THE GAME KU/UK - Rickenbach CBB Game #703 Saturday 10* Top Play Play Kansas Jayhawks (+) @ Kentucky Wildcats @ 6:15 ET - With all the distractions going on the best possible thing for the Jayhawks is to simply "play basketball" and that is why I love Kansas in this spot. With the suspension of Carlton Bragg and then the investigation into a dorm incident (unrelated to the Bragg suspension) there has been a lot of "noise" around the KU basketball program right now. Of course coach Bill Self just wants to get his team back on the floor and "see how they respond" Saturday but I have very little doubt about how they'll respond. The Jayhawks are off of an embarrassing loss by a double digit margin at West Virginia Tuesday and they're fired up and ready to go for this opportunity to atone for that loss on the biggest possible stage. This shot at the Wildcats truly could not have come at a better time for a Jayhawk program that needs to make some positive headlines after all that has transpired just recently. Keep in mind Kansas had won 18 in a row before the loss to the Mountaineers and the Jayhawks have knocked down 40% or better from beyond the arc in 6 of their last 7 games. The Wildcats have been held to 26.3% or worse from 3-point land in three of their last six games. Kentucky's defense, including perimeter D, has truly struggled over these 6 games as well. The Jayhawks have played a slightly tougher schedule this season and I like the fact that KU is undervalued by the betting markets right now because of what just happened at Huntington and the fact that Kansas is only 6-12 ATS on the season. The Jayhawks are 9-0 SU when off of a loss to a conference rival and also 9-0 SU (and 7-2 ATS) when they are off of a game where they allowed 80 points or more. Kentucky may eke out a win here but, this one should go to the wire and be decided only by a possession (or two at the most) and that means value with the big points. Look for the Wildcats to drop to 1-5 ATS in their last 6 games as their slump continues. 10* KANSAS JAYHAWKS

Earliest Cash - Rickenbach CBB Game #537 Saturday 8* Maryland Terrapins (+) @ Minnesota Golden Gophers @ 2 ET - The line makes sense here, from the standpoint that the Golden Gophers are at home and getting the "shading" of home court edge plus have played a slightly tougher schedule than the Terrapins have this season. However, I am not convinced about where Minnesota is at "mentally" for this game as they have now lost 4 straight games. Granted the last 3 defeats have all been close but now the Gophers are laying a couple buckets against a Terps team that is playing well and comes into this game seeking revenge for a loss here as a double digit favorite last season. Maryland has won and covered 5 straight games entering this match-up. The Terrapins are also 7-0 ATS (and SU!) as an underdog this season. Simply put, they have thrived in the underdog role this season and they'll use that as extra motivation here - not that they needed it considering they lost here last year. Minnesota's loss at Penn State two weeks ago said a lot about this Golden Gophers team. They had no business losing that game as they were off of a loss to Michigan State and catching the Nittany Lions off of a huge emotional win over those same Spartans in a "special game" played in Philly. When Minny blew that game you knew troubles were coming and their losing streak has now reached 4 straight games as they have since allowed 50% shooting in back to back games. In comparing these two teams the Terrapins have been playing the much better defense of late and, in fact, on the season the Terps have only allowed better than 46.3% one single time! 8* MARYLAND

Contrarian Crusher - Rickenbach NBA Game #857 Friday 10* Top Play Brooklyn Nets (+) @ Cleveland Cavaliers @ 7:35 ET - The Cavaliers are struggling and, as a result, many will likely be looking to back them here after a home loss. However, there are a number of issues with that. Historically, playing teams off of an overtime loss is often a dicey play as OT losses are toughest on a team's psyche and, the fact is the Cavs were already fragile before losing at home to the Kings on Wednesday. Another factor going against Cleveland here is simply the large spread. The Cavaliers are not only trying to get back on track here but they're being asked to cover a 15 point spread. This seems to be far too much considering Brooklyn has been playing a little bit better. The Nets actually led the Heat by 18 points in what was an eventual 3 point loss at Miami Wednesday. That means that 3 of Brooklyn's last 4 losses were decided by an average of 6.7 points per game. By the way, the one win in their there was a Nets "explosion" on offense as they erupted for 143 points at New Orleans last Friday. Certainly the Brooklyn D is not a strength but their offense has averaged 110.6 points per game in their last 7 games and it is that type of offensive production that makes a team dangerous in terms of a backdoor cover as well. The point is that even if the Cavs are fortunate enough to get up by 20 points in this game, when they start emptying the bench and looking ahead to a weekend showdown with OKC, the Nets can very easily get this one back to a 10 or 12 point game. The fact is I feel this one will be decided by single digits as the Cavs are just looking to get back into the win column after losing 3 straight and 6 of their last 8. Cleveland's ATS numbers are even worse as they've covered only 3 times in their last 15 games - a 20% ATS clip! Other than a blowout loss versus San Antonio (one of the hottest teams in the league) the Nets have looked much better over the past week and a half and everyone gets up for facing the Cavs. In other words, look for another strong effort from the hungry road dog in this one as Cleveland's issues continue. The Cavaliers are an ugly 6-14 ATS in their games against teams with a losing record this season. The Nets are 8-4 ATS when playing with home loss revenge and they lost to the Cavs by 8 points in Brooklyn three weeks ago. I wouldn't be surprised to see another 8 point loss for the Nets here and that means plenty of line value with the big points here. 10* BROOKLYN NETS

Earliest Cash Top Play - Rickenbach CBB Game #874 Friday 10* Top Play Columbia Lions (-) vs Dartmouth Big Green @ 7 ET - Columbia entered Saturday's match-up versus the Big Red having won 3 straight games and covered 3 straight games. This included Friday's outright upset win at Cornell. After three straight victories, the Lions did not get the job done on their home floor Saturday and that sets this one up perfectly. Columbia is at home, off of a home loss, they are well rested, and they are facing a bad Dartmouth team. Coming into the season the Big Green knew that their biggest need was a playmaking guard. That hasn't materialized for coach David McLaughlin as his team has 15 turnovers compared to just 11 assists per game and their leading assist man is only averaged 2 assists per game. Columbia, though they lost a lot of talent from last season's team, are in a much better spot for success this season. Their new coach, Jim Engles, was an assistant with the Lions from 2003 to 2008 and then went on to have a successful run as a head coach at NJIT. He's now back with Columbia but, thanks to his familiarity with the program, there wasn't much of a transition period. As a result, the Lions may surprise some teams in conference action this season and certainly they should have no trouble with a Big Green team they annihilated by an average of 18 points per game in last season's two meetings. In lined games this season, Dartmouth is 0-7 SU (and only 1-6 ATS). As a road dog of 6.5 to 9 points in recent seasons, the Big Green have gone 0-5 SU (and 1-4 ATS). The Lions have a long-term mark of 23-6 SU (and 18-11 ATS) in games where they are a home favorite in a range of 6.5 to 9 points. Columbia is at home and the Lions defend better, shoot better, have more playmaking ability, take better care of the basketball, and are motivated off of a loss that snapped a 3-game winning streak. Look for a blowout home win here. 10* COLUMBIA LIONS

Earliest Cash - Rickenbach NBA Game #702 Thursday 8* Minnesota Timberwolves (-) vs Indiana Pacers @ 8:05 ET - The Timberwolves have won 3 straight games and 6 of their last 8. As a young team, momentum and confidence are very important and Minnesota certainly has all that on their side after Wiggins nailed a jumper at the buzzer for a win at Phoenix Tuesday. Indeed the Wolves come rolling into this game with confidence and are happy to be back home where they have won 4 straight and 7 of their last 10. Minnesota is seeking revenge in this one as the Pacers got the win in both match-ups last season. Indiana comes into this game heading the opposite direction with 3 straight losses and would love to get back on track but the road has not been kind to them. The Pacers are 6-15 (both SU and ATS) in road games this season and they also are 7-17 ATS in all games with a posted total of 210 or more this season. The Timberwolves are 6-2 ATS in home games with a posted total of 210 or more and they are playing their best basketball of the season right now. Look for them to stay red hot here as Indiana's lineup change (CJ Miles starting instead of Glenn Robinson) certainly did not go well as he made only 4 of 14 in Monday's home loss to New York. Simpy put, the Pacers are trying to "find it" right now while the Timberwolves have already "found it" in terms of team chemistry and player rotations. 8* MINNESOTA

Earliest Cash - Rickenbach CBB Game #710 Thursday 8* Cincinnati Bearcats (-) vs Xavier Musketeers @ 7 ET - The Bearcats are fired up even more than usual for this year's Crosstown Shootout as the big battle for bragging rights in Cincy takes place Thursday. Xavier has won three straight meetings and Cincinnati's senior class certainly doesn't want to go down in history as the first Bearcats class ever to not defeat the Musketeers in their 4-year careers! This is a quality Cats team this season with a 17-2 record (including 11-0 at home) and, even though Xavier has held the upper hand in this series in recent years, this is Cincy coach Mick Cronin's best team in his 11 years here. The Musketeers are off of a win but had previously lost three straight and that included a home loss to Creighton in the game where the Bluejays lost their star guard in the first half. We are now seeing just how bad Creighton has been without Maurice Watson and that makes that Xavier home loss even more "inexcusable". The fact is the Musketeers just aren't as strong this season as they've been in prior years and, as their schedule has toughened up, the losses have mounted. I expect another on here. Xavier is an ugly 1-4 (both SU and ATS) in road games this season. The Musketeers also 0-3 SU and ATS as an underdog this season. Statistically, Cincinnati is allowing a field goal percentage of only 36.8% while the Musketeers allow 43.6%. Also, the Bearcats are shooting a solid 48% from the field compared to 45% for Xavier. Indeed Cincy has "shooters" this season and they've also gotten bigger inside. They're going to be tough in a setting where it is a home game they view as a "must win". 8* CINCINNATI

Contrarian Crusher - Rickenbach CBB Game #724 Thursday - 10* Top Play Marshall Thundering Herd (-) vs UTSA Roadrunners @ 7 ET - The Thundering Herd have been getting off to slow starts in their games and so they aim to come out strong from the opening tip in the middle game of a 3-game homestand. Marshall also has revenge against UTSA as the Roadrunners handed the Thundering Herd a loss in Huntington in their only trip here. I see this spot as a great spot for Marshall to not only get revenge but to get it in blowout fashion. They are motivated to start out strong, as noted above, and their #1 C-USA ranked offense is simply going to be too much for the Runners to keep up with. Marshall is averaging 92 points per home game while UTSA is averaging only 61 points per road game this season. As you can see that is a 31-point differential but, what is keeping this line in check is the fact that the Roadrunners have some solid defensive numbers on the season. However, that has been helped by facing a weak schedule thus far (including the C-USA opponents that UTSA has faced). In other words, the Runners defense, although improved, is simply over-rated right now and their offense is too anemic to keep up with the high-powered Herd in this one. The Roadrunners are 2-10 SU (and 2-7 ATS) when off of a game where they allowed 60 points or less. Also, the Runners are 2-8 SU (and 2-5 ATS) in their games against teams averaging 77 points or more per game. The Thundering Herd are on a long-term 24-9 ATS run as a favorite and Marshall is on a long-term 26-12 ATS run when they are off of a game where they scored 80 points or more. Look for the Thundering Herd to stay hot and add to their fantastic mark of 10-0 SU (and 7-0 ATS) in home games this season! 10* MARSHALL

Contrarian Game of the Month - Rickenbach NBA Game #507 Wednesday 10* Top Play Philadelphia 76'ers (+) @ Milwaukee Bucks @ 8:05 ET - The Bucks will be a popular play here since they are at home, seeking revenge, and catching the Sixers in a back to back. However, the 76'ers are on the top of roll right now that, no matter the situation, they are going to be a tough out for anyone. Philadelphia has now won 9 of its last 12 games and they've gone 10-2 ATS during this stretch. Also, Philly has covered 3 of its last 4 match-ups with the Bucks including winning in Milwaukee earlier this month. Though Joel Embiid is expected to miss again tonight, the Sixers got huge frontcourt production from Noel and Holmes last night and Okafor may be available tonight. Even though this a back to back spot for the Sixers they did have have a pair of off days prior to this and they have a non-conference game on deck. Even though the Sixers are off of a big upset win last night (over the Clippers) they have gone 9-5 ATS this season when off of an upset win as an underdog. Also, the 76'ers are 12-6 ATS this season when playing against teams with a losing record. Philadelphia is 6-1 ATS against Central Division opponents this season and Milwaukee is 1-7 ATS against Atlantic Division opponents this season. The Bucks also are a long-term 19-37 ATS as a home favorite of 9.5 to 12 points. Milwaukee is only 8-15 ATS this season against teams with a losing record and, off of a big win over Houston and with a tough match-up at Toronto on deck, the Bucks may struggle to fully focus on the Sixers in this one. Milwaukee was 2-8 ATS before their win and cover over the Rockets and this pointspread tonight is heavily inflated considering the way the 76'ers are playing right now. Also, only one player logged more than 29 minutes for Philly in last night's win over the Clippers. 10* PHILADELPHIA

Earliest Cash - Rickenbach NBA Game #501 Wednesday 8* Sacramento Kings (+) @ Cleveland Cavaliers @ 7:05 ET - Everyone will be lining up on Cleveland here but, as is typical for my contrarian style, I like to be on the other side of what looks like a "must play" on the Cavaliers. The fact is that the Cavaliers are having struggles, as many teams do, when they are off of a championship season. It's just had to find that motivation or extra added edginess when you've already reached the top of the mountain. That said, I don't expect the Cavaliers to be too excited about facing a non-conference team with a 17-30 record that they already beat earlier this season and whom they swept last season. The Cavs are on a 2-9 ATS run and I expect them to get the win here but look for the margin to be single digits. The Kings are off of a road win, will be motivated by revenge here, have won 4 of their last 7 road games and gone 5-2 ATS in the process. The Cavs are 6-13 ATS against teams with a losing record this season. Cleveland is also 4-12 ATS when they are off of a non-conference game. It's just difficult for a team like the Cavs to "get up" for a game unless they are facing a team like the Warriors or Spurs or a top tier Eastern Conference foe. The Kings are 4-1 ATS in road games with a posted total of 210 points or more this season. 8* SACRAMENTO

Earliest Cash - Rickenbach CBB Game #522 Wednesday 8* Temple Owls (-) vs Memphis Tigers @ 6 ET - Temple has had a full week off after losing at #20 Cincinnati (a game which the Owls led at halftime). A week off can be problematic but not only did Temple need it (due to their tough start in conference action), they also have thrived in recent seasons when playing with extra rest. When the Owls enter a game with 5 or 6 days of rest between games they have gone 6-1 ATS. The 6 days off since playing last Wednesday allowed Temple to focus on its most glaring weakness, defense, and they'll be ready to put forth a strong defensive effort here. The key guys in the Owls rotation include two guys who are at least 6'10 and three guys who are at least 6'7 and this size and length on defense will slow down a Memphis team that has been playing well. The problem for the Tigers is a match-up issue and Temple has covered 4 straight in this series. The Owls are fired up after letting the game against the Bearcats slip away and Temple is 5-1 ATS when they are off of a game where they allowed 80 points or more. Also, the Owls have a long-term mark of 17-5 (both SU and ATS!) when they are at home with a line ranging from pick'em to a -3. That said, the line on today's game is certainly in their sweet spot. Memphis is 8-21 SU (and 10-19 ATS) when they are an underdog and, as usual, the odds makers don't give away free money. Many will look at this game with the Tigers hot and the Owls not and they'll jump all over the road team. I look for the rejuvenated, refreshed, and refocused Owls to get the job done on their home floor. 8* TEMPLE

Earliest Cash - Rickenbach CBB Game #713 Tuesday 8* Auburn Tigers (+) @ South Carolina Gamecocks @ 6:30 ET - Auburn is making great strides in their 3rd year under head coach Bruce Pearl. Often it is the 3rd season where things start to click under a new coach and the veteran Pearl has this team playing quite well even though they rely heavily on freshmen. One of those is Danjel Purifoy who should be even stronger in his 2nd game back after returning from an ankle injury. Speaking of injuries, even though I do expect South Carolina's PJ Dozier to return for this one, he is unlikely to be 100% as he is recovering from back spasms that have hindered him. That means the Gamecocks will rely too heavily on Sindarius Thornwell. Even though he is off of a huge 34 point performance against Kentucky, South Carolina still lost by 16 points. The Gamecocks beat the Tigers by a dozen points at Auburn last season so this is a revenge game. The Tigers certainly have a good recent history here as Auburn has won 8 of the last 9 meetings (both SU and ATS) in South Carolina! Auburn is 3-2 SU (and 4-1 ATS) on the road this season. Also, the Tigers are 5-2 ATS as an underdog and 5-2 ATS after scoring 80 points or more this season. Off of back to back home wins (and having won 3 of their last 4 games overall), Auburn is a young team is quickly growing with confidence and is well-coach. Add those factors together and you have a revenge-seeking Tigers team that is going to give the Gamecocks all they can handle in this one. Grab the big points. 8* AUBURN

Earliest Cash - Rickenbach NBA Game #506 Monday 10* Top Play Brooklyn Nets (+) vs San Antonio Spurs @ 7:35 ET - The Nets are hell-bent on turning things around and I like what I have been seeing from them. Brooklyn is coming off of a pair of road games where they won big at New Orleans (143-114) and then showed a lot of heart in their next game even though it was a back to back situation. After the big win over the Pelicans, the Nets visited Charlotte the next night and they got down huge early (not surprising given the rare road win the night before) but they battled all the way back to eventually take a lead in the 4th quarter. Granted the lead was brief but the resilience and mettle that Brooklyn showed in that game was something to take note of. I expect another huge effort from the Nets here and they are a big home dog to the Spurs so it is a perfect spot to take Brooklyn. While the Nets will be fully focused on this "opportunity" against one of the best teams in the NBA, it is a tough situational spot for the Spurs. They are off of their big OT win at Cleveland Saturday night and Kawhi Leonard logged a career-high 46 minutes in that game. In terms of team depth San Antonio is still without Pau Gasol and Tony Parker. The poor scheduling spot for the Spurs is because, not only did they beat the Cavs in OT Saturday, they have a trip to Toronto on deck to face the Raptors tomorrow. These are the types of games where coach Gregg Popovich will alter his playing rotations and minutes to make sure the Spurs have a lot left in the tank for the tough match-up with Toronto that is immediately on deck. San Antonio is likely to win this but only by single digits. 10* BROOKLYN

Contrarian Crusher - Rickenbach CBB Game #865 Sunday 10* Top Play Arizona State Sun Devils (+) @ USC Trojans @ 8:30 ET - While this looks like a bounce back spot for Southern Cal, keep in mind two key factors. One is that USC has now lost 4 of 6 games after starting the season 14-0. In other words, reality is setting in that the Trojans were a little over-hyped. The second factor is that Southern Cal has a huge game on deck as they are hosting UCLA on Wednesday. That makes this spot a lookahead spot for USC. Though the Trojans played very well in non-conference action, the concern from them in Pac-12 action is they've been held under 42.2% in 6 of their 7 games. In 5 of those 6 the percentage was under 39.5%. Their home loss to Arizona Thursday was the 4th time in their last 7 games that they've been held under 37.4% from the field. USC is known for their defense but, in Pac-12 action, looking at their last 6 games they've allowed 45.5% or better in 4 of the 6 games. The Sun Devils have a dangerous offense that, prior to their Thursday loss at UCLA, had shot at least 45.7% from the field in 6 of their last 7 games. Arizona State is going to challenge USC here because this is a classic case of two teams heading in opposite directions when it comes to scoring capabilities. The Sun Devils are averaging 80 points per game in conference games while the Trojans are averaging 68 points per game in Pac-12 action. Again, USC does have the better defense but the ASU offense is going to test them early and often and the Trojans will be in a dogfight just to try to win this game let alone cover the big spread. The Sun Devils are a long-term 26-13 ATS as a road dog of 6.5 to 9 points. The Trojans are on an overall 2-9 ATS run their last 11 games. 10* ARIZONA STATE

Shotgun Shellacking - Rickenbach NBA Sunday 10* Top Play Phoenix Suns (+) @ Toronto Raptors @ 6:05 ET - Many are likely to back the Raptors here as they look for the bounce back from Toronto after back to back ugly losses at Philly and Charlotte. However, the Raptors actually don't have a good history in spots like this. In fact, when off of a game where they scored 85 points or less, Toronto has gone 1-9 ATS the past 3 seasons. Also, the Raptors are hosting a Suns team that has been tough on them in recent meetings. Phoenix has won 3 of the last 5 meetings and they have gone a perfect 5-0 ATS in those games. The last 3 games have all been decided by 8 points or less. That said, there is significant line value with the large spread posted on this game. The Suns will be fired up for this game as they enter off of a double digit loss at Cleveland. Prior to that loss to the Cavs, Phoenix was on a 7-2 ATS run and had been playing some of their best basketball of the season with a 3-3 SU run where all 3 losses came by 5 points or less. The point is that the Suns have been playing ultra-competitive basketball and I don't foresee them getting blown out here. Phoenix is actually a solid 10-4 ATS in non-conference games this season. The Raptors are only 6-8 ATS in their last 14 games and only had 2 SU wins by more than 10 points during this stretch. In other words, laying points in the price range they are in today would have had Toronto on a 2-12 ATS run. Look for this game to be much closer than most are expecting. 10* PHOENIX

Daytime Dominator - Rickenbach NBA Sunday 8* Dallas Mavericks (-) vs Los Angeles Lakers @ 3:35 ET - Dallas has a long winning streak going against the Lakers and that includes a perfect 2-0 already this season with both wins coming by a dozen points. Those games were both in LA and now the Mavericks will get the last two match-ups of the regular season series in Dallas. The set up here is perfect as the Lakers are off of an upset win versus Indiana while the Mavs are off of back to back losses. The Lakers have not won consecutive games in over 2 months so another win here is unlikely, especially given the Mavericks domination in this series. Also, Dallas will have extra hunger off of back to back losses as they had started to turn the corner with three straight victories. The Mavericks had been getting a little healthier and the loss of back-up point guard Jose Barea won't be nearly as impacting to the Mavs as what the Lakers are dealing with right now. They just lost starting point guard D'Angelo Russell to injury and they are 3-10 this season in games that he misses. He did not travel with the team for this game. The Mavericks are 5-0 ATS (and 20-10 ATS long-term) in Sunday games while the Lakers are 13-35 SU (and 19-29 ATS) long-term in Sunday games. Grab the hungry home team in this one as LA drops to 1-4 ATS this season as a road dog of 3.5 to 6 points. 8* DALLAS

Earliest Cash - Rickenbach CBB Game #840 Sunday 8* Seton Hall Pirates (-) vs St John's Red Storm @ Noon ET - Nice set-up here as St John's is off of a rare win (followed 4 straight losses) and Seton Hall is off of 3 straight road losses (all against quality competition) and happy to be back home where they are a perfect 7-0 this season. Both teams are well rested as they haven't played since Monday and the Pirates are 7-1 ATS the past three seasons when they enter a game off of 5 or 6 days of rest between games. Seton Hall is also 3-0 ATS the past three seasons when they are a home favorite of 6.5 to 9 points. The Red Storm are just 1-3 ATS so far this month and are now 6-13 ATS in January games the past three seasons combined. The Pirates are outscoring teams by 18 points per game at home this season and playing well on both ends of the floor - knocking down 51.4% of their shots and holding opponents to 39.1%. In a spot where Seton Hall is desperate for a complete game with strong play on both ends of the floor, the Pirates should take this one by double digits. 8* SETON HALL

National TV Blowout - Rickenbach NBA 10* Top Play Cleveland Cavaliers (-) vs San Antonio Spurs @ 8:35 ET Saturday - The Cavaliers have won 2 of their last 3 games but those wins came against weak competition - the Suns and the Kings. The only game that really mattered to Cleveland was their game at Golden State and they got blown out in that game. The Cavaliers shot just 35% in that game while the Warriors knocked down 50.5% of their shots. On deck after this game for the Cavs is trio of three straight weak foes. The point is that Cleveland is absolutely going to go "all out" in this game against the Spurs after getting thoroughly embarrassed by Golden State earlier this week. The Cavs need an opponent against whom they can get a "statement win" and into Cleveland comes the 33-9 Spurs. The Cavaliers covered both meetings with San Antonio last season and the Spurs are without big man Pau Gasol (hand injury). Tony Parker is also dealing with an ankle injury. This game means A LOT to Cleveland given the recent circumstances and they were able to "rest up" in their blowout win over the Suns Thursday. The Cavs have gone 9-4 ATS when off of a win by a double digit margin. The Spurs are off of a "miracle cover" against the short-handed Nuggets Thursday as the way the last few minutes played out was rather "miraculous" for Spurs backers. Now they face a tough test on the road and San Antonio had failed to cover 3 of their last 4 before sneaking out a cover versus Denver. This game means more to the Cavs who are out to redeem themselves against a Western Conference power after the embarrassment at Golden State. 10* CLEVELAND

Contrarian Crusher - Rickenbach CBB Game #659 Saturday - 10* Top Play Wyoming Cowboys (+) @ New Mexico Lobos @ 8 ET - The road team has gotten the cash in 6 of the Lobos last 7 games so certainly home court has meant very little. New Mexico is off of back to back road wins but they shot the ball extremely well in those games (including from three point land) and they can't maintain that type of clip long-term. The Lobos now face a team that plays much better defense than they do. The Cowboys are allowing just 39.5% from the field and 29.8% from beyond the arc while New Mexico is allowing 43.5% and 38.2%, respectively. Wyoming also heads into this game with confidence off of a big road win and their match-ups with the Lobos have been tight as the Cowboys are known for giving them tough games. Overall, the last 3 match-ups between these teams have been decided by a TOTAL of only 6 points so that's an average of just 2 points per game and yet this line currently sits at an 8. Also, New Mexico is only 1-5 ATS at home this season and also only 1-5 ATS in games with a posted total in the 150s. Conversely, the Cowboys have thrived in games projected to be high-scoring as they are 6-3 ATS this season in games where the posted total is in the 150s. Wyoming is also 6-3 ATS in their games against teams with a winning record this season. The Cowboys have been better on the boards this season than the Lobos with a 39-34 edge in rebounding. Look for another close game between these rivals and that means excellent line value with the big points. 10* WYOMING plus the big points Saturday evening

Afternoon Annihilation - Rickenbach CBB Game #572 Saturday 8* Creighton Bluejays (-) vs Marquette Golden Eagles @ 2:30 ET - The big news for Creighton was, of course, the tragic loss of star guard Maurice Watson to a season-ending injury in their win over Xavier earlier this week. However, I fully expect the Bluejays to respond in a big way today just like they did in the 2nd half of the game against Musketeers knowing that Watson was not available. So often, in the first game after a team loses a star player, that team becomes a "play on" team. That's because everyone else "ups their game" to try and make up for the absence and I expect that to be the case again here with Creighton and the Watson situation. The Bluejays really showed a lot in the way they "hung tough" against Xavier after Watson got hurt. Keep in mind that game was on the road too. Now Creighton is at home and their hosting a Golden Eagles team that is only 2-5 away from home this season. The Bluejays are still an 18-1 team and I feel this is a very reasonable number to lay with Creighton on their home floor. Marquette has allowed teams to hit 51% against them in road games this season and, keep in mind, the Bluejays are shooting 53% in home games this season! The Creighton defense is also much better at defending the 3-ball than the Golden Eagles are and this one could get ugly in a hurry. The Bluejays, when knocking down shots at home, really get a huge crowd edge going and teams just collapse against a Creighton team just lighting up the scoreboard. That is the type of game I expect here as the Bluejays rally after the Watson injury. Marquette is 3-7 ATS against teams with a winning record this season and the Golden Eagles are 6-14 ATS the past 3 seasons combined when they are off of a game where they allowed 80 points or more. The Bluejays are 11-3 ATS this season in their games against teams with a winning record and they owe the Eagles some payback after a home loss to Marquette last season. 8* CREIGHTON minus the points Saturday afternoon

Earliest Cash - Rickenbach CBB Game #533 Saturday - 8* Georgia Bulldogs (+) @ Texas A & M Aggies @ Noon ET - This line has gone from an opener as low as -1.5 on the Aggies to now having Texas A & M favored by 4.5 points as of 9:30 AM ET. I'll take the value! A & M has gone 1-5 SU and ATS in conference action. Also, the Aggies are 3-8 SU (and 2-8 ATS) in their games against teams with a winning record this season. The Bulldogs are on a 6-2 ATS run as a road dog of 3.5 to 6 points and also are 36-20 ATS against teams with a winning record. Georgia will be looking to avenge an ugly home loss last season (lost by 34 to the Aggies) and I expect them to come out fired up and ready to demoralize an Aggies team that has scored 68 points or less in 5 of its last 6 games. This A & M team is fragile right now while the Bulldogs have covered 3 straight games and have scored 69 points or more in 6 of their last 7 games. 8* GEORGIA plus the points early Saturday

CBS Sports Network Smash - Rickenbach CBB Game #885 Friday 10* Eastern Michigan Eagles (+) @ Akron Zips @ 6:30 ET - Akron has a long home winning streak going with 26 straight wins at Rhodes Arena. Not surprisingly, after opening up at a -5, this line has jumped up to a -6 on the Zips and certainly could move higher. This is offering tremendous line value to a revenge-seeking Eastern Michigan team. The Eagles were knocked out of the MAC Tourney by Akron last spring and the perfect revenge would be to put an end to the Zips 26-game home winning streak. This is a veteran Eastern Michigan team that also has a solid backcourt. With strong guard play and, the fact that the Eagles play better defense than the Zips, an upset here would certainly not be a complete surprise. Eastern Michigan is holding opponents to 40.9% from the field and 32.8% from three point land. Akron has allowed 44.0% and 35.6%, respectively, in those same categories. The Eagles are averaging 82 points per game compared to 79 points per game for the Zips. Talk around Akron is already about where the Zips would fit into the Big Dance seedings, etc. I am not saying it is too early for that but I am saying that Eastern Michigan is likely to prove to be the hungrier team here after being knocked out of the conference tourney in March by these Zips. Also, Akron comes into this one a little over-confident because of their lengthy home winning streak. Note that the Zips are an ugly 2-6 ATS this season when off of a game where they scored 80 points or more. Eastern Michigan is on a solid 5-2 ATS run when off of a game where they scored 80 points or more. Also, the Eagles are a perfect 4-0 (SU and ATS) in their games against teams averaging 77 points or more per game this season. I am looking for an upset but certainly grabbing all the points I can get here. 10* Top Play EASTERN MICHIGAN plus the points very early Friday evening

Western Conference Game of the Month - Rickenbach NBA 10* Top Play Denver Nuggets (+) @ San Antonio Spurs @ 8:35 ET Thursday - Good spot for an upset here and the fact is that if the Nuggets do fall short of the big upset win, they should keep this one to single digits. Denver is seeking revenge for one of their most embarrassing home losses of the season as they got drilled 127-99 in Colorado exactly two weeks ago. In that game, San Antonio had their best shooting night of the season with 56.7% from the field including 50% (12 of 24) from three point land. The Spurs are just 2-2 in their last 4 games and their most recent win came by just 8 points as they were definitely challenged by Minnesota Tuesday. San Antonio has now failed to cover 3 of its last 4 games and they have a huge game on deck as Saturday they are in Cleveland for their first shot of the season at the World Champion Cavaliers. It will be hard for the Spurs, as disciplined as they are, to be able to avoid at least peeking ahead to the Cavs. The Nuggets will be the hungrier and more focused team tonight and Denver didn't have power forward Kenneth Faried in the meeting two weeks ago. He's scored 15 points or more in 3 straight games and the Nuggets have won and covered all 3 games. Denver is full of confidence coming into this game having knocked down 57% of their shots in their last 3 games. The Nuggets also have dominated the glass over their last four games. Denver is 8-4 ATS as a road dog of 12.5 or more points. The Nuggets are also 8-4 ATS when they enter a game on a winning streak of 3 games or more. Ride the revenging dog in this one as they will surprise the Spurs with how far they've come in the 2 weeks since these teams last met. 10* DENVER plus the big points Thursday

Earliest Cash - Rickenbach CBB Game #715 Thursday - 10* Top Play Maryland Terrapins (+) @ Iowa Hawkeyes @ 7 ET - The very first lines to come out on this game had the Terps as a 1.5 point favorite. From that point forward the line has now moved a full 4 points as the Terrapins are now a 2.5 point underdog in this match-up. I love to fade moves like this where the game swings strongly and I see great line value here with a solid 16-2 Maryland team. The only two losses the Terps have this season came against Pittsburgh and a 2-point defeat versus Nebraska. The point is that at +2.5 in all game this season the Terrapins would have a 16-1 ATS record. Couple that with the fact that the Hawkeyes are being a bit over-rated here, and you have fantastic line value. Iowa has managed to 'rise up' on a couple of occasions and get big home wins over Iowa State and Purdue. However, this Hawkeyes team is, overall, certainly not at the level of prior Iowa teams. The Hawkeyes are coming off of an 89-54 demolishing defeat at Northwestern. Though many will look for the bounce back here, the fact is that it was the 5th time in the last 6 games that Iowa has allowed 78 points or more! This is in stark contrast with a Maryland team that has only allowed more than 75 points a single time in 18 games this season! The Terrapins are allowing just 65 points per game this season while the Hawkeyes are giving up 78 points per game this season. Maryland is a perfect 6-0 away from home this season. The Terrapins are also a perfect 6-0 SU and ATS in their games as an underdog this season. The Hawkeyes are 3-9 ATS when off of a game where they allowed 80 points or more and Iowa is also an ugly 1-5 ATS when off of a game where they scored 60 points or less. I'll gladly challenge this over-rated team to try and bounce back here because they've proven unable to do just that time and time again in recent seasons as you can see from those ATS numbers. 10* MARYLAND plus the points Thursday

Texas Insider - Rickenbach CBB Game #540 Wednesday 8* Texas Tech Red Raiders (-) vs TCU Horned Frogs @ 7:30 ET - It is very hard to beat a team 3 times in one season and the Red Raiders found that out the hard way last season and now it's time for some payback. Texas Tech won both regular season meetings with Texas Christian University last season but then got knocked out of the Big 12 conference tourney in March when the Horned Frogs prevailed in their 3rd (and, of course, most important) meeting of the season. The Red Raiders had 63 shots from the field compared to just 47 for the Horned Frogs but TCU hit a ridiculous 10 of 21 from three point land and that was the difference in the victory which came by a margin of only 5 points. A repeat here is unlikely as TCU has not shot the ball particularly well from beyond the arc in its last 4 games. What strengthens this situation though is the fact that the Horned Frogs are off of back to back wins but one was at home and one was at downtrodden Texas. The Red Raiders will prove to be the hungrier team here as they are off of a loss (albeit on the road) and they haven't forgotten what happened in their meeting with TCU last March. Before the Red Raiders loss at Oklahoma Saturday, Texas Tech had won 13 of 16 games this season. The Red Raiders are 38-9 at home the past three seasons including a perfect 11-0 this season. The Horned Frogs are only 2-2 on the road this season and have lost 20 of 25 road games the past three seasons combined. As a road dog of 3.5 to 6 points, TCU has gone 1-3 ATS while, as a home favorite of 3.5 to 6 points, Texas Tech has gone 5-1 ATS. The Red Raiders are averaging 82.5 points per game at home this season while the Horned Frogs are averaging only 69.8 points per game on the road so far this season. Home court makes a big difference in this particular match-up and, from a situational perspective, it doesn't get much better than this! 8* TEXAS TECH

Earliest Cash Top Play - Rickenbach NBA 10* Top Play Memphis Grizzlies (+) @ Washington Wizards @ 7:05 ET Wednesday - The Wizards have won 12 straight home games and yet they're only laying 3 points in this one in Washington. It is "interesting" to say the least and I am calling for the upset here. The Wizards were simply on fire with their shooting from the opening tip in their big MLK day victory over Portland. Washington knocked down a ridiculous 9 of 13 three pointers to begin the game. The Wizards have been hot from three point land but they now face a Memphis team that is known for its defense and is coming off of a loss. The Grizzlies will be hungry here after catching an earful from their head coach due to poor defense both in the 2nd and 4th quarters of their most recent game - a home loss to Chicago. Prior to that defeat, Memphis had won 3 of their last 4 games and that included road wins at Houston and Golden State! If the Grizzlies can get road wins against the Rockets and Warriors, they certainly can knock off the Wizards. In fact, Washington is 1-5 ATS (and 0-6 SU!) in their games against Southwest Division opponents this season. Memphis is allowing only 99 points per game this season while the Wizards are allowing 106 points per game. The Grizzlies are holding opponents to 43.5% from the field while Washington is allowing 46.5% from the field. The Grizz have gone 39-25 (SU and ATS) when off of a game where they allowed 105 points or more. 10* MEMPHIS

Earliest Cash - Rickenbach NBA 10* Top Play Toronto Raptors (-) @ Brooklyn Nets @ 7:35 Tuesday - Normally the only concern in a game like this is that Toronto would not be motivated and may overlook Brooklyn. However, that is unlikely to happen for two reasons. For one thing, tomorrow's Raptors opponent is the 76'ers so certainly there is no concern about Toronto looking ahead to a match-up with another team near the bottom of their division. Secondly, the Raptors lost their most recent road game and, in fact, have lost 4 of their last 5 road games. This ensures the proper focus from Toronto here and this is a Raptors team that is a perfect 8-0 in divisional games this season and has produced a 7-1 ATS mark in those games. Toronto is an overall 19-7 in their last 26 games and their average margin of victory in those 19 wins is 16 points! The Raptors are well known for their blowout wins and I just don't see the Nets being able to hang around in this one. Recently Brooklyn has had some winnable home games against teams like the Sixers and Pelicans and yet they've still ended up getting crushed in those games. They are struggling from three point land, their defense has been pathetic, and they have also been losing the battle of the boards. This will continue to be an issue tonight as they are clearly out-classed in this match-up and the Raptors have added focus on the road due to recent losses away from home. Toronto is 11-3 ATS when off of a win by a double digit margin. The Raptors also are 4-2 ATS when on the road and favored in a range of 9.5 to 12 points. The Nets are 0-7 in divisional games this season and have covered only 2 of those games. After being obliterated by Houston in their most recent game, note that Brooklyn is 3-11 ATS when off of a non-conference game. 10* TORONTO

Earliest Cash - Rickenbach CBB Game #729 Tuesday - 8* Arkansas Razorbacks (+) @ Texas A & M Aggies @ 7 ET - The Aggies most recent home game was a ridiculous result. They blew out LSU by 30 points as everything they threw up seemed to go in while the Tigers couldn't seem to hit the broad side of a barn in that game. That did bring Texas A & M to 7-2 at home this season. However, if you look closely at the Aggies, they have lost almost every single game where more of a challenge is presented and tonight they are hosting a 13-4 Arkansas team. Note that A & M's wins this season have, all but one, come when they were a big favorite or facing an opponent that was so overmatched it wasn't even a lined game. The Aggies have 9 wins this season. 4 of them were non-lined games, 4 were when they were favored by 12 points or more. Only "impressive" win was a 3-point win over Virginia Tech as a 2 point favorite. With the Hokies game included that makes the Aggies 1-7 straight-up in games where they are either a dog or a favorite of less than 12 points! Now you can see why I like the Razorbacks here. Every time but one this season, when the Aggies take a step up in level of competition, they lose. They are off of a loss at Mississippi State Saturday and now host an Arkansas team that is off of a big win over Missouri Saturday and that has gone 3-1 SU and ATS in their last 4 games where the line was single digits. The Aggies simply lost too much from last season's team but with this line already moving up from a -3 on A & M to now a -4.5 as of gameday morning, it is evident that the betting markets still like this Texas A & M team. I don't and I look for them to drop to 2-8 ATS this season against teams with a winning record. 8* ARKANSAS

Early ATS Blowout - Rickenbach CBB Game #726 Tuesday 10* Top Play Toledo Rockets (-) vs Bowling Green Falcons @ 7 ET - Oftentimes in rivalry games I like to side with the dogs but this one sets up much differently than most and, as a result, I expect the favorite to win this one in an absolute blowout. The I-75 rivalry in Northeast Ohio between Toledo and Bowling Green resumes tonight and both the Rockets and Falcons are off of back to back losses. However, that is where the similarities between these teams end! The Falcons were at home for both of their games and yet they got completely obliterated by a combined 45 points in those games. The Bowling Green coach is trying to blame it on poor defense because they emphasized offense too much but the fact is their offense only averaged 52.5 points per game so I think he's a little out of touch with his own team here. The problem for BG is they are 1-6 on the road this season and now take on a Toledo team that is 7-1 at home on the season and whose back to back losses entering this match-up both came on the road. Unlike the Falcons, the Rockets did score well in their two defeats (81 points per game!) but they were done in by some hot shooting from their opponents. Look for Toledo (averaging 82.6 points per game on the season) to bounce back in a big way here at home. It is much easier to play at home coming off B2B road losses than to be on the road after B2B home losses. The place will be rocking in Toledo tonight and the Rockets haven't lost here against Bowling Green in 5 years! The Falcons are 9-19 ATS the past 3 seasons combined when, past the midway point of the season, they are facing a team with a winning record. The Rockets are 21-5 SU and 12-9 ATS against teams with a losing record the past 3 seasons combined and everyone is talking about how important this home game is in this rivalry series. 10* Top Play TOLEDO

Primetime TV Top Game - Rickenbach CBB Game #543 Monday - 10* Top Play Providence Friars (+) @ Georgetown Hoyas @ 9 ET - Georgetown has won two straight games but it certainly is nothing to be too excited about as Hoyas fans know all too well. These two wins came against St John's (one of the worst teams in their conference) and then against UConn (a non-conference win). Georgetown was not impressive in their win by a slim margin over the Huskies and now they certainly face a much tougher challenge today and yet many have backed the Hoyas here. The line jumped from an opener of -5 up to a -6.5 and I'll gladly grab the added value here on the underdog in a game where I don't even expect I'll need the points. Keep in mind, Georgetown is only 1-4 in Big East action this season and Providence has won 5 straight games in this series. The Friars recorded the 2-0 sweep each of the past two seasons over the Hoyas and then already beat them in Providence early this month to get this year's season series started off on the right foot. The Friars are 8-4 ATS against teams with a winning record this season while Georgetown is the polar opposite at 4-8 ATS this season against teams with a winning record. The Hoyas are 0-3 ATS in games with a posted total in the 130s this season and also are 0-4 ATS when playing with road loss revenge. With their poor performance at the betting window against winning teams, I don't see any reason for things to change here as the Friars come into this one fired up about losing their last road game by a single point. That hunger will show on the floor here as they seek  back to back wins in Big East action which they know is critical to moving back up the standings. 10* PROVIDENCE

TNT Top Game - Rickenbach NBA 10* Top Play Golden State Warriors (-) vs Cleveland Cavaliers @ 8:05 ET Monday - Revenge spots don't get much better than this. Not only did the Cavs when 3 straight to rally back from a 3-1 series deficit and take the NBA Championship from the Warriors last June, they then snuck out a 1-point win on Christmas Day about 3 weeks ago in Cleveland. Now the Cavaliers are in Golden State to face a fired up Warriors team that his its sight set on big-time revenge on their home court. Even though the Cavs are off of a win at Sacramento, they came into that game having lost 3 of their last 5 games. The only two wins for Cleveland in that stretch came against Brooklyn (worst team in NBA) and Phoenix (least wins in the Western Conference). That said, the Cavaliers aren't exactly playing impressive ball of late and, in fact, enter tonight's game on a 2-8 ATS run. Off of that win over the Kings, note that Cleveland is an ugly 3-9 ATS this season when off of a non-conference game. The Warriors are 34-6 on the season and 11 of their last 12 wins have come by 8 points or more. Golden State is also 32-17 ATS their last 49 games when playing with revenge. The Warriors also are a stellar 16-7 ATS in home games where they are favored in a range of 6.5 to 9 points. Indeed, the "price is right" here with the home fave and I'll gladly lay the points Monday evening. 10* GOLDEN STATE

Earliest Cash - Rickenbach NBA 8* Portland Trail Blazers (+) @ Washington Wizards @ 2:05 ET Monday - The Wizards are off of an easy win over Philly where they caught the Sixers in a tough scheduling spot and Philly's best player, Joel Embiid sat out because it was a back to back spot. Prior to this win Washington had failed to cover 4 of its last 6 games. They now host a rested Trail Blazers team that has been off since Friday. The Blazers failed to cover in a tight home loss against Orlando and they've had this 4-game road trip (begins today) circled as an opportunity to get back on track and build a winning streak. Prior to the loss to the Magic, the Trail Blazers had been playing better and were on a 7-2 ATS run. Coming off of a loss, Portland will prove to be the hungrier team here. The Wizards are only 5-7 ATS in non-conference games this season and also 1-3 ATS when off of a win by a double digit margin. The Blazers have a long-term mark of 183-111 SU when off of a SU loss as a favorite and they'll be in bounce back mode here plus catching a handful of points. Also, the Trail Blazers are 21-14 SU and ATS the past 3 seasons when they enter a game with two days of rest between games. The Blazers are also 3-1 SU and ATS in their last 4 games against the Wizards. More of the same early Monday afternoon. 8* PORTLAND

Daytime Dominator FS-1 - Rickenbach CBB Game #521 Monday - 8* Creighton Bluejays (+) @ Xavier Musketeers @ 2 ET - The Bluejays are 17-1 this season.  Xavier is now 13-4 this season and off of back to back losses. Those two defeats came as they had to "step up" in terms of level of competition and, on Monday afternoon they are certainly doing that again as the Musketeers take on a "stacked" Creighton team with revenge on its mind. Even though the Bluejays have covered 4 straight meetings with the Musketeers, they have suffered a straight-up loss in 2 of their last 3 meetings. Xavier's Edmond Sumner is expected to play here but his shoulder is not 100% and that could be a factor here. The Musketeers are hosting a Bluejays team that is hitting a ridiculous 53.5% of their shots this season including 41% from three point land. A ton of points expected in this one (as you can tell from the big total posted on this game) and Creighton is 7-2 ATS this season (and 20-7 ATS the past 3 seasons combined) in games with a posted total in the 150s! Xavier's defense has not been impressive of late as they've allowed their last 4 opponents to average about 50% from the field and the Musketeers are off of a 2nd straight loss (83-78 at Butler). Xaviers is 5-11 ATS when off of a game where they allowed 80 points or more. Everyone is lining up on the home team here and I'll gladly take the contrarian side with this 17-1 team Monday afternoon. 8* CREIGHTON

#1 Top Play - Rickenbach CBB Game #607 Saturday 10* Top Play Baylor Bears (+) @ Kansas State Wildcats @ 4:30 ET - The Bears got thoroughly embarrassed in their ugly loss at West Virginia Tuesday. After allowing 63 points or less in 14 of their 15 games on the way to a 15-0 start this season, the Bears allowed 89 to the Mountaineers. We don't have to tell you that Baylor may be in "response mode" here as the ATS stats back that fact up. The past two seasons the Bears have gone 7-0 SU and 6-0 ATS when they are off of a game where they allowed 80 points or more! Baylor has won three straight games against the Wildcats and their last loss came by just 2 points at Kansas State. That said, with the line move here to a +2.5, we are getting even more line value with the Bears in this one. Baylor has played a tougher schedule than the Wildcats so far this season and, when Kansas State has stepped up (in terms of level of competition) they have failed this season. All the Cats straight-up wins have come in either non-lined games or games where their line was at least -6. The Wildcats have been a dog OR fave of 3 points or less 3 times and they went 0-3 SU in those games. Here Kansas State is catching Baylor at quite possibly the worst time as you know the Bears are going to bring their "A game" after what just happened in Morgantown earlier this week. The past two seasons Kansas State went 3-8 ATS when facing a team with a winning record in a game that was past the midway point (15 game mark) of the season. The Cats get exposed again here. 10* BAYLOR

Afternoon Blowout - Rickenbach CBB Game #559 Saturday 8* Notre Dame Fighting Irish (+) @ Virginia Tech Hokies @ 2 ET - The Fighting Irish are rolling and one of the most amazing aspects of their streak has been their play in the clutch. This Notre Dame team, no matter the score, never seems out of game. Of course being able to win games like this is huge and it is particularly important in conference play where so many games tend to be close. ND is a fantastic 15-2 on the season and their only two losses were to solid Purdue and Villanova teams. They catch Virginia Tech at the right time as the Hokies are off of a big double digit win over Syracuse but had lost each of their two prior games. In those previous games Virginia Tech allowed 98.5 points per game as teams shot about 57% against them from the field. Notre Dame is the much better team on the defensive end of the floor and we are getting line value because of the Hokies 10-0 record at home so far this season. Grab the line value with the road dog here as the Fighting Irish are 4-0 ATS in road games with a posted total between 155 and 159.5 points and Virginia Tech is 0-3 ATS in home games with that same range of points as the posted total. As you can see, a lot of points expect here and in a shootout I'll take the team that is more likely to raise there level of play on the defensive end in crunch time. The Irish are allowing just 39.6% from the field while the Hokies are allowing 42.8% from the field this season. 8* NOTRE DAME

Earliest Cash - Rickenbach CBB #525 Saturday 8* Minnesota Golden Gophers (+) @ Penn State Nittany Lions @ Noon ET - Flat spot for the Nittany Lions. They have been sitting around for a week waiting to play again and this is after a huge victory at a "neutral site" game played in Philly versus Michigan State last Saturday. That was a massive win for Penn State in a historic venue in Philadelphia and the Nittany Lions are likely to get caught feeling a little too good about themselves as they head into this match-up with the Golden Gophers. Minnesota drew the misfortune of facing an angry Spartans team Wednesday and Sparty took out their frustrations from the PSU loss on the unsuspecting Gophers. Prior to that ugly loss to Michigan State, Minny had won 15 of their first 17 games this season and they'll be ready to respond in a big way here early on Saturday. Minnesota has lost three straight to Penn State so a little payback is on order here as well. The Golden Gophers are 3-1 ATS on the road this season and the Nittany Lions are 2-5 SU (and 2-4 ATS) when playing with 5 or 6 days of rest between games. Penn State will be rusty here after the layoff. 8* MINNESOTA

Eastern Conference Game of the Month - Rickenbach NBA 10* Top Play Philadelphia 76'ers (+) vs Charlotte Hornets @ 7:05 ET Friday - The Sixers are "feeling it" right now with wins in 4 of their last 5 games and, on Friday, they are hosting a Hornets team that has lost 5 of its last 6 games! The 76'ers enter this game on an overall 5-0 ATS run and Charlotte is just 1-7 ATS against Atlantic Division opponents this season. In a road game where the posted total is in a range of 205 to 209.5 points, the Hornets have gone 6-14 SU and 6-13-1 ATS the past 3 seasons combined. Even though Philadelphia is off of an outright win as a dog (beat Knicks and New York was the small fave), don't look for Philly to fall flat here. In fact, the 76'ers are 6-3 ATS when coming off of an upset win as an underdog this season. The Sixers, off of many consecutive rough seasons, still "have a ways to go" of course but, with each win, their confidence is growing. Also, Philly is playing this game with revenge on their minds as they lost at Charlotte earlier this season and the 76'ers are hungry to get some payback as the Hornets have won 7 of the last 8 meetings between these teams. At home and playing loose and confident, the Sixers are going to be tough for the slumping Hornets to get past. 10* Top Play PHILADELPHIA plus the points early Friday evening

Rickenbach CBB Game #553 Thursday 10* Top Play SMU Mustangs (+) @ Cincinnati Bearcats @ 9 ET - Great line value here with the underdog. The Mustangs have revenge from losing to the Bearcats when these teams last met in March. Both teams have been strong early this season but SMU is 6-2 ATS in their games against teams with a winning record while Cincinnati has gone only 3-4 ATS in their games against teams with a winning record. Also, as a home favorite of 3.5 to 6 points, the Bearcats have an ugly long-term mark of 10-22 ATS! The last 4 games between these teams have been decided by an average of 5.8 points per game. This game is projected to be a hard-fought low-scoring battle and Cincy is an ugly 18-29 ATS in home games with a posted total in the 120s. The Mustangs are a solid 30-18 ATS in road games with a posted total in the 120s. Overall, in all games with a total posted between 120 and 129.5 points the last 3 seasons, SMU has gone an incredible 19-1 SU and 14-6 ATS! The Bearcats are ranked and they are at home so they are they popular choice here but the Mustangs have a great shot at the upset here and I'll gladly grab the generous points being offered. SMU has won 10 straight games and allowed only 54.8 points per game in those 10 games. 10* SMU

Rickenbach CBB Game #544 Thursday 8* UTSA Roadrunners (-) vs Florida Atlantic Owls @ 8 ET - Triple revenge spot for UTSA and the Roadrunners are surging with confidence right now. Not only are they off of a much-needed road win at Louisiana Tech - as a double digit dog no less - UTSA is a perfect 6-0 in home games this season. That said, I'll gladly lay the small number here with the Runners on their home floor as they also seek revenge for losing all 3 match-ups with the Owls last season. Florida Atlantic took both regular season meetings with the Roadrunners and then also knocked them out of the Conference USA tournament on March 8th by an ugly 82-58 final. UTSA shot horribly in that game so, despite 61 field goal attempts (compared to just 53 for FAU), the Roadrunners lost by two dozen points. That ended a tough season for UTSA and was also the final game for coach Brooks Thompson who was fired two days later. Tragically, he passed away only three months later at the age of only 45. The team hasn't forgotten Thompson nor the way their season ended against this same Owls team in what ended up being Thompson's last game. They will play extremely hard tonight there is no doubt and I look for them to improve to 7-0 at home this season. Florida Atlantic is 2-6 ATS when off of a win in conference action and also 7-14 ATS in their games against teams with a losing record. The Roadrunners have won just as many games in the past 5 weeks as they won all of last season and they are playing like a new team under coach Steven Henson. The markets just haven't caught up to them yet and that means line value here against a 5-9 Owls team. 8* UTSA 

Rickenbach NBA 10* Top Play Brooklyn Nets (+) vs New Orleans Pelicans @ 7:35 ET Thursday - Pelicans star center Anthony Davis hurt his hip late in the win at New York Monday. Even if he plays tonight (didn't do much at all in practice yesterday), Davis is not likely to be as effective as he has been. Also, his history against the Nets is not that impressive anyway with only 18 points per game in his 6 games. While New Orleans has a definite health concern here, Brooklyn is expected to get healthier as Trevor Booker (the Nets leading rebounder) is expected back tonight. The Nets have been a disappointment this season but this is a good spot for them to get back on track with the Pelicans off of a big road win and with Davis now hurting. The Pelicans had lost 3 straight prior to that win and that was just their 5th win in 18 road games this season! Even though New Orleans comes into this game off of two days rest, they are only 2-6 SU in that situation this season. The Nets had won 3 of 4 home games (with the lone loss to Golden State) in a stretch from December 7th to the 26th. Since then they have lost 4 straight at home but the losses included defeats against Utah, Atlanta, and Cleveland. Here they are facing a much less formidable foe and they were 7-8 at home this season before losing 4 straight. With road wins few and far between for the Pelicans and with the Nets ultra hungry to get back into the win column, this is the perfect spot to back the home dog getting generous points. 10* BROOKLYN

Rickenbach CBB Game #517 Thursday 8* Notre Dame Fighting Irish (+) @ Miami Hurricanes @ 7 ET - This line opened up at a -2 on Miami and is now up to a -4 as of very early gameday morning. I am grabbing the value on the other side of the move. Many are likely backing the Hurricanes expecting them to bounce back at home after their ugly 70-55 road loss at Syracuse. However, Miami is actually a very ugly 2-10 ATS the past 3 seasons combined when they are off of a game where they were held to 60 points or less. Also, Notre Dame is playing this game with double revenge as they lost both games versus the Canes last season. Miami is just 2-5 ATS at home this season and the Fighting Irish have gone 13-7 SU in their last 20 road games and I'll back the revenging road dog getting the extra line value here. 8* NOTRE DAME

SEC Game of the Month - Rickenbach CBB Game #751 Wednesday - 10* Top Play LSU Tigers (+) @ Texas A & M Aggies @ 8:30 PM ET - Not only is this a revenge game for LSU, it certainly is anything but "normal" revenge. The Tigers lost to Texas A & M in the SEC Tourney by a final score of 71 to 38 last spring. The Aggies, in that game, held LSU to a season-low in points and also  a season-low in field goals made (13). Not only that but it also marked the fewest points scored by a team in any major conference for the entire season. You can bet that LSU got caught looking ahead to this revenge game in their poor effort at home against Mississippi State Saturday. The Tigers are only 9-5 this season but they will bring a much stronger effort on defense here after what happened against the Bulldogs Saturday and also after the way they played against the Aggies in the SEC Tourney. Keep in mind that the Tigers did beat A & M when they faced them at LSU last season and now it's time for a little "road payback". Of course a big key here is that the Aggies certainly aren't the level of team they were last season. Texas A & M is winless so far in the SEC and all 3 losses have come by double digits. Now they're being asked to win by double digits against a hungry, revenge-minded underdog and I just don't see that happening here. The Aggies are only 2-6 SU (and 1-6 ATS) in their games against teams with a winning record this season. Also, the Tigers are 12-4 SU (and 10-5 ATS) the past 3 seasons combined when they are off of a loss in SEC action. LSU is also 4-1 SU and ATS this season when they are off of a game where they allowed 80 points or more. Look for the Tigers to get back on track in a big way here and, if they do fall short, it will be single digits. They are highly motivated for this one. 10* Top Play LSU

Big Ten Network Smash - Rickenbach CBB Game #727 Wednesday 8* Minnesota Golden Gophers (+) @ Michigan State Spartans @ 7 ET - This line opened up at -2.5 on Sparty and quickly jumped up to -4.5 and I am not surprised since they have the home court edge here. However, what this has done has set up some nice line value on the other side as Minnesota, in comparison with Michigan State, has been playing the better basketball this season. The Golden Gophers one exception to being superior to the Spartans is that they suffered a tough, 1 point home loss to Michigan State in overtime two weeks ago. The only other loss that Minnesota has this season came at Florida State. Minny is holding opponents to just 28.6% from three point land. The Spartans are allowing 34.2% from beyond the arc. The Golden Gophers are 3-0 ATS on the road this season and 3-0 ATS as an underdog. Minnesota was up 39-26 at halftime in their home loss to Michigan State earlier this season and they have now lost back to back games to the Spartans but they did win in their last visit to East Lansing and I expect another "upset" in this one as well. Grab the generous points here. 8* MINNESOTA

Contrarian Crusher - Rickenbach NBA 10* Top Play Brooklyn Nets (+) vs Atlanta Hawks @ 7:35 ET Tuesday - With the Hawks having won six straight and the Nets having lost six straight, this is definitely a contrarian choice. Of course we are already getting extra line value here as a result. Atlanta was a low as a 6-point favorite and the line is already up to a 7.5 as of early Tuesday morning. The Nets are coached by Kenny Atkinson and he was an assistant with the Hawks for 4 seasons before coming to Brooklyn this season. As a result, he certainly knows a thing or two about the Xs and Os that Atlanta will employ in this match-up. This game means a lot more to the Nets than the Hawks. It is difficult for Atlanta not to look past the 8-28 Nets as they have a much bigger game (home versus Boston) on deck. That said, the Nets are likely to step up and surprise some people in this one! Brooklyn has been playing better on the defensive end as they have held their opponents to 41.5% field goal shooting in their last 3 home games. Opponents did include Utah and Cleveland! Even though Atlanta has won 6 straight, 4 of the 6 wins have come by 7 points or less. The Hawks have stayed under the total in 3 straight games and, when that has been the case this season, they have gone 2-5 ATS (and 1-6 SU) in their next game! In other words don't be surprised if the Nets gets the upset. However, I am certainly grabbing the points. The Nets are 3-1 ATS this season as a home dog of 6.5 to 9 points. 10* Top Play BROOKLYN

Earliest Cash - Rickenbach NBA 8* Philadelphia 76'ers (+) @ Brooklyn Nets @ 12:05 ET Sunday - Scheduling situation favors the Sixers in a big way. This is one of only 2 games the 76'ers have scheduled in a span of 7 days. That means full availability of all their players and Philadelphia's big men are going to give the Nets trouble. Embiid, Noel, and Okafor are all expected to be available here. The Sixers have won 3 of the last 4 meetings between these teams and have been playing well since TJ McConnell took over at the point after Sergio Rodriguez hurt his ankle. Philly has covered 3 straight and 4 of their last 5 games. The Nets have the league's worst scoring defense. Also, Brooklyn is still without Jeremy Lin. Brooklyn has won just 1 game in their last 11 and that victory came by just 2 points. That means that at the -2.5 that this game opened up at for the Nets, had they laid that number in their last 11 games they'd be 0-11 ATS. Look for the Sixers to win this one outright but I'll gladly grab the small number being offered here as Philly has been playing the better basketball of these two clubs and, also, this is the 3rd game in 4 days for the Nets. 8* PHILADELPHIA very early Sunday

Earliest Cash - Rickenbach CBB Game #517 Sunday 8* Richmond Spiders (+) @ George Washington Colonials @ Noon ET - The Colonials lost a ton of talent from last year's team that won the NIT Championship and certainly it has shown. George Washington is only 6-6 in their last 12 games and 4 of the 6 wins have come by 4 points or less. That makes the points very attractive here as does the fact that the road team has covered 3 of the last 4 meetings between these teams. The Spiders did win in overtime here last season but they also enter this game with revenge because the Colonials returned the favor at Richmond in their final match-up of the season. The Spiders and George Washington are both allowing just 42.2% from the field this season but the Colonials are allowing 37% from three point land. Also, on the season, George Washington is only shooting 40.6% from the field while Richmond is shooting 45.7% from the field. The Colonials are only 15-27 ATS in conference games the past 3 seasons and have gone just 1-6 ATS as a home favorite of 3.5 to 6 points. This season, in games with a posted total in the 140s, George Washington is 1-4 ATS. The Spiders are a long-term 9-5 ATS in road games with a posted total between 140 and 144.5 points. The Colonials are off of a win versus Davidson where, seemingly, everything was falling. After hitting 61% from three point land (uncharacteristic!) and still only winning the game by 4 points, look for things to return to normal for George Washington here. The Spiders could pull the upset but certainly I'll grab the points here. 8* RICHMOND very early Sunday

Big East Game of the Month - Rickenbach CBB Game #763 Saturday 10* Top Play St John's Red Storm (+) @ Xavier Musketeers @ 2:30 ET - The Red Storm are coming off of an awful season and, as a result, we're still getting line value with them early this season. They've added some size and length inside which certainly has improved the interior defense. In fact, on the season, the Johnnies are allowing the same field goal percentage (42%) as the Musketeers so this shows how far they've come. Xavier lost some of their "length" from last year's team and this has impacted their defense. Don't get me wrong, the Musketeers are certainly still the superior team in comparison with St John's but, what we're seeing here is that the gap between these teams has truly narrowed. That said, the Red Storm also have toughened up thanks to some tough early season road games and tournament battles with teams like Michigan State and Virginia Commonwealth. The Red Storm already have an impressive win over Syracuse and upset win over Butler on their resume this season. The fact that St John's just lost their most recent game (hosting Creighton) by 13 points is helping lead to additional line value here. Even as bad as the Johnnies were last year they lost their two games with Xavier by 8 points or less. The prior year St John's actually won both games with the Musketeers. They are undervalued here and Xavier is on a 1-5 ATS run as a home fave in a range of 12.5 to 15 points. The Red Storm have gone 4-0 ATS on the road this season and are a long term 16-6 ATS in road games where the total is between 145 and 149.5 points. More of the same Saturday. 10* ST JOHN'S plus the big points

Earliest Cash Saturday - Rickenbach CBB Game #723 Saturday 8* DePaul Blue Demons (+) @ Seton Hall Pirates @ Noon ET - Too many points here. Sure, the Pirates are 11-3 on the season and the Blue Demons are 7-8 on the season thus far. However, DePaul has only lost 1 game (out of 15 games this season) by more than 14 points. Also, 5 of the Blue Demons 8 losses have come by a single digit margin. DePaul also has revenge on their minds here as they lost by 14 at home versus the Pirates last season. The Blue Demons only lost by 4 points in the game at Seton Hall last season and, the prior year, DePaul actually won both games with Seton Hall to earn the 2-0 season sweep. Certainly the Pirates are the better team this season but this line is inflated and, as most of the Big East coaches have been openly discussing, it's going to be a "black and blue" season where no wins are coming easy. The talent level is that closely matched across all programs. That is why right now, in the Big East standings - even though so few games have been played - there is only one undefeated team and only two winless teams out of all 10 teams. It's going to be a "dogfight" season in the Big East and thanks to the scoring punch of Eli Cain, Billy Garrett, and TreDarius McCallum the Blue Demons can hang tough in this one all the way. Look at Seton Hall's last 12 games, they only have 1 win by more than a 13 points margin. The Pirates are 2-6 ATS as a favorite this season. The Blue Demons are 6-2 ATS the past 3 seasons combined when they are a road dog of 12.5 points or more. 8* DE PAUL plus the big points very early Saturday

CUSA Game of the Month - Rickenbach CBB Game #741 Thursday - 10* Top Play UTSA Roadrunners (-) @ Southern Mississippi Golden Eagles @ 8 ET - Most will look at this game and just say it's plain ugly and want to stay away. However, I see great opportunity here with a low number on an improving team that is building up in confidence under a new coach with a new system. Steven Henson, a Lon Kruger protege, has done a great job already with the Roadrunners and his team is now going to be playing their 15th game of the season and they are at the point where they have bought into his systems and defense has improved as a result. UTSA has won 3 straight games and 4 of its last 5. Winning, especially notching victory in their conference opener against UTEP, has done wonders for the confidence of this Roadrunners team and they are ready to go and get an elusive road win. I am well aware of the fact that UTSA hasn't won on the road yet this season but they are facing a Southern Mississippi program that is still trying to find its footing after the scandal that has left them on probation until 2020. This team has only won 3 games this season and those were all non-lined games (which shows you how weak the opposition was). The Golden Eagles are 0-9 SU in lined games this season and here we have a very small line on this game so the SU winner is likely to get the cash and I look for UTSA to get the big road win they are so hungry for. Coach Henson has won this team over and they head to Hattiesburg, Miss. with plenty of confidence in tow. The Runners have held their last 3 opponents to 38.4% from the field and just 63.3 points per game. The Golden Eagles have averaged just 56.6 points per game in their last 12 games and they come into this game having lost 9 straight. UTSA's Gino Littles has combined with Giovanni De Nicolao to give the Roadrunners a solid 1-2 punch at point guard because both players have proved very capable of running the offense with precision. I am well aware of the fact that the Runners 2nd leading scorer, Nick Billingsley, did not make this road trip (academics) but senior guard JR Harris is about to return from a leg injury. Harris could be back as soon as tonight and just the fact that UTSA's leading returning scorer from last year is almost back and the team has won three straight has got the Roadrunners believing they can go and take down this road win. The Golden Eagles were projected by most to finish dead last in CUSA this season and Southern Miss is certainly the perfect spot for the Runners to notch that highly sought-after road win. Look for the Eagles to drop to 0-4 SU and ATS in home lined games this season. 10* UTSA Roadrunners Thursday

Non-Conf Game of the Month - Rickenbach NBA 10* Top Play Toronto Raptors (-) vs Utah Jazz @ 7:35 ET Thursday - With both teams off of losses, this may not seem like such a strong situation (on the surface!) for Toronto. However, when you dig a little deeper there is plenty of reason to be very "bullish" on the Raptors for Thursday night! Utah is off of a loss where they allowed 55.4% shooting from the field and 115 points. This season, when the Jazz are off of a loss where they allowed 111 points or more, they've actually gone 0-3 ATS in their next game. When Utah has allowed an opponent to shoot over 51.1% from the field, the Jazz have also gone 0-3 ATS in their next game. Also, Utah is 2-8 ATS as an underdog this season and that includes 0-3 ATS this season as a road dog of 3.5 to 6 points. The Raptors are fully focused on this home game after struggling on their recent road trip. Toronto has another road game coming up before finally settling in for a 4-game homestand so they want to make the most of this game versus the Jazz. The Raptors are 5-1 ATS this season when they are off of a game where they allowed their opponent to connect at a rate of 51.1% or better from the field. After getting thoroughly embarrassed by the hot shooting of the Spurs in San Antonio Tuesday, the Raptors are going to "bring it" on Thursday night. The Raptors are still 8-4 ATS this season against teams with a winning record while the Jazz are only 6-9 ATS this season. Toronto has won 7 of its last 9 home games. The Jazz had a 4-game losing streak before losing at Boston Tuesday but note that the wins came against Brookyn, Phoenix, Philadelphia, and the Lakers. Those are 4 of the worst teams in the league. Even if George Hill is back for the Jazz tonight, they are running into an angry Raptors team here that will take advantage of their home court edge to get back on track. 10* TORONTO Thursday evening

Wednesday Winner - Rickenbach CBB Game #563 - 8* Virginia Cavaliers (-) @ Pittsburgh Panthers @ 9 ET - Both teams are off of losses so each team is looking to bounce back. Look for the Cavaliers stellar defense to be the difference in this one. Virginia is allowing an average of only 48.6 points per game this season while holding opponents to 35.2% from the field. Contrast this with the Panthers who allow 75.8 points per game! Pittsburgh gets a lot of hype for their home court but the result of the "too much hype" has been a 14-25 ATS mark the past three seasons. The Panthers have a solid frontcourt but are not that strong defensively or at the point. That's why their top leaders in assists are actually their top tandem of forwards - Michael Young and Jamel Artis. The Panthers will be looking to respond off of their loss but are only 9-12 ATS when off of a loss in conference action. Conversely, the Cavaliers are a rock solid 8-1 SU (and 6-3 ATS) when off of a loss in ACC action. Also, the Panthers are just 1-6 ATS as a home dog in a range of 3.5 to 6 points. Versus strong defensive teams (allowing 64 points or less per game), Pittsburgh is on a 3-17 ATS run. The Panthers have lost 4 straight games to the Cavs and each of the last two defeats have come by at least a dozen points. Combining the top trends above (6-3 on Cavs, 6-1 against Pitt and 17-3 against Pitt) this is a 29-7 (81%) spot favoring the Cavaliers. The Cavs have are a perfect 6-0 the last 6 times they have lost a game and most of the victories have been blowouts and only one win came by less than 7 points. Look for another road rout here! 8* VIRGINIA Wednesday

SEC Rivalry Rout - Rickenbach CBB Game #720 Tuesday - 10* Top Play Tennessee Volunteers (-) vs Arkansas Razorbacks @ 6:30 ET - As I wrote in my write-up last Thursday when I rode the Vols to victory over the Aggies, head coach Rick Barnes is in his 2nd season at Tennessee but, though the Volunteers are certainly still rebuilding, they did notch a few victories over SEC rivals like Florida, Kentucky, and Vanderbilt last season. Though not a traditional SEC rival like those, Arkansas has been in the SEC long enough to get under the skin of Tennessee fans and this is especially true considering that the Razorbacks have won 4 straight meetings with the Volunteers. Those wins included knocking the Vols out of the SEC Tourney 2 years ago. As for coach Barnes experience against the Hogs, he is certainly not happy about dropping both match-ups with them last season. That said, the Razorbacks absolutely have the full attention of coach Barnes. Keep in mind, this is their SEC home opener and after an embarrassing loss to open up the season (against Chattanooga), coach Barnes has the Vols settled in. They have gone 8-4 since then and the only 4 losses were to teams ranked in the top 20 in the nation. While the Vols have been battle-tested this season, Arkansas only has one win against a major conference foe and most of their early season wins have come against weak competition. In their first SEC game of the season Arkansas already found out just how tough it's going to be as they step up in competition and Florida handled them rather easily and Arky was home for that game! Now they're on the road and facing a hungry team that is looking for revenge and that has been playing well. The "cherry on top" here is that Arkansas has a game at highly ranked Kentucky on deck and just lost to a ranked Florida team that also knocked the Razorbacks out of the SEC Tourney last spring. That said, this could easily be an emotional letdown game for Arky and the Vols will gladly take advantage. The Volunteers are 5-1 ATS this season in their games against teams with a winning record. The Razorbacks are 1-4 ATS this season in games with a posted total in the 150s. Look for plenty of points here as the Vols pull away and win this in a blowout. 10* TENNESSEE

Sun Belt Conf Game of the Month - Rickenbach CBB Game #533 Monday - 10* Top Play UL-Lafayette Ragin' Cajuns (-) @ Arkansas Little Rock Trojans @ 9 ET Monday - The set-up here is fantastic. The Ragin Cajuns are highly motivated as they have revenge from the Trojans knocking them out of Sun Belt Conference tourney spring. Also, UL-Lafayette comes into this game off of a tight 3-point loss at Arkansas State but previously had won 10 of their last 11 games. They now visit Little Rock looking for revenge and they catch the Trojans off of an OT win @ UL-Monroe. That was the same Warhawks team that Arkansas-Little Rock had beaten last spring in the SBC tourney to make it to the Big Dance. Make no mistake that was an intense hard-fought win for the Trojans Saturday and now they won't be able to match the intensity of the hungry, revenge-minded Ragin Cajuns Monday night. Louisiana is 3-0 ATS as a favorite this season while the Trojans are a long-term 1-7 ATS in home games with a posted total between 145 and 149.5 points. Both teams lost some key personnel from last year's squads but the Ragin' Cajuns are a pleasant surprise so far this season and they are fired up for this revenge game. The set up is perfect. I'll take it! 10* UL-Lafayette Ragin' Cajuns

Big Ten Network Smash - Rickenbach CBB Game #714 Sunday - 8* Illinois Illini (-) vs Ohio State Buckeyes @ 7 ET - This situation favors the Illini in many ways. Illinois is coming off of an embarrassing loss on Tuesday that saw them score only 59 points at Maryland. Of course that means extra motivation for the Illini here, not that they needed it. These teams have met 3 times in the past 2 seasons (once at OSU and once in Illinois) and the Buckeyes have taken all 3 meetings. This is the ideal spot for the Illini to put an end to that streak as, not only do they have home court, not only are they off of an embarrassing loss, Illinois is catching Ohio State after a 9-day break! The Buckeyes have a lot of rust to work off and, additionally, they have a huge game on deck with the Boilermakers. Ohio State lost at Purdue last season so they're looking for revenge in that game and, of course, the Boilermakers have the attention of all of the Big Ten right now as they are highly ranked. Even though OSU won both games with Illinois last season won came by just 2 points and the other one came in overtime. Those tight losses certainly show just how "close" the Illini were and this is the perfect spot for them to get over the hump. Illinois has a SU record of 29-12 in home games the past three seasons (including 7-1 this season) while Ohio State is only 8-13-1 ATS (9=13 SU) in road games the past three seasons. All the extra rest heading into this game is not something the Buckeyes are use to and they lost and failed to cover the only such game like this the past two seasons. This season they are 0-3 ATS in games with a posted total in the 130s. The Illini are on a 3-year run of 35-6 SU (and 25-14 ATS) in games in which they are a favorite. Look for the hungry revenging home team to get the job done here. 8* ILLINOIS Sunday

Divisional Dominator Top - Rickenbach NBA 10* Chicago Bulls (-) vs Milwaukee Bucks @ 7:05 ET - Both teams were in action yesterday but this back to back spot is offering multiple edges for the Bulls. For one thing, Chicago's game started 4 hours earlier than the Bucks game yesterday. Also, the Bulls are now back home where they've won 10 of 16 games this season while Milwaukee is still on the road where they've lost 9 of 14 this season. The Bulls also have revenge on their minds here and it is "significant" revenge. What I mean by that is that Chicago was thoroughly embarrassed by the Bucks in a home and home set two weeks ago. Not only did the Bulls lose by double digits at Milwaukee but they then lost the rematch in Chicago by an embarrassing score of 95-69. The Bulls attempted 10 more shots from the field than did the Bucks in that game but Chicago "couldn't hit the broad side of a barn" in that game as they shot a ridiculous 30.4% from the field. You can bet (literally!) that the Bulls will respond in a big way Saturday. Chicago is 3-0 ATS this season (and 12-5 ATS the past 3 seasons) when they are a home favorite of 3 points or less! The Bucks are 1-5 (SU and ATS) when playing the 2nd game of a back to back this season. Also, the past three seasons combined, Milwaukee is just 16-31 SU when playing the 2nd game of a back to back. That said, laying the small number with the revenge-minded Bulls is absolutely the way to go here. 10* CHICAGO

Philly's Finest Top - Rickenbach CBB Game #575 Saturday - 10* Top Play Temple Owls (+) @ Central Florida Knights @ 4 ET - Central Florida is currently playing with only six scholarship players because they have a number of transfers having to sit out and then they're also dealing with a couple of key injuries. The Knights are currently without Chance McSpadden and leading scorer BJ Taylor. While UCF is off of a win in their AAC opener, they had the benefit of facing a Tulane team that is now 3-10 on the season and easily the worst team in the conference. Temple is 0-1 in conference action after their loss to open up the AAC schedule so they'll be fired up to get back on track here. They shot horribly in that game but, keep in mind, they played Cincinnati and the Bearcats are one of the top teams in the conference. Overall, the Knights have the better record so far this season but the Owls have played the tougher schedule. Also, Temple has gone 4-0 the last 2 seasons against Central Florida. When off of a game where they scored 60 points or less, the Owls have gone 14-5 SU the past three seasons. This line is right around a pick'em so that trend certainly fits here and Temple is fired up after the ugly loss at Cincinnati. This game is expected to be a grind it out, low-scoring affair and UCF is only 2-5 SU in games with a posted total in the 120s while Temple has gone 18-8 SU the past three seasons in such games. Also, in home games with a total in the 120s, Central Florida is 0-3 ATS the past 3 seasons. More of the same here and the hungry Owls get the W over the short-handed Knights. 10* TEMPLE

Earliest Cash - Rickenbach CBB Game #552 Saturday - 8* Delaware Blue Hens (+) vs Hofstra Pride @ 2 ET Saturday - This line opened up with Hofstra -3 but is now all the way up to a -6 in some spots this morning. I completely understand the move as Delaware is coming off of a 7-23 season and Hofstra has been hammering the Blue Hens in recent meetings. However, the Pride could be a little "rusty" here as they haven't played since the 22nd. Conversely, Delaware got back in action, after the Christmas break, by crushing Iona on Wednesday. The Blue Hens were a double digit dog in that game and won the game outright...very nearly by double digits as it ended up a 19 points cover for Delaware. Certainly the Blue Hens have a ways to go but they are still under-valued at this point so far this season. Keep in mind they are 7-6 on the  year so they've already equaled last season's win total. A big key has been a couple of key contributors that were not expected to be as "ready" as they have been. Freshman guard Ryan Daly is their leading scorer and Chivarsky Corbett has returned from an ACL injury and been a solid contributor as well. These players have joined returning starters Cazmon Hayes and Anthony Mosley and George Washington transfer Darian Bryant to give Delaware a strong core group of 5 players all capable of scoring double digits in each game. Corbett did miss Wednesday's game but is probable for this afternoon's game. The Blue Hens are 5-0 SU at home this season and also 3-0 ATS in games against teams with a winning record. The Pride are on a 7-14 ATS run in games with posted total in the 140s. Also, Hofstra is 1-4 SU their last 5 when playing with 7 or more days of rest between games. 8* DELAWARE

The Game of the Month - Rickenbach 10* Top Play Brooklyn Nets (+) @ Washington Wizards @ 7:05 ET Friday - The Wizards Bradley Beal injured his ankle in Washington's most recent game and he's listed as doubtful for tonight's game. The Wizards also are in a "flat spot" here as they are off of a back to back wins and have a tough team (Houston) on deck and could easily overlook the Nets here. That is particularly true because Washington has won each of the past 4 meetings between these teams. A flat Wizards team could be upset here as Brooklyn very nearly upset Chicago in their most recent game and the Nets did upset Charlotte in their prior game. Since Christmas, Brooklyn has come out with extra energy and motivation and they're surely going to again be highly motivated here after they "let one slip away" in their two point loss to the Bulls Wednesday plus the Nets have the revenge angle in their favor here. That is significant here because Brooklyn is 7-2 ATS this season when playing with home loss revenge. The Wizards, as a home fave of 6.5 to 9 points, are on a 7-11 ATS run. 10* BROOKLYN

Earliest Cash - Rickenbach NBA 8* Indiana Pacers (-) vs Chicago Bulls @ 4:05 ET Friday - Revenge game for the Pacers as they lost at Chicago on Monday. Indiana has been mired in a losing slump but if you look closely at their recent schedule, most of their games have been on the road. The Pacers are a different team when they are at home and they've gone 11-5 on their home floor this season while the Bulls have only gone 6-10 on the road. Of course we need Indiana to not only win this game but also cover the point spread here. The odds are in our favor in that regard as the Bulls are only 1-4 ATS this season (and 8-18 ATS the past three seasons) as a road dog of 3.5 to 6 points. The Pacers are 24-13 ATS the past 3 seasons in divisional games and they get the job done in this revenge spot Friday afternoon. 8* INDIANA

ESPN2 Daytime Dominator - Rickenbach CBB Game #723 Friday 8* West Virginia Mountaineers @ Oklahoma State Cowboys @ 4 ET - This is a significant revenge game for coach Bob Huggins and the Mountaineers. They were knocked out of the Big Dance by 14th seeded Stephen F Austin last spring. Why does that matter here? Because Oklahoma State is now coached by the former Lumberjacks coach, Brad Underwood. Certainly West Virginia (nor coach Huggins) have forgotten about the 70-56 dismantling they suffered at the hands of coach Underwood's team in March. It is time for a little payback here and the line (right around a pick'em) is certainly "ripe for the picking" in this one! Even though both teams are off to great starts this season (and I must say it is impressive what coach Underwood has done with a Cowboys team in rebuild mode) it gets "real" now as Big 12 conference play gets underway and this ranked Mountaineers team wants to make a statement and they have the depth and talent to do just that! The biggest difference between these teams is that West Virginia is allowing only 58.2 points per game while Oklahoma State is allowing 77.4 points per game! The Mountaineers have a long-term SU record of 19-2 in their games against teams allowing 77 points or more per game. West Virginia's offense has been strong this season and they are averaging 91.8 points per game. That is significant here because, even though the Cowboys offensive production has also been big early this season, OSU is 3-13 SU the past three seasons when facing teams averaging 77 points or more per game. So we have combined angles of 32-5 working in our favor but, truly with the revenge angle (coaches) and the more veteran and deeper team, we have all the key edges in this one. 8* WEST VIRGINIA

Contrarian Crusher - Rickenbach CBB Game #535 Thursday - 8* Evansville Purple Aces (+) @ Illinois State Redbirds @ 8 ET Thursday - The Purple Aces certainly lost a lot of key cogs from last year's roster. However, Evansville is still a quality team with a quality coach and they had some key replacements coming in including a transfer player that had sat out last season and now has been one of the Aces top contributors so far this season. What has impressed me about Evansville is that they've come out this season like a team with something to prove (due to all the roster turnover) and after an early adjustment phase they've certainly turned things up a notch. The Purple Aces are entering their conference opener on a 7-game winning streak. Also, two of the four losses that Evansville had earlier this season came by 4 points or less. Here we are getting a sizable amount of points considering that the Redbirds, though considered a top MVC team for this season, are only 6-4 so far on the young season. Illinois State did not shoot the ball well in the Hawaii tourney they just returned from and if they're shots aren't falling early in this game they could be in trouble here. The Purple Aces, thanks to a 7 game winning streak, are a very confident team and they've drained at least 46% of their shots from the field in 10 of their last 12 games! Also, the Aces were only held under 68 points twice in their last dozen games. Confident, scoring a lot of points, and out for revenge (Evansville lost at home to Illinois State last season plus the Redbirds knocked them out of the MVC tourney 2 years ago), the Purple Aces make for an ideal "dangerous" underdog! I am grabbing all the points I can get here! 8* EVANSVILLE

Earliest Cash - Rickenbach CBB Game #539 Thursday - 8* Tennessee Volunteers (+) @ Texas A & M @ 7 ET Thursday - Head coach Rick Barnes is in his 2nd season at Tennessee. Though the Volunteers are certainly still rebuilding, they did notch a few victories over SEC rivals like Florida, Kentucky, and Vanderbilt last season. Though not a traditional SEC rival like those, Texas A & M is a team that absolutely has the full attention of coach Barnes. Keep in mind, he was at Texas for 15+ season before coming to Tennessee so he knows the Aggies very well as the Longhorns and Texas A & M are the biggest rivals in the state of Texas due to their many years together in the same conference. That said, even though a few things have changed, you can bet that this game, especially with it being the SEC opener, means an awful lot to coach Barnes and he's had a full week to prepare for this match-up. The Aggies have a slightly better record than the Vols so far this season but Tennessee has played the tougher schedule. Also, the Volunteers are 4-1 ATS as an underdog this season and 4-1 ATS in games against teams with a winning record. The Vols are also a perfect 3-0 ATS in road games this season. The Aggies are only 1-3 ATS this season in their games against teams with a winning record and they are 0-2 ATS this season when off of a game where they allowed 60 points or less. The Vols battled hard at home last season against Texas A & M but fell just short in the 4-point loss. Barnes almost got the W against his long-time rival in that match-up. Even if he does fall short again, look for the Volunteers to at least get the cover here. 8* TENNESSEE

Rickenbach NBA 8* Phoenix Suns (+) @ San Antonio Spurs @ 8:35 ET - When you win the way the Spurs did on Christmas Day (down late in 3rd but then rally in 4th quarter to win big) it can mask other issues. The fact is that San Antonio shot the ball "lights out" in that game as they started out insanely hot from the field and then finished ultra hot from the field as well. The problem is that San Antonio did allow the Bulls to not only get back in that game but also take that lead rather late through the third quarter. Of course all is forgotten when you go on to win the game by 19 points but San Antonio has been quite "leaky" on defense and they just haven't had to "pay for it" yet because they've been so hot on offense. Though I don't expect the Suns to win this game outright I certainly feel the points are far too much. Yes, Phoenix is off of a loss at Houston but they have outrebounded 4 straight opponents and hustle play like that could play a key role in making the Suns a dangerous dog tonight. The Spurs aren't going to keep knocking down shots at the ridiculous clip they did against the Bulls and with being happy with a Christmas Day win and with having a tougher foe (Portland) on deck, this is a bit of a "sandwich spot" for San Antonio where I don't expect them to go all out nor to be fully focused. The Spurs have allowed their last 3 opponents to combine for over 45% from the field but they haven't felt the pain of that because their own offense has been ridiculously hot. Plain and simple, Phoenix is hungrier here and these points are way too big. The Suns are 8-4 ATS this season (and 38-23 ATS the past three seasons) when off of a loss by 10 points or more. 8* PHOENIX

Contrarian Crusher - CBB Game #755 Wednesday - Rickenbach 10* Top Play Iowa Hawkeyes (+) vs Purdue Boilermakers @ 8:30 ET - Many of you will recall that I used Iowa against Iowa State about 3 weeks ago in a game where nobody wanted the Hawkeyes as certainly it was the Cyclones that "made sense" in that match-up. The same key aspect in that game applies in this one as well. Even though Iowa is likely to have a "down year" and not be the team they've been in recent seasons, this is still an in-state rivalry game and there is no doubt that the Hawkeyes are going to bring their "A game" in this one. Iowa certainly has been playing solid defense of late and that has helped lead the way to a 5-game winning streak and 4-0-1 ATS run. The Hawkeyes have held 4 of their last 5 opponents (including Iowa State!) under 36% from the field. While I do expect Purdue to get revenge here (they lost both match-ups last season), I do not expect the Boilermakers to win by a sizable margin. With this line having jumped from 11.5 to 13.5 this morning, it has made this situation even stronger in favor of the big road dog. Purdue's only challenging games this season (where they weren't a double digit fave or it was not a non-lined game) have seen the Boilermakers go just 1-2 with a 5-point win over Notre Dame and losses to Louisville and Villanova. Now, of course, I am not saying that the Hawkeyes are on par with those teams but the point is that this is a quality Big Ten basketball program that is going to bring a huge effort and that will very likely lead to this one playing out to a similar margin (5 points) seen in the Fighting Irish game. By the way, the Boilermakers did allow at least 48% from the field in all 3 of those games. The Hawkeyes have really stepped up their defensive efforts recently (spurred on by the win over Cyclones) and I look for that trend to continue here. Purdue has a long-term 4-8 ATS mark in games with a posted total in the 150 to 159.5 range. The Hawkeyes enter on a 4-0-1 ATS run and stay hot at the cashiers window tonight! 10* IOWA

Rickenbach NBA 10* Top Play Brooklyn Nets (+) @ Chicago Bulls @ 8:05 ET Wednesday - Both teams are off of wins but look for the Nets to be the more motivated team here. After all, the Bulls beat a division rival (Indiana) and will be facing the Pacers again on Friday. That said, it is difficult for Chicago to get excited about this game. As for Brooklyn, you better believe they'll be ready. They were thoroughly embarrassed by 30 points AT HOME on Halloween night. When a team takes a beating like that in front of their home fans they don't forget about it. That was a "special" home loss to say the least but the Nets numbers are good even in "non-special" situations. Brooklyn is 6-2 ATS this season when playing with home loss revenge! As for the Bulls, they finally stepped up on defense (against Indiana) Monday and got the win. However, Chicago is 1-2 ATS (and 0-3 SU!) this season when off of a game where they held their opponent to 85 points or less. The Bulls are also known for "playing down" to the level of their competition and have gone 41-58 ATS their last 99 games against teams with a losing record. The Nets want this game. The Bulls are already looking ahead to another match-up with Indiana. Grab the generous points with the hungry big dog here. 10* BROOKLYN

Big Ten Network Smash - CBB Game #738 - Rickenbach 8* Indiana Hoosiers (-) vs Nebraska Cornhuskers @ 6:30 ET Wednesday - While the points look big here, keep in mind this is Indiana's Big Ten opener and they have a conference game on deck. In other words, there will be no let-up from the Hoosiers in this one and, that said, they have the talent level and depth to absolutely bury Nebraska. Indiana has 10 wins this season and 8 of those came by a margin of 22 points or more. The only two victories that the Hoosiers have had by smaller margins came against North Carolina and Kansas. Of course those are two of the top programs in the nation so smaller victory margins in those games was understandable. That said, the Cornhuskers should be another team to join Indiana's "22 point club" as the Hoosiers get another win by at least that margin here. Indiana averages 89 points per game this season and the Huskers average 69 points and just don't have the offensive firepower to keep up here with all the weapons that the Hoosiers have. Most concerning for Nebraska here is that their defense has regressed. Even though their last 4 games have included easy opponents like Southern U and Gardner Webb, the Huskers have allowed more than 50% from the field against their last four opponents combined. With depth and with this being a conference opener, the Hoosiers should win this one going away and will never really take their foot off of the gas here. By the way, Indiana's D (38% from the field) has also been fantastic this season. The Cornhuskers are on an 18-35 ATS run against teams with a winning record and 0-3 ATS when playing with 7 or more days of rest between games. The Hoosiers are 5-2 ATS at home this season and on a 13-7 ATS run in December games. They have also won and covered each of the last 3 meetings between the teams. 8* INDIANA

Rickenbach NBA 8* Phoenix Suns (+) @ Houston Rockets @ 8:05 ET Monday - These teams just met last week in Phoenix and the Rockets won by 14 points. That is why it may seem a little surprising that the Rockets aren't favored by even more here in Houston as they now host the Suns. However, don't fall for the "trap" here. Houston is in a bad situational spot here. They have a big game with Dallas on deck tomorrow. Certainly it has been a tough season for the Mavericks but the Rockets and Mavs are divisional in-state rivals and so their games are always "big" for Houston. The Rockets come into this game having failed to cover 3 of their last 4 games and the field goal percentage they've allowed has gotten gradually worse in each of their last 4 games. In other words, lax Rockets defense is starting to cost them and it is showing no signs of improving. That said, I like the hungry "nothing to lose" underdog Suns here as Phoenix has shot progressively better from the floor in each of their last 4 games. Coming off of a win (albeit against Philadelphia) is a confidence booster for the Suns and the road team has gotten the cash in each of the last 4 meetings between these teams. In fact, Phoenix has recorded an outright win in 2 of its last 3 visits to Houston and the Rockets have won 3 straight at Phoenix. Houston is 1-3 SU (and 0-4 ATS!) this season when coming into a game with 2 days of rest. Look for the Rockets to again struggle to find their rhythm after a layoff and the result here will be a game in which the Suns should stay within single digits throughout. 8* PHOENIX SUNS Monday

Rickenbach NBA 8* Brooklyn Nets (+) vs Charlotte Hornets @ 7:35 ET Monday - Ugly home dog which is very attractive here in the first day after what was a Christmas break for most teams. Charlotte hasn't played since Friday and so I don't expect them to just hit the court "firing on all cylinders" on Monday after the lay-off. The Hornets are 0-5 ATS this season in games with a posted total of 210 points or more. Also, Charlotte has gone 1-6 ATS this season in their games against Atlantic Division opponents. Brooklyn is playing this game with home loss revenge as they lost here against the Hornets on November 4th and the Nets have gone 5-2 ATS this season when playing with home loss revenge. Brooklyn has covered 6 of the last 8 meetings between these teams and did get the cash in that early November meeting which also saw them installed as a sizable home dog. Charlotte is off of a big win over Chicago Friday and now has back to back divisional games on deck after this one. That makes this a true "sandwich spot" for the Hornets where they are off of a big game and have big games on deck and, therefore, could easily overlook a 7-22 Nets team. That is what I am counting on! 8* BROOKLYN

Tourney Top Play - Rickenbach CBB 10* Top Play San Francisco Dons (+) vs San Diego State Aztecs in Diamond Head Classic @ Stan Sheriff Center in Honolulu, HI @ 8 ET Sunday - The Dons have certainly exceed expectations early this season and the way they've won their two games in this Diamond Head Classic certainly says a lot about this team. They beat Utah with a strong offensive performance (shot 52.5% and won 89-86) and then beat Illinois State with a huge effort on defense (held Redbirds to 30.3% and won 66-58). San Francisco is now 10-2 on the season and their two losses have come by 6 points or less. That said, getting 5 points with the Dons in the Diamond Head Classic Championship Game is the way to go here. San Francisco has played a similar strength of schedule to that of San Diego State and they are only 7-4 on the season. The Aztecs faced weaker competition in this tourney however as they were a 20 point favorite in one game and also were favored in the other. The Dons were a sizable dog in both of their games in this tournament. The Aztecs were on a 1-5 ATS run before their win Friday and the losses of Winston Shepard and Skylar Spencer have been tougher to overcome than most expected. The Aztecs are on a 2-11 ATS run in December games the past three seasons and the Dons are on a 6-1 ATS run in neutral court games the past three seasons. Give me the points with the highly motivated underdog (lost 2 prior meetings with Aztecs) that is surging with confidence right now. 10* SAN FRANCISCO 

Christmas Day Top Side - Rickenbach NBA 10* Top Play Chicago Bulls (+) @ San Antonio Spurs @ 5:05 ET - The Spurs have revenge here as they lost at Chicago earlier this month. However, this is a tough spot for San Antonio as they just got back from a West Coast road trip and will be playing their 3rd game in 4 days. Additionally, by virtue of being at home on Christmas Day they have a few more distractions with all the Christmas festivities taking place at this time of year and having had the ability to be home with their families by virtue of being a host on Christmas Day. The last three games between these teams have been decided by an average of 5 points per game with no game decided by more than 8 points. This spread is inflated because the Bulls have struggled recently but I expect them to step up here off of the disappointing loss at Charlotte Friday. Last year on Christmas Day 4 of the 5 dogs got the cash and the lone fave that covered barely got the cash. It is difficult for teams to blow each other out in the difficult setting that is a Christmas Day game. That said, the value is with the underdog again in this one. This will be the Spurs 4th straight Christmas Day game and they've lost each of the prior three while the Bulls have won on Christmas Day each of the last three years. 10* CHICAGO BULLS

NBA Game #712 Friday - Rickenbach 10* Top Play Milwaukee Bucks (-) vs Washington Wizards @ 8:05 ET - This is a perfect set-up. The Bucks have revenge here for a December 10th loss at Washington. The Wizards ended that game on a ridiculous 11-0 run and Milwaukee certainly hasn't forgotten about it. The Bucks are entering this game on a 2-game losing streak but the losses came against Cleveland and Milwaukee played the Cavaliers very tough in both of those games. This is the front end of a home and home between these teams so the Bucks are now fully focused on the Wizards and they catch them off of a big road win at Chicago. That sets this one up nicely and the home team has won each of the past four meetings between these clubs by 5 points or more. Even though Washington has fared surprisingly well this season (3-0 ATS) when off of an upset win as an underdog that is traditionally the type of victory that leaves a team flat in the next game. The Wizards entered this season having gone 9-17 ATS the past two seasons when off of an upset win as an underdog. The Bucks will be the hungrier and more motivated team as they seek revenge tonight. Milwaukee is 11-4 SU and ATS in home games with a posted total of 210 points or more and the odds makers are calling for another high-scoring one here as you can see. I'll gladly lay the small number with the Bucks who have also gone 3-1 SU and ATS this season as home fave of 3 points or less. 10* Top Play MILWAUKEE

NBA Game #705 Friday - Rickenbach 8* Golden State Warriors (-) @ Detroit Pistons @ 7:35 ET - Even though this is a back to back spot for the Warriors I don't expect any let-up here. Golden State's win at Brooklyn last night made it 6 straight wins for the Warriors. Even though they have a date with Cleveland (NBA Finals rematch) on deck, the Pistons also have the Cavaliers on deck and that is a big division rival for Detroit. The problem for the Pistons here is that they beat Golden State in their last visit to the Motor City. That 18 point win in January for Detroit certainly has not been forgotten by the Warriors and it is payback time on Friday. The most concerning thing for the Pistons is not the fact that they have lost 4 straight games but the fact that they've lost those games by an average of 18.5 points per game and all 4 were decided by a double digit margin! 5 of the last 6 wins for the Warriors were decided by 8 points or more and their average margin of victory has been 19.3 points per game. You can see why I am expecting a blowout here and, again, the Warriors having the Cavs on deck is certainly a factor BUT Golden State has revenge on the Pistons and that will prove to be the most important factor tonight. The Warriors are 16-1 this season after a win by double digits and 13-1 in their games against teams with a losing record. Those are SU marks but you can see, from the numbers above, why I am expecting the Warriors to take this one by close to 20 points. Blowout time here. 8* GOLDEN STATE

NBA Game #701 Friday - Rickenbach 8* Chicago Bulls (+) @ Charlotte Hornets @ 7:05 ET - The Hornets will be the popular choice here as they had 2 full days off prior to this game and they have 2 full days off after this game. However, a scheduling situation like that (especially when coming off of back to back wins) can also lead to complacency and I look for the Bulls to be the far hungrier team in this one. Chicago is off of a loss and also has double revenge working in the favor here as they suffered a home loss to the Hornets in their most recent match-up also suffered a loss in their last visit to Charlotte too. The Hornets are on a 1-5 ATS skid and had lost 4 straight games before the aforementioned back to back wins. Look for the hungry and motivated Bulls to improve to 7-3 ATS this season in their games against teams with a winning record. 8* CHICAGO

Contrarian Crusher - CBB Game #742 Friday - Rickenbach 10* Top Play Oakland Grizzlies (+) vs Georgia Bulldogs @ 7 ET - Nice situational aspects to this one. Oakland is off of a tough loss to in-state rival Michigan State. The Bulldogs are off of an easy win over in-state rival Georgia Tech. Georgia has had to travel. Oakland has stayed in their home state. The situational advantage is clearly in favor of the Grizzlies here and they also have revenge for a tight loss to Georgia in last year's meeting which also took place in December. The past three seasons combined the Bulldogs are an ugly 5-13 ATS when off of a game where they allowed 60 points or less. Long-term that run is an ugly 48-77 ATS with those same parameters so, as you can see, it's no fluke. As for Oakland, the Grizzlies have gone 22-8 ATS the past three seasons combined when they are an underdog. In their games against teams with a winning record, Oakland has gone 27-13 ATS. The Grizzlies have shot surprisingly poor in back to back games that occurred on back to back days. Now, after a day of rest, Oakland will be ready with fresh legs and I look for their hot shooting (in the high 40's with FG % their first 10 games this year) to resume tonight at home. Note that the Bulldogs have been held to 64 points or less in 3 of their 4 games played away from Georgia this season. More of the same here. 10* Top Play OAKLAND

CBB Game #531 Thursday - Rickenbach 10* Top Play LSU Tigers (+) @ Wake Forest Demon Deacons @ 9 ET - This line has gone from 8 to now double digits and the situation is offering exceptional value on the big dog. LSU only lost by 6 points to Wake Forest last season and yes this game is now on the road rather than at home but the fact is that the Tigers were outscored by 18 points on 3 pointers and that was the difference in the game. The Demon Deacons knocked down 8 threes in last season's match-up while LSU was held to an uncharacteristic 2 of 14 performance from three point land. Both teams come into this season's match-up with 8 wins but the Demon Deacons are off of a disheartening loss to Xavier in a game Wake Forest badly wanted. The fact is that Wake Forest is still a young team and that shows a lot of promise for the future but they still have struggled this season in games where they've had a chance to make a statement. They got the cover at Xavier but they lost the other two games both SU and ATS in which they've been dogs this season. Now, of course I realize Wake Forest is not a dog here but the point I am making is that they truly don't have a "signature win" yet this season as they also lost to Villanova and Northwestern. Now certainly LSU has had it's share of issues, including last year's frustrating finish but the fact is this is still a solid SEC program and I am going to challenge Wake Forest to not only win this game but to blow out the Tigers. I just don't see that happening. The Demon Deacons haven't proven capable of dismantling an opponent on the level of LSU yet this season and the Tigers have some added confidence from an 8-2 start this season and I expect them to stay within single digits all the way in this one. Overall, LSU has shot the ball just as well as Wake Forest this season and their defense has been even slightly better than that of the Demon Deacons. LSU is on a long-term run of 19-11 ATS as a road dog of 6.5 to 9 points and now this line has even moved up into double digits! A lot of points expected here and Wake Forest is 9-16 ATS (and 7-18 SU) in games with a posted total in the 150s. The Tigers are in this one all the way. 10* LSU TIGERS

CBB Game #561 Thursday - Rickenbach 8* DePaul Blue Demons (+) vs Wyoming Cowboys in Las Vegas Classic @ Orleans Arena in Las Vegas, NV @ 8:30 ET - The Cowboys burned me recently when they had a surprising blowout win over Cornell but quickly came back down to earth with a non-covering win over Troy in their next game. Not including the blowout win over the Big Red, Wyoming's other 3 recent wins have come by an average margin of victory of just 5 points per game. The 2 opponents, besides Troy, were Montana and Colorado Christian. The point is that Wyoming is not exactly a dominant team and yet they sit at 9-2 on the season and are now laying points in a neutral site game against a quality DePaul team. The Blue Demons, though annually near the bottom of their conference, come from the Big East which is loaded with basketball talent. DePaul struggles in conference action as a result but non-conference action is a different story. The Blue Demons have a winning record in non-conference games the past 3 seasons combined and that includes a 7-4 mark so far this season. Wyoming is on a 13-22 ATS run as a favorite and the Blue Demons have seen forward Tre'Darius McCallum continue to "step up" this season and the backcourt tandem of Eli Cain and Billy Garrett, Jr (both 6'6 guards) will give the Cowboys some match-up issues. Cain has been shooting very well while Garrett continues to get to the free throw line with great regularity and this has given defenses problems trying to stop the drive but respect the perimeter shooting of DePaul's outside shooters. The Cowboys strong early start (albeit against weak competition) is masking the fact that this is still a team in rebuild mode. 8* DEPAUL BLUE DEMONS 

CBB Game #528 Thursday - Rickenbach 8* North Texas Mean Green (-) vs San Diego Toreros @ 8 ET - San Diego has won 4 straight games and they have covered 3 straight games. However, the Toreros schedule has been weak this month. On the season, when a dog of 5 points or more, San Diego has lost all 3 games and all were double digit defeats with an average margin of defeat of 17 points per loss. The Mean Green are 6-2 SU at home this season and, like the Toreros, have played mostly a weak early season schedule. However, I like the fact that North Texas is catching San Diego in their first trip east of Arizona. The point is that this won't be an easy travel spot (especially right before Christmas) for a Toreros team that has only won 6 of 27 road games the past 3 seasons combined. The Mean Green, in home games with a posted total in the 135 to 139.5 range, are on a 3-1 SU (and ATS) run. North Texas won, but was disappointed with their effort on defense, Tuesday and the Mean Green will respond Thursday with a huge effort in what is their final game until New Year's Eve. 8* NORTH TEXAS

Eastern Conference Game of the Month - NBA Game #501 Thursday - Rickenbach 10* Top Play Orlando Magic (+) @ New York Knicks @ 7:35 ET - The Knicks were down 8 to the Pacers at home on Tuesday and then finished the game on an insane 27-12 run to sneak out a 7 point win as, coincidentally, a 5.5 point favorite at home. New York is in the same point spread range for this one on Thursday and I see value in fading them after their miracle cover over Indiana Tuesday. The Knicks had lost 3 straight prior to that win. Also prior to that victory, 6 of New York's last 10 wins had been decided by 4 points or less. The point is that even when the Knicks do win it is often by the slimmest of margins and they're going to have their hands full with Orlando here. The Magic have won 2 of their last 3 meetings with the Knicks and that includes a visit to New York. However, Orlando enters this game with revenge on their mind after losing their most recent visit to New York - in February. The Magic are off of a confidence-boosting win at Miami Tuesday and that outright upset win brought them to 7-2 ATS in their last 9 games away from home as they truly have been road warriors over the past 5 weeks! The Knicks are on a long-term 13-28 SU run against teams from the Southeast Division and they'll have trouble just winning - let alone covering - in this battle with a motivated underdog. New York is in a bit of a sandwich spot here as they are off of the big comeback win over Indiana and then have a big division rivalry game with Boston on deck for Christmas Day. Great spot for the dangerous dog and I'll take it. 10* Top Play ORLANDO MAGIC

NBA Game #711 Wednesday - Rickenbach 10* Top Play Houston Rockets (-) @ Phoenix Suns @ 9:05 ET - The Rockets are off of a brutally bad beat last night at home against the rival Spurs. Houston led the game by 13 points with under 5 minutes to go and yet still lost the game. Amazingly San Antonio hit 12 of 23 three pointers while Houston hit an insanely bad 6 of 38 three pointers last night. Needless to say the Rockets are ticked off about the loss last night as they know they let one get away that they should have easily won despite the statistical anomaly on three point shooting. Houston is facing the right team to get back on track as the Suns are only 8-20 on the season. Also, only 4 of the 20 losses that Phoenix has had this season have come by less than 6 points. Blowout defeats are normal for the Suns and they're hosting a Rockets team that is 11-3 ATS this season in road games with a posted total of 210 points or more. Houston is also 11-3 ATS this season in their games against teams with a losing record. Also, even though this is a back to back spot for Houston, the Rockets have gone 5-0 SU and 4-1 ATS when playing the 2nd night of a back to back. The Suns have covered just 3 of their last 12 games! Also, the road teams has won 6 of the last 7 meetings between these teams so home court has meant very little. That said, this is also a revenge game for the Rockets as they lost at home to the Suns in April in their most recent meeting. 10* Top Play HOUSTON

NBA Game #707 Wednesday - Rickenbach 8* Washington Wizards (+) @ Chicago Bulls @ 8:05 ET - The Bulls are off of a 113-82 win over the Pistons but Chicago hit a ridiculous 60% from the field in that game. Prior to that insane shooting performance the Bulls had lost 3 straight games averaged only 87 points per game. As for the Wizards, they are coming off of a loss but previously had won 3 straight games and averaged 116 points per contest. That sets this one up perfectly as we get extra line value with the hotter team as the markets tend to have short-term memory and will be looking more at what just happened in the most recent game. Washington has revenge here for a loss at Chicago earlier this season and the Wizards had won 2 of the 3 prior meetings including a big road win at Chicago last season. Washington is 10-6 ATS this season when playing with revenge while the Bulls are 5-8 ATS when playing against teams with a losing record this season. Also, against Southeast Division opponents, Chicago is on a long-term 12-29 ATS run and they are off of that big win inside their division against Detroit. That makes this a flat spot for the Bulls while, conversely, the Wizards are coming in hungry off of a loss and plus playing with revenge! 8* WASHINGTON

CBB Game #721 Wednesday - Rickenbach 8* St John's Red Storm (+) @ Syracuse Orange @ 7 ET - Syracuse just absolutely demolished Eastern Michigan on Monday 105-57. However, so often, after a blowout win like that where everything breaks your way, things can be come so much tougher in the next game. That said, tonight's game is truly the perfect set-up for such struggles as the Orange are facing a Red Storm team that has been a bit of a nemesis for them. That means Syracuse has two battles to fight tonight. One is fatigue as the Orange will be playing their 3rd game in 5 nights. The other battle is in trying to knock off a St John's team that has defeated them by 12 points in each of the last two meetings. As for Syracuse being able to absolutely dominate tonight and cover this large spread, note that the Red Storm have covered 9 of the last 11 meetings between these teams. Also, the Orange have Tyler Lydon listed as questionable for tonight's game. Syracuse is only 4-8 ATS when they are off of a game where they scored 80 points or more. Also, St John's has been at their best in their toughest games this season as they have already covered 4 of 6 against teams with a winning record. More of the same for the Red Storm this evening. 8* ST JOHN'S

CBB Game #771 Wednesday - Rickenbach 8* Nebraska-Omaha Mavericks (+) @ Pittsburgh Panthers @ 7 ET - Those who follow my CBB closely know there are two key reasons why I am fading the Panthers here. One is that Pittsburgh absolutely burned me badly this past weekend against Rice. Those who played it late got a win with Rice at +10.5 but it was a loss in my books for certain as I released it at +9.5 and what a burner it was. The Owls were in the game all the way and then Pitt did pull away late but still it was an 8 point game with about 30 seconds to go when Rice then missed BOTH free throws and Pitt followed by making BOTH free throws. It was the only way I could lose that play and I'll be damned if it didn't happen. Anyway, the other reason I am involved as followers know is that I do like taking high-scoring big dogs and Nebraska-Omaha certainly fits that description as they were top 5 in the nation for pace last year and are averaging 83 points per game so far this year. This gives us two chances to win a play like this essentially because part of it is that the Mavericks can score well enough to hang around all game long. However, part two is that even if the Mavs do get down by 15 to 20 points there is that opportunity for late scoring runs to get them in the backdoor. I expect Omaha to hang around in this game as Pittsburgh shot a ridiculous 64.4% from the field against Rice and yet still only won by 10 points. It is no fluke either as the Panthers also shot 54.5% from Buffalo a few games back and yet only beat the Bulls by 5 points. Of course the reason is that the Panthers D just isn't what it use to be and they will have their hands full with the Mavericks here. Omaha thrives in games like this with an 11-5 ATS mark in road games with a posted total in the 160s. The Panthers are on a 14-31 ATS run as a favorite and they are again over-priced here. 8* NEBRASKA-OMAHA 

CBB Game #728 Wednesday - 10* Top Play Michigan State Spartans (-) vs Oakland (Mich) Grizzlies @ 7 ET - The Grizzlies are 9-2 on the season and the Spartans are only 7-5. However, Michigan State has played a very tough early season schedule while Oakland has played a very weak early season schedule. That is skewing the market in this one and it has led to exceptional value with the Big Ten team who is far too proud to not bring a huge effort tonight against this Horizon League team. This is an in-state match-up and the Spartans have won all 13 meetings the past 20 years. That said, we're getting exceptional line value here with this one dropping all the way down to a -6 on Michigan State. Take a look at the last two meetings as an example of the disparity between these teams in terms of talent level and how that translates to how the games play out on the floor. In last season's meeting the Grizzlies actually led by 13 at the half. However, the Spartans then outscored them by 19 points the rest of the way. In the prior season's meeting Michigan State was up by 13 points at half and then outscored them by another 13 in the 2nd half in the 26 point win. The fact is that, even if one perceives this to be a "down season" for the Spartans, they have dominated the Grizzlies in the past and they don't have to be truly "dominant" for us to get the cash in this one. That has me raising this one to Top Play level. The Spartans are 4-2 ATS this season in their games against teams with a winning record. Michigan State will be ready to respond off of a loss to Northeastern Sunday and they have the rest edge over Oakland here as the Grizzlies just did battle with Northeastern yesterday! Plus the Grizzlies have another game on deck before Christmas (versus Georgia Friday) while this is the Spartans only chance (before the Christmas break) to respond off of a disappointing loss. 10* MICHIGAN STATE

TV Top Play - CBB Game #541 Tuesday - Rickenbach 10* Top Play Creighton Blue Jays (-) @ Arizona State Sun Devils @ 9 ET - Laying 8 on the road against a Pac-12 team with a good reputation may seem a little "scary" on the surface but this is the perfect spot for the Blue Jays. They just survived a scare at home (against Oral Roberts) and snuck out a 1-point victory. Creighton doesn't play again until after Christmas and you can be sure that they learned the lesson in their tight win over Oral Roberts and now will be be prepared to blowout the Sun Devils in this one. Arizona State beat the Blue Jays at Creighton by a bucket last December so this is a revenge game for the road fave here. Creighton is the better team on defense and an inconsistent Sun Devils team went from bad to worse as their starting small forward recently left the team. The Blue Jays only scored 66 points against Oral Roberts Saturday and the only other two times they have been held under 80 points this season they responded with big wins in their next game and scored over 100 points in each contest. This included a big win over another Pac-12 team, Washington State, and that certainly is an indication of what to expect for Creighton tonight at Arizona State. The Blue Jays have covered 5 of 7 this season against teams with a winning record. The Sun Devils have gone an ugly 2-5 ATS against teams with a winning record. Revenge is on order tonight at Arizona State as the dangerous Blue Jays offense (53.8% from the field, 89.3 points per game, 44.4% from beyond the arc) responds off of a rare, poor performance. 10* Top Play CREIGHTON

NBA TV Blowout Smash - NBA Game #516 - Rickenbach 10* Top Play Houston Rockets (+) vs San Antonio Spurs @ 8:05 ET - The Spurs are off of a huge win over the Pelicans on Sunday on a night in which Tim Duncan's jersey was retired. San Antonio now travels the short distance to face Houston and I don't think they'll have enough left in the tank to get past a Rockets team that has its sight set on revenge. The Rockets lost to San Antonio in early November and that was the 4th time in 5 games that the Spurs have defeated Houston. The Rockets will have something to say about that tonight as they come into this game having won 10 straight games and they are fired up about the fact that they haven't defeated the Spurs in Houston since Christmas of last year. The Rockets have played a tougher schedule than San Antonio so far this season and Houston is 9-2 ATS (and 10-1 SU) when playing with revenge this season. Also, the Rockets are 13-1 SU (and 12-2 ATS) when they are off of a game where they allowed 105 points or more. I am aware of the Clint Capela injury for Houston but they are so highly motivated for this game and so well-rested (2 days off between games) that they'll make up for the absence of this gritty "hustle" player. The Spurs have covered 4 straight games but they've faced some weak opposition during this stretch and, prior to that, San Antonio had failed to cover 9 of its 13 prior games. The value here is with the home team as the line has now moved the other way to increase the value on a team that has revenge and a 10-game winning streak and home court all on their side! 10* Top Play HOUSTON

Early Contrarian Crusher - NBA Game #509 Tuesday - Rickenbach 8* Indiana Pacers (+) @ New York Knicks @ 7:35 ET - The Pacers don't even have to win this game for us to cash our ticket. That said, it is certainly noteworthy that Indiana comes into this match-up having won 7 straight games against the Knicks. The Pacers are likely catching New York at the right time too because the Knicks have lost 3 straight games and just returned home from a grueling 5-game trip out west. Coming back east after a lengthy road trip to the west is often very tough on teams in the first game back home and I fully expect that to be the case with the Knicks tonight. New York's defense is fading of late as they have allowed 47% or better from the field in 4 of their last 6 games. As for the Pacers, they have allowed just 40.3% from the field in their last 5 games combined. Look for Indiana to continue to rely on solid D as they look to make it 8 straight over the Knicks tonight. New York is 5-13 SU (including 0-2 this season) when they enter a game having played each of their three prior games on the road. 8* INDIANA

Watch-n-Win Crusher - CBB Game #711 Monday - Rickenbach 8* Eastern Michigan Eagles (+) @ Syracuse Orange @ 7 ET - As always, Syracuse is a "dangerous" team but they lost a lot of firepower (to say the least!) from an Orange team that was in the Final Four last season. The key to the value here is that last year's team is still fresh in the memory of the marketplace and Syracuse continues to have a tendency of being over-priced. I believe that is precisely the case here as the Orange are priced at more than a dozen in this one against an Eastern Michigan team that is one of the top teams in MAC. Yes, of course, the MAC is not the ACC but the point is that this Eagles team has a veteran-laden roster with strong guard play and a key to being competitive against a Jim Boeheim coached team is having veteran floor leaders and a solid backcourt. The Eagles have that covered and I look for them to be a tough "out" for the Orange tonight. Even though Syracuse is off of a loss this is a tough scheduling spot as they just played on Saturday. Yes it is true that Eastern Michigan also just played on Saturday as well but, keep in mind, the Eagles aren't the ones being asked to cover a large number in this game! Eastern Michigan is shooting 47% on the season and averaging 85 points per game. Certainly the Eagles defense is not on par with that of the Orange but their offense is dangerous and they can trade buckets with the Orange throughout this game. I look for Syracuse, off of a loss, to be content to "grind out a win" here and I don't see them covering this large number against a talented Eagles team. Also, the Orange have another game (St John's) on deck for Wednesday so this is part of a 3 games in 5 days stretch for Syracuse and Boeheim will manage the players' minutes accordingly. Conversely, Eastern Michigan has a small school on deck and that game is not until Thursday so the Eagles are "all in" for this game tonight! The Orange are 0-3 ATS this season in their games against teams with a winning record while the Eagles are already 3-1 ATS on the season. Those trends continue here. 8* EASTERN MICHIGAN

Contrarian Crusher - CBB Game #531 Sunday - Rickenbach 8* Western Michigan Broncos (+) @ Washington Huskies @ 8 ET - The Broncos and Huskies both are below .500 so far this season and certainly the Huskies are the better team from the bigger conference. However, I view this as a very difficult spot for Washington to cover a large impost. They've been off for over a week. So too have the Broncos but they're not being asked to cover a big number like the Huskies are. The last time Washington had a week of rest they then got blasted by 27 against Gonzaga as they had their worst shooting night of the season. They're a rather young team which can make the time off even more difficult. As for Western Michigan, they returned four starters from last season's team and they're early season schedule has been just as difficult as the Huskies so don't underestimate them here. Both teams lack in terms of defense but the Broncos can put up big points and that will allow them to trade buckets with the Huskies throughout this game in my opinion. The points are simply too much here for Washington in what is a challenging situation for an offense to be in rhythm. The Broncos are 7-4 ATS in their games against teams averaging 77 points or more per game. Washington is on a 4-7 ATS run in games after having 5 or 6 days of rest between games. 8* WESTERN MICHIGAN

Divisional Dominator - NBA Game #513 Sunday - Rickenbach 8* New Orleans Pelicans (+) @ San Antonio Spurs @ 7:05 ET - Tonight the Spurs will have a retirement ceremony for Tim Duncan so certainly it will be a big night at the AT & T Center in San Antonio. Also, I am well aware of the Anthony Davis injury situation (currently listed as questionable) for the Pelicans. The fact is that the Spurs haven't been blowing teams out with any regularity at all this season and this line is inflated due to both of the reasons noted above. Also, the Spurs do have a huge game on deck with the rival Rockets in Houston and New Orleans did not have Jrue Holiday available in the first match-up between these teams earlier this season. The Spurs won that game by 19 points and that is one of only 2 home wins by more than 10 points that San Antonio has this entire season. They've struggled to pull away in many of their wins and they're going to face an angry Pelicans team here. New Orleans is not happy about their blowout loss at Houston Friday (Davis was pulled half-way through 3rd quarter as a precaution) and they'll be fired up to get back on track tonight. New Orleans is 14-5 ATS in Sunday games the past three seasons. The Spurs are a different team without Duncan and San Antonio has gone only 4-7 ATS at home this season and just 1-3 ATS when playing with 2 days of rest. The Spurs want this win badly because of Duncan tonight and that pressure could lead to an "off" shooting night. Don't be surprised if the Pelicans keep this game much closer than many are expecting. 8* NEW ORLEANS

Never Lost Top Play - NBA Game #704 Saturday - Rickenbach 10* Top Play Detroit Pistons (-) vs Indiana Pacers @ 7:05 ET - The Pistons lost at Washington last night but the Wizards simply shot lights out as they hit a ridiculous 57% of their shots including 48% (12 of 25) from beyond the arc. Detroit, even though this is a back to back, is happy to be back home tonight. On the season they are 5-0, 100% ATS was a home favorite of 3.5 to 6 points. The Pistons will have extra fire and motivation for this game because they did lose their last home game (by 18 points) to the lowly Sixers so Detroit will bring a huge effort for the home fans tonight. The Pistons are hosting a Pacers team that is only 3-10 ATS on the road this season. The home team has taken each of the last three meetings between these teams and the average margin of victory in the last four meetings has been 13.5 points. I am very comfortable laying the small number with the home team in this one! 10* Top Play DETROIT PISTONS Saturday

Non-Conf Game of the Month - CBB Game #747 Saturday - Rickenbach 10* Top Play Rice Owls (+) @ Pittsburgh Panthers @ 7 ET - There is no doubt about it that even though these teams are both 8-2 on the season, the Panthers have played the much tougher schedule. However, with winning comes a lot of confidence and the Owls are filled with confidence right now. Keep in mind, this is a Rice team that returned their top five scorers from last season's team plus they brought back Marcus Jackson who had missed all of last season. So, essentially, the Owls brought back 6 top scorers as in the 2014-15 season, Jackson had averaged 14.5 points per game. Even though the Panthers have a decided edge in the frontcourt in this match-up, the weakness of Pittsburgh is that they do have some vulnerability to athletic backcourts and the Owls are certainly 'stacked' in that department! Not only is Rice full of confidence with an 8-2 record, note that their two losses came by a TOTAL of just three points! The Panthers are coming off of a full week off as they have not played since last Saturday when they defeated Penn State. That makes this a tough spot for Pittsburgh because it is tough to just hit the court and be firing on all cylinders after a long layoff and so being asked to win by 10 points or more here is asking a lot! 5 of the Panthers 8 wins this season have come by 8 points or less. They're not known for blowing teams out and lost key personnel from last season's team. Pittsburgh is actually on an ugly 12-23 ATS run in home games and poor 14-30 ATS run as a favorite. The Owls are a perfect 3-0 ATS as an underdog this season and head coach Mike Rhoades is in his 3rd season now and this team is starting to put it together as many teams often do when in the 3rd campaign of a coaching transition. 10* RICE OWLS plus the points Saturday evening

Contrarian Crusher - CBB Game #739 Saturday - Rickenbach 8* Cornell Big Red (+) @ Wyoming Cowboys @ 6 ET - The Cowboys will likely be a popular choice Saturday because Cornell has not played since November 30th! However, this is the "annual exam break" that the Big Red have and so it is not something they are completely unfamiliar with. Also, Cornell returned 97% of their statistical contributors from last season's team in terms of minutes, points, assists, and rebounds. The point is that this is more of a veteran team and they are familiar with having this long layoff between games. The Big Red have won 2 of their last 4 games and in the 0-3 stretch that started their season they lost those games by an average margin of just 7 points. That is significant here because Wyoming has not been blowing out teams this season. The Cowboys, though 7-2 on the season and though having played an easier schedule than Cornell, have seen their last 6 wins come by an average margin of only 6.7 points per game and NONE of the wins came by more than a dozen points. Also, it is hard to blowout an opponent when a team has had extra rest and the Cowboys have been off since playing last Saturday. When Wyoming enters a game having had 5 or 6 days of rest between games they have gone 0-5 ATS! Also, speaking of a failure to blowout lesser foes, the Cowboys are known for overlooking teams as they are 4-15 ATS the past three seasons in their games against teams with a losing record. First year Cornell coach Brian Earl (a star player at Princeton not too long ago) has brought a new energy and new attitude to this Big Red team and a trip to Spain in August (went 3-0) helped this team bond quicker with its new coaching staff. I know the Big Red record does not look good so far this season but they are starting to turn the corner and this team will not quit and that makes for a dangerous dog in a spot like this with Wyoming likely coming in sluggish. The Big Red are 28-14 ATS long-term in December games and they add another W to that record here. 8* CORNELL BIG RED early Saturday evening

High Noon Showdown - CBB Game #767 Saturday - Rickenbach 8* Arizona Wildcats (+) vs Texas A & M Aggies @ Lone Star Shootout @ Honda Center in Houston, Texas @ Noon ET - Even though this neutral site location certainly favors the Aggies in their home state, it still is not Texas A & M's home court. Don't be surprised if that ends up being an issue for A & M because they'll be facing arguably the toughest defense they've seen all season and I look for the Aggies to struggle to knock down shots in this one. After this line opened up at a pick'em it has now gone as high as a -3.5 on the Aggies and I see huge value on the underdog Wildcats as a result. Arizona, under Sean Miller, is well-coached and coming off of an easier portion of their schedule that allowed them to rest up some after a grueling start to the year. Though they are young, Arizona is playing extremely well and also has good size to match-up well with the Aggies solid frontcourt. That is another key to this match-up and is an area that the Cats should enjoy success in. The Wildcats have held 7 of their last 9 opponents to 40% or less from the field. The Aggies just allowed South Carolina State (!) to hit 43.8% from the field and, in their most recent game against a tougher team (ULCA), Texas A & M allowed the Bruins to hit 47.5% from the field. The Wildcats also are the better three point shooting team in comparison with the Aggies and Arizona defends the 3-point shot much better than A & M as well. The Wildcats are 3-0 SU and ATS against the SEC the past three seasons. Texas A & M is only on a 5-5 ATS run in December games while the Wildcats have dominated with an 11-6 ATS mark and 15-2 SU mark in the month of December. 8* ARIZONA WILDCATS early Saturday

Dam City Classic - CBB Game #525 Friday - 10* Top Play South Dakota Coyotes (+) vs Portland Pilots @ Moda Center in Portland, OR @ 8:30 ET - The Pilots returned much of their playing rotation from last season's team but they have a rookie head coach in former NBA player Terry Porter. The Coyotes lost all 5 starters from last year but are a bit of a "hidden gem" as coach Craig Smith (in his 6th season) brought in 3 Division 1 transfers prior to this season. That is a big edge for South Dakota as they brought in Matt Mooney (from Air Force), Carlton Hurst (from Colorado State), and Trey Dickerson (from Iowa). Keep in mind those guys are from much bigger programs than the Summit League that the Coyotes play in and even bigger schools than the West Coast Conference where Portland resides. That said, I am not surprised that South Dakota is already 7-2 ATS this season and I would also not be surprised to see them upset Portland in this game. Even though this game is being played in Portland it is not the Pilots home venue. That said, don't expect the Pilots offense to necessarily light it up here from downtown and they do rely heavily on their three point shooting. The Coyotes thrive in games projected to be higher scoring. In games with a posted total in the 140 to 149.5 range, South Dakota has gone 12-5 ATS the past three seasons while the Pilots have a 4-12 SU record in games with a posted total in that same range over the same time period. Also, both of these teams come in with extra rest and the Coyotes are 4-1 ATS when playing with 5 or 6 days of rest. The Pilots are on a 6-12 ATS run when playing with 7 or more days of rest. Also, when off of a game where they scored 80 points or more, Portland has gone 0-2 ATS this season and an ugly 4-13 ATS the past three seasons combined. The Pilots are off of a big win but previously had lost 3 of their last 4 games. The Coyotes come into this game having covered three straight games. Look for them to make it 4 straight as they are playing very well (and with confidence) under coach Smith who just celebrated his birthday with the team and now this will be the proverbial "icing on the cake" here. 10* SOUTH DAKOTA Friday night

ESPN Blowout Rout - NBA Game #516 Friday - Rickenbach 10* Top Play Philadelphia 76'ers (-) vs Los Angeles Lakers @ 8:05 ET - The Lakers have lost (and failed to cover!) all 8 of their games so far this month. There is no reason for that to change here. Yes, it is "only" the Sixers Friday night so, on the surface, it looks like this would be an ideal spot for the Lakers to snap their streak. However, the Sixers were playing quite well until coming up just short of the cover Wednesday. Admittedly, the 76'ers didn't deserve to cover that game as their defense allowed the Raptors to hit 47.1% from the field. However, prior to that ATS loss, the Sixers had covered 3 straight games and held all 4 opponents under 39.4% from the field. Unlike Philadelphia, Los Angeles has not been playing good defense. Prior to holding Brooklyn to 38.4% from the field on Wednesday, the Lakers had allowed their last 7 opponents to average a combined 50% from the field. It is no wonder that LA has been struggling badly and the home team did win both match-ups between these teams last year and the Sixers are hungry. Philly had enjoyed back to back road wins before the home loss to Toronto so they look to make up for that defeat Friday night. Philadelphia is 9-5 ATS this season when off of a game where they allowed 105 points or more. Also, the Sixers have gone 6-3 ATS against teams with a losing record this season. The Lakers have played 4 games against Atlantic Division opponents this season and they have not gotten the cash in a single game. Look for that trend to continue tonight. The Lakers are playing their 4th game in 6 nights while the Sixers are playing just their 3rd game in 8 nights. The fresh legs get the cash on their home floor tonight. 10* Top Play PHILADELPHIA 76'ers Friday night

Earliest Cash - CBB Game #712 Thursday - Rickenbach 8* George Washington Colonials (-) vs Central Florida Knights @ 7 ET - The Knights were already worried about a thin bench coming into the season and now the injuries to B.J. Taylor (#1 scorer) and Chance McSpadden (solid reserve) have exasperated the situation. Central Florida is off to a surprisingly strong start this season but they are coming off of a loss where they scored just 49 points and that could be a sign of things to come with Taylor out. Making this situation even worse for the Knights thin rotation is the fact that this will be their 3rd game in 5 days. UCF got blasted at home by the Colonials last December and now they have to face them at George Washington this December. The Colonials have won 4 of their last 5 games (including a big upset win of Temple). The only loss during this stretch was to Florida State and George Washington was a double digit dog for that game so it was expected. This is the Colonials "time of year" and they are proving it once again with their high level of play this month. They are 15-3 SU (and 10-6 ATS) in December games the past three seasons combined. The Knights are on a 5-8 ATS run in December games and they're really hurting without B.J. Taylor. George Washington won by 17 at Central Florida last season and while I expect this game to be closer, the margin should still be plenty for the cover. 7'6 300 lb Tacko Fall has certainly emerged in his sophomore season for the Knights but the Colonials have good size all over the floor and they did a great job against Fall in last season's match-up too. 8* GEORGE WASHINGTON Thursday

100% Never Lost System - NBA Game #514 Wednesday - Rickenbach 8* Houston Rockets (-) vs Sacramento Kings @ 8:05 ET - The Rockets are off of a non-covering win versus Brooklyn Monday. The significance in this is the fact that it was the 25th game for Houston this season and they have yet to have back to back ATS losses. Every time the Rockets have come off of an ATS loss they have covered their next game and I look for that trend to improve on the 7-0, 100% ATS mark on the season with another cover tonight. Houston is 9-2 ATS against teams with a losing record this season and they also have gone 11-2 ATS this season when they are off of a game where they allowed 105 points or more. The Kings are off of a rare win as they had lost 5 of their 6 prior games. The rare victory sets Sacramento up perfectly to get blown out here. When the Kings are off of a win by 10 points or more this season, they have gone 0-4 ATS! Also, in December games the past 3 seasons, Sacramento is on a combined 9-23 ATS run. Note the perfect trends above combine to make this an 11-0, 100% perfect ATS spot to play on the Rockets and against the Kings. 8* HOUSTON

Earliest Cash - CBB Game #525 Wednesday - Rickenbach 8* St Joseph's Hawks (+) @ Princeton Tigers @ 5 ET - Both teams are 4-4 so far this season. Although Princeton is at home for this one and the Tigers have the better defensive stats on the season, they have played the easier schedule. In other words, St Joseph's is undervalued here. They are getting significant points even though they've faced some tough competition and have gone 14-5 ATS in game with a posted total in the 130 to 139.5 range the past 3 seasons combined. Certainly the Hawks are in rebuilding mode after losing their 3 leading scorers from last season's team. However, St Joseph's turned the corner with their win at Drexel Sunday and that helps build confidence for this "still developing" team that is certainly well-coached under Phil Martelli who is in his 22nd year with the Hawks in Philly. The fact that St Joseph's has failed to cover 5 straight games is helping to inflate this line. Princeton has struggled every time they've stepped up in level of competition this season. The Tigers only wins are against Liberty, Hawaii, Rowan, and Lafayette. You may think Hawaii was a "big win" but Princeton was a double digit favorite for a reason in that one. Hawaii is only 4-5 on the season and their wins were against weak teams. The Tigers did return their full rotation from last year's team and that certainly helps them but this is still "Ivy League basketball" and the boys from Philly will have something to say about that in this ultra early game Wednesday. Princeton is on a 6-12 ATS run in non-conference action the past 3 seasons combined and they again appear to be over-priced here. 8* ST JOSEPH'S

ESPN Best Bet 10* - NBA Game #706 Tuesday - Rickenbach 10* Top Play Chicago Bulls (-) vs Minnesota Timberwolves @ 8:05 ET - The Bulls have had two full off days leading into this game so they are rested and ready physically. They lost both match-ups with the Timberwolves last season so they certainly are ready psychologically as well. The motivation is there, the fresh legs are there, and Minnesota is struggling badly. Not only are the T-wolves just 6-18 on the season, they have lost 8 of their last 9 games heading into this one. Also, Minnesota is on a 6-31 SU (11-26 ATS) run in December games. They're facing a Bulls team that is off of back to back wins but just had their first non-covering win of the season. Chicago's first 12 wins this season all were covers as well but they were a big home favorite versus Miami on Saturday and fell short of the cover. The Bulls are 22-8 SU (and 19-11 ATS) the past 3 seasons when they are playing with 2 days of rest between games. They have won and covered in this situation both times this year (2-0 SU and ATS) and Minnesota has gone 0-3 (SU and ATS) in road games with a posted total between 205 and 209.5 points this season. So here were are testing a combined 5-0, 100% ATS spot this season and certainly the situational factors are there for a Bulls blowout win. 10* Top Play CHICAGO BULLS Monday evening

PA Insider 10* - CBB Game #713 Tuesday - Rickenbach 10* Top Play Temple Owls (+) @ Villanova Wildcats @ 7 ET - This is one of those Big Five games in Philly and this one is being played on the Main Line as Villanova does battle with Temple. With those not from the area or not familiar with the "Big Five" series it certainly is a big deal in the Philadelphia area. This is why, even though Villanova is currently ranked #1 in the nation and also are the reigning NCAA Champs, I have no qualms about backing the Owls in this spot. Temple won't be intimidated all in this big game and the points are simply too much here as I expect the Owls to be able to stay within single digits throughout this game. They recently welcomed back senior guard Josh Brown and he's gradually been increasing his minutes (and his overall production) in each of the four games since returning from the injury to his left Achilles. In his absence, Shizz Alston has done a great job with the ball handling and that has made the rotation even deeper in the backcourt. Daniel Dingle is a solid swingman who is a great defender and then big man Obi Enechionyia is having a huge season with big scoring (including knocking down big threes) and his rebounding and shot blocking. The point is that, while Temple is certainly not on the same level as Villanova (of course!), they definitely are a well-rounded team with good inside-out balance and they are very well coached under Fran Dunphy who is in the 28th year of his career. The Owls play solid defense and they also (just like Villanova) are knocking down 39% of their threes so far this season. The 3-ball also helps big dogs to "hang around" in a game and I like the balanced attack of Temple to make them a dangerous dog in this one. The Owls are already 5-0 ATS as an underdog this season and they've gone 9-2 ATS the last 3 seasons combined in their games against teams that are averaging 77 points or more per game. The Wildcats are 1-4 ATS this season as a favorite of 14 points or more. 10* Top Play TEMPLE OWLS Tuesday evening

Bulldog's Best - CBB Game #520 Monday - Rickenbach 10* Top Play Seton Hall Pirates (-) vs South Carolina Gamecocks @ 9 ET - The Gamecocks rallied, as teams often do, in their first game without star player, forward Sindarius Thornwell, who is current suspended. South Carolina "rallied the troops" and everyone was anxious to "pick up the slack" and the Gamecocks won 70-54 in their first game without him. That brings South Carolina to a perfect 8-0 on the season. However, that win came against Florida International and it was over a week ago. Not only could there be some "rust" here for the Gamecocks, they also are facing a much tougher foe in what will be just their 2nd game without Thornwell. Seton Hall is a solid 7-2 on the season and the Pirates brought most everybody back from the team that knocked off Villanova in the Big East tourney last spring. The point is that this is a solid Big East team that also, unlike South Carolina, has all hands on deck! Seton Hall will be playing their 4th game so far this month so, unlike the Gamecocks, there will be no rust for the Pirates. Seton Hall wrapped up a Hawaii trip on Wednesday so they've had ample time to come back and adjust their body clocks as they've had the ideal amount of rest leading into this game. Enough time off to be rested but not so much that they're not game-ready! The Pirates are amped up about an opportunity to knock off a ranked, undefeated foe. They'll be the hungrier team tonight in a game where South Carolina will really miss Thornwell. The Gamecocks have a long-term mark of 5-14 ATS when playing with 7 or more days of rest. The Pirates are 13-3 ATS when they are off of a game where they allowed 60 points or less. 10* Top Play SETON HALL PIRATES Monday night