Writeup available shortly.

TCU played a more difficult schedule that Central Florida, carries a higher RPI ranking, is playing its best ball and I trust Jamie Dixon and the Horned Frogs' passing ability to dent the Knights' outstanding defense. 

TCU is an excellent passing team and has a backcourt edge. I really like its ball movement. 

The Horned Frogs averaged 17 assists per game. Dixon has had ample practice and preparation time to combat the freak presence of ace defender 7-foot-6 Tacko Fall. 

The Horned Frogs can create good matchups based on their passing ability. Fall has to deal with fatigue never having played this many games before. I just don't believe he'll be as big a factor as perceived and Central Florida doesn't have enough offense to compensate if its defense isn't playing at a high level. 

A pair of one-goal defeats have left the Rangers on a two-game losing streak. You have to go back to Jan. 17 to find the last time the Rangers suffered a third consecutive loss.

The Pacers are one of those bad road/good home teams. They are 25-10 at Bankers Life Fieldhouse and 11-25 on the road. Denver is 13-20 away from Pepsi Center and 3-8 ATS the past 11 times facing a foe with a winning home mark.  Indiana has won four in a row at home, winning those games by an average of 12.3 points. Paul George is back playing at his All-Star level. He's averaging nearly 27 points this month. Not only are both teams involved in playoff runs, but the Pacers have an added revenge motive for an embarrassing 140-112 road loss to Denver on Jan. 12.  Denver is a bit fat and happy after upsetting the defending champion Cavaliers by 13 points at home this past Wednesday. They are 4-9 ATS the past 13 times following a victory. 

Stephen Nover Free Friday Play

Hawks plus 5 1/2 at Bucks

Losing in their opening game of the Big 12 Conference Tournament is the best thing that happened to Kansas. That was two weeks ago and extra rest and motivation by that early exit have propelled the Jayhawks to peak at just the right time.  Kansas already is arguably the best team in the country and the Jayhawks have played extremely well in the NCAA Tournament blowing by UC-Davis and defeating Michigan State by 20 points. That pushed the Jayhawks' ATS mark to 6-1 when laying points in the NCAA Tourney.  Now the Jayhawks get another Big Ten team, Purdue. The Boilermakers lack the Spartans Big Dance Sweet 16 pedigree and while their defense is solid, it ranks among the bottom in steals and forcing turnovers. Kansas has the superior offense and it's in full throttle. The Jayhawks are averaging 87 points during their last five games. The Boilermakers' backcourt can't match Kansas' guard trio of Frank Mason III, Josh Jackson and Devonte' Graham. Those three are averaging a combined 50 points per game. Mason is especially rolling scoring 20 or more points in eight of his last nine games. Technically this is a netural site game being played at Sprint Center in Kansas City, Mo. The reality is that it's almost a home game for Kansas being just 35 miles east of Lawrence, home of the Jayhawks. Kansas is 14-5 ATS in its last 19 neutral site games, too, while Purdue is 2-5 ATS the past seven times. 
 

New Orleans went 2-6 during its first eight games with DeMarcus Cousins. But now Cousins and fellow superstar Anthony Davis are far more in sync. The result has been four wins in their last five games for the Pelicans. The Pelicans are playing at a faster pace now, too. That's helped them average 117.6 points during their last five games of which four have gone over. The Grizzlies are getting career seasons from Mike Conley and Marc Gasol. They are firing more 3-points than ever before. Memphis has reached triple digits in eight of its last 11 games. New Orleans is a below average defensive team. So I see this total as being set too low. 

The Rangers are the fifth-highest scoring team in the NHL. They have scored three or more goals in five of their last six games. The Devils are giving up an average of four goals per game during their last five games. 

Rice is home here. That's bad news for Utah Valley, which is 7-10 on the road. Rice has too much offense for the Wolverines. The Owls ranked 24th in the country averaging 81.6 points a game. They are 13-5 at home. 

Rice also played in the stronger conference and holds a stronger power rankings for me than what this spread is. 

Denver doesn't have the defense to slow down the Rockets. Houston beat Denver, 128-110, the past time it played at Pepsi Center this past December. 

Calgary has won 10 in a row. So I'm surprised this line is so cheap. A win here would give the Flames a franchise record for consecutive victories. 

Boston is 7-2 in its last nine games, but nearly all of the Bruins' victories during this span have been against bad-to-mediocre teams. 

The Flames draw the Bruins playing in their third game in five days and going with backup goalie Anton Khudobin. That's a severe downgrade from Tukka Rask. Khudobin has a losing record on the season and a save percentage below 90 percent. 

The Flames have beaten the Bruins in four of the last five meetings, including the past two in Calgary. 

Off an embarrassing loss and with every game crucial in their bid to make the playoffs, I believe the Trail Blazers give the Spurs a close game here.  San Anotnio is playing well. But the Spurs continually are overpriced. They are 1-6 ATS following a victory. Portland trails Denver by 2 1/2 games for the last playoff spot in the West. The Trail Blazers were held to a season-low 77 points in a 23-point road loss to New Orleans last night.  The Trail Blazers are 4-0 ATS the past four times when playing without rest. They are still 5-2 in their last seven games despite that humilitating defeat. I see the Trail Blazers bouncing back to play a strong game.  Gregg Popovich doesn't care about winning by margins. He just wants to win and move on. The Spurs also have a tendency to play to the level of competion. During their last seven victories they've beaten the Pacers by one as 10-point favorites, the Pelicans by three in overtime as 6 1/2-point chalk, the Timberwolves by seven in overtime as 7 1/2-point favorites, the Rockets by 12, the Kings by 10 as 11 1/2-point favorites after falling behind by 28 points, the Warriors by 22 and the Hawks by eight as seven-point favorites despite committing 21 turnovers. All of these games were at home except the Pelicans matchup. So you get the pattern of the Spurs playing to the level of competition. Minus the Rockets and Warriors - the two opponents the Spurs got excited about - San Antonio went 1-4 ATS with the lone cover coming by one point against Atlanta.

It's rare to get the Blackhawks as a 'dog. So I'll take advantage here. Chicago is 13-3 in its last 16 games. 

Sparked by Corey Crawford, Chicago has beaten Montreal six times in a row. Crawford has a lifetime mark of 6-0-2 with a 1.49 GAA versus the Canadiens.

Yes, the Canadiens are home but they just returned from a four-game road trip. This is their first home game in 12 days. 

This total is too high considering how inept these offenses are. Orlando ranks second-to-last in scoring averaging less than 100 points a game. The Magic rank among the bottom four teams in field goal percentage, free throw percentage and 3-point percentage. 

 The Magic beat Sacramento, 102-94, when the teams previously met back in November. The Kings had DeMarcus Cousins and Rudy Gay back then while Orlando had Serge Ibaka. Those three players all had good scoring games in that first meeting. None of them will be playing here. Orlando is trying to rely on unreliable Terrence Ross. He's shooting 38.3 percent from the floor in nine games since joining the Magic from the Raptors in a trade involving Ibaka. Ross is a decent defender, though, so he's a plus for the under. Ross is going to see big minutes because the Magic are committed to finding out if he can be a legitimate starter for next season.  Sacramento virtually has no weapons minus Cousins and Gay. The Kings have lost eight of nine since giving Cousins away to the Pelicans. Sacramento is lost offensively. Darren Collison and Willie Cauley-Stein have failed to step up as hoped. The under has cashed in nine of Sacramento's last 12 games.  In their last eight games, the Kings have scored 85 points against the Hornets. Charlotte allows 104.3 points per game. Sacramento put up 88 points on the Timberwolves, who give up an average of 104.8 points. Sacramento could only manage 100 points versus the Nets, who have the worst defense in the NBA surrendering 114.1 points. The Kings played the Nuggets twice during this span. Denver yields 110.9 points a game. Yet the Kings could manage just 92 and 96 points against the Nuggets.  I do see the Kings playing hard here trying to stop an eight-game losing streak. But that intensity will be on the defensive end. The Magic have a rare victory opportunity, too, but I see that translating more into a defensive battle. 
 

The record shows the Spurs have won eight in a row. But San Antonio has just been getting by and has much bigger games on deck than this one. In their last four games, the Spurs have defeated the Pacers by one point at home, defeated the Timberwolves at home in overtime, edged the Pelicans in overtime on the road and slipped past the Rockets by two at home. The Spurs covered none of these games.  The Kings are in stop-the-pain mode losers of five in a row. Sacramento is capable of providing a scare. The Kings no longer have DeMarcus Cousins, their best player. But the trade-off is extra line value. Just two games ago, the Kings lost by only one point in overtime to the Jazz.  The Kings have covered in five of their last six visits to San Antonio.  The Spurs just got done holding off the Rockets in a marquee matchup two days ago. They are at the Thunder on Thursday. Oklahoma City is extremely tough at home. Following that matchup, the Spurs return home to host Golden State on Saturday in what shapes up as the biggest game of the season. So this is a prime letdown and look ahead spot for San Antonio. It wouldn't be surprising if Gregg Popovich rested some of his starters, or at least drastically reduced their minutes in this game. Note, too, the Spurs are 1-5 ATS the past six times they've hosted a foe with a road winning percentage of less than .400.

Note that word just has come out that Kawhi Leonard and LaMarcus Aldridge will be rested and won't play. The line has come down because of that information. I still like the Kings at plus 11 1/2 and higher. 

Thunder coach Billy Donovan is really stressing defense in this game, the Thunder's first game back from an 0-3 road trip. Oklahoma City lost all three games by playing poor defense.  Look for the Thunder to step up defensively now that they're back at home where they've held their past three opponents to an average of 103 points. Oklahoma City upgraded its backcourt defense by recently signing veteran Norris Cole. He could see more minutes than usual because of Portland's high-scoring backcourt tandem of Damian Lillard and C.J. McCollum.   Oklahoma City hosted Portland on Feb. 5 and won, 105-99.  The teams last played against each other this past Thursday in Portland. The Trail Blazers won, 114-109. That total opened a tick lower at 221. Portland shot nearly 50 percent from the floor in that game and the teams combined to shoot 68 free throws making 81.3 percent from the line.  Now the total opened higher and it's doubtful the teams will shoot that many free throws again. There were 49 free throws attempted during the Feb. 5 game. That 81.3 percent free throw percentage is high, too. Portland shoots 77.9 percent from the free throw line on the season while the Thunder are a bottom-six free throw shooting club at 74.8 percent. 

BYU's lack of depth and inexperience should prove fatal against Saint Mary's especially in such a short turnaround. The Cougars just defeated Loyola Marymount, 89-81, in the quarterfinals of the West Coast Conference Tournament on Saturday. 

Charlotte has been playing better since coming out of the All-Star break. The Hornets have played their first six games on the road following the All-Star Game. They went 3-3, but could have gone 5-1 losing two of the games in overtime.  Now the Hornets are home for the first time in three weeks, out of a playoff spot by three games. The Hornets trail the sixth-place Pacers by five games making this matchup crucial for them.  Charlotte isn't going to lack for motivation and the Hornets catch the Pacers without rest and in a letdown spot. Indiana came from six down with 1:43 left to nip Atlanta, 97-96, on Sunday. The Pacers pulled the road victory out on a 3-pointer by Glenn Robinson III with 0.6 seconds left.  This marks the Pacers' fifth consecutive road game, too. Paul George is the best player on the court, but the Hornets have the next two best players in Kemba Walker and Nicholas Batum. The Hornets also have a defensive stopper to slow down George in Michael Kidd-Gilchrist. 

Monday Free Play

Rockets plus 4 at Spurs

The over has cashed the past four times these teams have met. Look for that trend to continue.

The Bucks rank No. 2 in the NBA in field goal percentage. The 76ers' defense has taken a hit with Joel Embiid out for the season and Nerlens Noel traded. Philadelphia has allowed an average of 117.3 points during its last six games while allowing foes to shoot 49 percent from the field.

Milwaukee isn't a great defensive team, but the Bucks do like to play up-tempo. That combination has resulted in the Bucks going over the total 58 percent of the time this season.

The last time these two teams played the total went over by 43 1/2 points in regulation. Neither team has stepped up their defensive play.

The Wolverines are allowing 50 percent shooting from the floor when playing on the road. They rank third from the bottom in the Big Ten Conference in defensive efficiency. The over has cashed nine of the last 12 times when Michigan has been road chalk.

Nebraska has surrendered 88 points in two of its last three games. 

This has blowout written all over it so I'm laying 1 1/2 goals on the puck line. 

George Washington is playing well winning four in a row. So this line could hold up even if Dayton wasn't caught in a monster letdown spot.

The Flyers just captured the Atlantic-10 Conference title with a big revenge victory against VCU. The Flyers are going to the NCAA Tournament regardless of how they far in this matchup. 

The Colonials are tough at home. They've dropped just two conference home games with one coming in controversial fashion versus VCU. They've covered their last five at home versus opponents who had a winning road mark. 

UNLV is at one of its lowest points ever. The Rebels are in a letdown spot, too, following an upset home win against Utah State that halted a nine-game losing streak. UNLV went 1-7-1 ATS during the losing skid. 

The Rebels are 3-17-2 ATS during their last 22 road contests. 

Fresno State is 12-2 at home and has covered 14 of its last 18 home games.

The Bulldogs closed hot last season capturing the Mountain West Conference Tournament and they're peaking again this season winning and covering each of their last four games. 

I see a clear buy sign on LSU taking this boatload of points against a Mississippi State that has fallen down and can't get up. The Bulldogs have dropped seven games in a row. They are 1-4 the past five times as home chalk. They haven't been this high of a favorite since Jan. 25. 

LSU got its confidence back upsetting Tennessee, 92-82, as a six-point home 'dog during its last game this past Wednesday. The Tigers have increased their scoring in each of their last four games.

This has been an underdog series with the team taking the points going 8-2-1 ATS.  

I'm going to ride Rider here. Rider has won and covered its past three games winning each game by double digits. This includes a 93-82 victory over the Jaspers on Feb. 22 in this spread range at home. The Broncs are peaking at the right time. 

Although this matchup is on a neutral court, Manhattan doesn't have the defense to stop Rider. The Jaspers give up nearly 78 points a game allowing foes to shoot better than 45 from the floor. Rider is averaging 98.3 points in its last three games.

Manhattan has failed to cover the last four times when getting points. The Jaspers are 1-4 ATS in their last five Metro Atlantic games, too, and were blown out by Iona in their last game losing 72-51 as an 11-point road 'dog this past Friday. Rider beat Iona on the road, 103-85, just three games ago. 

Expect a focused, defensive effort from the Islanders, who were embarrassed 7-0 by the Blue Jackets this past Saturday. New York hasn't played since. 

The Capitals are an over machine when playing at home. They have gone under the total just once during their past 12 home contests while averaging 5.1 goals per game during their last dozen games at Verizon Center. 

Alex Ovechkin has a strong history scoring against the Devils. He's already put up six points against them this season in three games.

The Devils aren't a big scoring team - hence a 5 for a total - but they have taillied three or more goals in four of their last five games while scoring at least one power-play goal in each of their past five games.

The Wild has gone over the total during their last four games. This is no big surprise as Minnesota has been a big over team all season going 25-6-3 to the over in its last 34 games. The over has cashed in eight of Minnesota's last nine games versus the East. 

The Wild rank second in goals scored. Columbus has a strong offensive, too, ranking fifth in goals scored. 

The two teams just met on Feb. 13 and 216 points were scored with San Antonio winning, 110-106. The Spurs played that game without rest and in action for the fourth time in six days. Now they're home and haven't played since Sunday. The Spurs are averaging 105.2 points in their last four games. The Pacers have a bottom 10 defense.

The Pacers have an above average offense. They've gone over the total 10 of the last 14 times when playing on the road against a foe with a winning home mark. The over has cashed in 12 of San Antonio's last 17 home contests.