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Towson is comes in looking to avenge a loss to the Cougars in the semifinal of last years’ Colonial Conference tourney. A smart 9-6 ATS mark with revenge in this series sets the table tonight and an even smarter 63-39-3 ATS ledger in games as a revenge-seeking conference dog cleans it up. Since joining the CAA, the Cougars have faced two foes with triple revenge chips on their shoulders from the previous season and they’ve lost the money each time. 

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Nevada is averaging 76.1 points per game. They scored 56 points in their last game, making 36 percent of their field goals and 25 percent of their three-pointers. Kenan Blackshear led the Wolf Pack with 15 points, three rebounds, and three assists. Jarod Lucas finished with 14 points and four assists, while Nick Davidson added 12 points and five rebounds. Nevada has played well defensively, giving up 63.6 points per game. They gave up 64 points in their last game and will need a similar effort if they want to win this game.

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Will Arizona win this game? Absolutely! The question is by how much, and recent history demonstrates that they can crush the Trojans by 17 or more. Last season at home, they beat USC by 15 and the season before they had a 20-point victory over the Trojans in Los Angeles. Arizona has also produced at least 81 points in five of the last six meetings against USC.  What they have also done is shut down the Trojans, who have scored under 70 points in two of the last four meetings between these teams. USC has gone under 65 in the last two games and they will do that here as well.

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The Rhode Island Rams are looking to continue winning games as they are coming off an 89-77 home victory against the UMass Minutemen and it helped scoring 41+ points in each half. Their offense was unbelievable as the Rams were able to shoot 27-of-52 (51.9 percent) from the floor, 14-of-23 (60.9 percent) from the three-point line and 28 free-throw attempts. Junior guard Jaden House stepped up in this game as he finished with 29 points, six rebounds, three assists, one block and three turnovers in 35 minutes of action. The defense has done a good job as well as the Minutemen were held a team shooting split of 40.9/20.0/71.4 throughout the game. 

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Isaiah Hill is a lone Bulldog with points per game north of 10.0. On the other side, four Spartans average points in double figures, so I have to take San Jose State even though the Spartans’ defense has been pretty bad all season. The Bulldogs’ defense has been solid over the last few weeks, but their offense has been pretty much awful. I’m looking for a tight battle for all 40 minutes, and the Spartans’ offense should make a difference down the stretch. Fresno State is 7-0 ATS in its last seven home games against San Jose State. However, the Bulldogs are 2-5 ATS in their last seven games overall, whereas the Spartans have gone 4-1 ATS in their previous five. 

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Akron will be too tough at both ends of the court for Western Michigan to keep pace. Akron scores 77.1 points per game and has the 63rd best field goal shooting percentage, allowing just 65.6 points per game which is 55th in the country. In contrast, Western Michigan scores an average of 74.9 points per game but is allowing 76.2 points per game and opponents are shooting 44.9%. Western Michigan is allowing opponents to shoot 35.6% from 3-point territory which is 314th, and plays to one of Toledo’s strengths, as the Rockets are hitting the same 35.6% from three point land. Akron has covered the spread in four of its last five. Akron's scoring duo Enrique Freeman and Ali Ali, who average a combined 33.8 points per game, will be too much inside and out for the Broncos defense. Akron's Freeman is leading the nation in rebounding at 13.1 per game and helps the Zips clear the glass at both ends giving opponents fewer second look opportunities.

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The Villanova Wildcats are right at the top of the Big East standings, as only three teams in the league have only one loss. The one-loss teams are Seton Hall, UConn and Villanova. Nova's lone loss was a home matchup against St. John's, they defeated DePaul twice, won a home game over Xavier, and grabbed a road win over #12 Creighton. In their last game against DePaul, Nova got out to a 10 point lead at half and never looked back. They were led in scoring by Eric Dixon with 24 points in the win.

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Both St Peters and Manhattan do not score that many points per game but the big difference in this matchup is on defense, as the Peacocks are allowing an average of only 63.5 points per game and 42.4% shooting, while the Jaspers are allowing an average of 76.0 points per game and 45.5% shooting. St Peter's has covered the spread in six of its last seven games and in four of the last five games head-to-head versus Manhattan. Manhattan has covered the spread in just one of its last seven games and the Jaspers have covered the spread in just one of their last six games played on their home court. Manhattan is scoring only 64.4 points per game and shoots very poorly, hitting just 39.4% of its shots overall and 30.1% of its 3-point attempts, which are 347th and 316th respectively.

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The Miami RedHawks are middle-of-the-pack on the offensive side of the floor as they are averaging 74.8 points per game, which is 185th in college basketball. Their defense has been doing a decent job as they are 181st in the NCAA with 71.7 points per game allowed.

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Louisville comes in with a victory in their previous contest, giving them a little bit of momentum heading into this game. Meanwhile, NC State struggled against Notre Dame on the road and lost to North Carolina so they are looking to get back on track here. Louisville has struggled shooting the ball all season long and they have sputtered on the defensive end of the floor. This should be an opportunity for the Wolfpack to get right offensively in this contest as they face this struggling Cardinals group. Burns Jr. should have a big game on the interior, especially with Traynor missing for Louisville. Take the Wolfpack in this contest as they earn the road victory.

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Against Louisville, Virginia handled its business the way a good team should against a not-so-good one. The Cavaliers had just three turnovers and shot 51.7 percent from the floor while notching 20 assists on 30 made baskets. Ryan Dunn had 15 points and 10 rebounds while Isaac McKneely scored 18 points. Reece Beekman leads the team in scoring this season with 12.9 points per game. While Virginia struggled in South Bend, NC State was able to escape the state of Indiana with a 54-52 win over Notre Dame on Wednesday. DJ Burns Jr. had 13 points and four rebounds and sank the game-winning shot with 0.6 seconds left. The buzzer-beater by Burns was the first time NC State had the lead. The Wolfpack won despite one of their worst 3-point shooting performances of the season, making just 3 of 17 shots (17.6 percent) from behind the arc.

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Until last season, the Broncos had dominated this matchup. In fact, they had won the previous eight games by at least 16 points in every instance but one. The only two times they did not cover the spread in that time was when they were favored by 22 points or more. They win, but simply not by 26. That makes a 5.5-point spread totally workable. There is no denying that San Jose can score, producing at least 73 points in six straight games, but Boise State can be an offensive machine, scoring 85 or more points in four of the last five games. 

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The Illinois basketball program recently suspended their top scorer Terrence Shannon Jr. after he was charged with rape. Many were wondering how Illinois would respond in their first true test without him against Northwestern. Well, they beat the Wildcats by 30, the same Northwestern team that handed Purdue their only loss of the season. Illinois held the lead all game and it was never close. Marcus Domask led the way with 32 points, and Quincy Guerrier had a double-double with 14 points and ten boards in the win.

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Defensively, Quinnipiac allows an average of 72.7 points per game (221st nationally). Their field goal defense stands at 42.5% (161st) and their three-point defense at 33.1% (203rd), indicating a need for more stringent defense, especially on the perimeter. In their last game against Florida, Quinnipiac faced a tough 97-72 road loss. 

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The Pirates followed up their win over Delaware State with a loss to the Buccaneers in their last game. They will try to bounce back from the loss with a win over the Owls, which will give them their second win in their last three games and their first road win of the season. East Carolina is averaging 72.8 points per game. They scored 71 points in their last game, making 34.9 percent of their field goals and 16.7 percent of their three-pointers. Brandon Johnson led the Pirates with 19 points, nine rebounds, and four assists. RJ Felton finished with 17 points and seven rebounds, while Ezra Ausar added 12 points and eight rebounds.

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The Redhawks enter MAC play this season at 6-6 following a tough non-conference schedule. They have won two straight games but have had trouble offensively thus far. The Redhawks are ranked 235th in scoring offense this season. They are, however, 142nd in field goal percentage on the season and an impressive 10th in 3-point shooting. The Redhawks rank 36th in 3-point field goals per game. They are just 224th in scoring defense this season. They are ranked 305th in opponent's field goal percentage.

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Creighton was justifiably a top-ten team until the team's recent struggles. They have size, shooting, and excellent perimeter defense. That combination of attributes is critical in the modern-day college basketball landscape. The Bluejays now square off against a Hoyas team that is in the midst of an overhaul under new head coach Cooley. Cooley eventually got Providence turned around and it started with taking care of their homecourt. Thus far, the Hoyas are 6-3 at home this season but have lost to the three quality teams they've played at home: TCU, Syracuse, and Butler. The Hoyas lost those games by just under eight points per game. The Bluejays certainly qualify as a quality opponent and are a step above the three aforementioned teams. Look for the Bluejays to dominate the glass and dominate the interior forcing the Hoyas to collapse into the paint and thus opening up the Bluejays' 40th-ranked 3-point shooting.

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IUPUI is coming off of victory over Detroit Mercy, but will lose at home to Cleveland State on Sunday. IUPUI is one of the worst shooting teams in the nation. The Jaguars are 233rd in field goal shooting percentage at 43.8 and 362nd in three-point shooting percentage at 23.4. It is just as bad or likely worse at the defensive end as the Jaguars allow opponents to shoot 49.6% overall which is 358th and 37.1% from 3 point land which is 341st. A poor shooting offense and a weak defense do not add up to many wins.  Cleveland State holds its own offensively, scoring 76.1 points per game thanks to excellent shooting from the perimeter as the Vikings hit 38% of their 3-point attempts which is 32nd in the nation. Although on defense the Vikings are giving up a high shooting percent at 44% overall, Cleveland's perimeter defense is holding opponents to 29.8% shooting from 3 point land which is 71st in the country. Cleveland State has covered the spread in each of its last five games and in six of the last eight when playing IUPUI head to head. IUPUI has failed to cover the spread in nine of its last 10 games.

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Notre Dame has had major issues on the offensive end of the floor this season. Scoring only 60 points against Marist isn’t something you want to hang your hat on, even if it was in a victory. Now the Fighting Irish have to face a Virginia team that is suffocating on the defensive end of the floor. We know that Tony Bennett’s team isn’t going to overpower anyone on the offensive end of the floor as they rely on that pack line defense to make life miserable for opposing teams. That’s the situation here as Notre Dame has struggled to shoot the ball with any kind of consistency this season. Virginia is sixth in field goal percentage defense (36.7%), 10th in two-point defense (42%) and 27th in three-point defense (28.1%) this season. Notre Dame will be fortunate if they get above the mid-50s on the scoreboard. Virginia rolls here to improve to 2-0 in the ACC.

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Maryland (8-4) has a chance to extend that streak to 19 games on Thursday night with a tune-up against Coppin State (1-12) in College Park, Md. The Terrapins are coming off a 69-60 win Friday at UCLA that was propelled by a virtuoso performance from Jahmir Young, who scored a career-high 37 points on 13-of-19 shooting. Coppin State arrives on a five-game losing streak and has been idle since an 87-48 defeat at No. 20 James Madison on Dec. 19.

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The Mustangs should close out 2023 with a comfortable win at Murray State. They are superior on the glass to Murray State. The Mustangs defend both the interior and perimeter expertly and should hold the subpar Murray State offense to less than 60 points in this game. While the Racers rarely turn the ball over, they will have a plethora of one-and-done possessions thanks to their inability to shoot the ball well and the team's struggles on the glass. The Mustangs will control the pace and tempo of this game and cruise to their 9th win.

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Michigan State and Oakland play every year, but the Golden Grizzlies have yet to beat the Spartans in 21 meetings since Oakland became a Division I program in 1998. Oakland (6-5) will have had 10 days off since its last game, a 77-63 win at Eastern Michigan on Dec. 8. It will be the third Big Ten opponent this year for Oakland, which lost by six at Ohio State and by 11 at Illinois to open the season. The Golden Grizzlies are led in scoring by Trey Townsend (15.8 points) in what is head coach Greg Kampe's 40th season at the helm.

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There is a clash of styles in this game, and both teams have strengths that their opponent will struggle to defend. Clemson has a strong post player and is surrounded by outside shooters. Memphis has an elite level do-everything wing, surrounded by athletes everywhere to fly up and down the floor. With the game being in Memphis, I believe they will be able to control the tempo, push the pace, and take advantage of Clemson's lack of speed. PJ Hall is a nice center for Clemson, but he will not be able to keep up in a footrace with Memphis as they will beat him down both ends of the floor. Memphis is also more athletic on the perimeter and will have a hand in Joe Girard III's face on every shot. David Jones has been on fire lately for Memphis, he has scored over 22 in three straight games and is one of the best perimeter defenders in the country. Memphis has depth on the perimeter, and will play to their strengths by pushing the tempo on both ends of the floor.

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Coach Prime has stolen all the headlines about the Colorado Buffaloes, but the men's basketball team is putting together a special season. Colorado (7-2), led by junior guard KJ Simpson, already has been ranked and is on the verge of getting back into the polls. The Buffaloes can state their case when they host Northern Colorado on Friday night in Boulder, Colo. Simpson leads the team in scoring with 19.4 points per game and is also averaging 4.4 assists and 4.3 rebounds. He had 20 points in a 90-63 rout of then-No. 15 Miami on Sunday, and his coach believes he should be in the conversation with the best guards in the nation.

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Nevada is arguably a much better offensive team than Weber State, but I think the Wildcats’ defense is good enough to contain the Wolf Pack and help the team beat the number. Weber State takes good care of the ball (25th in turnover percentage, 14.2%) and dominates on the defensive glass (13th in defensive rebound percentage, 77.5%) while keeping its rivals off the free-throw line (33rd in defensive free-throw rate (24.9). The Wolf Pack love to attack the rim and are third in the country in free-throw rate (50.2). They should win this game, but I’m not sure Nevada will be able to beat Weber State by double digits. The Wolf Pack will have a tall task to slow Dillon Jones down. 

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Struggling Chicago State (3-9) hasn't faced a Power Five school this season and is coming off Sunday's 66-50 home loss to the St. Thomas (Minnesota). The Cougars shot just 38.8 percent from the floor, including 27.8 percent from 3-point range. Wesley Cardet and Noble Crawford paced Chicago State with 12 points each, but the team couldn't maintain its momentum down the stretch after drawing within 49-45 with seven minutes to go. Should the Cougars aim to trap Buie, who scored 31 points in the upset of Purdue, the Wildcats will be ready. Buie had eight assists against Detroit Mercy as Northwestern's ball movement kept the Titans off-balance. The Wildcats assisted on 29 of their 34 field goals. Reserve Nick Martinelli shot 10-for-12 from the floor en route to a career-best 22 points. Ryan Langborg hit five of Northwestern's 10 treys and scored 19 points, while Ty Berry (16) and Brooks Barnhizer (13) also finished in double figures. The Wildcats also were plus-four on the glass and had nine steals, four from Langborg. Northwestern is 15-0 against Chicago State all-time, including an 85-54 victory in its season opener a year ago. The Wildcats' 31-point margin of victory was their smallest in the series since a four-point win in December 2016.

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The Bulldogs score 75.4 points per game (166th) on 43.6 percent shooting (236th), including 31.3 percent from long range (265th). They knock down 71.4 percent of their foul shots (161st) and average 38.9 rebounds per game (22nd). MSU's opponents score 62.0 points per game (19th) on 37.2 percent shooting (12th), including 24.9 percent from deep (4th), with 30.3 rebounds per game (126th). Mississippi State is ranked 28th nationally.

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This game may be on a neutral court, but St. John's will have the fandom edge based on where it is. Outside of that, they're already a better team. The Red Storm's greatest advantage will be on the glass, which will lead them to a comfortable win. One of the other key separators for this game is that the Red Storm hits 37.1% of their threes, and Boston College only knocks down 33.9%. Considering that both defenses allow opponents to hit more than 37% of their threes, sharpshooting will also make a massive difference. St. John's beats Boston College there too, and will win this game by more than six points.

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The UNC Greensboro Spartans use a very strong offense that is excellent at long distance shooting together with a defense that limits opponents to a low shooting percentage. UNC Greensboro shoots 39.7% from three point land which is 15th best in the nation and holds opponents to a field goal shooting percentage of just 40.4%. UNC Greensboro scores 79.9 points per game and allows 10.5 points less at 70.4 points per game. Elon is scoring an average of 82.8 per game but gives up 77.6 per contest and gives up high shooting percentages as opponents are making 46.3% overall and 32.2% from 3 point land against the Phoenix. Elon has failed to cover the spread in each of the last two while going 1-1 straight up over that span. UNC Greensboro has won each of its last six straight up and is 3-2 ATS over that span, which included a victory straight up over Arkansas as 15-point road dogs.

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The Friars have won seven of their last nine games and six straight home games. They have played well offensively at home, scoring more than 79 points per game while making over 49 percent of their shots. They rebound the ball well and they’re very aggressive on the offensive glass, which will give them more scoring chances. They also do a good job of protecting the ball and won’t give the Bears a lot of easy scoring chances. The Bears have struggled defensively and they play worse on the road, giving up more than 73 points per game, so expect them to have a hard time slowing down the Friars in this game. The Bears have lost eight of their last 11 games and four of their last five road games. They have struggled offensively and barely scored more than 60 points per game in their last three games. They don’t rebound the ball as well as the Friars and won’t get a lot of second-chance opportunities against them. They’ve also been careless with the ball on the road, which will lead to easy-scoring opportunities for the Friars. The Friars have done a good job defensively, especially at home where they are holding opponents under 65 points per game, so expect them to keep Brown’s offense in check. Go with Providence to cover the spread.

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Notre Dame has been solid defensively but their inability to shoot the ball with any kind of sustained success is going to be a problem here. The Fighting Irish lost both their road games this season, losing by 12 to South Carolina and by 14 to Miami, failing to score more than 52 points in either of those contests. That kind of production isn’t going to get it done against a Marquette team that has put up at least 85 points four times already this season. The Golden Eagles have already beaten Illinois, UCLA, Texas and Kansas while taking Purdue to the limit in a three-point loss in the Maui Invitational last month. Playing at home against an offensively challenged Notre Dame squad works in the Golden Eagles’ favor as they roll to a victory here.

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The Bobcats have been a strong offensive team as they are scoring 79.9 points per game, which is 87th in the nation. However, their defense needs some work as they are 268th in the United States with 74.9 points allowed per game up to this point. The Marshall offense has been doing decently well throughout the season as they are 208th in the country with 73.8 points per game.

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This one could get very ugly this afternoon. The Chippewas come in at 3-5 and struggle to put points on the board. The Creighton Bluejays are 21st in the nation in points per game and are coming off a 29-point thumping of Nebraska at home. The Bluejays are efficient with the basketball, move it well, and rarely give away possessions. In addition, they will battle with a CMU team that is just 246th in the nation in 3-point defense while ranking 22nd in 3-point shooting. Creighton is also ranked fourth in the nation in the percentage of points coming off 3-point field goals. Don't be frightened by this big line, the Bluejays will run away with this one.

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The Indiana Hoosiers have won three in a row and their only defeat was against #5 UConn. They have defeated Louisville and Maryland in their last three games. The Michigan Wolverines have dropped four of their last five games with the only victory in that span coming against Stanford. Long Beach State even dealt them an upset loss. The Hoosiers are the superior defensive squad here. They just kept Maryland to 53 points and are only allowing 98.7 points per 100 possessions, compared to 102.7 points per by 100 by the Wolverines according to Ken Pomeroy’s ratings. The Wolverines rank 125th in the country in adjusted defensive efficiency. Each of the Hoosiers' last five wins have been by eight or more points.

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The Broncos have done a great job thus far even though they returned just 20.1 percent of minutes and 17.3 percent of scoring from their 2022-23 roster. Per Bart Torvik, Santa Clara is a top-30 team in the nation in both 2-point percentage (57.1%) and opposing 2-point percentage (43.3%). I’ve mentioned the Broncos big win over Oregon, the second of the season against the Pac-12 team (89-77 at Stanford). I think the Broncos have the length to compete against the Bears, who also have a lot of new faces on their roster. Cal turns the ball over on 20.9 percent of its possessions while handing out just 9.1 assists per game. The Broncos are not a great defensive team by any stretch of the imagination, but their offense is 43rd in assists per game (16.8) and 177th in turnover percentage (17.7%). 

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Experience matters, that's why scheduling a soft non-conference schedule just to pick up some easy wins can be detrimental to the growth of your team. Northwestern has not had the easiest non-conference slate in the land, but they were only listed as underdogs once and lost that game to Mississippi State without covering. Northwestern should have pounded Western Michigan as they were 23.5-point favorites, but only won by four. Purdue on the other hand has played one of the toughest schedules in the country and won every single game. Purdue has defeated three top-15 teams and will roll into their first conference game with confidence. Northwestern has a 7-footer in Nicholson, but he is not an answer to their Edey problem. At 7'4 Edey is still too big and powerful and will dominate inside again. Northwestern's strength is on the perimeter with Boo Buie, but Purdue's Braden Smith is an excellent perimeter defender and will crowd Buie and take away his open looks. Too much talent for the Boilermakers.

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The Blazers were run over in the second half of their last game, but I feel confident predicting a more complete performance from them on Friday at home. UAB ranks as the better offensive and defensive squad, plus it's much more battle-tested. The Eagles have played the 190th-toughest strength of schedule, per KenPom, while the Blazers' schedule is rated 107th-toughest. Having already played Bradley, Clemson, and Maryland, UAB should be able to handle Southern Miss. The Eagles have not shot the basketball efficiently (321st nationally in FG%) and don't focus on one area of the court more than another. Per Hoop-Math, they attempt 34.8% of their shots at the rim, 33.1% from the mid-range, and 32.1% from beyond the arc. That figures to be easier for the Blazers to defend.

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The UNC Wilmington offense will overpower the East Carolina defense. The Seahawks are too deadly from long range to be stopped by an inferior defense such as East Carolina’s which is allowing 74.0 points per game and 48.2% shooting. East Carolina’s opponents shoot 34.3% from 3-point territory and UNC Wilmington is second best in the nation from three-point territory hitting 43.5% of their 3-point bombs. Wilmington is averaging 85.7 points per game and it's not because they play uptempo, as they are just 237th in adjusted tempo at 67.8. It's because they are excellent shooters. Leading scorer Trazarien White is shooting 60.6% overall and 36.4% from 3-point territory and three of the top five scorers shot 51.7% or higher. East Carolina doesn't have the shooters to keep pace with the hot shooting Wilmington. East Carolina has failed to cover the spread in four of its last five.

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Fresh off its biggest victory of the young season, Texas Tech takes on another challenge today with a road game against Butler as part of the inaugural Big East-Big 12 Battle. The Red Raiders rolled past Michigan 73-57 last week at the Battle for Atlantis to finish 2-1 at the event. The Bulldogs (5-2) delivered a similar showing in Orlando at the ESPN Events invitational, with back-to-back wins against Penn State and Boise State after a narrow loss to No. 19 Florida Atlantic. Now two teams with reconstructed rosters collide as they work toward establishing a long-term identity. For Texas Tech (5-1), this is the first true road game, and that's a challenge first-year coach Grant McCasland wants his team to embrace.

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This game could easily go either way. Just take a look at the teams’ recent results. The Matadors lost to Le Moyne and embarrassed Mississippi Valley State, while the Tigers barely defeated those two teams at home. Interestingly, each of Pacific’s last four games has been decided by three or fewer points. I’m expecting to see a high-tempo battle between CSUN and Pacific. The Matadors should have enough weapons to keep it close down the stretch, so I’m going with the underdogs. Pacific is struggling to defend the paint which suits CSUN’s style of play. The Matadors are 359th in the country in 3-point rate and 89th in 2-point percentage (53.6%). 

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La Tech looks to keep its five-game winning streak going on the road against New Mexico. The Bulldogs are 203rd in points per game this season. They are 167th in field goal percentage and 184th in 3-point field goal percentage. The Bulldogs are 55th in the country in points allowed per game. They are 80th in field goal defense and 80th in defensive field goal percentage. They are 63rd in three-point defense in the country. La Tech is 151st in turnovers per game this season. They are an above average rebounding team, ranked 125th in the country in total rebounding.

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I think the Waves will put an end to their losing streak, but I don’t want to lay all these points with them. Pepperdine’s interior defense has been awful so far this season, and the Waves are traditionally a bad defensive team. The Bengals make 54.2% of their 2-pointers (79th in the nation), so I’m going with Idaho State to beat the number. The Waves lean on their 3-point shooting, and the Bengals’ defense is 13th in the nation in 3-point rate (27.8) and 4th in 3-point percentage (29.3). Idaho State will look to slow the pace down as much as possible and force Pepperdine into half-court basketball. I’m expecting the Bengals to hang around down the stretch. 

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Marquette (5-1) went 2-1 in the stacked Maui Invitational field, including taking down then-No. 1 Kansas before coming up short in the championship game to then-No. 2 Purdue by a 78-75 final. The Boilermakers are now the top-ranked team in the country. The Golden Eagles trailed by as many as 15 in the second half against Purdue and got within one before the comeback bid stalled. Marquette's Tyler Kolek led the way with 22 points, along with seven rebounds and six assists, while Kam Jones added 17 points. Southern (1-5) arrives on a four-game losing streak, most recently falling 71-59 on the road at Valparaiso on Saturday. Marquette is 2-0 against Southern since the 2013-14 season, with the last matchup in 2018 when Marquette won in an 84-41 blowout in Milwaukee.

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Utah State looked impressive at a neutral site, but giving up 6.5 points on the road is different. The Aggies are proud of their in-season tournament championship, as they should be, but the field in the Cayman Islands Classic was watered down. Defeating teams like Marshall, Akron and Stephen F. Austin does not do much to improve your resume. Keep in mind, Utah State has only played one true road game this season, and lost on the road to Bradley. Saint Louis is undefeated at home on the season, they have a chance to spring an upset on their home floor, but taking the 6.5 points is still the play. Utah State's offense is only ranked 102nd in the nation, and their tempo is 182nd; they do not score with great efficiency or play at a break-neck pace. Utah State will not run up the score here, they lost their only road game, and Saint Louis is undefeated at home. Hargrove Jr. and Jimerson provide the Billikens with a strong enough inside-out game to keep this close.

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With its Big 12-Big East Battle matchup at Georgetown set for Saturday, TCU has one last tune-up tonight as the Horned Frogs welcome Houston Christian to Fort Worth, Texas, aiming to keep their undefeated season intact. TCU (5-0) is coming off a 93-74 win over Alcorn State last Tuesday. Houston Christian is winless in four games, though the Huskies lost twice by single digits.

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Texas has the advantage of playing at home against a Wyoming team that hasn't had a true road test yet. Wyoming hasn't played a team close to this tough either. Along with that, the Longhorns need to bounce back from their first loss. All of that is to say, that Texas should blow out the Cowboys. The Longhorns have a defense that will completely stymie Wyoming. Texas will also control the rebounding battle. Nobody is stopping Texas from scoring, and that won't change on Sunday. Take Texas to cover.

Rating: 2 Units

I have renewed confidence in the Cardinals following their strong showing in New York City. They were in position to win both games and truly had the 19th-ranked Longhorns on the ropes before falling on a last-second shot. That confidence should carry over in this spot against a New Mexico State team that has struggled on both ends of the court this season. The Aggies have had difficulty scoring, shooting, and defending the opposition. Louisville has been above average defending the opposition this season, ranking 170th in defensive field goal percentage and 134th in 3-point defense. The biggest differential in this game is rebounding. Louisville is 50th in the nation while the Aggies are just under 300th in the nation. The Cardinals should dominate the glass and dominate the interior.

Rating: 2 Units

Rating: 2 Units

Rating: 2 Units

Rating; 2 Units

Rating: 2 Units

Rating: 2 Units

BYU seeks its second 5-0 start in the past three seasons when it faces Arizona State on Thursday night in the opening round of the Vegas Showdown at Las Vegas. 4It isn't hard to pinpoint the most impressive of the Cougars' four straight wins. They took down then-No. 17 San Diego State, a national finalist last season, 74-65 on Nov. 10 in Provo, Utah. BYU is coming off a 93-50 rout of Morgan State on Nov. 18. It marked the third time the Cougars won by more than 40 points this season. Jaxson Robinson led BYU with 19 points, and Fousseyni Traore added 17 in the balanced attack that features seven players averaging at least nine points per game and five in double digits.

Rating: 2 Units

Baylor lost a lot after last season, which will be hard to replicate early. Four of their five starters are gone, which took 68% of Baylor's scoring with them. The team's offense carried them in the 2022-23 campaign, and there's reason to doubt if the many newcomers can match last year's offense. Improving defensively is a massive question mark too. Looking at Auburn, they were a much more balanced team last season. They lost two key players, but most of last year's rotation is back. That continuity will be massive to begin the season, especially on the defensive end. The Tigers will come out roaring and earn an early Quadrant 1 win.

Rating: 2 Units

Connecticut won on Saturday night with a bruising effort against Miami, leading from start to finish. The Canes were no match for the Huskies and it was clear from the opening tip. The Huskies have won five consecutive games straight-up and are 9-1 against the spread in their last ten overall.

Rating: 2 Units

The Miami Hurricanes' first-ever romp into the Final Four, including redemption from last season's Elite Eight loss, has been a great story. The Hurricanes have a terrific backcourt and highly skilled role players that have helped the team average over 80 points per game in the tournament. Unfortunately, the ride ends here. UConn is playing at a level that I haven't seen since the 1990 UNLV Runnin' Rebels stormed through the tournament on the way to the National Championship. The Huskies have an average margin of victory of over 21 points, are shooting the ball at a 50% clip, and hold the opposition to just over 35% shooting.  This team can beat you from long range, averaging over 10 made 3pt field goals per game in the tournament, or in the paint, averaging 37.5 points in the paint per game. UConn will turn the ball over on occasion but this Miami team is not built to cause a high number of turnovers, averaging just over 10 forced turnovers per game in the tournament. And, if the Hurricanes start slowly, they will be in major trouble. The average score in the second half of the Huskies' games in the tournament is 46-27. Yes, the Huskies are beating teams by an AVERAGE of nearly 20 points in the second half of their tournament games. UConn will wear Miami down with too much size, too much defensive pressure and just, and just too much. The Huskies will roll into the NCAA Final on Monday night.

Rating: 2 Units

Creighton has played better than expected in the tournament, especially offensively. They have shot the lights out in their wins over Baylor and Princeton in their last two contests. One has to think that they will have a tougher time shooting the ball against an Aztecs team that held opposing teams to just 40.8% shooting from the floor this season. Depth is also an issue for the Blue Jays as we’ve seen them get a combined 16 points from their bench in their three tournament games, 14 of which have come from Farabello. If Creighton finds themselves in any kind of foul trouble, it’s going to be tough sledding. We just saw San Diego State upend Alabama in a game where Bradley finished with only six points. Look for him to bounce back and help the Aztecs advance to the Final Four. Consider that the Aztecs are 13-3-2 ATS in their last 18 games vs. a team with a winning straight up record.