Wright State is one of the fastest teams in the country. The Raiders can run visiting teams right out of the building. They average 87.7 points per home game and 88.8 points a game in Horizon League play. They connect on a very high 56.4% of their field goals, in this building.

Oakland struggles against top level competition. The Golden Grizzlies are 1-3 against the spread their last 4 against teams with a winning record. That brings them to 8-14-1 ATS their last 23 tries, when playing against a team with a winning record after 15 or more games.

These teams will face each other again on February 25th, at Oakland. The Golden Grizzlies will have a chance in that one but not today. The Raiders are 9-3 SU and 7-5-1 ATS their last 13 as a host in the series. Unable to contend with the pace, the Golden Grizzlies aren't going to know what hit them!

Off their upset win at North Carolina, my feeling is that the Tigers are ripe for a letdown on Saturday afternoon. Clemson is 1-3 straight up and against the spread, when coming off a win over an ACC rival. They are also 5-9 ATS when off a SU win overall.

The ACC is always difficult but the Orange have also played some strong non-conference opponents like Gonzaga, Tennessee and Oregon. Clemson won't scare them. There have been some issues on the road but the Orange are 11-1 at home. The only time that they were home underdogs, the Orange smashed NC State by 12 points.

This has long been a strong role for Syracuse. The Orange are 14-5, both SU and ATS, as home underdogs of 3 or less, or pick. Grab the points.

This is splendid value. We get Hawaii at home, playing with revenge and we don't even have to lay any points. Hawaii is 31-15 at home the last 3 seasons. Uc San Diego is 15-25 on the road.

This is no easy place to play and that's not just because of the travel factor. The Warriors 12-6 straight up their last 18 off a loss, won their last home game by 10 points. They allow only 66 points a game here. It was 365 days ago that they beat UC San Diego here by 7 points. Home court will reign supreme and the Warriors will win again tonight!

The Bulldogs lost to St. Mary's last game. They're going to be in a bad mood. Portland is showing up at a bad moment. Not that there's ever a good time for the Pilots to play here. They last played here one year ago and they lost by 40. The score was 61-28 by halftime and 115-75 by the end of the game.

The Pilots are off a couple of wins but those were at home and came against Pacific and Pepperdine. They are 4-10 against the spread their last 14 against winning teams. They are also 4-10 ATS their last 14, when off a conference win. Long-term, that is an ugly role for the Pilots. They are 45-74, not counting pushes and non-lined games, their last 119 tries, off a conference win. Lay the points in what will be another 30+ point rout.

Canisius is off a bad loss and has struggled of late. That has led to a nice underdog line against an inferior opponent. The Golden Griffins also struggled to start last season. But by February, they turned things around. They're 12-5 against the spread their last 17 in February. This team is fully capable of doing the same and it starts tonight.

The Golden Griffins beat the Purple Eagles handily at Canisius last season. The game at Niagara was decided by just 3 points. Niagara has lost 2 of its last 3 home games. All 3 were decided by 6 or less. Canisius is 25-13 against the spread the last 2 years against winning teams and has an excellent chance of winning this game outright. Grab the points.

Give me Gonzaga at home in this battle of West Coast Conference heavyweights. These are the top 2 teams in the conference every year. The Bulldogs get more attention but the Gaels are also consistently very strong. This year is no different. Gonzaga is currently in a better place.

The Gaels have had trouble in consecutive games. Hosting back to back lightweights, they were favored by 16.5 and 13.5 points. They struggled with those bad teams though and won each game by only 5 points. Last game, they beat Santa Clara 82-77. That level of play won't cut it tonight.

The Bulldogs were favored by 14.5 points last game, roughly the same that St. Mary's was for its game. Unlike the Gaels, Gonzaga won by 34 points. That confidence building blowout is going to serve them well tonight!

The Gaels are only 5-11-1 against the spread their last 17 tries, after scoring 80 or more points. The Bulldogs are 7-3 ATS their last 10 tries, when facing a team which allows 64 or fewer points, through at least 15 games of the season. Gonzaga won by 26 last March in the WCC Tournament and by 9 in last season's regular season game here. Lay the points!

Most assume the Huskies are unbeatable. The reality is that St John's has a better home record than UConn has a road record. The Red Storm score more points at home than the Huskies do on the road. The Red Storm also allows fewer points at home than Uconn does on the road. St. Johns outscores teams here by a 80 to 64.5 average. UConn outscores teams on the road by a 75.6 to 70.2 average.

Remember that St. John's nearly upset the Huskies at Connecticut. The Red Storm lost by only 4. They beat Villanova by 20 their last game here. That same Villanova team almost beat UConn.

The Red Storm are 4-2 against the spread as underdogs. The Huskies are 2-4 against the spread their last 6 road game with an total in the 145 to 149.5 range. Take the points!

Hofstra already handled the Seawolves at Stony Brook. They will absolutely do so again in tonight's rematch at the David S. Mack Sports Complex. Both clubs are strong at home. Both have struggled on the road. Hofstra has won 8 of the last 9 meetings. The last game here saw the Pride win by a 79-58 score.

The projected tempo will not help the Seawolves. They are 2-8 straight up and against the pointspread their last 10 tries when on the road with a total of 140 to 144.5.

Off a 81-78 loss at Monmouth, the Pride are going to be bringing it. They are 10-6-1 ATS their past 17 tries when off a game where they allowed 80 or more. They've won each of their last 2 home games by more than 8 and they will win this one by more than 8 as well. ***CAA GOY***

Seeing Xavier laying such a short number at home, many are going to be quick to back the Musketeers. As tempting as that may seem, the Red Storm are currently the better team.

Xavier coach Miller acknowledged at the beginning of the season that his team had gone through a lot of changes and said not to judge them for the first few months. He had hoped that by February and March his team would be peaking. The Musketeers aren't quite there yet, as they just lost their last 2 games by a combined 53 points.

The Red Storm had their way with the Musketeers last month. They are 4-1 against the spread as underdogs. They score us an upset in this one!

Records are the same but only overall. The home/road splits will strongly work in Kent State's favor. The Golden Flashes average 82.2 points per home game. The RedHawks average 70 points on the road. Last time Miami was off a MAC win, it followed it up with a 16 point blowout loss.

Kent State is 3-0 SU and 2-1 against the spread the past 3 meetings. Two double-digit wins. The closer game was at Miami. Flashes have beaten Miami 19 of last 23 times here. They have always been one of the better teams in the conference and this year will end up no different. They remind the RedHawks and their doubters of that tonight.

New Orleans just got humiliated and will want to respond with a better effort. New Orleans won both meetings last season. The Privateers have thrived at the betting window as road underdogs in this range the last few seasons. the Cardinals arent used to being home favorites of this size latel but it hasn't been a good role for them over many years.

Lamar scores a lot but also gives up a lot. New Orleans is 30-14 against the spread its last 44 lined games when facing teams which average 77 or more points, after at least 15 games have been played.

NO is 6-1 SU the past 7 meetings. Grab the big points!

When taking points with an underdog, I first need to believe that my team has a legitimate chance to win the game outright. North Dakota checks that box. The Fighting Hawks have perhaps the top front-court in the Summit Conference. Coming into the season, they were projected by some to finish #2 in the conference, behind South Dakota State. St. Thomas was 3rd.

Though the Fighting Hawks may well win the game, they don't need to. This is a big number and we can still cash with a close loss. Two of the Tommies' last 4 games have been decided by 1 point.

The Fighting Hawks have a score to settle. They circled this game after the Tommies embarrassed them on December 29th. They are 9-6 against the spread their last 15, when playing with revenge. Off 3 straight double-digit wins, the Fighting Hawks are playing much better than they were for the earlier meeting. They are 9-2 ATS their last 11 off a conference win and they will bring their best tonight. **Summit Conf GOY**

Nebraska is 1-4 straight up and against the spread on the road. The Huskers are 0-2 (SU and ATS) on the road when the total was in the 140 to 144.5 range. Going back, Nebraska is 10-18 ATS its last 28 on the road. In their game here one year ago, the Huskers lost 82-63.

The Terrapins are off an important win at Iowa. They are 3-0 against the spread when off a Big Ten victory. A win over Penn State was followed by a 40 point blowout of Alcorn State. A win over Michigan was followed by a win at Illinois. The win over Illinois was followed by a cover at Northwestern. The Terrrapins will move to 4-0 ATS off a conference win by hammering the Huskers!

Tough losses, the kind that come at the buzzer, or which feature a blown lead, can be tough for college teams to overcome. Southern Indiana lost a tough one 2 games ago, falling 77-75 to Arkansas Little Rock. After letting that one get away, the Screaming Eagles lost their next game by 11. They are still 9-6 against the spread as underdogs and they will be ready to respond today.

The Leathernecks are off a tough loss of their own. They blew a lead and fell 58-57 to Tennessee State. Just as it was difficult for the Screaming Eagles to bounce back from their tough loss, it will be the same for the Leathernecks. They are only 39-111 straight up the past 150 times that they were off a conference loss, an awful 56-88 against the spread in those games. Western Illinois only scores 63 points a game on the road and that won't be enough.

Two evenly matched teams and we get points with one on its home floor. The Blue Devils have the better record but that doesn't mean that they are more talented. The Knights can still take things to another level. Who can forget their upset of Purdue in the NCAA Tournament last year.

The Blue Devils are 0-2 against the spread the last few seasons as road favorites of 3 or less. Both losses came outright. The Knights are 7-1 against the spread the past 8 times that they faced an opponent with a winning record after 15 or more games. They are also 5-1 ATS when playing with 5 or 6 day's rest in between games. I will take the points but I don't expect to need them.

The Shockers are badly in need of a victory. They will be pleased to see East Carolina. Off 3 straight defeats, the Pirates are struggling nearly as much as they are.

As bad as things look on the surface, Wichita State hasn't played terribly. Let's look at the losing streak. They beat Southern Illinois on 12/16. The next 2 games were versus Kansas and Kansas State. Losing them wasn't too bad. A loss against North Texas to start 2024 wasn't very impressive. Since then, three of four games have been on the road and the only home game was against Memphis. Two games ago, they gave a strong FAU team a good fight and last game they nearly won at South Florida. This is a team on the cusp of breaking out.

The Pirates are 0-2 against the spread as road underdogs of 3.5 to 6 points. They are 19-31 their last 50 as road underdogs of 3.5 to 6 points. They score 64 points a game on the road. The Shockers score 76 at home. Don't be shocked when Wichita snaps its losing streak with a big win!

Even at neutral site, I'd expect the Golden Lions to win tonight's game. This isn't a neutral site. WE get the game in Pine Bluff, at H.O. Clemmons Arena. That favors the Golden Lions. They are only 2-7 on the road but they're 5-3 at home. The Wildcats also prefer they're home cooking. They're 6-1 in home games but 2-6 on the road. Despite these records, we don't have to worry about laying a big pointspread.

These teams met twice the last 2 seasons. Arkansas Pine Bluff won both. The Golden Lions won 77-71 at Daytona Beach last year and 69-63 at Pine Bluff in 2022.

The Wildcats are only 2-6-1 against the spread the last 8 times that they were road underdogs of 3 or less, or pick'em. They score only 63 points a game on the road and the Lions are scoring 93 a game at home. Go with Arkansas Pine Bluff. ***SWAC GOY***

Homecourt is a big difference maker for these teams. Michigan State is 10-2 at home but 0-3 on the road. Maryland is 2-4 on the road but 9-1 at home.

Michigan State is off a win but didn't exactly impress. Tom Izzo said as much: "We won a game but we did not progress, and I was disappointed."

Fifth-year guard Jahmir Young has been unstoppable for the Terrapins. He's off a 36-point effort on Wednesday and has scored at least 20 points in six of his last seven games. "Maryland coach Kevin Willard said this of Young: "Jahmir was phenomenal, absolutely phenomenal."

Young will have another big day, leading Maryland to an upset on Sunday afternoon.

UConn is a great team, fully deserving of a high national ranking. The Huskies aren't unbeatable though and may not stay #1 after this. Though they seemingly haven't missed a beat since winning the National Championship, the Huskies did lose 3 of their top 6 scorers to the NBA. Those losses will finally be felt today.

The Wildcats could easily have a better record. They already have losses of 1, 2 and 4 points. Off a disappointing game at Marquette, they will bring their A-Game today. Coach Neptune said this after the loss: "We can't use anything as an excuse. Once you get on the floor with another team ... you got to get it done. Period. There's no excuses."

Defense makes a difference. The Wildcats, 2-1 against the spread and straight-up as underdogs, only allow 62.9 points per game at home. Visiting teams hit 40.5% of their field goals. The Huskies allow 70.9 points a game on the road. The teams hosting them hit 43.7% of their field goals. Their only time as a home underdog resulted in an 83-81 win over UNC.

The Wildcats are 8-1 SU and 6-3 ATS when playing with 3 or more day's rest between games. Off the loss to Marquette on 1/15, they bounce back big tonight!

The Buckeyes have struggled in Big Ten Conference play but a visit from the Nittany Lions will fix that. The Buckeyes already lost at Penn State last month and they will not let this team sweep them.

Penn State has been fine at home and is off a win over Wisconsin. The Nittany Lions are 1-7 on the road though and theyv'e been outscored by an average of 85.7 to 75.4

The Buckeyes have also strugged on the road but they are 8-2 at home and have outscored teams by a 76.4 to 63.2 average score here. Homecourt makes the difference with the Buckeyes avenging last month's loss with a blowout victory of their own.

VCU won 27 games and went to the NCAA Tournament last season. The Rams lost a lot from that team including their coach. They did keep four players and they brought in excellent replacements. Off back-to-back road wins, they are starting to gel. This is still a high quality team.

The Billikens lost a lot from last season. Six of their top 7 scorers are gone from last year. They would tell you differently but they are essentially rebuilding this year.

The Billikens, 9-14 against the spread their last 23 as road dogs in the 6 to 9.5 range, are 1-7 on the road this season. They've been outscored by an average score of 80.2 to 68.6. The Rams will add to the Billikens road woes with a blowout victory!

The Tigers will take care of their instate rivals. The Tigers are 4-1 against the spread their last 5 tries as a home favorite in the 6 to 9.5 range. Over that time, the Golden Eagles are 1-3 against the spread in 4 tries as a road underdog in the 6 to 9.5 range.

The home team won big in both meetings last year. The Tigers earned a 67-53 victory here after winning 80-64 here, the year before. This season, State is 7-1 at home and Tech is 2-7 on the road. It'll be another blowout win for the home team.

Line should be higher. Nevada is a good team but still not quite in the class of San Diego State. The Wolf Pack lost by 8, at home, against Boise last game. Their previous 2 conference games came against Air Force and Fresno. Neither of those teams is very good. Now they go on the road to take on a high quality program like SDSU.

The Aztecs won their first 3 MWC games (now 36-9 L45 against MWC) but lost at New Mexico State last game. Both their home conference games have been double-digit wins. They are 6-2 against the spread (7-1 straight up) the past 8 times that they were off a MWC loss. The home team won by 9 in both games last season. The Aztecs will bounce back with a blowout win.

This is too many points for SMU to be giving Temple. The Owls have some shortcomings but the Mustangs dont have all the pieces to fully take advantage. The Mustangs are 0-5 against the number their last five tries, as a home favorite in the -12.5 to -15 pointspread range.

Off a loss at North Texas, the Owls will be going all out for a win. They are 11-6 against the spread their last 17 tries, when off a conference loss.

Six straight meetings have been decided by 11 points or less. The last time Temple was here it was a 1-point game. Give me the points.

I'm always happy to take points in a game where I like the underdog to win outright. Though new to this conference, the Flames are an experienced team which is used to winning. They won 27 games last year and brought back a lot of that squad. Off a bad upset loss, we will see them bounce back and be at their best for this afternoon's showdown.

The Bulldogs have been playing a lot of road games and it will catch up with them against an inspired Liberty team. They are 3-5 against the spread their last 8 as home favorites between 3.5 and 6 points and 10-17 ATS after playing three or more consecutive games on the road.

Liberty is 5-1 straight up and against the spread when the total was in the 130s. The Flames are also 4-0 ATS their last 4 road games with a total in the 130 to 134.5 range. Grab the points. ***CUSA GOY***

Long Beach State is a good team but the Gauchos are even better. UC Santa Barbara went to the NCAA Tournament for the 2nd time in 3 years last season. They swept LBSU along the way. UC Santa Barbara allows 73 points, LBSU allows more than 77. The Gauchos are 6-1 their last 7 against teams which allow 77 or more points and they're 18-5 their last 23, when playing with 1 or less day's rest in between games. Off a loss last game, LBSU is 18-19 its past 37 road games. Over that time, the Gauchos are 29-8 here in Santa Barbara. Homecourt in their favor, this will be win #30. ***BIG WEST GOY***

I believe Binghampton is the better team. So, getting points is a bonus. The Bearcats fell behind Bryant in their last game but showed a lot of fight to get back and make it a game. Albany isn't nearly as strong as Bryant. The Great Danes have dropped 4 of their last 7 and their last 2 games were both decided by 6 or less. Binghampton has taken 3 of the last 4 in the series and the only win for Albany came by one. Grab the points!

Nevada won its last game but saw its pointspread winning streak come to an end. The Wolf Pack will now face a far more difficult opponent. The Broncos are 16-101 against the number the past 2 years as underdogs. Nevada is 1-3 ATS its past 4 home games when the total was in the 140 to 144.5 range. The Broncos won by 15 the last time these teams met. The prev. 3 meetings were all decided by 6 or less. The previous 2 meetings, including the last one here, were both decided by only 2 points. This one gets decided at the buzzer once again. Grab the points.

This is simply too many points to be giving UCLA. The Bruins last 9 games have all been decided by single-digits. They may not be winning many but they aren't losing by much.

The Utes are off back-to-back losses and before that was a 5-point win. They are 0-1 against the spread off a Pac-12 loss this season and 6-20 ATS in that spot the last 3 years. Over that span, the Utes have won only 4 of their last 19 January games, going 6-13 against the number.

UCLA is 7-2 against the spread its last 9 road games when the total ranged from 135 to 139.5. The Bruins won by 7 here last season and this will be another close one. Grab the points. ***PAC 12 GOM***

Navy was favored for both but these teams split a pair of games last season. Holy Cross returned a lot more from last year's team than Navy did. The Midshipmen lost a lot, as last year's senior class was a special one. In fact, their top 5 scorers from last year are all gone.

Navy coach Ed DeChellis acknowledged it would be challenging before the season: "It's going to be a major transition."

Facing a hungry and undervalued Holy Cross team, Navy will feel those losses. The Crusaders lack some size but Navy doesn't have the team to take advantage.

The Midshipmen are off a loss to Army and they are only 4-9 against the spread their last 13 tries, when off a Patriot League loss. Holy Cross has played a lot of road games but won its last home game decisively. Navy is 0-6 on the road. Grab the points! ***PATRIOT LEAGUE GOY***

These were the two worst teams in the Horizon League last year. The Phoenix have been better than the Jaguars so far overall. Not if we look at the home/away splits though. IUPUI is 4-3 at home. Wisconsin Green Bay is 3-7 on the road. Two of those 3 road wins came by 2 points or less.

IUPUI hammered this team 68-53 last season. It was the Jaguars best win of the season. That result will inspire confidence on Wednesday afternoon. Off a cover at Youngstown State, the Jaguars are 27-18 against the spread their last 45 conference games. Give me the big points.

I played against BYU last game. The Cougars came crashing back to earth with a bad home loss to Cincinnati. Apparently, life in the Big 12 isn't going to be quite the cakewalk that some BYU fans had started to envision. Still licking their wounds, the Cougars are now up against a better team.

The Bears spent non-conference play battling teams like Auburn, Florida, Duke and Michigan State. They began Big 12 play with a 5-point win at Oklahoma State. The Bears are 9-2 against the spread as favorites and will add another win to that record tonight.

For a game which will likely be decided at the buzzer, this is too many points. The Cowboys are off a 5-point loss to Baylor. Prior to that, they'd won 5 straight games. Their only other loss since the start of December came by 2 points.

The Red Raiders are on a nice winning streak and are off an impressive win over Texas. The victories before Texas were against inferior opposition though and the upset over the rival Longhorns will have them ripe for a letdown.

The last 3 meetings were all won by 3 or fewer points. Scores of 71-68, 71-68 and 52-51. OSU won all three. Grab the points.

I had a big play on the Bearcats in their upset of BYU. Off that big road win, I'll now fade them as favorites against an arguably more talented team than the one they were just double-digit underdogs against.

The Bearcats are 6-13-1 against the spread the last 20 times that they were off a conference win. The Longhorns are 9-5-1 ATS in the same time span, when off a Big 12 defeat. This game will come down to the wire. Grab the points!

In this battle of the Cardinals, I'm grabbing the points with visitors. Don't read too much into the non-conference records. Incarnate Ward won a couple of games with no line but has been an underdog in all 12 lined games. It was. a fairly challenging schedule and they won't be intimidated tonight.

Lamar is 0-5 straight-up the past 5 times it was off a conference win. Lamar is also 0-5 against the spread the past 5 times it was a home favorite in the 6.5 to 9 range.

The road team won both meetings last year. IW won by 6 here last January. Both teams played Saturday. Lamar is 1-19 straight up the past 20 times it was in that spot. IW is 15-5 against the spread the past 20 lined tries when playing with 1 or 0 day's rest in between games. So far, they have won by 9 and lost by 2 in that situation this season. Grab the points! ***SOUTHLAND GOY***

The Mustangs are off a 65-54 win. That was at home against Charlotte though. They're just 4-11-2 against the spread their last 17 tries after allowing 60 or less.

The Tigers are 4-2-1 against the spread the past 7 tried as home favorites of -6.5 to -9 points. The Tigers are also 14-5-2 ATS their last 21 tries against teams which allow 64 or fewer points.

The Tigers won 2 meetings in 2023 by 19 and 15 points. They will again be too much for the Mustangs to handle! ***AAC GOM***

This line is too big. BYU has a good team and brings a top 25 ranking into tonight's game. The Cougars do have a quality win over SD State and they did blow out Arizona State. They also lost to Utah and the rest of the schedule has been soft. I don't think all that much of Arizona State and the victory over the Aztecs was by single-digits.

To put it another way, I'm not convinced the Cougars are as good as their ranking suggests. Conference play is here, the Cougars' first Big 12 game. They're hosting a solid and competitive Cincinnati team. Importantly, BYU will miss Fousseyni Traore in this game, an important player who played a key role in the victories over ASU and SDSU.

The Bearcats are 11-2. Only one loss came by more than 5 points. They won't make BYU's Big 12 debut easy. Grab the points! ***BIG 12 GOY***

Don't be fooled by the Gamecocks. South Carolina has built up a strong record in non-conference play. The majority of those were weak or mediocre opponents. Now that SEC action is here, the Gamecocks will start to struggle. They were 4-14 in SEC play last year.

The Bulldogs have also built up their record against less than elite opposition. They're the real deal though. They returned all 5 starters from last year's NCAA Tournament team. That same group of Bulldogs won by 15 here last January.

Already 7-0 against the spread against teams with a winning record, Mississippi State will cover this small number. ***EARLY RISER***

Two teams at opposite ends of the MAC Conference spectrum. The Akron Zips won 22 games last seaon and they are the clear favorite to win the MAC this season. Put simply, the Zips are loaded.

Bowling Green was 5-13 in MAC play last year and 11-20 overall. With only 1 returning starter and a 1st year coach, the Falcons are likely going to struggle again.

Playing at home, the Falcons just gave up 90 points to Eastern Michigan. Playing on the road against a much better team and they may easily give up even more. Akron is 5-0 at home, outscoring teams 87 to 59.4. The Zips won last year's game here by 14 and this will be an even bigger blowout. ***MAC GOY***

Minnesota picked the wrong time to visit! The Wolverines have failed to cover 3 straight games and they are a perfect 6-0 against the spread their last 6 in that situation.

The Gophers are 0-3 against the spread their last 3 tries as a road underdog of 6.5 to 9 points. They are 19-41 ATS their last 60 in that role!

The Gophers are also 1-6 ATS and 0-7 straight up the past 7 times that they played a road game where the total ranged from 150 to 154.5.

The Wolverines believe they are improved from last year and will show it against the worst team in the conference. They won last year's 2 games by an average of 9.5 points and this will be an even bigger win! ***BIG TEN GOY***

Sacred Heart is projected to be among the top teams in the Northeast Conference. Saint Francis is considered to be among the worst.

The Red Flash have dropped 3 of 4 games, the only victory coming at home and by 2 points. They are 2-7 against the spread their last 9 as road underdogs of 6.5 to 9 points.

Sacred Heart is 2-0, straight-up and against the spread, the last 2 times it hosted Saint Francis. Last year's game here was close but this one will not be. The Pioneers are off back-to-back big victories, winning by 10 and 29 points. They are ready to start conference play with a bang. Lay the points! ***EARLY RISER***

The Mountain West Conference is loaded. These teams are at opposite ends of it. The Aztecs are loaded again after winning 32 games last year. The Bulldogs lost 20 games last year and are destined for another challenging season.

The Aztecs closed 2023 with 4 straight wins. The last 3 all came by double-digits, including a road win at Gonzaga. They are 6-0 at home and they have momentum heading into the new year and Conference play.

The Bulldogs lost by 20 the last time that they were up against a top level opponent. They don't have the athletes or depth to compete against SDSU for the whole game. Fresno State starting point guard Isaiah Hill missed last game with a hand injury and is questionable. If he can't go, or if he's less than 100%, it will hurt the Bulldogs even more. Either way, they are in trouble.

The Aztecs are 24-17 against the spread in MWC play the last 2 seasons and they will start this year with a blowout. ***MWC GOY**

Southern Illinois comes off a great season but the Salukis lost their 2 best scorers from that team. Though they've fared pretty well lately, Belmont presents a more difficult matchup. The Bruins are always one of the better teams in the Missouri Valley Conference. This year will be no different.

Jones and Domask scored 30 of SIU's 63 points in last year's meeting. Both are gone and they will be missed.

Since a blowout loss at Arizona, Belmont is 7-2, winning 7 of the past 8. Both losses came by single-digits.

SIU just played before the new year and Belmont comes in rested. The Bruins are 3-1 (straight up and ATS) the past 4 times that they played with 7 or more day's rest in between games. In a close game, where the underdog Bruins have a great chance at the outright win, give me the points! ***MVC GOY**

This game will not be close. UT Arlington is 0-6 against the spread the past six tries as a road underdog of 15.5 to 18 points. Texas is 3-0 ATS its last 3 tries as a home favorite of 15.5 to 18 points.

Texas allows 55 points per game at home. UT-Arlington allows 81 ppg on the road.

The Mavericks are off consecutive double-digit defeats. The Longhorns are off a 35-point domination, their 4th straight victory. Last meeting saw the Longhorns win by 20. They'll win by even more than that Monday afternoon. ***CBB CAKEWALK***

Both teams began conference play with a loss. Idaho State lost by 8 to Montana State. Montana lost by 30 to Weber State. The Wildcats are a strong team. So, the loss wasn't totally unexpected. The 30-point blowout was. It will have the Grizzlies confidence shaken. Weber State shot very well and also outscored Montana by double-digits in the paint.

Idaho State coach Looney has been here 4 years and believes that this is his most talented team. They badly want to avoid an 0-2 start in Big Sky play and are catching the Grizzlies at the right time. Not only is Montana off the 30-point loss but the Grizzlies are playing their 4th straight on the road. That's tough during the holiday season.

The Bengals played a fairly tough non-conf. schedule and it should help them now that conference play is here. They're "coming to play" today and I think they have a real shot at the outright victory. Grab the points. ***BIG SKY GOY***

To these teams, home-court really matters. Little Rock is 6-3 at home but 1-3 on the road. Tennessee St is 5-1 at home but 1-5 on the road. The Tigers outscore visiting teams 84.5 to 67.3. The Trojans are 0-2 against the spread as away underdogs. They get outscored 81 to 75 on the road.

Last season, UALR won by 12 at Little Rock but the Tigers won by 25 when they played at Nashville. That game was also the final day of the calendar year, as it was played on New Year's Eve.

Tennessee State won 18 games last season. Little Rock only brought back 1 starter from last year's 10-21 team. The Trojans won't be ready for the Tigers on Saturday afternoon. ***Ohio Valley GOM***

These rivals almost always play close games against each other. The last three meetings were all ultra close. Stanford won by 1 and Arizona State won by 4 points, twice.

Six of the last 7 meetings have been decided by 5 or less. The lone exception was a 9-point ASU win. That allows you to conclude that none of the last 7 meetings have resulted in Stanford wins of greater than 5. An even closer look shows that Stanford only won 2 of those 7 games and that both of the victories were by 3 or less.

Stanford may have closed the gap on Arizona State a little but not enough to lay this many points. The Sun Devils won 23 games last year and went to the NCAA Tournament. Stanford was 14-19.

The Sun Devils thrive in this role. They are 5-0 against the spread the last 5 tries when they were road underdogs of 3.5 to 6. I'll take the points! ***PAC 12 GOY***

Homecourt will make a big difference for this Horizon League battle. Last season, the Golden Grizzlies won by 3 at Oakland but the Vikings won by 16 in the game at Cleveland State. The Golden Grizzlies started out covering the spread every game but have cooled off. They got destroyed in their last 2 games and are 1-4 their last 5. That's straight up and against the spread. The Vikings started slowly but have since caught fire. They are off back to back big wins and have covered the spread in 4 straight. Grizzlies are 2-4 against the spread last 6 when playing with 7 or more day's rest. The Vikings play 4 of their next 5 on the road and will protect their homecourt on Thursday. ***Horizon League GOM***

Arizona is really good. People don't realize that FAU may be even better. Every bit as good, at least. The teams were ranked #14 and #15 in the preseason rankings, the Owls holding the 1-spot lead. Arizona is now up to #4 which gives FAU a very rare chance at such a high-profile matchup. FAU coach Dusty May said: "We wanted to play it in the worst way for a lot of reasons. National television. Our guys wanted to be challenged. They love the challenge. And we felt our program was at a point where we needed these games to elevate even more than a Final Four run." FAU brought everyone back from last year's Final 4 team. Arizona returned only 1 starter from the team that lost in the NCAA 1st rd. Give me the points! ***SUPER FIGHT****

This game will be played at Enterprise Center, in St. Louis. Illinois is 0-2 against the spread last 2 times it was a neutral court favorite of 6.5 to 9 points. Missouri is 2-0 against the spread as a neutral court underdog of 6.5 to 9 points. One of those games occurred on this very day, at this very venue, last year. Illinois was favored by 6.5 points for that December 22nd, 2022 game. Playing in front of a packed house, Missouri won by 22! At one point, the Tigers went on a 41-15 run. The Illini are only 4-9 against the spread their last 13 on a neutral court. All the Tigers' losses have been close. Give me the points. ***CBB UNDERDOG GOW***

Iowa has a lot of advantages in this game. Better athletes all over the floor. The Hawkeyes are at home where they are 25-15 against the spread their last 40. Their guests are 16-22 against the spread, on the road, during that time period. Off 3 straight losses, the Hawkeyes got right with an 88-52 wipeout of Florida A@M last game. This is every bit as much of a mismatch. The Hawkeyes are averaging 95.8 points per home game and UMBC is conceding 86.4 points per road game. Iowa will put up a massive number and win going away. ***WED. WIPEOUT***

This is too many points for a team like Bowling Green to be laying. The Falcons were 11-20 last season and they brought back only 1 starter. The Falcons have won 6 of their last 9 games but only 2 of those wins came by more than 10 points. The Pirates score 83 points a game and the Falcons are only 6-14 against the spread their last 20 against teams which score 77 or more. Hampton is 8-2 against the spread the past 10 times that it was a road underdog of 9.5 to 12 points. Grab the points! ***EARLY RISER***

These teams met in the first round of last year's NCAA Tournament. TCU won a thriller. Arizona State would like to avenge that loss but its not going to happen. At less than perfect health, the Sun Devils aren't going to enjoy tonight's visit to Dickies Arena. Having already been blown out 77-49 by BYU, the Sun Devils are 0-3 their last 3 games against Big 12 competition. TCU takes care of business in December. The Horned Frogs are 9-4 against the spread in 13 tries in the month of December, 12-1 straight up in those games. They are also 6-2 against the spread the past 8 times that they played with 5 or 6 day's rest. This one won't be close. ***Weekend Wipeout***

Give me the points with Furman. The Paladins were the best team in the Southern Conference last season and advanced to the NCAA second round. The Paladins are 4-1 against the spread the last 5 times that they were road underdogs of 6.5 to 9 points. The Paladins are also 9-4 against the spread the last 13 tries after allowing 60 or less. Off a 30-point loss, the Green Wave are only 9-19 against the spread their last 28 games outside of their conference. Grab the points! ***Road Warrior***

The Aggies blew out the Broncos at Utah State last year. Two totally different teams will face each other tonight but Santa Clara hasn't forgotten. The Broncos are a brilliant 18-9-1 against the spread their last 28 as underdogs, 13 of those resulting in outright victories. They already won outright at Stanford and beat Oregon. In both cases, they were getting points. The Aggies replaced every starter from last year's NCAA tournament team, as well as their coach. They are 9-14 against the spread their last 23 on the road, 0-2 this season. Give me the points. ***Underdog GOM***

The Braves are in over their heads again. Alcorn State is off 7 straight losses. 6 of those came by more than 10 points, including each of the last 5. Last game was a 28 point loss. The game before that was a 21-point loss. That is exactly the type of opponent which Maryland wants to see right now. The Terrapins allow 65 points a game at home, the Braves allow 88 points a game on the road. Maryland will win with ease and improve to 11-6 against the spread the last 17 times it faced a team with a losing record. ***CBB Wipeout***

Its been a few years since these teams faced each other. The last time came in 2019 and Penn won by 19 points. Before that, the Quakers won by 17 in 2017. Different faces for today's game but the result will be the same. Howard is 1-4 against the spread, losing all 5 outright, the last 5 times it was a road underdog of 3.5 to 6 points. The Bison haven't played since November and that will hurt them. They are 2-4 against the spread their last 6 after playing with 7 or more day's rest. The Quakers are 18-9-1 against the spread in home games the last 2 years. Off a game against Kentucky, they should win this one fairly comfortably. **CBB CRUSHER**

Iowa is 7-3 against the spread its last 10 tries as a home favorite in the 3.5 to 7 point range. Over that period, Iowa is also 2-0 against the spread after failing to cover in each of the previous 3 games. Michigan is averaging 75.8 points per road game. Iowa is averaging 99.7 points per home game. Hawkeyes won by 9 here last season, covering the -5.5. They do it again this afternoon! ***Conf. Crusher***

The Dukes are a good team with a national ranking but this will not be an easy game. Far from it. The stadium will be a white-out and the home team and crowd believes it can pull off the upset. "We're a marked team right now," James Madison coach Mark Byington said. "I'm anticipating that Old Dominion crowd being one of the toughest we play all year." Both JMU road games have been by 5 points or less. These teams had one common non-conf. opponent. Last game here, the Monarchs beat Radford. That same Radford team gave JMU real trouble in a 3-point game. The last 2 JMU visits here were decided by 5 and 2 points. The Monarchs, 4-2 against the spread their last 6 tries after 3 straight non-covers, hung within single digits at Arkansas. JMU coach Byington went on to say: "I know they've been excited about our game and it's a really good team, good coach. Great intra-state game. It's a little odd playing in December but here we go." Give me the points. ***Sun Belt GOY***

Give me the points with Florida Gulf Coast. Though the Eagles have gotten off to a tough start, they are better than their sub-500 record indicates. The Eagles brought back 4 of their top 5 scorers (8 of top 10) from a team which won 17 games. The Gophers may be without the versatile Dawson Garcia, as he left last game with a leg injury. The Gophers are a dismal 1-9 against the spread their last 10 games against teams with a losing record. Grabe the points!

Give me the points with Eastern Kentucky. The Colonels returned 4 starters from a 23-win team. They are averaging 87.5 points per game. UNC Greensboro is 9-16-1 against the spread at home the last 2 years. The Spartans only returned 1 starter from last year. They are 2-10 against the spread the past 12 times that they scored 80 or more points in their last game. EKU won by 4 last December. This will be another close one. ***Road Warrior***

The Jaguars won 19 games last season and nearly made it to the NCAA Tournament. They've got an excellent backcourt and I look for them to upset Mercer this afternoon. The Jaguars didn't score well at Jacksonville State but they're 10-5 against the spread the last 15 times that they scored 60 or less. Mercer is 1-4 its last 5 games and that lone win came by 1 point. The Bears are only 5-10-2 against the spread the last 17 tries as home favorites of 3 or less. Grab the points. ***EARLY RISER***

San Jose State hosted North Dakota State last week and won 78-65. The Spartans have since played 2 road games, losing them both. They may have some tired legs. The Bison haven't played since the loss at San Jose State. They are 6-4 straight-up the last 10 times that they played with revenge from a road loss, 62-40 their last 102. They are also 5-2 straight-up their last 7 when playing with 5 or 6 day's rest in between games, 50-24 their last 74. They will be the fresher team. The Spartans are 6-24 straight-up their last 30 road games, 0-7 when the total was in the 135 to 139.5 range. They are 5-56 their last 61 in that spot. Bison will have their revenge! ***CBB Revenge GOY***

Perhaps this isn't the most exciting game on the board but the best value is often found in the lesser known conferences. Utah Valley is projected to be a top 5 team in the WAC Conference. Utah Tech is projected to finish dead last. The Wolverines did lose a lot from last season but new coach Todd Phillips still has a lot to work with. The Trailblazers will play their first home game. They have won only 6 of 20 conference games since joining. Utah Valley won both games last year. With a 44-25 against the spread record their last 69, the Wolverines will win again. ***Road Warrior***

Knowing that they got swept by them last season, the Bulldogs will be too much for the Bears this afternoon. Missouri State hasn't faced competition this good. The Bulldogs will be on of the top teams in the Missouri Valley Conf. again this season. They began conference play by crushing Valparaiso. Their 46-29 second half will act as a springboard into today's game. Bulldogs average 83 points at home. Bears average 68 points on the road. Drake wins by 10+! ***MVC GOM***

Six meetings between these "rivals" since 2006, 2 in the past 2 years. The Aztecs won all six games. All 6 victories came by at least 16 points. This will be another destruction. The Tritons are off 3 straight losses and they've been getting progressively worse. Last loss came by 27 points. That loss came against a team (Washington) which the Aztecs have beaten. Lay the points with the road team and enjoy the beating. ***Road Warrior***

There's a big difference between the Pac-12 and the Big West. The Beavers will likely find things tough in their own conference. UC Davis may have more success within theirs. That makes winning this non-conference game a priority for the Beavers. They can't afford to squander opportunities against squads from lesser conferences. The Aggies are 0-3 against the spread the past 3 tries as road underdogs of 3 or fewer points. The last time that the Beavers were favored, they won by 10 points, when laying -2.5. They get it done again tonight! ***NOV GOM***

Stephen Austin has a very well-coached team and the program has a lot of pride. They beat Drake but then got blown out by Utah State. That won't sit well. Off its previous loss, SFA won its next game by 26 points. The Lumberjacks are bigger, stronger and more experienced than last year. Importantly, they're also healthier. Last season, they dealt with a lot of injury problems. That isn't an issue so far this season. The Lumberjacks are better than the Texans in the frontcourt and also in the backcourt. They're a team destined to finish near the top of the WAC, Tarleton State should finish near the basement. Texans are 1-7 against the spread last 8 tries when playing with 5 or 6 day's rest. Lay the points. ***WAC GOY***

The Rebels are 3-0 at home, 5-0 overall. The WolfPack are playing their first true road game. They are only 7-13 their last 20 away games, 0-4 SU in road games with a total of 145 to 149.5. The Rebels are finding a way to win close games. Three straight wins of 3 points or less. Wolfpack just gave up 95 points in a loss against BYU. They are 7-13 last 20 times after giving up 80 or more. Rebels keep on winning! **Tuesday Takedown**

First instalment of the ACC/SEC challenge. The Tigers have had some trouble covering as favorites but this is their first time as underdogs. They've won 4 of their last 5 and the only loss was by 1 point. The Panthers just blew out Oregon State but the Beavers are among the worst teams in the Pac-12. Before that the Panthers played an SEC opponent, as they will here, and lost by 15. Florida's defense gave the Panthers trouble and Missouri will use similar methods. The Panthers other games all came against weak opposition. The Tigers will give them fits. Grab the points. **Road Warrior**

The Bison are always a force in the Summit Conference and they've got an experienced team this season. They are more than capable of pulling off the upset tonight. The Spartans lost a lot from last season, including star player Omari Moore. They're already dealing with a few injuries. NDSU lost last game but is still 20-14 against the spread last 2 seasons on the road. They have faced Creighton on the road and they already won outright at Montana. This game will come down to the wire. Grab the points. ***Road Warrior***

The Longhorns will have advantages every step of the way this afternoon against Wyoming. The Cowboys haven't faced this type of quality. Off a loss against Connecticut, Texas will be ready to deliver a blowout. Longhorns are 3-0 at home and every win came by 16 or more points. Texas coach Rodney Terry said this after Monday's loss. "And over these two days, back to back, we really grew up in those areas. We grew up in an area of taking care of the basketball, too, and not beating ourselves. There's a high ceiling for this group. Once we get everybody out there on the floor playing together, it's going be a pretty deep and pretty good team." That will be on full display this afternoon. Texas wins big! ***CBB Dominator***

Maryland has faced some quality opponents, including Villanova. Even so, no team has reached 70 points against the Terrapins. They allow 61.6 points a game. South Alabama gave up 102 to Alabama, in a 102-46 loss. That's bad. Even worse, the Jaguars also gave up 102 to Nicholls State! They allow an average of 79.1 points a game. Not good when you only average 58 points a game on the road. The Terrapins scored more than 90 last game. They will clamp down and dominate, this game turning into another rout. ***CBB Bone-Crusher***

The Bruins are used to being good. So you know that they're going to want to get rid the taste of a blowout loss to Arizona. The Hawks showed that they should be respected when they upset WVU. Don't forget that Monmouth was only 7-26 last year though. Belmont scores more than 80 per game. Monmouth scores less than 70. Bruins are 9-3 against the spread last 12 lined games after allowing 80 or more points. Give the solid MVC team over the mediocre CAA squad. **CBB Crusher**

These teams are more equally matched that you might think. They played a close game against each other last season, NC State winning by 4. The Wolfpack are 1-4 against the spread their last 5 in a neutral court game where the total is 140 to 144.5. The Commodores are 5-0 against the spread in a neutral court game where the total is 140 to 144.5. In all neutral site games, Vanderbilt is 8-2 against the spread its past 10. This will be another close one. Grab the points! ***best bet***

These are two good teams. Both are undefeated. Both were just involved in a 3-point game. The Miners didn't even shoot well in their win over Cal and still got it down. Their lockdown defense was the difference. Coach Joe Golding said: "What a game. We were out of whack it seems like the whole game. We were shorthanded, we got in foul trouble. We had different lineups on the floor ..." Braves are only 3-9 against the spread last 12 times they played on a neutral court. I'll take the points! ***CBB BEST BET***

Prairie View has a nice against the spread record but is outmatched in this game. The Panthes were 13-19 last season and they didn't return a single starter. The Colonels won 23 games last year and brought back most of that team. Determined to make it to the NCAA Tournament, this is the type of opponent which they can crush. They can and they will! Eastern Kentucky is 10-3 against the spread last 13 tournament games. PV is 0-5 against the spread last 5 as a road underdog of 9.5 to 12 points. Lay the points! ***Tourney Wake and Make***

The Lumberjacks will be good within the WAC and potentially could even make their way back to the NCAA Tournament. The Bulldogs are one of the best teams in the Missouri Valley Conference though and they have looked good in winning all their games. They just narrowly missed out on a couple covers. Without having to worry about covering a big number in this one, look for Drake to finish on top and move to 3-0 straight up and against the spread, its last 3 against WAC competition. **Eye Opener**

The Aztecs are always good. Last year, they had a deep NCAA Tournament run. They're going to be a solid again. They're not unbeatable though and they're a team that doesn't always score that many points, which leads to close games. Who could forget their dramatic 1-point wins in last year's tournament. The Huskies followed up a close loss to Nevada with a close win against Xavier. Off that victory, Washington coach Mike Hopkins said afterward: "Sometimes shots don't fall, sometimes foul shots don't fall, but you got to keep fighting," "We won this game because we were tough. We rebounded. We got stops when we had to get stops and that's why we won. That's why I was so proud of these guys. They kept fighting. It wasn't perfect, but they just kept fighting." This one likely gets decided at the final buzzer. Grab the points! ***Tournament GOM***

Michigan looked great in beating St. John's. The Wolverines are absolutely a talented team. They lost a lot from last year though and are dealing with the absence of Juwan Howard. Off the trip to MSG and with some big games coming up after this one, it won't be easy to blow out Long Beach State. Not with the talent, depth and experience that the Beach players have. They hung within 12 at San Diego State, after close games at Depaul and Portland. They will give the Wolverines trouble today! ***Road Warrior***

Bonnies will win this game outright, in my opinion. Cowboys are 3-5 against the spread last 8 on a neutral court. Even with a slow start, St. Bonaventure is 9-5 against the spread last 14 in the month of November. 11 outright wins. The Bonnies played in Metro NY last season and had success. That experience will serve them well today. They are much closer to home than the Cowboys. Grab the points! ***Tourney Shocker***

Red Storm weren't ready for Michigan but they will have plenty to take on North Texas. That loss to the Wolverines wasn't fun but it will act as a wake-up AND a warm-up for the Red Storm. They will benefit from the experience. St. John's is 5-1 against the spread last 6 neutral site games, 7-2 against the spread last 9 tournament games. Pitino admitted that it will take time for his team to hit their stride. Behind the scenes he's demanding more. He will have the Red Storm ready and they will bounce back with a win and cover this afternoon. ***tourney takedown

Pacific is off a nice upset of Cal. The Tigers are only 5-13 against the spread the past 18 times that they scored 80 or more points though and Nevada is a really tough team. Already 2-0, the WolfPack just beat Washington. The Tigers are also 3-13 against the spread, their last 16 tries as road underdogs of 12.5 to 16 points. Tigers are also still only 9-22 against the spread last 31 against winning teams. Tigers get a nice 5-game homestand after this. First, they take their lumps on the road. ***wednesday wipeout***

The Aggies are 0-2 against the spread so far but they will fix that today. UC Davis has strong guard play. A lack of size in the frontcourt won't hurt them against a North Dakota State team which is off an 89-60 loss. In lined games, the Bison are 4-9 against the spread the last 13 times after they allowed 80 or more points. They are also 8-14 against the spread in non-conf action and 3-6 in tournament play. Lay the small number! ***Tourney Dominator***

Everything worked out for the Gauchos last year. They set school records and went back to the NCAA Tournament. They've got a good program. The Gauchos lost quite a lot from last year though and it will take time for the newcomers to gel. That showed itself in their opening game upset loss against Portland State. The Miners are excited about their team. They crushed their first 2 opponents and will rise to the occasion of hosting a team that went to the Big Dance last year. Gauchos are only 4-6 against the spread last 10 as underdogs. Lay the small number. ***Slam Dunk Club***

Big Game and big opportunity for the Buckeyes. They are at home with a chance to take down a top 15 program. Off a close win in the first game, Ohio State coach Chris Holtmann commented: "I give our guys a ton of credit. They found a way to get some stops and make some necessary plays down the stretch in a game that could've gone either way." The Buckeye players are ready and excited for today. Zed Key: "...I know we are all looking forward to playing such a big game this early in the season. Be there on Friday." Bruce Thornton: "You look for those big games. That's one of the reasons we came to Ohio State, to play a top-15 team in the country (at home). I'm ready for Friday." Thornton and Key combined with Gayle Jr. for 51 points in the Buckeyes first game. Catching the Aggies, 13-23 against the spead their last 36 as road underdogs of 3 or less, playing their first road game, that trio will lead the Buckeyes to a victory tonight. **

James Madison somehow managed to knock off Michigan State in its opening game. Off that upset, the Dukes are walking into a hornet's next. With a 79-58 win in their home opener, the Golden Flashes extended their home game winning streak at home to 23 in a row. The Flashes are 17-7-1 against the spread when playing a game with a total in the 140 to 149.5 range, 5-1 against the spread in home games with a total of 145 to 149.5. They are also a perfect 4-0 against the number when favored at home between 3.5 and 6 points. James Madison showed it can play with anyone but tonight will belong to Kent State. ***MAC-SBC CHALLENGE WINNER!

Over the past 2 seasons, North Texas is 2-0 against the spread as a home favorite of 3.5 to 6 points. The Mean Green have won 27 or their last 32 home games. An excellent defensive team, North Texas allowed just 53 points a game at home last season! Northern Iowa gave up 71.6 points per game on the road! Last 2 years, Northern Iowa is just 6-13 against the spread in non-conference lined games. Lay the points! ***CBB dominator

The Buffaloes have struggled to cover as favorites the last couple of seasons. The Tigers have been good at covering as underdogs. Things will change for at least today. Towson lost some important pieces. Cam Holden graduated and Nicolas Timberlake transferred to Kansas. The duo, which combined for more than 32 points per game, will be missed against a tough opponent like Colorado. The Buffaloes are for real. Deep and talented, this is one of Coach Boyle's best teams. The Buffaloes will begin their year with a big win which will bring them to 23-13-2 against the spread as -12.5 to -15 point home favorites. **Opening Day Rout

UConn is a heavy favorite to cut down the nets Monday. They may very well end up winning, but this is too many points to lay to a very good San Diego State. It’s a bigger number than the UConn-Miami game and I have San Diego State rated higher than Miami.

NCAA Title Game favorites of eight points or higher are just 2-5 ATS since 1970. We’re not quite there yet, but it’s something that I wanted to note. 

Now I’m fully aware that UConn has won its five previous Tournament games by an average 20.6 points/game while beating the spread by more than 15 points per game. But we also need to salute what San Diego State has done. The Aztecs are 4-1 ATS in the Tournament and have won nine games in a row overall. 

Both teams play outstanding defense and neither plays particularly fast. While the respective Final Four opponents looked to speed them up, no one is looking to play fast here. UConn is 214th in adjusted tempo while San Diego State is 270th. 

Don’t consider this an endorsement of the Under, but I certainly don’t expect this to be a high-scoring game. Points will be at a premium, thus taking the underdog is the way to go here. San Diego State has only ONE double digit loss all year and it was to Arizona back in November. 10* 

Bet against this Miami team at your own peril. The Hurricanes are 9-2 ATS as underdogs this season, winning five of those games outright. They come into the Final Four fresh off upsets of Indiana, Houston and Texas. 

It’s not just this season either. Under Larranaga, Miami is 33-12 ATS as a dog the last three seasons and 20-5 ATS since the start of last season

UConn seems to be the popular choice to cut down the nets Monday night, but can they sustain their recent level of play? Probably not! The Huskies have made it look easy so far, winning their first four tournament games by a combined 90 points.

But Miami has put up 85, 89 and 88 points the last three games, two of those against top 10 defenses in the country. They are doing so without a high volume of threes, which makes the scoring even more impressive. 

With its incredible stable of guards, Miami can beat anyone on any given night. I’ll gladly take the points with the best underdog team in the country the L3 seasons. They’ve faced the tougher competition in this Tournament and since January 11th, they’ve lost only ONE game by more than three points. That was in the ACC Tournament against Duke, a game where they lost their big man Norchad Omier in a matter of seconds. Take the points. 10* 

I like UAB to win the NIT. The Blazers’ only loss in their last 13 games came to FAU in the C-USA Tourney Final and they (UAB) were actually favored over a team that’s now in the Final 4 of the “Big Dance.” 

With North Texas also involved here, it’s an all Conference USA Final. In addition to FAU’s run, Charlotte has already won the CBI, so what an impressive run by this league in March. This is the fourth meeting between North Texas & UAB this season. North Texas won both in the regular season, but UAB got revenge in the conference tournament with a 76-69 win as 1-point favorites. 

North Texas needed a bit of a miracle to get by Wisconsin in its last game. The Badgers didn’t score over the game’s final nine minutes. Tip your cap to the Mean Green defense, but this is a team that needed OT to get by Oklahoma State in the quarterfinals as well. 

I’m just not sure North Texas can generate enough offense here. They’ve barely won the last two games, despite giving up an average of 54.5 points/game in regulation. Wisconsin did score 41 against them in the first half Tuesday. UAB averages 81.3 points/game, which is top 10 in the country.

Plus the potential absence of big man Abou Ousmane (team leader in rebounds and blocks) looms large for North Texas. Lay the points. 10*

Utah Valley has been the most profitable College Basketball team to bet on this season. The Wolverines enter the NIT semifinals with a 24-9 ATS record. Since the start of February, they are 11-2 straight up and ATS in all games. They’ve beaten New Mexico, Colorado and Cincinnati to get here. 

But UAB, while not quite as profitable at the betting window, is the deserved favorite in this one. The Blazers have won 15 out of 17 games, going back to late January. The only two losses were to another NIT Final Four team (North Texas) and to Florida Atlantic in the Final of the C-USA Tournament. I probably don’t need to remind you as to what FAU has accomplished this March. 

Led by Jordan “Jelly” Walker, UAB has beaten Southern Miss by 28, Morehead State by 18 and Vanderbilt (on the road) by 8 in their previous three NIT games. They average 81.1 points while giving up only 69.9 per game. Eight of their last 15 wins have come by double digits.

Early money sided with the Blazers and so do I. They are the better team at both ends of the floor and played in the tougher conference.

Walker hasn’t even been shooting all that well recently (below 40% L4 games) and it hasn’t mattered. UAB went just 2 of 15 from three at Vandy and still won going away. They are simply the better team here and I will lay the points. 10*

After opening the Tournament with a couple wins over double digit seeds (Charleston, Furman), San Diego State served notice with a 71-64 victory over top-seed Alabama in the Sweet 16. They pulled the upset despite leading scorer Matt Bradley going just 2 for 9 from the field and finishing with only 6 pts. 

The key was holding Alabama to 3 of 23 from behind the arc. The Aztecs can’t count on Creighton being that cold Sunday in the Elite 8, but they (SDSU) have held opponents to 28.2% for the year from three. 

Creighton is likely due for some shooting regression after making 58% of their FG attempts Friday. Getting a 15-seed (Princeton) in the Sweet 16 is as favorable as it gets for the Bluejays, who I also think weren’t as dominant as the final score (85-76) showed against Baylor in Round 2. They were 11 of 24 from three in that game. 

End of the day, Creighton is in store for some serious shooting regression against what is a top four defense in the country per KenPom.

Also, lower seeded teams are just 2-5 SU/ATS in this year’s Tournament when favored. Creighton is a 6-seed. San Diego State is a 5-seed. The Aztecs also have revenge from last year’s Tournament when they were up nine with less than four minutes in regulation, only to lose in OT. 10* 

Kansas State is coming off back to back wins (75-69 over Kentucky and 98-93 over Michigan State) where they were underdogs, despite being the higher seed. In each instance, ShotQuality data indicates that the Wildcats “should have” lost, the Kentucky game due to being a little fortunate defensively and the Michigan State game due to being a little fortunate on both ends of the court. 

So far in this Tournament, KSU is shooting 65% from two-point range, so they are definitely due for a little regression here. KenPom has FAU rated as the better team here, and I won’t disagree, so let’s take the points in this first Elite 8 matchup. 

After squeaking by Memphis in Round 1, Florida Atlantic has beaten 16-seed FDU and then 4-seed Tennessee. That second round matchup was a bit of a gift and the Owls underperformed (perhaps feeling the pressure as big favorites?) but I didn’t think there was anything phony about the Sweet 16 win over Tennessee.

The Owls held the Vols to 33.3% shooting in the 62-55 win. This is a team that’s now won 10 in a row - with six different leading scorers - and is 34-3 SU on the year. 

I don’t think Kansas State will shoot 55% in this game as they have in two of the previous three rounds. Remember they’ve needed Kentucky to 4 of 20 from three and then shoot the lights out themselves to get by Michigan State. 8* 

Miami is the 5-seed here in the Midwest Region and just beat Indiana 85-69 as a 1.5-point underdog in the second round. But that came on the heels of a close call vs. Drake in the first round where the Hurricanes needed to rally late for a 63-56 win and cover as 2.5-point favorites.

Top seed Houston failed to cover its first round game as the Cougars could only defeat 16-seed Northern Kentucky (a tricky team that plays zone defense) 63-52 as lofty 19-point favorites. But after falling behind early, Kelvin Sampson’s team roared back in the second round, eventually blowing out Auburn 81-64 as 5.5-point chalk.

Looking at this matchup, the one thing that sticks out is Miami ranks just 109th in defensive efficiency. That’s the worst defensive rating among all Sweet 16 teams (even worse than Princeton) and I think they’ll struggle to contain Marcus Sasser (22 points vs. Auburn) and company. Miami is allowing almost 54% of its opponents’ points to be scored inside the three-point line.

Miami supporters will point to the guard play, which was tremendous again vs. Indiana. But this is a far worse matchup for the Hurricanes as Houston allows the lowest midrange shooting percentage in the country and also have the highest block rate in all of College Basketball.

Furthemore, Houston has a big edge in rebounding in this matchup and is well-suited to slowing down Miami, thus limiting the ‘Canes’ transition opportunities. 10* 

This is a great spot to fire on Southern Utah, in my opinion, as Eastern Kentucky is not only playing its third game in three days but the previous two both went to overtime!

On Sunday, EKU rallied back from a 13-point second half deficit to stun Cleveland State 91-75 as a one-point favorite. That was one of the most misleading finals you’ll ever see as the Colonels outscored the Vikings 17-1 in OT. Then yesterday, they were ahead most of the way against Indiana State, only to again go to OT - where they prevailed 89-88 as a seven-point dog. 

Southern Utah had a close call yesterday as well, beating Rice 91-89 but failing to cover the 4.5-point spread. But that too was a misleading result as the Thunderbirds led the entire way and were up by as much as 17. 

This is SUU’s third game in four days, but they had Sunday off and have not logged the extra minutes EKU has. Furthermore, Southern Utah easily won its first CBI game, 72-50 over North Alabama, an ASun rival of EKU. 

Southern Utah (16th in adjusted tempo) plays even faster than Eastern Kentucky (44th). A fast paced game is not ideal for the Colonels right now, given they’ve played 90 minutes of hard fought basketball the last two days. Lay the short number. 10* 

Milwaukee was a surprise team in the Horizon League this season, finishing second behind Youngstown State. But the Panthers’ run towards the NCAA Tournament ended with a semifinal loss in the conference tournament, 93-80 to Cleveland State. They got the invite to the CBI, however, and made the most of it by defeating Stetson in OT yesterday, 87-83 as a 1.5-point dog.

You may think Charlotte has a bit of an edge because their first round CBI game was on Saturday. The 49ers did defeat Western Carolina 65-56 as six-point favorites. But they had to come back from a 31-20 halftime deficit to do so. WCU shot 3 of 20 from three-point range and was just 3 of 7 from the free throw line.

I don’t think we’ll see those kinds of numbers tonight from Milwaukee, who averages eight made threes per game and shoots nearly 74% from the FT line. 

Important to note that Charlotte came into the CBI on a three-game losing streak. They are just 2-5 ATS their last seven games following an ATS win. 

Even with the rest advantage, I don’t see how the 49ers are this big of a favorite. It will be interesting to see what pace this game is played at because Milwaukee is 12th in the country in adjusted tempo while Charlotts is 362nd (second slowest). The Panthers are 7-2 ATS following a game where they allowed 80 or more points. 10* 

Miami was only a 2.5-point favorite against Drake in the first round. Like all of the other 5-seeds, the Hurricanes were able to avoid the upset, but in their case it was not easy. The ‘Canes trailed Drake by eight points with under five minutes to go, only to close with a 16-1 run. 

It was a real shock that Miami could win a game where it shot 11 of 38 on two-point attempts. I say that because this is a team that typically relies on its offense. The Hurricanes are just 114th in the country in defensive efficiency, the lowest ranking among remaining tourney teams save for Fairleigh Dickinson. 

Indiana will not let “The U” off the hook the same way Drake did. The Hoosiers had far less problems in Round 1 as they beat a very good Kent State team 71-60 as 4.5-point favorites. IU held Kent to just 32% from the field. 

Jackson-Davis should have a big game here for the Hoosiers against a Miami team that I already mentioned is suspect defensively. The ‘Canes don’t really have the size to match up.

IU can also shoot the three. Defensively, they are built to stop Miami’s backcourt. 10* 

This number seems crazy to me. I’ve got Tennessee rated as the better team, so there’s no way they should be getting three (or more) points here even though Duke looked awfully impressive in its first round blowout over Oral Roberts.

Believe it or not, Shot Quality numbers suggest Duke was not nearly as dominant as the final score showed against Oral Roberts. That surprised me a bit as the Blue Devils were never threatened in the 74-51 win. But Oral Roberts missed a TON of open shots in that game.

Tennessee only won by three against Louisiana in their first round game. But they led by as many as 18 points and only shot 25% from three. I think the Vols are better than how they looked Thursday.

No Zeigler remains a big deal for UT but this team can play defense. They are #2 in the country in defensive efficiency (per KenPom), holding teams to 37.0% overall shooting and 26% from three.

The ACC was really down this year and I think we’re at the peak of the market right now with Duke, who won their conference tournament and is drastically overvalued as a result. I think the wrong team is favored in this 4 vs. 5 matchup. Take the points. 10*