4 Unit Play. Take #885 Florida State over Missouri (9:50p.m., Friday March 16 TBS) Missouri is in flux now with the return of Michael Porter Jr and the absence of Jordan Barnett. Porter did not play well in his first game back and I do not believe we will see much better in this game. Florida State has their own issues of laying an egg in the ACC Tournament but they match-up well with Missouri. The Seminoles are 4-0 ATS in their last 4 games against SEC teams. Missouri is 0-4 ATS in their last 4 NCAA Tournament games.

4 Unit Play. Take #892 Clemson over New Mexico State (9:55p.m., Friday March 16 TruTV) Clemson has not been the same without Donte Grantham but they should have enough to beat a team from the WAC. Clemson had a very good year especially early in the season and for the most part they beat the teams that they should beat. New Mexico State has not done much with their NCAA Tournament appearances going 1-4 ATS in their last five NCAA games. Clemson is 4-1 ATS in their last 5 neutral sites games.

The Nets had Thursday off while the Sixers will be on a back-to-back here. We watched their game on Thursday and they used a lot of energy in a rally to win but not cover the line. They looked pretty lethargic most of the game but had to give everything they could to salvage the game late in the fourth. We think revenge is an overrated handicapping factor for NBA but it does come into play when the teams recently met and Philly blew the Nets out on Sunday in Brooklyn. We think that can and will play much better here with Philly on no rest. The Nets are a Top 6 ATS team this season and they are getting too many points tonight.

10 Unit Play. Take #880 Nevada over Texas (4:30p.m., Friday March 16 TBS) NCAA TOURNAMENT GAME OF THE YEAR Just do not believe that Texas is set up to make a run in the NCAA Tournament. They have great size, but they do not shoot it well at all from the three-point line. Nevada has a very experienced team with great guards. They laid an egg in the semi-finals of the MWC Tournament, but they have not had much success against San Diego State. They are thin with players, so the extra rest likely did them good for this game. Nevada has been ranked for most of the season and getting away from MWC teams should do them good for this game. Texas will have a major edge in size, but I do not believe that they will be able to exploit that enough for 40 minutes to win this game. Texas is 0-8 ATS in their last 8 NCAA Tournament games. Texas is also 0-4 ATS in their last 4 games against MWC teams. Nevada is 17-3 ATS (1 push) in their last 21 games following a loss in their previous game.

4 Unit Play. Take #889 Marshall over Wichita State (1:30p.m., Friday March 16 TNT) Marshall is a very streaky team but they do one thing well: shoot free throws. The Thundering Herd might get down big in this game but sooner or later they will get hot from the three-point line and make a run. Wichita State just does not have the top talent that they have had in years past and thus this is a lot of points for them to be laying. Marshall is 6-1 ATS in their last 7 neutral site games. Wichita State is 7-20 ATS (1 push) in their last 28 neutral site games.

4 Unit Play. Take #734 Over in Montana vs Michigan (9:50p.m., Thursday March 15 TBS) This spread sets up for some fouling at the end with Montana likely trying to play catch-up late in the second half. Michigan was called for a lot of fouls during the Big 10 Tournament something they seldom do. Montana has gone over the posted total in 5 of their last 7 games. Michigan has gone over the posted total in 5 of their last 7 games (2 pushes).

Once again the Cavs are overrated by the oddsmakers because we had this game handicapped at 6.5 and we would lean to the Blazers at that number as well. Cleveland is 17-17 on the road this season while Portland, with one of the best home-court advantages in the NBA, is 23-11 here on their home court. They have won 10 straight and 12 of their last 13 and they are playing as well as anyone in the NBA right now. Yet they continue to get underestimated by the bookies. They have covered in 11 of their last 13 games. They will be hyped for this opponent and they should bring their A Game while the Cavs keep trying to figure things out and it doesn’t work more often than it does lately.

4 Unit Play. Take #722 Virginia Tech over Alabama (9:20p.m., Thursday March 15 TNT) Alabama has have the best prospect on the floor but Virginia Tech has the better team. The Crimson Tide got two wins in the SEC Tournament to make the NCAA Tournament but neither one of them impressed me. Texas A&M had them beat and Auburn is a sinking ship now. Virginia Tech has a bad taste in their month after losing a 20+ lead to Notre Dame last time out. If they get ahead of Alabama I do not see a comeback as the Tide do not have the shooters that the Irish do. Virginia Tech is 5-1 ATS in their last 6 nonconference games.

We had the Spurs the other night getting big points against the Rockets. This team just looked awful. They made a run at the end of the game when the scrubs were in, but in reality the game wasn’t even as close as the final score would indicate, and it showed a blowout on the scoreboard. The Spurs got a blowout win over Orlando their next game out, but they face a bigger step up in competition here. These teams have a similar record but the Pelicans are the much better team right now and we think they could win this one straight out. Even great coaching can’t rally the Spurs right now and if the season ended today this team would miss the playoffs!

10 Unit Play. Take #731 San Diego State over Houston (7:20p.m., Thursday March 15 TBS) I truly believe that the wrong team is favored in this game. San Diego State has been outstanding of late having won 9 straight games. They were never in danger of losing anyone of those 9 games in the final minute. Houston had Cincinnati on the ropes Sunday before a complete scoring collapse in the second half. I do not see them recovering in time for this game. Houston is 1-4 ATS in their last 5 nonconference games. The Aztecs have been in win or go home for their last 4 games and they keep it going on Thursday. The money line is very inviting proposition for this game, but we will just stick with the point spread.

The Knicks are just in a freefall right now. This team has been getting some very generous lines yet they have covered just one of their last 12 games at home. They have lost three of the last four games by double digits, and it seems that is the way this one will go as well. The Sixers have been a bit inconsistent lately but they have played well in the games they are supposed to win, and this one definitely falls into that category. The Sixers have covered in six straight meetings between these teams, and this one is probably one of the bigger mismatches of the night on the NBA schedule.

4 Unit Play. Take #747 South Dakota State over Ohio State (4p.m., Thursday March 15 TNT) Just do not believe Ohio State is that good. They overachieved, and their coach deserves most of that credit, but they just are not one of the top teams in the country. South Dakota State is used to being in the NCAA Tournament and this is one of their better squads having won the regular season title in addition of the conference tournament. Ohio State did not play as well down the stretch having won just 2 of their last 5 games. The Buckeyes are 0-6 ATS in their last 6 NCAA Tournament games. The Jackrabbits are 8-3 ATS in their last 11 neutral site games. 67% of the early money is coming in on the underdog and we concur with that 100%.

4 Unit Play. Take #724 Under in Oklahoma vs Rhode Island (12:15p.m., Thursday March 15 CBS) Oklahoma has been an over team of late and Rhode Island has been an under team. The Rams have gone under the posted total in 5 of their last 6 games. Whatever Oklahoma has been doing of late is not working so expect them to try something else in this game (like play defense). Rhode Island should be able to control the tempo of this game and keep the scoring in the low seventies.

The Warriors have been a tricky team to bet on this year. The year they set the NBA record for regular-season wins they seemed to cover just about any line the bookies threw at them. If we could travel back in time this line would probably be 13 points or so. But this season the Warriors are saving themselves for the postseason. They have taken the Cavs philosophy of not really caring much about the wins and losses. However, when this team is motivated they are a good bet. And we feel that is the case tonight. They have lost two straight games. This team does not like losing streaks. We expect to see the championship-level Warriors tonight. They have had two nights off and they will be primed for an excellent performance here.

Miami started off their road trip with a blowout loss at Portland but this is their perfect chance to get back on track here in Sacramento. Miami always played well here in Sac Town and they have covered in 10 of the last 13 meetings. Since these teams don’t play often, that trend stretches back for years. Even with Wade and Whiteside out for this game the Heat are the much better team, and they have all the motivation here as they are currently in the heat (pun intended) of the playoff race while the Kings are tanking and they give a lazy effort more often than they give a strong one. This one is an easy call tonight.

4 Unit Play. Take #625 Washington over Boise State (10p.m., Wednesday March 14 ESPN 3) Washington gets to host this game despite being the higher seed. Boise State has NCAA Tournament talent, but they underachieved during MWC play and now find themselves disappointed since they are in the NIT. The Broncos are 7-18 ATS (1 push) in their last 26 games against teams with a winning record.

4 Unit Play. Take #612 Syracuse over Arizona State (9:10p.m., Wednesday March 14 TruTV) We went against UCLA last night and will go against Arizona State tonight. The Sun Devils have not been the same team since PAC-12 Conference play started. The Orange won two of their last three games and their zone is hard to figure out if teams have not seen much of it before. Syracuse is 4-1 ATS in their last 5 NCAA tournament games. Arizona State is 10-26 ATS in their last 36 neutral site games.

The Celtics have not been playing up to their potential lately anyways, but they will be very shorthanded tonight with Kyrie Irving out and Al Horford likely to miss the game as well. The Wizards are coming off two straight losses and we think they will give it their all in this game where they have a chance to notch a win against a hobbled Boston squad. About a month ago the Wizards lost a hard-fought game against Boston at home in overtime. We think “revenge” is an overrated handicapping factor for NBA basketball, but we are pretty sure the Wizards have had this game circled since that loss and that they are in a good position to win this one and cover the spread.

4 Unit Play. Take #646 Canisius over Jacksonville State (7p.m., Wednesday March 14) The Golden Griffins are a tough out at home, a place where they went 11-2 this season. Canisius went 15-3 during MAAC play and they should make some noise in this CBI tournament. Canisius is 12-3 ATS (1 push) in their last 16 home games.

4 Unit Play. Take #559 SE Louisiana over Saint Mary’s (10p.m., Tuesday March 13 ESPN U)

All three of these selections fall into the same category. We are fading the No. 1 seed that is pissed they did not make it into the NCAA Tournament field. Some of these coaches are upset and some tried to put on a good face about being snubbed. But the players feel it as well and expect them just to go through the motions. I would not be surprised if one of these No. 1 seeds lost straight up.

4 Unit Play. Take #545 St Bona over UCLA (9:10p.m., Tuesday March 13 Tru TV) We will gladly take the points in this evenly matched game. The Bonnies had an outstanding season and enter this game with just one loss in their last in their last 14 games. UCLA just went through the motions for most of this season and were not that consistent outside of Aaron Holiday. They had a bunch of road losses and St Bona will win this game straight-up. UCLA is 4-9 ATS in their last 13 nonconference games. St Bona is 5-2 ATS in their last 7 games against teams with a winning record.

4 Unit Play. Take #557 Hampton over Notre Dame (9p.m., Tuesday March 13 ESPN)

The Clippers are one of the best bets in the NBA. Confidence has been down all year since Chris Paul left in the offseason and then it went down even further when they traded away Blake Griffin. But this team still has some nice talent and this season they play like a team. And it seems like Coach Doc Rivers has been reinvigorated with the coaching challenge he has been presented with. We like them laying what we think is too short of a line against the tanking Bulls, who have notched a few wins lately but those have come against the dregs of the NBA. They face a big step up in class tonight.

The Pelicans have lost two straight in blowout fashion, but that has created value here as they face a big step down in competition as those two losses were to the Wizards and Jazz. And this team has still covered in seven of their last 10 games despite those less-than-favorable performances in their last two. We think they are in a good position to get back on the winning track Here. Charlotte has lost five of their last six but won last time out. But they only beat Phoenix by seven at home and they were favored by 13. We think this line is way too short. The Pelicans have also covered in 11 of the last 13 meetings here at home, and we see that trend staying solid here on Tuesday night in the Big Easy.

4 Unit Play. Take #552 Middle Tennessee State over Vermont (8p.m., Tuesday March 13 ESPN U) The Blue Raiders had a great success and they will take out their frustrations of not making the NCAA Tournament on the Catamounts. Conference USA is a tougher league then the American East and often mid-majors are motivated to make it to New York City for the final four. Vermont is 7-15 ATS in their last 22 nonconference games. MTSU is 20-8 ATS in their last 28 home games.

Best of Luck – Doc’s Sports

We think there is some nice value here as we had this game handicapped at PK so getting the Wolves as an underdog here is a really good bet. The Wolves had been in a funk with three straight losses in really tough matchups, but they seemingly got their mojo back last time out with a big home win against the Warriors. The Wizards have played a home-heavy schedule yet they are 2-4 in their last six games. The loss of John Wall is really starting to be felt on this team in the stretch drive to the playoffs. We expect a close game here but it’s a coin flip as to who wins so we feel like we are in a good position getting this many points.

4 Unit Play. Take #549 Wagner over Baylor (7p.m., Tuesday March 13 ESPN 2) 

It’s not often that you get double digit points with the Spurs, but we will take that, and then some, tonight. The Spurs haven’t been playing good basketball. They have lost 10 of their last 13. Aldridge is out tonight. But this team still has a lot of talent, and they have the best coach in the game. And they are a very proud group. And they are suddenly in danger of missing the playoffs for the first time in a couple decades. We don’t think there is any doubt that the Spurs will play hard tonight against their in-state rival. And Leonard is set to return this week and that will give the Spurs an extra boost kind of the way the Pistons started to play with more confidence right after the Blake Griffin trade before he even joined the team. The Rockets are on a back-to-back here. This is their third game in four nights while the Spurs had the night off Sunday. James Harden is banged up. There’s also probably a natural regression since their winning streak ended and we think that they played really hard during the long winning streak and it’s normal to stop playing with such intensity once something like that ends. The Spurs played the Warriors and the Thunder pretty tough on this road trip and we think that they will come to play tonight and play a prideful game even though a straight up win might be a tough accomplishment.

This is the last game of a four-game road trip for the Sixers and they have lost two of three and this road trip will be considered a disaster if they don’t win this one to split the trip 2-2, especially since they have been favored in all but one game and were only one-point dogs in Miami last time out. They gave a pretty poor effort in that Miami game and we think they will put their A Game on the floor tonight against a very beatable opponent. This is the first game back home after a long road trip for the Nets and that can normally be a soft spot for the home team. Brooklyn is a very good ATS team but this team normally does its best work when getting massive points but we don’t think Philly will have any problem covering this small line in a game where we expect them to be very motivated while this is just another game for the Nets in the long dog days of the NBA season.

Four out of the last six meetings in this series have gone under the posted total. We feel like this number is too high as well. Golden State has been playing pretty great defense and allowing some low point totals despite the fast pace that they play at, but last time out that wasn’t the case as the defense was a sieve in the loss to Portland. We think that they will rededicate themselves on the defensive end tonight. Golden State is banged up and Curry will miss this game. They have a couple other role players questionable, and we don’t think their offense will flow too smoothly today. We had this total handicapped around 216 so we think there is nice value here.

4 Unit Play. Take #828 Over in Houston vs Cincinnati (3:30p.m., Sunday March 11 CBS) The Cougars have been scoring some points of late going over the posted total in 5 of their last 6 games. The Bearcats have gone over the posted total in 4 of their last 5 games played on Sunday. These games tend to be played out to the end so expect some fouling to occur and propel the scoring into the 130s.

Best of Luck – Doc’s Sports

Three straight meetings and five of six have gone under the posted number. We have several reasons we think this one might go well under the total. Toronto has been playing amazing defense and they will likely hold the Knicks to a low point total here. There is a good chance the Raptors are lethargic here on offense as this game comes after their big win over the Rockets and this is the first game of their current road trip so they could be in a letdown spot. We don’t see the Knicks doing much of anything offensively and we think both teams could struggle to get buckets today.

4 Unit Play. Take #823 Kentucky over Tennessee (1p.m., Sunday March 11 ESPN) We have used the Wildcats the last two days and cruised to easy victories. Expect more of the same on Sunday as the SEC Championship is on the line. Tennessee has looked equally impressive, but they do not have a long history of winning SEC Tournament Championships. Kentucky is 6-1 ATS in their last 7 games.

4 Unit Play. Take #822 Rhode Island over Davidson (1p.m., Sunday March 11 CBS) The Rams have been the best team in the league all season long and expect them to validate that with a tournament championship on Sunday. Davidson is 4-11 ATS in their last 15 games played on Sunday. Rhode Island is 7-2 ATS in their last 9 neutral site games. Just have a feeling Rhode Island will play their best game of the tournament Sunday.

We think this is way too many points for the Clippers to be laying against a Magic team that has been sneaky good lately. Orlando is 8-2 ATS when getting double digit points this season. Orlando is 6-2-1 ATS in the last nine meetings at Staples Center and we think they will keep this game close tonight.  Yes, the Magic come in on a back-to-back, but this team is young and they should have no problem with heavy legs. The Clippers are on a back-to-back as well, but they played a huge game against the Cavs last night and they got the win. Now they head on the road after this game and they have a big matchup against Houston coming up and we see this as a big letdown spot.

4 Unit Play. Take #544 Arizona over USC (10p.m., Saturday March 10 FS1) I said yesterday that Oregon is not a good match-up for USC and I feel the same way tonight. USC does not match-up well with Arizona and expect them use their use to win this game. USC will miss Bennie Boatwright for this game. The favorite is 8-3 ATS in the last 11 meetings between USC and Arizona. The Wildcats are 9-3 ATS in their last 12 games against the Trojans.

4 Unit Play. Take #558 New Mexico State over Grand Canyon (10p.m., Saturday March 10 ESPN U)

Best of Luck – Doc’s Sports

Washington is on a tough back-to-back here and we think that this game has a good chance to be a blowout. While the Heat were off last night the Wizards expended a lot of energy in a big road win at New Orleans. We don’t think they will have much left in the tank against a tenacious Heat squad. Miami is 5-2-1 ATS in the last eight meetings. We think this is a great spot for the home team and we would not be surprised by a double-digit win.

4 Unit Play. Take #538 Buffalo over Toledo (7p.m., Saturday March 10 ESPN 2) The Bulls are far and away the best team in the MAC and expect them to take care of business tonight in Cleveland. Buffalo won the only meetings against Toledo by double digits. The Rockets are 1-4 ATS in their last 5 games against teams with a winning record.

10 Unit Play. Take #531 West Virginia over Kansas (6p.m., Saturday March 10 ESPN) CONFERENCE TOURNAMENT GAME OF THE YEAR. Revenge will be served on the court tonight in Kansas City. The Jayhawks have had a cakewalk to the finals, but this is the game that they will miss having Udoka Azubuike. West Virginia should be 2-0 against Kansas this year but lost both games at the end despite controlling them. Throw in the fact that they got jobbed in the last meeting with a 35-2 free throw disparity and the Mountaineers have had this game circled since 2/17. This is game West Virginia wants and they will win it by 8-10 points. This is not a typical Kansas team this season, as they have lost a ton of home games and have very little size in the paint. West Virginia is 4-1 ATS in their last 5 games against teams with a winning record.

4 Unit Play. Take #518 Wichita State over Houston (3:30p.m., Saturday March 10 CBS)

4 Unit Play. Take #524 Kentucky over Alabama (1p.m., Saturday March 10 ESPN) Kentucky flexed their muscles yesterday against Georgia and I see a similar game today in St Louis. Alabama likely has done enough to reach the NCAA Tournament, and this is not a must win game for them. The favorite is 5-1 ATS in the last 6 meetings between Alabama and Kentucky. Kentucky is 5-1 ATS in their last 6 games overall.

4 Unit Play. Take #884 Santa Barbara (pk) over UC Irvine (11:59p.m., Friday March 9)

Best of Luck – Doc’s Sports

4 Unit Play. Take #880 USC -2.5 over Oregon (11:30p.m., Friday March 9 FS1) This is just not a good match-up for the Ducks. USC beat them twice this season in close games. This should be another close game but expect USC to pull away late and win this game by 5-7 points. The Trojans played well down the stretch winning 5 of their last 6 games. Oregon is 0-4 ATS (1 push) in their last 5 neutral site games. USC is 20-8 ATS in their last 28 games against teams with a winning record.

4 Unit Play. Take #686 Duke -4 over North Carolina (9:30p.m., Friday March 9 ESPN) The victory Carolina got over Duke they made three pointers. They have not been doing that of late and thus they will struggle against the zone of Duke. The Blue Devils pounded a good Notre Dame team yesterday and I see them pulling away late to win this game by double digits. The favorite is 4-1 ATS (1 push) in the last 6 meetings between North Carolina and Duke.

4 Unit Play. Take #874 Under 152.5 in San Diego State vs Nevada (9p.m., Friday March 9 CBSSN) The under has collected in 5 of the last 7 meetings between San Diego State and Nevada (1 push). Nevada did not shoot well at all yesterday and now face a much better defensive team in San Diego State on Friday. San Diego State has gone under the posted total in 5 of their last 6 games (1 push).

4 Unit Play. Take #873 San Diego State +2.5 over Nevada (9p.m., Friday March 9 CBSSN)

The Bucks have really struggled lately but this team has faced an extremely tough schedule. We think this is a “get right” game for them against the floundering Knicks. New York is another tanking team, and we think they will be very uninterested tonight while the Bucks will be desperate for a big win. The Bucks have won three straight meetings in this series, and they covered in two of them, and we don’t see any way this isn’t a double digit winner tonight as we see the Bucks being very focused and they have the huge edge in talent on the court tonight.

Both teams are playing some incredible basketball right now and this is the marquee matchup for Friday. The Rockets, however, will be playing their third game in four nights, all on the road, and we think this is a good spot for their winning streak to end tonight. The Raptors blew out Houston, in Texas no less, in the last meeting, and we don’t think that they will be intimidated. They will bring their A Game for sure, and they have had a much more favorable schedule even though this will be their third in four as well, but that is much easier at home than on the road. Toronto is 8-2 in the last 10 meetings at home in this series and we think that trend will continue tonight.

Both teams are playing some incredible basketball right now and this is the marquee matchup for Friday. The Rockets, however, will be playing their third game in four nights, all on the road, and we think this is a good spot for their winning streak to end tonight. The Raptors blew out Houston, in Texas no less, in the last meeting, and we don’t think that they will be intimidated. They will bring their A Game for sure, and they have had a much more favorable schedule even though this will be their third in four as well, but that is much easier at home than on the road. Toronto is 8-2 in the last 10 meetings at home in this series and we think that trend will continue tonight. We also think that this game will have a playoff-like atmosphere and that the defenses will keep the score down and below this massive total.

It’s seemingly now or never for the Pistons to get their act together and start playing better. We got an indication that might be happening as they took the Raptors to overtime in a loss last time out. That was a heartbreaking loss, but we get the feeling that this is a game the Pistons will dominate. The Bulls are a tanking team and they have failed to cover the line more often than not and normally face very favorable lines, unlike the Pistons, who have probably been overrated by the oddsmakers lately. But we think this is a game where they will shine as they are the much more talented team and they have the motivational edge tonight here at home.

4 Unit Play. Take #842 Georgia State -4 over Troy (6p.m., Friday March 9 ESPN 3) The Trojans are not good enough to beat the Panthers three times in one season. Georgia State finished 12-6 in league play, three full games better than Troy finished. The Trojans are 3-8 ATS in their last 11 games following a victory in their previous game.

4 Unit Play. #848 Take Kentucky -4.5 over Georgia (3:30p.m., Friday March 9 ESPN) Georgia’s run will end today against Kentucky. The Wildcats have had a disappointing season but they still have talent and I do not see them going down in their first game of the SEC Tournament. Kentucky has covered the spread in 4 of their last 5 games. Georgia is 2-5 ATS in their last 7 games following a victory in their previous game.  

4 Unit Play. Take #740 Over 141 in Cal Poly vs Santa Barbara (11:30p.m., Thursday March 8)

4 Unit Play. Take #764 Seattle -3.5 over Texas Rio Grande (11:30p.m., Thursday March 8 ESPN 3) The Redhawks are going for the season sweep of the Vaqueros. TRGV has not been playing well down the stretch covering the spread just 1 time in their last 6 games. Seattle is the higher seed and expect them to take care of business on Friday night and advance to the semi-finals on Friday.

Best of Luck – Doc’s Sports

4 Unit Play. Take #700 Seton Hall +1 over Butler (9:30p.m., Thursday March 8 FS1) Seton Hall is always a tough out at the Garden and tonight should be no different. The Pirates have righted the ship down the stretch winning three of their last four games. They also won at Butler this year and they could make some noise in the conference tournament. The Pirates are 5-2 ATS (1 push) in their last 8 neutral site games.

4 Unit Play. Take #667 North Carolina -5.5 over Miami (9:30p.m., Thursday March 8 ESPN) The Tar Heels will have revenge on their minds after losing to Miami at the buzzer last week. Carolina flexed their muscles last night against Syracuse and expect them to win this game by 9-11 points. I do not believe Miami is as good as their record indicates and thus expect them to struggle against the elite teams in the league. Miami is 3-7 ATS in their last 10 neutral site games.

We like the Timberwolves here as a home dog. This team is 6-2 ATS as a small underdog this season and we think this is a good spot for them tom score the straight up win. Minnesota lost Jimmy Butler recently and they have had a tough schedule and some mediocre results and oddsmaker confidence is down with this team right now, and that has created betting value in this matchup. We had this game as a PK and we think it will be a close game, so we have to grab the points. Minnesota has a talented team and we have no doubt they will be amped for this game tonight.

It’s hard to take a flier here on a bad team like the Suns, but this is more of a play against the Thunder than for Phoenix. The Thunder are one of those teams that seems to sink to their level of competition. This team is 8-20 ATS when laying six or more points this season. This is one of the worst ATS teams in the NBA and they are always overrated by the oddsmakers. These teams played about a week ago and the Suns held tough at home and led for most of the game but they fell apart late in the fourth and barely missed the cover. But they are familiar with this Thunder squad now with such a recent meeting and we think they will play well here against a big number. The Suns also had two nights off heading into this matchup, and this game is sandwiched between matchups against the Rockets and Spurs for the Thunder, so this is a prime letdown spot. We think that this will be a high-scoring game overall

It’s hard to take a flier here on a bad team like the Suns, but this is more of a play against the Thunder than for Phoenix. The Thunder are one of those teams that seems to sink to their level of competition. This team is 8-20 ATS when laying six or more points this season. This is one of the worst ATS teams in the NBA and they are always overrated by the oddsmakers. These teams played about a week ago and the Suns held tough at home and led for most of the game but they fell apart late in the fourth and barely missed the cover. But they are familiar with this Thunder squad now with such a recent meeting and we think they will play well here against a big number. The Suns also had two nights off heading into this matchup, and this game is sandwiched between matchups against the Rockets and Spurs for the Thunder, so this is a prime letdown spot.

No bet against Duquesne is a bad bet. The Duke finished the season losing 9 of their last 11 games. Richmond had a terrible nonconference portion of the season but did show some life in Atlantic 10 play to finish with a respectable 9-9 record. They had a long losing streak of their own but did stabilize things winning their last two games. This is a young Spider team and they have a brighter future ahead and expect them to win this game and advance to the quarterfinals. Richmond won the first meeting by 4 points in Pittsburgh. The favorite is 9-2 ATS in the last 11 meetings. Richmond is 17-4 ATS in their last 21 games against Duquesne.

10 Unit Play. Take #682 Richmond over Duquesne (6p.m., Thursday March 8 NBCSN) No bet against Duquesne is a bad bet. The Duke finished the season losing 9 of their last 11 games. Richmond had a terrible nonconference portion of the season but did show some life in Atlantic 10 play to finish with a respectable 9-9 record. They had a long losing streak of their own but did stabilize things winning their last two games. This is a young Spider team and they have a brighter future ahead and expect them to win this game and advance to the quarterfinals. Richmond won the first meeting by 4 points in Pittsburgh. The favorite is 9-2 ATS in the last 11 meetings. Richmond is 17-4 ATS in their last 21 games against Duquesne.

4 Unit Play. Take #728 UCLA -3.5 over Stanford (5:30p.m., Thursday March 8 PAC-12 Network) Stanford had an easy game to advance to the quarterfinals but that is as far as they will get. This game means more to UCLA since they still have a chance to make the NCAA Tournament. Stanford likely gets into the NIT but would have to win three more games to make the big dance. UCLA is 7-3 ATS in their last 10 games against teams with a winning record. UCLA is 11-4 ATS in their last 15 games against Stanford.

4 Unit Play. Take #735 Long Beach State +2.5 over Cal State Fullerton (5:30p.m. Thursday March 8)

4 Unit Play. Take #704 Kansas -4.5 over Oklahoma State (3p.m., Thursday March 8 ESPN 2) Kansas is without Udoka Azubuike but I just cannot see Oklahoma State beating them for a third time this season. This game is being played in Kansas City giving the Jayhawks a big edge in the home crowd. The Cowboys are 4-9 ATS in their last 13 games following a victory in their previous game.

7 Unit Play. Take #718 Nevada -5.5 over UNLV (3p.m., Thursday March 8 CBSSN) TOP COLLEGE HOOPS PLAY OF THE DAY. Just do not see a way UNLV does not get run over. It will not be the quite as bad as the game last Wednesday but it will still be a double digit victory. Despite this game being played on their home floor, UNLV has had no success in this tournament in recent years and they were take to overtime by Air Force yesterday. Nevada has a bad taste in their mouth after losing to San Diego State last time out and they need to make a statement in this game to assure they receive to 6/7 seed in the NCAA Tournament last week. UNLV did beat them in Reno this season but Nevada was without their leading scorer in that game. UNLV is 12-37 ATS (3 pushes) in their last 52 conference games. The favorite has covered 4 of the last 5 games in this match-up.

4 Unit Play. Take #702 Kansas State +2.5 over TCU (12:30p.m., Thursday March 8 ESPN 2)

We love to fade the Cavs, the worst ATS team in the NBA this season. They are a very public team so the bookies don’t have to adjust their lines on this team. This line should be closer to 6 or 6.5. Denver just beat the Cavs by nine in Cleveland a few days ago. Normally that would be a revenge spot but the Cavs have bigger problems than obsessing over revenge against an out-of-conference opponent. If the Cavs were out for revenge they would have a lot of enemies this year because they have lost way more games than expected. We love the way the Nuggets are playing right now and they are rightfully playing like their playoff lives depend on every win. We see them bringing their A Game tonight.

We have been big on the Raptors lately with much success, but we think that this is a bad spot for them on Wednesday. They are coming in on a back-to-back on the road against a desperate team that has revenge on their minds because of an embarrassing beatdown in Toronto late last month. The Raptors will be playing their third game in four nights and they will likely be running on fumes here in what would likely be a close game even without the fatigue factor for the visitors. Not sure what’s up with the Pistons, who should be playing better than they have been, but we think this is a good spot for them to challenge for the straight up win.

Indiana has the better record here in this matchup, but now that Utah is healthy and playing well we think they are the much stronger team. And we feel this is a very favorable line for them tonight as we had them laying 3.5 here. We think that they should win this one pretty comfortably. The Jazz had trouble winning on the road early in the season, but they have solved those problems with eight straight road wins, and they will want to get off to a strong start for this three-game trip and we think this is a very winnable game for them.

10 Unit Play. Take #625 Oklahoma over Oklahoma State (7p.m., Wednesday March 7 ESPN U) This may be a winner take all game with the team that emerges victorious making the NCAA Tournament and the loser in serious bubble trouble. It is hard to have any faith in Oklahoma, but this handicapper does. The Sooners won 2 of their last 3 and had good success against the Cowboys beating them by 20 and losing a hard fought 2-point game. They still have the best player on the floor and Lon Kruger is too good a coach not to have his team ready for this all-important game. Oklahoma is 11-3 ATS in their last 14 meetings against Oklahoma State. The Cowboys are also 3-9 ATS in their last 12 games following a victory in their previous game.

4 Unit Play. Take #576 Florida State -2 over Louisville (12p.m., Wednesday March 7 ESPN) Just do not believe Louisville has much left in the tank after an emotional season and emotional week. They had Virginia dead to right last week yet blew that game and likely their chances to make the NCAA Tournament. Throw in the fact that the committee does not want them in and expect them to come out flat in this game. One can never trust Florida State, but they have talent and should be able to beat Louisville for the second time in three tries this season. Louisville is 0-4 ATS in their last 4 neutral site games.

The Warriors seem content to finish in second place in the west. They learned during their record-setting regular season a couple years ago that expending too much energy during the regular season will hurt you in the postseason. So this team hasn’t hit it’s extra gear in awhile. The Warriors are 10-14 ATS when laying more than 14 points this season and they are 1-5 ATS in their last six against Eastern Conference teams, who they have seemed particularly bored against lately. The Nets are 11-5 ATS at home against teams with a winning record and we were impressed with their effort Sunday at the Clippers. We think they play hard again here, and they have covered the last two meetings between these clubs.

The Pelicans eight-game winning streak comes to an end tonight. Their winning streak came against mostly bad teams, even though they had a couple big wins during that span. But they face a real tough test tonight and we think the Clippers are in a good spot to take this game. LA has covered in six of their last eight games. The bookies keep underestimating this team. They don’t have any big stars since Blake Griffin and Chris Paul left the squad. But they are playing better team basketball now then they ever did with those two stars, and Doc Rivers is doing some of the best coaching work of his career this year. The Clippers are 6-2 ATS in the last eight meetings between these teams in Los Angeles, and they already scored a nine-point win in New Orleans the last time these teams met.

4 Unit Play. Take #528 Over in BYU vs Gonzaga (9p.m., Tuesday March 6 ESPN) This is a must win game for BYU and expect them to play it out for an entire 40 minutes which means they will continue to foul down the stretch if they are behind. Gonzaga has gone over the posted total in their last 5 neutral site games. BYU has gone over the posted total in 7 of their last 8 games.

Best of Luck – Doc’s Sports

5 Unit Play. Take #526 Charleston over Northeastern (7p.m., Tuesday March 6 CBSSN) The Cougars have a huge edge in location as this game is being played in North Charleston. They have already beaten the Huskies twice this season and will make it three in a row come Tuesday night. Charleston is 5-1 ATS in the last 6 meetings against Northeastern.

Portland has a very strong history betting-wise here in LA as they are 22-8 ATS in the last 30 meetings here, and they always seemed to play well here even when the Lakers were good. We think this line is way too short tonight. The Blazers are playing extremely well and have won seven of their last nine. The Lakers have won five straight, but only one of those wins, last time out at San Antonio, was against a legit team, and the Spurs have a lot of problems right now. A win against Miami was less impressive and they also beat Atlanta, Sacramento and Dallas, three of the worst teams in the NBA this season. They will be in tough tonight. The Blazers have to keep winning as they are one of many teams bunched up behind the Warriors and Rockets in the West, and we think they bring their A Game once again tonight.

4 Unit Play. Take #732 Over in San Francisco vs Gonzaga (9p.m., Monday March 5 ESPN) Look for some point s to be scored in this game as these two teams have gone over the posted total in 7 of their last 9 games. San Francisco has also played over the posted total in 7 of their last 9 games against teams with a winning record. Gonzaga has gone over the posted total in 4 straight games played on neutral sites.

The Celtics have been playing better of late and had the Rockets on the ropes in Houston before losing late and we think this will be a blowout here in Chicago on Monday. The Celtics have covered in five of the last six meetings and they won by 25 at home the last time these teams met in December. Boston has covered in four of their last five games overall so they are trending up in the betting markets. The Bulls, despite getting some very favorable lines from the bookies, have covered only two of their last eight and this team more often than not does not put in the effort on the court on a nightly basis.

The only teams the Cavs have beaten since the All-Star Break are Memphis and Brooklyn. They should not be favored by this many tonight and this is a very public line. Heck, the Pistons haven’t been playing well but they have even been playing a little better than Cleveland. Detroit won the last meeting when these teams played in January by double digits at home. We expect a close game here and you just have to go against the Cavs laying this many points with the way they have been playing lately.

The Wizards are trending to the under as their last four games have all gone under the posted total, and we see this one going in that direction as well here on Sunday. The Wizards have been struggling on the offensive end and they put up only 95 points last time out against the Raptors. But they have been playing pretty solid defense overall and we think they will be able to hold the Pacers to a low score here. Indiana has gone under in four of their last five. They are in a tough spot here on the final game of a four-game road trip and they might be lacking in effort here. Their offensive numbers have been pretty lousy on this road trip so far and we don’t see them breaking out for anything special in their last game of the road trip.

7 Unit Play. Take #838 Purdue over Michigan (4:30 p.m., Sunday March 4 CBS) Purdue will complete the season sweep of Michigan and win the Big 10 Conference Tournament Sunday night in New York City. Michigan has had to run a gauntlet just to reach the finals and playing an extra day and much better competition will catch up with them in this game. Purdue has had a cake walk to the finals and they are ready to come out strong early in this game. Purdue controls this game for 40 minutes and wins it by 6-8 points.

4 Unit Play. Take #618 Utah State over UNLV (9p.m., Saturday March 3 ESPN 3) The Rebels are a sinking ship now and after showing some signs early in the season they have fallen off a cliff of late. The Aggies have been bad as well but they are always a tough out at home and expect them to close out the regular season with a win. The Aggies already won in Las Vegas this season and the type of loss UNLV suffered on Wednesday will have a lasting effect into this game. UNLV is 5-21 ATS (4 pushes) in their last 30 road games.

The more we see Houston play and grow together as a team, the more we think they could be a serious threat to Golden State’s supremacy in the Western Conference. The Warriors seem to have lost a bit of their hunger while the Rockets are as hungry as ever. The more we see the Celtics play the more we think this is a good team but not a great one. Houston will want to showcase themselves on national TV here and we think that this one has a great chance to be a 10+-point win.

This is going to be a shootout and it would not surprise us if this total went past 240. Denver is playing some really great offensive basketball right now. They come in on a back-to-back after playing in Memphis last night and the Grizzlies played a defensive gem and the Nuggets still put up 108 on them. That was the first time that they have scored less than 114 in the last seven games. This team is just bombing offensively, and the Cavs are one of the worst defensive teams in the NBA. This one promises to be a shootout, and we see both teams getting up above 110 tonight. Three straight meetings have gone above the posted total, and we think this could be the highest-scoring game of the bunch.

10 Unit Play. Take #600 Utah over Colorado (7p.m., Saturday March 3 PAC12N) TOP COLLEGE HOOPS PLAY OF THE DAY. Utah still has life with regards to the NCAA Tournament but they need a double-digit victory today to close out the regular season. They Utes played their worst game of the season last time out and they have had a week to sit on that performance. The Buffaloes have not been playing well down the stretch losing three of their last four games and Utah has revenge on their minds. When Colorado loses they tend to lose big and expect that to be the case yet again on Saturday. Colorado is 18-38 ATS (1 push) in their last 57 road games. Utah is 38-13 ATS (2 pushes) in their last 53 road games against teams with a losing road record. 

4 Unit Play. Take #565 Kansas over Oklahoma State (4p.m., Saturday March 3 ESPN) The Jayhawks are playing some of their best basketball of the season and will enter this game in Stillwater having won 5 straight games. They last 4 teams are much better than what they will face today, as they Cowboys will not be going to the NCAA Tournament. Kansas is 10-4 ATS in their last 14 road games. Oklahoma State is 2-9 ATS in their last 11 games following a win in their previous game.

4 Unit Play. Take #558 Over in TCU @ Texas Tech (4p.m., Saturday March 3 ESPN 2) The Over has collected in 5 of the last 7 meetings between TCU and Texas Tech. TCU has gone over the posted total in 11 of their last 12 games played on Saturday. Texas Tech has gone over the posted total in 4 of their last 5 games.

We like the Thunder for a blowout here. We will keep the units reasonable here since the Thunder have struggled against bad teams this year. But they had a close call against the Mavs last time out and we expect them to be more focused here. The Suns broke their long losing streak last time out against Memphis and they are probably satisfied with that. They have not been playing any defense lately and we expect the Thunder to be able to pick their score on offense tonight and whatever they put up should be more than enough to cover this big number.

Toronto is for real this season and they seem very focused and determined right now. This is a real NBA Finals threat this season and they are peaking right now. Four of their last six games have been blowout wins, and they are in the Top 3 ATS rankings for the season. This team doesn’t have any mega names on the roster and they play north of the border, so this team does not face public lines as often as some of the more popular teams in the league and we had them as 7-point favorites for this matchup and we think they could win this one by close to double digits.

The Grizzlies seem hopeless right now. And by looking at their defensive numbers, this once-proud defensive team is not even trying lately. They have now given up 109 or more in six straight games. There is no focus here and no effort. That does not bode well for them against one of the hottest teams in the league. Denver has been playing as well as any team in the NBA lately and their offense has been pretty much unstoppable. They are coming off two straight losses that can be categorized as “heartbreaking” to two playoff-type teams and that is why they will not lose focus here against this opponent that seems to be already looking towards the offseason.

This feels like one of those games the Warriors might slog through as it’s the end of a trip and ahead of three days off. The Hawks have done very well against the Western Conference this season in going 7-1 ATS.  The Hawks have covered two of the last three meetings and they lost by only eight in the non-cover during the last meeting, which was also on this home court. We think one team here will be giving max effort, and that won’t be the Warriors.

The Magic have covered five straight games in this series and we think they win this one straight out but we will take the spread instead of the moneyline as we expect a close game. But the Pistons have not been playing well. Neither have the Magic, but this team is healthy right now and they will be desperate to break their long losing streak in front of the home crowd and they face a very winnable game against a flawed team that they have played well against in the past.

4 Unit Play. Take #850 Nebraska over Michigan (2:30 p.m., Friday March 2 BTN) The line is just too high considering all the factors. Nebraska has much more to play for in this game as most feel they need to win it to ensure they reach the NCAA Tournament. They only quality win is against Michigan, winning by 20 points in the only meeting of the season. Michigan did not look good against Iowa yesterday and they also had to play five extra minutes just to advance to today's quarterfinal game. Nebraska is 15-2 ATS in their last 17 Big 10 games.

Best of Luck - Doc's Sports

4 Unit Play. Take #847 Wisconsin over Michigan State (12p.m., Friday March 2 BTN) We will ride the Badgers for a second straight day as they won yesterday despite being an underdog. Wisconsin has been on a nice ATS run of late covering the spread in 5 straight games. They took Michigan State to the wire last Sunday and I see them being somewhat competitive in this game keeping the deficit around 6-8 points. The underdog is 4-1 ATS in the last 5 meetings. Wisconsin has been taking the air out of the ball of late keeping the scoring low and thus it is much harder to come this big of a number.

The Wolves started life without Jimmy Butler a couple games ago and they haven’t really skipped a beat. They won and covered both games pretty easily. But they face a much tougher test tonight after playing the Kings and Bulls in their last two games. This is the type of game where the loss of Butler will really start to be felt. Portland has won four straight and six of seven. And they didn’t just beat pushovers, as their wins included games against the Warriors and they also broke the Jazz’s long home winning streak. This team is peaking right now and we think they are underrated by the oddsmakers here tonight.

Five of the last seven meetings between these teams have gone over the posted total. The Kings have allowed 110 or more points in four straight games and this team doesn’t even seen to be trying to play defense anymore. They are a tanking team and defense doesn’t go along with that plan. At the same time, they want to put an entertaining product on the floor for the fans and the few fans that do show up to this stinker should be treated to a fast-paced, high-scoring game tonight. The Nets scored 123 last time out against Cleveland and they should be able to continue right where they left off and post a high point total here tonight.

The Lakers enter this one having won three straight, but those wins were against Atlanta, Sacramento and Dallas, three of the worst teams in the NBA this season. Those teams are all tanking, and tonight they face a big step up in competition against a team that is currently the No. 8 seed in the east and will be very cognizant to win games like this for the rest of the season. Miami is normally a team that plays hard nearly every night, but they aren’t going to overlook an opponent like this when they are a couple losses away from being outside of the playoff picture.

6 Unit Play. Take #555 Wisconsin over Maryland (12p.m., Thursday March 1 BTN) Maryland did not record many impressive wins in Big 10 play this season. They just beat up on the bottom and I do not believe that they are good enough to beat Wisconsin twice in one season. Wisconsin has played much better down the stretch winning three of their last four games. Their only loss was against Michigan State, possibly the best team in the country. The Badgers are 5-2 ATS in their last 7 meetings against the Terrapins.

4 Unit Play. Take #759 Nevada over UNLV (11p.m., Wednesday February 28 CBSSN) The Rebels are in freefall now having lost three straight games including two via a blowout. Since this is an in-state rival they will get up for this game, but I just do not believe they have the horses to beat Nevada twice in one season. Nevada did not have Caleb Martin in the first meeting and that was a huge loss as he is averaging over 19 points per game. Nevada has already locked up the top seed in the MWC and will be going to the NCAA Tournament, but they still have a lot to play for. If they win out they could move to a NO. 5 seed. UNLV has been a poor home team this season with 4 losses in MWC play. UNLV is 2-8 ATS in their last 10 home games. Nevada is 5-2 ATS in their last 7 games at UNLV.