Brooklyn Nets.

Game 561.

4:00 PM PST.

Not only did the Nets lose Game 1 to the Celtics on a buzzer beating layup, but star guard, Kyrie Irving got fined $50,000 for giving the TD Garden fans a specific hand gesture. I look for Brooklyn to come in here extra motivated bouncing back and taking Game 2. The Nets, which are 4-1 against the spread the last five games played as an underdog and 10-3-1 against the spread the last 14 road games, are pissed off and I looking for some redemption here. While they did cover the opening game, they need a win here to even up this series and go back home tied. They are also 14-6 against the spread the last 20 meetings with the Celtics. Take Brooklyn plus the points. Thank you.

Oakland.

MVP play.

Game 928.

3:05 pm pst.

Well baseball fans, outside of the Texas Rangers, the Baltimore Orioles possess the American League’s poorest record at 3-8. It’s true, they are horrible. Particularly on the road where they are winless at 0-5. This is a team averaging a mere, 2.09 runs per game. They must now face a top-10 pitching staff in the Oakland A’s and specifically starter, Daulton Jeffries. In just under two weeks, the right-hander has proven to be the ace of the staff. In his short career, he has never faced Baltimore. However, in his two starts in Oakland, he owns a 2.70 ERA. The Orioles send Jordan Lyles to the mound. The right-hander is 0-1 with a 5.23 ERA thus far this season.  And in eight games, including six starts has an overall career record against the A’s of 3-2 with a 4.22 ERA. Just because of the pitching situation I would definitely put a lean on the A’s here. But they also happen to own one of the most dangerous lineups in baseball accounting for over 5.00 runs per game.  They are also 16-5 the last 21 meetings with Baltimore. Take Oakland. Thank you.

Colorado.

HIGH ROLLER play.

Game 914.

12:10 pm pst.

Less than two weeks into the regular season, Colorado has already jumped out to an 8-3 record, which is good enough for them to share the competitive NL West’s top-spot with Los Angeles. The Rockies have taken Games 1 and 2 of this series to give them 6-1 mark the last seven meetings with the Phillies. As a matter fact, they have dominated Philadelphia in Coors Field as well, taking 21 of the last 29 meetings at home. Zach Elfin is 1-3 with a 7.40 ERA against the Rockies in his career. German Marquez is 3-1 with a 2.75 ERA lifetime against the Phillies. Colorado’s lineup ranks in the top-10 in every major category. This does not bode well for Philly as their pitching staff ranks 28th in the league with a Team ERA of 5.16. Take the Rockies. Thank you.

Los Angeles Dodgers.

Best Bet play.

Game 964.

7:10 PM PST.

Don’t look now, but at 8-2, the Los Angeles Dodgers own the best record in all of baseball. With a combination of the top-ranked scoring offense and the third-ranked pitching staff, this team is mowing down any opponent in their way. The Atlanta Braves, along with the Los Angeles Dodgers are the two best teams in baseball the last two seasons. Atlanta is highly touted this season but currently own a record of 5-6. They just can’t seem to get in sync right now. They lost Game 1 of this series yesterday, 7-4. And going back a bit have lost six of the last 10 overall meetings with their National League rival. The offense ranks in about the middle of the pack in both leagues while the pitching staff ranks near the bottom. Max Fried and Walker Buehler are scheduled starters here. Fried is already 0-2 with a 5.73 ERA while Buehler is 1-0 to 3.38 ERA. The Braves are just 1-4 the last five games played versus right-handed starters, while the Dodgers are 44-12 the last 56 games played at home. Take Los Angeles. Thank you.

Phoenix Suns.

Slam Dunk play.

Game 554.

7:00 PM PST.

I know many sports bettors out there, prior to Game 1 of this series looked at how hot New Orleans was playing along with fact that Phoenix was a little shaky towards the end of the regular season and played the Pelicans. Well, they didn’t take into the consideration that the Suns were locked into their number one seed for a while. They had a chance to rest their starters and coast into the postseason. When a team wins battle of the boards 55-35 and you still lose by 11-points, it tells you something. Both offensively and defensively Phoenix outclasses New Orleans. Look for the Suns to put the Pelicans away very quickly here and go up 2-0 in this series. New Orleans is 1-5 against the spread the last six meetings with Phoenix, 1-6 against the spread the last seven the last seven games played versus teams with a winning record, and 0-4 against the spread the last four games played as an underdog. Take the Suns. Thank you.

Houston Astros.

Grand Slam play.

Game 972.

5:10 PM PST.

The Houston Astros bats are starting to come alive. They took Game 1 of the series yesterday, 8-3 to now give the team four wins in the five meetings against their American League West rival already this season. With their lineup starting to show signs of life this team is very dangerous as they own a top-10 pitching staff with a Team ERA of 3.19. Both on the mound and at the plate, the Los Angeles Angels are very erratic. They’ve been hit with a boatload of injuries and that’s not helping their cause either. Patrick Sandoval and Framber Valdez are scheduled starters here. Sandoval is 0-3 with a 9.77 ERA in five career games (four starts) against the Astros. Valdez is 7-3 with a 3.60 ERA over 12 career games (eight starts) against the Angels. Los Angeles is your 6-15 the last 21 versus the American League West and 5-12 the last 17 versus teams with a winning record. Take Houston. Thank you.

Golden State Warriors.

Slam Dunk play.

Game 546.

7:00 pm pst.

Guys, many of the statistics you are seeing for the Golden State Warriors this season are skewed. For much of the season they were without some of their top stars and yet they are still one of the best rebounding teams on both ends of the court, rank third in the NBA in points allowed, and are top-five in every single major category on defense. Now they are at full force and are looking as good as they ever were. This is a team that rattled off six consecutive straight up wins, covering six of the last seven overall games. They are just too much for the Denver Nuggets to handle. They have covered the last three meetings in this rivalry winning the last two by a combined 27 points. Denver is 3-10 against the spread the last 13 meetings with Golden State. Golden State is 4-0 against this spread the last four games played at home. Take the Warriors. Thank you.

Colorado Rockies.

Best Bet.

Game 908.

5:40 PM PST.

One of the hardest places to play for any visitor in all of baseball is at Coors field. This does not bode well for a Philadelphia team that is just 1-3 this season on the road. Colorado has taken three of the last four meetings in the series. While both starting pitchers, Aaron Nola and Chad Kuhl have good past records against today’s opponents, so far this season the Rockies starter has looked much better. The combination of Colorado’s explosive sixth ranked offense (5.11 runs per game) stepping into the batters box 60 feet away from a Philadelphia pitching staff that ranks 26th (5.07 Team ERA) certainly benefits the home team here. The Phillies are 2-9 the last 11 games played in Colorado, 1-5 the last six games played on the road, and 0-5 the last five games played versus right-handed starters. Take the Rockies. Thank you.

Toronto Raptors.

LVSM play.

Game 541.

4:30 pm pst.

My friends, no one expected (including myself) Toronto to lose Game 1 of the series by 20-points. However, a lot of things went right for Philadelphia. Tyrese Maxey put up 38 points. Thaddeus Young left the game at halftime. And the 76ers committed just three turnovers while hitting 50% from beyond the arc. Well, the Raptors had a few days to deal with any missing players here and prepare for that. And I doubt the Sixers can replicate their season opening numbers. Having said that, Toronto can and will keep pace offensively and defensively here but I do feel they will have an edge on the offensive boards here. The Raptors are 7-3 against the spread the last 10 games played on the road, 4-1 against the spread the last five games played following a straight up loss, and 4-1 against the spread last five games played as an underdog. Take Toronto. Thank you.

Milwaukee Bucks.

Oddsmakers Mistake play.

Game 530.

3:30 PM PST.

The Chicago Bulls haven’t won a post season game since 2017. And to be quite honest guys, they’re not going to win one here today either. They have limped into the playoffs dropping 15 of the last 22 straight up and 16 of those against the spread. On the other hand, the Milwaukee Bucks are running red hot, winning 15 of the last 21 straight up and 13 of those against the spread. If you’re worried about this number, don’t be as the Bucks have covered 10 of the last 13 laying double-digits. These two Eastern Conference rivals have played four times the season with Milwaukee winning all four SU, covering the last three ATS. They have taken the four meetings by an average score of 14.75 points per game. With Lonzo Ball sidelined the Bulls just don’t have the depth to compensate here. This is a team that is 7-21 against the spread the last 28 games played as an underdog 3-10 against the spread the last 13 games played on the road, and 1-4 against the spread the last five games played overall. Take Milwaukee. Thank you.

Los Angeles Dodgers on the run line.

Grand Slam Play.

Game 962.

1:10 PM PST.

Going back to last season, Los Angeles has taken the last five meetings with Cincinnati by an average margin of victory of 3.61 runs per game. This includes Games 1, 2, and 3 of this series. As a matter fact, the Reds are now on a five-game slide sporting one of the worst pitching staffs in baseball, ranking 27th in Team ERA at 5.09. Their offense leaves a lot to be desired as well. But no matter what they can score offensively, they just cannot compensate for how poor their pitching has been. Well, this does not bode well here today as the Dodgers are crushing the ball, ranking fifth offensively in runs scored at 5.25 runs per game fifth offensively in Team BA at .267.  By the way, L.A. is riding a five-game win streak right now. Take the Dodgers on the run line. Thank you.

Chicago White Sox.

Home Run play.

Game 974.

11:10 AM PST.

My friends, no matter how strong Tampa Bay is predicted to be, they are just not playing well right now. Both, at the plate and on the mound, they rank in the bottom half of the league, thus resulting in a four-game losing streak. On the other hand, Chicago is one of the hottest teams in baseball. Overall, they sport a 6-2 record. The lineup is starting to heat up while the pitching staff ranks in the top-five. They have taken both Games 1 and 2 of this series. And going back a bit, they have taken four straight meetings with their A.L. rival in Guaranteed Rate Field and five of the last seven overall meetings. Tampa Bay has a pitcher making his first start of his career while Chicago has a very experienced starter going today. The Rays are 0-5 the last five games played on the road while the White Sox are 5-1 the last six versus the American League East. Take Chicago. Thank you.

Raptors.

LVSM.

Game 521.

3:00 pm pst.

Sports fans, Toronto has been locked into this seeding for quite a while now. So, the Raptors enter the postseason very well rested. Not only that but they start the playoffs red-hot, winning 14 of the last 18 game straight up and covering 12 of those 18 outings. To add to their advantages, this team is one of the few participating in the postseason that are at full strength, with no injuries. They can certainly match Philadelphia in scoring and are significantly better on the boards. And in my opinion, that is where this game will be won. The 76ers have several players that are still out and a few more that are a little banged up. Therefore, rotating fresh legs is not in the cards for them. And for us who wager on games, they have failed to cover seven of the last nine overall entering this matchup. Speaking of matchups, Toronto has taken three or four straight up in the series this season while covering all for meetings with Philadelphia. They are also 7-2 against the spread the last nine games played on the road, 4-1 against the spread the last five games played as an underdog, and 5-1 against the spread the last six Conference Quarterfinal games. Take the Raptors. Thank you.

Pelicans.

SD.

Game 511.

7:05 pm pst.

Sports fans, we all know that New Orleans had a big win and cover against San Antonio the other day while Los Angeles imploded, dropping a big lead in Minnesota and even getting a lot of us the no cover. I know prior to that defeat, the Clippers were running pretty hot. And while they are a much better team with Paul George on the floor, I do believe that there’s a catch 22 with him. Since he’s been back, he has put up some outstanding numbers but the rest of the team aren’t contributing as much. Knowing this, the Pelicans with their nasty defense and third ranked rebounding unit will key on him for sure here. On the other side of the court while New Orleans has the ball, look for them to get a ton of second chance shots as they rank 11th in the league on the offensive boards and Los Angeles ranks 28th on the defensive boards. The Pelicans have covered six of the last seven meetings in this series, winning five of those straight up. They are also 13-5 ATS the last 18 games played on the road. The Clippers are just 7-19 ATS the last 26 games played on too days rest. Take New Orleans. Thank you.

Dodgers on the run line.

HR.

Game 964.

7:10 pm pst.

After a shaky start, Los Angeles has now won three straight outings beating opponents by a combined 23-5. One of those outings was Game 1 of this series yesterday in which they decimated Cincinnati, 9-3. As a matter fact, going back to last season, the Dodgers have taken three consecutive matchups against the Reds, by a combined 22-9. Not one of those games came within three runs. Cincinnati is back to their old ways. They are now on a three-game slide as their pitching has allowed 25 runs during their current skid. Gutierrez and Gonsolin are slated to take the hill here. Both on the mound at the plate Los Angeles significantly outclassed Cincinnati. Look for their fourth ranked lineup, which is averaging 5.67 runs per game to light up the scoreboard against Cincinnati‘s 27th ranked pitching staff, which has a Team ERA of 5.55. Take the Dodgers on the run line. Thank you.

Astros.

HR.

Game 977.

6:42 pm pst.

Well, it didn’t take very long for Houston to take hold of first place in the American League West. Their hitting has been a little erratic. However, due to their Major League leading pitching staff, which ranks first in Team ERA with an anemic, 1.69 mark, they are winning. This does not bode well for a Seattle team that is struggling at the plate, ranking 28th, and averaging just 3.00 runs per game with a team batting average of .192 (also 28th). Odorizzi and Gonzalez are scheduled starters. The Houston starter went to 2-2 with a 3.91 ERA in five starts against the Mariners a season ago, striking out 28 and walking just 10 in 25 1/3 innings pitched. The Mariners starter, in 10 appearances, including nine starts against the Astros, is 1-6 with a 5.48 ERA. Houston is 25-11 the last 36 in Seattle, 5-1 the last six versus the AL West, and 8-2 the last 10 following a loss. Take the Astros. Thank you.

Under Cubs/Rockies.

TOW.

Games 959/960.

5:40 pm pst.

We all know the angles surrounding totals at Coors Field. As of posting this play, it looks like the wind will be blowing in from left to right by game time. To further strengthen our argument, neither team is really smacking the cover off the ball, while both pitching staffs rank in the Top-10. Two solid pitchers in Stroman and Marquez are taking the mound today. They both looked great in their first outings. These teams have combined to play 12 games so far in the 2022 campaign, resulting in three overs, eight unders, and one push. As a matter fact four of the last five meetings in the series in Colorado has gone under the total. The under is also 4-0 the last four road games for the Cubs and 8-2 last 10 games home games for the Rockies. Take the under. Thank you.

Hawks,

LVSM

Game 509.

4:30 pm pst.

The big news in this matchup is that center, Jarett Allen might be returning. As of posting this prediction, he is listed as 50/50. These two teams met four times this season as Atlanta has won and covered the last three meetings, one on the road and two at home. Speaking of being away from home, the Hawks are 4-1 against the spread of the last five games played as a road favorite. Atlanta had a very easy time putting away Charlotte just two days ago, 132-103. That victory gave them eight wins over the last 10 outings straight up and against the spread. The Cavaliers had a very difficult time on Tuesday in Brooklyn dropping a game, 115-108 to the Nets. While they did cover the game, it was only their fourth cover over the last 13 contests. The Atlanta offense is playing very strong right now and I feel you will see their second ranked three-point shooting squad exploit the 16th ranked three-point shooting defense of Cleveland here. You can also look for the Hawks and their very nasty squad of defensive rebounders to take away a lot of boards not allowing the Cavaliers too many second chance shots. Atlanta is 5-1 against the spread the last six games played on one days rest, 6-0 against the spread the last six games played as a favorite, and 7-2 against the spread the last nine games played overall. Cleveland is 2-5 against spread the last seven games played at home, 0-4 against the spread the last four games played on two days rest, and 3-9 against spread the last 12 games played overall. Take the Hawks. Thank you.

St. Louis Cardinals.

NL Central Game of the Month.

Game 901.

12:10 PM PST.

My friends, the St. Louis Cardinals have already jumped out to take a lead in the NL Central. The funny thing is, they are the only team in this division that is either trying to get newly-acquired players acclimated or in a rebuilding year. The other teams in this division will certainly take time to start to gel and get into a flow. That’s not the case here with this team. Their offense is clicking on all cylinders, ranking second in both leagues in scoring, averaging over 6.25 runs per game. They own a Team Batting Average of .271 which is good enough to rank third in both leagues, rank second in OPS at. 874, rank second in stolen bases with 14, and have already slammed eight home runs. Their opponent today, the Milwaukee Brewers have high hopes for the year. However, right now are falling way short of expectations as their offense ranks among the worst in both leagues. And let’s face it, their pitching leaves a lot to be desired as well. These two teams certainly know each other very well. The Cardinals have had their way in this series, taking six of the last seven meetings overall. And while visiting American Family Field, have taken the last four matchups in a row. Today, they send one of the National Leagues most experienced pitchers to the mound in Adam Wainwright. The right-hander looked very sharp in his first start of the campaign, tossing six scoreless innings and striking out six batters to earn a victory a week ago against the Pirates. In his career, “Uncle Charlie“ is 20-12 with a 2.60 ERA in 49 games against Milwaukee including 42 starts. A season go he was 2-1 with a 3.62 ERA in five starts versus the Brewers. Brandon Woodruff gets the nod at home. The right-hander had an awful first outing, only lasting 3.2 innings in last weeks 9-0 defeat at Wrigley Field. In his lifetime, he is 3-3 with a 3.30 ERA in 10 games versus St. Louis, including eight starts. He was 0-2 with a 3.97 ERA in four starts against the Cardinals last season. St. Louis is 9-1 the last 10 games as an underdog, 8-1 the last nine games during Game 1 of a series, 8-1 the last nine road games versus right-handed starters, and 22-6 the last 28 overall road games. Oh, by the way, they are also 15-4 the last 19 versus the NL Central and 4-1 the last five following an off day. Take the Cardinals. Thank you.

San Antonio.

LAS VEGAS STRIP MOVE play.

Game 507.

6:30 pm pst.

Sports fans the odds makers have the line way off in this matchup. San Antonio has taken three of the four meetings with New Orleans this season, both straight up and against the spread. Going back a ways, they have covered seven of the last eight matchups in this series. Yes, I know the Spurs have dropped three in a row straight up, but they have been on-fire to anyone who wagers on them, covering seven straight and 10 of the last 11. Not only that, but during that ATS hot-streak, they’ve beaten some pretty darn good teams, including a 107-103 win and cover in New Orleans less than three weeks ago. I know in the latter leg of this season the Pelicans have turned it up a little bit. We all know they have been without their superstar, Zion Williamson the entire campaign. And they just picked up CJ McCollum, who has bolstered the squad. However, I think this is the matchup they will severely miss Williamson on the floor. I wouldn’t read into this game any further than the fact that the Spurs played well against teams that aren’t very threatening as most of their troubles came against teams that were above. 500. The Pelicans are certainly not a team that can threaten them. San Antonio is 7-0 against the spread the last seven meetings at the Smoothie King Center, 6-1 against the spread the last seven games played on the road, and 11-4 against the spread the last 15 games played on two days rest. Take Antonio. Thank you.

Houston.

BEST BET Play.

Game 973.

12:40 pm pst.  

Don’t look now, but in just a week of play, the Houston Astros have already separated himself from the rest of the American League West division. They are playing some great baseball. With a record of 4-1, they are scoring over 4.4 runs per game while they possess the top-ranked pitching staff in baseball, sporting a Team ERA of just 1.64. Today they send Framber Valdez to the hill. The LH has already notched a win this season going 6.2 IP in a complete game shutout last week at the Angels, striking out six. Merrill Kelly gets the nod at home. The RH struck out seven in 4-0 IP against San Diego last Friday in a game the Diamondbacks lost 3-0. Houston took Game 1 of this series yesterday, 2-1 to give them their fifth victory in the last six meetings with Arizona. The Diamondbacks own one of the poorest lineups in baseball, accounting for just 2.4 runs per game. They are also 0-4 the last four games played at home 7-20 the last 27 games played versus the AL West, and 4-10 the last 14 during Game 2 of the series. Take the Astros. Thank you.

Los Angeles.

PI GOM.

Game 503.

6:30 pm pst.

Los Angeles comes into this match up winning five in a row and six of the last seven straight up. They have covered five of those seven outings. Funny thing how they started to win when their team started to get healthy. They now have both Paul George and Norman Powell suited up and ready to go. Funny thing, Minnesota only won one of the four meetings this season. That being the most recent when neither George nor Powell we’re on the floor. The three other meetings, the Clippers won and covered all three by an average score of 18.6 points per game. By the way George led all scorers in all three. Los Angeles is 4-1 against the spread the last five meetings in this series overall and 15-6-1 against the spread the last 22 meetings in Minnesota. Minnesota is 1-4 against the spread the last five games played at home and 0-4 I get to spread the last four games played overall. Take the Clippers. Thank you.

Colorado.

IL GAME OF THE WEEK.

Game 927.

5:05 pm pst.

With a combination of good hitting and solid pitching, Colorado is playing some very good baseball, resulting in a 3-1 record already. On the other hand, Texas is just 1-3 thus far, possessing one of the worst pitching staffs in baseball. The Rangers have a Team ERA of 5.91. While their hitting has been good, ranking second, it just can’t compensate for their poor pitching. Chad Kuhl and Martin Perez are set to take the mound today. Neither are Cy Young award candidates. But, Kuhl is definitely a little more consistent. The Rangers are 8-23 the last 31 Interleague games and 0-6 the last six as a favorite. Take the Rockies. Thank you.

St. Louis.

Run Line Game of The Week.

Game 926.

4:45 pm pst.

My friends, the St. Louis Cardinals are the only team in the NL Central that aren’t either rebuilding or trying to get a slew of newly acquired players acclimated. Kansas City, which is not a very good team, lost their last two outings coming into today’s matchup. In those two games, their pitching allowed 27 total runs. Trust me when I tell you, that’s just the tip of the iceberg. St. Louis won their first two outings, shellacking Pittsburgh by combined 15-2 only to drop Game 3 of the series two days ago. Look for them to be in serious bounce-back mode as they send crafty RH, Dakota Hudson to the mound. The 27-year-old has very impressive career numbers, going 24-10 with a 3.14 ERA. That includes a 1-0 record with a 2.13 ERA in three career appearances against the Royals, including two starts. LH Daniel Lynch went 4-6 with a 5.69 ERA and 15 starts as a rookie last season. As the season progressed his numbers significantly worsened. Believe it or not, these two teams met six times in 2021 with St. Louis taking five of the six meetings. The Cardinals are 10-4 the last 14 games played at home, 7-1 the last eight games played during Game 1 of a series, and 4-1 the last five interleague games. Take St. Louis. Thank you.

Chicago.

NL Central Game of the Week.

Game 901.

1:10 PM PST.

Well sports fans, we’re just a week into the season, and it’s no surprise the Cubs are atop the division while the Pirates are closer to the bottom. Chicago takes to the road for the first time and normally, we look to fade them this early in the season away from Wrigley Field. However, this is a team that plays very well in this situation going 4-1 the last five games played on the road, 4-1 the last five games played versus division rivals, and 8-3 the last 11 games played as a road favorite. Left-hander, Drew Smyly comes off his best campaign since 2013 and is expected to be even better this year. Left-hander José Quintana comes off the worst season of his professional career. Chicago has taken nine of the last 10 meetings overall in this rivalry which does include five of the last six in Pittsburgh. The Pirates are 19-48 the last 67 games played versus the NL Central and 17-46 the last 63 games played versus left-handed starters. Take the Cubs. Thank you.

Seattle.

DOUBLE PLAY.

Game 967.

4:40 pm pst.

Today these two teams conclude a four-game series at Target Field. Seattle took both Games 1 and 2 but dropped Game 3 yesterday. They have had their way in this AL rivalry taking six of the last eight meetings going back to April of last season. Today’s matchup is all about the pitching. Chris Flexen gets the road start here. The right-hander was 14-6 with a 3.61 ERA last year. And over his career, in two starts against the Twins, owns a 1-0 record was 3.46 ERA. Dylan Bundy gets the nod at home. The right-hander was an ugly, 2-9 with a 6.06 ERA a season ago. Over his career he sports a respectable 3-3 record with a 2.70 ERA in nine appearances against Seattle which includes six starts. I know Minnesota counted for 10 runs yesterday but this team doesn’t have a very powerful lineup. I look for them to be bootstrapped by Flexen today while the Mariners, which are 12-3 the last 15 games overall going back to last season, beat up on Bundy. Seattle is 4-1 the last five meetings in Minnesota, 5-0 the last five games played following a loss, and 7-1 the last eight games played as a road underdog. Take the Mariners. Thank you.

Boston.

Crusher.

Game 961.

2:10 pm pst.

Although I’ve been a Las Vegas resident for over 32-years, I’m still a New Yorker at heart. And being a New Yorker, we never liked to praise anything from the state of Massachusetts. Having said that as a sports handicapper and sports bettor I will say this, the only issue the Red Sox have is the fact that they play in the same division with the Yankees, Rays, and Blue Jays. This is a very good team. There certainly is talent in the American League Central, but not like the American League East, which will most likely have four teams with 90+ wins this season. Boston opened the campaign against a very good New York team at Yankees Stadium and played very competitively taking Game 3 of the series. Detroit opened the campaign at home winning the opener and dropping Games 2 and 3 against Chicago. The Red Sox have dominated the Tigers taking eight of the last 11 meetings which does include five of the last seven at Comerica Park. Michael Watcha gets the road start here. The journeyman pitcher owns a very respectable 63-48 career record with a lifetime ERA of 4.14. Matt Manning in his first year in the big leagues, sported a 4-7 record with a 5.80 ERA. The Tigers offense is showing very little thus far while their pitching has already allowed over 19 runs. Boston is 4-1 the last five games played as a road favorite, while Detroit is 1-5 the last six games played as a home underdog. Take the Red Sox. Thank you.

Milwaukee.

GRAND SLAM.

Game 969.

12:05 pm pst.

Well sports fans, it’s no surprise that Baltimore has picked up this season just where they left off last season, losing. The Orioles have now dropped six in a row behind an offense that is averaging just 1.50 runs per game. By the way, that output is good enough to rank them dead-last in the league in scoring. I know it’s very early in the season, however, this team is just horrible. And things aren’t gonna’ look that much better for them in this matchup. Milwaukee sends Adrian Houser to the bump. The right-hander went a very respectable 10-6 with a 3.22 ERA last year. This does include a very strong finish as he completed the campaign with a 7-1 mark with a very low 2.65 ERA in his final 19 games (which did include 17 starts). Although it’s been a while, Milwaukee took five consecutive meetings against Baltimore spanning from 2014 to 2017. They are also very good against the American League East, going 7-2 the last nine versus division representatives. Bruce Zimmermann gets the home start. The left-hander was 4-5 with a 5.04 ERA in 2021. While he shows some good control, he really doesn’t have anything too threatening in his repertoire. The Orioles are 0-3 and have gotten plowed for 15 runs already. They are also 1-5 the last six in interleague play and 0-8 the last eight versus NL Central opponents. Take Milwaukee. Thank you.

St. Louis on the Run Line.

Home Run Play.

Game 906.

11:15 am pst.

St. Louis has taken the first two games of this series with authority, outscoring Pittsburgh 15-2. They have had their way with their Division rival taking 45 of the last 65 meetings. Today, Steven Matz gets the home start. The left-hander comes off a very impressive 14-7, 3.82 ERA campaign a season ago with Toronto. I wouldn’t be too concerned with the fact that he’s now pitching in the National League as he spent the first six years of his career winning games for New York. Bryse Wilson takes the hill for the Pirates. The right-hander came over to Pittsburgh last season from Atlanta and was an unimpressive 1-4 with a 4.91 ERA for the Pirates. Along with the Oakland Athletics, the Baltimore Orioles, and the Arizona Diamondbacks, the Pittsburgh Pirates have the longest odds to win the World Series. Let’s face it folks this team is once again horrible. They are 14-45 the last 59 games played on the road, 18-48 the last 66 games played versus NL Central opponents, and 16-46 the last 62 games played versus left-handed starters. Take the St. Louis Cardinals on the run line. Thank you.

Seattle Mariners.

Upper Deck.

Game 923.

11:10 am pst.

Seattle has taken both Games 1 and 2 of the series with a combination of clutch hitting and very good pitching. As a matter of fact, they’ve dominated Minnesota, taking six of the last seven meetings going back to last season. Today, Marco Gonzalez goes to the bump. The left-hander owns a very respectable 51–33, 4.06 ERA career marks and he comes off an impressive campaign. Bailey Ober takes the hill for Minnesota. The right-hander made his debut about 11 months ago and went 3-3 with a 4.19 ERA on the campaign. The Mariners have done quite well playing in Target Field taking the last four meetings. They are also 8-1 the last nine road games played versus right-handed starters, 7-0 the last seven games played as a road underdog, 21-6 the last 27 overall games played on the road and 13-3 the last 16 games played overall. Take Seattle. Thank you.  

Tampa Bay on the run line.

BEST BET Play.

Game 916.

10:10 am pst.

Once again, this season Baltimore isn’t just picked to finish dead-last in the Division, they are also picked to finish the season as the worst team in the American League. Judging from the first two games, that prediction seems to be very true. Yes, I’m not gonna’ argue that the American League East is one of the most competitive Divisions in all of baseball. However, this team is just horrible. They face a very good Tampa Bay squad which happens be starting for the first time, newly-acquired Corey Kluber. The right-hander is a monster pitcher sporting a 103-61 career record with a 3.19 ERA. Even after 11 seasons in the big leagues, “Klubes“ is still one of the best strikeout men in the game. The two-time Cy Young Award winner owns a lifetime record of 5-1 with a 3.15 ERA in 10 starts against the Orioles. Tyler Wells is making just his sixth appearance ever and his first start. The right-hander went 2-3 with a 4.11 ERA a season ago. He is in way over his head, trust me folks. Going back just 10 games through last season, the Rays have taken all 10 contests over the Orioles, with only two of those games coming by just one run. As a matter fact, they are 42-12 the last 54 meetings in this series. This game gets ugly and Tampa Bay wins big. Take the Rays on the run line. Thank you.

San Francisco Giants.

DIAMOND Play.

Game 956.

1:05 pm pst.

San Francisco took Game 1 of the series on Friday, 6–5 in10 innings. That’s just indicative of how Miami finds new and improved ways to lose games. The Giants, like most teams, have dominated the Marlins taking five of the last six meetings going back to last season. The 44-million-dollar man gets his first start with his new team today. Carlos Rodon went 13-5 with a 2.37 ERA last season with the Chicago White Sox. Reports are that the LH is in the best shape of his career, throwing nearly 100 mph. Getting the nod today for Miami is Pablo Lopez. The RH, in his four seasons in the Major Leagues owns an 18-21 record with a 4.04 ERA. Respectable numbers but has issues with control resulting in quite a few BB’s. The Marlins are once again touted to be one of the poorest teams in the National League while the Giants are predicted to be a very good team in the very competitive, NL West Division. Miami is 13-42 the last 55 on the road, 1-4 the last five versus LH starters, 1-6 the last seven versus the NL West, and 3-10 the last 13 overall. Take San Francisco. Thank you.

Milwaukee Bucks.

LVSM Play.

Game 515.

4:10 pm pst.

A victory here tonight will further strengthen the Milwaukee Bucks hold on the second seed in the East come the playoffs. Not only that, but they can exact a little revenge on the Detroit Pistons as well. After winning nine consecutive meetings with the Pistons, back on January 3 the Bucks got embarrassed at home 115-106. I know Detroit, prior to Wednesday’s 18-point loss at home to Dallas, covered five consecutive games, but this is a whole different monster. And that monsters name is Giannis Antetokounmpo. The superstar will lead the number three ranked offense in the league and decimate the Pistons both inside and out. Many out there don’t realize it, but not only does this team score points, they also rank fourth from beyond the arc and second on the offensive boards. All places that the Pistons defense rank among the poorest in the league. This game gets ugly and the Bucks get their revenge. They are 6-1-1 against the spread the last eight meetings in Detroit, 13- 3-1 against the spread the last 17 overall meetings, 10-4 against the spread the last 14 played on the road, and 6-1 against the spread the last seven games played following an against the spread loss. Take Milwaukee. Thank you.

Seattle Mariners.

BEST BET Play.

Game 933.

1:10 pm pst.

Folks, the American League West headlines are always about the Astros and the Angels. But the Mariners are a darn good team. As a matter fact they’re going to be even better this year. With newly-acquired starter, Robbie Ray, watch out for this team in this Division. The LH comes off of 13-7 year with Toronto in which he had a 2.84 ERA. In 193.1 IP, the crafty veteran notched to 248 strikeouts. To begin with, the Mariners took four of the last five meetings with the Twins a season ago. This is a good team. As a matter fact, they closed last season‘s campaign winning 11 of the last 14, going 19-7 the last 26 on the road, sporting a 6-0 record the last six games played as an underdog, and are good in the first game of the series going 6-1 the last seven in that situation. The 26-year-old, Joe Ryan is only making his sixth ever appearance in a big-league game. The RH had some respectable numbers a season ago, however does not have the experience or the savvy to face this very dangerous Seattle lineup. Take the Mariners. Thank you.

Boston Celtics.

LVSM Play.

Game 503.

4:30 pm pst.

There is a lot on the line in this contest tonight. The second seed in the conference remains up for grabs and the loser here could mathematically slide all the way down to the number four-spot. Boston and their number one ranked defense will once again frustrate Milwaukee. This is a team that has covered six straight meetings in this rivalry going back to December 2020. That includes all three matchups this season as they have won two straight up, while the most-recent, played on Christmas Day was separated by just four-points. No debating that Giannis Antetokounmpo is a monster player that will always get his numbers. However, Jayson Tatum can match him in statistics very easily. The combination of the Celtics defense and the fact that their offense is exploding for over 123 points per game just over the last 10 outings, prompts me to take the points here with the underdog. Boston is 4-1 against the spread the last five games played in Milwaukee, 6-1 against the spread the last seven games played on the road, and 8-3 against the spread the last 11 games played overall. Take the Celtics. Thank you.

St. Louis Cardinals on the RUN LINE.

HR Play.

Game 974.

1:15 pm pst.   

It’s not easy being a Pittsburgh Pirates fan, my friends. Once again, this season they are clearly the worst team in the National League and possess the longest odds to win the World Series. Even if they didn’t play in the very competitive, NL Central, they would still be a division cellar-dweller anywhere else. The St. Louis Cardinals are the only team in the division that aren’t currently either in a rebuilding year or undergoing changes. They have had their way with today’s opponent, winning 43 of the last 63 meetings, including six of the last 10. Today they send one of their most seasoned pitchers in Adam Wainwright to the mound. The RH comes off a very good 17-7, 3.05 ERA campaign. A season ago, in his four starts against the Pirates, the Cardinals won all four meetings. JT Brubaker takes the hill for Pittsburgh. The RH had a 5-13 record last year, with a whopping, 5.36 ERA. It just so happens that Pittsburgh lost all four of his starts against St. Louis. The Pirates are one of the worst road teams in the Majors, sporting a 14-43 record the last 57 games played away from home. St. Louis has been money in the division, winning 13 of the last 16 versus NL Central opponents. They are also 8-3 the last 11 at home, 17-5 the last 22 versus RH starters, 50-24 the last 74 as a favorite, and 35-17 the last 52 overall. Take the Cardinals on the RUN LINE. Thank you.

Boston Celtics.

LVSM play.

Game 585.

5:10 pm pst 8:10 pm est.

With three games remaining in the regular season the Boston Celtics are in a tie with the Milwaukee Bucks and the Philadelphia 76ers. Each are just 2.5 games back of the Eastern Conference’s leading team, the Miami Heat. A lot of things can happen between now and the end of the regular season. A win here would be crucial for the Celtics to take the Atlantic Division. Moreover, to better their situation come in the postseason. Granted, the Bulls have covered four straight in this rivalry going back to April of last year. However, these are two very different teams right now. Boston owns the top defense in the NBA, ranking number one in points allowed, number one and field goal percentage, number two in three-point percentage, and 11th on the defensive boards.  The last month and a half Chicago have really struggled going just 6-13 straight up and 5-14 against the spread. They played last night and got crushed, 127-106 at home against Milwaukee. This was the second of back-to-back home losses for the team. Meanwhile a fresher, Boston team comes in here off a huge demolishing of Washington on Sunday, 144-102. Look for the Celtics to better their situation with a big win and for us, a cover here tonight. The Bulls are 1-10 against the spread the last 11 games played versus teams with the winning percentage above .600, 17-35 against read the last 52 games played as an underdog, and 9-21 against the spread the last 30 home games played versus teams with a winning record. Take Boston. Thank you.

Milwaukee Bucks

NBA APRIL EASTERN CONFERENCE GAME OF THE MONTH.

Game 567.

5:10 pm pst/ 8:10 pm est.

With just four games remaining in the regular season, the Bucks sit in the third seed in the Eastern Conference, just a half-game behind the Celtics, and 2.5 games behind the Heat. The defending NBA champions are looking to better their seeding and grab the top-spot in the Conference. Playing the slumping Bulls is just what the doctor prescribes to do just that. Milwaukee has dominated Chicago, winning nine of the last 10 meetings straight up including all three this season, covering the two most recent, both last month. This team needs to go into the postseason with momentum. They have dropped each of the last two outings both straight up and against the spread to a Clippers team that pulled all their starters and a Mavericks squad just two days ago. The Bucks will bounce back here to boost their confidence come the playoffs. The Bulls are a mess, dropping 12 of the last 18 straight up and 13 of those 18 against the number. FYI, most of those games were with Vukovic, LaVine, and DeRozan all available. Since the All-Star break, Milwaukee has ranked second in the NBA in rebounding. That is where this game will be won, on the boards. Chicago just cannot contend on the glass in this matchup. They are outclassed and outmanned on both ends of the court. Look for the Bucks to also exploit the Bulls 26th ranked three-point defense with their fifth-ranked three-point shooting offense. With the Boston Celtics up next followed by the Detroit Pistons and the Cleveland Cavaliers to finish out their regular season, the Milwaukee Bucks will get back on their winning ways and make a statement to the rest of the Eastern Conference here. Milwaukee is 10-1 against the spread the last 11 games played in Chicago, 5-1 against the spread the last six games played following an ATS loss, 7-2 against the spread the last nine games played as a road favorite, 7-2 against the spread the last nine games played on one days rest, and 10-4 against the spread the last 14 games played overall. Take the Bucks. Thank you.

Kansas.

NATIONAL TITLE GAME WINNER.

Game 722.

6:20 pm pst.

Without question, both combatants deserve to be here in the National Title Game. However, I really do feel the line is way off. Kansas should be several points higher as a favorite. North Carolina is well coached and has played extremely strong to close out the regular season and during this postseason. However, the Jayhawks are one the toughest teams in the nation, defensively. Look at their two recent games played against other defensive powerhouses, the Cavaliers and the Hokies. They did beat Virginia 63-43 But, the Tar Heels offense sputtered. Then they lost to Virginia Tech 72-59, another poor offensive output. UNC lives and dies by the “3“. Well, that doesn’t bode too well as the Jayhawks own a top-20 three-point defense. Offensively, Kansas matches up quite well with the lax, North Carolina defense. They have both, big men and athletic guards. Not only that but they can go to the well and rotate in fresh legs throughout the contest as they are significantly deeper. The Jayhawks are 7-2 against the spread the last nine games played as a favorite, 6–2 against spread the last eight games played on neutral sites, and 7-2 against the spread of the last nine games played following a straight up win. Take Kansas. Thank you.

Duke.

Game 704.

5:45 pm pst

Sports fans, the drama surrounding this Final Four matchup is unrivaled. North Carolina and Duke have been going out each other for as far back as I can remember. Obviously, there’s the story surrounding Coach Mike Krzyzewski retiring after this Tournament. And obviously, the team wants to win for him. There’s also all the brouhaha surrounding the fact that Duke took the first meeting this season back in February by 20-points and then in Coach K’s final game at Cameron Indoor Stadium North Carolina shredded them by 13-points. Hubert Davis is a good coach. He’s done a lot with his Tar Heels team this season. But he is certainly outmanned and outclassed here. It goes without saying he doesn’t have anywhere near the coaching experience as his counterpart. Nor does he have his big game intelligence or savvy. The Blue Devils score more offensively and allow less defensively. They’re also one the most accurate teams in the country both from beyond the arc and overall, from the floor. Let’s not forget the fact that they are one of the best in the nation on the offensive boards. North Carolina can score and is accurate from downtown as well. And also grab a lot of offensive rebounds. But the mismatch you’re going to see is between the Duke offense and the North Carolina defense. There is a huge disparity in ability, talent, and statistics. The Blue Devils can go to the well for fresh legs throughout the game as they are a little bit deeper and have that monster frontcourt with four big men in the starting lineup. The Tar Heels are 8-18-1 against spread the last 27 neutral side games played as underdog and 2-6 against spread eight NCAA Tournament games played as an underdog. Take Duke. Thank you.

Kansas.

Game 701.

3:05 pm pst.

Both teams deserve to be here. Please take note that Kansas had no problems dispatching of two Big East representatives in this Tournament in Creighton and Providence. And so, this tells you all the hoopla about facing a physical, Big East team is all smoke and mirrors. Upfront, the Jayhawks are just as big and just as strong. And in the back court, just as explosive. Please remember that the Wildcats number two scorer during both the regular and postseason, Justin Moore is out for this matchup. Unfortunately, the guard tore his Achilles in the last game. Replacing him with someone with less experience and less ability is going to be fatal for the team in this matchup. KU is just too deep both inside and out for their adversary here. And don’t forget that they are excellent on the offensive boards, which allows them to get a ton of second chance shots. The Jayhawks are 9-3 against the spread the last 12 games played following a straight up win, 5-2 against the spread the last seven games played versus teams with the winning percentage above. 600, and 6-2 against the spread the last eight games played overall. Take Kansas. Thank you.

Charlotte.

SD Play.

Game 521.

9:40 am pst.

Normally I would look to play a team of Philadelphia’s caliber following losses to decent teams like Phoenix and Milwaukee and then losing to a bad team like Detroit. However, Charlotte is running red-hot. The Hornets currently have officially qualified for the play-in tournament for the second consecutive season. But they are far from happy with this. And they can certainly better their situation. With five games remaining in their regular season, they can creep up several seeds without a doubt. Losing three straight has dropped the 76ers into the number four spot in the Eastern Conference. We’re seeing problems between Coach Doc Rivers and his superstar James Harden over recent weeks. The Philly offense is just dismal, ranking 21st in scoring, 18th in field goal percentage, and 29th on the boards. They just can’t keep pace with the fifth ranked Charlotte ”O”.  Throw in the mix the fact that Gordon Hayward is expected to make his return tonight after missing over 22 games and this offense will get even better. By the way, the Hornets have won eight of the last 10 straight up, covering seven of those 10 outings. They are also 7-1-1 against the spread the last nine games played on two days rest, 6-1-1 against the spread the last eight games played as a road underdog, and 15-5-1 against read the last 21 overall road games. The 76ers are 1-5 against the spread the last six games played on one days rest, 2-6-1 against the spread the last nine games played as a favorite, and 3-7 against the spread the last 10 games played at home. Take Charlotte. Thank you.

Coastal Carolina.

TBC TGW.

Game 894.

3:00 pm pst.

Well sports fans, two teams that certainly deserve to be in the TBC Title game are matching up today. Fresno State, which owns one of the nastiest and stingiest defenses in all of college basketball, travels nearly 2700 miles to Conway, South Carolina to face a striding Coastal Carolina team. There is no doubt that on a regular basis the Bulldogs face a little tougher level of competition then does the Chanticleers. However, looking at both schedules, Fresno State had some issues earlier in the season with Cal, San Francisco, and Utah, and in their own conference against the top-tier teams. On the other hand, Coastal Carolina stepped up in class and took down Valparaiso and South Carolina earlier on his campaign and did well against the best teams in their league. Another major difference is the fact that the Bulldogs are just 1-4 against the spread this postseason while the Chanticleers are 3-1 against the spread in the playoffs. As a matter of fact, Coastal Carolina is 6-1 ATS the last seven games overall. I know how good the Fresno State defense is however, their offense just can’t compensate in this matchup. If you look at their last few games, they allowed Eastern Washington to post 74 points and Youngstown State to put up 71 points. These are not offensive powerhouses, folks. Not only can Coastal Carolina score points and drain “3’s”, but they are monsters on the offensive boards as well. They too have a decent defense ranking among the best in the nation defending the perimeter and only allowing 65.1 points per game on the season. Orlando Robinson is a monster. No doubt about that. However, Essam Mostafa can outmuscle the big man. And at the very least give him a hard time and slow him down a bit. The Chanticleers backcourt of Cole, Williams, and Dibba are a little more athletic than their counterparts and will control the tempo here. The Bulldogs are 1-4 against the spread the last five games played as a favorite. The Chanticleers are 4-0 against the spread the last four games played versus teams with a winning percentage above .600. Take Coastal Carolina. Thank you.

Atlanta.

EC GOM.

Game 586.

4:40 pm pst.

Both teams here are hoping for playoffs appearances. Currently the Cavaliers are seventh in the East. Atlanta, at the moment is in tenth and they are trying to catch an eighth-place Brooklyn team and a ninth-place Charlotte team. Both played last night as a Cavaliers took a 120-112 loss at home against the Mavericks while the Hawks visited Oklahoma City and beat the Thunder, 136-118 to give the team their third consecutive win and cover. They had a short plane ride home for today’s matchup. The Cavaliers have been bitten badly by the injury bug. Allen has been out for a while joining Rondo, Wade, and Sexton. However just added to the injured list is center, Evan Mobley. Now with him out this team seems like they just can’t score at all. They have failed to cover six in a row and nine of the last 11 outings. As a matter fact, they lost and failed to cover the two most-recent meetings with Atlanta, coming at the end of December and mid-February. And that was when they were at full strength. The last few weeks the Hawks have taken it to another level winning eight of the last 11 straight up. This is a team that is back at to where they used to be, dominating opponents on their home court, where the Hawks are 13-6 against the spread the last 19 games played at the State Farm Arena. Cleveland’s numbers are just horrible as they are 0-7 against the spread the last seven games played on zero days rest, 5-11 against the spread the last 16 games played following a straight up loss, and 2-6 against the spread the last eight games played on the road. Look for superstar, Trae Young to once again light up the Cavaliers as he has accounted for 35 and 41 points in the last two meetings. Take Atlanta. Thank you.

Toronto.

SD Play.

Game 568.

4:40 pm pst.

Both teams look like they’re in decent positions for a play-in spot at least, come the postseason. However, Toronto knows that both Brooklyn and Charlotte are right behind them and they need a couple of wins right now to close out the regular season. Minnesota’s high-powered offense is not compensating for their atrocious defense anymore, dropping three of the last four both straight up and against the spread. The Raptors had no problem taking the only meeting with the T-Wolves this season, a road win and cover approximately six weeks ago. Now they play at home in which during their current homestand they have won all three contests going 2-1 against the number. Minnesota is 1-5 against the spread the last six meetings in the series, 1-7 against the spread the last eight games played as a road underdog, and 2-7 against the spread the last nine games played versus teams with a winning home record. Take Toronto. Thank you.

Boston

OM Play.

Game 570.

4:40 pm pst.

Miami’s issues stretch way beyond their problems on the floor. Obviously with coaches and players arguing on the sidelines this team is in a lot more trouble than we originally thought. They finally got a win and a cover two nights ago following a 2-5 straight up run while going 0-7 against the spread. Meanwhile Boston has been playing some outstanding basketball behind the number one ranked defense in the entire NBA. It’s hard to believe that their game will improve this evening as both Tatum and Brown sat out Monday’s overtime loss in Toronto. Both star players are expected to return tonight (check status). The Celtics are on a killer run as they were on a six game straight up hot streak prior to that loss just two days ago. And they have been getting bettors paid going 6-1 against the spread the last seven. This is a big game with serious postseason implications. The Celtics, which are in better shape at the moment, want this victory to have that mental edge over the Heat come the playoffs. Miami is 0-4 against the spread the last four games played versus teams with a straight up winning record. Boston is 5-0 against the spread the last five games played following straight up loss. Take the Celtics. Thank you.

Dallas.

LVSM

Game 561.

 4:10 pm pst.

Sports fans, there are a few factors contributing to why I like the Dallas Mavericks today. For starters, Cleveland is without a few key players including Jarrett Allen. And last night Evan Mobley got a little bit banged-up and hurt his ankle a bit. Now it looks like (check status) he will be out this evening. On top of that, Luka Doncic played just under 30 minutes last night and he still scored 34 points and snagged 12 rebounds. He will be well rested here today as the Mavericks are looking for their fifth win over the last six games. The Cavaliers are now on a 0-5 no cover streak. There is one more item. The last meeting between these two teams back at the end of November Cleveland handed Dallas one of the worst home losses this season shellacking them 114-96. Revenge is a factor guys. The Mavericks are 7-2 against the spread the last nine games played at the Cavaliers, 4-0 against the spread the last four games played as a favorite, and 9-3 against the spread the last 12 games played versus teams with a winning record. Thanks Dallas. Thank you.

St. Bonaventure.

NIT BEST BET.

Game 647.

4:00 pm pst.

While both teams here have played very good basketball, one had a little easier route getting to the NIT semifinals than the other. Xavier had the luxury of playing all of their games at home. However, Saint Bonaventure had to win all their games on the road. This achievement truly impresses me. The Bonnies traveled to Colorado, Oklahoma, and Virginia, winning and covering all three games within a seven-day span outright as underdog in each. Meanwhile the Musketeers failed to cover two of the three eking by Cleveland State by four and then in their last game squeezing past Vanderbilt by just two points. Behind excellent play from five double-digit scoring starters, Saint Bonaventure‘s defense has stepped up in a major way in the postseason. While Xavier has their own bunch of scorers, and are a little deeper, they just don’t have the same talent level their opponent does here. The Bonnies are 4-1 against the spread the last five games played versus teams with a winning record, 6-2 against the spread the last eight games played as a favorite, and 4-1 against the spread the last five games played overall. The Musketeers are 1-4 against the spread the last five games played as an underdog, 1-7 against the spread the last eight games played versus teams with a winning record, and 1-10 against the spread the last 11 games played following a straight up win. Take Saint Bonaventure. Thank you.

TBC GOM.

Game 887.

5:00 pm pst.

You know sometimes when March rolls around it is difficult to try to gauge some of these matchups as they do not play each other during the regular season. However, today’s TBC matchup between Coastal Carolina South Alabama is not one of those times. These two teams both hail from the Sun Belt Conference. And let’s be honest, normally the top-four teams in every conference separate themselves from the rest. And these two representatives are right in the middle sporting 8-8 and 9-7 conference marks this season. They only met once this year as the Jaguars took a three-point win and cover over the Chanticleers. That contest took place about seven weeks ago. USA stole the victory with a three-point shot in the last minute. One thing you should take note of is that CC won the battle of the boards. They are one of the best offensive rebounds in squads in the nation and they’re pretty darn good on the defense of glass as well. They will take from the loss, come back here and avenge it. They possess one of the nastiest defenses in the country allowing just 65.1 points per game on 38.4% shooting. They have won and covered five of the last six games coming into today’s match up, both straight up and against the spread. On the other hand, the Jaguars have lost three of the last five both straight up and against the spread. This includes three consecutive no covers. The Chanticleers have too much muscle in the paint with center, Essam Mostafa. South Alabama is just 1-4 against spread the last five games played as a home favorite, 2-5 against the spread the last seven games played following an ATS loss, and 1-5 against the spread the last six games played overall. Coastal Carolina is 4-1 against the spread the last five games played as a road underdog, 4-1 against the spread their last five road games played versus teams with a winning home record, and 5-1 against the spread their last six games played overall. Take the Chanticleers. Thank you.

Miami Florida.

Game 645.

11:20 am pst.

Miami has played outstanding basketball over the last few weeks. They enter today’s Elite Eight contest covering all three Big Dance matchups. On the other hand, Kansas had their hands full in the last two rounds with Creighton and Providence, failing to cover both. The Hurricanes match up well with the Jayhawks. Offensively, look for Miami’s backcourt to control the tempo. Meanwhile defensively putting the same pressure on Kansas as they did the last several opponents. The Jayhawks were lucky to pull out the win against the Friars on Friday. The front court is struggling. And things will get worse here against the well-coached, aggressive ‘Canes defense. Miami is 19-6-1 against the spread the last 26 teams played as an underdog and 15-5-1 against the spread the last 21 games played overall. Kansas is 3-7 against the spread the last 10 games played followed an ATS loss and 1-5 against the spread the last six NCAA Tournament games. Take the Hurricanes. Thank you.

Houston Cougars.

Game 639.

3:05 pm pst.

It goes without sayings that both teams deserve to be here. Both have won all six of their postseason contests, while Houston has covered all six, Villanova has gone 4-2 against the spread. The Cougars own a mismatch on the defensive side of the court and will do to the Wildcats what they have done to just about every opponent this season. And that is to stifle their offense, frustrate them, and cause mistakes. They also possess stronger rebounders on both ends of the court. Houston’s big men will dominate in the paint, allowing the team to snag a ton of second-chance opportunities, while taking away Villanova’s ability to do the same. There is no question both squads are smart, well-coached, and have Tournament experience. However, the fact that the Cougars have won their last six games all by double-digits against solid opponents, just can’t be overlooked. Houston is 6-2 against the spread the last eight games played as a favorite, 26-9 against the spread the last 35 games played on neutral sites, 37-15 against the spread the last 52 games played versus teams with a winning percentage above .600, and 39-19 against the spread the last 58 games played overall. Take the Cougars. Thank you.

Miami Florida.

Game 638.

6:55 pm pst.

Miami coach, Jim Larranaga knows how to utilize his players. He has a talented bunch of athletes. Particularly in his backcourt where guards, McGusty, Wong, Moore, and Miller are each contributing 30 minutes or more per game and averaging double-digits in this postseason. They’ve already sent USC and Auburn home packing. This is a team that’s been good to us bettors as well, covering three in a row and seven of their last eight. Iowa State, behind an outstanding defense, has also played well. While their defense has frustrated just about every opponent they have faced this season, their offense leaves a lot to be desired. And they just can’t keep pace offensively in this matchup. And by the way, ISU may be good at creating turnovers but Mia-Fl doesn’t make many miscues. With all respect to TJ Otzelberger, he is in over his head and will be outcoached here. Jim Larranaga is no stranger to getting to the Final Four. If you recall, he steered George Mason to a Final Four berth in 2006. That experience will give the Hurricanes that extra edge in this contest. Take Miami. Thank you.

Providence.

Game 635.

4:25 pm pst.

Providence enters today’s Sweet 16 contest knowing they totally dismantled each of their previous NCAA Tournament opponents. They devoured both South Dakota State and Richmond offensively while defensively holding both teams to an average of 54.0 points per game. Ed Cooley‘s boys are comprised of a slew of fourth-and-fifth-year college players. They have a ton of experience overall. Particularly in big game situations. And they are well-coached and disciplined. The Friars have accumulated a 27-5 record this season going 19-13 against the spread. They dominated the Big East conference, which happens to be one of the most physical leagues in college basketball. This will be an issue for the Jayhawks. Yes, Kansas has some big strong players. And yes, they can score points. But Providence counters that offense with a big, strong front court and a very talented back court. As I mentioned, the Jayhawks have had issues once again this season when facing opponents that play aggressive and physical basketball. This match up certainly favors the Friars. They are 19-7 against the spread the last 26 games played as an underdog, 19-7 against the spread the last 26 games played versus teams with a winning record, and 5-2 against the spread the last seven games played overall. Take Providence. Thank you

Houston.

Game 623.

6:59 pm pst.

In any sport, postseason experience plays a significant factor. Having said that, this is the third straight season that Houston has advanced to the Sweet 16. Meanwhile, Arizona is making its first Sweet 16 appearance in six years. Basketball particularly at the collegiate level is about matchups. With all respect to the Wildcats and their high-powered offense, the Cougars defense own the best defense they’ve seen in quite a while. Houston enters this contest winning and covering all five of their postseason games and going back a little bit, is on a 9-1 run both straight up and against the spread. I mentioned matchups earlier. The Cougars have the size and the speed to slow down the Wildcats offense and they certainly will dominate on the glass here. Aside from their size upfront, their backcourt is just as fast, just as talented, and just as savvy. Houston is 12-3 against the spread the last 15 games played as an underdog and 25-9 against the spread the last 34 games played on neutral sites. Arizona is 0-4 against the spread the last four NCAA tournament games played as a favorite, and 4-11 against the spread the last 15 games played on neutral sites. Take the Cougars. Thank you.

Villanova.

Game 626.

4:29 pm pst.

Michigan making it this far has certainly been a nice story. But stories are made for you to read to your children at bedtime. And it’s time for the Wolverines to be put to sleep. One thing for sure, this is a team that was inconsistent all season long. Case in point, they have won two games in a row in this Tournament, but they have not won three consecutive games this entire campaign. Villanova has been the epitome of the word “consistent.” They played strong basketball throughout the entire regular season and swept through the postseason winning all five outings. Center, Hunter Dickinson is going to give any opponent problems. However, his supporting cast isn’t as deep or as strong as their adversary’s is here today. The Wildcats have the muscle and the big men to rotate on the 7’1” standout. Two more major factors benefit the Wildcats. The first is being that they have a nasty, swarming defense that will frustrate the Wolverines offense for sure. The second thing is that this is going to be a very physical game. And when it comes down to free throws, they also possess the number one ranked free-throw shooting team in the nation. A place where Michigan has had problems the entire year. The Wildcats are 17-4 against the spread the last 21 NCAA Tournament games played as a favorite. The Wolverines are 1-7 against this spread the last eight games played following an ATS win. Take Villanova. Thank you.

Arkansas.

Game 627.

4:09 pm pst.

Sports fans, I am not looking to take away anything from Gonzaga. The Bulldogs certainly deserve all the praise and accolades in the world. They’re a very good basketball team. But I think we can all agree that their level of competition overall, might not be a strong as their adversary here today faces. They only lost three games this season. They lost at the end of November to a mediocre, Duke team. They lost in the beginning of December to a mediocre Alabama team. And I will give them a mulligan on the final game of the regular season losing by 10 to Saint Mary’s. It’s true, overall, the Razorbacks numbers on both ends of the court aren’t as impressive. But they also play much tougher competition. And they enter today’s match up on a 17-3 straight up run. When Jaylin Williams is your number four scorer in the postseason, your offense is clicking on all cylinders. Gonzaga certainly has an advantage upfront between Drew Timme and Andrew Nembhard. But Eric Musselman utilizes his bench as good as any coach in the game. This is way too many points to give an Arkansas team that is 4-0 against the spread the last four games played as an underdog, 10-4 against the spread the last 13 games played following a straight up win, and 15-5 against the spread the last 20 games played overall. By the way, Gonzaga is point spread poison, going 0-4-1 against the spread the last five games played versus teams with a winning percentage above .600, 0-4 against the spread the last four NCAA Tournament games played as a favorite, and 1-3-1 against the spread the last five games played following an ATS loss. Take Arkansas. Thank you.

Joe's NIT QF WASHINGTON STATE/BYU WINNER

Washington State.

NIT QF WINNER.

Game 619.

6:00 pm pst.

BYU is certainly a good team and there’s no questioning some of the West Coast conferences representatives are very good. But for the most part, they do not play as competitive a level of opponent on a regular basis as does Washington State does in the Pac-12. In this tournament alone, Washington State has played a better level of opponent than BYU. But we will get to that in a moment. Both teams are loaded with talented athletes. Both have athletic back courts. And both have strong men upfront. But I do believe BYU will come in here a little overconfident having beaten Long Beach State by 21 and Northern Iowa by 19. Guys, they were supposed to beat them both by a ton of points. They will have a false sense of confidence for sure. Washington State played two solid adversaries in Santa Clara, which they beat by 13 and SMU, which they beat by 12. Stronger efforts against better teams for sure. This is a very good team with a talented squad and is very well coached. Not to mention that BYU is 3-7 against the spread the last 10 games played following a straight up win. Take Washington State. Thank you.

Wake Forest.

NIT QF WINNER.

Game 617.

4:00 pm pst.

To be honest with you Texas A&M has done better in Tournament play this March than most of the other SEC representatives. But the time has come for them to pack their bags and go back home. Wake Forest is a monster team, with a monster offense, and comes into this matchup rolling. I give a lot of credit to this Aggies team, which has now won nine of the last 10 straight up, going 8-2 against the spread. However, the Demon Deacons have played consistent basketball since opening day back in November. Behind one of the best players in the nation, Alondes Williams, they possess one of the most explosive offenses in college basketball. Believe it or not, the star guard is currently the third highest leading scorer this postseason for the team. Upfront, Jake LaRavia and Dallas Walton are absolutely dominating in the paint, combining for 29.3 points per game and 12.7 rebounds per game this postseason. Texas A&M just doesn’t have the personnel to compete down low here. The Aggie’s are 0-4 against the spread the last four games played at home versus teams with a winning road record. The Demon Deacons are 6-1 against the spread the last seven games played as a road underdog. Take a Wake Forest. Thank you.

UNCW.

CBI CHAMP GAME WINNER.

Game 621.,

2:00 pm pst.

Well sports fans, both teams finished atop their conferences and both ran through this tournament pretty easily. However, I do feel the Seahawks have faced and played a higher level of competition this season overall. The Blue Raiders own a bit better numbers. But I do believe those statistics are a little bit skewed as I feel their level of competition just isn’t as strong as their opponents is here. Both teams have excellent back courts and a strong big man upfront. But NC Wilmington has been absolute money this season covering 21 of their last 26 outings. As a matter of fact, they are 13-3 against the spread the last 16 games played aa an underdog, 14-3 against the spread the last 17 games played versus teams with a winning record, and 5-1 against the spread the last six games played on neutral sites. Can’t go against those ATS trends. Take the Seahawks. Thank you.

New York.

CTB play.

Game 540.

4:30 pm pst.

To say the Knicks are the Hawks kryptonite would be an understatement. New York has had their way with Atlanta winning and covering the last three meetings in the series, all of which were this season. There is no debating that Trae Young has been excellent this season. However, his supporting cast has been just horrible. John Collins is out. And Bogdan Bogdanovic is dealing with a quad injury and is listed as questionable. The Hawks have failed to cover the last five games played on the road and overall, enter this matchup in a 1-8 against the spread run. New York has won two of their last three, all of which have been played at home in the Garden. And are on a 7-2 ATS hot streak. The Hawks are 0-7 against the spread the last seven games played as a favorite, 1-6 against the spread the last seven games played as a road favorite, and 1-5 against the spread the last six games played on one days rest. The Knicks are 4-0 against spread the last four games played following a straight up loss, 6-1 against the spread the last seven games played as an underdog, and 5-2 against the spread the last seven games played on one days rest. Take New York. Thank you.

Raptors.

EC GOM.

Game 529.

5:10 pm pst.

If you’re concerned that Toronto played last night in Philadelphia, don’t be. This is a team that’s 10-4 against the spread the last 14 games played on zero days rest. Personally, I believe the wrong team is favored here. Yes, I know Chicago has won covered five of the last six meetings in this rivalry. But the Raptors are one of the hottest teams in the NBA, winning and covering six of their last seven outings. The Bulls continue to disappoint, losing and failing to cover three straight. As a matter fact, they are on a 2-8 straight up run, only covering one of those last 10 games. The fact that Fred VanVleet rested last night tells me he will play here tonight (check status) and the team seriously wants this victory. Toronto will look to send a message to the rest of the Eastern Conference to the teams that are currently ahead of them in the seeding. They are 6-0 against the spread the last six games played on the road, 5-0 against the spread the last five road games played versus teams with a winning home record, and 4-0 against the spread the last four games played versus teams with a winning percentage above .600. Chicago is 0-7 against the spread the last seven games played following a straight up loss, 8-19 against the spread the last 27 home games played versus teams with a winning road record, and 2-5 against the spread the last seven games played on two days rest. Take the Raptors. Thank you.

Hornets.

SLAM DUNK.

Game 526.

4:10 pm pst.

Yes folks, I’m well aware of the fact that the visitor has covered the last six meetings in the series. And I also know that New Orleans has covered three of their last four. However, Charlotte is running red-hot, winning and covering four in a row. They also didn’t play last night like the Pelicans did on the road in Atlanta. With their current surge of injuries, including top-scorer and solid rebounder, Brandon Ingram, I just don’t feel New Orleans is going to be able to compete in this one and will come in here with tired legs following last night’s contest. The Pelicans are 2-6 against the spread their last eight games played on zero days rest, 1-4 against the spread their last five games played as an underdog, and 2-5 against the spread their last seven games played overall. Take the Hornets. Thank you.

Purdue is certainly a good team. However, being a good team and covering games are two entirely different things. The Boilermakers have covered just eight times since December. I and if you’re keeping track that is 8-20 against the spread their last 28 contests. And their offense, which ranks seventh in the nation averaging over 80.7 points per game, has not hit the 80-point mark in the last 10 outings. Now they have to face the ninth ranked swarming defense of the Longhorns. Take Texas. Thank you.

Sports fans, Texas Tech is a very good team. However, I believe they’re going to come in here a little overconfident following the 35-point demolishing over Montana State just two days ago. That marked only their second cover since the end of February as they are on a 2-5 against the spread run. To say the ACC has done well this postseason is an understatement. And in comes a Notre Dame team which came into this tournament a bit angry having to play in the first-four and beat Rutgers. Then, in round 1 they decimated Alabama. Giving this team this many points is a huge mistake made by the odds makers. While on paper the Red Raiders are a bit more impressive. Basketball is not played on paper. It’s played on the hardwood and Notre Dame certainly is hungrier and comes in here with less pressure. They are also 5-1 against the spread the last six games played as underdog, 10-3 against spread the less 13 games played versus team to the winning record, and 12-5 against the spread the last 17 games played following a straight up win. Take the Fighting Irish. Thank you

Wisconsin comes in here possessing the better starting-five, is much deeper on the bench, and has Johnny Davis. The guard is the best player on the floor by far. The fact that the Cyclones run a four-guard set puts them in a little bit of trouble here. The Badgers are a little stronger, excuse me, a lot stronger upfront as well and they will win the battle of the boards here. By the way, this is basically a home game for Wiscy too. Take Wisconsin. Thank you.

North Texas owns some very impressive statistics. However, those stats were earned in Conference USA play. Now they’re playing a talented ACC representative. And the Mean Green weren’t so mean when they had a step up and out of their conference. They took beatings from the likes of the Jayhawks, the Hurricanes, and even the Blazers. Virginia is going to play with extra motivation as they felt they should’ve made the Big Dance. This is a team that can also play defense. As a matter of fact, they allow just 60.4 points per game. They unlike their opponent here today are accustomed to playing some very big named teams. North Texas doesn’t have the strength or the muscle to compete in this one and making them a favorite is a big mistake. They are 1-8 against the spread the last nine home games played versus teams with the winning road record. Virginia is 4-1 against the spread the last five games played versus teams with a winning percentage over 600. Take the Cavaliers. Thank you.

These two teams know each other very, very well. Duke always plays good basketball this time of year. Especially with it being the final season for Coach Mike Krzyzewski. However, they are once again this year being overvalued as they have not covered a single game since March 1. The Blue Devils are riding and 0-5 against the spread run. Meanwhile, the Spartans come in here covering their last five games as they are being undervalued. They’re playing very good basketball right. By the way, the underdog in this rivalry is 5-0 against the spread the last five meetings in the series. And Duke is 0-7 again spread the last seven NCAA tournament games. Take Michigan State. Thank you.

Wildcats, head coach, Jay Wright and his boys have won two of the last five tournaments. They come in here rolling today, winning six in a row. Villanova also has National Player of the Year candidate, Collin Gillespie. If this team was going to have a letdown, it would’ve happened after they won the Big East tournament. But it did not as they shellacked Delaware, 80-60 in the first round. They are no strangers to Ohio State. These two met up in November, 2019 when the Buckeyes crushed the Wildcats, 76-51. Gillespie was on that team and remembers that embarrassing loss quite well. Look for him to come out and lead the more talented bunch, get their vengeance, and move onto the Sweet 16. Ohio State is 2-10 against the spread the last 12 NCAA Tournament games. Villanova is 17-5 against the spread the last 22 NCAA Tournament games. Take the Wildcats. Thank you.

Guys, Illinois is a good team. However, they might come in this match up a little tired after having battled with Chattanooga two days ago. That game marked their fourth consecutive no cover and their 12th against the spread loss over the last 16 games. They are enormously overvalued by odds makers. Well Houston is not getting to much respect as they come from a lesser conference. However, this team has been a money machine winning and covering all four of their postseason games and covering eight of the last nine overall coming into today’s matchup. The Fighting Illini has had issues this season with aggressive defenses. Well, this is the most aggressive defense they have had to face in quite a while as the Cougars only allow 58.9 points per game and rank number one in college basketball in field-goal percentage allowing just 37.2% from the floor. Meanwhile the Illinois defense isn’t as good and will have problems on the boards here as well as trying to slow down the very talented starting-five of Houston. The Cougars are 4-0 against the spread the last four games played as a favorite, 6-1 against the spread the last seven games played following an ATS win, and 7-1 against the spread the eight games played versus teams with a winning record. Take Houston. Thank you.

Tennessee.

BOOKIE BUSTER.

Game 788.

2:15 pm pst.   

Getting to the NCAA Tournament is a big deal. Advancing from the first round is obviously important. However, the second round is usually where we see a lot of teams which are lucky to be here, get sent home. And make no mistake of it, Michigan is lucky to be here. But now it’s time for them to go back home. Not only does Tennessee possess a better squad on both ends of the court on the boards, but they also own one of the most frustrating defenses in all of college basketball. They allow just 63.3 points per game on 40.5% shooting. Yes, they swept through the SEC conference tournament and shredded Longwood in Round 1 of the Big Dance, winning and covering all four of their postseason games. But even during the regular season, this team didn’t have a bad string of games at all the entire campaign. The Wolverines were erratic the entire year and to say that they’ve been inconsistent would be an understatement. Youth and an experience are also an issue for this team. And that doesn’t bode well come Tournament time. They are 0-5 against the spread their last five games played following a straight up win, 5-16 against the spread their last 21 games played following an ATS win, and 1-4-1 against the spread their last six NCAA Tournament games played as an underdog. The Volunteers are 4-0 against the spread their last four games played on neutral sites, 6-2 against the spread their last eight games played as a favorite, and 4-0 against the spread their last four games played overall. Take Tennessee. Thank you.

Kansas.

ANNIHILATOR.

Game 794.

11:40 am pst.

Sports fans, it’s no secret that offensively, defensively, and on the boards, Kansas is a far better team than is Creighton. They play better competition, they are more experienced, and they have a better coaching staff. The Blue Jays took a hit earlier this season when they lost guard, Ryan Nembhard back in February. This team has covered four straight games against teams that on paper are better than them. However, yesterday they lost 7’1”, 256 lbs. center, Ryan Kalkbrenner. During the regular season he was one of their two biggest scorers and rebounders. But during the postseason, thus far he is their biggest scorer and rebounder. And he went down and will not be playing here today. That is going to be huge as Creighton faces a Kansas team chock-full of big strong forwards. Look for the Jayhawks to dominate in the paint and on the glass here. Let’s be honest even if the Blue Jays were at full strength, this would still be a tough matchup for them. But being that they are without one of the biggest inside presences, this game is going to get ugly. Kansas is 5-0 against the spread their last five games played as a favorite, 4-0 against the spread their last four games played on neutral sites, and 5-0 against the spread their last five games played overall. Take the Jayhawks. Thank you.

Houston.

LVSM.

Game 768.

6:20 pm pst.

Houston cut through the American Athletic Conference and the AAC Tournament like a hot knife through butter. They can score points, they can rebound, and boy oh boy do they have one hell of a nasty defense. Even when they step out of their conference they seem to win and win big. If you recall throughout the season, they took down Virginia, Oregon, Alabama, and even Oklahoma State. UAB won the Conference USA Tournament but if you recall was not the top team in their division. North Texas was. They also had problems with representatives from other conferences during the campaign, losing to South Carolina, San Francisco, and West Virginia. Jordan Walker is an incredible ball player. But he and the other Blazers guards are going to have a tough time trying to drive in the paint against the Cougars big, strong, stout front court. Houston is 23-9 against the spread their last 32 games played on neutral sites, 7-1 against the spread their last eight games played as a favorite, and 7-1 against the spread their last eight games played overall. Take the Cougars. Thank you.

Virginia Tech.

HIGH ROLLER.

Game 763.

1:30 pm pst.

Texas is in way over their heads here. Not only do they enter the Tournament dropping three in a row straight up, they are crushing anyone who bets on them failing to cover their last six in a row and seven of their last eight. On the other hand, Virginia Tech is rolling. They enter today’s matchup after sweeping through the ACC tournament winning all four games and covering the last three. But prior to that they finished out the regular season on a 9-2 straight up run in which they covered seven of those 10 last outings. Neither team is known for their offense. However, the Hokies own the sixth ranked three-point shooting squad in college basketball and that will be the difference here. The Longhorns are 0-8 against the spread their last eight NCAA Tournament games played as a favorite, 0-5 against the spread their last five games played versus teams with a winning record, 4-11-1 against the spread their last 16 games played following a straight up loss, and 6-18 against the spread their last 24 overall NCAA Tournament games. Take Virginia Tech. Thank you.

Notre Dame.

Bookie Buster.

Game 775.

1:15 pm pst.

I really wasn’t very impressed with Alabama’s play this season. It seems that many of their wins, particularly in the latter half of the campaign were against lower-tier conference opponents. On the other hand, Notre Dame played some pretty darn good basketball to finish out the season. As a matter of fact, from around Christmas right through their regular season finale they ran off 17-wins over their last 21 regular season outings. And how they finished off Rutgers a few days ago really impressed me. Look for the Fighting Irish defense to frustrate the Crimson Tide offense here. Alabama is 7-19 against the spread their last 26 teams played as a favorite and 4-10-1 against the spread their last 15 games played versus teams are the winning percentage above .600. Notre Dame is 4-1 against the spread their last five games played is as an underdog and 15-6 against the spread their last 21 games played overall. Take the Fighting Irish. Thank you.

Villanova.

ANNIHILATOR PLAY.

Game 774.

11:45 am pst.

After watching several top teams not just fail to cover yesterday, but lose out right, Villanova will take no chances here. This is a team looking for their fourth National Championship. They are a number two seed facing a number 15 seed. The Wildcats have no problem beating opponents by 20+ points. And knowing they are going to face some better opposition over the next several rounds they’re going to want to get in sync here and send a message to any future opponents. Look for Villanova to dominate in the paint, own the boards, and also shoot the lights out from downtown with their very accurate three-point shooting squad against one of the worst three-point defenses in the nation. The Wildcats ARE 14-3 against the spread their last 17 NCAA Tournament games as a favorite. Take Villanova. Thank you.

Auburn.

EARLY WINNER.

Game 758.

9:40 am pst.

We saw several top teams go down yesterday in Tournament play. So did Auburn. Sweeping through the SEC this season, The Tigers really played well since Day 1. However, losing to Texas A&M in the Conference Tournament will further motivate them here not to take this game lightly. Please understand that they know a lot of the players and the way Jacksonville State Gamecocks play their game. These two schools are only 100+ miles away from each other. On both ends of the court they outclass their opponent here. J State did not fare well against Wichita State, VCU, or Alabama in the first few months of the regular season. Those are the only three times the Gamecocks faced any known out-of-opponents. Auburn has no problem running up scores against lesser adversaries. And as I mentioned earlier after yesterday’s odd opening day in which quite a few unknowns beat top teams outright, the Tigers won’t take any chances here. They are 4-0 against the spread their last four NCAA Tournament games, 11-5 against the spread their last 16 games played on neutral sites, and 5-1 against the spread their last six games played following a straight up loss. Take Auburn. Thank you.

San Francisco.

LATE BAILOUT PLAY.

Game 731.

6:40 pm pst/9:40 pm est.

Perhaps Murray State comes in here a little distracted due to the fact that they are switching conferences beginning next season and should also be concerned with rumors that their head coach, Matt McMahon is being courted by more popular schools. We all know that this team was perfect in conference play this season and overall won 30 games including their last 20 in a row. They stepped out of their comfort zone only a few times this season. They they did beat Memphis on the road in early-December However the Tigers were still trying to find their footing at that point. Their next out of conference opponent was Auburn, also away from home, in which they took a bad 71-58 defeat, failing to cover as a 12-point underdog. San Francisco, on the other hand is a very good team. They are loaded with talent, both up front and in their back court. Without question one of the best tandem of guards in the country in Bouyea and Shabazz. They will also see the return of their biggest inside threat in forward, Massalski. After competing with the likes of Gonzaga, BYU, St. Mary’s, and Santa Clara, look for San Francisco to represent the West Coast Conference here and go onto the next round. The Racers are 1-4 against the spread their last five games played as a favorite. The Dons are 5-1 against the spread their last six games played following a straight up loss. Take San Francisco. Thank you.

Arkansas.

BEST BET PLAY.

Game 722.

6:20 pm pst/9:20 pm est.

My friends, every March we hear sports commentators chatting about Cinderella teams that have a shot go far in the Tournament. This year we’re hearing that static about Vermont. However, the Catamounts are going to be a one-and-done memory as they have a snowballs chance in hell at surviving today’s match up with the Razorbacks. Yes, I know they went through the American East Conference like a tornado. But the AEC is no way near to the SEC. Remember that Arkansas went 13-5 in conference play this season and have taken down some big-name teams like LSU three times, Mississippi, Mississippi State, Auburn, Missouri, Florida, and Kentucky. Vermont stepped up out of their class dropping games, losing and not even covering against the likes of Maryland and Providence. As a matter fact those two matchups got pretty darn ugly falling in both by double-digits. They also don’t have a big man that can even slow down forward, Jaylin Williams. The Catamounts are 1-4 against the spread their last five games played as an underdog and 0-4 against the spread their last four games played on neutral sites. The Razorbacks are 8-2-1 against the spread their last 11 games played as a favorite and 14-3-1 against the spread their last 14 games played overall. Take Arkansas. Thank you.

Creighton.

HIGH ROLLER PLAY.

Game 8737.

4:27 pm pst/7:27 pm est.

Neither combatant here are known for their offensive prowess. Both Creighton and San Diego State possess low-scoring offenses while both sporting some of the stingiest defenses in college basketball. However, there is no denying the fact that the Blue Jays regularly go up against a stronger level of opponents than does the Aztecs. San Diego State has stepped up quite a few times this season outside of their conference and have not fared well at all. On the other hand, Creighton seems to play better when facing a higher level of opposition. They also enter this matchup covering all three of their postseason outings and are riding and overall, 9-2 against the spread run. They did lose to Villanova in the Big East title game but have been money overall on the season in this situation going 4-0 against the spread their last four games played as an underdog, 4-0 against the spread their last four games played on neutral sites, and 7-2 against the spread their last nine games played following a straight up loss. Take the Blue Jays. Thank you.

Boise State.

LVSM PLAY.

Game 746.

10:45 am pst/1:45 pm est.

The Broncos enter the Tournament confident as they finished out their regular season winning 21 of 24 outings and swept through the postseason winning all three matchups against the Wolfpack, the Cowboys, and the Aztecs. They know if they win this contest that they will most likely face Gonzaga in the next round. Boise State is a well-coached team and they know they must get a big win here to go into the next matchup believing that they can win there. The Tigers have had a lot of problems turning the ball over this season. As a matter fact they turn it over a whopping 25% of their possessions. This does not bode well in this matchup because Boise State ranked 15th defensively, allowing to 60.8 points per game, are monsters on the defensive boards (17th in the nation), and snag as many turnovers as anybody in their conference. They have faced and taken down some very good nonconference opponents this season and are not afraid to face and take down Memphis here. They are also 4-0 against the spread of their last four games played versus teams with the winning percentage above. 600, 7-1 against this spread their last eight games played as an underdog, and 4-1 against the spread their last five games played on neutral sites. Take the Broncos. Thank you.

South Dakota State.

VEGAS INSIDER MOVE.

Game 741.

9:40 am pst/12:40 pm est.

You may look at this matchup and ask yourself why Providence is only a small two-point favorite. Well, in all honesty, South Dakota State should actually be a several baskets favorite in this matchup. Maybe you’re not familiar with the Jackrabbits, but they are the number two scoring team in the nation, ranking number one in field-goal percentage at 52.7%, and number one in three-point percentage at 45.1%. In early nonconference matchups they took down Bradley, Nevada, George Mason, and Washington State. They also hung tough with Washington and Alabama. Please take notice of the fact that the Friars allowed over 31% shooting from beyond the arc this season and come in here only covering three of their last eight outings. They are also 0-5 against the spread their last five NCAA Tournament games and 3-7 against the spread their last 10 games played as a favorite. The Jackrabbits are 21-7-2 against the spread their last 30 games played versus teams with a winning percentage above .600 and 7-2-1 against the spread their last 10 games played as an underdog. Takes South Dakota State. Thank you.

Notre Dame.

HIGH ROLLER.

Game 695.

6:10 pm pst/9:10 pm est.

Notre Dame is very confident they will advance to the 64. And why not? They placed second in the ACC with a 15-5 conference record, donning a 22-10 overall mark. Rutgers was a respectful 12-8 in Big Ten play with an overall record of 18-13. However, over the last month they have dropped four of their last six straight up and five of their last six against the spread. They will have problems on the boards in this matchup and are really in trouble trying to defend the 18th ranked three-point shooting offense in the nation with their 214th ranked three-point shooting defense. The Scarlet Knights got blown out more than a few times when stepping up in class this season and even dropped a few games to some “less than stellar“ opponents. The Fighting Irish, when facing top-tier adversaries, have come up big with outright victories over such notables as the Wildcats, the Tar Heels, the Cardinals, the Wolfpack, the Tigers, and the Demon Deacons.  Notre Dame is also money against the spread going 6-0 against the spread their last six games played following and ATS loss, 8-3 against the spread their last 11 games played versus teams with a winning record, and 14-6 against the spread the last 20 games played overall. Take the Fighting Irish. Thank you.

Virginia.

LVSM.

Game 704.

4:00 pm pst/7:00 pm est.

Aside from the fact that Mississippi State is outclassed by Virginia in this matchup, they are also dealing with some off the court issues that will certainly cause some distractions here. The Bulldogs aren’t all that great offensively and yet they have to face one of the best defenses in the nation. The Cavaliers allow a mere 60.4 points per game and are monsters on the boards. Let’s not forget that UVA had high hopes for this season. So, missing the Big Dance, they will come out here with a point to prove. They are healthy, not distracted at all, better coached, and have more experience in the postseason. Mississippi State is 1-5 against the spread their last six games played versus teams with a winning record, 3-9 against the spread their last 12 games played as an underdog, and 1-6 against the spread their last seven games played overall. Take Virginia. Thank you

NIT FIRST ROUND GAME OF THE YEAR.

Colorado Buffaloes.

Game 684.

Tuesday, March 15, 2022.

8:00 pm pst/11:00 pm est.

These two teams enter the first round of the NIT tournament with very different mindsets. St. Bonaventure finished their regular season very strong winning eight of their final nine outings. However, on Friday in the Atlantic 10 quarterfinals, Kyle Lofton missed two free throws in the final seconds to give the team a heartbreaking, 57-56 loss to Saint Louis. Most teams will have a hard time bouncing back from a defeat like that. And this team has showed that they aren’t one of them. Colorado won seven of their last eight regular season contests, then dominated Oregon in the first round of the Pac-12 Tournament, only to lose a tough contest to top-seeded Arizona. They do have the talent and the coaching to bounce back and use that loss to further motivate them here. The Bonnies have faced and beaten a few solid squads. However, this team seems to stumble when they step up in class in their own conference. And when stepping up outside the conference, well they got shredded in both situations this season against the Huskies (10-point loss) and the Hokies (37-point loss). With a frontcourt of three strong big men led by forward, Jabari Walker, who happens to be the best player on the floor, Colorado will dominate both inside and on the boards here. St. Bonnie is 1-8 against spread their last nine road games played versus teams with a winning home record, 1-5 against the spread their last six games played as an underdog, and 4-10 against the spread their last 14 games played following an ATS loss. Take Colorado. Thank you.

Santa Clara.

LATE BAILOUT PLAY.

Game 677.

8:00 pm pst/11:00 pm est.

Santa Clara feels that they fell a little short of expectations not making the Big Dance. They are no stranger to winning secondary tournament titles. And entering this tourney, they have got as good a shot as any team. The Broncos finished the regular season winning nine of their last 12 outings and went into the postseason to beat the Pilots easily, only to fall short with a three-point heartbreaking loss to the Gaels. Washington State is making their first postseason appearance in about a decade since the days of Klay Thompson. As a matter fact, these two teams match up pretty darn well as Santa Clara is a little more explosive offensively and Washington State a bit stronger defensively. But the Broncos have taken the last two and three of the last four meetings in this series, covering all four. As a matter fact they are a covering machine, getting us bettors paid in five straight and 11 of their last 13 overall. They’ve got the scorers and the rebounders to give the Cougars a very hard time here. Santa Clara is 5-1 against the spread their last six games played as underdog, 5-1 against the spread their last six games play on the road, and 4-0 against the spread their last four games played versus teams with a winning record. Washington State is 1-7 against the spread their last eight games played as a favorite, 1-5 against the spread their last six games played at home, and 1-4 against the spread their last five games played following an ATS loss. Take the Broncos. Thank you.

Utah State.

BOOKIE BUSTER PLAY.

Game 674.

6:00 pm pst/9:00 pm est.

Many thought, including Oregon themselves that they were a shoo-in for the Big Dance. But then in mid-February they stumbled and kept stumbling, dropping five of their last six straight up to end the regular season. Then they did beat Oregon State in the first game of the conference tournament. But was knocked out by Colorado, taking an 11-point embarrassing loss. Strangely enough this coincided with an injury to their top-scorer and floor leader, Will Richardson. The guard is listed as questionable here. But in all honesty, he hasn’t been the same since sustaining the head injury. Even if he does play, he will not be 100%. Utah State had their issues at the end of the regular season as well. But you can’t blame them as they took five losses in the closing weeks to the conference’s top four teams. Keep in mind that this is a team this season that did best the likes of Richmond, New Mexico State, and Oklahoma. Forwards, Bean in Horvath (31.4 PPG & 16.2 RPG combined in the regular season and 33.0 PPG & 18.5 RPG combined this postseason) will take this game on their shoulders. Oregon is 1-5 against the spread you’re their last six games played on the road, 2-5 against the spread their last seven games played versus teams with a winning record, and 1-4 against the spread their last five games played overall. Take Utah State. Thank you.

Minnesota Timberwolves.

SD PLAY.

Game 509.

5:40 pm pst/8:40 pm est.

Minnesota enters today’s matchup one of the hottest teams in the NBA, winning seven of their last eight and 10 of the last 13 both straight up against the spread. They currently sit in the seventh spot in the West. As you may or may not know jumping to the sixth spot will do a lot for them come the postseason. Tonight’s matchup against the Spurs and their next matchup against the Lakers are definitely winnable. They need as many victories as they can get as their following seven contests are against the Bucks, the Mavericks twice, the Suns, the Celtics, the Raptors, and the Nuggets. The Spurs currently have six players listed as questionable for this game and let’s face it, they are a mess. They lost six of their last eight straight up and five of their last seven against the spread. In their only other meeting this season back in November, Minnesota decimated San Antonio, 115-90 at home. That gave them their sixth consecutive cover in the series. They are also 13-3 against the spread their last 16 games played versus teams were a winning percentage below .400, 4-1 against the spread their last five games played on the road, and 7-2-1 against the spread their last 10 games played on one days rest. The Spurs are 4-12 against the spread their last 16 games played versus teams with a winning straight up record, 5-12 against the spread their last 17 games played as an underdog, and 1-7 against the spread their last eight games played as a home underdog. Take Minnesota. Thank you.

Los Angeles Clippers.

OM PLAY.

Game 501.

4:10 pm pst/7:10 pm est.

The line in this game is way off as it should be closer to a pick ‘em. Since mid-February, Los Angeles has been playing some very good basketball going 9-4 straight up and 10-3 against the spread. They played last night in Detroit to earn a win and cover. If you’re worried about them playing back-to-back games, don’t be as they are 5-1 against the spread their last six games played on zero days rest. Revenge definitely plays a factor in this matchup as they lost and failed to cover the only meeting with Cleveland the season back at the end of October. However, these are two very different teams at this point. In the first meeting, Allen, Sexton, and Markkanen were major factors. For this contest two of them are out and one is questionable. The Cavaliers have dropped eight of their last 11 both straight up and against the spread. This includes their last two outings, both played on the road losing by 12 to the Heat and by 10 to the Bulls. The Clippers have had an enormous amount of success in this rivalry winning seven of the last eight both straight up and against the spread. And going back a little further, covering eight of the last 10. This does include a 4-1 against the spread mark the last five meetings played in Cleveland. Los Angeles is 6-2 against the spread their last eight games played on the road, 5-1 against the spread their last six games played as an underdog, and 6-2 against the spread their last eight games played following a straight up win. Take the Clippers. Thank you.

Iowa.

BIG TEN TITLE GAME WINNER.

Game 651.

12:30 pm pst/3:30 pm est.

Sports fans, sportsbetting is not about who wins, it’s about who covers. While Purdue is a good team, they have been absolute pointspread poison this season. Believe it or not, they haven’t covered a single contest since early-February, failing to cover nine straight outings. On the other hand, Iowa has been money, covering five of their last six and seven of their last nine games. The Boilermakers did take both meetings this season straight up. But Iowa has covered two of the last three going back to a season ago. Just since the beginning of the month, Iowa has covered against such notables as Michigan and Illinois. Their defense has been stellar while their offense continues to explode, averaging over 83.3 points per game this season. Keegan Murray (23.3 PPG and 8.6 RPG) is the best player on the floor. He is joined upfront by some very talented big men. They are by far the best front court Purdue has faced in a bit. The Boilermakers are 0-4-1 against the spread their last five games played versus teams were the winning percentage above .600, 0-4-2 against the spread their last six games played following a straight up win, and 1-8-2 against the spread their last 11 games played as a favorite.  The Hawkeyes are 5-1 against the spread their last six games played versus teams with a winning straight up record, 16-7-2 against the spread their last 25 games played on neutral sites, and 5-2 against the spread their last seven games played as an underdog. Take Iowa. Thank you.

Davidson.

A 10 TITLE GAME WINNER.

Game 646.

10:00 am pst/1:00 pm est.

While Richmond has come up big the last few games beating Virginia Commonwealth and Dayton, Davidson has been coming up big all season long. They finished the regular season the top team in the American Athletic Conference with the record of 15-3 in league play and an overall mark of 25-5. They enter today’s championship game winning seven of the last eight straight up and six of their last seven against the spread. Their play has been significantly more consistent than their adversary here today. The Spiders have failed to cover seven of their last 11 coming into the title game. Davidson will have no problem dominating the glass once again as they did in the earlier meeting back in mid-January when they won and covered 87-84 on the road and outrebounded Richmond, 38-19. They are better on both ends of the boards. And will dissect the Spiders 276th ranked three-point shooting defense with the nation’s ninth ranked three-point shooting offense.  The Spiders are 2-5 against the spread their last seven games played following a straight up win and 2-6 against the spread their last eight games played versus teams with a winning straight up record. The Wildcats are 6-0 against the spread the last six games played as a favorite and 5-0 against the spread their last five games played on neutral sites. Take Davidson. Thank you.

UAB.

LATE BAILOUT.

Game 636.

5:30 pm pst/8:30 pm est.

The tide has certainly turned in this rivalry this season. For several years Louisiana Tech had their way in the series. However, UAB one and covered both matchups this season on the road and at home outrebounding their adversary in each. On both sides of the court, the Blazers are far superior. They rank 14th in the nation in scoring, averaging over 80 points per game. They also rank 30th in three-point shooting and are monsters on both the offensive defensive boards. Speaking of defense, UAB frustrated Louisiana Tech in both meetings with their stifling and swarming defense getting a ton of defensive rebounds. The Bulldogs have surprised a few teams over recent days. But surprising a better team and playing good against a far better team are two entirely different things. The favorite in the series is 10-1 against the spread the last 11 meetings. The Blazers are 11-3 against the spread the last 14 games played on neutral sites and 9-4 against the spread the last 13 games played versus teams are the winning percentage above .600. Take UAB. Thank you.

Dayton.

A 10 ANNIHILATOR.

Game 608.

12:30 pm pst/3:30 pm est.

Dayton has dominated Richmond taking nine in a row in this series straight up, going 7-2 against the spread. This includes a road win and cover in the only meeting this season, 11 days ago. They enter this matchup one of the hottest teams in college basketball winning eight of their last nine straight up covering seven of those nine outings. Meanwhile, the Spiders have been crushing bettors failing to cover seven of their last 10 contests. As a matter of fact, they finished their season dropping their last two games straight up. Yes, they did beat Virginia Commonwealth yesterday. However, I would look for a big “letdown” here today as the air will seep out of the balloon folks. The Flyers dominated the boards in the earlier matchup 37-26 and will once again dominate them here with their fifth ranked defensive rebounding squad. They should also have no problem once again draining the ball from downtown with their 36th ranked three-point shooting team against Richmond’s 276th ranked 3-point defense. There are so many mismatches between the Flyers offense and the Spiders defense, I can’t list them all. But this game will get ugly. The favorite is 5-1 against the spread the last six meetings in the series. The Spiders are 1-4 against the spread their last five games played as an underdog, 1-5 against the spread their last six games played following a straight up win, and 1-6 against the spread their last seven games played versus teams with straight up winning record. The Flyers are 5-2 against the spread their last seven games played on neutral sites, 6-2 against the spread their last eight games played as a favorite, and 5-2 against the spread their last seven games played versus teams with a winning percentage above .600. Take Dayton. Thank you.

Saint Louis.

BOOKIE BUSTER.

Game 605.

10:00 am pst/1:00 pm est.

Sports fans, Saint Louis has been playing some great basketball. They have won four in a row and five of their last six straight up and all six against the spread. Yes, I know they lost their only meeting with Davidson this season, a February 79-58 beating. But they have played very well since. Looking at the Wildcats, they are playing some good basketball too. However, might come in here a tad overconfident as they haven’t played too many top teams lately and their recent win streak is skewed because of it. Far better on both sides of the court on the boards and a huge mismatch between their excellent three-point shooting squad and Davidsons horrible three-point defense will keep this game competitive and give Saint Louis at least a cover and possibly the outright win. The Billikens are 10-4 against the spread their last 14 games played on neutral sites, 14-6 against the spread their last 20 games played as an underdog, and 9-4 against spread their last 13 games played versus teams with a winning percentage above. 600. Take Saint Louis. Thank you.

Texas A&M.

SEC SMASH YOUR BOOK PLAY.

Game 609.

10:00 am pst/1:00 pm est.

My friends, normally I would love to fade a team following a big outright victory like Texas A&M had over Auburn yesterday. However, the Aggies are playing some great basketball, winning and covering six in a row and seven of their last eight. They match up very well with the Razorbacks here. These two teams split two meetings this season as Texas A&M took their home match up at the beginning of January and Arkansas took their home match up at the end of January. However, the Aggies covered both to give them six consecutive covers in this series. Please take note that during their current win streak, Texas A&M took down Mississippi, Alabama, Florida, and Auburn outright as underdogs in each. This is way too many points for Arkansas to give this scrappy team. The underdog is 7-0 against the spread the last seven meetings in a series. The Aggies are 4-1 against the spread their last five games played on neutral sites, 4-0 against the spread their last four games played versus teams with a winning percentage above .600, and 4-0 against the spread their last four games played as an underdog.  Take the Aggies. Thank you.

North Carolina.

BEST BET.

Game 866.

6:30 pm pst/9:30 pm est.

Look for a big letdown here for Virginia Tech which knocked off the conference’s second-seed, Notre Dame yesterday 87-80 in the quarter finals. This is unfamiliar territory for the Hokies which have not made it this far in 11 years. North Carolina on the other hand, are in the semifinals for the seventh time over the last eight seasons. They took down Virginia yesterday, 63-43 to earn a win and cover. One thing about Virginia and Virginia Tech, they play very similar basketball. The Tar Heels come in here very confident knowing they have taken the last four meetings in this series in a row and five of the last six straight up covering all six of those matchups. In both meetings this season they devoured the Hokies on the boards. For those of us who bet on games, the Hokies are just 2-5 against the spread their last seven games coming into this matchup while the Tar Heels have covered four in a row and six of their last seven. North Carolina has way too much offense here and are excellent on the defensive side of the glass. That combination will prove to be fatal for Virginia Tech. The Hokies are 2-5 against the spread their last seven games played as an underdog and 3-8 against the spread the last 11 games played following and against the spread win. The Tar Heels are 7-2 against the spread their last nine games played as a favorite and 6-0 against the spread their last six games played versus teams with winning straight up record take North Carolina. Thank you.

Kent State.

BOOKIE BUSTER.

Game 854.

4:30 pm pst/7:30 pm est.

Kent State finished the regular season winning 12 consecutive games in which they went 10-2 against the spread. Well, they started the postseason just where they left off in the regular season, winning and covering yesterday over Miami-Ohio. They took the most recent meeting with Ohio just three weeks ago at home, 75-52. The Bobcats enter this matchup losing four their last six both straight up and against the spread and just can’t seem to compete in the front court on the boards with the Golden Flashes big men. Kent state will once again counter Ohio’s offense with one of the nastiest and stingiest defenses in the conference, let alone in the country. We talked about how good their front court is, but their back court is also loaded with talent and they can rotate fresh legs on Ohio’s guards. The favorite in the series is 5-1 against the spread the last six meetings. The Bobcats are 0-4 their last four games played versus teams with a winning percentage above .600 and 2-5 against the spread their last seven games played following a straight up win. The Golden flashes are 5-0 against the spread their last five games played versus teams for the winning percentage above .600 and 10-2 against the spread their last 12 games played following straight up win. Take Kent State. Thank you.

Saint Louis.

A 10 ANNIHILATOR.

Game 825.

11:30 am pst/2:30 pm est.

Things have certainly changed for St. Louis since their Valentine’s Day four-point loss at Saint Bonaventure. Since then, they are 5-2 straight up and 6-1 against the spread and took town conference powerhouse Virginia Commonwealth. The Bonnies might come in here a little still having not played in about a week. And they did finish their regular season failing to cover two of their final three games. The Billikens certainly have a little more offensively with a very talented starting five all either averaging or flirting with double-digits and have the front court to once again dominate on the boards as they did in both meetings this season. They are 7-2 against the spread the last nine games played following a straight up win, 4-0-1 against the spread the last five games played as a favorite, and 9-4 against the spread the last13 games played a neutral sites. Take St. Louis. Thank you.

Texas A&M.

Early SEC WINNER.

GME 831.

9:00 AM PST/12:00 PM PST.

With all respect to the Auburn Tigers, they just shouldn’t be laying this much wood. Yes, they do deserve their number four ranking in the national polls. However, they are being significantly overvalued by the odds makers. The Tigers are just 2-5 against the spread their last seven games laying nine or more points. They also come in here a little stale having not played since March 5. On the other hand, The Texas A&M Aggies are running red-hot winning five in a row and six of the last seven both straight up and against the spread. This is the team that matches up very well with their opponent here. Mind you during their current five-game win streak, three of those games have been won outright as an underdog against Mississippi, Alabama, and yesterday’s win over Florida. Auburn is 1-4 against the spread their last five games played as a favorite, 0-6 against the spread their last six games played following a straight up win, and 1-4 and spread their last five games played versus teams of the winning percentage above .600. Texas A&M is 4-1against the spread their last five games played as an underdog, 4-0 against the spread their last four games played following a straight up win, and 9-3 against the spread their last 12 games played versus teams are the winning percentage above .600. Take the Aggie’s. Thank you.

South Carolina.

SEC SD.

Game 750.

3:00 pm pst/6:00 pm est.

My friends, ending the regular season with momentum certainly plays a part and what a team does during the conference tournaments. Let me put it this way; South Carolina is hot and Mississippi State is not. The Gamecocks come in here winning five of their last seven straight up and six of their last eight against the spread. The Bulldogs are on a 4-9 straight up run and are just 4-8 Ats their last 12. This does include five consecutive no-covers. South Carolina took the most recent meeting, a 10-point win and cover approximately two weeks ago at home. This is a team that is at full strength being 100% healthy. This will play a factor here as they are significantly deeper than the depleted Mississippi State team, which are playing without a few key cogs in the wheel. After they’re starting-five, their bench is an all that great. The Bulldogs are 0-4 against the spread their last four games played versus teams with the winning straight up record. The Gamecocks are 5-1 against the spread their last six games played as an underdog. By the way, the underdog in the series is 14-6 against the spread the last 20 meetings. Take the South Carolina. Thank you.

Colorado.

CQF GOY.

Game 778.

2:30 pm pst/5:30 pm est.

Colorado enters the Pac-12 tournament red-hot, winning seven of their last eight straight up covering six of those eight contests. Oregon, on the other hand, took a real nosedive in the second-half of February, closing out the regular season dropping six of eight straight up and eight of 10 against the spread. They played yesterday and trounced the conferences cellar-dwelling, last place Oregon State team, 86-72. They might come in here a little overconfident as they face a Buffaloes team which is a little more well rested and certainly owns a significant edge on defense and on both ends of the court on the boards. And that is where this game will be won…on the boards. The Beavers starting-five plays most of their minutes and will come in here a little tired following yesterday’s contest. Their bench isn’t all that talented, guys. There is a big difference here as the Buffaloes rotate seven to eight players regularly and that extra rest of having a few more days off will certainly help here particularly come the second half. The Ducks are 1-7 against the spread their last eight games played as a favorite, 0-5 against the spread their last five games played following a straight up win, and 1-5 against the spread their last six games played on neutral sites. Take Colorado. Thank you.