2nd Round Game of the Year - Rickenbach NBA Rotation #511 Friday 10* Top Play Philadelphia 76ers (-) @ Atlanta Hawks @ 7:35 ET - The Sixers led by 18 going to the 4th quarter Wednesday and lost. They led by 13 at the half in Atlanta Monday and lost. After blowing back to back games the 76ers are in trouble as the Hawks are in the drivers seat now. However, Philadelphia knows that with one win tonight, the Sixers can force a Game 7 which would be in Philly. I do not see them being denied in that quest. Someone, or even a few players (the star talent is there) will step up for the 76ers in the fourth quarter of this game. This team should have a "going for the kill" mentality throughout the entirety of this game. The following is an excerpt from what I mentioned in a write-up earlier in this series on Philadelphia when they took a 2-1 series lead by winning Game 3 at Atlanta: "The Hawks played in a much weaker division this season than Philadelphia did. Note that Philly played in a tough Atlantic Division but still went 10-2 in the division. Also, the 76ers went 13-2 against the weak Southeast Division. The Hawks record was helped by the fact they went 9-3 in their own division. Against the Atlantic Division, Atlanta had a losing record at 7-8." All of that still holds true here and now you have the 76ers very angry after back to back losses and they are on the road so that is keeping this game at a very playable number - currently in the -3 range. Lay it! 10* PHILADELPHIA

Game of the Month - Rickenbach NBA Rotation #582 Wednesday 10* Top Play Philadelphia 76ers (-) vs Atlanta Hawks @ 7:30 ET - The following is an excerpt from what I mentioned in a write-up earlier in this series on Philadelphia when they took a 2-1 series lead by winning Game 3 at Atlanta: "The Hawks played in a much weaker division this season than Philadelphia did. Note that Philly played in a tough Atlantic Division but still went 10-2 in the division. Also, the 76ers went 13-2 against the weak Southeast Division. The Hawks record was helped by the fact they went 9-3 in their own division. Against the Atlantic Division, Atlanta had a losing record at 7-8." All of that still holds true here and now you have Philly, after blowing a big lead in Game 4, all of the sudden knotted at 2 games apiece in this series but back home where they are known for dominating. The 76ers have one of the best combined home records in recent seasons among any of the teams in the league. Now of course we not only need the Sixers to win this game but also cover the spread. To put your mind at ease about this but, not sure if you have noticed in this post-season, the spread has hardly ever mattered. There have been very few games where the SU winner was not also the ATS winner. That trend dates back to the regular season in 76ers games to as only 1 of their last 14 games has seen the SU winner not also be the ATS winner. Look for the home team to get right back on track here and win this one in a blowout by a double digit margin. 10* PHILADELPHIA

Earliest Cash - Rickenbach NBA Rotation #522 Thursday 10* Top Play Milwaukee Bucks -3.5 vs Brooklyn Nets @ 7:30 ET - So far in this series, excluding 3 pointers, the Bucks have outscored the Nets by 19 points. That is crazy to think about, right? But it is true and it is even more crazy considering Brooklyn has been without James Harden. He is going to miss tonight's game too and I feel strongly that this is where it will catch up with the Nets. They are on the road facing an angry Milwaukee team and I expect a huge effort from the Bucks as Brooklyn's 3-point shooting finally settles back down from astronomical levels! In the regular season the Nets were only 20-16 SU in road games while the Bucks were 26-10 SU in home games. The home team has won and covered all 5 meetings between these teams this year and I look for that trend to continue tonight as the Bucks finally put forth a very strong effort and Brooklyn's ridiculously hot outside shooting finally cools. 10* MILWAUKEE

Contrarian Crusher - Rickenbach NBA Rotation #504 Tuesday 8* Utah Jazz (-) vs Los Angeles Clippers @ 10:05 ET - The Jazz have won 11 of 14 straight up and have a huge rest edge here. They have not played since June 2nd while the Clippers have played twice since then. Before those two wins for Los Angeles over Dallas to wrap up a 7-game series win, LA had lost 5 of 7 both SU and ATS. All 11 of Utah's wins in their 11-3 SU run have come by a margin of 7 or more points and I fully expect this one will too! Rest edge and home court edge will be huge and the Clippers could be fatigued in the thin air of Utah after that 7-game battle with the Mavericks took everything they had to advance. 8* UTAH

Earliest Cash - Rickenbach NBA Rotation #502 Tuesday 8* Philadelphia 76ers (-) vs Atlanta Hawks @ 7:30 ET - The 76ers will respond off the Game 1 loss. The Sixers had won 10 in a row at home prior to that loss. 9 of the 10 wins came by 7 or more points. The Hawks made twice as many three pointers in the game as Atlanta knocked down 20 from beyond the arc while Philadelphia made just 10. That is a 30-point variance from downtown and yet the Hawks only won the game by 4 points even with that 30 point edge beyond the arc. You get my point. Sixers roll by double digits. 8* PHILADELPHIA

TNT Dominator - Rickenbach NBA Rotation #581 Monday 10* Top Play Milwaukee Bucks (+) @ Brooklyn Nets @ 7:35 ET - The Nets are without James Harden but he went out in the first minute of Game One with a hamstring injury and yet Brooklyn still ended up building a huge lead and winning the game by 8 points. That said, the Bucks are in real trouble here, right? Actually I expect them to be able to make some solid adjustments now since they know Harden is out. Also the reason they lost Game One was they made only 6 of 30 from downtown while Brooklyn made 15 of 40 from beyond the arc. When you get outscored by 27 points from three point land you actually should lose the game by a lot more than 8 points. In other words, there were some things to like in the Game One performance for Milwaukee. The Bucks were the better rebounding time and did a better job of getting to the free throw line than did the Nets. That said, I will take the road team in anticipation of a big bounce back win here in Game Two. 10* MILWAUKEE

Daytime Dominator - Rickenbach NBA Rotation #573 Sunday 10* Top Play Dallas Mavericks (+) @ Los Angeles Clippers @ 3:35 ET - Too much line value to pass up on here in my opinion. The road team not only has covered all 6 games in this series they have won each game outright. That said, grabbing the Mavericks on the money line here is in a 6-0 / 100% perfect SU situation. But we can add insurance to our play by grabbing the points being offered with Dallas. The Mavs are currently a 6.5 dog in this one as of early game day morning and that is a big value. 3 of the 6 games in this series have been decided by single digit margins - an average of 6 points per game - and this should be another tight one here. I do expect the road team trend to continue but will grab the points as added insurance with this one. 10* DALLAS +6.5

Contrarian Crusher - Rickenbach NBA Rotation #543 Thursday 10* Top Play Phoenix Suns (+) @ Los Angeles Lakers @ 10:35 ET - Looking at this series and looking at Anthony Davis, you can see how there is a clear relationship. Davis had a sub-par game one and the Suns won that game. Angry and motivated, Davis and the Lakers bounced back with big performances in each of the next two games. Then, still dealing with some lingering injury issues Davis was not the same guy in Game 4 and then got another injury - groin - that knocked him out of the game. However, even before the new injury, you could see Davis was not the same guy. Why does this matter? Well, the Suns went on to win Game 4 after he exited and, again, he was not himself for the 1/2 game worth of minutes he was out there. Then, without him in Game 5, the Lakers got blasted. Now, even if he comes back in Game 6, Davis is dealing with multiple injury issues. That said, I see the Lakers as "without Davis" no matter what in this game. He was not the same player in Game 4 even before he got hurt. He was playing hurt already. Now dealing with a multiple-injury situation, Davis will not be capable of a dominating performance here and, as we have seen throughout this season, Davis is the key to this team NOT LeBron James! With all of the above said, I expect the Suns to take advantage of this situation and end this series tonight. I will grab the bucket just in case they fall just short but I do expect an outright win here. 10* PHOENIX +2

Contrarian Crusher - Rickenbach NBA Rotation #521 Tuesday 10* Top Play Boston Celtics (+) @ Brooklyn Nets @ 7:35 ET - Just too many points in my opinion. When you look at the box score from Game 4 of this series you see that the Nets made a ridiculously high percentage of 3-pointers and also just a ridiculously high percentage of shots overall. The Celtics actually had more field goal attempts and free throw attempts in the game and yet ended up on the wrong end of a blowout loss. I am not saying that Boston will not again lose this game but I am saying that they will not lose it by a double digit margin. We are currently getting 12.5 points in this one and I expect the Celtics, playing for their season here, to stay within single digits against Brooklyn. I am aware of the injury situation for Boston and that this is not the same Celtics team we have seen in recent playoff years but this is still too many points in my opinion and I just do not see the road dog being put down here without a helluva fight. Grab the big points. 10* BOSTON

Contrarian Crusher - Rickenbach NBA Rotation #512 Monday 10* Top Play Washington Wizards (+) vs Philadelphia 76ers @ 7:05 ET - The markets are on Philly in this one so waiting to game day morning paid off some in terms of additional line value here as this one is now up to an 8.5 and I am expecting the Wizards to play a strong game. You know Washington does not want to get swept out of the playoffs by losing this one on their home floor. Of course being motivated is not reason enough to win a game but I expect a hard-fought battle here and at least a cover in this one. Washington actually did find a way to cover Game 1 of this series and in the past two games they have combined for 13 more shot attempts to the Sixers. How did they lose both so badly? Well, the Wizards are a ridiculous 10 of 57 from three point land the past two games while the 76ers are an equally ridiculous (the other way) 26 of 54 from three point land. Neither one of these statistical variances is likely to continue into a third straight game and that means value here with the big dog as I expect the gap of the last two games between these two teams to be closed in a big way. The home dog will not go down without a very strong effort and I see that leading to at least a cover in this one! 10* WASHINGTON +8.5

Western Conference Game of the Year - Rickenbach NBA Rotation #503 Sunday 10* Top Play Phoenix Suns (+) @ Los Angeles Lakers @ 3:35 ET - I have heard that Anthony Davis will play no matter what but could his sprained knee limit him a little bit here? Either way, the fact is the Suns are going to come out strong here after losing back to back games. Phoenix needs to be stronger on the boards and they know they can ill afford falling into a 3-1 hole in this series so I look for the Suns to play their best game of the series thus far. Maybe that still does not avoid the 3-1 series deficit but it should at least get us the cash here as they stay inside the number on this one. There were 3 times in the regular season in which the Suns entered a game off consecutive losses in which at least one of the losses was a road defeat. In all 3 instances, Phoenix won that game and I am expecting that record to reach a perfect 4-0 today but will grab the points as added insurance in this one. The Lakers are off back to back covers but this was on the heels of a 4-13 ATS stretch. It has been a very long time since Los Angeles has covered 3 straight and I do not expect that to change here either as LA falls short of the cover in this one. Look for the Suns to be very active defensively and extra aggressive on the boards in this one and I am expecting them to play a much more complete game after falling short in back to back games. 10* PHOENIX

Earliest Cash - Rickenbach NBA Rotation #552 Thursday 10* Top Play Miami Heat (+) vs Milwaukee Bucks @ 7:35 ET - The Heat got blasted on Monday by 32 points but were outscored by 42 points from three point land! It was just "one of those games" where the Bucks were making everything and the Heat were cold from beyond the arc. Miami actually had 35 free throw attempts compared to just 20 for Milwaukee. The Heat will be much better here after dropping the first two games of this series in Wisconsin. Miami lost Game One by only a 2-point margin. Now they are a home dog of a bucket here in a must win game. I like the Heat to get back on track in a big way here. Miami had covered 13 of 17 before the ugly loss in Game 2. Also, the Bucks had failed to cover 7 of 8 before getting that blowout win. Payback time for the Heat as they get back into the series with a key win Thursday. 10* MIAMI

1st round Game of the Year - Rickenbach NBA Rotation #542 Wednesday 10* Top Play Philadelphia 76ers (-) vs Washington Wizards @ 7:05 ET - In game one, the Wizards shot 56% from the field and 40% from three point land so your next question would be, okay how many points did Washington win by? Exactly...and yet the Wizards did not even win the game and barely covered as they lost by 7 points to stay just inside the number. The point of all this? Washington is in huge trouble if they can shoot like that and yet still not win the game. The Wizards had the better shooting numbers both inside and outside the 3-point line and yet still lost the game by nearly a double digit margin. That said, with the Sixers fully aware they need to D up even stronger, Philly wins this game by more than a dozen points in my opinion. The extra rest is another edge for the 76ers here as it is a key for Embiid to stay as healthy as possible and they are at home again and game one was on Sunday so two full off days in between. This is a big edge for Philly. Ride the home team to a cover here as the home team in 76ers games was on a 12-3 ATS run prior to their non-covering home win Sunday. That 80% run makes sense as Philly is known for struggling on the road but dominating as a host. Look for home domination in this one. 10* PHILADELPHIA

Contrarian Crusher - Rickenbach NBA Rotation #531 Tuesday 10* Top Play Boston Celtics (+) @ Brooklyn Nets @ 7:35 ET - Yes the Nets covered Game 1 but the Celtics actually led by 6 points at the half. The teams ended up taking an equal amount of shots but poor overall shooting for Boston cost them the game and the cover. I expect Brooklyn will shoot better from three point land here and fully understand they are do for a bounce back in that regard. However, the Nets are going to see some adjustments from the Celtics who are known for making good game to game adjustments. I know it has not been the same Boston team we have seen in the past but they are well-coached and will be ready to go here and I simply do not see them losing this game by a double digit margin. I know Brooklyn has been hot but the Celtics had covered 3 straight prior to that loss and I feel the Nets are over-priced here. Market is favoring the home favorite and, in typical contrarian fashion, I am going the other way! 10* BOSTON

Pacific Div Game of the Year - Rickenbach NBA Rotation #514 Sunday 10* Top Play Phoenix Suns (-) vs Los Angeles Lakers @ 3:35 ET - Granted they would have another chance to make the post-season by facing Memphis but that does not change the fact the Lakers were fortunate to get past the Warriors in their play-in match-up. LA barely beat Golden State and I am well aware that the Lakers now have a winning streak going but 4 of their last 6 wins in the streak were against teams that did not end up making the playoffs. Now Los Angeles faces a major challenge here. Yes they beat Phoenix earlier this month but the Suns had won the prior two meetings this season by double digits. Also, this match-up is in Phoenix where the Suns went 27-9. This line has dropped from a 3 to a 2.5 and I feel we have fantastic line value here with the small home favorite. The Suns had a week off to rest up for this game and are healthy. With the Lakers now having Anthony Davis and James back on the floor again they are getting a lot of love from the betting markets but this is a very strong Suns team that has the rest edge and is on their home floor. Lay the small number. 10* PHOENIX

Game of the Month - Rickenbach NBA Rotation #509 Saturday 10* Top Play Dallas Mavericks (+) @ Los Angeles Clippers @ 4:35 ET - The Mavericks lost their regular season finale but how important was that game? Exactly! That said, it is playoff time now and Dallas entered that final game having won 12 of 15 games! The Mavs are out for revenge here from last year's playoff ouster at the hands of the Clippers. You can expect a very strong effort here as a result. I like the fact that Los Angeles is on a 3-8 ATS skid and I feel they are overvalued here with the line move from 4.5 now up to a 5.5 as of early game day morning. The Mavericks won 2 of the 3 meetings between these teams in the regular season and have plenty of confidence entering this post-season rematch. That makes for a very dangerous dog here. Give me the points! 10* DALLAS

Earliest Cash - Rickenbach NBA Rotation #567 Wednesday 10* Top Play San Antonio Spurs (+) @ Memphis Grizzlies @ 7:30 ET - Good news for Spurs fans in this one! The game is AT Memphis! While that may seem like a facetious statement, the fact is that San Antonio went just 14-22 in home games this season and have proven to be a much better road team this season. More good news for Spurs fans is that the 3 games between these teams this season were not only ALL WON by the road team, the average margin of victory was 20 points per game! Not necessarily expecting a road rout here but I do expect the road team to find a way to get the outright win and, if they do fall short it should be by the slimmest of margins. That said, grabbing the points with the road dog in this one is the value play in my opinion as an outright upset certainly is possible, if not probable! The Grizzlies enter the post-season stumbling with a 4-9 ATS run! The Spurs went 23-13 ATS on the road this season. 10* SAN ANTONIO

Earliest Cash - Rickenbach NBA Rotation #559 Tuesday 10* Top Play Charlotte Hornets +3 @ Indiana Pacers @ 6:40 ET - The Pacers wrapped up the season on a 7-0 ATS run while the Hornets wrapped up the season on an 0-5 SU run. That said, it looks awful easy to take Indiana -3 at home and fade Charlotte here does it not? Exactly! This is precisely why, in typical contrarian fashion, I am on the other side of this one! Give me the Charlotte team that no one else wants. However, this is certainly not a play without some strong reasoning behind it. For one thing, the Hornets won the last meetings with the Pacers this season by an average margin of 10 points per game and they dominated with a 20-10 turnover margin edge in the most recent meeting. For another thing, out of all 20 teams that either made the playoffs already or are in this play-in tournament, Indiana has the worst home record. In fact, the only other team even close to their 13-23 SU futility as a host is the Spurs out west. All other 18 teams have at least a .500 record at home on the season. So, the point is, some home court edge is baked into this line but the Pacers do not even deserve it. If I can take a team +3 against a team that is 13-23 at home plus that appears to have some match-up issues when facing this opponent, I will take that team every single time! Grab the points. 10* CHARLOTTE

ESPN Smash Pass - Rickenbach NBA Rotation #552 Wednesday 10* Top Play Atlanta Hawks (-) vs Washington Wizards @ 7:10 ET - The Wizards will again be without leading scorer Bradley Beal. The Hawks, after allowing Washington back in the game with a horrific 4th quarter performance, will be much better defensively in this game in my opinion. Speaking of defense, that is something Washington does not believe in. All kidding aside, the Wizards have indeed allowed - NOT including OT points - 124 points or more in 5 of last 6 games. In fact, Washington has allowed 127.5 points per game in those 6 games and, again, that is taking OT points out of the equation! As for the Hawks, normally they have been pretty solid defensively and, keep in mind, this is an Atlanta team that has won 8 straight home games. By the way, the 1st 7 wins in that 8-game streak all were by a margin of 7 or more points. Also, the Hawks are off back to back high scoring games but this followed Atlanta allowing an average of only 109.3 points over an 8 game stretch. Certainly the Hawks have proven much more capable of playing some respectable defense in comparison with the Wizards. Now, after back to back high-scoring thrillers, I look for the home team to absolutely turn things up a notch on the defensive end in this one and get a big blowout home win as a result. 10* ATLANTA

NBA TV Annihilation - Rickenbach NBA Rotation #507 Sunday 10* Top Play New Orleans Pelicans (+) @ Charlotte Hornets @ 7:10 ET - The Pelicans showed a lot of heart and got big performances from the bench in their 2-point loss at Philly Friday. New Orleans was without Williamson, Ingram, and Adams in that game. Only Adams might be back tonight but, even if he does not play, I like the Pelicans a lot here. New Orleans proved against the 76ers that they are not going down without a fight as they work hard to keep their playoff hopes alive. I was particularly impressed with their performance in the hustle stats like rebounding, steals, and blocked shots. Look for the Pelicans, also seeking revenge for a home loss to Charlotte earlier this season, to give the Hornets all they can handle here. I am grabbing the points but expecting the outright upset. 10* NEW ORLEANS

TV Game of the Week - Rickenbach NBA Rotation #505 Tuesday 10* Top Play Brooklyn Nets (+) @ Milwaukee Bucks @ 7:40 ET - Chance at immediate revenge for Brooklyn after losing a tight one at Milwaukee on Sunday. The Nets did outrebound the Bucks in that game but were done in by turnovers. Also, the Bucks were simply the better shooting team that night and, even with all that, the Nets still lost the game by just a very slim margin. I expect the Nets to shoot better tonight and get payback. Brooklyn is 5-1 SU this season when they enter a game off back to back losses. The Nets were on a 29-8 run prior to now suffering back to back defeats. They will respond here. The Bucks had lost 10 of 19 prior to now coming up with back to back wins. 10* BROOKLYN

Daytime Dominator - Rickenbach NBA Rotation #549 Sunday 10* Top Play Brooklyn Nets (+) @ Milwaukee Bucks @ 3:40 ET - The Nets are off a loss but it was without Kevin Durant as he was rested. He'll be back for this one and Brooklyn is 9-0 SU the last 9 times when off a loss and here we can grab them without laying any points so I am testing this 9-0 situation. I know Giannis will be back for the Bucks here too but how healthy will he be? Also, the Nets won the first meeting and I know Harden played in that one and he is out for this one but Irving did not play in that one and he is back for this one. Plus Brooklyn won that game despite a 17-5 turnover deficit. That will not happen again with Irving on the floor in my opinion. Also, the Nets were strong on the glass in that one and I look for more of the same here. Keep in mind the Bucks are just 10-10 SU last 20 games. Couple that with the fact that Brooklyn has been so strong off a loss and you have the ideal set-up here. Many will be enticed to take the Bucks here as Milwaukee is known for being so strong at home but, there is plenty of reason as to why this game is priced this way and I am going contrarian and grabbing the Nets in this one as they get it done on the road. 10* BROOKLYN

Earliest Dominator - Rickenbach NBA Rotation #513 Friday 10* Top Play Atlanta Hawks (+) @ Philadelphia 76ers @ 7:10 ET - The Hawks are off back to back blowout losses and the Sixers are off back to back blowout wins with the latter of the two coming on Wednesday when Atlanta got destroyed as a 9.5 point dog at Philadelphia. This line is the same as the line was Wednesday even though the 76ers won the game by 44 points. The odds makers must not know what they are doing, right? Of course that is not the case! The fact is that the Hawks should be healthier for this game and could even have Trae Young back on the floor which would be huge for them. Either way, with Atlanta having been embarrassed in two straight games and the Sixers rolling to back to back blowout wins, this is the perfect spot to bank on an underdog response and a favorite to fade. It is just natural for the motivation to be much higher for the Hawks here and as long as they stay within single digits, we cash our ticket. I fully expect that here. 10* ATLANTA

Earliest Dominator - Rickenbach NBA 10* Top Play Philadelphia 76ers (-) vs Atlanta Hawks @ 7:05 ET - When you think of the Hawks you probably think of Trae Young. Atlanta's star point guard is absolutely the guy that makes this team go. That said, with Young out with an ankle injury, the Hawks are currently a shell of the team they normally are. Atlanta is off a 14-point loss at Detroit and now faces a much tougher test with this game at Philadelphia. Not only are the 76ers known for a being one of the best teams in the league when at home, they play this game with revenge for a loss by double digits at Atlanta earlier this season. The Sixers have been angry after some recent sub-par performances but are getting healthier again as evidenced by their 120-91 blowout win over the Thunder on Monday. They will continue to take out their frustration of some recent losses by pulverizing the next team in their path as well. This is the first of back to backs between these teams as they meet again on Friday so there is no lookahead here. The 76ers will be fully focused here as a result and that is bad news for a Hawks team that will really miss Trae Young in this one! 10* PHILADELPHIA

Northwest Div Game of the Year - Rickenbach NBA Rotation #545 Monday 10* Top Play Utah Jazz (-) @ Minnesota Timberwolves @ 8:10 ET - The loss of Donovan Mitchell to an ankle injury is, no doubt, a big one for the Jazz. However, after they lost their first game without him to the Lakers (tough spot as was 2nd game of B2B) they got to face LA again in their next game and blasted them by double digits. Then their next game was a blowout win at Houston in which they destroyed the Rockets by 23 points. Now, after a home loss to the Timberwolves Saturday, the Jazz get a shot at immediate revenge with this game at Minnesota tonight. I am expecting a massive win here as they are determined to get payback and have already proven they can win by big margins against bad teams even when they are without Mitchell. The clincher for me is this nice little nugget about the Wolves. The last 7 times Minnesota entered a game off a SU win, the Timberwolves have gone 0-7 ATS! Blowout time! 10* UTAH

Game of the Month - Scott "The Bulldog" Rickenbach NBA Rotation #556 Thursday 10* Top Play Boston Celtics (+) vs Phoenix Suns @ 7:10 ET - The Suns barely got by at Philadelphia and the 76ers were without two starters as Ben Simmons and Tobias Harris missed that game. Now Phoenix takes on a Celtics team that also has some injury issues but is expected to have both Kemba Walker and Marcus Smart back for this game. Also, it is the 2nd game of a back to back for Phoenix and the Suns are on a 1-3 ATS run in this situation. Additionally, the Celtics are in a great spot as they have had two days off after a home loss to Chicago. Look for Boston to have plenty of energy here. The Celtics are rested and ready to avenge their loss at Phoenix two months ago and also get back on track after losing to the Bulls. I am aware that Jaylen Brown is likely to miss this game but having Walker and Smart back will be big for this team and they are getting too many points at home in this one in my opinion. Lets take advantage and grab the value. The Celtics had won 6 in a row before their home loss Monday and I look for them to get right back on track here but will grab the points as added insurance in the event they fall just short of the outright win. 10* BOSTON

Earliest Dominator - Rickenbach NBA 10* Top Play Philadelphia 76ers (+) vs Phoenix Suns @ 7:10 ET - This line is right around a pick'em and so we don't have to worry about a point spread. At the time of this posting the line is a +1 on the Sixers. Philadelphia enters this game off a home loss to the Warriors. That is noteworthy for multiple reasons. One is that Ben Simmons and Tobias Harris did not play but one, or both, should be back for tonight's game. But is also noteworthy because each of the last 7 times the 76ers have been at home and coming off a loss, they have gone 7-0 / 100% PERFECT straight-up. Certainly very strong odds as Philly is known for being very strong on their home floor and they have been particularly strong when off a loss! Look for this one to make it 8 in a row as they catch the Suns off another showdown against a top Eastern team and that was a one point win for Phoenix at Milwaukee. Also note that the Suns are 0-7 ATS the last 7 times they have entered a game off an ATS cover. So we have double 7-0 PERFECTION trends working in our favor here. I also like the fact that Philly lost at Phoenix earlier this season and also lost last season's home match-up with the Suns played in August with no fans. All signs pointing to a big home win here. 10* PHILADELPHIA

Big East Beast - Scott "The Bulldog" Rickenbach NBA Rotation #536 Friday 10* Top Play Philadelphia 76ers (-) vs Los Angeles Clippers @ 7:10 ET - I still can not believe that Philadelphia did not cover against the Nets Wednesday night as they let the easy cover slip away late. Much less to worry about here as we have a very small number to work with and the Clippers have injury issues. I know LA comes into this one having won 7 straight but Leonard is questionable (foot) and Ibaka and Beverley are both out with injuries. The Sixers are the much healthier team and also have two off days on deck as they do not play again until Monday. The 76ers are on a 3-game winning streak and are 4-1 this season when they entered a game having won 3 straight. The home team has been the winning team in recent meetings between these teams and here Philly gets revenge for the double digit loss at Los Angeles 3 weeks ago. Situation and injuries strongly favor the home team here. Lay the small number. 10* PHILADELPHIA

Situational Slaughter - NBA Rotation #502 Wednesday 10* Top Play Philadelphia 76ers vs Brooklyn Nets @ 7:10 ET - This is a big showdown for Eastern Conference dominance but the problem is that it may not live up to its billing. It is a back to back spot for the Nets. Kevin Durant played yesterday. Playing in a back to back would be rare for him and he might be limited or certainly not at his best. Kyrie Irving missed yesterday's game for personal absence. He might be in Philly physically tonight but will he be there mentally? LaMarcus Aldridge dealing with an illness (missed yesterday's game) may not seem like a big deal but actually the Nets were hoping he could guard Joel Embiid who is becoming the most dominant big man in the NBA. That said, the fact Aldridge might miss or be limited or not be 100% is another issue for Brooklyn in this one. Of course James Harden is out for sure with his hamstring injury. So the Sixers hold a ton of edges here in the health department and situational department as they are at home and were able to rest yesterday. These teams are tied for the top spot in the East with identical 37-17 records. The 76ers are the much healthier team and the home team has won both meetings by more than a dozen points this season. Different night, same result here as the injury factor is just too much for the Nets to overcome against a highly motivated Sixers team. 10* PHILADELPHIA

Big East Beast - NBA Rotation #501 Sunday 10* Top Play Brooklyn Nets (-) @ Chicago Bulls @ 2 ET - I am aware that James Harden is out for the Nets and, of course, Kevin Durant is still out. However, there is still plenty of talent on this Brooklyn team and others are stepping out with key guys out. Long-term the Nets have won 12 of 14 games and they enter this game on a 4-game winning streak. We are simply getting line value here because of the injury situation for Brooklyn because the fact is the Bulls are struggling badly. Chicago has lost 5 straight games and 7 of their last 8 games. Lay the small number with the Nets in this one as this is a classic case of hot versus not. 10* BROOKLYN

Game of the Month - CBB Rotation #803 Saturday 10* Top Play UCLA Bruins (+) vs Gonzaga Bulldogs @ 8:34 ET - All you here about is Gonzaga and going for the undefeated season and how great they are. I get all that and the Bulldogs indeed just might do it. But they are over-priced here as a large favorite against a Bruins team that is doing a great job of playing with an "us against the world" mentality. When Alabama drilled that 3-pointer against UCLA at the buzzer to force OT in the Sweet 16 most teams would not have been able to overcome that. But the Bruins are proving to not be "most teams" as they calmly gathered themselves and beat the Crimson Tide handily in the OT period. That would have left most teams out of gas and unable to duplicate the effort against an even tougher foe, Michigan, in their next game but again "most teams" does not define this Bruins team. UCLA continues to surprise and they will be more competitive in this game than many people are expecting. I know Gonzaga just beat USC handily as they blitzed them early and the team could not recover. The Bulldogs outshot the Trojans as Southern Cal struggled to hit shots. I see the Bruins getting more clutch shots. It has been the nature of this team throughout the tournament and I see it continuing here. Of course I am not calling for an upset here. I am just saying I absolutely do expect the Bruins to hang within a single digit margin in this one. 10* UCLA

NBA TV Game of the Month - NBA Rotation #547 Friday 10* Top Play Dallas Mavericks (-) @ New York Knicks @ 7:40 ET - The Mavericks only won by 5 points at Boston Wednesday but anyone who watched the game realizes it could have (and should have) been by much more. That said, there is value here with this rather low number as Dallas takes on a much lesser team in New York. The fact is the Knicks are fourth quarter failures this season and proved that again with an inexcusable loss at Minnesota in their most recent game. I haven't looked this up because whether they are dead last or not is besides the point but I just know that the Knicks have to be one of the worst scoring teams in the 4th quarters of games in the NBA this season. I just see it time and time again that this team chokes and even if they hang around with the Mavs through 3 quarters in this one then they will get obliterated in the 4th quarter like they have done so often this season. This is the first of two meetings between these teams this season and with the Mavericks just 1-3 SU and ATS the past two seasons against the Knicks, New York has their full attention here. I know the Knicks have a decent record and particularly at home but the Mavericks are on a mission to win their division and have won 16 of their last 23 games. They will stay hot here! 10* DALLAS 

Big East Beast - NBA Rotation #529 Thursday 10* Top Play Philadelphia 76ers (-) @ Cleveland Cavaliers @ 7:10 ET - The 76ers are on the road for this one but I am mentioning their home record (19-4) here because only one team in the NBA, Utah, has fewer home losses and so the Sixers certainly remember theirs. One of those four defeats as a host came at the hands of the Cavaliers in late February. Now it is time for payback. Even though Embiid is still out for Philadelphia, he is expected back this weekend. Just the fact his return is imminent is a big boost to the spirits of his Sixers teammates and they are still much more talented than this Cleveland team even though the Cavaliers have won both meetings this season (one in OT). Another issue for the Cavs is they have a number of players listed as questionable for tonight's game. Look for the 76ers to take advantage! The Sixers are off back to back losses but they were road games against the Nuggets and Clippers. Though still on the road for this one, Philly will take advantage of facing one of the worst teams in the league. Philadelphia had won 12 of 14 games before the back to back losses and Cleveland has lost 9 of 12 games and the average margin of defeat has been 16 points per loss. Look for another ugly Cavaliers loss here as the 76ers get their revenge. 10* PHILADELPHIA

NBA Rotation #512 Wednesday 8* Detroit Pistons (+) vs Portland Trail Blazers @ 7:10 ET - The Pistons got a strong night from young players and had hot shooting at home to take down the Raptors on Monday. The fact Detroit is still at home and continues to play with more confidence and heart than they had been has me liking them as a sizable home dog here against Portland. The Pistons are on a 7-3 ATS run and have covered 3 of last 4 at home and just do not seem to show any quit in their game. The Trail Blazers enter this game on a hot 10-4 SU run but this is a team whose last 9 wins have all been by single digits and the average margin of victory in those games was only 4.4 points. This will be another tight one here and if the Pistons don't pull out the SU victory look for them to lose by the slimmest of margins here. Grab the points. 8* DETROIT

NBA Rotation #510 Wednesday 8* Indiana Pacers (+) vs Miami Heat @ 7:10 ET - Solid spot for a small home dog here. The Pacers were eliminated from the playoffs by the Heat last season and Indiana has already gotten revenge this season by winning 2 games at Miami earlier this month. However, I don't expect any let up here as this is the Pacers first shot at home against the Heat this season. Sure Miami would like to get revenge for the two home losses versus Indiana this season but this is just not the same team this season. The Heat are off a win at New York but that was preceded by 6 straight losses both SU and ATS. Now Miami takes on a Pacers team that is off a loss at Washington but previously had won 4 of 5 games. Indiana has not played well at home this season and that has cost them. They are currently just outside the playoff spots in the East and the Heat are just inside for the final playoff spot. Long way to go in the regular season but the Pacers know they need to start to defend their home floor better if they are going to get into the post-season. Look for that to begin here with a big win over the Heat. 8* INDIANA

CBB Rotation #657 Tuesday 10* Top Play USC Trojans (+) vs Gonzaga Bulldogs @ 7:15 ET - Gonzaga is a great team of course. They are undefeated on the season. However, the public bettors - and there a lot of them throwing plenty of money around during March Madness - are all over the Bulldogs. That said, even with that, this line is moving toward USC. Why is that? The sharps are on the Trojans here and you can include me in that group as well. The Trojans have played a tougher schedule. Also, Southern Cal matches up better with Gonzaga then any other team left in the tournament except perhaps Baylor would have a decent shot against the Bulldogs. We all know how rare undefeated seasons are. The point is that if Gonzaga was going to get upset this would likely be the game and truly I would not be surprised to see that happen here. Sprinkling a little on the money line here too is not a bad idea at all. The Trojans allow less points per game, allow a lower shooting percentage from the field, rebound the ball just as well, and also get more blocked shots on the defensive end than the Bulldogs. Again, Gonzaga is a great team but don't lose sight of all of the above plus the fact that the Dogs are being asked to win this game by double digits. I just don't see that happening and expect Southern Cal to be in this one all the way. USC is 25-7 on the season and only 1 loss was by more than 10 points. UCLA lost to the Trojans in both meetings this season and one of those was an 18-point lambasting. What does that have to do with this play? Well the Bruins knocked BYU out of the tourney with a win by nearly double digits. BYU is the best team, other than Gonzaga, in the Bulldogs conference. The Cougars lost all 3 games against Gonzaga this season - once in tournament - but the average margin was 12 points. Like I said, UCLA knocked out Brigham Young and Southern Cal better than UCLA. This game in Elite 8 action going to be much closer than the public thinks. 10* USC

NBA Rotation #501 Tuesday 10* Top Play Charlotte Hornets (-) @ Washington Wizards @ 7:10 ET - Washington off a crazy win over Indiana yesterday. Why was it crazy? The Wizards are one of the worst teams in the NBA and were without Bradley Beal but shot a ridiculous 56% from the field including 53% from three-point land and also outrebounded the Pacers by a huge margin. None of those things are likely to be repeated here. This is a divisional game and the Hornets, leaders in the division, will come in focused. They have won 6 of 7 divisional games this season while the Wizards have lost 6 of 7 divisional games. Washington is off back to back wins but this was preceded by a 2-10 stretch and we have got a low number to work with here with Charlotte. The Hornets are angry off an OT loss and that defeat was preceded by a 7-3 run. They resume their divisional dominance here with another convincing win over the Wizards similar to the 119-97 victory in their earlier meeting this season. 10* CHARLOTTE

#559 NBA 10* Top Play Indiana Pacers (-) @ Washington Wizards @ 7:10 ET - Great spot to fade a bad team and lay a short number. Yes the Wizards are off a win but it came against a very bad Pistons team and Washington almost blew that game before recovering just in time to secure the win after blowing a massive halftime lead. The Wizards are just 6-20 in Eastern Conference games this season! They had lost 10 of 12 games prior to the win over Detroit. They are hosting a Pacers team that has the most road wins (13) of all but one other team in the entire Eastern Conference. Indeed Indiana has been better on the road than at home this season the Pacers enter this game on an overall run of 4 wins in their last 5 games. 3 of Indiana's last 4 road wins have come by a double digit margin. The Wizards most recent loss was by a margin of just 4 points but this was preceded by a stretch in which 7 of Washington's last 8 losses were by a margin of 6 or more points. Look for this one to turn into a road rout as the Pacers also have fresh legs as they have not played since Friday. The Wizards also have a key injury (Beal - hip) to deal with. 10* INDIANA

Sweet 16 Game of the Year - NCAA 10* Top Play UCLA Bruins (+) vs Alabama Crimson Tide @ 7:15 ET - This line has consistently climbed and is now a full +7 as of gameday morning. Look for the underdog Bruins to surprise some people in this one. I know that Alabama is on an 8-game winning streak but 4 of their last 9 wins have been by a margin of 5 or less points. Also, the Crimson Tide final two wins of the SEC tourney came by a combined 6 points. One of those wins was over LSU who just got bounced by a Big Ten foe in this tourney and the Big Ten has underachieved in this tourney this season. Also, the other win was over Tennessee and the Vols just got bounced from this tourney by Oregon State. Coincidentally now another SEC team takes on a Pac-12 team and I expect this to be another very challenging game for the favorite. The Crimson Tide are a solid team but coach Cronin has this Bruins team believing. Though they entered the tourney on a losing streak their recent Pac-12 losses were by a combined 5 points the last 2 games and were against USC and Oregon State. Both the Trojans and Beavers are still alive in this tournament. The loss before that was Oregon, also still alive in this tournament. And all these losses were by a single digit margin. Alabama only had to beat Iona and Maryland (again, Big Ten struggling) to get to this point and the Tide face a dangerous Pac-12 underdog in this one. All the pressure is on Bama here and the Bruins shot the ball very well this season, even in road games, and with an underdog "nothing to lose" mentality could give Alabama fits here as all the pressure is on the favorite. Upset alert but I will grab the points as added insurance as the Pac-12 ATS dominance continues. 10* UCLA

Big East Beast - NBA 10* Portland Trail Blazers (+) @ Toronto Raptors @ 7:10 ET - I was looking to fade the Raptors after they so luckily got the back door cover against the Suns on Friday and now I have the perfect situation to do so. To the public it looks easy to take Toronto at nearly a pick'em price on their home floor. After all, most bettors love the home court "edge" but this season the Raptors have not even been playing in Toronto. That said, is it any surprise they are only 9-11 at home this season? Also, this is a Raptors team that is only 6-11 against Western Conference teams. Also Toronto enters this game on a 2-12 SU run. As for the Trail Blazers, they are on a 9-4 SU run their last 13 games and also are a rock solid 12-6 against Eastern Conference teams. Damon Lillard missed the last game for the Blazers but they still beat Orlando. However, they did not cover in that game which is also helping to give us line value in this one. Portland only beat the Raptors by a single point when these teams met in January so there is no way the Blazers will overlook them here. Look for a road rout as a result as Toronto's losing stretch goes to 2-13 last 15 games. 10* PORTLAND

Contrarian Crusher - NCAA 8* Florida State Seminoles (+) vs Michigan Wolverines @ 5 ET - The Big Ten certainly underachieved in this tournament. Yes Michigan is still alive but there is a reason this line moved toward Florida State even though the Wolverines are ranked higher. I look for the Seminoles to give Michigan a lot of trouble down low at both ends of the court. In other words, easy buckets for FSU in the paint while the Wolverines will find the going in and around the paint very tough in the offensive end. Of course the biggest edge of all here is the coaching edge for the veteran Hamilton over the inexperienced Howard. The loss of forward Isaiah Livers was also a huge one for Michigan. The fact we are getting points here is simply an added bonus as I fully expect Hamilton to outcoach Howard and the Noles to advance to the Elite 8 with a solid win here. 8* FLORIDA STATE

Big East Beast - NCAA 8* Creighton Bluejays (+) vs Gonzaga Bulldogs @ 2:10 ET - Too many points. Gonzaga was fortunate to get the cover against Oklahoma and we all know how badly the Big 12 ended up performing in this tournament. That said, Gonzaga got here off a win over the Sooners and facing an outclassed Norfolk State team. Of course the Bulldogs are a great team and that is why they are undefeated on the season. But they will face a major test here. I expect Gonzaga to win but look for this game to be decided by a single digit margin. The Bluejays actually have slightly better defensive numbers than the Bulldogs and they played the tougher schedule this season too. After Creighton had some tough recent shooting efforts, they got it going in their most recent win in NCAA Tourney action. That is a huge confidence boost for the Bluejays and they will carry momentum from that better shooting effort right into this game. 8* CREIGHTON

Big East Beast - NBA 10* Top Play Washington Wizards (-) vs Detroit Pistons @ 8 ET - The Pistons burned me yesterday as they rallied for the backdoor cover. On that note the Raptors did the same thing to me yesterday but they are not in action tonight. Detroit is in action and we are going to get our money back by fading this weak team. I know the Wizards are not a great team but they are better than Detroit and also a better team when they are on their home floor. Washington is off 3 straight losses but those games were on the road. The Wizards most recent home game was a win over Utah - one of the best teams in the league! Now Washington hosts one of the worst teams in the league and I expect them to take full advantage. The Pistons are 5-19 SU in road games this season and the Wizards are laying only 3.5 points here. Washington is a respectable 8-9 SU last 17 home games and the average margin of victory in the 8 wins is 9.8 points per game. Look for a win by a double digit margin as the Wizards have played just 3 games the last 8 days while Detroit is playing the 2nd game of a back to back and it will be their 3rd game in 4 days! 10* WASHINGTON

Top Play - 10* Oral Roberts Golden Eagles (+) vs Arkansas Razorbacks @ 7:25 ET - Arkansas is off a tight win over Texas Tech but the Big 12, other than Baylor, really ended up being a dud in this tournament. What I like about Oral Roberts here is they score so well and are dangerous with their 3-point shooting. I don't expect them to have the same scoring droughts that Colgate had in the opening round against the Razorbacks. Keep in mind, Colgate led Arkansas 33-19 before allowing a 17-0 run to end the half. Then, after tying the game at 58 more than halfway through the 2nd half, Colgate allowed a game-ending 27-10 run. Those two 17 point differentials were, of course, the key to the Razorbacks win and cover. That is not happening against Oral Roberts and I feel Arkansas is a little over-rated in this match-up. I expect them to win this game but only by a single digit margin as the Golden Eagles will put up a helluva fight. Only 4 of the last 13 games for the Razorbacks have resulted in an Arkansas win by more than 11 points. The Golden Eagles lost by 11 at Arkansas in December but got dominated on the glass in that one. They are well aware of that fact and though the Razorbacks will hold a rebounding edge thanks to their size and athleticism edges, you can bet the hungry underdog is going to be much better on the glass in this one than they were in the first meeting. 10* ORAL ROBERTS

Big East Beast - 8* Villanova Wildcats (+) vs Baylor Bears @ 5:15 ET - The Big 12 has not been what it was cracked up to be heading into this tournament. That said, the lone remaining team is certainly a good one but just how good are they given the lackluster performance of the Big 12 in this tournament? Even though the Wildcats are without Collin Gillespie, I like them in this spot as a live dog. The Bears just beat Wisconsin but the teams scored exactly the same number of points from the field. Yes Baylor outscored the Badgers at the free throw line by 13 points but another key to the game was 14 turnovers for Wisconsin compared to just 4 for the Bears. That is not happening for Baylor against Villanova. Also, since the covid pause that impacted the Bears program, they finished the regular season and Big 12 tournament on a combined 5-2 SU run. Not only did they lose 2 of 7 games but 3 of their 5 wins were by 6 or less points including one in OT. I do feel Baylor will find a way to win this game but it won't be easy and the points are far too much against a well-coached Wildcats team that also has plenty of big-game experience. Look for this one to go down to the wire as the Cats only two losses since Gillespie got hurt came by a combined total of just three points! 8* VILLANOVA

Situational Slaughter - Scott "The Bulldog" Rickenbach NBA Rotation #515 Friday 10* Top Play Phoenix Suns (-) @ Toronto Raptors @ 7:30 ET - Ideal set-up for a road rout here. The Suns are off a 1-point loss at Orlando but that was preceded by wins in 12 of their last 15 games both SU and ATS. As for the Raptors, they are off a rare win as they knocked off Denver in convincing fashion on Wednesday. The blowout win over the Nuggets followed a 9 game losing streak for Toronto and a 1-5 ATS run their last 6. That ugly run for the Raptors even included an 18-point loss to a Rockets team that had lost 20 straight games! In fact, that Toronto loss immediately preceded the win over Denver and now I look for the Suns to immediately return the Raptors to their losing ways. Phoenix is angry here and will not take their foot off the gas in this one. Each of the Suns last 14 wins have come by at least a 6 point margin and all signs point to that streak reaching 15 in a row here! 10* PHOENIX

Earliest Dominator - Scott "The Bulldog" Rickenbach NBA Rotation #511 Friday 8* Brooklyn Nets (-) @ Detroit Pistons @ 7:00 ET - The Nets lost by 30 at Utah Wednesday but, already without Durant and Irving, Harden did not play either. Harden is dealing with a neck injury but I really don't see him missing this game. The fact is Brooklyn got him some extra rest and treated the Jazz game as a throwaway game. Now, however, the Nets take on one of the worst teams in the league and they have two off days on deck after this. As a result, I fully expect the Nets to go hard here plus Harden to be back. Additionally, Griffin is expected to be back and could have a special game considering he'll be facing his former team. Even short-handed against the Jazz, Brooklyn did have more shot attempts from the field in Wednesday's loss. The difference was that the Nets had a very poor shooting night while the Jazz were lights out from three-point land and outscored Brooklyn by 48 points from beyond the arc. Suffice to say that was a huge difference in the 30-point win and that won't be repeated here. No matter who ends up on the floor for the Nets in this one, they take advantage of a Pistons team that has lost 12 of its last 16 games and is having a very rough season overall. 8* BROOKLYN

NIT Game of the Year - Scott "The Bulldog" Rickenbach CBB Rotation #614 Thursday 10* Top Play Colorado State Rams (+) vs NC State Wolfpack @ 7 ET - The Wolfpack have played a tougher schedule than the Rams this season but I am fading the line move here and grabbing the team that has proven to be more committed to defense. On the season Colorado State allowed 66 points per game. Note that North Carolina State allowed 74 points in games away from home this season! The Rams held opponents to lower shooting percentages from the field including beyond the arc. While the Wolfpack were in the mid-40s and mid-30s respectively in those two categories, the Rams were closer to 40% and 30% respectively. Before a high-scoring win over Buffalo last week, Colorado State allowed 62 points or less in 5 of 7 games. NC State, on the other hand, allowed an average of 79 points per game the two games preceding the win over Davidson last week. The Rams find a way here and get more stops when it counts. 10* COLORADO STATE

Situational Slaughter - Scott "The Bulldog" Rickenbach CBB Rotation #609 Wednesday 10* Top Play Coastal Carolina Chanticleers (+) vs Pepperdine Waves @ 8 ET - Coastal Carolina blew a late lead and had to go to OT to beat Stetson yesterday. Yes the Waves are a better team than the Hatters. However, the Chanticleers won that game yesterday despite making just 4 of 16 three-pointers and 17 of 32 free throws. On the season Coastal Carolina hits 36% of threes and 72% of free throws. In other words, yesterday's poor shooting unlikely to be repeated here and I also do not expect Pepperdine to have a big rebounding edge like they did yesterday. The Chanticleers are a solid rebounding team. Also, though the Waves won yesterday's game by double digits, they actually had 5 less shots from the field than Bellarmine. Also, Pepperdine hit 46% of their threes. That is unlikely to be repeated here and Coastal Carolina is a solid team defensively. The Chanticleers allowed 67.6 points this season on just 38.5% from the field and only 30.8% from three point land. Grab the points in this one and don't be surprised if the underdog wins this one outright. If not, the loss likely to be by the slimmest of margins. 10* COASTAL CAROLINA

Earliest Dominator - Scott "The Bulldog" Rickenbach NBA Rotation #560 Wednesday 10* Top Play Indiana Pacers (-) vs Detroit Pistons @ 7:05 ET - The Pacers are not just off a loss here, they are off a thorough beatdown. That said, they certainly should respond huge here. Indiana just allowed 140 points in a loss at Milwaukee but this was on the heels of back to back wins over a Miami team that knocked them out of the playoffs last season. In other words, perhaps the beatdown made sense. But now the Pacers go from facing of the league's best teams to facing one of the league's worst. Indiana has not tasted victory on their home floor since the beginning of February so I know they are going to bring a huge effort here. The Pacers will take advantage of hosting a Pistons team that is the only team in the NBA that is still winless in their own division. Detroit is 0-8 this season in divisional play and also 5-18 in road games. This one gets ugly! 10* INDIANA

Earliest Dominator - Scott "The Bulldog" Rickenbach NBA Rotation #547 Tuesday 10* Top Play Denver Nuggets (-) @ Orlando Magic @ 7:10 ET - The Nuggets are off a loss and that sets this one up perfectly. Denver is a perfect 4-0 SU and 3-1 ATS the last 4 times when off a defeat. Also, they are on the road here so we get a manageable line and they are facing a Magic team that is enduring a horrific long-term run. Orlando is 1-10 SU their last 11 games. The Magic have been held to an average of just 97 points per game their last 5 games. Denver, when off a loss, averaged 119.5 points per game the last 4 times after tasting defeat. Look for the Nuggets to cruise to a double digit victory here. 10* DENVER

Situational Slaughter - Scott "The Bulldog" Rickenbach CBB Rotation #601 Tuesday 10* Top Play Stetson Hatters (+) vs Coastal Carolina Chanticleers @ 5:30 ET - The Hatters beat Bellarmine in the Atlantic Sun conference tourney and, of course, that is the same Bellarmine team that is taking on Pepperdine in the other CBI game going today. The point being that Stetson is better than their record indicates and are playing solid basketball at the right time of the season for sure. That does not mean they will upset Coast Carolina here but it does mean there are strong odds this is going to be a helluva game that goes down to the wire. That said, I don't see the Chanticleers covering this big number and they actually played a slightly weaker schedule than Stetson did this season. Also, the Hatters have won 3 of 4 games and their only loss was to Liberty who ended up in the NCAA Tourney. The 3-1 run by Stetson was preceded by a 1-2 stretch but both losses came by 5 or less points and the Hatters should be in this one all the way with Coastal Carolina as well. 10* STETSON

Pac-12 Game of the Year - Scott "The Bulldog" Rickenbach CBB Rotation #827 Monday 10* Top Play Colorado Buffaloes (+) vs Florida State Seminoles @ 7:45 ET - I am going with Colorado again here after successfully using them against Georgetown on Saturday. In that write-up I mentioned the following: "The Buffaloes are a strong team in both defensive and offensive efficiency. Also, they are a top free throw shooting team. They will be very focused here coming off a disappointing 2-point loss in the Pac-12 tourney to Oregon State who, by the way, is a pretty good team as shown yesterday. The Beavers won outright versus Tennessee by double digits as nearly a double digit dog!" Keep in mind Oregon State followed up the win over the Volunteers with another upset win over Oklahoma State yesterday. The Pac-12 is showing in this tournament that it is quite strong and I look for that trend to continue in this match-up. The Buffaloes will take advantage of a Seminoles team that is strong but has a couple of key weaknesses. Florida State often allows teams too many second chance scoring opportunities. In games away from home this season the Noles allowed 13 offensive boards this season which is nearly double what the Buffs allowed as travelers. Also, FSU known for turning the ball over too much. Florida State pulled away very late in their game against UNC Greensboro but now faces a much tougher opponent and the Seminoles have failed to get the cash in 4 straight games while the Buffaloes are on a 5-2 ATS run and get the job done again there. 10* COLORADO

Earliest Dominator - Scott "The Bulldog" Rickenbach NBA Rotation #531 Monday 10* Top Play Sacramento Kings (-) @ Cleveland Cavaliers @ 7:40 ET - The Kings are off a bad loss at Philly but entered that game 9-13 against the East this season. That is noteworthy here because the Cavaliers are just 4-14 against the West this season. Also, Cleveland is in a back to back spot here plus off a big win versus Toronto. Sacramento is 4-1 SU the last 5 times they were off a loss and I expect them to bounce back here and take advantage of a Cavs team in the 2nd game of a back to back and known for struggling against Western Conference teams. 10* SACRAMENTO

Afternoon Annihilation - Scott "The Bulldog" Rickenbach CBB Rotation #817 Monday 8* Oklahoma Sooners (+) vs Gonzaga Bulldogs @ 2:40 ET - I am aware of the De'Vion Harmon situation for the Sooners but feel strongly that this is still far too many points. Oklahoma is "only" 16-10 on the season but 8 of their last 9 losses came by a margin of 7 or less points. Also, the Sooners played the tougher schedule this season in comparison with Gonzaga. Keep in mind, the Bulldogs were on a 1-3 ATS run before getting the cover against Norfolk State in the first round but that game was a clearly a complete mismatch as evidenced by the huge spread on the game. The Bulldogs have been a favorite in range of 11 to 14 points twice in the past 7 weeks and they did not win either game by more than 11 points. Considering that as well as the Sooners knack for tight losses, look for this one to surprise many and be decided by single digits. 8* OKLAHOMA

Game of the Month - Scott "The Bulldog" Rickenbach CBB Rotation #804 Sunday 10* Top Play Villanova Wildcats (-) vs North Texas Mean Green @ 8:45 ET - Villanova keeps catching breaks. Yes they are without Collin Gillespie and that has derailed their bigger hopes and dreams for this season but I don't see them bowing out just yet. Their first match-up was against Winthrop and, though a quality team, that was a smaller school program that the Wildcats could handle. Now they were supposed to be facing Purdue in this round. A dangerous Big Ten team would have been tough on the short-handed Cats. However, Nova caught a break as North Texas upset the Boilermakers in the first round! The Mean Green, don't get me wrong, are certainly a quality team but they are similar to Winthrop in that they don't come from a Power Five conference and lets not forget how strong Villanova is. Yes the Gillespie injury is a significant issue for them but lets not forget the other talent that is on this team. The Mean Green played a much weaker schedule than the Wildcats did this season and I know they are well-coached and play solid defense but both those two items describe the Wildcats as well. So what is the difference then? The level of players the Wildcats have. That is why the Cats are in the Big East and the Mean Green are in Conference USA. Again, not knocking the team, just saying that there is a difference in talent level and we are now getting solid line value here since the Wildcats are without Gillespie and North Texas just upset Purdue in OT in the first round. Now the Cats are laying just 5 points as the markets love the dog in this one. Everything clicked for the Mean Green in their upset of the Boilermakers. This is still a North Texas team that lost 3 straight games to close out the regular season prior to making a run through their conference tourney. 10* VILLANOVA

Earliest Dominator - Scott "The Bulldog" Rickenbach NBA Rotation #512 Sunday 10* Top Play Miami Heat (-) vs Indiana Pacers @ 1:10 ET - These teams just met Friday and the Pacers were seeking revenge for last year's playoff exit. They got it in a big way but it was a bit of a fluke. Give Indiana credit for sure but it was also just one of those nights where everything was falling. Indiana made 20 of 36 three pointers while Miami made just 9 of 34. The Pacers won the game by a 27 point margin but they outscored the Heat by 33 points from beyond the arc! Suffice to say that kind of disparity is not happening again and you know Miami will be hungry today after suffering such an embarrassing loss on their home floor Friday! The Heat are now off back to back losses and will be out for blood after one of their worst defeats of the season. That said, lay the short number here. 10* MIAMI

Earliest Cash - Scott "The Bulldog" Rickenbach CBB Rotation #809 Sunday 8* Loyola-Chicago Ramblers (+) vs Illinois Illini @ 12:10 ET - These in-state rivals having a rare meeting here. Did you see Abilene Christian (located in Texas) upset the Longhorns last night? The point is that these in-state meetings come tourney time can certainly be dangerous for the bigger programs. The hungry underdogs facing the bullies of the neighborhood tend to kick things up a notch and be highly aggressive and motivated. I am not saying another upset looms here but I am expecting this game to go down to the wire. The Ramblers are very well coached and, of course, the Illini are too. But, the point is that Loyola is catching points here in a game in which they are going to be very hard to put away. Illinois, prior to destroying Drexel in the first round, had seen 3 of their 6 immediately preceding wins come by 5 or less points. Loyola has just 4 losses this season and 3 of the 4 were by a margin of 5 or less points. This one goes down to the wire. 8* LOYOLA-CHICAGO

Big East Beast Top Side - Scott "The Bulldog" Rickenbach CBB Rotation #791 Saturday 10* Top Play Maryland Terrapins vs Connecticut Huskies @ 7:10 ET - Both teams play solid defense and struggle some in the offensive end. In a game likely to be a low-scoring grinder, there is even more value than usual with having the points on your side. I especially like having the points in this case because the Terrapins do have a great shot at the outright upset here. The Huskies rely heavily on James Bouknight and he has not been himself in recent games. He has only had one strong shooting performance in his last 4 games. In those 3 games Bouknight combined to go 12 of 38 from the field and averaged just 13.3 points per game! Connecticut needs him but the Terps have the defenders to shut him down plus he has had just one big game from 3-point land last 10 games. In the other 9 games he has gone a combined 5 of 31 from downtown. Overated? Sure looks like it but it could be a health issue right now. Either way the Huskies are not necessarily the better team here and, especially with consideration to the Bouknight situation, a well-coached Terrapins team that has bought into a commitment to defense makes the underdog the play here. 10* MARYLAND

Big East Beast EARLY - Scott "The Bulldog" Rickenbach CBB Rotation #784 Saturday 8* Colorado Buffaloes (-) vs Georgetown Hoyas @ 12:15 ET - Congrats to the Hoyas on an amazing run through the Big East tournament as they managed to win it thanks, in part, to Villanova being without all-everything guard Collin Gillespie. Now after certainly deserving of being commended for the Big East run, Georgetown's season with end with a thud here. The Buffaloes are a strong team in both defensive and offensive efficiency. Also, they are a top free throw shooting team. They will be very focused here coming off a disappointing 2-point loss in the Pac-12 tourney to Oregon State who, by the way, is a pretty good team as shown yesterday. The Beavers won outright versus Tennessee by double digits as nearly a double digit dog! So the Hoyas are off their biggest win of the season and Colorado is off a 2-point loss that will have them very dialed in for this game. The Buffaloes went 6-1 this season when entering a game off a loss and the average margin of victory was 12 points. 8* COLORADO

Big East Beast - Scott "The Bulldog" Rickenbach CBB Rotation #730 Friday 10* Top Play Villanova Wildcats (-) vs Winthrop Eagles @ 9:57 ET - The Wildcats are in trouble here according to many people. That is because they lost Collin Gillespie to a season-ending injury two weeks ago. I know he was a very important player but do people realize the disparity between these two teams in terms of level of opposition they face each year? Yes Winthrop went 23-1 this season but they played no one of any significance. I am serious. Give them credit for a strong season as they took care of business for sure but again their "business" was nothing like what Villanova faces in the Big East. In fact, even comparing non-conference schedules, there is simply no comparison. The toughest game for Winthrop this season was UNC Greensboro. The Wildcats, conversely, were facing teams like Texas and a team that was ranked 18th when they faced them and a Virginia Tech team that is now ranked 25th. That was their non-conference schedule and, again, the Big East competition they faced all season was tougher than the Big South competition the Eagles faced. The fact the Wildcats are without Gillespie here actually helps us in terms of ATS value here in my opinion. We get a lower line as a result as a 6.5 is much more manageable than a double digit line where the back door cover always looms with "meaningless" late buckets. At the same time, you know Villanova will not overlook Winthrop either because, without Gillespie, the Wildcats know they must maintain proper focus here. Nova by double digits! 10* VILLANOVA

Earliest Dominator - Scott "The Bulldog" Rickenbach CBB Rotation #741 Friday 8* Drexel Dragons (+) vs Illinois Illini @ 1:15 ET - Illinois is a great team of course and a popular choice to win it all this season. However, this is still too many points in my opinion. This is particularly true with Drexel having backdoor cover potential as well. The Dragons went a fantastic 11-3 ATS in road games this season as they averaged 72.4 points as travelers on 49.1% shooting from the field including 39.2% from three point land. Teams that shoot the ball that well away from home make for dangerous underdogs in a tournament setting. I still expect the Illini to win this game by double digits but I expect the Dragons to actually stay inside the number the entire way in this one. Only 4 of the last 21 victories for the Illini have been decided by a margin greater than 23 points. The key cogs in the Dragons rotation are upperclassmen and they have enough veteran leadership to weather the storm here and remain competitive throughout. The Illini pull away late but still win this one by no more than 18 points in my opinion. 8* DREXEL

Situational Slaughter - Scott "The Bulldog" Rickenbach CBB Rotation #714 Thursday 10* Top Play Wichita State Shockers (+) vs Drake Bulldogs @ 6:27 ET - Here is another one with a classic line flip. Wichita State was favored by 2.5 points and now the line has swung the other way and it is Drake favored by 2.5 points! I know the Bulldogs have the better record on the season but they closed the season going 7-4 last 11 games including losing 2 of last 3. Wichita State closed the season with a loss to Cincinnati by just a single point in the AAC Tourney but this followed an 8-game winning streak for the Shockers! In fact, Wichita State was on a 15-2 run prior to the loss to the Bearcats. The Shockers and Bulldogs are former rivals in the Missouri Valley Conference but Wichita State is now in the AAC and did play the tougher schedule this season. I do not believe the betting markets are practically factoring that into this match-up and we'll take advantage of that here. 10* WICHITA STATE

Earliest Dominator - Scott "The Bulldog" Rickenbach CBB Rotation #716 Thursday 8* Texas Southern Tigers vs Mount St Mary's Mountaineers @ 5:10 ET - The line move here has gone from Texas Southern being favored by 2.5 points to Mount St Mary's being favored by 1.5 points. The Mountaineers have struggled to get consistent offensive production this season while the Tigers strength is scoring in bunches. Texas Southern averages 75 points per game while Mount St Mary's averages only 64 points per game. Also, there were only 4 teams in the conference tournament Mount St Mary's just played in. Texas Southern enters this game off 9 straight wins and having won 14 of last 15 games. The Mountaineers enter this match-up just 4-3 SU last 7 games and one of those wins came in overtime. The Tigers have scored 73 points or more, not including OT points, in 11 of last 12 games. 8* TEXAS SOUTHERN

Earliest Dominator - Scott "The Bulldog" Rickenbach NBA Rotation #532 Wednesday 10* Top Play Philadelphia 76ers (+) vs Milwaukee Bucks @ 7:05 ET - Well aware of the fact that Philly is in a back to back spot and playing 5th game in 7 days and still without Embiid. However their key guys did not play huge minutes yesterday and Philadelphia has won 6 straight games. Yes the Bucks are on a winning streak too but Milwaukee's road cover at Washington was their first ATS win in their last six road games. That's right...Bucks had been on an 0-5 ATS run in away games. The 76ers are off a non-covering win but have not had back to back ATS losses since mid-February. They may not get the outright win here but I look for at least a cover in this one. The Bucks, prior to huge win over Wizards, had seen 4 of last 5 wins come by 6 or less points. Look for the home team to get the cover for the 4th straight time in this series as the host is 3-0 ATS last 3 meetings between these teams. 10* PHILADELPHIA

Situational Slaughter - Scott "The Bulldog" Rickenbach CBB Rotation #706 Wednesday 10* Top Play Richmond Spiders (+) vs Toledo Rockets @ 7 ET - I understand the line flip here but the Spiders opened up as the favorite for a reason. Now Richmond is a 3 point dog and I won't hesitate to step in. The Spiders have had about two weeks off and normally that is a bad thing but that is not the case here! Senior big man Grant Golden (finger) and senior guard Blake Francis (hip) have both been able to recover better from injuries as a result of the extra time off. These two are the top two scorers for Richmond and Golden is also solid in terms of assists and rebounds. I know each of these guys have been listed as a game time decision for this evening but I would be very surprised if they miss this game. Keep in mind, the NIT is down from the usual 32 teams to just 16 for this season. The Spiders certainly want to make a run at it and I just don't see these guys missing this game. I know Richmond is on a 3-game losing streak but Francis missed the most recent game and played only 9 minutes in the prior game (got hurt) and with Francis in the lineup for a full game the Spiders have never lost back to back games. I feel strongly that both guys will play but even if 1 of the 2 misses, Richmond will have 4 guys on the floor that average double digits in points, and again I do expect this number to be 5 though! The Spiders are undervalued here against a MAC team that, in regulation time, has allowed an average of 77 points per game last 4 games. The Rockets will struggle to do enough on the defensive end against a Spiders team that has allowed an average of only 65.6 points per game even during a rough 4-4 stretch to end the season! 10* RICHMOND

Contrarian Crusher - Scott "The Bulldog" Rickenbach NBA Rotation #503 Monday 10* Top Play Sacramento Kings (+) @ Charlotte Hornets @ 7:05 ET - The low line on this game makes no sense and, in typical contrarian fashion, I am fading public perception and fading the line move as this one has moved up a little higher this morning. Charlotte is a very small favorite here even though they are at home where they are 11-8 this season and even though the Kings are on the road where they are 6-11 this season. Additionally, the Hornets are on a 9-5 run and have won 3 straight games while Sacramento is on a 3-12 run. Given all of the above the line makes no sense here, right? Exactly! Give me the team no one wants here! The Kings are off a loss but are 3-0 L3 when off a loss. Also, Sacramento does have revenge in this one for a 1 point home loss to the Hornets earlier this season. Charlotte does have a long road trip on deck and could look right past the Kings here. Grab the points! 10* SACRAMENTO

Contrarian Crusher - Scott "The Bulldog" Rickenbach NBA Rotation #562 Sunday 10* Top Play Philadelphia 76ers (-) vs San Antonio Spurs @ 6:35 ET - The Spurs blasted Orlando without DeMar DeRozan but that game was at home and the 76ers are not the Magic. That said, the reason for this low line on the Sixers is that Joel Embiid is out. I know that Philly has often struggled in games without Embiid in the lineup this season. However, the 76ers will have Ben Simmons back for this one and the Spurs being without DeRozan is a key loss. The Spurs had lost back to back games and 4 of 6 prior to the win over the Magic. The Sixers have won 4 straight and 8 of their last 10 games. They won both match-ups last season including by 11 when the teams met here in Philly. Look for another double digit win in this one as well as a well-rested Simmons takes over with Embiid out and look for Dwight Howard, as he so often does, to have another huge game with the big man out. 10* PHILADELPHIA

Championship Best Bet - Scott "The Bulldog" Rickenbach CBB Rotation #658 Sunday 10* Top Play Illinois Illini (-) vs Ohio State Buckeyes @ 3:30 ET - The Buckeyes upset Michigan yesterday thanks to hitting a ridiculous 12 of 22 three pointers! The Illini hung on to beat Iowa yesterday despite making only 3 of 15 three pointers! You see the difference? This is helping to create line value here because Ohio State scored a total of only 32 points yesterday from inside the arc. Illinois scored a total of 73 points yesterday from inside the arc. Recent meetings between these teams have been tight but I look for the Illini to pull away as this one goes on. The Buckeyes are playing for 4th time in 4 days and their game prior to upsetting the Wolverines went into overtime too. Conversely, the Illini are playing just their 3rd game in 3 days and their first one was a blowout win over Rutgers. Strong situational edge here for the favorite. Lay it. 10* ILLINOIS

Earliest Dominator - Scott "The Bulldog" Rickenbach NBA Rotation #529 Friday 10* Top Play Philadelphia 76ers (-) @ Washington Wizards @ 8:05 ET - The 76ers rolled the Bulls last night despite being without Joel Embiid plus Ben Simmons and despite the fact Chicago made 14 of 29 three pointers. The Sixers still won the game by 22 points. Now they could have Embiid back tonight plus the Wizards have a very concerning situation with Bradley Beal. A top scorer for Washington, he is currently being limited by a knee injury that is lingering and this is even after the All Star break was able to give him some rest too so this is certainly not a good sign. That plus the fact the Wizards just got blasted by 15 points at Memphis Wednesday is not a good sign for Washington as they now host a tough Philly team. Philadelphia has beaten the Wizards 4 straight times by an average margin of 9 points per game. That said, I am happy to lay the short number on the road in this one. 10* PHILADELPHIA

Big East Beast Top Side - Scott "The Bulldog" Rickenbach CBB Rotation #848 Friday 10* Top Play Seton Hall Pirates (-) vs Georgetown Hoyas @ 6 ET - The Pirates are off a hard-fought OT win but the Hoyas have the disadvantage of playing a 3rd game in 3 days. Also, Georgetown is off a huge upset win over Villanova. Conversely, Seton Hall's win over St John's did not come easily but the fact is the Pirates had finished the regular season on a 4-game losing streak. As a result, Seton Hall felt some extra pressure in their 1st game of the Big East tourney. With that first win now out of the way, and with the Pirates the only team other than Villanova to win this tourney in recent years, Seton Hall knows they have a real shot at winning this tournament thanks to the Wildcats being knocked out of it. I like the fact that the Pirates reached double digits in shots blocked yesterday plus held the Red Storm to just 24% from beyond the arc. The Hoyas benefitted from hitting 41% from three point land yesterday plus going 23 for 23 from the line against Nova. Neither of those stats likely to be repeated here and I expect the Pirates to roll in this one as a result. They beat the Hoyas when they faced them away from Georgetown and the only reason they lost the game in which they visited them is because the Hoyas made a ridiculous 10 of 16 shots from beyond the arc. That is not being repeated here. 10* SETON HALL

Earliest Dominator - Scott "The Bulldog" Rickenbach NBA Rotation #505 Thursday 8* Detroit Pistons (+) @ Charlotte Hornets @ 7:05 ET - The Hornets entered the All Star break off a win but this is a Charlotte team that hasn't won back to back games since early February. The Pistons used the All Star break as a chance to get healthier and also have the Blake Griffin situation now fully in the rear view mirror after his departure to the Nets. That said, look for a fully focused Detroit team to shock the Hornets here so I am happy to grab the points in this one. The Pistons are off a non-covering loss at New York prior to the All Star break but entered that game having only lost the money twice in their eight most recent road games! Detroit bounces back here as Charlotte's pattern of alternating wins with losses continues here. The road team has covered each of the last two meetings between these teams. Also, the Pistons last two trips to Charlotte have both been losses but by an average margin of just 2 points per defeat. 8* DETROIT

Contrarian Crusher - Scott "The Bulldog" Rickenbach NBA Rotation #501 Wednesday 10* Top Play Washington Wizards (+) @ Memphis Grizzlies @ 8:05 ET - This line looked funny based on its opener and of course the masses are going one way and I am going the other in a typical fade the masses contrarian situation for me. The Grizzlies just beat the Wizards by double digits before the All Star break. That game was at Washington and now this game is at Memphis and the line opened up at nearly a pick'em. This is despite the Grizzlies having the much better record plus being at home plus having just destroyed the Wizards. Something seems odd about that right? Do not let the odds fool you! The road dog is the play here. The Wizards want revenge and the all star break was a good reset point for them plus they have been playing much better overall of late with 8 wins in last 11 games and 1 of the losses was the loss to Memphis and one of the other defeats came by just a single point. 10* WASHINGTON

Big East Beast Day Game - Scott "The Bulldog" Rickenbach CBB Rotation #626 Wednesday 8* Georgetown Hoyas (+) vs Marquette Golden Eagles @ 3 ET - The Hoyas led the Golden Eagles 36 to 20 at halftime of their lone meeting this season but went on to lose that game. Suffice to say Georgetown will be very focused and ready to play the full 40 minutes here in the rematch that has come up in the Big East tournament. Marquette has won each of the last 3 meetings between these teams and the Hoyas are ready for payback in this triple revenge situation. The Eagles finished the regular season winning 4 of 5 but Georgetown also was on a 4-1 run before an ugly season ending loss to Connecticut. Coming off a 98-82 beatdown, the Hoyas look to atone for that loss here. Georgetown had covered 3 straight road games prior to that loss. The Golden Eagles won their most recent road game but entered that game having lost 4 of their last 5 Big East games played away from home. This one is a road game for each of course but I like the Hoyas as they had been playing well on the road ATS before the loss to the Huskies. They will regroup and get payback here against Marquette. The Golden Eagles are making just 30% of their three pointers on the road this season while the Hoyas are making 40% of theirs from beyond the arc. Don't be surprised if that ends up making a difference in this one and I am grabbing the points here as added insurance but do expect an outright upset. 8* GEORGETOWN

Earliest Dominator - Scott "The Bulldog" Rickenbach CBB Rotation #779 Monday 10* Top Play Elon Phoenix (+) vs Hofstra Pride @ 6 ET - The Pride took advantage of a Delaware team yesterday that had not played a game in 5 weeks. Even with that edge, Hofstra was nearly upset and had to pull away late. They were fortunate that the Fightin' Blue Hens lost by 8 points despite the Pride missing 12 free throws out of 29! That poor free throw shooting and the fact that Burgess and Ray played the whole game - all 40 minutes - could come back to bite Hofstra here. Elon has the lesser record on the season but keep in mind they were also priced this way in the game against James Madison yesterday and the Dukes were the #1 seed in this tournament. That said, I feel we have some solid line value here with the Phoenix. That is particularly true because Elon won yesterday's game despite shooting only 32% from inside the arc! That is right, the Phoenix made just 8 of 25 shots from 2-point land and yet still beat James Madison. It is now a 6-0 SU and ATS run for Elon entering this one. Look for that streak to reach 7-0 for the Phoenix here. I do expect an outright upset but will grab the points just in case. 10* ELON

ESPN Smash Pass - Scott "The Bulldog" Rickenbach CBB Rotation #741 Sunday 10* Top Play Texas Tech Red Raiders (+) @ Baylor Bears @ 4 ET - The Bears check the box on a number of things here that make it hard for me to imagine them winning this game by much of a margin. They already have a loss this season so it is not like they are motivated by going for an undefeated record. Baylor also already won at Texas Tech this season so there is no revenge angle in play here for the Bears. Also, they already locked up the Big 12 title. With all of the above factored in, look for the Red Raiders to prove to be the team that wants this one a little more! Of course that does not mean they will win this game outright but I do expect Texas Tech to put up a helluva fight and for this game to likely be decided by a final margin of just a bucket or two. The Red Raiders last 7 losses have featured 6 by a margin of 8 or less points and 2 of those defeats were in overtime. In fact, other than the 8 point loss to Baylor, the other 5 of those tight losses were decided by an average margin of just 3.6 points. Look for another tight one here as the Red Raiders are back on track and playing as a confident bunch as they enter this game on a 3-0 run with an average margin of victory of 18.7 points per game. 10* TEXAS TECH

Earliest Dominator - Scott "The Bulldog" Rickenbach CBB Rotation #603 Saturday 8* Pittsburgh Panthers (+) @ Clemson Tigers @ Noon ET - The Panthers are off a win but this followed a lengthy losing streak. Here is the key though. Pittsburgh's 5-game losing streak featured all 5 losses coming by 7 or less points. Pitt is a very strong rebounding team and is not an easy team to blow out. Also, on the road, they are allowing just 41.6% from the field to their opponents. I know Clemson is a very solid team, particularly at home, but I do not see them winning big in this game. The Tigers are going to have their hands full with a scrappy dog that hits the boards hard and plays tough defense more often than not when traveling. Also, when these teams met last season the Panthers lost by 20 points and that was on their home floor! Pitt shot very poorly in that one from 3-point land while Clemson shot lights out from beyond the arc. That kind of ridiculous disparity will not happen again here. Grab the generous points being offered to a scrappy underdog in this one. 8* PITTSBURGH 

ACC Game of the Month - Scott "The Bulldog" Rickenbach CBB Rotation #840 Friday 10* Top Play Wake Forest Demon Deacons (+) vs Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets @ 8 ET - Of course it has been a disappointing finish to the regular season for Wake Forest. However, the Demon Deacons are not going to lay down here in their home finale. That said, this is simply too many points in my opinion. Georgia Tech is only 3-5 in road games this season while Wake Forest is 5-5 in home games. Also, the Yellow Jackets are off a huge home win versus Duke. Not sure how excited the Jackets are going to be about this game as a result. That said, the Demon Deacons are likely to prove to be the hungrier team and they lost the first match-up with Georgia Tech this season largely due a big disparity in 3-point shooting as they had a horrific shooting night. However, Wake Forest is hitting 34% from beyond the arc this season and Georgia Tech is shooting 35% from beyond the arc this season. In other words, and particularly with this rematch being at Winston-Salem, the Yellow Jackets are unlikely to hold such an edge from 3-point land in this one. Look for this one to go down to the wire as the Demon Deacons are a very hungry home dog here and I just do not see them losing this game by double digits on their home floor. 10* WAKE FOREST

Earliest Dominator - Scott "The Bulldog" Rickenbach NBA Rotation #532 Wednesday 10* Top Play Cleveland Cavaliers (+) vs Indiana Pacers @ 7:05 ET - The Pacers are on a 4-game SU and ATS losing streak while the Cavaliers have won and covered 4 straight. Of course Indiana would love to reverse this trend but this is Cleveland's last game before the All-Star break and they are hungry to keep the winning going and enter the break on a 5-game run. The Pacers have their home finale before the break on deck for tomorrow so this situation favors the Cavs in my opinion. Cleveland had a horrific losing streak going before starting this win streak and they do not want to lose that winning feeling right before the break. They will go all out here and if they do fall short look for it to be by only a bucket or two. The Pacers are just 3-9 SU their last dozen games and one of the wins was by just 6 points. That said, I love the valuable with the sizable home dog in this one. 10* CLEVELAND 

Big East Beast - Scott "The Bulldog" Rickenbach CBB Rotation #618 Tuesday 10* Top Play Georgetown Hoyas (+) vs Xavier Musketeers @ 7 ET - Georgetown leading scorer Jahvon Blair will be back for senior night in Washington DC tonight. The Hoyas still managed to get by without him at DePaul on Saturday afternoon. Georgetown now faces a much tougher challenge then they did with the Blue Demons but I don't see the Hoyas being denied in their home finale. Georgetown should hold a rebounding edge here and the Musketeers are not quite the same team without guard Nate Johnson. I know they just upset the Bluejays but that makes me like going against Xavier even more here as they could be a little flat after upsetting Creighton. That was the Musketeers home finale and now they face a team highly motivated to win their home finale as well. Keep in mind, Xavier was on an 0-4 ATS run prior to knocking off the Bluejays. Also, the Hoyas enter this game on a solid 6-2 ATS run at the betting window. With the early line move toward Xavier, I like this one even more. Grab the home dog in this one as they have gone from being a slight favorite to now being the underdog in this one. Traditionally going against moves like this works out very well and I love this spot for all the reasons noted above too. 10* GEORGETOWN

Earliest Dominator - Scott "The Bulldog" Rickenbach NBA Rotation #504 Monday 10* Top Play Philadelphia 76ers (-) vs Indiana Pacers @ 7:05 ET - The Sixers are normally fantastic on their home floor. But they just gave a horrific effort versus the Cavaliers on Saturday and lost the game in OT outright as a double digit home favorite! Suffice to say, Philadelphia was not happy with that result and will be ready to go here after a very rare home loss. The 76ers beat Brooklyn by 16 points the last time they entered a game off a home loss. Also, here they can take advantage of an Indiana team that has lost 10 of its last 14 games. The Pacers Malcolm Brogdon is dealing with a knee injury and missed their last game. Even if he goes tonight he is unlikely to be 100 percent and this is an angry Sixers team that Indiana will be facing here. Look for the home team, 14-3 this season and 31-4 last season as a host, to roll by double digits in this one! 10* PHILADELPHIA

Big East Beast Top Side - Scott "The Bulldog" Rickenbach CBB Rotation #684 Saturday 10* Top Play Xavier Musketeers (+) vs Creighton Bluejays @ 5 ET - Without a shadow of doubt, of course, Creighton is a very good team. Also, Xavier looks very unimpressive to the betting markets because of a recent 1-3 run. However, all that has done here is create exceptional value in my opinion. Keep in mind, the Musketeers had an unwanted two weeks off due to health protocol impacting their schedule so one could give them a mulligan for the home loss to Connecticut which followed. Since then Xavier has had two tough road games and just one home game. They won the only home game and the Musketeers are now 10-2 at home this season. Again, I know the Bluejays command (and deserve) respect but prior to a road win and cover at Georgetown in their most recent away game, Creighton was on a 1-3 ATS run in road games. This is Xavier's home finale and you know they would love nothing more than to get revenge for their road loss at Creighton earlier this season plus close the home portion of their schedule with a big win. As you would expect, the Bluejays don't shoot as well nor score as well on the road as they do at home. As you would also expect, the Musketeers do shoot better at home plus score better as a host. They have a great shot at the upset here which certainly has me liking the added value of having these points on our side too. 10* XAVIER

Big East Beast Early - Scott "The Bulldog" Rickenbach CBB Rotation #610 Saturday 8* DePaul Blue Demons (+) vs Georgetown Hoyas @ Noon ET - The Blue Demons might get Javon Freeman-Liberty back for this one. He has been in concussion protocol but this began exactly two weeks ago so today could be the day for him at home and in the most winnable game remaining on DePaul's schedule. Even if he does not play here, I like the fact this line has gone from a pick'em to a -3 on Georgetown. Yes the Blue Demons are at the bottom of the Big East but the Hoyas are not dominators, particularly on the road, by any stretch of the imagination. That said, taking a look at DePaul's last 6 home games, 1 was a high-scoring loss but in the other 5 games they allowed an average of only 61.2 points per game! This team does show some commitment on the defensive end. As for Georgetown, they allowed an average of 72.5 points per game in their last two games and those were at home and they got dominated on the glass by UConn in the most recent of those two games. Also, the Hoyas have allowed an average of 79 points per game in their last 3 road games. Don't be surprised when the Blue Demons prove to be the hungrier team in this one and get the job done on their home floor. 8* DEPAUL

Early Dominator - Scott "The Bulldog" Rickenbach NBA Rotation #536 Friday 10* Top Play Toronto Raptors (-) vs Houston Rockets @ 7:35 ET - The Rockets have lost 9 straight games. Houston went 1-8 ATS during this run and the lone ATS win never should have happened. The Rockets trailed by 26 points at the half - and by as many as 29 points during the game - at Philly last week but got a bit of a miracle back door cover in that game. Even with under 10 minutes to go in the game Houston was still down 18 points. The point is that the Rockets very easily could be on an 0-9 ATS run and the fact is they are highly like to fall to their 10th straight SU loss here and I look for Toronto to win this one by double digits. The set up here is solid as the Raptors are off back to back losses and will be extra hungry here as a result. Toronto, prior to the B2B defeats, had won 9 of 12 games both SU and ATS and I fully expect them to respond here. Also, the Raptors are on a streak of 20+ games in which whoever the SU winner is in their games is also the ATS winner. Considering that as well as the fact that the Rockets have lost 9 straight games, you can see why I fully expect the home team to get the win AND cover in this one! 10* TORONTO

Situational Slaughter - Scott "The Bulldog" Rickenbach CBB Rotation #737 Thursday 10* Top Play Iowa Hawkeyes (+) @ Michigan Wolverines @ 7:30 ET - The #3 team in the nation at home where they are 11-0 this season and facing a team that is only 5-4 this season when away from home and yet this one featured a 3.5 as an opening line. The odds makers had the right idea and yet the market place things they have it all wrong and have already pushed this line to as high a 5.5 in some spots. In typical contrarian fashion I am on the other side of the move but, as always, it is not without reason. The Hawkeyes are 5-2 SU in their last 7 road games and the two losses each came by 5 or less points. That said, I love the line value here as Michigan is off of 3 straight hard fought wins and is going to be really tested now by a dynamic Iowa offense that is averaging 80 points per game its last 4 games. The Wolverines are off a high-scoring win over Ohio State but had averaged only 69 points per game in their 3 preceding games. Allowing 87 points to the Buckeyes also has to be a concern for Michigan as they now take on the highest scoring team in the Big Ten. The Hawkeyes also have far and away the best assist to turnover ratio in the conference plus they lead the Big Ten in rebounding. Grab the generous points here. 10* IOWA

Big East Beast - Scott "The Bulldog" Rickenbach CBB Rotation #684 Wednesday 10* Top Play Butler Bulldogs (+) vs Seton Hall Pirates @ 7 ET - This line is not up everywhere right now and that is because of the questionable status of three senior starters for Butler. The Bulldogs have Bo Hodges, Bryce Nze, and Aaron Thompson all listed as questionable for this one. My take on this is I don't see these guys again all missing another game. Maybe not all 3 play but I would be surprised if at least  2 of the 3 are not seeing action in this game tonight. Why? Well they are seniors and even though they have two more regular season games left this is definitely the most winnable game on their schedule that remains. Their next two games are versus Villanova and at Creighton. Yikes! By the way, even without all 3 of those aforementioned starters, the Bulldogs were down by only 5 points with a minute and a half to go in their 12 point loss to the Musketeers Sunday. Now they are at home and a big dog and could have some starting firepower back for this one and note that Seton Hall is 13-9 this season while Xavier is 12-4. The Pirates are certainly solid and have gone 10-6 in Big East action but the Musketeers are no slouches it is just their Big East schedule has been heavily impacted by covid. There is simply tremendous value with the home dog in this match-up and I suspect this line will steadily come down as the day goes on so lets jump on the early value here in a game the Bulldogs will be gunning hard for the upset win. It truly is their most winnable game left on the schedule and historically they are a tough team at Hinkle Fieldhouse. 10* BUTLER

Big East Beast - Scott "The Bulldog" Rickenbach CBB Rotation #628 Tuesday 10* Top Play Villanova Wildcats (-) vs St John's Red Storm @ 8 ET - Randomly playing revenge situations will get you in trouble in no time but finding the right revenge spots can be pure gold. The best teams in the Big East this season are Villanova and Creighton. The Wildcats lost by double digits at St John's earlier this season and now it is payback time. Why should we expect a solid home win for Villanova here? Well the best sample size to look at is how the Red Storm performed against the Bluejays this season. St John's has already faced Creighton twice and lost each game by an 18 point margin. Villanova can do the same here and this line is down to an 11 as of early game day morning. I'll take it. The Wildcats will take advantage of a Red Storm team that has allowed 86 points per game in its last two games. Villanova is a very strong shooting team at home. Also, the Wildcats are allowing just 66 points per game as a host this season. Coincidentally the posted total on this game is 152.5 and 86-66 indeed sounds about right and the expectation of that final score is justified per the above. The point is you can see why I am expecting the Cats to win this one by about 18 to 20 points. 10* VILLANOVA

Earliest Cash - Scott "The Bulldog" Rickenbach NBA Rotation #554 Monday 10* Top Play Houston Rockets (+) vs Chicago Bulls @ 8:05 ET - The Rockets have had extra time off due to cancelled games. This has given them even more time to think about their current 7-game losing streak. That said, I expect a highly motivated Houston team to take the floor tonight at home against Chicago. As for the Bulls, they take the floor off a win and cover but that was at home against Sacramento. What is noteworthy about this is Chicago hasn't covered consecutive games since mid-January so, coming off an ATS win, odds favor the Bulls falling short tonight. There was a reason the odds makers opened up the team on a 7-game losing streak as the favorite here. Don't let the line fool you. Grab the Rockets as they get back on track in a big way in this one. Chicago was on a 4-9 ATS run prior to knocking off the Kings Saturday. 10* HOUSTON

Big East Beast - Scott "The Bulldog" Rickenbach CBB Rotation #828 Sunday 8* Xavier Musketeers (-) vs Butler Bulldogs @ 7 ET - The Musketeers are off back to back losses but that was preceded by a 13-point win at Butler that brought Xavier to 11-2 on the season. Now the Musketeers are hosting the Bulldogs and in a foul mood and, as a result, this match-up has blowout written all over it. Butler is off back to back losses and is now 1-8 SU (and 2-7 ATS) on the season in road games. Overall, 6 of the Bulldogs last 7 losses have come by at least a dozen points and I am expecting this one will as well. The Musketeers suffered a 1 point loss when they hosted Butler last season so they won't overlook this team nor will they take their foot off the gas. Blowout city in this one! 8* XAVIER

Eastern Annihilation - Scott "The Bulldog" Rickenbach NBA Rotation #537 Sunday 10* Top Play Philadelphia 76ers (-) @ Toronto Raptors @ 7:05 ET - The Sixers are off back to back wins but non-covers. Finally in this one they should have both Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons both on the floor together and I expect a road rout to result. Since the Raptors have had some recent wins and because the 76ers are the visitors for this one, we are getting a low number to work with. That said, I won't hesitate to step in as there is great value with this line opening up at a 2.5 this morning. 6 of the Raptors last 7 losses have come by 4 or more points. Each of Philly's last 7 wins have come by 5 or more points. Toronto is playing their home games in Tampa this season and they have certainly not held the same home court edge as in years past. The Raptors enter this game 1-3 SU last 4 home games and the lone win was against an Orlando team this is winning just 40 percent of their games this season. Now Toronto is facing a 76ers team that is 19-5 SU this season in games in which Embiid has played. 10* PHILADELPHIA

Big 12 Game of the Year - Scott "The Bulldog" Rickenbach CBB Rotation #639 Saturday 10* Top Play Texas Tech Red Raiders (+) @ Kansas Jayhawks @ 2 ET - The Red Raiders have had a layoff due to a combination of weather and covid issues forcing postponements. That can, of course, be detrimental to a team. However, Texas Tech is not a normal team as they are one of the best teams in the nation and they are also fighting mad here. Their most recent game left the players and the coach fuming and they have been waiting a long time to get back on the floor and they will make the most of this opportunity today. The Red Raiders also have lost 3 games against Kansas including the most recent one by a single point in December. That said, Texas Tech is hell bent on revenge here and I am well aware of the fact that the Jayhawks have been playing better and winning some games. The key here though is who they faced. Now Kansas is in more of a dog fight style of game here and the last 5 times they have played a game with a spread either way that was 5 or less points, they have gone 0-5 SU and ATS. The Jayhawks simply aren't the same team they used to be and they already got blasted at Allen Fieldhouse earlier this season. I am not saying Kansas will get blasted here but I am saying the Red Raiders get the road win. Payback time here. 10* TEXAS TECH

Big East Beast - Scott "The Bulldog" Rickenbach CBB Rotation #614 Saturday 8* Villanova Wildcats (-) vs Connecticut Huskies @ 1 ET - The Huskies got their star player, James Bouknight back in their most recent game and that is keeping this line lower. I know Connecticut is a respectable team, especially with Bouknight back healthy again. However, the Wildcats are off just their 3rd loss of the season and will be ready to respond here just like they did after their first two losses. Keep in mind, Villanova entered that game with a 13-2 record on the season. The Huskies have lost 2 of last 3 road games and each defeat came by at least 8 points. The Wildcats two wins when off a loss this season each came by double digits and had an average margin of victory of 22 points per game. 11 of Villanova's 13 wins have come by a margin of at least 8 points and this one will too. UConn is on a 3-4 SU and ATS run and each of their last 3 losses have come by at least 7 points. With the spread on this one sitting right around a half-dozen points, we have solid value with a home team angry off a loss. 8* VILLANOVA

Eastern Conference Game of the Year - Scott "The Bulldog" Rickenbach NBA Rotation #506 Friday 10* Top Play Philadelphia 76ers (-) vs Chicago Bulls @ 7:35 ET - Two games ago the Sixers had Ben Simmons on the floor but played without Joel Embiid. Then the very next game Embiid was back but Simmons missed. The 76ers still built a 29 point lead in that game and led by about 15 to 20 points at a minimum from that point on but found a way to blow the cover late against the Rockets. I do not expect a repeat of that here with both stars back together on the floor tonight. Also, the Bulls are still without Lauri Markkanen and Otto Porter and those two forwards average a combined 30.7 points and 12.4 rebounds a game. This one sets up well, as a result, to be a home blowout. Prior to the non-covering win versus Houston, the 76ers had been a perfect 4-0 ATS run when at home off an ATS loss. Once again off a non-cover and with big personnel edges in this one in terms of the injury situation, the 76ers roll and get a solid cover to improve to 5-1 ATS last 6 when at home and off a non-cover. 10* PHILADELPHIA

Contrarian Crusher - Scott "The Bulldog" Rickenbach NBA Rotation #570 Thursday 10* Top Play Milwaukee Bucks (-) vs Toronto Raptors @ 7:35 ET - The Bucks just lost to the Raptors by a double digit margin on Tuesday. They were favored by about a half dozen points in that game and yet got crushed. In Thursday's rematch, Milwaukee again favored by a similar amount. Must be a huge mistake by the odds makers, right? Long-time followers know how I feel about supposed mistakes by odds makers! The point is that this is set this way with good reason and, in typical contrarian fashion, I am backing the team no one will want here. The Bucks have lost 4 straight games but note that they are 2-0 this season when off a home loss and both victories came by a double digit margin. I expect this one will too. Lay it. 10* MILWAUKEE

ESPN Smash Pass - Scott "The Bulldog" Rickenbach NBA Rotation #556 Wednesday 10* Top Play Philadelphia 76ers (-) vs Houston Rockets @ 7:35 ET - 76ers will have Joel Embiid back tonight plus they are back on their home floor where they are known for dominating. After 3 straight losses - all on the road - the Sixers can't wait to come out strong at home and take out their frustration someone. That someone is the downtrodden Rockets and they should provide the perfect punching bag for Philly to take advantage. Houston has cleaned house this season and now is struggling ever since. The Rockets enter this game having lost 6 straight games. Also, Houston's last five road losses have all come by 12 or more points and, in fact, the average margin of defeat has been a very ugly 21 points per loss! That said, you can see why I am expecting a blowout home win for Philly here and this is a rare case in which I am willing to lay big points. The 76ers need a big win and the Rockets continue to get crushed in road games. More of the same here. 10* PHILADELPHIA

Big East Beast - Scott "The Bulldog" Rickenbach CBB Rotation #672 Wednesday 10* Butler Bulldogs (-) vs Marquette Golden Eagles @ 6:30 ET - The Bulldogs lost by 3 at Marquette two weeks ago but couple of important notes about that. One is that this is the only win that the Golden Eagles have had in their last 7 games! Another is that when you look at the box score for that game it is somewhat of a miracle that Marquette even won that game. The Golden Eagles took only 39 shots from the field but hit 61% of them. That high shooting percentage will most definitely not be repeated on the road. Also, the Bulldogs had just 9 turnovers in the game while Marquette had 22. Again, bit of a miracle that the Golden Eagles somehow held on to win that game. Now it is payback time and I like the fact that Butler is at home for this one. The Bulldogs have won 6 of 9 home games this season while Marquette is just 2-6 ATS in road games on the season. Butler has won 3 of its last 4 home games and that included knocking off Creighton when the Bluejays were ranked #8 in the nation. They can play with anyone here at Hinkle Fieldhouse and I expect a solid home win here after they arguably deserved much better in the first meeting in Milwaukee a few weeks ago. 10* BUTLER

Big East Beast - Scott "The Bulldog" Rickenbach CBB Rotation #608 Tuesday 10* Top Play Connecticut Huskies (-) vs Providence Friars @ 6:30 ET - The Huskies seek revenge for a loss by a double digit margin at Providence last week. Connecticut actually had 9 more shots from the field but the Friars had 18 more free throw attempts. That latter statistic will not be repeated here at Harry A. Gampel Pavilion in Storrs, CT. Also note that Connecticut's James Bouknight is very close to returning from his elbow injury. The Friars are off a road win but entered that game having lost 4 of last 5 away from home. Huskies are averaging 76 points per game at home this season while Providence has been held to an average of 62 points per game in last 3 road games. The revenge-minded home team gets a boost with the imminent return of Bouknight even if he is yet on the floor this evening. There is a mental aspect to this as well that their star's return is imminent. 10* CONNECTICUT

Big East Beast - Scott "The Bulldog" Rickenbach CBB Rotation #803 Sunday 10* Top Play Marquette Golden Eagles (+) @ Seton Hall Pirates @ 3 ET - The Golden Eagles will be ready to bounce back after an embarrassing blowout loss at Villanova by a 32-point margin. That was their first really bad loss of the new year as in 2021 the average margin of defeat had been 6.4 points per game. That said, and considering they are in a good spot, Marquette is offering significant line value here after opening up at about an 8 point dog. The Pirates are in the perfect spot to struggle as they are off back to back wins on the road as a very small favorite. Now Seton Hall has not played in over a week while Marquette played on Wednesday. After that blowout loss to the Wildcats, the Golden Eagles will be ready to respond here as they look for some revenge against the Pirates. Seton Hall has actually won 5 straight games against Marquette so payback is on order here. Look for the Pirates to fall to 0-3 ATS in their last 3 home games as they have lost back to back games both SU and ATS and the Golden Eagles challenge them all the way after getting embarrassed on Wednesday. 10* MARQUETTE

Big East Best - Scott "The Bulldog" Rickenbach CBB Rotation #630 Saturday 8* Georgetown Hoyas (-) vs Butler Bulldogs @ 1:30 ET - Georgetown is off an ugly home loss to Creighton in which they suffered from very cold shooting and scored just 48 points. However, in their 3 prior games heading into that one, the Hoyas scored an average of 77.7 points per game. Georgetown, after beating Providence, then faced ranked teams in 3 straight games. The Hoyas are off back to back losses but now will take advantage of a stepdown in level of competition here. Georgetown is hosting a Butler team that is off back to back wins but the most recent one was a fortunate one as they were getting hammered by St John's but then rallied in the 2nd half, tied it with just a few seconds left, and then won by 3 in overtime. Also, the Bulldogs have not won 3 straight games this entire season and I do not expect that to change here as their 2-game winning streak comes to an end. Also, Butler did beat Georgetown by 8 points earlier this season but the Bulldogs are just 1-7 SU on the road this season. Grab the Hoyas in this one. 8* GEORGETOWN

Earliest Cash - Scott "The Bulldog" Rickenbach NBA Rotation #545 Friday 10* Top Play San Antonio Spurs (+) @ Atlanta Hawks @ 7:35 ET - The Spurs are off home loss and it was a bad one as they lost by a margin of 23 points. That type of loss often easier to bounce back from than the one the Hawks just had which was a one point loss at Dallas. Atlanta did win their most recent home game but that was preceded by 4 straight losses for the Hawks as a host. As for the Spurs they have been road warriors this season with a 7-3 mark away from home both SU and ATS. San Antonio has played the tougher schedule so far this season. Also, the Spurs are at that time of the year where they would take their annual rodeo trip and they will not be back in San Antonio until their game over two weeks from now on the 27th. Traditionally the Spurs have done very well on this annual road trip and this is the first of 7 away games. Also, Atlanta is just 4-6 SU against Western Conference teams this season while the Spurs are a perfect 3-0 SU against Eastern Conference teams this season. Look for that trend to reach 4-0 after the final horn sounds on this one. 10* SAN ANTONIO