Rotation #659 CBB Wednesday Illinois Illini (-) at Penn State Nittany Lions @ 6:30 ET - This one is set up perfect as Illinois was favored over the Nittany Lions in the Big Ten tourney last season yet lost. The Illini ended up losing all 3 meetings with Penn State last season. You think Illinois has forgotten something like this? Of course not! Adding to the value here is the Nittany Lions are without Kanye Clary. He was their leading scorer and, arguably, their best player this season. He is gone for the season and will be entering the transfer portal. How did it effect the Lions so far? Well, they went on the road and got blasted at Nebraska in the first game without him again. He had been playing sparingly of late and the result of that was being reflected on the scoreboard as well! When he has played less than 10 minutes or missed a game entirely, the Nittany Lions have lost all 4 games and all defeats were by at least a dozen points! Penn State, overall, enter this game having lost 3 straight. Now they face a revenge-minded Illinois team that has won 7 of 9 games and, schematically, matches up very well with PSU on both ends of the floor. That means I can describe this match-up with two words truly...Road Rout! The line is 7.5 as of 6 hours before tipoff. Lay it! ILLINOIS (-)

CBB Tuesday Pittsburgh Panthers (+) @ Wake Forest Demon Deacons @ 9 ET - This line is in the 6.5 range as of 14 hours before tipoff. Wake Forest is solid but they are still just 5-6 L11 games and also 2 of their last 5 home wins have been by 4 or less points. Now they are laying more than a half dozen points to a Pittsburgh team that has proven to be ultra tough on the road this season. Not only have the Panthers won 5 straight overall and 7 of their last 8 overall, lets talk about their play away from home. Pittsburgh is 7-2 in their last 9 games away from home (one was neutral site) and 1 of the 2 losses was by just 4 points! These are road records we are talking about ladies and gentlemen...Pitt has traveled very well this season! Also, 3 of the 4 recent ones were at Duke, NC State and Virginia. Those 3 teams have an average of 19 wins on the season and the Panthers won at their venue! Yes, the Demon Deacons have revenge for a loss at Pitt earlier this season but WF is off huge games versus Duke and Virginia plus has the revenge match-up with big bad Duke on deck! I would not be surprised to see Wake struggle some here in this spot and nothing comes easy against this Pitt team. They are scrappy and hang around in games and the points are just too much here. Wake has 7 wins since the calendar turned the page to 2024 but only 4 of them (out of 13 games!) have been WF victories by more than a margin of 6 points. Excellent underdog value here. PITTSBURGH (+)

CBB Tuesday Villanova Wildcats (-) vs Butler Bulldogs @ 6:30 ET - Villanova has flipped a switch since an inexcusable loss in double-OT at Butler in late January. The Wildcats never trailed for the entirety of regulation in that game and even led by 14 late in the 2nd half but the game got away from them late and then it was an unreal double-OT loss as the final result. Nova had a "hangover" so to speak (and as to be expected following a soul-crushing loss) and so then lost a tough one in their next game but it was to a tough Top Ten Marquette team. So how did they respond since then? With defense! Villanova has since gone 3-1 and allowed 56 points or less in 4 straight games! You can bet they are going to "D up" again here against the Bulldogs. Yes, Villanova is in a must-win spot and while you can not blindly play "must-win" situations, this one has a lot going for it. The Wildcats are playing to keep their slim NCAA Tourney hopes alive and there has been a buy-in to defense. As for Butler, unlike Villanova, they have not bought into defense! The Bulldogs have allowed more than 70 in all 5 games since the miracle win over the Wildcats. Butler has gone 2-3 in this stretch and allowed an average of 80 ppg in this 5 games stretch! So one team allowing 53.5 ppg last 4 games and playing with revenge and playing at home and they face a team allowing 80 ppg last 5 games. The home team rolls by double digits here and this line is in the -6 range as of 11 hours before tipoff. VILLANOVA (-)

NHL Sunday Colorado Avalanche -1.5 -105 vs Arizona Coyotes @ 6:07 ET - The Coyotes are struggling badly and have lost 8 straight games and many losses by multiple goal margins this season. They are now in the wrong place at the wrong time. Arizona just got slaughtered at home by Carolina and now they face an Avalanche team they beat in the most recent meeting. Surprisingly the Coyotes have taken 2 of 3 from the Avs this season but both wins were in Arizona and came in OT. The lone game at Colorado was an Avalanche win and the Avs won it 4 to 1. Considering that plus the fact that the Avalanche are off a road loss and overall a very tough road stretch, this one sets up perfect. Colorado is so happy to be back home and they have won their last 4 games here by a combined score of 18 to 6. The Avalanche are angry and seeking revenge and they should dominate here as the Coyotes freefall continues! COLORADO -1.5 -105

CBB Sunday North Texas Mean Green (+) @ UAB Blazers @ 3 ET - Yes, Jones is out for the Mean Green and Noland has missed 4 straight games. However, Jones has played in only 14 of North Texas' 24 games this season. The bigger current injury is Noland but the odds makers knew it when they set the early opener for this one and that was damn near a pick'em. Of course UAB is at home and with the better record and so every one jumped all over the Blazers. I love fading in cases like this as everyone feels UAB is easy money at home. Even if Noland does not come back for this one (decent chance he is back) I do like the Mean Green plenty here. They are the much better defensive team in comparison with the Blazers. Also, they have revenge from an OT loss at home against the Blazers earlier this season. Also, again the "trap line" theory is in effect here. UAB is undefeated in AAC home games this season and yet this line opened near a pick'em. Note that the Mean Green have lost 3 of last 4 road games. This is another one of those classic "someone knows something" match-ups! I love the extra line value here after the line move and I like having the stronger defense on my side plus in full-on revenge mode! Give me the points but we should not need them. NORTH TEXAS (+)

CBB Sunday Ohio State Buckeyes (+) vs Purdue Boilermakers @ 1 ET - Too many points as this is in the 8.5 range as of 7 hours before tipoff. The Buckeyes just fired their head coach Tuesday. The assistant is taking over and he has been with the program for years and he comes from a family of players and coaches. They have their footprint in Ohio basketball at various levels in this state. Now, I am not saying the Buckeyes are going to beat the Boilermakers here but I do expect a huge response at home after the firing of the coach. Also, Ohio State has lost each of the last two meetings with Purdue in Columbus by just a bucket each. The Buckeyes have a fair amount of size to at least throw some bodies at Edey. The Boilermakers big man is in a class of his own of course but he won't be able to completely dominate here. Plus, is Purdue starting to wear down a little bit? They were down 10 to Minnesota and had to rally in their most recent game. They did and they won by 8 but that was at home. These Buckeyes have underachieved but they are very talented and I expect them to surprise the Boilers here and absolutely turn this into a back and forth slugfest. Give me the big points. OHIO STATE (+)

Rotation #611 CBB Saturday Creighton Bluejays (-) @ Butler Bulldogs @ 12:30 ET - This is a revenge game for the Bluejays after they were beaten by the Bulldogs in Creighton by a single point in a very tough beat last month. Now the rematch is at Butler so we get a low number, as low as 2.5 as of 7 hours before tipoff, and I will not hesitate to step in on this one. Butler has had a few very tight wins this season and I feel this has inflated their value a bit. Yes they are at home for this one but the face a ranked foe that is out for revenge and that, on a more consistent basis, is the more dangerous team offensively! The stellar offensive production of Creighton is another reason they have won 4 of last 6 road games and one of those two losses was to #1 ranked UConn! That said, we get excellent value here as the Bluejays are the better shooting team and they catch the Bulldogs off losses in 2 of last 3 games. Not only that, Butler's last 5 wins included the crazy tight win over Creighton and a double-OT win over Villanova in a game they NEVER LED in regulation and a 3 point win over Providence in which Butler scored the final 7 points. Butler's other two wins were against DePaul and Georgetown and those two teams are a combined 1-26 in Big East action. My point here is that, against teams other the Blue Demons or Georgetown, in other words teams with pulse - Butler could very easily be on a 7-game losing streak. Their luck runs out here against revenge-minded and ranked Bluejays team. CREIGHTON (-)

NHL Friday Carolina Hurricanes Puck Line -1.5 +125 @ Arizona Coyotes @ 9 ET - Great set up here. The Hurricanes have been waiting three days for this game and so they will be raring to go because that game Tuesday night was a tough 4-2 loss at Dallas. The Canes faced a hot Stars team that night but now they face a struggling Coyotes team. Not only is Carolina a PERFECT 5-0 L5 times when off a loss, all but 1 of the wins was by a multi-goal margin. The last 3 times the Canes were off a loss and facing a Non-Conference opponent all 3 resulted in a win by a multi-goal margin. Now the Hurricanes take on a Western Conference club that has lost 7 straight and so that 3-0 run is being put to the test as the Canes look to bounce back off a loss. Not only has Arizona lost 7 straight but note that each of their last 10 losses to Eastern Conference foes have ALL come by at least a 2-goal margin! The point is that strong odds support that any Carolina win here should be by a multi-goal margin. The last time the Coyotes suffered a loss by a 1-goal margin to a non-conference opponent was way back in mid-October! This Arizona club was completely outplayed on on home ice in their 3-1 loss to Minnesota Wednesday. The Coyotes have now scored just 2.3 goals per game last 7 games. Arizona has allowed 4.3 goals per game last 7 games. The Hurricanes, prior to the 4-2 loss at Dallas, had allowed just 1.7 goals per game last 6 games. Prior to their loss to the Stars their most recent non-conference game was a 5-2 win over Colorado! They also beat the Coyotes 3-1 already this season and they have won 3 straight at Arizona all by 2 or more goals and with an average margin of victory of 3 goals. Couple that with the above 3-0 angle and we are testing a pair of 3-0 / 100% factors here that support the Hurricanes winning this game by at least a 2-goal margin. Also, consider that Carolina is favored by -200 on the money line so odds are strong they win this and that then brings into play the fact that 10 straight Arizona non-conf losses have been by 2+ goals! Great value here. The Hurricanes enter this one angry! CAROLINA -1.5 +125

CBB Friday Cornell Big Red (-) vs Harvard Crimson @ 6 ET - This line is around an 8.5 as of 12 hours before tipoff and, though I generally do not lay big points in spread sports, when the situation is right I will not hesitate. In this case you have a Cornell team coming off a rare loss. They are a PERFECT 3-0 this season when off a loss and all 3 wins were by a double digit margin. Also, the Big Red are a PERFECT 3-0 this season in home games in Ivy League action and all 3 wins were by a double digit margin! Cornell also is a PERFECT 7-0 this SEASON in home games! The last time they lost a home game was last February when they lost at home to (you guessed it!) Harvard! Now even though they just beat the Crimson at Harvard recently, that does not diminish the fact they want this game badly on their home floor. Cornell remembers the last time they lost at home AND they have much of that same core group intact this season. Conversely, Harvard had big turnover with their program. The Crimson team this season is a shell of the team that it was last season. That is another reason I am projecting the Big Red to roll big in this one and get that home court revenge they still want! This Crimson team is only 3-4 in Ivy League action this season and the 3 wins were against teams that are a combined 5-16 in league action! Also, one of the 4 losses was to a Brown team that is an ugly 6-16 on the season and just 1-5 against the rest of the Ivy League thus far! Additionally, Harvard has lost all 3 games against upper level teams Princeton, Cornell and Yale AND all 3 losses were by more than a dozen points apiece. This one gets ugly as the Big Red get the home court payback they have been waiting for as their last loss at home was to this Crimson team nearly ONE YEAR AGO to the day. Payback time! CORNELL (-)

NBA Thursday Memphis Grizzlies (+) vs Milwaukee Bucks @ 8:30 ET - Current line on this one is 11.5 as of 10 hours before tipoff. With the Grizzlies off a rare win and the Bucks off an ugly home loss, it might seem like the perfect spot to back Milwaukee. However, Memphis has been scrappy even in their losses and I just not see them getting totally blown out at home here in this one. Note that Memphis is only 4-9 SU last 13 games but only two of those defeats were by more than 10 points. In other words, at the current +11.5 being offered here, the Grizzlies would be 11-2 ATS last 13 games! Now look at the Bucks road performances too and, overall, this team has not exactly been setting the world on fire since coach Doc Rivers took over. Note that Milwaukee is only 4-7 SU last 11 road games and 2 of those wins were against a bad Detroit team and NO the Bucks did not win either game by double digits! In fact, Milwaukee's two road wins in this stretch, other than the two over the Pistons, were by 4 against a bad San Antonio team and by 12 at Dallas. So the only truly ultra impressive Bucks road win since the calendar flipped the page to 2024 is just barely above the number posted on this game. I like our chances here when you consider that the win over the Mavericks was the only truly impressive road game in 11 tries for Milwaukee in 2024. Give me the big points here with a scrappy home underdog. 10* MEMPHIS (+)

Rotation #697 CBB Wednesday Iowa Hawkeyes (+) @ Maryland Terrapins @ 8:30 ET - This line up to a 5.5 as of about 8 hours before tipoff and I feel we have excellent value with this high-scoring Hawkeyes team coming off a huge win. Iowa was WAY DOWN against Minnesota but came all the way back late for the 5-point win. Yes that was at home but the Hawkeyes rougher road record has a lot to do with facing some really tough road games this season. Maryland is solid but they are not on par with a number of teams that Iowa has faced on the road already this season. Also, the Terrapins have lost 3 straight and 7 of 11 and they only have 3 home wins over Big Ten teams this season. One of those was against a Penn State team that is now 12-12 this season and another one was against a Michigan team that is 3-11 in Big Ten action this season and is at the bottom of the standings. The Terrapins won't be easy but I truly feel the Hawkeyes have a great shot at the outright upset in this one. The Terps have averaged only 56 points scored in regulation time of their last 3 games. They also enter this game off a really tough double-OT loss while the Hawkeyes enter this one on a much more positive note after their amazing come from behind win over Minnesota. Unlike the struggling Terps, the Hawkeyes have been scoring just fine in recent games and they are averaging 84 ppg this season and are the much better shooting team in comparison with Maryland. Grab the points here but we likely will not even need them! IOWA (+)

Winnipeg -1.5 -155 vs San Jose Sharks @ 7:37 ET - Yes this line is pricey but the Sharks have not played a game in two weeks. They are in trouble here against a Jets teams hungry for home ice win and that will likely have Hellebuyck between the pipes for this one. Winnipeg has had a rough stretch but they truly have deserved better results than they have received. The payoff is coming and, unlike the Sharks, the Jets have played 3 games already since the all-star break. San Jose has had trouble scoring goals all season while the Jets have had struggles in that department recently but can have a breakout game on home ice and facing a team that is going to have a lot of rust. WINNIPEG -1.5 -155

NBA Wednesday Philadelphia 76ers (-) vs Miami Heat @ 7 ET - Sixers out for revenge here from a 4-point loss at Miami earlier this season. Also, the last time these teams met in Philly, the Heat crushed them by nearly 30 points! The Sixers have a great shot at avenging both these defeats right here right now. The Heat are hurting with a couple of injuries plus Jimmy Butler is out on personal leave. To make this situation even more perfect, the short-handed Heat played last night at Milwaukee. Not only that, they smashed the Bucks! They did it by shooting a ridiculous high-percentage from 3-point land in that one. On a B2B situation and also playing with a shorter bench than usual because of missing 3 players for this one, the Heat will struggle with shooting here and likely also fade as the game goes on. Conversely, the Sixers - though without Embiid and Harris - at least are well-rested here. Also, they will have Kyle Lowry on the floor for this one and the veteran is making his home-coming in Philly and played his college ball at Villanova. Don't be surprised if he plays well in what will be an emotional homecoming game for the veteran. The Sixers have been on a home losing streak but they are getting adjusted now with Payne and Hield already becoming solid contributors and Council has been playing well as a role player. Oubre coming off another solid game and Maxey is an All-Star and this Sixers team now won B2B games including beating a tough Cavaliers team at Cleveland. Now it is time to get the home winning going again and they catch the Heat at the perfect time to get a big home win before the All-Star break. Note that Miami is off a win but had lost 9 of 13 games heading into that one. Yes, the 76ers had struggled recently without Embiid but they are starting to figure things out and have the situational edges in this one plus home court. This line is in the 3.5 range as of early game day morning and this is a bargain number! Lay it! PHILADELPHIA (-)

Rotation #224214: Champions League | Round of 16 | 1st Leg: Wednesday Paris-St Germain Goal Line -0.5 -145 vs Real Sociedad @ 3 ET - PSG top scorer Kylian Mbappe is expected back for this match and the home side is going to have too much firepower for a Real Sociedad club that is struggling to score goals. Certainly Real Sociedad is a strong club but PSG knows they need to pressure them on their attack and that is their gameplan going into this one. PSG has actually scored 30 goals last 9 matches! Even if you take out the one outlier (9-goal win) from that sample size, you are still talking about a club averaging nearly 3 goals per match their last 8 as PSG totaled 22 goals in the other 8 matches! This team is so strong on the attack! Certainly Real Sociedad is impressive defensively but Paris-St Germain is going to force them to be more aggressive here and that will take them out of their comfort zone. The hosts are a solid favorite here for a reason and I have no hesitation in backing them. While they have been scoring goals extremely well, Real Sociedad has amazingly scored only 8 goals in their last 13 matches across all competitions! Lay it! Paris-St Germain Goal Line -0.5 -145

NBA Tuesday Oklahoma City Thunder (-) @ Orlando Magic @ 7:30 ET - Oklahoma City is laying about 3 points in this one as of 13 hours before tipoff. Overall, as you can tell by the records too, the Thunder are the stronger team. However, the Magic do have the home court edge here. However, what I really like about this play is the fact Orlando has another game on deck against a conference foe, the Knicks tomorrow. Conversely, for the Thunder it is their final game before the break. OKC wants to go into the break with another win! In fact, lets talk about the "another win" theory as it relates to both teams here. The Magic enter this game on a 2-game winning streak but, other than the surprising 9-game winning streak Orlando had earlier this season, they have only had one other 3-game winning streak this season! When the Magic enter a game on exactly a 2-game winning streak they have failed to stretch it 3 games 5 of the 7 times this season! Make that 6 of 8 after this one! The Thunder enter this one off a single win and there has been only one time this entire season they have had just a single standalone win and that was way back in October. In other words, the odds based on season-long trending here certainly favor a Thunder win! Orlando has lost 3 of last 5 games at home against team with a winning record. they are not unbeatable here against quality opposition by any stretch of the imagination. Also, Orlando is just 10-10 SU in non-conference action while the Thunder are 14-4 SU in non-conf action! The better team in the better situation and on the road so the number of points is manageable. Great spot here to take advantage. Lay it! OKLAHOMA CITY (-)

CBB Tuesday Pittsburgh Panthers (+) @ Virginia Cavaliers @ 7 ET - The current line as of about 11 hours before game time for this one is in the 6.5 range which means it is go time with this one! The Cavaliers are red hot but the Panthers have been an anomaly this season as they actually have been stronger on the road than at home. Overall, Pittsburgh is playing very well in ACC action of late with 5 wins last 6 games and the lone loss was by 4 points. In terms of games played away from home, Pitt is on a run of 6 wins last 8 games and those two losses away from home were by 8 points and 4 points. The Panthers rarely get blown out and, with a low total posted on this game, you can certainly project this to be a grinder likely decided by a slim margin. Of course the Cavaliers are known for defense but the Panthers do play well defensively and also have solid perimeter defense which is important against the Cavs. At the other end of the floor, the Panthers have some outside shooters that can help draw the Virginia defenders out and open things up a bit more inside. The Panthers match up well with the Cavs and, in fact, beat the Cavaliers last season. That makes this a revenge spot for Virginia. However, the Cavs just beat a Florida State team that was right behind them and now have Wake Forest, also right behind them, on deck. Could easily see the Cavs underestimating Pitt here and this Panthers team rebounds well, has some solid shooters and they play solid defense. This one goes down to the wire and just might end up in another upset which makes the points invaluable. PITTSBURGH (+)

Rotation #224205: Champions League | Round of 16 | 1st Leg: Tuesday Manchester City Goal Line -1.5 -125 @ FC Copenhagen @ 3 ET - Manchester City is healthy again and they will play their full top lineup in this one as they look to get the upper hand in this first leg in the Round of 16. The value in this one is on the goal line where we get a reasonable line on laying the 1.5 goals and looking for multi-goal victory for the travelers in this one. Note that the loss of Leragen due to suspension for this match is a big loss for Copenhagen. The last meeting here was in October of 2022 and ended in a scoreless draw. However, City had a red card at the 30' mark and still outplayed Copenhagen in that 0-0 final. Also, that was on the heels of a 5-0 win at City the prior week which showed the dominance that Manchester City is capable of when focused as they were in that first meeting. They will again be focused here and Copenhagen will prove to be no match. Copenhagen is having a disappointing run in Danish Superliga right now. The opposite is true of City as they are on a 10-match winning streak across all competitions and this includes 8 of those 10 victories coming by a multi-goal margin. This one will too! MANCHESTER CITY -1.5 -125

CBB Monday Wake Forest Demon Deacons (+) @ Duke Blue Devils @ 7 ET - Duke is one of the most popular teams in sports betting. Just like the Yankees in MLB and Lakers in NBA and Cowboys in NFL, certain situations can result in excellent line value to go against the Blue Devils. Note that the line on this one already has climbed up a bit and Duke is favored by as many as 7.5 as of 12 hours before tipoff. In my opinion Wake Forest is very close to, if not equal, to the level of the Blue Devils this season. These teams are right next to each other in the ACC standings. Also, Wake Forest has revenge from losing their most recent game against the Blue Devils. That was here at Duke and was a very tight loss just like the prior WF visit here. Though the Demon Deacons do not have a great history they have been competitive against Duke in recent seasons. Look for another tight game here and note the value in the big points as Wake Forest is 16-7 this season and 6 of the 7 losses have been by 7 points or less. In other words, Duke is being asked to do something that only one other team has done in 23 games against Wake this season - that is, beat the Deacons by 8 or more points. I just do not see that happening. When you compare the defensive and offensive stats on these two clubs they are very similar. Yes I know Duke is a tough place to play but the Blue Devils only beat a bad Georgia Tech team here by 5 and beat Clemson by only 1 and also lost to Pittsburgh here. So Duke is far from invincible here this season and the Demon Deacons will take this one to the wire! WAKE FOREST (+)

CBB Sunday 10* Top Play Minnesota Golden Gophers (+) @ Iowa Hawkeyes @ 3 ET - This is another game where I am fading the line move as this one was around a 5 and worked its way up to a 6.5 as of 5 hours before tipoff. The Hawkeyes are off a loss at Penn State. Iowa just can't seem to stop teams yet Minnesota had a rough shooting performance (5 of 29) from 3-point land in the first meeting this season and they were at Minnesota for that one! That means payback here on the road. I know Iowa has won recent meetings but this is not the Iowa of old. They are just not that good this season and lost to an over-rated Penn State team a few nights ago. They will be lucky to win this one let alone cover the spread. The Golden Gophers know this is their chance to take advantage of an Iowa team that is just not itself right now. The Hawkeyes have lost 4 of 6 since beating Minny. The only 2 wins came against Ohio State and Michigan and those teams are a combined 7-19 SU in Big Ten games this season. The Golden Gophers have won 3 straight in Big Ten action and they came against teams that are currently all at .500 or better in Big Ten games on the season. Everyone will be backing the Hawkeyes at home in this one but I am expecting revenge as the hot team stays hot and puts a ton of pressure on Iowa at home in this one. MINNESOTA (+)

CBB Sunday Seton Hall Pirates (+) @ Villanova Wildcats @ Noon ET - I know Villanova is in a key must win mode but this team is going to be in a helluva battle just to win this game let alone cover. Seton Hall lost both meetings last season but each defeat by just 4 points. That said, this Pirates team is better than that one was and this Wildcats team is worst than that one was! I know the two wins Seton Hall enters this game off of were both against the worst teams in this conference. Still it is a momentum-builder for Seton Hall. Also, the Pirates are 8-4 in Big East action and have beaten UConn, Butler and Marquette plus they lost to Creighton in Triple OT! In other words, this Pirates team can compete with the better teams in the conference and right now Villanova is one of the weaker teams in the conference. Seton Hall also has wins over respectable teams like Providence and St John's. All those teams I just mentioned have at least 14 wins on the season. Villanova is just 5-7 in Big East action and two of those wins against a bad DePaul team. The other 3 wins included one big win over Providence but the other two wins by a margin of 2 or less points against Creighton and Xavier. The point is that it is very hard to justify the Wildcats being favored by 5.5 points in this one. I also love fading line moves and the line has moved the way of Villanova. Give me the big points which are now near the half-dozen mark. SETON HALL (+)

Rotation #824: College Hoops Saturday Stanford (-) vs USC @ 10 ET - The Cardinal have only allowed more than 89 points once this season in a loss and that was at USC. The Trojans have since gone 1-7 and their only win was against the team (Oregon State) they share the Pac-12 basement with. USC is having a rough run and a down season and they are in the wrong place at the wrong time here. Stanford also lost to the Trojans last season so this is a double revenge spot. Also, the Cardinal are normally strong at home but they are coming off a tough home loss in which they had a rough shooting night and their opponent hit 11 threes. But that was against a hot UCLA team. Now they face a cold USC team. Also, Stanford knows how crucial this game is. After this one they have just 2 more home games out of their remaining 7 games. With a tough 2-game road trip on deck, the Cardinal will come out with a very strong effort here at home. They are normally strong on their home floor and, while neither of these teams is good defensively, Stanford will be the more focused team here at home and looking to avenge a loss in which they allowed 93 points earlier this season! USC has been recently starting freshman Bronny James and, no disrespect intended, but he is just not quite ready to be a starter at USC. It shows how far this program has fallen. The Cardinal lost to UCLA by 8 points but that was because they were outscored by 21 points from three point land and 9 points at the free throw line. That is an unusual 30 point variance for a team on its home floor. The result here is line value as this line has dropped from its opener. Currently just a 2 point line as of about 11 hours before tipoff. Take advantage of the value. Lay it! STANFORD (-)

NBA Saturday Philadelphia 76ers (-) @ Washington Wizards @ 7:10 ET - This is a bargain price in the -4 range on Philly as of 10 hours before tipoff. Yes the 76ers are struggling but they got Payne and Hield both into action last night and now this is their 2nd game with both on the floor. Also, Maxey should be back for this one but, even if he is not, look at the value in this match-up! Washington has the WORST home record in the NBA as they are just 3-22 SU at home this season. This is a value spot to grab a talented Sixers team that, though without Embiid and dealing with some injury issues, is still a far superior team to this Wizards team. Also, the Sixers have won 4 straight over the Wizards. All 4 wins were by at least 5 points and the average margin of victory was 21 points! More of the same on the way here in a road rout! Make no mistake the Sixers have struggled but the Wizards are having a very rough season and each of their last 29 losses have been by at least 4 points which is the line currently available in the marketplace as of 10 hours before tipoff. PHILADELPHIA (-)

Rotation #695: College Hoops Drexel Dragons (+) @ College of Charleston Cougars @ 3:30 ET - Drexel is off their worst loss in CAA action this season. They are still 8-3 in conference games and the two prior losses were by 5 or less points. We are getting value here because this line has gone from a 4 to a 6 in favor of College of Charleston. There has been an over-reaction to the recent struggles of Drexel and we get line value with a very hungry road dog in this one off of B2B losses. This is the first and only meeting between these clubs this season. Note that 6 straight meetings have been by decided by 5 or less points! In other words, tremendous value with this line in the 6 range as of about 5 hours before tipoff. The Dragons ugly loss at UNC Wilmington came down to poor shooting for them and excellent shooting for the Seahawks. Again, that 75-56 loss has created line value here with a Drexel team that is scrappy and was 7-0 in CAA action as of just 2 weeks ago. The Dragons will bounce back here and note that the Cougars are tied with them in the CAA standing but only on a modest 4-3 run and they lost the 3 games against tougher teams. All 4 wins have come against 4 teams with a combined 13-31 record in CAA action. I am not saying Charleston will lose this game outright. But I am saying the Dragons are very undervalued here and they keep this game tight and indeed do have a great shot at the outright upset here. Don't be surprised if this one makes it a 7-0 RUN of meetings decided by 5 or less points! Grab the 6 points here. DREXEL (+)

NHL Friday New York Rangers -1.5 -110 @ Chicago Blackhawks @ 8:35 ET - The Blackhawks are not only losing at a high rate, they continue to struggle to score goals. Chicago enters this one having lost 14 of 17 games and what is most alarming about this is that in the last 13 losses they have scored a TOTAL of only TEN goals! That is an average of 0.8 goals per game. Couple that with the Rangers averaging 3 goals scored per game and you can see why I am expecting at least a 3-1 final here in favor of New York. The Rangers have won 3 straight games and are starting to heat up. Additionally they have scored an average of 4.7 goals last 3 road games! This one sets up well to be a road rout. NEW YORK RANGERS -1.5 -110

Rotation #775: CBB Thursday Iowa Hawkeyes Pick'em or -1 at Penn State Nittany Lions @ 7 ET - The Hawkeyes are 2-5 SU in true road games this season while Penn State is 8-3 in true home games this season. That said this line must be a huge mistake, right? Not at all actually as Iowa's most recent road loss - which I fully expect they will bounce back from here - is their only road loss against an unranked foe this season. Their 4 prior losses in true road games were to Wisconsin, Purdue, Iowa State and Creighton! All of those teams are Top 25 teams. I love the situation here with the Hawkeyes having lost their most recent road game and catching Penn State off B2B wins. Note the only time this season the Nittany Lions have won more than 2 in a row was way back at the beginning of the season. Penn State started the season 4-0 but faced a bunch of cupcake opponents. The oddsmakers have this game with Iowa at a pick'em or -1 with good reason and I look for the Hawkeyes to have too much offense for the Nittany Lions in this one. Yes, Penn State has that signature home win over Wisconsin but upsets do happen at times when everything comes into place in one game. Other than this, the Nittany Lions other 4 Big Ten wins have come against teams that currently have a combined 16-31 Big Ten record on the season. Penn State, other than the upset of Wisconsin, has gone 3-2 L5 home games but with wins over a struggling Ohio State team and non-conference home wins over Rider and Le Moyne! Remember Iowa lost here last year so they have plenty of motivation here and though the Hawkeyes appear on track for an overall season comparable to last year, the Nittany Lions have regressed and were 9-11 this season prior to the B2B wins. The road team gets it done here. IOWA Pick'em or -1

Rotation #746: CBB Wednesday Stanford (-) vs UCLA @ 9 ET - The Bruins have won 3 straight games but let's not forget this was followed by a tough 3-9 stretch for UCLA. Included in that stretch was a home loss to Stanford. That will have some looking at the Bruins here with the revenge angle. UCLA, however, is in a tough spot as Stanford is strong on their home floor and the much better club offensively. The Cardinal are averaging 78 ppg compared to the Bruins averaging 66 ppg. Also, Stanford hits 47% from the field while UCLA hits only 42% from the field. Remember too that those shooting variances have a strong tendency to be even more pronounced in the home/road factor as well. So in this case the better shooting team is on their home floor and I look for the Bruins to struggle to keep up in this one. UCLA is 2-7 in their last 9 games played on the road or at a neutral site. Stanford is 1-2 last 3 games but those were on the road. They finally get a home game again and are 8-3 at home this season. The Cardinal are 4-1 at home this season when they are at home and coming off a loss. That includes a win over an Arizona team that is one of the top teams in the country. Now they are coming off a loss at Arizona and I expect them to respond immediately here. UCLA is in the wrong place at the wrong time. Current line is 3.5 as of about 8 hours before tipoff. Lay it! STANFORD (-)

Rotation #735: CBB Wednesday Creighton Bluejays (-) @ Providence Friars @ 8:30 ET - Creighton is off a loss and they have only lost B2B games once this season and are actually a perfect 4-0 SU this season when coming off a loss in regulation time. The Bluejays are laying only 2 points here - as of 9 hours before tipoff - and that means most any SU loss will also translate to an ATS win. I like the fact that Creighton had won 7 of 8 prior to that loss. Also, Providence has lost 6 of 9 games. Not only that but 2 of those 3 wins were against Georgetown and DePaul. Those two teams are a combined 1-21 SU in Big East action this season. The Friars, in other words, have been struggling for many weeks now. Also, when they lost at Creighton a month ago by 9 points, their biggest lead was only 2 points while the Bluejays led by as many as 18 in that game. In other words, it was quite dominating and now you can grab Creighton off a loss and facing a weaker foe and only lay 2 points. Count me in! Of course many will look at the revenge aspect for the Friars here but Bluejays are fired up to respond off a loss plus they lost here last season in double-OT so they have some extra motivation here to win at Providence this time around. CREIGHTON (-)

NBA Wednesday Philadelphia 76ers (+) vs Golden State Warriors @ 7:40 ET - The 76ers lost the last meeting a week ago and that is when Kuminga fell on Embiid's knee and the latter is now out for 6 to 8 weeks recovering from surgery. Embiid was already hobbled in that game but that finished him off. That is part of the line value here. This line is all the way up to a 4.5 as of 10 hours before tipoff and it is just too much. Embiid had a horrible game when these teams met last week and the Sixers were also without All-Star Maxey in that game. So we are truly getting some line value here by going against an over-rated Warriors team that just does not travel well. They were horrible on the road last season but then shockingly started this season 5-1 on the road. Sure enough, their normal pattern has resumed and they have gone just 4-11 in their road games since then. Here they face a Sixers team that is off B2B home losses after starting the season 17-6 in home games! Philly is without Embiid but the Warriors also have some injury concerns entering this game as well. Also, Golden State off a win at Brooklyn but the Warriors have not won B2B road games since that 5-1 road run to start the season 3 months ago! As for the Sixers, they have only lost 3 consecutive home games one time this season and that also was all the way back in November as well. The point is we have quite a few strong trends in our favor here plus I also like the situational value here! I expect a huge effort from Maxey and the home team in this one in front of a raucous Philly crowd out for revenge in this one. PHILADELPHIA (+)

NBA Tuesday Minnesota Timberwolves (-) @ Chicago Bulls @ 8 ET - The Wolves are the much stronger team and this is a reasonable spread to lay. Consider that the Bulls are 8-8 L16 games which does not sound that bad but the only winning team they beat is the Houston Rockets. The other 7 wins were against bad teams like Charlotte (3) and Portland, Memphis, Toronto and San Antonio. As for the Timberwolves, like Chicago, they also have a recent win over Houston and actually beat them twice during their current 11-6 run. The difference between Minny's wins and the Bulls wins however is the fact that Minnesota also has beaten Dallas, OKC, Brooklyn, the Clippers and Orlando during this solid run. Until Chicago truly proves they can step up against top tier competition, that is the big difference between these teams. Also, the T-Wolves are the much healthier team entering this match-up. This line is currently a 5 as of about 8 hours before tipoff. Lay it! MINNESOTA (-)

CBB Tuesday St Joseph's Hawks (+) vs Dayton Flyers @ 8 ET - This is a Triple Revenge spot for St Joe's. Not only did they lose the most recent meeting in Philly and in Dayton but also they lost in a neutral site venue last March which knocked them out of the Atlantic Ten tourney. That said, don't let the line on this A-10 match-up fool you on Tuesday. Why is a ranked team that is 18-3 this season and 8-1 in conference action laying just a bucket against a team that is only 5-4 in A-10 action this season? Exactly! The fact is that the Hawks are heating up and they are playing their best basketball of the season and their big man is starting to become a true gamechanger at both ends of the floor also. The play on the wings was already solid for St Joseph's but now that they have the interior presence coming to full strength, they are looking more and more solid with each game. The Hawks have won 5 of 6 games overall and, with only 2 exceptions this entire season (both 3 point losses), they have been unbeatable at home. They also took Kentucky to OT earlier this season and the Wildcats are also a ranked team like Dayton and that game was at Kentucky! The Flyers lost their most recent road game and the Hawks have the edge of a 3rd straight game in Philly as their last "road" was at LaSalle here in Philly as well. Don't let this line lead you astray. This one has upset and revenge written all over it! The line is currently a 2 as of about 9 hours before tipoff. We'll grab the bucket but should not need it!  ST JOSEPH'S (+)

CBB Monday Miami Hurricanes (+) @ Virginia Cavaliers @ 7 ET - Certainly I have plenty of respect for Virginia and they are arguably the best team defensively in the nation. However, there is line value here with a live dog catching about a half-dozen points against a Cavaliers team that has had a somewhat friendly ACC schedule so far. Virginia has played 11 conference games so far and 4 of them were against Louisville and Notre Dame and each of those teams are 2-9 in ACC action! Also, the Cavs have played Georgia Tech who is 3-8 and NC State who is 4-6 as well as Syracuse and Virginia Tech and each of those teams is 5-6 in ACC action. So that leaves 3 games against teams that currently (like Miami) have a winning record in ACC action. Those 3 games saw Virginia lose by double digits at Wake Forest and at NC State! They did win the rematch with the Wolfpack here but that 6-point win was in OT. The fact is that Virginia could very easily be 0-3 against teams that currently have a winning record in ACC action on the season and I feel the Canes are vastly undervalued here. The line has moved toward Virginia here so we have even more line value and I am grabbing the points (currently 6 as of 10 hours before tipoff) and expect this to be a great game where the points prove invaluable in a tight finish. MIAMI (+)

Rotation #206910: Romania Liga 1: Monday FC Voluntari Goal Line PK -105 vs Hermannstadt @ 10 AM ET - Home pitch has mattered plenty in meetings between these clubs. Also, Voluntari is going to get a boost here with new manager and the hosts are dead set on escaping the relegation zone. Even though Hermannstadt is much further up the table in comparison with Voluntari, note that the visitors have only 1 more victory than the hosts on the season! The fact is Hermanndstadt have been draw specialists. That said, I feel we have excellent line value here with the hosts available at a PK -105 on the goal line. That means a draw at least gets us our wager back. I am expecting the outright win for the hosts or I would not be involved here but the added insurance of a draw being a push for our wagers certainly helps the cause here. Voluntari has won or drawn in 13 of 23 matches this season while Hermannstadt has only won 7 of 23 matches this season! Home club value here especially riding the emotions and motivation of a new manager. VOLUNTARI Pick -105

NBA Sunday Charlotte Hornets (+) vs Indiana Pacers @ 6 ET - The Pacers have a number of banged up players for this one. Yes, they won by 31 when these teams met in Indiana but they outscored the Hornets by 30 from three point land in that one! Ridiculously hot shooting for the Pacers was the difference in that game. I know it may seem tough to play on a team that has lost 6 in a row and is having a tough season but I am happy to challenge the Pacers to win this game by double digits over the Hornets! Note that Charlotte is the much healthier team and they are at home and the Pacers are on a 4-8 SU run. In those dozen games, Indiana had only 1 win by more than 6 points! This is a tricky scheduling spot for Indiana too because it is a 1-game road trip before B2B home games. Could the Pacers "mail it in" here against a Charlotte team they blasted in the first meeting? I absolutely believe that will be the case and the Hornets will be the hungrier team here at home and the Pacers health issues keep this one from turning into a complete rout. This one decided by single digits. CHARLOTTE (+)

Rotation #856: Sunday CBB Villanova Wildcats (-) vs Providence Friars @ 6 ET - Many Wildcats fans in Philly have lost faith in coach Kyle Neptune and are calling for his firing. However, the team is rallying around this and fully support him. The reason they are on a 5-game losing streak is they are not quite the same team they once for sure but also take a deeper look at this run! The 5 losses included one at Butler in double OT and was a game Nova never trailed in. Also, the Wildcats other 4 losses included just one ugly one versus St John's and the other 3 were losses against ranked teams including top-ranked UConn. In other words, the Cats are not as strong as past teams but they certainly deserve a little leeway on the tough recent run. Now they host a Providence team they have double revenge against! This is the first meeting between these teams and last season the Friars beat the Cats in both games in Neptune's first season. In other words, this has not been forgotten and Nova also so hungry for a win in this spot and they are at home. Remember they are 3-1 SU in last 4 home games versus unranked foes! This is a game they can (and will) win. Providence is just 3-5 SU last 8 games and 2 of those wins were against the two worst Big East teams - DePaul and Georgetown. Value here with a reasonable line with a desperate, revenge-minded home team here. Lay it! Payback! 10* VILLANOVA (-)

Rotation #849: Sunday Temple Owls (+) @ Tulane Green Wave @ 4 ET - This line is now in the double digit range and it is just too much. The Owls have a sub-par record but they are fighting hard and there is no quit in this team. As a result, they are hanging tight in many of their recent defeats and I expect more of the same here. Temple is just 2-7 SU last 9 games but each of last 3 losses by 6 or less points. Tulane has the better record on the season but, keep in mind, they have not exactly been setting the world on fire of late! The Green Wave have lost 6 of last 8 games and both wins were by 7 or less points. Also, Tulane is off a tough loss at SMU and have a tough game at Memphis on deck. Memphis was a ranked team not too long ago and don't be surprised when this game, given all the situational aspects, is decided by a single digit margin. TEMPLE (+)

Rotation #789 CBB Saturday 10* Top Play Iowa State Cyclones (+) @ Baylor Bears @ 8 ET - The Cyclones have won 11 of 13 games. The Bears are off a win but this followed a 5-5 stretch and was on the heels of 3 straight losses for Baylor. The Bears certainly have revenge on their minds from losing all 3 games to Iowa State last season. However, the Cyclones look like the stronger team this season without a doubt. That said, the Bears laying about 4 points here is just too much because these teams are not equal on a neutral floor in my opinion. Also, Baylor is facing a Cyclones team that is among the best in the nation for steals per game with 11.2 and I look for Iowa State to force enough turnovers here to capitalize and grab the road win. We'll grab the points just in case but note that the Cyclones are looking to make it 4 in a row over the Bears and certainly will have no shortage of confidence in facing Baylor here. 10* IOWA STATE (+)

NBA Saturday 10* Top Play Philadelphia 76ers (-) vs Brooklyn Nets @ 6:10 ET - Yes, the 76ers are without Embiid right now but Maxey is back and lighting things up on the statsheet. Also, this as much a play against Brooklyn as it is a play on Philly. Note that the Nets have lost 75% of their games since mid-December as they are on a 6-18 SU run. Not only that, Brooklyn had 2 of the 6 wins against a bad Detroit team and also a pair of recent wins against currently slumping Houston and Utah teams. So this line is basically saying that because Embiid is out, the 76ers are about the same level of team as the Nets. I completely disagree with current market assessment that on a neutral court these teams are about equal. Yes, even without Embiid, the Sixers are stronger than Brooklyn. Also, the Nets have lost 9 of last 11 road games and one of the only two wins was against the worst team, Pistons, in the entire league! Now the Sixers are back at home where they have won 11 of 14 games and this is a very reasonable number on Philly which has come down from about a half-dozen when it first came out. As of 10 hours before tipoff, this line is in the -4 range. Lay it! 10* PHILADELPHIA (-)

CBB Rotation #691: Saturday Rutgers Scarlet Knights (+) @ Michigan Wolverines @ 4 ET - This line is currently as high as a 4.5 as of about 5 hours before tipoff. Rutgers is off a crazy game in which they made just 1 of 17 from 3-point land. I am sure they will bounce back here. The Scarlet Knights have allowed just 66 ppg this season. The Wolverines have lost 9 of 10 games and allowed 83 ppg during this stretch. I like scrappy underdogs that are facing fellow weak teams that have a tendency to not play defense. Look for the Scarlet Knights to force an ugly low-scoring scrappy game and that leads to a great shot at the upset or, worst case, a tight finish likely decided by a single possession. The points are well worth it here. 10* RUTGERS (+)

CBB Friday Creighton Bluejays (-) vs Butler Bulldogs @ 9 ET - Butler's most recent game was against Villanova and we had the Wildcats there. The Bulldogs pulled off a miracle with a double-OT win in a game they NEVER LED in regulation and trailed by as much as 14 points in the SECOND HALF of the game. Give Butler some credit but also know that the Wildcats are proving to be a shell of the type of teams they use to be under head coach Jay Wright. Other than that miracle win over a Nova team that is proving to be one of the 3 worst teams in the conference AND an amazing win over Marquette on a rare night in which the Golden Eagles had a rare horrific shooting night, the Bulldogs other 3 wins are against the two worst teams in the Big East. That trio of victories coming against DePaul and Georgetown. The point is that this Butler team is 5-5 in Big East action but I am not impressed. Conversely, the Bluejays are chasing UConn for the top spot in the Big East and they are at home for this one where they are so strong and tend to shoot the ball very well. I also like the fact they have some size inside and this will frustrate Butler and the Bulldogs will struggle to get easy buckets all night long. That is why this is one of those rare instances where I am willing to lay bigger points as this one is a line that is currently in the -10 range as of about 10 hours before tipoff. Lay it! CREIGHTON (-)

Rotation #737: CBB Thursday 10* Top Play Drexel Dragons @ Monmouth Hawks @ 7 ET - The Dragons bounced back nicely from their very first CAA loss of the season (by just 3 points at Towson) by coming up big at home against NC AT & T. The Dragons are a very strong defensive team and they are strong on the offensive boards and they are a very deep team. Those are the kind of gritty teams that can win big games and it is a big reason Drexel is having such a solid season including now 8-1 in CAA action. As for Monmouth, the Hawks did almost upset the Dragons at Drexel last month in CAA action. However, the Hawks shot surprisingly well in that game and Drexel did not and yet the Dragons still pulled out the 4 point win. Also, all 7 of the Dragons CAA wins have been by 4 or more points this season. The current line on this one is a 4 as of about 9 hours before tipoff. Monmouth is not as strong defensively or on the boards or in terms of shooting percentage on offense either. They are 4-4 in CAA action but had lost 4 of 5 (with the only win over a bad Hampton team) prior to coming up with a win versus Hofstra in most recent game. Hofstra has not beaten any of the top tier teams in the CAA either so that win is not ultra impressive. Monmouth will have their hands full here against a Dragons team that already tasted defeat once in their most recent road game and they are very motivated and hungry here as a result in their very next road opportunity as they look to add to an 8-1 conference record. Monmouth just 9-17 SU in last 26 conference games. 10* DREXEL (-) 

CBB Wednesday 10* Top Play Kentucky Wildcats (-) vs Florida Gators @ 8 ET - This line has come down from the -7 range down to as low as a -5.5 on Kentucky as of about 7 hours before tipoff. Note that the Wildcats won the first meeting this season at Florida and that was despite the Gators outscoring them by 12 points from three point land. The Cats were an uncharacteristic 5 of 20 from 3-point land in that one. UK still won that game on the road despite the shooting variance. Now they are at home and hosting a Florida team that is just 1-3 in true road games. The only win was against a Missouri team that is having a tough season including 0-7 in SEC games! The point is that the signs strongly point to a home win here but now, what about the all important cover? Well, Kentucky has 15 wins on the season and the 2 point win over Florida and a 4 point win over a ranked UNC team are the only wins they have this season by less than 6 points! As for Florida, their last 4 losses included the 2 point defeat at home versus Kentucky and then 3 losses all by double digit margins! Look for this one to be the next one! 10* KENTUCKY (-)

Rotation #200197: English Premier League: Wednesday 10* Top Play Chelsea Goal Line +1 +100 @ Liverpool @ 3:15 ET - Each of the last 7 meetings between these clubs, amazingly, have been draws! Now, for us to lose this play, Liverpool must win by 2 goals! I like the value here of having a full +1 goal on Chelsea. I know the Reds are tough at home and I know they are having a much stronger season than the Blues thus far, but the fact is Chelsea has been surging in league action. Also, though Liverpool just destroyed a lower-tier opponent in English FA Cup action, this will be a much tougher test as the Reds continue to adjust to the fact that Jurgen Klopp will be leaving the club after this season. Liverpool did win their most recent home match in EPL action 4-2 but their 3 prior home matches in league action featured two draws and a 1-goal win. The value is with the +1 goal here on a hungry Chelsea side. Chelsea, other than Reece James, is finally getting healthy again with the core group really coming together again. Liverpool is still without Mohamed Salah. Chelsea has played 13 matches in December and January and only 1 of the 13 was a loss by more than 1 goal. The aggregate score of the other 12 matches was 24-12 (average score 2-1) in favor of Chelsea. They have been much better after a slow start to the season and they will make things very tough on Liverpool in this one. Another draw would not surprise me and neither would an upset. 10* Chelsea +1

NBA Tuesday 10* Top Play Philadelphia 76ers (+) @ Golden State Warriors @ 10 ET - I took the over last night in the Sixers game because even if Embiid missed that would mean more of a "small ball" type of game and I liked the Blazers long-term scoring trends at home as I noted in the write-up. I certainly was not shocked that Embiid did not play because he and the Sixers caught flak, including getting the attention the league office, by him not playing the prior game at Denver. From a Philly perspective it was essentially a "see, he really is hurt" statement by having him miss at Portland. I really expect both he and Maxey will return tonight. Even if they do not (though I certainly expect at least one will), note that the Sixers are in a situation that has not lost since November of 2021! Indeed that was the last time the Sixers have had a losing streak of more than 3 games. Since that point in time, Philly is 6-0 SU when they enter a game on a 3-game losing streak! In this match-up they are a dog and I did consider playing the money line here but we'll grab the available points which is currently 3.5 as of early gameday morning. The Warriors are not a strong team. Golden State is dead last in the Pacific and they continue to give up too many points. The Warriors enter this game having lost 10 of 14 games. So in this game GS is what I would term a "false favorite" as they are laying points against a solid Sixers team that will play desperate here no matter who is on the floor. We will grab the points just in case but I do look for that SU multi-year run of the Sixers when on a 3-game losing streak to reach a PERFECT 7-0 last 7 as they come out strong in this one. 10* PHILADELPHIA (+)

CBB Tuesday 10* Top Play Air Force Falcons (-) vs Wyoming Cowboys @ 9 ET - Double revenge spot for Wyoming from last season and they are much higher in the conference standings and Air Force has lost 9 of 10 games! That said, why are the Falcons favored by 4 here? Exactly! Do not let the line fool you. This Falcons team is the better team defensively, stronger on their home floor and they catch Wyoming off a huge OT upset win over Colorado State where they celebrated as if they just won the MWC Championship! The point is that the Cowboys could be flat here while the Falcons are at home and hungry and then here is another big key that might surprise you to hear. In true road games this season, Wyoming is still winless! The Cowboys are not only 0-7 SU on the road this season, they also have lost all 7 games by double digits! That means they are being asked to do something they have not managed to do in a single road game this season - that is to lose by less than 10 points! Considering this line is a 4 that means this is a go-against Wyoming spot that is a perfect 7-0 this season! Look for this one to make it 8-0 ON THE SEASON as the Falcons also catch the Cowboys off that huge upset win of a ranked team in OT! 10* AIR FORCE (-)

CBB Monday 10* Top Play Texas Longhorns (+) vs Houston Cougars @ 9 ET - Grabbing the +5.5 that is currently available as of about 13 hours before tipoff. When the betting markets are down on a team it is oftentimes the best time to back said team! That is the case here with the Longhorns! Texas has lost 3 of 5 and just lost at BYU by double digits. However, now they are a home dog to a Houston team that is very strong but proving to certainly not be unbeatable. Now, I am not saying the Horns win this outright but I am saying that I certainly will not be shocked if that happens and I feel we have excellent value here with the sizable points available. Remember that Texas won at Oklahoma and beat Baylor in their two games prior to the loss at BYU. All 3 of these teams the Longhorns have just faced are ranked teams and, of course, Houston is as well. However, the Cougars have lost 2 of last 3 road games and those were at TCU and Iowa State. Texas is arguably at a similar level to both the Horned Frogs and Cyclones so, the point is, we have some definite home dog value here. UT hungry off a loss while the Cougars could get caught looking ahead to their next game at Kansas. Yes the Jayhawks are down a little this season but they are still one of the top programs in the country annually and Houston entered the Big 12 this season knowing that Kansas, year in and year out, has a tendency to be the team to beat in this conference. Definite possibility of a lookahead here and Austin will be rocking for this home game! 10* TEXAS (+)

Rotation #206874: Romania Liga 1: Monday 10* Top Play: CFR Cluj Goal Line -1 -125 vs FC Voluntari @ 1 ET - CFR Cluj is off a terrible result? How bad was it? Bad enough to get their manager fired! CFR Cluj is one of the top clubs in the league but they returned from the break and promptly lost at FC Botosani which is the worst club in the league! Now they are back home with a new manger and will stomp all over this slumping FC Voluntari side. CFR Cluj has won each of the last 5 meetings and by an aggregate score of 14-2! CFR Cluj has scored an average of 2 goals in last 9 home matches. FC Voluntari has just 1 win in last 5 matches and, other than the victory, has scored just 1 goal in the other 4 matches combined! This one gets ugly and CFR Cluj is a heavy home favorite with good reason. That is why the goal line is a great option here! 10* CFR Cluj -1 -125

NFL Sunday 10* Top Play San Francisco 49ers -7 vs Detroit Lions @ 6:30 ET - I know that the Niners barely got by the Packers last week and we had Green Bay right here and were not surprised by the tight outcome. At the same time, the Lions beat Tampa Bay and covered last week as they won by 8 points. However, the Packers were very hot at the end of the season and the Buccaneers were not. The point is that SF was tested more last week than the Lions have been in this post-season. Keep in mind, the Lions game the week before was a 1 point Wild Card round win over the Rams but LA outgained Detroit by nearly 100 yards in that one. Now the Lions will be playing on the road for the first time in 4 weeks! I respect Detroit and I respect Goff at QB but he has a history of struggling badly against the Niners. Also, San Francisco has a big edge here as they have been at home all month long and remain home for this game. The Niners got destroyed by the Eagles in last year's NFC Championship Game. They make up for that ugly result here! They will not let a chance like this get away again. Also, the Lions pass defense has been struggling for quite some time and we know what Purdy is capable of under center. Other than one horrible game against the Ravens in December, he has been consistent and strong for much of this season. Yes, we must lay a TD here but all of the Niners regular season wins were by at least 7 points and 11 of the 12 victories were by a double digit margin! Last week's tight win over Green Bay merely serving to give us line value. We have the better defense and the situational advantage and line value here. 3 of the 4 Lions road losses this season were by at least 7 points and this one will be too! I respect Detroit and they are getting close but they are not quite there yet. This is the 49ers year to get to the Super Bowl after last year's debacle in Philadelphia. Now they are home and are the more balanced team in this match-up. 10* SAN FRANCISCO -7

Vancouver -1.5 -115 vs Columbus Blue Jackets @ 10 ET - This is a great spot for a home rout. Vancouver has been one of the hottest teams around. They are coming off a loss however to St Louis. The only team to beat the Canucks, other than the Blues, the entire month of January is Columbus! That said, the Blue Jackets are in for a rude welcoming here in Vancouver. The Canucks lost that game at Columbus in the shootout and they will be ready for revenge here. Vancouver is a heavy money line favorite here with good reason but we get line value on the puck line. Note that the Blue Jackets last 4 losses have all been by a margin of 3 or more goals! As for the Canucks, 21 of their last 28 wins have been by 2 or more goals. Here you have one of the league's best hosting one of the league's worst and they are out for revenge. This one should get ugly! 10* VANCOUVER -1.5 -115

NBA Saturday 10* Top Play Philadelphia 76ers (+) @ Denver Nuggets @ 5:40 ET - The Nuggets are at home and this line has gone from as low as 3.5 to as high as 5.5 points. This is a revenge game for Denver as they lost at Philly earlier this month. However, Embiid is so focused when he is healthy and playing this team and he is ready for this one just like he was in Philly less than two weeks ago. It is the big battle between Jokic and Embiid. In past visits here for the Sixers, Embiid either missed the game or played but was not healthy. The situation this season is different and that will be reflected on the scoreboard as well. The Nuggets are the defending champs and a great team but only 1 of their last 5 games has resulted in a Denver win by more than 5 points. We have some value here with a talented underdog that sees this match-up as a huge game. The Sixers know the NBA title chase ran through Denver last season and that it ultimately could be the same story out west this season. The Sixers must prove they can win here. I do expect Maxey (ankle) to play and, keep in mind, the Nuggets have key players banged up too. That counteracts the impact should Maxey not play in this one. The points are just too valuable here in a game the Sixers can win outright if Embiid keeps playing like he has been. I look for another aggressive game from him here as he looks to again outduel a player, Jokic, that he greatly respects. 10* PHILADELPHIA (+)

NBA 10* Top Play Thursday 10* Top Play Philadelphia 76ers (-) @ Indiana Pacers @ 7:10 ET - The Sixers are about 5 to 5.5 point favorites on the road here. Even though Indiana is at home, they will be without Haliburton and also the Pacers just got back from a long road trip. After a long road swing like that, the first game back is almost the toughest. Making it even tougher is when you face a revenge-minded Sixers team that is on a hot streak. I know Harris might be out for the Sixers tonight but they are otherwise looking strong and certainly the Haliburton absence for the Pacers is the big one. Indiana did spring that upset at Philly as noted above but the Pacers outscored the Sixers beyond the arc by 21 points (differential of 7 threes) as the 76ers had a rare tough shooting night from deep. Philly had taken the first meeting this season by double digits and I expect a repeat of that here. The Sixers enter this one on a 6-game winning streak and the average margin of victory has been 11 points per game. The Pacers have lost 5 of 6 games and are a very weak team defensively. In this revenge spot it will be Philly bringing the better defensive effort. 10* PHILADELPHIA (-)

Rotation #755: CBB Thursday 10* Top Play Drexel Dragons (+) @ Towson Tigers @ 7 ET - I like games like this in which the line flips. Drexel has gone from being a small favorite when this opened to now being a small dog in the 1.5 point range as of about 6 hours before tipoff. Something has to give here as the Dragons are 7-0 in conference play but the Tigers are 8-0  L8 home games. I like the way this Drexel is such a cohesive group and they have the better numbers on both ends of the floor. The Dragons have a higher shooting percentage on the offensive end and they are one of the top 25 teams defensively in the nation! Towson is solid defensively but not as strong as Drexel and the Tigers offense often bogs down against top defensive units. Home court is important in college hoops especially but the odds makers are certainly well aware of that as well. That being said, the Dragons were installed as the favorite here with good reason. I am fading the line move and rolling with a defensive-minded road dog that has meshed well this season. This team is very cohesive as I noted above and a true "team" that is building a winning culture. Season after season of late the Dragons are looking better and better. Now they sit at the top of the conference and that is not a perch they will give up easily. They are ready for this game and have solid team depth also. 10* DREXEL (+)

Rotation #202214: Copa del Rey | Quarter-Finals: Thursday 10* Top Play Atletico Madrid -1 -140 vs Sevilla @ 3 ET - This is a pair of Spanish La Liga clubs squaring off in this one. I know Sevilla would love nothing more than to score a huge upset here, and they had success outside the league last season, but this is just not their year! Sevilla is struggling so badly and Atletico Madrid is on their home pitch and they are the healthier club and they are playing extremely well. In league action they are undefeated at home with 9 wins and 1 push. As for Sevilla, they have just 3 wins in 21 matches in league action this season. Not only that, they enter this one off a 5-1 loss to Girona. In league action they have lost 4 straight matches and by an average score of 3 to 1. I project another multi-goal loss here as the last 10 wins for Atletico Madrid across all competitions have come by an average margin of 2 goals apiece! Blowout time here. 10* Atletico Madrid -1 -140

Rotation #723: CBB Wednesday 10* Top Play Villanova Wildcats (+) @ St John's Red Storm @ 8:30 ET - The Wildcats lost the first meeting at home by double digits this season. It was a 10 point defeat thanks in part to the Red Storm hitting 44% of their threes while Villanova was a horrible 6 of 28 from beyond the arc! Overall in the game St John's hit 48% from the field while Nova hit just 39% from the field. Now we have a nice revenge spot set up here and the Wildcats are hungry but also confident in this rematch. That's because they just put a scare into the #1 team in the country when they nearly upset UConn this past weekend! I know some will look and say that they are spent after a loss like that, the reality is the Wildcats are hungry because they know they almost did it but almost is not good enough of course. They will have great determination here and we can take advantage of a line that was lower but has moved higher on the Red Storm. I love fading line moves like that. Note that St John's has not been great. The Red Storm have lost 3 straight and now face a team that swept them last season and that normally holds the upper hand in this series. Prior to the upset win by St John's earlier this season, the Wildcats had beaten them 6 straight times. The Cats are not what they used to be under Hall of Fame coach Jay Wright but they are showing signs of turning the corner on this season as the 1-point loss to the Huskies shows. I expect an outright win here but we'll grab the points just in case. 10* VILLANOVA (+)

CBB Tuesday 10* Top Play Fresno State Bulldogs (+) vs Boise State Broncos @ 10:30 ET - This line is in the 5.5 to 6 range as of about 10 hours before tipoff and it is a great spot for a home dog upset. We will grab the points just in case but the Bulldogs are playing this game with triple revenge and the set-up is perfect. Not only did Fresno State lose last season's meeting, they also lost both meetings the season before and that included the only home loss out of these three games coming in OT. Not only do the Bulldogs have plenty of motivation here, the setup is perfect. Boise State is off a hard-fought 1-point win over San Diego State while Fresno State is off one of their worst performances of the season. The Bulldogs just lost by 21 points at ranked Utah State. Fresno State was on a 5-5 run prior to that with 2 of those losses by 3 or less points. They have played a road-heavy schedule too so they are offering extra value here on their home floor after 5 of their last 7 games have been on the road. Boise State, on the other hand, has had very few true road games this season and 8 of their last 11 have been home games. Based purely on records, everyone will be looking at the road team in this one but the situational edge and motivational edge is all Bulldogs in this one. 10* FRESNO STATE (+)

NHL Tuesday 8* EDMONTON -1.5 -145 - With this one priced in the -145 range on the puck line, we will go lower than the typical 10* rating here and go with an 8* selection. The value is certainly there though as the Oilers have won 13 in a row and what is even more impressive about that is 9 of the 13 games were on the road! Edmonton is very hot and fully capable of dominating a Blue Jackets team that has won just 5 of 19 road games this season. Columbus is one of the worst teams in the league and they have lost 9 of 12 games. The Jackets last 3 defeats and 4 of last 5 losses have come by a margin of 3 or more goals! Look for this one to be ugly as well as the Blue Jackets have been outscored 16-5 in their last 3 losses and they have not won a game in regulation in one month! 8* EDMONTON -1.5 -145

NBA Tuesday 10* Top Play Utah Jazz (+) @ New Orleans Pelicans @ 8:10 ET - This line is in the 6.5 range as of 9 hours before tipoff and I like the underdog value here. Yes, Utah does not have a good SU record on the road and the Pelicans are tough at home. However, this Jazz team has been playing very well for an extended stretch here and the 3 meetings between these teams so far this season have all been tight. Those 3 games have been decided by an average margin of 4.7 points. Utah enters this game off B2B losses but both were by 5 or less points! Prior to this, the Jazz had won 12 of 14 games! So this Jazz team is still hot and and they have been tough to beat by a big margin and here they have revenge for losing their most recent game at New Orleans and yet we have a half-dozen points to work with! I will take it! The Pelicans have not exactly been setting the world on fire as they are just 9-7 SU last 16 games and I feel we have solid value with the way the Jazz have been playing and yet entering this game off B2B losses. The Jazz have not lost 3 straight since early December. Upset alert here but we'll grab the points just in case. 10* UTAH (+)

CBB Monday 10* Top Play Wake Forest Demon Deacons (+) @ North Carolina Tar Heels @ 7 ET - Yes this will be a tough test for the Demon Deacons but, as of 11 hours before tipoff, 8 is the line on this game. That is noteworthy as Wake Forest is 13-5 this season and has not lost a game by more than 7 points! So WF, based on the line in this game, would be 18-0 on the season. Also, in their most recent game the Demon Deacons just got senior Damari Monsanto back and he has been a solid contributor in his career and already produced a solid showing in his first game of this season. He is a strong 3-point shooter so having him back is a key. Monsanto delivered 12 points in the win. Plenty of respect for this Tar Heels team but UNC is facing a confident Wake Forest team that is playing with an extra boost right now after the return of Monsanto. Also, the Demon Deacons beat the Tar Heels in their most recent meeting last season. Don't be surprised if this game goes to the wire. 10* WAKE FOREST (+)

NBA Sunday 10* Top Play Portland Trail Blazers (+) @ Los Angeles Lakers @ 10:10 ET - First off I know the Blazers are one of the weaker teams in the league but the Lakers are only mediocre in my eyes and that means we have excellent line value here given a few other keys with this one as well. Portland enters this game off B2B wins so that helps a little with confidence. The Lakers are off a bad loss in most recent game and they also could get caught looking ahead to a big game with the rival Clippers on deck. Don't be surprised if LeBron and Company make the mistake of looking right past these Blazers. Also, about LeBron, he is not 100% and could be rested some especially as this game goes on which would allow Portland backdoor cover potential, if that is even needed. Also Anthony Davis appears to have a more serious injury issue he is dealing with now so, even if he plays, he will not be 100% and he could be rested here as a maintenance day given his new injury designation. So, at the end of the day, this is just too many points to give the Blazers in a game like this. Their confidence has been increasing also with recent wins. They will hang around in this game and this one decided by single digits. We'll grab the 10.5 points on offer in this one as of 9 hours before tipoff. 10* PORTLAND (+)

NFL Sunday 10* Top Play Buffalo Bills (-) vs Kansas City Chiefs @ 6:30 ET - Amazingly Mahomes has 15 career NFL playoff games and 12 were at home and 3 were neutral site (because they were Super Bowl games). That said, this is his first road start in the playoffs which is quite amazing. Now certainly I don't expect this to be a huge impact for a guy with the experience he has but it still not ideal as this is his first ever playoff game - including Super Bowls of course - where almost no one will be cheering for him in the entire stadium! The Bills are hungry and, for Josh Allen, home field does matter. He had an 11-11 TD-INT ratio on the road this season but an 18-7 TD-INT ratio in home starts. Long-term Allen has fantastic numbers at home and he and the Bills love playing here. The Chiefs have been in the Super Bowl 3 of the last 4 seasons but there is a different feel with this team this season. I am not saying either one of these teams would get by the Ravens next week to reach the Super Bowl (we will cross that bridge when we get there!) but I am saying that Bills are very hungry for their chance finally AND this KC team just has not been as dynamic on offense this season. The Bills are scoring an average of 28 points last 8 games including 6 straight wins and not a single loss in regulation. Both teams are strong defensively but Chiefs averaging only 20.6 points last 10 games NOT even including the season finale in which Gabbert was at QB for them. The last 10 games that INCLUDED Mahomes the Chiefs went just 5-5 SU and all 5 losses by at least 3 points so lay the 2.5 here with the home team! 10* BUFFALO (-)

Sunday CBB 10* Top Play Indiana State Sycamores (-) @ Murray State Racers @ 5 ET - Even though the Racers lost the 2nd meeting last season, the first meeting was a loss for the Sycamores at Murray State. That being said, there is no way that Indiana State is overlooking this match-up and they are just too strong for Murray State. The Sycamores are 15-3 this season and their only 3 losses were to Michigan State, Alabama and Drake. Note that Drake is another of the top teams in the MVC just like Indiana State. As for the Racers, 4 of their 5 conference wins have come against 3 teams that have a combined 6-18 record in the MVC. So, even though Murray State has been hot, it deserves an asterisk. The Sycamores on a whole other level. Lay it! This line currently in the 5 to 5.5 range. 10* INDIANA STATE (-)

NFL Sunday 10* Top Play Detroit Lions (-) vs Tampa Bay Buccaneers @ 3 ET - Detroit is 7-1 SU last 8 games at home and last week's 1 point win was a rare exception of a very tight win as their last 11 victories overall had all been by at least 3 points. Now I know we are laying 6 points in this particular match-up versus the Bucs. However, Tampa Bay has seen 6 of their 8 losses this season come by at least 6 points. Though TB ended up being able take advantage of a dysfunctional Eagles team last week that wrapped the season in ugly fashion, they now face a Lions team that is surging at the right time and I really like their head coach as well. He has the respect of this locker room and that goes a long way in sports. Now, back to the Bucs, note that entering last week's game, though the Bucs started this season 3-1 they then went 6-7 the rest of the way. Not only that, TB went just 1-5 against playoff teams in the regular season! That included a TB loss to the Lions and that game was at Tampa and Detroit won by 14 and won the yardage battle by over 100 yards! The Lions have the better ground game in this match-up and will be able run against the Bucs here and that establishes the passing attack as it makes TB respect the ground game. Keep in mind Tampa Bay just beat the defending NFC Champion Eagles and now they are having to go on the road on short rest and face a team that is worlds better than the Eagles are right now. This sets up well for the Buccaneers to get their doors blown off here. Lay it! 10* DETROIT (-)

NFL Saturday Green Bay Packers (+) @ San Francisco 49ers @ 8:15 ET - This line is in the range of -10 on San Francisco as of 11 hours before kickoff. While I certainly have a lot of respect for the 49ers they also finished the season 2-3 SU and 0-5 ATS L5 home games. The point is they tend to be a little over-valued here at home and I feel strongly that is the case again here. In this case they are facing a Packers team that finished the season on a 6-2 SU run and now, including playoffs, it is 7-2 SU last 9 games! Including post-season, Green Bay played 18 games this season and only 3 of the 17 games were a GB loss by more than 4 points! Surprisingly all 3 of those ugly defeats came at home! The Packers, including the win at Dallas last week, are only 5-5 SU on the road but all 5 losses were by 4 or less points and those 5 defeats averaged just a 2.6 point margin. In other words, in this game San Francisco is being asked to do something no other team has managed yet this season. The Niners are being asked to beat the traveling Packers by a spread greater than 4 points which makes this a 10-0 YTD factor as no team has done that this season! I also like taking big dogs in ugly weather games and rain and possibly wind as well could factor into this game. The Packers, as well as Jordan Love, are peaking at the right time. Look for this to be a great game decided by a one-score margin. The confidence level of the Pack is sky-high right now and the Niners could be a little rusty as the play their first meaningful game in quite some time. Sometimes teams lose momentum in cases like this and this GB team absolutely believe in itself and their run on that 10-0 YTD factor is all set for 11 in a row. 10* GREEN BAY (+)

Rotation #793: CBB Saturday 10* Top Play Connecticut Huskies (-) @ Villanova Wildcats @ 8 ET - The Wildcats are just not on the level of prior teams in the Jay Wright years. Yes they are a solid team and they are at home here. However, that is what is keeping this line lower than it should be because the Huskies are a elite team and the Wildcats are not. Connecticut only has 2 losses this season and they were on the road but against Kansas, one of top teams in country and Seton Hall, the other strongest team in the Big East Conference along with UConn. That said, excellent value with this line in the 3.5 range as of 8 hours before tipoff. The Wildcats have only won 5 of 10 games and, of the 5 wins, two were against a very bad DePaul team and one was against a UCLA team struggling badly at the time. Though they did have a surprising win over Creighton their only other win of these 5 was against a Xavier team that has only been mediocre so far this season. That said, the Huskies wins have all been by at least 4 points and they have not lost to a team that is on the level of the Wildcats this entire season. Huskies win and Huskies cover! 10* CONNECTICUT (-) 

NBA Saturday 10* Top Play Charlotte Hornets (+) vs Philadelphia 76ers @ 7:10 ET - This line is in the 11 range as of 8 hours before tipoff. This is the 2nd of 4 meetings between these teams this season and the first game was in Charlotte and was a memorable one! The Hornets suffered their worst home loss in franchise history! 135 to 82 was the final score in that one. Now you have a motivated Hornets team at home and playing with some added confidence after winning their most recent game. Yes it was against the lowly Spurs but that was a much-needed win for Charlotte. Now they host a Sixers team off a big win at Orlando last night. Though Embiid will likely play some, with this being the 2nd game of a B2B and now facing a lesser foe, Philly may choose to rest him some as the game goes on. The Hornets will prove to be the more motivated team here and that will help them keep this game to single digits. The hosts remember all too well how the prior meeting played out this season. Embarrassing home court loss, worst of franchise history, means payback here. Hornets keep this one to single digits. 10* CHARLOTTE (+)

NBA Friday 10* Top Play Philadelphia 76ers (-) @ Orlando Magic @ 7:10 ET - This line is around a -5 as of about 10 hours before tipoff. The Sixers recently beat the Magic at Orlando by 20 points so this is a revenge spot for the Magic. However, Orlando will again be without Wagner and he scored 24 of the 92 points the Magic had in the prior game with Philly. Yes, this is the front end of a B2B for the Sixers but tomorrow it is lowly Charlotte that they will be facing. In other words, I am sure this game has the full attention of Philadelphia and the absence of Wagner will be significant here for the Magic. They enter this game having lost 4 of 5 and the fact they are off a buzzer-beater loss versus a divisional foe will not help them in the confidence department here. The high-flying Sixers can take advantage. 10* PHILADELPHIA (-)

CBB Rotation #887 Friday: Akron Zips (pick'em) @ Kent State Golden Flashes @ 7 ET - The Zips played their most recent game without Nate Johnson but Ali Ali came back mid-December and Akron is 8-1 in the 9 games he has played in with the only loss coming by a single point. Ali Ali has been fantastic. Also, this is a great spot for Akron as this is a double revenge spot. Not only did the Zips lose in their late season visit to Kent State late last season, the Golden Flashes then knocked them out of the conference tourney soon after that as well! In other words, high motivation here and this is a big rivalry match-up and we get line value since this one is at Kent State. The fact is that Akron has been the much stronger team early this season and they enter this game winners of 5 straight and 9 of 10. The Golden Flashes enter this game off a win but had lost 5 of 6 games prior to that victory. Home court matters a lot in college basketball but it is not enough to get this Kent State team over the hump against a double revenge-minded rival that is in better current form. 10* AKRON Pick'em 

Rotation #206837: Romania Liga 1: Friday Poli Iasi +0.5 goals +100 @ Sepsi @ 10 AM ET - This is the first match after the long winter break. Also, rain is moving into Sfantu Gheorghe for this game which is set for 5 PM local time in Romania. That means the value of the 1/2 goal is even greater and I also like the fact Iasi is off a 3-1 loss prior to the break. Note that Iasi has not had B2B losses since August! That was when they were mired in a rough start to the season with 5 losses in first 6 matches. Since then, Iasi has only 3 losses in last 15 matches and all we need here is a draw to cash our ticket. Don't be surprised if the road team springs the upset here. Iasi has only one loss in the last five meetings between these clubs. Also, Sepsi was hot before the break and the last thing a club with momentum wants is a break as that can cool them off. The weather and situational edges here plus line value all favor the road underdog. POLI IASI +0.5 goals +100

Rotation #819: CBB Thursday Washington Huskies (+) @ California Golden Bears @ 9 ET - This line has swung from Huskies being roughly a 2 point favorite to now the Bears being roughly a 2.5 point favorite as of about 11 hours before tipoff. I like fading line moves like this plus there is a lot more to like about this play! For starters Cal is overvalued here. Lets not forget this Golden Bears team is coming off a 3-29 season. In a season with so many losses like that, there would be very few where payback would matter but the one that ended their season was a loss to Washington State in the Conference Tourney. The Bears have the Cougars on deck and certainly that one would be more of an attention-getter than this one! Also this is a Cal team that is now 30-80 the past 3 and 1/2 seasons! As for the Huskies, they are off their worst loss of the season. Washington just lost by double digits. Prior to this, the Huskies were 10-6 this season with all losses by a single-digit margin and by an average margin of just 4 points! Coming off the double digit loss and facing a team that has won only 27% of games last 3 and 1/2 seasons, I like our chances here! We get excellent line value because the Huskies are on the road. Yes, home court matters, but Cal has been losing everywhere in recent seasons including this one! The Bears did beat Colorado here but, other than that, their wins are nothing to write home about AND in that win over the Buffaloes they were down by as many as 20 points. The Huskies are well aware of that and will keep their pedal to the metal all game long in this one. Now getting as much as 2.5 points here as of gameday morning, love the value in this one. WASHINGTON (+)

NBA Wednesday 10* Top Play Dallas Mavericks (+) @ Los Angeles Lakers @ 8:40 ET - The Mavericks are in the +4 or +3.5 range in this one and I know many will be looking at the Lakers here in a double revenge spot but I look for the Mavs to complete the trifecta and make the series a 3-0 sweep for the regular season. The key here is the line value with the Mavericks getting solid points as a road dog to a team that has been struggling for quite some time now. The Lakers have lost 12 of 18 games. Also, in those 18 games, ONLY 3 have been victories by more than a 3 point margin. Yes, I am aware Doncic is a game time decision here but Hardaway Jr just had 41 with the extra minutes he is getting because Doncic is out. Couple that with the fact Irving is on fire, the Mavs have won 2 of 3 now even with Doncic out. Long-term this Dallas team is on an 8 of 13 run and one of those 5 losses was by just 5 points. They are the top team in the Southwest Division and the Lakers continue to be over-rated by the betting masses. Los Angeles is not a great team. Let's grab the underdog value here. 10* DALLAS (+)

NBA Tuesday 10* Top Play Philadelphia 76ers (-) vs Denver Nuggets @ 7:30 ET - This line has dropped a little from as high as a 4.5 overnight to now being down to as low as a 2.5 as of about 8.5 hours before tipoff. There are so many injury question marks entering this one but I feel the biggest key is that the only significant one for the Sixers is Embiid and yet he just came back from some time off. So, even though this is a B2B spot, Embiid is in good shape and even his coach is expecting him to play again tonight. Keep in mind, the 76ers win was an early game yesterday too at mid-day so that helps in the rest department plus it was a blowout win that was not nearly as close as the final score would lead you to believe. The Sixers were therefore able to rest guys and no one played more than 31 minutes. As for the Nuggets, they have a number of key players on their injury report including Jokic. Now certainly I do expect Jokic to play tonight but with other players likely missing and a number of guys (including Jokic) not 100% if they even do play, the Sixers are the play here at home. Philly's Embiid also would have some extra motivation here because Jokic got his ring with Denver last season and, of course, Embiid and Jokic are two of the best big men in the league! Extra motivation for a 76ers club that still wants to prove it can beat the best and rise the elite level. Lay the short number here. 10* PHILADELPHIA (-) 

Rotation #623: CBB Tuesday 10* Top Play Florida Gators (+) @ Tennessee Volunteers @ 5 ET - The line on this is in the range of 10 points as of about 5 hours before tipoff for this early game on Tuesday. The Volunteers are a great team but the Gators are no slouches and I am going to challenge the Vols to win this thing by double digits. The fact is that Florida has 3 tight losses in the 5 defeats they have this season. In their only truly ugly loss this season (against Ole Miss), it was simply one of those nights when the Rebels were making everything. They just could not miss that night and, other than that, the Gators have been in every game this season. Florida had a big year under their first year coach last year and his 2nd year should end up being just as strong. This is a very talented team that scores well and rebounds well and they will not be intimated on the road. Yes, Barnes is a great veteran coach for the Volunteers and Tennessee does want revenge for last season's loss at Florida. However, this Gators team is solid and the Vols also have Alabama on deck and the Crimson Tide are one of the few remaining undefeated teams in conference games in SEC so far this season. Value on the big dog in this one as revenge is being over-priced here! 10* FLORIDA (+)

NFL Monday 10* Top Play Philadelphia Eagles (-) @ Tampa Bay Buccaneers @ 8:15 ET - Everyone is talking about the demise of the Eagles and, understandably so, as they as fell apart late in the season. However, with adversity can come opportunity. This is the Eagles opportunity to seize the moment and there is still a ton of talent on this team as well as the heart of a Champion. Yes, they were NFC Champions last season. For starters lets talk about the fact that the Bucs started this season 3-1 but then went 6-7 the rest of the way. Not only that, TB went just 1-5 against playoff teams this season! But wait a second, you are saying Tampa has home field here so that is a key factor? Well, guess what, the Bucs 2 home games versus playoff teams were both losses by 14 points and that included one to these Eagles. Philly ran overall them in that win and I expect them to return to that physical display up front and dominate and open up rushing lanes to again gash TB on the ground. You saw what the Lions ground game did against the Cowboys yesterday. This will be similar. Ground attacks can win playoff games. Now I am well aware that AJ Brown is out for Philly but that is what is keeping this line down and I know Hurts has a finger injury. However, it seems like a key Buccaneers injury is being ignored because of this. Baker Mayfield has a rib issue and ankle injury. He was hobbling around against the Panthers last week and then barely practiced this week. Hurts has the playoff factor edge and better health in comparison with Mayfield. Hurts was huge in last year's postseason while Mayfield only had one post-season and his first start was good but his second start helped eliminate his team from the playoffs. Look for a similar result here. The Bucs went 1-5 against playoff teams and the Eagles went 6-2 against playoff teams this year. For all the doom and gloom about Philly they are still the better team in this match-up and, after an ugly finish to the season - unlike the Cowboys, the Eagles know how to turn things up to a higher notch when the post-season rolls around. This should be a road rout ladies and gentlemen. 10* PHILADELPHIA (-)

NFL Monday 10* Top Play Buffalo Bills (-) vs Pittsburgh Steelers @ 4:30 ET - I said it all season long that the Steelers are the worst winning team in a long time in this league. They kept getting outgained but yet winning game after game. They finished the season going 4-4 last 8 games after one of the luckiest 6-3 starts in the history of this league. Pittsburgh will be exposed here on Monday by a Bills team that is coming on strong at the end of the season. Buffalo is not an easy place to play and losing Watt also hurts this Steelers team. By the way, in that 4-4 finish to the season, the Steelers only win over a playoff team was when they faced the Ravens in the season finale but Baltimore had nothing to play for and rested guys. So now a Steelers anemic offense led by Mason Rudolph faces a Bills offense led by Josh Allen who had an 18-6 TD-INT ratio in home games this season prior to throwing a pick in Buffalo's final home game. Rudolph has a 5-6 TD-INT ratio dating back to the latter part of the 2019 season when he is on the road. Though this line at -10 might seem high to some the fact is that the Bills home field edge might be closer to 4 points than 3 and that means this line is effectively set at a -6 on a neutral field. But is Buffalo a team that is only 6 points better than this over-rated Steelers team that -outstatted week after week this season - might be the worst 10-7 team in NFL history? Not in my book, no way! The Bills are at least 2 TD better on a neutral field. Look for the hosts to win this by about 17! Lay the 10 points here. 10* BUFFALO (-)

NBA Monday 10* Top Play Philadelphia 76ers (-) vs Houston Rockets @ 1:10 ET - The Sixers should have Embiid back for this one but, either way, they are off a blowout win over the Kings without him. Philly is now 14-6 at home this season and Houston is only 4-13 on the road this season. This looks like a blowout that favors the host in a big way. The Rockets just lost by 32 at Boston and that was their 3rd loss in 4 games. Philly already won the first meeting by 4 points and that was at Houston and the Sixers did not have Embiid in that one. Again, he could be back for this one and Philly is at home and he did practice fully each of the last two days. Lay the points here for another blowout as the home/road variance is a big edge for the hosts in this one. Laying 7.5 points here (as of 3 hours before tipoff) is a value line in my opinion. 10* PHILADELPHIA (-)

NFL Sunday Detroit Lions (-) vs Los Angeles Rams @ 8:15 ET - The Rams have been on a hot run to close out the season but this Lions team is also playing very well and they are at home and they are very well-coached which is certainly a key when you are facing a well-coached Rams team. Detroit is coming off a huge season and their only loss since December 10th was a tough 1-point loss at Dallas in which it looked like they had the game won. The Lions were robbed by the refs in that game at the end as was well-documented. In this match-up I like the fact that Detroit is the better running team and also is better defensively against the run. The Rams are certainly solid too but the edges here for the Lions in the ground game on both sides of the ball can be a key in a playoff setting. Also both home teams got big wins in yesterday's opening wild card day and laying a -3 at home is a solid line value for a Lions team whose last 11 wins were by at least 3 points. All 7 Rams losses were by at least 3 points this season. The Rams were just 4-4 SU in last 8 games on the road. Lions went 6-1 SU L7 games at home. So if you like the Lions to win the game SU at home you can also see why we have ATS value with this low line available at a -3 as of 8 hours before kickoff. Lay it! 10* DETROIT (-) 

CBB Sunday 10* Top Play Washington Huskies (Pick or +1 or -1) @ UCLA Bruins @ 7 ET - The Bruins are a mess right now and they are hoping to fix things but it won't come quickly and it won't come against a solid Huskies team like this one. UCLA has been trying to fix things for awhile but the issue is that Cronin can't get the confidence of this team back. They get down on offense because their shots won't fall and they don't create the looks they need to on the offensive end so then they fall behind. As they see the scoreboard constantly going against them. their defense and rebounding also starts to struggle as they just lose their confidence. This has been a recurring pattern for this Cronin team this season and I don't see it turning around immediately. They will have to face a weaker foe in the right situation to turn this around. This is not the right team nor the right situation. Huskies roll. 10* WASHINGTON

NFL Sunday Green Bay Packers +7 @ Dallas Cowboys @ 4:30 ET - The Cowboys have had an amazing regular season at home but take a closer look at the games. When they faced the Rams, LA was in the midst of a disastrous 3-6 start to the season. LA went 7-1 the rest of the way. When they faced the Eagles, Philly was shell-shocked off an embarrassing loss to the 49ers that began a season-ending 1-5 run. As for wins over other respectable teams, the win over the Seahawks was by just 6 points and the win over the Lions was by just a single point. Anyone who watched those two games knows Dallas very easily could (should) of lost both games outright! As for their other 4 home wins this season, those came against teams with a combined record of 21-47 this season! Per the above, the Cowboys 8-0 home record is a little over-valued. They are not facing a bad team here nor are they facing a team that has been stumbling. In fact they are facing a Packers team that finished the season on a 6-2 SU run! Green Bay played 17 games this season of course and only 3 of the 17 games were a GB loss by more than 4 points! Surprisingly all 3 of those ugly defeats came at home! The Packers were only 4-5 SU on the road but all 5 losses were by 4 or less points and those 5 defeats averaged just a 2.6 point margin. In other words, in this game Dallas is being asked to do something no other team has managed yet this season. The Cowboys are being asked to beat the traveling Packers by a spread greater than 4 points which makes this a 9-0 YTD factor as no team has done that this season! 10* GREEN BAY +7

NBA Saturday 10* Top Play Chicago Bulls (-) @ San Antonio Spurs @ 8:40 ET - Great set up here. The Spurs are off B2B wins and it has been over a year since they have won 3 straight! Indeed, you have to go back to December 2022 for the last time the Spurs won 3 games in a row! Adding to the value here is the fact that Wembanyama will be rested for San Antonio plus Chicago is off a loss. The Bulls, in other words, will be hungry here as they had won 3 straight before that loss and the defeat ruined their ring of honor night which also was ruined by the boos when long-time owner Jerry Krause, whose widow was in attendance, had his name announced. Unsurprisingly, the Bulls went on to get destroyed in the 2nd half after that. Also, this was even despite having a double digit edge at the half. So the Bulls will be ready here and the fact this game is on the road is even better for them after that debacle at home. It also keeps this line manageable. Considering that Wembanyama will not play because SA is in a B2B and considering this line is just 5.5 as of about 8 hours before tipoff, this is a great value! 10* CHICAGO (-)

NFL Saturday 10* Top Play Miami Dolphins (+) @ Kansas City Chiefs @ 8:15 ET - The Dolphins were at Buffalo in last season's playoffs and lost by just 3 points even though Miami was down to a 3rd string QB. For many years, it has been made a big deal when warm weather teams go to cold weather cities. However, Miami has certainly had their share of cold weather games in recent seasons. Also, this is a much a play against the Chiefs as it is a play on the Dolphins. Kansas City just has not looked as strong or as dominant this season. Kansas City went just 5-5 SU in their last 10 games and only 2 of the 5 wins were by more than a 1-score margin! This line is as high as a +5 as of 11 hours before kickoff and I love the value here with this scrappy Miami team. The Dolphins have the better rushing numbers both offensively and defensively in this match-up and that could be a key with brutally cold weather for this game in KC and gusty winds possible. This game could turn into a bit of a grinder and I like having the sizable points on my side here. Also, Kelce's numbers dropped off this season and there also was a decline late in the season. If you are sick of the Taylor Swift drama with Kelce - which perhaps this is impacting him too - don't be surprised if you don't have to worry about it after this week. An outright upset would not surprise me in the least as this is a hungry up-and-coming dog facing a once-dominant Chiefs team that is on the decline. We'll grab the points just in case but we may not even need them. 10* MIAMI (+)

NFL Saturday 10* Top Play Cleveland Browns (-) @ Houston Texans @ 4:30 ET - Absolutely I respect the job they have done this season for the Texans but the fact is CJ Stroud is still a rookie QB making his first post-season appearance and DeMeco Ryans is still a first year head coach. Conversely, Kevin Stefanaski is in his 4th year as Browns head coach. They did make the post-season in his first season as head coach and won in the Wild Card Round over Pittsburgh. Though they lost to the AFC Champion Chiefs in the Divisional round but Kansas City went 14-2 that season. No shame in that. I like how Stefanaski took care of business for the Browns this season even though they had some significant injury issues. Also, Joe Flacco is a 38 year old veteran QB who had a huge push late this season and has this Browns team very confident heading into the post-season. He has thrown passes in 14 playoff games in his career over 6 different post-seasons. In his last 4 post-seasons he has 24 TD passes against only 5 INTs! Flacco is the veteran guy I want here and the Browns defense is the better D plus they come from a tougher division. The other 3 teams in their division went 33-18 this season while the other 3 teams in the Texans division went 24-27 and none of them made the post-season. The Browns, on the other hand, are one of 3 teams that made the playoffs out of 4 from the AFC North. There is a reason that Houston is a home underdog here. Don't let the line fool you! 10* CLEVELAND (-)

Rotation #817: CBB Thursday 10* Top Play Michigan State Spartans (+) @ Illinois Illini @ 9 ET - This is one of those "someone knows something" lines. The Spartans are only 3.5 dogs here as of about 9 hours before game time. That would mean these teams are rated equally on a neutral floor but yet Illinois is a ranked team in the Top Ten and has only 3 losses this season while the Spartans already have 6 losses including 3 in the Big Ten! In what universe could this line be only 3.5 on the Illini given these facts? Exactly! That is why the play here, in my typical contrarian fashion, is absolutely on Michigan State. Keep in mind the Spartans lost the only meeting between these teams last season so this is also a revenge spot for them. The Illini are currently without Terrence Shannon Jr after off the court issue that continues under investigation. Though they only lost by 5 points at Purdue they were down big most of the game and, by as many as 21 points, and they never led the entire way in the 5-point loss. The Illini shot a higher 3 point percentage than usual and that helped the cause and it should have been a loss by double digits. The Spartans also off a loss in which they were done in by turnover margin and points off turnovers killed them. They will respond here. So well-coached under Izzo and they will clean things up here and they catch Illinois off a game in which they gave a lot of effort twice battling back from huge deficits in that game. Spartans have great shot at the upset here but we'll grab the points just in case. Illinois also won both meetings the year before last so this is a double revenge spot. 10* MICHIGAN STATE (+)

NHL 8* Winnipeg Jets Puck Line -1.5 -145 vs Chicago Blackhawks @ 8:07 ET - The Blackhawks Mrazek is off a solid start but he allowed 4.5 goals per outing in his 4 most recent appearances prior to that. The Jets will go with their #2 option (Brossoit) here and he has been great when getting the nod instead of Hellebuyck lately. He has allowed only 2 goals per game in his last 5 starts. This is also a revenge game for the Jets as they lost at Chicago in the most recent game. That is why I am confident that Winnipeg will come out strong here and continue their red hot run. The Jets have been red hot with wins in 7 straight games! Their only loss the last 10 games was to the Blackhawks. They will absolutely be ready for revenge here. Chicago is an ugly 4-17-1 in their road games this season. The Jets are on top of the NHL with a 27-9-4 record this season. This has the makings of a blowout! 8* WINNIPEG -1.5 -145

Rotation #739 CBB Wednesday 10* Top Play Oklahoma Sooners (+) @ TCU Horned Frogs @ 9 ET - Much is made of home court edge in College Basketball and certainly it is valid that there is a solid edge in College Hoops for the host. However, this Sooners team is loaded with plenty of upper classmen as well as not freshmen in its entire normal playing rotation. Oklahoma is being undervalued here as they are 13-1 SU this season. I realize they are playing their first true road game of this season but they are 3-1 in neutral site games and plus the players they have got plenty of road experience in the past too. This is not a big group of freshmen going on the road. That said, these teams split last season with each team winning at home including the Sooners knocking off the Horned Frogs in Norman, OK in the last regular season game. That makes this a revenge spot but TCU already has 3 losses this season and I feel strongly that they are over-valued here. We have seen this line go from an opener in the 3-point range to now as high as nearly a half-dozen points in the market place as of about 10 hours before tipoff. If you look at the Frogs schedule so far, they had a soft very early-season schedule. As it has toughened up they have struggled and lost 3 games in the more recent action. Also, they have a huge game on deck with Houston. Not only are the Cougars another Big 12 foe from the same state, they are currently undefeated and #2 in the entire country. This spot going to be a battle down to the wire the way I see it. Also, will there be a normal crowd for this game? The kids at TCU are still on a winter break before classes resume. How much will home court matter? Not enough the way I see it. This is also a well-coached Sooners team and I expect them to surprise here! 10* OKLAHOMA (+)

NBA Wednesday 10* Top Play Philadelphia 76ers (+) @ Atlanta Hawks @ 7:40 ET - The Hawks are just 6-14 SU last 20 games. Trae Young is expected to play in this one but it is evident from his recent shooting numbers from distance that the right shoulder is bothering him. The 76ers will be without Joel Embiid but this is a "rally the troops" type of game off B2B losses and having proven many times before that they can be okay without Embiid when they have to. If the Sixers win this game straight-up then of course it is an ATS win as they are an underdog of 1.5 to 2 points here as of about 10 hours before tipoff for this one! Philly, including post-season, is a PERFECT 5-0 the last 5 times they entered a game on a losing streak of 2 or more games. That includes a PERFECT 3-0 this season. I look for this situation to make it a perfect 4-0 here on the season and perfect 6-0 long-term. Before these B2B losses Philly was 23-10 this season. The Hawks started the season 8-7 but have gone 6-14 since. This line, even though Atlanta is at home, is still over-adjusted because of Embiid being out. That means value here with the road dog. Grab the points but we should not need them. 10* PHILADELPHIA (+) 

NBA Tuesday 10* Top Play Dallas Mavericks (-) vs Portland Trail Blazers @ 8:40 ET - The Mavericks are laying about 8.5 points here as of 10 hours before game time. This is a great value considering the Mavs are rolling and now the Grizzlies just lost Morant for the rest of the season. This is the final match-up between these divisional foes these season. Shockingly, the road team has taken all 3 so far but this one is an entirely different situation with the Mavericks on a power surge and also able to take advantage of a short-handed Memphis team. Dallas has won 3 straight games and Memphis is off B2B wins but is still 10 games below .500 on the season! They really have struggled when Morant has not been available and now that is the case again here and the Grizzlies are 6-3 with Morant this season and went 7-20 without him! Mavs roll huge at home. 10* DALLAS (-)

CFB Championship Game Monday 10* Top Play Washington Huskies (+) vs Michigan Wolverines @ 7:30 ET - Wow! A pair of 14-0 teams matched up for the Championship Game! The Wolverines and Huskies are both 14-0 now this season. The Wolverines have a great defense but I don't see them shutting down this ultra talented Washington offense. At the same time, the defense of Huskies is NOT their strength yet they have stepped up as needed throughout this season including last week against Texas. Here they do it again and get enough stops to let their offense do the rest to get the outright win in my opinion. We will grab the points just in case but I really do not expect to need them. Currently this line as high as a 5 as of very early game day morning which is a huge value. Alabama, who many felt should not have even made the CFB playoffs, should have beaten Michigan last week no questions asked. Conversely, the Huskies beat a Longhorns team quite handily last week that is the same Texas team that beat the Crimson Tide earlier this season. The point is that all of the above means Wolverines a little overvalued here and Huskies a little undervalued. The value is with the dog in this one. The Huskies did play the tougher schedule this season in comparison with Michigan. Grab the points in this one and look for Pennix to have another massive game as his Huskies outduel McCarthy and the Wolverines in this one. The underdog just has too much offense. 10* WASHINGTON (+)

NBA Monday 10* Top Play Indiana Pacers (+) vs Boston Celtics @ 7:10 ET - The Celtics are dealing with a number of injury concerns entering this one. Boston just hammered the Pacers at Indiana Saturday but look at a key stat from that game and that tells you all you need to know here. The Celtics made 16 of 41 threes while the Pacers made just 8 of 42 threes. bey is very unusual for this high-scoring Indiana team and yet the Celtics won that game by only 17 points. That means if you back out the 24 point edge from beyond the arc, the Pacers win the game OUTRIGHT by 7 points! Considering this plus immediate revenge plus a 2nd chance at home against Boston plus all the Celtics injuries, the home team underdog looks like a great option here. The Pacers will be better on the boards in this one too. It was an all-around embarrassing effort so this is a great opportunity for immediate revenge and they will make the most of it! Grab the points - currently 3.5 as of early game day morning. 10* INDIANA (+)

Rotation #861: CBB Monday 10* Top Play Northeastern Huskies (+) @ Monmouth Hawks @ 7 ET - The Huskies are just 5-9 this season and the Hawks are 8-6 this season plus hosting this game! That being said, how is it that Monmouth is just a 2.5 to 3.5 point favorite in this one even on their home floor? Exactly! Do not let the line fool you! This one has trap written all over it and I expect Northeastern to roll here just like they did in last year's victory by a 15-point margin. The Huskies have played a tougher schedule than the Hawks so far in my opinion and that is part of the reason this game is priced this way. Again, do not let this line fool you. Grab the underdog here! 10* NORTHEASTERN (+)

NFL Sunday 10* Top Play Buffalo Bills (-) @ Miami Dolphins @ 8:20 ET - The line is as low as a 2.5 on the Bills here as of early game day morning so it is go time with this one. Buffalo has won 4 straight games and has all the momentum. Not only have the Bills won 4 straight games, they also dominated the Dolphins in their meeting earlier this season. Miami also enters this game after having had their doors blown off by the Ravens last week. It sets up well for continued domination for the Bills in this one as they have won 9 of the last 10 meetings SU. Also, the Bills have a good recent history in the final game of the regular season as they are 5-1 ATS L6 and, with this one for the AFC East title, Buffalo will be fully prepared again. Against possible division winning teams, the Dolphins only have one win and that was against Dallas in a tight game recently. Their other games against these Bills, the Eagles, the Chiefs and the Ravens were all losses. Miami just not  quite there yet in terms of their performance in the most pressure-packed games. This is another one here and the Bills have more experience in these types of affairs and that pays off here. 10* BUFFALO (-)

NFL Sunday 10* Top Play Philadelphia Eagles (-) @ New York Giants @ 4:25 ET - Waiting has paid off here as we are now seeing the Eagles available as low as a -4 as of early gameday morning. This is an excellent line value as Philly is motivated to win for more reasons than one. Not only do they still have hopes of the Cowboys losing and opening the door for Eagles to win the division, they also just need to win to get back on track before the playoffs start. Remember they led Arizona 21-6 at the half in last week's loss. That's no excuse but is just a fact and they are capable of winning by a solid margin here against a Giants team they have beaten in 17 of the last 20 meetings. Keep in mind, both teams have struggled on defense this season but the Eagles have the much stronger attack on offense and I don't see New York as being able to keep up in this one. Prior to last week's 1-point loss, 9 of the Giants 10 losses this season have been by 5 or more points. 8 of the Eagles 11 wins this season have been by 5 or more points. The point is that with the drop on this line we now have solid line value here. If you expect the Eagles to win SU which logically most do, then you can also see that the odds favor that SU win also being an ATS cover. Lay it! 10* PHILADELPHIA (-)

NFL Sunday 10* Top Play Washington Commanders (+) vs Dallas Cowboys @ 4:25 ET - The Commanders are getting 13 points here and I feel strongly that it is just too much. I know Washington has struggled but Dallas is their biggest rival. If they can prevent the Cowboys from winning the division, they will certainly go hard in that endeavor. The key here is we don't need Washington to win this game outright to cash our ticket, we just need them to keep the game respectable and I fully expect them to do just that. Keep in mind, Dallas is just 2-5 SU last 7 road games and one of those was a win by just a 3-point margin. The Cowboys enter this game having failed to cover the spread in 4 of their last 5 games. Other than a blowout win over the Eagles, the Cowboys have allowed 27 ppg in their other 4 recent games. Sam Howell has had some big yardage numbers in his starts this season, including 300 against Dallas earlier this season, but he just needs to cut down on his mistakes. Look for Howell to make the most of his 2nd chance in a game that is the Commanders Super Bowl for this season. They will make the most of the chance and I look for this game to be tight throughout. Grab the big points. 10* WASHINGTON (+)

NFL Saturday Indianapolis Colts (+) vs Houston Texans @ 8:15 ET - This line is mostly a 2 but has moved to as high as a 2.5 on the Texans as of about 9 hours before kickoff and that means it is go time with the Colts in this one! Indianapolis has won 6 of 8 games including 4 in a row in non-road games. 3 of those were at home and one was at Frankfurt. Some of their stats are ugly but, the fact is, Indy keeps finding a way. They have allowed only 15 ppg in those 4 victories. The Texans have not won B2B games since they strung together a 3-game winning streak that lasted until mid-November. Houston is 0-3 SU last 3 times they were off a win. CJ Stroud has been a solid QB for the Texans but his numbers are stronger at home than on the road. Overall, the Texans won their most recent road game in OT but had lost 4 of 6 away from home. The Colts home field edge is the difference maker in this key battle in the AFC South! 10* INDIANAPOLIS (+)

Rotation #783: CBB Saturday Texas Tech (+) @ Texas @ 8 ET - This is a rivalry game. Last season the home team did win each game but both games were tight. With this one moving as high as a 7 as of 6 hours before tipoff, we have excellent value with the big dog here. UT is ranked and Texas Tech is not but the Red Raiders are off to a hot start this season with only 2 losses and one of those was in OT. They match up well with Texas and are fully capable of pushing Texas to the limit in this one. UT has played a weaker schedule recently and that could hurt them here. Keep in mind, they have not played as well against stronger teams this season. As a ranked team, all the pressuer ison the Horns here as well. Don't be surprised if they are pushed to the limit here and the Red Raiders take this one to the wire. Tech has some veteran leadership which helps in a tough Big 12 road game like this. The visitors will be ready. 10* Texas Tech (+)

NBA Saturday 10* Top Play Philadelphia 76ers (-) vs Utah Jazz @ 7:40 ET - The Sixers have some injury question marks but those are minor and don't be surprised if most, if not all, of those guys play in this one. Also, the Sixers are not just off a home loss, it was the worst loss of the season and it came right here in Philly. The 76ers next game is on the road so don't be surprised if they go all out here in this chance to get right back on track. The Sixers bounce back after almost every loss and the Jazz just got hammered at Boston. Yes, Utah wants to bounce back but they are still on the road. and a lot of their recent wins were over poor teams with bad records. Tonight they face an angry beast on the road and this one gets ugly. This is the type of situation where the Sixers will keep the pedal to the metal all game long! This line has dropped to the 11 range as of about 6.5 hours before tipoff. Lay it! 10* PHILADELPHIA (-)

NBA Friday 10* Top Play Philadelphia 76ers (-) vs New York Knicks @ 7:40 ET - The Sixers are stronger at home than on the road and their 13 point win in most recent game does not even do it justice. Philly led by as many as 31 points in that game but then took their foot off the gas. Also, they were able to rest guys in that one and no one played more than 31 minutes. They will be rested and ready for this one and this line is currently in the -6 range but that suggests that the Sixers are only 3 points better than the Knicks on a neutral floor and I disagree with that. The Knicks are improving but they are not that close to the Sixers level. Also, New York is 9-11 on the road while Philly is 13-4 at home. Those are SU records of course but 9 of the Knicks last 11 losses have been by at least 9 points. Lay it! 10* PHILADELPHIA (-)

NHL Friday 10* Top Play Carolina Hurricanes -1.5 +155 @ Washington Capitals @ 7:07 ET - The Hurricanes have revenge here as they lost their only game with the Capitals this season. Carolina has been playing much better of late and has won 4 straight games. Also, I am not crazy about laying the puck line here rather than the money line but the money line is too pricey. Also, the puck line gives us a great shot at a big plus money return and it is supported by recent results as well. Carolina has had 10 of last 13 wins come by a multi-goal margin. Also, the Capitals have lost 4 of 5 games and the loss of TJ Oshie for a period of time has been a big one for the Caps. They have been a different club without Backstrom as well. Also, the goalie loss of Lindgren has hurt them as he was getting a lot of playing time due to his performance. The performances of Kuemper and Shepard have been a concern for this Washington club which is why Lindgren, now injured, had been playing a lot. 11 of the Capitals 12 losses in regulation time this season have been by 2+ goals and I feel strongly the Hurricanes will be very aggressive in this revenge spot and will not risk OT or SO! In other words, another multi-goal regulation loss for the Capitals. 10* CAROLINA -1.5 +155

Friday CBB 10* Top Play Connecticut Huskies (-) @ Butler Bulldogs @ 6:30 ET - Last night this side was 6.5 and now it is in the 4 to 4.5 range as of 6.5 hours before tipoff. This is just too low. Connecticut is such a strong team and even against tough, ranked opponents, they have impressed this season. I know the Bulldogs are looking better this season than last season and they have long been known for a strong homecourt edge, however the Huskies are too tough. Note that UConn won both meetings last season, each in blowout fashion. Also, the Bulldogs have often struggled against tougher competition this season. So it is true that Butler is 10-4 this season and the Huskies are only slightly better at 12-2 in terms of SU records. However, look at the talent level of each team and the performance against high-quality foes and you will see that the Huskies have huge edges. With this number coming down, I have no hesitation in getting involved here. 10* CONNECTICUT (-) 

NBA Thursday 10* Top Play Milwaukee Bucks (-) @ San Antonio Spurs @ 7:30 ET - Yes, this line is a big one at 9.5 overnight but the Bucks absolutely should win this one by double digits. Milwaukee is in the 2nd game of a B2B but will still play very well here as they are off B2B losses so they will be fired up for this game against a lesser opponent. The Bucks have not lost 3 straight games all season. As for the Spurs, they are having a very rough season and many of their recent losses, even at home, have come by a big margin. San Antonio has lost 26 of 28 games and each of their last 3 home losses have come by at least a dozen points. The average margin of those 3 home losses was 27 points and another ugly one awaits here as Bucks are fired up to get back on track. 10* MILWAUKEE (-)

NHL Thursday 10* Top Play Philadelphia Flyers -1.5 +130 vs Columbus Blue Jackets @ 7:07 ET - The Flyers are happy to be back home and they are facing a team they have dominated this season with wins in both meetings this season each coming by multi-goal margins. This is a great spot to back Philly as they are back home after a long road trip and they are on a 3-game losing streak. They have yet to have a 4-game losing streak this season so the odds certainly favor a bounce back here. Philly did lose most recent home game but this was on the heels of a 3-game winning streak and they do tend to play better here at home. The Blue Jackets are having a very rough season and have lost 25 of 35 games! Columbus has lost their two meetings with Philly by a combined 9 to 4 score this season and another ugly loss is likely here given the situation. The Flyers are starting a much-needed homestand and I sense a huge effort here as they right the ship on home ice against a Jackets team dealing with some injury issues as well. 10* PHILADELPHIA -1.5 +130

Rotation #671: CBB Wednesday 10* Top Play St Joseph's Hawks (-) @ Rhode Island Rams @ 7 ET - The Rams started the 2021-22 season with a 12-4 mark. Since then, Rhode Island is 18-41 SU! If you look at their games so far this season their wins have been against weaker foes and St Joe's certainly does not fall into that category! The Hawks are off a huge win by a 41-point margin and have won 7 of last 8 games which included a win over a ranked Villanova team! Also, they took a ranked Kentucky team to OT before losing. This St Joseph's team is very solid this season and this is an absolute bargain line against a still struggling Rams team. Not only is Rhode Island 18-41 SU, they also had lost 5 straight before a win over Northeastern in their most recent game. By the way, 8 of the Rams last 9 losses have been by double digits so the small number here - 5.5 range as of 7 hours before tipoff should not be an issue. 10* ST JOSEPH'S (-)