Situational Slaughter - NBA Game #504 Monday - 10* Top Play Toronto Raptors (-) vs Milwaukee Bucks @ 7:35 ET - The Raptors have been a "covering machine" this season and, at some point, there is sure to be a correction. However, this is not likely to be that point. Toronto has had two full off days leading into this one and they have the "lowly" Sixers on deck. The Raptors are 4-1 SU and ATS when playing with two days of rest this season. The Bucks situation is quite different as they are off of a loss at Washington that was a hard fought defeat and Milwaukee will now be playing their 3rd game in 4 nights. Also, on deck for the Bucks is a home and home set with the Bulls and Chicago is a key division rival of Milwaukee. The Bucks are 25-65 SU in their last 90 games against teams with a winning record and this line has crept down to a 7.5 and, of course, the lower it gets the more likely any SU win will also be an ATS win. Many of the Raptors recent wins have been blowout wins so I am very comfortable stepping in at this level. Toronto's last 8 wins have come by an average margin of victory of 20 points per game! Most of the Bucks losses this season have been close but the rested Raptors have the fresh legs in this one and 8 of the Raptors 9 home wins this season have come by at least 9 points. Lay it! 10* Top Play TORONTO RAPTORS early Monday evening

Earliest Cash - CBB Game #518 Monday - Rickenbach 8* Boston College Eagles (+) vs Auburn Tigers @ 6:30 ET - The Tigers certainly are the better team but they've been off since December 3rd and, in fact, this will be just the 2nd game for Auburn since they played on November 29th. This is the kind of "lull" in the action that can lead to "rust" and that certainly makes it difficult to win by a double digit margin in a neutral site game against an ACC foe. Boston College is definitely one of the worst teams in the Atlantic Coast Conference but they have an edge here in that they are a 3-point shooting team (39% on the season) and they are playing their 4th game in the past 10 days. The Eagles, unlike the Tigers, are in a good playing "rhythm" and I expect them to hang tough in this game. After this one Boston College has a weak team on deck and that game is almost a full week away so they certainly want to make this one count. The Eagles have lost two straight but both defeats came by 8 points or less. Auburn has won 3 of their last 4 but all 3 wins came by a margin of 7 points or less. In games with a posted total in the 140s the Tigers have gone 9-16 (36%) ATS. The Eagles are a long-term 7-3 (70%) ATS in neutral court games with a posted total between 145 and 149.5 points. 8* BOSTON COLLEGE early Monday evening

Contrarian Crusher - CBB Game #735 Sunday - Rickenbach 8* UC-Irvine Anteaters (+) @ St Mary's Gaels @ 8 ET - Clearly the Gaels - ranked team from a bigger conference - are the better team in this match-up. However, I am using the same premise I used earlier this week when Colorado upset Xavier and that's "unbeaten letdown". The Musketeers had just suffered their first loss of the season and while many looked for them to bounce back, Xavier was sluggish and ended up losing outright to the Buffaloes. Now, in this case, I certainly don't expect an outright upset, but I do expect this game to be much closer than many expected. Keep in mind, St Mary's just lost by 14 points as a 15 point favorite so the Gaels were way off the mark. That was on Thursday and now this will be just their 2nd game this month so it's not completely surprising that St Mary's is having some issues with being a little "rusty" so far in December. They're taking on a Cal-Irvine team that is off of a game against a weak foe but the blowout win still helps in terms of confidence-building and the Anteaters shot the ball very well in that game. UC-Irvine is actually playing better defense (in terms of FG % allowed) so far this season in comparison with the Gaels. Also, the Anteaters have lost the last two match-ups with St Mary's by a TOTAL of only 13 points and here they are getting more than that in this game. With the low O/U number posted on this game you can see that a low-scoring game is expected here and I just don't see the Gaels getting the margin they need to cover this. Note that St Mary's is already 0-2 ATS a home fave of 12.5 points or more this season. The Anteaters thrive at the betting window in games like this as they are 8-2 ATS in games against teams that are allowing less than 64 points per game. Look for a tight, low-scoring battle to make the big points the way to go in this one. 8* UC-IRVINE ANTEATERS Sunday evening

Half Off Special - NBA Game #703 Sunday - Rickenbach 8* Boston Celtics (+) @ Oklahoma City Thunder @ 7:05 ET - The Thunder are off of a loss and another loss is likely here as the Thunder have been one of the streakiest teams in the NBA this season. Oklahoma City has not had a 1 game winning "streak" this season. Also, the Thunder have had just one 1 game losing "streak" this season. OKC has been a very "patterned" team with 4 winnings streaks of at least 2 games and 2 losing streaks of at least 3 games. The Thunder are off of a loss Thursday versus Houston and, while many may look for the bounce back here, it is likely that another streak is building. Oklahoma City will face an angry Boston team as the Celtics are off of a loss two. Even though they will again be without Isaiah Thomas, Boston has played quite well even though he's been out. The Celtics simply shot the ball very poorly in Thursday's loss to the Raptors and that was the difference in the game. Boston is 9-4 ATS on the road this season and 11-3 ATS as a road dog of 3.5 to 6 points the last 3 seasons combined. Oklahoma City is 2-4 (SU and ATS) in their games against teams with a winning record this season and they are 7-17 ATS the past three seasons combined in their games against Atlantic Division opponents. 8* BOSTON CELTICS plus the points Sunday

Contrarian Smash - NBA Game #503 Saturday - Rickenbach 8* Milwaukee Bucks (+) @ Washington Wizards @ 7:05 ET - Even though this is a back to back spot for the Bucks they are still in a "play on" situation here. That's because Milwaukee blew a 20 point half-time lead at home against the Hawks last night. The Bucks players will be fired up after the way they let that game get away from them in the 3rd and 4th quarters and most everyone logged less than 30 minutes in the game so Milwaukee will be a little fresher here than you might expect for a back to back. Also, the Wizards are off of a comeback win Thursday and with the Bucks off of a big blown lead last night, they'll be hungry to get revenge against a Wizards team that has given them trouble in recent meetings. Milwaukee will be looking to avenge 4 straight losses at Washington. The Wizards are only 2-5 ATS against teams with a winning record this season and also only 2-5 ATS in games with a posted total of 210 points or more this season. Even though this is a back to back for Milwaukee it is the first one they've had since mid-November so they should still have "fresh legs" tonight. Also, the Bucks are 5-2 ATS in games with a posted total of 210 points or more this season. 8* MILWAUKEE BUCKS plus the points in early evening action Saturday

Top Play Smash - CBB Game #564 Saturday - Rickenbach 10* Top Play Ohio State Buckeyes (-) vs Connecticut Huskies @ 6 ET - Big revenge game for OSU as they got embarrassed in a 20-point loss to Connecticut last season. The Huskies simply shot "lights out" in that game and that was the difference as the Buckeyes only made 35.7% of their shots and UConn topped 60% which, of course, is very unusual. The set up for this game Saturday is perfect because there is much more to it than just the revenge angle. The Buckeyes are off of an embarrassing home loss to Florida Atlantic. Ohio State lost that game by a bucket and they were a 20-point favorite in the game! The Buckeyes were clearly looking ahead to this game. As for the Huskies, they are off of a huge upset win over Syracuse. That makes Connecticut ripe for a letdown here and that was the 2nd straight game that the Huskies have shot poorly and have been held under 53 points. Both of these clubs are solid defensively but Ohio State is the much better team on offense with better shooters and better overall point production. In road games with a posted total of 130 to 134.5 points, the Huskies have gone 5-18 ATS. With the low total posted on this game you can see that the odds maker are expecting a bit of a grudge match here and Connecticut simply won't be able to keep up with Ohio State on the score board. The Buckeyes are 7-1 SU (and 46-7 SU long-term) in home games with a posted total in a range of 130 to 134.5 points and OSU is fired up for revenge here. That said, I am forecasting not only the SU win but a big, dominating revenge win by double digits. 10* Top Play OHIO STATE BUCKEYES for a Smash of the spread in this one early Saturday evening

Rivalry Rout - CBB Game #537 Saturday - Rickenbach 8* Wisconsin Badgers (-) @ Marquette Golden Eagles @ 2 PM ET - Revenge game for the Badgers as they lost a tight one to the Golden Eagles last December. Wisconsin attempted 20 more shots than did Marquette in that game but the Eagles simply shot lights out and that was the difference in the victory - albeit just a two point margin. The Badgers are the more experienced team in this year's match-up and they come in shooting the ball very well as Wisconsin has made at least 49% from the field in 4 straight games. Marquette has also shot the ball well but the Badgers have faced the tougher competition. In the Golden Eagles three most recent games against tougher competition they were held to 46% against Georgia and 40% in each of their games against Pittsburgh and Michigan. Note that Wisconsin's recent hot streak shooting has included games against Oklahoma and Syracuse. The Badgers also should hold a big rebounding edge in this match-up. Wisconsin is 5-1 SU (and 4-2 ATS) as a favorite this season. The Golden Eagles are on a 13-27 ATS run in home games and are an ugly 5-11 ATS when off of a game where they allowed 80 points or more. 8* WISCONSIN BADGERS minus the short number Saturday

Southeast Divisional Game of the Month - NBA Game #701 Friday - 10* Top Play Orlando Magic (+) @ Charlotte Hornets @ 7:05 ET - The Magic are off of one of the worst performances as they lost by 30 points at Boston. That is the kind of performance that absolutely fires up a team for their next game and, keep in mind, Orlando had been playing very competitive basketball prior to the beatdown at the hands of the Celtics. The Magic had won and covered 4 of their 5 prior games. Also, looking further back, Orlando had gone 6-5 in their 11 prior games and the average margin of defeat in the 5 losses was just 4.2 points. The fact is that Orlando had been in every game their past 11 and I fully expect them to be in this one too after the embarrassing blowout loss at Boston. Note that Orlando is a perfect 3-0 ATS this season in road games with a posted total between 200 and 204.5 points. Also, the Magic failed to cover in their last visit to Charlotte but, prior to that, Orlando had covered each of their prior visits. This has been a road-dominated series at the betting window with the road team getting the cash 6 of the last 8 games. The Hornets are off of a double digit win but they pulled away late for the 10 point victory and the final score certainly is deceiving in terms of how the game truly played out. Charlotte is now off of back to back wins and covers but previously had covered only 2 of their 9 prior games. The Hornets only sank 34% of their shots against Detroit Wednesday. As a home favorite of 6.5 to 9 points, Charlotte has gone just 5-8 ATS and they've also covered just 3 of 8 games against teams with a losing record this season. 10* Top Play ORLANDO MAGIC plus the points Friday

RARE TNT Top - NBA Game #512 Thursday - Rickenbach 10* Top Play Chicago Bulls (+) vs San Antonio Spurs @ 9:35 ET - The Spurs still get a ton of respect from the odds makers and the betting markets and are certainly still one of the top teams in the NBA. However, this team is clearly not the same team since Tim Duncan retired and Manu Ginoboli and Tony Parker arent' getting any younger. Also, coach Gregg Popovich has lost a little bit of his "fire" since Duncan retired and the result is that the Spurs just aren't dominating the way they use to. In fact their having to scratch and claw their way to many of their wins and now they're in the wrong place at the wrong time. The home team has swept the season series between the Bulls and Spurs each of the last two years and Chicago comes into this game fired up off of 3 straight SU and ATS losses. This was preceded by an 8-2 ATS run for the Bulls. For the Spurs, they are off of a rare big win (by 14 at Minnesota) Tuesday as they had previously gone just 3-8 ATS in their 11 prior games. With San Antonio off of a big double digit win and Chicago off of three straight losses, look for the Bulls to be the hungrier team here. Chicago has gone 9-4 SU (and 10-3 ATS) the last 3 seasons when they enter a game on a losing streak of 3 games or more. 10* Top Play CHICAGO BULLS plus the points Thursday night

Rivalry Rout - CBB Game #520 Thursday - Rickenbach 8* Iowa Hawkeyes (+) vs Iowa State Cyclones @ 8 ET - How can Iowa possibly make up for last season when they blew a 20 point lead at Iowa State? As the saying goes, turnabout is fair play! The Hawkeyes are again the unranked team, but they are now at home, and battling their ranked in-state rival. Iowa State comes into this game with the better record and certainly (on paper) would seem to be the play in this game. However, as the Cyclones well know, the game isn't played "on paper" and just like they rallied for an improbable win over the Hawkeyes last season, don't be surprised if underdog Iowa is the one getting the last laugh this season. That crazy win (came with 9 seconds left) last season was the 3rd straight win for the Cyclones in this series. Iowa State has never won 4 straight in the series. Also, although the Cyclones have certainly been the better team on defense so far this season, the Hawkeyes can put up big points (just like Iowa State does) and you can bet that Iowa is going to bring their most intense defensive effort so far this season in tonight's huge rivalry game. Certainly the Hawkeyes are very well coached under veteran Fran McCaffery. Iowa State has gone 3-7 ATS in road games with a posted total of 155 to 159.5 points. The Cyclones are also 1-4 ATS against teams with a losing record and, surprisingly, are also a long-term 6-13 ATS when they face a poor defensive team (allowing an average of 77 points or more per game). Iowa is 12-6 ATS as a home dog of 3.5 to 6 points and also is 31-8 SU in home games the last 2+ seasons. Revenge time. 8* IOWA HAWKEYES plus the points Thursday 

Earliest Cash - NBA Game #501 Thursday - Rickenbach 8* Denver Nuggets (+) @ Washington Wizards @ 7:05 ET - The Nuggets overlooked the Nets last night and didn't start "playing" until it was too late. Denver did come all the way back from a huge deficit and had the ball with a chance to tie it late but they turned it over and blew that opportunity. Overall, they know they let a game get away last night that they had no business losing. Teams respond strong after games like that and that means the Wizards are going to get Denver's best effort tonight because the Nuggets know they can't afford another slow start. Look for Denver to jump on the Wizards from the opening tip. The Nuggets are still 8-3 ATS on the road this season and 21-11 ATS the last 3 seasons combined when they are on the road and the posted total on the game is 210 points or more. The Wizards are 1-5 ATS this season in games with a posted total of 210 points or more. Also, Washington is off of a divisional game (home loss to Orlando) and they are 1-4 SU and ATS when off of a divisional game this season. The fact is that a Northwest Division foe is not going to get the same attention an Atlantic Division foe will get from the Wizards and, in fact, Washington is on a 7-14 ATS run in games against teams from the Northwest Division the past three seasons combined. 8* DENVER NUGGETS

Rivalry Rout - CBB Game #745 Wednesday - Rickenbach 8* Creighton Blue Jays (-) @ Nebraska Cornhuskers @ 9 ET - The Blue Jays are undefeated so far this season and they undoubtedly will get tripped up soon but I don't see that happening tonight and will take advantage of the downward line move that has occurred on this one. Creighton has held the upper hand in this series with Nebraska for many years. Currently the run for the Blue Jays is 15-5 ATS the last 20. Certainly the Cornhuskers would love nothing more than to be the ones to put the first blemish on Creighton's unbeaten season record thusfar. However, this Huskers team does not even look as strong as others that the Blue Jays have dominated in recent meetings. The Cornhuskers lost their two best players from last season, Andrew White and Shavon Shields, and are truly a young team in terms of scholarship players. The way Creighton has been shooting the ball this season, and the fact they're use to playing at Nebraska every other season, means another night of "raining threes" is quite likely as the Blue Jays are knocking down an average of 10 three pointers a game so far this season! Creighton's 3-point shooting has cooled off of late but they're still on fire inside the arc and, amazingly, have made at least 50% of their shots from the field in all 8 of their games this season. For comparison sake note that the Huskers have been held under 42.5% from the field in 4 straight games! The Cornhuskers are also 14-39 SU and 17-33 ATS the past three seasons combined in their games against teams with a winning record. Creighton is off of a non-covering win against Akron but, with the small number on this game, and with a 15-5 SU mark in this series with Nebraska too, I look for the Blue Jays to get right back into the ATS win column here. 8* CREIGHTON BLUE JAYS minus the short number Wednesday night

Contrarian Crusher - CBB Game #748 Wednesday - Rickenbach 8* Colorado Buffaloes (+) vs Xavier Musketeers @ 9 ET - After opening up right around a pick'em this line has shot all the way up to -3 on Xavier. I will take the contrarian role in this one as I expect Xavier to suffer from "unbeaten letdown" in this one. Before their loss (by 15 points at Baylor) Saturday, the Musketeers were off to a 7-0 start and flying high. However, other than against Northern Iowa (whom they played twice and whom is fine playing methodical basketball) and Buffalo (who was over-matched), the Musketeers defense truly has not been all that impressive this season. In 4 of the 5 "other games" not played against the Panthers or Bulls, the Musketeers allowed at least 76 points. Also, in all 5 of those games, Xavier did allow at least 41.5% shooting from the field. For comparison sake, note that the Buffaloes have allowed just 37.6% from the field on the season. Coach Tad Boyle is doing a fantastic job with the recruiting and player development he has done at Colorado and, keep in mind, they returned most everyone from last year's NCAA Tourney team. As for Xavier, they certainly are still hurting some without the services of senior guard Myles Davis. Certainly the Musketeers want to bounce back off the loss they just suffered but that is tough to do on the road and facing a quality Pac-12 team. Colorado is looking for that "marquee" early season win and this is easily their biggest home game prior to conference play getting underway. In other words, the Buffaloes are fully focused on the task at hand here and I look for the Musketeers to drop to 2-5 ATS the L7 times they've been a road favorite of 3 points or less. The Buffaloes have an 18-7 ATS mark as a home dog of 3 points or less and all 18 wins were outright wins! 8* COLORADO BUFFALOES plus the small number Wednesday night

Top Play Annihilation - NBA Game #705 Wednesday - Rickenbach 10* Top Play Denver Nuggets (-) @ Brooklyn Nets @ 7:35 ET - The Nets have lost 10 of their last 11 games. The key thing about Brooklyn is they often don't just lose, they get annihilated. 7 of the Nets 10 losses have come by a margin of at least 17 points which is actually quite incredible when you think about it. They're just not even in a lot of their games. All 10 of the losses during this 1-10 stretch have come by at least 5 points which is what makes Denver even a more attractive play here since they are a short favorite of less than 5 points at the time of this posting. The Nuggets have done well as travelers for their backers as Denver is 8-2 ATS away from home this season! Also, the Nuggets have fared particularly well in games that are projected to be high-scoring as they are 4-0 ATS this season in road games with a posted total of 210 or more. This total is well above that as the Nets are one of the worst defensive clubs in the league. Denver is also a perfect 4-0 ATS against Atlantic Division opponents this season. The Nuggets results of late don't look that great but keep in mind that was against some tough opponents. They have taken care of business against weaker foes like recent road games at Philadelphia and Phoenix. The last key here to this pick is that the Nets have swept the home and home season series from the Nuggets each of the past two seasons and last year's two Brooklyn wins each came by only a single point. Teams don't forget tight losses like that and that ensures proper focus from the road fave here and a big revenge win can be expected. 10* Top Play DENVER NUGGETS minus the short number Wednesday evening

Earliest Cash - NBA Game #701 Wednesday - Rickenbach 8* Detroit Pistons (+) @ Charlotte Hornets @ 7:05 ET - The Pistons are off of a big divisional win over Chicago yesterday so many will be looking to fade them here. However, Detroit is actually 26-10 ATS the past 3 seasons when they are off of a divisional game so it truly has not slowed them down. Also, the Pistons are 4-1 SU and ATS against Southeast Division opponents this season and Detroit has played a tougher schedule than Charlotte so far this season. The Pistons come into this game on a 6-2 run (both SU and ATS) and they're facing a Hornets team that is off of a win and cover at Dallas but that had previously gone just 3-6 SU and 2-7 ATS their last 9 games. Clearly this match-up is a case of two teams heading in opposite directions and Charlotte has not fared well in this role either. As a home favorite of 3.5 to 6 points, the Hornets are on an 8-15 ATS run including 0-4 ATS this season! Grab the line value here with the road dog. 8* DETROIT PISTONS plus the points early Wednesday evening

Contrarian Crusher - NBA Game #507 Tuesday - Rickenbach 8* Philadelphia 76'ers (+) @ Memphis Grizzlies @ 8:05 ET - Many will look at the Grizzlies here because of the Sixers perennial losing, the 76'ers current losing streak, and the fact that Joel Embiid will likely not play tonight after playing last night in Philadelphia. That is why this is a contrarian play but the fact is that Philly is in a better "position" here than the Grizzlies are and plus their getting a good number of points as well so there is great underdog value. Memphis got a 110-108 win at New Orleans but it certainly did not come without a price. The Grizzlies had to go to double-overtime to get it and they were already short-handed. That said, a Memphis team that only dressed 10 players last night and that had 5 players log 40 minutes or more in last night's game is not in a good spot here. The Grizzlies will be tired and also could get caught being complacent here too. After all, they're at home now and hosting a 4-17 Sixers team so what's there to worry about? Of course that is where the trouble starts and I would not be surprised to see the 76'ers spring the upset here but certainly the value here is in grabbing the big points. Philadelphia is 40-25 ATS in non-conference games the past three seasons and the 76'ers are 7-4 ATS this season when playing with home loss revenge. Memphis is 4-7 ATS the past three seasons as a home favorite of 6.5 to 9 points and the Grizzlies are 0-3 ATS against Atlantic Division opponents this season. Add it all up and you have a 57-33 (63%) ATS spot in favor of the road dog in this one. 8* PHILADELPHIA 76'ers Tuesday

Earliest Cash - CBB Game #529 Tuesday - 8* East Carolina Pirates (+) @ Virginia Cavaliers @ 7 ET - I am well aware of the fact that the 7-2 Pirates have played an easy schedule so far this season and that the 7-1 Cavaliers are off of their first loss of the season and that it was also a rare home loss for Virginia. However, one can not ignore the fact that East Carolina knew they had to improve their defense coming into the season and they have done just that. The Pirates are allowing only 59.2 points per game and have held opponents to 34.7% from the field which, coincidentally, is the exact same percentage as the vaunted Cavaliers defense has allowed. Now, once again, I am certainly mindful of the fact that East Carolina has not played the level of competition that the Cavs have. Also, I know that the Pirates certainly are not nearly the level of team that Virginia is. However, East Carolina is playing solid defense, they are one of the nation's leading teams in rebounding, and they are getting 20+ points here as a big dog that could very well play out as an ugly, low-scoring grudge match (note the low O/U posted on this game). The Cavaliers offense has been held to 63 points or less in 3 straight games and the Pirates can absolutely hang around in this one. East Carolina has gone 9-2 ATS as a road dog of 18.5 to 24 points. Virginia has gone 4-7 ATS as a home favorite of 18.5 to 24 points. This number is simply too big and it's offering great line value on a scrappy underdog that is hustling this season (note the numbers on defense and on the boards). 8* EAST CAROLINA plus the big points Tuesday

Contrarian Top Play - CBB Game #527 Tuesday - Rickenbach 10* Top Play Old Dominion Monarchs (+) @ Rhode Island Rams @ 7 ET - Old Dominion is known for playing solid defense and crashing the boards. Those two variables tend to make the Monarchs a dangerous dog and, in this case, Old Dominion is the benefactor of too many points. The Rams are off of a loss at Providence Saturday and that is inflating this line as Rhode Island is in a bounce back spot here. The problem with the "bounce back" angle on the Rams here is the fact that the Friars are a huge rival of theirs and to again lose (and it was a tight loss) to their in-state rival is a bitter pill to swallow. Rhode Island will be doing good just to muster enough energy just to win this game, let alone cover it, after they truly "gave it their all" Saturday at Providence. Keep in mind the Rams are on a 1-5 ATS run as they've only gone 3-3 SU in their last 6 games and, by the way, Rhode Island did not have a single win by more than 9 points in this stretch and the average margin of those 6 games was just 6 points. Old Dominion is allowing only 58.6 points per game this season and their two losses were to LSU and Louisville. Both defeats came by only 6 points and they were a huge dog against the Cardinals. The Monarchs won't be intimidated here - just like they weren't against Louisville) and Rhode Island is not only off of the tough loss to the Friars, they also have a solid 7-1 Houston team on deck. This is a definite flat spot in the schedule for the Rams. Yes, I know Old Dominion beat Rhode Island last year so there is a revenge factor here for the Rams but, trust me, Saturday's game meant a ton to Rhode Island and they are a deflated team which makes it difficult to cover a big spread. Even if the Rams win here it will likely be a tight win. Look for Rhode Island to drop to 4-10 ATS in Tuesday games while the Monarchs improve to a perfect 5-0 ATS as an underdog. 10* Top Play OLD DOMINION MONARCHS plus the big points Tuesday.

Situational Slaughter - NBA Game #710 Monday - Rickenbach 8* New Orleans Pelicans (-) vs Memphis Grizzlies @ 8:05 ET - It looks funny to see a 13-8 Grizzlies team open up as a 6.5 point dog against a 7-14 Pelicans team, doesn't it? Of course the whole world jumped all over Memphis in this match-up and the line quickly dropped to as low as a 3.5 in some spot. I am 'fading the masses' as usual in this one as the line has settled in right around a -4 on New Orleans and I see great line value for the Pelicans in this situation. The Grizzlies are off of a very late win (and 1/2 point cover) that they rallied to get against the Lakers Saturday night. Memphis is still hurting without the services of Mike Conley at point guard. Now the Grizzlies face an angry Pelicans team that is off of back to back losses. The consecutive defeats included one at home where New Orleans had won 5 straight. Speaking of 5 straight, the Grizzlies won all 4 match-ups with the Pelicans last season and also won the first match-up this season. In other words, payback is on the minds of New Orleans in this one as they also look to start their next big home winning streak. The Pelicans are 10-5 ATS when playing with revenge this season and the Grizzlies defense has regressed recently as they have allowed 105 points per game in their last 5 games. New Orleans did lose at Oklahoma City yesterday but they simply had an "off" shooting night at 36.7% from the field. When the Pelicans are off of a shooting performance under 40% this season (4 times) they have averaged 110.5 points per game in their next game. That' significant here because the Grizzlies, sans Conley, are unlikely to be able to score enough to keep up in this one. Lay the short number with the Pelicans. 8* NEW ORLEANS PELICANS Monday evening

Top Play Annihilation - Scott "The Bulldog" Rickenbach NBA Game #711 Saturday - 10* Top Play Chicago Bulls (-) @ Dallas Mavericks @ 8:35 ET - This line went all the way from an opener of -7 down to as low as a -3 and this is offering tremendous line value on the Bulls. Yes I know Chicago is off of a big win at Cleveland and this is a back to back spot. However, they did lose BOTH games with the Mavericks last season so a little payback is on order tonight. Even though Wade is out for the Bulls, the Mavs are still without Nowitzki. Also, we're still talking about a Dallas team that is only 3-15 on the season and only 1 of their 18 games has been decided by less than 5 points! In other words, the odds are certainly in our favor that the Bulls not only win this game but also win it by 5 points or more. Chicago is currently on a red hot 8-2 ATS run and they've covered 2 of 3 this season when off of an upset win as an underdog while Dallas is 2-5 ATS when off of a loss by double digits. In other words, a Mavericks bounce back here is unlikely and that is why I expect the Bulls to get their revenge even though they are off of the big win over the Cavs. 10* Top Play CHICAGO BULLS

Contrarian Crusher - Scott "The Bulldog" Rickenbach NBA Game #709 Saturday - 8* Los Angeles Lakers (+) @ Memphis Grizzlies @ 8:05 ET - The Lakers got blasted 113-80 at Toronto last night. The Grizzlies are off of a hard-fought come from behind win over the Magic Thursday. One could argue that the Lakers will have more "left in the tank" than Memphis even though it is LA that is in a back to back spot. Los Angeles certainly is highly motivated after last night's embarrassing result and they've gone 4-2 straight-up this season when off of a loss by 10 points or more. The Lakers have only failed to cover once in those six games! The Grizzlies have been hurt by injuries (especially the loss of point guard Mike Conley) and they have a divisional opponent (New Orleans) on deck. This line was a pick'em and then moved all the way up as high as a -3 on the Grizz. This line looked funny, didn't it? Don't be fooled. Fade the move and grab the hungry underdog that is ready to respond off of last night's embarrassment where, keep in mind, only two players logged more than 25 minutes and no one logged more than 35 minutes. 8* LOS ANGELES LAKERS

Top Ten Top Play - Scott "The Bulldog" Rickenbach CBB Game #787 Saturday - 10* Top Play Akron Zips (+) @ Creighton Blue Jays @ 8 ET - The Blue Jays are off to such a fantastic start (7-0 SU, 6-1 ATS, 46.5% 3-pointers) that the odds makers have had to over-adjust. The result is fantastic line value in this spot. Akron certainly has played a weaker schedule than has Creighton. However, the Zips were one of the top teams in the MAC last season and they will be again this season. We are getting extra line value here because, even though Akron is 6-1 SU on the season they are only 1-3 ATS. The fact is that the Zips match up very well with the Blue Jays and that means this game is likely to play out much closer than many are expecting. Akron, like Creighton, loves the 3-ball. The Zips, like the Blue Jays have great size in the paint. Also, both teams have deep rotations. The result will be a very evenly matched contest and the kicker is that Creighton has a big game with in-state rival Nebraska on deck while Akron has an unexciting match-up with Coppin State up next. The result will be the Zips definitely "leaving it all on the floor" tonight and they're excited about this opportunity against a Top Ten and I expect them to make the most of it. Creighton snuck out a cover over Buffalo Tuesday but they face a much tougher MAC team in this match-up and the Blue Jays are simply over-priced here. 10* Top Play AKRON ZIPS

Rivalry Rout - Scott "The Bulldog" Rickenbach CBB Game #765 Saturday - 8* Rhode Island Rams (-) @ Providence Friars @ 4:30 ET - Big revenge game for Rhode Island. This is a huge rivalry but Providence has certainly held the upper hand in recent meetings. That is a key as to why the Rams are the play here. Not only are they highly motivated, they also are the deeper team with more experience and depth in comparison with the Friars. Look for star guard E.C. Matthews to have a big game as he has been "streaky" with his shooting so far this season as he is still recovering from a torn ACL early last season. Certainly they Rams have been holding him back a bit to save him for the upcoming conference schedule but they will take the reins off of him for this huge rivalry game and I expect a strong effort from him. Certainly the Rams have plenty of other scoring options as they returned most of their key contributors from last season and already have 5 guys averaging double digits (or close to it) this season. By contrast the Friars rely heavily on Rodney Bullock (22 ppg) and you can bet he will be the focus of the RI defense. As a team Providence is shooting 43.2% from the field while the Rams are at 49.3% from the field. The Rams are 12-6 ATS in games with a posted total in the 120s while the Friars are 8-19 ATS in games where they are a home dog of 3 points or less. 8* RHODE ISLAND RAMS

Contrarian Cash - Rickenbach NBA Game #508 Friday - 8* New York Knicks (-) vs Minnesota Timberwolves @ 7:35 ET - The very first lines that popped up on this game when released yesterday showed the Knicks at -4.5 and they've quickly come down from there and are now all the way down to a -2 as of early Friday morning. I understand the move because this is a chance for "right back revenge" for the Timberwolves as they just lost to the Knicks in Minnesota on Wednesday. However, just because I understand the move doesn't mean that I agree with it. The fact is that the Knicks are 7-3 SU and ATS in home games so far this season while the T-wolves are 2-7 SU and ATS in road games so far this season. Couple that with the fact that the Knicks have "only" another Western Conference foe on deck and you have the makings of some solid small home fave line value with New York in this game. Keep in mind the Knicks strength of schedule has been tougher than Minnesota's has so far this season and also New York beat the Timberwolves Wednesday despite a huge disparity in free throws as the T-wolves got all the calls on their home floor. New York has now won 3 straight match-ups with Minny and the Timberwolves are 2-6 ATS an underdog this season while the Knicks are 5-1 ATS as a favorite. The "revenge angle" on the T-wolves has ended up giving us line value on the Knicks and, keep in mind, even with playing with revenge Minnesota has a SU record of 36-91 the past 3 seasons and this line is so small that any NY win should also end up being a cover. 8* NEW YORK KNICKS Friday evening

Earliest Cash - Rickenbach CBB Game #519 Friday - 8* Duquesne Dukes (+) vs Pittsburgh Panthers @ PPG Paints Arena in Pittsburgh @ 7 ET - This is a city rivalry game and, although the Panthers have certainly dominated the series, that doesn't make it any less important for the Dukes players. Rest assure, Duquesne wants this game badly. The chance to beat their "big brother" is always a huge game for the Dukes and though I feel they will fall short of the outright win here, I do expect Duquesne to keep this one to a margin of single digits. The Dukes are catching the Panthers at an ideal time as Pitt can't help but to be "still celebrating" their big upset win over Maryland in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge. Now the Panthers come into this game as a large favorite and the early line move has seen this one jump from 13.5 to 15 points. I like the extra value that is giving us with the big dog here. Duquesne is seeing Nebraska-transfer Tarin Smith run the floor and handle point-guard duties. Also, even though they lost 4 starters from last season's team, the Dukes have seen other guys step up this season including a number of newcomers. Granted, Duquesne is still certainly not on the level that Pitt us but they are going to bring their "game of the year" effort to this one tonight and that should be more than enough for he cover. Keep in mind, Pitt has a new head coach in Kevin Stallings and, though the Panthers are a solid 6-1 on the season, they haven't shown a penchant for absolutely murdering over-matched foes. The Panthers only beat Yale by 5 and Eastern Michigan by 3. Also, they certainly took their foot off of the gas against a clearly out-classed Gardner Webb team which, by the way, that 19 point win was the only win that Pitt has by more than 14 points this season. Off the huge win over the Terrapins, look for Pittsburgh to fall a little flat here. The Panthers are on a 13-28 ATS run as a favorite, 2-12 ATS when off of a game where they allowed 60 points or less, and on a 1-8 ATS run in their games against teams with a losing record. Duquesne is off of an embarrassing loss to UMBC but they are 13-8 ATS when off of a game where they allowed 80 points or more and the Dukes only loss by a double digit margin this season was against Kentucky and, of course, the Dukes were expected to get hammered in that game. This rivalry game plays out tighter than expected tonight. 8* DUQUESNE DUKES early Friday evening

Contrarian Crusher - Rickenbach NBA Game #708 Thursday - 8* Memphis Grizzlies (+) vs Orlando Magic @ 8:05 ET - This is a contrarian play as many will likely be looking to fade Memphis since they are in a back to back spot and were in Canada last night battling with the Raptors in Toronto. Also, the Grizzlies are very short-handed right now due to injuries including, most important, point guard Mike Conley. However, no one played excessive minutes for Memphis last night and I liked what I saw from this hungry team in a tough environment. Now, back home and facing a much weaker foe, the Grizzlies should get back into the win column tonight. Memphis catches Orlando off of a big upset win at San Antonio Tuesday. The Spurs had a rare off-night shooting as they knocked down only 36.8% from the field. By the way, that is another key edge here because the Magic are off of an unusual result defensively while the Grizzlies were victims of a night where Toronto knocked down 14 of 28 three-pointers and hit a ridiculous 55.1% from the field. Trust me that was not all on the defense and the fact is that the Grizzlies are a solid club defensively and the unusual results from each of these teams most recent game is what is leading to line value here with Orlando as a road favorite. Note that the Magic have covered only 1 of 8 games when favored this season! The Grizzlies are a fantastic 4-0 (both SU and ATS) when playing the 2nd game of a back to back. 8* MEMPHIS GRIZZLIES Thursday Night

MAAC Attack - Rickenbach CBB Game #731 Thursday - 8* Monmouth Hawks (-) @ Quinnipiac Bobcats @ 7 ET - Perfect set-up here. Monmouth was at the top of the MAAC last season and should end up there again this season as they returned 4 starters and the majority of their key reserves from last season's team that reached the 2nd round of the NIT Tourney after just missing out on the Big Dance. As for Quinnipiac, they are known more for their ice hockey than basketball and, the Bobcats finished near the bottom of the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference last season and and are likely to end up in a similar position this season. The key to the set-up here is that, even though the Hawks are off of a win, they had their worst defensive performance so far this season and they'll be ready to respond tonight with conference action getting underway. The Hawks are allowing only 67.7 points per game (and just 39.7% shooting from the field) and this is in stark contrast with a Bobcats team that is off of a shocking upset win over Indiana State. Don't put too much into that win over the Sycamores. Indiana State was in a flat spot and ended up getting beat by the hungrier team. The fact is that it was the first win of the season for a Quinnipiac team that doesn't play good defense. The Bobcats have allowed 85.8 points per game (and 50.2% shooting from the field). The Hawks won both match-ups with the Bobcats last season by at least 14 points in each game and we're getting line value here because of Quinnipiac's upset win which actually makes them "ripe for the picking" here as the better team, the Hawks, are fully capable of again dominating this match-up and Monmouth certainly is going to be hungry for the conference opener after a poor defensive effort. Hawks coach King Rice will have his team ready to go here. The Hawks are on a 22-11 ATS run in road games. The Bobcats are 10-20 ATS when off of a game where they scored 80 points or more. 8* MONMOUTH Thursday evening

Top Play Crusher - Rickenbach CBB Game #577 Wednesday - 10* Top Play Cal-Irvine Anteaters (+) @ Santa Clara Broncos @ 10 ET - This line has moved from as low as a 1 on Santa Clara all the way up to where even a few postings at 4 were popping up. In any event, this line move has opened up some great line value on UC-Irvine. The Anteaters are looking to move to 4-0 in this series and the Broncos are over-valued. Even though both teams are 3-4 on the season, Cal-Irvine has played the tougher overall schedule. Also, even though Anteaters are without star guard Luke Nelson, others have certainly picked up the slack in his absence. The injury to KJ Feagin of the Broncos might be the bigger story here anyway. He was a key for the Broncos coming into the season as the top point guard and off of a surprisingly strong freshman campaign. Though new coach Herb Sendek has an impressive resume and will do a great job at Santa Clara, it always takes time to get the right pieces in place and, right now, he's just trying to manage some improvement on a team that lost 20 games last season. UC-Irvine went 28-10 last season and, though they lost a lot of key contributors from last season's team, they did return a number of key reserves plus they are getting a boost with the newcomers that coach Russell Turner brought in. The big edge the Anteaters have here is in the paint and the Broncos are known for their struggles with interior defense and rebounding in recent years. That weakness will again be a glaring one in tonight's game as I expect Santa Clara to drop their 4th straight in this series. The Anteaters are 19-8 ATS in road games with a posted total in a range of 120 to 129.5 points. The Broncos are 1-4 ATS (and SU!) as a home fave of 3 points or less and that is where this line has settled out. 10* Top Play CAL-IRVINE

Rickenbach NBA Game #514 Wednesday - 8* Dallas Mavericks (+) vs San Antonio Spurs @ 8:35 ET - The Spurs just aren't the same team they use to be. Yes, I know they are 10-0 on the road to start this season but last night's home loss dropped them to 4-4 in San Antonio this season and the big key here is this line. Note that the Spurs last 8 wins have only included 1 that came by a margin of more than 9 points. As you can see, there is great value in this line. Looking at the Spurs last 14 games, they have gone 10-4 and if you were to have a +9 in those 14 games you would have a record of 10-3-1 ATS in fading the Spurs. Certainly Dallas has had some issues so far this season and they will be without Dirk Nowitzki tonight. However, Deron Williams is back and getting healthier and the Mavs got a big win versus New Orleans Sunday that helps give them some confidence as they look to make it two straight at home. While the Mavericks are rested and at home, the Spurs are in a back to back spot and on the road. Also, the San Antonio defense just has not been anything close to what it use to be in recent seasons. Last night the offense also got bogged down against Orlando's defense and you know the Mavericks D will "bring it" tonight against one of their most hated rivals. The Mavs have won 2 of the last 4 home games with SA and one of the two losses came by just 5 points. 2 of the last 3 meetings in San Antonio also have been decided by just 5 points. These teams are known for getting into tight, hard-fought battles when they meet and the Spurs have only covered 2 of 6 games against teams with a losing record so far this season. 8* DALLAS

Rickenbach NBA Game #507 Wednesday - 8* Washington Wizards (+) @ Oklahoma City Thunder @ 8:05 ET - The line may seem a little low here but the "smallish" number is absolutely justified here as Wizards head coach, Scott Brooks, certainly remembers being fired by the Thunder not that long ago. There is extra motivation here for Brooks and he will have Washington to ready to go in this one. They face a Thunder team that is led by the all-everything Russell Westbrook who has truly taken over since Kevin Durant went to the Warriors. However, this will be the 6th game for Oklahoma City in the past 9 days and you have to wonder how much Westbrook and the Thunder have left in the tank. He was completely exhausted after Monday's win over the Knicks in New York. Even though the Thunder have won 3 straight, the scheduling situation favors the Wizards as they are playing just their 4th game in the last 9 days. Also, Washington has won 4 of their last 6 and, after a sloppy win over Sacramento (far too many turnovers) look for point guard John Wall to be up for the challenge of facing Westbrook tonight. When off of a non-conference game the Thunder have gone just 2-6 ATS this season and 26-41 ATS the past three seasons combined. The Wizards are 3-1 ATS this season when off of a non-conference game. 8* WASHINGTON

Earliest Cash - Rickenbach CBB Game #525 Wednesday - 8* James Madison Dukes @ Charlotte 49ers @ 7 ET - This line has gone from a 4.5 to a 7 in favor of Charlotte and I completely understand the line move (James Madison is winless on the season). However, this is a classic case where we are getting extra line value because of "going against the grain" and it is absolutely justified here. The 0-6 Dukes have played a tougher schedule so far this season in comparison with the 49ers who are 4-2 so far this season. Also, Charlotte plays in Conference USA and is projected to end up in about the 10th or 11th spot in the 14-team conference this season. The significance in that from my perspective is that I have resided in the San Antonio area for many years now and am quite familiar with the level of play of the UTSA Roadrunners and they are projected to finish "neck and neck" in that 10th/11th spot in the conference this season. The quality of UTSA basketball has not been that strong in recent seasons and so, the point is, we are getting excellent line value here in fading this move. Keep in mind, James Madison is projected to finish near the top of the Colonial Athletic Association this season and, though certainly not a powerhouse conference, the Dukes are off of a 21-11 year and hungry for more this season. They are adjusting to the coaching change but did return the majority of their team (including 4 of the 5 starters) from last season's team. After getting blown out by Rice and losing a tight one to Old Dominion (both are more talented C-USA teams in comparison with Charlotte) look for the Dukes to take advantage of the step down in level of competition here. James Madison is on a 20-7 ATS run in road games while Charlotte has gone 28-40 ATS when playing with one day or less of rest and this is also the 49ers 3rd game in 5 days. Big rest edge to the Dukes in this one. 8* JAMES MADISON

Earliest Cash - Rickenbach NBA Game #701 Tuesday - 8* Detroit Pistons (+) @ Charlotte Hornets @ 7:05 ET - Though is has been a tough start to the season for the Pistons in their road games (1-8 SU and ATS), this is the perfect spot to change all that. Detroit has had two days off since an ugly road loss followed solid back to back home wins. While the Pistons are rested for this game, the Hornets are off of a big road win at Memphis last night and tonight's game is not only a back to back for Charlotte, it is their 4th game in 5 nights! It is also the Hornets 8th game in 12 days so this has truly been a tough part of the schedule for Charlotte. The Hornets are 0-3 ATS when in the 2nd game of a back to back this season. The Pistons are already a perfect 2-0 SU and ATS against Southeast Division opponents this season. Before the ugly loss at Oklahoma City, the Pistons had gone "only" 4-4 in their 8 prior games but 3 of the 4 losses were by 3 points or less. Detroit has certainly been "on the cusp" of late and they "break through" tonight in this very advantageous scheduling spot. 8* DETROIT

ESPN2 Smash Pass - Rickenbach CBB Game #713 Tuesday - 8* Pittsburgh Panthers (+) @ Maryland Terrapins @ 7 ET - The Terrapins are undefeated (7-0 on the season), at home, and they opened as only a 4-point favorite in this one. Something definitely looks "funny" here and you know where that had me looking of course, right? The other side! The fact is that Maryland lost so much from last season and, outside of Melo Trimble there certainly is a ton of talent but it is going to take awhile to piece everything together. That said, the reason the Terps are undefeated this season is they've faced an easier schedule than Pittsburgh has and Maryland has managed to win some tight games. 5 of their 7 wins have come by an average margin of victory of only 3.8 points! Keep in mind, this is even though the Terrapins early-season schedule certainly has not been overly tough. Now the Terps have to deal with a hungry Panthers team that is looking to establish themselves under new head coach Kevin Stallings - a 24-year veteran coach in his first year with Pittsburgh. The Panthers only loss so far this season was to a strong SMU team and Pitt has shot the ball well (at least 44% from the field) in 5 straight games. The Terrapins have been held under 40.5% from the field in 3 of their 7 games. Maryland is on an 11-19 ATS run in non-conference games, 12-22 ATS run in home games, and the Terps are already 0-3 ATS as a favorite this season. The Panthers as a dangerous dog with plenty of returning talent from last season are offering significant line value here. 8* PITTSBURGH

THE Game of the Month - Rickenbach NBA Game #510 Monday - 10* Top Play Minnesota Timberwolves (+) vs Utah Jazz @ 8:05 ET - This line has gone from a pick'em to a -2.5 with Utah and that is adding to the value here with home dog Minnesota. The Timberwolves will be ultra hungry tonight as they are off of a loss at Golden State Saturday and also have triple revenge against the division rival Jazz as they lost each of the final 3 meetings last season. Minny is happy to be back home where they have been a much tougher team. Though the T-wolves are only 3-4 at home, all 3 wins came by at least a 24 point margin while 3 of their 4 home losses came by 7 points or less. Minnesota appears to be catching Utah at the right time to exact revenge. The Jazz are off of back to back win and covers but this has happened 3 times already this season and, every single time, Utah has lost their next game and failed to cover (an 0-3 SU and ATS mark this season in this situation). As you would expect with a young team, the Timberwolves tend to perform better when they are at home with the support of the home fans. As for the Jazz, they are playing with two days of rest here but sometimes rest can lead to rust and, in fact, Utah has failed to cover 20 of the last 32 times they have entered a game with 2 days of rest between games. The home team has won 3 of the last 4 meetings between these teams and those 3 home wins each came by at least 13 points. Look for "home cooking" to once again be the key in this one and I'll gladly fade the early line move here. 10* Top Play MINNESOTA TIMBERWOLVES

Contrarian Smash - Rickenbach NBA Game #712 Sunday - 8* Dallas Mavericks (+) vs New Orleans Pelicans @ 7:05 ET - New Orleans had been on a hot streak but after suffering a loss at Portland Friday it could be tough for the Pelicans to just shift right back into overdrive again. That said, no one will want Dallas here but that is precisely why I do. New Orleans is unlikely to get their momentum back until they get back home. This is still a Pelicans team that has only won 2 of its 8 road games. At the same time, they now face an angry Mavericks team that has been blown out in back to back games and will be ready to respond here. Yes, I know it's been an ugly season so far for the Mavericks but, after back to back thorough beatings, this is the point where professional pride kicks in. With the big line move toward New Orleans here, it has opened up even more value on the home dog in a spot where they will give their "A game" and that should be enough for the cover if not the outright upset. Look for the Mavs to improve to 3-0 ATS this season and 18-10 ATS the past three seasons combined in Sunday games. Note that the Pelicans are 0-3 ATS (and SU!!!) as a favorite this season. 8* DALLAS MAVERICKS plus the points Sunday evening

ATS Blowout - Rickenbach CBB Game #726 Sunday - 10* Top Play Washington State Cougars (-) vs San Jose State Spartans - Both of these clubs are projected to finish at the bottom of their respective conferences but that's where the key difference is in this match-up. Washington State plays in the tough PAC-12 while San Jose State is at the bottom of the Mountain West. The Cougars have a distinct size edge in this match-up and the last time these teams met, two years ago, Washington State rolled by 29 points. This one is unlikely to be quite that easy but I certainly expect the Cougars to get this by double digits and the line has dropped from a 10.5 to an 8.5 which is offering us even more line value with the big home fave here. Washington State will be fired up off of a loss as they had held 3 of their first 4 opponents to 39% or less from the field. Also, the Cougars have shot the ball very well on the other end of the floor with a 49.2% mark so far this season. The Spartans on the other hand have been held under 44% from the field in each of their last three games while allowing at least 50% from the field in 3 straight games. This is a mismatch and, though the Cougars may again struggle in PAC12 games this season, this is another non-conference match-up where they can absolutely dominate. The Cougars are 17-7 ATS as a home favorite of 9.5 to 12 points and now this number has dropped even lower offering more value! San Jose State is on a 7-13 ATS run in non-conference games. 10* WASHINGTON STATE minus the big points Sunday evening

NBA TV Top Play - Rickenbach NBA Game #504 Saturday - 10* Top Play Washington Wizards (+) vs San Antonio Spurs @ 7:05 ET - Even though this is a back to back for both teams, the Wizards actually had 3 full off days before knocking off Orlando yesterday. For the Spurs, it's been quite a different story as this will be their 4th game in 6 days. Look for fatigue to be a factor in this one. Also, even though the Spurs are on a winning streak, they had covered only 4 of their 11 November games prior to yesterday's win at cover at Boston. San Antonio had to rally back from an early deficit to get the 6-point road win over the Celtics and it will be interesting to see how much they have left in the tank after that "big push" yesterday to get the road win. The Spurs have lost SU and ATS in each of their past two visits to D.C. Also, the Wizards have gone 4-1 ATS as a home dog of 3.5 to 6 points and now this line has crept up even higher which is giving even more line value to the home team in this one. Washington has won 3 of its past 4 games and the Wizards last 6 losses have been by an average of just 7 points. They're in this one all the way and the points should be enough to get the all-important cover. 10* Top Play WASHINGTON WIZARDS plus the points early Saturday evening

Top Play Crusher - Rickenbach CBB Game #531 Saturday - 10* Top Play UT-Arlington Mavericks (+) @ Fordham Rams @ 5 ET - This line has moved from UT-Arlington being the 2.5 point favorite to Fordham now being the 2.5 point choice. Of course this 5 point move has opened up phenomenal value on the Mavericks. UT-Arlington does not have the record that the Rams have so far on this young season but the Mavs have played the tougher schedule. Even though Fordham is from the Atlantic Ten and UT-Arlington is from the SunBelt, the Rams are expected to finish near the bottom of the A-10 as they lost their top two scorers from last season while the Mavericks are the clear choice for the #1 spot in the SBC as virtually everyone is back (including all 5 starters and key reserves) from last season's team. The Mavericks are on a 14-6 ATS run in non-conference game and are 9-2 ATS the last 11 times they have been a road dog of 3 points or less. Fordham is on a 19-36 ATS run in November games. 10* Top Play UT-Arlington plus the points on Saturday in very early evening action

BLACK FRIDAY Best Bet - Rickenbach CBB Game #735 Friday - 10* Top Play Southern Illinois Salukis (+) @ Minnesota Golden Gophers @ 8 ET - Minnesota is off to a 5-0 start this season and I like the direction the Golden Gophers are headed. I already used them once this season (as a Free Pick) and cashed in easily. However, Minnesota seems to have an over-inflated pointspread here. This is not a good situational spot for them. The Golden Gophers are off of a hard-fought win over an SEC foe (Arkansas) and they have a tough ACC foe (Florida State) on deck followed by another SEC foe (Vanderbilt). With that said, the Salukis are not exactly commanding a lot of Minnesota's attention and I like what Southern Illinois is doing early this season. They did lose some key talent from last year's team but Rodriguez, Fletcher, and Vincent are all returning players and they have combined to give the Salukis solid backcourt play. The frontcourt was a big concern outside of the 6'7 senior forward O'Brien. However, not only is O'Brien off to a big start both with scoring and rebounding, the addition of junior college transfer Thik Bol has proven to be a huge addition to the frontcourt. Though he is "only" 6'8 he is a proven shot-blocking machine (102 blocks last year and averaged 4.9 blocks per game the prior season) and Bol has come in and averaged 9 rebounds and 2.8 blocks per game so far this season. This means the Salukis are a little more "complete" than expected early this season and couple that with the fact that they have shot the ball very well (51.2%) early this season and I expect Southern Illinois to stay within single digits of Minnesota throughout this game. In games with a posted total in the 150 to 159.5 range, the Salukis are on a long-term 5-1 ATS run. The Golden Gophers are only 17-30 SU (and 19-28 ATS) in their last 47 games against teams with a winning record. Yes, the Big Ten is tougher than the Missouri Valley Conference but this line is simply "too much" as Barry Hinson is the reigning MVC Coach of the Year last year and has his team ready to compete and make up for a loss to Arkansas on the 14th that was the Salukis only ugly loss so far this season. They know this is a "big game" opportunity for them while the Golden Gophers simply aren't highly motivated here. That keeps this one much closer than many are expecting and yes I know Minny has been playing solid defense early this season but I expect them to be flat here. 10* Top Play SOUTHERN ILLINOIS Friday evening

CBB Game of the Month - Rickenbach CBB Game #759 Wednesday - 10* Top Play Old Dominion Monarchs (+) vs Louisville Cardinals @ in Battle 4 Atlantis @ Imperial Arena in Nassau, Bahamas @ 9:30 ET - Louisville is a top ten team in the nation and the Cardinals have absolutely dominated their first three games of the season. That really helps us here in terms of line value because this is not a good spot for the Cardinals to run up a big score. The Monarchs like to play a methodical style on offense and they rely on their "length" on defense and they also crash the boards well. As you can see from the low total posted on this game, not a lot of points are expected in this one and I look for Old Dominion to keep this game much closer than many are expecting. The Monarchs did suffer a pair of key losses (Trey Freeman and Aaron Bacote) from last season's team but they've got some solid newcomers in the mix for this season and have good size in both the frontcourt and backcourt. Keep in mind this was a 25-win team last season and Jeff Jones is a veteran coach (entered this season 427-326 in 24 years!) and he is now 72-39 at Old Dominion as he works into his 4th season there. Louisville, of course, is well-coached under Rick Pitino. However, this will be the first game they get forced into really having to score significant points in the half-court game because Old Dominion certainly is not going to let them run wild in transition. This is a key because the Cardinals lost their top three scorers from last season's team. The Cards are 0-4 ATS L4 against Conference USA opponents while the Monarchs are 3-0 ATS L3 as a neutral court dog of 12.5 to 15 points. That's a combined 7-0 ATS mark that favored Old Dominion based on the opening number on this game. Now that the spread has moved even higher, there is even more value with a team that truly is a "dangerous dog" in a situation like this. One final note on this, both teams have had significant time off since their most recent game but that favors the underdog as, if shots aren't falling due to the layoff and each team has some rust, it also helps to keep this game closer than the inflated number. 10* OLD DOMINION

Earliest Cash - Rickenbach NBA Game #709 Wednesday - 8* Memphis Grizzlies (-) @ Philadelphia 76'ers @ 7:05 ET - The Sixers have been playing well at home but that is helping to keep this line lower than it should be. Keep in mind, the Grizzlies are a solid team and they are a defensive-minded team. That strong D of Memphis is going to be the difference-maker here. The Grizzlies have won and covered 5 straight games and they've allowed an average of only 75 points per game in their last 3 games! The Sixers are off of a 101-94 win over Miami and that marked the first time this entire season that Philadelphia has allowed less than 102 points in a game! As you can see, there is a big difference in the defensive prowess of these two clubs. Also, the 76'ers are only 1-5 ATS this season against teams with a winning record. Also, I want to mention a couple of straight-up records here because the line is rather small on this game. The Sixers are an unbelievably bad 3-83 SU in their last 86 games against teams with a winning record. The Grizzlies are 80-27 SU in the last 107 games where they were the favorite. In other words, the road fave has great odds (163-30, 85%) of winning this game and, that said, I'll gladly lay the small number with the Grizzlies. 8* MEMPHIS

Contrarian Crusher - Rickenbach CBB Game #757 Wednesday - 8* St John's Red Storm vs Michigan State Spartans in Battle 4 Atlantis @ Imperial Arena in Nassau, Bahamas @ 7 ET - The Red Storm went 8-24 last year. The Spartans, as usual, are ranked as one of the top basketball teams in the country. That said, this opening line of 6.5 had to look funny to most casual observers. Of course the key here is that you and I aren't "casual observers" and truly there is value in grabbing the points in this match-up as it has already moved up to 7.5 - no surprise there. The Spartans are a quality team (of course) but, even with a 6 for 6 performance from downtown for Eron Harris (scored 31 points) they only snuck by Florida Gulf Coast by a single point and that says a lot right there! St John's is in their 2nd year under head coach (and former Red Storm star) Chris Mullin. There can be a lot of improvement in year 2 under a new coach and with the strong newcomers they have brought in, this Red Storm team is likely on a faster than expected upward trajectory. The fact they are off of their first loss of the season is giving us even more value here as St John's is very hungry for this shot to knock off a highly ranked foe on a neutral floor. The biggest issue for the Red Storm is depth but they truly are very talented and got a big boost with newcomers Marcus LoVett and Shamorie Ponds. The depth won't be such an issue here as it's early in the season and they are playing for just the 2nd time in 10 days. Michigan State is actually the team that could be a little "stretched out" here as this their 3rd game in 5 days. Grab the points and look for the Red Storm to be in this one all the way. A lot of talent and Mullin is making believers out of this team. 8* ST JOHN'S 

Earliest Cash - Rickenbach NBA Game #501 Tuesday - 8* New Orleans Pelicans (+) @ Atlanta Hawks @ 7:35 ET - Many will be looking at the Hawks here since they are back home where they've played well and they are looking to respond off of back to back losses. However, part of the problem for Atlanta has been poor point guard play. It has gotten so bad in fact that Hawks PG Dennis Schroder was benched in the third quarter of Atlanta's most recent game after missing all eight of his shots. The Hawks are going to have an issue in terms of matching up at the point guard position for this one because the Pelicans Jrue Holiday has been fantastic on both ends of the floor since he returned to the team two games ago. The New Orleans point man had been tending to a family matter but certainly has come back fully focused and ready to go as he has helped lead the Pelicans to victory in each of his first two games back. Look for Holiday to again be a difference-maker tonight and the Hawks could get caught looking ahead to a match-up with an Eastern Conference foe tomorrow as they will be traveling to Indiana to face the Pacers and begin a lengthy road trip. Atlanta has had a bad habit of overlooking "lesser" teams this season and has gone 2-4 ATS against teams with a losing record. Conversely, the Pelicans have been at their best against "quality" foes and have gone 5-2 ATS against teams with a winning record. Big value with the big points in this one. 8* NEW ORLEANS PELICANS Tuesday evening 

Contrarian Crusher Tuesday - Rickenbach CBB Game #520 Tuesday - 8* Middle Tennessee State Blue Raiders (-) vs Toledo Rockets @ 7:30 ET - The Rockets have burned me twice early this season as they beat the spread against me by a point and a half the first time and a single point the 2nd time. The third time will be the charm as they are on the road to face a Middle Tennessee State team that beat them by 8 points last season on a neutral floor. The Rockets are a MAC team that really hasn't improved from last season while the Blue Raiders are a C-USA team that will battle UAB for the top spot in the 14-team conference this season. The key to the Raiders further improvement this season (won 25 games last season) is how quickly Arkansas transfer 6'8 Jacorey Williams "fit in" with the team. Surprisingly, Williams has already proven to be a great addition and he combines with guard Giddy Potts and senior forward Reggie Upshaw to give Middle Tennessee State a "Big Three" that is tough on the opposition. The Blue Raiders are in a great spot here to come up big as they are at home and off of an embarrassing loss. They lost to Tennessee State as MTSU simply "slipped up" and did not shoot the ball well nor did they defend well in that game. You can bet they will now bring a huge effort tonight and, keep in mind, the Blue Raiders had scored an average of 94.5 points per game in their first two games plus they held the opposition to under 43% from the field in each of their first two games. Middle Tennessee State is 10-4 ATS their last 14 games against teams averaging 77 points or more per game. Toledo, given those same parameters, is an ugly 2-8 ATS in recent seasons and a poor 24-43 ATS long-term. The point is, the Rockets won't be able to keep with the Blue Raiders in this one as MTSU bounces back with a huge scoring night at home. 8* Middle Tennessee State Tuesday evening

TV Blowout Smash - Rickenbach CBB Game #762 Monday - 8* Georgia Bulldogs (-) vs George Washington Colonials @ CBE Hall of Fame Classic @ Spring Center in Kansas City, MO @ 7 ET - The Bulldogs already have a loss this season as they lost their season opener (against Clemson) while the Colonials are a perfect 3-0 this season. However, George Washington seriously hasn't played "anybody" yet this season and the fact that the Colonials have only made 41.1% of their shots from the field (considering the teams they've faced) is scary when you consider they're finally stepping up in class for this game. The Bulldogs are a team on the rise under head coach Mark Fox and even though they are off of a game where they faced an over-matched foe, it is still good news that they shot 52.8% from the field in that game. Note that the Colonials also faced an over-matched foe but they only shot 35.6% from the field and that was against Arkansas-Pine Bluff! That team is projected to be one of the worst teams in one of the worst conferences (Southwestern Athletic) in all of Division I college basketball. Look for the Bulldogs to shoot the ball much better than the Colonials in this one and they also have the added edge of already being battle-tested early this season. The fact that Georgia already has a loss (to Clemson) under their belt is a good thing here. George Washington is 3-7 SU (and 2-8 ATS) in their last 10 against SEC competition. The past two seasons, the Bulldogs are 9-4 (SU and ATS) when they are off of a game in which they scored 80 points or more. Off of an 84-78 win, the offense stays hot here for the Dawgs. 8* GEORGIA early Monday evening

Contrarian Crusher - Rickenbach NBA Game #505 Sunday - 8* Indiana Pacers (+) @ Oklahoma City Thunder @ 7:05 ET - With Paul George still dealing with an ankle injury it is no surprise that this line is double digits. However, the Thunder (in my opinion) continue to be over-rated and they're facing an Indiana team that is going to bring a huge effort Sunday evening no matter who is on the floor. The Pacers are off of an embarrassing home loss to the Suns and it was their 4th loss by 17 points or more on the season. What happened after their first 3? The Pacers got the win every single time. Now, I am not saying they're going to get the outright win here but I am saying that Indiana is going to give a tremendous effort here and I expect that to be enough to keep them "hanging around" in this game all the way through before eventually coming up just short and losing by single digits. The Thunder are off of an easy home win over Brooklyn so I would not be surprised to see a let up here and, keep in mind, OKC had failed to cover 4 of their 5 prior games. Oklahoma City is on a 6-14 ATS run and could easily get caught looking ahead to a Western road swing that starts Tuesday for OKC. The road team won both meetings last season and this looks like another dangerous spot for the Thunder as the road team gets it done once again. 8* INDIANA PACERS Sunday

No Doubt Blowout Rout - Rickenbach CBB Game #726 Saturday - 8* Wright State Raiders (+) vs Toledo Rockets @ 7 ET - Toledo is coming off a non-covering win against Youngstown State. That is the same Penguins team that went 6-12 in the Horizon League last season and is projected to be dead last in the 10-team league this season. That said, a 5-point win over the Pens even though the game was in Toledo, doesn't bode well for the Rockets as they now are on the road to face a Wright State team that went 13-5 in Horizon League action last season and tied for 2nd place. The Raiders have a new coach in Scott Nagy and I already like what he's doing with this team that has some key go-to scorers as they already had Mark Alstork in place but Justin Mitchell and Grant Benzinger also have put up double digits in points early this season. The Raiders also got a big boost with the return of 6'8 senior Steven Davis. He missed last season but is already averaging 21 points this season! Coach Nagy had a great pedigree with his results at South Dakota State as he helped make them a Division 1 team and they made it to the NCAA Tourney 3 of the last 5 seasons and the NIT Tourney in one of the other two seasons. With the line move on this from a pick'em to now being able to get the Raiders at +3 on their home floor, there was no question about me pulling the trigger in this home dog spot. Wright State is 19-10 SU at home the past 2+ seasons and the Raiders are 7-3 SU after a game in which they scored 80 or more points. The Rockets are 4-8 ATS when off of a game where they allowed 80 points or more. Toledo was also very fortunate to get the cash in their opener against St Joe's as they were down 5 points very late in that game. The point is there is great line value with this home dog. 8* WRIGHT STATE RAIDERS Saturday

NBA Game of the Week - Rickenbach NBA Game #501 Friday - 10* Top Play Phoenix Suns (+) @ Indiana Pacers @ 7:05 ET - The Suns have lost three straight games and allowed 120 points or more in all three defeats. The Phoenix players, of course, are well aware of this and fully focused on bouncing back on Friday and they are in the right place at the right time. The Suns have actually won 8 of their last 11 visits to Indiana and they catch the Pacers off of a huge win over the defending NBA champion Cavaliers. The Pacers caught a break as LeBron James sat out the game for Cleveland for rest. Speaking of breaks, the Indiana strength of schedule has not been as strong as what the Suns have faced so far this season and that also is leading to line value in this spot for Phoenix. The Suns have shot at least 49.4% from the field in 3 straight road games. The Pacers had shot only 41.7% from the field in their 3 games prior to a strong effort against the Cavaliers. After that big win, look for Indiana to fall flat here in what is anticipated to be a high scoring game. Note that the Pacers are 0-7 ATS this season in games with a posted total of 210 or more. The Suns are 4-1 ATS this season after a loss by 10 points or more in their prior game. The road team responds in this one and catches the home team in a flat spot. 10* PHOENIX SUNS Friday

Big Ten Network Smash - Rickenbach CBB Game #521 Friday - 8* Georgia State Panthers (+) @ Purdue Boilermakers @ 7 ET - Georgia State has a lot of connections to basketball in Indiana. Panthers head coach Ron Hunter was a coach at IUPUI for many years. Also, star senior forward Jeremy Hollowell was heavily recruited in the Indiana area. The 6'8 low-post player will be a key to "evening out" the match-up inside against the Purdue big men. The biggest key to this play is the way the Panthers mix up defenses and keep opponents off-balance with a mix of full-court pressure and match-up zones. Yes, I know that Georgia State just got walloped at Auburn but they were only down by 5 at the half in that game and the biggest issue for the Panthers in that game is that they simply had a poor shooting game. Look for coach Hunter to have his team ready to respond here in s a game that means an awful lot to him with his Indiana connections. Though Purdue is looking to bounce back off of a loss, keep in mind that the Boilermakers just lost to the defending national champs. Purdue put an awful lot (physically and mentally) into that game and though they should have enough left-over to get the win here, I certainly don't see it being enough for the cover. Look for the Panthers to "hang around" in this one before ultimately losing the game by no more than a dozen points. 8* GEORGIA STATE Friday

Top Insider - Rickenbach CBB Game #715 Thursday - 10* Top Play Temple Owls (+) @ Massachusetts Minutemen @ 7 ET - These are former Atlantic Ten rivals and though the players have changed the coaches can certainly remember the last time they met. Fran Dunphy is now in his 11th season as head coach at Temple and Derek Kellogg is entering his 9th season at Massachusetts. The Owls lost to the Minutemen in an A-10 Quarterfinals game in March of 2013 the last time these two coaches squared off. It is time for a little payback for Dunphy and his team comes in "fighting mad" off of their loss to New Hampshire on Monday. Certainly UMass comes into this game hungry as well since they are off of a loss to Ole Miss. However, as is typically the case with Massachusetts, they are all about the offense and still not getting the job done on the defensive end. The Owls allowed only 67.6 points per game last season and was good enough for 4th in the AAC last season. UMass allowed 75.8 points per game last season and that ranked them very near rock bottom in the Atlantic 10. This season the Minutemen have already allowed 83 points per game whereas the Owls got involved in a wild first game that did go to OT but in their 2nd game they held a good New Hampshire team (one of the best in America East) to only 57 points. Though 1-1 on the season (with one good offensive showing and one good defensive showing), Temple is expected to put it all together in this revenge spot. The Owls defense and their size advantage in the frontcourt (with more depth too) to be the difference maker in this one. After a game where Temple has allowed 60 points or less they've gone 21-6 straight-up and, after a game where they've scored 60 points or less, the Owls have gone 13-4 straight-up. That's a combined 34-10 angle in play here as they are actually getting a few points in this match-up since it's at UMass. The Minutemen are 6-12 SU (and 5-10 ATS) when off of a game where they allowed 80 points or more and, once again, their defense does them in at home tonight. 10* TEMPLE Thursday

Daytime Dominator - Rickenbach CBB Game #745 Thursday - 8* Northern Iowa Panthers (+) vs Arizona State Sun Devils at the San Juan Tipoff in Orlando, FL @ 4:30 ET - This line has gone from Arizona State -1 all the way to a -4 as of gameday morning. This is offering significant line value on Northern Iowa. Keep in mind that, even though the Panthers had some significant personnel losses from last season's team, the Sun Devils lost five players (Atwood, Blakes, Goodman, Jacobsen, and Spight) that combined for 43.3 points per game. Also 4 of those 5 averaged at least 4 rebounds per game as well. The big key here is that head coach Bobby Hurley is only in his 2nd year with the Sun Devils whiereas the Panthers Ben Jacobson has been at Northern Iowa now for more than a decade. Though they lost three starters, the Panthers do return a couple of key starters, a couple of key reserves, and they also added to the roster with four freshmen who redshirted last season plus added four others who are not true freshmen. This is a quality program that won 23 games last season and truly is not in a rebuild mode whereas Arizona State is only in the 2nd season under Hurley and has quite a ways to go yet. Also, the Sun Devils are 1-5 SU (and 1-4 ATS in neutral court games) while the Panthers are 13-3 SU (and 12-4 ATS) in neutral court games. 8* NORTHERN IOWA Thursday afternoon

Contrarian Crusher - Rickenbach CBB Game #530 Wednesday - 8* Illinois-Chicago Flames (-) vs UTSA Roadrunners @ 8 ET - UTSA lost a top scorer and leading assist man when Christian Wilson was arrested (again) and got suspended before this season started. Amazingly the Roadrunners have come up with a couple of road covers to begin their season but they've shot the ball very poorly and it catches up with them here against an Illinois-Chicago team hungry for a win after a tight loss began their season. UTSA has made just 34.6% of their shots from the field in their first two games this season and now is on the road for a third straight game. They won't be able to keep up with a Flames team that shot the ball very well (but came up just short by a bucket on the scoreboard) in their season-opening loss at San Francisco. The Flames will have the fresher legs for this match-up while the Roadrunners are playing their 3rd game in 6 nights away from home and could get caught looking ahead to their home opener. For UIC, this is their home opener and they will make the most of it. Both of these teams are off of poor seasons last year but the Flames have more continuity with more returning starters than the Roadrunners plus more continuity in coaching as UTSA has a new coach (Steve Henson) this season (rest in peace Brooks Thompson my friend) while Illinois-Chicago has Steve McClain now in his 2nd year at the helm. The Flames played a sloppy first game and shot poorly from the free throw line. You can bet (literally!) that they'll have all that cleaned up as they've had 5 days between games to get ready for this home opener. 8* Illinois-Chicago Wednesday

Earliest Cash Top Play - Rickenbach NBA Game #502 Wednesday - 10* Top Play Indiana Pacers (+) vs Cleveland Cavaliers @ 7:05 ET - Tough spot for the Cavaliers after surviving a "war" with the Raptors last night and hanging on for the four point win. Cleveland, now in a back to back situation, has to face a tough Pacers team that has always given them trouble in Indiana. Yes, the Pacers have an ugly ATS mark early this season but a lot of that has to do with Indy being 0-5 ATS on the road. At home, the Pacers have a straight-up record of 5-1 on the young season. They're catching Cleveland at a great time as the Cavaliers big three played some significant minutes last night with LeBron James, Kyrie Irving, and Kevin Love all logging at least 34 minutes in yesterday's non-covering win over the Raptors. Cleveland not only made nearly 40% of their three pointers last night, the Cavs also made 31 of 50 (62%) of their shots from inside the arc. Even with all the hot shooting Cleveland barely got by the Raptors and that says a lot right here. Now, on the road and in a back to back spot, the hot shooting is unlikely to continue and the Cavs will be in a battle just to try and win (let alone cover!) this tough road match-up. The Pacers have covered each of the last four meetings between these teams in Indiana. Overall, Indy is 7-1 ATS in their last 8 meetings with the Cavs. The Cavaliers are on a 7-16 ATS run as a road favorite of 3.5 to 6 points. The Pacers are on a 22-12 ATS run in divisional games and will build off a confidence building effort against Orlando Monday where they held the Magic to just 69 points! It's always big to be welcoming the defending NBA champs to town and the Pacers want this game badly and are catching their division rivals at the perfect time - a tough scheduling spot for Cleveland. 10* Top Play INDIANA PACERS Wednesday

Contrarian Crusher - Rickenbach CBB Game #743 Tuesday - 10* Top Play Kansas Jayhawks (+) vs Duke Blue Devils in New York, NY @ 9:30 ET - The Jayhawks lost in OT on Friday in Hawaii as four players fouled out and they didn't play "Kansas D" in that game either. The Jayhawks allowed Indiana to connect on 48.4% of their three pointers and ended up losing the game by 4 points in the extra session. Kansas is going to respond in a HUGE way Tuesday night as coach Bill Self's Jayhawks had not lost a season opener in his 14 years with the team! They are fired up and ready to go here and what better opportunity for response than facing the #1 team in the nation? As usual, Duke is stacked this season but they faced a pair of weak foes to begin their season and now they will get truly tested tonight. The Blue Devils will be playing their 3rd game in 5 nights and they're facing a Jayhawks team that went 5-0 SU (and 4-1 ATS) the past two seasons when they are off of a game where they allowed 80 points or more. Long-term Kansas has a record of 66-13 SU (and 48-24, 67% ATS!) when off of a game where they gave up 80 points or more. Keep in mind that as "stacked" as Duke is, the Blue Devils are without three highly-touted newcomers for tonight's game. Missing Harry Giles, Jayson Tatum, and Marques Bolden was not a problem against the likes of Marist and Grand Canyon but the Jayhawks are an elite team. 10* Top Play KANSAS Tuesday

NBA TV Top Play - Rickenbach NBA Game #701 Monday - 10* Top Play Toronto Raptors (+) @ Cleveland Cavaliers @ 7:05 ET - The Cavaliers continue to be over-valued. Since a blowout win over the Knicks in their season opener, Cleveland has covered only once in their last eight games. They're facing a Raptors team with revenge on its mind as Toronto lost a tight one to the Cavs early this season plus got knocked out of last year's post-season by the eventual NBA champions. The Raptors loss to the Cavaliers was one of just two losses Toronto has on the season and it's no coincidence that those two games are the only two games in which the Raptors have shot under 44% from the field. Amazingly, the Cavaliers have been at the other end of the spectrum as they have been held under 42.5% from the field in 6 of their last 8 games. The Cavs have shot well from three point range and that is what has saved them. In their win at Toronto earlier this season the Cavaliers outscored the Raptors by 24 points from beyond the arc and yet they only won the game by 3 points. Toronto will get some payback tonight and, while the Cavaliers are playing for the 4th time in 6 nights, the Raptors have had two days off heading into this game. Toronto is 3-0 SU and ATS in road games this season while the Cavaliers are on an 0-5 ATS run in home games. Also, the Raptors are 4-0 ATS in games against teams averaging 99 points or more per game this season. That means we have combined systems of 12-0 ATS that are in favor of the road dog in this one. I'll take that any day of the week! 10* Top Play TORONTO RAPTORS Tuesday

ESPN Primetime Punisher - Rickenbach CBB Game #741 Tuesday - 8* Michigan State Spartans (+) vs Kentucky Wildcats in New York, NY @ 7 ET - Apparently the Spartans don't even need to show up for this game. The very first numbers to show up on this one had the Wildcats as a 4 point choice. They have since doubled to where Kentucky is now an 8 point favorite in this game. I am not buying it. Sure the Spartans were in Hawaii Friday and Manhattan is a long way from Honolulu! However, Michigan State has had plenty of time for travel and to adjust their body clocks. Both of these teams are rather young but Kentucky particularly is inexperienced on the floor and now playing at Madison Square Garden. Also, this situation isn't very favorable for the Wildcats from a scheduling standpoint either. They're already playing their 3rd game in 5 days and what is also concerning for Kentucky is they've made only 26.5% of their three pointers even though they've played two weak teams to start the season. Also, the Wildcats have allowed their foes to connect on 43% of their shots from the field while the Spartans held Arizona to just 38.5% from the floor in their season opening loss. That was a tough defeat for multiple reasons as Michigan State had jumped out to a 17-2 lead in the game plus they eventually lost it on a late coast to coast drive for the winning bucket. The point is that the Spartans, known for playing tough D and crashing the boards, are going to play with an extra edginess and grittiness for coach Tom Izzo tonight as they look to shake off that opening night loss. That makes the big points well worth grabbing in this spot. Kentucky is 1-5 SU and ATS in a neutral court game with a posted total between 150 and 154.5 points while the Spartans have a 9-2 SU record in those game. Sparty for the cover in this one! 8* MICHIGAN STATE Tuesday

NBA TV Smash Pass - Rickenbach NBA Game #509 Monday - 8* Philadelphia 76'ers (+) @ Houston Rockets @ 8:05 ET - The Rockets are still without point guard Patrick Beverley. His absence has severely hurt the defense of Houston as he his their best perimeter defender. The Rockets are allowing 106.7 ppg this season and that is only 1.5 points per game less than the Sixers allow. Of course Houston, even without Beverley, is a far better team than Philadelphia is but this is not a good spot for the Rockets. It is a "sandwich spot" as it is a meaningless game for the Rockets stuck between match-ups with two of their biggest rivals as Houston hosted San Antonio Saturday and has a big game on deck at Oklahoma City Wednesday. That is one big key to the value here but the other keys include the fact that the Rockets have only one win by more than 8 points this season. As for the Sixers, they've had some ugly losses but one pattern that has already emerged with the 76'ers early this season is that they don't have bad games back to back. When the Sixers are off of a loss by 7 points or more they've responded with a loss of 7 points or less every single time. This "system" is already a perfect 4-0 this season and one of those games was an outright win for Philly and two of them were defeats by only 2 point and 1 point, respectively. The Sixers enter this game off of an ugly loss at Atlanta and I look for them to improve to 5-0 ATS this season when off of a loss by a margin of 7 points or more. The Rockets are 14-26 (35%) ATS when off of a divisional game. Bad spot for Houston here and the 76'ers will "hang around" in this one which makes the big points a strong play here. 8* PHILADELPHIA Monday night

Contrarian Crusher - Rickenbach CBB Game #534 Monday - 8* St Joseph's Hawks (-) vs Columbia Lions @ 7 ET - Both teams are off of wins in their season openers but the Hawks win was more impressive even though I got burned by it in the non-covering win. I had St Joseph's but they blew a late 76-71 lead to settle for a 77-76 win as a 2.5 point choice. The reason it was more impressive than the Columbia victory is because the Hawks faced a MAC team (Toledo) while the Lions opened up with an America East foe (Stony Brook). Even though the Seawolves were off of a strong season they suffered huge player losses coming into this year and are expected to drop into the middle of the pack in the AEC. In other words, don't put a lot of stock into that win and keep in mind that Columbia is actually expected to finish near the bottom of the Ivy League this season. The Lions are going through a coaching transition (from Kyle Smith) to Jim Engles and Columbia also lost a senior group from last season that was the strength of this team. The Lions are having to replace their entire backcourt and that's never a good sign for early season success. With this line dropping from an opener of 7.5 in some shops to as low as a 6 now in some shops as of late morning Monday, I love backing the stronger team from the stronger conference at home as there is no reason the Hawks shouldn't win this game by double digits. The backcourt of the home fave will be the difference-maker here as, though they lost some key talent from last season's squad, the Hawks are still strong (particularly at the guard spot). 8* ST JOSEPH'S Monday

Game of the Week - Rickenbach NBA Game #709 Sunday - 10* Top Play Denver Nuggets (+) @ Portland Trail Blazers @ 9:05 ET - Even though this is a back to back spot for the Nuggets, it also is a revenge spot for Denver and I expect a huge effort from them here. The Nuggets lost at home to the Trail Blazers by a bucket on October 29th and that ruined Denver's home opener. Now it is time for payback in this spot and I'll gladly take advantage of a line that opened up as low as a 4 but is now all the way up to a 7 on gameday morning. Portland is 6-4 on the season but they're average margin of victory in the 6 wins is only 5.3 points per game and only twice out of all ten games this season have the Blazers won by more than 6 points. The Nuggets are a big value in this price range because in their 9 games this season they only have 3 losses by more than 3 points. In other words, as you can see from the above, the likelihood is that Denver is "in this one" all the way especially given the revenge angle here too. The Nuggets have been strong on the road this season with a 5-1 ATS mark while Portland has struggled in games projected to be high scoring as they are 1-5 ATS in games with a posted total of 210 or greater. Overall, the Trail Blazers are only 1-4 ATS in home games. Even though this is a back to back for the Nuggets they have two straight off days coming up after tonight's game so they will definitely leave it all on the floor tonight as they go for revenge. Blazers playing for 4th time in 6 nights so they are not exactly at their freshest either. 10* DENVER NUGGETS Sunday

Contrarian Crusher - Rickenbach CBB Game #725 Sunday - 8* Yale Bulldogs (+) @ Washington Huskies @ 7 ET - The last time I checked under any rocks I didn't find any odds makers. All kidding aside, the point is that odds makers don't live under rocks. It's not like they don't know what is going on with these teams when they set the lines. That said, this line on Washington has jumped like crazy on Sunday morning because of Makai Mason being out for the season with a bad foot injury. This news about Mason has been out since early in the week so it was factored into the opening number on this game. That opening number was -9 on the Huskies but it has since moved to -15. So what the markets are saying here is that the odds makers missed the mark by a ton with this one. That is rarely the case (odds makers missing badly just doesn't happen that often) and I am siding with the big dog in this match-up. Oftentimes in the first game after a star player gets hurt, the rest of the team rallies around his absence and many of the supporting cast tend to have their biggest games in situations like this. Though he was their best player, Mason was not the captain of the team and I look for senior guard Anthony Dallier, team captain, to rally the troops for this one. Coach James Jones has been at Yale for 17 years and he'll have his team ready to go in this one. Even though the Bulldogs lost a lot of talent from last year's team it is important to note that the Huskies also suffered three key player losses as Andrew Andrews, Dejounte Murray, and Marquese Chriss combined for 51 points and 17 rebounds per game last season! The Huskies get the win here but I am leaning with the odds makers in this one as this game should be decided by single digits. 8* YALE BULLDOGS Sunday

Contrarian Crusher - Rickenbach NBA Game #511 Saturday - 8* Los Angeles Clippers (-) @ Minnesota Timberwolves @ 8:05 ET - This line opened up at a -5.5 and it has already moved down to a -4 which is not a big surprise because the Clips are in a back to back spot and coming off of a revenging win at Oklahoma City last night. It was a non-covering win for the Clippers last night and I got burned by that game but I won't hesitate to take advantage of the line value (after the move this morning) and take advantage of backing an 8-1 Los Angeles team for whom no one played more than 36 minutes last night. The only reason the Clippers didn't cover in last night's win at Oklahoma City is because the Thunder hit a ridiculous 16 of 28 three pointers. The Clips continue to be one of the top teams in the league on defense early this season and they held OKC to just 22 of 60 from inside the arc last night! The Timberwolves are 2-5 on the season, a young team, and they are off of a rare win. Unlike the Clippers, the T-wolves aren't known for playing defense. That will be the difference in this match-up and the Clips have a home game on deck with Brooklyn so there certainly is no look-ahead here. Even after last night's tough loss (ATS), the Clippers are still 14-4 ATS (and 47-18 ATS long-term) when they are a road fave in a range of 3.5 to 6 points. The Timberwolves are 3-10 ATS (and 0-13 SU!) when they are off of a win by a double digit margin. With Minnesota off of a win by 16 points at Orlando Wednesday, look for them to add another L to that 3-10 ATS mark tonight. 8* LA Clippers Saturday

Earliest Cash - Rickenbach CBB Game #526 Saturday 8* St Joseph's Hawks (-) vs Toledo Rockets @ 7 ET - The opening line came out at -6 on this game. It's been hammered all the way down to -2.5 as of late morning Saturday. The reason for that is the fact that St Joseph's lost 3 key contributors from last season's team. However, let's not forget that Toledo did lose a pair of key contributors from their roster as well. The other key point is that it is not as if the odds maker is unaware of these player losses from last season and he hung a 6 on this game. St Joseph's is still at home for this game, they are still coached by a very solid head coach in Phil Martelli, and they still get some homegrown talent from the area that comes in and contributes right away. That said, I am not buying that Toledo is the better team in this match-up. They are a MAC team that is projected to be one of the weaker teams in the MAC again this season whereas St Joseph's does battle with teams like Dayton, Rhode Island, VCU, Davidson, LaSalle, and George Washington in the Atlantic 10. The Hawks went 22-8 in home games the past two seasons and Toledo has lost 11 of their last 14 games with a total posted in the 150s. That said, and with only having to cover a 2.5 here, my money is on the Hawks at home. 8* ST JOSEPH'S Saturday

ESPN Top Play - Rickenbach CBB Game #776 Friday - 10* Top Play Kansas Jayhawks (-) vs Indiana Hoosiers @ 9:30 PM ET in Armed Forces Classic @ Joint Base in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii - The Hoosiers are ranked far too high in my opinion. Yes the Hoosiers are a very talented group but they didn't have a lot of time to jell together in the offseason and to try to create team chemistry as a group. Also, not having lone senior Collin Hartman for this game against Kansas certainly hurts IU. Including him with four key losses (Biefeldt, Ferrell, Williams, Zeisloft) from last season's team means the Hoosiers will be without 50.3 points and 18.8 rebounds per game for this season opener. Yes, there is a lot of talent that will be on the floor tonight for the Hoosiers but they're facing a stacked Kansas team that absolutely could win it all this season and, keep in mind, the Hoosiers allowed an average of 71.7 points per game last season with a positive point differential of only 5.7 points per game. The Jayhawks allowed only 67.6 points per game and they had a positive point differential of 13.7 points per game. Even though the Jayhawks lost a pair of top starters in Perry Ellis and Wayne Selden, Kansas returns three starters plus a pair of McDonalds All-Americans. One of those is Josh Jackson who, along with returnees Frank Mason and Devonte Graham gives the Jayhawks arguably the top trio of players in the nation once Jackson goes through the early season adjustment that is normal for a freshman at the collegiate level. Also, with 7 footer Udoka Azubuike joining 6'10 returnee Landen Lucas, Kansas should continue to dominate the boards (3rd in Big 12 for rebounding margin last year). The Jayhawks ranked in the top 5 in the nation last season for shooting percentage from the field overall and from 3-point land. Kansas has won the Big 12 regular-season championship 12 straight times and veteran coach Bill Self enters his 14th season with the Jayhawks. Svi Mykhailiuk could be a pleasant surprise as he is now in his 3rd season and could providing significantly bigger scoring off of the bench. Having Mason and Graham (strong defenders) back also helps in terms of the team defense and Kansas has a great shot at winning it all this season. Certainly I look for them to get their season off to a strong start as I feel Indiana is without question a Top 40 team but definitely not a Top 10 team. The Hoosiers are over-valued here until all their newcomers perhaps jell later in the season. Indiana is only 4-6 SU and ATS in tournament games. The Jayhawks are a stellar 15-3 SU (and 13-5 ATS!) in tournament games the past two seasons. Lay it! 10* KANSAS Friday

NBA TV Smash Pass - Rickenbach NBA Game #711 Friday - 8* Los Angeles Clippers (-) @ Oklahoma City Thunder @ 8:05 ET - The Clippers have only lost one game so far this season and it was the Thunder who got the tight two-point win over them in Los Angeles a little over a week ago. That makes this a revenge spot for the Clips and we are getting line value here because of Oklahoma City's 6-2 record on the season. Keep in mind that the Thunder early season record has certainly been helped by a favorable schedule. Other than the upset win over the Clippers, OKC has 5 wins against teams that have a combined 12-27 record so far this season! Against Golden State and Toronto (a combined 11-4 record) the Thunder lost the games by a combined 36 points. Now they face another one of the league's top teams and Oklahoma City is likely to get throttled by the revenge-seeking Clips. Los Angeles has thrived in this situation historically. In fact, the Clippers are an incredible 47-17 ATS long-term (and 15-3 ATS the L3 seasons combined) when they are a road favorite in a range of -3.5 to -6 points! The Thunder are 11-21 ATS the L3 seasons combined on Friday nights. They get blasted again here as the powerful road fave gets their revenge. The point differential for LA this season is incredible as they are averaging 105 points per game while allowing only 88 points per game. All 7 of the Clips wins have come by at least 8 points. Lay it! 8* LOS ANGELES CLIPPERS Friday

TNT Blowout - Rickenbach NBA Game #503 - 8* Chicago Bulls (+) @ Miami Heat @ 8:05 ET Thursday - The scheduling edge here certainly goes to Miami but sometimes these types of edges get "played up" too much and the value is truly with the team in the worse situation. Indeed this is a back to back spot for the Bulls while the Heat have been off since Monday. However, Chicago is hungry off of a loss last night and you know that Dwyane Wade has his sights set on having a huge performance in his first trip to Miami since becoming a Bull. The Heat are struggling early this season with just 2 wins in 6 games on the year and Miami is struggling to find perimeter shooting. This certainly has played a role in the Heat shooting only 41.8% from the field this season. Look for Miami to struggle to try and keep up with a Bulls team that is averaging 107.2 points per game on the young season. The only two wins the Heat have this season have come against Sacramento and Orlando. The Kings and Magic are projected to be among the worst teams in the league this season. The Bulls are only 4-4 on the season but have wins over Indiana and Boston and those are both playoff-level teams. Also, having the extra rest may not help a Miami offense that is struggling to find its rhythm early this season. The Heat also are already 0-2 SU and ATS when playing with 2 days of rest this season. The line here has moved from pick'em to Miami -2.5 and I'll grab the value on the other side of the move. 8* CHICAGO Thursday

Rickenbach NBA Game #711 Wednesday - 10* Top Play Chicago Bulls (+) @ Atlanta Hawks @ 7:35 ET - The Bulls have revenge on their minds here. They lost all 4 meetings with the Hawks last season. Chicago has lost each of it's last 3 visits to Atlanta and 6 of the last 7 meetings overall. How do they rectify the situation? The Bulls catching the Hawks at the right time is a big help and that is exactly what has happened here. Chicago is catching Atlanta off of a big revenging win at Cleveland last night. Not only is this a back to back spot for the Hawks but they also had to battle all night to get past the Cavaliers last night. That sets this situation up beautifully for a Bulls upset today as the Hawks will have trouble dealing with another quality opponent in the 2nd night of a back to back and with travel involved as the Hawks had to get back to Atlanta after last night's game. The Hawks held the Cavs Irving and Smith to a combined 13 of 40 from the field and Atlanta simply won't have much left in the tank after last night's solid defensive effort. From a situational standpoint, it just doesn't get much better than this. Grab the points. 10* CHICAGO Wednesday

Rickenbach NBA Game #709 Wednesday - 8* Philadelphia 76'ers (+) @ Indiana Pacers @ 7:05 ET - The 76'ers are off of an ugly loss to Utah Monday. Even though the Sixers are 0-6 on the season they have yet to have back to back blowout losses. Each time off of an ugly loss Philadelphia has responded with a strong effort which has resulted in a competitive game. That is also what I expect to be the case in this instance as well. Philly is at Indiana and getting plenty of points. The Pacers are only 3-4 on the season and only one of those victories has come by a double digit margin. Indiana enters this game on a 1-5 ATS skid. The Sixers are already 2-0 ATS this season when off of a loss by a double digit margin and also 19-12 ATS the past three seasons when they are off of a game where they were held to 85 points or less. After their ugly 109-84 loss to the Jazz on Monday, the Sixers keep this one much more competitive than many are expecting. Look for the 76'ers to play some small ball (and use that to their advantage) as one of their big men, Joel Embiid, is likely to sit this one out. 8* PHILADELPHIA Wednesday

Rickenbach NBA Game #701 Wednesday - 8* Minnesota Timberwolves (+) @ Orlando Magic @ 7:05 ET - I lost with the T-wolves last night but the final score is deceiving as the game was much closer than the final margin. The end result of a loss leaves the Timberwolves still very hungry for a win and, even though this is a back to back spot, I like their chances against a struggling Orlando team. The Magic showed very little heart in the way they got blown out by 32 in the loss at Chicago Monday. Orlando had a strong first half but could do nothing right in the second half and they are proving early this season that they are a tough team to trust. The Magic are only 3-4 on the season and 2 of their wins came by 2 points or less. With this line climbing up early to a +3 for Minny, there is nice line value with the underdog. The first three losses that Minnesota had this season all came by 4 points or less. The T-wolves have been so close to turning the corner but again fell just short at Brooklyn last night as the Nets just simply were on fire from the field. The Timberwolves played a good game but Brooklyn won despite getting outshot by a double digit margin in attempts from the field. The Nets were hot from the field. For Minny, the good news is that tonight they are unlikely to run into that problem as the Magic are only hitting 41% from the field this season. Also, Orlando is making only 30.4% of their three pointers this season. Look for the Magic to drop to 0-4 ATS on the season as a favorite. A young team like the Timberwolves won't be greatly impacted by this back to back spot and they also have two off days on deck after this so they 'leave it all on the floor' tonight as they go for that elusive road victory. I expect them to get it but will certainly grab the points as the T-wolves have revenge on their minds after losing both match-ups with Orlando each of the past two seasons. 8* MINNESOTA Wednesday

Top Blowout Smash - Rickenbach NBA Game #503 Tuesday - 10* Top Play Minnesota Timberwolves (-) @ Brooklyn Nets @ 7:35 ET - Both of these teams have injury issues at the point guard spot but it is a much worse situation for the Nets in comparison with the Timberwolves. Already without star PG Jeremy Lin, the Nets are likely to be without Greivis Vazquez (back-up PG) tonight as well. Minnesota at least has 2nd year man Tyus Jones to man the point along with rookie Kris Dunn. Though Randy Foye is expected to finally play his first game of the new season tonight, the Brooklyn shooting guard is unlikely to be in top rhythm in his very first game back. That said, Minny can focus on double-teaming Brooks Lopez down low and this effectively shuts down the Nets offense. Brooklyn has been held to 95 points or less in 2 of their last 3 games. The T-wolves, with Karl-Anthony Towns, will have the best player on the floor tonight and he and his Minnesota teammates are hungry to get back into the win column after back to back losses. On deck for the T-wolves is another non-conference match-up while the Nets have a big game on deck with the cross-town division rival Knicks. Brooklyn has the much better ATS mark in comparison with the Timberwolves early this season but that is helping to give line value to a Minny team that won both meetings with the Nets by a double digit margin last season. Teams can grow complacent when on a long homestand and Brooklyn is 4-16 ATS (and 2-18 SU!) when they enter a game having played each of their three prior games at home. The Timberwolves are 24-13 ATS in their last 37 meetings with the Nets and they add another W to that tonight as they bounce back after back to back losses. 10* MINNESOTA

NBA TV Smash Pass - Rickenbach NBA Game #501 Tuesday - 8* Atlanta Hawks (+) @ Cleveland Cavaliers @ 8:05 ET - Big revenge game for Atlanta after getting eliminated from the playoffs by Cleveland last spring. Though it certainly will be tough for the Hawks to win outright on the road against the Cavaliers, there definitely is significant line value with the points that are being offered here. The Cavs are 6-0 on the season but their last 5 wins have all come by 8 points or less. In fact, the average margin of victory in those 8 games is only 4.8 points! As for the Hawks, they are 4-2 on the season and their two losses came by only 7 points and 3 points, respectively. Each of the Cavaliers last 4 opponents have hit at least 45.2% from the field. As for the Hawks, they've held 4 of their 6 opponents to 43.5% or less from the field. Cleveland has been knocking down three pointers but the Hawks have been better from inside the arc and, with two full off days between games, the Cavaliers may have lost some of their rhythm from three point land. Each team has been off since Saturday. Atlanta is 46-22 SU (and 42-26 ATS) when off of a win by a margin of 10 points or more. The Cavaliers continue to be a money-burning team in November as they are on a 10-20 ATS run in November games including an ugly 0-3 ATS this season. Also, the Hawks are already 2-0 ATS agianst teams with a winning record this season so that is a combined 5-0 ATS mark in favor of the road dog in this one. 8* ATLANTA

Watch-n-Win Smash Pass - Rickenbach NBA Game #706 Monday - 8* Philadelphia 76'ers (+) vs Utah Jazz @ 7:05 ET - The Sixers are still seeking their first win of the season but they have been very competitive in home games. Philly is off of a 1 point loss to the NBA champion Cavaliers and that means that the 76'ers have now had 3 of 4 losses at home by an average of 3 points per game! Philly is hungry to get over the hump here as they have a road game on deck and that begins a stretch where 4 of the Sixers next 6 games are away from home. Getting that first win while still on their home floor is a big goal for Philadelphia and they are catching Utah at a good time. The Jazz are off of a win at New York yesterday and this is the first time this season that the Jazz have had to play road games on back to back days. Also, this will be Utah's 5th game in 7 days. It is a tough stretch for the road team here and Philadelphia is playing for just the 2nd time in 5 days so the 76'ers certainly will have the fresher legs tonight. The Sixers are 16-4 ATS against Northwest Division teams and 38-21 ATS in non-conference action as the teams from out west certainly don't bring a lot of motivation to these match-ups with a team that has been the worst in the Eastern Conference in recent seasons. 8* PHILADELPHIA 76'ERS Monday evening

Contrarian Crusher - Rickenbach NBA Game #509 Sunday - 8* Denver Nuggets (+) @ Boston Celtics @ 7:35 ET - Many will be looking to fade the Nuggets here because they are in the 2nd night of a back to back situation while the Celtics have had 2 days off coming into this battle in Boston. However, no one played more than 29 minutes for Denver last night and the only reason the Nuggets were beaten badly is that they shot poorly. Denver was held to 33% from the field but they again won the battle of the boards and are averaging about a dozen more boards per game than their opponents so far this season. As for the Celtics, they are an ugly 8-14 ATS when playing with two days of rest and they have been outrebounded in 3 of their last 4 games. The deficit has been about 15 boards per game in those 3 games. What I especially like about this match-up is the value with the big points. All 5 of Boston's game this season have been decided by 6 points or less and, before yesterday's rare blowout loss, all of Denver's games this season had been decided by 5 points or less. With the Nuggets about a 7.5 point dog here, there is great value with the points. The Nuggets also have plenty of motivation here as they've lost both match-ups with Boston each of the past two seasons. 8* DENVER

Rickenbach NBA Game #514 Friday - 8* Dallas Mavericks (+) vs Portland Trail Blazers @ 8:35 ET - Portland is playing their 3rd game in 4 nights and they just lost at New Orleans Wednesday to give the Pelicans their first win of the season. Now I look for the Trail Blazers to end up giving the Mavericks their first win of the season. Dallas has allowed just 95 points per game in their past two games but they've still come up short of a victory. Portland has allowed 115.2 points per game so far this season and the Blazers won't be able to match the defensive intensity of the hungry Mavs in this one. Portland has gone over the total in each of their five games this season and this style of play hasn't led to many positive results at the betting window in the past. When the Trail Blazers enter a game having gone over the total in each of their three prior games, they have gone 10-18 ATS (including 0-2 ATS this season). The Mavericks have covered 5 of their last 7 meetings with Portland and that includes all 3 of the meetings in Dallas. Off of 4 straight losses to open the season the Mavericks are the hungry home dog here and the Blazers aren't going to be able to match their defensive intensity. 8* DALLAS Friday

Rickenbach NBA Game #507 Friday - 8* New York Knicks (+) @ Chicago Bulls @ 8:05 ET - Huge game for Joakim Noah and Derrick Rose as they return from New York to Chicago to face their former team. Both of these clubs, with all the changes in the off-season, are having struggles getting going early this season. Of course it has been worse for the 1-3 Knicks than the 3-1 Bulls but with the way Chicago's D is struggling, including on the perimeter in their loss @ Boston Wednesday, the points are the way to go here. The Bulls have allowed opponents to shoot 47% or better from the floor in 3 of their 4 games and Chicago faces a hungry Knicks team that has played the tougher schedule early this season. New York, off of an ugly home loss to Houston, is eyeing this big match-up on ESPN Friday night as an opportunity to right the ship. Look for Noah and Rose to lead the way as the Knicks improve on a 19-12 ATS mark in Friday night games the past 2 seasons. The Bulls have only gone 9-15 ATS as a home favorite of 6.5 to 9 points the past 2 seasons. 8* NEW YORK Friday

Rickenbach NBA Game #515 Wednesday - 8* Dallas Mavericks (+) @ Utah Jazz @ 9:05 ET - What is worse than facing the Spurs in a front end of a back to back? Facing a winless, ultra hungry team in the 2nd half of that back to back situation after having to travel. Yes the Jazz were in San Antonio last night and now they're back home to take on a Dallas team that is 0-3 on the season but well rested and very hungry off of a 1 point loss. The Mavericks went 2-1 against the Jazz last season with the lone loss by just 2 points. Also, Dallas has gotten the straight-up win in 5 of their last 7 trips to Utah. The Mavs are 6-3 (SU and ATS) when they enter a game on a losing streak of 3 games or more. Also, the Mavericks have failed to cover only 14 of their last 41 against Northwest Division opponents. Utah has lost 18 of 31 when off of an upset loss as an underdog. Also, the Jazz are just 15-26 when off of a win by a double digit margin. Make no mistake about it, last night's Utah win over the Spurs was a big one. They will be flat here and the Mavericks will take advantage as they bring a huge effort in hopes of notching their first win of the season. 8* Dallas

Rickenbach NBA Game #511 Wednesday - 8* New Orleans Pelicans (+) @ Memphis Grizzlies @ 8:05 ET - The Pelicans are winless on the season after a tight loss to Milwaukee last night. All their games have been tight (except the ugly loss at San Antonio) and, with that said, New Orleans is offering some nice road dog value here. Even though the Pelicans are in a back to back spot, the Grizzlies are also in a back to back spot and Memphis got blasted last night. The Grizzlies lost by 36 points last night and they are now playing their 4th game in 5 nights. Even though New Orleans is also in a back to back spot, they had two days off prior to facing the Bucks last night. Memphis is only 16-20 SU in divisional games the past two seasons and here they are being asked to cover a half dozen points. The Pelicans are on a respectable 59-44 ATS run as an underdog. Also, when off of an upset loss as a favorite, New Orleans has gone 19-11 ATS. When playing on back to back days the past two seasons the Pelicans went 22-15 ATS. 8* New Orleans

Rickenbach NBA Game #502 Wednesday - 8* Washington Wizards (+) vs Toronto Raptors @ 7:05 ET - The Wizards swept the Raptors out of the post-season two seasons ago. The Raptors then got some measure of payback by sweeping the regular season series last year 4 games to 0. Needless to say it's now Washington that has payback on their minds and the Wizards are also playing their home opener tonight and have an 0-2 record on the young season. They will be hungry to get into the win column here and they are catching the Raptors off of a tight home win versus Denver and now playing their first road game of the season. The Wizards are 54-33 SU in home games the past two seasons. The Raptors are 31-47 ATS when off of a game where they scored 105 points or more. 8* Washington

Situational Slaughter - Rickenbach NBA Game #709 Tuesday - 8* Sacramento Kings (+) @ Miami Heat @ 7:35 ET - Many will look at this match-up and see a back to back situation and figure the Kings are in trouble. However, Sacramento did a good job of limiting minutes with their player rotation in last night's loss at Atlanta and they have fresher legs than you would normally expect for a back to back spot. Also, the fact they blew the game in the fourth quarter last night has the Kings hungry for a bounce back as they eye a road win tonight. Sacramento is catching the Heat at the right time. Miami is already dealing with early season injury issues, they are off of back to back losses, and they are in a lookahead spot here. Up next for the Heat is a trip to Toronto and it is hard for Miami not to be looking ahead to that match-up with a Raptors team that knocked them out of the playoffs last season. Toronto got the best of the Heat in a series that went 7 games in the Eastern Conference semi-finals. While the Heat are looking ahead, the Kings are fully focused on this game as they look to get revenge for losing both match-ups with Miami each of the past two seasons. The Heat are 9-17 ATS in Tuesday match-ups the past two seasons. The Kings are 18-13 ATS in November games the past two seasons. 8* SACRAMENTO KINGS

Earliest Cash - Rickenbach NBA Game #701 Tuesday - 8* Houston Rockets (+) @ Cleveland Cavaliers @ 6:05 ET - Even though this is a revenge spot for the Cavs (lost at home to Rockets in late March), a team having revenge is not that big of a deal when that team went on to win the Championship in June. That said, there is big value with the big points being offered here. The Cavaliers are 3-0 on the young season but they haven't shot the ball very well in their last two games and, on the other end of the floor, they are allowing a higher and higher shooting percentage with each game so far this season. The Magic hit 45.2% from the field in Saturday's non-covering Cleveland win. The Rockets are 2-1 on the young season and the lone loss came by 6 points. Houston is doing a respectable job on the boards early this season while the Cavs have been outrebounded significantly in their past two games. James Harden (probable for tonight - ankle) and the Rockets are fired up about facing the defending champs. Look for Houston - 15-3 ATS on Tuesdays the past two seasons combined - to give the Cavs all they can handle here. Cleveland is 10-17 ATS in November games the past two seasons and this non-conference match-up is likely to have them looking ahead to all the Eastern Conference opponents that are up ahead on the schedule. 5 of the Cavaliers next 7 games are against Eastern Conference teams that were in the post-season last spring. 8* HOUSTON ROCKETS

NBA TV Blowout - Rickenbach NBA Game #502 Monday - 8* Toronto Raptors (-) vs Denver Nuggets @ 7:35 ET - Nice spot for Toronto to win big at home. Not only are the Raptors off of a home loss to Cleveland Friday, Toronto also has revenge on their minds here. They lost both games against the Nuggets last season. The Raptors lost in Denver by 19 in the most recent meeting and, prior to that, Toronto suffered a home loss by a single point to the Nuggets in the last meeting north of the border. It is payback time here and, though both teams are 1-1 on the season, the Nuggets are expected to be one of the weaker teams in the Western Conference this season while the Raptors are expected to be among the top teams in the Eastern Conference once again this season. Denver is only 7-13 SU in their last 20 games against teams from the Atlantic Division. Also, the Nuggets only got the ATS cover in 7 of those 20 games as well. As a home favorite of 6.5 to 9 points, the Raptors have gone 14-4 SU. Their ATS success in that same point spread range has not been as good but, as you can see, the SU win is to be expected. That said, what about the cover this time around? The key here is that Toronto has the double revenge angle working in their favor. Once they get up big in this game they are not going to take their foot off of the gas because they learned their lesson in last year's match-ups with Denver. The Raptors, off of a loss, need to take care of business tonight and they have shot better, defended better, and also been less turnover prone (Tor 29, Den 41) compared to the Nuggets in the first two games of this season. All those edges should lead to a win by double digits for the Raptors on NBA TV Monday evening. 8* TORONTO

NBA TV Blowout - Rickenbach NBA Game #712 Sunday - 8* Memphis Grizzlies (+) vs Washington Wizards @ 8:05 ET - A key in NBA wagering success certainly involves looking at scheduling because it can create some favorable situations. However, sometimes when it seems a team has some big edge because of scheduling, everyone piles on and the line moves and then it actually creates huge value going the other way. That is precisely the situation here. The Grizzles are in a back to back as they were at New York last night while the Wizards are rested as they have been off since facing Atlanta on Thursday in what is Washington's only game so far this season. The key to the value here is that Memphis is fired up off of a loss (they did get to within two points of the Knicks before New York pulled away in the fourth quarter) and the Grizzlies did not have a single player log more than 30 minutes last night. That means we have legs that are fresher than normal for a back to back spot and we have a team that is hungry because they are off of a loss. The Grizzlies did win their first game of the season at home on Wednesday and they actually have won 16 of their last 20 home match-ups with the Wizards. The result of all of the above? Exceptional value on the home dog. I do feel that Washington is going to be improved this season but Memphis is 8-4 ATS as a home dog of 3 points or less and they won all 8 of those games straight up and they are fired up to bounce back off of last night's loss. They also are 29-18 ATS off of a game where they allowed 105 points or more. The Wizards are 6-10 ATS in Sunday games and that is no fluke. It has to do with how players prepare the day before a game and just keep in mind the Wizards were on the road on a Saturday night. They could be a little flat today and the Grizzlies will come out firing on all cylinders after getting off to a slow start at New York yesterday. 8* MEMPHIS

ESPN Insider - Rickenbach NBA Game #702 Friday - 8* Toronto Raptors +3.5 vs Cleveland Cavaliers @ 7:05 ET - The last time these teams met it was May 27th at the Air Canada Centre and the Raptors ended up on the wrong end of a 113-87 blowout. That ended Toronto's season and they certainly haven't forgotten that embarrassing setback that occurred in front of their home fans and will be out for payback tonight. That said, I like the home dog value here with the Raptors as, keep in mind, the home team in this series won and covered every other game between these clubs last season. In the playoffs and regular season combined the home teams in this series were on an 8-0 SU and ATS run heading into that Game 6 match-up in the Eastern Conference Finals. Both teams got a win in their season opener this year and both clubs looked impressive. However, the Cavaliers had gone only 24-37 ATS in games played before the All Star break the past two seasons and after their big effort in their home opener (which included ring ceremony, etc) I don't expect the Cavs to be able to match the Raptors intensity in this one. Toronto is very hungry for this game and the Raptors went 32-9 at home in the regular season last year while the Cavs only went 24-17 in road games. I like the fact that Toronto outscored the Pistons in every single quarter of their season opener Wednesday. This was even with the Raptors having a rare off-night from 3-point land as they only made 3 of 18 from downtown. They'll improve on that tonight and they'll again "keep the hammer down" against a Cavs team that was only up by one possession on the Knicks at half-time of their season opener. Certainly Cleveland had an impressive second half but another slow start (on the road and against a quality revenge-minded foe) likely won't end with a Cavs W and that is what I am expecting here. 8* TORONTO RAPTORS

Earliest Cash - Rickenbach NBA Game #501 Thursday - 8* Washington Wizards +4 @ Atlanta Hawks @ 7:35 ET - This line went from Atlanta -2.5 to the Hawks now being a 4 point favorite and that makes it "go time" with this play. The NBA is all about line value when it comes to the handicapping side of things. That said, it always looks so enticing to play those small favorites but, so often, they are a small favorite with very good reason. On opening night, none of the teams were favored by less than 5.5 points. However, last night there were 5 teams that went off the board as a favorite of 4 points or less. If you played all 5 of those favorites you went 1-4 ATS and those 4 losses against the spread were also outright losses! The point is that the reason Washington (missed playoffs last season) opened up as a small dog even though they are on the road at Atlanta (made it to 2nd round of playoffs last season) is a good reason! The Wizards have responded well to new coach Scott Brooks, Bradley Beal is now healthy, and the changes to the Hawks roster (adding Dwight Howard and losing Al Horford and Jeff Teague) are so significant that Atlanta is absolutely going to have to endure an "adjustment phase" early this season. I don't see them just hitting the floor running on all cylinders right away. Just like my play yesterday on Philly against OKC (never in doubt, covered from start to finish) I went against a team that lost significant personnel (Kevin Durant and Serge Ibaka) from the prior season and I am doing the same thing here. Don't be surprised if the Wizards get the road "upset" here. 8* WASHINGTON plus the points Thursday evening

ESPN Insider - Rickenbach NBA Game #714 Wednesday - 8* Philadelphia 76'ers (+) vs Oklahoma City Thunder @ 8:05 ET - What we saw last night with Golden State and the Knicks is similar to what we may see with the Thunder tonight. The fact is that teams that had a lot of off-season changes could struggle to find their rhythm early. New York hung around in the first half at Cleveland but then got blasted in the 2nd half and lost by 29. The Warriors were just plain awful all night and they got hammered by 29 on their home floor by San Antonio. The point is that I would not be surprised to see the Thunder struggle in their first game of the season as well and that makes fading them as 9 point road chalk very attractive. This is especially true when you consider that the Sixers, as bad as they have been in recent seasons, have still been known to rise up and cause good teams some problems. When the 76'ers are motivated and at home, they've been known to be a dangerous dog. The Thunder are going to go through a transition period with Kevin Durant and Serge Ibaka both having departed the team. Don't get me wrong, the Thunder are still a quality team no doubt but a lot of the scoring load will now be on Russell Westbrook's shoulders and yet he is still also supposed to be a key distributor at the point position. That said, some adjustment time is likely early this season. Philadelphia is fired up about this opportunity to host a strong Western Conference opponent in a nationally televised match-up to open their season. Even though Ben Simmons got hurt in the preseason and is out until at least January, Joel Embiid is finally healthy and he and Dario Saric both looked strong in the preseason while big man Jahlil Okafor is also probable for tonight's game and that offsets the loss of Nerlins Noel to injury. Honestly with Embiid, Okafor, and Noel, the 76'ers had one too many big men. With one being out due to injury they'll be just fine. In terms of ATS history, Philadelphia has covered 3 of the last 4 meeting including each of the last two at home. The 76'ers are on a 15-4 ATS run against Northwest Division opponents and the Thunder are on a 5-15 ATS run against Atlantic Division opponents. Overall, in non-conference games, OKC is on an ugly 24-35 ATS run and the Sixers are on a solid 37-21 ATS run. Look for the Sixers to keep this game much closer than many are expecting as the Thunder look ahead to 5 straight Western Conference match-ups that are up next. Let's face it...could anyone blame OKC for overlooking Philly? 8* PHILADELPHIA 76'ers plus the big points Wednesday

Earliest Cash - Rickenbach NBA Game #501 Tuesday - 8* New York Knicks (+) @ Cleveland Cavaliers @ 7:30 ET - I expect the Knicks to be a much improved team this season and this looks like a great spot to back them right away. They are getting big points because they are visiting the defending NBA champs on opening night. The key to the value here is that the Knicks now have Derrick Rose and Joakim Noah. These are two former Bulls that helped challenge the Cavs greatly in recent match-ups. It was mostly Rose last season as Noah was hurt for much of the year but the Bulls were tough on the Cavs last season. Also, remember that is was the prior season's post-season (May 2015) when both Noah and Rose were on the floor and though Chicago lost that series 4 games to 2, two of the losses came by 5 points or less. The Cavaliers aren't going to hit the floor hitting on all cylinders tonight (no NBA team does right away in the first game). With that said, they're going to be in for a dogfight from a hungry Knicks team that still has veteran Carmelo Anthony plus a rising young star in Kristaps Porzingis. New York can put up big points and has plenty of go-to options on offense and they will keep this game much closer than many expect. Keep in mind the Knicks have covered each of their last 3 visits to Cleveland. Even though the big ceremony will take place in Cleveland tonight for the World Champion Cavs, truth be told, there is more attention right now on the Indians in Cleveland as they take on the Cubs in Game 1 of the World Series. The Knicks are a real threat for an upset tonight and if the Cavaliers do pull away late, it is hard to work up to a double digit margin in a game that is tight all the way to latter stages of fourth quarter. The Knicks are hungry for a strong start after making big noise in the off-season. As for the Cavs, they are known for slow starts and are a combined 24-38 ATS in games prior to the All Star break the past two seasons. 8* NEW YORK KNICKS plus the big points Tuesday Night.

Rickenbach NBA *10* Top Play Cleveland Cavaliers +5 @ Golden State @ 8 ET - The pressure has now all been shifted to the Warriors. After being down 3 games to 1 in this series, the Cavaliers have battled back to knot the series up at 3 and force a Game 7. It would be a monumental failure for Golden State to lose this series on their home floor after being up 3 game to 1. The problem this is creating for the Warriors is the last thing that a team needs is pressure when they already were not shooting the ball well. Believe it or not Golden State has now been held to 42.1% or less from the field in 4 straight games! Conversely, Cleveland is feeling the positive energy of having given themselves a chance in an "anything can happen" Game 7 and the Cavs are riding a wave of emotions that has seen them shoot the ball very well the last 4 games in this series. The Cavaliers have shot at least 46.9% from the field in 4 straight games including an incredible 51.9% or better in 3 of those 4 games. The absence of big man Andrew Bogut in the middle will continue to be an impact for the Warriors interior defense here in Game 7 as well. The fact we are getting 5 points with the team that has won three of the last four games in this series by a double digit margin is a tremendous value given the situational momentum and pressure factors here as well. Look for the Cavaliers to get the upset win here but if they do fall short I expect it to be an epic finish decided by just one possession as the Cavs get the cash either way to finish 9-4 ATS this season in games where they are an underdog! *10* CLEVELAND

Rickenbach NBA *10* Top Play Cleveland Cavaliers -2 vs Golden State @ 9 PM ET - With this line now settling in at a -2 as of Wednesday evening, it is "go time" for me with the Cavaliers. Even though Draymond Green is expected back for the Warriors, the absence of Andrew Bogut is likely to prove to be more impacting than many expect. Even though Bogut hasn't played a lot of minutes in these finals, he has played key minutes where he has a been a force in the paint on the defensive end and he's also been big with some key boards underneath as well. Another key is that Green certainly has been known to get himself into foul trouble and now Bogut is not available to help balance that. The biggest key of all for this game is LeBron James and Company being fired up (which they are!) about the opportunity to have this Game 6 at home and to be able to force an "anything can happen" Game 7. The Cavaliers also want to atone for a poor game in Game 4 on their home floor after they were so dominant for the home fans in their big Game 3 win in Cleveland. Even though Golden State got that win in Game 4 in Cleveland it is important to note that the Warriors have shot 42.1% or worse from the field in THREE STRAIGHT games now. The only reason they won Game 4 was because of some hot three point shooting. That is unlikely to be repeated here as the Warriors have been held to 33.3% or less from beyond the arc in 3 of the last 4 games. James and the Cavs are so hungry I just don't see them being denied for a 2nd time on their home floor in this series. Keep in mind, the Cavs had won 8 straight playoff home games in this post-season before that Game 4 loss. They respond tonight by NOT disappointing the home fans in the proverbial must win situation. *10* CLEVELAND

Rickenbach NBA *10* Top Play Cleveland Cavaliers +6 @ Golden State @ 9 ET - Not only is Draymond Green expected to be out (suspension) for the Warriors but the Cavs LeBron James is fired up. Those two factors, in my opinion, are not properly factored into this line and there is tremendous line value with the Cavaliers as a sizable dog in a "win or go home" game. Certainly Cleveland disappointed in Game 4 but they will make up for it in Game 5. The Cavs are 16-6 straight-up this season when off of an upset loss as a favorite. The Warriors are only 8-8 ATS the past three seasons when off of an upset win as an underdog. The point is that the situational factors here favor the Cavaliers. Certainly Golden State is hoping to avoid a trip back to Cleveland but I see the hungriest Cavs team you've ever seen taking the floor tonight and I fully expect the outright win as they dominate the boards and get back to shutting down Stephen Curry like they were doing earlier in this series. The Warriors star had a breakout game in Game 4 but we've seen shooting slumps throughout this series for Curry and his teammates. That resumes tonight and Golden State will be in a dogfight tonight just to win this game...let alone get the cover. Grab the value with the points! *10* CLEVELAND