Rating: 3 Unit Total of the Week

The under is 14-6 in Eagles last 20 overall, 37-16 in Eagles last 53 games following a straight up win, and 23-10 in Eagles last 33 road games. While the under is 6-2 in Cougars last 8 games as a home underdog and 7-3 in Cougars last 10 home games.

Rating: 2 Units

The home team is playing to stay out of last place in the SoCon (they’re 2-12). The visitor is playing still with a shot at winning the regular season title (they’re 11-4 in first place.) Schedule-raters who rank schedule strengths say that WCU has played the toughest SoCon slate so far. Which means that it only stays as tough, or tougher, with this match-up against a 16-7 overall opponent. UNCG will be laying more points when they meet in Greensboro Wednesday night, so why not do it here instead of there? WCU is the only team in the conference that averages less than 1.0 points per possession in SoCon games, and UNCG is the only team in the conference allowing less than 1.0 ppp in same.

Rating: 2 Units

The Cavaliers – nine straight losses -- make the fewest three-pointers per game in the NBA (9.1) and they have been only too happy to compound that problem by resting one of the best inside scorer/rebounders in the league – Andre Drummond – as they try to get rid of him after the guy has played only 33 games for them since they acquired him from the Pistons. Who makes these decisions? One schedule-ranker out there says OKC has played the second-toughest slate in the NBA to this point. Cleveland represents serious class relief from that grind.

Rating: 2 Units

This is the first for the Pistons in consecutive games vs. Orlando and they finish this trip in the Big Easy. They have lost 8 of their last 11 games and could only muster 95 points in the loss on Friday. In that loss to Memphis, they turned it over 10 more times than the Grizzlies. Only Minnesota has won fewer games this season than Detroit. Orlando generally pounds the glass and they defend, holding teams to 111 points a night, 10th overall. They have won 3 of 4 and are shooting for their third win in a row. Nikola Vucevic is having a solid year as he is scoring 24 points a game, grabbing 11 boards and averaging 4 assists.

Rating: 3 Unit NBA Play of the Day

Don’t look now, but Tom Thibodeau’s New York side has won 3 of 4 and is in playoff position in the East, not something that would mean much to the Lakers or Milwaukee, but for a Knick franchise that hasn’t been to the playoffs in the last 7 seasons and that has won only one playoff series in this century, it’s a big deal. Thibs’ team has been among the top three in the NBA defensively for the entire season (currently 3rd on the year; 1st in last 8 games in defensive rating), and is getting some stronger play from other directions than Julius Randle lately. PG Elfrid Payton has scored 15 ppg and shot 48% while getting 5 rpg and 4 apg over last 8 games, RJ Barrett is at 17 ppg and 6.2 rpg on the season, 6th man Immanuel Quickley has been a surprise (although his shooting has fallen off a bit of late) and the addition of ex-Thibodeau favorite Derrick Rose (11 ppg since arriving from Detroit, played for him in Chicago and Minny). Timberwolves have been winning about once every two weeks (5-23 L28), and Thibodeau might have a bit of emotion against his old employer and snaps 4-game Knick losing streak in series.

Rating: 3 Unit Big-10 Play of the Day

There should be no shame in the two losses Rutgers has suffered over the last month, with losses coming on the road at Iowa and Michigan. The Scarlet Knights overall have gone 5-2 as of late, including against the spread.  Rutgers’ length and athleticism will cause issues for a perimeter based Maryland team that relies on shooting from three-point range. Rutgers is 5th-best in the Big 10 in limiting three-point attempts and possesses multiple athletic defenders that can match up well with a smaller Maryland team. Consider that Rutgers is 21-8-2 ATS in their last 31 games following a ATS win.

Rating: 2 Units

Not a lot to like about this Cincinnati team despite the fact they enter with four straight wins. Look at it this way: somebody had to win their games against Temple (twice), Tulane and Central Florida, all with losing records, opponents who merely did what they normally do to help raise the Bearcats’ record to 5-4. Big deal, right? They won the games by 3, 3, 2, 1. They’ve played one other ranked opponent this season, scored 56 losing at Tennessee.

Rating: 2 Units

Washington enters this game 4 games under .500 on the road. Teams can pack it in against the Wizards since they are 28th in the league from downtown. When Washington lost to this club earlier this month they gave up 75 points in the first half and Portland won despite losing to the Bucks 24 hours earlier and despite the fact Damian Lillard shot it at 39% from the floor. This is a pit stop home game for Portland. They just won three on the road, play here, and pack for another 3 games with room service. The Blazers have won 6 in a row, 8 of 10 and twice against Philly.

Rating: 3 Unit ACC Play of the Day

It's been a difficult year for Duke, with Coach K continually suggesting he would prefer not to play during a pandemic, and one of their starters opting out in the middle of the season. They have won back to back games on the road against bottom feeders, but their last two home games were losses to Notre Dame and North Carolina. The Cavs are coming off a blowout loss to #4 ranked FSU, but they have previously won on the road at Georgia Tech and #12 ranked Clemson. The Cavaliers are 8-0-1 ATS in their last nine games following a loss, and the road team is 21-6-1 ATS in the last 28 meetings. Duke has only covered in two of their last 10 home games.

Rating: 2 Units

St. John’s continues to be the story of the Big East, as the Red Storm have gone 9-1 against the spread in their last 10 games. The Johnnies are getting terrific point guard play from freshman Posh Alexander and will look to continue their winning ways against a beat up DePaul backcourt. Both starters Charlie Moore and Javon Freeman- Liberty missed DePaul’s last game on Wednesday against Seton Hall. Even if that duo can suit up, the Blue Demons are likely to have a ton of issues on offense. DePaul ranks 316th nationally in turnover rate, and will face a daunting task against St. John’s pressure.

Rating: 2 Unit

Seton Hall’s defense is starting to play more to the standard that Kevin Willard has created with the Pirates program. Seton Hall limited three of their last four opponents to 0.81 points per possession or less on the offensive end. Seton Hall has already displayed the ability to shut down Georgetown’s offense. The Pirates limited the Hoyas to 17-of-53 shooting from two-point distance on December 23rd.

Rating: 3 Unit Atlantic 10 Play of the Day

Richmond is now further removed from their program pause due to COVID-19. The Spiders now have two games under their belt and will look to benefit from a Duquesne team exiting the same sort of situation. Dukes head coach Keith Dambrot said he has no idea of how good his team will be after an 18 day layoff. Dambrot said he has no idea if it’s the right call, but he has kept practices to no longer than one hour this week. Duquesne will have their hands full with a veteran Richmond team looking to get back on track after a hard fought loss to VCU. Consider that Richmond is 7-2 ATS in their last 9 home games vs. a team with a losing road record and 13-6 ATS in their last 19 games as a home favorite.

Big East Play of the Day

Connecticut is a drastically different team with star guard James Bouknight back in the fold, and the Huskies remain undervalued in his second game back. Bouknight returned to score 18 points in 24 minutes on Tuesday against Providence, as the Huskies built a comfortable 18 point lead at one point in the process. Where UConn can match up well against Villanova is on the defensive end of the floor, where they are exceptional at running opposing teams off of the three-point line. That is where Villanova prefers to operate, as they rank 33rd in three-point attempt rate. Consider that UConn is 8-1 ATS in their last 9 games vs. a team with a winning straight up record and 6-1 ATS in their last 7 road games

Rating: 2 Units

St. Joseph’s has not played a game since January 30th and will be jumping back into action against a La Salle team that provided trouble for the Hawks in their first meeting this season. LA Salle won comfortably, at one point leading by as much as 21 points with 5:47 remaining on January 18th. The Explorers did so by making 31-of-51 two-point attempts and only needed to make five three-pointers to put 90 points on the board.

Rating: 2 Units

Buffalo has ripped off three impressive victories in MAC play, rolling to a win by at least 20 points in each outing. Nate Oats (Alabama) left a sound program behind and the aggressive Bulls play as hard as any team in the MAC and appear to be hitting their stride at the right time. Junior big man Josh Mballa is a force inside who can take advantage of a Toledo defense that ranks 226th in two-point percentage allowed. On the other end of the floor, Buffalo has excelled at defending the perimeter. The Bulls rank 3rd-best nationally in three-point percentage allowed and 58th in three-point attempt rate. Above the arc is where Toledo prefers to operate.

Rating: 2 Units

South Dakota State suffered a big loss this week when it was announced that starting guard Noah Freidel was opting out of the season. Friedel, a two year starter opting out, results in the loss of one of the Jackrabbits best shooters and more reliable players. They’ll look to re-gather on the road in a rivalry spot against an experienced North Dakota State team. The Bison are the best team in the Summit League at defending the three-point line, which can offset a major part of South Dakota State’s attack.

Rating: 3 Unit NBA Play of the Day

These cannot be pleasant times in Detroit. The team has decided to shut down Blake Griffin until they can move him. The Pistons are 19th or worse in scoring, allowing points, rebounding and assists. In Chicago on Wednesday, the Pistons allowed the Bulls to rally and win. It probably is not a lot of fun playing for Detroit these days. Jerami Grant shot the ball 25 times against Chicago. The rest of the team only got 57 shot attempts. Memphis has some quality wins to boast about against teams like Philly, Brooklyn and Phoenix. They lead the league in assists. In the win against OKC on Wednesday they forced 18 turnovers. Grayson Allen has picked up his production for the Grizzlies scoring his average or better in 5 of the last 6 games including a 22-point outburst on Wednesday. Consider that Detroit is 5-16 ATS in the last 21 meetings vs Memphis

Rating: 2 Units

John Dunne, Marist head coach, came to the Red Foxes directly from a 12-year stint at Saint Peter’s. It took him a while, but after four straight losses with a sub-par roster, Marist won the most recent meeting last season. They thought we’d forget about this fact after their series from Feb. 6-7 got virused-out. But we remember. Marist hasn’t played since Jan. 31 but it’s an easy prep for the coaching staff and Saint Peter’s would shoot erratically if they played every danged day.

Horizon League Play of the Day

After being 2-5 in Horizon League play, the Titans have gone 6-1 since. The only loss in the stretch was on a back-to-back at Cleveland State on Saturday after winning the first game. Detroit leans heavily on star guard Antoine Davis, and for good reason. The 6’1 junior has totaled at least 23 points in nine straight games. Davis is shooting 42.3% from long range during conference play. Robert Morris is a team that is likely going to begin to feel the impact of losing top player, 6’’7 senior A.J. Bramah to an opt out last week. Consider that Robert Morris is 2-5 ATS in their last 7 games following a ATS loss and 2-5 ATS in their last 7 games as an underdog.

Rating: 3 Unit PAC-12 Play of the Day

As Dana Altman’s teams often do, the Ducks are starting to peak at the right time. Oregon has won three in a row, including an impressive sweep of the Arizona schools last weekend in the Pac 12. Oregon has welcomed back point guard Will Richardson from injury, and that has made a world of difference for the Ducks. Now playing off of Richardson, Rutgers transfer Eugene Omoruyi, has totaled 62 points in the last three games, which is no coincidence. Omoruyi’s tough and physical presence on the perimeter is a difficult matchup for a Colorado team that recently allowed 1.09 points per possession in a loss to California. Consider that Colorado is 18-43-1 ATS in their last 62 games as a road underdog.

Rating: 2 Units

The long, Western excursion of the worst point spread team in the NBA- somebody else’s 8-19-2 ATS Miami Heat -- continues with this second of back-to-backs, off last night’s brutal blowing of a big lead and subsequent overtime loss at Golden State. It’s as if whoever drew up the schedule hates Miami, given that the Kings enter with two rest days and angried up off four straight home losses. Who loses four straight home games after they go 3-1 on an Eastern trip? Only the Kings, right? They should be fully focused and it’s a turnabout situation for when they played at Miami in their own second of back-to-backs on Jan. 30 (w/Heat rested), losing just 105-104. Maybe it’s too obvious and doesn’t factor Sacramento’s habitual screw-up tendencies into the decision, but when the league’s most overrated team drags its losing butt into town 24 hours after the latest non-cover

Rating: 2 Units

Rutgers, a near double digit underdog, has started to capture what made them the talk of the Big 10 through Christmas this season. The Scarlet Knights have gotten past a rough patch and have won five of six games, covering the spread in four of those outings. Rutgers’ stout interior play offers a challenge for a Michigan team that has bullied opposing frontcourts most of the season. Rutgers 3rd ranked two-point percentage defense in Big 10 play should prove helpful.

Rating: 3 Unit CBB Upset of the Day

If Arizona cannot participate in the post-season (they can’t, they won’t), then, while a regular-season Pac 12 title is still mathematically possible, weeping Arizona State (done!) and beating UCLA are pretty high on the list of goals. “I told you guys we were not a juggernaut,” said Bruins’ head coach Mick Cronin recently about his down-trending bunch. The Wildcats lost 81-75 to the Bruins on Jan. 9 and although head coach Sean Miller would have people believe otherwise, they’re in better shape than UCLA is right now. Consider that UCLA is 0-6 ATS in their last 6 games following a ATS loss, 0-4 ATS in their last 4 games following a straight up win, and 0-6 ATS in their last 6 games as a favorite

Rating: 2 Units

The Provo people are hyping the fact that BYU has never lost back-to-back games in the era of head coach Mark Pope. That era began only last year and there’s a first time for everything. They’re off an 11-point loss at Gonzaga, a fair enough effort but so what? In a second game in three nights, at high Provo, UT altitude on Jan. 30, Pacific took the Cougars to double-overtime before backing down. It was 64-64 after 40 minutes. Defense-and-rebounding home dog with revenge on national television (CBS cable).

Rating: 2 Units

Familiarity breeds contempt and these teams may have that feeling since they just played on Tuesday. Toronto’s Kyle Lowry had to exit the game in the third quarter. Look for Milwaukee to be primed to pay back the Raptors for just beating them. The Bucks have to do a better job on Fred VanVleet, who is having a career year and Milwaukee has to play more up-tempo. Look for Khris Middleton to be aggressive after he scored just 11 points Tuesday and had 0 assists. This season he is averaging 20 points, 6 boards and 6 assists.

Rating: 2 Units

Iowa has looked more like itself lately, rolling to a 13 point win over Rutgers and winning by a 30 point margin at Michigan State. The Hawkeyes offense produced 1.21 and 1.30 points per possession in the two victories. That level of offensive output will be tough for a struggling Badgers offense to keep pace with. Wisconsin now ranks 242nd nationally in two-point percentage. A disappointing senior season for big man Nate Reuvers will not help the Badgers case in trying to slow down Luka Garza

Rating: 2 Units

Tennessee will benefit from a short-handed South Carolina roster on Wednesday night. The Gamecocks will be without starting guard Jermaine Cousinard and forward Justin Minaya. Those two starters account for the second and third most minutes on an already struggling South Carolina team. Tennessee and freshman guards Jaden Springer and Keon Johnson will also present an issue for a Gamecock defense that has not been able to stop anyone off the dribble this season.

Big-10 Play of the Day

Minnesota’s road struggles have continued, as they now stand at 1-6 against the spread during Big 10 play. Making matters worse is that the Gophers could possibly be without starting center Liam Robbins on Wednesday. At best, Robbins will be limited, putting the Gophers in a tough spot when going against Indiana star big man Trayce Jackson-Davis. Indiana will be in a much better spot at home after playing the last two games on the road. Indiana’s letdown against Ohio State on Saturday was a reasonable one, considering the quality of Ohio State and the Hoosiers coming off of a double overtime win at Northwestern

Rating: 2 Units

Wake Forest enters as a two possession underdog on Wednesday, and the Demon Deacons have proven they can be plenty competitive in year one under Steve Forbes. Wake Forest is perhaps still a bit undervalued as they’ve compiled a 9-3 record against the spread in ACC play. Forbes found his offense to really perform at a high level this past week against Florida State. Said Forbes, “Offensively, I thought we really had them messed up. We were cutting and screening, running motion. They had a really hard time guarding it. I thought we were moving the ball.”

Rating: 2 Units

An unforgiving February schedule for Chicago -- with Lauri Maarkenen out and Wendell Carter not quite in game-shape after returning from his injury absence -- just got harder with the late mandate to play this game on what had been scheduled as an off-day. The Pistons are probably quite happy to have avoided a Texas trip into disease and icy disaster, with this short jaunt to Chicago in its place. Dwayne Casey is a good coach and playing without Blake Griffin gives him an opportunity to get creative, and to spread minutes around to pros hungry for opportunity.

Rating: 3 Unit NBA Mismatch of the Day

Following an initial uptick period in which the Houston players were happy to be rid of James Harden and determined to show the world that they could compete without him, it appears that the energy level has dropped, opponents have scouted them well, too many guys are injured and the honeymoon period is over. “It’s only gonna get worse before it gets better. Give it time. Whole new system, coaching and players. Let everything sink in,” says one seemingly level-headed observer. The absence of Christian Wood didn’t seem like it would be followed by road losses by 20, 29, 22 and 12 points at losing teams Charlotte, New Orleans, New York and Washington. But they were, with home losses to San Antonio and Miami thrown in for good  measure. Consider that Houston is 7-23 ATS in their last 30 games playing on 1 days rest.

Rating: 3 Unit NBA Play of the Day

When teams play a lot of one-on-one basketball, things can go awry. Orlando is not only 27th in assists but only two clubs put up fewer points nightly. Orlando’s Cole Anthony is gone and Evan Fournier, James Ennis and Al-Farouq Aminu are all iffy for this game. Break up the Knicks. They have won 3 of 5 and 5 of 7 and they are finally putting points on the board. With center Mitchell Robinson sidelined with a hand issue, New York has been forced to go small and it has worked of late. In the Monday win over Atlanta the New York combination of guards accounted for 57 points. Consider that Orlando is 6-20-2 ATS in their last 28 games as a home underdog.

Rating: 3 Unit Big East Play of the Day

After Marquette won the prior meeting 70-67 at home on Feb. 2, Butler had to be kicking themselves because they got 21 turnovers, made only 9 themselves, sank only 13 of 25 free throws while Marquette was shooting a not-likely-to-be repeated 61.5% on field goals. Marquette played badly enough to lose, but didn’t. But they’ve lost all three games since!

Rating: 3 Unit Big East Play of the Day

Xavier looked out of sorts in their return to the floor on Saturday, losing at home to UConn. Xavier has only played two games since January 10th and now have to deal with a relentless St. John’s team that has been surging. St. John’s will certainly look to wear down the Musketeers and their ability to sustain pressure over the course of 40 minutes should make a difference. Prior to the second half of their game against Butler, the Red Storm had been on fire. St. John’s now gets to return home after having been on the road for four of their last five games.  Consider that St. Johns is 8-1 ATS in their last 9 games overall and 7-1 ATS in their last 8 home games vs. a team with a winning road record.

Rating: 3 Unit NBA Play of the Day

Oklahoma City just shocked the Milwaukee Bucks but they caught a tired team that was at the end of a 6-game road trip. OKC is in the bottom third of the league in allowing points and only 4 teams overall score fewer points nightly. This is a ‘payback’ game for the Blazers. They lost to OKC last month but there were excuses. They were playing the second of a back-to-back game and Damian Lillard had a poor shooting night going just 8 for 22 from the field. Consider that Portland is 5-1 ATS in their last 6 after allowing 100 points or more in their previous game, 5-1 ATS in their last 6 after scoring 100 points or more in their previous game, and 4-1 ATS in their last 5 games following a ATS win.

Rating: 2 Units

Missouri big man Jeremiah Tilmon will miss his second game in a row on Tuesday night against Georgia. Without their big man, Missouri loses their identity, as they prefer to play through Tilmon often. Georgia will be fortunate to not see the size Missouri normally possesses, as the Bulldogs often struggle against bigger and more physical post players. Now without Tilmon’s presence, Georgia can get out and run and not have to worry about how to defend the post or finish over length.

Rating: 2 Units

Dayton has played well lately against teams that are not VCU. VCU has shown to have the Flyers number this year, and have been responsible for two of the Flyers three losses since January 6th. Outside of those matchups, Dayton has gone 6-1 against the spread in that timespan. On the other side is a Rhode Island group that looks like a broken team, having lost four games in a row. Rams point guard and leader Fatts Russell is not near 100% and will have his hands full with Dayton guard, Jalen Crutcher.

Rating: 2 Units

At 0-11 in the Big 12, can head coach Steve Prohm get his ISU Cyclones to play as desperate as they did vs. West Virginia, or at Oklahoma and at TCU recently when they lost by only 3-7 points? It might be possible. When they lost 81-60 at home Jan. 25, they were coming off a pause and guard Jalen Coleman-Lands and forwards Solomon Young and Javan Johnson didn’t play. They’re back, representing 98 minutes and 35.0 ppg.

Rating: 2 Units

Second of back-to-backs for the Kings after going at it vs. Western Conference rival Memphis last night in a battle of wannabe #8 West seeds clawing at that bottom rung. The rested Nets were probably in their hotel rooms watching it. It’s the first of back-to-backs before Brooklyn flies overnight to Phoenix, where the road trip becomes testier in a Suns-Clippers-Lakers ending.

Rating: 2 Units

Atlanta has lost 6 of 7 and the win in this time frame came against a team that was playing the second of a back-to-back game. When Atlanta lost to the Knicks early in the season they had no answer for Julius Randle. The Knicks have won 4 of 6 and one of the losses in that span was by a bucket to Miami. New York can throw a lot of guards at a team and that should help the play making factor too. In the win over Houston on Saturday, starting point guard Elfrid Payton had 15 on 7 for 11 shooting. Reserve point guards Derrick Rose and Immanuel Quickley combined for 38 points, 5 boards and 5 assists.

Rating: 3 Unit ACC Play of the Day

Florida State’s ability to utilize their versatility on the defensive end should prove beneficial on Monday night. The Seminoles can switch defenders across the board and that creates an issue for a Virginia offense that has gained an advantage by creating matchups with big men Jay Huff and Sam Hauser in the half court. On the offensive end, Florida State’s ability to space the floor and shoot from distance is equally helpful against Virginia’s pack line defense. Florida State is making 38.7% of three-point attempts this season, 15th-best nationally. Florida State is a rare ACC foe that Virginia has struggled with, winning four of the last seven in this series. Consider that Florida State is 15-5-2 ATS in their last 22 games after scoring more than 90 points in their previous game.

Rating: 2 Units

This is Edwardsville’s eighth game of the month of February. That’s too many for a team with no college hoops pedigree. They’re off a 20-point road loss at Jacksonville State. They’ve lost by 28 at Belmont during this stretch, by 15 on this floor vs. Austin Peay. During this stretch, they’ve been able to win against Tennessee-Martin, Tennessee State and Tennessee Tech, three of the Ohio Valley slum dogs. Murray State is a penthouse team whose stats say that their record should be better than it is.

Rating: 3 Unit NBA Knockout of the Day

The Lakers hit the road after they had mucho trouble with Oklahoma City at home, twice, then didn’t put Memphis away until late. Therefore, they will go to Denver and lose, because they are allegedly "struggling"? Maybe, but we wouldn’t bet on it. Remember – the Lakers scrimmage against opponents like OKC. They tend to play for real against the opponents they really need to measure themselves against. When they meet those opponents on the road, they don’t need to win by as much to get the money for their backers. With Utah hot-hot-hot, leading the West at 21-7, where are these Lakers? Ho-hum, a relative afterthought, a half-game behind, 21-6, poised to take over when the peak-too-soon Jazz begin falling to Earth.

Rating: 3 Unit NBA Mismatch of the Day

Before the Bucks lost a second straight game (and didn’t cover the spread) at Utah, we noted that they were 36-18 ATS when coming off a loss the last two-plus seasons. But we didn’t pick them to cover at Utah because Utah is too good. The "trend" didn’t take into account who they were playing. Tonight, they play off two straight losses and the opponent is not good. However, the opponent is 14-10 ATS, not bad. But most of that "trend" for OKC has been compiled covering road games at larger numbers against opponents who don’t take the Thunder seriously (they’re 11-3 ATS on the road). Off two straight losses (to 21-7 and 16-9 opponents), the Bucks will take them seriously. Also consider that Milwaukee is 17-5 ATS in their last 22 games following a straight up loss of more than 10 points.

Rating: 3 Unit Big-10 Play of the Day

The overall length and athleticism gave the Gophers issues in their first meeting, as the Terps won by a final of 63-49 on the road. Maryland limited Minnesota to 39.1% shooting from two-point distance in the win. Maryland has their back against the wall after losing two in a row and will welcome a Minnesota team that has yet to win a road game this season. While Maryland’s 10-10 record doesn’t look great on paper, they have yet to lose to a team that sits outside of the KenPom Top 50. Consider that Minnesota is also 1-6 ATS in their last 7 road games vs. a team with a winning home record and 1-6 ATS in their last 7 road games

Rating: 3 Units

Minnesota will be without D’Angelo Russell for this game and that is a big problem for the Wolves. The point guard is averaging 19 and 5 dimes a night. Ricky Rubio took his place in the loss Wednesday and Ricky has some explaining to do. He only had 5 points in the game and Ricky only had 5 points Friday in the loss to Charlotte. The Wolves come to Tampa Bay at the wrong time as Toronto will be focused after losing to Boston on Thursday by 14 points. They had won 5 of 6 going into the Thursday outing and they have had time for that loss to set in. The Raptors share the ball and they are in the top 10 in the league in scoring. This is a game they need with the next pair against Milwaukee.

Rating: 3 Unit PAC-12 Play of the Day

The leader of Hurley’s girlies, now 2-12-1 ATS, head coach Bobby, seems to be semi-delusional. After losing by 11 points at home to an Oregon team that’s barely played, he said: “To be that close is a statement to just how hard these kids are playing despite a ton of adversity.” There are teams with only eight available scholarship players who do just fine. And then there’s Arizona State, who was losing games, and money vs. the spread, when they had more of them. Beavers head coach Wayne Tinkle was extremely disappointed at how his players shied away from the paint and chucked the ball at Arizona, while fouling Arizona’s bigs on the other end for a 10-34 disparity in free throw attempts in Thursday’s 9-point loss (but they covered!). He will kick their butts and make sure they go that route in an easier match-up down there.

Rating: 3 Unit NCAAB Mismatch of the Day

Bradley announced on Saturday that all Elijah Childs, Danya Kingsby, Terry Nolan and Ja’Shon Henry had been suspended for the weekend series against Missouri State. That accounts for three starters and a key reserve for the Braves. Without that group of players, the Braves would trail by 44-24 at the half and lose by 80-58. While the spread has been adjusted for Sunday, it’s likely still too low for a decimated Bradley roster.

NBA Play of the Day

Utah is coming off last night’s signature victory over Milwaukee, but not to worry, as the Jazz are not only 17-1 SU in their last 18, they are 16-2 against the points and have covered 3 of their first 4 chances playing the second night of back-to-back games. Jazz have made 18 treys per game over the past 15 and shot 41% from long range. Still, it’s never easy in the NBA, and Miami has won 4 straight, with Jimmy Butler starting to warm up (23 ppg, 9 rpg, 9 apg in his last 7 games). Utah has won 11 in a row against Eastern Conference teams, with a 10-0-1 spread mark, so all things considered, just lay the points.

Rating: 3 Units

The Murray State-Austin Peay weekend road continuum is a tough deal for Ohio Valley also rans when there is one day in between games. When the visit to Austin Peay becomes the second of back-to-backs, Friday-Saturday, after playing at Murray State the night before, it gets a lot harder despite the relatively short bus trip (80 minutes) from one place to the next. SEMO dropped the second game of this trip by 22, 18 points the last two seasons.

Rating: 3 Units

The Razorbacks haven’t won two straight on the SEC road since 2016-17, when they played three games in the NCAA Tournament. Off the 1-point win at Kentucky on Wednesday, they come to Cuonzo’s place with the #10-ranked Tigers of Missouri coming home off an embarrassing loss at Ole Miss. Mizzou won 81-65 at Arkansas when the Razorbacks played mostly with four guards in the absence of forward Justin Smith. Adjustments from that game are all for Arkansas head coach Eric Musselman, who notes that “We had two guys go 1-for-21” on a day they nevertheless got 21 turnovers, 11 made by two of Missouri’s starting guards. He’ll no doubt take a cue from Ole Miss head coach Kermit Davis, who, following his team’s 80-59 win vs. the Tigers, said, “You can’t let Missouri play downhill.”

Rating: 3 Units

Told ya’ the 76ers would not get revenge in Portland. Merely sticking Ben Simmons into a game against an opponent that beat them the last time they met is not the way it works. Here, Philadelphia tackles another winning team out West. The Sixers are 11-2 home, 7-6 on the road. Milwaukee, who they lead by 2 games atop the East, and who has a +9.5 scoring differential (compared to Philly’s +3.8), couldn’t win here earlier in the week. So, why should Philly win against a 15-9 SU and ATS home side that has been playing consistently good defense, contrary to the ol’ Suns basketball brand?

Rating: 2 Units

The fact that Iowa could not kill Michigan State in their first meeting -- when the situation dictated that the Hawkeyes should have a very fine opportunity to do so -- would seem to bode poorly for them as they enter the return match in Sparty-land. Michigan State is 10-7, with zero (0) wins against anyone ranked. Their ownership of Iowa is causing us to think they have a chance. And we know that they’re 4-13 ATS, so shame on us if you know what

Rating: 2 Units

Northern Ill is 2-10 overall, 1-6 in the MAC, hasn’t played since losing by 20 points at Ball State on Jan. 16. They average a mere 59.4 ppg, with a -4.5 Assist/Turnover ratio, 39.8% field goal shooting and a low 62.4% free-throw percentage. They’ve played four MAC road games so far, and trailed them all at halftime by margins of 14, 11, 16, and 15 points. Hey, other than all that, they’re fine!

SEC Game of the Week

No. 16 Tennessee and LSU are both part of a tight battle for second place in the SEC as they prepare to meet Saturday in Baton Rouge, La. The Volunteers (14-4) and the Tigers (12-6) are 7-4 in league play as is Arkansas. Missouri and Florida are 6-4. First-place Alabama is 11-1. The Volunteers held a 44-26 halftime lead against Georgia and led by as many as 23 points in the second half before a sloppy finish. Barnes said he thinks Yves Pons, the reigning SEC Defensive Player of the Year who has led the Vols in scoring in each of the last five games in which he played, will return from a knee injury that sidelined him against Georgia and play against LSU. Consider that LSU is 5-11 ATS in their last 16 games as a home underdog.

Rating: 2 Units

Your host lumbered out to a 19-6 lead against the visiting Post-Pause Puppies after 12 minutes yesterday afternoon, as Canisius was shooting 2-for-23. This was to be expected! But Quinnipiac already had 7 team fouls at that point, because they’re really not very good, shoot bricks from all angles and do things like take lane violations on free throws. They’d go on to lose the game 74-67. Therefore, we now have… an anger play! Against Quinnipiac! Because they’re not good, and because we should have known better with Mike Dunleavy’s son and Tom Pecora on the same home coaching staff, and because Canisius won’t open the game shooting 2-for-23 off a layoff this time

Rating: 2 Units

It’s a match-up of the teams with the NBA’s two highest power ratings. Utah is the hottest team in the league, of course. But they figure to be laying a trey or more against a high-quality foe, never their best scenario. Bucks off a loss: 36-18 ATS since beginning of 2018-19 season. But how many times were they playing a road game against the NBA’s best-record team that entered the game 16-1 SU and 15-2 ATS last 17 games? Aha. Not once.

NBA Play of the Day

The Nuggets ended a three-game losing streak by pummeling bottom-dweller Cleveland. Another bottom-dwelling foe makes the climb to 5,280 feet elevation preparing to be swallowed by a still-hungry bottom feeder that will take them seriously, unlike the Lakers, who use a team like OKC to work on their games and practice winning the close ones. Off two overtime losses vs. the scrimmaging Lakers, this doesn’t seem like a good spot for the depth-shy visitor. Consider that Oklahoma City is 1-12 ATS in the last 13 meetings.

ACC Play of the Day

“No. 20 Clemson falls at Georgia Tech,” said a headline from Jan. 20. If they’d asked us, we’d have told them that the Tigers were beaten by the better team. “Number 20. Ha. Who they kiddin’? “The Tigers won the rebounding battle 28-18 and racked up 30 points in the paint,” they wrote. “The Tigers also collected 17 bench points and 16 assists.” Hey, they lost the game 83-65! The Yellow Jackets shot the lights out but even if they don’t do that again, we’ll take point guard Juan Alvarado making his way through Clemson’s D in a near pick’em. Consider that Georgia Tech is 22-9 ATS in their last 31 games following a ATS loss.

Rating: 2 Units

Mavericks delivered as promised on Wednesday night, dropping to 1-9 ATS on their home floor winning and failing to cover vs. Atlanta, pretty much as expected although it would have nice for the Hawks to get the straight-up win and not lose by 1 point. After scoring 120 points twice in their first 15 games, the Pelicans have scored 123 or more four times in their last nine. “I’ve had zero to do with that,” says head coach Stan Van Gundy. We believe that! “Our guys have just gotten comfortable playing together. We’re making plays for each other. We’re getting higher quality shots.” Alrighty, then. Off a losing visit to an Eastern Conference team (Chicago) in which the Bulls had two quarters of 40+ points (Hello? From what butt was that pulled?), the Law of Averages -- considering Dallas has the worst 3-point percentage in the league -- should swing the visitors’ way tonight.

Rating: 2 Units

Welcome back, Canisius! Unable to play since Jan. 3. For their tribulations, they are asked to make just about the longest possible in-conference trip, from their Buffalo, NY home all the way down to southern Connecticut to face an opponent giving up less than 1.0 points per possession in MAAC play. ‘The wheels on the bus go round and round…’ Good luck!

Rating: 2 Units

Philly won its 11th game in its last 14 starts at Sacramento on Tuesday, with Joel Embiid scoring 25 pts. and grabbing 17 boards. Embiid has scored 34 ppg and taken 10.4 rpg while shooting 56% in his last 9 games, including scoring 37 a week ago in Philly against Portland in a 121-105 home loss to the Blazers. Portland was without Damian Lillard as well as previously injured CJ McCollum (still out indefinitely). Lillard has scored 32 ppg in his last 12, and has dished 8 assists a game, and Gary Trent heads four other Blazers contributing DDs. One of those is backup C Enes Kanter, who outboarded Embiid 18-5 in the win in Philly to lead the Blazers to a 53-37 edge off the glass. Sixers will be looking for revenge, but number seems high.

Rating: 2 Units

Orlando training room looking like a M*A*S*H unit these days, with injuries to Gordon, Fournier, Anthony, Fultz, Aminu and Carter-Williams stripping HC Steve Clifford’s dance card. Aminu and Fournier could be available for this one, but the Magic are just 3-13 since promising start through first week of January. Golden State returning home after splitting a pair in Dallas against the Mavs and then another set with the Spurs in San Antonio. Now the Warriors have 4 straight at the Chase Center beginning with very beatable Orlando. Steph Curry has been rocking since Christmas and has scored 32 or more in 5 straight games, averaging 37 ppg and shooting 58% overall and 50% from beyond the arc in his last 5, and he’s still getting some nice help from Kelly Oubre Jr. (20 ppg L5) and Andrew Wiggins. Warriors covered 4 straight as chalk; Magic dropped 6 of L7 as a dog.

Rating: 2 Units

The Beavers lost 98-74 to Arizona at home, when OSU was coming off a pause. Arizona freshman guard Benn Mathurin scored 31 points in that game. “He’s no longer an unmarked freshman,” says his head coach, Sean Miller. “So the scouting report (changes) and the defense will try to take away certain things that we do for him and that he’s very good at.” Aha.

Rating: 3 Unit CBB Play of the Day

The visitor has lost 10 straight and scored from 49 to 63 points in the last six. This is their fifth straight road game, prior to a home re-hook with ULL in two nights. Bob Marlin’s Ragin Cajuns are coming home off a pair of road losses at Arkansas State by 8 and 6 points. In the second, a back-to-back, they trailed 46-29 at haltime but ‘won’ the second half 48-37. Ah, some momentum to ride on, outta that loss and into the winner’s circle again. Consider that UL Monroe is 1-8-1 ATS in their last 10 games vs. a team with a winning % above .600. while the home team is 4-0 ATS L4 meetings

Rating: 2 Units

A 78-66 win over Oklahoma State on Monday was a great sign that there are brighter days ahead, but the Jayhawks must still close against Texas Tech, Texas and Baylor before the conference tournament even rolls around. All five KU starters scored in double-figures on Monday, led by center David McCormack’s 23 points and 10 boards. Freshman forward Jalen Wilson and sophomore guard Christian Braun recorded double-doubles and the defense held the Cowboys to 35 percent shooting. If Kansas can replicate that, it will be dangerous come March regardless of where it finishes in the Big 12. If it can’t, games like these against an Iowa State team that has overcome a COVID outbreak and is back intact as a dangerous spoiler that nearly won at Oklahoma an should’ve beaten TCU won’t be gimmes. The Cyclones have dropped eight consecutive games but Self is calling this the “biggest weekend of the season.” He’s trying to make sure his team is prepared for taking a stiff punch from a 15-point underdog that is much better than their record indicates and has nothing to lose as it takes back-to-back shots at the struggling conference power.

Rating: 3 Unit NBA Play of the Day

The Bulls will be without two 7-footers, Lauri Maarkenen and Wendell Carter. Otto Porter has been out for the last four games, too. Are you excited about backing a starting group of Patrick Williams, Daniel Gafford, Coby (I Barely Played One Season of College Basketball) White, Denzel Valentine and Zach LaVine, with Thaddeus Young, Cristiano Felicio, Ryan Arcidiacono, Garrett Temple and Tomas Satoransky coming off the bench? If so, then why? Consider that New Orleans is 23-8 ATS in their last 31 road games vs. a team with a home winning % of less than .400.

Rating: 2 Units

We thought Atlanta would beat this Mavericks team at home last week. Didn’t happen. They sat Trae Young on us with no notice given. Is this a mulligan we can hit straight and true? Dallas has been one of the most overrated teams in the NBA so far at 10-15 ATS. The bulk of that “disappointment” has occurred on this floor, where the Mavericks are 1-8 ATS laying points. If Atlanta can’t make this situation work – three days off since they last played, the better to target revenge from only one week ago – then we can just dislike them intensely and wish them the worst, until the next time they look like the right side.

Rating: 2 Units

Houston (16-2) is 10-2 in AAC play and unlikely to be challenged for the regular season title. However, Wichita St has quietly moved to 11-4 and 7-2 in AAC play. Wichita St's season was marred before it got started, as head coach Gregg Marshall resigned as coach of Wichita State after multiple allegations of verbal and physical abuse spanning years on November 17, 2020. Marshall's success started at Winthrop (seven NCAA berths in nine years) and continued at Wichita St, winning the NIT title in 2011 then winning 30-plus games in three straight seasons, including a Final 4 appearance in 2013. Lead assistant Isaac Brown was named interim head coach. Wichita State has the same number of league defeats as No. 8-ranked Houston but the Shockers aren't drawing votes for the top-25 but are building their credentials for an NCAA Tournament at-large bid. They've won 10 of their last 12 and will make it 11 of 13 in this winnable game at UCF. Consider that Wichita State is 40-17-1 ATS in their last 58 games vs. a team with a losing straight up record.

Rating: 2 Units

The tallest and smallest players on the roster helped the Cavaliers (13-3, 9-1 ACC) hold off the Yellow Jackets (9-6, 5-4) in a 64-62 victory on Jan. 23 at Charlottesville, Va. Virginia guard Kihei Clark missed his first eight shots in that game and finished 1 of 10 from the field, but the one bucket by the 5-foot-9 junior was a doozy. His short jumper with 68 seconds left provided the final points of the game. The Yellow Jackets were in another battle Saturday against Notre Dame, this time pulling out an 82-80 victory and improving their home record to 8-2. Georgia Tech overcame a 50-35 halftime deficit against the Fighting Irish, with Michael Devoe scoring 14 of his 19 points in the second half to fuel the rally. Alvarado also scored 19 points and added six rebounds, six steals and five assists. Consider that Georgia Tech is 50-24 ATS in their last 74 games vs. a team with a winning % above .600.

Rating: 3 Unit CBB Play of the Day

South Florida is coming off a program pause, first game since Jan. 9. For their first assignment after it, they are forced to travel to the nation’s #8-ranked team, whose starters are coming off a loss at East Carolina. Kelvin Sampson didn’t play the “A” group in the next game, against NAIA’s Our Lady of the Lake. This means that five guys who’ve made serious contributions to a 16-2 team allowing only 57.5 points per game are playing for the first time since a ‘shocking’ defeat, and will be out to redeem themselves against a rusty foe that scored only 57, 68, 51, 69 points in its four games prior to the pause. Consider that UCF is 17-35-1 ATS in their last 53 Wednesday games.

Rating: 3 Unit NBA Play of the Day

The hottest team in the NBA takes the court for the first time since a 3-0 road trip raised the recent run to 15-1 SU, 14-2 ATS since Jan. 8. Utah is 19-5, a half-game ahead of the Lakers for best record in the West, and the league. They are peaking too soon, but is the peak still peaking or is the tail-off is ready to start? With the Celtics adding Jaylen Brown to their absentee list on top of Marcus Smart, perhaps it’s a reason for the Jazz to continue with the peaking. Without those two the floor for Boston, the Suns shot just 27.6% from three-point range yet still beat the Celtics by 9 points. The next time Utah shoots as low as 27.6% from three-point range will be the first time this season.

Rating: 2 Units

Last night, the Rockets probably set a record for most late and failed close-out attempts on a rookie three-point shooter who has the lowest release point in the league. LaMelo Ball killed them because they let him. Now, brother Lonzo has his opportunity and if he was watching Houston’s terrible defensive rotations last night during the Pelicans’ bye, then he’ll be excited about the possibility of having himself a great shooting night, too. But Houston guards John Wall and Eric Gordon sat last night. They don’t do back-to-backs. Guess they don’t make enough money to extend themselves. But with the experience of those two back on the floor tonight, Houston’s defense can better extend. Sorry, Lonzo.

Rating: 5 Unit NBA Total of the Week

Consider that the over is 14-3 in Nets last 17 when their opponent scores 100 points or more in their previous game, 9-2 in Nets last 11 games following a ATS loss, 13-3 in Nets last 16 when their opponent allows 100 points or more in their previous game, 13-3 in Nets last 16 games as a favorite, 16-5 in Nets last 21 after scoring 100 points or more in their previous game, and 19-7 in Nets last 26 overall. While the over is 19-7 in Pistons last 26 games playing on 2 days rest, 8-3 in Pistons last 11 after allowing 100 points or more in their previous game, and 16-6 in Pistons last 22 home games vs. a team with a losing road record.

Rating: 2 Units

This as been a different MSU team since coming back from its three-week layoff due to COVID-19 postponements. The Spartans were blown out by Rutgers 67-37 in their first game back on January 28, then suffered a 79-62 loss at Ohio State and an 84-78 loss at Iowa before finally picking up a win over Nebraska last Saturday, 66-56. Despite the straight up win over the Cornhuskers and the cover as a 9-point dog at Iowa, MSU is just 2-5 ATS since the start of January. This Penn State team can shoot the 3, is playing with confidence following wins over Wisconsin and Maryland, as well as a competitive, four-point loss at Ohio State, and is taking on a MSU team that has yet to find its footing since returning to play last month. Consider that Michigan State is 4-12 ATS.

Rating: 3 Unit CBB Play of the Day

The Cougars nearly notched a backdoor cover the first time these teams met, losing “only” 86-69 back on Jan. 7. Gonzaga let its guard down in the closing minutes and BYU applied some serious make-up to help cosmetically conceal what really went down in Spokane since it trailed by as many as 32 points and fell behind 23-2. That was the first of what Mark Few’s Bulldogs can rightfully look at as their lone revenge games this season since the undefeated group still hasn’t lost since a 91-78 setback in Provo on BYU’s Senior Night last Feb. 22. Zags look to extend their streak of double-digit wins to 16 as they attempt to cover the lowest spread (-11) oddsmakers have saddled them with since their 98-75 rout over Virginia on Dec. 26. Look for them to get some revenge via sweep behind another lopsided win. Consider that BYU is  4-13-2 ATS in their last 19 games as a home underdog.

Rating: 3 Unit NBA Play of the Day

Interesting: Not Milwaukee’s 9-40 SU record in Denver lifetime. That’s not interesting at all, just a multi-decades compilation involving many former players now collecting social security. What’s interesting is that Milwaukee was 0-2 against the Nuggets last season, by 12 and 14 points. They hit Mile High City shaking the back-to-back loser dust of Cleveland off them, with no margin for error. They can’t just kill the Nuggets for revenge simply because they want to. The Nuggets are home off two road losses with plenty of confidence in the match-up based on last year’s positive results. Consider that Denver is 6-2 ATS in their last 8 after allowing 100 points or more in their previous game and 6-2 ATS in their last 8 after scoring 100 points or more in their previous game.

Rating: 2 Units

Ohio St. will mark the fifth top 10 team Maryland has faced. Ohio St. has won four straight games and seven of its last eight to move into third place in the Big Ten with a 9-4 record. The Buckeyes are a decent shooting team and it has to be to win because they are ninth in the Big Ten with a turnover margin of just 0.16 per game. On top of that, they are last in the conference with just 4.37 steals per game so they do not create points off turnovers.  consider that Maryland is 15-7 ATS in their last 22 Monday games.

Rating: 2 Units

Who is more overrated? The Mavericks or the T’Wolves? It’s the Mavericks, 10-14 ATS to the T’Wolves’ 11-11-1 ATS. Dallas is at the bottom of the league in three point percentage (33.8%) and yet they keep firing away from out there, 37 times per game – and a lot more than 37 times in each of their two non-covers vs. Golden State on Thursday and Saturday, which defies all logic given Golden State’s lack of inside players.

Rating: 2 Units

Oregon State (10-7, 6-5) moved above .500 in conference play with a 68-66 home win over Washington State on Saturday. That victory capped a two-game home sweep of the Washington schools last week. Now, the Beavers embark on a finish that has them on the road for six of their last nine games. Their only Pac-12 road win in four tries so far has come on the short trek over to Oregon last month. Oregon State coach Wayne Tinkle declared last week every game is winnable in a season of lesser home-court advantage and great parity in the Pac-12. Consider that Colorado is  6-13 ATS in their last 19 games following a straight up win.

Rating: 2 Units

A team is supposed to rise when it’s legend dies. Instead, to follow up on John Chaney’s death, Temple lost a home game to relatively hapless Tulane – by a lot! -- then followed up with a home loss to a 3-7 Cincinnati team that hadn’t played a game in who knows how long? Sheesh!

Rating: 3 Unit NCAAB Play of the Day

Let’s do some zig-zagging. Georgetown is off an outright win at Creighton as +9.5 point road underdog. Villanova is off a road loss at St. John’s as -9.5-point road favorite. Jay Wright’s Wildcats shot 8-for-30 on three-pointers at St. John’s. Georgetown made 10 of their 21 three-pointers at Creighton (47.6%). The Hoyas average 35.5% from there. When they met in December, it took Villanova a while to figure out the Hoyas. They trailed by 18 in the first half, by 13 at halftime… and eventually won by 13 after a 43-17 second half. Highly ranked team comes home off loss; unranked team with losing record stays on road off win. Consider that Villanova is 34-16-1 ATS in their last 51 games following a ATS loss

Rating: 2 Units

Boston G Jaylen Brown’s sore knee will force him to miss his second straight game, but not sure the oddsmakers haven’t over-corrected here. Phoenix is just 2-3 SU L5 at the Talking Stick, and rank just 18th in net rating over the last 15 games (Celtics 6th). Boston has worked through injuries before this season, and it’s not as if the Suns are an intact unit, with starting F Jae Crowder and contributors Dario Saric and Cam Payne out or doubtful. Would rather take it with Boston.

Rating: 2 Units

Consider that Washington is 17-38-1 ATS in their last 56 road games vs. a team with a losing home record, 2-6 ATS in their last 8 games overall, and 2-6 ATS in their last 8 after allowing 100 points or more in their previous game. While Charlotte is 9-3-1 ATS in their last 13 games as a home underdog, 13-5-2 ATS in their last 20 games playing on 1 days rest, 20-8-2 ATS in their last 30 games as an underdog, and 35-16-1 ATS in their last 52 games vs. a team with a winning % below .400.

Rating: 3 Unit NBA Play of the Day

Second of back-to-backs for the Knicks following yesterday’s 110-99 win vs. end-of long-road-trip Portland. Miami flies up with rest following a lousy homestand that they managed to close out well with a 122-95 win vs. Washington (with Westbrook playing for the Wizards after they’d lost to the Wizards with Westbrook resting two nights earlier!). One win against Washington probably doesn’t solve Miami’s issues and as favorite, they can’t be in “nobody expected us to do this!” mode. Knicks don’t win three in a row very often but it’s a fact that it has happened at least once in the last 10 years – last month, actually. Miami: 7-14-1 ATS, the NBA’s worst percentage.

Rating: 2 Units

Iowa enters this game ranked #8. They peaked in mid-January and could probably use a break. They’re the kind of team that usually loses six straight in February anyway. They are scheduled to close with four road games in their last six from Feb. 13 to Mar. 7. Therefore, we predict that the Hawkeyes will go “on pause” very soon after losing this game to the home dog that needs it more and guards better.

Rating: 2 Units

It’s a home invasion by the Grizzlies, who were in the Big Easy yesterday casing the joint while Van Gundy & Co. were battling and beating the Pacers at the wire in Indiana before taking a late-night flight back to New Orleans. The Pelicans aren’t always comfortable in their offense, and the Grizzlies have a way of disrupting the opposing offensive flow with deflections and steals. Fresh legs can propel the NBA’s steals-leading team to a fun night of transition buckets

Rating: 4 Unit NBA Game of the Week

That home invasion situation against back-to-backing Dallas was certainly beneficial to the Warriors here on Thursday night, wasn’t it? It didn’t matter that they were lacking in frontcourt personnel. What mattered most is that the Warriors’ Kelly Oubre shot 14-for-21, including 7-for-10 on three-pointers. What mattered almost as much was Dallas firing 50 of their 92 shots from behind the three-point line against an opponent that wasn’t really prepared to stop them inside. If Rick Carlisle is half the coach we think he is, then he, hopefully, is making his players aware that they are the world’s biggest fools for playing that way, or telling himself that he’s the world’s worst coach and will prepare them better next time, which is this time. “This was a difficult lesson,” he said afterwards. No kidding! Put your learning to work! Consider that Golden State is 25-51-3 ATS in their last 79 games following a straight up win of more than 10 points.

Rating: 10 Unit NBA Game of the Year

Christian Wood scored 17 points on 7-of-10 shooting for Houston the other night before rolling his right ankle in the third quarter. He then left the arena in a wheelchair. Losing one big doesn’t have to harm a team in the short-term, and the Spurs haven’t covered the last three and LaMarcus Aldridge will be out for a while. There isn’t much veteran presence in his absence. But the last time the teams met, coach Popovich said that four or five of his Spurs players were "out to lunch" when a more depleted Rockets team beat them here 103-91 (Cousins, Wall, Gordon all out, Oladipo yet to show). Ya’ think they’ll be more focused for the Rockets this time around? Consider that Houston is 8-20 ATS in their last 28 games playing on 1 days rest.

Rating: 4 Unit PAC-12 Game of the Week

The Buffs couldn’t be more ready to play a game, at least from the mental standpoint and pretty much from the preparation situation, too. First of all, they hate Arizona. Secondly, they were beaten in Tucson, 88-74 on Dec. 28. (Revenge!) Next, their Thursday game vs. Arizona State was postponed due to a cooties problem in or around ASU’s Hurley girlie program. While Arizona was fighting (flailing, really) at Utah on Thursday, the Buffs got some extra time to make whatever use they could out of it, as they come off that stinging home loss to Utah that was probably 99.9% theirs with 8:46 remaining until the 31-9 run hit. Ya’ think maybe they’ll guard whomever it is on Arizona that might be hot, so he doesn’t stay hot, if he even gets hot? Consider that Colorado is 10-4 ATS in their last 14 games as a favorite.

Rating: 3 Unit CBB Total of the Day

The under is  4-1 in Monarchs last 5 overall, 8-2 in Monarchs last 10 home games vs. a team with a winning road record, 4-1 in Monarchs last 5 games vs. a team with a winning % above .600, and 5-2 in Monarchs last 7 home games vs. a team with a road winning % of greater than .600. While the under is 7-3 in Thundering Herd last 10 games following a ATS loss.

Rating: 3 Unit Big-10 Play of the Day

Leaving home following a lengthy layoff at 0-5 in the Big Ten, for a road game against a desperate home team with back-class that’s on a four-game losing streak, is not what Nebraska head coach Fred Hoiberg envisioned as being the state of his team with one month left in the regular season. Off three straight losses, the last two against Top 10 opponents, the Spartans return home, drop in class, and get what they need, with lessons learned from the 84-77 win at Nebraska on Jan. 2. Consider that Nebraska is 4-12 ATS in their last 16 games overall.

Rating: 2 Units

The Kings are riding an up-curve in their ongoing match-ups vs. the Nuggets. Last season, a bad one for them and a good one for Denver, they lost by only 7 and 5 points, and won in overtime. This season, they’ve already beaten the Nuggets twice outright as the underdog -- in Denver on opening night in overtime, then by 10 points at home six days later. With these competitive outings under their belt vs. the guys in Denver uniforms, Luke Walton’s bunch certainly won’t lack for confidence, which will be further buoyed by the five wins in their last six games. Do the Nuggets have what it takes to bear down and deal with this new nuisance? They are coming off a season-low 93 points at the Lakers, a very good defensive team. The possibility for an offensive bounce-back exists but can they get enough scoreboard separation if shooting guards Gary Harris and P.J. Dozier are out?

Rating: 2 Units

Look for better shooting results for the visitor after netting only 32.8% from the field in last night’s 71-65 loss. The energy that South Alabama didn’t have to prevent 21 offensive rebounds by the Chanticleers will be down a few notches for this instant re-hook. Guard Michael Flowers is a good player for the home team but he played all 40 minutes for his game-high 28 points after the sun went down yesterday. South Alabama is 1-2 SU and ATS in second of back-to-backs, the win/cover against a Georgia Southern team that can’t hit water from a boat, and one of the losses to tonight’s opponent.

Rating: 3 Unit Rebound Total of the Day

The under is 4-0 in Bison last 4 Saturday games. While the under is
5-2 in Hatters last 7 overall, and 5-2 in Hatters last 7 games as an underdog.

Rating: 2 Units

The home side is desperate! Denver has yet to beat a Division 1 foe this season (0-13). This is the second opportunity for them to take advantage of a second of back-to-backs on their home floor at 5,200 feet of altitude. They covered the other (vs. Oral Roberts) when they lost by 9, taking 10.5. They’re not good, so if they’re gonna take advantage, it probably won’t be easy but ya’ gotta try out these rare "favorable" situations that don’t exist in other years

Rating: 2 Units

Schedule-overload seventh game in 12 days for Edwardsville, a perpetual Ohio Valley also ran with no college hoops class and very little depth. To be playing it against Belmont – perennial challenger for the OVC title and multi-NCAA Tournament performer – seems like the worst possible draw for their situation. To be playing it against Belmont when Belmont is 19-1, 13-0 in conference) with a +17.8 scoring differential in OVC play, and the Bruins don’t play again until Thursday, would seem to increase the blowout potential. The score when they met at Belmont on Jan. 23 was 114-62, so if Belmont wins by half as much this time, it’s still 26 points.

Rating: 3 Unit SEC Play of the Day

‘Tell me how will you score the upset that isn’t really an upset? Tell me, Cuonzo, Cuonzo, Cuonzo!’ Alabama has had an early “peak.” We were on them early, had Mississippi State against them recently when all MSU did was muck up the game, forcing Alabama play slow and ugly. At Oklahoma a week ago, it was basically the same thing. Missouri’s band has been together as long as anyone in the SEC and Cuonzo’s preferred game was always slow and ugly until this group finally got some cohesion and could play more up-and-down this season. Now, the Tigers are versatile but not to the point where they’ll try to trade threes in a fast-paced game, and they’ll run the Tide off the three-point line as often as possible. Consider that Missouri is 6-1 ATS in their last 7 games as a home underdog.

Rating: 2 Units

It really is a shame that Detroit’s Monday game at Denver was postponed and a great anti-Pistons situation couldn’t occur when they played at Utah the next night. For this, they’ve had two days to prep, in town Wednesday while the Suns were losing that night in New Orleans. Still no Dario Saric or Damion Jones for Phoenix. Forwards Frank Kaminsky and Cameron Johnson were -17 and -25 plus-minus in the loss at New Orleans, as they should be. There are enough points available to make the lousy road dog a tempting commodity in this spot.

Rating: 2 Units

There’s no place like Lawlor (Center), it seems, for Nevada, which can’t seem to win a game away from Reno these days but has been very tough to beat in Reno. To wit: the home team has won eight straight games involving the Wolf Pack. And, the good news for Steve Alford’s crew is that it is at home tonight, as Nevada was within the last week when twice taking out downstate UNLV by double-digit margins. Alford has been getting some big production in recent weeks from Wichita State transfer G Grant Sherfield (18.3 ppg), who has scored 20 or more in seven of the last ten games.