I'm taking the points with the Iowa Hawkeyes on Tuesday night.  When Michigan State is focused, they might be the best team in college basketball. But while they're all but a shoe-in for the Big-10 tourney's double-bye, Iowa is in a fight as they look to climb the standings in the Big-10.  The Hawks shoot well, ranked top-40 in the nation in field goal percentage overall. They're making over half their FGA at home, including 40.2 percent from behind the arc.  And while the Spartans are slightly upside down on the road in the assists/turnovers department, Iowa has a fantastic 1.93 ratio at home.  Michigan State is often overvalued at the books and have covered just two of their last nine games and they're 1-7 ATS off a conference win.  Iowa is off an ugly loss at Penn State, but we expect Fran McCaffrey to coach his team up, as he normally does, covering 16 of 23 at home off a double digit loss.  We're betting the Spartans are once again overvalued and we'll grab the points with Iowa on Tuesday.  Thanks & GL!  Scott Spreitzer.

I'm taking the points with Baylor on Tuesday.  The Bears are undervalued in this matchup.  They snapped a four-game skid last time out with an 81-67 win and cover over Iowa State.  Baylor has lost by two at Oklahoma, three at Kansas, and three at West Virginia over the last four weeks.  They're "this close" to a 16-7 overall record and what would be a fourth place 6-4 record in the Big-12. The Bears are catching Oklahoma State at an opportune time with the Cowboys off the "perfect game" and win at Kansas. Most importantly, while the public just looks at the road record, the books are telling us how talented and how competitive Baylor can be with this short number in Stillwater.  Baylor enters on a 19-8 ATS run on the road, while Oklahoma State has covered just two of their last 10 at home.  The Bears are on a 4-1-1 ATS run at Gallagher-Iba Arena, where OSU is just 3-2 SU (2-3 ATS) this conference season, with a home win coming in regulation by one point and the other two wins coming in OT. I'm grabbing the points with Baylor on Tuesday night. Thanks & GL!  Scott Spreitzer.

I'm laying the points with Kentucky on Tuesday.  The Wildcats are off a loss at Missouri and lost to these Tennessee Volunteers when they met in January Knoxville.  Kentucky actually led by nine points in the game and led by eight at the half.  It was anyone's game through the first 10+ minutes of the second half before the Wildcats went cold.  John Calipari has been riding his young team since the loss to Mizzou and will point to this one as a great chance to right the ship.  He can also point to the fact that his team out-shot Tennessee in the first meeting, but came up short in a couple key hustle stats, including on the glass.  The Vols are a strong team and have a great chance to play deep into March, but we like the young Wildcats to gain a measure of revenge.  Calipari has been "money" in this situation, covering 46 of the last 69 in revenge of a road loss with his teams averaging 75 points per game to 65.  Also, Kentucky has covered 19 of their last 28 at home against teams with a winning record.  I'm laying the short points with Kentucky on Tuesday night.  Thanks & GL!  Scott Spreitzer.

I'm taking the points with Tulane on Sunday.  Temple has won four of five after looking ready to pack it in and the win over Wichita State was impressive, hanging on in OT.  But they're back on the road where they have won just two of eight games this season. Temple struggles with their shot on the road and they're making an average of just 7 FTs per road contest.  They're also 9-25 ATS the last 34 times following an upset win over a conference rival.  Tulane has been a conference home underdog just two times this season, but won both outright, including wins over SMU and Houston as 8 1/2 and 7 point dogs, respectively.  They have the scoring depth and we expect another underdog win here.  I'm taking the points with Tulane on Sunday.  Thanks & GL!  Scott Spreitzer.

I'm taking the points with Vanderbilt on Saturday.  The Commodores have the talent to compete with anyone in the SEC, keeping the score inside a big number like this one.  They have played a better brand of basketball of late with each of their last four games going right to the wire, while covering all four.  As anyone who handicaps this game knows, they have owned Auburn.  Vandy may not beat the Tigers outright for the 14th straight time, but I am betting they'll keep it close.  Vanderbilt's top two scorers are both hitting close to 50 percent of their FGA and they own the backcourt to put a little pressure on Auburn "disher," Jared Harper, who is really the only guard Bruce Pearl can count on to get everyone else involved in a consistent manner.  We note that Bryce Drew-coached teams are 11-1 ATS on the road off a road loss.  Drew knows the right buttons to push in this situation. And the Commodores have covered 11 of the last 12 meetings, including five in a row on the road.  The Tigers are been bumped up a bit in this one.  We'll grab the value and the points with Vanderbilt on Saturday. Thanks & GL!  Scott Spreitzer.

I'm laying the points with Nevada on Saturday.  The Wolf Pack were upset two games ago, losing 104-103 in OT to Wyoming.  They bounced back next time out with a win over Fresno State.  One of my long-running favorite spots comes up in this game.  Double digit away favorites off a win after getting upset in their previous game are on a 139-103, 57% ATS winning run (over 25 years of data).  Even better, those teams are a healthy 78-46 ATS if their opponent has dropped at least two in a row SU. Colorado State has lost five straight.  They're "team dysfunction" right now with embattled HC Larry Eustachy almost assuredly out at the end of the season. Eustachy has reportedly been accused of plenty of wrong-doing by players on the roster and the end is near.  This has proven to be a distraction for a short-handed Rams' team that couldn't afford any.  Making matters worse, this squad blew a 15-point lead with about 5 minutes to go at home against Wyoming on Wednesday, eventually losing the game in OT.  I suspect the Rams will have little left in the tank.  As it is, they don't shoot well, don't defend well, and have already lost five of 12 home games this season.  The Wolf Pack own huge offensive advantages, including making more than 43 percent of their 3-pointers on the road.  They're sharp at the FT line on the road and own a strong, 1.43 assists/turnovers ratio.  I'm backing Nevada minus the points, our Knockout on Saturday.  Thanks & GL!  Scott Spreitzer.

I'm laying the points with Bradley on Saturday.  Bradley at home and in revenge is a deadly combination for opponents and that's the situation here as the Braves look to avenge a 66-64 defeat at the hands of Drake on Dec. 28, which ended a six-game ATS winning streak against the Bulldogs.  Bradley is 12-0 at home this season and an astounding 22-3-2 ATS its last 27 home games dating to last season.  Drake has lost three straight, including 78-67 to Southern Illinois on Tuesday.  Bradley has won and covered four in a row and it allows just a .345 field goal percentage at home.  The Braves are 21-8-2 ATS their last 31 games overall and 13-5-1 ATS their last 19 after a win.  Drake is 5-11 ATS its last 16 road games and the Bulldogs aren't good at bouncing back as they're 1-4 ATS their last five games following a 10-plus point loss at home. I'm laying the points with Bradley. Thanks & GL!  Scott Spreitzer.

I'm taking the points with Syracuse on Saturday.  We've backed Virginia on a couple of occasions, but not here.  UVA is in the middle of a serious slate, including recent games against Louisville, Duke, and Clemson, along with upcoming games against Florida State, Va Tech, and Miami.  Toss this road game into the mix and we're talking about seven straight games being tested between the ears, not just physically. It's tough for any team to keep peak focus against this type of schedule, including the 2nd ranked Cavaliers. Syracuse also has the confidence of knowing they can hang with and beat this team.  Virginia won the first meeting 68-61 at home as a 9 1/2 point favorite and if not for a +10 advantage in made free throws, the Cavs may not have escaped with a win.  Syracuse owns the 4th stingiest defense in FG percentage allowed, and are even more effective in the Carrier Dome where they hold opponents to 58 points per game and 36 percent shooting.  And while the Orange attempt 21 FTs per game at home, Virginia has averaged just 10 FTA per game on the road.  The FT advantage may lie with the Orange in the rematch. Syracuse is on a roll on the defensive end and they're on a 15-5 ATS run when holding at least two straight opponents to 55 points or less, the situation they're in today.  The Orange won 66-62 the last time they hosted Virginia and have covered four in a row in the series.  I'm grabbing the points with Syracuse on Saturday.  Thanks & GL! Scott Spreitzer.

I'm laying the points with Loyola-Chicago on Saturday.  Missouri State is 0-8 ATS its last eight games and has lost the last four outright, including a 76-60 rout by Illinois State on Tuesday. The Bears are shooting only 43 percent and they face Loyola Chicago, which shoots 50.6 percent and allows only 40.8 percent at home.  The Ramblers had their seven-game winning streak snapped in a two-point loss at Bradley, but everyone loses on the road to Bradley.  Also, Loyola had covered the number in each of the seven wins during the streak and it will be ready for this matchup as Missouri State won the first meeting in December.  The Ramblers are 5-2 ATS their last seven home contests ans 3-0-1 ATS the last four meetings.  Five Loyola players are averaging in double figures led by Clayton Custer with 13.9 points per game while shooting 54.3 percent overall and 47.1 percent from 3-point range. I'm laying the points with Loyola-Chicago, our Afternoon Annihilator.  Thanks & GL!  Scott Spreitzer.

Late release on Green Bay +7.  Thanks & GL!  Scott Spreitzer.

I'm taking the points with Dartmouth on Friday.  The Big Green don't own a shiny won/lost record on the road or overall, but played Yale to the spread, came within a basket of beating Brown, and took Harvard into OT in their last three games.  They have four players averaging in double figures, all scoring roughly 11 points per game and Brendan Barry is a solid playmaker, currently holding a 4:1.5 assists/turnovers ratio on the season.  Cornell owns a 5-1 SU record at home, but take away a win over Central Pennsylvania College and the Big Red haven't had a convincing win since a  nine point victory over Lafayette on December 20.  Cornell doesn't shoot well on the offensive end and they don't defend well either.  They're a two-man team when it comes to offense with no other active player averaging more than 7 points per game.  Look up and down the roster and you'll see there isn't much separation in the assists/turnovers department.  In fact, the Big Red's best "disher" has nearly as many turnovers (46) as assists (55).  Cornell enters just 6-19-1 ATS off a SU win. Meanwhile, Dartmouth is 9-3-1 ATS off a SU loss and they're 5-2 ATS on the road against teams playing better than .600 basketball at home.  Finally, the underdog is on a 6-1-1 ATS run in the series.  I'm taking the points with Dartmouth on Friday.  Thanks & GL!  Scott Spreitzer.

We're recommending a play on Washington plus the points on Thursday. Arizona State has cooled off after a 12-0 start and has lost five of its last nine games and now faces improving Washington, which has won two straight, including a 10-point win at Colorado.  The Sun Devils are 1-7-2 ATS their last 10 conference games and 0-3-2 ATS their last five road contests.  The Huskies are on a 4-1-1 ATS run and new coach Mike Hopkins has made a much-needed improvement defensively and the Huskies are allowing only 71.7 points per game and a .437 field goal percentage overall and .406 at home.  The Huskies have recorded at least 10 steals nine times in 20 games.  Washington comes off an 80-62 win over Washington State with Matisse Thybulle scoring a team-high 18 points and Jaylen Nowell added 14 points and nine rebounds.  It was the eighth time this season that the Huskies have shot at least 50 percent from the field. The value lies with the home underdog in this matchup.  We're recommending a play on Washington plus the points.  Thanks & GL!  Scott Spreitzer.

Late release on Furman on Thursday.  Thanks & GL!  Scott.

I'm laying the points with Wichita State on Thursday night.  Wichita State has more road wins and the highest road winning percentage of any school since the 2010 season.  The Shockers had won 11 road wins in a row before losing at Houston on Jan. 20, but they bounced back with two wins and covers against Central Florida and Tulsa even with Landry Shamet in a current shooting slump.  Temple shot an uncharacteristic 49.2 percent in an 85-57 rout of Connecticut and the Owls are unlikely to do that again as they average only a .417 field goal percentage on the season.  That compares to .482 for Wichita State, which only allows opponents 40.3 percent shooting.  Temple is 2-6-1 ATS its last nine home games and 5-16-1 ATS its last 22 games after a win and 1-5 its last six following an ATS win.  The Shockers have a big advantage offensively averaging 83.4 points compared to 67.5 for Temple.  We're laying the points with Wichita State on Thursday.  Thanks & GL!  Scott Spreitzer.

I'm laying the points with Long Beach State on Wednesday.  UC Irvine is 2-10 on the road and 3-7 ATS its last 10 road games and Long Beach State is in revenge for an 86-73 loss to the Anteaters in the first meeting.  Long Beach has won five of its last six games and shooting 49.4 percent at home while Irvine shoots only 40.5 percent in road games.  The Anteaters are 1-8-2 ATS their last 11 games after a win and the 49ers are 5-2 ATS their last seven following an ATS loss.  Gabe Levin leads three players scoring in double figures with 16.8 points per game along with averaging 7.1 rebounds and guards Bryan Alberts and Deishuan Booker score 12.7 and 10.4 points per game, respectively.  UC Irvine is 7-15-2 ATS its last 24 games dating to last season and its only true road wins this season were against Cal State Northridge and Denver.  We're laying the points with Long Beach State on Wednesday night.  Thanks & GL! Scott Spreitzer.

Late release on Memphis minus the points.  Thanks & GL!  Scott Spreitzer.

Late release on Northern Iowa plus the points.  Thanks & GL!  Scott Spreitzer.

I'm backing North Carolina on Tuesday night.  Clemson has lost 10 in a row and 20 of the last 21 games against North Carolina and the Tigers have a quick turnaround after playing at Georgia Tech on Sunday.  Clemson is without Donte Grantham for the rest of the season and reserve forward Mark Donnal is questionable after getting hit on the head Sunday.  Clemson made 15 shots in a row in the first meeting, but still was unable to come out with a win and Carolina has covered the spread six of the last seven meetings and only needs to get a win in this matchup, which is a pick 'em game at the time of this release.  The Tarheels come off an overtime loss to N.C. State on Saturday when they shot only 4 of 19 from 3-point range and Luke Maye scored 31 points. Clemson scored only 36 points its previous game at Virginia (we had the Cavaliers) and the Tigers are 0-5 ATS their last five after a win and 2-6 ATS their last eight games overall.  The Tarheels are 19-7-2 ATS their last 28 games following an ATS loss.  We'll back North Carolina on Tuesday.  Thanks & GL! Scott Spreitzer.

I'm laying the points with Indiana State on Sunday.  Bradley has been a money maker at home and money burner on the road where the Braves are 2-6 straight up and  ATS.  Indiana State has won seven of the last eight meetings overall and Bradley hasn't beaten the Sycamores on the road since 2009.  Bradley has lost its last five away games by an average of 15.6 points and the Sycamores are 6-2-1 ATS their last nine games and 3-0-1 ATS their last four following a loss.  Bradley's shooting percentage is only .389 in road games while Indiana State shoots 46.0 percent at home overall and 39.7 percent from 3-point range. Jordan Barnes leads the Sycamores with a 17.3 scoring average while shooting 45.0 percent from beyond the arc and he has dished out a team-leading 82 assists. I'm laying the points with Indiana State on Sunday.  Thanks & GL! Scott Spreitzer.

I'm backing San Diego State on Saturday night.  Two of the most talented teams in the MWC do battle tonight in Las Vegas. UNLV may own talent, but they're poorly coached and struggle just to run the most basic halfcourt offensive sets. They're also entering this one on a 0-9-1 ATS slide, while winning just three of their last seven games, outright.  The Aztecs aren't the same team we grew used to under Steve Fisher. This version wants to get up and down the floor and at the same time own a stingy defensive FG percentage. They're also just 11 total points away from a 7-game winning streak. SDSU has taken care of business in this series, including a 13-3 ATS head-to-head run. And besides UNLV's 0-9-1 ATS slide mentioned above, they're 0-4 ATS against teams with a winning record. I'm backing San Diego State on Saturday. Thanks & GL!  Scott Spreitzer.

I'm laying the points with Long Beach State on Saturday night.  Long Beach State always plays a tough non-conference schedule with mostly road games and it's paying off now as the 49ers are playing the best they have all season winning six of their last eight games, including a 87-71 blowout win at Cal Poly on Thursday.  Long Beach won the first meeting 80-70 on Jan. 10 when Gabe Levin scored 29 points with nine rebounds for the 49ers.  Cal State Northridge is 19-41 ATS its last 60 home games and 6-10-1 ATS overall this season.  Northridge lost 63-56 at UC Davis on Thursday while shooting only 39.6 percent and 6 of 23 from 3-point range. The Matadors aren't a bounce back team as they are 6-23-1 ATS their last 30 games following a loss.  I'm laying the points with Long Beach State.  Thanks and GL!  Scott Spreitzer.

I'm laying the points with North Texas on Saturday.  UNT has two of the better guards in the conference at what they do.  Roosevelt Smart is a scorer, leading the Eagles averaging 18.5 points per game, while fellow backcourt mate Ryan Woolridge already has 121 assists on the season.  But this team also plays a nasty brand of defense at home.  North Texas holds their guests to 27.8 percent shooting from behind the 3-point line and they have forced a 0.55 assists/turnovers ratio, holding opponents to 7.4 assists per game and 13.4 turnovers.  FIU doesn't shoot well and they're upside down on the glass. They've made just 41.3 percent of their FGA on the road, including a pathetic .282 3-point shooting percentage, averaging just 5 made 3's per game on 18 attempts.  It's so bad on the road they can't even make free throws, making just 11.8 of 21 FTA per contest.  North Texas enters on an 11-3 ATS run, including 4-1 ATS in their last five games and 4-1 ATS in head to head meetings.  I'm laying the points with North Texas on Saturday.  Thanks! GL! Scott Spreitzer.

I'm laying the points with Butler on Saturday.  Butler is 10-1 at home and St. John's is 0-4 in true road games this season and the Red Storm has lost nine games in a row.  Making matters worse for St. John's is its second leading scorer, Marcus LoVett, is out for the season with a knee injury, and its leading scorer, Shamorie Ponds is questionable with a quadricep injury. The Red Storm is not a good shooting team to begin with as it has a .424 field goal percentage.  Meanwhile, Butler is shooting 47.7 percent overall and 54.2 percent at home.  The Bulldogs come off a 79-67 win at DePaul holding the Blue Demons to 21 of 60 from the floor and Kelan Martin scored a team-leading 24 points for the Bulldogs. Butler is 10-3 ATS its last 13 home games and won last year's meeting on this court by 24 points.  I'm laying the points with Butler on Saturday. Thanks & GL!  Scott Spreitzer.

I'm laying the points with Long Beach State on Thursday night.  Long Beach State played arguably its best game of the season in an 81-73 win over Cal State Fullerton on Saturday and the game wasn't as close as the score indicates as the 49ers held a 25-point lead at one point.  Temiyado Yussuf and Gabe Levin scored 19 points apiece and combined for 23 rebounds.  The 49ers made 11 of 21 3-pointers and held the Titans to 43.9 percent shooting.  Cal Poly is suffering through a 6-13 season and lost at Cal State Northridge 72-54 as a four-point favorite.  The Mustangs are shooting only 40 percent from the field this season and allowing 47.3 percent.  Cal Poly has lost nine of its last 11 games and one of the wins was against Notre Dame University of California.  The Mustangs don't have much of a home court advantage as they're 8-21 ATS their last 29 home contests and 5-17 ATS after three or more consecutive road games. I'm laying the points with Long Beach State on Thursday night.  Thanks & GL! Scott Spreitzer.

I'm laying the points with Towson State on Thursday.  Towson won the first meeting on the road by 26 points on Jan. 13 and now the Tigers are only a seven-point favorite at home.  Towson comes off a 73-71 overtime loss at NC-Wilmington while shooting only 35.5 percent from the field, which means the Tigers should bounce back in this one as they're averaging a .490 shooting percentage at home and William & Mary allows opponents 50.4 percent.  The Tigers are also in a solid 35-9 ATS situation (7-0 this season) where we back good offensive favorites, those that average 74 to 78 ppg against bad defensive teams, those that allow at least 78 ppg, provided the favored team is off a loss by less than four points. The Tribe is 1-3 ATS its last four games, including the loss to Towson and Northeastern by a combined 46 points. Zane Martin leads the Tigers with 18.3 points per game followed by Mike Morsell, who averages 12.9 points. Towson is 8-2-1 ATS its last 11 home games and has won four of the last five meetings outright (3-1-1 ATS).  We expect more of the same tonight.  I'm laying the points with Towson State on Thursday.  Thanks & GL!  Scott Spreitzer.

I'm laying the points with Syracuse on Wednesday.  Syracuse got a week off at just the right time as its starters play a lot of minutes and the Orange comes off a 59-45 win over Pittsburgh after four tough losses against some great competition, which ended with an overtime loss at Florida State. Syracuse has a young team that defends well holding opponents to a .381 field goal percentage overall and .356 at home. Boston College is shooting 36.4 percent from 3-point range overall, but it drops to just 28.9 percent on the road.  The Eagles are 1-5 on the road, including their last two to North Carolina and Louisville by a combined 38 points, and they're 3-8 ATS their last 11 road games dating to last season.  Syracuse is 11-2 at home this season and won last year's meeting on this court by 23 points. The Orange is led by Tyus Battle, who averages 19.8 points per game, followed by Frank Howard (15.6 ppg) and Oshae Brissett (14.9 ppg; 9.4 rebounds per game).  Boston College guard Jerome Robinson might play, but he's less than 100 percent healthy with a hamstring injury.  And finally, Syracuse has been strong in this spot, covering seven straight home games after dropping two of their previous three, winning the seven games by an average margin of 19 points per game.  I'm laying the points with Syracuse on Wednesday.  Thanks & GL! Scott Spreitzer.

I'm laying the points with Fresno State on Tuesday night.  UNLV finally broke their ATS losing streak (some won, some pushed), which had grown to eight in a row before beating Colorado State, 79-74 on Saturday.  But before Rebel fans get too carried away, we note that the Rebels trailed the Rams 74-65 with just over 3 minutes left in the game before UNLV closed the game on a 14-0 run.  The Rebels were fortunate to face another dysfunctional team, yet were still unable to locate a halfcourt offense for most of the first 36 minutes of game time.  Fresno State could drive the Rebels crazy on the offensive end where the Bulldogs are one of the nation's best shooting teams from both inside and outside the 3 point line.  Five players average between 19 & 11 points per game and they'll get after a UNLV team that commits an average of 17 turnovers per game on the road.  UNLV is 3-22-4 ATS in their last 29 road games and 0-7 ATS on the road off a road win.  They've covered just 5 of their last 22 conference games, outscored by an average of 77-69.  And finally, Fresno State has won and covered each of the last four meetings with the last three coming by an average margin of 11 points per game.  I'm laying the points with Fresno State on Tuesday. Thanks & GL!  Scott Spreitzer.

I'm backing the Bradley Braves on Tuesday.  The linemaker keeps shortchanging Bradley at home even though its been one of the toughest home courts for opponents to visit for several years.  Bradley is undefeated in 10 home games this season and 22-4-2 ATS its last 28 home contests.  The Braves beat Missouri State as a three-point underdog last year on this court and they held Evansville to a .316 field goal percentage in their 66-53 win on Saturday (we had Bradley as our top play).  Bradley holds opponents to 33.8 percent shooting and 56.0 points per game at home.  Missouri State has lost its last three road games and the Bears are 0-5 ATS their last five games overall.  The Bears made only 24 of 67 shots in their loss at Drake, including Alize Johnson, who missed all nine shots that he attempted.  We expect another Bradley win tonight and the Braves are our Value Beatdown.  Thanks & GL! Scott Spreitzer.

I'm backing West Virginia on Monday night.  West Virginia has beaten TCU 11 times in a row and the Mountaineers come off an 86-51 win over Texas while holding the Longhorns to 34.0 percent from the field.  Jevon Carter scored 22 points for the Mountaineers and Sagaba Konata added 10 points and 14 rebounds. TCU has lost three of its last four, including 73-68 at Kansas State on Saturday when the Wildcats shot 52.9 percent from the field.  West Virginia has the edge on defense holding opponents to 40.1 percent and 64.9 points per game compared to 46.5 and 77.9 for the Horned Frogs.  TCU has lost starting point guard Jaylen Fisher for the season with a knee injury and he was averaging 12.3 points per game while shooting 50.3 percent and dishing out 91 assists.  The Mountaineers are 5-2 ATS their last seven games and 9-3-1 ATS their last 13 games against teams with winning percentages of .600 or better. I'm backing West Virginia on Monday. Thanks & GL!  Scott Spreitzer.

I'm laying the points with Bradley on Saturday night.  Bradley is 9-0 at home and Evansville is 1-5 on the road and the Braves get their chance at payback for a humiliating 68-44 loss to the Aces on Jan. 6.  Evansville has lost six of its last eight games with Missouri State being the only team other than Bradley that it's beaten in that span.  Bradley allows just a .341 shooting percentage at home this season and it's 22-4-1 ATS its last 27 home games.  Also, the Braves are 5-2-1 ATS following an ATS loss and 4-1 ATS the last five meetings at Bradley.  Evansville's defense is almost non-existent away from home where opponents have a .524 field goal percentage overall and .446 from 3-point range.  Revenge, home court and a small number to cover makes this a call on the Braves.  I'm laying the points with Bradley on Saturday.  Thanks & GL! Scott Spreitzer.

I'm taking the points with the Pitt Panthers on Saturday.  In no way do we expect Pitt to pull off the outright win, but the points are certainly worth taking.  Duke pounded Pitt 87-52 on January 10, part of their 16-2 SU start to the season.  Combine the easy win with Pitt's current six game losing streak and the Panthers are easy to look past.  We note that road dogs of at least 20 points are on a 44-16 ATS run if they're in a revenge of a loss, scored less than 60 points in the first meeting, and are off at least two straight double digit conference losses.  These teams are normally highly undervalued as Pittsburgh is on Saturday.  We also have Duke in a potential and relative flat spot, off their amazing comeback in an 83-75 win at Miami.  Duke trailed by 12 at one point of the second half but went on a 13-0 run to overtake the Hurricanes, and scored 15 points on only six possessions.  Duke will win this game, but Pitt will put forth a deliberate effort and we expect them to hang the number.  I'm taking the points with Pittsburgh on Saturday.  Thanks & GL!  Scott Spreitzer.

I'm taking the points with Iowa on Saturday.  The Hawkeyes have been "money" against Purdue in Iowa City, covering seven of the last eight meetings at Carver-Hawkeye Arena.  We expect more of the same in this one.  The Boilermakers enter on a 14-0 winning SU run, but outside of an easy win against a Minnesota team in the midst of a scandal, Purdue has seen its other two conference road games go right to the wire.  Purdue eked out a 70-69 win at Michigan and escaped Maryland with an 80-75 victory and they have neutral court losses to Western Kentucky and Tennessee before the winning streak began. Iowa shoots .505 percent at home this season, while holding their opponents to .417 percent.  The Hawkeyes draw fouls at home, averaging over 26 FTA per game, while their guests have averaged half that amount.  We also note Purdue shoots less than 15 FTA on the road.  Iowa is the better rebounding team in this spot and own a tremendous 1.85 assists/turnovers ratio at home, averaging 22 assists per game and just 12 turnovers.  We note that underdogs of at least 10 points but less than 20 are on a 28-13 ATS run if they're off a loss by at least 15 points as a favorite.  Big game for Iowa...potential flat spot for Purdue. We're take the double digits with Iowa on Saturday.  Thanks & GL!  Scott Spreitzer.

I'm laying the points with Wichita State on Saturday.  The Shockers are a favorite of many to reach this year's Final Four, but they sure didn't play like it at home in a loss to SMU last time out.  Coach Gregg Marshall wasn't happy with his team's effort and he normally gets their attention off a SU loss.  Wichita State is 7-2 ATS the last nine times off a SU loss and an amazing 42-20 ATS on the road against teams with a winning record.  Kelvin Sampson has the Cougars off to a solid start, but they have been overvalued of late, resulting in a 1-4 spread slide.  Wichita crushed Houston 81-63 on January 4, holding the Cougars to 41 percent shooting and a 4 of 15 night from behind the arc.  Wichita enters the weekend one of just six undefeated road teams in the nation and we expect their road perfection to continue for at least one more game.  I'm laying the points with Wichita State, our Morning Massacre on Saturday.  Thanks & GL! Scott Spreitzer.

I'm taking the points with Indiana on Friday.  Indiana is getting a ton of points even though Archie Miller obviously is doing a great job in his first year as coach as the Hoosiers have won and covered five of their last six games.  The Hoosiers held Northwestern to 15 of 56 from the field in their 66-46 win on Sunday as just a three-point favorite.  Michigan State has lost two of its last three, including 82-72 at home to Michigan and the Spartans have shot only 41.7 percent their last three games.  The only win in that span was in overtime against Rutgers when the Spartans were a 22-point favorite.  MSU did play some national powers in the early going, such as Duke, North Carolina and Notre Dame, however, a closer look at their schedule shows the Spartans had several gimmes.  Indiana lost forward De'Ron Davis for the season, but it still has its two leading scorers, Juwan Morgan (15.6 points per game) and Robert Johnson (13.6 ppg). Michigan State is 1-4 ATS its last five conference games and 1-4 ATS overall after a loss.  Meanwhile, Indiana has covered five in a row against teams playing better than .600 basketball. I'm taking the points with Indiana on Friday.  Thanks & GL! Scott Spreitzer.

I'm laying the points with Wright State, a late play release.  Thanks & GL!  Scott Spreitzer.

I'm laying the points with William & Mary on Thursday.  William & Mary is averaging 82.6 points per game with a .497 field goal percentage while shooting 82.1 percent from the free throw line.  The Tribe won by 25 points and shot 64.3 percent on this court against Northeastern last year.  William & Mary had won five in a row before losing to Towson, which exploded for 50 points in the second half, but the Tribe was coming off an overtime win over James Madison two nights before.  The Tribe is 9-3 ATS this season compared to 6-8 for Northeastern, which is shooting only 43.6 percent overall and 30.8 percent from 3-point range on the road. William & Mary's three leading scorers, Nathan Knight, Matt Milon and David Cohn, all are shooting 55 percent or better from the field.  The Huskies are 2-6 ATS their last eight road games and the Tribe is 19-6-2 ATS its last 27 games after a double-digit home loss dating to previous seasons.  I'm laying the points with William & Mary on Thursday.  Thanks & GL!  Scott Spreitzer.

I'm laying the points with Ohio State on Wednesday.  Chris Holtmann is a candidate for Big 10 Coach of the Year with what he is doing with the Buckeyes, who were picked to finish middle of the pack or worse in what was thought to be a rebuilding year.  The Buckeyes are 15-4 and have won five straight and covering the last four, including a 22-point rout of Rutgers on the road on Sunday.  Ohio State is shooting 49.4 percent overall and 37.6 percent from 3-point range while holding opponents to just a .404 field goal percentage. Northwestern appears to be having a hangover after making the NCAA Tournament for the first time in its history.  The Wildcats shot 26.8 percent in their 66-46 loss at Indiana (we had the Hoosiers) on Sunday and they're 6-10 ATS this season.  The Buckeyes have covered six straight conference games and four of their last five road contests.  Their only loss in the last 11 games was to North Carolina.  We're on Ohio State minus the points.  Thanks & GL!  Scott Spreitzer.

I'm laying the points with Illinois State on Wednesday.  Bradley is 9-0 at home but it has lost its last four road games by an average of 16.3 points, including 81-65 to Loyola-Chicago, which shot nearly 58 percent against the Braves on Saturday.  Bradley also owns a 24-point loss to a mediocre Evansville squad also on the road.  Illinois State looks to snap a two-game losing streak, but the Redbirds still have won five of their last eight games and they have beaten Bradley seven times in a row, including by an average of 17 points in two meetings last season.  The Redbirds are led by Phil Fayne, who was 11 of 12 from the field while scoring 24 points and grabbing 10 rebounds against Southern Illinois, which went on a 20-2 run to wipe out a 14-point Illinois State lead.  Illinois State is 12-3-1 ATS its last 16 games after a loss and it has played a tough non-conference schedule, including South Carolina, Boise State, Nevada and BYU.  We like them to bounce back at home tonight. I'm laying the points with Illinois State on Wednesday.  Thanks & GL!  Scott Spreitzer.

I'm laying the points with Kentucky on Tuesday night.  Kentucky's latest heralded freshman class has had some bumps in the road, including losses to UCLA and Tennessee, but the Wildcats still are 14-3 overall and South Carolina hasn't come close to beating them the last four years.  The Gamecocks are rebuilding after losing three of their top four scorers from its Final Four squad and they're shooting only 41.2 percent from the field compared to 48.8 percent for Kentucky.  The Gamecocks had a deceiving win over Georgia when they made only 16 of 59 shots and still won the game.  But Carolina enters on a 4-12 ATS SEC slide. Kentucky has five players averaging double figures with Kevin Knox scoring a team-leading 14.2 points per game and Hamidou Diallo adds 13.8 points per game.  South Carolina is 2-5 ATS its last seven lined games and it has a .356 field goal percentage its last five games.  We note that Kentucky has covered five in a row in the series.  I believe the number is too small and we'll lay it with Kentucky on Tuesday. Thanks & GL!  Scott Spreitzer.

I'm laying the points with Nebraska on Monday night.  Nebraska has covered the number eight lined games in a row and the only losses were to Kansas, at Purdue and in overtime at Penn State. Illinois has lost three straight, including 104-97 in overtime at home against Iowa while blowing a 20-point lead on Thursday.  The Illini are 2-6-1 ATS their last nine road games while the Cornhuskers are 5-0 ATS their last five home contests.  The Huskers are allowing opponents just a .409 field goal percentage at home and came back from 16 points down to force overtime against the Nittany Lions.  Starting center Jordy Tshimanga requested a transfer, but it has given sophomore forward Isaiah Roby an opportunity and he scored 12 points in 28 minutes off the bench against Penn State.  Also, Jack McVeigh helped with the comeback with some good defensive work. The Huskers are 6-0 ATS their last six games following a loss and we'll back them here.  I'm laying the points with Nebraska, our Monday Mismatch.  Thanks & GL!  Scott Spreitzer.

I'm laying the points with Indiana on Sunday.  Northwestern has been underachieving considering it brought back four starters and six of its top seven scorers from last year's squad and it's only 6-9 ATS overall while winning only one of five road games. Conversely, Indiana has been overachieving in Archie Miller's first year as coach as it was expected to be a rebuilding year but the Hoosiers have won four of their last five, including a road win at Minnesota and then at home versus Penn State in spite of shooting only 40.3 percent overall and 6 of 27 from 3-point range against the Nittany Lions. Northwestern comes off a big win over Minnesota, but the Wildcats still have lost three of their last five games and have lost their last two road contests by an average of 20.5 points.  The Hoosiers are 4-1 ATS their last five home games and the home team has covered four of the last five meetings.  I'm laying the points with Indiana on Sunday. Thanks & GL!  Scott Spreitzer.

I'm backing the (673) UC-Santa Barbara Gauchos on Saturday night (Sunday morning if you're on the east coast). We had Hawaii as our top play last Saturday and the Warriors came through for us on the mainland with an easy 65-46 win and cover at CSUN. They have since won another game beating Cal Poly at home last time out.  But the competition gets stiffer tonight and we don't believe Hawaii matches up quite as well.  Hawaii ranks 313th shooting the trey and they leave a lot to be desired on the glass when facing the tougher teams on their schedule.  UCSB has four players averaging in double figures in scoring, led by Max Heidegger and his 21.6 ppg. The Gauchos are tough to defend with several capable "dishers" with Heidegger, Gabe Vincent, and Marcus Jackson combining for 158 assists on the season.  Meanwhile, Leland King and Jalen Canty pull down a combined 18 rebounds per night.  The Gauchos are a complete basketball team.  They're on a healthy 20-9 ATS run against teams that average six or fewer steals per game. And UCSB is on a 6-0 ATS run against teams with a winning record and a 6-1 ATS run on the road.  UCSB is 11-2 SU in their last 13 games, but have underwhelmed in their last two outings, which gives us value on the islands. I'm backing the UC-Santa Barbara Gauchos on Saturday night.  Thanks & GL!  Scott Spreitzer.

I'm laying the points with (672) UCLA on Saturday night.  UCLA appears to have learned its lesson after blowing a huge lead at Stanford and losing in overtime and the Bruins have rebounded to win and cover their next two games against California and Utah rather easily.  The Bruins are the best 3-point shooting team in Pac-12 conference play and have the highest-scoring offense with 91.8 points per game.  The Bruins had a tumultuous couple months dealing with suspensions and outside influences, but the players who are getting opportunities are producing, including freshman Kris Wilkes, who is averaging 18 ppg the last six games.  Also, Gyorgy Goloman and Alex Olesinski are making big contributions while Aaron Holiday leads the team with a 19.4 scoring average.  In addition, Thomas Welch pulls down 10.8 rebounds and averages 12.4 rebounds per game.  Colorado has yet to win a road game in five tries and the Buffaloes are 1-7 ATS the last eight meetings with the Bruins.  I'm laying the points with UCLA, our Slam Dunk on Saturday night.  Thanks & GL!  Scott Spreitzer.

I'm laying the points with (538) Georgia on Saturday.  Georgia has been invincible at home where it is 8-0 and 4-1 ATS this season.  The Bulldogs have covered five of the last six meetings and 22 of the last 27 against the Gamecocks and they remember losing a two-point decision at South Carolina in February as an eight-point underdog. The Gamecocks lost four starters from their Final Four squad and have lost three of their last four, including 76-62 at Alabama on Tuesday while shooting only 35.8 percent, which is even below their season average of 42.2 percent.  Georgia allows opponents just a .384 field goal percentage and .304 from 3-point distance.  The Bulldogs have bounced back big at home after their last two losses and they are led by Yante Maten, who averages 19.3 points and 8.9 rebounds per game.  South Carolina is 3-12 ATS its last 15 conference games and 0-4-1 ATS its last five road contests. Georgia is 19-7 ATS its last 26 games after a loss and we'll back the Bulldogs here.  I'm laying the points with Georgia, our Daytime Dominator.  Thanks & GL!  Scott Spreitzer.

I'm laying the points with Princeton on Friday night.  Columbia has managed to win only three games this season and those were against Longwood, Maine and Sarah Lawrence.  Guard Mike Smith leads the Lions with an 18.1 scoring average, but he makes only 39.5 percent of his shots overall and 33.3 percent from 3-point range.  Columbia as a team makes 37.2 percent of its 3-pointers, but allows 36.5 percent from long distance. Princeton already has wins over USC and Hawaii on the road and will be focused on this one after losing to Penn in its Ivy League opener on Saturday.  The Tigers have a solid backcourt with Devin Cannady, Myles Stephens and Amir Bell all averaging double figures in scoring. Princeton is 6-0-1 ATS its last seven games against teams with losing records and 5-2 ATS its last seven games overall.  I'm laying the points with Princeton on Friday night.  Thanks & GL! Scott Spreitzer.

I'm laying the points with San Francisco on Thursday.  San Francisco has alternated wins and losses its last eight games, but the Dons have an excellent opportunity to win their second in a row as they take on Loyola Marymount, which has lost six straight, including an 0-4-1 ATS record its last five games.  The Lions' five wins have come against the likes of Incarnate Word, Cal State Los Angeles and Cal State Northridge and they have lost their last two games against Gonzaga and Santa Clara by a combined 35 points. The Dons have a big defensive edge holding opponents to a .428 field goal percentage compared to .493 for Loyola and they have won and covered their last two road contests at Portland and Pepperdine.  USF shot 50 percent against the Waves with Jordan Ratinho leading the way with 20 points and Matt McCarthy and Nate Renfro added 16 points apiece. The Lions are 8-22-1 ATS after a double-digit loss at home and the road team has won 12 of the last 17 meetings.  I'm laying the points with San Francisco on Thursday.  Thanks and GL!  Scott Spreitzer.

I'm laying the points with Clemson on Thursday.  Clemson already has beaten N.C. State by 16 points on Dec. 30 and now the Tigers catch the Wolfpack in a huge letdown situation after N.C. State pounded Duke 96-85 as a 12.5-point underdog.  The Wolfpack followed up the loss to Clemson with a 30-point defeat at Notre Dame, which is more representative of its rebuilding theme this season.  Clemson comes off a 74-69 overtime win over Louisville for its 10th win in a row and although they didn't cover the number in that one the Tigers still are 8-4 ATS on the season compared to 4-5 for N.C. State.  The Tigers had a bad shooting game against the Cardinals, but still were able to pull out a win as Marcquise Reed scored a team-leading 24 points.  The Wolfpack shot only 34.8 percent the first meeting and Clemson allows just a .402 field goal percentage and only 63.5 points per game. N.C. State got hot against Duke making 34 of 67 from the field, but don't expect that two games in a row. The Wolfpack is 1-8 ATS its last nine games after a win.  I'm laying the points with Clemson on Thursday. Thanks & GL!  Scott Spreitzer.

I'm laying the points with Missouri State on Wednesday.  Missouri State looks to bounce back from a 72-68 loss at Illinois State and free throws were the main factor as the Bears were 9 of 13 compared to 20 of 25 for the Redbirds from the charity stripe.  Missouri State committed a season-high 18 turnovers, but outrebounded the Redbirds 32-22 even with its two centers suspended.  Alize Johnson leads the Bears with 15.1 points and 11.2 rebounds per game and J.T. Miller (9.9 ppg) and Reggie Scurry (9.3 ppg) are new to this year's squad and top contributors.  The Bears were picked to finish near the top and Evansville near the bottom in the MVC and the Bears are allowing opponents just a .386 field goal percentage overall and .307 from 3-point range.  Evansville recently had a four-game losing streak before beating Bradley on Saturday.  Missouri State is 7-2-1 ATS its last 10 games and clearly is the more talented team.  Also, don't forget the Aces own a 64-point loss to Duke, which even against the Blue Devils is a humiliating defeat.  We'll back the road team in this MVC clash.  I'm laying the points with Missouri State, our KO release.  Thanks & GL!  Scott Spreitzer.

I'm laying the points with Nebraska on Tuesday night.  Coach Tim Miles is doing a great job piecing together his team with several transfers on the roster to go along with holdover, Glynn Watson Jr., and the Cornhuskers are 11-6 and 8-1 at home with an overall 10-5 ATS record.  Wisconsin is having a down year as it retools after losing four starters.  The Badgers are 1-3 on the road while shooting only 41.4 percent. They come off a loss at Rutgers as a three-point favorite and Brad Davison and Brevin Pritzl were the leading scorers with only 13 points each and the Badgers were 2 of 13 from 3-point distance.  Nebraska had a four-game winning streak snapped in a loss at Purdue when it managed just a .407 shooting percentage, but the Huskers are shooting at a .460 clip at home.  Wisconsin is averaging a minuscule 54.0 points on the road while Nebraska averages 81.2 points at home.  Also, it's a true revenge game for the Huskers who lost 70-69 in overtime to the Badgers last season, a game where Nebraska owned a 50-35 advantage on the glass, but turned the ball over 22 times.  We expect the Huskers to get their revenge.  I'm laying the points with Nebraska on Tuesday.  Thanks & GL! Scott Spreitzer.

Late release:  Texas A&M plus the points.  Thanks & GL!  Scott Spreitzer.

I'm laying the points with Southern Cal on Sunday night.  Stanford comes off an overtime win against UCLA, but it took a complete collapse by the Bruins that included 23 missed free throws, nine turnovers and bad defense.  Stanford shot an uncharacteristic 51.4 percent and 9 of 21 from 3-point range and Dorian Pickens led five players in double figures with 26 points.  The Cardinal had lost its previous game to California after getting blown out by Kansas 75-54.  USC is 10-6 ATS this season and 7-1 ATS its last eight road games dating to last season.  The Trojans won last year's meeting by 16 points and they defeated California 80-62 on Thursday for their fifth win and cover in six games.  The Bears were held to a .397 shooting percentage and Nick Rakocevis led the Trojans with 19 points and Bennie Boatwright added 15 points and seven rebounds.  Stanford is 1-6 ATS following an ATS win and 0-8-1 ATS its last nine games after allowing at least 90 points its previous game.  It's a letdown situation for Stanford after its deceptive win over UCLA.  I'm laying the points with USC, our KO release.  Thanks & GL!  Scott Spreitzer.

I'm laying the points with BYU on Saturday night.  BYU is 4-0 on the road and has won 10 of its last 11 games overall, including 69-59 at San Francisco on Thursday as Elijah Bryant scored 17 points and Yoeli Childs added 13 points and eight rebounds for the Cougars, who shot 51.1 percent from the field.  We had the Cougars and cashed. BYU is holding opponents to 66.1 points per game and Pacific has a .434 shooting percentage and has lost six of its last seven games.  The only times the Tigers have covered in their last nine games was a last-minute backdoor cover against UNLV and in overtime versus Loyola Marymount. Pacific's most recent loss was by 18 points at Saint Mary's on Thursday as it shot only 40.4 percent and allowed the Gaels a .500 field goal percentage.  The Tigers have previous losses by 39 points to Arizona State and 33 against Gonzaga.  Pacific is 5-13 ATS its last 18 home games and the Cougars are 5-1 ATS the last six meetings, including a 15-point win on this court last season.  I'm laying the points with BYU, our West Coast Wipeout on Saturday.  Thanks & GL! Scott Spreitzer.

I'm laying the points with Hawaii on Saturday night.  Cal State Northridge is 3-11 and 2-8-1 ATS and coach Reggie Theus brought in his son to play for him, but it hasn't made much difference as the Matadors lost four starters from last year's squad and it's nearly impossible to recruit talent to the school, which has the equivalent of a high school gym.  Northridge is 18-39 ATS its last 57 home games and 10-26-1 its last 37 games overall.  Hawaii has won the last six meetings while covering the number in five of them.  The Rainbow Warriors come off an 89-81 loss at Long Beach State as the 49ers shot the lights out at a .633 clip.  However, now that the Warriors have had a couple days on the mainland after their long trip and the fact that the Matadors are shooting only 42.6 percent on the season means the Warriors should bounce back nicely in this matchup.  Northridge is 3-12 ATS their last 15 games against teams with winning records.  I'm laying the points with Hawaii on Saturday night.  Thanks & GL!  Scott Spreitzer.

I'm laying the points with Wright State on Friday.  Detroit was expected to improve from its 8-23 season a year ago with three returning starters but it hasn't worked out that way as the Titans have lost nine in a row and are 4-11 on the season.  Detroit historically has been a bad shooting team and it's no different this year as they have a .420 field goal percentage.  The big edge in this matchup is on defense as the Titans allow 92.2 points per game compared to 65 for Wright State.  A typical Detroit performance was its loss to Wisconsin-Milwaukee on Saturday when it shot 43.9 percent and the Panthers shot 55.3 percent and hit 12 of 24 from 3-point range.  The Raiders have won and covered the last three meetings and they're on a current run of winning six of their last seven games.  Grant Benzinger averages a team-leading 14.3 points and Justin Mitchell averages 11.6 points and 7.7 rebounds per game.  Also, center Loudon Love is a huge presence in the middle with his 6-9, 300-pound frame.  I'm laying the points with Wright State, our KO on Friday.  Thanks & GL!  Scott Spreitzer.

I'm laying the points with BYU on Thursday night.  BYU has beaten San Francisco nine times in a row, including by 16 points on this floor last season. The Cougars had won nine straight before losing in overtime to Saint Mary's on Saturday.  Jock Landale proved to be too much to handle for BYU as he exploded for 31 points on 13 of 15 shooting for the Gaels.  The Cougars are shooting 47.7 percent from the floor compared to 39.3 percent for the Dons and the road team has covered 10 of the last 11 meetings.  BYU has covered the last four at San Francisco.  The Dons are 2-10 ATS their last 12 games against teams with winning records and 2-5 ATS their last seven home games.  Yoeli Childs leads the Cougars with 18.1 points and 8.9 rebounds per game and Elijah Bryant averages 16.7 points followed by T.J. Haws at 11.5 points per game.  Saint Mary's had to shoot 50.0 percent from the field to defeat the Cougars in OT and the Dons don't have that kind of firepower.  I'm laying the short points with BYU on Thursday.  Thanks & GL! Scott Spreitzer.

I'm laying the points with Missouri State on Thursday.  Missouri State is 12-3 and 7-4-1 ATS this season with only one home loss and Northern Iowa has largely been a disappointment and 3-7 ATS.  The Panthers have lost four in a row and didn't cover the number in any of them, including a 72-53 drubbing at Bradley on Sunday.  The Panthers shot only 36.7 percent against the Braves and they're shooting just 37.9 percent their last four games.  Missouri State has won three straight, including 67-50 at Valparaiso as a 1.5-point underdog.  The Bears are allowing only 62.8 points per game and a .385 field goal percentage on the season.  Northern Iowa is 0-5 ATS its last five road games and 0-7 ATS its last seven conference games.  Also, the Panthers are 4-18 ATS versus teams with .600 or better winning percentages dating to last season.  Missouri State will show two suspended players when you look this one up.  But one has already missed a few games and averages just over 8 minutes of play per contest, while the other is a complete non-factor.  Many, including us, touted Missouri State as this year's Mo-Valley champs before the season began, with Northern Iowa finishing in the 5th to 7th range.  Nothing has changed our mind to date.  We're laying the points with Missouri State on Thursday.  Thanks & GL!  Scott Spreitzer.

I'm laying the points with Tulsa on Wednesday.  This just isn't going to be Connecticut's year as it has lost six of nine games, including its last three and all three were by double digits.  The Huskies are shooting only 40 percent from the field and 37.2 percent on the road.  Tulsa had a young team last season and beat the Huskies 61-59 in overtime and the Golden Hurricane has covered the last three meetings.  They come off a 65-56 win over Tulane even though they shot only 36.2 percent and 4 of 20 from 3-point range and the Golden Hurricane was led by Martins Igbanu and Sterling Taplin with 15 points apiece. The Tulsa defense held Tulane to a .356 shooting percentage and it's holding opponents to a .410 field goal percentage on the season.  UConn is 2-7 ATS its last nine games and Tulsa is on a current 5-0 ATS run.  Also, Tulsa has covered seven of its last nine home contests.  I'm laying the points with Tulsa our Wednesday Wipeout.  Thanks & GL!  Scott Spreitzer.

I'm laying the points with Georgia on Wednesday.  Georgia has covered the number the last six meetings, including last year's 69-47 blowout on the road. The Bulldogs are 9-3 this season and undefeated in six home games and they are holding opponents to just a .391 field goal percentage and 67.3 points per game.  Georgia comes off a 66-61 loss at Kentucky, but stayed within the 9.5-point spread and they won their previous games by an average of 19.5 points at home against Georgia Tech and Temple.  The Bulldogs defense held Kentucky to just 31.5 percent shooting but, unfortunately, they were just 2 of 21 from 3-point range.  Mississippi has played one true road game and it was a 19-point loss to Middle Tennessee State. The Rebels are 3-8 ATS their last 11 games overall and 2-6 ATS following a win.  Georgia is 5-1 ATS its last six games after a loss and 17-5 ATS the last 22 meetings.  The Bulldogs are led by Yante Maten, who averages 19.9 points and 9.5 rebounds per game and William Jackson is shooting 41.7 percent from 3-point distance.  I'm laying the points with Georgia on Wednesday, our Slam Dunk release.  Thanks & GL!  Scott Spreitzer.

I'm taking the points with Mississippi State on Tuesday.  Ben Howland is slowly but surely rebuilding Mississippi State's program and his team is 12-1 heading into SEC play with a young and improving squad.  Quinndary Weatherspoon leads the Bulldogs in scoring with 14.2 points per game and in steals and assists.  Aric Holman is making 60 percent of his 3-point shot attempts and freshman Nick Weatherspoon averages 10.7 points while hitting 38.9 percent from long distance.  The Bulldogs won last year's meeting on the road with a much younger team than this one and they are holding opponents to a .383 shooting percentage and just 62.7 points per game, which is not unusual for a Howland-coached team.  Arkansas is in a letdown situation after outlasting Tennessee in overtime on Saturday and it lost its only true road game this season by 26 points at Houston while shooting 34.5 percent.  MSU has covered 13 of the last 16 meetings at home.  This is a tough turnaround for the Razorbacks and we'll take the points with Mississippi State on Tuesday.  Thanks & GL!  Scott Spreitzer.

I'm backing Bradley on Sunday.  Bradley has been a tough place to play for opponents going back decades and it's no different now as the Braves are 20-5-1 ATS their last 26 home games.  Also, Bradley is 15-5-1 ATS its last 21 games overall and this is the best team it's had in several years.  The Braves are 10-4 and 7-4-1 ATS and undefeated at home and they covered the number both meetings last season.  Northern Iowa is just 3-6 ATS and has lost its last three games while not covering in any of them. Bradley just finished a road trip in which it split four games. The Braves are led by Darrell Brown, who averages 13.6 points and leads the team with 53 assists.  Elijah Childs averages 7.9 points and 6.4 rebounds and has 18 blocked shots.  Northern Iowa has played one true road game and lost it by 17 points to North Carolina.  The Panthers are only 4-17 ATS against teams with at least .600 winning percentages and the home team is 8-3-1 ATS the last 12 meetings.  I'm backing Bradley on Sunday.  Thanks & GL!  Scott Spreitzer.

I'm taking the points with Arizona State on Saturday night.  Arizona State is undefeated and 10-2 ATS, but still not getting enough respect, which has forced the linemaker to install the Sun Devils as a 5 to 6-point underdog for this matchup.  ASU is 19-7 ATS its last 26 games overall and already owns outright wins over Kansas State, Xavier and Kansas - all away from home.  The Sun Devils come off a 39-point win over Pacific in which it shot 53.7 percent from the field while holding the Tigers to 35.8 percent.  Defensively, Arizona State holds opponents to just a .409 field goal percentage and 71.7 points per game.  Arizona played three decent opponents in November and lost them all to N.C. State, SMU and Purdue before winning in overtime at UNLV.  The Wildcats are 1-7 ATS their last eight games against teams with winning records and the controversy regarding the FBI investigation into the U of A program sure doesn't make for an easy feeling in Tucson this season.  This is a statement game for the Sun Devils and we believe they're up to the task.  I'm taking the points with Arizona State on Saturday night.  Thanks & GL!  Scott Spreitzer.

I'm laying the points with Texas Tech on Friday night.  Texas Tech is undefeated at home and Baylor has played one true road game and lost 76-63 at Xavier.  The Red Raiders can play 10 deep while the Bears are getting by with between six and eight scholarship players and one of them, Terry Maston (11.7 ppg, 7.7 rebounds), is out with a hand injury. Texas Tech has covered the number the last three meetings and it's 9-3 ATS its last 12 games against teams with .600 or better winning percentages dating to last season.  Point guard Keenan Evans leads the Red Raiders at 16.5 points per game and Jarrett Culver and Zhaire Smith average 10.2 points apiece.  Baylor loves the 3-pointer, but Texas Tech holds opponents to 30.1 percent from beyond the arc and just 58.7 points per game.  The Red Raiders also can match up well offensively as they shoot at a .494 clip, including .373 from 3-point distance.  I'm laying the points with Texas Tech, our Friday night Slam Dunk. Thanks & GL!  Scott Spreitzer.

I'm taking the points with Tulane on Thursday.  Mike Dunleavy Sr. is doing a good job turning around the Tulane basketball program as the Green Wave already has surpassed last year's win total with a 9-3 record.  Tulane shoots 46.4 percent from the field while holding opponents to 42.3 percent and 70.9 points per game.  Cameron Reynolds was named the Most Improved Player in the AAC last season and he's averaging 16.5 points this year along with Melvin Frazier, who leads the team with a 16.8 scoring average and 6.7 rebounds per game.  Tulane took the Owls to overtime before losing on this court in February and the Green Wave is much improved this year with the additions of Jordan Cornish and Samir Sehic who combine for 20.7 points per game.  Temple comes off an 84-66 loss at Georgia for its fourth loss in eight games (we had Georgia on these pages).  Temple is 0-3-1 ATS its last four home games and 0-5-1 ATS its last six games overall.  I'm taking the points with Tulane, our DogPound Crusher on Thursday.  Thanks & GL!  Scott Spreitzer.

I'm laying the points with Nevada on Wednesday night.  Eric Musselman will have his team focused after Nevada was upset by San Francisco as a 12.5-point favorite on Saturday in Las Vegas.  The Wolf Pack is 14-2 ATS after a loss and 15-5-1 ATS following an ATS loss dating to previous seasons.  Also, UNR is 37-15-2 ATS its last 54 games overall and has covered seven of its last 10 road games.  Fresno State has losses to Arkansas and Evansville on the road and to Oregon at home.  Point guard Jaron Hopkins has missed the last four games with a back injury and might play tonight, but his minutes may be limited. Nevada Forward Jordan Caroline had an off night against the Dons with just six points and four rebounds on 2-of-12 shooting and will look to make a statement against the Bulldogs, who gave him trouble last season.  Nevada won in the MWC tourney, but lost both regular season meetings.  Don't expect another slow start for the Wolf Pack after its humbling defeat to San Francisco.  We expect a focused effort for the entire 40 and we're backing Nevada minus the points.  Thanks & GL!  Scott Spreitzer.

I'm laying the points with Missouri on Saturday night.  Illinois lost four of its top five scorers from last season's 20-15 squad and it appears that new coach Brad Underwood will need more than one season to get the Illini back to that level. Illinois has lost five of its last seven games, including 74-69 to New Mexico State as a 6.5-point favorite last Saturday while shooting just 43.5 percent from the field.  Meanwhile, Counzo Martin is working wonders at Missouri as his team is 10-2 and on a current five-game winning streak after an 8-24 season in 2016-17.  The Tigers did have a scare against Stephen F. Austin winning by a point and shooting 55.8 percent with Kassius Robertson scoring a team-leading 23 points and Jordan Barnett adding 22 points for the Tigers.  Missouri has extra incentive as it has lost four straight to Illinois during the lean years when Kim Anderson failed to have any success during his time as coach.  Missouri has a .502 field goal percentage and holds opponents to .394 and just 66.6 points per game.  The Illini enter on a 1-9 ATS slide against teams that make at least 48 percent of their shots, losing by an average margin of 17 ppg.  Mizzou exacts some revenge and we're laying the points with the Tigers.  Thanks & GL!  Scott Spreitzer.

I'm laying the points with Kentucky on Saturday afternoon.  UCLA has had a tumultuous season filled with suspensions and players leaving the team and the Bruins are just 3-8 ATS with a couple of close wins against what were supposed to be undermanned teams.  The Bruins had to go overtime to beat Central Arkansas earlier in the season and barely survived against South Dakota on Tuesday and both of those games were at home.  Kentucky won its revenge match against the Bruins 86-75 in March and that was when UCLA had Lonzo Ball.  The Wildcats have different players this year, but most of the starters are potential NBA first round draft picks. Kentucky hasn't lost since a 65-61 defeat to Kansas on Nov. 14 and the Wildcats are 4-1 ATS their last five games, including 93-86 against Virginia Tech last week. UCLA is 3-11 ATS its last 14 games against SEC teams and the Wildcats have covered five of their last seven versus Pac-12 schools.  Also, Steve Alford's squads are 5-17 ATS their last 22 games against teams with winning records. More of the same.  We're laying the points with Kentucky, our Daytime Dominator.  Thanks & GL!  Scott Spreitzer.

I'm laying the points with UNLV on Friday night.  The Rebels are 9-2 ATS its last 11 home games dating to last season and its only losses this season have been in overtime to Northern Iowa and  Arizona.  Coach Marvin Menzies definitely has the program on the upward swing and the Runnin' Rebels are playing the best they have in several years. The Rebels come off an expected easy 95-63 win over Mississippi Valley State after beating Pacific in a game that wasn't as close as the score indicated.  The Rebels shot 63% against MVSU with incredible balanced scoring as seven players scored between 10 and 13 points.  Northern Colorado is 9-3 but this will be its toughest test of the season so far as UNLV is shooting 52.2% and averaging 90.9 points compared to 43% and 71 points for the Bears.  UNLV's defense also has been superb holding opponents to just a .389 field goal percentage. Northern Colorado's underdog win at Wyoming caught UNLV's attention. UNLV is 7-1-1 ATS against Big Sky opposition and we expect them to be focused on this one from start to finish.  We're laying the points with UNLV, our Bailout Blowout. Thanks & GL!  Scott Spreitzer.

I'm laying the points with Idaho on Thursday.  UC Irvine lost again 86-68 at Montana on Tuesday (we had Montana) and the Anteaters now have five losses in a row and this is their fifth straight game away from home and no improvement is in sight.  Montana shot 52.5 percent compared to 42.9 percent for the Anteaters whose leading scorer was John Edgar Jr. with just 13 points.  Idaho was picked to win the Big Sky Conference and has all five starters back from last year's 19-14 squad.  The Vandals have an 8-3 record and they have covered the number four of six lined games.  This game is being played in Boise as part of the Holiday Hoops Classic.  The Vandals blew out Western Michigan 82-52 on the road on Monday holding the Broncos to 16 points in the first half.  Idaho holds opponents to just 27.8 percent from 3-point range and on offense it is 10th in the country in 3-point field goal percentage (.424).  Victor Sanders scored 25 points and Jordan Scott added 10 points and 13 rebounds and the Vandals shot 50.0 percent against WMU. UC Irvine is 3-12 ATS its last 15 games dating to last season.  Idaho takes care of business against teams with sub-.400 records, posting an 11-3 ATS mark the last 14 times.  I'm laying the points with Idaho, our KO on Thursday. Thanks & GL!  Scott Spreitzer.

I'm laying the points with Oregon State on Thursday.  Kent State comes off a 22-14 season and was expected to finish near the top of the MAC East Division, but apparently the losses of All-MAC forward Jimmy Hall and Deon Edwin from last year's squad has been too much to overcome.  The Golden Flashes are 5-6 and 2-5 ATS and have lost six of their last eight games, including by 26 points at Xavier followed by losses at Wright State and at home by 12 against Northeastern.  The Flashes don't bounce back well from bad losses, covering just two of their last 12 off a double digit defeat. The Flashes are shooting only 42.8 percent and Oregon State has a .484 field goal percentage and the Beavers have won six in a row.  The return of Tres Tinkle (coach's son) has been a stabilizing force after he played only six games last season due to an injury. Tinkle averages 17.5 points and a team-leading 7.0 rebounds and Stephen Thompson Jr. averages 15.5 points and leads the team with 39 assists.  The teams met last year and the Beavers won by 19 points without Tinkle and Kent State shot 27.6 percent.  OSU has covered four of its last five road games dating to last season and we like them here.  I'm backing Oregon State, our Road Warrior.  Thanks & GL!  Scott Spreitzer.

I'm laying the points with Houston on Wednesday.  Kelvin Sampson is doing a great job of blending in his returnees with junior college transfers and the Cougars are off to a 9-2 start and have covered four of their last five lined games.  Houston not only is shooting at a 49.1 percent clip, but the defense is holding opponents to just 40.1 percent. Also, the Cougars are shooting 42.4 percent from 3-point range, which even tops last season's 39.4 percent. Providence is just 2-7 ATS and three of their guards are doubtful for this game. Maliek White, Alpha Diallo and Kyron Cartwright average 26.9 points combined and all are injured.  Forward Emmitt Holt already had been lost for the season with an abdominal  injury.  The Friars were fortunate to beat Stony Brook on Sunday and that followed a loss at Massachusetts after they needed overtime to defeat Brown.  Providence won't have enough firepower to keep up with the Cougars.  I'm laying the points with Houston on Wednesday.  Thanks & GL! Scott Spreitzer.

I'm laying the points with St. John's on Wednesday.  Chris Mullin appears to be bringing back the glory years at St. John's as it's off to a 9-2 start with the only losses coming against Missouri and Arizona State.  Guard Marcus LoVett is out with a knee injury, but the Red Storm still won and covered against Iona on Sunday while holding the Gaels to a .349 shooting percentage.  Shamorie Ponds led five players in double figures with 16 points and Bashir Ahmed added 12 points and 11 rebounds.  St. Joseph's has much worse injury problems as Lamarr Kimble went down for the second year in a row and is out for the season and forward Charlie Brown is out indefinitely with a wrist injury.  The Hawks have lost every game this season when they had to step up in competition and they are 0-7-1 ATS their last eight games against Big East teams and 0-6 ATS at neutral sites dating to previous seasons.  The Red Storm is holding opponents to just 37.3 percent from the field.  We're laying the points with St. John's on Wednesday afternoon.  Thanks & GL!  Scott Spreitzer.

I'm laying the points with Georgia Tech on Tuesday.  Georgia Tech's hopes have been bolstered by the return of sophomore guard Josh Okogie, who missed the first eight games of the season due to a suspension and then an injury and he scored 19 points in a 79-54 win over Florida A&M on Sunday.  However, that still doesn't excuse the Yellow Jackets losing its three previous games to Grambling State, Tennessee and Wofford and it was the first time they covered the spread since the season opener against UCLA, which was played in China. Georgia won last year's meeting 60-43 even with Okogie in the lineup and the Bulldogs won the year before by 14 points.  Georgia is 7-2 and it does come off a 72-62 loss at Massachusetts when it shot only 35.5 percent.  Georgia is allowing only a .400 field goal percentage against a tougher schedule than Georgia Tech has played.  The home team is 11-5 ATS the last 16 meetings and the Bulldogs are 6-2-1 ATS the last nine meetings at home.  I'm laying the points with Georgia, our Rivalry Beatdown.  Thanks & GL!  Scott Spreitzer.

I'm laying the points with Montana on Tuesday.  UC Irvine lost all-conference selection Jaron Martin to graduation and therefore lacked experience at the guard position coming into the season and the Anteaters are off to a 4-9 start and just 3-7 ATS.  Irvine is 1-7 on the road and has lost eight of its last 10 games with the only wins coming against Northern Arizona and small school Whittier.  Montana comes off a 77-61 win over UC Riverside while shooting 50 percent and holding the Highlanders to just a .385 shooting percentage.  The Grizzlies return four starters from last year's squad and have six players that are least 6 feet 6 inches tall.  Montana is shooting 50.0 percent at home and averaging 81.5 points per game while Irvine is scoring only 63.9 points on the road.  Irvine is 3-11 ATS its last 14 games dating to last season and they've covered just 9 of their last 28 road games against teams with a winning record.  I'm laying the points with Montana on Tuesday. Thanks & GL!  Scott Spreitzer.

I'm laying the points with East Carolina on Monday.  Two teams that have different coaches than who started the season face each other and East Carolina has won three in a row since Michael Perry took over for Jeff Lebo on Nov. 29.  Charlotte fired Mark Price on Thursday and assistant coach Houston Fancher will make his head coaching debut at the school tonight. The 49ers are 0-6 ATS this season and have lost all three road games, including 64-50 at Chattanooga on Dec. 10.  Charlotte allows opponents a .480 shooting percentage and it has lost its last four games overall without covering the spread in any of them.  The Pirates came from 17 points down to defeat Campbell 69-66 on Dec. 4 and since have had two weeks off.  ECU has three double-figure scorers in a guard-oriented offense, including B.J. Tyson (15.8 ppg), Isaac Fleming (14.3) and Kentrell Barkley (13.2).  Charlotte is 7-19 ATS its last 26 road games and East Carolina is 7-1 ATS its last eight home games.  Also, the 49ers are 1-11-1 ATS their last 13 non-conference games.  I'm laying the points with East Carolina on Monday. Thanks & GL!  Scott Spreitzer.

We're laying the points with UNLV on Saturday night.  Thanks & GL!  Scott Spreitzer.

I'm laying the points with Fresno State on Saturday.  Fresno State has won seven in a row since coach Rodney Terry made a subtle lineup change early in the season by inserting Sam Biitner into the starting lineup and the Bulldogs are shooting 50.6 percent overall and 40.6 percent from 3-point distance.  Biitner is 19 of 30 from beyond the arc for a .633 percentage.  Oregon won last year's meeting at home 75-63, but the Ducks return only one starter from that squad while Fresno State returns five of the eight players that were in that game. Oregon has losses to Boise State, Oklahoma and Connecticut and its difficult to find a win over a quality opponent unless you want to count Ball State, which beat Notre Dame.  Fresno has covered 19 of its last 26 home games and 35 of its last 51 overall.  The Ducks are 1-6 ATS their last seven games and 0-4 ATS following a win.  The Bulldogs are 23-6 ATS after a win dating to last season.  I'm laying the points with Fresno State, our Saturday Shocker. Thanks & GL!  Scott Spreitzer.

I'm laying the points with Kentucky on Saturday afternoon.  Virginia Tech is 9-1 but this will be only its second true road game and the first one went to overtime at Mississippi where it won 83-80.  The Hokies are the top shooting team in the country, however, Kentucky is one of the top defensive teams and holding opponents to 30.2 percent from 3-point range.  The Wildcats have six players at least 6-foot-9 compared to one for Virginia Tech, which has only faced three opponents that are above .500.  Kentucky's only loss was to Kansas early in the season, which is understandable for a team starting five freshmen.  The Wildcats are shooting 50.6 percent and allowing only 38.1 percent and come off a 93-76 win over Monmouth, which shot only 26 of 70. Hamidou Diallo scored a team-leading 23 points and P.J. Washington added 20 points and six rebounds against the Hawks and the Wildcats shot 53.4 percent from the field.  Kentucky is on a 16-6 ATS run at home against teams with a winning record and they're on a 4-0-1 ATS run against teams playing better than .600 basketball.  I'm laying the points with Kentucky, our Daytime Dominator on Saturday.  Thanks & GL! Scott Spreitzer.

I'm taking the points with UC Davis on Friday night.  UC Davis was expected to regress after winning the Big West Tournament championship game in March because it lost four starters, but the Aggies haven't missed a beat under coach Jim Les largely due to the one returnee, Chima Moneke, who leads the team with a 20.7 scoring average and 10.9 rebounds per game.  UC Davis is 7-2 and 5-0-2 ATS this season and 11-2-3 ATS dating to last season.  The Aggies are shooting 47.2 percent compared to 37.7 percent for San Francisco and the Aggies are holding opponents to a .398 field goal percentage.  The Dons are 9-30-1 ATS their last 40 games against Big West schools and 1-4 ATS in their five lined games this season.  San Francisco likes to shoot threes, however, their shooting percentage beyond the arc is just 29.9 percent.  The Aggies have covered the number five road games in a row.  I'm taking the points with UC Davis on Friday.  Thanks & GL!  Scott Spreitzer.

I'm taking the points with Western Kentucky on Wednesday.  This is definitely a down year for Wisconsin, which is 4-7 straight up and 3-6-1 ATS and two key players already are lost for the season with injuries to guards D'Mitrik Trice and Kobe King. The Badgers already have lost to Ohio State by 25 points and Virginia 49-37 while shooting 31.3 percent.  The Badgers come off an 82-63 loss to Marquette on Saturday when the defense was almost non-existent as the Golden Eagles shot 52.7 percent overall and made 14 of 22 from 3-point range. Coach Rick Stansbury has quickly put together a talented squad at Western Kentucky that has a .492 field goal percentage and won six of its last eight games and covering the number five of the last six. Wisconsin is just 2-7 ATS its last nine games against C-USA teams and that was when the Badgers had good teams and Wisconsin is just 1-4 ATS its last five home contests.  We're grabbing the points with Western Kentucky, our DogPound release.  Thanks & GL!  Scott Spreitzer.

I'm laying the points with Texas on Tuesday.  Texas has one of the most improved teams in the country and its only two losses were in overtime against Duke and Gonzaga.  The Longhorns also remember a tough, 53-50 loss to the Wolverines last season and Michigan has lost both true road games this season against North Carolina and Ohio State. Michigan also lost to LSU in the Maui Tournament and was fortunate to beat UCLA in overtime on Saturday, but U-M has covered just 5 of their last 20 off a home win.  Shaka Smart recruited a top-five class and his team comes off a 71-67 win at Virginia Commonwealth, his former school, last Tuesday giving the Longhorns a week to prepare for this matchup.  Texas is allowing just a .378 shooting percentage while shooting 47.1 percent on the offensive end.  Andrew Jones scored 19 points against VCU and Mo Bamba, another highly-touted recruit, added 13 points and grabbed 13 rebounds and the Longhorns shot 51.0 percent from the field.  Texas is 9-4 ATS its last 13 games against Big Ten schools.  We'll lay it with Texas, our TKO release. Thanks & GL!  Scott Spreitzer.

I'm laying the points with Colorado on Tuesday.  Colorado comes off a loss at Xavier in what was a revenge game for the Musketeers.  Colorado is back home where it is 4-0 SU this season and 13-5 ATS in the month of December under Tad Boyle. And San Diego doesn't figure to shoot the lights out as Xavier did shooting 60.3 percent on Saturday.  The Toreros shot only 40.7 percent last season and are shooting 44.2 percent this year and Colorado is allowing just a .363 field goal percentage at home.  Tad Boyle has a young but very talented squad that is led by senior guard George King, who averages 14.4 points and 8.8 rebounds per game and freshman McKinley Wright IV, who leads the team with a 15.7 scoring average and 38 assists.  San Diego has losses to San Diego State and at UC Santa Barbara and it is averaging only 68.1 points after finishing #321 in the country last year with 65.3 points per contest.  The Buffaloes usually bounce back after a big loss as they are 7-3-1 ATS their last 11 after losing by at least 20 points and they are 4-1 ATS their last five games against West Coast Conference schools.  I'm laying the points with Colorado, our Slam Dunk on Tuesday. Thanks & GL!  Scott Spreitzer.

I'm laying the points with Kansas on Sunday.  Arizona State is 8-0 but will be playing its first true road game with one day of rest after playing St. John's on Friday night in Los Angeles.  What's more, the Sun Devils catch Kansas off an upset loss to Washington and the Jayhawks are 4-0-1 ATS their last five games following a loss dating to last season and coach Bill Self is 44-1 straight up at home after a loss since he became coach at Kansas.  Both teams are shooting better than 52 percent, but the Jayhawks are allowing just a .370 field goal percentage and only .348 at home.  Lagerald Vick scored a team-leading 28 points against the Huskies, but his team had an off-shooting night making just 5 of 20 from 3-point range. Arizona State beat the Red Storm at the foul line making 23 of 27 compared to 13 of 22 for St. John's.  The Sun Devils don't figure to have that kind of advantage at Allen Fieldhouse and Self has concentrated on getting his players to play with a tougher attitude after the Washington loss.  Arizona State has covered just 2 of 11 games as a double digit underdog under Bobby Hurley, losing by an average margin of 22 ppg. We'll lay the points with Kansas, our Sunday Knockout.  Thanks & GL!  Scott Spreitzer.

I'm laying the points with West Virginia on Saturday night.  The Mountaineers are at it again, driving opposing ball handlers crazy and forcing 20 turnovers per contest.  This is bad news for a Pitt Panther squad that's upside down in the assists/turnovers category on their home floor.  Pitt averages 15.6 turnovers per game at Peterson Events Center and they committed another 16 turnovers in their most recent home court win, an 82-78 OT struggle against out-manned Mount St. Mary's.  The Panthers relied on freshmen to score 55 of their 82 points.  Pitt's wins have come against opponents who're a few levels below West Virginia.  The Mountaineers just knocked-off Virginia in their most recent game, but have had a few days to move on and focus on a young Pitt team.  We believe the Panthers underclassmen won't be ready for the heat they'll face for 90 feet tonight.  Bob Huggins told his team the two game set with Virginia and Pittsburgh are of huge importance. The second half of the task at hand takes place tonight.  Pitt enters on a 22-46-1 ATS slide at home.  WVU crashes the glass for more than 40 rpg and Pitt is on a 0-6 ATS slide against teams that average at least 40 per contest.  We're laying the points with WVU on Saturday.  Thanks & GL!  Scott Spreitzer.

I'm laying the points with Wichita State on Saturday afternoon.  We earmarked this one in our notes after watching Oklahoma State bust-up the Shockers on their home floor last season.  The Cowboys made over half their FGA, while the Shockers made just 36% of their own shots in a 93-76 loss as a 7-point favorite.  Oklahoma State returned just two starters from a season ago and while the record looks strong, the SOS has not been too difficult.  Oklahoma State's wins came against Pepperdine, Charlotte, Oral Roberts, Pittsburgh, Houston Baptist, Austin Peay, and Mississippi Valley State.  They've played one "step-up" game and lost 72-55 to Texas A&M as a 4 1/2 point underdog.  Oklahoma State doesn't shoot well, especially from the deep perimeter, despite facing a soft slate.  They have covered just one of five at home against teams with a winning road record.  Wichita State returned all five starters from last season, so this spot is not lost on anyone.  The Shockers have four players averaging between 14.6 ppg and 11.5 ppg. The backcourt duo of Landry Shamet and Conner Frankamp have combined for 57 assists and just 18 turnovers this season.  And the Shockers are on a 40-18 ATS run on the road against teams with a winning home record.  This is a spot HC Gregg Marshall will get the best from his squad in my opinion, and I'll back them.  I'm laying the points with Wichita State on Saturday.  Thanks & GL!  Scott Spreitzer.

I'm laying the points with Kansas on Wednesday night.  This game is technically being played at a neutral site, the Sprint Center in KC, but the crowd will be pro-Jayhawk.  Washington owns a 6-2 SU record, but it's a bit misleading.  They turn the ball over quite a bit and Kansas should feed off of Huskies' mistakes.  The top four scorers for UW have a combined 74 assists and 78 turnovers in eight games. The Huskies are horrible from the deep perimeter, and it's not likely they'll get inside too often tonight.  Kansas, in comparison, is all about scorers and dishers.  In fact, Devonte' Graham and Legerald Vick have combined for 86 assists and just 31 turnovers in seven games.  As a team, KU averages 20 assists per game and just 11 turnovers per game, while UW is upside down on offense and allow nearly 19 assists per game.  Kansas is outstanding on the offensive and defensive ends of the floor and will face a team ranked 304th in FG percentage defense and 297th against the trey, while allowing 78 ppg. Washington wants to run and that plays right into the Jayhawks' strength.  UW enters on a 0-4 ATS slide, while KU has covered four in a row.  UW is 0-8 ATS since last season against teams that average at least 16 assists per game, allowing 91 ppg in those outings.  And finally, UW is 0-8 ATS against uptempo teams, those that attempt at least 62 shots per game.  I'm laying the points with Kansas on Wednesday.  Thanks & GL! Scott Spreitzer.

Late addition: I'm playing Texas A&M on Tuesday.  Normal analysis returns with Wednesday's card. Thanks & GL!  Scott Spreitzer.

I'm adding a late play on Utah plus the points.  Normal analysis returns with Wednesday's card. Thanks & GL!  Scott Spreitzer.

I'm laying the points with Florida on Monday night.  Big step up in level of competition for Florida State after their youthful team had a case of easy street to begin the season.  The problem for the Seminoles is that the young squad is going to feel confident to play uptempo basketball against a team that's better at it than anyone else and has already played at a much higher level of basketball.  Florida beat Gonzaga 111-105 and came within a 3-pointer of upsetting Duke before losing 87-84.  The Gators are loaded and they're the highest scoring team in CBB, averaging 99.5 ppg on 48.8% shooting, including 46% from behind the arc.  Jalen Hudson (21.7 ppg) leads four players averaging more than 13 ppg.  KeVaughn Allen, Chris Chiozza, and Egor Koulechov have combined for 74 assists and just 22 turnovers.  Florida coach Mike White has led the Gators to a 36-18 ATS mark, including 9-2-1 ATS in non-conference action.  Florida will aim to snap a 3-game head-to-head losing streak and we believe they'll get it by a spread covering margin.  I'm laying the points with Florida on Monday.  Thanks & GL!  Scott Spreitzer.

I'm laying the points with Marshall on Saturday.  The Thundering Herd want to run -- the understatement of the year. Marshall loves an uptempo pace and under John Groce, Akron will oblige.  That's bad news for the Zips who have a problem keeping a handle on the basketball, already turning the ball over 16 or more times in two of their four games.  The Zips have more turnovers than assists so far this season and don't shoot well.  Akron lost by double digits in their only road game this season, losing by 13 to Dayton.  They've allowed their last two opponents to make 53 of 100, or 53% of their FGA, and rank 293rd in defensive FG percentage.  Marshall should take full advantage at home.  The Herd average over 90 ppg and make half their FGA.  Marshall has four players averaging between 25 and 13 ppg.  Jon Elmore not only leads the team in scoring but he and fellow guard Jarrod West are the top two playmakers on the floor and have combined for 82 assists and just 39 turnovers on the season.  Marshall is on an 18-6 ATS run at home against teams with a losing road record.  We'll lay the points with Marshall as they exact revenge for a loss last December.  Thanks & GL!  Scott Spreitzer.

I'm taking the points with Southern Miss on Wednesday.  One again we have a side that's more than 2 points off our power ratings and the underdog has serious matchup advantages to boot.  Southern Miss goes five guards strong and two of those five, Tyree Griffin and Cortez Edwards make-up the best tandem on the floor tonight.  Not only does Griffin and Edwards average a combined 30.5 ppg, but they both shoot well and have dished out 50 assists with just 26 turnovers between the two of them.  They also force teams into mistakes and we feel South Alabama's backcourt will have trouble.  Guard Rodrick Sikes can score for the Jaguars, but he has a horrible 1-12, assist-turnover ratio so far this season.  In fact, those averaging double figures in minutes played for South Alabama have a combined 81 assists in seven games, while committing 110 turnovers.  The Jags employ a "first team to 60 wins" philosophy, so pulling away by margin would be difficult, even if they're on their "A-game."  We also note USA makes less than 42% of their FGA (284th in the nation).  And while the Jags have covered just five of their last 20 against Conf-USA teams, Southern Miss is on a 20-7-1 ATS run off an ATS loss and they're 6-0-1 off a double digit home loss.  I'm grabbing the points with Southern Miss on Wednesday.  Thanks & GL!  Scott Spreitzer.

I'm backing UTSA plus the points on Tuesday.  Our power ratings say that Tulsa is priced more than a bucket higher than they should be.  UTSA loves to get up and down the floor and the Golden Hurricane don't play a lot of defense.  The Roadrunners also like to force turnovers and Tulsa can be had by a quick, in your shirt, style of play. UTSA has six players averaging between 15 ppg and 8 ppg and Giovanni De Nicolao should be the best "disher" on the floor.  Sterling Taplin is a decent PG for Tulsa, however, every other player averaging at least 20 minutes per game has poor assist/turnover ratios...something we look to at this point of the season and beyond.  Tulsa has been overvalued quite often and the spread record shows, currently on a 1-7 ATS slide against teams with a winning record.  We feel they're overvalued once again and we'll grab the points with UTSA on Tuesday.  Thanks & GL!  Scott Spreitzer.

We're backing Georgia Southern plus the couple of points on Saturday.  Both teams return all five starters from last season, and while Bradley has played a decent brand of basketball so far this season, Georgia Southern owns a true road win over Wake Forest.  Both teams are 5-1, but the Braves have come close to a couple more defeats, escaping against Weber State and UTSA.  Their biggest issue was exposed against both teams and also in their loss to Vermont.  Bradley committed 15, 20, and 19 turnovers in those three games, respectively.  Georgia Southern can get after ball-handlers on the defensive end. Offensively, the Eagles have five players averaging between 17 ppg and 9.7 ppg, and Tookie Brown is a serious disher.  GSU enters on a 3-0-1 ATS run on the road and they're 15-7 ATS in their last 22 against teams with a winning record.  We're grabbing the couple of points with Georgia Southern on Saturday.  Thanks & GL!  Scott Spreitzer.

I'm laying the points with Fresno State in Tuesday's late game in the Cancun Challenge.  Evansville is out of the gate with a 4-0 SU start, but the schedule has not been difficult and this marks a step-up in level of competition.  We didn't like the look of the Aces in their 66-61 win over Binghamton.  Evansville has a scorer in Ryan Taylor and a disher in Dru Smith, but little else when the competition gets tougher.  We like the program Rodney Terry has built in Fresno.  Even with the loss of a couple of studs, the Bulldogs are still poised to win 20 games for the third straight season.  Terry has four players averaging between 17.7 and 13 ppg and six players averaging over 7 ppg.  Deshon Taylor, Jaron Hopkins, and Ray Bowles, Jr., can all handle the rock and have combined for 31 assists and just 14 turnovers in three games.  At 6'6, Hopkins is a tough matchup for opposing guards, crashing the boards for more than 8 rpg, while scoring over 13 ppg.  Fresno enters on a 23-7 ATS run against teams with a winning record and they're on an 8-1 ATS run in non-conference tilts.  We'll back them here.  We're laying the points with Fresno State on Tuesday.  Thanks & GL! Scott Spreitzer.

I'm laying the points with UCSB on Monday night.  UCSB brings back four starters from last year's squad along with senior PG Gabe Vincent. The Gauchos struggled with their shot last season, but under first year coach Joe Pasternack, they took to an uptempo attack. After a season opening blowout win over North Dakota State, easily covering a 2-point spread, the Gauchos lost at Pitt and to Texas A&M.  They were outclassed against the Aggies, but the 70-62 loss to Pitt is a misleading final score.  UCSB and Pitt were in a 62-60 game with less than 30-seconds left in the contest before the Panthers were able to win by eight.  UCSB out-rebounded Pitt and finished with only 7 turnovers, but made just 10 of 22 FTA's.  Make their normal percentage at the charity stripe (over 71% each of their other two games) and they would've covered the spread with a good shot to win the game outright.  While UCSB returns four starters along with PG Gabe Vincent, the Waves return just one starter and don't have a got-to guy on the offensive end.  Colbey Ross is the only player who can be counted on to consistently dish to an open teammate.  Pepperdine lost to Northern Colorado in their lone lined home game this season and enter tonight having covered just 10 of their last 36 games.  They're also 2-12 ATS against teams that make at least 8 3-pointers per game.  We'll back the high powered UCSB Gauchos on Monday.  Thanks & GL!  Scott Spreitzer.

I'm taking the points with Marshall on Sunday.  These teams should be somewhat familiar with each other, facing common opposition and hanging around in the same early season circles.  The key to covering the double digit spread for us will be Marshall's ball-handling, which is much better than the Illini's thus far.  Marshall has turned the ball over 12, 11, and 11 times with plenty of "dishers" on the offensive end. Illinois' backcourt can be had, turning the ball over 18 times in each of their last two games.  We also note that the Thundering Herd forced their last two opponents to commit 20 and 21 turnovers. Jon Elmore is back for the Herd and leading the way averaging over 28 ppg with 23 assists in three games.  Ajdin Penava (9.3 rpg) and CJ Burks have combined for 36 ppg thus far.  And most importantly, the Herd own the value in this clash.  Marshall enters on a 12-4-1 ATS non-conference run and the high-flying Herd are 14-3 ATS after scoring at least 80 points in three straight games.  When they get the offense in gear under HC Dan D'Antoni, they don't normally let up.  We're grabbing the points with Marshall, our DogPound release.  Thanks & GL!  Scott Spreitzer.

I'm playing Oakland on Saturday.  Normal analysis returns with Sunday's card.  Thanks & GL! Scott Spreitzer.

I'm taking the points with UCSB on Wednesday night.  Life has been a little rough for the Pittsburgh basketball program since the departure of Jamie Dixon to TCU.  This season promises to be a long one and the Panthers are already off to a 0-2 start, losing to Montana and Navy.  Pitt had to replace all five starters from last year's team and they've turned the ball over 32 times in two games.  They've shot poorly and have also had their issues on the defensive end, allowing 45% FG shooting. There was little fan support last time out, so there's a lack of a home court feel for the 11 new additions and three freshmen starters.  UCSB brings back four starters from last year's squad along with senior PG Gabe Vincent. The Gauchos struggled with their shot last season, but under first year coach Joe Pasternack, they took to an uptempo attack in game one.  Vincent is a true disher and finished with 8 assists, while the team shot 51% from the field and an even better rate from the 3-point line.  UCSB finished the game with 21 assists and only 6 turnovers.  As far as the "techs," Pitt is on a 0-7 ATS slide (0-2 this season), and they've covered just 20 of their last 64 home games with two pushes.  We'll grab the points with UCSB on Wednesday. Thanks & GL!  Scott Spreitzer.

I'm taking the points with North Texas on Monday night.  Nebraska basketball coach Tim Miles may not be in as much hot water as his football counterpart Mike Riley, but his seat is getting warm.  In fact, fail to make a postseason tourney and new AD Bill Moos might be making coaching changes to the gridiron and hardcourt in the same year.  Nebraska failed to cover as a double digit favorite in their opener, beating Eastern Illinois 72-68 as an 11 1/2 point favorite.  The Huskers have lost nearly twice as many games ATS as they have covered when installed as a 10 point or more home favorite.  They're 4-12 ATS as home chalk of 12 1/2 to 18 points under Miles.  They tend to try to win with defense.  But Nebraska's major issues under Miles of late has been an inability to make 3-pointers and an inability to defend the 3-point line.  New season, same results against EIU, making just 31% of their treys, while allowing the Panthers to make nearly 40% of their's.   Tonight, they'll face a North Texas team that's bringing a change in personality this season.  The Mean Green want to get the ball up and down the floor with speed and it showed in game one, hoisting up nearly 80 FGA, while piling up over 120 points.  Obviously, it came against an out-manned opponent, but while this is a step-up we like the talent 1st year HC Grant McCasland has around him. McCasland made a 10-game improvement in his one season at Arkansas State before being hired away by North Texas.  He has the troops to force Nebraska out of their comfort zone and make this a close contest.  The Huskers are laying too many in our opinion and we'll grab the points with North Texas, our Monday DogPound release.  Thanks & GL!  Scott Spreitzer.

I'm taking the points with UL-Monroe on Sunday afternoon.  The Warhawks played well in an 83-73 loss to TCU, easily covering a 25-point spread.  They kept it close despite being afforded just 11 FTA to 28 for TCU.  I like the way they hung tough on the glass and finished with 18 assists and just 12 turnovers. SMU will have a solid year again, but lost three starters to the NBA, including Semi Ojeleye, last year's AAC Player of the Year.  SMU started badly against UMBC in their season opener and actually trailed at halftime, before turning the corner in the final 20 minutes.  They should win this game, but we're getting a lot of points...too many points, as far as we're concerned. Richard Keith normally gets his team ready for these kind of games, going 51-32 ATS as a double digit road dog.  I'm taking the points with UL-Monroe, our Sunday Shocker.  Thanks & GL!  Scott Spreitzer.

We're laying the points with Montana State on Friday.  Thanks & GL!  Scott Spreitzer.