CBB Wednesday 10* Top Play Seton Hall Pirates +5.5 vs Connecticut Huskies @ 6:30 ET - The Pirates lost to the Huskies in the Big East Tournament last spring in the quarterfinals. Not only that, Seton Hall comes into this game hot plus they are on their home floor and they are catching the Huskies in a slump. Connecticut has lost 4 of 5 after starting the season 14-0. The Huskies are a bit of a fragile team now and will struggle to close out games like this, particularly on the road. The key here too is UConn may not even end up being the team looking to close out this game! The Huskies are likely going to be in a battle just to win it! Seton Hall has won 7 of 9 home games and Connecticut has lost 3 of 5 in their true road games this season. One of the Pirates home losses this season was by just 4 points also and I love the home dog value here with the revenge-minded host in this one. 10* SETON HALL +5.5

NHL Tuesday Philadelphia Flyers Puck Line -1.5 goals +145 vs Anaheim Ducks @ 7 ET - Yes the Flyers are off an embarrassing road loss yesterday but it was at Boston and the Bruins are one of the top teams in the league this season. Now Philadelphia is back home and hosting a Ducks team that is one of the worst teams in the league this season. As you can see from the large money line on this game, the Flyers are expected to win and I fully concur with that assessment. The key to the value here is on the puck line. Philly had won 7 of 8 games prior to yesterday's ugly loss. Also, each of their last 6 wins (and 10 of their last 12 victories) have come by a margin of 2 or more goals! Hart and Ersson had both been playing quite well in goal of late prior to yesterday. The Ducks are also in a B2B spot here but they lost a heartbreaker at Pittsburgh. That is the type of gut-wrenching loss that is difficult to bounce back from. Also, prior to that OT loss, Anaheim's last 12 losses had featured 11 by 3 or more goals! You can see why I am liking the Flyers to win by at least 2 goals here given the above. Also, note that Ducks are not getting good goaltending from anyone of late. Other than a shocking 2-0 win over Dallas awhile back, the Ducks other 7 recent games have seen them allow an average of 5 goals per game. With Flyers off a 6-0 road loss yesterday, you know Tortorella will have the previously hot (7 of 8 run!) Flyers ready to bounce back strong here. 10* PHILADELPHIA -1.5 goals +145

CBB Tuesday 10* Top Play Illinois-Chicago Flames +3 @ Valparaiso Beacons @ 7 ET - Valparaiso off their first MVC win of the season but it was against last place Evansville who also had not won an MVC game and, with the loss, dropped to 0-8 in MVC action this season. The Beacons were fortunate to even win the game as the Purple Aces shot a ridiculously poor 18 of 36 from the free throw line! Now we catch a Valparaiso team off a rare win and hosting a Flames team very hungry for a road win. UIC matches up well with the Beacons. Illinois-Chicago is off a loss at Murray State but they shot poorly in that game. The Flames will take advantage of facing a weak Beacons defense in this one! For comparison purposes, both of these teams hosted Belmont this season and UIC lost by just 6 while Valpo lost by 15. Also, both teams faced Indiana State and the results were nearly identical but the Beacons hosted the Sycamores while the Flames were on the road for their meeting with ISU. The point is that we have the better team here catching points and we have situational factors in our favor too. I know this is a match-up of two teams having tough stretches but the road dog is the play here in a game they should win outright. I have been following the Flames closely as long-time followers know and this is a great spot for them to get an outright win. We'll grab the points as added, but likely unneeded, insurance. 10* ILLINOIS-CHICAGO +3

NFL Monday 10* Top Play Dallas Cowboys -2.5 @ Tampa Bay Buccaneers @ 8:15 ET - Much has been made of the Cowboys dismal effort at Washington last week and that it cost them a shot at the NFC East title and at home field edge had both the Niners and Eagles lost last week. However, both San Francisco and Philadelphia were huge favorites last week. Both SF and Philly were motivated to win and they did just that. The point is that the Cowboys went into last week's game sluggish because they knew the handwriting was on the wall. Dallas knew they were going to be on the road this week and they are both mentally as well as physically prepared for this game. The Cowboys actually should, and probably do, feel fortunate that they avoided two tougher teams in the Seahawks and Niners. The NFC West much tougher than the NFC South and Tampa Bay won their division despite having a losing record! I am not sold on the Bucs this season and I know they have beaten Dallas in the season opener each of the past two years. But this time it is different and we are getting value here with the Cowboys as a short road favorite. They are hands down the better team without a doubt. That said, we get line value because many know of a couple perfect angles here and, in typical contrarian fashion, I am FADING these angles. The Cowboys have lost 8 straight playoff road games AND Tom Brady is 7-0 in his career against Dallas. Both of those records will be history when this one goes into the books. Cowboys roll on the road. 10* DALLAS -2.5

NBA Sunday 10* Top Play Philadelphia 76ers -2.5 or -3 @ Los Angeles Lakers @ 9:40 ET - The Sixers are in the 2nd game of a B2B and barely snuck by the Jazz last night in Utah so this would seem like a spot to fade them. However, the Lakers are hurting right now. It was only last month they rallied from a huge deficit to tie the Sixers and force OT but then lost that game by double digits in OT in Philly. But here is the key about that. Some of the key scorers in that game and other contributors are either out or hurting. Davis, Reaves, Walker all were big in that game and none of those 3 will play tonight. Also, Patrick Beverley is questionable with an illness and even LeBron James continues to be listed on the injury report as his knee troubles continue. The point is that the 76ers are the much healthier team. Also, without Davis, the interior defense of LA is really going to struggle against the attacking Sixers. Look for the road team to dominate in this one. 10* PHILADELPHIA -2.5 or -3

NFL Sunday 10* Top Play Baltimore Ravens +8.5 @ Cincinnati Bengals @ 8:15 ET - The Ravens did not even care about winning last week's game and rested starters and yet still outgained the Bengals 386 to 257 in that 11 point loss! A key reason they lost was two interceptions but I do expect Huntley to be back at QB for this one after he was fully involved in practice Friday. Of course Jackson is still out but this time it should be Huntley at QB rather than Brown. Also, even with resting some other starters last week the Ravens still significantly outgained the Bengals. I feel strongly that this Ravens defense, which seemed to get stronger and stronger as the season went along, is going to make a key difference in this game. That is not to say that the Bengals defense is not also solid. However, the key is that the Bengals are GIVING 8.5 points here unlike the Ravens who are GETTING 8.5 points here. So don't lay it, take it...grab those points as these division rivals are going to be in a fierce battle in this game in my strong opinion and I honestly would not be shocked at an outright upset. 10* BALTIMORE +8.5

NFL Sunday 10* Top Play New York Giants +3 @ Minnesota Vikings @ 4:40 ET - Vikings are 13-4. Minnesota went 8-1 in home games. They are hosting a Wild Card team that finished 3rd in their 4-team division. Also, the Giants went just 4-4 on the road and only 4-7-1 in games against NFC teams. Yet the line here is a 3 even though Vikings are at home. What does that tell you? Exactly! Do not let this number fool you. It looks so easy to take Minnesota here but the Giants are going to be taking on the Eagles next week because New York is going to win this game as the Vikings luck finally runs out. I am going to take the 3 points here (just in case) but I do fully expect an outright upset here as the Vikings have been playing with fire all season long and this is the time it burns them. The Giants lost to the Vikings on a 61-yard field goal in the prior meeting this season but Vikes 33-yard drive that set up the long field goal was preceded by them getting outgained by 125 yards on the day and that game was here in Minnesota too. The Giants have the better defense and I love the ground game with Saquon Barkley too. 10* NEW YORK GIANTS +3

CBB Sunday 10* Top Play St John's Red Storm +14.5 @ Connecticut Huskies @ Noon ET - Yes the Red Storm just snapped a 5-game losing streak with the win over Butler Tuesday but they were competitive in the majority of those losses and the Big East is ultra-competitive. Of course the Huskies know this all too well as they have lost 3 of 4 after they had an overall 14-0 start to the season. UConn has quickly come back down to earth and Connecticut should win this game but I expect the points to prove to be too much. Look for this one to be decided by a single digit margin. The Red Storm could also get a boost to the rotation with the return of Montez Mathis (toe) but, either way, I like the big dog here. This team has gained confidence with the big win over Butler and they are a gritty, hard-working team that is hard to blowout. 10* ST JOHN'S +14.5

NBA Saturday 10* Top Play Philadelphia 76ers -4.5 @ Utah Jazz @ 9:10 ET - Since starting the season 10-3 the Jazz have since gone 12-20. Utah was actually on a 10-20 run before B2B wins which were each very tight victories. One of those was last night so this is a very tough spot for Utah as they are in a back to back and facing an angry Philly team. The 76ers have been a strong team when off a loss and had won 13 of 16 games before the loss to the Thunder in their most recent game. Off that ugly home loss by a double digit margin, the Sixers will bounce back big here to start their long road trip with a big win against a Jazz team that will fade as this game goes on as fatigue sets in for the home side. 10* PHILADELPHIA -4.5

NFL Saturday 10* Top Play Los Angeles Chargers -2 @ Jacksonville Jaguars @ 8:15 ET - The Jaguars were 3-14 last season. I know they have had a huge turnaround but this team was sitting at 4-8 this season before they won 5 straight to reach this game. So who did they face in the 5-game run? A Tennessee team that lost 7 straight to end the season and was a shell of itself when the Jaguars faced them. The Jags faced the Titans twice. They did get a tight OT win at Dallas but then the other 2 wins were over the Jets and Texans. The Jets finished the season falling apart and on a 6-game slide. The Texans were 3-13-1 this season. The point is that the Jaguars season-ending run is not as impressive when you take a closer look. I like the fact that the Chargers, prior to the meaningless loss at Denver in the regular season that did not matter to LA, had gone 5-2 SU last 7 road games. The Chargers know how to win on the road and you will see people lining up on the red hot Jaguars here but, in typical contrarian fashion, I am on the other side of this one and grabbing LA. The Chargers take advantage of a Jags team that was outgained significantly in a must-win game last week versus Titans. Tennessee was a wounded team at the end of the season and still deserved to win last week's game were it not for key turnovers that proved to be the difference. Jacksonville is lucky just to be here and had to fight hard last week to get here. They are in trouble against an LA team that was resting guys last week. 10* LOS ANGELES CHARGERS -2

NHL Saturday 10* Top Play Philadelphia Flyers Puck Line +1.5 -130 @ Washington Capitals @ 7:05 ET - Dating back to November 30th, the Flyers have won "only" 10 of 20 games but only 4 of the 20 games were a Philly loss by more than 1 goal. Philly is a pretty confident team right now. They have won 6 of 7 and that includes a win over the Capitals in most recent game. That said, this is a lot of value to be giving the Flyers in this spot. Sure Washington wants revenge but Flyers have been playing hot and 80% of their games since late November have seen them either win the game or lose by just a single goal! That is 80% over a month and half period. Laying a -130 price to have the 1.5 goals here is a bargain. The Capitals have only 5 wins by more than 1 goal in last 13 games. Perhaps Washington gets their revenge here but I have a feeling the Flyers are going to give the Caps all they can handle here and this one goes down to the wire. Already without Hagelin, the Capitals have now lost Carlson to injury too. 10* Philadelphia +1.5 -130

#682 CBB Saturday 10* Top Play Murray State Racers vs Illinois-Chicago Flames @ 4 ET - This is a fantastic set-up. From January 5th to January 22nd this is the only home game for Murray State. The Racers are entering this game off B2B road losses. Though their overall record is similar to that of UIC, note that the Racers are 4-3 in conference action while the Flames are 1-6 in conference action. Illinois-Chicago has found the move to the MVC to be tough while the Racers are proving they belong in this conference! This is simply a great spot for the Racers to race right past the Flames as UIC is off an OT loss at home where they do play much more competitive. On the road, Illinois-Chicago often gets throttled. More of the same expected here. The Flames have 5 losses in true road games (not neutral site) and the average margin has been 24 points per game. 10* MURRAY STATE -9

NBA Friday 10* Top Play Chicago Bulls -4.5 vs Oklahoma City Thunder @ 8:10 ET - The Thunder had everything falling in for them last night in a big road win at Philly. Now in the 2nd game of a B2B on the road they face an angry Bulls team. Chicago is coming off a road loss at Washington Wednesday in which they blew a 13 point halftime lead. The Bulls are much stronger at home than they are on the road and the same holds true for the Thunder. Given the home/road dichotomy and the situational aspects here, the home team Bulls are the play in this one as they should roll big. OKC had a loss Tuesday at Miami by just a single point but their 3 prior losses all by at least 8 points and this one will be too. Chicago's last 5 wins all by 6 or more points. Also, the Bulls had won 8 of 11 overall before the tight loss at Washington. 10* CHICAGO -4.5

CBB Friday 10* Top Play Purdue Boilermakers -15 vs Nebraska Cornhuskers @ 7 ET - The Boilermakers have a big game with Michigan State on deck Monday. However, there is no way they are looking past the Huskers here. The Cornhuskers took Purdue to OT when these teams met last month in Nebraska. You can bet the Boilers come to play tonight at home after what happened in that one. Also, the Cornhuskers lost Juwan Gary as he re-aggravated his shoulder injury in most recent game and will be unavailable here. Additionally, the Huskers loss to the Boilers is their only close this season! All of their other defeats have been by a double digit margin. In fact, the average margin of those 7 defeats is 17 ppg! Last year when these teams met here in West Lafayette, the Boilermakers won by 27 points. Purdue has a knack for dominating teams here at home and, after what happened in Lincoln, the Boilermakers will get a huge lead in this game and they will not take their foot off the gas either. Boilers by 20+ is the likely final here. 10* PURDUE -15

NHL Thursday 10* Top Play Carolina Hurricanes Puck Line -1.5 -120 @ Columbus Blue Jackets @ 7:05 ET - The Hurricanes are angry right now. They are on a rare losing streak. One of the 4 defeats in this rare tough stretch was against Columbus as the Canes fell short in the shootout despite outshooting them 42 to 18 in that game! That said, this is a payback spot and the Canes will not be denied. The Blue Jackets have just 2 wins last 13 games and one of them was the very fortunate win over Carolina despite being dominated and the other was a win over a punch-less Blackhawks team that just keeps on losing games. The Jackets, in their last 14 losses, have been outscored 60 to 22. That means they lost those games by an average margin of about 3 goals. Look for this to be another ugly one. 10* CAROLINA -1.5 -120

NBA Wednesday 10* Top Play Minnesota Timberwolves -5.5 @ Detroit Pistons @ 7:10 ET - First reaction here might be to play the Pistons even though they are in the 2nd game of a B2B as they got blasted last night at Philly. Teams tend to bounce back off ugly losses like that but the problem for Detroit is that this is a B2B with travel involved to get back home and they are hosting a Timberwolves team that they recently beat in Minnesota. In fact, that is the most recent loss for the Wolves so you know a payback revenge response is likely here. The Timberwolves have won 4 straight since then and all 4 victories by at least 7 points and the average margin of victory was 10 points. Another double digit blowout likely here so very comfortable laying the fair price here. 10* MINNESOTA -5.5

CBB Wednesday 10* Top Play Creighton Bluejays +3.5 @ Xavier Musketeers @ 7 ET - Something is very off with this line and that is why, in typical contrarian fashion, I am on the other side of the line move here. This one opened up at around a -2 and is now up to a 3.5 as everyone grabbing Xavier. After all, the Musketeers are ranked #12 in the country, they have won 9 games in a row and they are on their home floor facing a Bluejays team that has struggled on the road. When you consider all these factors, how could Xavier be such a short home favorite? Precisely! That is just it! The odds makers were on to something here with this one and the fact is that this season's Creighton team matches up well with Xavier and this one has the makings of an upset. The Bluejays have been solid defensively and will get the job done here. Don't be fooled by this line. The Jays had won 3 straight by an average margin of 20 points per game before losing to a strong Huskies team at UConn this past weekend. 10* CREIGHTON +3.5

CBB Tuesday 10* Top Play Illinois-Chicago Flames +10.5 vs Drake Bulldogs @ 8 ET - The key here is the home/road dichotomy in addition to revenge in addition to the value of big points being offered. Happy to take a home dog getting double digits given all the key variables here. Drake is off a big home win over Murray State plus has some key games on deck with teams currently ahead of them in the MVC standings. This is a dangerous spot for the Bulldogs as a result. Also, Drake already won at home versus the Flames in early December. UIC wants revenge here and will take advantage of home court too. Illinois-Chicago lost by 13 at Drake last month but the Flames are 5-3 at home this season and only 1 of the 3 losses was by more than 7 points! The Bulldogs are 0-5 on the road this season. Drake is a good team and has won some neutral site games but, still without a win in a true road game this season, the Bulldogs will be challenged just to win this game let alone cover the huge number. 10* ILLINOIS-CHICAGO +10.5

NBA Tuesday 10* Top Play Miami Heat -4 vs Oklahoma City Thunder @ 7:30 ET - I am aware of the injury issues for the Heat. However, it would not surprise me if both Adebayo and Herro end up playing in this game. Yes, Lowry is out for this game but Butler has a way of willing his teams to wins in games like this and he is such a gamer and should go off big time here. Also, the Heat are off a loss and known for bouncing back off defeats. Then look at the home/road dichotomy here as the Thunder have lost 5 straight road games and are 5-13 on the road this season. Miami is a modest 11-9 at home this season but had won 10 of last 15 at home before the loss to Brooklyn Sunday. The Heat bounce back big here as the Thunder see their road woes continue. This line has been adjusted down too low based on the injury situation and we can take advantage here. 10* MIAMI -4

CFB Monday 10* Top Play Georgia Bulldogs -12.5 vs TCU Horned Frogs @ 7:30 ET - My money is on Georgia here as their defense responds after rare sub-par performances recently. The Bulldogs, prior to SEC Championship, had played 12 games in the regular season. Georgia never allowed more than 22 points in a game and their average points allowed was half that at just 11 per game! The Horned Frogs have a solid pass defense but the Bulldogs strength is their ground game on offense and I expect them to run all over TCU in this one. That plus the championship experience edge the Dawgs have gives them a huge edge here. Remember what I said about the Bulldogs defense above? Well the TCU defense has allowed 24 points or more in 10 of their last 12 games. Essentially the opposite of the Georgia defensive performance! In those 10 games, the Horned Frogs allowed an average of 31.6 points per game. I would not be surprised if TCU hangs around early in this one but eventually the strength, power, experience edges for the Bulldogs allow them to pull away in this one. 10* GEORGIA -12.5

NHL Monday 8* Philadelphia Flyers Puck Line +1.5 goals -125 @ Buffalo Sabres @ 7:05 ET - The Flyers surprisingly got shellacked yesterday but that has been the exception rather than the norm of late. In fact, Philadelphia had won 4 straight and 6 of 9 before yesterday's ugly loss versus Toronto. Also, the Flyers last 6 losses - before being hammered by the Maple Leafs - had featured 5 by just a single goal. So Philly should be in this one all the way as Samuel Ersson likely back between the pipes after Carter Hart struggled last night. Ersson had been playing well as Hart was recovering with some time off so don't be surprised if he comes in and plays very well here. The Sabres are overvalued here because they have won 8 of last 9 but note that of their last 6 games, only 1 was by a win than more than one goal. Buffalo has allowed at least 3 goals in 5 straight games while Philly had allowed 2 or less goals in 3 straight before yesterday's shocker loss. Bounce back time here. 8* Philadelphia +1.5 -125

NFL Sunday 10* Top Play Green Bay Packers -4.5 vs Detroit Lions @ 8:20 ET - Home field edge. Cold weather edge (Lions are a dome team). QB edge too with the experience of Rodgers over the young Goff who could struggle in hostile environment and cold conditions here. Another hidden factor here, and I like this play either way, is the strong possibility that the Lions will be eliminated from playoff race before this game even kicks off. Even if that indeed happens because Seahawks beat the Rams, one could correctly argue that the Lions will still be motivated to prevent a division rival from making the playoffs. However, no one can argue it will not be the same positive attitude for this game if Seattle wins in the action that will wrap up before this game even kicks off. That said, I like the Packers here and I like them no matter what happens in the earlier action. Keep in mind, the Pack have revenge here too because they lost at Detroit earlier this season despite having a huge yardage edge as Rodgers had a rare bad game against the Lions. Yes Detroit is off a great defensive effort last week but it was against a bad Bears offense. The week prior the Lions allowed nearly 600 yards of offense to the Panthers! The Lions have been hot but the Packers have too with 4 straight wins and GB has the better defense too. This one should get ugly in favor of the revenging home team with everything to play for in this one! 10* GREEN BAY -4.5

NFL Sunday 10* Top Play Arizona Cardinals +14.5 @ San Francisco 49ers @ 4:25 ET - The good news for San Francisco is if they win this game they still have a shot at the #1 seed in the post-season. The bad news? They also need Eagles to lose for that to happen. Philadelphia is creeping up toward being a 17 point favorite over the Giants. The Giants are resting a lot of starters including QB Daniel Jones and their starting QB will be Davis Webb. In other words, the Niners are not stupid and they realize the Eagles are highly unlikely to lose today as they also welcome back Jalen Hurts from injury and, again, New York is essentially tanking for that game as they are locked into playoff position. All that said, the 49ers know they are therefore essentially locked into playoff position too. Sure they will come out to win this game but this is in their psyche and certainly there is no extra motivation to win this game by any kind of massive margin. That said, now that this line has crept all the way up to 14.5 it is absolutely "go time" with the big underdog Cardinals here. David Blough played quite well at QB for the Cards last week. Also, sounds like this will be last game of career for future HOFer JJ Watt so you know the Arizona defense wants to go out strong here too. Just don't see the Niners winning this game by much of a margin. Note that SF has won 9 straight but of the last 8 wins, 4 of them were by 8 or less points. The Cardinals, since getting blown out in Week 1 of the season by KC, has only 1 loss last 16 games by more than 14 points and that was against the 49ers in Mexico City! Payback time here. Grab the generous points in this one! 10* ARIZONA +14.5

NBA Sunday 10* Top Play Philadelphia 76ers -5.5 @ Detroit @ 3:10 ET - I know the Sixers are still without Embiid and also will be without Tucker in this game. However, Pistons are missing some guys too and Philly hammered Detroit by 20 points the last time these teams met. Philadelphia off a loss in which they allow a lot of points have a been a great ATS moneymaker in their next game. I like them to bounce back here after allowing 126 to the Bulls in an ugly home loss. The Sixers had won 11 of 13 games before that loss! The Pistons have lost 12 of 16 games. The spread should prove inconsequential here as each of Detroit's last 7 losses by a double digit margin. 76ers roll on the road in this one. 10* PHILADELPHIA -5.5

CBB Sunday 10* Top Play Rutgers Scarlet Knights -6.5 vs Iowa Hawkeyes @ Noon ET - This is a great spot for the Knights. The Hawkeyes rose up big in their first game without McCaffery but they were at home and able to rally from a 10-point halftime deficit. The Scarlet Knights have revenge from losing in the Big Ten tourney to Iowa last season. The Hawkeyes are not as strong as last season and Rutgers is much stronger than last season and so the set-up here is perfect for a convincing home win. Note that the Scarlet Knights have won 5 straight and Iowa had lost 3 straight before sneaking by Indiana. The Hawkeyes are allowing 72.5 ppg this season while the Knights are allowing only 54.9 ppg this season. This sets up as a home rout. 10* RUTGERS -6.5

NFL Saturday 10* Top Play Tennessee Titans +6.5 @ Jacksonville Jaguars @ 8:15 ET - The Titans have lost 6 straight games and the Jaguars have won 4 straight games. No need to even play this game, right? It's over before it even starts? The division title belongs to the Jags by default? Fortunately for the Titans none of that holds true. Tennessee gets their shot here and I love fading the masses which will give the underdogs no chance here. Keep in mind, this is the Jaguars we are talking about ladies and gentlemen. I know they are better than they use to be but they are no juggernauts and Joshua Dobbs actually played quite well at QB for the Titans last week. He certainly is a major upgrade over the struggling Malik Willis as Tennessee continues to battle without the injured Ryan Tannehill. The key here is that Dobbs can manage the game, Derek Henry can have a huge ground game for the Titans, and I like the Tennessee defense (3 turnovers last week) over the Jags defense. Keep in mind, the Titans only two bad defensive performances on the road this season were against two of the best teams (Bills and Eagles) in the entire league. In their other 6 road games, Jacksonville has allowed just 15.8 ppg in regulation time of those 6 games. Jaguars had rare big win over the Titans when these teams met last month. Note that the Jaguars have won their last two games over a 2-13-1 Texans team and a Jets team that had quit on the season. Certainly there is not quit in the Titans in a "win and you're in" game here. Prior to those two wins the Jags allowed 30 ppg their last 5 games. To put that in proper perspective, prior to allowing 27 points to Dallas last week, the Titans had allowed more than 22 points only TWO times in last 13 games! Give me the big points with a very hungry road dog! 10* TENNESSEE +6.5

NBA Friday 10* Top Play Chicago Bulls +5 @ Philadelphia 76ers @ 7:10 ET - The Bulls have not beaten Philly since March of 2019. I love fading streaks like that when the time is right and this is the time. Embiid is out for Philadelphia. The 76ers are off a tight, hard-fought win over the Pacers without him. Now they faced a Bulls team determined to end that streak of losses against the Sixers and it is a Chicago team that has been playing better of late. When these teams met earlier this season the 76ers ultimately prevailed by 5 points but the game was tied with under a minute to go and Embiid, out for tonight, played a key role in the win. The Bulls are playing much better of late and so they provide excellent value here. Chicago has won 6 of 9 games and one of the losses was in OT and another loss was by just a single point. Excellent value here with the underdog Bulls. 10* CHICAGO +5

CBB Friday 10* Wright State Raiders -3 or -3.5 vs Detroit Mercy Titans @ 7 ET - The Raiders are a little better than people realize. Detroit is on the road here and does not shoot as well as Wright State does so the home/road edge is more of a factor here. Both teams known more for scoring prowess rather than defensive ability. However, the Raiders have shown the ability to step up on the defensive end at times and I look for a very strong effort from Wright State here at home. They are known through the years for being a tough team at the Nutter Center. The Titans continue to lose close games and I feel that will take a toll on their psyche now after dropping another tight one at Milwaukee. The Raiders come in fresh off a win at IUPUI but they are well aware that there is work to be done here as Detroit is 2-2 in the Horizon League so far while they are just 1-3. The Raiders are hungry for the league win here and to build momentum as they play their first home game in 3 weeks! They will make the most of it! 10* WRIGHT STATE -3 or -3.5

CBB Thursday 10* Top Play Maryland Terrapins +6 @ Rutgers Scarlet Knights @ 6:30 ET - Rutgers just knocked off the #1 ranked team in the country when they beat Purdue in a big upset a few days ago. That has led to them being over-valued here in what is a definite flat spot. Keep in mind they did the same thing last season in terms of knocking off the Boilermakers when Purdue was ranked #1 at the time also. What followed was a 14 point loss for the Scarlet Knights in their next game. Now, I am not saying that is what happens here exactly but I am saying this is a tricky spot for Rutgers and they are likely to end up in a dogfight just to win this game let alone cover the spread. The Terrapins just got hammered at Michigan so the set-up could not be much better than this! Yes the Terps also lost big to a ranked UCLA team but they did beat a ranked Illinois team and only lost by 3 to a #7 ranked Tennessee team. So the Terps can play when motivated and ready and they are catching the Scarlet Knights at the perfect time for an upset. We'll grab the points as added insurance here. 10* MARYLAND +6

CBB Wednesday 10* Top Play Belmont Bruins -4 or -4.5 @ Illinois-Chicago Flames @ 8 ET - The Bruins just lost to a solid Southern Illinois team but, prior to that, had won 8 of 10 games and one of those two losses was in overtime! Belmont is vastly superior to this Flames team. Illinois-Chicago has an identical 9-6 record but that is where the similarities stop! UIC has had almost all their victories come against very bad teams and/or weak foes. The Flames have been blasted in recent losses to Bradley and Northwestern. In fact, each of their last 5 losses have been my MORE than a DOZEN points and, on the season, their average margin of defeat in their 6 losses is 20 points per game. Look for another blowout here! 10* BELMONT -4 or -4.5

NBA Wednesday 10* Top Play Indiana Pacers +7 @ Philadelphia 76ers @ 7:10 ET - The Pacers are playing well with 4 straight wins and victories in 6 of last 7. The Sixers may not have Embiid tonight. First off I will be clear here that I like Indiana here even if Embiid does play for Philly. But I do find it interesting that he was a late add to the injury report this time AND it is different reason (left foot) than the prior one (lower back). The Sixers have been playing well too but this is a lot of points to be laying to quality Pacers team that is getting its confidence back and that also has revenge from losing here in Philly in October. In fact, the Pacers last FIFTEEN games have seen them lose by more than 6 points only ONCE! Give us the points here! 10* INDIANA +7

CBB Tuesday 10* Top Play Texas Tech Red Raiders +2.5 vs Kansas Jayhawks @ 9 ET - Home court means a lot in this match-up. Texas Tech beat the Jayhawks in Lubbock last season but then lost the regular season match-up and Big Tournament match-up in Kansas. That means double revenge on order here for the Red Raiders and they are a dangerous home dog in this spot. Texas Tech is coming off a loss here and should respond and there is a reason that a highly-ranked one-loss Kansas team is laying such a short number here. Don't let the line fool you here. The home dog is the play. The Red Raiders are 8-0 SU at home this season and I look for another win here as they bounce back off a loss and are catching the Jayhawks off a tight 2-point hard-fought win versus Oklahoma State. 10* TEXAS TECH +2.5

NBA Tuesday 10* Top Play Boston Celtics -8.5 @ Oklahoma City Thunder @ 8:10 ET - Normally I do not like to lay big points in the NBA and this is particularly true with road teams. However, the key word there is "normally" and this is not a normal situation. The Celtics are angry off a loss and will be in blowout mode here. They are vastly superior to this Thunder team even if OKC was healthy. But therein lies another key in this one. Oklahoma City is not healthy and they have been ravaged by injuries particularly at the forward position. The Celtics are going to dominate the frontcourt in this game and they will ultimately pull away and win this game comfortably by a double digit margin. 10* BOSTON -8.5

NBA Monday 10* Top Philadelphia 76ers -3.5 vs New Orleans Pelicans @ 7:10 ET - We are getting line value here because Embiid is listed as questionable for the 76ers due to lower back soreness. I do expect him to play here but, even if he did not, keep in mind that the 76ers actually have had some hot streaks even when he misses. What I like here is the revenge angle with Philly. They just lost at New Orleans last week but that is one of just two losses the Sixers have in their current 9-2 run. This is their only shot at revenge against the Pelicans this season. Philly only has one win by less than 4 points in that 9-2 run and the average margin of victory was 13 points. New Orleans is facing a Philly team that is 9-0 SU in last 9 home games. Pelicans have lost 8 of last 12 road games. Blowout time here. 10* PHILADELPHIA -3.5

CBB Monday 10* Top Play West Virginia Mountaineers +3 @ Oklahoma State Cowboys @ 7 ET - Yes, Oklahoma State is at home for this game but if you look at this one closely you have to ask yourself why are they even favored here. You can not find a win over a truly impressive opponent when you look at their 8-5 record on the season. Yes, both teams off losses but I like the fact this ranked West Virginia team is off an OT loss and they are 10-3 this season and ready to respond here after letting one slip away in overtime. The Mountaineers are the better team yet we are getting line value here because they are on the road. Catching points with the better team when both teams are off losses is a situation that always has me take a deeper look and I like what I am seeing here. The Cowboys do not have a signature win yet this season and this does not look like the spot to get it either. 10* WEST VIRGINIA +3

CFB Monday 10* Top Play Penn State Nittany Lions +1.5 vs Utah Utes @ 5 ET - The Big Ten was particularly tough this season and sent 9 teams to bowl games. Entering Monday's action, 6 had already played and they went 4-2 SU with the one of those two losses being Ohio State losing to the defending national champion Georgia Bulldogs by 1 point. by the way, the other Big Team that played in a CFP Semi-Final game was Michigan and they fell just short against TCU. The reason I emphasize this is because the Buckeyes and Wolverines were the only two teams to beat Penn State this season. Keep in mind those two schools had a chance to advance to the National Championship and each fell only just short against the best quality in all of CFB. The Pac-12, on the other hand, had more teams ranked but their quality was not as high as the teams like Michigan and Ohio State. Utah lost to Florida this season and the Gators did not even end up with a winning record. The Utes also lost to UCLA and Oregon. Note that UCLA just got upset by Pittsburgh in the bowls and Oregon barely snuck by a North Carolina team that has a bad defense. The Utes are a high quality program for sure but the point is that the two losses PSU had to Michigan and Ohio State should serve them well here and those were two of the top four programs in the nation this season. Utah has been hit harder by opt-outs than the Lions heading into this one and also the edge in special teams play goes to the Nittany Lions. 10* PENN STATE +1.5 

NBA Sunday 10* Top Play Washington Wizards +6.5 @ Milwaukee Bucks @ 8:10 ET - The Wizards are hot with 4 straight wins and could even get Beal back for this game. While he is listed as questionable for Washington, the Bucks have a pair of key guys out with both Middleton and Holiday out for this game. That sets this one up well for a potential upset so I certainly like having the half-dozen points on our side as well. The Wizards have won 4 in a row. The Bucks are off a win but, prior to that, Milwaukee had lost 4 straight games. Excellent underdog line value here. 10* WASHINGTON +6.5

NFL Sunday 10* Top Play Green Bay Packers -3 vs Minnesota Vikings @ 4:25 ET - First off some line analysis will tell you why, from a contrarian standpoint, I absolutely love this play. The Packers are a 3-point home favorite here and, as we know, the average home team allotment for home field edge is 3 points. So this line is telling us these teams are equal. Yet when you look at the records, the Vikings are 12-3 and the Packers are 7-8 which is hardly equal of course! That said, many will be lining up on Minnesota to take advantage of this "mistake" here. In typical contrarian fashion, I am on the Packers! The Vikings are a quality team for sure but they have been so fortunate in tight games this season too plus Green Bay has revenge here from losing at Minnesota earlier this season. Also, the Packers have covered 14 of 22 in divisional games and are on a solid 9-4 ATS run as a home favorite. The Vikings are on a 1-7 ATS run in divisional games in which they are a road dog. Look for the Pack to get their revenge and Minnesota's incredible string of luck finally runs out as they get hammered on the road here. 10* GREEN BAY -3

NFL Sunday 8* Philadelphia Eagles -5.5 vs New Orleans Saints @ 1 ET - The Eagles are still without QB Jalen Hurts but he has resumed practicing. That means he is closer to a return but the Eagles want to wait as long as they can to bring him back. After falling apart late in the loss at Dallas on Christmas Eve coupled with Minnesota continuing to win, this is a very important game for Philly. they do not want to go into the final game still needing a win to lock up the #1 seed. The Eagles would rather be resting guys. That being said, I do not see them being denied here at home in this one. Gander Minshew did throw for a lot of yardage last week and will cut down on the turnovers here. The Eagles will run all over the Saints here at home. Philly has covered 10 of last 11 as a home favorite. Keep in mind, New Orleans is on a 2-5 ATS run in games played away from home and also they did get roughed up here at Philly last season. More of the same in store here. 8* PHILADELPHIA -5.5

NBA Saturday 10* Top Play Miami Heat +4.5 @ Utah Jazz @ 9:10 ET - Both teams in a back to back but like the fact the Heat, a strong defensive team, are off a loss in which the Nuggets shot lights out. Note that Miami is 5-0 SU the last 5 times they were off a loss in which they scored 107 or more points. The Jazz were 12-6 earlier this season and were a big surprise. However, reality is setting in now and they have lost 13 of 20 and I am happy to fade them here plus to be getting more points, 4.5, than the opener of 3.5 in this one. Utah has lost 3 straight and I see no reason for that to change here. 10* MIAMI +4.5

CFB Saturday 10* Top Play Georgia Bulldogs -5.5 vs Ohio State Buckeyes @ 8 ET - The Buckeyes have had a great season but they were losing to Penn State with 9 minutes to go, then got outgained by Northwestern even though they won the game by 14 points, and were only ahead of Maryland by 3 points until a late explosion in the final MINUTE of the game. They then got hammered by Michigan in their final regular season game. So the point is that 4 of the last 5 games involving Ohio State were not so impressive. The Buckeyes were not the same dominating force we saw in the first 7 games of the season. Now they face the defending champions and the Bulldogs are going to pull away as this game goes on. Georgia allowing only 12.8 ppg this season and their strong ground game on offense as well as their fantastic rush defense on the other side of the ball will prove to be the difference in the trenches as this game goes along. The Bulldogs won and covered both games in last year's post-season and both wins were by double digits. The Buckeyes are just 3-3 SU/ATS last 6 games in the CFB playoff match-ups. Ohio State is a high-quality team ot say the least but I just do not see the Dawgs being denied here and like them to win this game by at least a touchdown. 10* GEORGIA -5.5

CBB Saturday 10* Top Play Kansas State Wildcats Pick'em vs West Virginia Mountaineers @ 7 ET - The home team opened up as the favorite here but the ranked road team getting plenty of attention as I expected. That said, this game was priced this way for a reason and I love the Wildcats at home here. The home team won both games in regular season last year and then the kicker is what happened in the Big 12 tourney as that is where the Mountaineers eliminated the Cats. So I love the revenge factor here plus the line and market reaction. The home team gets it done big time in this one and gets their payback. 10* KANSAS STATE WILDCATS Pick'em

Bowl Saturday 8* TCU Horned Frogs +8.5 vs Michigan Wolverines @ 4 ET - The Wolverines are undefeated but I just can not ignore the lousy track record of coach Harbaugh in big games including bowl games. Also, about Michigan, they were up by only 5 points with less than 7 minutes to go against a mediocre Maryland team in a game that they eventually won by 7 points and that game was at Ann Arbor. Though they did eventually pull away against Penn State and there is no arguing they deserved the big win, the Nittany Lions did have a 3rd quarter lead in that one in 3rd quarter. Also, they had to rally in the 4th quarter of the win over Illinois and again this was a home game for them. Of course at 13-0 and with plenty of dominating wins, the Wolverines are a very strong team. But I like getting more than a TD with a Horned Frogs team that has had a huge season and has prevailed against all odds all season long. I don't see why that would change here. Yes they lost the Big 12 Championship - though in OT - but still had a huge season and that loss was by just 3 points. With a dynamic offense, look for the Horned Frogs to hang around all game long in this one too. I just don't see Michigan winning this one by more than 1 score. Also, an outright upset certainly would not shock me. All the pressure to win here is on Michigan and that is dangerous. The Horned Frogs could prove to be the much more relaxed team and that will pay dividends. 8* TCU +8.5

CBB Friday 10* Top Play Washington Huskies +2 vs USC Trojans @ 10 ET - This is a fantastic spot for the Huskies. They just got rocked in a loss to Auburn by more than 20 points and will be ready to respond here. They have not lost B2B games this season! They also have struggled against USC in recent years including getting knocked out of the Pac-12 Tourney by the Trojans last season. So that makes this a revenge spot as payback is on order here for the Huskies and neither meeting with Southern Cal last season was in Washington but this one is at American Airlines Arena in Seattle! USC has been red hot but why do you think a team on a 6-game winning streak that has owned the other team resulted in an opening line in the pick'em range for this one? Exactly! Don't be fooled by the opening number. Grab the value now too as Huskies are a small dog in this one and I see them getting revenge! 10* WASHINGTON +2

CFB Friday 10* Top Play South Carolina Gamecocks +4 vs Notre Dame Fighting Irish @ 3:30 ET - I really like the way Spencer Rattler played late in the season and, overall, the way the Gamecocks played in earning a couple of upset wins late in the year as well. This South Carolina team has a ton of momentum plus they have their starting quarterback here. Conversely, the Fighting Irish closed the season with a disappointing loss plus they lost QB Drew Pyne so they will be using little-used Buchner in this match-up as he has been out much of the season. The Gamecocks enter this one on a 7-2 SU / ATS run. The Fighting Irish enter this game on a 5-2 SU run but 1 of those wins by just 3 points so only 4 of last 7 games were wins by more than the margin on this game and, again, this is a tough spot facing an SEC team that has the QB edge in a big way. I like the momentum of Rattler and the Gamecocks and the fact we are getting more than a field goal here. 10* SOUTH CAROLINA +4

EPL Friday 10* Top Play Liverpool Goal Line -1.5 -125 vs Leicester @ 3 ET - Home blowout likely here. Liverpool allowing just 1 goal per match on average at home and known for scoring well when on their home pitch. The Reds will prove to be too much for a Leicester club still licking their wounds from getting drilled 3-0 by Newcastle in their most recent match. Leicester is allowing 2 goals per match when on the road this season and now face a match in one of the tougher venues to visit so I am looking for a 3-0 or 3-1 type affair here which will get us the cash on the goal line with the hosts in this one. 10* LIVERPOOL -1.5 -125

NFL Thursday 10* Top Play Tennessee Titans +12.5 vs Dallas Cowboys @ 8:15 ET - The Cowboys rallied for the win last week versus Eagles but the key in the game was 4 Philly turnovers and they were a bit banged up including missing starting QB Hurts yet Philadelphia still should have won the game. As for the Titans, they are also without their starting QB but I expect the back-up Willis to be better here after playing all of last week's game. That playing time and experience will serve him well here. Tennessee did have about the same yardage as Houston in the loss last week but they were done in by turnovers. So the set up here, in terms of value, is very nice as the Titans off a turnover-fueled loss and the Cowboys off a turnover-fueled win. Also, that was such a big win for Dallas last week over a division rival that is having an NFL-best season this year. That said, this is a flat spot for Dallas and the Cowboys have certainly been known for playing down to the level of competition. Prior to the fortunate win and cover over Philly, the Cowboys were mired in a 2-4 ATS stretch and 3 of the 4 ATS losses were to teams with a losing record. The current combined record of those teams is 16-28-1. Now Dallas takes on a 7-8 Tennessee team that has lost 5 straight so I can see the Cowboys again underestimating a team and playing flat here. Note that Titans are on a 5-1 ATS run as a home dog and 5 of their 8 losses by 5 or less points this season. 10* TENNESSEE +12.5

CBB Thursday 10* Top Play Providence Friars +2.5 @ Butler Bulldogs @ 6:30 ET - This line jumped off the page at me because Butler is known for being strong at home yet this line is down near a pick'em. So, how to interpret this? Do not let the line fool you! Yes the Bulldogs have a great history at home but they are not as strong this season and, so far this season, the Friars are the better rebounding team and higher-scoring team. Providence enters having won 5 straight and Butler enters having lost two straight including one at home. Granted, the one home loss was to a red hot Connecticut team but note the Bulldogs lost that one by 22 and this followed up by again losing by 22 at Creighton. So things are not going well for Butler right now and confidence is running high for Providence. Remember the Friars were 3-0 against the Bulldogs last season and also were a Sweet 16 team in the tourney. Butler was just 14-19 last season including 6-14 in Big East action and the Bulldogs are already 0-2 in Big East action this season as well. 10* PROVIDENCE +2.5

Bowl Thursday 10* Minnesota Golden Gophers -10.5 vs Syracuse in Pinstripe Bowl in Bronx, NY @ 2 ET - The Orange rallied late for a win over BC in their season finale but this followed 5 straight losses. Boston College had a bad season too so this is not much to be proud of. The fact is Syracuse faded badly in the 2nd half of the season and they will be no match here for this tough Minnesota team. The Golden Gophers are too strong with their running game and will push the Orange defense all over the field throughout this game. Syracuse does not have the weapons on offense to keep up here. Note that Minnesota allowed 16 points or less in all 5 of its final games and won 4 of those 5 games. Conversely, the Orange defense allowed 34 points per game in its 5 game losing streak plus did allow 23 to a bad Eagles team in its season finale. This one gets ugly. Lay it! 10* MINNESOTA -10.5

Wednesday NBA 10* Phoenix Suns -2 @ Washington Wizards @ 7 ET - Because the Suns have some injury issues we are getting some line value here on the road against a rather weak team. I know the Wizards have won 2 straight but they have only had one winning streak this season that lasted more than 2 games. Also, both teams in a B2B but that Washington win over a red hot Philly team likely meant more emotionally. As for the Suns, no one had to play more than 27 minutes in last night's win at Memphis so that shows the depth of this Phoenix team and that will pay dividends again tonight. 10* PHOENIX -2

NHL Wednesday 8* Tampa Bay Lightning -1.5 -137 vs Montreal Canadiens @ 7:07 ET - The Canadiens lost 5-1 to Tampa Bay recently and that game was at Montreal. Now the Habs have to face them at Tampa Bay and the Lightning are not in a good mood here. TB has lost B2B games and note they have not lost 3 straight games this entire season! In other words this is a situation that has not lost this season! The Bolts just have not had anything worse than a 2-game losing streak! Also the Habs are struggling with a lot of recent losing and note that the last 5 wins for the Lightning have all been by at least a 3-goal margin and, of course, we need to only win this game by at least 2 goals to cash our ticket. With Montreal struggling and Vasilevskiy expected in goal for this one for the home team, the Habs are likely in for a blowout loss here. 8* TAMPA BAY -1.5

NBA Tuesday 10* Top Play Philadelphia 76ers -4 or -4.5 @ Washington Wizards @ 7:10 ET - Philly has won 8 straight games and is one of the hottest teams in the NBA right now. Washington is off a win but had lost 14 of 16 games coming into that one. Just simply do not see them winning another game here against one of the hottest teams around and the 76ers last 8 wins featured only one by less than a 5 point margin. 6 of Wizards last 7 games have been losses by at least a 7 point margin. Lay the points with red hot Philly here. 10* PHILADELPHIA -4 or -4.5

NFL Monday 10* Top Play Indianapolis Colts +4 vs Los Angeles Chargers @ 8:15 ET - The Colts are turning to Nick Foles at QB. He is a veteran QB with a Super Bowl ring and Indy head coach Jeff Saturday is turning to him because he wants to do the best he can to give this Colts team the best chance to win the final 3 games of the season. That is the message he has conveyed to his team and the defense does not need any extra motivation either after the Colts blew a 33-0 lead last week in an embarrassing loss. This is the type of game where professional pride kicks in on the defensive side of the ball. As for the offense they get a "kick in the pants" with the move to Foles at QB. So there will be some extra sparks on both sides of the ball here and I like having the home dog at +4 in this one. In the Chargers last 10 games they have only ONE WIN by more than 3 points! I am going to challenge this bad LA defense to get the job done here and think it will be hard for the Chargers to pull away in this one. Possible upset and, if not, yet another tight LA win by 3 or less points. 10* INDIANAPOLIS +4

NFL Sunday 10* Top Play Arizona Cardinals +7.5 vs Tampa Bay Buccaneers @ 8:20 ET - Getting 7.5 points here is just too much. Yes, the Cardinals will have McSorley at QB but he played his college football at Penn State and will not be fazed by any type of 'big game atmosphere' or because of facing the Bucs in this rare start for him with his teammates Murray and McCoy both out. Yes the Cardinals have had a disappointing campaign but this is their home finale and a chance to diminish the fading, but still active, playoff hopes of the Buccaneers in this one. That said, look for a strong home finale effort from Arizona here. Note that the Cardinals, when a home dog and facing a team outside of their division, have covered 15 of last 22 games. As for Tampa Bay, they have just one ATS cover in their last dozen games! I am not saying the Cards will win this game, though that would not shock me, but the fact it that TB has ZERO wins by more than 6 points in their last dozen games. Look for McSorley and the Cardinals to surprise here. 10* ARIZONA +7.5

NBA Sunday 10* Top Play Memphis Grizzlies -6.5 @ Golden State Warriors @ 8:10 ET - Big time revenge factors here as the Grizzlies want payback for getting knocked out of the playoffs by Golden State in the spring. Right now the Warriors are "wounded warriors" and also have been struggling overall. That makes this a great spot to lay the points and 6.5 is a very fair line here. Memphis has won 8 of 10 games and all 8 of them by at least points. Golden State has lost 7 of 9 and 5 of the 7 losses by at least 8 points! Each of the Warriors last two losses by at least 30 points. Another blowout happening here. This will be a double digits loss for GSW as they are just missing too many guys here and the Grizzlies will avenge the post-season series loss. 10* MEMPHIS -6.5

NCAAB Sunday 10* Top Play Utah State Aggies -3.5 vs Washington State Cougars @ 6:30 ET - The Aggies are off a loss but that was just their 2nd defeat of the season. Both losses by just a 3 point margin. Of their 10 wins this season, all were by a margin of at least 5 points expect for one of them. As for the Cougars, they certainly have an interesting pattern going. Washington State is off a loss and so far this season they have not had a single stand alone loss. Indeed, the Cougars have three 2-game losing streaks already. Look for this to make it four 2-game losing streaks and drop Washington State to 5-8 on the season. The Cougars are not the confident and hot-shooting team that Utah State is. The Aggies are averaging 85 points per game this season while Washington State is averaging only 68 ppg on the season and just 62 ppg in regulation time of their last 7 games. 10* UTAH STATE -3.5

NFL Saturday 8* Las Vegas Raiders +2 @ Pittsburgh Steelers @ 8:15 ET - The Raiders are 2-6 SU on the road this season yet this line is about a pick'em even though Steelers have won 4 of 6 games. Why is this line like this? Exactly! Look for Vegas to pull the upset just like they did in their last visit to Heinz Field. Raiders have won 4 of 5 games and the lone loss was by just 1 point. Las Vegas has kept their hopes alive for a playoff spot and confidence growing with each win. The 4 teams the Steelers have beat in their 4-2 run have a combined record of 19-36-1. None of those teams have a current record better than 5-9. Conversely, the recent teams the Raiders have beaten for their last 3 victories all have at least a .500 record on the season. This is honestly a bit of an ugly primetime match-up and the weather will be cold and windy. Many feel that will favor the Steelers but, again, this game was priced at nearly a pick'em by the odds makers for a reason. LV 2-6 SU on the road this season but I will take them. 8* LAS VEGAS RAIDERS +2 

Bowl Saturday 10* Top Play Middle Tennessee State Blue Raiders +7 vs San Diego State Aztecs @ 8 ET - Just going to challenge the Aztecs to score enough to cover the full TD here. I just don't see that happening. San Diego State has not run the ball as well as they have in recent seasons. They made a switch at QB during the season that helped the team some but also I have to question their motivation here. Last season the Aztecs had a strong year and finished with a dozen wins on the year including their bowl victory over UTSA. This season they are just 7-5 on the year and they face a Middle Tennessee team that could be the hungrier team with this rare trip to Hawaii for them. MTSU wants to make the most of this rare opportunity and, though they have the weaker defense in this match-up, they do have the stronger offense. 3 of the 7 Aztecs wins this season were by 4 or less points. If you look at this match-up "on paper" as they saying goes you may think that San Diego State should dominate and, indeed, the line movement has followed that assumption. I like to fade line moves when the situation is right and this is one of those. Look for the more motivated team - the underdog in this case - to stay inside a 1-score margin in this one and possibly even pull of the upset. 10* MIDDLE TENNESSEE STATE +7

NFL Saturday 10* Top Play Philadelphia Eagles +4.5 @ Dallas Cowboys @ 4:25 ET - The Eagles lost here by 20 last year. Also, when they met in Philly in a meaningless late season game last year, the Eagles lost by 25 and Minshew was also at QB for that one. Minshew starting here because Hurts is out with an injury. The Eagles did beat the Cowboys 26-17 earlier this season. So who gets revenge here? Minshew in another shot against the Cowboys (met them late last season) and the Eagles getting revenge at Dallas for laying an egg here earlier in last year's season? Or are the Cowboys getting revenge for the loss at Philly earlier this season? My money is on the Eagles. Minshew actually played quite well in his couple starts last season. Philadelphia will have the edge in the trenches here and they continue to pile up impressive sack totals on defense and their offense has continued to be able to produce impressive running totals too. Now, because of Hurts out and Minshew in, a team with only 1 loss on the season is getting 4.5 points and there is just too much line value to pass up on here. The Eagles need this game. It locks up up everything for them as a win gives them the NFC East title plus the #1 seed for the entire post-season. You know they will go hard here. The Eagles are going all out for this game. Right now the Cowboys are questioning a lot of things. They gave up over 500 yards at Jacksonville last week and the confidence of Dallas is not nearly on the level of that of the Eagles! Philly gets revenge for what happened in their last visit to Dallas. 10* PHILADELPHIA +4.5

Bowl Friday 10* Top Play Missouri Tigers +2.5 vs Wake Forest Demon Deacons @ 6:30 ET - The Tigers are facing a Demon Deacons team that had a lead in all 12 of their games this season yet lost 5 of the 12. They also wrapped up the season losing 4 of their last 5 games. The point is that no lead is safe with Wake Forest and the Tigers are the much better team on defense. The Demon Deacons have allowed at least 30 points in 5 straight games. Missouri allowed 27 points or less in ALL but TWO of their DOZEN games this season. The Tigers started the season only 2-4 but they have 3 close losses to solid SEC foes like Auburn, Georgia, and Florida. Now Missouri very focused on getting a bowl win after falling just short last year versus Army. The Tigers won their final two games this season to get to 6-6 and become bowl eligible. Now Missouri wants to get that 7th win to get to their first winning season in 4 years. Like the motivation factor here while Wake Forest had an 11-3 season last year and went 7-1 in the ACC and played in a New Year's Eve bowl. Will they be motivated enough here? That is a legitimate question for sure and I feel the hungrier team with the far superior defense gets the win here. 10* MISSOURI +2.5

NFL Thursday 10* Top Play New York Jets -2 vs Jacksonville Jaguars @ 8:15 ET - Jets are off loss to Lions at home but are 5-0 / 100% ATS this season when off an ATS loss. Love the fact the weather will be ugly which lessens the Jaguars QB edge. Also, like the fact that Jacksonville off the huge upset win of the Cowboys in OT. Everything is aligned perfectly for New York to move to 6-0 ATS on the season when off an ATS loss. I know the Jets have lost 3 straight games SU overall but this is the perfect spot for them to bounce back and end that streak. They are favored here for a reason. 10* NEW YORK JETS -2

CFB Thursday 10* Top Play Air Force Falcons +3.5 vs Baylor Bears @ 7:30 ET - Brutal weather in Fort Worth, TX expected for this one. Temperatures in the teens with wind chills possibly in the teens below zero. I would be the first one to tell you that Air Force is a bit over-rated based on their strength of schedule but there are some key factors here supporting the underdog Falcons. First off the weather is going to help the run-based Falcons offense. Also, Air Force is more used to playing in bad weather games because they play in the mountain west conference. Also, how motivated will Baylor be for this game? Yes it is just up the road from Waco in Fort Worth but the Bears can't be too thrilled about playing in this game after winning the Big 12 title last season. Baylor only ended up 6-6 this season and they recently fired defensive coordinator. This is the Armed Forces Bowl and so you know that the Falcons will come to this game motivated and ready as service academy schools are certainly known for being fully prepared for the biggest of games. Discipline and structure on one side in this one and even if they are the weaker side the fact that motivation and weather go in their favor here plus the fact we are getting 3.5 points to work with as well means that the underdog is the play here. 10* AIR FORCE +3.5

CFB Wednesday 10* Top Play Western Kentucky Hilltoppers +4 vs South Alabama Jaguars @ 9 ET - With QB Austin Reed deciding NOT to enter the transfer portal and the fact he WILL play in this game means the Hilltoppers offense is going to be operating at full efficiency for this one. Western Kentucky's passing offense will key this one. South Alabama has lost and failed to cover each of their last two bowl appearances. Now here the Jaguars are favored because of their 10-2 record but the 8-5 Hilltoppers are the play! Don't let the records fool you. The Jags just don't have a potent enough offense to keep up with the underdog in this one. 10* WESTERN KENTUCKY +4

CBB Wednesday 10* Top Play St John's Red Storm +5.5 @ Villanova Wildcats @ 6:30 ET - The Wildcats enter this game on a winning streak but they still are not the same team they use to be under coach Jay Wright. That is a big reason they are only 6-5 this season. As for St John's, they are now in 4th season under coach Mike Anderson and the improvement year over year continues. He is building this program the way he has wanted it and they are now 11-1 this season. With this line moving higher on Villanova, we get extra line value here. Blocks, steals, rebounds, field goal percentage on offense, etc. all these factors go in favor of the underdog here. Grab the Red Storm as they continue to develop strongly under Anderson. This is their chance after blowing a 17 point lead in the Big East tournament last season versus Nova and losing the game by a single point. 10* ST JOHN'S +5.5

CBB Tuesday 10* Top Play Northwestern Wildcats -14 vs Illinois-Chicago Flames @ 9 ET - Normally I do not lay big points but this line has ticked down from a higher opener and I see Northwestern, with their stifling defense, winning this one by 20+ points against a Flames team that does not have the level of defensive play to hang around in this game on the road. Northwestern allowed 87 points in a loss to Pittsburgh but, in the other 9 games they have allowed only 52 points per game. The Flames have allowed 68 points per game last 11 games. UIC has won 3 straight but they have played a weak schedule this season and so their 8-4 record is not as impressive as you would think. UIC is a huge dog here for a reason and they have allowed 73 ppg in their 4 losses this season. Northwestern has allowed 54 points or less in 7 of 10 games this season. I am looking for a 75 to 50 type game in this one. 10* NORTHWESTERN -14

CFB Tuesday 10* Top Play Toledo Rockets -3.5 vs Liberty Flames @ 7:30 ET - The Rockets catch a Flames team that struggled late in the season plus has an interim head coach. I also am a contrarian and love the fact that Rockets are 0-4 SU/ATS last 4 bowls and Liberty is 3-0 SU/ATS last 3 bowls. Toledo has been upset in recent bowls and should bounce back here with a strong effort. The Rockets are desperate to end the bowl streak of losses. They have the firepower to get the job done here. Liberty closed the season with 3 straight losses including a UConn team that got hammered by Marshall already in this bowl season. The Flames also lost to Virginia Tech who went 3-8 this season and also lost to a New Mexico State team by 35 and the Aggies barely limped into bowl season. Rockets have momentum after beating Ohio University in the MAC Championship Game too! When I match these teams up I just can not see any areas of the game where I give Liberty the edge. That said, laying the short number is very fair here. 10* TOLEDO -3.5

CBB Monday 10* Top Play UT Arlington Mavericks +15.5 @ San Francisco Dons @ 10 ET - When universities are on Christmas break for the holidays how much does home court even matter? Exactly! That said, this is just too many points. San Francisco is off a tight win at UNLV plus they are hosting Arizona State, a Pac-12 foe, on Wednesday! That said, the Dons might look right past UT Arlington and that could prove ot be dangerous. The Mavericks have lost 3 straight but all 3 games by 6 or less points! In 11 games this season the Mavs only have 2 losses by more than 14 points. San Francisco's only wins by a bigger margin than this are 3 out of 12 games this season and 2 of those were against Merced College and Merrimack! Considering that the Mavericks play solid defense in most games and are competitive in most games and the fact the Dons have a huge game on deck, this one is a great value. 10* UT ARLINGTON +15.5

NBA Monday 10* Top Play Philadelphia 76ers -7.5 vs Toronto Raptors @ 7:10 ET - The Sixers off a win versus Warriors FRIDAY. The Raptors off a loss versus those same Warriors SUNDAY! So Toronto is in a back to back and has lost 5 straight. Philadelphia is at home and well-rested and has won 4 straight. Philly has won 10 of last 11 home games. The Raptors have lost 9 of last 10 road games. Yes we must cover a fairly large spread here but you can see why a 76ers win is likely. The Raptors continue to deal with injury issues and a back to back spot does not help in that regard. Lay the points with confidence here. 10* PHILADELPHIA -7.5

NFL Sunday 10* Top Play New York Giants +4.5 @ Washington Commanders @ 8:20 ET - Value with the points here. I know Washington is off a bye week but they have covered ATS just 3 of last 14 when off a bye. I know the Giants just got clobbered last week but it was against the NFL best Eagles. That said, we are getting some line value here because the line move to 4.5 means the key numbers of 3 and 4 are now "win numbers" on this one with the underdog. The Giants are just not getting enough respect here. I know they have not won a game in a month but they will still be scrappy underdog here against an over-rated Commanders team. Washington has the same record as New York but has been playing better of late but the result is that they are over-valued here. The Giants were 9-3 ATS this season prior to getting hammered by Philadelphia last week. The Commanders, other than a shocking win over Philly, have seen all their wins come against teams with a losing record this season. The combined record of the other 6 team they beat is 23-54-2. So you can see why I have no hesitation in taking a 7-5-1 Giants team that just tied Washington two weeks ago in game that could not even be settled in OT. Outright upset would not surprise me at all here so I am happy to have the points in a game that certainly could be decided by 4 or less points. Look for the Giants ground game on offense to be the difference maker in this one. 10* NEW YORK GIANTS +4.5

NCAAB Saturday 10* Top Play Tennessee Volunteers +4 @ Arizona Wildcats @ 10:30 ET - This line opened up around a 2 and now is up in the 4 range as of mid-day Saturday. This is a lot of value to give a solid team like the Vols. I know everyone will be looking at the Cats since this game is in Arizona but I love grabbing the road dogs in games like this. The Volunteers are allowing only 51.4 ppg this season. The Wildcats are allowing 75.7 ppg. Look for Tennessee to do a good job in controlling the tempo here and the Vols will frustrate Arizona. A pair of 9-1 teams and value with the underdog as I am fully expecting the solid defensive play of the Volunteers to win this game in crunch time. 10* TENNESSEE +4

NFL Saturday 10* Top Play Miami Dolphins +7 or +7.5 @ Buffalo Bills @ 8:15 ET - Weather is the great equalizer in a game like this. Likely going to be a snowstorm in Buffalo during this game. The snow especially heavy during the game. So when you have a game where the teams can't fully operate their offenses as they want to would you rather be laying a full TD or getting a full TD? The fact is that anything can happen in wild weather games like this so I generally stay away when the games have a small spread. But when you have a spread of at least a TD in a game like this I love having the big dog. It is generally just hard for either team to create a lot of separation on the scoreboard when the weather is going to be nasty. Both teams have a pretty solid rush defense and I like the fact that the Bills are off a divisional revenge win over the New York Jets last week. The Dolphins are off B2B losses, including a 6 point loss last week at LA versus the Chargers. Buffalo is 8-3 last 11 games but other than a win by 14 points at New England and a 35-point win versus Pittsburgh, the other 9 games were decided by an average margin of just 5 points! In other words, week in and week out, the Bills are almost always involved in close games and with this game likely played in a snowstorm in Orchard Park, I just don't see the Bills being able to maximize the edge of having Josh Allen at QB. 10* MIAMI +7 or +7.5

CFB Saturday 10* Top Play Florida Gators +8.5 vs Oregon State Beavers @ 2:15 ET - Typical contrarian play for me. Yes I know the Gators have some opt-outs but this line has jumped too high and Florida is not getting near enough respect here. I feel strongly that, given all the extra prep time plus the fact QB Jack Miller was highly recruited and came over from Ohio State will lead to a stronger performance here than most are expecting. Florida is well-coached and will be fully prepared here and this is a solid SEC team taking on an Oregon State team that had gone 9-22 from 2018 to 2020. The Beavers did go 7-6 last season but now after the 9-3 this season are a little over-rated here. I am not saying Oregon State will not win this bowl game but an upset would not surprise me. At the very least, the Gators will stay within a single score margin here. 10* FLORIDA +8.5

World Cup Saturday 10* Croatia Goal Line Pick -145 vs Morocco @ 10 AM ET - Morocco has been a great story in the World Cup and has been so solid defensively. However, Croatia has the stronger firepower and will play more aggressively here. This is a shot at the bronze medal and I like the value of the Pick on the goal line in this one. That means if these teams are still tied up after the added stoppage time and heading into the extra time, we still get a push here. I do expect Croatia to win this match before it goes to extra time but I do like this added value for sure. Morocco has scored just 1 goal in last 3 matches. When these clubs met in a scoreless draw in the group stage, Croatia did dominate possession time 65% to 35%. Also, Croatia's loss to Argentina was their first defeat in last dozen matches! Croatia had scored a goal in each of prior two matches and I do not see them being denied here by Morocco and especially like the value of the pick'em offered on this one on the goals line. 10* CROATIA Pick -145

NBA Friday 10* Top Play Philadelphia 76ers -8 vs Golden State Warriors @ 7:40 ET - The Sixers will take advantage of a wounded Warriors team here. Curry is out. Even if Green and/or Wiggins play, neither one of them is 100 percent. Of course the loss of Curry - expected out one month - is a big one. Golden State just won't have the firepower to keep up with a surging Philly team in this one. The Warriors are 2-13 on the road this season. Philly is 10-5 at home this season. The 76ers have won 10 of 15 overall and 3 straight and all 3 of the wins by a double digit margin. Golden State has lost 4 of last 5 games. 10* PHILADELPHIA -8

NFL Thursday 10* Top Play Seattle Seahawks +3.5 vs San Francisco 49ers @ 8:15 ET - 49ers off win and Seahawks off loss. Seattle lost at San Francisco way back in Week 2 this season. Revenge? Check! Situational edge with Seahawks off home loss and Niners on the road now but coming off home win last week? Check! Seattle has been on a strong run as a home dog and I like them in this primetime affair at home and catching 3.5 points. Of course SF has the better defense and yes Purdy played well last week at QB but he is bothered right now by a rib/oblique injury. If it becomes worse or is too bothersome for him, Josh Johnson would likely get the call here. Purdy has 0 pass attempts on the road this season and a road game at Seattle is not easy. As for Johnson, he has been a journeyman NFL quarterback for a reason and has more INTs than TDs in his career. 10* SEATTLE +3.5

NBA Thursday 10* Top Play Memphis Grizzlies -1.5 or -2 vs Milwaukee Bucks @ 8:10 ET - Two strong teams but the key here is home court for Memphis plus the fact Milwaukee is still without starting point guard Jrue Holiday for this one. The Grizzlies have won 12 of 14 home games. Memphis has won 8 of last 9 games and 6 straight home games. Milwaukee has won only 5 of last 9 road games. Bucks really going to miss Holiday when going up against Ja Morant and the Grizzlies. Morant is just such a back court start and will be too much at home for Milwaukee in this one. 10* MEMPHIS -1.5 or -2

NBA Wednesday 10* Top Play Orlando Magic +2.5 or +3 vs Atlanta Hawks @ 7:10 ET - The Hawks are so banged up dealing with recent injuries. Even if Trae Young plays, he has been struggling badly. As for Orlando, they have also had a few guys out but they have been out for awhile and, right now, the Magic have been hot even without those guys. Orlando has won 3 straight games and they catch a Hawks team that has just 3 wins last 10 games. The Magic saw Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner come up with big games in the B2B versus the Raptors. Also, Orlando's bench came up big with Bamba, Anthony, and Ross all having strong games versus Toronto. That said, at home and playing with confidence and catching an Atlanta team that is short-handed and struggling, the Magic are the play again here. The kicker is that Orlando lost the first two meetings with the Hawks, each by double digits. Double payback here! 10* ORLANDO +2.5 or +3

#306581 CBB Tuesday 10* Top Play Prairie View A & M Panthers +4.5 @ Illinois-Chicago Flames @ 8 ET - This line looks funny at first glance. A team, UIC, at home that most bettors are familiar with but they are laying only 4.5 points against a Prairie View team that is from one of the weakest conferences (SWAC) in the nation. However, the Panthers are better than people realize. They only have one loss by more than 10 points this season. They can compete and certainly that holds true against a Flames team that is not that strong so far this season. Note that Prairie View already defeated Washington State by a dozen points plus beat Arkansas State. Now take a look at the 6-4 Flames. The fact is that UIC has wins over only Trinity (Ill), Jacksonville State, Stonehill, Holy Cross, Green Bay, and now Western Michigan. The win over the Broncos would be their "signature win" so far this season but even they are just 3-7 this season and none of the teams the Flames have beaten have a winning record this season. Look for the Panthers to get the upset win here but we'll grab the points just in case they fall short as I would expect any defeat for the visitors to be by the slimmest of margins. 10* PRAIRIE VIEW A & M +4.5

NBA Tuesday 10* Top Play Sacramento Kings +5.5 @ Philadelphia 76ers @ 7:10 ET - I lost with the Hornets going against the Sixers on Sunday but Charlotte actually had the same number of free throws made (26) as Philly but managed to lose the game by 18 despite having 10 MORE field goal attempts. So, what happened? As you would guess it was hot shooting for the 76ers and there is no way they will repeat those ridiculous numbers here against a scrappy Kings team. Philly made 55% of their shots from the field plus 48% from 3-point land. The 76ers have won B2B games but 2 of the 3 prior to the win over the Hornets were OT games and I look for Philly to finally wear down here. The Kings are off a loss to the Knicks but had won 4 of 5 before that. Also, Sacramento still has won 14 of last 21 games and 3 of those 7 losses were by 5 or less points. So if you had Kings +5.5 in last 21 games you would have gone 17-4 ATS! Love the value here with the scrappy Kings catching a nearly half dozen points for this one. 10* SACRAMENTO +5.5

NFL Monday 10* Top Play Arizona Cardinals +2 vs New England Patriots @ 8:15 ET - Just like the Chargers last night, I like a little ugly home dog action here. Arizona is an ugly 4-8 this season but they are coming off their bye week. Trend players will be happy to know the Cardinals are 12-5 ATS last 17 times they have been a home dog. Also, in non-conference battles, they are have covered 6 of last 8 games. They catch a Patriots team still liking its wounds from Thursday's loss to the Bills in last week's action. That was a key game for New England and dropped them to the bottom of the division with the loss sending them to a 6-6 record on the year. The Patriots could struggle to bounce back after that defeat. Keep in mind, the Pats had only 242 yards of offense in that one. I feel they will struggle to keep up here as the Cardinals offense can be very dangerous and now has more weapons back compared to earlier in the season when Hopkins missed practically the first half of the season. Also, Murray and others have had a chance to heal up thanks to the bye week. Marquise Brown and DeAndre Hopkins both are back and on the field the same time with Kyler Murray now. Yes the Cards lost their first game this season in which they were all together two weeks ago but they will be even better now coming off the bye week. 10* ARIZONA +2

NBA Monday 10* Top Play Memphis Grizzlies -6.5 vs Atlanta Hawks @ 8:10 ET - I am generally not a big fan of laying many points in the NBA but this looks like a great spot for a huge home win. The Hawks are off an OT win versus Chicago last night. Atlanta was already a banged up team so playing the 2nd night of a B2B after going to overtime the night before is not going to do them any favors. Also, Trae Young's shooting slump has continued and the Hawks are expected to still be without Dejounte Murray tonight and he is their 2nd leading scorer. The Grizzlies have the rest edge and are at home where they are 11-2 this season. The Hawks had lost 6 of 8 before getting the win over the Bulls yesterday. Memphis has won 5 straight home games. The Grizzlies won all 5 of those by at least 8 points and by an average margin of 14 points. Another big win likely here. 10* MEMPHIS

NFL Sunday 10* Top Play Los Angeles Chargers +3.5 vs Miami Dolphins @ 8:20 ET - The Dolphins are getting healthier as Tua Tagovailoa is cleared to play in this game at QB plus weapons like Jaylen Waddle and Tyreek Hill are both expected to play as well. The key? None of the 3 are 100% here. The biggest key? Tagovailoa threw 2 picks last week and he is the one to worry about as the QB is going to try and outduel the Chargers and QB Justin Herbert here and I just do not see that happening! Herbert and the Chargers are undervalued here as a home dog catching 3.5 points now and I just do not trust Miami in this spot. The Dolphins are 3-3 SU on the road this season but none of the 3 SU wins was by more than 3 points and the 3 SU losses were all by double digit margins. The average margin of the 3 defeats was 17 points and there is nothing "average" about that. With this being said, we have great home dog value here as the Chargers are angry off a 27-20 loss to the Raiders and, prior to that, 5 of last 7 LA games were decided by 3 or less points! The Chargers have one of the top passing attacks in the league and I feel Tagovailoa's ankle is still an issue for the Dolphins QB and it will reflect again in his performance here. Keep in mind all 5 of his picks have come on the road this season. The Chargers defense is their area of concern but watch them step up at home in this key Sunday night battle and note that LA had allowed 24 points or less in 4 of last 6 games prior to giving up 27 last week. That is significant here because Dolphins allowing an average of 33 points per game in road games this season. 10* LOS ANGELES CHARGERS +3.5

NCAAB Sunday 10* Top Play Wisconsin Badgers +4.5 @ Iowa Hawkeyes @ 6:30 ET - Hawkeyes still without Kris Murray and he is their leading scorer and leading rebounder. Iowa did just beat rival Iowa State without him but it was in large part due to the Hawkeyes knocking down 12 of 23 three pointers while the Cyclones were just 3 of 22 from downtown. Iowa won the game by 19 but outscored Iowa State by 27 from three point land so that says a lot. It has been a tough recent slate of games and tough schedule for the Hawkeyes and coming off that huge win I could see them falling flat here and coming up short against the Badgers. If they hang on for a win here look for it be by just a single possession. Dog should be in this one all the way and I am expecting an upset. 10* WISCONSIN +4.5

NBA Sunday 10* Top Play Charlotte Hornets +10.5 @ Philadelphia 76ers @ 6:10 ET - The 76ers are off a very fortunate cover versus the Lakers in their most recent game. They won big in OT after blowing a big fourth quarter lead late. The Sixers were a comedy of errors in their late game sequence versus the Lakers and ended up very fortunate to win that game let alone cover the spread. That being said, the Sixers just can not be justified in laying double digits against anyone right now. I know they have revenge against the Hornets from losing at Charlotte earlier this season but this Philly team just can not be trusted right now. They also certainly were much more motivated to face LeBron James and Anthony Davis and the Lakers in most recent game and they will not be as excited about facing the Hornets in this one. A hungry road dog that is on a losing streak is absolutely the play in this one as they will bring plenty of energy. Philadelphia knows they have a tough game with a surging Sacramento team on deck and I expect a bit of a listless performance from Philly in this one. 10* CHARLOTTE

NFL Sunday 8* Philadelphia Eagles -7 @ New York Giants @ 1 ET - The Eagles are still trying to hold off the Cowboys for the top spot in the division and the Vikings for the top spot in the NFC. They can not afford any letdowns and have continued, more often than not, to play like a well-oiled machine. They certainly will not overlook the division rival Giants. This is the first meeting between these long-time rivals this season and the key is the Eagles much better passing offense and much stronger pass defense. In comparison with the Giants, they are much stronger in both these areas. Also, the Eagles run defense has gotten healthier and added some reinforcements and the Giants could struggle to score here while the Philly offense continues to be one of the best around. As a result, Philly should roll to a big margin of victory here and I have no hesitation in laying the TD in this one. New York had some miracle wins and covers earlier this season and now their true colors are showing as they were beaten worse than the final score shows against the Cowboys and then that was followed by a disappointing tie at home versus the Commanders. Eagles will prove to be too much here! 8* PHILADELPHIA -7

Romania Liga 1 Sunday 10* Top Play CFR Cluj -1 +110 @ FC Botosani @ 10:30 AM ET - CFR Cluj is one of the top clubs in the league and has been red hot. FC Botosani is one of the weaker clubs in the league and has been struggling. The kicker for me that insured this play would make my card is the fact that CFR Cluj lost at home to FC Botosani 1-0 in mid-August in their earlier meeting this season. This will be a payback match for the visitors as they look to return their favor and beat the hosts now on their own pitch. Look for them to do just that and dominate. So we will lay the goal line here to avoid laying a heavy money line price. FC Botosani has 1 draw and 3 losses in their last 4 matches and just lost by an 8-0 count at Farul last week. The visitors are a red hot 10-1-1 last 12 matches. Lay it! 10* CFR Cluj -1 +110

NBA Saturday 10* Top Play Utah Jazz +8 @ Denver Nuggets @ 9:10 ET - The Jazz are in 2nd game of B2B and even if Markkanen is still unavailable I do like Utah here. They lost last night simply because the Wolves shot better than they did. That was the key to the final outcome. Now a Utah team that is hungry off a loss is catching too many points because of the situational perspective this has presented to the marketplace. Note that Denver is actually just 2-3 last 5 home games. Also, the Nuggets had lost 3 straight before the 1-point win at Portland Thursday. Denver should find a way to win this game but I don't seem them covering. They hammered the Jazz when they last faced them here in Denver by 16 points in late October. Utah has not forgotten and coming off a loss last night insures proper focus from them here. 10* UTAH +8

NBA Friday 10* Top Play Philadelphia 76ers -4.5 vs Los Angeles Lakers @ 7:40 ET - The Lakers should have Davis and James back tonight. However, the 76ers now have Harden back. Keep in mind Harris and Embiid had also missed time recently and those guys will be on the floor too. Coming off multiple days off but also off multiple consecutive defeats, the 76ers are rested and ready to turn things around. The line here is short enough that it is well worthy of investment here. The Lakers are 4-8 on the road this season and all 8 losses were by at least 9 points! LA is now on their 3rd losing streak of the season. The first two lasted 5 games apiece. This one is only 2 games into it but you get my point. Philly is on a 3-game losing streak but has not lost 4 in a row yet this season. The 76ers are 6-1 in home games this season! So if you like Philly to win here and you know the Lakers have a knack for losing big on the road with all 8 defeats by at least 9 points, you can see why we have bargain line here. I will take it. 10* PHILADELPHIA -4.5

NFL Thursday 10* Top Play Los Angeles Rams +6.5 vs Las Vegas Raiders @ 8:15 ET - The Rams only have one home game remaining after this match-up and it is hosting a Broncos team that, just like LA, currently sits with a 3-9 record and is going nowhere this season. That means this Thursday match-up in primetime is the Rams last significant home game of the season. Los Angeles can play spoiler and diminish the Raiders already-slim playoff hopes. That said, I absolutely expect the Rams to come to play in this one and the Raiders will struggle to win this game, let alone cover the big spread. Long-term trend followers will be happy to know that the Raiders have covered only 10 of last 32 in non-conference battles. Las Vegas is off a big win over rival Chargers last week and they have New England on deck. Yes the Patriots team that McDaniels was the offensive coordinator for under coach Belichick for about a decade! In other words, this spot is absolutely a sandwich spot for the Raiders as they now take on a team that has lost 6 straight games. They are traveling this week on short rest and off a divisional win and are in a lookahead spot with McDaniels former team waiting on deck. I am not saying the Rams win this outright but it certainly would not shock me. Look for this game to be decided by 3 or 4 points. LA continues to lose games but has been competitive and, after struggling in other primetime appearances and with their next one coming up next Monday on the road and being that will be their last one of the season, look for Rams to make most of this primetime game at home! 10* LOS ANGELES RAMS

CBB Thursday 10* Top Play Iowa Hawkeyes -3.5 vs Iowa State Cyclones @ 8 ET - This is another game where I am fading line movement. The Hawkeyes opened up as a bigger favorite versus the Cyclones but Iowa State is a ranked 1-loss team and Iowa has lost 2 of 3. Of course this has Iowa State getting a lot of attention and the line is now down to as low as a 3.5 and I am happy to fade the line movement. The Cyclones one loss was ugly by 18 points to Connecticut. Also, their win over Villanova game in OT and is less impressive given the Wildcats are not the same team they were under coach Jay Wright and with key personnel now gone. Also, some will point to the Cyclones win over North Carolina but the struggling Tar Heels have now suffered a 4-game losing streak. I also like the fact that the Hawkeyes are off a loss by a double digit margin to Duke at MSG. Coming off a loss they will bounce back here and note that both their losses this season were on a neutral floor but they are a solid team when at home. There is a good reason the unranked team with the lesser record is the favorite here. 10* IOWA -3.5

NFL Monday 10* Top Play Tampa Bay Buccaneers -3 vs New Orleans Saints @ 8:15 ET - The Saints are just 1-4 on the road this season. They have 8 losses on the season overall and all have been by at least 3 points. This line dropping to a solid 3 has given us great line value here given the above. Note that Tampa Bay is off an OT loss but this was preceded by B2B wins. Also, the Bucs 5 wins this season have all been by at least 3 points. Tampa has allowed 17 points or less in regulation time of each of their last 3 games. The Saints had allowed 20 points or more in 10 of 11 games this season before last week's ugly 13-0 loss. In fact the average points allowed in those 10 games was 26.7 and then look at what TB has done recently on defense and you can see why I like the Bucs at home here. 3 of the past 4 games the Saints top rusher has had 30 rushing yards or less and last week it was QB Andy Dalton with 21 yards! That is not good news as that means New Orleans likely to struggle to run the ball here and the Bucs have a very strong pass defense. Also, the Bucs have seen White run for 105 yards and 64 yards the past two weeks. Take advantage of the line move. 10* TAMPA BAY -3

NBA Monday 10* Top Play Philadelphia 76ers -8 @ Houston Rockets @ 8:10 ET - Harden likely to come back tonight for this game and will be facing a former team in their city. Not only that, the Rockets just got back from a long road trip out west. Not only that, the 76ers are angry off B2B losses. Philly lost 3 straight games to open the season but that has not happened since. The Rockets 10 of last 13 defeats have been by 8 or more points. Their last 10 losses by an average margin of 12.6 points and they also have a winnable game against the rival Spurs on deck. Bad spot for Houston and great spot for a rejuvenated Sixers team to rally around the return of Harden tonight. If for some reason he did not play I still like Philly tonight given all the other variables here. 10* PHILADELPHIA -8

NFL Sunday 10* Top Play Indianapolis Colts +10.5 @ Dallas Cowboys @ 8:20 ET - The Colts have a bye week on deck and are off a loss. Cowboys off a big divisional win over Giants. Big difference in the situational dynamics here. Also, Indianapolis has covered 7 of last 10 as a road dog and have gone 8-1 ATS the last 9 times when they have a bye week on deck. The Cowboys are the better team for sure but this is a lot of points. I don't necessarily agree with the Indy coaching change but the Colts did win their first game against the Raiders and then gave the Eagles all they could handle before ending up with a poor effort against the Steelers. I look for Indianapolis to bounce right back here after the loss to Pittsburgh. Even though Colts are just 4-6 last 10 games only one of those losses was by a double digit margin. Also, Dallas has some big wins this season but, out of 11 games, only 5 have resulted in a Cowboys win by more than 8 points. If you look statistically at the Colts, there are very sound on defense. Dallas could struggle here on offense and you know Indy will be bringing a strong effort as they are off B2B losses plus have the bye week on deck. Cowboys have allowed 20 or more points in 4 of last 6 games. 10* INDIANAPOLIS +10.5

NBA Sunday 10* Top Play Chicago Bulls +3 @ Sacramento Kings @ 6:10 ET - The Kings are off huge win versus a short-handed Clippers team. That game was in LA yesterday. So it is not a big travel spot but it is still a travel situation and it is a back to back. Now they face a rested Bulls team that is angry off B2B losses. Chicago is the play here. Kings have been playing better but had lost 3 straight before B2B wins and the Bulls come into this one hungry. Chicago only has had one losing streak go longer than 2 games. The other 3 were all 2-game losing streaks that ended on that 3rd game. That is what I expect here. There is a reason this is a road game and yet Bulls are only a 3 point dog even though Sacramento has such a solid record. Don't let the line fool you. 10* CHICAGO +3

NFL Sunday 8* Philadelphia Eagles -4 vs Tennessee Titans @ 1 ET - A key part of the Titans offense is RB Derrick Henry. The Eagles run defense has struggled this season and, recently in particular, but they get key help this week! Jordan Davis was activated from injured reserve Saturday and is ready to go here. He is a key run-stuffing defensive tackle. The Titans are certainly a solid team but the Eagles are not 10-1 by accident. This is a damn good team and laying a very short number on their home field and every win is still key. Philly can not afford to overlook anyone as there is a tight divisional race still going plus the battle for the top spot in the NFC. Note that the Eagles have covered 9 of their last 10 as a home favorite. This line implies a line of practically a pick'em on a neutral field. But I just do not see it that way. The Eagles rate much better statistically on both sides of the ball in comparison with the Titans. 8* PHILADELPHIA -4

NBA Saturday 10* Top Play Milwaukee Bucks -6 @ Charlotte Hornets @ 6:10 ET - Even though this is a back to back spot for the Bucks it is also a back to back spot for the Hornets. The key here is Milwaukee off loss and Charlotte off a win. The Hornets are 1-5 SU when off a win this season and 4 of those 5 losses were by at least 7 points. The Bucks are 4-1 SU when off a loss this season and 3 of the 4 wins by at least 8 points. More of the same on tap here. This road team will be very hungry off the loss as that was just their 6th loss of the season and it was the first game that Middleton came back. The Bucks will want to redeem themselves here and facing a Charlotte team that loses about 2/3 of their games will certainly help in that regard. 10* MILWAUKEE -6

NCAAB Saturday 10* Top Play Drake Bulldogs -16.5 vs Illinois-Chicago Flames @ 6 ET - The Flames just got hammered by Missouri State. The lost that game by 15 and face a much tougher test here. Not only that but when they lost to the Bears, they allowed 20 more shots from the field. In other words, the final margin could have easily been much more than 15 points. Today it will be as the Bulldogs are angry off their first loss of the season. Drake lost at Indiana State by 2 points but it was because they did not shoot well at all from downtown. The Bulldogs were outscored by 21 points from 3-point land. Now at home Drake will shoot much better and will also show no mercy against a Flames team whose last two losses have been by at least 14 points. UIC faces a Bulldogs team that had allowed only 63 points per game in first 6 games this season. Flames most recent road game was against a winless Green Bay team and they rolled but now they face a Bulldogs team that was undefeated prior to the loss to the Sycamores. 10* DRAKE -16.5

CFB Saturday 10* Top Play Tulane Green Wave -3.5 vs Central Florida Knights @ 4 ET - UCF has had the number of the Green Wave for years now including the meeting earlier this season. That said, why is Tulane favored by more than a field goal here? Exactly! Lay it! This game is priced this way for a reason! The Green Wave have the better defense in this match-up. Their star RB is now healthier. Conversely, the UCF QB Plumlee is set to play in this one but he is not 100%. He is dealing with a hamstring issue. Look for a big ground game from the Green Wave here and look for the Knights offense to continue to stammer and stutter a bit as they have been in recent games. Just do not think Plumlee will be himself here. The Knights defense has had some lapses recently and remember they recently lost to Navy and plus had to rally late, after blowing a huge lead, in their win over a bad South Florida team. So this UCF team is not peaking at the right time and, for the Green Wave, their only AAC loss was to Central Florida and now they can get revenge here. 10* TULANE -3.5

CBB Friday 10* Top Play Illinois Illini +2 @ Maryland @ 9 ET - Maryland is 7-0 at home and this line is practically a pick'em even though they are hosting a 1-loss Illinois team. Looks easy to take the undefeated home team. You know what it means usually when something looks too easy. It is NOT! The fact the Illini already have a loss this season actually helps them here in this match-up. They have tasted defeat and don't want to taste it again in this huge Big Ten match-up and their last game against the Terrapins was here in College Park, MD as well and they lost by 16 points. So the road team has payback on their minds here and I expect them to get it. 10* ILLINOIS +2

NBA Friday 10* Top Play Philadelphia 76ers +5.5 @ Memphis Grizzlies @ 8:10 ET - This is just too many points. I will be surprised if Tobias Harris does not play here as he has been dealing with his illness since the prior game. Also, though he will not play tonight of course, James Harden's return is now imminent and is an emotional booster for this team too. Additionally, the Sixers have been playing surprisingly well dealing with injury issues including the absence of Joel Embiid. The fact he has been back for a bit now but Philly is off an ugly 113 to 85 loss has set this up beautifully. The 76ers are 6-0 SU the last 6 times they are off a loss in which they scored less than 110 points. That said, they do not even have to get the outright win for us to get the cash here. Grab the points here and look for that situation to improve to 7-0 and, even if they fall short of outright win, the points should prove enough for the all-important cover. Of last 11 games for Memphis, the Grizzlies only have 3 victories by more than 4 points. 10* PHILADELPHIA +5.5