Tourney Dominator - Rickenbach CBB Rotation #701 Thursday 8* Boise State Broncos @ UNLV Rebels @ 5 ET - This is a Mountain West tournament game but is a home game for the Rebels since they are the host team for this tourney. However, I am happy to back the revenging road dog in this one. For one thing, the injury to Elijah Mitrou-Long is a concern for the Rebels. However, more importantly is that Boise State just lost here about a week ago. In that game the Broncos shot a ridiculous 31% from the field! That is why Boise State lost despite having 9 more field goal attempts in the game. It is tough to beat a team twice in a span of a week unless you have a decided edge. The Rebels don't really have any edge whatsoever in this match-up and  Elijah Mitrou-Long is questionable for this one with a knee injury. The Broncos, prior to losing at UNLV, had won 8 of 10 games and the only two losses were versus top tier opponents. As for the Rebels, they have won 5 straight games but that was preceded by a 1-5 stretch in which the only win came by a single point. UNLV gets brought back down to earth in a hurry here after their surprising 5-0 SU run to end the season. Revenge time here. 8* BOISE STATE

Game of the Week - Rickenbach CBB Rotation #781 Wednesday 10* Top Play Villanova Wildcats (+) @ Seton Hall Pirates @ 8:30 ET - The Wildcats are off a loss but very well could have been caught looking ahead to this game as the Pirates handed Villanova a rare home loss in their earlier meeting this season. Ironically, Seton Hall also has a revenge game on deck as their Big East regular season finale is at Creighton and the Blue Jays handed them a rare home loss. In my eyes the set up here is ideal for a road upset and I'll gladly grab the points with Nova. The Cats are 5-1 SU and ATS in their last 6 road games and the lone loss came by just 3 points at Butler. The Pirates have covered just ONCE in their past SIX home games! Seton Hall is the higher ranked team in this match-up and they are at home but Villanova comes into this game fighting mad and playing with home loss revenge. Look for the Wildcats to send the Pirates to their 3rd SU home loss in their last 5 games as a host but I am grabbing the points as added insurance in this one. The Cats did knock the Pirates out of the Big East tourney last year but Nova has the home revenge here from this season plus also lost their visit to Seton Hall last season. It is payback time here and I like backing the Wildcats off a loss in which they scored only 54 points! 10* VILLANOVA

Earliest Cash - Rickenbach NBA Rotation #518 Wednesday 10* Top Play Cleveland Cavaliers (+) vs Boston Celtics @ 7:05 ET - The Cavaliers are off 3 consecutive losses but come into this game rested and expected to be much healthier for this game than they were against the Jazz on Monday. While Cleveland is rested and getting healthier, the Celtics are banged up and in a tough back to back situation. Boston blew a huge 4th quarter lead at home against Brooklyn last night and then lost in OT. That is a very deflating loss and Kemba Walker did play last night but won't make this trip to Cleveland. Also, the Celtics Marcus Smart might be facing a suspension after getting into it with the officials! Boston is expected to be without Jayson Tatum tonight too plus both Jaylen Brown and Gordon Hayward seemed to be less than 100% as they were dealing with nagging injuries as last night's game got away from the Celtics. With the Cavs getting healthier and having won 4 of 5 before dropping 3 in a row, this is the perfect spot for them to get back on track on their home floor. 10* CLEVELAND

Afternoon Annihilation - Rickenbach CBB Rotation #813 Wednesday 8* Air Force Falcons (+) vs Fresno State Bulldogs in MWC Tournament in Vegas @ 3 ET - The Bulldogs won both match-ups with the Falcons this season and won each game by 9 or more points. The line on this neutral site game opened up at a -4. Do you think the odds makers are stupid? I have stated this time and time again and, of course, anything can happen in any given game but, the point is that this line was set this way for a reason. Of course the markets are jumping all over Fresno State already and the line will likely climb even higher than it's current number of 5.5 but, folks, in typical contrarian fashion I am backing Air Force here. The Falcons have struggled badly at the betting window but getting 2 SU wins in their last 5 games has given them a boost of confidence heading into this match-up. Also, a big key here is that they got thoroughly embarrassed here by the Bulldogs 76-50 in last year's Mountain West tourney. It is payback time here and an outright upset would not surprise me but I am grabbing the points for added insurance. 8* AIR FORCE

Big Ten Game of the Year - Rickenbach CBB Rotation #621 Tuesday 10* Top Play Michigan State Spartans (-) @ Penn State Nittany Lions @ 7 ET - The road team has covered each of the last 3 meetings between these teams. That includes the Nittany Lions winning at Michigan State early last month. That means it is revenge time for the Spartans and the timing is perfect. While Penn State has lost 3 of 4 games SU and is on an 0-4 ATS run, Michigan State enters this game having won 3 in a row SU. The line on this game is as low as a -1 early this morning and I am taking advantage of grabbing the revenge-minded Spartans in this one. Michigan State was sloppy with the ball in the first meeting and lost the game by 5 points largely due to losing the turnover battle 15-9. I like what I have seen from the Spartans over the past two weeks while the Nittany Lions are showing signs of wilting under the late season pressure. Of course we get line value here because this game is at State College where Penn State has been so strong this season. The fact is that the Nittany Lions last two home games saw them lose outright to Illinois and barely sneak out a 1-point win over Rutgers. Now PSU faces a much tougher challenge here and I look for the Spartans to turn this one into a road rout. 10* MICHIGAN STATE

Puck Line Punisher - Rickenbach NHL Rotation #13 Monday 10* Top Play Colorado Avalanche Puck Line -1.5 goals -115 @ Detroit Red Wings @ 7:35 ET - I am well aware of the fact that many of the Avs recent wins have come by a margin of just a single goal. However, Pavel Francouz is expected to get the start between the pipes here and the Avalanche netminder has allowed 2 or less goals in 6 straight starts. In fact, Francouz has allowed an average of 1.3 goals during this 6-game stretch. The Red Wings have seen Jimmy Howard have a horrific season so, once again, Jonathan Bernier is likely to be between the pipes here for Detroit. However, he has also cooled off after some very strong work in late January and early February. Note that Bernier has consistently allowed 3 or 4 goals in his recent starts the past few weeks. That said, I look for the Red Wings to allow 4 goals here as they continue to allow far too many shots on goal while the Avalanche continue their very strong defensive-minded play and are likely to allow just 1 goal here. That said, I see great value with Colorado (a 3 to 1 money line favorite) available at very nearly a "pick'em" price on the puck line at -1.5 goals in this one. The Red Wings are off a shootout loss at Ottawa but that was just the 6th loss by a 1-goal margin out of their last 35 losses. In other words, Detroit usually gets beat by 2 or more goals and I expect that to be the case again here as the Avalanche continue to be road warriors. 10* COLORADO Puck Line -1.5 goals -115

Game of the Week - Rickenbach NBA Rotation #582 Monday 10* Top Play Cleveland Cavaliers (+) vs Utah Jazz @ 7:05 ET - The Cavaliers are off consecutive losses but it was a back to back situation. Cleveland was competitive in both games and continues to play much better overall. The back to back losses were preceded by winning 4 of 5 games including defeating both the Heat and the 76ers. Since they added Andre Drummond, the Cavs are a different team. Now, after a day off following the consecutive defeats plus the fact they are on their home floor, the Cavaliers will give the Jazz all they can handle in this one. The line opened up at a 7.5 but has risen to an 8.5 and this is giving us great line value with the home dog. The Jazz are off a win but that was preceded by 4 straight losses. Also, all those games were at home where Utah is known for being a stronger team. In other words, now that the Jazz are taking to the road the recent slump is likely to continue. I am not saying Utah loses this game outright (although there is a decent chance of that) but I am saying that Cleveland is going to keep this game much closer than many are expecting. The markets haven't adjusted properly yet to the fact that the Cavaliers are playing better basketball of late and I am going to fade a large road favorite here that has lost 4 of its last 5 games. 10* CLEVELAND

Contrarian Crusher - Rickenbach NBA Rotation #569 Sunday 10* Top Play Detroit Pistons (+) @ Sacramento Kings @ 6:05 ET - The Pistons will build off Friday's win at Phoenix. While it is true that Detroit is only 3-8 SU their last 11 games, 4 of their last 7 losses have come by 7 or less points. The Kings are over-valued here. Sacramento is 4-3 SU in their last 7 games but 2 of the 4 wins came by 4 or less points. Only 1 of those 4 wins came by a double digit margin and I look for the Pistons to be in this one all the way. The Kings just got back home from a 4-game road trip that wrapped up in Memphis on Friday. The first game back home after a lengthy road trip is often the toughest and the odds makers opened this game up at a 6.5 for a reason. In typical contrarian fashion, I am grabbing the line value here on the other side of the line move. The Kings are 2-6 ATS (and 1-7 SU) when off a road win by 3 or less points. After sneaking by the Grizzlies by 3 points on the road Friday, Sacramento falls flat here. 10* DETROIT

Afternoon TV Dominator - Rickenbach CBB Rotation #821 Sunday 10* Top Play Xavier Musketeers (-) @ Georgetown Hoyas @ 2 ET - The Musketeers are the much better team. Even though Naji Marshall is on the injury report he has been upgraded to probable. Conversely, the Hoyas Omar Yurtseven and Mac MacClung are both listed as questionable for this one. Keep in mind, Georgetown has lost 3 straight games and also is just 1-4 SU in its last 5 home games. Xavier brings momentum into this game after a home win versus DePaul in their most recent game. The Musketeers are now 5-2 SU (and 6-1 ATS) their last 7 games and clearly this is a case of two teams heading opposite directions as the regular season winds down. Xavier has dominated this series but did lose their last visit to Georgetown. Look for the Musketeers to make up for that here as they continue their surge and send the Hoyas to a 4th straight loss. The road team also holds the coaching edge in this match-up and that is not a factor to overlook especially in the case of a game with a line near pick'em. 10* XAVIER

MWC Game of the Year - Rickenbach CBB Rotation #700 Saturday 10* Top Play San Jose State Spartans (+) vs UNLV Rebels @ 5 ET - Perfect set up here. Home finale for San Jose State to wrap up another disappointing season. UNLV enters this road game having won 4 straight games. However, the key here is where this game is being played. The Spartans are much more competitive on their home floor than on the road. San Jose State has had only 4 home games since mid-January. Though only 1-3 SU in those 4 games, 2 of the 3 losses came by 6 or less points. Don't be surprised when San Jose State keeps this game much closer than many are expecting and they could even get the outright upset. The Rebels have won 4 straight games but only one (San Diego State) was truly shocking. The other 3 games all had tight low lines and could have gone either way. Now, on the road for this one and considering that the Rebels are just 4-8 SU on the road this season, there is really no justification for UNLV being a double digit favorite in this one. The line opened up at an 8.5 and moved to as high as a 10 and I am stepping in on the other side of the move and going with the "ugly home dog" theory in this one. Especially being the last game of the regular season, look for the Spartans to go all out here and keep this game much closer than many are expecting. 10* SAN JOSE STATE

PA Insider - Rickenbach CBB Rotation #607 Saturday 8* Providence Friars (+) @ Villanova Wildcats @ Noon ET - The Friars have plenty of motivation here as they have lost 5 straight games against the Wildcats. This includes getting knocked out of the Big East tourney by Villanova each of the last two years. Providence eyes payback here as they also lost at home to the Cats earlier this season. The Friars could be catching Nova at the ideal time. One of the Wildcats best players, Connor Gillespie, is questionable with a thigh injury here. 3 of the last 6 meetings between these teams have been decided by 6 or less points. Villanova does enter this game on a 5-game winning streak but that was preceded by a 3-game losing streak which was capped off by a home loss to Seton Hall. What does that have to do with this game? The Wildcats next game is at Seton Hall! This is a lookahead spot for Villanova. The Friars enter this game off 3 straight wins and having won 5 of their last 7 games. The timing is perfect and the road team is the more motivated team and playing some of their best basketball of the season. Give me the points! 8* PROVIDENCE

Contrarian Crusher - Rickenbach NBA Rotation #528 Friday 10* Top Play Orlando Magic (-) vs Minnesota Timberwolves @ 7:05 ET - This line opened up at a -9 but has dropped to a -7.5 as of early Friday morning. Just because the Timberwolves are off a big upset win at Miami Tuesday does not mean they are deserving of this type of respect. The Wolves entered that game having lost 18 of 19 games! That included Minnesota having lost 5 straight games prior to beating the Heat and 4 of those 5 losses came by a double digit margin. Orlando is hanging onto the #8 seed in the Eastern Conference playoff race and the Magic have been rejuvenated by winning 4 of their past 5 games. Orlando is 10-1 SU in their last 11 home games versus the T-wolves. Also, the Magic have covered 7 of the last 10 meetings. We're getting some extra value here because of Minnesota being off a rare win. This one has home blowout written all over it as I look for the home team to D up strong in this one and defense is something the Wolves certainly don't play much of. That will be the difference in this game. 10* ORLANDO

Earliest Cash - Rickenbach CBB Rotation #875 Friday 10* Top Play Kent State Golden Flashes (+) @ Ohio University Bobcats @ 6:30 ET - The Golden Flashes are a perfect 2-0 SU and ATS the last two times they have been a road dog. However, their two most recent road games saw them first lose a tight one as a small favorite and then get blasted by 21 points as a small favorite at Eastern Michigan. After that embarrassing losses, the Golden Flashes have had their next road game circled blood red as a chance to redeem themselves. Riding the momentum of a home win versus Miami-Ohio, Kent State now will continue their series dominance against the Bobcats. The Golden Flashes are 6-1 SU in their last 7 meetings with Ohio University. The Bobcats are off a big home win versus Buffalo but are 1-4 SU the last 5 times they have entered a game off a SU win. The win for Ohio U over Buffalo was the first time this season that they have beaten a team that currently has a winning record in MAC games. Now the Bobcats face a Kent team that already owns wins over Buffalo and Akron this season. The fact is that the Golden Flashes are the better team and can rise to the occasion in a tough situation. That said, I have no hesitation grabbing them on the road here against an Ohio University team that has had its share of struggles on its home floor. 10* KENT STATE

Divisional Dominator - Rickenbach NBA Rotation #520 Thursday 10* Top Play Philadelphia 76ers (-) vs New York Knicks @ 7:05 ET - I am well aware of the injury situation for the Sixers. I faded them last night with Cleveland partially because Ben Simmons was out but also because the Cavaliers have been hot since they made some roster moves. The 76ers then proceeded to lose Joel Embiid to injury in that game. So they are really hurting now but they are also back home where they are 27-2 this season. Also, instead of facing a surging Cavs team they are facing a slumping New York team. The Knicks have lost 5 straight games and, just like Philly, New York is in the 2nd night of a back to back here. The Knicks last 6 losses have come by an average margin of 11.5 points per game and I am projecting a double digit loss here for New York. The 76ers last 7 wins have all come by 7 or more points and this line has plummeted to as low as a -6 as of early this morning after opening up at -8 this morning after the injury news was ALREADY out about Embiid. I feel we're getting solid value with a Sixers team that is angry off a loss and will have other players step up at home in this one to make up for the injury absences. Philly has 2 days off after this game and then will be on a West Coast road trip. The 76ers aren't going to be denied tonight at home given this situation. 10* PHILADELPHIA

Earliest Cash - Rickenbach CBB Rotation #601 Thursday 10* Top Play Delaware Fightin Blue Hens (+) @ College of Charleston Cougars @ 6 ET - The Cougars have won 8 straight meetings between these teams. The College of Charleston is also at home for this game. In typical contrarian fashion, I am on Delaware in this one! But certainly it is not without reason. The Fightin Blue Hens are the better team this season and they have plenty of motivation here. Delaware blew a 6 point home lead against the Cougars in late December for their 8th straight loss in this series. The key to the value in the rematch is that the College of Charleston has lost 4 straight games both SU and ATS. Additionally, the Cougars have failed to cover 9 of their last 13 games. They're simply not playing well and not faring well at the betting window either. As for Delaware, they do enter this game off a loss but the Fightin Blue Hens had won 8 of 9 SU and 6 of 8 ATS prior to the home loss to Hofstra. Off that ugly loss by a double digit margin and having not forgotten their ugly loss by a double digit margin at home against the Cougars, look for the Hens to roll on the road in this one! The last 3 times when the Fightin Blue Hens were off an ATS loss they have gone a perfect 3-0 ATS in their next game. Look for them to again thrive in that role in this one. 10* DELAWARE

Puck Line Punisher - Rickenbach NHL Rotation #27 Wednesday 10* Top Play Buffalo Sabres Puck Line +1.5 goals (-) @ Colorado Avalanche @ 8:05 ET - There is a build up toward the playoffs at this time of year and games are tightening up as a result. 10 of 14 games so far this week have been decided by a single goal. When looking specifically at the Sabres and Avalanche you'll also see why I like having the +1.5 goals here and we're also getting value since this is priced in the -130 range as of very early game day morning. Buffalo has won 6 of its last 8 games and, in the Sabres last 9 games they have just 1 loss that came by a multiple-goal margin. Colorado has been playing well again and certainly is getting fantastic goaltending from Pavel Francouz. However, the Avalanche have not been scoring like they were earlier this season. The Avs have scored an average of only 2 goals per game their last 9 games. Colorado enters this game on a 3-game winning streak but that was preceded by 3 straight losses. Also, 4 of the last 6 Avalanche wins have come by just a single goal. Both teams made some moves at the trade deadline and I like what the Sabres did there and also they come into this game as the healthier hockey club. 10* BUFFALO Puck Line +1.5 goals

Earliest Cash - Rickenbach NBA Rotation #502 Tuesday 10* Top Play Cleveland Cavaliers (+) vs Philadelphia 76ers @ 7:05 ET - The Cavaliers made some recent roster moves and it is already paying dividends. Though they are building for the future, there is a renewed enthusiasm in Cleveland and it is translating to much better play on the floor. The Cavs have won 3 of their last 4 games both SU and ATS. The Cavaliers have struggled against the 76ers this season and the most recent loss is one a team doesn't forget. Despite having 6 more shot attempts from the field, Cleveland lost by 47 points in their most recent game against the Sixers! That was in Philadelphia and now the 76ers come to Cleveland and they'll be without Ben Simmons. That is a big loss for them and this is a Philly team that is an ugly 9-20 SU and ATS in road games this season. The Cavaliers have won their last two home games and that including defeating a solid Miami team Monday. Don't be surprised if the Cavs come up with another home dog upset here but I am grabbing the points for added insurance. 10* CLEVELAND

Game of the Week - Rickenbach CBB Rotation #812 Wednesday 10* Top Play Penn State Nittany Lions (-) vs Rutgers Scarlet Knights @ 7 ET - The set up here is perfect. The Nittany Lions are off back to back losses. They shot the ball poorly from long-range in a home upset loss to Illinois. That then carried over to a road loss at Indiana. Now, back at home, Penn State gets rolling again from beyond the arc. Keep in mind, prior to back to back losses, the Lions had won 8 straight games and averaged 78 points per game! Adding to the value here of the Nittany Lions laying about a half dozen points, Penn State lost at Rutgers by double digits earlier this season. This is a revenge game and now the Lions catch the Scarlet Knights having lost 5 of 7. One of those two Rutgers wins came in OT against a bad Northwestern team. In other words, the Knights aren't playing very well right now and haven't been for about 3 weeks! Look for the Nittany Lions to get payback in a big way in this one. The Scarlet Knights have lost 5 straight road games SU and also are just 1-4 ATS their last 5 games overall. Penn State has only failed to cover twice in their last 10 games. The Nittany Lions are also 17-2 SU in their last 19 home games! Only 1 of their 8 wins in the recent streak came by less than 6 points and that was a 5 point win. In other words, all signs pointing to a home win and cover in this one. 10* PENN STATE

Game of the Week - Rickenbach NBA Rotation #577 Tuesday 10* Top Play Milwaukee Bucks (-) @ Toronto Raptors @ 7:35 ET - This line has gone from a -3 down to as low as a pick'em. I am well aware of the fact that the Bucks are in a back to back spot and their win at Washington last night came in overtime! However, no one on Milwaukee played more than 33 minutes except Middleton. That said, the Bucks are in better shape from a rest standpoint than would normally be the case in a situation like this. Also, Milwaukee is a perfect 7-0 SU this season when playing the second game of a back to back. Additionally, the Bucks are 16-0 SU this season in road games with a posted total of 230 or more. The biggest key of all for this game, in my opinion, is that this is where Milwaukee's season ended last year in May. The Bucks were ousted from the playoffs in Toronto last season. Though they got some measure of revenge with a win at home earlier this season, they still want to get revenge on the very floor where their season ended last year. In other words, a road rout likely in this one. Adding to the odds that one will occur is the fact that the Raptors are a little banged up right now. Gasol and Powell are out and McCaw is questionable for tonight's game. 10* MILWAUKEE

Big 12 Game of the Year - Rickenbach CBB Rotation #606 Tuesday 10* Top Play Iowa State Cyclones (-) vs TCU Horned Frogs @ 7 ET - Losing on your home floor is one thing. Losing by 30 points as a host is another thing! The Cyclones just got blasted at home by Texas Tech on Saturday and need to make amends for that here. Iowa State will take advantage of hosting a TCU team that is off a home win and is 0-7 SU in their last 7 road games. The Horned Frogs are also 0-7 ATS in those games! Texas Christian University has held the upper hand in recent meetings between these schools and that has led to line value here with the Cyclones as a host. Iowa State is 6-0 ATS the last 6 times they were at home and coming off an ATS loss. That means we have double perfect trends at play with the Horned Frogs in an 0-7 ATS spot and the Cyclones in a 6-0 ATS spot. Make it a triple perfect spot actually as TCU is also 0-3 ATS the last 3 times they have entered a game off a SU win. It has been a month and a half since the Horned Frogs have won back to back games and I look for them to again fail in that situation here. The Cyclones get their revenge for all the recent losses to TCU including falling just short on the road earlier this season. The home court makes all the difference here. 10* IOWA STATE

Early Annihilation - Rickenbach NBA Rotation #566 Monday 10* Top Play Brooklyn Nets (-) vs Orlando Magic @ 7:35 ET - This is a case of two teams trending opposite directions and I expect it to continue here. Brooklyn has won 8 of its past 12 games while the Magic have lost 11 of their past 15 games. Also, the Nets have revenge from a loss at Orlando in their only prior meeting this season. That one took place last month and Brooklyn had 21 more attempts from beyond the arc in that game but shot a horrible 21% from 3-point land. That was the difference in the game as the Nets lost by a double digit margin. Much has changed since then and the Nets are playing with a lot more confidence of late. Brooklyn is a perfect 5-0 SU and ATS in its last 5 home games. Orlando is 2-5 ATS in its last 7 road games. Overall, the Magic are on a 3-12 ATS run their last 15 games. Lay the small number with the surging Nets in this one as Orlando's free-fall continues. 10* BROOKLYN

ESPN Smash Pass - Rickenbach CBB Rotation #873 Monday 10* Top Play Louisville Cardinals (+) @ Florida State Seminoles @ 7 ET - The Noles are ranked higher right now than the Cards plus they are at home. However, it is with good reason that this game is priced so low. The road team has revenge and has already beaten Duke on the road this season. The Cardinals lost their two most recent road games and that further strengthens the likelihood of a massive bounce back here. This team is poised for payback here at Florida State. Yes the Seminoles got the upset win at Louisville earlier this season but shot a ridiculous 55% from the field overall and 48% from three point land in that game. You know the Cardinals are going to be in lockdown mode on D against FSU after those embarrassing results in the home loss. The Seminoles are having a great season, there is no doubt about that. But I still feel strongly that the Cardinals are the better team and the revenge angle is strengthening this play. That is the only home loss that the Cards have this season. Now they face a Florida State team that hasn't lost a home game this season. You can see where I am going with this. The Cardinals have a chance at the sweetest type of revenge here and I look for them to return the favor and hand the Seminoles their only home loss of the season. 10* LOUISVILLE

Situational Slaughter - Rickenbach NBA Rotation #553 Sunday 10* Top Play Washington Wizards (+) @ Chicago Bulls @ 7:05 ET - I know the Wizards road record is ugly this season but, overall, Washington had been playing better ball before their home loss to Cleveland Friday. Keep in mind, that was a rejuvenated and strengthened Cavaliers team which the Wizards faced on Friday. Now look for the Wizards, whom had won 5 of 7 games prior to losing to the Cavs, to now take advantage of a struggling and hurting Chicago team. The Bulls lost at home to Phoenix last night. They are dealing with a lot of injury issues and now in a back to back spot plus overall Chicago was already struggling badly. The Bulls have now lost 8 straight games. Chicago has won 4 of the last 5 meetings between these teams so the Wizards, also still alive in the playoff race, have plenty of motivation here. Washington has lost their last two visits here. Now it is payback time. Look for the Wizards send the Bulls to their 9th straight loss. 10* WASHINGTON

Afternoon Annihilation - Rickenbach CBB Rotation #858 Saturday 10* Top Play Ohio State Buckeyes (-) vs Maryland Terrapins @ 4 ET - Ohio State continues to show strong home/road dichotomy. The Buckeyes are a great team on their home floor but constantly struggle on the road. This game is at Columbus and unlike the recent miracle win for the Terps at Michigan State, there will be no miracles here. Give Maryland credit, they did play a good game against the Spartans. But they were down by 7 with just a couple minutes left and then ended the game on an insane 14-0 run. That is not happening here against an Ohio State team that is 13-2 SU (and 10-5 ATS) in home games this season. The Terrapins enter this game off a non-covering win versus a bad Northwestern team. Maryland has won 9 straight games and also defeated Ohio State when they hosted the Buckeyes early last month. Now it is time for payback and there there is a reason the higher ranked team is an underdog here. Don't let the line fool you. Ohio State gets revenge on their home floor and they get it in a big way. The Terrapins have won 3 straight match-ups including the most recent one at Columbus so payback is on order here. The Terps are shooting just 39.8% from the field in road games this season. The Buckeyes are shooting 48.9% from the field in home games this season. Look for that to be a difference-maker in the rematch. 10* OHIO STATE

Game of the Month - Rickenbach NBA Rotation #533 Saturday 10* Top Play Brooklyn Nets (-) @ Charlotte Hornets @ 7:05 ET - The Hornets have won 3 straight games but they faced 3 poor teams. Charlotte's 3-game win streak has featured wins over Detroit, Minnesota, and Chicago. Prior to this run over poor teams, the Hornets had lost 5 straight games (SU and ATS). Now Charlotte is hosting a Nets team seeking revenge for a loss in Brooklyn when these teams most recently met. Brooklyn is currently seeded 7th in the East and is hell-bent on making the playoffs this season. They are off a loss by 8 points at Philadelphia Thursday but that game actually went to OT and the Nets played very well against the 76ers. They now know Kyrie Irving is out for the season and can focus on getting the job done with the players on hand. Look for Brooklyn to resume the winning here at Charlotte. The Nets had won 6 of 8 games prior to the loss to the Sixers. Unlike the Hornets, Brooklyn's most recent wins included tougher teams like Toronto and Indiana. Grab the value here with the Nets, courtesy of being on the road, installed as a very short favorite here. 10* BROOKLYN

PA Insider - Rickenbach CBB Rotation #642 Saturday 8* Xavier Musketeers (+) vs Villanova Wildcats @ 2:30 ET - Revenge game for the Musketeers as they lost by 6 points as a 5.5 point dog at Villanova in late December. I haven't forgotten that game as I had Xavier there and have been waiting for this rematch. The Musketeers shot only 11% from 3-point land and that was the difference in the game. Though not a great shooting team, Xavier is certain to shoot much better than that on their home floor. Also, the Musketeers enter this game on a perfect 5-0 ATS run and they have won 4 of their last 5 SU too. They catch the Wildcats on a 1-4 ATS slide in Big East games and Villanova is over-valued in this spot in my opinion. Keep in mind the Cats also knocked the Musketeers out of the Big East tourney last March so this game certainly carries plenty of extra meaning for the home team. Xavier did allow 74 points in their win at St John's Monday. However, the Musketeers entered that game having allowed 62 points or less in 5 straight games! As for Villanova, they have allowed 70 points or more in 5 of their last 6 games. 8* XAVIER

Game of the Week - Rickenbach NBA Rotation #513 Friday 10* Top Play Cleveland Cavaliers (+) @ Washington Wizards @ 7:05 ET - Wizards coach Scott Brooks commented on the solid guard play of the Cavaliers. Keep in mind this is a team that also has Kevin Love and Tristan Thompson in the front court plus the recently acquired Andre Drummond. Love missed the Cavs most recent game but is expected back tonight and this team is looking much better than their record. Look for the coaching change that took place during the All Star break to pay immediate dividends for Cleveland. I know Washington has been winning some games and is still alive in the playoff race but there is renewed enthusiasm with the Cavaliers. The Cavs got a dominating win over Atlanta just before the All Star break and I would not be surprised to see another big win here. That said, I am certainly happy to grab the half dozen points being offered. The Wizards have been playing a little better of late but they are still a tough team to trust as their defense often leaves a lot to be desired! The road team has won and covered both meetings between these teams this season and I look for that trend to continue here. 10* CLEVELAND

Contrarian Crusher - Rickenbach CBB Rotation #623 Thursday 10* Top Play Ohio State Buckeyes (+) @ Iowa Hawkeyes @ 7 ET - The Hawkeyes have been great at home and are laying a small number here. However, don't let that fool you. There is a reason this game is priced that way. Iowa is likely to again be without CJ Fredrick. The guard is one of their top players but is dealing with a bad ankle sprain. If he does play he won't be 100%. Also, the Hawkeyes are off a road win but they've haven't won back to back games since a 5-game winning streak wrapped up 3 weeks ago. The Buckeyes come into this game rolling as they have won 5 of 6 games. However, their last road game was an ugly loss at Wisconsin. Not only does Ohio State want to make up for that here, they also haven't forgotten their last visit to Iowa. In that game the Hawkeyes blasted them by double digits in a game the Buckeyes led at halftime. It is payback time here. When Iowa is off a tight win (margin of 6 or less points) they have gone 0-8 ATS. Ohio State is 6-0 SU and ATS this season when they enter a game off 2 or more consecutive home wins. The Buckeyes are also 6-0 SU and ATS this season when off a game in which they allowed 55 points or less. 10* OHIO STATE

Earliest Cash - Rickenbach CBB Rotation #782 Wednesday 10* Top Play Seton Hall Pirates (-) vs Butler Bulldogs @ 6:30 ET - We're getting some line value here because Bulldogs point guard Aaron Thompson has been upgraded to probable and that has moved the line a little toward Butler. He is not a big scorer but he leads them team in assists and, as such, is attracting some attention here. Thompson had missed the Georgetown game which was the Bulldogs 6th loss in their past 10 games. However, even though he is coming back, Thompson was on the floor when Butler lost as a host versus Seton Hall earlier this season. Additionally, the last 3 road games Thompson has played in, the Bulldogs have gone 0-3 and lost all 3 by double digits. With Seton Hall still at the top of the Big East but off back to back losses, the Pirates are hell bent on a huge game at home for this one. Seton Hall is not only off B2B losses overall but also has lost each of its past two home games after starting the season 10-1 SU at home. That is why I am backing the Pirates for a huge bounce back effort here and they should cover the short number as well. Nearly all their wins have come by a margin of at least a half dozen points this season. 10* SETON HALL

Game of the Week - Rickenbach CBB Rotation #606 Tuesday 10* Top Play Penn State Nittany Lions (-) vs Illinois Illini @ 6:30 ET - Penn State has been red hot. The Nittany Lions enter this game having won 8 in a row both SU and ATS! The Illini enter this game having lost 4 in a row SU and they covered just 1 of those 4 losses. Also, Illinois has lost 6 straight games to Penn State SU and also is on an 0-7 ATS run in games against the Nittany Lions. As you can see, there are streaks galore that support a play on PSU in this one but there is also more. The leading scorer for the Illini is Ayo Dosunmu and he is listed as questionable for this game. If he plays I don't expect him to be 100% physically or mentally for that matter. He took a very nasty fall at the end of the Illinois loss to Michigan State. Though the MRI ended up showing no structural damage the fact is that it was very ugly and is not an injury you just bounce right back from. Dosunmu missed the next game, 15 point loss at Rutgers, and could miss this game as well. Again, even if he does play I do not expect him to be playing at his normal high level and he had some rough shooting performances in recent games too. Right now the Nittany Lions are roaring and I don't see them getting knocked off at home here. Penn State has Indiana on deck but that is not a big deal as they already beat them by 15 during this 8-game winning streak. In other words, there is no lookahead here, the Nittany Lions are at home, and the Illini are both slumping (0-4 SU L4) and hurting (leading scorer questionable). All signs point to a home blowout here so I have no hesitation in laying the half dozen points here. 10* PENN STATE

Earliest Cash - Rickenbach CBB Rotation #861 Monday 10* Top Play Xavier Musketeers (-) @ St John's Red Storm @ 6:30 ET - The Musketeers enter this game on a perfect 4-0 ATS run. Xavier is also a perfect 10-0 SU in the last 10 meetings between these teams. The Red Storm are 0-3 SU when off a win. Keep in mind St John's had lost 9 of their last 11 games before their rare win over Providence Wednesday. The Musketeers had won 3 in a row before their loss at Butler Wednesday. The Red Storm are also now without 2nd leading scorer Mustapha Heron. You can see that we have triple perfect support in terms of trending for this play. With the Musketeers off a loss and St John's off a rare win, I am looking for the streak to reach 11 in a row in this series! 10* XAVIER

PA Insider - Rickenbach CBB Rotation #821 Sunday 10* Top Play Villanova Wildcats (-) @ Temple Owls @ 1 ET - This is a big game as part of the Big 5 in Philly each year. The Wildcats usually win the Big 5 Title in Philly and they are 3-0 this season in Big 5 action while the Owls are 2-1. That means Temple can earn a share of the title with the upset win here. However, Villanova is going to prove to be too much here. Yes the Wildcats had endured a recent losing streak but they faced very stiff competition and their most recent 1-point win was a game in which Nova led by 18 points in the 2nd half. As for the Owls, they have started winning again but have faced weak competition too. They are off a win versus Tulane, the worst team in the AAC, and Temple actually was trailing by 13 points near the midway point of the 2nd half of that game. The point is that the Owls were well on their way to losing outright to a very bad team before they rallied while the Cats are off a game in which they were on their way to a blowout win over a quality opponent before barely hanging on. Those results give us line value here with a rather short number on Villanova. Temple is off back to back wins but had lost 8 of 10 prior to that. Also, 2 of their 3 most recent wins have come against East Carolina and the Green Wave. Those teams are a combined 6-18 in AAC action this season. The Wildcats have battled it out with 3 straight Top 25 teams and now are going to take advantage of a step down in level of competition here. Keep in mind that even though this game is at Temple, both these teams are Philly teams. In other words, it is not much of a "road game" at all. The Wildcats roll. 10* VILLANOVA

Game of the Month - Rickenbach CBB Rotation #730 Saturday 10* Top Play Michigan State Spartans (-) vs Maryland Terrapins @ 6 ET - The Terrapins are ranked in the top 10 in the country right now while the Spartans have fallen out of the top 25. Maryland has won 7 straight games while Michigan State had lost 3 straight games prior to notching a tight 1-point win at Illinois Tuesday. That said, why did Michigan State open up in the range of a 7-point favorite for this one? Precisely! Don't be fooled as the Spartans are set to roll to a double digit win on their home floor here. Their most recent game as a host was a rare home loss as a surging Penn State team went into East Lansing and got the upset win. Prior to that, the Spartans were 10-1 SU at home this season. Also, their point differential is 23 points at home as Michigan State's games as a host have had an average score of 83 to 60. Even though Maryland has been hot, this is still a Terrapins team that is just 3-4 SU on the road this season. The Terps have a point differential of only 2.5 points on the road this season as they have averaged 68.9 points but allowed 66.4 points in road games this season. The Spartans are known for dominating the paint in match-ups with Maryland. The Terrapins do have 6'10 Jalen Smith but are really lacking in talented big men when it comes to depth. Look for Michigan State to, as per usual, wear down the Terps as this one goes on. The Spartans have dominated home meetings with Maryland and, overall, have won the last 3 match-ups by an average margin of 16.7 points per game. That is the range I expect this one to finish in as well. The Spartans are use to being at the top of the Big Ten but right now the Terrapins occupy that spot. Undoubtedly the home team has something to say about that here. 10* MICHIGAN STATE

Earliest Cash - Rickenbach CBB Rotation #607 Saturday 8* Purdue Boilermakers (+) @ Ohio State Buckeyes @ Noon ET - The Boilermakers are off a loss and allowed 88 points. This followed a stretch that had seen Purdue win 3 straight games. I expect them to bounce right back here as the Boilermakers are 5-0 SU the last 5 times they are off a loss in which they allowed 70 points or more. Purdue is facing a Buckeyes team today which is off a non-covering home win versus Rutgers. That dropped Ohio State to 1-4 ATS in their last 5 home games. They continue to be over-valued in my opinion. Yes, I know the Buckeyes have a strong SU record at home but, in Big Ten home games prior to facing the Scarlet Knights, Ohio State was just 2-2 SU and one of those wins came against a bad Nebraska team. Also, last weekend we saw the Buckeyes get absolutely destroyed at Wisconsin as the game wasn't even as close as the 70-57 final would lead one to believe. The Boilermakers have confidence here as they won at Columbus last season plus blasted the Buckeyes when they hosted them last season. Coming off a home loss but having won their two prior road games, the Boilers get it done again on the road here. If they do fall short I expect the defeat to come by just a bucket or two. Grab the points. 8* PURDUE

Game of the Week - Rickenbach NHL Rotation #80 Friday 10* Top Play Pittsburgh Penguins Puck Line -1.5 goals +140 vs Montreal Canadiens @ 7:05 ET - The Canadiens are off back to back losses and have lost 13 of their past 22 games. 4 of the Habs past 6 losses have come by 2 or more goals. The Penguins are angry off an OT loss at home versus the Lightning on Tuesday. The Pens have the rest edge here as this will be just their 2nd game in a span of 7 days! Pittsburgh is 8-0 the last 8 times they have entered a game off a loss. Now of course I am not laying the big money line price on the Penguins here. However, where I feel we have line value is with the +140 available on playing Pittsburgh to win this game by 2 or more goals. On deck for the Pens is a match-up with the Red Wings on Sunday. As for the Habs they have another game tomorrow in Montreal versus Dallas. Once the Canadiens get down early in this one I could see them packing it in. The Penguins will prove to be the much hungrier team after they feel they let one slip away versus Tampa Bay Tuesday - a game in which the Pens never trailed. 10* PITTSBURGH Puck Line -1.5 goals +140

Contrarian Crusher - Rickenbach CBB Rotation #865 Friday 10* Top Play Davidson Wildcats (+) @ St Bonaventure Bonnies @ 7 ET - There is a reason this line is set lower than many would expect. St Bonaventure is 17-8 this season and 9-3 in conference games. Davidson is only a game above .500 on the season overall and in conference games. Also, the Wildcats are on the road here. So the Bonnies should be favored by much more than just the typical 3 or 4 points that is considered the home court edge, right? Long-time followers know how I feel about supposed "flawed lines" or "bad numbers". The fact is the line is set this way with good reason. For one thing Davidson has been a bit of a nemesis of St Bonaventure's in recent years. The Bonnies confidence tends to be "shot" when they are facing the Wildcats. Also, a big key here as it relates to the overall records of these teams and the fact that St Bonaventure enters this game on a 5-game winning streak, the Wildcats have played a much tougher schedule this season. Also all of the Bonnies A-10 wins (except one upset win by a 3-point margin over Duquesne) have come against teams at the bottom of the standings. All those teams have a record of 4-7 or worse in A-10 action. The non-conference schedule is where Davidson has faced a much tougher schedule. Also, in A-10 action the Wildcats lost at VCU by 11 points while the Bonnies lost by 28 points. Davidson's only other two losses in the past 5 weeks each came by 6 or less points. The Wildcats are a tough team to pull away from and the Bonnies haven't even been able to beat the Cats in recent meetings let alone pull away for any kind of margin. Give me the points. 10* DAVIDSON

Contrarian Crusher - Rickenbach NBA Rotation #525 Thursday 10* Top Play Oklahoma City Thunder (+) @ New Orleans Pelicans @ 8:05 ET - The Thunder are off back to back home losses. That is a situation that has seen them go 6-2 SU in recent seasons. This season Oklahoma City is 8-3 SU when off a home loss so the loss to the Spurs (after falling just a point short against the Celtics) was a rarity in and of itself. The Thunder simply had a bad night offensively (except for Chris Paul) against San Antonio. I look for Oklahoma City to respond in a huge way tonight. They are an incredible 20-5 ATS in road games this season. The Thunder are a fantastic 24-5 SU this season in games against teams with a losing record. I know that New Orleans has been playing a bit better of late but Brandon Ingram is still questionable with an ankle injury and, even if he plays, won't be 100% here. The Pelicans have survived without him recently but that will be tougher tonight if he is out or limited as Oklahoma City comes in angry off back to back losses and is already 3-0 this season against New Orleans. The Pelicans are off a high-scoring win but are 1-4 SU this season when off a game in which they scored 130 points or more. The Thunder are the better team defensively and New Orleans is 10-20 SU after a game in which they allowed 115 points or more. Also, even though they are playing with revenge, the Pelicans are 11-24 SU this season when playing with revenge. 10* OKLAHOMA CITY

ESPN Smash Pass - Rickenbach CBB Rotation #623 Thursday 10* Top Play Wichita State Shockers (-) @ UCF Knights @ 7 ET - Perfect set up here. The Knights are off a win versus Tulsa. That is was an impressive victory for UCF. Keep in mind the only other 3 wins they have in AAC action came against the 3 worst teams in the conference: South Florida, East Carolina, Tulane. Also, prior to rare back to back wins for the Knights, they were barely a .500 team on the season. Now we can fade them with an angry Shockers team that, not too long ago, was 15-1 on the season! Wichita State is fired up after an extremely embarrassing 76-43 loss at Houston. Yes, the Shockers have lost 3 straight games now but they played 3 of the top teams in the conference: Tulsa, Cincinnati, Houston. Those 3 teams have a combined record of 26-8 in AAC action. Now, taking on a team which they are 4-0 against and a team that is only 4-7 in AAC action this season, Wichita State will take advantage. Perfect set up here as the Shockers are off their worst game in AAC action on the season while the Knights are off their best game in conference action on the season. The result here will be a road rout in this ideal scenario. 10* WICHITA STATE

Contrarian Crusher - Rickenbach NBA Rotation #505 Wednesday 10* Top Play Washington Wizards (+) @ New York Knicks @ 7:35 ET - I know the Wizards are in a back to back spot but, in typical contrarian fashion, that is the team I am backing here. The fact is Washington has been building up momentum with wins in 4 of its last 6 games. They are still very much alive in the playoff race for the #8 spot in the east. Also, they are 2-0 SU the last two times they have played the 2nd night of a back to back. The Knicks are off a double OT loss Sunday so they come into this one as the more rested team. Also, New York had won 4 straight games before that loss. However, the problem with the Knicks is they are mired in turmoil right now about their head coach. That is doing nothing to help the confidence of the team or how they will play for their current coach. Additionally, an illness bug is going around the New York locker-room right now. Also, even though this is a back to back for Washington, these teams have the long All-Star break on deck after this game. In other words, the Wizards aren't going to play any less harder just because this is a back to back. Also, Washington has been using plenty of bench minutes and essentially running with a 10 man rotation. The Wizards had 10 players who all played at least 16 minutes last night. That certainly helps the fatigue factor as well as none of the starters saw truly heavy minutes. I am going to ride the hot team with the more stable coaching situation as they continue to close the gap on the #8 seed in the playoff race and I am happy to have the points here as the Knicks recent wins have all been tight. The Wizards have won 10 of their last 11 visits to New York and  that strong trend continues here. 10* WASHINGTON

Game of the Week - Rickenbach CBB Rotation #781 Wednesday 10* Top Play Xavier Musketeers (+) @ Butler Bulldogs @ 6:30 ET - With each win, confidence grows. That makes for a dangerous dog here. The Musketeers have won 3 straight games and here they are catching about a half dozen points in a revenge game against a struggling Butler team. The Bulldogs have won only 3 of their past 8 games and, by the way, all 3 wins came by 5 or less points. That means if you played against Butler with +5.5 (today's dominant line) in each of their past 8 games, you have gone 8-0 ATS. Look for the Musketeers to continue that trend here as they get revenge for losing by 5 points in their most recent meeting (March) with the Bulldogs. Prior to that tight defeat, Xavier had won 4 straight meetings with Butler. Both teams have impressive defensive numbers on the season but the Bulldogs, not including OT points in the Marquette game, have allowed 73.1 points per game their past 8 games. The Musketeers have allowed an average of only 59.7 points their last 3 games and have held 5 of their last 6 opponents, not including OT points in the Marquette game, to 62 points or less! I like the value with the surging underdog looking to avenge a March loss in this one. I'll gladly grab the generous points as Butler is "pressing" a bit right now and starting to wilt under the pressure. Give me the unranked team in this one as they play well as a tenacious underdog! 10* XAVIER

Game of the Week - Rickenbach NBA Rotation #580 Tuesday 10* Top Play Philadelphia 76ers (+) vs Los Angeles Clippers @ 7:05 ET - Public enemy #1 in Philly is Kawhi Leonard. He hit the unreal shot as a member of the Raptors that knocked the 76ers out of the playoffs in clutch fashion in Toronto last year. Of course the Sixers haven't forgotten this and that gives this game some extra intrigue for sure. This is a fantastic situation in which to back Philadelphia. First off, we don't have to lay any points even though the 76ers are 24-2 at home this season while the Clippers are 15-11 on the road. Also, Los Angeles is playing its 3rd road game in 4 nights plus they have a game at Boston on deck for Thursday. I know the Clippers blew out Cleveland Sunday and so they were able to rest starters but they also are still without Patrick Beverley and he has been ruled out for this game. They haven't needed him against truly bad teams the last two games but they sure would have liked to have him tonight for facing a Sixers team that is 24-2 as a host this season. For Philly, this is actually their final game until after the All Star break. The Sixers don't play again until the 20th so they definitely are going to go hard for the full 48 minutes tonight and they want their revenge against Kawhi even if that now comes with him in a different uniform this season. Payback time here. 10* PHILADELPHIA

Contrarian Crusher - Rickenbach CBB Rotation #608 Tuesday 10* Top Play St Joseph's Hawks (+) vs St Bonaventure Bonnies @ 7 ET - I know the Hawks have had a tough season but this is a spot where this Philly team has a great shot at a big upset win at home. In comparison with St Bonaventure, St Joseph's has played the much tougher schedule this season. Also, the key here is the situation. The Bonnies blasted the Hawks in both games last season and that included an embarrassing home loss here in Philadelphia. St Joseph's will be ready to go here. As for St Bonaventure, they are off a tight upset win at Duquesne that ended an 0-3 ATS run in road games for the Bonnies. On deck is a home game with Davidson. That may not seem like a big deal BUT it is the Wildcats that swept St Bonaventure last season PLUS also eliminated them from the Atlantic 10 Tournament the prior season. Keep in mind that was the season the Bonnies made it to the NCAA Tournament and had a very strong team. Having now lost 3 straight games to Davidson, they can't help but be thinking a little bit about their upcoming home date with the Wildcats. For the Hawks, it is all about this game and getting some revenge and having a huge game on their home floor. I fully expect, given the situation, that we're going to see St Joseph's play one of their best games of the season tonight at home. If the Hawks do fall short on the scoreboard here, look for the defeat to come by a margin of just a bucket or two in a fierce end-game battle. This line has moved from as low as a 6 to as high as an 8.5 and I am grabbing the big dog value here. 10* ST JOSEPH'S

Earliest Cash - Rickenbach NBA Rotation #559 Monday 10* Top Play Brooklyn Nets (+) @ Indiana Pacers @ 7:05 ET - The Nets play this game with double revenge as they lost each of the first two meetings this season even though those were in Brooklyn. Actually that continues a strong road team trend in this series as the traveler is now 4-0 ATS in the last 4 meetings between these teams. The Nets lost the most recent meeting by 29 points and will be seeking payback here. They are catching the Pacers at the right time for an upset. Indiana has lost 5 straight games. Brooklyn is off a hard-fought 1-point loss at Toronto and will again show no quit here. That means the Nets should be in this one all the way. Brooklyn had gone 4-1 SU in their 5 games preceding the 1-point loss to the Raptors. Also, the cover in that game brings the Nets to 5-1 ATS in their last 6 games. Look for them to improve on that mark here as Indiana's struggles continue. 10* BROOKLYN

Contrarian Crusher - Rickenbach NBA Rotation #552 Sunday 10* Top Play Washington Wizards (+) vs Memphis Grizzlies @ 6:05 ET - This is a contrarian play as many are looking to play Memphis off their loss at Philly and fade Washington off their last second win over the Mavericks. However, the Wizards have now won 7 of their last 9 home games, are getting stronger bench play, and with wins in 3 of their last 4 games overall they are truly starting to believe. The Grizzlies are a talented but very young team and they struggle to win on the road. In fact Memphis does have a losing record on the road this season. The Grizzlies are 2-5 ATS this season when they enter a game having covered 6 or 7 of their past 8 games. In other words, Memphis has been hot at the betting window but has cooled down when in this situation this season. As for the Wizards, I am looking for them to win for the 8th time in their past 10 home games as they continue to get strong shooting off the bench and Bradley Beal continues his torrid stretch. The bottom of the Eastern Conference playoff race is still very much alive for the Wizards and they have proven over the past week that they aren't done battling! 10* WASHINGTON

Daytime Dominator - Rickenbach CBB Rotation #839 Sunday 10* Top Play Ohio State Buckeyes (+) @ Wisconsin Badgers @ 1 ET - This is a double revenge game for the Buckeyes. Not only did the Badgers beat them at Columbus earlier this season, they also beat them there last season too! Ohio State is hell bent on revenge here and the situation is perfect for them to do just that. Wisconsin, after Kobe King left the program, has been going through some significant internal struggles. They managed to rally the troops during this tough time over the past week and a half and that led to an upset win over Michigan State. However, there is only so far that emotion can take you and that was evident when the Badgers then got blasted by 18 points at Minnesota this week. This is a Wisconsin team that has lost 3 of its past 4 games SU and also has covered just 1 of its past 7 games at the betting window. As for the Buckeyes, they have righted the ship with 3 straight wins (and covers) and now catch the Badgers at the perfect time to exact revenge. Look for the road team to stay hot here and get a convincing win as the current situation here is a case of two teams heading in opposite directions. 10* OHIO STATE

Puck Line Punisher - Rickenbach NHL Rotation #2 Sunday 8* Detroit Red Wings Puck Line +1.5 goals +105 vs Boston Bruins @ 12:35 ET - This is a tough spot for Boston. They are playing the 2nd game of a back to back and it is a very early game Sunday. I don't trust Detroit to necessarily pull off the outright upset here but they have been playing very scrappy of late and I expect them to be in this game all the way with a definite shot at the big upset too. That is why I am grabbing the +1.5 goals with the Red Wings on the puck line. Note that the Bruins have won 4 of their past 7 road games but only 1 of those 4 Boston wins came by more than a goal. That means Boston, if you laid 1.5 goals in each game, has gone just 1-6 in its last 7 road games. As for Detroit, they have allowed a total of just 9 goals in their last 4 games. One was a win, one was a loss by a single goal, and another game would have been another loss by just a single goal had the Red Wings not given up a goal with less than a minute and a half to go. From a situational standpoint, this game has great potential to be a shocker and I expect the Bruins to struggle just to win this game let alone to win it by more than a single goal. Boston has lost 4 of their last 7 when playing the 2nd game of a back to back and 2 of the 3 wins came by just a single goal. That's right, just once in the last seven times have the Bruins won the 2nd game of a back to back by a multiple goal margin. I know the Red Wings make for an "ugly dog" but this is the perfect spot to play against Boston. 8* DETROIT Puck Line +1.5 goals +105

Earliest Cash - Rickenbach NBA Rotation #528 Saturday 10* Top Play Orlando Magic (+) vs Milwaukee Bucks @ 5:05 ET - The Bucks are 1-6 ATS this season when they enter a game on an ATS run of 3 or more consecutive wins. Milwaukee is 2-6 ATS this season when they enter a game off 3 straight SU wins by a double digit margin. In other words "the buck" stops here! The Magic have been struggling lately but they view this 4-game homestand as a chance to get back on track. Orlando is coming off a 3-game road trip that was punctuated by a 2-point loss to the Knicks and that has the Magic fired up to get back on track here. When on an ATS losing streak of 2 or more games Orlando is 8-4 ATS this season. Also, the Magic are 5-2 SU and ATS this season when off 2 or more consecutive road losses. Motivation matters in a game like this and Orlando may not win this game outright but they'll battle all the way through and keep it within single digits. The big win the Bucks just had over the 76ers was a revenge win from a Christmas Day loss at Philadelphia. This game is a true flat spot for Milwaukee. 10* ORLANDO

Daytime Dominator - Rickenbach CBB Rotation #641 Saturday 10* Top Play Purdue Boilermakers (+) @ Indiana Hoosiers @ 2 ET - We saw this last year with Indiana and it seems like deja vu. Last season, after getting off to a strong start the first couple months, the Hoosiers had losing streaks of 7 games and 5 games after the new year. Their current losing streak entering this game is "only" 3 games but, once again, Indiana's mental toughness is being questioned. Exasperating the situation here for the Hoosiers is the fact that they are facing a bitter rival that continues to have their number. The Boilermakers have won each of the last 5 meetings between these teams. Also, Purdue enters this game rolling with confidence while Indiana is again having those same feelings of self-doubt which inflicted them during last season's swoon. While the Hoosiers are on a 3-game losing streak and have lost 6 of 10, the Boilers have won 3 of 4. Yes the road win came against conference-worst Northwestern but notching a road win was a key for Purdue. As for their two home wins during this 4-game stretch, those came by a combined margin of 55 points against the Badgers and the ranked Hawkeyes. While the Boilermakers have scored an average of 74.5 points their last 4 games, Indiana has been held to an average of 54 points in its last two games. Granted those two games were on the road but also note that their most recent home win saw Joey Brunk lead the team in scoring and rebounds. He is questionable for this game and dealing with an illness. In a rivalry game I am happy to grab the points with the team that has dominated this series, is well-coached, and has the confidence level to get the job done against a team whose confidence is waning with each successive loss. 10* PURDUE

Contrarian Crusher - Rickenbach CBB Rotation #602 Saturday 8* George Washington Colonials (+) vs Rhode Island Rams @ Noon ET - This is a great spot for a home dog upset. I am expecting Armel Potter to be back on the floor today for the Colonials but, even if he does not play, I fully expect George Washington to stay within single digits in this game. The Colonials are fired up off back to back ugly losses on the road. Certainly they are happy to be back home for what is their only home game between January 29th and February 22nd. They'll make the most of this game and, prior to the B2B road losses, had won 4 of 5 games with the only loss coming by just 5 points. Also, George Washington is off for a full week after this game. It is definitely the type of set up where a team "leaves it all on the floor". Last, but certainly not least, this is a revenge game as the Colonials got blown out at Rhode Island last season. They lost the game by 27 because the Rams scored 30 points more than them from 3-point land as George Washington went 0 for 11 from beyond the arc. Of course that is not happening again here and the Colonials catch Rhode Island in a huge lookahead spot here. The Rams have won 9 straight Atlantic 10 games and have a massive game at Dayton (9-0 in Atlantic 10 action) on deck. That one sets up as a huge 1-2 battle at the top of this conference and Rhode Island can't help but to be looking ahead to that game on Tuesday. As bad as the Colonials were in recent road games they have been a much stronger team at home this season and this game has true upset potential. That said, grab the generous points. 8* GEORGE WASHINGTON

TV Game of the Week - Rickenbach NHL Rotation #62 Friday 10* Top Play Dallas Stars Puck Line -1.5 goals (+145) vs Minnesota Wild @ 8:35 ET - The Stars lost to the Wild 7-0 in the final game before the All Star break. That is the kind of beatdown a hockey club does not forget - it was recent and it was ugly. Yes, I know the Stars have a game at St Louis tomorrow night but there is no way they're overlooking this game. Also, Dallas has a scheduling edge considering they have been off each of the last two days while Minnesota was hosting Vancouver last night. Alex Stalock was between the pipes yesterday which means Devan Dubnyk is likely to get the start here. Dubnyk is off a game in which he allowed 6 goals to the Bruins. Also, in his most recent road start he allowed 7 goals to the Penguins. Dubnyk is going to face a barrage of shots from an angry revenge-minded Stars team in this one. The fact Dallas also lost the final game of their road trip Tuesday on Long Island also has the Stars fired up for this game. Of course all of the above is a key reason as to why Dallas is a big money line favorite in this game. As long-time followers know, I don't lay big prices and that is why I am betting the puck line in this one. By laying the 1.5 goals we get about a +145 return on the Stars. Note that 5 of the last 6 meetings between these teams (including 4 Dallas wins) have all come by a margin of 2 or more goals. Also, 6 of Minnesota's last 9 losses overall have come by 2+ goals. Look for another one here as the Stars get their revenge in a big way. 10* DALLAS Puck Line -1.5 goals

Contrarian Crusher - Rickenbach NBA Rotation #514 Friday 10* Top Play Philadelphia 76ers (-) vs Memphis Grizzlies @ 7:05 ET - Since the Grizzlies have been playing well that is keeping this line lower than it should be. Yes, the 76ers are on a 4-game losing streak but all 4 losses came on the road. This is still a Philly team that is 22-2 SU at home this season. They have had a wake up call with the recent results on the road and will be ready to respond huge at home. Having made some trade moves here within the past 24 hours it is also a wake up call for the entire team. They will not stand pat. It is time to get the wheels in motion and play hungry and focused and for the full 48. The fresh blood in house will help insure that happens starting tonight whether the new guys are on the floor or not. Heads are rolling in Philly and now they play like a team possessed tonight. They are at home and off 4 straight road losses and laying less than a half dozen points. This is the perfect spot to back a hungry and angry team as they take on a Grizzlies team off an outright upset win at Dallas in their most recent game. 10* PHILADELPHIA

Early Dominator - Rickenbach CBB Rotation #852 Friday 10* Top Play Yale Bulldogs (-) vs Harvard Crimson @ 5 ET - We are getting line value here because of the revenge angle here. The revenge is actually with Harvard in this game. They finished tied with Yale for the regular season Ivy League title but then the Crimson lost to the Bulldogs in the conference tournament. So we should play Harvard to get revenge here, right? Not so fast my friends. The Crimson lost Seth Towns before the season even got going and they are currently still without their biggest star Bryce Aiken. Harvard enters this game off B2B SU losses and on an 0-5 ATS run. I know they do have two Ivy League wins but those each came by 5 or less points and that was against a bad Dartmouth team. Conversely, Yale has not just been winning, the Bulldogs have been crushing teams. Yale enters this game on a 6-game winning streak and all 6 victories came by more than 10 points. The Bulldogs have shot 43% three pointers at home and 51% from the field overall at home. Yale is allowing opponents to hit only 35% from the field when they are the host and that includes the Bulldogs defending the arc very well as they have held the opposition to 29% from 3-point land. Yes there is revenge here but the home team is currently the better team and the healthier team and the short number on this game is absolutely a bargain. 10* YALE

Contrarian Crusher - Rickenbach NBA Rotation #505 Thursday 10* Top Play Philadelphia 76ers (+) @ Milwaukee Bucks @ 8:05 ET - The Bucks do have revenge here from a loss on Christmas Day at Philadelphia. However, the 76ers come into this game fired up as they are off 3 straight losses on this 4-game road trip. The ugliest loss just happened on Monday when they allowed 137 points at Miami. That is the kind of defeat that grabs a teams attention and the Sixers will be fighting mad by the time they take the court for this one. I know Milwaukee is a great team and wants revenge here but they are over-priced in this spot and I am going to challenge the Bucks to win this game by double digits. Philly has won 2 of the 3 last meetings and that includes winning at Milwaukee too and the lone loss in that 3 game stretch for the 76ers came by just 6 points. The Bucks are off back to back wins and covers (including one at home) but prior to that had been on a 2-5 ATS run in home games. The Sixers are 5-1 SU and ATS when they enter a game on an ATS losing streak of 4 or more games. The Bucks are 1-3 ATS this season when revenging a loss by a double-digit margin. 10* PHILADELPHIA

Dominator Game of the Week - Rickenbach CBB Rotation #624 Thursday 10* Top Play Drexel Dragons (-) vs James Madison Dukes @ 7 ET - Great set up here. The Dragons are off a disappointing stretch of 3 straight losses on the road. Now Drexel is back home in Philadelphia where they are a fantastic 9-2 this season. The Dukes are off a rare win. James Madison is now 2-9 in conference games this season after beating UNC-Wilmington again. That's right, the only two wins that James Madison has this season in Colonial action have come against the Seahawks and that's not saying much since UNC-Wilmington is the worst team in the conference this season. Prior to the Dukes win over the Seahawks, James Madison had lost 7 straight games and 9 of its last 10. The Dukes last 4 road losses all have come by 8 or more points. We only have to lay a half dozen points here with Drexel. Note that the Dragons last two home wins each game by more than a 20 point margin. At home off 3 straight road losses, Drexel won't take their foot off the gas in this one against James Madison. The Dukes, off a rare win, are ripe for the picking here too in terms of a being in a flat spot and being on the road where they have struggled. James Madison is 8-22 ATS (including 1-7 ATS this season) when off a win. Also, when off a game in which they scored 80 or more points, the Dukes are 4-14 ATS. The Dragons are 4-1 ATS when they are on an ATS losing streak of 3 or more games plus they are 5-1 ATS this season when off a game in which they allowed 80 or more points. 10* DREXEL

Contrarian Crusher - Rickenbach NBA Rotation #575 Wednesday 10* Top Play Indiana Pacers (+) @ Toronto Raptors @ 7:35 ET - The Raptors have won 11 straight games so they are the popular choice here. In typical contrarian fashion, I am grabbing the Pacers plus the points. Indiana is off back to back losses and that is a situation that has seen them go 4-1 SU and ATS this season. Also, the Pacers most recent loss was an outright upset as a home favorite. That is a situation that has seen Indiana go 12-6 SU (13-5 ATS). Also, this is a real rarity as the Pacers are off back to back home losses. That is a situation that has seen Indiana go a perfect 3-0 SU and ATS. The Raptors have been red hot and enter this game off B2B wins by double digit margins. However, they are 0-3 ATS this season when off consecutive victories by 10 or more points. Also, Toronto is 3-6 ATS when they are a home favorite of 6 or less points this season. Look for this one to go down to the wire and I look for the fired up Pacers to get the outright upset but will gladly grab the points as added insurance. 10* INDIANA

Game of the Week - Rickenbach NBA Rotation #564 Tuesday 10* Top Play New Orleans Pelicans (+) vs Milwaukee Bucks @ 7:35 ET - The Bucks are the best team in the NBA but there is a time and place for upsets of the top teams and this is one of those spots. Milwaukee has a revenge game against the 76ers on deck. The Bucks lost at Philadelphia on Christmas Day by a dozen points and it is a home date for Milwaukee hosting the Sixers that is up next on the docket. That said, traveling to New Orleans for a non-conference match-up that is a single road game in the midst of a home-heavy portion of the schedule is not a good situation for bringing out the best in the Bucks. Look for the Pelicans to take advantage. Keep in mind, the Bucks most recent game away from home was against a Hornets team that has now lost 17 of 20 games and yet Charlotte actually led Milwaukee much of the first 3 quarters of that game. The Bucks pulled away in the 4th but there will be no pulling away in this one at New Orleans. The Pelicans are coming off a tough loss at Houston but had won 14 of 21 games heading into that match-up with the Rockets. Also, New Orleans enters this game having gone 6-4 in their last 10 home games with the 4 losses coming by an average margin of 4 points per game. The biggest margin of defeat was 7 points and 3 of the 4 defeats came by 4 or less points. If the Pelicans do fall short of the outright upset here, look for this to be another tight loss by 4 or less points. In other words, great value with the home dog in this one. 10* NEW ORLEANS 

Contrarian Crusher - Rickenbach CBB Rotation #623 Tuesday 10* Top Play Ohio State Buckeyes (+) @ Michigan Wolverines @ 7 ET - Finally on March 1st Ohio State will host Michigan but, as for this match-up, it is the 3rd straight time these teams are meeting in Ann Arbor. The last two have not gone well at all for the Buckeyes as they have been blasted by a double digit margin in each meeting. That said, I am looking for big-time payback for Ohio State in this one. Both teams are off back to back wins but the Wolverines have their biggest rival, Michigan State, on deck. Michigan got blasted by 18 points by the Spartans in their first meeting so they're already looking forward to the rematch. As for the Buckeyes, they are off back to back wins and both were key. They finally got back on track with a road win (at Northwestern) and then beat a respectable Big Ten foe, Indiana, in their most recent game. Look for Ohio State to bring momentum from those games right into this game and deliver the road upset. The Buckeyes are the better team defensively and also shoot the 3-ball better than Michigan. Look for some solid D to lead the way to a road win here. It is payback time. 10* OHIO STATE

NBA TV Dominator - Rickenbach NBA Rotation #553 Monday 10* Top Play Philadelphia 76ers (+) @ Miami Heat @ 7:35 ET - The 76ers enter this game off back to back losses. Philly is also playing this game with double revenge. Philadelphia lost at home to the Heat by 4 points in mid-December and then the Sixers lost by a single point at Miami in late December. While the 76ers are fired up to get back in the win column and avenge those losses, note that the Heat are only 4-3 SU in their last 7 games and the wins came against teams with a losing record. Every time Miami has faced a tougher opponent of late they have lost. The 76ers are off a loss at Boston to begin February but they do have recent wins (January) over the Celtics as well as Oklahoma City and the Lakers. They will again step up here to get revenge and to get back to their winning ways as they are healthy again now. Other than the continued absence of Josh Richardson, it is again "all hands on deck" for the Sixers. 10* PHILADELPHIA

Patriot League Game of the Year - Rickenbach CBB Rotation #501 Monday 10* Top Play Lafayette Leopards (+) @ Bucknell Bison @ 7 ET - Revenge game for the Leopards. They blew a big half-time lead and lost by double digits to the Bison in Easton last month. Since that defeat, Lafayette has responded very well. As for Bucknell, it has been a downhill slide since then. The Bison have gone 3-5 SU since then and the only 3 victories were against the 3 worst teams in the Patriot League. Bucknell beat Holy Cross, Loyola (MD), and Lehigh. Those teams are each just 2-8 in conference games this season! Now the Bison host a revenge-minded Leopards team that is 14-7 on the season and has won 6 of 8 games since losing to Bucknell. Note that Lafayette is off a win over an American team that was 6-3 in conference action and, prior to that game, the Leopards knocked off the top team in the Patriot for a season sweep. Yes, Lafayette won at Colgate and that completed a 2-0 season series sweep over a Raiders team that is 8-0 against the rest of the Patriot League this season. The Leopards have been a pleasant surprise this season and red-hot Justin Jaworski and company get revenge here on the road in Lewisburg Monday. 10* LAFAYETTE

Super Bowl Slaughter - Rickenbach NFL Rotation #101 San Francisco 49ers (-) vs Kansas City Chiefs @ 6:30 ET Sunday - The Chiefs have won and covered 8 games in a row. However, Kansas City has allowed an average of 25.3 points their last 3 games. The 49ers, conversely, have allowed an average of just 17 points their last 3 games. KC can be run on and San Francisco can and will emphasize the ground game here. That will help limit QB Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs scoring opportunities in this game as the Niners can use their ground game to control the tempo a bit in this game. The 49ers outrushed KC by over 100 yards in their meeting last season. San Francisco allowed 125 rushing yards in a recent game versus Seattle. However, in their other 4 recent games they have allowed an average of 61 rushing yards per game. Conversely the Chiefs have allowed 97 rushing yards per game their last 4 games. The Niners this season are 5-0 SU and ATS in their 5 games this season with lines ranging from -3 to +3. Can the Chiefs stay hot after scoring so many points in consecutive game? History says no. Kansas City is 4-9 ATS when they enter a game having scored 30 or more points in 3 straight games. The Niners have averaged running for 200 yards per game their past 3 games. San Francisco has scored an average of 32 points per game their last 6 games. The better defense and better ground game has me siding with the 49ers here. 10* SAN FRANCISCO

Divisional Dominator - Rickenbach NBA Rotation #517 Saturday 10* Top Play Miami Heat (-) @ Orlando Magic @ 7:05 ET - The Heat should have Kendrick Nunn back for this one. That is a key as he is the 2nd leading scorer on the team plus also averages 3.5 assists per game. A rookie, Tyler Herro, had been starting in his place the last 3 games. The Heat only went 1-2 in those games. The lone win was against the Magic and it came by a big margin. This one likely to be tighter because it is in Orlando, but I still expect the Heat to prevail by very close to double digits in this one. That said, lay the small number. The Magic have lost 6 of their past 7 games including 3 straight games at home. The Heat lost at Orlando by 20 points early last month. It is payback time here and, keep in mind, the road team had won 3 straight meetings in this series prior to that January 3rd home win for the Magic. Jimmy Butler and a healthy Nunn will help lead the way to a road rout here. 10* MIAMI

Afternoon Rout - Rickenbach CBB Rotation #687 Saturday 10* Top Play UNLV Running Rebels (+) @ Colorado State Rams @ 4 ET - The Rebels are off back to back losses but they faced two very tough tests as they travel to Reno to face Nevada and then were at home against San Diego State. UNLV got the cover against the Aztecs but San Diego State is now 22-0 SU on the season. In other words, no real shame in that performance. Also, Nevada is now 9-2 SU at home this season and that defeat for the Rebels was expected. Now I am not saying that Colorado State is an easy place to play but UNLV has had more success here than in Reno in recent seasons. I also like the fact that the Rebels are even deeper now since an original starting guard, Elijah Mitrou-Long, is now back from injury. He actually lost his starting job to Marvin Coleman by virtue of being out. However, he has handled it like a true professional and now the Rebels are an even stronger team as a result. This line opened up at -5 and has moved to a -6.5 and I love the value in going against the move here with a very hungry (and rested and healthy) UNLV team off back to back losses. Note that the Rams are off a non-covering 1 point win versus Nevada. That was a hard-fought win and was also a revenge game for Colorado State. Watch them now fall short here against an angry Rebels team. I expect the outright upset but will certainly be grabbing the generous points for added insurance. 10* UNLV

Contrarian Crusher - Rickenbach CBB Rotation #616 Saturday 8* Wisconsin Badgers (+) vs Michigan State Spartans @ 1 ET - There is an old saying that I associate with today's play on Wisconsin. That is: It is a wounded dog that bites the hardest. I also feel that is particularly true when that dog is guarding its home! The Badgers (by the way, known for being a fiercely aggressive animal) are backed into a corner here and ready to fight anything and everything in their path. It has been a tumultuous week with Kobe King announcing his departure from the program and Brad Davidson being suspended for this game. Also, Micah Potter is dealing with an ankle injury but he is expected to be available for this one. In their first game without King, the Badgers put up a helluva fight and actually led by 12 points in the 2nd half at Iowa before eventually falling short. Now they are back home ready to fight again and they're hosting a Spartans team that has beaten them 8 straight times. The very first line that opened up on this game was a -3 and we're now seeing numbers as high as a -6.5 on Michigan State. The fact is that playing at Wisconsin is never easy. The Badgers are 9-1 here at home this season and the lone loss came by a single point. Coach Greg Gard's remaining players are fighting hard for him. They proved that against the Hawkeyes and you'll see it again here against the Spartans. Note that Michigan State is just 2-8 ATS on the road this season. Maybe they eke out a win here but, if they do, look for it to be by only a bucket or two. 8* WISCONSIN

Puck Line Punisher - Rickenbach NHL Rotation #24 Friday 10* Top Play Ottawa Senators Puck Line +1.5 goals vs Washington Capitals @ 7:35 ET - The Capitals are looking to bounce back off a loss. However, Alexander Ovechkin and Company also have a huge game on deck for early Sunday against Sidney Crosby and Company. Indeed it may be hard for the Caps to maintain focus here against a Senators team which they've dominated in recent meetings when you consider that they do have the mighty Penguins on deck. That could prove to be dangerous here for Washington because Ottawa has been much more competitive since an embarrassing 6-1 loss in DC a few weeks ago. First off the Capitals are only 3-3 in their last 6 road games and one of those wins came by a single goal. Now lets talk about what the revenge-minded Sens have done since that embarrassing loss versus the Caps. The Senators have only failed to earn a point ONCE in their past SEVEN games since that ugly defeat. The Sens have had two shootout losses, two overtime losses, and two outright wins during this stretch. That means only 1 loss by more than a single goal in their past 7 games. I love the value here with the scrappy Sens getting +1.5 goals at a reasonable price (-140 range) in this one. The Senators will be in this one throughout and I would not be surprised to see yet another Sens game that goes past regulation time to decide the winner. 10* OTTAWA Puck Line +1.5 goals

Earliest Cash - Rickenbach NBA Rotation #502 Friday 10* Top Play Detroit Pistons (+) vs Toronto Raptors @ 7:05 ET - The Raptors have won 9 straight games but they are a banged up team right now and playing the 2nd night of a back to back. Toronto did win the 2nd game of their very first back to back this season but, since then, the Raptors are only 3-3 in the 2nd game of a back to back. Not only that, 2 of those 3 wins came by 2 or less points! That is why I see value here at home with a hungry and rested Pistons team catching about 5 points as of early this morning. Detroit has lost both meetings with Toronto this season and also enters this game on an 0-4 SU and ATS run. To say the least, the Pistons are due for a big game and I expect them to get it here in an ideal situation. Note that last night's non-covering win for the Raptors dropped them to 1-3 ATS in their last 4 road games. They are over-priced here and Toronto will struggle just to win, let alone cover, this game. Grab the points with the home dog. 10* DETROIT

Early Annihilation - Rickenbach CBB Rotation #854 Friday 10* Kent State Golden Flashes (-) vs Akron Zips @ 6:30 ET - The Zips have over-achieved early this season and that has led to line value here in this spot with the Golden Flashes at home. Kent State is 13-1 at home their last 14 games and came into this season projected to finish near the top of the MAC East while Akron was projected to finish near the bottom of the MAC East. The cream eventually rises to the top and we're starting to see some signs that the Zips defense, so strong last season, is a much different animal this season. Akron had a strong game defensively at Miami-Ohio but has allowed an average of 87 points in their other 3 recent games! As for the Golden Flashes, they have allowed 70 points or less in 3 of their past 4 games. Also, their most recent home game was a loss and they'll be looking to make up for that here. Kent State had won their first 9 home games this season. This is just the 2nd home game for the Golden Flashes in a span of 3 weeks. Also, the home team has won 4 straight in this series. Look for that streak for the host to reach 5-0 by the time this one goes final this evening! 10* KENT STATE

Game of the Week - Rickenbach NBA Rotation #573 Thursday 10* Top Play Philadelphia 76ers (-) @ Atlanta Hawks @ 7:35 ET - At first glance this would look like a great spot to back the home dog Hawks since the 76ers have a huge game on deck at Boston. However, Atlanta is ravaged by injuries right now and Philadelphia is simply the must healthier team right now and, of course, the much stronger team. Yes it is true that the Sixers might rest Al Horford here but fellow big man Joel Embiid is back and likely to be even stronger in this game than he was in his first game back after the time off due to injury. Also, even though the 76ers are embarking on a big road trip with big games on deck at Boston, Miami, and Milwaukee, none of the games are back to back. Philly, including Embiid, will be going all out here and the injury-riddled Hawks roster won't be able to stop them. Keep in mind Atlanta has allowed 120 points or more in 6 of its last 7 games. The 76ers have allowed an average of only 100.3 points per game their last 10 games. 10* PHILADELPHIA

Game of the Week - Rickenbach CBB Rotation #627 Thursday 10* Top Play Minnesota Golden Gophers (+) @ Illinois Illini @ 7:30 ET - Nice set up here with the Illini off a big win at Michigan and the Golden Gophers off an ugly loss versus Michigan State. Minnesota, after the home loss to the Spartans, should respond in a big way here. The Gophers are 6-0 SU the last 6 times they've entered a game off a loss this season. Should Minnesota fall short of the outright upset here, note that Illinois is on a 6 game winning streak but 4 of the last 5 Illini victories have come by a margin of 4 or less points! In fact, not including a blowout win over an outclassed North Carolina AT & T team, Illinois has seen only 2 of its past 8 games result in a win for the Illini by a margin of more than 4 points. Minnesota got thrashed here at Illinois by 27 points last season so revenge is on order in this one. The Golden Gophers are 3-1 SU (and 4-0 ATS!) when they enter a game having scored 65 points or less in each of their 3 prior games. Illinois is off back to back covers and that is a situation that has seen them go 0-10 ATS! Look for that perfect trend to continue as, once again, the third time is NOT the charm for the Illini. The Golden Gophers, for the 7th time, respond with a win when they are coming off a loss. 10* MINNESOTA

Early Annihilation - Rickenbach CBB Rotation #793 Wednesday 10* Top Play Temple Owls (+) @ Connecticut Huskies @ 7 ET - Kobe Bryant was a Philadelphia native. Of course the world was rocked by his untimely passing this weekend and you may ask yourself what that has to do with this play though. Plenty! Aaron McKie, the Owls coach, is also a Philly native. Of course Temple is based in Philadelphia. I know emotions and energy and passion can only take you so far on the basketball court but this is absolutely a "rally the troops" game for the Owls. This game is being played at Connecticut but you can bet that the Owls are bringing plenty of energy and passion and emotion from Philly for this game. McKie has had a great message for the team since the passing of Bryant on Sunday. Though the Owls have struggled recently, I am going to take advantage of them getting a half dozen points here against a Huskies team that has also been struggling. It is hard to justify UConn being a 6-point favorite when they have lost 6 of their past 7 games. Also, the Owls have won 3 of the last 4 meetings between these teams and the lone loss came by a margin of 6 points while the average margin of the 3 victories was 17 points. I am aware of De'Vondre Perry and Josh Pierre-Louis both being questionable on the injury report. But I really don't expect Pierre-Louis to miss this game and Perry is off a horrific shooting performance. In fact the entire team shot poorly at Penn in their most recent game and that is why they lost despite taking 20+ more shots from the field than the Quakers. After that very strange and unexpected result, the Owls bounce back here and play a solid 40 for Kobe in this one! 10* TEMPLE

Game of the Month - Rickenbach NBA Rotation #546 Tuesday 10* Top Play Cleveland Cavaliers (+) vs New Orleans Pelicans @ 7:35 ET - The Cavaliers snapped their losing streak with a big win at Detroit last night. Even though that make this a back to back spot for Cleveland, note that only 1 player logged more than 26 minutes in last night's victory over the Pistons. That player was Collin Sexton and he has played extremely well this season in back to back spots so I have no concern that he logged 38 minutes yesterday. The earliest number on this game had the Pelicans as a 4.5 point favorite but the line is now up to an 8 and this is simply too many points to be giving home dog Cleveland. Yes, I know they have had some ugly losses during their losing streak but coming off a big road win last night will have the confidence of the Cavs trending the right direction. Look for the Cavaliers to go very hard here in a quest for their first home win since prior to Christmas! The Pelicans took both match-ups last season so Cleveland is seeking payback here. The Pelicans are off a big win versus Boston and have a Western Conference foe (Memphis) on deck. Will New Orleans be able to maintain full focus against a 13-34 Cavaliers team? I say absolutely not and this game goes down to the wire. Give me the points! 10* CLEVELAND

Big East Game of the Year - Rickenbach CBB Rotation #602 Tuesday 10* Top Play St John's Red Storm (+) vs Villanova Wildcats @ 6:30 ET - The Wildcats have been red hot but the Red Storm are known for giving Villanova plenty of trouble. St John's is a perfect 4-0 ATS in their last 4 meetings with the Cats. The Red Storm are 10-3 SU this season and all 3 home losses came by 3 or less points. Getting a big win over a solid Blue Demons team at DePaul Saturday gives the Red Storm a boost of momentum here. They have been ultra competitive but just haven't quite got over the hump in some of their tight games. They could very easily be 13-0 at home and I like the fact that both Figueroa and Heron are coming off huge games Saturday and are now back home where they should be knocking down plenty of shot. Also, the Wildcats Jermaine Samuels is listed as questionable for this game and he is a key contributor for Villanova and won't be 100 percent here if he even plays. The Wildcats defense gets a lot of praise and it is deserved but they do allow 44.2% from the field in road games and the Red Storm allow 39.2% from the field in home games. I look for an upset here. This is the perfect spot with Nova playing a 2nd straight tough road game (they were at Providence Saturday) and I am grabbing the points here. Villanova has now covered B2B games but they are 0-3 ATS in that situation this season. The Red Storm are 7-2 ATS the last 9 times they have been a home underdog. 10* ST JOHN'S

Game of the Month - Rickenbach CBB Rotation #865 Monday 10* Top Play North Carolina Tar Heels (+) @ North Carolina State Wolfpack @ 7 ET - The Tar Heels are having a down season but that has led to great line value in a spot like this. Of course this is a rivalry game with NC State and it is a rivalry which North Carolina has dominated for many years. Now i am not saying that the Wolfpack won't find a way to get the win here but I am saying that UNC has a great shot at the outright upset and, if the Heels do fall short, I look for it to be just by a bucket or two. The Tar Heels enter this game off back to back covers. That included a 2-point loss in overtime at Virginia Tech. Two of North Carolina's last three losses have been by 3 or less points. The Wolfpack are 4-3 SU in their last 7 games but two of those four wins came by 5 or less points and only 1 of the 4 victories was by more than 6 points.  A big key for the Tar Heels in their series dominance against NC State has been dominating the boards. Winning the rebounding battle has been a key to long-term success for North Carolina and they are again dominating the boards this season. Look for that to again be a key against a Wolfpack team that has a couple of rotation players (both forwards) that are listed as questionable for this game. The fact that Bates and Andree are both banged up for NC State certainly won't help them in the battle of the boards in this one. That said, I like having the underdog here in a game that means more to them this season than it has in past seasons. Because the Tar Heels are having a rare sub-par season (key early season injuries really hurt them) they have extra motivation here as a sizable dog against a team they have dominated for many seasons. Give me the generous points here! 10* NORTH CAROLINA

Earliest Cash - Rickenbach NBA Rotation #514 Sunday 10* Top Play San Antonio Spurs (+) vs Toronto Raptors @ 4:05 ET - The Spurs are 7-0 ATS in their last 7 meetings with the Raptors. Here San Antonio is at home and coming off a home loss. Nice set up for them. Yes Toronto has been hot but they've played a lot of weak teams lately too. As for the Spurs, they had won 6 of 9 games prior to their home loss to Phoenix. The 6 wins included victories over the Celtics and Bucks and Heat as well as these Raptors. As for Toronto nearly all their recent wins have come against teams with very poor records. That means this situation is flying "under the radar" a bit and I look for the Spurs to take their run to 8-0 ATS in games against Toronto. The Raptors are 4-9 ATS this season in games with a posted total of 220 or more. The Spurs are 14-5 ATS (and SU!) as a home underdog of 6 or less points. I do expect yet another outright upset in that role for SA here but will grab the points as added insurance. 10* SAN ANTONIO

Afternoon Annihilation - Rickenbach CBB Rotation #839 Sunday 10* Top Play Michigan State Spartans (-) @ Minnesota Golden Gophers @ 3 ET - The Spartans are off a loss at Indiana but were previously 14-4 this season. They have now lost back to back road games and, though they have a few injury concerns, this is still an ultra-talented high-quality basketball team. They are catching the Golden Gophers at the perfect time to get back on track. Minnesota is off a big win versus Ohio State. That was an upset win on the road for the Golden Gophers and now I look for the Spartans to catch Minny a little flat after that one. Not only is Michigan State 4-0 SU and ATS in their last 4 meetings with Minnesota, they have won each of those games by a margin of 16 points or more! The line opened up at a 4.5 and fell too as low as a 2.5 and, in typical contrarian fashion, I am fading the line move and grabbing the value on the other side of the move. Looking at shooting percentages on the season, the Spartans are the better shooting team and defensive team in comparison with the Golden Gophers. Look for Sparty to bring a very strong effort here off their loss. Grab them off the loss here. 10* MICHIGAN STATE 

Game of the Week - Rickenbach NBA Rotation #501 Saturday 10* Top Play Dallas Mavericks (+) @ Utah Jazz @ 5:05 ET - The Mavericks have Kristaps Porzingis back as he will be playing his 3rd game since returning from injury. That is a key "value add" for Dallas and, while Utah has certainly been very hot there is a key to note about the schedule these two teams have faced over the last 6 weeks. Note that the Jazz have played only 3 games against teams that currently have a winning record during this 6 week stretch. As for the Mavs, over the same period of time, they have played 10 teams that currently have a winning record! The point is that a significant reason that Utah has been so hot is their schedule! I like the fact too that this line has gone from a -2.5 to a -4 for the Jazz. The markets are loving the red hot Jazz at home and I am not surprised. But Dallas lost their last visit here by 16 points and it is now payback time here. The Mavericks are an incredible 15-5 SU and 16-4 ATS this season in their road games. Grab the underdog as the fact they have Kristaps Porzingis is being underestimated by the betting markets in this one. I'll gladly the points with the road dog in this one as they have a great shot at the outright upset. 10* DALLAS

Daytime Dominator - Rickenbach CBB Rotation #616 Saturday 10* Top Play Providence Friars (+) vs Villanova Wildcats @ 1 ET - Villanova has been hot but this will be just the third true road game they have played since a "road game" at St Joseph's December 7th and that was in Philly of course. That being said, the Wildcats haven't faced a lot of truly tough road tests that past two months and they are in for one here. The Cats are facing the revenge-minded Friars in this one. Providence has lost 4 straight games to Villanova and this includes getting knocked out of the Big East tournament each of the past two seasons. The Friars are highly motivated here to say the least. Also, Providence is entering this game off B2B losses but both came on the road. The Friars are happy to be back on their home floor where they have won 8 of 10 games this season. The Wildcats are 5-3 on the road this season and their only 2 recent games away from Philly saw them split as they lost at Marquette and then barely snuck by Creighton. Villanova is allowing 71.7 points per game on the road this season while Providence is allowing an average of only 60.5 points per game at home this season. The Wildcats allow 46% shooting from the field on the road while the Friars allow just 39% shooting from the field at home this season. Home court and big-time revenge will play a role in this one and I look for the home team to prevail big here. 10* PROVIDENCE

Early Annihilation - Rickenbach CBB Rotation #851 Friday 10* Top Play Kent State Golden Flashes (+) @ Buffalo Bulls @ 6:30 ET - The very first line that opened on this game had the Bulls, at home, as the slimmest of favorites. Now the line is all the way up to a solid 4 across the board as of early game day morning. Long-time followers know how I feel about a move like this. I like what I am seeing with the Golden Flashes here. Yes they have lost 3 straight games but this is a solid Kent State team that returned 4 starters this season while last season's MAC East champions returned just 2 starters. Yes Buffalo comes into this one as the hotter team with 4 straight wins while the Flashes have lost 3 straight. However, you don't think the odds makers were aware of this when they set the line? This is the PERFECT spot for Kent State to bounce back. The Golden Flashes also have lost 4 straight games to the Bulls including a blowout loss by 23 points in their visit here last season. The season prior to that was when Buffalo knocked Kent State out of the MAC Tournament with a 17 point blowout win. Suffice to say the Golden Flashes have had this game circled on their calendars. The Bulls had a great season last year but Kent State truly has closed the gap this season. The fact is, despite recent results, there is no gap now. I am taking the Golden Flashes plus the points but I am expecting the outright upset in a huge revenge game. Kent State is 3-0 ATS when they enter a game on a 3-game losing streak. The Golden Flashes are 3-0 ATS this season as a road dog of 6 or less points and they won all 3 of those games SU! The Bulls are 2-5 ATS when they are off an ATS win this season. 10* KENT STATE

Earliest Cash - Rickenbach NBA Rotation #562 Friday 10* Top Play Charlotte Hornets (+) vs Milwaukee Bucks @ 3:05 ET (game play in Paris) - Sometimes strange results happen. That was evident in the first meeting between these teams this season. On the final day of November, these teams met in Milwaukee. The Hornets had 5 more shot attempts from the field than the Bucks and yet lost the game by a margin of 41 points! That is helping to offer line value here as now this game is being played on a neutral floor and yet the the line is in the 14 range just like the first meeting at Milwaukee. The fact this game is in Paris makes it practically a "Super Bowl" game for Charlotte. In an otherwise disappointing season, the Hornets know this is an opportunity to win a huge game on "the big stage" in the first ever regular season game played in France. The Hornets are still alive in the Eastern Conference playoff race but odds are not good with the way their season has been going. This includes a current 7-game losing streak for Charlotte while Milwaukee enters this game having won 7 straight. Also, the Bucks have their sights set on an NBA Championship. I foresee them winning this game of course but only by single digits as the Hornets aren't going to go down without a helluva fight. Ugly losses for Charlotte in their two most recent games and also in that first meeting at Milwaukee. Before failing to cover their most recent road game, the Hornets were on a 4-1 ATS run in road games. The Bucks are on a 2-5 ATS run in games in which they are a double digit favorite. Milwaukee is 1-4 ATS this season when off a home win against a divisional foe. The Hornets are 3-0 ATS this season when off a loss against a divisional foe. 10* CHARLOTTE

Game of the Week - Rickenbach CBB Rotation #604 Thursday 10* Top Play Ohio State Buckeyes (-) vs Minnesota Golden Gophers @ 6:30 ET - Situations mean a lot in the outcome of games. The last time the Buckeyes faced the Golden Gophers it was at Minnesota and Ohio State was off a huge home blowout win over Penn State. The Buckeyes ended up getting blown out by the Gophers by double digits. This situation, which of course also now includes a revenge angle for Ohio State, is entirely different. This time the Buckeyes are off a double digit loss at Penn State and are now back home looking to bounce back strong. Ohio State is 10-1 SU in home games this season and allowing just 56.4 points per game there. I know they have struggled overall in recent weeks but look for home cooking to get them back on track in this game. It helps that they're facing a Minnesota team which is just 1-6 SU in road games this season and has allowed 70.9 points per game in those match-ups. Prior to the blowout loss at Minnesota last month, the Buckeyes won the prior two meetings each by 18 or more points! The Golden Gophers were held below 40% from the field in each of those meetings and Minnesota is not going to shoot a ridiculous 54.4% from the field again like they did in last month's meeting. The Buckeyes defense, known for being tough at home, will be in full-on lock-down mode here. 10* OHIO STATE

ESPN Smash Pass - Rickenbach NBA Rotation #539 Wednesday 10* Top Play Philadelphia 76'ers (+) @ Toronto Raptors @ 7 ET - Both teams come into this one on 4-game winning streaks but each have played weak teams so call that a draw. That said, even without Joel Embiid, the Sixers offer great value as a sizable dog in this spot. They were knocked out of the post-season by the Raptors in May. They got some revenge with an early December home win over the Raptors but they did lose their earlier match-up this season at Toronto. The 76ers have a recent history of struggling in games played at Toronto. As a result, look for a highly motivated and intense road dog taking the court at Scotiabank Arena tonight. The Raptors are just 2-4 SU in their last 6 games against teams with a winning record. The Sixers are 10-5 ATS (11-4 SU) this season when off a game in which they scored 115 points or more. Toronto is as high as a 6.5 point favorite in spots this morning but many books have them at -6. I would not be surprised if the line stays there or falls even lower. The Raptors are 3-6 ATS this season when they are a home favorite of 6 points or less. That said, Toronto is in for an all-out war here and I am grabbing the value with the underdog. 10* PHILADELPHIA

Early Annihilation - Rickenbach CBB Rotation #787 Wednesday 10* Top Play Penn State Nittany Lions (+) @ Michigan Wolverines @ 7 ET - Yes the Nittany Lions are off a huge win over Ohio State. However, they certainly aren't going to overlook a game at Michigan either. Also, this is Penn State's final game until a week from today so they want to enter this break in the schedule by maintaining momentum after the big win over the Buckeyes. I am happy to challenge Michigan to cover this spread as they are likely to struggle just in terms of getting a SU win here. I say that because the Wolverines have struggled in games with lines in the single digits. Michigan is on a 3-5 SU streak and 2 of those wins were "gimme games" against Presbyterian and UMass-Lowell as the Wolverines were favored by 20+ in each of those contests. As for the other 6 games during this 8-game stretch, Michigan went 1-5 SU and the lone win against a quality opponent was one in which the Wolverines were a bit fortunate in beating Purdue by 6 points as that was a DOUBLE OT game. Michigan's 2nd leading scorer, Isaiah Livers, has been out and has been downgraded to doubtful for tonight's game. That is certainly hurting the Wolverines. Also, Penn State is seeking revenge from losing by a double digit margin in their last visit to Ann Arbor. The Nittany Lions are holding opponents to a 39.5% shooting percentage this season. In Michigan's last 5 games, they have allowed opponents to hit 47.6% from the field and that including the blowout win over UMass-Lowell. That said, note that the Wolverines have allowed 51% shooting or higher from the field in 3 of their last 4 games! 10* PENN STATE

PA Insider - Rickenbach CBB Rotation #601 Tuesday 10* Top Play Butler Bulldogs (+) @ Villanova Wildcats @ 7 ET - The earliest line on this game was Villanova -2.5 and, of course, it jumped up to a 4.5 as of early game day morning. Of course the move makes sense because the Wildcats have won 4 straight meetings between these teams and the Bulldogs enter this game off back to back SU losses even though they were a favorite in each game. You know how I feel about spots like these. I am happy to fade the move here as this Nova team is not as strong as those in recent seasons and yet Butler is very strong this season but coming in undervalued here because they are off those B2B losses. Of course Villanova flashes a perfect home record so the masses jumped all over them laying the short number here. The Bulldogs, prior to their loss at DePaul, were 6-1 SU on the road this season. Also, that was the first time this season that Butler suffered an ATS or SU loss when coming off an ATS loss. That said, look for the Bulldogs to respond here and improve to 5-1 SU and ATS this season when they enter a game off an ATS loss. Villanova drops to 2-7 ATS when they enter a game off a home win. Look for the outright upset here but I am grabbing the points as added insurance. 10* BUTLER

ESPN Smash Pass - Rickenbach CBB Rotation #873 Monday 10* Top Play NC State Wolfpack (+) @ Virginia Cavaliers @ 7 ET - The Cavaliers knocked the Wolfpack out of the ACC Tourney with a dominating 20 point win in March. Virginia outscored NC State by 21 points from 3-point land and that was the difference in the game as the Wolfpack had a horrible shooting night. This season's NC State is the best Wolfpack team in terms of depth and experience that we have seen in quite some time. That said, I also like the fact that they are knocking down 33% of their threes this season while Virginia has been held to 26.7% from beyond the arc. Of course I respect the Cavs defense but this year's team is a few notches down from recent Cavaliers teams and the Wolfpack are highly motivated here. They view this game as a "measuring stick" game and want to prove they can measure up against a Virginia team that has been a bit of a nemesis for them in recent seasons. I fully expect NC State to do just that! The Cavaliers are off a tight win at Georgia Tech but had previously lost 3 straight games. Also, the Cavs had failed to cover 6 of 7 prior to getting the ATS win against the Yellow Jackets. The Wolfpack are off a non-covering win versus Clemson and are a perfect 5-0 SU and ATS this season when entering a game having failed to cover 2 of their last 3 games. Virginia is 0-9 ATS this season when they enter game having allowed 60 points or less in each of their last two games. Double perfect situation here for the road dog. Grab the points. 10* NC STATE

Afternoon Annihilation - Rickenbach NBA Rotation #506 Monday 10* Top Play Brooklyn Nets (+) vs Philadelphia 76ers @ 3:05 ET - The Nets have extra motivation against the 76ers and are getting much healthier. They recently welcomed back Kyrie Irving plus Caris LeVert. Additionally, Joe Harris and Garrett Temple - both missed Saturday's blowout loss versus Bucks - are expected back here. So, while the Sixers are still without big man Joel Embiid, Brooklyn is getting healthy again and they are motivated not only by last season's playoff series loss to Philly, the Nets also seek revenge for a loss at Philadelphia last week punctuated by a bad fourth quarter. Brooklyn knows they let one slip away and they want to make up for that here with a huge effort here at home where they blasted the 76ers by a 20 point margin earlier this season. The Sixers are off a tight road win at the Knicks and that was Philadelphia's 5th consecutive ATS loss on the road. Though Philly won the game straight up at New York, they entered that game with a 7-14 SU record on the road this season. Up next for the 76ers is a big game at Toronto - the city where their season ended last year on that playoff series-clinching shot (the infamous one) by Kawhi Leonard. That said, this is a very bad spot for the Sixers and a good one for a Nets team that is home off an ugly loss and getting key rotation players back on the floor. 10* BROOKLYN

Game of the Week - Rickenbach NFL Rotation #313 Sunday 10* Top Play Tennessee Titans (+) @ Kansas City Chiefs @ 3:05 ET - One look at the box score tells you the Titans won with "smoke and mirrors" last week at Baltimore. However, this is as much a play against Kansas City as it is a play on Tennessee. More on that in a moment. First, more about the Titans. You can't discount how much momentum means to a football team and the fact is Tennessee is rolling with confidence right now. Why? Well a team that started the season 2-4 has now won 9 of 12. Also, the Titans are on the road for the 4th straight week but who cares? You think they are going to fall flat or get tired in a game in which they have a chance to go to the Super Bowl? Of course not. Plus Tennessee is 5-0 SU in their last 5 road games. Now, about going to the Super Bowl, lets talk about Kansas City and specifically Andy Reid. I have been in this business for two decades now. Long-time followers know my family roots are in Rickenbach, PA. Google it. Small town area about 65 miles northwest of Philadelphia. In any event I follow the Eagles VERY closely. What does that have to do with this play? Andy Reid started coaching the Eagles two decades ago in 1999. I have closely followed his career every since. With BOTH the Eagles and with the Chiefs, the fact is he can not win the big game. He has had 6 chances in a Conference Championship Game and won just once! That was the lone season he took Philadelphia to the Super Bowl in 2004 and they lost to the Patriots. So he is 1-6 SU in the Biggest Games of his career and yet here his KC team is laying 7.5 points to a Titans team that seems to be a team of destiny this season. As bad as Tennessee was statistically last week against the Ravens, they did run the ball very well and they will pound the Chiefs on the ground in this game too. While Kansas City has given plenty of bulletin board material to the Titans defense for this game as their receivers are so good nobody can cover them according to the Chiefs. The Titans have allowed just 15.4 points per game in their last 5 road games. The Chiefs have allowed 21 points or more in 6 of 9 home games this season. KC may find a way to pull this game out but, if they do, I expect it to be by 3 or 4 points (and 7 at the most). With 7 plus the hook available (as of Thursday evening), I am pulling the trigger right now on this one. 10* TENNESSEE

Afternoon Annihilation - Rickenbach CBB Rotation #843 Sunday 10* Top Play Minnesota Golden Gophers (+) @ Rutgers Scarlet Knights @ 1 ET - I understand where this line came from and why the betting markets are siding with Rutgers. But, of course, in typical contrarian fashion I am on the other side of the move and grabbing the added value. Yes, Minnesota has struggled on the road this season while the Scarlet Knights have been perfect at home. However, the Golden Gophers have played the tougher schedule plus there is plenty of motivation here. Last season Minnesota lost at Rutgers and the prior season the Gophers got knocked out of the Big Ten tourney by the Knights. There is no love lost between these two foes to say the least and I like having the team that is highly motivated and has played a significantly tougher overall schedule so far this season. The Golden Gophers are 6-2 SU and ATS in their last 8 games and one of the two SU losses came by just a 5 points margin. I look for Minnesota to be "in this one" all the way and am expecting the outright upset but will grab the points as added insurance. Note that the Golden Gophers had won 6 of last 8 meetings with Rutgers prior to losing the most recent meeting. Payback time. 10* MINNESOTA

Situational Slaughter - Rickenbach NBA Rotation #552 Saturday 10* Top Play Atlanta Hawks (+) vs Detroit Pistons @ 7:35 ET - The Hawks off big upset win at San Antonio last night. With Atlanta in a back to back and Detroit having been off each of the past two days, the Pistons are getting all the attention from the betting markets here. However, Detroit is also off a big upset win at Boston and that was preceded by a 3-15 ATS run for a slumping Pistons team. As for the Hawks, yesterday's win brings them to 6-3 ATS their last 9 games and they're also off back to back straight-up wins and could have Jeff Teague (acquired in trade with Wolves) available tonight as well. Atlanta is starting to build a little momentum and they have revenge against the Pistons thanks to a 25 point loss at Detroit two months ago. Prior to that the Hawks had covered 5 of their last 6 games against the Pistons. Look for them to resume that ATS dominance in this series tonight. 10* ATLANTA

TV Annihilation - Rickenbach CBB Rotation #756 Saturday 8* UNLV Runnin' Rebels (-) vs New Mexico Lobos @ 6 ET - The Lobos are in trouble while the Rebels are surging under the new coaching regime. New Mexico is off an ugly loss at Colorado State. While the Lobos would certainly love to bounce back here, they simply don't have the personnel that they had coming into this season. Note that 3 key minutes guys are out. JJ Caldwell (suspension), Carlton Bragg (dismissed), and Vance Jackson (knee injury) won't be on the floor tonight. There is a chance Jackson could play but the odds are slim. Speaking of slim odds I just don't see the Lobos going to Vegas and knocking off UNLV with the way they have been playing. The Runnin' Rebels seem to be getting stronger and stronger as they adjust to the system under their new head coach. UNLV has won 6 of their past 7 games and all 6 wins have come by 9 or more points. Look for this one too as well. 8* UNLV

SEC Game of the Year - Rickenbach CBB Rotation #689 Saturday 10* Top Play Missouri Tigers (+) @ Alabama Crimson Tide @ 3:30 ET - The Crimson Tide are off a huge win over in-state rival Auburn. That was a huge win for Alabama for more reasons than one. That victory for the Tide handed the rival Tigers their very first loss of the season. Knocking off a highly ranked team that is also a huge rival is going to leave Alabama flat for this battle and that is bad news for Crimson Tide fans. That's because Missouri comes into this one angry after a 27 point beatdown at Mississippi State in their most recent game. The Tigers were off a big win versus Florida and simply fell flat against the Bulldogs. They won't be flat here however as they lost by double digits at home to the Crimson Tide last season so it is payback time here. Also, lets talk about line value here. When Missouri played at Kentucky they were an 8.5 point dog. When Alabama played at Kentucky they were a 10 point dog! These games were played within a week of each other and the lines tell you the odds makers feel the Tigers are the better team! Yet here they are, with the betting markets falling in love with the Crimson Tide, getting a full +7 in this game as of early gameday morning. I'll gladly take the points here as Missouri is undervalued and Alabama is in a true flat spot here. Yes the Crimson Tide have been very hot ATS but they are facing a tough test here with the Tigers and I expect this game to ultimately be decided by only a bucket or two. 10* MISSOURI

ESPN Smash Pass - Rickenbach NBA Rotation #531 Friday 10* Top Play Chicago Bulls (+) @ Philadelphia 76ers @ 7:05 ET - The line looks low right? A bad Bulls team facing a 76ers team that is 19-2 SU at home this season and yet the line, as of early Friday morning, is only a 7.5 across the board. In typical contrarian fashion I am grabbing the points with the team most won't want! Note that Philadelphia pulled away late for the win and cover against Brooklyn Wednesday. As impressive as the final score may have been, the Nets were actually in that game all the way. The Sixers simply aren't the same team without Joel Embiid and he is currently out with an injury. The Bulls have been scrappy recently and are exactly the type of team that will sneak up on a good team like Philly in a spot like this and give them all sorts of trouble. Chicago has won and covered 2 of its last 3 games and note that the Sixers, prior to their win over Brooklyn, had lost 6 of their past 8 games SU. The Bulls are 8-2 ATS this season when they enter a game having lost 6 or 7 of their past 8 games. The 76ers are 4-7 ATS this season as a home favorite in a range of 6.5 to 12 points. Grab the points with the scrappy underdog in this one. 10* CHICAGO

Game of the Week - Rickenbach CBB Rotation #861 Friday 10* Top Play Wisconsin Badgers (+) @ Michigan State Spartans @ 7 ET - The Spartans just got rolled at Purdue. So now everyone is jumping on Michigan State in a bounce back spot on their home floor. However, how much is too much? In this case I feel strongly that this line has been blown out of proportion. The Badgers have plenty of motivation here and are not an easy team to blowout. Wisconsin has revenge against the Spartans as Michigan State has held the upper hand in their meetings in recent seasons including knocking them out in Big Ten tourney action each of the past two years. Last March the Badgers actually had 15 more shots from the field as they dominated in terms of forcing Spartans turnovers. Wisconsin simply had an awful shooting performance and that was the difference in the game as the Badgers lost by a dozen points. Wisconsin enters this game having won 6 of their past 7 games and the lone loss came by a single point. Michigan State, while it is tempting to back them after their ugly loss to the Boilermakers, actually does not have a good history ATS in spots like this. When off an upset loss by a double digit margin in a game in which they were a favorite, the Spartans are a long-term 7-16 ATS including 1-3 ATS in recent seasons. Off an upset loss by 15 or more points as a road favorite, Michigan State has gone 0-4 ATS in their next game! More of the same here. 10* WISCONSIN

Game of the Week - Rickenbach NBA Rotation #524 Thursday 10* Top Play Milwaukee Bucks (-) vs Boston Celtics @ 8:05 ET - What happens when the best team in the NBA is at home and playing with revenge and catching a struggling team off a loss and in the 2nd night of a back to back? You're about to see first-hand that the result is an absolute annihilation! When the Bucks faced the Celtics in Boston on October 30th it was a revenge game for the home team as they had been eliminated by Milwaukee in the playoffs in May. Even with all the motivation and revenge angle for the Celtics, the Bucks still raced out to a 16-point lead at the half. However, Milwaukee then got outscored by 27 points in the second half and lost by double digits. That said, this is payback time for the Bucks and I don't see them being denied. 5 of the last 6 meetings between these teams have been decided by double digits. Also, 4 of the Celtics last 5 losses have come by double digits. 13 of the Bucks last 15 wins have come by a margin of 9 or more points. Milwaukee is 19-2 at home this season while the Celtics are barely above .500 in road games this season. Boston has lost 4 of its last 6 games and the Bucks have the rest edge and are motivated here. Blowout time. 10* MILWAUKEE

Earliest Cash - Rickenbach CBB Rotation #629 Thursday 10* Top Play Cincinnati Bearcats (+) @ Memphis Tigers @ 7 ET - The Bearcats have won 6 straight meetings between these teams and 8 of the last 9. The lone Cincinnati loss in those 9 games came by a margin of only 4 points. Of course Memphis is highly motivated here as a result but the Tigers will be in an all-out war just to win this game let alone cover the spread. That said, I like the value here with the Bearcats plus the points. Memphis has been struggling on the offensive end and has averaged just 66 points per game in its past 3 games. Cincinnati has averaged 71.5 points per game in its past 6 games. While both teams have been strong defensively this season, the Bearcats have been the better team in the offensive end and the Tigers already have a bit of a "self-doubt complex" when it comes to beating the Cats. They just haven't been able to do it for multiple years now and when a team is pressing to make shots and also feeling the pressure to knock off a team that has been a nemesis, it certainly is not a good combination for success. Memphis is on a 3-7 ATS run in January games. The Bearcats are on an 18-2 SU run in January games and have played the slightly tougher schedule this season in comparison with the Tigers. That said, I'll grab the generous points here. 10* CINCINNATI

Contrarian Crusher - Rickenbach CBB Rotation #825 Wednesday 8* Xavier Musketeers (+) @ Marquette Golden Eagles @ 8 ET - On the surface it looks easy to play Marquette at home here. After all, the Musketeers are just 4-3 SU in road games while the Golden Eagles are 8-1 SU in home games. As long-time followers know, these are the exact types of situations where I look to go against the grain and play the other side. The fact is that Marquette is a little vulnerable here off back to back losses and now facing a revenge-minded Musketeers team. Xavier got swept by the Golden Eagles last season. That included an embarrassing 18 point loss here. There has been nothing embarrassing about the Musketeers recent games as a traveler. In their last 4 games away from home Xavier is just 2-2 SU but one loss came by just a bucket and the other loss came by 6 points at Villanova in a game in which they finished just shy of the cover. Xavier is 10-4 ATS the last 14 times they have been a road dog of 6 or less points. Marquette is 1-6 ATS (and SU!) when they enter a game having lost 3 of their last 4 games. The Golden Eagles struggles continue here and, while I expect the outright upset with the Musketeers, I will grab the points for added insurance. 8* XAVIER

Atlantic Division Game of the Year - Rickenbach NBA Rotation #502 Wednesday 10* Top Play Philadelphia 76ers (-) vs Brooklyn Nets @ 7:05 ET - Perfect set up here. Both teams off losses but the Nets were in action last night. Brooklyn is playing this game with no rest. Philadelphia is off back to back losses and they were off yesterday so they have the rest edge here. Also, Brooklyn got their playoff revenge over the Sixers in the first meeting this season as the Nets blasted the 76ers by a margin of 20 points. Philly hasn't forgotten that game and they are in an angry mood here because they have lost 6 of their past 8 games overall. With Joel Embiid out we're getting line value here as this line is being kept shorter than it would have been of course. That said, I am happy to lay the relatively small number when you consider the situational edges here and the fact that Brooklyn is 1-6 SU in their last 7 road games while the 76ers are 18-2 SU in home games this season. Lay it! 10* PHILADELPHIA

ACC Game of the Year - Rickenbach CBB Rotation #791 Wednesday 10* Top Play Virginia Cavaliers (+) @ Florida State Seminoles @ 7 ET - This is a tremendous value spot. The Cavaliers are "off the radar" of most everyone because they have lost back to back games and also people remember them getting blasted at Purdue and also losing by double digits as a double digit home favorite versus South Carolina. However, when this Virginia team is "on" and they bring their "A game" they are still a very tough team to play against. That said, we are getting phenomenal line value here. Keep in mind this is a revenge game for the Cavs because Florida State upset them in March. Virginia had more shots from the field in that game but they simply had a horrible shooting night plus the Seminoles dominated the boards. Note that, already evident this season, the Noles are not so dominant on the boards and the Cavaliers actually have the better rebounding margin on the season entering this game. That said, I feel very strongly that the very hungry Cavs - seeking revenge and off B2B losses - have a great shot at the outright upset. The fact we can get the added insurance of at least a half-dozen points here makes the situation even that much stronger. Keep in mind, the Cavaliers are still the vastly superior defense in this match-up and I foresee FSU having a helluva time trying to put them away. Look for the Cavs to be in this one all the way. Grab the generous points. 10* VIRGINIA

Puck Line Punisher - Rickenbach NHL Rotation #6 Tuesday 10* Top Play Tampa Bay Lightning Puck Line -1.5 goals vs Los Angeles Kings @ 7:05 ET - The Kings almost always struggle to score goals. A rare exception was their recent 5-2 win at Vegas. Other than that LA seems to fall somewhere between 0 and 2 goals scored most every game. The bad news for Los Angeles is they're going to be facing Andrei Vasilevskiy in this one. He is an incredible 8-0 with a .946 save percentage in his last 8 outings. In other words, things could get worse for the Kings before they get better! Exasperating this situation for Los Angeles is the fact that they will be facing an angry Tampa Bay team. The Lightning just had their 10 game winning streak snapped at New Jersey on Monday. Curtis McElhinney got the start in that one (back to back spot) for the Bolts but Vasilevskiy should be back in the crease here. Not only is TB hungry to bounce back here after that loss, this is also their final home game until early February. In other words, the Lightning are wanting to make the most of this opportunity and I don't foresee them being denied. Prior to a 1-0 win at Philadelphia which made it 10 straight wins for Tampa, they had scored 4.7 goals per game in the first 9 wins of that streak. Keep in mind the Kings have been held to 2 or less goals in regulation time of 9 of their past 11 games. That is why I am expecting the Bolts to win this game by 3 or 4 goals and of course a win by 2 or more puts in the winners circle. Look for a home blowout here! 10* TAMPA BAY LIGHTNING Puck Line -1.5 goals 

Earliest Cash - Rickenbach CBB Rotation #604 Tuesday 10* Top Play Pittsburgh Panthers (+) vs Louisville Cardinals @ 7 ET - The Cardinals blasted the Panthers by 18 points in Louisville in early December and they rank among the top teams in the nation. That said, it looks easy to simply take the Cards here laying a rather short number on the road. Not so fast my friends. First off, the Cardinals outscored Pittsburgh by 24 points from 3 point land in the first meeting. That was the difference in the game and that type of disparity is highly unlikely to be repeated again tonight as this time the Cards are on the road. Additionally, Louisville has a huge game on deck with Duke! It is hard for the Cardinals to not be peeking ahead at the big match-up with the Blue Devils. That said, I love the home dog value here with a Panthers team that has been playing solid, competitive basketball ever since that blowout loss at Louisville on December 6th. Pitt, prior to a loss at Miami, had won 4 of 5 games and the lone loss came by a margin of only 4 points. The Cardinals are allowing 68 points per game on the road this season. The Panthers are allowing just 60 points per game at home this season. This one will be an all-out war and I don't see Louisville being able to gain much of (if any) margin in this game. Grab the points with the home dog. 10* PITTSBURGH

Contrarian Crusher - Rickenbach CBB Rotation #861 Monday 10* Top Play Portland State Vikings (+) @ Montana Grizzlies @ 9 ET - The Vikings have the best player on the floor - Holland "Boo Boo" Woods - and he has been in top current form of late too! Woods just scored a career high 30 points in Portland State's win at Montana State on Saturday and that included a game winner in the final seconds. The Grizzlies are playing this game with revenge as they got swept by the Vikings last season. However, revenge and motivation can only take a team so far. The fact is that Montana lost 4 starters from last season's team. The Vikings are going to be tough to beat here and that means great value with the points. People are buying into the double revenge angle and this line has gone from an early opener of a -5 all the way up to a -7. This means additional value with a dangerous road dog that is playing with a lot of heart right now. Portland State is only 5-4 SU their last 9 games but looking at their past 10 games the Vikings have had only 1 loss in 10 games that came by a margin greater than 6 points. In fact, 2 of Portland State's last 3 losses have come by just a bucket. That means we have excellent underdog value here with the Vikings. They are 6-2 ATS as a road dog this season. Montana is 2-5 ATS this season when off a win and they are off a big win at Eastern Washington as a 5.5 point dog. Look for the Grizzlies pattern of faltering off a win to continue here. 10* PORTLAND STATE

The Big One - Rickenbach CFB Rotation #283 Monday 10* Top Play Clemson Tigers (+) vs LSU Tigers @ 8 PM ET in National Championship @ Mercedes-Benz Superdome in New Orleans, LA - I have plenty of respect for both of these teams of course but this is simply too many points for LSU to be laying in a game that Clemson certainly has a great shot at winning outright. First off, about the points, Clemson's win over Ohio State to get here was the FIRST TIME this season that they allowed more than 20 points in a game and yet they still allowed only 23 in that game. In their first 12 games this season, Clemson allowed 14 points or less in 11 of the 12 games! To put that in proper perspective lets compare that to their opponent here. LSU has allowed 37 points or more 4 times this season and also allowed 28 points in 2 other games. That means that in nearly half their games this season LSU has allowed 28 points. Again, that is something the Clemson defense has not done a SINGLE time this season. Now I know LSU has a prolific offense but you can see why I like the defense-first dog in this match-up. The Clemson defense rates a bigger edge than the LSU offense rates when comparing these two teams. Why? Because the Clemson offense is very impressive too! They have averaged just a field goal less on offense while their defense has allowed 10 points less per game. In terms of the experience factor, I like that Clemson has been here so frequently in recent seasons. It definitely rates an edge for their program in that regard in this match-up. In terms of long-term trending here. When LSU enters a game on an ATS winning streak (as a favorite) of 3 or more games they have gone 3-8 ATS. As for Clemson, as a neutral field underdog of 3.5 to 7 points, they have gone 10-3 ATS. I expect an upset but will grab the points for extra insurance in case LSU squeaks out the SU win. 10* CLEMSON