Colorado State/Texas 6:50: Colorado State playing like they're in a power conference. Earlier in the season, they captured impressive tournament wins over BC, Washington, Colorado and crushed Creighton. They're hot again sweeping the conference tournament and blasting Virginia in the NCAA Play-In yesterday. Texas, which got to the Elite Eight last year, bowed out of the conference tournament against Kansas State. Texas defense not good enough to stall out the Rams. Take Colorado State. 

Oregon/South Carolina 4:00: Great job by Gamecocks' HC Paris overachieving for the year with a team that the media had at the bottom of the SEC in a pre-season poll. They notched some strong wins and have a freshman -Murray-Boyles who is getting plenty of attention by NBA scouts. But don't rule out the Ducks as long as Dana Altman is manning the bench. He got his injury ravaged Ducks to the dance by sweeping (3-0) the PAC 12 Tournament. And he's a sweet 7-0 SU in the 1st Round of the NCAA Tournament as the Ducks' HC. Like Auburn's Bruce Pearl did, he'll find a way to slow down Murray-Boyles and steal a victory here. 

Colorado/Boise State 9:10: Boise notched a few strong wins including at St. Mary's, and swept San Diego State. Broncos using their disrespectful seeding along with being the underdog here as motivation. Broncos worked Colorado in Myrtle Beach last season. Broncos are a physical, defensive team that also has a respectable offense with four players in double-digits. Colorado State getting lots of action, but we'll grab the points with the Broncos. 

Colorado State/Virginia 9:10: Contrasting styles take court in Dayton for the First Four In. Colorado State likes to push the ball up the floor while Virginia will attempt to slow the pace to a crawl. Both teams do have senior point guards - Stevens - Colorado State/Beekman - Virginia. I'm going to give the edge to Cavaliers' HC Bennett who guided the 2019 Virginia Cavaliers to the NCAA Tournament Championship. I believe his third ranked scoring defense (allow 59.5 PPG) can turn this into a half-court game. Colorado State is 0-6 SU when failing to score more than 65 points in a game. Virginia the call. 

Kansas State/Iowa 9:00: Kansas State could have made a good argument to the NCAA Committee on why they weren't selected as one of teams in; after all, they had enough Quad 1 wins. It all boiled down to too many close wins vs lower tier teams, and the bid thieves. As for Iowa, they went 0-6 SU vs Top 3 seeded NCAA Tournament teams. Iowa has no trouble scoring. They are in the top tier of the NCAA in scoring at nearly 83 PPG; however, they're in the bottom tier of the NCAA in scoring defense - allowing 79 PPG. K State does not have a prolific scoring offense (72 PPG) but not deficient. They have a solid trifecta attack with Perry, Kaluma and Carter. And Wildcats' HC Tang has them playing solid defense (40.8% allowed from floor and 30.7% from perimeter) - which bodes well this time of year. K State is able to get those critical stops down the stretch while Iowa struggles in that area. We'll take the points with the road team. 

Knicks/Warriors 10:10: Knicks' defense has been awesome lately. Over the last five games, they've held opponents to an average of 83.2 PPG. And they're coming off a strong performance against Sacramento. They won't have to travel far in a revenge matchup tonight. The Knicks looking to avenge the 110-99 loss at MSG on February 29th. With a healthy Brunson - who makes his teammates on the floor a bit better, we'll look for NY to be competitive here. 

Florida/Auburn 1:00: Florida, in its 4th game in as many days, should run out of gas here. They've done an amazing job and capitalized on turnovers while getting into a full court shootout. They were fortunate to have Aberdeen, who averages 2.6 PPG dropped 20 yesterday. That was an outlier and most likely won't happen here; after all, Bruce Pearl's boys are well schooled in tournament play and won't get into a shootout with the Gators. Tigers have played strong defense in both of their wins and should have fresher legs. Auburn the call. 

Duquesne/VCU 1:00: Both of these teams well-schooled and it should be a tough fight. But Dukes' HC Dambrot has years of tournament experience with an a near equal amount of talent. Dambrot coached 13 years at University of Akron getting them to the NCAA's for 3 years. He's building a quality program here and we'll give him the edge in tournament play. Duquesne sports a 3-1 SU/4-0 ATS mark in this series and I'll be glad to grab Dae Dae Grant and company as a dog. 

Wisconsin/Purdue 1:00: Purdue has certainly been a consistent winner all season and deserved of #1 seeding in NCAA Tournament. Their urgency to win this game and move on to the conference finals not as great as Wisconsin's need. The Badgers had a bad losing streak down the stretch of the season (2-7 SU/0-9 ATS) but magically found its rhythm in this tournament. They throttled Maryland - a good defensive team - shooting 64% from the perimeter; moreover, they followed it up with a 45% 3-point range performance vs NW as Blackwell (4 of 6 from perimeter) joined the trey bomb party of Crowl, Storr, Klesmit. Badgers also have played the Boilermakers tough covering 4 of the last 5 in this series. I realize it is the 3rd game in 4 days for the Badgers but they're pretty deep and getting good minutes off the bench. Badgers proving to be a good neutral floor team 4-0 SU/3-0-1 ATS. We'll take the points. 

Lakers/Kings 10:10: Although the Kings have dominated this series (7-1 SU/ATS) in the last 8 matchups, this is a trouble spot for Sacramento. The Kings have not fared well in back-to-back games at 3-7 ATS; moreover, coming off a big win unrested just 1-4 ATS. Lakers' James (ankle) and Davis (Achilles) were in shoot around earlier so most likely a go. Lakers playing a decent stretch of basketball now and most likely will send a message to the young Kings. Look for Lakers to avoid the season sweep. 

Missouri/Georgia 9:30: Missouri had five in-season surgeries they had to deal with and the glaring weakness showed as the Tigers went winless in the SEC. Gates wasn't able to get his second-tier players up to speed and I don't see a turnaround here. Georgia, on the other hand, showed competitiveness on the road this season under White. Look for the Bulldogs to bounce back after a big loss and deliver. 

Analysis to follow...

Analysis to follow...

Analysis to follow...

Analysis to follow...

Santa Clara/St. Mary's 9:00: I like teams that can play on the road well and Santa Clara is one of them. They covered 8 of 11 road tilts and are coming off a 104-79 route of SD in the first round of the WCC Tournament in Las Vegas. As for the Gaels, they've been off since March 2nd - when they got thumped by Gonzaga. St. Mary's delivered a season sweep over the Broncos. The first one was 73-49 burial two days after the Broncos upset Gonzaga. The second one was a more competitive cover at St. Mary's. Sendek has a pretty solid history of same season revenge at 17-8 ATS. SC is a strong rebounding team, and they have a few dudes who can shoot - in Adama-Alpha Bal and 3 pt. marksman - Marshall. We'll take the points. 

Michigan State/Indiana 4:30: The return of Xavier Johnson helped the Hoosiers deliver 3 straight wins. Johnson was out six games with an elbow injury. During that time the Hoosiers went on a 1-5 SU slide. Now that he's back, Indiana is playing a great stretch of basketball heading into the Big 10 tournament this Wednesday. Michigan State, however, coming in to this one on a 1-3 slide and needing a few breaks to go their way in an ugly home win against NW on Wednesday. Home team in this series is 6-1 ATS. We'll take the points with the home team. 

Nebraska/Michigan Noon: Michigan pretty much packed their bags for the season as they sit in the #14 spot of the conference tournament on Wednesday. They'll have to win four straight tournament games to get an automatic bid to the dance - a highly unlikely scenario. As for Nebraska, not a good road team but, unlike Michigan, does have incentive here. A win here would guarantee them a double bye in the Big 10 tournament. One of the better teams in recent Nebraska history, we'll look for the Cornhuskers to complete the season sweep and cover vs the demoralized Wolverines. 

Kansas/Houston 4:00: Kansas thrashed Houston in Lawrence 78-65 on February 3rd. Houston, of course, wants revenge but has its site on the bigger prize - deep run in NCAA Tournament. They already have clinched at least a share of the Big 12 regular season title with a win Wednesday over UCF. Sampson, however, is dealing with some bench production injuries. Jayhawks' veteran Coach Self knows how to utilize his bench and has a large percentage of the lineup available that buried Houston in Lawrence. Jayhawks can clinch the #3 Big 12 seed with a win here and that would clearly boost their seeding in the NCAA's. Kansas and the generous number of points here is the call. 

S. Carolina/Miss State 2:30: Miss State trying to get to that 20-game win ledger but on an 0-3 slide leading to the conference tournaments. Meanwhile, South Carolina on a 3-1 ATS run. They were competitive vs class of SEC Tennessee on Wednesday falling short in the win and ATS column. Lamont Paris has done a great job preparing his boys to go on the road where they're a strong 8-2 ATS. They already notched a win against the Bulldogs earlier this season and can play relaxed here knowing they're in good shape to get an NCAA Tournament berth. Take the points.

Texas A&M/Ole Miss 2:00: Ole Miss really struggling, especially down the stretch in games. Defensive minded Head Coach Chris Beard, who is a stickler for attention to detail and prep, really frustrated with his guys. On the other hand, Buzz Williams confident down the stretch that his team can get in the NCAA Tourney with a win here and a win in the Conference Tourney. We'll look for his boys to get it done. A&M looking to avenge their earlier season home loss to the Rebels, and they've covered 5 of the last 7 in this series. Aggies the call. 

Arkansas/Alabama Noon: Arkansas is finally living up to a bit of the pre-season hype. After a miserable 1-6 SU start in SEC play, the Hogs have gone on a 5-1 ATS tear. Battle has gone off to the tune of 141 points over past 4 games. Sure, Alabama is the #1 scoring offense in the nation but also at the bottom tier of points allowed (349th) at 80.1 PPG. Arkansas capable of trading points on this floor. 'Tide not playing their best ball now. After that 7-1 SU run that launched them into the Top 25, they've lost 3 of their last 4 games. The Hogs are 8-2 ATS vs Alabama and getting a bit too many points. Take Arkansas. 

Analysis to follow...

Analysis to follow...

Analysis to follow...

U Conn/Marguette 8:30: Marquette may have assist and points leader Kolek out, but they'll have big man Ighodaro back. He contributes heavily on the boards and adds 14 PPG. Chase Ross and Kam Jones are quality enough of a back court to deliver on Marquette's strong home floor. Marquette has knocked off U Conn the last two at this arena. Throw in revenge from the earlier season blowout and we got a play on with a dangerous Marquette team.

Houston/UCF 7:00: Going to side with Johnny Dawkins and his boys which have been competitive in the Big 12 this season. They're 8-4 ATS in their last 12 dog roles. They've got some shooters which can hit from the perimeter in Sellers and Johnson. And they play respectable defense. Houston has a big target on their back as the #1 team and they're thin on the bench with Tugler, Arceneaux, Walker Jr. - all guys who come off the bench to put in quality minutes - out. Houston sports a sluggish 1-6 ATS role as a favorite and barely squeaking by on the Big 12 road. UCF off hard fought home loss to #8 Iowa State Saturday, will not be an easy out tonight. UCF the call. 

Thunder/Lakers 10:40: Thunder has had some trouble in Los Angeles losing 2 of their last 3 there. And they're coming off a grind out winning outing last night. Nevertheless, we'll side with the young guns of Oklahoma City that's 7-3 ATS in the second of back-to-back games this season. Lakers off another disappointing but predictable loss to Denver on Saturday. James got his 40,000 points record but logged plenty of minutes (37) in the process. And A.D. was near 39 minutes. Both are dealing with injuries - James (ankle) and A.D. (Achilles). OKC likes to run up and down the floor so it could be troublesome for the Lakers - especially with an uncertain Ham dishing out the minutes. OKC the call. 

Analysis to follow....

Rutgers/Nebraska 6:30: Nebraska has a very strong home floor this season and can light it up from beyond the arc. Rutgers struggles to score on the road. Look for Nebraska to bounce back strong after sluggish outing at Ohio State on Thursday. Rutgers did snap out of their mid to late February funk with a convincing win over a Michigan team that's cashed in its chips for the season. But Nebraska a whole different animal in Lincoln (17-1). And they're in a revenge mode from January 17th OT loss. Nebraska the call.  

Nuggets/lakers 8:40: James should get his 40,000 tonight but Jokic and rolling Nuggets should get their 3rd win of the season against the Lakers. Murray (ankle) is questionable, and that's a concern; however, his backups - Jackson, Holiday, Braun shouldn't have trouble blending in with an uber talented Porter Jr., Caldwell Pope, Gordon and Jokic. Nuggets the call. 

Michigan State/Purdue 8:00: Michigan State appears in danger of ending their 25-year streak of an NCAA Tournament bid. They've lost two straight including a gut-wrenching loss at home to Ohio State on Sunday. On the other hand, Purdue has won 11 of their last 12 and in line for a #1 seeding in the NCAA Tournament; however, they're just 3-5 ATS in their last 8. And don't count Izzo and the Spartans out just yet. The wily veteran coach has elevated some of his past teams, much less talented than this one, to do some amazing things in March. He'll need an answer to stop Purdue's Edey who dropped an average of 35 points and 15 rebounds on his boys last season in two Boilermakers wins. He's had nearly a week to scheme. Remember, Michigan State was projected to be a Top 10 team in preseason. Take the points. 

Iowa/Northwestern 5:30: Iowa absolutely owned this series until last season when the Wildcats blasted the Hawkeyes in Illinois. Boo Buie is a great floor leader with a strong supporting cast. Coach Collins has these guys playing great this time of year. Iowa has been suspect defensively virtually all season. We'll keep riding Northwestern. 

Marquette/Creigton 2:30: #5 Marquette playing a good stretch of basketball, but their reigning Big East P.O.Y. Tyler Kolek is battling an oblique injury and I'm going to side with Marquette keeping him out for this one based on where Marquette is sitting among the NCAA elite and well positioned going into the conference tournaments. Sure, Marquette still has a loaded backcourt in Jones, Mitchell and Ross, but Creighton is more needy of this win. The Blue Jays have some dudes too - Scheirman, Alexander and Kalkbrenner average around 17 PPG each! The Blue Jays are also well coached with McDermott. Creighton seeks triple revenge, having lost the last 3 in this series, including 72-67 in December at Marquette. When Creighton hits the accelerator, look out! Just ask U Conn in which they hung an 85-66 blasting on them not long ago. We'll lay the points with Creighton.  

Oregon/Arizona 2:00: Arizona won the first meeting in Eugene 87-78 on January 27th. Oregon is clearly on the bubble and could use a win here against the #6 ranked Wildcats. Ducks are 5-2 ATS in their last 7 vs Arizona under Altman. And we won't discount Dana Altman's 750 career wins in Division 1 basketball. He'll have his boys prepared and competitive. Ducks have collected a few strong wins on the PAC 12 road at Washington State, USC and Stanford. Altman a sweet 21-9 ATS in same season revenge. Take the points. 

St. Mary's/Pepperdine 11:00: Analysis to follow...

Wizards/Lakers 10:40: Lakers coming off a second half 21-point deficit comeback win over their court shared rival Clippers. Now, they go unrested at home against league bottom feeder Washington, that had a day off to mull stopping their 12-game losing streak. Consequently, that means James and Davis will either take the game off or check out mentally vs the punchless Wizards. Washington has actually been a decent spread winner on the road at 18-10-2. Former Laker Kuzma will surely be motivated to help ignite a fire in the belly of the Wizards. We'll take the points. 

Nebraska/Ohio State 6:30: Interim OSU Coach Diebler has the Buckeyes playing their best ball winning two of their last three games, including upsetting then #1 Purdue on the 18th and then an outright win at Michigan State as a 10-point dog last Sunday. Buckeyes will need a win here and at least a 3-game run in the conference tournament to secure an NCAA berth. Nebraska has been hot - 4-0 SU/ATS run. But the Huskers are not quite the team on the road that they are at home. Nebraska sports a minus 6.2 points differential in that role. Cornhuskers were fortunate to get 6'10" Mast go off for 34 points at home vs the Buckeyes in the January 23rd 83-69 win. Look for the Buckeyes to return the favor tonight.  

Northwestern/Maryland 7:00: I was all over MD (+2) at Rutgers on Sunday. MD dominated the glass and suffocated the Scarlett Knights offensively. Tonight, I'm fading the Terps. NW won the first game at home 72-69. In the final minute NW's Boo Buie scored 2 buckets to ice it. MD's Jahmir Young is a scoring machine (20.7 PPG) but Buie is a playmaker down the stretch of games; as a matter of fact, in games decided by 5 points or less, Wildcats are 8-2 SU while the Terps are 1-9. I don't see MD dominating the boards against NW like they did vs Rutgers. NW had a few extra prep days for this, and we'll look for Collins' well coached boys to deliver. 

Auburn/Tennessee 7:00: Bruce Pearl goes back to his old stomping grounds to challenge the team he once coached. He's had a great deal of success vs the Volunteers at 8-1 ATS. Possibility that F Jaylin Williams (knee) might sit out again; however, Baker Mazara picked filled the void well last Saturday with 25 points in a blowout of Georgia. Auburn (11) looking to strengthen their seeding for the tournaments and should be quite competitive here. Auburn the call. 

Mavericks/Cavaliers 7:10: This series has gone to the visitor at 6-0 ATS. December 27th of this season, Cleveland went into Dallas to deliver a 113-110 win. Tonight, look for Dallas to return the favor. Irving and Doncic starting to play well together but will need not only Hardaway Jr. to step up his game but other supporting cast members against the #2 defensive team in the league. Dallas was riding a 7-game win streak until they stumbled at Indiana Sunday. Look for the Mavericks to bounce back vs a Cavaliers team on an 0-5 ATS slide. They're coming off a sluggish road win vs league bottom feeder Washington. Dallas the call. 

Davidson/Dayton 7:00: Davidson playing a good stretch of basketball on a 4-0 ATS run despite losing 2 of those SU. They're coming off a tough loss at Richmond in the closing seconds. HC Matt McKillop has some veteran guys who can step up on the road. Bailey, Kochera and Huffman each are double-digit scorers. And Durkin, who's getting more minutes because of Skogman's season ending injury, is developing well. The Wildcats got worked at home in the first matchup but now face a Dayton team that's fallen off their hot earlier season play. They've failed to cover in 3 of their last 4 games. We'll look for Davidson to be competitive tonight. 

Baylor/TCU 9:00: Baylor coming off a disappointing loss at home on Saturday vs Houston. They got stomped in the first half with a 16-point deficit but amazingly worked their way back to force OT and actually take the lead before losing down the stretch. Nevertheless, they showed a lot of grit in that comeback attempt. Bears go into TCU with revenge from their 105-102 OT loss back on January 27th. TCU has been playing a good stretch of basketball, but we won't count out the Bears here. This has been an extremely tight series with Baylor controlling a 4-2 SU edge only to lose by 1 point at TCU January 24th, 2023, and, of course, this season's OT loss at home. TCU's perimeter defense suspect, and Bridges, Nunn, and even Walter could go off tonight. Baylor the call.

Pistons/Knicks 7:40: The Knicks have absolutely owned the Pistons the last few years - winning 13 straight. The last win in this series for the Pistons was November 6, 2019. Knicks have been vulnerable recently on a 1-7 ATS slide. Brunson is limited in his help with Randle, Robinson and Anunoby all sidelined with injuries. Detroit, the worst team in the league, has shown signs of competitiveness recently - on a 6-4 ATS run. They have a tendency to follow up an isolated cover with another cover at 8-3 ATS in that role. They were competitive at NY on November 30th this season with a 118-112 loss. We'll look for Detroit to keep this one competitive. 

West Virginia/Kansas State 7:00: West Virginia, winless on the Big 12 road, went into a strong Iowa State venue Saturday and easily covered. Had it not been for a silly 23 turnovers - many self-induced, the Mounties could have won that game. Kansas State presents a pretty strong home court too, but not the caliber of defense the Mounties faced at Iowa State Saturday. Mounties moved the ball pretty well and had 4 double digit scorers. Kriisa, Edwards and Slazinski average double digits on the season. And I was impressed on Saturday by the defensive discipline of WV under Josh Eilert. K State is coming off a win over BYU and now playing into revenge from when they went to WV on January 9th in an 81-67 win. Look for WV to be competitive here for their 3rd straight cover. 

Minnesota/Nebraska 6:30: Hard to go against a team 23-3 ATS for the season. They've covered 6 of 7 conference road games. Nebraska a formidable foe, especially at home this season. In the first game in this series December 6th in Minnesota, the Golden Gophers overcame a 15-point halftime deficit to win by double digits. In that game, they got no points out of leading scorer Garcia in 7 minutes. Minnesota has multiple scorers who step up repeatedly. Look for Minnesota to do what they do best on the road - stick around. 

Analysis to follow...

Maryland has covered 2 of the last 3 visits to Rutgers. They're looking for same season revenge after getting up on Feb 6th on their home floor. Maryland sticks around on the road with a hustling and physical defense. Rutgers, like Maryland, is offensively challenged and should allow Maryland to eke this one out. Maryland the call. 

Alabama/Kentucky 4:00: Alabama blasted the Wildcats last season at Alabama 78-52. Calipari sports a strong conference revenge mark off double digit defeats to the tune of 7-3 ATS. And throw in the fact they let one slip away at LSU on Wednesday, Wildcats should be fired up here. Meanwhile, Crimson Tide, at home, barely got by Florida. The #1 Alabama offense seems like a lock to outgun a Kentucky defense that's allowed a generous 73 PPG. On the other hand, Kentucky can light it up too at nearly 88 PPG and faces a defense that allows 77 PPG. Reeves and Dillingham can match buckets with the best of them. And the Wildcats should have board crashing Tre Mitchell back today to add to a deep bench of shooters.  Grab the Wildcats here. 

West Virginia/Iowa State 2:00: Iowa State in an ornery mood after dropping a 73-65 decision to #2 Houston on Monday. WV, in comparison, will be like facing a JV team. Mounties used to own this series when Bob Huggins was patrolling the bench. Now, they're substantially lacking defensive discipline under their new leader. And they've been blown out on the Big 12 road to the tune of 19.5 PPG. ISU, which is undefeated at home, sports one of the best defenses in the NCAA. And they've got shooters! We'll lay the wood. 

Washington State/Arizona 11:00: Washington State already has notched a win over Arizona (Jan 13th). And they're currently playing their best stretch of basketball. The Cougars have showed road savviness and have the veteran leadership and moxie to fight on enemy ground. They share the ball well and play better defense than Arizona. We'll take the generous number of points. 

Michigan/Northwestern 9:00: Northwestern has been the punching bag for Michigan for years. This season, Michigan is limping along on a 1-8 SU/ATS slide while Northwestern has thrived with upsets of conference heavyweights Illionois and Purdue. Northwestern can light it up from 3pt land at a 43% clip (best in conference). The Wolverines 3 point defense allows 36% (314th), and their defense has been pathetic - allowing 79 PPG (339th). If that's not enough, leading scorer McDaniel is on the hot seat for academic probation while 2nd leading scorer Nkamhoua is out with a wrist injury. We'll look for Boo Buie and the Wildcats to keep their foot on the gas tonight. 

Illinois/Penn State 6:30: Penn State on an 0-3 SU slide in desperation of notching a conference win, will play at the 6502-seating capacity Rec Hall for the first time since December 2015. They'll do so without their leading scorer - Clary - who was dismissed earlier this week. Baldwin, Hicks and Kern will have to share a majority of the scoring duties for the offensively challenged Nittany Lions. Fortunately, offensively proficient Illinois is giving up lots of points nowadays. Penn State controls a 3-0 SU/ATS run in this series, and we'll look for them to hang around here. 

Maryland/Wisconsin 9:00: This series has been tightly contested with a margin of 6 points or less in 5 of 6 games. Both teams struggling a bit. MD 4-6 SU/5-5 ATS in their last 10 while the Badgers are on a 1-8-1 ATS slide. MD's defense, in the top tier of the Big Ten, keeps them in games and gives them a chance. Unfortunately, their offense lacks at 66.6 PPG; however, Jahmir Young has fueled the Terps to 75 or more points in their last 3 games. We'll look for MD to keep it competitive here. 

Tennessee/Missouri 7:00: Barnes is utilizing his bench more to keep his team healthy as tournament time remains around the corner. The bench, however, has been very productive. Vol's have blown out 3 of their last 4 opponents and, in addition, whipped Kentucky at Rupp Arena. Missouri has been injury ravaged, struggling to be competitive in SEC with 12 straight losses. Tennessee has covered in 4 of the last 5 at Missouri. We'll lay the wood here with a team that controls a major talent disparity.  

Analysis to follow...

Analysis to follow...

Analysis to follow...

Analysis to follow...

Texas Tech/Iowa State Noon: 

Colorado/UCLA 9:00: UCLA finding its rhythm at the right time. They're on a 7-1 SU/ATS run as Cronin instituted a nice balance of offense and defense to deliver. The #1 PAC 12 defense will now face a sliding Colorado team that's having a tough time finding its footing. They're on an 1-3 SU/0-4 ATS fall. Colorado has had its problems on the road virtually all season and traveling to UCLA at the wrong time. Take UCLA 

Analysis to follow...

Analysis to follow...

Wolves/Clippers 10:40: Going to lay a little wood here based on how this series has unfolded. Wolves have captured 5 of the last 6 SU vs Los Angeles. Clippers realize they have to be able to beat one of the top teams in the Western Conference if they're going to get anywhere come playoff time. Clippers are healthy and playing a good stretch of ball. T-Wolves are playing well too but haven't played since the 8th and that could have stalled out momentum. Lue does a good job in matching personnel and can offset Gobert's height and strength by occasionally going small when they're hitting their perimeter shots. We'll look for the Clippers to make a statement here. 

49ers/Chiefs 6:30: At first glance, after 49ers and Chiefs won their respective games in the championship round, I expected KC to be a 1' or even 2-point favorite in this matchup; after all, KC, after an underachieving regular season with numerous wide receiver mishaps, drops, offensive line holding penalties, cleaned their game up when it really counted - playoffs. SF, on the other hand, ravaged through regular season opponents, for the most part but struggled at times during the playoffs. Therefore, Chiefs should be that slight favorite after second and third glances. KC Spagnuolo not only had KC playing at a high level during the regular season (2nd in points allowed at 17.3 PPG) but kept them playing at a high level during the playoffs, including a virtuoso performance against Baltimore, as I predicted. Look for Spagnuolo to dial up the confusion against SF's Brock Purdy, who is reduced to mediocrity facing zone coverage - which KC doesn't show much but could Sunday. KC secondary has been consistently strong with C Sneed and company. And disruptive forces Chris Jones and Karlaftis have gotten it done rushing the QB and helping against the run. Sure, McCaffery and company will get their yards, but Bolton and, now healthy, Gay make plays when needed. Offensively, Pacheco should get the run game generated against an underachieving run-stop-unit that promises to be better tonight. They haven't fulfilled that promise the last two playoff games and I'm not buying it tonight vs a solid KC offense that proved G Allegretti could step in for All Pro Thuney without missing a beat. And then there is Mahomes - 3-0 vs SF and on the precipice of history as one of 4 other QBs with 3 Super Bowl wins. In addition to Kelce and Rice, Moore is off the IR and should contribute to his success. Chiefs the call.  

St. John's/Marquette 6:00: Red Storm hit a rough patch for a few weeks with a 1-4 ATS slide before turning up the heat against Big East bottom feeder DePaul. It was a good tune up for this revenge game. Marquette stole a win at St. John's January 20th - 73-72. Look for Pitino's bunch to return the favor. Red Storm playing well on road (4-2 ATS) and have the veteran leadership with Soriano and Penn transfer Dingle. We'll take the points with St. John's. 

TCU/Iowa State 2:00: Iowa State controls a 13-game win streak in Ames, including impressive wins over Houston and Kansas earlier this season. Their defense has been fabulous. But don't count TCU out. The Horned frogs have dangerous 3-point shooter Tennyson along with Miller who are part of an offense that can light it up. Dixon is emphasizing better rebounding and look for the Horned Frogs to make a game of this one. TCU lost the first matchup 73-72 at home earlier this season. Dixon is a strong 13-7 ATS in same season revenge as a coach. We'll grab the points here. 

Providence/Butler 2:00: Butler has lost 7 straight in this series. Overdue for a win in this series for the Bulldogs are playing a good stretch of ball. They're 4-1 SU/ATS in their last 5 games, including a solid cover (+14) at U Conn Tuesday. The Bulldogs went 4 of 18 from 3-point land vs the #1 Huskies but managed to keep it competitive down the stretch. They're catching Providence off a huge OT win at home vs Creighton. Friars' Hopkins (knee) was a big part of their defense and board work. Friars 4-5 SU without him. We'll look for savvy coach Matta to institute a strong game plan vs big-time player Oduro. Hinkle Fieldhouse a strong venue and Bulldogs should deliver sweet revenge. 

Pelicans/Lakers 10:40: Lakers off a losing effort last night at home vs Denver. Denver worked them late with a clinic-like performance in the final two minutes. Lakers' veterans James and Davis gassed while the supporting cast cooled off. I see more late collapse here in the second of back-to-backs; after all, they're 1-5 ATS in that role. Pelicans are starting to gel on both ends of the floor as Williamson taking over a strong defensive presence. Pelicans have the younger and fresher legs tonight after having day off yesterday. Pelicans won here vs the Clippers a few nights ago and should deliver again on this floor. 

Analysis to follow...

Arizona/Utah 8:00: Revenge game for the Utes, after their 92-73 loss at Arizona January 6th. Now, Utah has them on their home floor where they are 12-0 this season. 'Cats just 2-3 SU on the PAC 12 road. And having 7'1" Lovering back in the fray gives that extra depth behind Carlson. Moreover, Devion Smith, who averages 11.3 PPG, has given Utah a boost since inserted in the starting lineup following Arizona. We'll take the points. 

Analysis to follow...

Analysis to follow...

Kansas/Kansas State 9:00: These local rivals going in the opposite direction. Kansas State on a four-game losing skid while the Jayhawks are heating up off two impressive wins and three straight covers. Jayhawks were quite impressive against top tier Houston. They dominated that game from wire-to-wire by working Houston's normal lock down defense. Kansas State is ranked 99th in the nation defensively in terms of points allowed. The efficient well-oiled machine-like Jayhawks should continue their offensive surge tonight. 

Miami Fla/Virginia 7:00: Miami Fla is on the bubble and needs a signature win to impress the NCAA Committee. The 'Canes have had injury issues almost all season but now starting to get healthy. They have their work cut out for them against the always defensive dominant Cavaliers; however, look for a competitive fight tonight!

Analysis to follow...

Florida State/Louisville 8:00: Louisville's HC Payne has brought lots of namesake "pain" to the program since he became coach. Cards mired at the bottom of the ACC once again and should yield to a stewing Florida State team that lost January 27th to UNC. Fla State is 6-1 ATS in this series and play well on the road (4-1 ATS). Seminoles deliver. 

Auburn/Ole Miss 6:00: Chris Beard, who guided Texas Tech to the National Championship in 2019, is now turning around Ole Miss after a dismal era under Kermit Davis. The Rebels are 13-0 at home under Beard and looking to avenge the 82-59 blowout loss to Bruce Pearl's Auburn Tigers a few weeks back. Rebels have cleaned up their game since winning three straight since that blowout. We'll ride the Rebels in this revenge affair. 

Houston/Kansas 4:00: Kelvin Sampson is one of the great coaches in college basketball and he's continuing to keep Houston at an elite level; however, Allen Fieldhouse has been one of the strongest venues in college basketball. Bill Self is an elite coach himself, and he has another dominant Jayhawks' team. If Houston has a weakness, they've shown a bit of vulnerability on the road this season at Iowa State and UCF. Offense can sometimes get stagnant. Kansas' McCullar (knee bruise) should be good to go along with his mates. Kansas the call. 

U Conn/St. John's Noon: Pitino and Hurley rivalry percolating after U Conn edged St. John's 59-65 December 3rd at U Conn. This one will be played at MSG and Pitino is not happy about it since U Conn has plenty of traveling fans. The incumbent champ is gritting out games on a nine-game win streak while the Red Storm has lost 4 of their last 5 SU. But don't count out Pitino's bunch. The legendary coach will have his men prepared for battle here. Pitino is a dangerous 14-5 ATS in his last 19 same season revenge games throughout his illustrious career. This series has been closely contested and should be another tight finish.  

Pacers/Knicks 7:40: Knicks on fire since acquiring Anunoby. They've gone 14-2 SU/13-3 ATS, including an 8-0 run since the trade. He has an elbow issue and is a game-time-decision but leaning on playing. I don't think he'll want to miss a crack at his former teammate Siakam (day to day). The Knicks are dinged up with Randle (shoulder) out but so are the Pacers. Knicks have been able to continue their run with the next man up mentality. They're well coached and ready. Brunson has been the catalyst of the team and makes everyone around him better. We'll look for NY to avenge their 140-126 December 30th loss. 

Analysis to follow...

Analysis to follow...