sunday. While the Big 10 may be deep, some teams are simply better than others and that’s the case with Penn State here as the Nittany Lions are a legit top 20 team that plays really good defense. Back to back losses (to Indiana & Illinois) have taken some wind out of their sails, but you’re still looking at a team that’s 13-2 SU at home with a point differential of +14.8 per game. They began February on a 5-0 SU/ATS tear and should end the month with a big win here. Play on PENN STATE

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This is a 10* on MICHIGAN ST

Yet another quality Big 10 matchup Tuesday and while it’s a battle of Top 25 teams, we actually think things will end up rather lopsided here in East Lansing. Despite a less than stellar February, Sparty remains an elite team, one that is far better than its #24 ranking. Make no mistake about it, there might not be more than 5-7 teams that would be favored over Michigan State come Tournament time. Tom Izzo’s bunch got the confidence-boosting win it needed last Thursday when they went to Nebraska and blew out the Cornhuskers 86-65. Now they host Iowa, who we have serious doubts about on the defensive end of the floor. Of all the teams currently ranked in the Top 25, the Hawkeyes have the worst efficiency rating defensively. We grabbed them laying a small number  vs. Ohio State last Thursday. However, that was at home. They’ve gone just 1-16 straight up and 4-13 against the spread their past 17 visits to East Lansing and this number tells you to disregard the rankings. Iowa had lost three straight road games before a miracle comeback at Minnesota nine days ago. Play on MICHIGAN STATE

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This is a 10* on the OVER

Kansas is coming off its biggest win of the season as they won 64-61 at #1 Baylor on Saturday, thus avenging their only conference loss of the season. With #2 Gonzaga having also lost Saturday, expect the Jayhawks (winners of 12 in a row) to be the new #1 when this game vs. Oklahoma State tips off Monday. We played the Under in the Baylor game, which was a winner, and it’s back to playing the total tonight. Only this time we’re looking at the Over due to the opponent being so lax defensively. In our writeup for the Kansas-Baylor game, we went into great detail about just how good both teams are defensively. Well, Oklahoma State is not great defensively. One thing the Cowboys did to impress us though is score 86 points in a win over rival Oklahoma on Saturday. Kansas has scored 87 and 91 points in its last two home games. So all signs point to a high-scoring affair tonight on ESPN. The Jayhawks average 78.7 points/game in Lawrence and the Over has hit the previous three times OSU has been a road underdog of at least 12.5 points. Play OVER Oklahoma St-Kansas

AAA

This is a 10* on WASHINGTON ST

Stanford stopped the bleeding with a 72-64 upset of Washington on Thursday. But that singular win doesn’t change the fact that the Cardinal had previously lost seven of eight, which obviously put a severe damper on their NCAA Tournament hopes. Tonight they are at Washington State, a matchup the Cardinal likely feels pretty good about. But this one is trickier than it looks. Yes, Wazzu has lost three in a row overall and was just beaten here in Pullman by Cal Thursday. The Cougs were 6.5-point favorites in that loss too. But they remain 11-4 at the Paloose. They’ve got some big time revenge for a 26 point defeat suffered in Palo Alto earlier in the year. Stanford shot 61% in that game, Washington State was under 40%. It’ll be a lot different this time as we conclude by pointing out that Wazzu is a perfect 3-0 against the spread this year as a home underdog of three points or less. Play on WASHINGTON STATE

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This is an 8* on WISCONSIN

Whenever it’s time to analyze one of these Big 10 matchups, we start by pointing out the incredible depth in the conference. There could be as many as 11 teams making the NCAA Tournament. Wisconsin and Rutgers are among them. Right now though the Badgers are simply hotter. They’ve won three in a row, taking advantage of a somewhat “relaxed” schedule for this time of year. Today marks just the fourth game for the Badgers in the past 14 days. They beat Purdue Tuesday, continuing a string of impressive showings here in Madison that has seen them defeat the likes of Maryland, Michigan State and Ohio State. Rutgers just suffered its first home loss of the season, at the hands of Michigan, and we look for that to have an effect on them today. The Scarlet Knights have lost four of six overall. They have just ONE road win all season.  Play on WISCONSIN

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This is a 10* on the OVER

Temple is off a wild 93-89 win over UConn. Double overtime was needed to get the victory, which was the second time the Owls prevailed in OT in their last four games. Today they’ll head to East Carolina to face a team not making much noise in the American this year. The Pirates 4-10 conference record has them a loss away from being tied for last place with Tulane, a team that they’ve beaten twice. However, ECU has at least been competitive of late. In the last week, they’ve lost by only three to Cincinnati and by four to Memphis. So Temple should consider itself forewarned. What we expect here is a high-scoring affair. While recent Temple scores have been boosted by overtime, they can still pile up the points today. When they hosted East Carolina on Feb 1, they scored 76 points. The Pirates shot very poorly in that game and should improve on their percentages now that they get to play at home. They’ve scored at least 67 in three of the last four contests. Play OVER Temple-East Carolina

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This is a 10* on OREGON

Crucial game in the Pac 12 tonight for both teams, but particularly for Oregon as they are off a loss and a game back of Arizona in the win column. The Ducks go to Tucson Saturday night with a higher ranking for now (#14 vs. #24), but they really can’t afford another loss here. Back on January 9th, the Ducks did beat Arizona 74-73 in a close call in Eugene. Arizona comes into the rematch as a decided favorite having won three straight. They seem overvalued though in what we view as a pretty even matchup. Oregon has been an underdog just three times all season and this is the first time in over a month. Let’s not forget that it wasn’t too long ago that Arizona lost - by double digits - here at home to UCLA. The Wildcats are just 9-21 ATS in Saturday games the last three seasons. This is one of those games where you just want to play the underdog as an outright win is far more likely than a blowout by the favorite. Play on OREGON

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This is an 8* on COLORADO

Colorado may not be the “best” team in the Pac 12 this year but they have been the most consistent. As a result, they are the ones in first place, not Arizona nor Oregon. The Buffaloes are ranked 18th in the country and just held off USC for a 70-66 win on Thursday. They get to stay in Boulder for the weekend as now it’s UCLA that will pay a visit. The Bruins have not been consistent in the first year under Mick Cronin and we like this opportunity to fade as they are coming off an upset win at Utah a little less than 48 hours ago. The chances UCLA records two straight upset wins on the road seems very unlikely, even though right now is the hottest that the Bruins have been all season. They’ve won four in a row, starting with a win at Arizona. But Colorado is just too tough here as they have a 13-2 SU home record and give up only 61.9 points/game. Motivation will be high as this is the final home game of the season (Senior Night!) and they actually lost at UCLA by 4 points back in January. Revenge will be sweet this afternoon. Play on COLORADO

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This is a 10* on the UNDER

This is the game Kansas has been waiting for. Back on January 11th, they lost at home to Baylor by a score of 67-55. Since then they’ve 11 straight wins, seven of those coming by double digits. But top-ranked Baylor isn’t going to roll over here either. The Bears have won 23 straight games. They’ve covered 17 of 25 ball games including 10 of 13 in conference play. Key to this game will be defense. These are two of the top three teams in defensive efficiency in the entire country. Kansas gives up 57.5 points/game on the road. Baylor gives up 56.2 points/game at home. The first game stayed Under by 10 points yet this O/U is just three points lower. Oddsmakers haven’t adjusted enough. The Jayhawks’ OU record in Big 12 games is 9-1. With this game being so important, both teams will be playing lockdown defense. Play on UNDER KANSAS/BAYLOR

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This is a 10* on the UNDER

Harvard trails Yale and Princeton by one game, so getting to host the latter is a big deal tonight. The Crimson won both games last week - 85-63 over Cornell and 77-63 over Columbia. Both were played right here at Lavietes Pavilion. Princeton also got to play twice at home last week, but they split the pair, losing to Yale while beating Brown. The Tigers did defeat the Crimson earlier this season 70-69 on what was a hot shooting night for them from distance (went 13 of 23 on three-pointers). That was the last Harvard game to stay Under as the last four have all gone Over. But Princeton won’t shoot as well this time around. Harvard defends exceptionally well when they’re at home, giving up just 59.4 points/game. Princeton is 6-0 Under this year in games where they came in with 5 or 6 days rest. That includes the two Friday games since Ivy League play started. Don’t forget Harvard is without top scorer Bryce Aiken as well. A lower scoring game than the first matchup, which we think this will be, makes for an easy call on the Under. Play UNDER Princeton-Harvard

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This is a 10* on Iowa

We had some discussion about the Big 10 yesterday. While we came out on the wrong side of that game (Indiana-Minnesota), we’re back at it again, this time with two of the likely 10 teams that the conference will send to the NCAA Tournament. Ohio State was once ranked as high as #2 in the polls. A bad January dropped the Buckeyes standing precipitously, however, they have since rallied by winning five of their last six games. Iowa has alternated wins and losses over the last six games and is off a come from behind win at Minnesota. While recent form may be better for OSU, this game still takes place in Iowa City where the Hawkeyes have lost only one time all year and that was back in the second game. Iowa boasts one of the most efficient offenses in the country and Ohio State is only .500 overall in Big 10 play and 3-5 on the road. The Hawkeyes are 10-2 ATS at Carver Arena. Seems logical to lay the short number here. Play on IOWA

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This is a 10* on MINNESOTA

The Big 10 will obviously be sending a lot of teams to the NCAA Tournament. Right now, if certain “bracketologists” are to be believed, the number of teams is 10. Only one other conference is likely to send more than five. Interestingly enough, neither Indiana nor Minnesota are among those 10 even though both grade out favorably against most teams from other conferences. In the case of Minnesota, a 12-12 WL record does them no favors. However, you can’t tell us that the Golden Gophers aren’t among the top 35 teams in the country. Four losses in the last five games, particularly the one vs. Iowa on Sunday, have really stung. But getting a chance to host an Indiana team that is 1-5 straight up and against the spread its last six games is an opportunity the Gophers can surely cash in on. Indiana is a dreadful 1-6 ATS in road games. They’ve lost 23 of 30 road games the last three seasons. The loss to Iowa on Sunday was just the second time Minnesota lost as a favorite this year (8-3 ATS) and they are 5-1 ATS after being held under 60 points. Play on MINNESOTA

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This is an 8* play on MEMPHIS

There’s significant hand-wringing now over Memphis’ chances to make the NCAA Tournament. A team firmly on the “bubble” all season, the Tigers have gone out and lost three straight. Right now, no one seems to be considering Penny Hardaway’s team as being worthy of the Big Dance and without a really strong finish to the regular season, it’s difficult to imagine that changing. It is worth mentioning though that this three-game losing streak has been nothing but close games. The three losses have all been by six points or less and by a total of only 11 points. Tonight, Memphis has a golden opportunity to take its frustrations out on a lesser opponent, that being East Carolina, who is just 7-13 ATS when getting 12.5 or more on the road. The Pirates are in second to last in the American with a 4-9 conference record and have been beaten by double digits each of the last two times out. Their only conference wins since January 11th both were against Tulane, the last place team in the American. Memphis wins by an average of 17 points/game at home. Play on MEMPHIS

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This is an 8* on LSU

It wasn’t that long ago where LSU was the lone unbeaten team in SEC play and feeling really good about itself. But three losses in the past four games have dropped the Tigers out of the Top 25 and one game back of Kentucky in the SEC. But those three losses the Tigers recently suffered all have one thing in common and that’s they all took place on the road. In Baton Rouge, this team is still 13-1 and they’ve generally won by safe margins. Kentucky is not as dominant as you might think even though it is ranked 10th in the country. While the Wildcats have won eight of nine, most of the wins have come against the bottom half of the SEC. They have failed to cover five of the seven games they have played against teams that average at least 77 points game. LSU averages more than that. LSU is undervalued tonight at home. Play on LSU

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This is a 10* on ILLINOIS

Penn State is undoubtedly a hot team right. Having achieved a top 10 ranking (#9) for the first time in forever, the Nittany Lions are on an 8-0 win streak - both straight up and against the spread. Their latest conquest took place Saturday when they defeated Northwestern 77-61. It was their largest margin of victory during the win streak. Of course, Northwestern also just so happens to be the worst team in the Big 10. Illinois, while having lost four in a row, is still considered to be a NCAA Tournament team and it wasn’t that long ago that they were leading the conference! The Illini’s rough patch has included games vs. Maryland and Michigan State as well as road trips to Iowa and Rutgers. Really, they shouldn’t have been favored to win any of those games. They obviously don’t deserve to be favored tonight either, but the spread is too high in our estimation considering where Illinois was just a short time ago. Play on ILLINOIS

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This is an 8* on NORTH CAROLINA

North Carolina isn’t going to get sympathy from anyone in the ACC or nationally. But it sure is sad to see the Tar Heels having fallen this far (last place in the ACC). For the second time this year, they’re on a five-game losing streak. They’re just 2-10 the past 12 games. But this more recent five game losing streak has seen them fall by two points or less three different times. Saturday against Virginia they lost 64-62. But you should take them here against a Notre Dame team that was just humiliated by Duke over the weekend. The Fighting Irish took a 34-point loss in Durham, which ended a six-game ATS win streak. The Irish have had some close losses of their own, namely a one-point loss at Virginia last Tuesday that went into overtime. But that Duke loss is going to be “tough to shake” and we expect there to be somewhat of a “carry over” from Saturday to tonight. Before Saturday, Notre Dame had been held to 60 points or less three different times this season. They’ve yet to cover off one of those performances. Play on NORTH CAROLINA

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This is a 10* on ST JOHNS

Xavier finds itself right on the NCAA (Tournament) bubble and something tells us that the committee cares very little about the fact that the Musketeers have covered four straight games. What the committee will focus on is the fact they lost to Butler last Wednesday, 66-61, stopping a three-game SU win streak. They are 16-9 SU, but only 9-15-1 ATS and 5-11 ATS laying points. Tonight they go to St. John’s, who is off an 80-69 win over Providence. The Red Storm averages 77.7 points/game at home, so that’s something Xavier has to contend with here. There was a meeting back on Jan 5th, won by Xavier 75-67. But in an eight-point game, St. John’s was 1 for 16 on 3PA, which definitely cost them a cover (line was +8) and possibly even an upset win. With the kind of offense the Red Storm typically produces at home, we expect better shooting tonight. They are 9-5 ATS at home and just came up big in one revenge spot (vs. Providence) and can do the same here against a Xavier team that has a losing record in Big East play. The Musketeers were down by as many as 17 against Butler and only got close when the Bulldogs lost G Aaron Thompson to injury. Play on ST. JOHNS

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This is a 10* on OREGON 

Oregon is well-positioned right now. They are ranked #17 in the country and one win away from tying Colorado for first place in the Pac 12. Getting that win should prove to be pretty easy on Sunday as they host Utah, who has won exactly one true road game this season. Now the pointspread is in the double digits because of all you have just read, but that’s to be expected and not something we’re concerned about in the slightest. We know how the Pac 12 schedule works so this is actually the second road game of the weekend for the Utes, who lost by 19 in Corvallis (Oregon State) Thursday. Oregon won that same night, 68-60 over Colorado, to keep their record perfect (now 13-0) here in Eugene. Utah isn’t just 1-7 straight up on the road, they’re 2-6 against the spread as well and getting beaten by more than 16 points per game. Oregon already won in Salt Lake City this year and should have no problem winning big tonight. Play on OREGON

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This is an 8* on UCLA

While UCLA did win 86-83 Thursday, that wasn’t nearly good enough for us as we had them -8 against Washington State. Still, from the Bruins perspective, they’ll take the result. It was the sixth win in the last eight games and it was last Saturday that they went to Arizona and won 65-52 as a double digit dog. Now they look to win three in a row for the first time all season. They’ll face a Washington team that has been a major disappointment and is 0-6 ATS in road games. The Huskies are also 0-7 both straight up and against the spread their last seven games overall. We went against them this past Sunday when they were favored (by 2.5) at Washington State. They lost 79-67. Then they lost at USC Thursday 62-56. A third straight road game doesn’t seem like the situation UW will figure things out so we will gladly go against them again tonight. After all, earlier this year UCLA went to Seattle and won outright as an 8.5 point underdog. Play on UCLA

AAA

This is a 10* on UNLV

UNLV is off a tough loss to rival Nevada. That game went to overtime with the Rebels coming up just short, losing 82-79 as a 1.5 point home favorite. That was their 4th consecutive ATS loss as well as the fifth straight up loss in the last six games. Coming into Saturday, they’re just 12-14 and basically just waiting for the Mountain West Tournament to get here (which is in Vegas). New Mexico though is not doing much better as they’ve lost six of eight. Lobos games are seemingly never close. All but one of those last eight games has been decided by more than 20 points. Five of them have been losses, one of them 99-78 at UNLV. Tuesday was another humbling setback as San Diego State got them 82-59. A team like this simply can’t be trusted in the favorite role. The Lobos have failed to cover five of their last six turns as a home favorite of three points or less. UNLV was a six-point favorite when it blew out UNM last month. Even with the change in home court, we don’t think this line makes much sense. Play on UNLV

AAA

This is a 10* on the UNDER

The SEC as a whole appears to be a bit overrated, but Kentucky still remains the king of this conference in our eyes. The 12th ranked Wildcats enter Saturday at 19-5 overall and 9-2 in SEC play, the latter record landing them in a first place tie with both LSU and Auburn for the time being. UK has won seven of eight with the only loss coming to Auburn and they’ve got a game at LSU on deck. Here they face an Ole Miss team that has covered six in a row. The Rebels are 4-2 in that same stretch, the only SU losses coming to … Auburn and LSU. Both Kentucky and Ole Miss faced double digit deficits in the first half Tuesday before coming back to win handily. We look for this to be somewhat of a low-scoring affair, mainly because Mississippi only averages 61.7 points/game on the road. Kentucky gives up only 62.9 points/game at home. The key then becomes how well the Rebels can defend. Seeing as how they’ve held the last five opponents to below 40% shooting, we think the answer is “well.” Six of the Rebels seven road games this year have stayed Under. Play UNDER Ole Miss/Kentucky

AAA

This is an 8* on NORTHWESTERN

Seemingly out of nowhere, Penn State has emerged as a “darkhorse” Final Four candidate. Yes, Penn State! The Nittany Lions are ranked #13 in the country and will certainly move up were they to win today. They’re on a 7-0 SU and ATS win streak after going to Purdue and winning 88-76 as a 5-point dog earlier this week. That’s quite the impressive streak. Early Saturday PSU host Northwestern in what seems to be the Nittany Lions “easiest” Big 10 game of the year. But that also makes this a surprisingly dangerous spot to be laying this many points. Penn State is used to being the hunter rather than the hunted. Today marks just the 4th time in the last 9 games that they have been the betting favorite. It will also by the most points they’ve had to lay to a Big 10 opponent in a long time. Northwestern has lost eight in a row but only twice during that streak have they gone down by more than 13 points. They are 6-2 ATS on the road. Look for this to be a tighter game than expected. Play on NORTHWESTERN

AAA

This is a 10* on OVER

Akron just notched a pretty big win, beating MAC-leading Bowling Green 74-59. That the Zips were a 6.5-point favorite for that contest should tell you who oddsmakers think is the best team in this conference. Tonight’s game is against a wounded Central Michigan team that has lost two in a row. Tuesday, the Chippewas lost 73-70 at home to Eastern Michigan. They were outscored 45-35 in the second half. It was a much different showing that what they turned in their own home win over Bowling Green where CMU finished with 92 points. Make no mistake about it - the Chippewas are one of the highest scoring teams in the country. They average 81.3 points/game, which is sixth most in the entire country. The offensive numbers at home are eye-popping. It’s a 90.3 point/game average here. That’s enough to convince us that Over is the correct call here. Akron isn’t going to match the defensive efforts from its last two games. But they should hit their 76.0 point/game average. Play OVER Akron/Central Michigan

AAA

This is a 10* on DAVIDSON

St. Bonaventure has been picking off the bottom feeders of the Atlantic 10 and the result is a five-game win streak entering Friday. The Bonnies’ last four wins were against George Mason, George Washington, Duquesne and St. Louis. They covered the spread against all four. They’ve now risen to third place in the conference and have to be feeling pretty good about themselves. On the surface, laying a short number with the Bonnies at home against 12-11 Davidson seems logical. But Davidson is an underrated team. The Wildcats crushed Fordham 79-49 Tuesday, their second win by at least 30 points this month. In the last seven games, Davidson has suffered just one regulation loss and it was to preseason conference favorite VCU. While they’ve struggled as an underdog this year, this looks like a spot where they pull the upset. They’re 8-3 ATS when off a win by 20 or more points the last couple seasons. Play on DAVIDSON

AAA

This is a 10* on UCLA

Washington State proved to be a huge revelation on this end when they upset Washington over the weekend. That was a huge play for us and the Cougars delivered a 79-67 victory as 2.5-point home dogs. But the road has been a much different story for this team. They’ve covered only six of the last 21 times including 1-5 ATS in 2019-20. Bottom line is that this is a game UCLA needs to have. The Bruins just beat a much better Pac 12 team, Arizona, 65-52 as a 12.5 point underdog last weekend. They’ve got revenge here for a 79-71 loss in Pullman earlier this year. UCLA has won three of four and five of seven, so they’re in better form now. They are 10-5 ATS the last 15 times they’ve played with revenge for a road loss. Play on UCLA

AAA

This is a 10* on OHIO STATE

Ohio State was once ranked as high as #3 in the entire country. Now the Buckeyes find themselves in 10th place in the Big 10 with a 5-7 conference won-loss record. Despite their relatively poor effort at Wisconsin Sunday, we are still of the belief that OSU remains one of the better teams in the Big 10 and the entire country for that matter! Look for them to handle their business tonight in Columbus against a Rutgers team that seems to be failing under the pressure of expectations. The Scarlet Knights managed to get into the Top 25 a couple weeks ago, but then lost two straight (to Michigan and Maryland), followed up by an unimpressive win over Northwestern. Not only is Rutgers only 1-4 ATS its past five games, they have just one true road win all year and that was against Nebraska, who along with Northwestern represent the two “weak” Big 10 teams this year. Ohio State keeps teams to 57.0 PPG at home where they are 9-4 ATS. Expect this to be a statement-type game by the Buckeyes. Play on OHIO STATE

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This is a 10* on OHIO

Both these MAC schools sport 11-12 SU records. Western Michigan won the first meeting 77-65 as a 1-point home underdog. But Ohio remains the decided favorite for the rematch. Pulling what would be a third consecutive upset is going to be tough here for WMU. They won at Miami last week, then at home vs. Ball State. They entered those games at +4.5 and +5.5 respectively. The Broncos should be commended for that success, but eventually the tank hits empty. Ohio showed what it is capable of doing when it destroyed Miami here in Athens, 77-46 on Saturday. Certainly that was a much more impressive win than what WMU did to the RedHawks, winning by just four points. The win over Ball State also was by four points. Brandon Johnson carried them in those two wins, scoring 50 points including a career high 29 vs. Ball State. But can he keep that up? Western Michigan has not beaten three straight D-I opponents all year. Play on OHIO

AAA

This is a 10* on DUKE

The notion of laying this many points with a Duke team that is only 48 hours removed from a wild, 98-96 overtime win at North Carolina might seem problematic to some. But not us as our view is the Blue Devils are clearly the superior side in this one. Florida State has the same overall and ACC record as Duke, but we believe the respective rankings in the Top 25 don’t accurately reflect what the true gap is here. Duke would be favored against almost anybody on a neutral court while Florida State seems more like a team that is ranked high only due to its won-loss record. The Seminoles are obviously a Top 20 team, but we’re not sure about Top 10 and certainly not Top 5. Their three losses were to Virginia, Indiana and Pitt, all unranked teams. Duke is winning by an average of 21.2 points/game at home. They just won three straight on the road, scoring 97+ twice. Florida State is 1-5 ATS its last six Monday games (didn’t cover last week vs. UNC) while Duke is on a 6-2 ATS run its last eight Monday affairs. Play on DUKE

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This is a 10* on WASHINGTON STATE

Washington has lost seven out of eight, not to mention five straight. It should be pointed out that all but one of the losses (at Colorado) was by six points or fewer. Once ranked in the top 25, the Huskies’ NCAA Tournament dreams are now on life support. Obviously they can hardly afford another loss. But rival Washington State would love nothing more than to play “spoiler” here, just as they’ve done three of their past four home games. They weren’t as lucky last weekend, losing 66-49 to Arizona, but that’s one of the top teams in the Pac 12. Before that the Cougars had won three in a row here in Pullman, every time as an underdog. While neither team has played since last Saturday, we do know that Wazzu has won the last three times it has taken the floor with at least seven days rest. We also know Washington has failed to cover eight straight road games. The key to the Huskies’ slide has been the absence of PG Green, who was ruled academically ineligible last month. They’ve won just once without him and now are the last place team in the conference. Can’t back this young team laying points on the road. Play on WASHINGTON STATE

This is a 10* on the UNDER

Playing on FS-1 was kind to #19 Butler on Wednesday as they beat #10 Villanova at the buzzer 79-76. They are hoping history repeats itself Sunday when they travel to face a well-rested Marquette team that’s 11-1 at home and been off for eight days. The last time Marquette played, they came from behind to defeat last place DePaul 76-72. They’ll obviously take the win, but it ended a 5-game ATS streak as they were 7.5-point favorites. When these teams met last month at Hinkle Fieldhouse, it was an 89-85 Butler win. Marquette hoisted 38 three-pointers and made 16 of them. But it still wasn’t enough. We look for the rematch to be a lot lower scoring. It must be noted that the first meeting did go to overtime. It was 71-71 at the end of regulation. Both teams are solid defensively as Marquette gives up only 63.8 points/game at home while Butler gives up just 60.6 points/game period. The Under is 4-1 in the five games so far where Butler has been an underdog. Play UNDER Butler-Marquette

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analysis soon

This is a 10* on IDAHO

To Big Sky country we go for this week’s top College Basketball side. Montana is leading this conference with a 9-3 record while Idaho is in last at 2-9. But Montana has a major problem when they hit the road as they’ve won just 3 times in 12 tries there and are also 3-9 ATS. They are laying a pretty decent sized number here, maybe not as large as what you’d typically think a first place team would be giving to a last place team. But the gap between first and last in the Big Sky just isn’t as large as it is in other conferences. Idaho lost by only four in Missoula last month, holding the Golden Grizzlies to only 67 points. They missed eight free throws, which cost them the game, but it was still an easy cover as 13-point underdogs. Based on that number and result, this line clearly is too high. Montana has only one conference road win by more than two points. Play on IDAHO

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This is an 8* on LOUISVILLE

There is a pretty big gap between the top three teams and everybody else in the ACC this year. What’s surprising is that last year’s National Champ Virginia is not among the three teams well ahead of the pack. The Cavaliers are currently running 4th in the standings, but this line is pretty indicative of the gap that exists between them and the three teams above them. Louisville is in first place having won 11 of its 12 ACC games. That one loss was a while ago as the Cardinals have won nine in a row, including at Duke. The last four Louisville wins have all come by double digits. What ails UVA this season is an offense that only scores an average 56.0 points/game. The average gets even lower on the road. They are just 276th in offensive efficiency nationally. This game means a lot to Louisville. They’ve lost nine in a row to Virginia. So there won’t be any kind of letdown. If anything, the favorite should be at its best this afternoon. They’ve gone 5-1 ATS as a home favorite of 6.5 to 9 points. Play on LOUISVILLE

AAA

This is a 10* on IONA

Iona continues to underperform as they are now 3-13 ATS this season following an UGLY 72-49 loss to Manhattan on Super Bowl Sunday. That was the Gaels third loss in a row. Although Sunday wasn’t one of them, there have been seven different times that the Gaels have lost a game outright that were favored to win. They’ll be underdogs again tonight in Quinnipiac, who isn’t exactly tearing it up against the rest of the MAAC either. The Bobcats lost 75-59 to Niagara on Sunday, their fourth double digit loss in the past six games. While a decent team at home, Quinnipiac just doesn’t have what it takes to cover this spread. They were favored in that loss to Niagara on Sunday and the last time they laid this many points was vs. St. Peter’s on 1.18, a game they promptly lost by 20. Iona is better than its record as tonight marks just the THIRD time in conference play that they are getting points. Can’t say the same for Quinnipiac. Play on IONA

AAA

This is a 10* on COLORADO 

California might be a lot better now when compared to years past, but they still have yet to win a single game outside of Berkeley this season. They are 0 for 7. The three road games they’ve played against Pac 12 opponents have all been double digit losses with the average margin coming by just over 19 points/game. Despite being off three straight ATS wins (all at home) and an upset of Oregon State on Saturday, the Bears are up against it tonight in Boulder where they face a Colorado side that has been pretty impressive throughout 2019-20. The Buffaloes are 17-5 and ranked #24 in the latest AP Poll. They are definitely a top three team in the Pac 12. Saturday saw them go to USC and crush the Trojans 78-57. At home, they are averaging 76.2 points/game. That should be more than enough to cover tonight’s spread as Cal is averaging a rather pathetic 53.7 points/game on the road. Play on COLORADO

AAA

This is a 10* on the OVER

Louisville is ranked #5 in the new polls, the highest ranking for any ACC team. That makes sense as the Cardinals are the first place team in the ACC with a 10-1 record. They’ve won eight straight games and five of those were on the road. Hosting Wake Forest tonight should lead to another win. But the Demon Deacons are getting a lot of points. So let’s instead focus on the fact all but one of WF’s 11 ACC games have gone Over the total. The “one” was the last game they played, a 56-44 win against Clemson, an awful shooting night for both sides. Look for Louisville to put up plenty of points here. Two of Wake’s last three road games have seen them give up 90. Wake should score at least 65 here, making the Over an easy call here. Play OVER Wake Forest-Louisville

AAA

This is a 10* on NOTRE DAME

There is no doubt that the ACC is having a down year. There are three really good teams (Duke, L’ville, FSU), but beyond that no one is a lock to make the NCAA Tournament. Only five of the 15 members have winning records in conference play right now. Neither Pitt nor Notre Dame are among those five. But when it comes to positioning yourself for the ACC Tournament, winning games such as this are potentially huge. Notre Dame is just 3-4 SU its past seven games, however all four losses came by five points or fewer. They have won their last two, both here in South Bend where they are now 11-3 SU this season. Both wins were as favorites as they covered a nine-point spread vs. Wake Forest (won 90-80) and 6.5-point spread vs Ga Tech (won 80-72). This is a similar type matchup for the Fighting Irish. They average 79.9 points/game at home. Pitt averages only 63.9 points/game on the road. Two things we really like about this ND team are that they 1.) turn the ball over at the lowest rate in the country and 2.) send their opponents to the FT line at the lowest rate in the country. Pitt won’t score enough to cover here. Play on NOTRE DAME

AAA

This is a 10* on ARKANSAS 

While it now seems like a bit of “ancient history,” Auburn was one of the final two undefeated teams in College Basketball (only San Diego St still left). The Tigers suffered their first loss of the season back on January 19th as they were blown out in Alabama, 83-64. They followed that up with yet another blowout loss, also on the road, 69-47 at Florida. Four straight wins, the most recent being against Kentucky, have followed. But three of the four wins came at home. We can’t overlook those two road losses or the fact the only win on the road since then came by one point (83-82 at Ole Miss) in a double overtime game. Now the Tigers head to Arkansas to face a team that’s coming off a win at Alabama, 82-78 as 3.5-point underdogs. Auburn did not shoot well in the win over Kentucky, making only 35.3 percent of their total field goal attempts, which includes 6 of 23 from three-point range. A big reason Arkansas has been able to win 11 of its 13 home games this year is that they are allowing only 59.5 PPG. Auburn comes in ranked #11 in the country, which is clearly too high. They also have a giant lookahead to a home game vs. LSU this weekend. Play on ARKANSAS

AAA

This is a 10* on OVER

North Carolina’s season-long struggles are well documented at this point. The Tar Heels, who just lost as 12-point favorites to Boston College on Saturday, are 10-11 overall and it would take a miracle run in the ACC Tournament for them to get into March Madness. But at least Cole Anthony is now back and he scored a team-high 26 in the 71-70 loss to BC. The struggles of UNC and some other ACC squads has resulted in a top-heavy conference in 2020 with three top 10 teams and no one else guaranteed to make the Big Dance. One of those top teams is Florida State, who did lose a game last week (61-56 at Virginia), but then quickly bounced back with a 74-63 win at Va Tech on Saturday. Both games last week were road games for the Seminoles. Back in Tallahassee we are likely to see more scoring from them tonight. They are averaging 82.8 points at home where they have won all 10 times. North Carolina averages a solid 71.5 points/game and now has Anthony back, but defense is their issue. Only two ACC opponents have been unable to hit 71 points on Roy Williams team. FSU has gone Over in four straight and the Over is 10-1 for them at home when the number is 140 to 149.5. Play OVER North Carolina-Florida State

AAA

THis is a 10* on LONG BEACH STATE

You may not think much of a Long Beach State team that’s just 7-15 overall and 2-4 in conference play. But there are two reasons you should believe in the 49ers tonight. First off, they are at home. While the 49ers may have lost Thursday at UC Riverside (77-69 as eight-point underdogs), their last home game saw them upset UC Irvine, who is the top team in the Big West. LBSU is the only team to have handed UC Irvine a conference loss thus far. They also handed tonight’s opponent, UCSB, a loss back on January 11th. That was an even bigger upset as the 49ers were 14-point underdogs in a 55-52 win. They held the Gauchos to 9 of 29 on two-point attempts, which is pretty ridiculous. It was the fifth time in a row the road team won in this particular Big West rivalry. We’ll buck that trend tonight, however, as three of those five games were decided by five points or less and UCSB has lost its last two Big West road games. The last one was Thursday as they fell to CS-Northridge 79-67 as a three-point favorite. Play on LONG BEACH STATE

AAA

This is an 8* on PRINCETON

Ivy League teams are accustomed to playing back to back nights (Friday and Saturday). But this week marks the first occurrence of that happening in conference play. Harvard, who has not covered once in its last four games, lost 75-72 as a one-point favorite to Penn last night. It was the Crimson’s 1st Ivy League loss as they had previously swept a home and home from Dartmouth. Princeton now has a 3-0 conference record after beating Dartmouth 66-44 last night. The Tigers were 5.5-point favorites and at home for that one, so the schedule is in their favor as Harvard is playing two straight on the road. Princeton previously swept a home and home from Penn (who just beat Harvard) and has won five in a row overall. They are 0-4 straight up and against the spread vs. Harvard the past two years, so you know they are eager to take the court tonight. We really don’t understand why the home team isn't favored in this one. Play on PRINCETON

AAA

This is a 10* on UNDER 

Austin Peay has been nothing short of incredible since conference play began. The Governors have opened with nine consecutive wins over OVC teams and have covered the spread in all nine games. They are headed for an eventual showdown with Murray State, who also has a 9-0 conference record, but the two unbeatens won’t play until Feb 13. Not only is Austin Peay unbeaten in conference play, they also have a 10-0 record at home, which is where they’ll be Saturday vs. Eastern Illinois. The visiting Panthers are five games off the pace set by Austin Peay and Murray State in the OVC and just lost to Murray State two nights ago, 73-70. They did easily cover the 11-point spread though in a game effort. The loss snapped a four-game win streak. We’re going Under in today’s matchup as Austin Peay just held its last opponent (SIU Edwardsville) to 58 points and Eastern Illinois tends to not do much scoring on the road. EIU is 6-1 Under this season playing with one or zero days rest and their last two games both went Under. Play UNDER Eastern Illinois/Austin Peay

AAA

This is a 10* on COLUMBIA

Yale is the class of the Ivy League this year, but with that comes the weight of expectations and we’re likely to see them be overpriced on a game by game basis. The Bulldogs opened Ivy League play by sweeping a home and home with Brown. In between those two wins, they beat Howard 89-75 on the road. But Columbia won’t be intimidated tonight. They won here last season, as a 12.5-point underdog, 83-75. The Lions split a home and home with Cornell to open their Ivy League schedule. There was no game in between for them. Both teams have been off for at least six days coming into tonight. Yale lost its only previous game this year when they had that much rest and could be rusty tonight. Columbia is 3-1 when playing with 5 or 6 days rest this season. Pulling the outright upset at Yale for the second straight year may not seem likely, but Columbia staying within the number certainly does. This is only the 4th time Yale has been a favorite of 12.5 or more points the last three seasons. They are 1-2 ATS the previous three instances. Play on COLUMBIA

AAA

This is a 10* on EASTERN KENTUCKY

Eastern Kentucky has put together a three-game win streak and what’s most impressive about it is that all three wins were on the road. Two were as underdogs of 7.5 points or more and the Colonels scored 80 or more in all three. They might be just 9-12 overall, but they have a 6-2 record vs. the Ohio Valley Conference as they’re a solid third, trailing only the two unbeaten teams - Murray State and Austin Peay. Tonight EKU takes its turn as a favorite facing a bad Tennessee-Martin team that is near the bottom of the OVC with a 2-6 record. The Skyhawks are giving up a ton of points this year, 83.7 per game to be exact, and it only gets worse when they are on the road. They picked up a rare win Saturday, beating SIU-Edwardsville 79-76, but at no point this season have the Skyhawks been able to win two in a row. This is a shockingly low number to lay to a bad team like Tenn-Martin. Play on EASTERN KENTUCKY

AAA

This is a 10* on UNDER

IUPUI and Cleveland State are at the bottom of the Horizon League. IUPUI’s 89-85 win against Oakland on Saturday required overtime and was just their second conference win of the year. The only Horizon League game the Jaguars were favored to win, they lost, and that was against Cleveland State on December 30th. The Vikings won that game 82-80 on a buzzer beater, but look for the rematch to feature a lot less scoring. The Under is 5-0-1 in Cleveland State’s past six games and they just held Milwaukee to 53 points in a win Saturday. The Under is also 6-0 this season for them when the total is 140 to 149.5. This is also an offensively challenged team that averages only 63.4 PPG. In that December 30th meeting, both sides shot north of 50 percent, something we don’t see taking place this time around. Play UNDER IUPUI-Cleveland State

AAA

This is a 10* on SAN JOSE ST

San Jose State won its last game, 90-81 over Air Force, which will give it some much needed confidence going into tonight where they are big underdogs at Boise State. The host Broncos won their only game last week, 87-53 at Fresno State. But before that, they hadn’t won a game by more than 11 points since before 2020 began. So we’re going to fade here as this looks to be an inflated line. San Jose State has definitely struggled here in Boise in the past, including a 48-point loss last year. That was the 16th straight loss here and the Spartans are just 3-13 ATS in those games. But this time will be different as this team comes in motivated and ready to play. Boise State is just 1-3 ATS off its conference wins this season. Play on SAN JOSE STATE

This is a 8* on MIAMI

Miami is having a pretty dreadful season. Back to back road games with Duke and North Carolina last week may have been the nadir. They lost those two games by a combined 55 points. That makes it four straight losses for the Hurricanes and six losses in the last seven games. But during that time they’ve played Duke twice, not to mention Louisville and Florida State. They’ve arguably faced the toughest schedule of any ACC team. Virginia Tech has avoided all those teams and thus is a surprising 5-4 in conference play. But the Hokies did just lose as a 4.5-point favorite at Boston College Saturday. They also got humiliated down the road in Virginia last month, losing 65-39. So they aren’t to be trusted on the road. We’ll fade here as this line screams “upset.”  Miami can score at home (76.7 PPG), something they struggle to do on the road. Play on MIAMI FL

AAA

This is a 10* on CLEMSON 

Given the relative lack of depth we’re seeing in the ACC, someone was bound to overachieve. One of the bigger beneficiaries of that lack of depth seems to be Syracuse. The Orange have won their last five games to get to 6-3 in league play. They’ve also covered the spread in all five wins, which includes a pair of 2-point road victories. Jim Boeheim’s crew is back on the road this evening, visiting Clemson, who just lost to Louisville to fall to 4-5 SU in ACC play. This game would seem to be more important to the Tigers. One thing we like is Clemson holds visiting teams to an average of just 61.6 points/game. Syracuse allows 75.6 points/game on the road. Unlike Clemson, the ‘Cuse has somewhat skirted the ACC’s top teams. No Duke, Louisville or Florida State. They were picked to finish 8th for a reason. The win streak ends tonight in Death Valley. Play on CLEMSON

AAA

This is a 10* on EASTERN WASHINGTON

Eastern Washington needed OT to prevail on Saturday, 81-78 over Southern Utah. The win ensured the Eagles would remain in a second place tie in the Big Sky with a 5-2 conference record. Tonight they host the team that they are tied with, Northern Colorado. These two are two back of first place Montana (7-2) in the win column, so whomever wins here is only a half game back. We believe that team will be EWU as they are averaging an incredible 93.7 points at home where they own a 7-1 (straight up) record. The Eagles are one of the highest scoring teams in the entire country, so it’s going to be interesting to see how they do against one of the conference’s better defensive teams. Northern Colorado only gives up 60.8 points/game, but we don’t like this spot for them as it’s the second road game in three days. The Bears beat Idaho handily on Saturday, 74-53 as an 8.5-point favorite. But be aware that before that win they’d lost outright as a 10.5-point favorite at home to Northern Arizona. This is the first time all year that Northern Colorado has this quick of a turnaround between road games. Play on E WASHINGTON

AAA

This is a 10* on UNLV

The only team in the country still undefeated is San Diego State, who is 20-0 and ranked #4 in the country. But in the last week we’ve seen them fail to cover the number in home games against Nevada and Wyoming. They’ve covered all six road games this year but today is going to be one of the more challenging ones as they visit Las Vegas. We don’t believe the Aztecs are running the table so an eventual loss is inevitable. UNLV is holding visiting teams to 40.4% shooting and 65.5 PPG. The Runnin’ Rebels lost at Nevada earlier this week, thanks to a poor defensive effort. But they are certainly going to be “up” for this game, which figures to be the biggest home date of the conference schedule. That loss to Nevada was just the second in nine games for the Rebels and they beat Utah State (MWC’s 2nd best team) by 17 here at the Thomas & Mack Center back on New Year’s Day. UNLV is now the second place in the conference and the most motivating factor of all is they’ve lost 14 straight home games to SDSU. We believe they are capable of pulling the upset here today. UNLV has at least covered off four of their last five losses. Play on UNLV

AAA

This is an 8* on TULSA

Tulsa will technically be gunning for a third straight upset on Sunday. They were 1.5 point underdogs when they won 67-54 at Tulane last Saturday. Then came the big one as they stunned Memphis 80-40 on Wednesday. They were three-point underdogs at home for that one, which was basically over by halftime as the Golden Hurricane led 40-17. It was their largest margin of victory EVER over a ranked team as they shot 50% against the team that came in leading the country in field goal percentage defense (35%). Tulsa also held Memphis to 28.6% shooting including 2 of 21 on three-point attempts! Here they are up against a far weaker opponent in UConn, who has lost five of six. The only win during that stretch was by six points. The Huskies are off back to back road losses where they were held under 60 points. Connecticut is 3-12 ATS after being held to 60 points or fewer. That includes an 0-4 record this season. Tulsa is 6-3 ATS as a dog this year, winning outright five times. With the way these teams are trending, we’ll grab the points. Play on TULSA

AAA

This is a 10* on the OVER

It’s been a pretty disappointing season for Utah State. Like everyone else in the Mountain West, they are left staring up at San Diego State, the only team in the country still undefeated. The MWC had belonged to Utah State the last couple seasons, but they’ve been upset four different times in 2019-20, leaving them with a 15-6 overall record. But at home the Aggies are still pretty lethal. They average 86.4 points/game in Logan where they’ve lost only one time and that was to San Diego State. Scoring on Colorado State shouldn’t prove too difficult tonight, but defending the Rams is a whole different matter. CSU has won five straight games and averaged 86.4 points/game in doing so. They just dropped 86 on Fresno State Wednesday night. The two times these schools met last year, the final scores were 87-72 and 100-96 (both Utah State wins). This is going to be another track meet. Play OVER Colorado State-Utah State

AAA

This is a 10* on OREGON STATE

Since turning in arguably their best performance of the season, that being an 82-65 beatdown of Arizona here in Corvallis, Oregon State has lost three in a row. Two of those losses came on the road, but Thursday’s 62-58 setback to UCLA did not. But we can’t see the Beavers losing two straight home games, even if USC is 5-1 ATS in Pac 12 play. This is an absolutely terrible situation for the Trojans. Not only is it a second road game in three nights, which is always problematic, but Thursday saw them come up short in a double overtime affair with #12 Oregon. Getting over that kind of defeat is tough and not something most teams can do within a 48 hour turnaround.  USC is only shooting 40.5% in conference play while Oregon State averages 78.5 PPG at home. Play on OREGON STATE

AAA

This is an 8* on NORTH CAROLINA

What coach Roy Williams already called “not a very gifted team” has become far worse than that as North Carolina is now 8-10 and on a 5 game losing streak. They just covered for the first time in 2020 in Wednesday’s 79-77 loss at Virginia Tech. Those around the program are saying the problems are far deeper than just Cole Anthony getting hurt. Regardless we’ll back the Tar Heels on Saturday as they play host to a Miami team that just got blown out by 30 at Duke. UNC is no Duke but they don’t have to be with a pointspread of this size. Miami has lost five of its last six games, putting them ahead of only … North Carolina in the standings. Four of those five Miami losses have been by double digits. They’ve allowed 80 or more points in each of the last three games. As bad as UNC has been so far, this is a game they should … and will win handily. Play on NORTH CAROLINA

AAA

This is an 8* on BUTLER

Butler looks to get back on track here as all of a sudden they’ve dropped three in a row. They were 15-1 with the only loss coming by 1 point to current #1 Baylor. But the competition is fierce here in the Big East and the Bulldogs have already lost to the two teams that will be their main competition. That would be Seton Hall and Villanova. We were on ‘Nova against Butler on Tuesday and that was a 76-61 game the Bulldogs were never really in. Thankfully, tonight the schedule lessens up with a visit by Marquette. The Golden Eagles just aren’t as good as Seton Hall or Villanova, even though they do hold a win over the latter. They are also 1-5 straight up and against the spread their last six visits to historic Hinkle Fieldhouse. Can’t see Butler losing again. They give up 54.1 points/game at home. With this not being a large spread, we’ll lay it. Play on BUTLER

AAA

This is a 10* on SIENA

The jumbled mess that is the MAAC figures to untangle itself over the next month. One team to keep an eye on is Siena. Though only 3-4 in conference action, the Saints have been favored in all but one game -- a loss at Rider. Virtually every game has been close with four of the seven games decided by three points or fewer. A three-game road trip ended with a 72-71 loss at Niagara on Sunday, but Siena gets a reprieve here in the form of a home date with Marist, who is likely the MAAC’s worst team. The Red Foxes are 4-13 overall and that’s after going 2-0 last week with home victories over Iona and Manhattan. Siena figures to put an end to that win streak tonight as they are a perfect 7-0 at home and averaging 76.9 points/game. Marist averaged 79 points in its two victories last week, but that number is misleading as the 75-73 win over Manhattan went to overtime. On the season, the Red Foxes are averaging a paltry 55.6 points/game on the road. Expect this game to quickly turn into a blowout. 10* SIENA

AAA

This is a 10* on RICE

When UTEP and Rice meet - whether it be the football field or basketball court - the only thing on the line is usually pride. Both athletic departments should feel pretty ashamed. Here we are and the Conference USA rivals meet Thursday. UTEP is 3-7 straight up its last 10 games. They have covered only two of those. Rice is 1-7 straight up its last eight games. Here’s the thing though: UTEP is 0-7 on the road. In those games, they average just 62.3 points/game. For Rice, who is just 1-6 in conference play, this is one of their best shots at picking up a win. The Owls also are averaging 82.3 points/game at home. UTEP has just two conference wins. The Miners are just 13-30 ATS their last 43 Conference USA games. They just gave up a season-high point total (86) to Southern Miss last Saturday. The Miners should not be favored in this game. This is a price you probably won’t see the rest of the season if looking to fade UTEP on the road. Play on RICE

AAA

This is a 10* on DAVIDSON

St. Louis had a valiant effort Friday vs. Dayton, but ultimately lost to the Flyers 78-76 in overtime. They did cover the spread, but after leading the #7 ranked team in the country by eight at halftime and coming up short, there has to be a feeling of disappointment from the Billikens. Despite a 14-4 record, they are an underdog to 8-9 Davidson, which is telling. Before the loss to Dayton, St. Louis had been 4-0 straight up in games decided by five points or less. So, aside from Friday, luck mostly had been going their way. Davidson on the other hand has lost some close games. But the Wildcats were winners on Saturday, 72-64 at Fordham. As far as the respective won-loss records go, Davidson has played a harder schedule than St. Louis. They also average 83.8 points/game at home where they have won 29 of their last 33 games. Play on DAVIDSON

AAA

This is an 8* on WISCONSIN

Wisconsin should clobber Nebraska here. Nebraska is one of only two teams in the Big 10 that has no chance of making the NCAA Tournament. They’ve lost 8 of 11 and three in a row. This is a team that gives up an average of 78.6 points in road games. Wisconsin may not score a ton as is evident by the fact they have not gone over 60 points in any of their last three games. But they still won two of those, only losing the one to Michigan State on Friday. Other than that loss, the Badgers have been playing tremendous defense recently. Five of the last seven opponents have not gone over 57 points. They win by an average of 15 points/game in Madison where their only loss in nine tries came by a single point. Considering Nebraska just allowed 80 points in its last two losses, this should be a big offensive night of the Badgers. Combine that with the usual brand of defense and you get a blowout. Play on WISCONSIN

This is a 10* on VILLANOVA

Villanova has been the standard bearer for the Big East since the conference realigned in 2013. They have the regular season title every year but one since then. But in 2020, they are joined at the top by both Seton Hall and Butler. The Wildcats will host Butler Tuesday. They come in as the higher ranked team due to the events of last week. They won both games while Butler lost both of theirs. So they’ve got the momentum. They also have the home court edge. Nova is 9-0 at home so far and giving up only 62.4 points/game here. At 14-3 SU overall, they are 12-1 when favored. This is a pretty small number. Butler just lost on the road - to DePaul. It was a 13-point loss. The Bulldogs turned it over 17 times and gave up a season high point total with DePaul scoring 79 and making 10 of 17 three-point attempts. Villanova comes in playing very well as they’ve won four straight. Their recent defensive play has been very good. They have won and covered four of the last five games against Butler. Play on VILLANOVA

AAA

This is a 10* on RICE

North Texas is humming along with a 5-1 Conference USA record. They’ve won five straight games, covering the spread in all of them. That gives them a 13-4 ATS record overall and they are 6-1 ATS as a favorite. But it’s a big spread Monday, larger than what the Mean Green are accustomed to laying. They escaped Louisiana Tech with a 51-50 win on Saturday, a game where they were a six-point underdog. They won at the buzzer and it was their first win in Ruston since 1952! Fading North Texas in this spot seems pretty straightforward as there’s a letdown factor after pulling an upset like that. With Rice, there’s no letdown as they have lost six of seven and are desperate to pick up a victory. The Owls probably won’t win this game, their third on the road in the last five days, but keeping it close is something we like them to do. They are 5-0 ATS this season after allowing 80 or more points in their last game. Play on RICE

This is a 10* on CAL

Two struggling Pac 12 teams close out the week against one another. California won a couple home games last week, beating the Pac 12’s Washington contingent, but failed to “show up” in an ugly 88-56 loss at USC on Thursday. Going back, the Bears have lost 5 of 7 and 7 out of the last 10 games. All the wins were in Berkeley. They’re on the road tonight, but UCLA is struggling in its own right. The Bruins have lost three in a row and six of their last seven games. They also could not even muster 60 points in their last game as they fell to Stanford on Wednesday. UCLA is 1-7 ATS its last eight games, so the idea of laying this many points with them is not appetizing to say the least. The team’s only win since December 14th was by two points at Washington. We don’t see how you could lay the points in this one. Play on CALIFORNIA

AAA

This is a 10* on BYU

Gonzaga is #1 in the country, but we don’t believe they are the best team. It’s quite likely that they would be underdogs against Duke, Kansas or Michigan State on a neutral floor. They may not be facing any of those teams tonight, but they are laying too many points. Coming off a 50-point win over Santa Clara, we figured the Zags would be overvalued for this Saturday night matchup with BYU and they are. BYU has covered eight of its last night games, also going 8-1 SU in the same stretch. The only SU loss was by three to St. Mary’s in overtime. Since then, the Cougars have recorded two straight wins by more than 20 points. Look for them to give Gonzaga a run for the money late Saturday night. Play on BYU

AAA

This is an 8* on OREGON

Oregon comes into this game ranked #8 in both polls. But they are almost certain to see that ranking drop after they lost out in Pullman on Thursday, 72-61 to Washington State. That was a shocking loss as the Ducks came in as nine-point favorites. They were outplayed by a team that had not beaten a top 10 opponent going back to 2007. While, on paper, today’s matchup with Washington looks to be the tougher of the two games this week, we are looking for the Ducks to bounce back here. Washington has lost four of its last six games to fall to 12-6 on the year, though they did beat Oregon State on Thursday. The Huskies are pretty strong defensively, but have not faced an opponent with the offensive capabilities of an Oregon since allowing 83 in a loss to Gonzaga over a month ago. The Ducks have dropped two straight conference games just six times in the last three seasons. Earlier this month, in what was a second road game in three days, they bounced back from a loss to Colorado to win at Utah. It’ll be the same deal here and the line is a non-factor. Play on OREGON

AAA

This is a 10* on OVER 

In case you hadn’t noticed yet, Seton Hall is a really good team. The #18 ranked team in the country just went to Butler and won 78-70. We had the Over in that game, which won by more than 20 points. For the Pirates, it was the seventh consecutive win and cover. They are certainly poised to make a jump in next week’s rankings providing they can take care of business here against St. John’s. It won’t be easy. But again we like the Over. St. John’s has its own seven-game streak coming into this game, only with the Under. Obviously, we look for that to end Saturday. The Johnnie’s are coming off a loss at Providence where they did not shoot well. But at home they average 79.5 points/game, a big reason why they have a 10-2 record here in NYC. Seton Hall averages 75.2 points/game, so this one shouldn’t have much trouble going Over. During their win streak, the Pirates have failed to score at least 74 points just once. Play OVER Seton Hall-St Johns

AAA

This is a 10* on IONA

Iona is having a bad season (so far) but a lot of that can be attributed to the fact they haven’t played many home games. This will be just the fourth game all season at the Hynes Athletic Center for the Gaels, who have yet to win any of the previous three tries! As a result, it’s a 3-8 SU overall record and they’re 1-9 against the spread. After picking up a nice road win at Rider last Friday, the Gaels promptly dropped a one-point decision here to Niagara 70-69 as 8.5-point favorites. The fact they are favored again probably tells you all you need to know about the strength of the opponent, Fairfield, who is actually in off two straight wins. But those two wins came at home. While the Stags are 12-4 ATS overall and an unbelievable 9-1 ATS as underdogs, you have to think they’ve caught the eye of the oddsmakers and won’t be covering at that rate much longer. On the other hand, Iona is far too experienced a team to have these woes continue. Fairfield just played Wednesday when it knocked off St. Peters, whose leading scorer was held to only five points. Iona last played on Sunday so they are the “fresher” of the two teams and we’ll back them in this attractive spot. Play on IONA

AAA

This is a 10* on the OVER

Marshall was going Over quite a bit at the start of the year. Through the first 11 games, the Over was 8-3. But since then, scoring has curtailed some with the Under hitting in four of the last five. Speaking of Unders, that’s the way Charlotte’s previous six games have all gone. But we look for a different type game Thursday in Conference USA. There has been some unusually poor shooting in Charlotte games recently. Both they and their opponents have shot below 39%. That’s pretty incredible and something unlikely to continue. Marshall is still scoring 77.3 points/game at home, so look for them to score more than Charlotte’s recent opponents have. The Thundering Herd are coming off a road loss to UAB where they scored 50 points and were held to 33.3%. A return to Huntington will get them going again. The Over is 15-8 for Charlotte in the 49ers previous 23 games with a total of 130 to 139.5. Play OVER Charlotte-Marshall

AAA

This is a 10* on DREXEL

Drexel has won three of four. They just prevailed at James Madison 78-71 as a 3.5-point underdog. Tonight they host an Elon team that is also coming off a win, but the difference there is that the Phoenix had lost six in a row prior to that win. The win came against probably the worst team in the CAA, UNC Wilmington. The past two years have not been kind to Elon when they are off a conference win. They are 3-10 SU and ATS in that role. It sure was nice for them that UNC Wilmington made only 28.8% of its shots on Saturday. Drexel has a 46.8 FG% at home. Elon has covered the spread in five of the last six games, but isn’t getting nearly enough points here. They are 0-8 SU on the road while shooting 37% in those games. Drexel is 18-3 SU the last 21 times it has been favored, 5-0 this year, and should cover this number with room to spare. Play on DREXEL

AAA

This is a 10* on XAVIER

This has all the makings of a sharp, contrarian play as Marquette hosts Xavier on Wednesday. As of this morning, the short home favorite (Marquette) is getting the majority of bets, but the line is going the other way and that tells us that the larger bets are on the dog. Xavier has certainly had its issues covering the number this season (they are 4-12 ATS), but they’ve been a dog only three times. Their last two games, both of which were at home, saw them lose as favorites. Marquette has also lost its last two games and one of those was as a home favorite to Providence. Only 8-8 ATS on the year, we’re just not sure about the Golden Eagles being favored in this game. They are only 5-12 ATS their last 17 games against teams that have winning records. Xavier is 12-5 SU. For the record, the Musketeers are 9-3 ATS its last 12 games as an underdog, including 6-2 ATS when on the road. Play on XAVIER

AAA

This is a 10* on the OVER

Good matchup tonight in the Big East with #5 Butler playing #18 Seton Hall on FS-1. Both squads have been cashing plenty of tickets this year as Butler is 11-4 ATS while Seton Hall is 12-4 ATS. Both have won their last six games straight up with Seton Hall covering all six times and Butler being 4-2 ATS with the two non-covers coming by a combined 2.5 points. Look for this game to go Over the total. While both teams are certainly capable of playing good defense, they don’t have any problems putting the ball in the hoop either. Seton Hall averages 75.1 points/game. Butler averages 68.8 points/game. You can look for Seton Hall to be the fifth team to top 60 points on the Butler defense. Meanwhile, Butler is shooting almost 48% from the floor for the season. The Over is 6-2-1 the last nine times Seton Hall has been the underdog. Play OVER Seton Hall-Butler

AAA

This is a 10* on DAVIDSON

The Atlantic 10 is not as strong as it’s been in the past. With the exception of Dayton, who looks like they’ll be running away with things, there’s no surefire bet to make the NCAA Tournament from this conference. That’s what makes tonight’s game between Richmond and Davidson so critical for the teams involved. There’s a void to be filled and if either of these teams can get hot, there’s a possibility they go dancing. You’ve probably noticed that the team with the 7-8 SU record is favored over the one that’s 12-4. While that’s partly due to home court advantage, the favoritism should also tell you all you need to know about Richmond’s record. The Spiders just lost at home by 16 points to St. Louis as 5.5-point favorites. There’s no sugarcoating what a bad loss that is. Davidson is off to its own  disappointing start in conference play (1-2 SU/0-3 ATS), but did win Saturday against St. Joseph’s. The previous three games, all losses, were played on the road. The Wildcats have played only four home games so far, won them all, and averaged 88.7 points/game in them. Richmond’s leading scorer Blake Francis is listed as doubtful for this game due to a shoulder injury he sustained in the loss to St. Louis. That and the fact that Davidson is finally back home have us laying the points in this one. 10* DAVIDSON

AAA

This is a 10* on MONTANA

This game finds both teams coming off upset wins. Portland State won at Montana State Saturday 77-76 as a 1.5-point underdog. Montana won 90-63 at Eastern Washington as a 5.5-point underdog. There are several reasons why the home team is the right choice in this situation. One, just look at those scores. Montana was far more impressive in its upset, winning by 27 as opposed to just a single point. Also, the Golden Grizzlies last played Thursday, so they’ve had more time to prepare for tonight’s game. They are also at home while Portland State is playing its fourth consecutive road game and second in three days. PSU gives up 76.5 points/game on the road. Montana allows 62.9 points/game at home. Lastly, this is a double revenge game for Montana. They lost twice to Portland State last season. Lay the points here. Play on MONTANA

AAA

This is a 10* on SIENA

The MAAC is looking pretty weak this year, so we’ll excuse you for not paying much attention to these teams. What you need to know about Siena is that they have been a totally different team at home than on the road. Thursday’s 61-58 win against St. Peters was the Saints seventh straight home victory. But it was also the fifth straight game they didn’t cover. Their road record is 0-6. So this game being at Manhattan might lead you to believe we’ll be backing the other side. But not so fast. Despite its struggles to cover the spread, Siena has won five of six. Yes, every win was at home. And the only road game resulted in an eight-point loss to Rider. But we don’t think Manhattan is in the same class as Siena. The Jaspers only average 61.7 points/game. They’ve actually been below that scoring average in five of the past seven games. Siena won here last season. They actually held Manhattan to an average of 44.5 points/game in a season sweep. Jaspers leading scorer Greene (12.1 points/game) is questionable for this game. Play on SIENA

AAA

This is an 8* on WAKE FOREST

Most aren’t going to give Wake Forest much of a shot here. But Duke just played a tight game with Georgia Tech that was tied with 4 ½ minutes remaining. That should give the Demon Deacons some hope. Last year, it was a one-point game here in Durham with Wake Forest easily covering the 24 point spot. Hopefully, Chaundee Brown (who is Wake’s second leading scorer) will return for this game. But even if he doesn’t, his teammates will be set to compete. The Blue Devils players won’t be apt to take this one nearly as seriously so Wake should hang around throughout. Duke has only covered two of its last seven home games. Play on WAKE FOREST

AAA

This is a 10* on WASHINGTON

Playing its first actual road game of the season, Washington lost Thursday at Stanford by a score of 61-55. Going in, we knew it would be a battle of strong defensive teams, but where Washington came up short was from behind the three-point line. They made only 3 of 17 while Stanford was 11 of 30. It was a game the Huskies led by eight going into halftime. They should have a much easier time finishing the job tonight against Pac 12 lightweight Cal. The Bears are off a rare conference win (just their 6th in 40 tries) but it was one where they were favored as they played Washington State here in Berkeley. As an underdog, the Bears are just 1-8 ATS this season. They are also 0 for their last 9 ATS as a home dog of 6.5 to 9 points. They’ve covered only twice in 10 tries against teams with winning record this year. This should be a get well game for UW, who should be sick of close games at this point. Over the last four games, they’ve lost three times by a total of 12 points. But the one win was by 32. This should be more in line with that result. Play on WASHINGTON

AAA

This is a 10* on AKRON

We had to the MAC for some Friday night College Hoops as Akron hosts Ball State. In what looks to be a wide open conference race, these are going to be two of the likely contenders for regular season supremacy. Akron comes in sporting the better record at 12-3 and they’ve started the conference slate with two dominant wins. The Zips only losses were to Louisville, Liberty and West Virginia. Liberty was actually undefeated at the time while the other two are top 15 teams. Akron has been a dominant home team, winning all nine of its games here by an average of 20.3 points/game. They’ve gone 6-1 ATS as a favorite this year. We fail to understand why this number would be so low given Ball State is only 13-28 ATS its last 41 MAC games. Akron even has triple revenge as they are 0-3 straight up vs. the Cardinals the last two seasons (two of the losses in 2018). Play on AKRON

AAA

This is a 10* on WASHINGTON

After losing two straight, Washington clearly wasn't fooling around Sunday night. They beat USC 72-40, holding the Trojans to 20 percent shooting for the game (yes, 20 percent!) in what was a complete annihilation. Before losses to UCLA and Houston, the Huskies were a top 25 team whose only losses had been to Tennessee and Gonzaga. We think that's important to remember when looking at their upcoming Pac 12 schedule. Thursday will be the first actual road game of the year as UW goes to Stanford. The Cardinal are 12-2 and also won their last game, although it took place back on Thursday. Rival Cal was no match here in Palo Alto with the Cardinal winning 68-52. But Washington is a different story. The Huskies swept last year's season series. They are a tall team with plenty of length and have better defensive numbers than Stanford. UW opponents are shooting just 40.2 percent on two-point shots this year. At the same time, the Huskies make 54.2% of their own two-point shots (26th in NCAA) and get to the FT line quite a bit.  Stanford might be 12-2, but they don't really have much in the way of quality wins. We like the better team catching points. Play on WASHINGTON

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This is a 10* on WAKE FOREST

Florida State enters this game as a top 10 team in the country. They're 13-2 SU so far and have won six in a row since losing at Indiana back on December 3rd. On Saturday, they traveled to Louisville and upset the favored Cardinals 78-65 as 6-point underdogs. But the Seminoles have every right to be "wary" of Wake Forest tonight as the Demon Deacons pulled their own upset Saturday, winning at Pitt 68-65 as a 6.5-point underdog. Wake is plenty rested as that upset of Pitt is the only game that they have played the last 2 1/2 weeks. FSU is playing back to back road games for the first time since opening their season at Pitt and Florida. For what it's worth, the Noles did lose to the same Pitt team that WF just beat. That Pitt game was the only time previous to tonight that FSU has been favored on the road and they lost outright. Again, they also lost at Indiana. Wake Forest has already won four times as an underdog. They've covered five of the last seven times getting points. Seems like too many points for FSU to be laying here. Play on WAKE FOREST

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