Often it takes one outstanding player playing great to help carry a team to a conference tournament title. Pittsburgh is getting that from senior Talib Zanna, who has scored 36 points and pulled down 30 rebounds in helping the Panthers advance to the semifinals of the ACC Tournament with victories over Wake Forest and North Carolina.

In their last five games, the Panthers have scored 85 in overtime against Notre Dame, 67 versus North Carolina State, 83 in overtime against Clemson, 84 versus Wake Forest and 80 against the Tar Heels.

Of course I don't see Pittsburgh putting up that many points against Virginia, but the Panthers are playing well and have a very strong defense, too, ranking 28th.

Virginia nipped Pittsburgh, 48-45, when the teams last met on Feb. 2. The Cavaliers hit a last-second 3-pointer to win the game in a matchup that could have gone either way.

This is going to be a scrappy matchup where taking points really matter.

UNLV is well aware that it needs to win the Mountain West Conference Tournament in order to make the NCAA Tournament. The tournament is on UNLV's home court, the Thomas & Mack Center.

The Rebels are finally healthy with Bryce Dejean-Jones returning from suspension and Roscoe Smith back from a concussion.

Wyoming has been way down since losing its star leading scorer and rebounder, Larry Nance Jr. to a knee injury. The Cowboys have dropped four of five since.

UNLV has never lost three in a row under David Rice. The Rebels are healthy, motivated, have home-court and catch Wyoming unable to recover from losing Nance.

Wisconsin-Milwaukee has been a great under-the-radar story this season meeting Wright State on the road for the Horizon League championship game with the winner securing a berth in the NCAA Tournament.

But the clock strikes midnight for the Panthers here in the title matchup.

Wright State has too much experience, balance and bench strong for UWM, which lost 24 of 32 games last season.

The Panthers achieved their high water mark knocking off No. 1 seed Green Bay in overtime this past Saturday as an 11 1/2-point 'dog.

It's way too much to expect the Panthers to hang in against another superior foe on the road on such short notice. Wright State certainly won't be taking UWM lightly either after losing 68-64 to the Panthers on the road.

The Raiders buried the Panthers, 73-57, at home earlier this season. Only 20 teams in the country have allowed fewer points per game than Wright State.

Fresno State is healthy for one of the few teams this season and underrated. The Bulldogs are road proven having won their past three away contests. They are 21-8-1 ATS during their last 30 road contests and 9-1 ATS in their last 10 overall games.

The Bulldogs should have more motivation than hapless San Jose State knowing a victory would give them a winning season and help give them a better seed in the upcoming Mountain West Conference Tournament.

San Jose State is easily the worst team in the conference. The Spartans do not have a league win at home. They rank last in the Mountain West in field goal percentage at 36.4 and are 2-8-1 ATS in their last 11 overall games.

The teams met a month ago and Fresno State cruised to an 82-56 victory.

Revenge, senior day and a 15-game home win streak all help convince me to lay this semi-short number with Kansas State.

This isn't just a typical revenge spot for the Wildcats. No loss bothered them more than losing at Baylor in double overtime by 14 points after leading by 10 with fewer than nine minutes to go in regulation.

This also is the final home game for four Wildcat seniors, including Shane Southwell and Will Spradling. The Wildcats are 8-0 in Big 12 action at home. Among their victories were defeating Kansas by three, Iowa State by seven, Texas by 17 and Oklahoma State by 5 1/2.

Baylor has a losing road record in Big 12 action. The Bears have lost on the road to Texas, Iowa State and Kansas with the average losing margin in these games being by 10 points.

You have to go back to 1993 to find the last time Iowa won at Michigan State. The Spartans have won the last 17 times hosting the Hawkeyes, 15 in a row under Tom Izzo.

The Spartans are on a two-game losing streak. They haven't lost three in a row all season and traditionally play their best ball under Izzo in March. When the Hawkeyes played at Breslin Center last season they lost by 34 points.

Michigan State has covered four of the last five times off a loss. Izzo drove his players hard with two-a-day practices this week following a home loss to Illinois this past Saturday. That game, though, was important for the Spartans even though they lost because they finally had all their injured players back. Now they've had close to a week of intense practices to get back in sync.

Michigan State has three home losses this season. The Spartans haven't lost four home games in a season since 1996-97. That was just Izzo's second season. Iowa is a decent, but far from great road club splitting eight of its Big Ten road games. The Hawkeyes haven't finished above .500 in Big Ten road games since 1997-98.

The Spartans prevailed, 71-69, in overtime in the team's first meeting this season on Jan. 28. The Spartans won despite shooting 23 fewer free throws than Iowa and being without their second-leading scorer, Adreian Payne, and their leading rebounder Branden Dawson.

The Hurricanes are proven road warriors and in need of a victory if they want to avoid playing during the first day of the Atlantic Coast Conference Tournament.

Clemson locked up an opening day bye in the ACC tournament by getting past Maryland in double overtime this past Sunday. The Tigers exerted tremendous energy in going all out to achieve that victory with four of their starters playing 40 or more minutes. K.J. McDaniels logged 48 minutes while Landry Nnoko went 46 minutes.

The Tigers are going to be laboring and facing one of the toughest defensive clubs in the nation. The Hurricanes rank 11th defensively giving up less than 60 points per game. They also are 32nd in defensive field goal percentage.

Miami has covered six of its last eight road games and is 6-1 ATS versus opponents with a winning home mark. The Hurricanes are 5-1-1 ATS as conference road 'dogs.

Xavier has the more talent of the two teams and catches Seton Hall lacking incentive and with losses in six of its last seven games. The Pirates haven't been a good home club. They are 8-19-1 ATS in their last 28 home contests.

Xavier is 13-6 ATS in its last 19 games and has revenge as the Pirates upset the Musketeers on the road, 68-60, as 8-point 'dogs.

Fuquan Edwin, the Pirates' leading scorer, led Seton Hall with 18 points in that game. Edwin, though, is dealing with a thumb injury and may not play.

Nevada is fading badly losing and failing to cover in five of its last six games. The last time the Wolf Pack played at home - two games ago - they lost as a 13-point favorite to San Jose State. That's the Spartans' lone Mountain West Conference win in 16 league games.

New Mexico holds a talent edge at every position except point guard and has a deeper bench. The Lobos rolled past the Wolf Pack, 90-72, on Feb. 15.

New Mexico is 13-2 in the Mountain West and 9-2 ATS in its last 11 games, including covering its past five away matchups.

The Wolf Pack, on the other hand, have failed to cover in 11 of their last 16 home contests.

Kansas State has the best defense in the Big 12. Iowa State owns the best offense in the conference. But I see defense trumping offense in this matchup.

The Wildcats are 14-1 at home. They have covered nine of their last 11 at Bramlage Coliseum. Their star freshman guard Marcus Foster is playing well averaging 20.9 points and shooting 50 percent from the floor during his last seven games. Senior forward Shane Southwell is close to 100 percent from a foot injury.

Kansas State has a great home-court advantage, which is proven by a 23-6-1 ATS record in its last 30 home contests versus opponents with a winning road record, including a 10-3 ATS mark against foes with a winning percentage above .600. The Wildcats have covered 76 percent of the time in their last 17 games versus teams with a winning record.

Iowa State, by contrast, has failed to cover in 10 of its last 13 Big 12 games. The Cyclones are 0-7 ATS during their past Saturday games.

Kansas State has a strong revenge motive after losing 81-75 on Jan. 25 in Ames. In that six-point loss, the Wildcats made 42 percent of their shots from the floor compared to Iowa State hitting 48 percent. The Wildcats also shot 12 fewer free throws, which isn't likely to be the case at home.

Look for Yale to bounce back after Columbia ended the Bulldogs' seven-game winning streak. Yale is 22-8 ATS following a loss.

Princeton is 4-6 in its last 10 games, which includes home defeats to Harvard and Columbia. Yale is 8-2 in its last 10 games, including a win at home and a 66-65 home victory against Princeton on a putback by Justin Sears in overtime.

Princeton has been a big money-burner at home failing to cover in eight of its last nine home matchups.

Gonzaga needs this game to clinch the West Coast Conference title and also to stop the pain of a two-game losing streak. If the Bulldogs lose here, they'll have to beat Saint Mary's on the road Saturday to win the title. So I see a very focused effort from the Bulldogs.

Gonzaga is 7-2-1 ATS following a loss. The Bulldogs destroyed Pacific, 86-64, in the first meeting last month. Pacific doesn't have the needed perimeter defense to keep this close. The Tigers rank 346th in defending against 3-pointers.

Gonzaga is in no mood to screw around after consecutive road losses to San Diego and BYU. The Bulldogs average 77.5 points per game. Pacific surrenders just under 75 points a game. The Tigers have lost three in a row by an average margin of 13.3 points a game to competitor inferior to Gonzaga.

The line is purposely low because the oddsmaker is factoring a Michigan letdown after its big showdown victory this past Saturday at home against Michigan State.

But what's not being factor correctly is how bad the Boilermakers are playing and how low their mental state is.

The 15-12 Boilermakers aren't going anywhere especially after suffering a 76-57 thrashing at Nebraska that put an exclamation on their down season. Purdue is 1-7 ATS in its last eight home games. It's one cover was a huge in-state win against rival Indiana.

In their last home game, the Boilermakers lost 94-79 to Michigan State, a team the Wolverines just defeated by nine points. All together, the Boilermakers have dropped seven of their last nine. Morale is low and not helped by the news that senior guard Sterling Carter is out for the season after suffering a torn ACL in the loss to Nebraska. Even before this, the Boilermakers had shown little heart.

Michigan is well-coached and knows a letdown loss to Purdue would negate its big win against Michigan State. Properly motivated, the Wolverines should bury the Boilermakers. They lead the Big Ten in free throw percentage while Purdue is last in the conference in free throw percentage.

Home-court means a lot in this matchup of tough-nosed defensive clubs who have been struggling.

Kansas State has cooled off since a 10-game winning streak going 6-6 in their last 12 games. The Wildcats have dropped their past six road contests. The Wildcats play four freshmen who have yet to learn how to win on the road.

Texas Tech is stronger at home and is heavily promoting this matchup in hopes of drawing another sellout crowd. The Red Raiders have covered in 10 of their last 14 games in Lubbock. They also are 7-1 ATS following a point spread loss, which happened in their last game a blowout loss at Oklahoma State. The game before that, however, the Red Raiders nearly upset Kansas at home losing, 64-63.

The Red Raiders also have revenge. Kansas State won the first meeting, 66-58. The Wildcats shot 44 percent from the floor in that game while Texas Tech made less than 34 percent of its field goals.

Iowa enters this matchup angry coming off a 79-74 home loss to Wisconsin this past Saturday. The Hawkeyes are a perfect 6-0 following a loss.

The Hawkeyes are fifth in the Big Ten behind Michigan, Ohio State, Michigan State and Wisconsin.

Iowa clearly is a notch above Minnesota, whose season has slipped away again. The Hawkeyes haven't lost to a team outside the RPI top 18. They destroyed the Gophers by 21 points in the first meeting this season.

Minnesota chances of making the NCAA Tournament took a serious hit with losses in its last two games to Illinois and Ohio State by a combined 31 points.

The Gophers have lost to unranked Illinois and Northwestern during two of their past three games at Williams Arena while losing six of their past eight overall games.

Iowa has been a big money-maker on the road covering seven of its last eight on the highway.

Only once in its last five games has Michigan had a strong offensive performance. Take away a 79-point game against Nebraska and the Wolverines are averaging 62.7 points in their last four games.

Michigan State is getting healthier with team assists leader Keith Appling back and is playing better covering four of its last five. The Spartans also are 8-1 ATS during their last nine road contests and 7-3 ATS versus opponents with a win percentage above .600.

Michigan won the first meeting, 80-75. But the Spartans were missing senior center Adreian Payne due to a foot injury. Payne is averaging 18 points and 6.8 rebounds in five games since returning. I don't see Michigan matching up well inside against Michigan State with Payne back on the court plus the Spartans are sure to get better looks at the basket with Payne in the lineup.

LSU is garbage on the road and faces a revenge-minded Kentucky team that plays far better at home and is in good form.

Kentucky has won five of six since losing 87-82 on the road to LSU. The Wildcats' only loss during this span was to second-ranked Florida.

The Wildcats are 5-1 ATS the past six times they've been double-digit home favorites this season. LSU is 0-6-2 ATS in its last eight road games versus opponents with a winning home mark.

The Tigers have lost and failed to cover in their last three away matchups falling to Arkansas, Texas A&M and Georgia during this span by an average losing margin of 10.6 points. Kentucky is much stronger than those teams.

The Wildcats hold a huge rebounding edge. I see a fast-paced Kentucky offense pouring in points and taking advantage of missed shots with second and third chances.

Marquette is playing better and knows it has to be focused down the stretch. DePaul, on the other hand, has quit on the season. The Blue Demons haven't been competitive since their leading scorer and rebounder, Cleveland Melvin, was dismissed from the team.

DePaul has lost nine in a row with the average losing margin being 17.7 points. The Blue Demons have covered only 27 percent of the time during their last 26 home contests. Marquette has won the past five in the series, including 66-56 in the first meeting on Jan. 4.

The Golden Eagles had won three in a row until being outclassed by 12th-ranked Creighton suffering a miserable day at the free throw line. That shouldn't happen here as Marquette is several notches above DePaul. The Golden Eagles are 18-7-2 ATS the past 27 times following a defeat.

Tom Izzo has been cracking the whip hard since the Spartans suffered a shocking home loss this past Sunday to Nebraska.

The Spartans have a huge game this Sunday against arch-rival Michigan, but that matchup will lose some of its luster if Michigan State loses this game to Purdue. It's something Izzo and his well-coached players are well aware of.

While Michigan State is off a bad loss, Purdue is off its best win of the season, an 18-point victory against Indiana.

The Boilermakers are fat and happy now. They aren't going to the NCAA Tournament. They are 5-7 in the Big Ten, 2-5 in their last seven games and have failed to cover in six of their past seven home contests.

The Spartans need this game to set up their showdown for first place in the Big Ten with Michigan. Izzo is too good of a coach to have his team overlook the Boilermakers, especially off a terrible loss. The 21-5 Spartans have won their following game after each of their first four losses.

Izzo has had to deal with injuries but expects to have senior guard Keith Appling available.

The Spartans have handled Purdue in the past winning the last five meetings. They are 4-1 ATS in their last five visits to Mackey Arena.

Michigan State has won 10 of its 12 road contests while covering seven of the past eight times away from East Lansing.

Colorado has gotten back on track after losing star guard Spencer Dinwiddie. The Buffaloes have won of their last five and catch Arizona State in a bad situational spot.

The Sun Devils are on the road after a thrilling 69-66 double-overtime home win against in-state rival and No. 4 ranked Arizona this past Friday.

Arizona State has lost and failed to cover in three of its last four road Pac-12 games. Colorado, firmly on the bubble, is at home where it is 15-1 this season.

Yes, South Florida is terrible. But this is a real letdown spot for fifth-ranked Louisville and the line is inflated.

The Cardinals are off a couple of easy victories last week, including destroying Rutgers 102-54 this past Saturday.

Louisville has failed to cover the past eight times after scoring 100 points in its previous game.

The Cardinals have a far bigger game on deck this Saturday when they travel to Cincinnati to meet the AAC-leading Bearcats, who they trail by 1 1/2 games.

South Florida plays respectable defense, can slow the pace down and has revenge for an embarrassing 39-point home loss to Louisville.

There is a clear class difference here. William & Mary is one of the three best teams in the Colonial Athletic Association while North Carolina-Wilmington is the worst team in the league. The Seahawks are 2-15 in their last 17 CAA contests. They have been especially bad on the road losing 13 of 16 times.



But is William & Mary good enough to cover a double-digit point spread against the Seahawks? I believe the answer is yes. The Tribe is off a very disappointing 85-70 home loss to Towson two days ago. That was their first home game back after three consecutive road matchups, a difficult situational spot.



William & Mary has covered the past six times following a straight-up defeat. The Tribe also is 9-1 ATS when facing a below .500 opponent.



The Tribe shot 36 percent from 3-point range in the loss to Towson going 9-for-25. The Tribe' 3-point shooting also was off in their first meeting against North Carolina-Wilmington. William & Mary missed 23 of 30 shots from beyond the arch in that game for 30.4 percent. Yet it still won 54-50 on the road although the Seahawks had a chance to tie but missed an inside shot with 10 seconds left.



William & Mary ranks 19th in the country in 3-point shooting percentage at 39.6. They are 53rd in field goal percentage. The Tribe figures to shoot better this time around and won't lack for motivation after the stinging Towson loss from two days ago. The Seahawks aren't good enough to stay with the Tribe on the road if William & Mary plays well.

After a rough 1-5 patch, Wisconsin is turning things around winning three in a row. The last two victories by the Badgers have come against Michigan State and Minnesota at home.



I see the Badgers continuing to salvage their season as they take to the road. Wisconsin is playing much better than four weeks ago when it lost 77-70 to Michigan at home.



The Wolverines shot 54.7 percent from the floor in that win, including 53.8 percent from 3-point range. The Badgers have gone back to their tough, physical aggressive defensive approach that has been their trademark under Bo Ryan, a coach I regard as one of the best in the country.



The underdog has covered the past five times in this series. Michigan hasn't beaten Wisconsin twice during the regular season since 1998 and Wisconsin has covered five of its last seven road matchups.

Fresno State is much improved from when it last played Colorado State on Jan. 11. The Rams closed on a 14-1 run making the final score of 76-57 more lopsided than the game really was.



The Bulldogs' improvement began three weeks ago when they took UNLV to overtime on the road before losing by two. Following that game, the Bulldogs have rattled off four consecutive Mountain West victories, winning by an average margin of 14 points.



Fresno State is 5-0 ATS in its last five games, while Colorado State has covered only 29 percent of the time during its last 28 contests. The Rams are a weak road team, too. Their only away victories have been against San Jose State and Air Force, the two lowest ranked teams in the Mountain West Conference.



A key for the Bulldogs is much stronger rebounding. They have outrebounded their last five opponents.

Matchup-wise and situation-wise this one squarely lines up on the side of North Carolina.



Pittsburg is banged-up, weary and mentally down after nearly upsetting unbeaten Syracuse this past Wednesday. The Orangemen pulled out the two-point victory when Tyler Ennis hit a long 3-pointer at the buzzer.



That was in Pittsburgh. Now the Panthers face even a tougher assignment - cover a short number at North Carolina against the red-hot and well-rested Tar Heels.



North Carolina is 6-1 in its last seven games, playing its finest ball of the season. The Tar Heels have had ample time to rest and game plan, too, having been idle for a week. This is just their second game in 10 days as their matchup this past Wednesday against Duke was postponed due to weather conditions.



Pittsburgh, on the other hand, is in action for the fourth time in 10 days and could be missing two key players - Lamar Patterson and Talib Zanna. They were both injured against Syracuse. Patterson, who leads the Panthers in scoring and assists, suffered a thumb injury. Zanna, who leads the Panthers in rebounding, blocks and shooting percentage, suffered an ankle injury.



Not having these two, or if they are limited, really would hurt the Panthers. The Tar Heels have an excellent point guard in Marcus Paige and they lead the ACC in rebounding margin. The Panthers outrebounded Syracuse, but prior to that had not been rebounding well in recent games.

Yale is far superior to Penn especially at home. The Quakers are 1-8 on the road, 3-5 ATS. They have lost their last two Ivy League road games by a combined 39 points and are 3-7 ATS during their past 10 visits to Yale.

Yale is playing its best ball of the season winning four in a row, including beating Harvard, 74-67, last weekend as a 12 1/2-point road 'dog.

The Bulldogs have covered seven of their last nine conference matchups.

The line is lower than I thought probably because Penn is off a home win against Columbia. The Quakers, though, are 5-17-1 ATS following a victory.

Yes, Colorado lost star point guard Spencer Dinwiddie. The Buffaloes couldn't beat UCLA earlier this season losing by 13 points without him. That was Colorado's first full game without Dinwiddie.



But defense, coaching and resiliency have kept the Buffaloes competitive. They have won three in a row and Askia Booker, Dinwiddie's replacement, has settled down and actually would rank third in the Pac-12 in assists if his numbers were extrapolated over the entire season. He also is averaging 14.2 points a game.



Colorado also can do damage inside against UCLA, who has problems matching up against Josh Scott.



Colorado is 18-5 and has won three in a row. The Buffaloes are 24th in RPI power rankings and 26th in strength of schedule.

This is a pivotal game for both teams, but Missouri has a strong situational edge returning home after three consecutive road losses, the first time that's happened under Frank Haith.



Arkansas is strong at home, weak on the road. The Razorbacks are 1-9 away from home. They have covered less than 30 percent of their last 76 road matchups and are 2-7 ATS when going against foes with a winning percentage above .600.



The Razorbacks are 3-22 on the road and 3-19 versus SEC teams on the road. The only SEC teams the Razorbacks have beaten on the road during this span are Vanderbilt and Auburn.



Missouri beat the Razorbacks in Arkansas, 77-75, on Jan. 28. It was the fifth time in the last six meetings the Tigers have covered against Arkansas.



The Tigers are guard-oriented, but a key to their win was outrebounding the Razorbacks by 16. Arkansas' lack of rebounding is a real negative especially on the road.

Kentucky isn't the same on the road and has a huge look-ahead game on Saturday against fourth-ranked Florida.

The Wildcats have a losing straight-up record in true road matchups this season. They are 5-15-2 ATS during their past 22 road contests. Auburn has covered five of its past six home games. The Tigers also have covered five of the last six in the series.

Auburn is coming on after a slow start, due in part to a very strong schedule. The Tigers are playing much better now winning their past three games. Auburn does face a strong challenge in the frontcourt, but has a tremendous guard in senior Chris Denson, who leads the SEC in scoring at 20.2 points per game. He's been red-hot shooting 56.7 percent from the field during his last four games.

Unbeaten Wichita State returns home after a tough two-game road swing having achieved victories against Indiana State and Northern Iowa. The Shockers hold a commanding three-game lead in the Missouri Valley Conference with six matchups remaining.



After this matchup the Shockers go back on the road for their next two games. The Shockers rolled past the Salukis, 82-67, in the first meeting. That was Southern Illinois' opening conference game of the season. I see Wichita State in a letdown spot and Southern Illinois being much improved since that first loss to the Shockers.



The Salukis have made several lineup changes since then. They are 5-2 during their past seven conference games. The Salukis have gotten a lift from freshmen Tyler Smithpeters and Bola Olaniyan. Those two logged a combined four minutes against Wichita State in the first meeting.



Southern Illinois enters this matchup playing its best ball having won four in a row -three of them coming by 16 or more points - while connecting on 16 of 30 3-pointers during its last two games.



The Salukis have covered in eight of their last 11 trips to Wichita State. They played the Shockers extremely tough last season winning at home by two as 10-point 'dogs and losing by six at Koch Arena last season.

Kansas State is a whole different team when playing at home capable of beating any team in the country. The Wildcats have proven that winning eight of the past 11 times against quality foes at Bramlage Coliseum.



The Wildcats not only were sharp two days ago in a 74-57 home win against Texas, but none of their starters were too taxed as nobody played more than 30 minutes.



Kansas has great talent, but is inexperienced and not used to playing in this type of road setting. Wildcats freshman guard Marcus Foster has been playing great scoring 57 points during the last two games. Kansas stopped him in the team's first meeting this season holding him to seven points on 3-of-12 shooting from the floor. Look for Foster to have a much better game this time around.



Kansas State has the necessary guard pressure to force turnovers and hit their perimeter shots to avoid the Jayhawks' tall front line.

Both of these teams are struggling, but the Cougars' last five losses have been against brutal competition - Louisville, at Memphis, SMU, at Rutgers and at UConn.



Now the Cougars step down in class and should get the job done against a Temple squad that lost too much from last season and is 1-10 in its last 11 games. The Owls also are 2-7 ATS the past nine times they've played a foe with a losing mark.

UTEP is in good form. The Miners are 19-6-1 ATS in their last 26 games and have covered in their past five away contests.

East Carolina started fast, but is just 1-6 in Conference USA and 1-8-1 ATS during its past 10 games.

UTEP is much stronger defensively surrendering eight fewer points per game in league play. The Miners are No. 1 in Conference USA in defensive field goal percentage.

IPFW of Fort Wayne Indiana is one of those under-the-radar teams that has been a solid money-maker. The Mastodons are leading the Summit League with a 6-1 mark and have covered 12 of their last 16 games.



The Mastodons are getting points at South Dakota State, a team they are better than. The Mastodons defeated the Jackrabbits by seven points at home last month.



South Dakota State is 12-10. IPFW Fort Wayne is 18-6. The Mastodons have covered 78 percent of their last 29 games. They are 10-4-1 ATS during their last 15 road contests.



The Jackrabbits outscore their opponents by only one point per game when playing at home. They are 1-7-1 ATS the last nine times when going against an opponent with a winning record.



Sometimes dealing with under-the-radar type matchups that look too good often can backfire. That shouldn't be the case here. Sources tell me the Mastodons are much better than South Dakota State. So taking this many points makes sense.

Cleveland State ranks with Green Bay as the two best teams in the Horizon League. Oakland is down this season, not in that class.

The Golden Grizzlies are 7-19 ATS in their last 26 games, including 1-4 ATS during their past five home games. They have failed to cover in their past five conference matchups.

Cleveland State has a strong history of covering against weak competition going 11-2 ATS during the past 13 instances.

All games are big in the very competitive Pac-12, but Cal not only has to contend with a solid Stanford club but refocus after its historic upset of top-ranked Arizona this past Saturday.




Stanford is a blue-collar team that usually plays with a great deal of intelligence. The Cardinal has a solid starting five with Chasson Randle, Dwight Powell, Josh Huestis, Anthony Brown and much improved center Stefan Nastic.



The Cardinal lost 69-62 to Cal in its Pac-12 opener on Jan. 2. The Cardinal was hurt by Nastic and Powell, who leads the team in assists and steals, fouling out.



This would be a very close game anyways, but with Cal's focus under question it's enough to make Stanford a strong play.

This matchup was originally scheduled for last Thursday but was postponed until today because of bad weather conditions in the greater Atlanta area.



It's a break for the underdog Jaguars. They know Georgia State having lost to them a month ago by 10 points. They've had more time now to prepare. It's a bigger matchup for South Alabama, which needs to get its season turned around in order to be one of the eight teams to qualify for the Sun Belt Conference Tournament.



South Alabama has yet to win on the road, but Georgia State is 1-6 in its last seven home games.



The Panthers are on cruise control having won 12 in a row, leading the Sun Belt with an 8-0 league mark. Georgia State has a much bigger game on deck traveling to Arkansas Little-Rock on Thursday.



South Alabama has the talent level to hang within double digits. The Jaguars rank first in the Sun Belt in defensive field goal percentage. They should have a good game plan in place. The key is playing hard, which the Jaguars should do with a revenge motive, catching Georgia State in a look-ahead spot and knowing that right now they would be one of two Sun Belt teams that wouldn't make the conference tournament.

There are a lot of trends going against Oregon State in this matchup and I think they make sense.

UCLA should play better than it did during a 70-68 Thursday victory against Oregon. Oregon State nipped Southern Cal in overtime on Thursday. The Beavers are 5-12-1 ATS following a victory.

I am not a fan of Oregon State coach Craig Robinson. The Bruins have owned the Beavers going 15-5-1 ATS in the series and are 6-1-1 ATS in their last eight visits to Oregon State.

The Bruins also have covered during their past six games on Sunday.

DePaul is too short-handed to hang with Providence, which is in a revenge spot and off a bad game. The Blue Demons' leading scorer Cleveland Melvin still is under suspension and star rookie point guard Billy Garrett Jr. also is out. This should mean a big game for the Friars' star point guard Bryce Cotton.



DePaul knocked off the Friars in Providence last season. However, the Friars have won three of their last four at DePaul.



The Blue Demons are off losses to Villanova, Xavier and Seton Hall by a combined 53 points. The Blue Demons also have failed to cover in 17 of their last 23 home contests and 5-11 ATS following a straight-up loss.

Northwestern has gotten a lot better since losing 76-49 to Wisconsin in its Big Ten opener on Jan. 2. The Wildcats have gone 3-4 since then, including knocking off Indiana.



Northwestern's four losses during this span have come to Michigan State, Michigan and Iowa twice - all teams ranked in the top 20.



The Wildcats are high-energy, smart and play strong defense. They are well-coached under first-year coach Chris Collins. Northwestern is allowing just 53.2 points per game in its last four games. That includes a 76-50 loss to Iowa in its last game.



The Wildcats got hammered in the second half because they wore down due to Iowa's superior depth. Wisconsin doesn't have a strong bench.



The Badgers are also in a look-ahead spot. Wisconsin just ended its three-game losing streak with an important road win against Purdue and hosts Ohio State on Saturday. Wisconsin is 5-12 ATS during its past 17 home games versus a foe with a losing road record.



The Wildcats play a very slow tempo. They can frustrate the Badgers while also killing large chunks of the clock, which is great for such a big underdog.

Missouri has never won at Arkansas in six career tries. The Tigers are off a win against South Carolina, but have failed to cover the past six times following a win.



The Tigers don't generate enough ball movement to hang close against Arkansas in one of the toughest road venues in the country. The Tigers are 4-10-1 ATS in their last 15 road games and 3-10-1 ATS during their past 14 away matchups against foes with a winning home mark.



Arkansas leads the SEC in scoring and assists per game at 16.2. Bobby Portis can cause problems for Missouri inside. Arkansas also is the more balanced team.

Too many points for Villanova to be laying to such a quality opponent. The Blue Jays are underpriced after suffering an 81-68 road loss to Providence.



Prior to that, the Blue Jays had won 10 in a row. They lead the nation in 3-point shooting and are second in assists. They also have superstar big man Doug McDermott.

UCLA's only loss in its last five games came to unbeaten No. 1 ranked Arizona by four points. The Bruins are off an impressive 15-point win against Arizona State this past Sunday and catch Colorado when the Buffaloes are in a vulnerable position.




Colorado was blown out at Washington in its last game. Worse, the Buffaloes lost star point guard Spencer Dimwiddie for the season with a knee injury. Without their leading scorer and assists leader, the Buffaloes committed 20 turnovers and none of their players had more than one assist against the Huskies once Dimwiddie went out of the game.




Colorado is 1-5-1 ATS in its last seven Pac-12 games.

Arkansas walloped Kentucky at home last season, 73-60, and I see the Razorbacks doing it again this season. The home/road splits clearly indicate this.



Arkansas is 12-4 ATS in its last 16 home contests. The Razorbacks average nearly 16 more points per game at home than on the road Kentucky is 1-9-2 ATS during its past 12 road matchups and have historically struggled in Fayetteville.



The Razorbacks had won 23 straight at Bud Walton Arena until losing in overtime to 10th-ranked Florida this past Saturday.



The Razorbacks lead the SEC in assists. They have three solid guards. Arkansas is averaging more than 94 points a game during its last four home contests.



Arkansas also has the upfront defense to contain Kentucky star Julius Randle.

Arizona State has problems with up-tempo teams and catches USC, off a humiliating 107-73 loss to UCLA this past Sunday. The Trojans can't wait to get back on the court after suffering through nearly a week of embarrassment. This has been a close series with seven of the last nine games determined on the last two possessions. The home team is 10-4-1 ATS. USC is helped by getting back J.T. Terrell from suspension.

These two teams met just 10 days ago and Pepperdine knocked off BYU, 80-74.



Revenge means something, but this line is too out of whack especially since the Cougars might be without star freshman forward Eric Mika, who is averaging 16 points and six boards per game. He suffered a hip bruise in BYU's last game, an 87-53 win against San Diego.



BYU has failed to cover 22 of the last 29 times when winning its previous game by more than 20 points. Pepperdine is 7-2 ATS in its last nine road games.



The Wave can take advantage of Mika's possible absence with big men Stacy Davis and Brendan Lane.

This is a funny situational spot for Minnesota. The Gophers haven't played in 10 days and won't play for another week after this game. So some rust is expected. Motivation could lack, too.



Nebraska-Omaha shouldn't lack for motivation having four players on its team from Minnesota, which is three more than the Gophers have.



The Mavericks have proven pesky in winning five in a row while covering in five of their last six non-conference games. The Mavericks upset Nevada six days ago. They lost to UNLV by 3, Iowa by 8 and Drake by 8. All of those games were on the road.



The Mavericks can score points in bunches. They average 84.5 points a game, which is 22nd best in the country.

Maryland is off to a slow start, but the Terrapins catch Boston College at a good time in their ACC opener. The Eagles' confidence is down following back-to-back losses to Purdue and USC by a combined 37 points.



The Eagles have yet to get things together as the team still is in an adjustment period.



Maryland's key is getting more consistent point guard production. That should start to come now with the elevation of talented freshman Roddy Peters to starting point guard. Peters leads the team in assists despite coming off the bench in all but two games.



Maryland has covered seven of its last nine road games for 78 percent.

I'll take this many points with Memphis in this early season showdown against Oklahoma State.


The Tigers have three tremendous senior guards. They very well could have the best backcourt in the nation. The key question for Memphis is being able to rebound.


The Tigers showed they could in their season-opening win out-rebounding Austin Peay, 50-27, in a 95-69 opening win. Memphis has excellent recruits again with Austin Nichols and Nick King.


Oklahoma State has failed to cover 13 of the last 16 times when meeting a foe with a winning record.


The Cowboys are 3-0, but their wins were against two Southwestern Athletic Conference opponents and Utah Valley State. Now they step way up in class.


There is a certain unknown factor with these two powerhouses meeting so early, but any kind of random factor is good for the underdog, especially in this price range.


The Tigers have joined the tough American Athletic Conference. They are looking at this matchup as a big test to see if they can maintain their poise on the road. They certainly have the guards to accomplish that.

Both teams are 2-0 but the spot favors Arkansas. The Razorbacks have won 16 in a row at Bud Walton Arena. Their last home loss came against powerful Syracuse. Arkansas has won 36 straight at home against unranked non-conference opponents.



The Razorbacks have covered eight of their last 10 home contests. They have won by 11 or more points in their last four home games. SMU is coming off a satisfying revenge win against Rhode Island in its first home game back at renovated Moody Coliseum. The Mustangs are 5-11-1 ATS the past 17 times when playing an opponent with a winning mark.



Larry Brown is trying to upgrade the Mustangs' talent level as they make the switch from Conference USA to the American Athletic Conference. The Mustangs are in transition at this very early point of the season and must deal with a tough road venue and Arkansas coach Mike Anderson's "40 Minutes of Hell" system that relies on heavy full-court pressure.

Texas Tech is playing just its second game under new coach Tubby Smith, who faces a huge challenge with the Red Raiders.


Northern Arizona has a tall and talented frontcourt that can hang with Texas Tech. The Lumberjacks' backcourt is shored up with the addition of junior college transfer Quinton Upshur. Northern Arizona opened with a 74-63 road victory against Texas-San Antonio.


This will be a tougher challenge, but the Lumberjacks are strong enough to keep this under double-digits. Texas Tech is 5-17 ATS the past 22 times when playing a non-conference opponent.

The early money has been on Michigan. But Syracuse is the right side. The Orangemen have experience and the defensive edge to beat the Wolverines. No team during the post-season has played better defense than Syracuse The Orange have held their last five opponents to 32 percent shooting from the floor.


Syracuse has covered in nine of its last 12 non-conference matchups.


I don't see Michigan being able to solve Jim Boeheim's vaunted matchup zone either. Trey Burke and the rest of the Wolverines have not faced such tall guards with huge wingspans such as Michael Carter-Williams. The Wolverines are also going to have problems trying to score inside.


Michigan lacks Syracuse's experience, depth and savvy. The Wolverines use five freshmen as part of their nine-man rotation. Michigan coach John Beilein has some idea of what's in store for his team having spent five years as a coach in the Big East with West Virginia. Let it be noted, though, that Beilein is 0-9 lifetime against Syracuse.

The top-ranked, top-seeded Baylor women were upset in the NCAA Tournament. The Baylor men aren't going to let the same fate happen to them.


Baylor meets BYU in an NIT semifinal game at Madison Square Garden. Baylor and BYU met once already during the season and Baylor won, 79-64, at home.


The Bears won because they are the superior team. Baylor has the stronger offense and bench. The Bears are averaging 93.3 points in their three NIT games. BYU is a high-scoring team, too, but can't match that. The Cougars are averaging 86.3 points per game in the tournament.


Depth plays a crucial role now this late in the long season. Baylor has it. The Bears' bench has outscored their opponents' reserves, 73-42, and won the battle of the boards by a 45-19 margin.


Baylor is strong inside with Cory Jefferson and 7-foot-1 Isaiah Austin, who ranked third in the Big 12 in rebounding. The Bears also have that important leadership and skill level at point guard with senior Pierre Jackson. He led the Big 12 in scoring and assists. Jackson also set an assists record with 16 during the Bears' second-round victory against Arizona State.


BYU just isn't in Baylor's class. The Cougars have failed to cover the past four times when playing on a neutral floor.

Syracuse has a big edge when playing an opponent not familiar in dealing with the Orangemen's vaunted 2-3 zone. The Orange have exploited that so far in the NCAA Tournament.



But now Syracuse comes up against a familiar foe - Marquette. The Golden Eagles have covered in their last five meeting with Syracuse because they know how to attack the 2-3 zone. The Golden Eagles have the combination of inside power and speed to slice through Syracuse's zone or to pound inside if necessary. When the teams last met in February, Marquette won straight-up.



Unlike other tournament survivors, the Golden Eagles are playing with a huge chip on their shoulder feeling disrespected. Marquette got its bad games out of the way. I see the Golden Eagles continuing to peak.

Give me a reason to go under in a big Michigan State game and I'll take it. In this matchup, there are plenty of reasons to look for the total to go under.

Hard nosed Michigan State ranks in the top 30 in scoring defense, defensive field goal percentage and defensive rebounding. Duke ranks 15th in defending against 3-pointers.

The Spartans' leading scoring and assists leader, point guard Keith Appling, is dealing with knee and shoulder injuries although he is expected to play. However, his shooting could be off.

In fact, I expect both teams to have problems shooting because this game is being played in Lucas Oil Stadium, a football stadium. Basketball players are not used to shooting in this type of atmosphere. They are going to have problems getting accustomed to the background.

Duke did a great job defending against Doug McDermott, one of the best big people in the country, and Creighton in its last game. The Blue Devils held Creighton, the nation's second-best shooting team, to a season low in points and shooting percentage. McDermott missed 12 of 16 shots from the field.

The Blue Devils made less than 39 percent of their field goals in that game, an ominous sign when stepping up to face rugged Michigan State. The under has covered the past seven times the Spartans have gone against an above .600 percent opponent. Duke and Michigan State have combined to go under in nine of its last 10 non-conference matchups.

My handicap is to Syracuse because I believe the Orangemen's 2-3 zone is going to cause major problems for the Hoosiers. So going under the total makes sense as a correlated parlay.

Syracuse's tall guards have the wingspan to disrupt Indiana's smaller guards perimeter games. Syracuse has held all but one of its last nine foes to 63 points or less.

Syracuse's defense has been at its best during the NCAA Tournament holding its first two opponents, Montana and California, to miss 41 of 45 shots from beyond the arc.

Indiana won't be able to get inside points either because the Orangemen have size and are physical.

The buck stop here for indiana. Syracuse can match the Hoosiers in toughness, has athletes and is playing in Big East terriotry - Verizon Center. The Orangemen have covered eight of their last 11 nonleague games.

Temple threw a scare into Indiana. Now the Hoosiers have a real matchup problem. The spread is high here especially considering that the talent level is even. Syracuse probably is going to have three players drafted by NBA teams in Michael Carter-Williams, James Southerland and Brandon Triche. The Hooisers don't have a guard tall enough to handle Carter-Williams.

Syracuse' two greatest strengths are defensive rebounding and committng turnovers. Indiana is vulnerable in both of these areas when playing top-level competition. I see the Hooisers, who prefer a fast tempo, struggling against the Orangemen's slow half-court style.

The Orange ranked third nationally in field goal percentage defense and sixth defending three-pointers. I don't see the Hoosiers getting a lot of good looks against Syracuse's vaunted 2-3 zone that held Montana to 20.4 perccent from the field and California to 39 percent from the floor during the first two games of the tournament. Montana and Cal shot a combined 4-for-45 from 3-point range.