Total Annihilation - Scott "The Bulldog" Rickenbach CBB Rotation #833 Friday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Youngstown State Penguins vs Detroit Mercy Titans @ 5 ET - Both teams off confidence-boosting wins which followed a 2-5 SU run for Detroit and an 0-4 SU run for Youngstown State. That said, I like the value here with the over. The Titans allowed an average of 85 points per game in those 5 losses and the Penguins have allowed 80 points per game their last 5 games. Both teams can be expected to score well based on facing sub-par defensive play plus the fact they each can score quite well and they play at a fast pace. The Titans are averaging 75 points in road games this season and the Penguins are averaging 81 points per game in home games this season and their O/U record is 8-3 this season. 10* OVER the total in Youngstown State

TNT Smash Pass - Scott "The Bulldog" Rickenbach NBA Rotation #561 Thursday NBA 10* Top Play OVER the total in Houston Rockets vs Portland Trail Blazers @ 7:35 ET - I am very much aware of the fact that Rockets games have been trending under but the Blazers are in town and this one promises to get quite wild in terms of scoring. Portland is averaging 120 points per game on the road this season but allowing 116 when away from home! The Trail Blazers defensive numbers are ugly including allowing opponents to hit 48% from the field. As for the Rockets, they are scoring an average of 113 points per game their last 5 games and the last match-up between these teams a month ago totaled 254 points. Both teams have fresh legs as they come in rested and also do not have a game on deck for tomorrow either. All out effort with plenty of points and this one will surprise some by turning into a bit of a track meet with quick running and gunning. The over improves to 4-0 in Portland's last 4 games with a high-scoring shootout here. 10* OVER the total in Houston

Earliest Cash - Scott "The Bulldog" Rickenbach CBB Rotation #713 Thursday 8* OVER the total in USC Trojans vs Oregon State Beavers @ 5 ET - These teams combined for just 114 points when they met earlier this month. The Beavers got the upset win as a nearly double digit dog and I look for another strong game from Oregon State here as they are surging with confidence in the offensive end right now. The Beavers have won 3 straight games, all as an underdog, and they averaged 77.5 points per game in the other two victories. The Trojans, out for revenge here, are averaging 80 points per game when on their home floor this season and I expect them to look to run the Beavers right out of the Galen Center this afternoon in Los Angeles. The over is on a 5-1 run in Oregon State's came with the lone under being the game against Southern Cal. Look for this one to make up for that aberration with a very high-scoring contest. 8* OVER the total in USC

Philly Dominator - Scott "The Bulldog" Rickenbach CBB Rotation #657 Wednesday 10* Top Play OVER the total in LaSalle Explorers vs Rhode Island Rams @ 5 ET - The Explorers are red hot right now as they are shooting the ball very well and confidence is sky high after back to back wins in which they have averaged 87 points per game. Playing at home this evening means LaSalle will not miss a beat today either. As for Rhode Island, they are off an uncharacteristically low-scoring win in their most recent game which is helping to give us line value here with a rather low total here. The Rams will open things back up here on Wednesday. Rhode Island's 6 games prior to the low-scoring win saw them score an average of 78 points per game and the Explorers sub-par defense and willingness to run and gun means this game turns into a shootout. 8* OVER the total in LaSalle

MVC Total of the Year - Scott "The Bulldog" Rickenbach CBB Rotation #603 Tuesday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Indiana State Sycamores vs Southern Illinois Salukis @ 5 ET - Back to back match-up and yesterday's game between these teams had 98 points with about 14 minutes to go. With the game ending 69-66 for a total of 135 points that means the teams combined to average only about 2.5 points per minute over the final 14 minutes of the game. Very unusual and won't be repeated here as the first 26 minutes of the game averaged 3.77 points per minute. It was on pace for about 150 points at that point. We should see at least 140 here. Since the calendar turned the page to 2021, the Sycamores had one low-scoring game that was a complete aberration. In the other 6 games Indiana State has averaged 72 points per game. Southern Illinois has allowed an average of 78 points per game their last 4 games but are a very strong 3-point shooting team and will get their fair share of points in this one too. This total opened up in the upper 130s but has dropped into the mid-130s and is offering excellent line value as a result. 10* OVER the total in Indiana State

Total Annihilation - Scott "The Bulldog" Rickenbach CBB Rotation #813 Sunday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Massachusetts Minutemen vs Davidson Wildcats @ Noon ET - The Minutemen are off a 65-46 win so things must be getting much better for UMass in terms of their play on the defensive end, right? No, actually what happened is they faced a Fordham team that is simply awful this season and can not score points. Now Massachusetts faces a solid Davidson team whose games are on an O/U run of 5-2 and they have scored at least 73 points in 6 of those 7 games. They will score plenty against UMass team that is allowing 82 points per game at home this season. The Minutemen are averaging 87.4 points per game this season so you can see the kind of game we should expect here...fast paced with a lot of run and gun. The result should be a solid over in this one. 10* OVER the total in Massachusetts

Total Annihilation - Scott "The Bulldog" Rickenbach CBB Rotation #719 Saturday 8* OVER the total in WI-Green Bay Phoenix vs IPFW Mastodons @ 5 ET - SAME PLAY as yesterday as it was an aberration that the Mastodons scored just 59 points on one of the worst defenses in the nation in terms of defensive efficiency. After yesterday's game stayed well under the total, trust me there is a reason this total was posted again in the 150 range for today. The odds makers know yesterday was just an aberration. We'll get payback today and my reasoning for this pick from yesterday still will prove to ring true, albeit a day later. Here is that ORIGINAL write-up: This is a big total but it has dropped from its opening number in the mid-150s and I love the situation here. Green Bay is off back to back losses on the road but now back home where they are scoring an average of 78 points per game this season. As for the defense of the Phoenix, they rank as one of the worst in the nation for defensive efficiency and they face a major challenge here. IPFW is one of the best three point shooting teams in the nation at 44% from beyond the arc and they do not miss a beat when on the road either in terms how well they shoot from outside. The Mastodons are averaging 79 points per game this season and have averaged 86.5 points per game their last 4 games. The Phoenix have scored 85.5 points per game their last two home games. UWGB is allowing 80 points per game this season but is a small home favorite here with good reason. In other words, expect a high-scoring shootout as the Phoenix defense leaves a lot to be desired but the odds maker expect them to battle tooth and nail all the way with IPFW in this one. 8* OVER the total in Wisconsin-Green Bay

Philly Dominator - Scott "The Bulldog" Rickenbach CBB Rotation #651 Saturday 8* OVER the total in Villanova Wildcats vs Providence Friars @ 2:30 ET - Villanova seeking revenge for losing at home to the Friars last season and being held to just 54 points in that game. Prior to that low-scoring loss, the Wildcats match-ups with Providence in Philly had seen the over on a 9-2 run the last 11. The Cats are favored by double digits here for good reason as they are looking to put a thrashing on the Friars and that will mean plenty of points here. The over is 4-0 in the Wildcats last 4 games and they have scored at least 85 points in 3 of those games. The Friars are off an under but that was the first one for Providence in their last 6 road games. They averaged scoring 73 points per game in those half dozen away match-ups. More of the same here and this one should fly over the total as a result. 8* OVER the total in Villanova

Total Annihilation - Scott "The Bulldog" Rickenbach CBB Rotation #831 Friday 10* Top Play OVER the total in WI-Green Bay Phoenix vs IPFW Mastodons @ 5 ET - This is a big total but it has dropped from its opening number in the mid-150s and I love the situation here. Green Bay is off back to back losses on the road but now back home where they are scoring an average of 78 points per game this season. As for the defense of the Phoenix, they rank as one of the worst in the nation for defensive efficiency and they face a major challenge here. IPFW is one of the best three point shooting teams in the nation at 44% from beyond the arc and they do not miss a beat when on the road either in terms how well they shoot from outside. The Mastodons are averaging 79 points per game this season and have averaged 86.5 points per game their last 4 games. The Phoenix have scored 85.5 points per game their last two home games. UWGB is allowing 80 points per game this season but is a small home favorite here with good reason. In other words, expect a high-scoring shootout as the Phoenix defense leaves a lot to be desired but the odds maker expect them to battle tooth and nail all the way with IPFW in this one. 10* OVER the total in Wisconsin-Green Bay

Philly Dominator - Scott "The Bulldog" Rickenbach CBB Rotation #684 Tuesday 10* Top Play UNDER the total in George Mason Patriots vs St Joseph's Hawks @ 7 ET - This total has climbed from the mid-140s to the 150 range and I certainly understand the move based on the Hawks defensive woes this season and they are coming off a very high-scoring game. However, George Mason is going to dictate the flow of this game at home and they are off an 80-60 road loss that will bring out the best in terms of their effort on defense in this one. The Patriots are allowing just 64 points per game when at home and the O/U is 0-5-1 as a host this season. Yes, no overs in a half dozen home games this season for George Mason. Also, they allowed just 42 points to LaSalle in their most recent home game. That is the same Explorers team that just put up 90 on the Hawks! The point is that the Patriots can play a little defense. As for St Joseph's, as bad as their full season numbers are on on defense, Hawks games have stayed under the total each of the last 3 times they were off a game in which they allowed 83 or more points. That is the situation here and all signs point to this total offering solid value on the short side. 10* UNDER the total in George Mason

Total of the Week - Scott "The Bulldog" Rickenbach CBB Rotation #603 Tuesday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Kent State Golden Flashes vs Buffalo Bulls @ 5 ET - The Bulls are scoring an average of 83 points per game on the road this season and the Golden Flashes are scoring an average of 86 points per game at home this season. Yes this is a high total but based on those numbers you can see exactly why that is. Also, as crazy as those numbers are it gets even crazier. Why? Because Buffalo has allowed only 26.6% shooting from beyond the arc this season and yet they are allowing 78 points per game when on the road. Imagine if they face a team actually knocking down threes! Kent State also has some strong defensive numbers but they still are allowing 69 points per game this season. That said, and with how fast these teams play, I am expecting an absolute shootout in this one. The Bulls are off a loss in which they were held to just 69 points but this followed 4 straight games in which Buffalo scored at least 85 points. As for the Golden Flashes, they have scored at least 80 points in 4 straight games and averaged 86 points per game in doing so. This could very easily end up in the 170s. The Bulls are off an under but previously were 5-0 to the over this season. 10* OVER the total in Kent State 

Contrarian Crusher - Scott "The Bulldog" Rickenbach NBA Rotation #560 Monday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Memphis Grizzlies vs Phoenix Suns @ 5:05 ET - The last time I checked Jonas Valanciunas gets a lot of rebounds and is a key part of the Grizzlies defense around the rim and in the paint. In all seriousness though it is sometimes almost comical how the markets react to things. This total has been driven down severely because Jonas Valanciunas is out and everyone just looks at his offensive production. Let me remind you that Ja Morant just came back for Memphis and his game against the Sixers was only his 4th game out of 12 Grizzlies games this season. The point is that Morant is a huge scorer that Memphis just got back plus they are going to have play a bit of small ball in this one plus the Suns offense is going to take advantage of Jonas Valanciunas being out and will be able to score more than usual around the rim. So you combine all those factors plus about a 5 point drop on this total and you can count me in every single time. Yes the recent match-ups between these teams have trended under but each of the last 3 totaled at least 223 points which of course would put this one into the win column. Also, the Suns have allowed 116.4 points per game their last 5 games and 4 of the 5 went over the total. Phoenix will score well against a Grizzlies interior defense that has been depleted but the Suns certainly haven't been playing good defense of late as you can see. That said, the play here is the over. Phoenix has averaged 113 points per game their last 5 road games. The Grizzlies enter this game on a 4-game winning streak in which they have averaged 107.5 points per game and 3 of those games were without Ja Morant. This one, per the above, should get well into the 220s. 10* OVER the total in Memphis

Philly Dominator - Scott "The Bulldog" Rickenbach CBB Rotation #865 Monday 10* Top Play OVER the total in LaSalle Explorers vs St Joseph's Hawks @ 4 ET - LaSalle is off a ridiculous performance at home where they scored just 53 points. Now they are home again and, prior to that, the Explorers had scored and average of 76.5 points per game at home this season. This is an all-Philly match-up and I expect it to bring out the best in both teams. The problem for LaSalle is they can stop nobody and they have allowed an average of 78.3 points per game their last 3 games. The Hawks have allowed an average of 85.3 points per game this season so they are not exactly known for their defensive prowess either. The O/U is 5-1 in St Joseph's road game this season. The Hawks have scored an average of only 70.5 points per game this season but will take advantage of recent poor play in the defensive end for the Explorers. This match-up is part of The Philadelphia 5 or the Big 5 in Philly and each team will be looking to one up the other and 3 of the last 4 meetings between these foes have gone over the total. Also, 6 of the last 9 at Tom Gola Arena have gone over the total. More of the same here. 10* OVER the total in LaSalle

Total Blowout - Scott "The Bulldog" Rickenbach CBB Sunday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Wake Forest Demon Deacons vs Virginia Tech Hokies @ 6 ET - The Demon Deacons have seen each of their last 3 games go over the total. Defensively they have not impressed as Wake Forest has not been generating many turnovers and also they have allowed an average of 74 points per game their last 4 games. Speaking of sub-par defense we might see a bit of a dropoff here from the Hokies. Not only is Virginia Tech off a big win versus Duke, they also have dominated Wake Forest in recent meetings. Also, the Demon Deacons enter this game on a losing streak which makes it easier to overlook them especially after a big win over the Blue Devils. That said, I am expecting a rather free flowing game and the over is 7-0 in the Hokies last 7 games! With all this over trending and the Hokies scoring well and the Demon Deacons generally scoring better when at home, you have all the right ingredients for the home dog to hang around in this one and turn it into a high-scoring shootout. The Hokies could pull away late for a bigger margin so my play here is the over rather than the side and I expect quite a shootout. Virginia Tech has averaged 83.5 points in their last two meetings with Wake Forest plus enters this game averaging 80.5 points per game their last 6 games overall. 10* OVER the total in Wake Forest

Daytime Dominator - Scott "The Bulldog" Rickenbach NBA Rotation #521 Saturday 10* Top Play OVER the total in San Antonio Spurs vs Houston Rockets @ 5 ET - These teams just met Thursday and that game stayed just under the total despite the complete reshuffling of the Rockets roster (the big Harden trade) plus some unusual shooting stats. The Spurs shot just 29% from three point land and Houston shot just 63% from the free throw line. Keep in mind San Antonio is shooting 37% from beyond the arc this season and the Rockets are knocking down 75% of their free throws. After those unusual stats and the fact that the Spurs are hungry and playing with revenge here after the upset loss, look for this one to easily fly over the total. This total is even lower than the Thursday one but that is simply not justified and we'll step in and take advantage of the corresponding value. 10* OVER the total in San Antonio

Philly Dominator - Scott "The Bulldog" Rickenbach CBB Rotation #657 Saturday 10* Top Play OVER the total in LaSalle Explorers vs Davidson Wildcats @ 2 ET - LaSalle is off a horrible effort in their most recent game but that was on the road at George Mason. The Explorers scored just 49 points in that game but now they are back home in Philadelphia where they have averaged 76.5 points per game their last 4 games. The problem for LaSalle is their defensive play and that is the part of the reason they were on a 4-0 run to the over before the loss to the Patriots. As for Davidson, they have scored 74 points or more in 4 of their last 5 games and those 4 went 4-0 to the over. With the Explorers scoring much better at home but their defense unable to stop the Wildcats, I feel this is absolutely a bargain number on this low total which is in the 133 range. 10* OVER the total in LaSalle

Early Dominator - Scott "The Bulldog" Rickenbach CBB Rotation #841 Friday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Western Kentucky Hilltoppers vs Marshall Thundering Herd @ 5 ET - The Hilltoppers are off an ugly home loss in which they were held to 58 points. The only other time Western Kentucky was held below 60 points they exploded for 96 points in their next game and it flew over the total. I look for a big response from the Hilltoppers here on the offensive end but don't be surprised if Marshall scores plenty as well. The Thundering Herd have scored 80 or more points in 7 of their last 8 games. This one has the makings of a game that could get into the 160s and yet the total is in the 150 range. I know that total may seem a little big on the surface but you can see from the above why I am expecting much more as the situation is ideal and I also like the fact that both of these teams have struggled to defend the 3-ball this season. Marshall is making 35% of threes on the road this season but also allowing 35% on the season. Western Kentucky is making only 32% of their threes at home this season but should improve on that given the situation and given facing the Thundering Herd perimeter defenders. The weakness for the Hilltoppers is they are allowing 39% from the 3-point land. It should be raining threes tonight plus we should see a fast-paced game as Marshall plays quick and the host is ready to play fast and bounce back from a rare dismal effort on the offensive end. 10* OVER the total in Western Kentucky

Total of the Week - Scott "The Bulldog" Rickenbach NBA Rotation #569 Thursday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Toronto Raptors vs Charlotte Hornets @ 7:35 ET - Charlotte's game died in the 4th quarter last night in terms of scoring and that cost us our play on the over. However, that 38 point 4th quarter is now serving us to give us some value here as this total has plummeted by a couple buckets from its opener and I am happy to jump in on the lower number. Toronto is back "home" in Tampa for this one and certainly happy to be back on the East Coast after a West Coast trip. Look for the Raptors, averaging 117.5 points their last 6 games, to put up plenty here as they catch the Hornets in a back to back. As for Charlotte, they had averaged 113.3 points per game their last 3 games before that horrible effort against the Mavericks last night. The Raptors have allowed 118.3 points per game their last 6 games. Look for a high-scoring affair as both teams look to respond off losses. The Raptors have lost two straight by just a single point each defeat while the Hornets are off the 93 point effort last night. Both teams get back on track offensively here. 10* OVER the total in Toronto

Earliest Cash - Scott "The Bulldog" Rickenbach NBA Rotation #549 Wednesday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Charlotte Hornets vs Dallas Mavericks @ 7:05 ET - As long-time followers know I like taking overs particularly when each team is off a win and, if they are on a winning streak, it is even better. That is because winning can mask other issues and then there just tends to be a natural tendency to relax on the defensive end because you are so confident you are going to win the game with your play at the other end. The Mavericks have won 3 straight games and averaged 116.3 points per game in doing so. The Hornets have won 4 straight games and averaged 110.5 points per game in doing so. That puts this game in the 227 range and it did open up in the low 220s but the markets are pushing it below 220 now which means even more value for us. Note that the Mavericks offense has been better on the road than at home this season as they are averaging 114.3 points per game away from home plus shooting 47% from the field as travelers. As for the Hornets, they are hitting 37% from three point land at home this season. Also, look for the Mavs to get an additional boost with the return of Kristaps Porzingis expected tonight. He will be making his season debut and this is a big boost for the energy of the club even if he is on a minutes restriction. The Mavs will feed off the positive energy and I look for a back and forth high-scoring affair here. By the way, when on the road this season and coming off an under (which is the situation for this game), the Mavericks have gone a perfect 3-0 to the over this season. Also in match-ups between these teams last season that had a posted total of 220 or less, the over went a perfect 2-0. Double perfect spot and I love this situation and the value. 10* OVER the total in Charlotte

Philly Dominator - Scott "The Bulldog" Rickenbach CBB Rotation #673 Wednesday 10* Top Play OVER the total in George Mason Patriots vs LaSalle Explorers @ 7 ET - The Patriots will be ready for an offensive explosion here. George Mason has faced 3 straight particularly tough match-ups with Dayton, Virginia Commonwealth, and Richmond. Prior to that, the Patriots were averaging 74.5 points per game this season and that was even with leading scorer Jordan Miller missing two of those games! George Mason will absolutely take advantage of a step down in level of competition in this one and I expect a high-scoring match-up. The last time these teams met in Philly the game only totaled 139 points but that is still enough for our purposes here plus this one is in Fairfax, VA where the last meeting totaled 160 points! LaSalle enters this game having gone over the total in 4 straight games. The Explorers enter this game having scored at least 67 points in 5 straight games and they have averaged 73 points during this stretch. LaSalle has shot the 3-ball well this season and the Patriots have struggled to defend the 3-ball so the match-up sets up well for the road team to score plenty but the home team is favored here with good reason. In other words, plenty of points expected in this one! 10* OVER the total in George Mason

Philly Dominator - Scott "The Bulldog" Rickenbach CBB Rotation #609 Tuesday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Davidson Wildcats vs St Joseph's Hawks @ 7 ET - Davidson is off a loss but now can take out their frustration on a St Joseph's team that does not play defense but is off their first win of the season. The Hawks won because they are at home and facing Albany. Now St Joseph's is on the road where they have allowed 90 points per game this season! Not only that, they face a Wildcats team that won't take their foot off the gas here. Prior to a loss to Dayton Friday, the Wildcats were on a 5-2 run. St Joseph's had allowed at least 80 points in all their games this season until the win over Albany. The Hawks getting a win could help them a little with confidence in the offensive end but their porous defensive play insures a run and gun type affair here. Adding to the likelihood of "no mercy" from the Wildcats here is the fact that Davidson lost to the Hawks in Philly in the teams most recent meeting. Now they meet up at John M. Belk Arena and the over is a perfect 5-0 when the Wildcats have hosted St Joseph's. Look for that perfect streak to remain intact when the final horn sounds on this one. 10* OVER the total in Davidson

Earliest Cash - Scott "The Bulldog" Rickenbach NBA Rotation #523 Monday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Charlotte Hornets vs New York Knicks @ 7:05 ET - I am well aware of the fact that the Knicks are on a long under streak right now. However, so too are the odds makers. That is why they pushed this total a little lower and now the betting markets are pushing it lower as well and it is down to as low as a 210 as of gameday morning. That is significant because the Knicks had one outlier this season as they had a game in which they allowed only 86 points. In their other 9 games this season New York has allowed an average of 107.2 points per game and they have allowed at least 100 in all 9 games. Now, off back to back losses, I expect the Knicks to respond on the offensive end as well. As ugly as yesterday's game was New York did score 51 points after halftime and will carry some momentum from that into this game. Also, the Knicks had a 3 game winning streak prior to these back to back losses and New York scored an average of 110.3 points per game in those 3 wins. Charlotte enters this game on a 3-game winning streak so they are rolling with confidence and are averaging 111 points per game during this win streak. Overall, the Hornets have had one outlier this season which was a game versus Memphis in which they scored only 93 points. In their other 9 games they have averaged 110.1 points per game and so you can see why I am projecting that the posted total on this game will prove to be too short. This is particularly true considering the situational factors as the Knicks respond on offense after back to back poor games while the Hornets continue rolling on their 3-game win streak and might be a little complacent on the defensive end as a result. 10* OVER the total in Charlotte

Daytime Dominator - Scott "The Bulldog" Rickenbach CBB Rotation #829 Sunday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Northern Iowa Panthers vs Bradley Braves @ 4 ET - I have successfully used this theory multiple times this season and will do so again here. With covid impacting scheduling you are seeing some teams go a long stretch without playing a game. I actually like playing an over after a stretch like this because teams struggle with defensive assignments and the game tends to have a disjointed flow which leads to a lot of buckets in transition and more scoring than many would expect in this situation. Bradley hasn't played since before Christmas and that was a 54-53 loss to Missouri. That low-scoring result is helping to give us line value with this total here. From a pacing standpoint, both of these teams are in the range of taking 60 shots per game and allowing 60 shots per game. That kind of a pace gets us well past the total posted on this game. Bradley has simply been fortunate that they allowed only 34.7% shooting from the field so far this season. They won't get that number here. Northern Iowa is averaging 81 points per game at home this season on 46% shooting from the field. That is even with the Panthers not shooting the ball well from 3-point land at home and you know that will turn as they have uncharacteristically been shooting the 3-ball better on the road than at home this season. So the shooters are there and they will start connecting more and, off back to back road losses, Northern Iowa responds big at home where they have thrived this season in terms of scoring and that includes 85 points in their most recent game. The Braves, before the ugly game with Missouri, had gone through a stretch of 6 games in which they averaged 85 points per game. This total has dropped from the 140 range down to the mid-130s and I feel we have excellent line value here with the over as I expect a lot of open looks as Bradley adjusts after the long layoff and this game won't see the best in terms of defensive intensity. 10* OVER the total in Northern Iowa

Philly Dominator - Scott "The Bulldog" Rickenbach CBB Rotation #689 Saturday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Massachusetts Minutemen vs LaSalle Explorers @ 4 ET - The over is 5-0 in UMass games this season. The Minutemen are averaging 86.8 points per game but they struggle on the defensive end and that includes allowing 42% from 3-point land when at home. That spells bad news against a LaSalle team that is knocking down 40% of their three pointers this season. The Explorers come into this game with plenty of confidence too as they just thrashed Fordham by a score of 89-52 in their most recent game. The over is 3-0 in LaSalle's last 3 games and UMass is allowing 88.3 points per game when at home this season. This one should turn into an absolute track meet and yet we have a very manageable total to work with in this one as it is in the mid-140s. I will take advantage here. 10* OVER the total in Massachusetts

Earliest Cash - Scott "The Bulldog" Rickenbach NBA Rotation #549 Friday 10* Top Play OVER the total in New York Knicks vs Oklahoma City Thunder @ 7:35 ET - When the hunter becomes the hunted, things tend to change. Now I know the Knicks aren't necessarily a top team in the NBA but they are certainly much improved and, interestingly enough, this is the first time this season that New York is favored in a game. Of course some of that has to do with playing a Thunder team that has a new coach as well but has not responded as well to the coaching change. My thought process here is leading me to the over. The Knicks have won 3 straight games and are playing with plenty of confidence. Oklahoma City also is off a win and the Thunder are actually 3-1 SU and ATS in road games this season. So they play well away from home and when teams are off wins they can be prone to some let up in defensive intensity in their next game. Oklahoma City has allowed an average of 114 points per game this season when off a SU win. The Knicks have been strong on the defensive end but this is still the lowest total we've seen posted for either one of these teams this season and New York has averaged 111.2 points per game in their 5 wins this season. Oklahoma City has averaged 104.5 points per game on the road this season. I see this game getting into the 215 range and we're dealing with a total much lower than that. Lets take advantage as both these teams off outright upset wins as 8 point dogs in their most recent game. Confidence running high for both teams on the offensive end of the floor right now. 10* OVER the total in New York Knicks

Total of the Week - Scott "The Bulldog" Rickenbach CBB Rotation #625 Tuesday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Texas Longhorns vs Iowa State Cyclones @ 8 ET - Perfect set-up for a high-scoring game. Texas is off a huge win at Kansas where they held the Jayhawks to just 59 points at Allen Fieldhouse and rolled to a massive 25-point margin of victory. Undoubtedly after that strong effort and big upset win, there will be some let-up in defensive intensity in this one for the Longhorns. That said, the Cyclones are hitting 47% from the field this season and should have a big game on the offensive end. However, on the other end of the floor, against teams not named Arkansas-Pine Bluff or Jackson State, note that Iowa State is allowing 79 points per game this season. The Cyclones will struggle to stop UT on their home floor and the Horns are averaging 78.5 points per game their last 4 games. Iowa State did score 81 points in the most recent meeting between these teams and has averaged 68.5 points per game in their last two visits to Austin. In other words, solid potential for an 80-70 type game here but we're seeing a total that is below that by double digits based on the betting markets! Lets grab the corresponding value and go with a best bet here on this one. 10* OVER the total in Iowa State

Contrarian Crusher - Scott "The Bulldog" Rickenbach NBA Rotation #551 Saturday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Indiana Pacers vs New York Knicks @ 7:05 ET - The Knicks are off a ridiculous performance against the Raptors in their most recent game and that has given us great value here with this over. After scoring just 83 points on an insanely ugly 3 of 36 shooting performance from beyond the arc, the Knicks will bounce back on the offensive end here. New York's first match-up with Indiana this season totaled 228 points and this one will likely get to that range as well. Indiana, having already beaten the Knicks plus entering this game off a win, could be a little lax on the defensive end in this one. The Pacers are scoring an average of 117 points per game this season and they allowed at least 106 points in each of their first 4 games this season. That said, coming off a strong effort against an injury-depleted Cavaliers team that saw them allow just 99 points, don't be surprised if there is a let up on defense in this one. The Knicks are hungry for a strong offensive showing after back to back bad games on that end of the floor followed a 130 point outburst against Milwaukee. That said, I am looking for this one to easily get over the rather low posted total considering all the factors. We've got a value number to work with here. 10* OVER the total in Indiana

Perfection Play - Scott "The Bulldog" Rickenbach NBA Rotation #519 Thursday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Toronto Raptors vs New York Knicks @ 7:35 ET - the knicks are off a game which totaled only 181 points and the raptors are off a game which totaled only 193 points...the books were certainly not oblivious to those results but hung a 217 on this game...now the markets are acting like they know something the odds makers don't and that this is some major mistake and the line has dropped to as low as a 214.5 as a result...off course long time followers know how i feel about supposed mistakes by the odds makers...so in this one i am happy to fade the line move and go with the over...keep in mind the knicks prior game totaled 240 points in a win over the bucks and the raptors prior game totaled 233 points in a loss at san antonio...in other words, lets not make the mistake of over-reacting to one game when looking at the total posted on this one...the way i see this one playing out is the the knicks could be a little lackadaisical on the defensive end because they are off rare back to back wins and probably feeling a little too good about themselves...at the same time, the raptors need a big win and are off a horrible 4th quarter that cost them their game versus the 76ers tuesday...that means toronto will want to push the pace here and go for a huge win and i expect them to get a big win and for this game to fly over the total as they force new york into a run and gun type affair...10* OVER the total in Toronto

Total of the Month - Scott "The Bulldog" Rickenbach NBA Rotation #571 Wednesday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Boston Celtics vs Memphis Grizzlies @ 7:35 ET - Do you remember run and gun basketball you played in the games that didn't matter? For example, those on the playground for fun and for the right to brag about how you "went off" and poured in bucket after bucket? The point is that this game has the look and feel of "playground basketball". Why is that? Well it is a back to back for Boston. It is a non-conference game. The Celtics are coming off a win. The Grizzlies are also coming off a win but now don't have Ja Morant for this game. Of course he is a playmaker and their leading scorer and is a fantastic player. But his absence has resulted in the posted total on this game plummeting from its opener. That means we have been afforded great line value here with the over in this one. The Grizzlies will not have their usual structure in this game. So what happens then? Half court sets are out the window! This one will play out as a very wide open affair with a lot of points in my transition. We should see some turnovers and some sloppy play as the Celtics are in a back to back and Memphis will be a little unstructured without Morant. I like overs in spots like this. It is a contrarian approach but yet it makes perfect sense and with this being a non-conference match-up and both teams off wins it sets it up been better for plenty of lapses on the defensive end. The focus just won't be there for a match-up like this and Boston is likely to naturally "let up" on defense just because of knowing the fact that Morant is out. It is almost an unconscious reaction but it is a real one and happens often in situations like this. 10* OVER the total in Boston

Contrarian Crusher - Scott "The Bulldog" Rickenbach NBA Rotation #543 Monday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Atlanta Hawks vs Detroit Pistons @ 7:35 ET - The Pistons are expected to rest some guys including Blake Griffin which is why the spread is now up to double digits on the Hawks. However, the total has moved the other way as it has moved lower and that means great value on the over in this one in my opinion. The Hawks are off to a red hot start this season and scoring very well and those two games were on the road. Atlanta will now be going "all out" in their home opener and the Pistons will be forced to join in on the run and gun action here which means a much higher scoring game than many expect. Keep in mind, each of the last 3 meetings between these teams in Atlanta have gone over the total. Also, Detroit has averaged 132 points in their last two games against the Hawks and though the Pistons most recent game went to OT after a poor 4th quarter for them, they did score 86 points through the first 3 quarters of that game. They were on pace for 115 points in that game and they resume that pace here but there will be no stopping the Hawks as their hot start to the season continues. Could we see a 125-115 type game here? You bet...literally! 10* OVER the total in Atlanta

Total Annihilation - Scott "The Bulldog" Rickenbach CBB Rotation #727 Wednesday 10* Top Play OVER the total in St Louis Billikens vs UMKC Roos @ 8 ET - This total has dropped from an opener of 139 down to a 134 and it was already offering value on the over at the opening number! That said, we have exceptional value now. I know that the University of Missouri - Kansas City is not a high level college basketball program BUT even in their games against tougher competition they have scored "okay". In their 4 lined games this season UMKC has scored an average of 60.5 points per game. The line on this game is in the 23 point range. So even if UMKC scores only 60 in this game you're still talking about a game that is likely to get into the 140s here as the Billikens should get into the 80s. That is certainly not far-fetched either as St Louis, even with games against stiffer competition too, has scored at least 78 points in all 7 of their games this season. The Billikens are coming off their first loss of the season and so I don't foresee them taking their foot off the gas in this game. In other words, given the opportunity to win this game in blowout fashion, I look for St Louis to do just that. STL has averaged 87 points per game this season and the Roos have never scored less than 57 points in any game this season. Big home blowout here and that means an easy over. 10* OVER the total in St Louis

Earliest Cash - Scott "The Bulldog" Rickenbach NBA Rotation #501 Tuesday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Brooklyn Nets vs Golden State Warriors @ 7:00 ET - The Nets are going to be one of the best teams in the NBA this season with Kevin Durant back and healthy. I look for them to put on a show tonight at home to open up the season the right way. Of course that is why they are priced as a fairly heavy favorite in this one but where I see the value is with the total. That's because the Nets should score plenty here but I also expect Steph Curry and company to let loose tonight with a strong offensive showing. After all the injury issues last season, though Golden State enters this season with some problems, it is time for a response this season. The Warriors will hit the floor running (literally) and I look for a very high-scoring and entertaining match-up here. It will be raining threes for Golden State in this one but the Warriors will absolutely not be able to stop a potent Brooklyn attack at the other end. The Nets put up 129 points against the Warriors last season and will have another huge game here but this time Golden State keeps the game much closer and that means we are looking at a game that should easily get into the 240s. Take advantage of the line here and cash in with what should be easy over in this one. 10* OVER the total in Brooklyn

Philly Dominator - Scott "The Bulldog" Rickenbach CBB Rotation #685 Saturday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Villanova Wildcats vs St Joseph's Hawks @ 9 ET - This series has trended under including each of the last two meetings. However, in the recent meetings both teams shot poorly from three point land in each game. I simply can't see that case being again a 3rd time in a row in which neither team shoots well from beyond the arc. Both teams this season are allowing high percentages from 3-point land and note that St Joseph's is allowing 90.3 points per game this season. The Hawks have a veteran group of players and have scored an average of 80 points per game this season but they can't stop anyone and that trend continues here. This is a Philly match-up that will bring out the best in both teams and Villanova has played only one 'grinder' this season and that was a 68-64 win at Texas. In their other games this season they have averaged 80 points per game and, as shown already this season, the Hawks defense won't put up much resistance here. Look for the Wildcats to get at least 90 here and St Joseph's (based on this line in the 22 range) should get to the 70 point mark in a free-flowing game with plenty of offense. 10* OVER the total in Villanova

Philly Dominator - Scott "The Bulldog" Rickenbach CBB Rotation #785 Thursday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Saint Joseph's Hawks vs Drexel Dragons @ 6 ET - Both of these teams rated poorly last season in terms of defensive efficiency. Additionally, the Hawks rated very high nationally in adjusted pace. St Joseph's likes to apply pressure on defense and then get quick looks on offense. That said, I am looking for a high-scoring game between these two Philly foes as they try to outdo each other playing for Philly pride in this one. Saint Joseph's has had a lot of cancellations in this pandemic-impacted season. That said, the Hawks could be a little off on matching up properly defensively and defensive switches and problems like this will lead to plenty of open looks and drives to the basket for the Drexel. The Hawks first two games both flew over the total and St Joseph's allowed an average of 95 points per game in those two. Saint Joe's did average 81.5 points per game in those two and they should have no trouble against the normally porous defense of the Dragons. I know that Drexel is off a low-scoring game and has played a stretch of low-scoring contests that easily stayed under the total. However, that has had a lot to do with the level of competition they were facing. Their only game against a quality opponent saw the Dragons lose 83 to 74 at Pittsburgh. That said, there is great value with this total posted in the mid-140s in my opinion. This game should have plenty of open looks and a good tempo and the shooters will take advantage. Should be a rather wide-open game with the Hawks struggling some due to all the time off so it will play out a little more like 'playground basketball' and again this Philly guys will be looking to outdo each other on the offensive end in what should be quite the entertaining game. That is why the spread on this game is nearly a pick'em as it will be a back and forth game that could go either way in terms of the side but look for points aplenty based on all of the above. 10* OVER the total in Drexel

Total Dominator - Scott "The Bulldog" Rickenbach CBB Rotation #677 Wednesday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Villanova Wildcats vs Butler Bulldogs @ 7 ET - The Bulldogs always seem to surprise no matter their talent level. But in this particular match-up they have had far too much time off without games this season and it will make them a little sloppy here. I don't expect a very structured game and expect a lot more up and down fast-paced run and gun type style here. The Wildcats will force the tempo here as they look to get revenge for losing the most recent match-up between these teams. That was last season and both meetings last season did go over the total and this one should as well. Villanova is averaging 77.2 points per game game this season and shooting quite well. As for Butler we don't have much to look at yet for this season but we know what this team likes to do historically and expect them to surprise some people in hanging around in games many don't expect them to. They are a scrappy team and if they hang tight in this one (close to the spread posted on this game) and Nova finishes close to their scoring average you are looking at a 77 to 64 game and that puts this game about 10 points over where the total is set at. That is what I expect here as Villanova has averaged 77 points per game in the last 4 meetings between these teams plus is averaging 77 points per game this season. Also, as per usual, the Bulldogs will put up a fight against the Wildcats here. 10* OVER the total in Villanova

Primetime Punisher - Scott "The Bulldog" Rickenbach CBB Rotation #629 Tuesday 10* Top Play OVER the total in St Louis Billikens vs Indiana State Sycamores @ 8 ET - The Billikens are playing with a ton of confidence and scoring plenty of points and that continues here as they are at home against Indiana State Tuesday evening. St Louis games are a perfect 4-0 to the over this season thanks in part to the Billikens averaging 92.2 points per game and having never been held under 85 points in a game this season. While it is true that St Louis is known for solid defense, they have faced a lot of weaker teams this season. When they stepped up in class and faced LSU they did allow 81 points and Indiana State has scored an average of 74 points per game and shot 45% from the field this season. The Sycamores will be able to do some damage in this one on the scoreboard but they'll struggle to stop a Billikens team that is on fire from both inside and outside the arc. St Louis is averaging about 10 of 21 from three point land in their games this season. Indiana State is allowing an average of about 9 of 19 from three point land plus nearly 50% from the field overall so this one sets up well for the Billikens to have another huge game in the offensive end. Keep in mind, St Louis is a 13 point favorite here so if the line is correct that puts this game at about a 77-64 final. But, again, the Billikens have not been held below 85 points this season. You can see why I am expecting this one to get well into the 150s and I see solid value with this low total. 10* OVER the total in St Louis

Total Annihilation - Scott "The Bulldog" Rickenbach CBB Rotation #611 Friday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Georgetown Hoyas vs Villanova Wildcats @ 7 ET - The Hoyas allowed only 48 points in their most recent game but that was against Coppin State. Georgetown is a young team with a lot of new players and that means struggles in the defensive end. This is particularly true in a covid year as teams couldn't practice like they normally would leading into the season. Prior to their big win over an out-classed Coppin State team, the Hoyas allowed an average of 79 points per game. That means the set up here is ideal for an over because Georgetown is averaging 73 points per on the season but won't be able to stop Villanova here. Also, the Wildcats are off a tight rather low-scoring win over Texas that stayed under the total. Will they repeat that defensive intensity in a 2nd straight game? I really don't think so and the fact is that the Cats have allowed 73 points per game in their last 3 games against the Hoyas. As for the Villanova offense, they should excel here. The Wildcats will take advantage of a Georgetown team with so many new faces in the playing rotation and note that Nova was averaging 80 points per game prior to the low-scoring win over the Longhorns. Both teams are coming off unders here but had gone 2-0 to the over entering their respective contests. That said, great line value here with this total in the low 140s. The Hoyas should get into the 70 range and, of course, the Wildcats are a double digit road favorite here for a reason. Look for this one to get in the 150s. 10* OVER the total in Georgetown

Total Dominator - Scott "The Bulldog" Rickenbach CBB Rotation #863 Thursday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Arizona State Sun Devils vs San Diego State Aztecs @ 10 ET - My first thought when looking at this match-up was Arizona State because the line looks a little funny considering the Aztecs are now 34-2 the past two seasons combined while the Sun Devils have a dozen losses over this same time period. As many of you know already, I am a contrarian capper so I was considering ASU based on the team with the much better record and similar ranking being the underdog here. However, the total looks like the best value here. Why? Well it dropped to a 142 for one thing. Additionally, the key reason that is attractive is because Arizona State's defense can not be trusted in my opinion. So I like the Sun Devils here and expect them to put up plenty of points but I just can't trust their defensive level of play. As for San Diego State, they are not giving up many points per game this season but a lot of that has to do with level of competition. Now the Aztecs face a Sun Devils team which is averaging 84.5 points per game. Arizona State is shooting 48.1% from the field and play at a good pace but, on defense, they are allowing 45% from the field including 37% from three point land. San Diego State is making 9 three pointers per game and averaging 74.5 points per game and this one turns into a shootout. 10* OVER the total in Arizona State

Total Dominator - Scott "The Bulldog" Rickenbach CBB Rotation #635 Wednesday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Xavier Musketeers vs Oklahoma Sooners @ 8 ET - The O/U is 2-0 in Sooners games this season and 3-1 in Xavier's last 4 games. Both teams are shooting the ball very well and willing to 'run and gun' in terms of their pace. Oklahoma has averaged 93.5 points per game this season and that included games against UTSA and TCU so not super tough competition but certainly not 'cakewalk' games in terms of the level of the opposition. That said, I look for plenty of points here because the Musketeers have only had one low-scoring win and that was a real grinder against Bradley. Other than that one outlier, Xavier has averaged 90.4 points per game in their other 5 games and has not been held below 76 points in any of those games. Coming off a big win over city-rival Cincinnati, this also could be a flat spot for the Musketeers in terms of the level of their defensive intensity. That said, other than the grinder with Bradley and easy wins over out-classed competition - Oakland and Tennessee Tech - Xavier has allowed 79.3 points in their other 3 games. Certainly Oklahoma fits the bill as a high-quality opponent that can also put up big numbers against the Musketeers defense. That said, the over is the way to go here especially considering the situation and the fact that the Sooners have allowed an average of 72 points per game in their two games and now face a surging opponent that is loaded with confidence thanks to a 6-0 start to the season. 10* OVER the total in Xavier

Total Dominator - Scott "The Bulldog" Rickenbach CBB Rotation #803 Sunday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Baylor Bears vs Washington Huskies @ T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, NV @ 6 ET - The Bears opened their season with a 112-82 win against UL Lafayette yesterday. As for the Huskies, this will be their first game of the season but they wrapped up last season by averaging 78 points per game their last 5 games. The Bears, including yesterday's result, have average 78.6 points per game their last 5 games (includes last 4 games of last season for Baylor). Look for plenty of offense in this one as the Bears showed yesterday that they are happy to 'run and gun' and Washington is looking at this as almost a "warm up" game to get ready for the season. They face Utah this coming week. Baylor wants revenge here as they blew a 7 point halftime lead and lost to the Huskies last season. That said, the Bears will not hesitate in keeping their foot on the gas throughout this contest as they are in revenge mode and are favored by a double digit margin here for good reason. Baylor is highly ranked for a reason and ready to put on a scoring display here but the Huskies also have a talented backcourt and are quite solid in terms of scoring depth and I look for them to surprise by hanging around in this one and putting up plenty of points. Washington may fade late as the Bears are simply 'that good'. That is why I am avoiding the side here but the total looks like a solid bet in expectation of a very high-scoring game. 10* OVER the total in Baylor

Total of the Week - Scott "The Bulldog" Rickenbach CBB Rotation #721 Wednesday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Boston College Eagles vs Villanova Wildcats @ 9:30 ET @ Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, CT in the 2K Empire Classic - The Wildcats are highly ranked, like to play fast, and feel like they have unfinished business of the way the pandemic prevented March Madness 2020 from happening. I feel strongly that this very strong Villanova team is going to come out like they were shot out of a cannon and play that way for the full 40 as well as they do have great team depth too. The key here is the Eagles are adding some solid players to their backcourt for this season as they get a guy back who missed last season due to injury. Plus Boston College has added some veteran experience through transfers. That said, the over is the way to go here. Having a strong backcourt is a key early in the season and the Wildcats will force the Eagles to play a fast tempo and Boston College has the guard play to be successful in doing so. That said, plenty of points expected here. The Eagles defensive play was a weakness last season and Villanova is a very strong shooting team from beyond the arc and should get plenty of open looks in this one. Boston College allowed 74.3 points per game when away from home last season. The Wildcats allowed 68.7 points per game away from home last season. Considering that plus plenty of tempo for this game and some breakdowns on the defensive end (early in the season and coming in off tough off-season with limited practice time). 10* OVER the total in Boston College

Total of the Week - Scott "The Bulldog" Rickenbach NBA Rotation #702 Thursday 10* Top Play UNDER the total in Boston Celtics vs Miami Heat @ 7 ET - The Celtics lost in OT in Game 1 of this series on Tuesday and that was just their 4th loss of this post-season. So how does Boston react after a defeat? They turn to their defense! After their first 3 losses of this post-season their next game has stayed under the total all 3 times. The Celtics have allowed an average of only 92 points per game when off a loss in these playoffs. Boston has scored an average of only 99 points per game when off a defeat in this post-season. With numbers like that this game is unlikely to get to 200 let alone 210. This is particularly true when you also consider that is unlikely the Heat again knock down 44.4% of their three pointers and score 48 points from beyond the arc in the process. Miami's defense is good too and they'll do everything they can to go up 2-0 in this series. That said, look for a low-scoring grinder on Thursday night. 10* UNDER the total in Boston

Total of the Month - Scott "The Bulldog" Rickenbach NBA Rotation #715 Thursday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Houston Rockets vs Los Angeles Lakers @ 7:10 ET - Game 3 of this series was on pace for 250 points as it was 64-61 at halftime. Game 2 of this series went over the total even though the 4th quarter totaled just 44 points. That game was on pace for 243 points after three quarters. With this total coming down to as low as a 219 this morning I feel we have great value on the over here. The Rockets have performed well for stretches in this series but then they ultimately falter. This is a must win game for them as a 3-1 hole will prove to be too much. The Lakers scored 117 points in Game 2 after making adjustments after looking like they didn't even want to be there in Game 1 - a loss for LA. Then, in Game 3 the Lakers had one bad quarter (the 3rd) but the rest of the game they were on pace for 121 points. That would put Los Angeles at about a 119 average last two games and they are favored by 5 here. 119-114 sounds about right for me with this one and that puts it more than a dozen points above the number. I'll take the value as I expect a huge game from the Rockets in the offensive end in a do or die situation but they can't get stops on the other end when they need to. The result, in my opinion, is a high-scoring game that could go either way. 10* OVER the total in Houston

Earliest Cash - Scott "The Bulldog" Rickenbach NBA Rotation #705 Tuesday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Milwaukee Bucks vs Miami Heat @ 6:30 ET - I am expecting Giannis to play for the Bucks but, even if he doesn't, we saw what Milwaukee is capable of without him as they rallied the troops to win in overtime in Game 4. I am well aware of the fact that, without OT, Sunday's game would not have gone over the total. However, I am also well aware of the fact that the only reason it needed overtime to go over was because of a horrific 4th quarter performance in terms of scoring. I don't expect a repeat of that here and look for this game to comfortably fly over the total. Each team should shoot a little better from 3-point land overall and Miami fired up a bunch of them from long range in Game 4. The Heat had scored well in this series prior to Sunday's loss and I expect them to bounce back here. But the Bucks proved they are not going to go down without a fight. That said, higher scoring game than many are expecting here as the defense of Milwaukee has not been good in this series but the Bucks, on the other end, will keep the pressure on the Heat and I really don't expect Giannis to miss this. The turn of his ankle bothered him in Game 4 because it was already so tender. But the fact is it did not look severe at all and he'll be good to go here. I would recommend playing this one early because I expect the total to rise later. 10* OVER the total in Milwaukee

Daytime Dominator - Scott "The Bulldog" Rickenbach NBA Rotation #745 Sunday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Miami Heat vs Milwaukee Bucks @ 3:30 ET - The Heat have scored at least 115 points in every game this series and the Bucks are certainly not showing any signs that they can slow them down. At the same time though, I just don't see Milwaukee getting swept right out of the playoffs without at least putting up a fight to avoid the sweep. That said, the Bucks won't stop until the final buzzer sounds on this one and they need to push the pace a bit and try to get Miami back on their heels a bit. Keep in mind, Milwaukee averaged 29 points per quarter through the first 3 quarters of what was essentially a must win Game 3. After the epic fourth quarter collapse in that one I look for the Bucks to come up with a much better "close out" in Game 4. Does that mean that Milwaukee wins and avoids the sweep? Not necessarily and that is why I am not touching the side in this game. However, what it goes mean is we should see plenty of points in this one as I expect the Heat to reach at least the 115 mark again and, this time, the Bucks are right there with them when the final buzzer sounds. 10* OVER the total in Miami

Total of the Week - Scott "The Bulldog" Rickenbach NBA Rotation #741 Saturday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Boston Celtics vs Toronto Raptors @ 6:30 ET - Each of the first three games in this series stayed under the total so we're now seeing some value here with the over in Game 4. I look for both teams to shoot better from three point land after the Celtics made just 9 of 29 and the Raptors only 13 of 40 in Game 3. Also, Toronto was just 9 of 16 from the free throw line in Game 3. Just some crazy numbers that I don't see being repeated here and, keep in mind, that game still totaled 207 points. That is not far from the number we're looking at with this total so a few more made threes and a few more made free throws and this game is over the total. That is precisely the call I am making here as the Celtics respond with a little more emphasis in the offensive end coming off the loss. At the same time Toronto feels like they are absolutely back in it after the clutch shot to win Game 3 and will ride a wave of momentum to a strong showing in the offensive end in this one. 10* OVER the total in Boston

Daytime Dominator - Scott "The Bulldog" Rickenbach NBA Rotation #703 Monday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Oklahoma City Thunder vs Houston Rockets @ 4 ET - I am aware that it took overtime for Saturday's Game 3 between these teams to go over the total. However, the odds makers are also aware of that fact too! They set this total at 221 and it has dropped to as low as a 219 as of early game day morning. Keep in mind that would make this one about 5 points lower than the opening total for the Game 3 match-up. That said, do you really think the Rockets are going to again make just 30% of their threes (15 of 50 Saturday) or that James Harden is going to have a 3rd straight bad game from beyond the arc? Me neither! Yes I aware that Luguentz Dort is now back for the Thunder and guarding him but Harden will get his open looks from deep and start knocking them down. Adjustments are made throughout a series. Additionally, I liked the response I saw from an Oklahoma City team that showed on Saturday that they are not just going to pack it in for this series. Last but not least, Game 3 did have 120 points at halftime so it was on pace for 240 before things tightened up the rest of the way. All signs point to good value, from a situational standpoint, with this low total. I'll take it! 10* OVER the total in Oklahoma City

Total of the Week - Scott "The Bulldog" Rickenbach NBA Rotation #723 Friday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Utah Jazz vs Denver Nuggets @ 4 ET - Not only are the Jazz scoring very well so far in this series, Mike Conley is expected to clear quarantine and return to the floor for this one! He gives Utah another dangerous scorer and is expected to be back in the lineup Friday. The Jazz saw Donovan Mitchell go off for a ton of points in Game 1 and then in Game 2 he became more of a distributor and Utah was equally as dangerous on the offensive end. That said, I don't see Denver suddenly slowing the Jazz down in this one. Utah is simply playing with too much confidence and have looked great on the offensive end. However, I certainly do expect the Nuggets to respond in a big way after dropping Game 2 in ugly fashion and that means plenty of points expected from Denver in this one too. We are getting line value because the totals continue to be set somewhat based on long-term numbers and, the fact is, the Jazz are playing a different style of basketball right now than they were during the regular season. Utah, had they not lost Game 1 in OT, could easily be up 2-0 in this series. That said, the old adage of "if it ain't broke don't try to fix it" applies here and the Jazz keep piling up points. However, in this one the Nuggets end up keeping pace with them in what should be a dandy of a game as they respond off of Wednesday's loss. 10* OVER the total in Utah 

Daytime Dominator – Scott “The Bulldog” Rickenbach NBA Rotation #713 Thursday 8* OVER the total in Houston Rockets vs Oklahoma City Thunder @ 3 ET – Game 1 of this series on Tuesday was a bit of a slow starter in the first quarter and then finished slow in the 4th quarter. But it still flew over the total and that is because the two middle quarters saw the teams combine for 139 points. Had the Rockets not had such a huge lead going to the 4th quarter, we would have seen even more points scored in that one. I do look for this game to be closer and, therefore, a much higher scoring 4th quarter as I do expect the Thunder to play better here. The problem for OKC though is that they are still without their top perimeter defender. Luguentz Dort has been ruled out again for Game 2 and he is the guy that has the best chance of slowing down James Harden. With another huge game from Harden here, and the growing confidence of the Rockets on the offensive end after the Game 1 blowout win, I am fully expecting plenty of points in this one. 8* OVER the total in Houston

Situational Slaughter - Rickenbach NBA Rotation #719 Friday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Los Angeles Clippers vs Oklahoma City Thunder @ 6:30 ET - I am sticking with the pattern that has been working very well for me. Two teams involved that will both be playing back-ups and that means very little defensive pressure is likely and we should see a run and gun high-scoring affair. The Clippers enter this game with having played 6 straight games that totaled 229 points or more. The only game that has been low-scoring for LA under the bubble in Orlando was their very first game which was against the Lakers. Of course you will see nothing like the defensive intensity of that game here. In fact you will see the exact opposite and the back-ups will score just fine. In fact, look at Oklahoma City's most recent game. They rallied from a huge deficit thanks in large part to bench production and they beat the Heat 116-115 on Wednesday. The bench led the way to the comeback win. The Thunder reserves showed me a lot with that performance there but it was also the 3rd time in 4 games that OKC has allowed 115 points or more. That said, I look for this game to get into the 230s with plenty of scoring on both ends of the floor as it plays out with the defensive intensity of an All-Star game. In all seriousness this is like an All-Star game but without all the all-stars. It will be free flowing with a lot of great looks at the basket and I'll take advantage of the rather low total posted on this game which is based more on historical data than the true situation here. 10* OVER the total in Los Angeles Clippers

Situational Slaughter – Rickenbach NBA Rotation #701 Thursday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Orlando Magic vs New Orleans Pelicans @ 9 ET – In a meaningless game I am looking for a very free-flowing affair with very little defense and a ton of points scored. The Magic are locked in as the #8 seed in the East while the Pelicans are eliminated from playoff contention in the West. New Orleans has allowed 125 points per game in their last 4 losses. The Pelicans have averaged a respectable 114.2 points per game in their last 5 games on the other end of the floor. The Magic have lost 5 straight games and not scored well. But in their first two games under the bubble they averaged 130 points and those games got into the mid-240s. Again, there is no pressure here and this will be a free-flowing game where the shooters can run and gun and without any concern about the end result. This will play out like an All-Star game except with very few stars involved! Just a ton of offense and no defense. 10* OVER the total in Orlando

Daytime Dominator - Rickenbach NBA Rotation #751 Tuesday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Philadelphia 76ers vs Phoenix Suns @ 4:35 ET - I used the Suns over here yesterday and it cashed and I will come right back with it again today. Phoenix has yet to lose a game under the bubble. Yesterday's win was their 6th straight and they've averaged 120 points per game during this red hot stretch. Of course that is why they're such a huge favorite here against a 76ers team that will be playing entirely back-ups in this one. A combination of rest and injury factors mean 2nd and 3rd stringers take the floor for this one. I know that may concern some in terms of whether Philly will score enough here. But with no pressure on the Sixers I am expecting them to play a very free-flowing game with a lack of defense on one end and some hot shooting on the other end. Again, no pressure on these 76ers and the Suns have proven their very happy to "run and gun" with teams. The result should be a nice pace to this game and one that easily eclipses the rather low total on this one considering the Suns are averaging 120 points per game in the bubble and are facing a Philly team that is already counting down the days to the playoffs beginning. Little resistance from the Sixers in this one and a ton of points as a result. 10* OVER the total in Philadelphia

Earliest Cash - Rickenbach NBA Rotation #737 Monday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Phoenix Suns vs Oklahoma City Thunder @ 2:35 ET - The Suns are 5-0 in the bubble thanks in part to offensive production. Indeed, Phoenix is averaging 116.4 points per game in their 5 games in the bubble. On the other end of the floor the Suns have allowed 112 points or more in 4 of the 5 games. The Thunder are off a win versus Washington yesterday and scored 121 points in that game. OKC has been a little "hit or miss" in terms of their offensive production and their tempo. However, the red hot Suns control the tempo in this one and the Thunder are going to be forced to pick up the pace if they want to keep up. As a result, look for plenty of points in this one. The Suns want to try and run the Thunder right out of the arena as Phoenix knows that Oklahoma City is in a back to back. The Suns continue to push for a playoff spot and they'll run and gun again here as a result. 10* OVER the total in Phoenix

Total of the Week - Rickenbach NBA Rotation #713 Saturday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Portland Trail Blazers vs Los Angeles Clippers @ 1:05 ET - Both teams off high-scoring wins and are shooting the ball extremely well. Portland off a particularly red hot shooting performance from beyond the arc. The Trail Blazers, not including OT, have scored 124 points or more in 3 of their 4 games in the bubble. They'll be helped by the fact that the Clippers Patrick Beverley (awarded twice to the All-Defensive team in his NBA career) is expected to miss a 2nd straight games. LA, after that fierce battle with the Lakers in their first game within the bubble, has averaged 122.3 points per game since then. You can see why I am forecasting this game to get into the 240's per the above. 10* OVER the total in Portland

Daytime Dominator - Rickenbach NBA Rotation #703 Friday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Memphis Grizzlies vs Oklahoma City Thunder @ 4:05 ET - This total has dropped from its opener and has added value to the over in this spot. The Thunder are off a fantastic effort against the Lakers and allowed 86 points in that win. Usually after a big win like that a team comes out and allows a bunch of points in their very next game. That plays right into our hands in terms of this play on Friday. Memphis is off a loss to Utah and needs to respond big as the losses keep piling up for them as they cling to the #8 seed. The problem for the Grizzlies though is they have been giving up plenty of points and seem incapable of getting key stops when they need to. Look for them to have another subpar game on the defensive end and note that the Thunder allowed 121 points to the Nuggets in their game immediately prior to the win over LeBron James and company. Look for plenty of points in this one! 10* OVER the total in Memphis

Daytime Dominator - Rickenbach NBA Rotation #777 Thursday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Milwaukee Bucks vs Miami Heat @ 4:05 ET - Off an embarrassing loss as a nearly 20 point favorite against the Nets, the Bucks respond in a big way here. Milwaukee also is getting a couple players back too for this one. The Bucks have been one of the faster paced teams in the NBA in the bubble and that will lead to plenty of points in this one. Milwaukee also has a respectable bench which is one of the tops in the NBA. The way I see this game playing out is the Bucks coming out with plenty of tempo combined with better offensive efficiency than we've been seeing from them. They are healthier, they are going to play their starters more, and they're looking for a big-game effort from everyone. The Heat will be forced to "run and gun" to keep up with them as the Bucks force the tempo. The result should be a big Bucks win that lands close to the number ATS but, in my opinion, crushes the total and flies over. That is why I am going with a big game play here on this total. 10* OVER the total in Milwaukee

Contrarian Crusher - Rickenbach NBA Rotation #771 Wednesday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Orlando Magic vs Toronto Raptors @ 8:05 ET - This total, as of early game day morning, has already made a big downward move from 224.5 to 221.5 in early action on the game. I look for the Magic defense to struggle in a back to back situation and they have allowed an average of 118 points per game in their first three games. But even though they continue to give up piles of points, Orlando is in a battle for a playoff spot and they'll continue to battle hard in that regard. That means they'll have to turn to the offensive end to try and get an upset win here and the Magic are averaging 123 points per game in their first 3 games back. Though the Raptors, one of the top teams in the East, have been involved in a pair of lower-scoring games since the reboot I look for a different story here. The first two games for Toronto were against the Lakers and the Heat and, as a result, were more intense defensive-minded battles. The Raptors have dominated the series with the Magic and could easily overlook them here as a result. The point is a little less defensive intensity and a free-flowing game is likely. In typical contrarian fashion I am fading the early line move here but that is with good reason as explained above. 10* OVER the total in Orlando

Earliest Cash - Rickenbach NBA Rotation #751 Tuesday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Milwaukee Bucks vs Brooklyn Nets @ 1:35 ET - Don't look for the Bucks to take their foot off the gas in this one. Yes, they'll be resting guys late with a huge lead but their bench will be just fine against the Nets. That said, I look for a very high-scoring game here as the Bucks take out their frustration on an over-matched Nets team. Milwaukee lost a tight one to the Rockets on Sunday because they scored just 4 points over the final 3 minutes of the game. Brooklyn is off a key win over Washington that same day and that built confidence in the offensive end. Yes it was only the Wizards but just getting a W and having a successful effort and scoring 118 points means something. Now the Bucks will impose their will on the Nets and then after establishing a huge lead this game turns into a free-flowing high-scoring run and gun affair as the Bucks bench players get to enjoy their time on the floor too against an out-classed Brooklyn team in this one. 10* OVER the total in Milwaukee

Contrarian Crusher - Rickenbach NBA Rotation #551 Wednesday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Miami Heat vs Charlotte Hornets @ 7:35 ET - The Heat are off a low-scoring win over the Wizards and that was the 3rd time in the past 5 weeks they have held a team under 90 points. Their next game flew over after each of the first two occurrences and I expect the same result here. When Miami is a home favorite in a range of 6.5 to 12 points, the over is 26-11 including 11-4 this season! The Heat have averaged 121.4 points per game their last 7 games at home. Miami scored 117 points in their only other game against Charlotte this season. The Hornets, not including OT, have averaged 111 points per game their last 4 games while allowing 110 points per game during this same stretch. The over is 6-1 in the last 7 home games for the Heat. The over is 6-2 in Charlotte's divisional games this season. More of the same expected here. 10* OVER the total in Miami

Total Dominator - Rickenbach CBB Rotation #651 Wednesday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Minnesota Golden Gophers vs Northwestern Wildcats @ 6 ET - The Wildcats won 2 of their last 3 games so they have a little momentum heading into the tournament. Northwestern has scored at least 66 points (exclusive of OT points) in 4 of its last 6 games. The Golden Gophers are favored by about 8 to 9 points here with good reason. In other words a 75-66 type game would not be unexpected to say the least and that gets us into the 140s here. The Wildcats have allowed 73.5 points per game their last 8 games and will have their hands full with the Gophers here. Minnesota beat Northwestern 83-57 late last month as the over went 2-0 in regular season meetings between these teams. That Golden Gophers win began a stretch in which they have scored an average of 79.8 points per game over their final 5 games of the season. Though scoring well, Minnesota has also allowed 71 points or more over their last 4 games of the regular season. The over is 5-0 in the Golden Gophers last 5 games and the over is 5-1 in Northwestern's last 6 games. Look for the high-scoring trend to continue in this Big Ten tourney match-up. 10* OVER the total in Minnesota

Early Annihilation - Rickenbach NBA Rotation #531 Tuesday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Washington Wizards vs New York Knicks @ 7:05 ET - Both teams are coming off unusually low-scoring games on Sunday. The Knicks got a big home win over the Pistons and the over is 4-1 this season when they are off a home win by a double digit margin this season. The last time they faced the Wizards it was in New York and the Knicks got embarrassed in an ugly home loss. When playing with revenge from a home loss by a double digit margin, the over is 10-5 this season. The Wizards are off an ugly home loss to the Heat and are a long-term 17-6 to the over the past 3 seasons when off a loss to a division rival. Also, when Washington is off a loss this season the over is 26-13 this season. After being held to just 89 points at home on Sunday, the Wizards give a huge effort on the offensive end in this one. However, their season-long struggles in the defensive end continue here and this game turns into a shootout as a result. 10* OVER the total in Washington

Total Blowout - Rickenbach CBB Rotation #613 Tuesday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Hofstra Pride vs Northeastern Huskies @ 7 ET - This total opened up in the low 140s and has dropped into the mid 130s. This has opened up a fantastic value situation with the over. Northeastern only won yesterday's game versus Elon by 8 points but they had a 16 point lead at the half and simply coasted in the 2nd half. The Huskies had 37 points at the half and could have scored at least that much in the 2nd half too if they had wanted to. But, given the situation, Northeastern took their foot off the gas in an easy win. This has led to situational value here because, though the Huskies can score well, they now face a tough team that can match them bucket for bucket. Hofstra was very impressive yesterday in their big win over Delaware. The Pride scored 75 points and that was the 9th time in 11 games that Hofstra has scored at least 75 points. The Huskies have averaged 73.2 points per game in their last 5 games. Look for this game to get well into the 140s as each of the regular season meetings totaled 146 points and somewhere in that range for this one is what I fully expect. That means we've got great value here. 10* OVER the total in Hofstra

Early Annihilation - Rickenbach NBA Rotation #523 Monday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Atlanta Hawks vs Charlotte Hornets @ 7:35 ET - Both teams were off yesterday and both teams needed that. The Hawks in particular had some issue the last few games with injury and illness but having both Trae Young and Cam Reddish ready to go for this one is a real positive. On a 3-game losing streak, look for the Hawks to push the pace here in an effort to play the role of spoiler against a division rival. Atlanta doesn't win with defense, they win with offense. Though the Hornets playoff hopes are slim they still have some glimmer of light and the Hawks would like to turn out the lights tonight! Atlanta's last 4 home games against the Hornets have all resulted in an over. Charlotte has scored better of late and averaged 108 points per game their last 3 games after some ugly efforts. The Hornets are 3-1 in their last 4 road games and also have averaged 126 points per game in their last two visits to Atlanta while the Hawks averaged 122 points per game in those two as a host. Atlanta is favored here for a reason and they are expected to win. Why is that worthy of note? The Hawks enter this game on a 3-game losing streak and all 3 games stayed under but 6 of their last 7 SU victories have resulted in an over. Look for that trend to continue here. 10* OVER the total in Atlanta

Total Dominator - Rickenbach CBB Rotation #882 Monday 10* Top Play UNDER the total in Wright State Raiders vs Illinois-Chicago Flames @ 7 ET - This total has skyrocketed upward from its opener down around 142 to getting pushed up to around 149 as of early game day morning. I understand the move when you look at pure statistics but the situation absolutely matters here. First off it is a tourney game and those tend to see more defense. Secondly, you have a neutral site venue which often leads to poorer shooting percentages as well. Thirdly, and perhaps most important, the Raiders haven't played a game in ten days. Wright State is favored here for a reason but look for them to lean heavily on their defense as their shots are likely to be off the mark after a long layoff of 10 days without a game. Illinois-Chicago has allowed just 64 points per game in its last 4 contests. The Flames, on the other end of the floor, were held to just 58 points the last time they faced Wright State. The Raiders have averaged 67 points per game their last 3 games against UIC. The total is simply over-priced here given the situation. I know Wright State has some impressive recent numbers on the offensive end but I am looking for another under here as the under cashes for the 4th time in the last 5 meetings between these Horizon League foes. The under is a perfect 3-0 the last 3 times that the Raiders have entered a game after 5 or more off days between games. 10* UNDER the total in Wright State

Total Annihilation - Rickenbach CBB Rotation #845 Sunday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Illinois Illini vs Iowa Hawkeyes @ 7 ET - One of the strongest handicapping angles is actually playing ON something that looks a little OFF. This is a perfect example of that. The reason it is successful is because usually something looks a little out of kilter for a good reason! In this case, you can not find a recent total posted this high (148) in an Illinois game. Yet the Illini game versus Iowa Sunday has a big total posted on it even though the first meeting only had a posted total of 140 plus it ended up staying under that total! This also was the 2nd straight under in meetings between these teams and yet this game has a higher total despite that result and also has one of the highest totals posted on an Illini game this season. Must be a huge mistake, right? Of course not. Look for this one to fly over the total. Iowa is averaging 78 points per game this season. However, the Hawkeyes have allowed 78 points or more in 4 of their last 5 road games. In fact, in those 4 road contests Iowa allowed an average of 88 points per game. Look for a shootout in Champaign tonight. 10* OVER the total in Illinois

Pacific Div Total of the Year - Rickenbach NBA Rotation #503 Sunday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Los Angeles Clippers vs Los Angeles Lakers @ 3:35 ET - The first two games between these foes this season went under the total but one was way back in October when the season was first getting going and the other was on Christmas Day. That being said, this situation is much different as both teams come into this game rolling red hot and I fully expect plenty of points in quite the showdown between these two rivals. Yes the rivalry is real now that LeBron James is with the Lakers and Kawhi Leonard is with the Clippers. This battle likely goes down to the wire but with plenty of points along the way. The Lakers enter this game having scored 111 points or more in 14 of their past 15 games (no OT points included). The Lakers had one ugly game (at Memphis) during this stretch but they averaged 119.2 points in the other 14 games! The Clippers enter this game having averaged 120.5 points per game during their current 6-game winning streak. This game getting to 240 is certainly not out of the realm of possibility given those numbers and I expect 230 at a minimum. Both teams stay hot in this one. 10* OVER the total in Los Angeles

Afternoon Annihilation - Rickenbach CBB Rotation #635 Saturday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Creighton Blue Jays vs Seton Hall Pirates @ 2:30 ET - This is a big game with the regular season Big East title on the line. Pirates, with a win, take it. Blue Jays, with a win, get a share of it with the Pirates (and also Villanova if they beat Georgetown earlier). That said, one might expect some extra defensive intensity here but truly neither one of these teams has been defined by defense. Creighton, particularly at home, is known for piling up points and firing up threes! The Blue Jays are averaging 83.5 points per game game at home this season. They are a 3.5 point favorite in this game. Logically this game could be expected to surpass the 160 mark given those numbers. The first meeting between these teams this season did go over the total. That first match-up totaled 167 points and that was even with the teams combining to make just 15 of 52 three pointers for a poor combined 29% mark from the beyond the arc. Entering this game, the over is 5-2 in the Blue Jays last 7 games and 5-1 in the Pirates last 6 games. Look for the high-scoring trend to continue here. 10* OVER the total in Creighton

Total of the Month - Rickenbach NBA Rotation #553 Friday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Minnesota Timberwolves vs Orlando Magic @ 8:05 ET - Revenge game for the Wolves as they lost at Orlando last week so they won't take their foot off the gas here and they do love to run and gun. That match-up last week totaled 261 points and continued the over trending in this series. The over is 6-1 in the last 7 meetings between Minnesota and the Magic. Also, Orlando enters this game on an incredible streak with their totals. The over is now 9-0 in their last 9 games. As for the Wolves, they have also been trending the same direction. Prior to their most recent game, a win versus Chicago staying under the total, the over was on a 9-2 run in their 11 preceding games. Night in and night out, both of these teams are constantly getting involved in high-scoring games. I see no reason not to expect more of the same here! Yes the total is a big one here but the over is 8-1 this season in Magic games with a posted total of 220 or more points. The over is 7-2 this season in Timberwolves games against teams from the Southeast Division. Look for another one high-scoring shootout here! 10* OVER the total in Minnesota

Tourney Total of the Week - Rickenbach CBB Rotation #865 Friday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Bradley Braves vs Southern Illinois Salukis @ 3:35 ET - This total is priced as if Southern Illinois is going to dictate the tempo of that game and I don't see it that way. The Salukis have lost 5 of their last 6 games. The Braves have won 20 games on the season and also enter this game having won 5 of 6 games before a season-ending loss by a single point against Loyola. Two of Bradley's recent games did go to overtime but even with removing the OT points from the equation, those games totaled more than this total. One was 72-all at the end of regulation and the other was knotted at 67 at the end of regulation. So let's take a closer look at recent Bradley scores. The Braves last 8 games have all totaled 127 points or more. Given today's low total posted on this game, that would be an 8-0 run to the over. Bradley has allowed 69.4 points per game in those 8 games. The Braves have scored an average of 70.4 points per game their last 7 games. That said, even though the Salukis have a tendency toward lower scoring games, I don't see them pulling down the better team's numbers that much in this game. Bradley will dictate the flow and is a confident group of scorers with the way they have been playing in recent weeks. As for Southern Illinois, they have allowed an average of 72.4 points per game their last 5 games. Before an ugly loss at Missouri State in their regular season finale, the Salukis had scored 67 points or more in 3 of 4 games. Look for this game to get into the 130s. 10* OVER the total in Bradley (game played in St Louis - MVC Tourney)

AAC Total of the Year - Rickenbach CBB Rotation #665 Thursday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Connecticut Huskies vs Houston Cougars @ 7 ET - The Huskies are seeking big-time revenge here. Not only did they lose a tight one at Houston in January, Connecticut also got thoroughly embarrassed in an absolute bloodbath loss (by 39 points) in the AAC Tournament last March. The Huskies may or may not get their revenge here but one thing is for certain...UConn does not want this game to turn into a low-scoring grinder. The Huskies enter this game having won 3 straight games and 7 of their last 10. They do it with offense as Connecticut is 9-2 to the over their last 11 games. Not including overtime, the Huskies have scored 67 points or more in 6 of their last 7 games. Keep in mind, Houston is favored in this game. In other words we should see at least mid-130s and that is at a bare minimum given the above. That said, I look for this game to get well into the 140s. Houston has averaged 75 points per game in their last 4 meetings with the Huskies. Also, the Cougars enter this game having averaged 69 points per game (not including OT) their last 7 games. It is quite logical that both teams get into the 70 range here as, to reiterate, the Huskies make sure this game plays at a little faster pace if they're going to have a chance to get their revenge here. Look for UConn to continue their recent high-scoring surge. 10* OVER the total in Connecticut 

ESPN Total of the Year - Rickenbach NBA Rotation #531 Wednesday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Milwaukee Bucks vs Indiana Pacers @ 7:05 ET - The Bucks won't take their foot off the gas in this one. They are at home off an ugly road loss. Also, Milwaukee lost their most recent match-up with the rival Pacers at Indiana. We're getting some line value with this total because the Bucks are off back to back low-scoring efforts on the road. They are a different team when they are on their home floor! Milwaukee has scored an average of 125 points per game in its last 11 home games. The spread on this game is currently -11 so if the odds makers are right about the line and the Bucks hit their recent scoring average, you have this game total pushing 240. Of course we don't need that number to win but you get my point. I am aware of Victor Oladipo possibly not playing tonight but he has played in a total of only 10 games this season anyway. The Pacers, even without Oladipo, would still score a ton of points here as the Bucks are going to play an uptempo game here. Milwaukee will look like they have been shot out of a cannon throughout this game. As for Indiana, they are off back to back overs and the over is now 11-5 in their last 16 road games. That trend continues here. 10* OVER the total in Milwaukee

Tourney Top Total - Rickenbach CBB Rotation #815 Wednesday 10* Top Play OVER the total in New Mexico Lobos vs San Jose State Spartans in MWC Tourney in Vegas @ 5:30 ET - This total may seem big but it is truly justified. The Spartans simply do not play defense and this is even more true when traveling. When away from home, San Jose State has allowed an average of 90.3 points per game in their 9 games! The Lobos are about a 10 point favorite here. So if the Spartans allow their recent typical average and the odds makers are a correct about the spread here than you're looking at a 90-80 type game which crushes the total. The fact is New Mexico loves to play a run and gun style with very little focus on defense and they'll be able to that here against the Spartans. The last time San Jose State and New Mexico met the Lobos scored 86 points. In the first meeting this season the Spartans won 88 to 85. You can see why I am expecting plenty of points here. I don't expect San Jose State to be able to stop the Lobos but I also don't expect them to go down without a fight in tourney action. In other words, they should indeed do enough running and gunning of their own to hang within about 10 points here and that means this one flies over the total. New Mexico's most recent road loss was a tight low-scoring grinder but those are unusual for sure. In their 7 preceding road games in 2020, the Lobos allowed an average of 89.4 points per game. This one gets crazy. 10* OVER the total in New Mexico (game played in Vegas)

Total of the Week - Rickenbach NBA Rotation #501 Tuesday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Charlotte Hornets vs San Antonio Spurs @ 7:05 ET - The Spurs are off a home loss to the Pacers last night that flew over the total. The over is now 8-2 in San Antonio's last 10 games. We're getting some line value here because this total has moved lower as a result of some recent scoring struggles for Charlotte. The Hornets have been held under 100 points in 4 of their last 5 games. However, off an ugly 85-point showing at home against the Bucks, look for Charlotte to bounce back strong here against a Spurs team that may not be at its best defensively in the 2nd game of a back to back. In fact, San Antonio is 24-10 to the over, including 6-1 to the over this season, when playing the 2nd game of a back to back. A lot of time defensive intensity is not as strong in non-conference games and the over is 5-2 in Hornets games against Southwest Division opponents. More of the same expected here. 10* OVER the total in Charlotte

Tourney Top Total - Rickenbach CBB Rotation #655 Tuesday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Oakland Golden Grizzlies vs Cleveland State Vikings @ 7 ET - The Vikings have only had two overtime games this season. The impact of those two OT periods in a 31-game season is minimal. That said, I feel this total is far too low because Oakland likes to play more uptempo than the Vikings do and I expect them to control the tempo in this one since this game is on their home floor. The Vikings average scoring 64.3 points per game this season but allow 71.5 points per game. Cleveland State, not including OT, scored at least 67 points in 3 of their last 4 road games. That included scoring 74 here at Oakland in a game that totaled 153 points. As for the Grizzlies, they have had 3 overtime games this season. However, just looking at points scored in regulation time, Oakland has allowed 71.3 points per game their last 8 games. The Golden Grizzlies have averaged, not including OT points, 74.2 points per game their last 5 home games. I see this game getting into the 140s or at least right around 140 and yet we've got a total right around a 130 which means solid value being offered here. I'll take it! 10* OVER the total in Oakland

ACC Total of the Year - Rickenbach CBB Rotation #861 Monday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Duke Blue Devils vs NC State Wolfpack @ 7 ET - Duke is off back to back losses including a 52-50 grinder against Virginia. Now they get a chance to really open things up again. After being held to just 50 points in their most recent game, I have no doubt the Blue Devils are going to run and gun against a willing participant, NC State. The Wolfpack have gone 5-2 to the over their last 7 games. Duke is 12-4 to the over in home games this season. The Blue Devils also have revenge in this one as they lost at NC State by a count of 88-66 two weeks ago. Duke shot an uncharacteristic 4 of 17 from beyond the arc and 10 of 22 at the charity stripe! Those numbers won't happen again here. The Blue Devils are averaging 84.2 points per game at home this season. The Wolfpack have scored 77 points or more in 5 of their last 7 games. The set up here is perfect for a high-scoring match-up. Also, note that the over is a perfect 7-0 in the last 7 meetings between these teams. More of the same expected here. 10* OVER the total in Duke

Big Ten Total of the Year - Rickenbach CBB Rotation #831 Sunday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Ohio State Buckeyes vs Michigan Wolverines @ 4 ET - I am aware there are a few injury situations in this game but I feel we have great value here with this total and I don't expect Eli Brooks to play for the Wolverines while the Buckeyes only really significant absence is Kyle Young but others will step up in his place at home. In terms of the value with this low total here, the Wolverines are 7-2 their last 9 games and have averaged scoring 73 points per game during this stretch. They are about a 4 point dog in this one. Last time I checked a 77-73 final totals 150 points. In other words, if Michigan hits their recent average and the odds makers are right about the spread here, we have ourselves an easy winner. The Buckeyes have won 4 of their last 5 games and have averaged 74 points per game during this stretch. Off an easy win versus a bad Nebraska team, Ohio State could be in for a surprise here as the Wolverines are playing with a lot of a confidence and scoring very well of late. Also, Michigan has revenge from a low-scoring home loss to the Buckeyes early last month. After sub-par shooting in that meeting, watch things open up in a big way today and we'll see plenty of scoring in this one. 10* OVER the total in Ohio State

Daytime TV Annihilation - Rickenbach NBA Rotation #565 Sunday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Los Angeles Clippers vs Philadelphia 76ers @ 3:35 ET - The Sixers are without both Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons but don't look for the Clippers to show them any mercy. That said, Los Angeles is averaging 117.5 points per game at home this season and opened up as a 12.5 point favorite here. A 118-106 type game seems perfectly logical here given those numbers and yet this total is about a half dozen points below that. Also note that the Clips have averaged 123.8 points per game in their last 5 wins. The Sixers have allowed 119.8 points per game in their last 6 losses. This game could easily approach the 230 mark in total points as the Clippers won't hold back. LA is playing their final home game before a 2-game road trip and they won't be back on their home floor until next Sunday. The Clippers will make the most of the opportunity and run and gun here. The Sixers, though wounded, do have fresh legs from two off days preceding this game and we'll see plenty of points here. 10* OVER the total in Los Angeles Clippers

Situational Slaughter - Rickenbach NBA Rotation #549 Saturday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Miami Heat vs Brooklyn Nets @ 7:35 ET - Total opened up at a 225.5 and has dropped to a 222.5 as of very early game day morning. I understand this is a back to back spot but both teams were involved in high-scoring games yesterday that flew over the total and I expect more of the same today. The over is a perfect 6-0 in Miami's last 6 games. Heat home games are on a perfect 4-0 run to the over. The Nets have scored an average of 113 points per game their last 4 games. Brooklyn is a 7 point dog here. A game ending up in the 120-113 range here would not be shocking in any way whatsoever. That said, we have got a total that is now about 10 points below where it could easily land in my opinion. I'll grab the big value and look for the high-scoring trending to continue here. 10* OVER the total in Miami

Afternoon Annihilation - Rickenbach CBB Rotation #647 Saturday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Marquette Golden Eagles vs Seton Hall Pirates @ 2:30 ET - The odds makers are sharp. That said, the first game between these teams easily stayed under the total and yet this total opened up at a higher number than the first meeting! Why? Well, for one thing these teams had a ridiculous 2nd half in the first meeting. They had combined for 77 points at halftime but then the Golden Eagles scored only 18 points in the 2nd half of the game. That happened at Seton Hall and I guarantee that won't happen with Marquette as the host in the rematch. Home in Milwaukee for this one, look for the Eagles to score plenty but their weakness is they won't be able to stop Seton Hall. The Pirates have averaged 74 points per game in their last 3 meetings with Marquette. Also, Seton Hall enters this game scoring an average of 77 points per game their last 4 games. The Golden Eagles have scored an average of 80 points per game on their home floor this season. Both teams enter off a win in which they scored more than 80 points and that confidence spills right into this game and both teams continue their high-scoring ways. 10* OVER the total in Marquette

Total of the Week - Rickenbach NBA Rotation #529 Friday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Toronto Raptors vs Charlotte Hornets @ 7:35 ET - The Raptors are off a home loss but it is because they faced the best team in the NBA, Milwaukee. Prior to that low-scoring loss to the Bucks, Toronto had scored an average of 125.6 points per game in their 7 preceding home games. The point spread in this game is 14 and a 125-111 type game certainly is not out of the question and that crushes this total and goes over by 20 points. I know Charlotte occasionally has some ugly games but the Hornets do have a good history of piling up points when facing the Raptors. That is why the over is 8-1-1 in the last 10 meetings. Also, Charlotte enters this game off a win that went over the total. When the Hornets are off a win and playing on the road, they have scored an average of 108.3 points per game the last 3 times. That would translate to a 122-108 game here if the spread is correct at 14 points. Either way, you can see why I am liking the over here given the situation. The fact is the Raptors won't take their foot off the gas considering they are off a loss. Toronto will force Charlotte into a fast-paced game and the Hornets have allowed 117.3 points per game in their last 8 losses. More of the same expected here. 10* OVER the total in Toronto

Ivy Total of the Year - Rickenbach CBB Rotation #861 Friday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Cornell Big Red vs Dartmouth Big Green @ 7 ET - This total has been pushed too low. The Big Red could get Jordan Jones and/or Jimmy Boeheim back tonight. But, either way, Cornell has averaged scoring 61.5 points (in regulation time) in the two games since Boeheim got hurt. Also, this is a revenge game from the ugly 75-53 loss at Dartmouth two weeks ago which was the game in which Boeheim got hurt early. This actually increases the likelihood that he'll be back tonight to be part of the revenge attack. But again, either way, I like the over plenty in this one. The total has simply been pushed too low by over-reaction to the fact the Big Red allowed just 45 points in their most recent game. Keep in mind, Cornell had allowed 74.4 points per game in regulation time of their 7 games that preceded the low-scoring win versus Brown. Also, the Big Green enter this game having scored an average of 67 points per game in going 3-1 their last 4 contests. The issue for Dartmouth on the road has been defense. The Big Green have lost 7 straight road games and have allowed an average of 68 points per game in those 7 defeats. You can see, per the above, why I am expecting this game to get into the mid-130s and yet we're dealing with a total in the mid-120s. I'll take it! 10* OVER the total in Cornell

Total of the Week - Rickenbach CBB Rotation #615 Thursday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Purdue Boilermakers vs Indiana Hoosiers @ 7 ET - These teams have played some ugly games in recent meetings but that has led to this total being kept to low by the betting markets. There are plenty of signs pointing to this game getting well into the 130s and yet this total has dipped into the 120s in early market activity. The Boilermakers are on a 4-game losing streak but 2 of those defeats came on the road. Purdue has continued to score well in home games. Prior to being held to 63 points at home against Michigan, the Boilermakers averaged scoring 76.6 points per game in their 5 preceding home games. Speaking of hot scoring, Indiana is "feeling it" right now. The Hoosiers have won 3 of their last 4 games and scored an average of 75 points in those 3 wins. Indiana has allowed an average of 70.6 points per game their last 8 games. The Boilermakers have allowed an average of 74 points per game their last 4 games. Given all of the above, you can see why this game getting into the 140s would certainly not be a total shock. That is why I certainly expect this game to get well into the 130s and that makes this one a very strong play given the line value we're getting here. 10* OVER the total in Purdue

PA Insider - Rickenbach CBB Rotation #781 Wednesday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Villanova Wildcats vs St John's Red Storm @ 6:30 ET - The Wildcats are off a low-scoring grinder win over Xavier on Saturday. You saw how the Musketeers reacted in their next game as their match-up with DePaul last night had 80 points by half-time and went over the total rather easily. I look for a similar situation here with Villanova. We have a higher total to deal with than last night's Xavier game but that's because St John's is known for getting involved in high-scoring games. The Red Storm have allowed 81 points per game their last 4 road games. The Red Storm are off an ugly loss at Seton Hall Sunday but had scored an average of 77 points per game their 4 prior games this month. As for the Wildcats, they are off the aforementioned low-scoring win over the Musketeers, but that extended their winning streak to 4 games and they averaged scoring 80 points per game in their 3 prior wins. Also, Villanova has allowed 72 points per game in their last 3 home games. The Cats will run and gun here with the Red Storm. 10* OVER the total in Villanova

Earliest Cash - Rickenbach CBB Rotation #609 Tuesday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Xavier Musketeers vs DePaul Blue Demons @ 7 ET - Xavier needs to bounce back strong after a low-scoring home loss to Villanova Saturday. Prior to that defeat, the Musketeers had been on a 4-1 run and they averaged 70.5 points per game in the 4 victories. On the season, Xavier is averaging 71.6 points per game at home. In other words, they'll bounce back strong here. The key to the over is that DePaul has been getting involved in plenty of high-scoring games of late. The Blue Demons have scored an average of 70.3 points per game their last 4 games. The issue for DePaul is they can't stop anyone. The Blue Demons have allowed 76 points or more in 6 of their last 8 losses. DePaul has allowed an average of 84 points per game their last 3 games. That even includes a rare win, versus Georgetown, in their most recent game. I am well aware of the under trending in this series but this one is set up perfectly for an over based on the situational aspects of this one. 10* OVER the total in Xavier

Total of the Month - Rickenbach NBA Rotation #551 Sunday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Oklahoma City Thunder vs San Antonio Spurs @ 7:05 ET - The Spurs are off a win at Utah Friday which stayed just under the total. That was preceded by a stretch in which San Antonio games recorded 5 straight overs. As for the Thunder, they are also off a victory which stayed just under the total and this was preceded by a stretch in which Oklahoma City games recorded 3 straight overs. 4 of the last 6 meetings between these teams have resulted in an over. The Spurs have allowed an average of 116.6 points per game in their last 10 road games. The Thunder have allowed an average of 110 points per game in their last 10 home games. The over is 10-3 in games in which the Spurs are road underdog of 6 or less points this season. The over is 9-5 this season when the Thunder enter a game having scored 105 points or more in 5 straight games. The fact is that both teams are "feeling it" right now and will stay hot as this one turns into a high-scoring affair. These teams each scored 65 points in the 2nd half of their game two weeks ago and the up and down style featured throughout the 2nd half of that game carries right into the rematch as OKC seeks revenge for that home loss and is ready to run and gun for the full 48 minutes in this one. 10* OVER the total in Oklahoma City

Earliest Cash - Rickenbach CBB Rotation #821 Sunday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Indiana Hoosiers vs Penn State Nittany Lions @ Noon ET - The Nittany Lions had been rolling but enter Sunday off an ugly loss to Illinois. In that game Penn State scored only 56 points. This was preceded by a stretch in which PSU scored an average of 78 points per game during an 8-game winning streak. Now this total that opened up at 145 is down to a 143 and I feel we have great value with the over in this match-up. The Hoosiers have been scoring well at home but won't be able to stop an angry Nittany Lions team on the other end in this one. That means we should see plenty of points in this one. Indiana has scored an average of 76 points per game in its last 3 home games. You can see why I am expecting this game to get into the 150s given the above recent trending for these teams. Also, we're getting value here because the last meeting between these teams stayed well under the total but both teams had rare poor shooting nights from beyond the arc. With regards to the rematch, note that the Nittany Lions are hitting 36.3% of their threes in road games this season and the Hoosiers are knocking down 35.3% of their shots from long range in home games this season. Indiana has allowed an average of 80 points per game their last 3 games and this one has all the right ingredients to turn into a back and forth high-scoring affair. 10* OVER the total in Indiana 

Daytime Dominator - Rickenbach CBB Rotation #719 Saturday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Louisville Cardinals vs North Carolina Tar Heels @ 4 ET - I used the over in Louisville's first revenge match-up this week as I knew they wouldn't take their foot off the gas with a chance to blowout Syracuse. Indeed it played out that way as the Cardinals won 90-66. Now, with a chance to get payback against the Tar Heels, I look for Louisville to again pile up the points. North Carolina has been a nemesis for Louisville in recent seasons and that includes knocking them out of the ACC Tourney last March. Now the Cards get a chance at revenge while the Heels are having a down season. They won't pass up this opportunity and, just like the game against the Orange, they won't take their foot off the gas. The Cardinals are averaging 78 points per game at home. The Cards have averaged 84 points per game in their last 4 home games. The Tar Heels are not a very good team defensively this season but are capable of putting up solid point totals in the right situation and this is one of those. Louisville is going for the home rout here and will be willing to play a fast pace with plenty of running up and down the court and quick points in transition. The over is 8-3 in the Cardinals last 11 games. There have been only 4 unders in North Carolina's last 13 games. 10* OVER the total in Louisville

Earliest Cash - Rickenbach NBA Rotation #517 Friday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Toronto Raptors vs Phoenix Suns @ 7:35 ET - The Suns are getting healthier as a number of players expected to return tonight in the first game for Phoenix since the All Star break. The Raptors are fired up after a loss right before the All Star break ended their 15-game winning streak. In that defeat, Toronto was held to just 91 points. Keep in mind, in their prior 15 games the Raptors scored an average of 121.2 points per game. The Suns enter this game having averaged 111.2 points per game their last 10 road games. There were just 3 unders for Toronto during their 15 game winning streak. I look for the Raptors to get right on back with a win here out of the break and, as per usual  throughout their recent winning streak, the game goes over the total. The Suns are rejuvenated with better health and love to run and gun. The Raptors will happily oblige a fast-paced game here as well. 10* OVER the total in Toronto

Horizon League Total of the Year - Rickenbach CBB Rotation #853 Friday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Detroit Mercy Titans vs Wisconsin Green Bay Phoenix @ 7 ET - I know this is a very big total posted on this game but both these teams are poor defensively and the Phoenix love to run and gun. As for the Titans, they'll be bringing a strong effort right from the opening tip in this one as they were done in by a very poor first half in their most recent game here and then scored 39 in the 2nd half. Detroit can put up big points in the right situations and this is one of them. Green Bay is off a big win at rival Milwaukee. That game totaled 184 points as the Phoenix continue to rely on offense to win games and they continue to be weak on the defense end. They gave up 90 points to the Panthers in that win and no, there was no overtime! History in this series also suggests a wild game is on tap. There has been just 1 under in the last 8 meetings between these teams. Also, the average points scored in the last 10 meetings between these teams is 180.7 per game. UWGB is allowing opponents to hit 47% from the field in road games this season and 38% from three point land away from home. On the season the Titans are allowing 77.5 points per game and the Phoenix are scoring an average of 81.4 points per game. Given the situation here, as well as the series history and the recent trending for each of these teams, we should see an absolute shootout. Before a low-scoring OT loss in their most recent game, Detroit Mercy had scored an average of 75.4 points per game their 8 preceding games. Now take that level of scoring and match it up with the run and gun Phoenix and you have the makings of a game where each team is likely to get well into the 80s. Green Bay has scored more than 90 points in each of its last 3 victories and here they are taking on a 6-21 Titans team certainly not known as a defensive stalwart. 10* OVER the total in Detroit

Total of the Week - Rickenbach NBA Rotation #501 Thursday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Detroit Pistons vs Milwaukee Bucks @ 7:05 ET - The Pistons are in a state of flux but don't expect any mercy from the Bucks in this one. Milwaukee has dominated Detroit including last season's sweep in the first round of the playoffs. The Bucks welcome back Giannis Antetokounmpo after he missed the last two games before the All Star break. Also, Milwaukee did lose their final game before the break so there will be no let up in this game no matter the score. The Bucks want to put a beating on their next opponent after a rare loss. That said, the Pistons are the victim by default. I do like the fact that Detroit scored 108 points in regulation time in their final game before the All Star break. The Pistons have also averaged 108 points per game this season. However, the Bucks are 13 point favorites here with good reason and a road rout is likely. I don't trust laying the huge points here with Milwaukee as double digit road favorites as double digit road favorites in the NBA aren't a big favorite of mine! But I do trust the Bucks not to take their foot off the gas and this could turn into a very wild high-scoring game as a result. These teams tend to get a little testy with each other and that means plenty of free throws too. The last meeting here in Detroit was quite a rough and tumble affair and that one totaled 230 points. This one should get into that range as well. Look for the over to improve to a perfect 5-0 in the last 5 meetings between these teams in the Motor City. The over is 7-3 in the Pistons last 10 home games. 10* OVER the total in Detroit

Earliest Cash - Rickenbach CBB Rotation #627 Thursday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Temple Owls vs Connecticut Huskies @ 7 ET - The Owls are ready to hit the floor running tonight. They are off a home loss to Villanova Sunday in which they were really shut down in the 2nd half and managed a total of only 56 points for the game. The Huskies defense took a major blow with the loss of 6'9 shot-blocker Akok Akok in the very first minute of the game against Memphis Sunday. Connecticut managed to win without him as they defeated the Tigers but, long-term, that is going to be a major blow for the Huskies in terms of defense around the rim. Look for Temple to immediately take advantage. Also, even though the over is only 3-2 in the last 5 meetings between these teams, note that all 5 of those games totaled 138 points or more. I really like the great value here with today's posted total being held in the mid-130s. The Owls loss to the Wildcats stayed under the total but they entered that game on a 3-game over streak. The Huskies win over Memphis stayed under the total but they entered that game having gone 5-1 to the over in their 6 prior games. The Owls had averaged 79.3 points per game in regulation time of their 3 home games prior to the loss to Nova. UConn has averaged 70 points per game in its last 3 road games. 10* OVER the total in Temple

Total of the Month - Rickenbach CBB Rotation #785 Wednesday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Louisville Cardinals vs Syracuse Orange @ 7 ET - This total, as of very early game day morning, has dropped quite far from its opener and I won't hesitate to step in on the added value. The Orange have had just 1 under in their past 8 games. The Cardinals have seen 7 of their past 10 games result in an over. Syracuse consistently allows 70 points per game and has allowed 82.3 points per game in its last 4 games. Louisville has revenge on their mind here as they lost last season at Syracuse by 20 points. The Cardinals had been red hot all season long but now enter this game off back to back road losses. At home, angry, playing with revenge...Louisville will NOT take their foot off the gas in this game. That said, Syracuse certainly is a vulnerable defense that is capable of giving up a ton of points. At the same time though, the Orange have also scored an average of 76 points per game their past 9 games. The Cardinals have scored 80 points or more in each of their last 3 home games. Look for this one to fly over the total because, given the situation (as noted above), there will be no let up from the Cards and they'll be running hard and scoring big all night long. 10* OVER the total in Louisville

Total of the Week - Rickenbach CBB Rotation #863 Monday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Notre Dame Fighting Irish vs North Carolina Tar Heels @ 7 ET - The Tar Heels have had just 4 unders in their last 15 games. North Carolina takes to the road after an intense defensive effort Saturday went for naught when Virginia drained a 3-pointer to hand the Heels a last-second loss. That is the type of game that means the Tar Heels defense won't be traveling with them here per se. It is simply very difficult to come up with strong defensive efforts in back to back games and I look for this match-up with Notre Dame to turn into a run and gun affair. Keep in mind, North Carolina had allowed 79 points per game in their two prior games (not including OT versus Duke). As for the Irish, they have allowed 77 points per game in their last 4 home games. The over went a perfect 4-0 in those games as the Fighting Irish also scored an average of 83 points per game in those home games. Notre Dame is coming off a home game versus Duke in which they allowed 94 points. The Irish offensive production has been bottled up in recent games but that had a lot to do with whom they were facing. That all changes here against a Tar Heels team having a rough season. This game played very loose with plenty of points considering what these teams are coming off of. The first game between these teams this season continued the trend of unders in recent meetings between these foes. However, the pace was there for an over and the situation with both these teams is much different late in the season than it was early in the season. North Carolina becoming cemented in the bottom of the ACC standings and the Irish turn to their normally potent offense at home to carry them in this one. The result will be an absolute shootout. 10* OVER the total in Notre Dame

Afternoon Annihilation - Rickenbach CBB Rotation #847 Sunday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Boise State Broncos vs San Diego State Aztecs @ 4 ET - The Broncos would love to knock off the 25-0 Aztecs here. We could see a bit of a letdown from San Diego State in terms of defensive intensity too. That's because they just locked up the MWC title. Yes, they have already clinched with 4 games to go in the season. As for the Broncos, they know they're unlikely to top the Aztecs in a low-scoring grinder. They need to play fast and move the ball well to create easy scoring opportunities like they did in the second half of their win over Air Force earlier this week. Boise State is averaging 83.7 points per game at home this season. San Diego State is averaging 76.5 points per game on the road this season. The over is 5-1 in the Aztecs last 6 games. The over is 5-2 in the last 7 meetings between these teams. When these teams meet at San Diego State, the Broncos have struggled to score well at time. But in their last 4 neutral site meetings or games played at Boise State, the Broncos have averaged 79.3 points per game. Of course the Aztecs are favored here for a reason (going 25-0 is no accident!) but you can see why San Diego State is projected to have to score plenty here to topple Boise State. The Broncos are a very tough home team (12-1 this season) and score very well as a host. The result is plenty of points in this one Sunday. 10* OVER the total in Boise State

SEC Total of the Year - Rickenbach CBB Rotation #645 Saturday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Kentucky Wildcats vs Ole Miss Rebels @ 2:00 ET - Ole Miss is rolling with momentum right now. The Rebels are off a third straight win as they just knocked off rival Mississippi State Tuesday. The Rebels have averaged 78.3 points per game their last 3 games. The over is 6-3 in the last 9 meetings between these teams including a perfect 3-0 L3. Many of those overs have absolutely crushed the posted totals and I feel this one will too. The average score of the last 10 meetings between these teams is Kentucky 85, Ole Miss 71. The Wildcats also enter this game on a 3-game winning streak and they have averaged 78.3 points per game in those 3 victories. On the season the Wildcats are averaging 77.4 points per game at home. I know that the Rebels have some ugly full season numbers in terms of scoring on the road but the way they have been playing of late and the fact Kentucky has a big game on deck at LSU (also 9-2 in SEC like the Cats are) has me expecting Ole Miss to score very well in this game. The problem for the Rebels will be, like it is for most teams playing Kentucky, they won't be able to slow down the Wildcats here. UK is off a win versus Vanderbilt Tuesday which totaled 142 points. That would have gone over given today's number but though it resulted in an under in that game, the over was on a 10-3 run in Wildcats games heading into that match-up with the Commodores. 10* OVER the total in Kentucky

Total of the Week - Rickenbach CBB Rotation #625 Thursday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Cincinnati Bearcats vs Memphis Tigers @ 7 ET - When these teams met on January 16th, the very first total that popped up on the game was a 140. The game held close to that range despite the market activity that day. The end result though was a game that totaled only 109 points. Now, 4 weeks later, nearly the identical total has been posted on this game as it opened up at a 139. So clearly the odds makers don't know what they're doing, right? Of course I am being sarcastic here but the point is there is very good reason the odds makers opened this total up in nearly the identical spot despite the fact the first meeting between these teams stayed under the total by a margin of 30+ points! For one thing, despite the last game here staying under the total, the over is 8-2 in the last 10 meetings between these teams in Cincinnati. That is some historical perspective. However, the key reason this total is where it is relates to the way these two teams have been playing recently. The Bearcats, since being held to 49 points at Memphis 4 weeks ago, have scored an average of 74.5 points per game their last 6 games and that does NOT include teh OT points in the loss at Connecticut Sunday. As for the Tigers, they have scored 70 points more in 4 of their last 5 games and have averaged 74 points per game their last 3 games. Both teams enter this match-up off back to back overs. Memphis is 3-1 to the over this season in games in which they are an underdog. Also, the Tigers are 6-1 to the over when they are off an upset loss as a favorite. The Bearcats are 6-1 to the over when off a loss in AAC action. 10* OVER the total in Cincinnati

Earliest Cash - Rickenbach NBA Rotation #503 Wednesday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Cleveland Cavaliers vs Atlanta Hawks @ 7:05 ET - The Cavaliers attempted 95 shots in Monday's home loss to the Clippers but had a horrific shooting night. Certainly the pace was there for much more than the 92 points they had to show for it on the offensive end. Look for Cleveland to bounce back strong here. as they now face the Hawks instead of the Clips. Both the Cavs and Hawks have made some personnel changes but that really won't have much of an impact on these teams and the way they play until after the All Star break. There just isn't enough time now to make big changes. That being said, I look for this game to have a very fast tempo with plenty of points. Note that the over is 11-0 with 1 push in the last 12 meetings between these teams. Also, the over is 8-0 in the last 8 meeting between these teams at Cleveland. The Hawks enter this game on a 12-3 run to the over their last 15 games. Prior to the Cavs loss to the Clippers staying under the total, the Cavaliers were on an 10-1-1 run to the over in their prior 12 home games. That over trending at Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse resumes here. These are two of the worst teams in the NBA and that is particularly true on the defensive end. With the pace they have each been playing with coupled with a lack of success on the defensive end, we should see plenty of points in what is the final game before the All-Star break for these teams. They'll go all out and push the pace hard throughout. It has been the "m.o." of both these teams for a long time now. 10* OVER the total in Cleveland

Earliest Cash - Rickenbach CBB Rotation #784 Wednesday 10* Top Play UNDER the total in Seton Hall Pirates vs Creighton Bluejays @ 6:30 ET - The Bluejays have remained under the total in 7 of 9 road games this season. The Pirates have remained under the total in 8 of 12 home games this season. Creighton is off a very high-scoring home win versus St John's on Saturday but the Bluejays simply shot "lights out" in that game and that is unlikely to be repeated here. Creighton has not shot the ball well on the road this season. This is normal year in and year out with the Bluejays. They light it up at home but struggle to consistently score on the road. They don't shoot the 3-ball as well on the road and note that the Pirates, 10-1 in Big East action this season, have held opponents to just 27% from beyond the arc in home games this season! Seton Hall has allowed just 62.2 points per game at home this season. In the Pirates last 4 home games they have averaged scoring just 67 points per game. In other words, they've been winning at home with defense and certainly they are not interested in getting into a fast-paced transition game with the Bluejays. Seton Hall is well aware of how Creighton successfully used their transition game at home on Saturday. The Pirates will be methodical here and rely on their strong defense to frustrate the Bluejays. The last time these teams met here in Newark the game totaled only 121 points. I am not saying this one will be quite that low but I am saying it should only reach into the 130s at most given all of the above! 10* UNDER the total in Seton Hall

Earliest Cash - Rickenbach NBA Rotation #577 Tuesday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Washington Wizards vs Chicago Bulls @ 7:05 ET - The Wizards are coming off an embarrassing 4th quarter performance at home against the Grizzlies on Sunday. That collapse in the final stanza allowed Memphis to pull away late as it resulted in Washington only scoring 99 points in a game they should have scored 120. Look for the Wizards to make up for it here. This should be a wild high-scoring game played at a frenetic pace as Washington was on a 7-1 run to the over in their 8 games preceding the low-scoring loss to Memphis. As for Chicago, they enter this game on a perfect 7-0 run to the over their last 7 games. The Bulls have allowed 126.3 points per game their last 4 games. The Wizards are allowing 120.4 points per game on the season! 10* OVER the total in Washington

Total Annihilation - Rickenbach CBB Rotation #601 Tuesday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Purdue Boilermakers vs Penn State Nittany Lions @ 6:30 ET - The Nittany Lions are red hot and have won 6 straight games SU and ATS. The Boilermakers also are heating up again with 3 straight wins including a win at rival Indiana on Saturday. Purdue has been on fire from beyond the arc as they have hit 27 of 54 three pointers in their past two games and averaged scoring 89 points per game in the process. I don't foresee them slowing down at home either. Of course that is why the Boilers are a 5 point home favorite over a red hot Penn State team that has climbed all the way to #13 in the rankings. The Nittany Lions are in for a barrage of 3 pointers here and remember they allowed 55 points in the 2nd half of what ended up being a nail-biter win over Minnesota Saturday. That said, I expect Purdue to score plenty here but Penn State to battle back as they could also get a boost with the return of Myreon Jones for this one. Either way, the high-scoring trending in this series continues. Their last 4 meetings all have gone over the total and the one before that 4-0 run to the over totaled 144 points and so of course that would make it 5 straight overs if had a total like Tuesday's (135) game does. The over is 5-1 in the Boilermakers last 6 home games and I look for that trending to continue here as both teams stay hot with their shooting and will battle for the full 40 minutes in this one. A game likely to end up being a back and forth affair trading big buckets down the stretch. 10* OVER the total in Purdue